Chapter 11

As much as Emma might despise London in winter, she had little against it in the spring. Mr. Darcy must go there on business, and when Elizabeth learned it would take him some time, she suggested they all go. Emma, though loath to miss the flowers at Pemberley blooming, was excited to see the city again and all the diversions that could be found there.

Miss Baxter, her tutor was sure to tell her all sorts of wonderful stories of what she would find there, shops, plays, and lovely parks to walk in. Miss Baxter herself was looking forward to having the holiday when the children were gone and was packed to leave for her married sisters before the Darcy family were.

Mrs. Darcy found it hard to try to see to all the things that must go of hers and the children's. But being a level headed woman got things done in decent order, but sadly not soon enough to travel with Mr. Darcy, who went on ahead.

The children and Mrs. Darcy followed a few days later, packed together in the carriage. The children's excitement knew no bounds as they were off to see a new place and they got to stop at an inn on the way. A day's journey in a carriage with four children would have ruined the spirits of most fine women, but Mrs. Darcy loved her children dearly and enjoyed keeping them company. Together on the long drive they discussed many things and she kept their attention diverted from the log trip by either playing games with them or reading aloud.

The all took turns reading, Even Emma, much to the impatience of her brothers as she was still very slow and had a habit of skipping words which looked too long or hard to pronounce.

The inn they stopped in that night was made ready for them by the foot man that had ridden ahead to secure accommodations for the family. The children were rather tired when they arrive and Mrs. Darcy was glad to find that a nice dinner had been sent up for them and was waiting.

Emma found everything about the inn exciting and explored the new place from window to closet before she was put to bed by a firm mother. As it was she found herself in the bed nearest the window and was able to look out at the stars. This comforted her, for she liked to see the stars from her bedroom at Pemberley.

It was some time before she could fall asleep as she had much to think on, and also because of the noise that came from the street outside, something she was not accustomed to at all.

She had worried about Trousers, and wanted to bring him along, but this was not to be. Mrs. Darcy assured her that Trousers would be fine, in fact he would be much happier at home, and her mother would be much happier not having to deal with a cat in the carriage.

Seeing that there was no other choice, Emma had to content herself in telling all the servants to be especially nice to her little pet while she was gone. The servants of course all promised most faithfully, promises which it is doubtful were fulfilled for Trousers was not universally liked, and had all the makings of being one of the most spoiled pets in all of England.

"Emma, Emma, wake up darling, you must get dressed we have to leave early to reach London on time."

Emma sleepily got out of her bed, deciding that this part of traveling was a disadvantage, but cheered up considerably when she thought that they would reach Papa that evening. Another long day of carriage travel with little to recommend it save for the fun William and Peter had when after much asked their mother allowed them to ride outside with the driver for a short while.

Emma was a little put out that she didn't get to as well, but being a happy child, soon got over it.

By the time they reached the house in London, it was quite dark and Emma was sound asleep. Mr. Darcy, who had been waiting for them came out and after directing the servants were to take the luggage, and his older sons where to go, he carried Emma in, wrapped in her mothers cloak. Mrs. Darcy's arms were full of little Bennet, fallen asleep so soundly that while Emma awoke enough to hug her Papa good night, Ben slept through it all.

When Emma opened her eyes the next morning she found herself in a strange room, blinking and rubbing her eye's she tried to remember where. It took only a minute and she was set to rights in her own mind and studied the new room with interest.

It was not quite so fine as Pemberley, indeed, not half so much, but in short it was a very fine town house, bigger than a lot of others. Her room was done with pale pink papers and altogether very agreeable. The one thing that disappointed her was when she looked out the window all she could see was the wide stone street filled with carriages and people.

Her room was at the front and the little garden was out back, so that she had hardly any green in sight save for a few trees that had been allowed to grow along the streets.

There was a light knock on the door and when she called, in came a young maid, no more than eighteen to do her hair and make sure she was presentable.

"You must hurry Miss! Your mother wants you to eat so that you can be going about London with her. It's a very fine day!"

Emma wore her favorite white little dress and was soon down in the breakfast room with the rest of the family. "I will be going to one of the gentlemen's clubs this morning" she caught the end of her fathers sentence as she came into the room. "I have business to conduct there, but I will be back for dinner."

"Can I go with you Papa?" Emma asked, not having been able to spend any time with her doting father recently.

