Thank you to those who pointed out the muddled sentence at the end of the last chapter - so annoyed at myself for that one! I've corrected in my original doc but not going to here, hope you understand.
Chapter Five-and-Twenty
In the afternoon of the third day of travel for Elizabeth and her companions, the carriage turned in at a lodge which Georgiana informed her marked the entrance to Pemberley grounds. Darcy watched Elizabeth's face as she took in all of the landmarks and favourite spots being pointed out to her by his sister. Her mind was too full to respond, but she saw and admired it all.
They had been passing through woodland for about half a mile when they found themselves emerging from it at the top of a considerable eminence. Elizabeth's eye was instantly caught by Pemberley House, a large, handsome building situated on the opposite side of the valley to the road they were then winding down into. A wide stream cut through the valley floor which they crossed via a carved stone bridge before driving up to the main entrance to the house. Elizabeth was so busy admiring the natural beauty of the grounds that she had not realised just how imposing the house was until Mr Darcy handed her down from the carriage and she stood in its shadow.
There were two people waiting for them at the door who were introduced to Elizabeth as Mr Elliot, the butler, and Mrs Reynolds, the housekeeper. They exchanged warm greetings with their employer and reassured him that the house would be ready for the other anticipated arrivals in a few days' time. Elizabeth trailed behind them as they walked into a grand entrance hall with large fireplaces on either side. As they handed their travelling garments to waiting footmen, Elizabeth took in her surroundings. The room held little by way of furniture but at its centre was an oversized, round marble table holding a tall blue and white vase overflowing with seasonal flowers. It was a splendid introduction to the house, she thought to herself.
Darcy and Georgiana went with confidence through an archway and down a wide and finely decorated corridor. After a few moments of hesitation, Elizabeth followed after them. They all entered into a bright, blue parlour where plates of fruit and meats had been laid out for them and where a maid was just setting down a pot of fresh tea. Elizabeth picked up a cup and walked towards a large window to admire the aspect. The trees which they had earlier travelled through were scattered from the bank of the river and up the valley as far as she could see. It surpassed her opinion of even the most beautiful wild corners of Rosings Park.
When they were finished with their refreshments, Georgiana offered to show Elizabeth to her room. Darcy watched with contentment as the pair left the room; he took a moment to enjoy the reality of having Elizabeth in his home. It had always been the place he felt most relaxed and like himself, he was glad to be able to share it with her at last.
Elizabeth regarded the décor of Pemberley as Georgiana guided her to a grand staircase with gilded handrails which dominated the room it was in; everything she saw she admired. Mr Darcy's taste, she was pleased to discover, was not unlike her own. Whilst the furniture was more expensive than any she was used to seeing outside of London drawing rooms, it was suitable for the grandeur of the house. Each piece was elegant and well considered, and stood in complete opposition to the excess and gaudiness of his Aunt Catherine's home.
At the top of the stairs, they turned down a corridor, through some double doors, around a corner and through another set of doors. Elizabeth was sure she would get lost a few times but hoped if she could pick out one or two key markers, she would always be able to find her way back. Georgie opened the door and led them into a small sitting room. The walls were covered with light yellow wallpaper decorated with exotic birds, the hues of which were picked up in the pale green fabric of the soft furnishings. A sofa, two chairs and a low table were arranged in front of a marble fireplace, there was also a writing desk positioned near one of the two tall windows which would flood the room with light in the height of the day.
"I hope it will be to your liking, Lizzie" said Georgiana in a tentative voice.
"Oh, Georgie, it is beautiful. Thank you."
"My brother picked this room for you specially. It is the closest guest room to the library and has a lovely view of the grove of ash trees you see there." Georgiana pointed out of a window and Elizabeth's head followed the direction of her finger. The view was very enticing to Elizabeth and she was slightly disappointed that the sun was getting so low in the sky; her explorations would have to wait at least until the next day.
