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It was quite early when Darcy attempted to wake Elizabeth from her sleep. The sun had just shown itself over the horizon, creating a golden glow across the bright blue sky, giving promise of a glorious day. "Wake up, Elizabeth," he coaxed gently.
"Mm... It is too early, go away," she grumbled as her hand swiped through the air until she blindly batted her husband's chin.
"Hey! You struck me, wife," he laughed as he caught her fingers in his and kissed her knuckles, hoping it would stir her somewhat. "It is just after six o'clock, and I am about to rise. That's it… open those pretty eyes of yours, come on sleepy head. I have to deal with some estate matters today and thought you would want to say good morning before I left. Or we could take a quick walk in the gardens before I see the steward if you are up to it?... At least, can I have a kiss?" he added the last in desperation.
"But we did not get to bed until four hours ago," she grumbled into her pillow. "I am far too compliant with your needs, Mr Darcy. It would not do you harm to leave me be for once and let me sleep," she added as she attempted to burrow herself back under the safety of the counterpane. Darcy, however, was having none of it as he took delight in explaining what happened the night before in order to keep his wife awake.
"We did not get to bed until then because the mistress of the house had stayed with her staff for most of the evening and into the early hours. She was such a success on the pianoforte that everyone wanted her to continue, even though her husband did not. What should have been two or three tunes, turned into a whole concert, but it did not end until she had taken several pauses in her performance in order to carouse. She was past her best and well on the way to being stewed before she had played her last piece, which she did very poorly, I may add. Then, to everyone's surprise, the mistress of Pemberley fell asleep on one of the settees in the vestibule! I have never seen such a spectacle, but Edward and Hannah found her curled up and in the land of Nod and mumbling sweetly. I had no choice other than to carry her upstairs in front of everyone. I did not think I would be playing lady's maid yet again, but I found myself in that position once more for I could not call upon Hannah, as she was enjoying herself far too much with her evening's celebrations to interrupt. My abilities as the mistresses abigail was a struggle, and I am afraid her gown may have paid a heavy price."
"She told me it was not the grog, but the day spent travelling, then someone set upon her as soon as she reached her rooms hoping to retire, but someone was demanding his pleasures," she mumbled.
"I did not! I thought I was rather… controlled last evening, but now I find myself deprived in that direction and may have to join the beggarhood of man in order to plead for your attention once more," he confessed as he stroked his fingers along her arms in the hopes to stir her passion.
She opened one eye to see what he was about and was faced with her harrier's smugness. "Fitzwilliam, you are an incurable romantic, but you are no subtle seducer," she chuckled. "I hope you are caring enough for your poor wife and allow her just one more hour of rest, or if you show her extreme kindness and allow another two, she will be exceedingly grateful when she does wake for the day," she crooned.
"You are bargaining with me‽ I, a man of the ton‽" Darcy asked in feigned shock.
"Yes, I am. You are my husband first and foremost; I do not care that you are in the top circles of society and boast of owning half of Derbyshire. You are just a man, flesh and blood, like the rest of them."
"Really? So, if I were a pauper and put you to work, you would not be vexed at your new lot in life?"
"We would not need to work if you invested my dowry. In the five percents, it would have brought about a thousand pounds a year."
"What if I gambled it away and then made you scrub floors?"
"Fitzwilliam? What are you on about?"
"I do not know, I thought I was appealing for favours," he laughed.
"Two hours."
"Half an hour," Darcy counter-demanded.
"We are still on our honeymoon. Am I to be pulled from my sleep at such an early hour?" Elizabeth's voice softened to flirtations whilst teasing the hairs on his chest. "Remember I have been keeping town hours for the past few months. At least give me a week to adapt to the early mornings of the country and for us to retire at a very decent hour. Say, eight in the evening? You will then have my undivided attention before I succumb to sleep, please." He did not say a word. "Pretty please?" He smiled and pulled her to him.
She snuggled back into his embrace, and Darcy could do no more than settle again in the hopes that his steward would not be too put out with a couple of hours delay. Within a few minutes, both were back in their slumbers where they stayed for a further three hours.
"Fitzwilliam! It has gone nine!" Elizabeth sat up in bed with a shock when she saw the clock on the mantlepiece.
"What?" he grumbled.
"The time! The time!"