"I'm sorry, you can not."

"Why ever not?" Emma asked.

"There is just on little reason, I am going to a gentlemen's club today, and you my dear are not a gentleman. I am sure you would be much more charming company than many of the men there, but alas, you are still not a gentleman."

Emma was satisfied by this that her father would have spent time with her if it were not for his odious business.

What are we going to do today Mama?" Peter asked, finishing the last of the breakfast sausage with relish once his father was gone out f the house.

"We are going to go to some of the fine establishments so that I can order some new clothes with the money your father has entrusted to me" Mrs. Darcy said smiling.

"Clothes shopping?" Peter and William protested immediately, and Bennet, not to be left out repeated what they had said.

"Yes, and if you all would like to be cheerful about it, I think we will stop by a little pastry shop I remember from the last time I was here, for tea" she said casually, taking a sip of the aforementioned liquid as if it didn't matter to her what they chose to do. This silenced the boys quite nicely, and they resolved to be as good as possible, and hope to receive a very nice reward.

Now Emma was fond of pretty dresses and ribbons and bonnets as much as the next small girl, but even she had her limits, and Mrs. Darcy's enthusiasm for finding her a whole new wardrobe soon became tiresome. What with her mother's draping first one cloth against her, than the next, and the seamstress, excited by the bill that was being run up flitted around measuring Emma every which way and chattering about the newest styles and colors for the up coming London season.

The boy's did their best to sit quietly, even when their mother turned her attention to them and started getting them fitted up for the year. All the while the seamstress gushed over how handsome they would look.

While the boys were being measured and turned about, Emma wandered around the little shop and looked at the items on display, having been told by her mother that she could pick out some hair ribbons to buy. The ones that caught her eye were exactly the same color as Trousers orange spots.

That brought a smile to Emma's face, she could match trousers! It didn't bring a smile to her Mama's face, but she didn't say anything only wondered to herself how she would ever be able to find something that would match the very orange hair ribbons.

Finally the shopping was done Emma happily claimed her Mama's hand as they left the shop and began walking, they could have taken a carriage, but Mrs. Darcy liked walking. At the pastry shop, Mrs. Darcy ordered tea for every one and then let them choose a sweet.

William and Peter were finally rewarded, and Bennet, who was fascinated by all he saw, was feeling worn out and sat quietly, content to eat what ever he was given. The pastry Emma choose was very good, and she enjoyed it very much.

And now that all the flurry and measuring was over, she could look forward to her new dresses, admiring the different color samples that they had been given.

"Which one do you like best?" she asked William.

"The fruit pastry was best" he answered readily.

"Not food! I mean the material!" Emma sighed, showing him the two pieces she held.

"Oh, they both look good." Emma gave up and scooted closer to Bennet, pointing out the funny hats ladies going by outside were wearing.

Little Bennet giggled at each one as it past. While the wearers of the hats walked by, proud of their head gear, and quit unaware of the amusement they were giving to the two children.

They really laughed when a very proud looking woman stopped to talk to an acquaintance and a sudden gust of wind caught the feathers on her hat and they went whirling away in the wind. The woman didn't notice and continued talking, the look of superiority fixed on her face, while her friend was trying very hard not to laugh.

The children in the pastry shop didn't even try not to, and were still giggling when Mrs. Darcy led them out. "We're going to Hyde Park now" Mrs. Darcy informed them, there are some beautiful places there and we can see some green again" she promised.

The park was very beautiful and they walked down to a large lake and admired the water. "Don't go near the water!" Mrs. Darcy instructed sternly, before letting go of Bennet's hand.

Emma took her little brother's hand and they walked around, exploring a little and following the early spring wildflowers that grew. An acquaintance of her mothers came by and the two women began talking, Emma and Bennet, without thinking wandered farther and farther away as they followed each new discovery in the pretty green park. And it was quite an accident when they found them selves lost.

Emma was picking put a pretty rock when Bennet popped himself down and announced "I'm tired. I want to go back to Mama."

"Alright" Emma straitened and looked around to see that she wasn't sure where she was.

Her little brother saw her hesitation. "Are we lost?" he whimpered.

"No, not at all. I know where we are" Emma assured him, taking his hand.

"Good" Bennet sighed "where are we?"

"In Hyde Park, you can't be lost if we know where we are. Now we just have to find Mama."

