Saturday, February 27, 1813 – On Route to Pemberley

It was growing dark as the caravan of travelling coaches moved slowly towards their first overnight stop at the _ Inn some four hours travel from Longbourn. Stovall and Jane were allowed the privacy of the first coach given their status as newlyweds. Darcy, Georgiana, Elizabeth and Mrs. Annesley shared the second coach while the maid for Jane and Georgiana and the man-servants for Darcy and Stovall travelled in the third coach. A fourth coach carried nothing but the extra baggage required for people travelling for several months.

Darcy looked at the inhabitants of his coach. Both Elizabeth and his sister were sleeping. Mrs. Annesley was quite alert and reading comfortably despite the movement of the carriage. Darcy was not sure how she could do so since trying to read while travelling always gave him a serious headache. Since he also had trouble sleeping, he could either engage his companions in conversation or admire the scenery through the window. Neither was possible at the moment which allowed his thoughts to reflect on the day's events. He honestly could not remember much of the marriage ceremony. He rather thought Jane had been beautiful. Certainly, he saw that Stovall had eyes for no one else. Darcy himself, though, was so conscious of Elizabeth's presence and his desire for her to be taking the vows with him that he could think of little else. Without any intention on his part, he thought he had not taken his eyes from her throughout the ceremony and when the registry was signed and the bride and groom made their way out of the chapel, the feel of Elizabeth's hand on his arm, the scent of her perfume – lavender he thought – and the rustle of her gown caused a very great sense of rightness. She belonged on his arm, that he knew for a certainty. He was quite unconscious of the small smile that graced his features and of the pleasure that it gave the woman on his arm. To those residents of Meryton who had little knowledge of Darcy except by rumour as a proud, disdainful gentleman, his demeanour gave the lie to such rumours.

Stovall and Jane had received the congratulations of their family and neighbours with ease and pleasure. Jane herself seemed so happy that when he approached her to offer her his congratulations, she shook her head saying, "No, I should thank you. I am the happiest of women!" The press of the crowd was such that it was a quarter hour before the wedding party was able to begin the short walk to Longbourn for the wedding breakfast.

The wedding breakfast had been a trial to be sure. Mrs. Bennet was at her fluttering best although he had to admit that she had set a fine table. To her credit, she did appear to be less voluble than he remembered. Perhaps being shunned by her neighbours had effected a major change in her behaviour. Elizabeth, for some strange reason, remained as close as possible for much of the meal seemingly to ease his comfort with so many strangers. If that was her purpose, it surely worked because, even when accosted by Elizabeth's aunt Phillips and informed that he was 'exceedingly tall and handsome', he had been able to nod graciously. Overall he thought he had survived the ordeal quite well. In fact, even Mr. Bennet had observed quietly to him that 'should he venture into the area in the future, he might drop by for another game of chess.' The fact that Darcy had bested him in the game they played last night and Mr. Bennet desired a measure of revenge might have something to do with that. His own response of 'You may count on it, sir!' had elicited a rather odd look from Mr. Bennet, followed by a glance at his second oldest daughter standing beside Darcy. A quirked eyebrow as he leant towards Elizabeth saying, "I shall, of course, say nothing to your mother." Was his only comment as he strolled off to speak to Mr. Gardiner.

Elizabeth had looked at Darcy with a small grimace. "I think he suspects something. Uncle will probably share some of the details but I will ask my aunt to withhold any of the details about Lydia, at least for now." Fortunately, Georgiana had arrived with the extra carriages about then and since Jane and Stovall had changed into their travelling clothes, they began the process of saying their farewells.

The entire trip would normally only require two overnight stops but under the circumstances Stovall and Darcy had agreed on a more casual pace and three stops, allowing the newlyweds to stay abed a little later in the morning. Each of the carriages was equipped with extra blankets, warming pans for feet, a basket of consumables and such books and activities as might entertain the travellers.

