Chapter 10
Elizabeth looked out the carriage window as they approached Pemberley Woods. Mrs. Bennet was sitting with Lydia and John in the carriage that followed, while Jane, Lizzy, Mary, and Mr. Bennet led the way in the main carriage.
The park was very large, and contained great variety of ground. They entered it in one of its lowest points, and drove for some time through a beautiful wood stretching over a wide extent.
Elizabeth's mind was too full for conversation, but she saw and admired every remarkable spot and point of view. They gradually ascended for half-a-mile, and then found themselves at the top of a considerable eminence, where the wood ceased, and the eye was instantly caught by Pemberley House, situated on the opposite side of a valley, into which the road wound abruptly. It was a large, handsome stone building, standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills; and in front, a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance. Its banks were neither formal nor falsely adorned. Elizabeth was delighted. She had never seen a place for which nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste.
"Well, Lizzy," said Mr. Bennet, "shall you like to be mistress of such a place?"
"Papa, that shall not be for many years," said Elizabeth, blushing. "I hope Mr. Darcy's father will live for a long time yet."
"Where are you going to live after you marry, Lizzy?" asked Jane. "At Pemberley?"
"I do not know. Mr. Darcy and I have not discussed it. I know he helps his father with the running of the estate."
"'And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth,'" intoned Mary, looking up from her book. [Luke 12:15]
"Yes, thank you, Mary," said Elizabeth with a smile. She fingered Darcy's letters, which she had been reading on the journey. The poor man had thought she might want to call off the engagement due to his aunt's behaviour. While it was true that at first Elizabeth had been offended, she had since learned to find amusement in the woman's ridiculous pretentiousness and outrageous demands. She would not be surprised if Lady Catherine claimed to be a proficient at the pianoforte, even if she had never learned a note! And, later discussing the matter with her father, and having a laugh with him, Mr. Bennet revealed that Mr. Collins was the cousin who would have inherited Longbourn had it not been for John. Indeed, they found great amusement in a letter Mr. Collins wrote to Mr. Bennet, telling him of the greatness and condescension of Lady Catherine, and warning him not to anger her. Elizabeth was thankful that such a silly man would never inherit Longbourn. She could not imagine what her life would have been like if John had never been born, or if he had been born a girl.
They rolled through the front gates of Pemberley, and all four Darcy family members stood waiting there for them before the doors. Georgiana ran forward to give Elizabeth a hug as soon as Mr. Bennet helped her from the carriage.
"Oh, Lizzy, I am so glad to see you!" she cried.
"And I you, Georgiana," Elizabeth replied, laughing.
"Miss Elizabeth." Darcy commandeered his fiancée for himself, taking her hand and laying it on his arm.
"Welcome to Pemberley," said Mr. Robert Darcy and Lady Anne as the rest of the Bennets exited the carriages and followed their hosts inside.
Lydia and John exclaimed over the size and elegance of the building, and expressed a wish to see the stables. Elizabeth was waiting for the explosion of her mother's raptures over the grandeur, but fortunately that lady was too stunned to say anything for more than half an hour, and by that time she was ensconced in the guest room that had been prepared for her.
"Bingley will be arriving tomorrow," Darcy told Elizabeth as he led her to her room to refresh herself.
"I am pleased to hear it," said Elizabeth, "and so shall Jane be."
"Would you like to go for a tour of the house before supper?" he continued. "I would like to show you Pemberley."
"I should be delighted. Perhaps Jane and my parents would like to see it too. Mary would perhaps prefer the music room, and Lydia and John the stables."
"Very well. As soon as you are done refreshing yourself, we will begin. We might not be able to see all of it today."
"Mr. Darcy!" Elizabeth feigned astonishment. "Do you mean to send me into Theseus's maze? Perhaps I should bring a sword with me in case I come across a modern Minotaur!"
Darcy laughed. "No Greek monsters, I assure you, dear Elizabeth."
He bowed as he left her before her door. "I shall see you in half an hour."
The tour of the house only showed Elizabeth a little of Pemberley, and yet she was amazed by the view from every window. The rooms were lofty and handsome, and their furniture suitable to the fortune of their proprietor; but Elizabeth saw with admiration that it was neither gaudy nor uselessly fine. Mrs. Bennet had by this time regained the use of her voice, and was exuberant with her praise and queries on the prices of this or that item of furniture. Darcy bore this treatment well, Elizabeth saw with relief, even if she was embarrassed by her mother's behaviour. Jane tried to redirect her mother's speech but had little success. Elizabeth gave her sister a grateful look. It was Mr. Bennet who finally silenced her.
"Yes, my dear, we agree, it is a grand place," he said dryly. "And a little silence would make it all the grander."
Mrs. Bennet took the hint, and from then on limited her raptures to once every three minutes.
