Pemberley, Derbyshire
Elizabeth had been married for nearly three months now, she realized as she sipped tea with her new sister inside of their personal sitting room, located just off to the side of her personal study, where she performed various duties, such as writing her personal letters, responding to invitations and general correspondence sent by neighbors, balancing the weekly budget for Pemberley itself, and so on.
Her husband, Mr. Darcy had not claimed his marital rights in that period of time, and she did not know what to make of it, of him. Thankfully, now that she had a better understanding of Mr. Darcy-and their marriage had certainly opened her eyes to a hidden side of Mr. Darcy that she had not seen before-she could say in truth that she no longer hated him, that she no longer saw him as simply a proud and arrogant man.
Starting with their wedding night, she realized ruefully. She was not a naive young miss-she understood why Mr. Darcy had looked at her as often as he had-from the very beginning of their acquaintance, when they had been introduced to one another at Meryton's local assembly. Yet he did nothing. Every morning, Mr. Darcy rose from his bed around the same time as she did, and they both dressed for the day, and would meet for a period of half an hour in the small sitting room that lay between their connected rooms, and they would eat a brief respite of a cup of coffee and perhaps a slice of toast or two, while Mr. Darcy informed her of the objectives he would be pursuing for the day, and inquiring after hers.
Afterwards, they would separate-he to ride, a dual purpose served to not only benefit his health and pleasures, but also to inquire after his tenants and to confer with his steward, before the day truly started, Mr. Lamb-and she and her new sister, Miss Georgiana would meet outside in the gardens for a walk among the grounds. Miss Georgiana had confessed to her, shortly after they had begun their ritual, that she was not an avid walker, and so Elizabeth took great pains to limit their exercise, despite her eagerness to explore the grounds of such an estate. Three days a week though, she and Miss Georgiana would walk alongside Mr. Darcy's horse, and take their turns visiting the young, sick, and elderly, dispensing medicines and making sure the doctor had come when needed, and so forth.
Breakfast would commence, and then Elizabeth would go to her duties as mistress of Pemberley in the manner that she had for the past three months. Towards the end of the midday, Miss Georgiana, Mr. Darcy, and Elizabeth would meet and together they would venture out from Lambton and into other counties, attending the various functions that they had been invited to, although being that they were so newly married, Mr. Darcy had thankfully used it as an excuse to spend much of their time at Pemberley, nor to receive much themselves.
And then the day would end, with each of them embarking on the lone trek to their respective rooms. The first month, Elizabeth had laid awake for most of the night, waiting for Mr. Darcy to open the door to her room. Each night she waited in vain.
She did not comprehend herself. She should be glad that he was not forcing his attentions upon her, when he had realized that she had clearly been uneasy at the prospect of their marital relations, yet he had not breathed a word about it to her, except to bid her good night.
Elizabeth sighed to herself.
"Elizabeth?" Miss Georgiana queried, noting that her new sister had been distracted for a few moments.
"Are you well?" she repeated dubiously.
"Oh, I am sorry my dear," Elizabeth allayed Miss Georgiana's unsaid fears, "I was simply lost within my own thoughts, would you repeat yourself?"
Miss Georgiana smiled dreamily.
"I had only asked," and here her voice grew quiet, and she looked around the room as though someone might be standing in plain sight and they were unaware, "if you were, perhaps, with child." She gazed at Elizabeth expectantly.
"A-and why should you think that, my dear?" Elizabeth stammered, wondering if she was unaware of a piece of information that Miss Georgiana had perceived before her.
Miss Georgiana blushed furiously, from her neck to the roots of her hair.
"It is simply that I have noticed that you have been holding your belly more frequently, that is all, and I wondered-", her word tapered off and Miss Georgiana looked at her sister in embarrassment, "Oh dear, I am so sorry, Elizabeth I did not mean-."