"Through here," the younger girl continued, walking to a large door along the left-hand wall, "is your bedchamber. It is decorated in the same style. Mrs Reynolds will have assigned you a Lady's maid who will see to your trunk, but I have plenty of dresses here if yours did not travel well and need time to be pressed. Or if your other clothes take time in arriving. Or if you would just like borrow something, which would be fine also. I am rambling now, I apologise. I will leave you to rest, I am sure you need it after the last few days, I certainly do."
Elizabeth reached out to grasp the girl's hands and reassured her with a warm smile that she did not mind the rambling, "You have been so kind in inviting me here, I just want to say thank you. And I do not mind you chattering away, in fact it reminds me of my younger sisters and is something I have missed."
Elizabeth was then left alone to explore her sitting room and bedchamber. Walking from the one into the other, she noted there were windows on two walls, identifying the room to be in a corner location. She was also amazed at the splendour of the bed; she did not know how to describe its size but it was larger than the bed she had shared with Jane at Longbourn. It had a four-poster oak frame with pastel green drapes on all sides and deeper green cushions and blankets arranged neatly on top.
It was at that point that Elizabeth noticed the pile of books on the nightstand beside the bed. For some reason, unbeknownst to her, she approached them with caution as if they would suddenly flip open or disappear. She picked up the first book and began to flip through it. It was a collection of poems and made Elizabeth think of the first night she had met Mr Darcy, when they had debated the merits of poetry in promoting affection. The collection was not of love poems, it was more meaningful that that and demonstrated his consideration far better than a generic declaration written by someone else could have.
As she was flicking through the pages, a letter dropped to the floor. Picking it up, Elizabeth, though she should not have been, was surprised to find it was addressed to her. She had never seen Mr Darcy's handwriting before but knew immediately that it was from him.
Dear Elizabeth,
I hope you find these books to your liking, they are only a few from the Pemberley collection which I thought might be to your tastes.
I look forward to showing you the library so you may explore at your leisure.
Yours faithfully,
Fitzwilliam.
"Fitzwilliam." Elizabeth whispered aloud to herself. There would have been no opportunity for Mr Darcy to have placed the books himself, or even passed the note to someone else to do it for him since their arrival, which meant he must have sent it ahead with instructions. His forethought and attention to detail inspired warm feelings in Elizabeth's chest.
A little while later a maid knocked on a hidden servant's door and entered to assist Elizabeth in preparing for dinner. When she was ready, she asked for direction to the parlour and was told there was already a footman in the corridor waiting to escort her. His task was interrupted when they reached the foot of a different staircase to the one Elizabeth climbed earlier by the Master of the house.
Mr Darcy stood tall with his hands behind his back in a comfortable pose and relaxed face, although Elizabeth thought she noticed his fingers fidgeting with his coat sleeves. No matter his mood, the gentleman looked handsome in his dark jacket and light breeches. Bowing low he offered warm but restrained salutations until the footman was out of hearing distance.
"You are exquisite, Miss Elizabeth," the lady blushed in response but was unable to offer any words as Darcy continued, "I hope your room is to your liking? The bedchamber catches the early morning light on one side, and given your preference for early walks in the countryside, I thought it might suit you. If I am incorrect, it will be no trouble to find you another room."
"It is a delightful room, Mr Darcy, I can find no fault in it; and I thank you for the loan of the books. I have only flicked through them so far, but I would say they suit my tastes perfectly. I admit I am eager to explore your beautiful grounds, but I may be too fatigued to wake with the sun on the morrow."
"What say you to a tour of the house tomorrow? The rose garden too if you feel up to it, we can leave the woodlands for the day after?"
Elizabeth gave her approval to that plan readily just as they were making their way into a small parlour. Darcy explained to her that they would just use the private family rooms for the few days until the other guests arrived as it gave his staff more time to prepare everything. He also though it excessive to use the large formal rooms when there was only one addition to their usual numbers. Such logic made complete sense to Elizabeth but it also made her feel very privileged to have access to the private part of the Darcy's lives.
