"That looks very well, ma'am. Mr. and Mrs. Jenks will be most appreciative."
Elizabeth smiled faintly as she stepped back and viewed her handiwork. The baskets she'd prepared for two of William's - no, now her and William's - their displaced tenants were almost overflowing. Candles, cloth, sturdy thread and needles filled some baskets, while foodstuffs filled the others. Cheeses, breads, smoked meats, dried fruits from the summer harvests.
"I am sure they will be, although I so wish we needed not to send them supplies. Mr. Darcy and I were quite upset upon hearing what happened."
The afternoon before the wedding, an express rider had come from Pemberly. Elizabeth remembered the tea hosted at Netherfield - the Bennets, the Bingleys, William and Georgiana, and Colonel Fitzwilliam - being interrupted and Darcy summoned to the door. A note from his steward relayed the news of an unexpected lightning storm that had set fire to two tenant homes, burning them down to the ground. Thankfully no one was injured. The tenants were being taken care of by very competent estate staff. Still, the poor people had lost all their possession, their homes.
And Elizabeth had seen, in William's eyes, how conflicted he was. She had taken him aside in the drawing room as soon as she could.
"My love, I am so sorry," he said, gazing at her with such a sad look on his face. "So sorry to have this bad news just before the wedding."
"Why, William! You cannot help it. Those poor families, I wish I could do something for them right now."
He sighed, looking upset. "I hate to ask it of you, but I would like to leave tomorrow as soon as we are able after the wedding breakfast. I know Mr. Wallace and Mrs. Reynolds have everything in hand - still, I would feel better going home as soon as may be."
She laid a hand on his arm, smiling softly up at him. "Of course we can leave early. I will be your wife tomorrow, and the Mistress of Pemberly. Your concern for the estate and tenants is mine as well."
William smiled then, and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her forehead before leaning back to look into her eyes. "I love you so much, Lizzy. You make everything better."
No, she did not like not being able to be with him now, in the days just after their wedding. But she understood his role, and hers. The sense of duty to the land and people. It made her love him that much more, that he was such a careful, considerate master. He could be like some of the dandies she'd met in London when she was there shopping for her trousseau. Gentleman with estates who rarely spent time there, sucking what they could from the land to fuel their addictions to drink and gambling and brothels. Without any care or concern for the people whose hard work made the money possible. William was so different. He took his duty and responsibility to his holdings very seriously. He fiercely protected whom and what he loved. Time and again, she had seen that in his behavior to his sister, and herself. Elizabeth knew she could not have married a better man.
"Yes, ma'am, I imagine he was upset," Mrs. Reynolds said, starling Elizabeth from her thoughts. "Even when he was a small boy, I could tell he would one day be a great landlord and wonderful master."
"I do recall you saying those words when I toured the estate with my aunt and uncle this summer past," Elizabeth said, smiling at the housekeeper. "From what I have seen of Mr. Darcy, I believe you are right."
"And might I say, ma'am, that the master has done himself very well in his choice of mistress. Very well indeed."
"Mrs. Reynolds, that is very kind of you. But I have so much to learn, Pemberly is ever so much larger than my father's estate."
"Pardon me, ma'am. I've spent many of my years hiring and training staff, and I can tell fairly quickly about people. You will be a firm yet kind mistress, I know it. And the master looks as happy as I've ever seen him. Why this morning, the smile on his face when he was giving me instructions about this evening was like that of a boy at Christmas."
Elizabeth frowned in confusions. What about this evening? Were visitors planned? William had said nothing to her about anything unexpected. "Mrs. Reynolds, I appreciate your comments. But what instructions did Mr. Darcy give you about this evening?"
"Oh! How I run on, ma'am. It is a surprise, so I cannot share details - except that it will be just you and the master. No guests."
"Oh. And there is nothing I can do to find out more? I must wait?" Elizabeth attempted to charm the information out of the housekeeper.
"Ma'am, I think you will like what he has done very much, but you will have to wait for the master."
Elizabeth sighed, and smiled. As long as there were no unexpected guests, as long as it was only her and her beloved, she would be fine with not knowing. But patience was not one of her virtues. "I will not press you further, Mrs. Reynolds. Now that the baskets are ready, I believe you said we needed to cut and sew sheets and blankets?"