"It is all right, Georgiana," Elizabeth replied softly. Something pressed her to continue past the usual lines one doled out to console someone. "In truth, I have been thinking of children lately, for I come from a rather noisy household, and your brother has informed me of the loneliness of his upbringing, and yours as well. And I imagine that your brother should want an heir for Pemberley." Elizabeth said practically. She was correct. Pemberley needed an heir, in the same way that Longborn suffered without one from the Bennet family.
Miss Georgiana shot her a beaming smile, and Elizabeth fervently prayed that she had said the right thing.
Later that night, Elizabeth had plead a headache and had gone to bed early, book in hand. Since becoming the mistress of Pemberley, she had attempted to become more of a reader than she actually was, but she was slowly beginning to take to it-a pleasant mainstay to keep her mind occupied. Currently she was reading her favorite of Shakespeare's plays, Coriolanus, a vivid mainstay in her imagination when she had first read the play at thirteen. After reading the play, with her father's encouragement, she had embarked upon a rather heavy course study in the history of Roman generals, wishing to know, in detail, if the character of Caius Martius Coriolanus had been exaggerated, or if the Romans truly could be that bloodthirsty and proud.
These days, it comforted her, as she could almost close her eyes and imagine her papa reading it to her in the very walls of his study. She had sat in the very chair that both of the Mr. Collins had forced her to, and had fixed her gaze upon the wall, and imagined that she could hear the whispers of her father's voice, narrating his favorite books aloud.
A sharp rap was heard on her door, and Elizabeth put her book away, recognizing the knock as Mr. Darcy's particular sound. She climbed out of bed, tying her wrapper around herself tightly, and settling on the edge of her bed.
"You may enter," she said, feeling silly as she gave her husband permission to enter, an embarrassment she suffered every night.
Mr. Darcy lingered in the doorway a moment, before he cleared his throat and asked her permission to enter her room.
"Of course, sir," she said, fairly certain of his intentions. She had spoken of children to Miss Georgiana earlier today, as he was her brother, and she told him everything, and he was now here to ascertain her interest, or, rather willingness to proceed to the begetting of children.
Mr. Darcy entered her room, and with a questioning glance, seated himself at the foot of her bed.
"Georgiana informed of your conversation today. She was," he paused, trying to find the word that described Georgiana's enthusiasm, "excited about the prospect of becoming an aunt."
Elizabeth smiled nervously. "Indeed she was. I understand of course, Mr-Fitzwilliam, that you should-"
Mr. Darcy shook his head, nervously ducking down to examine the palms of his hands.
"I simply wished to-" and here, Elizabeth waited for the implications of each pause he took, "I am not unaware of the adversity you experienced while under the guardianship of Mr. Collins," here he paused again, cataloguing her flinch at Mr. Collins' name with solemn, dark eyes, "and I am aware that I did not display gentlemanly behavior for the majority of our acquaintance, nor during my proposal for your hand in marriage," here he blushed to the roots, a trait he shared with his sister, "and I am attempting to make up for my deficiency in that area, and so I wished to hear your thoughts on inviting your family to come and visit Pemberley before the spring is over."
Elizabeth could hardly contain her pleasure at Mr. Darcy's thoughtfulness, and inched down the bed towards Mr. Darcy.
"Thank you, Fitzwilliam," she said, unable to contain her happiness at seeing her beloved sisters once again, for she had soon discovered after her wedding that letter writing was not the same as seeing them in person. "That is very thoughtful of you, sir. It is wonderful here at Pemberley and Georgiana, but I miss my sisters most dearly." she admitted cautiously.
Mr. Darcy took the opportunity of her confession to lay an arm around her shoulder, for they were nearly side by side, and Elizabeth melted at the warmth of his touch for the first time. Suddenly she felt tired. His hand was a soothing presence, lightly massaging the back of her shoulder and neck. Her head was now close to his lap, and she could feel the heat emanating from his body. This was the closest she had been to him as a married woman.
She felt compelled to speak, felt safe to do so.
"I should like children, Fitzwilliam, one called Bennet Darcy." she heard herself say distantly. Mr. Darcy's grip tensed briefly, and she turned to look at him, intent on studying his reaction.