"Is she lost?" Bennet asked.

"No, she's knows where she is."

"Does she know where we are?" Bennet asked anxiously as Emma started leading him in what she hopped was the direction back.

"I don't think so, but we'll find her in a minute."

Her words sounded very confident and really she wasn't worried, Emma was one of those calm steady people that can take on a crisis very easily and she really wasn't worried. It took quite a bit to fluster her. Even though she was young, the only part of her attitude that was a little prone to "fly out" was her temper. Which though rarely stirred up on her own account, when she sensed others being wronged her ire arose often too quickly for her to think before she spoke.

The two children wandered a little bit, and by and by Emma came to the conclusion that they might be getting them selves more lost than before if they continued in the wrong way, and just when she was trying to make up her mind weather to sit down and wait for Mama to find them or to continue on, a gentleman rounded the path, he was not young, but not so very old either in his late forties of fifties perhaps, and on seeing the two young children quite alone stopped short and addressed them.

"Are you lost Miss?"

"No, but we can't fond Mama" Emma answered clearly without any worry in her voice, all the same holding tight to Bennet's hand, in case this was one of those "bad men" she had heard were in London.

The man laughed outright at that and crouched down before her "and who is your Mama, little lady."

"Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy" Emma replied.

"Oh! So you are the Miss Darcy I have heard of" he said, manner a little teasing.

"And who are you sir?"

"Will you please direct us back to the lake, that was were Mama was before she got lost."

"Certainly, in fact, as gentleman I will walk you there." As they began their walk back to the common, Mr. Faber, a little afraid that the children, at least the younger boy might become frightened, asked them to describe their mother to him so he could help them find her.

"She is not very tall, with brown hair and she is wearing a blue dress" Emma said. But truthfully Mr. Faber needn't have asked, as soon as they came out of the walkway, it was made very plain who the mother was, she was talking with a constable at that very moment, but as soon as they came out she spotted them and catching up her skirts rushed over, two small boys in tow.

Mrs. Darcy was usually a very sensible woman, but where most women couldn't account for their children most of the day, due to the fact that they would be in the care of a governess, being unable to locate any of her children at a given moment could distress her uncommonly.

"Emma! Bennet! Where have you been!" she half scolded, half fretted, hugging them both and not paying any mind her gown, as she crouched on the soft ground.

"We were walking and couldn't remember where to come back to" Emma answered, happy to hug her mother back, and admitting to herself that she had been a little worried, but only a very little.

Bennet cried a little, but he was a little boy and Emma didn't think less of him for it. Mrs. Darcy than stood and thanked the rescuer. "Thank you so much sir, we are most indebted to you."

"Not at all Madam, I simply did what any one would do. The young lady assured me she wasn't lost but that you were."

"Elizabeth managed a little bit of a laugh, and thanked him again, but she didn't let go of Bennet or Emma's hand all the way home.

"Did you have a good trip into town?" Mr. Darcy asked when he returned.

"Yes" Bennet answered cheerfully, his face smeared with cake from an early snack, "accept for when Mama got lost!" At this Mr. Darcy looked sharply at his wife and she quickly shook her head, signaling they would talk about it later.

"We had a treat at the shop and the lady at the other shop measured us all over and she poked me with a pin" Bennet continued, having quite got over his adventure of earlier.

"Look at the dresses I'm going to have" Emma said, wanting her fathers attention as much as her brothers did, and showing him the samples of cloth that she had been given.

"Children! Give your father a minute to get in the door!" Mrs. Darcy said, her command going mostly unheeded by the children.

'Those don't look like very good dresses." Mr. Darcy observed.

"They aren't dresses yet" Emma sighed.

"And Mama ordered all kinds of things!" Peter added "for me and William too."

"Did you spend all my money?" Mr. Darcy asked good-naturedly, the question directed towards his wife.

"Not at all! She smiled "I was assured before I married you that you had ten thousand a year!"

"You married me for mercenary reasons of course" Mr. Darcy added, handing is coat and hat to the children for them to run and hang up, giving them something to do but offending the faithful old butler who had been standing by waiting for it.

"Of course sir, what other reason is there for marrying?"

"I will have to remind you later this evening" Mr. Darcy replied before turning his attention back to his children, and letting them all tell him about their day for a while so that their mother could spend some time in quiet after her busy day.