"What about the time? Come back here, Elizabeth," he beckoned as he pulled her shoulder back down onto the pillow.
"I thought you wanted to get up. You did not wake me."
"I am sorry. I do not possess such a device as a water clock like the ancient Greeks, so that it may wake us both at a specific hour. I would have one installed, but I doubt you would appreciate the sound of running water all night long. The chamberpot would be full to the brim by the time dawn came calling."
"I do not use it that often."
"You do. You got up twice in the night."
"That is because I drank so much ale, and before you say it, I am not a swill tub," she retaliated jovially.
"No, you are a delight, my sweet. And I hope you will do good with your end of the bargain."
"What bargain?" She furrowed her brow trying to remember what she had agreed to through the haze of a foggy brain. "Fitzwilliam, I do not remember."
"You were the instigator of an advantageous deal, although you were not quite conscious when you made it. You agreed to attend to me if I gave you more time to sleep," he said as he stretched out on his back and pulled the covers away, and so exposing himself. "Come, wench."
During the most crucial moment of their intimacy, one of the chambermaids entered the room. Darcy caught sight of her in his peripheral vision, as Elizabeth was taking her pleasures and on doing so urged her husband into coital completion. "GET OUT!" he growled between grunts as he released his seed. He could not stop, as he had passed that point when his wife had quivered beneath him. The chambermaid saw him grimace and stiffen just as he discharged his potency's reward into his wife's depths.
The chambermaid, shocked on seeing her master in such a state with his wife beneath him, ran out crying; Darcy buried his head in Elizabeth's neck and sighed out his frustrations. "What is it with these maids‽ First, Hannah yesterday and now Mary this morning. Are we to get no privacy around here‽ I am sorry, sweetling, you should not have been subject to such invasion of our privacy," he panted as he rolled off of her. "I will have to dismiss her now."
There was a few moments silence, whilst both got their breaths back, then Elizabeth responded,"Do not be so tough on the girl, Fitzwilliam. The servants probably thought we were in my room, as the door to the corridor is still locked from yesterday afternoon. We left to go downstairs via your room, remember."
"Oh, Lord! I just realised I was even grunting like a boar and right in the middle of..." Darcy flinched, then hid his face from the world with his hands. "She should not have done what she did; it is a rule in this house. The servants have to knock before entering, and only enter if there is no response to a second request."
"But we were both rather preoccupied, so maybe she did knock more than once. I will have a word with her to ensure she does in future. It will be easier for a woman to approach the matter, and the household is the mistresses responsibility after all. I do not care for her to be dismissed when it was probably a simple mistake."
"If you insist. Her name is Mary Fletcher; ask Mrs Reynolds to have her come to you. I think we will have to make some new rules; maybe no one should enter the bedchambers unless the bell has been pulled or we have physically answered the door."
"What about when we are in the bathtub? You cannot do anything from there unless your arms are ten feet long."
"Bathtub?" his grin was vast. "Well, we will just have to lock the doors."
"And what if I were to attend you in your study, during the day?"
"Oh, that is an idea. I had not thought about a midday rendezvous. That door can be locked too," Darcy thought aloud whilst biting his lip in contemplation. "You could request afternoon tea to be brought to us there, and I can have you then… across my desk."
"Fitzwilliam! I will be walking around with an unusual gate if you continue like this."
"Yes, and you will have a permanent reminder between your legs," he laughed but stopped when his wife started to get out of bed.
"Where are you going?"
"It is now gone ten o'clock. I thought you had business to attend to, plus I have a rather distraught maid to see. I cannot leave her in such a state for too long."
Darcy lounged back on the pillows with his hands behind his head, watching his wife parade around the room, collecting her clothes which he had so unceremoniously dropped the night before. "Fitzwilliam, you have ripped my dress!" she frowned. "I will have to see if Hannah can fix it, although it is torn at the shoulder and not at the seam," she stated remembering Darcy's frustration when he could not deal with the small fastenings in a poor light, so attempted to yank the shoulders down her arms.
Blasted fastenings! Why so many, and so small? He had cursed. Rip!
"Get another one. Write to Madame de Bois and ask her to replace it. On second thoughts, get two to be on the safe side, I like you in deep red," he stated happily as Elizabeth had chosen to wear such an intense colour for the festivities, whilst in half mourning.