"May I sleep with you tonight?" Mr. Darcy asked softly.
She nodded her assent, bonelessly and Mr. Darcy gently enveloped her in his arms gently, and moved to the head of the bed, sliding her under the coverlet and two layers of sheets. He left the room briefly, but soon returned, sliding under the coverlet.
"Good night, Elizabeth.", and that was all she heard before she drifted off to sleep, her body warmed by the presence of his body heat.
"Might I sleep with you?" the surprisingly gentle question startled Georgiana out of her thoughts. She was shocked to see that it had belonged to Elizabeth's youngest sister, Lydia. The Gardner-Bennet family had arrived to Pemberley only a week ago, and Lydia had spent the majority of the week pouting and keeping her company to herself because of a set down that had been delivered by Elizabeth the second day of their visit. Lydia, Georgiana admitted to herself, had been behaving in a rather rude manner, and had ignored the gentle correction of her eldest sister, Jane, and so finally Elizabeth had taken Lydia aside and spoken to her. When they had returned, Lydia had settled down, but was clearly angry at her sister.
She had met Lydia before, of course. During her brother's engagement period to Elizabeth, Georgiana, for the first time had been thrown into the company of girls her own age, who cared not a fig how many pounds were in her dowry, except perhaps to borrow some of her ribbons or lace, and was utterly terrified, as before. despite what her her brother may have expected of her, she had enjoyed spending time with the youngest Bennet sister. It was very refreshing, Georgiana had concluded, to meet someone like Lydia Bennet-so carefree and fun.
Georgiana was especially happy, for she had sensed that her new sister had desperately missed her sisters, her family. Georgiana understood the feeling, for she had grown up hardly knowing that she had a father. After her father had died, her nursemaid had presented her to a young, serious man, and informed her that he was her new guardian, her brother. despite not bonding with her brother until she was nearly into her teens, she had quickly formed a close attachment to him, and to her cousin Richard. When her brother had sent her to school, and then to holiday in Ramsgate, she had desperately ached for her brother and cousin.
Georgiana sighed, as she recalled the outcome of the trip, of what she had almost done. But most of all, Georgiana worried for Elizabeth. She had thought that having her family here, with her, would be enough to help Elizabeth settle in, but for some odd reason, Elizabeth seemed to be even more distant, yet terse at the same time. Georgiana did not know what she could do to console or shift some of Elizabeth's burden onto herself, but she would take any opportunity to assist in any way she could.
Therefore, when the youngest sister of her new sister in law had asked to sleep with her, despite the fact that Pemberley had enough beds to house more than a score of people, Georgiana had stammered an affirmative reply, and then Lydia Bennet had skipped off without a care in the world to join the rest of their party in Elizabeth's sitting room.
Georgiana wondered what she had gotten herself into, and, as she made her way to her rooms later that night, Kitty giggled at her as she said goodnight, embracing her with a whispered "good luck!", utterly terrifying her. Elizabeth, upon learning that she was to share a bed with Georgiana, had informed her that Lydia was somewhat brash compared to herself, and that if she should become too much for her to handle, that she could always go to her, and Elizabeth would speak to her.
Georgiana thanked her sister, but privately promised herself never to go to Elizabeth, even if Lydia should throw her out of her own bed!
Lydia, who had offered to let Georgiana call her Lyddie, as her sisters did-but Georgiana did not feel comfortable doing so yet-had arrived shortly after her maid had come to help her undress and slid under the covers with a cheery "good night!", and so they had laid together.
Except Georgiana could not sleep, and so she lay awake, staring at the canopy surrounding the bed. The bed shifted, Lydia turning onto her side to face Georgiana.
"Georgiana, are you awake?" she whispered.
Georgiana turned her head to face Lydia.
"I am," she whispered, "what is it? Are you unwell? Shall I call for a servant? Or Elizabeth?"