Wrapped in his thoughts, Darcy was hardly aware that the coach was slowing down and had come to a stop. Looking out the window he could see the inn where they would spend the first night. Mrs. Annesley woke Georgiana and Elizabeth while Darcy left the coach and prepared to help the ladies descend. As he was doing so, the innkeeper and his wife bustled out to greet their customers. Darcy had arranged for the use of most of the inn's rooms with a separate suite for the Stovalls. Staff came and helped carry baggage to the appropriate rooms while hot water for baths was arranged for the travellers. Stovall and Jane had, with eyes only for each other, quickly made their way to their rooms followed by the eyes and smiles of their fellow travellers.

Darcy turned to Georgiana, Elizabeth and Mrs. Annesley, "Hot water should be delivered to your rooms shortly. I have also arranged for a meal in a private small dining room an hour from now. I shall await you there."

Darcy was indeed waiting when the others entered the dining room. A glass of port in his hand, freshly bathed with clean clothes, he felt invigorated. Mrs. Annesley was the next to arrive, followed very shortly by Georgiana and Elizabeth. A very simple meal of an excellent beef stew with bread and cheese was provided. Since all of the travellers were somewhat tired, none were inclined to linger too long after the meal was completed. Darcy wished to keep Elizabeth with him for a while longer but could see from her eyes that she was quite tired and propriety would require that either Mrs. Annesley or Georgiana be present. Their plans were to depart about nine the next morning so they agreed to meet to break their fast at half past seven. Elizabeth's hopes to stay and talk with Darcy came to naught when he looked at her closely, "you look exhausted. You spent most of the night talking to your sister and you really could not sleep well in the coach. You need to get some sleep." Saying this, he sent them all off to their rooms and himself as well.

Stovall and Jane followed the innkeeper's wife up the stairs to their rooms where she said, "Your bedroom is here, sir. There is a dressing room on either side and a small sitting room here across the hall." Stovall looked at Jane "I would like to wash the dirt off from our travel. Shall I meet you in the sitting room in a half hour to have something to eat?" Upon Jane's consent, he requested a light meal of cold chicken, bread, cheese and wine to be prepared and served in the sitting room.

When a half hour had passed, Stovall knocked on the door to Jane's dressing room which was quickly opened by his smiling wife. "I am a little hungry, husband. Shall we eat?"

Taking her arm he led her to the sitting room and seating her at the table whispered in her ear, "I have a huge hunger tonight!" and then bestowed a kiss under her ear. Her shiver and instinctive reach to draw his lips to hers led to a long slow kiss. As he deepened the kiss, she could feel his tongue trace her lips and she opened them and met his tongue with her own. His hand left the back of her chair and came to cup her face and hold her lips to his and then gradually moved to stroke her shoulder and arm. He gently broke the kiss and, with some effort at self control, said "we should eat."

Neither had been able to eat much at the wedding breakfast. Nor had they more than sampled the consumables provided in their coach. As a consequence, they found themselves addressing the meal provided with considerable enthusiasm. It was not long before they had finished all that had been provided and were sitting back in their chairs, quite replete. Jane rose to her feet and, taking her husband by the hand, led him to the settee and gently pushed him to sit. She then turned and sat herself leaning back against him and when he wrapped his arms around her, murmured "You have no idea how long I have wanted to be able to have you do this." Leaning her head back against his shoulder, she laid her hands over his. He could not keep his hands so idle. "I have wanted to do this for weeks" he said, and began to caress her face, arms, belly and breasts gently. Finally he sat up and rose off the settee. "I think it is time we retire to bed." and he carefully lifted her in his arms and carried her to their bedchamber.

Jane had cause to remember her aunt's words prior to the wedding. She had not talked of pain or enduring the situation, but rather that she was going to be married to a man who loved her and would be gentle and kind. Most disconcerting was her suggestion that, in the privacy of the bedchamber, nothing between a husband and wife was truly wrong. That had discomposed her more than anything her mother had said.