The meal was simple compared to what Elizabeth had expected, which Georgiana explained without prompt was due to her brother's preference for plainer dishes when at home, and comprised of only two courses. The food may not have been as elaborate as Elizabeth had thought to find, but that by no means detracted from its taste. Rarely had she tried such well flavoured simple dishes. She often found it a criticism of some hostesses or chefs (she was not sure who to blame) that they seemed to associate simple with flavourless, but it was clear that both Mr Darcy and his cook understood the difference.
The three dinner companions laughed freely and exchanged stories throughout the meal but soon after they had concluded and moved into the music room, the travel caught up with them. Each yawned as subtly as they could but eventually all had to admit their fatigue and delay their activities until the next night.
The next morning after breakfast saw Mr Darcy and Georgiana giving Elizabeth a tour of Pemberley House. They showed her all of the rooms which were open for tourists to view if they applied to Mrs Reynolds, as well as other rooms which they would be likely to use often throughout Elizabeth's stay. In every room there was a story from the Darcy's' youth, some misadventure with their Fitzwilliam cousins or an example of their father's good humour and generosity.
Elizabeth was pleased to find that the happy memories they shared of the late Mr Darcy did not stir jealousy within her, only contentment that the two of them were able to experience what they had. Elizabeth did notice that Mr Darcy avoided telling stories about his mother, Lady Anna, and made a point of asking about her. Being a child with no recollection of her own mother, she probed and prodded for information knowing Georgie would appreciate the tales even more than herself. Darcy saw what she was about and reproached himself for not having realised that such details would be desired by his sister. He had learnt of Elizabeth's need to know all she could back in Hertfordshire and had obliged her as much as he could, he was ashamed it had taken so long to offer the same comfort to his sister and that he had needed prompting to do it. Neither young lady thought less of him for his oversight though, rather both enjoyed the anecdotes he shared.
Just before lunch the trio made their way into the library. They entered into a double height space with bookshelves covering almost every available wall. At the far end, nearest the windows, was a spiral staircase which provided access to a thin walkway which ran around the perimeter of the upper level giving access to even more books. In each of the large windows was a bench seat which Elizabeth thought would make for a splendid place to curl up with a book, especially the ones on the upper level which she presumed would afford her better solitude to facilitate becoming engrossed in a book.
Elizabeth could hear Mr Darcy explaining the organisation of the collection to her and knew she should have been paying attention, but none of his words were registering in her mind as she took in the room. The colour scheme was very dark but the room still felt spacious. The shelving was built from darkly stained wood, the furnishings covered with deep green fabrics, even the fireguard was made of simple dark metal rather than the more ornately decorated, colourful designs which were popular in Town. The room was also filled with candles which would help to illuminate every corner on dull mornings or winter evenings. Elizabeth decided it would be a fine room to occupy herself in when the weather demanded she remain indoors and declared to her companions it was her favourite room in the house.
Later that afternoon, Darcy and Elizabeth were taking a turn in Pemberley's rose garden. Georgiana had wished to spend some time practicing at the pianoforte but insisted that the two of them explore without her. Darcy was in the process of explaining the history of the garden's design when a servant approached with a letter.
"An express for you, Master." Said the young man with a bow.
"Thank you, Peters. That will be all." Looking at the paper Darcy recognised his Aunt Rebecca's handwriting and said to Elizabeth, "I suspect this is to inform us of their arrival date."
Darcy was proven correct when he opened the letter to find a short note containing the travel plans of the family who would be venturing to join them at Pemberley. The note had been sent from a market down along the route once the group had already set out on the road, and informed him their arrival was anticipated to be the next evening. The party would include Lady Rebecca, his cousins Walker, Richard and Helena as well as Lady Sarah and Miss Bennet. The two Earls had determined to remain in Town to deal with the guardianship case and the Gardiners would come on after in another week or so once Mr Gardiner was in a better position to leave his business for a few weeks.