"No, Georgiana, just-" Lydia seemed to search for something that she could not voice, and the bedroom was silent for a few minutes as Lydia's words hung between them.
"Is Lizzie happy?" she finally asked.
"I believe she is," Georgiana replied tacitly, not wishing to deceive Lydia. "The first few months were very difficult. She was very lonely and homesick, I believe. That is why I asked my brother to invite you all sooner." she finished on a bright note.
Lydia was silent for a moment, and Georgiana watched her in the darkness.
"And Mr. Darcy," she asked hesitantly, "He treats Lizzie well?"
Georgiana leaped to defend her brother.
"He does indeed! I have heard Colonel Fitzwilliam tease my brother about his reticent nature, but I assure you he is the best brother in the whole of the world! And he is sure to be the best husband any woman could ask for!"
"That is very well," she said finally, causing Georgiana to smile at her in response. "I am simply glad that she is away from that odious Mr. Collins. I should have run away to my Uncle Gardner's had she married him!" Lydia shivered.
Georgiana frowned, aware that Mr. Collins was the name of the man that had inherited Longbourn, but unaware that Elizabeth had been made an offer by him. When she thought of it, she realized Elizabeth had not spoken much about Mr. Collins, but Georgiana had thought that to be because of the circumstances that caused them to leave Longbourn in the first place. "What do you mean? Did Elizabeth receive a different proposal?" she asked, curious about Lydia's words.
Lydia abruptly sat up, and gestured for Georgiana to do the same. Looking Georgiana up and down, she glanced about the room, as though Elizabeth or someone else were hiding in the room.
"Can you keep a secret?" she whispered lowly, "You cannot tell Lizzie I told you!"
"No, of course not," Georgiana promised faithfully, her eyes not leaving Lydia.
"As you know, Mr. Collins became our guardian while Papa was still injured and his horrible father had died," Lydia continued, ignoring Georgiana's gasp of shock at Lydia speaking ill of the dead, "and straight off, he had declared that Lizzie had to marry him when our Papa died." her voice lowered even further, "And, he tried to take liberties from her, on the very night that Jane, Lizzie, and Mary had met Mr. Darcy."
Georgiana gasped, her mind going straight to Mr. Wickham, and all that he could have done, given that he had the opportunity. She knew ladies were not to think of such things, but she found she could not help herself.
"I saw Mr. Collins that night." here, her voice turned childish and high, her mouth turned downward into a pout. "I saw him!" she exclaimed. "He thought I was stupid and ignorant, but I saw him!"
At Georgiana's frightened expression, Lydia softened her tone, aware, for the first time, that she had gone too far.
"I'm sorry Georgiana," she whispered soothingly, rubbing a gentle hand on Georgiana's shoulder.
"I-I simply wished to know if Lizzie was all right. She thinks I haven't noticed, but I have!" Lydia declared emphatically.
Georgiana said nothing, her mind swirling with the new information that Lydia had given her.
Lydia laid down again. "She is well, isn't she Georgiana?"
Georgiana clasped Lydia's hand within hers. "I promise she is, Lydia."
"You promise you won't tell, Georgiana?" she yawned.
"I promise Lyddie."
Lydia relished her short lived freedom, as she browsed the shop located next to the milliner's, in which her sisters, Georgiana, and Aunt Gardner.
Lydia wasn't stupid.
She understood that there dangers that she had not even comprehended, and had outright ignored as soon as a year ago. But all she wanted was an afternoon to herself-a quick walk to the shops to buy a small amount of lace for her hat, blue to match her new gown-and now she was forced to wait for her aunt and sisters to finish. All because Lizzie was still angry at her for being a little loud at tea when they first arrived to Pemberley. It had been over a week ago, and she could still see the consternation in her sister's eyes.
And God knew how long they should take, she groaned inwardly, but then forced herself to stand up straight. She wished they would hurry, for Lizzie had insisted they walk the five miles, and of course Mr. Darcy had done little to dissuade her.
"Miss Lydia!"