"I will need to have a fitting."
"They keep all that sort of information, and I'm sure she can obtain more of that fabric from the warehouses, it has not been that long. The modiste can send the parcel here and any alterations Hannah can handle."
"And what am I to say? My new husband ripped the garment from me?" she laughed.
"I am sure no explanation is required; she has probably had plenty of brides asking for replacements because their husbands have been too amorous for their own good. I just wanted to get you safely into bed."
"And your libido had nothing to do with it?"
"It may have, but I behaved. I could see you were not up to it, even though you tempt me so."
"Oh, do I tempt you?" she asked as she shimmied her shoulders and so allowing her credentials to take motion.
Oh, dear Lord! he thought. I need her again!
"You know you do. I cannot look at you without feeling… out of sorts and your actions just now has made me quite…" he smirked as he got out of bed.
Elizabeth knew that she would not take her leave if her husband caught her, so there was only one thing to do, and that was to flee from the room, and so she did in a fit of giggles.
"Elizabeth! Come back!"
Whilst Darcy was with Mr Jones, Elizabeth had decided to take a tour of the grounds as she understood from Hannah that Mary had gone into Lambton to pick up some supplies. The gardens were, for the time of year, still quite beautiful. The late summer flowers had bloomed, all filling the air with a sweet perfume. The clump of hazelnut trees near the lake had already shown signs of bronzing of its leaves due to the intensity of the warm, dry spring months of that year.
She came to a quaint bridge that crossed the lake situated to the side of the house, at a point where a babbling brook fed a more substantial body of water. The rippling sound was enough to soothe one's spirits if she ever found herself in high dudgeon and thought that if she were ever in need of a tranquil calmness, she would venture out to take sanctuary amongst its soothing ambience. The general aspect of the crossing was magical with the billowing willow tree, which partially overhung the pathway. The bridge itself must have been built around the same time as the house, as it bore similar masonry to the main building. The lake itself seemed to be very well situated, and Elizabeth knew that she would spend many an hour walking these paths each morning, even if her mood was not in need of pacifying.
She strolled further along the path towards the trees, which formed the edge of a woodland surrounding the open grounds. When she reached its boundary, she noticed something odd. Venturing over to the trunk of a large oak tree, she was surprised to see the initials, EB and FD naively carved into the bark around four foot up from its base with 1796 underneath. It was weathered to some degree but still bore a legible mark.
She returned to the house in search of her husband, who was found in his study. "Fitzwilliam, I have just discovered our initials on a tree along the far pathway."
"Oh! I had forgotten about that. I carved it just after you left here in '96," Darcy chuckled as he recollected those childhood days. "Father was not very impressed when one of the gardeners advised him of my mischief. I remember being sent to my rooms for the rest of the day and not allowed out into the grounds for a full month on my own as punishment," he laughed.
"I hope he was not angry with me."
"No, not at all. I advised father that I had done it the day after you left, so knew you were not a vandal too."
"He did not call you a vandal‽" Elizabeth was surprised.
"Not in so many words, but he did say that my behaviour was that of a vagabond destroying anything that was beautiful. I had thought I had made a beautiful impression upon the tree. Father wanted it removed, but I persuaded him to leave it be."
"How did you do that?"
"By saying I would just do it again until he left it alone. I must admit I got a slap for that, but he left the bark well alone."
"Why did you stop writing to me?" Elizabeth asked. She thought it a good a time as any to inquire.
"I am embarrassed to say. I was no longer a boy, Elizabeth. I was growing into a man and was doing things young men do, who are discovering adulthood. I wish now that I had not discarded your words so easily. We could have kept in contact all this time, but I made a blunder of cutting you off." Elizabeth blanched. She pondered on the notion that he had been playing around with the local girls in an amorous way and he felt uncomfortable at her reaction. He knew what she was thinking. "No! I was not… Elizabeth, do not think what I believe you are thinking. I became rather a flirt with the local girls, but that was all. There is only so much a young adolescent can do, even when they are the squire's son. I was honour bound to the Darcy name, and I could not be seen dallying in a lecherous manner; my father would have killed me. My actions consisted of throwing grass into passing girls hair, without them knowing. I had climbed the horse chestnut tree on the green, near the smithy, and dropped it from a great height. It was a joke as they would spend the rest of the day with their hair looking… disorderly, or until they discovered it. Another time I would lean down and grab their ribbons and tug to get their attention. I once jeered at the baker's daughter, but she threw a stone at me, which nearly knocked me out. Father was told of this incident, of course. Mrs Reynolds discovered the gash on my head when I returned home and had to call the doctor. Then father made enquiries in Lambton, only to discover from the postmaster, what I had been up to. I was confined to the estate and only in view of the house for the rest of the summer."