Mr. Bennet's side of the tour ended at the library; and, after Elizabeth had beheld its magnificence, she too was tempted to stay there until dinner. But she, Jane, and Mrs. Bennet continued on, following Darcy eventually to the music room, where Mary and Georgiana were becoming acquainted. Despite her tendency toward quoting Scripture, Mary was a good sort of girl. Her governess had helped to iron out the self-righteousness and tendency to sermonize. Mary was a solemn girl, but harmless. She tended to want to make up for her physical plainness by excelling at the pianoforte. Elizabeth thought that if she had a master to teach her, she would get on very well indeed. As it was, she played with an affected and pedantic air that was quite painful to listen to.
John and Lydia, meanwhile, had been led to the stables by a groom and were admiring the horseflesh. They complained when told that they did not have permission to mount the horses. Both of them were a bit spoiled, being the youngest, and used to having their own way. They soon overcame their disappointment, however, when they learned that it was time for supper. They arrived at the dinner table musty and slightly dirty, Lydia with a piece of straw stuck to one of her braids. Mrs. Bennet fussed over their appearance, but Elizabeth saw Mr. Robert Darcy hiding a smile.
The supper surpassed even Mrs. Bennet's excellent table, and afterwards, all the Bennets felt their exhaustion from three days of travel on rough roads. They soon sought their beds, and Darcy promised to show Elizabeth some of the grounds tomorrow.
The next day was a joyful one spent riding to different parts of Pemberley grounds. John and Lydia, having received permission to ride, followed along and often complained of the slow pace. Elizabeth was not a great horsewoman and preferred not to race along. When they reached a lake, the twins dismounted and began to play at the edge of the water. Darcy looked at them fondly and hoped he and Elizabeth had children like them.
It was just before dinnertime that the Bingley carriage was spotted. The Darcys came out to greet their guests and Darcy sighed with frustration as he saw Bingley hand down Miss Bingley from the carriage. She was wearing outrageous feathers on her turban and a dress far too extravagant for a full day of travel. Bingley gave Darcy an apologetic glance. Darcy's friend had told him that the Hursts would be heading to Hurst's father's estate, since Mrs. Hurst had discovered she was with child. Mr. Hurst Senior did not care for his daughter-in-law's sister, and had made that plain; and Darcy supposed that Charles could not leave Miss Bingley alone in London.
"Mr. Darcy, so lovely to see you again. It is always a joy to be back at Pemberley," Miss Bingley simpered, trying to take his arm. He maneuvered himself so that she missed her mark, and went to shake Bingley's hand. "The Bennets are here, I trust?" said Bingley.
"Yes, they arrived yesterday," said Lady Anne, smiling.
"Oh, yes, the Bennets," sneered Caroline. "How kind of you to condescend to invite them."
"Condescend, Miss Bingley?" asked Mr. Robert Darcy, whom Darcy knew had never liked Caroline.
"Yes, such provincials in need of the guidance of fashionable people such as we."
Lady Anne raised her eyebrows. Darcy knew that she had always seen Miss Bingley as a social climber and fortune hunter. "I fail to see why living in the country would make one unfashionable. After all, Pemberley is in the country. Would you call me unfashionable, Miss Bingley?"
Miss Bingley stammered a negative, claiming that she was misunderstood.
Lady Anne said not another word to her as she led her guests inside.
Miss Bingley did not cease her rudeness, however; for she barely greeted the Bennets and seemed determined to usurp Darcy's attention for herself.
"You must tell me, Mr. Darcy," she purred, "I have heard the most shocking rumour." She paused here, clearly waiting for Darcy to ask about the rumour, but Darcy had no interest in encouraging her. "The tale," Miss Bingley continued when he said nothing, "is that you yourself are engaged to Miss Eliza Bennet." She gave a shrill laugh that was like nails on a chalkboard, and made Darcy wince. "I told Charles it must be nonsense. Why, Mr. Darcy, I told him, would never lower himself to marry such a country nobody!"
Darcy glanced over to see that Elizabeth was amused by Miss Bingley's attempts at insults; but he himself was far from being amused.
"I do not know why you should doubt the news, Miss Bingley. An announcement was sent to the papers."
"I was sure there must be some mistake. Surely –"
"I told you it was not a mistake, Caroline. Perhaps we should let the matter rest."
But Miss Bingley ignored her brother. "I was certain the announcement in the paper must be some falsehood or prank –"
"Miss Bingley," Darcy interrupted in a firm voice, "as you can see, my fiancée is sitting right across from you. I do not see the need for any more conversation on this matter."
Elizabeth's eyes twinkled but Miss Bingley pressed her lips together until they turned white, and turned a glance of hatred upon her perceived rival. Darcy was not sure what trouble she would cause, but he was sure she would try something.