It was Mr. Wickham. Mr. Wickham was across the street, here in Lambton! Instantly a thousand warnings flashed through her eyes, and she resisted the urge to shake her head free of them, lest Mr. Wickham think she was mad.
"Mr. Wickham." she said, giving him a low curtsey, and a charming smile. He bowed charmingly as always.
"What are you doing in Lambton, Mr. Wickham?" she asked, "I thought the militia would still be encamped in Meryton, sir." she added quickly, truly wondering what
Mr. Wickham gave her a warm smile, a smile that had caused butterflies in her stomach upon their first meeting, and something she had thought about late at night, that kept her warm as she had to cozy up to Mary, whose feet were always ice cold.
"I should ask you the same, child. I am here on business, Miss Lydia." Mr. Wickham glanced around. "You are not alone, are you?"
Lydia barely resisted the urge to pout, for if she had, then she would be doing nothing but proving Mr. Wickham's point.
"I am not a child, Mr. Wickham," she said with an upturned nose, and she quickly added on "Nor am I alone. My sisters and aunt are in the milliner's shop there, I am waiting for them." she pointed quickly to the building next to them.
"No, indeed you are not, Miss Lydia," Mr. Wickham agreed most amiably. "But you had not answered my question, my dear lady. Are you on holiday with your aunt and uncle? Unfortunately," he continued, "I had not the time to call upon you at your Aunt Phillips', before you had gone away to London, for a short period of time before, I had been obliged to go to Bath, on a matter of urgent business. The militia is now encamped there, if your aunt and uncle could spare your company."
Lydia glanced back at the window of the shop, where her sisters and aunt were, and she debated whether or not she should move to go inside the shop, mindful of Lizzie's warning months ago about Mr. Wickham, yet they were in public, she reasoned, and he did not even seem to be aware that Lizzie had married Mr. Darcy.
A few minutes silence reigned, as Lydia began to tap her right foot impatiently. Mr. Wickham regarded her with unconcealed amusement.
"A bit restless are you? How about I show you one of my favorite climbing trees as a boy, Miss Lydia?"
Lydia, again, glanced back to the shop.
"I shouldn't leave my sisters, Lizzie wouldn't like it," she said edging away from Mr. Wickham. Something was not quite right, she thought. But what should be the problem? Mr. Wickham did not know that she was now the sister in law of Mr. Darcy of Pemberley, but why should he not know? They were in Lambton, not five miles from Pemberley, and Lydia had read Lizzie and Mr. Darcy's wedding announcement in the paper.
Her mind recalled back to Lizzie's warning, of the story he had told Lizzie during their second meeting, that Mr. Darcy had been jealous of his father loving Mr. Wickham, that he had kept him from his deathbed and inheritance. Lizzie had updated them shortly after her engagement to Mr. Darcy, informing all of the Bennet sisters that Mr. Wickham was a dangerous man to be around, especially for a lady, and that they were not safe with him. That they should not encourage him.
Lydia was still angry at Lizzie, for Lizzie expected her to behave as though she were still living with Mr. Collins and they were not,
"Come now, Miss Lydia," Mr. Wickham cajoled, stepping forward a bit. "It is only down the street."
Lydia shook her head firmly. "No, Mr. Wickham, Lizzie and Mr. Darcy would be angry. As a matter of fact," she said lifting her chin up higher, "I am going inside, with my sisters. Good day, Mr. Wickham." There now, Lizzie would be pleased with her, and then perhaps she would stop acting as though Lydia had committed a mortal sin, and cease her sermonizing.
Mr. Wickham lost a hint of his smile and regarded her coolly, "Well then, good day, Miss Lydia."
Unfortunately, Lydia had to cross in front of Mr. Wickham to enter the shop, and by the time she had recognized the intent on his face, the same look she had seen less than a year ago when she had happened upon Lizzie and Mr. Collins in the front hall at Longbourn, after the assembly, and she knew what was about to happen.
She did not close her eyes though, for she knew it was not the end.