Bringing himself out of his memories, he continued. "I am afraid I have to go back to see Mr Jones after nuncheon. It would be beneficial for you to get familiar with the rooms. I have a set of keys here, but they are in rather a muddled bunch. I believe Mrs Reynolds may have a spare chatelaine, which I should have asked for when she gave them to me. I will request it of her later if she still has it."
"I can do that, Fitzwilliam, do not trouble yourself on my account."
"It is no trouble, my dear."
"I can find my way to the housekeeper's room easily enough. It will be beneficial as the more I spend moving about the house, the quicker I will get to know the place again. I will talk to Mary at the same time."
"Have her come to you. You do not need to go below stairs."
"No I do not, but it will be easy enough to have a chat with her in the housekeeper's office without anyone knowing. I also wish to see how the kitchen runs. I like to know how the internal mechanics work and not just appreciate its benefits."
"I suppose, but do not be too long as they need to get on with their duties."
"I will bear that in mind. Do not fret over this morning, husband, I will treat our meeting quite casually, and no one will know." She placed a kiss on Darcy's cheek before leaving him to his business.
About a half an hour after nuncheon, Elizabeth went in search of Mrs Reynolds. The housekeeper was found in her room, which was situated on the ground floor just near the stairs leading to the kitchen. Mrs Reynolds was taken aback at seeing the mistress in that part of the building. She had never known the previous Mrs Darcy enter the lower levels unless she had prearranged a visit. "Ma'am! What brings you here? Is there anything wrong?"
"Oh, no, Mrs Reynolds. I just have a couple of things I need to do. Firstly, do you have something for these keys? Mr Darcy recommended a chatelaine if you have a spare."
Mrs Reynolds started to rummage around in her drawer for a spare set of chains. "Here you go, ma'am. They are not very decent but should tide you over. I think maybe the master should have a nicer set made for you by the jewellers in Chester."
Elizabeth nodded, then enquired, "I was also wondering if it was possible that I could have a private word with Mary Fletcher, the chambermaid?"
"Yes of course," she said with a worried brow forming.
Seeing her expression, Elizabeth elaborated, "Everything is as it should be, Mrs Reynolds. I just would like a little talk, if that is agreeable."
Mrs Reynolds would never deny the mistress anything, so left to fetch the maid. Five minutes later Mary entered the room. "Sit down Mary, do not be upset. I am not angry with you, but I need to understand why you came into the bedchambers this morning, whilst we were there."
"I'm really sorry, Mrs Darcy. I were told you was both in the other room, and I did knock twice, but there were no answer, so I just entered. It's the done thing, ya' know."
Elizabeth looked at the girl and noticed her hands, which were cracked and sore. It was difficult to imagine her being able to hold anything let alone do her work.
"What has happened to your hands, Mary?"
"My skin burned when I used the lye solution earlier in the week. We need it for cleaning the bedding."
"Can you not use anything else?"
"No, miss. Mrs Reynolds insists on it, but think it was made way too strong this time."
"Knock on this desk, will you," Elizabeth requested.
Mary tapped gently on the desk as her hands were so sore. "Anything more would be a pain, ma'am."
"Is that how you knocked on our door this morning?"
"Yes, I can't do it any louder due to the open wounds, ya' see," Mary replied as she bent her knuckles to show Elizabeth the open raw gashes.
"I am going to request you see a doctor. You cannot continue with your duties in that state. I will let Mr Darcy know the situation as I am sure he will be understanding once he knows. However, I would ask that you stay well out of his way for a while. He was not happy at all this morning, and I managed to stop him from dismissing you… And another suggestion is to tap with the tip of your boot in future if your hands are bad."
Mary nodded and thanked Elizabeth before returning to her duties. Elizabeth asked Mrs Reynolds to have the doctor see to Mary's hands immediately, but for the time being, she was to be given lighter responsibilities.
The kitchen was a hive of activity when the mistress descended the stairs, but as she was in that area of the house, she thought she would pay a visit. They were not expecting her, and when cook noticed, she almost dropped the large copper pan she was holding onto her foot.
"Mistress! What brings you down here?" the cook said as she curtseyed.
"Good day, Julia. I have just come to have a look around if that is acceptable."
Julia, the cook, just nodded her head in approval and showed the mistress around the kitchen and pantry.
"Do you know where Betsy and Mrs Hill are?"
"Ma'am, they are out at the moment getting some items from Lambton. The shopkeeper got our orders wrong this morning, and the girls came back with the wrong goods, although I think that Mary had a bit of a turn this morning, so may have given the wrong instructions."
Elizabeth spent a further half an hour talking to the servants and then returned to the main house, knowing that she should not take up any more of their time.
Later that evening in the servant's hall, Mrs Darcy's visit was the topic of conversation around the table at supper. "So Julia, what did mistress say to you?" said Sarah, one of the scullery maids.
"I showed her around the kitchen and the pantry. I will need to find out from someone what her favourite meals are. Maybe when Mrs Reynolds does the weekly menus with her, she can ask. I must say that last night, and this morning she was very pleasing and don't mind getting involved. She's nothing like these hoity-toity ladies of the so-called Ton. I mean, compared to that Miss Bingley, she is an angel. Could you imagine the master marrying that harpy woman, we would all be dismissed for being… well, being just us." Julia explained.
"Yes, she is very approachable," Betsy interjected. "I, along with my parents, were her servants at Longbourn with the old Mr Bennet. It was a very small estate, and there were only us three servants plus the stable hands. Mrs Darcy used to engage us every day and help with the chores. She is not shy of a hard day's graft."
"I did not realise you were under her employment. I just thought master had hired you as additional hands because of his return on a more permanent basis," said Julia.
"No, we were the old servants at Longbourn. It was such a sad occasion when Mr Bennet passed, and Mrs Darcy was virtually thrown out of her home. The property was left to a distant cousin, not by Mr Bennet's choice I may add. We realised pretty soon after he moved his things in that we were for the chop too; he had bought his own people. Luckily, the mistress had already asked the master to take us on, and so here we are."
"That poor thing, having to lose a parent and then her home. I'm so glad she found the master, and she can start a new life here," Hannah signed.
"Oh, she knew the master from childhood. I believe my father, Mr Hill, remembered the old Mr Bennet mentioning their time at Pemberley when the mistress was around five or six years old. I don't remember much as I was a tot myself," said Betsy.
"They knew each other?" Julia asked. "Thinking about it, I must have been a kitchen hand at the time, and Mrs Preston was the cook. I was but fourteen and learning the recipes from her. I remember a Lizzy now you have mentioned it; she was a little thing with a mass of curls. Yes, it is her! There is a resemblance," Julia cried out. "Oh, they are childhood sweethearts, how wonderful!"
"I am glad master married her. She will do very nicely as our mistress," Hannah concluded.
With that, the servant's conversation then progressed onto the usual gossips such as who was seen in the village holding hands and if Mrs Dreyfuss, the butcher's wife, was knocked up yet again.
Meanwhile, back upstairs, Elizabeth was explaining Mary's situation with her husband. "I requested a doctor come and see her, Fitzwilliam. Her hands are raw and bleeding. Mrs Reynolds advised me later this afternoon that the doctor has given her an ointment to use and recommended she wear some special gloves in future when doing her duties, but part of those duties is the laundry. I have requested she be taken off of those and put to other tasks for the time being. I will also need to investigate as to why the lye was so strong and whether they need to get a fresh supply, which will not be so corrosive. I have given Mrs Reynolds permission to purchase two sets of gloves for the time being as they are rather expensive."
"I shouldn't have been so hard on her when I shouted," Darcy sighed. "But it was a shock to see her standing there. I suppose we were lucky it was not Roger, for I would have thrown him out on his ear if he saw you naked."
Elizabeth shook her head in dismay. "I told Mary to keep out of your way for a while, so you should see less of her."
"You are such a diplomat when it comes to this sort of thing." Then Darcy leant in and kissed his wife. "Shall we retire and pick up where we left off this morning, my dear?"