They joined together as husband and wife and Jane realized her aunt was right. He was kind, gentle and loving and she fell asleep in her husband's arms knowing that they had taken the first of many steps together as husband and wife. As he gazed at her, he took as much pleasure from the smile on her face as she slept, as from the cries of pleasure she emitted during the night.

Stovall woke the next morning feeling quite disorientated. He could not move his left arm, something warm was pressed against his chest and his hand had closed on something warm and soft. As he swam up to consciousness, memories of the past night came alive. He treasured the pleasures of their first joining, the tenderness of waking in the middle of the night and sharing their pleasure once again. Now he felt himself becoming aroused once more and began to stroke and caress his wife's body. Half awake she turned on her back and gave him greater access which he was not slow to enjoy for her pleasure and his own. Their eventual fulfillment left them exhausted but delighted with each other and as they drifted back to sleep, he heard her murmur "So very nice."

The newlyweds were the last to break their fast the next morning and were greeted by studiously bland faces by the other members of the party. Apart from an "I hope you slept well!" from Elizabeth, conversation was deliberately non-consequential focusing on the food and the travel plan for the day. Stovall and Jane managed to partake of the meal with admirable composure, although Jane's blushes were telling every time she looked up and saw Elizabeth's smirk. Fortunately for all, the weather continued to be reasonable for the time of year and they only required one further overnight stay at an inn before arriving at Pemberley late in the evening of the third day of the trip.

As they travelled through the woods after turning off the road to Pemberley, Georgiana pointed out the window to a small building by an impressive set of stone pillars, "Look Elizabeth, there is the entrance to Pemberley!"

"Where is the house?"

"We cannot see it from here. We have to climb to the top of a ridge. The house is located on the other side of the valley. There is a spot on the ridge that has an excellent view of Pemberley." explained Darcy. "We should get there in a quarter hour or so."

Elizabeth continued to gaze out the window at the passing trees as the coach continued to climb. Finally, the road levelled and the carriage came to a stop. The carriage containing Stovall and Jane, which was following close behind, also stopped. Darcy was quick to exit and help the ladies to descend. Stovall did the same for Jane. Darcy led them all to a break in the trees which overlooked the entire valley.

Pemberley was a large stone house, bathed in a golden colour of the late afternoon sun, located on the rising ground on the opposite side of the valley. Heavy woods covered the slopes of the ridge behind the house. In front of the house gardens sloped down to a small, man-made pond fed by a stream that wound its way down the valley. Snow still dotted the woods although the grounds were clear with only faint tinges of green showing signs of an approaching spring.

Elizabeth could only gaze in admiration, "How well the house blends into the landscape. It looks so natural, so much in keeping with its surroundings." She whispered almost too softly for Darcy to hear. She turned to him, "I like your home very much, sir!"

"And that is how I feel. It is my home. The place where I would spend all my days if that were possible." Darcy's voice was rough with emotion. He let them gaze for another minute and then shepherded them back to their carriages. "Let us be going, I suspect they await us and I, for one, would enjoy a hot bath!"

As the carriages came into view of the house, Elizabeth could see people pouring out of the house. When her carriage came to a final stop, Darcy again was out of the door before a footman could open it. Offering his hand to Elizabeth, he smiled "Welcome to Pemberley, Miss Elizabeth." and helped her to descend. Turning to Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley, he assisted them out of the carriage and then ushered the whole party forward. "Miss Bennet, Captain Stovall, Mrs. Stovall I would like to introduce you to the Pemberley housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds, who has been filled that role for almost five and twenty years. Her husband, Mr. Reynolds, has been our butler for almost as long. Mr. Reynolds, Mrs. Reynolds, please welcome Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Captain Amos Stovall and Mrs. Jane Stovall. Now, let us move indoors out of this cool breeze."

Once inside, he turned to the Stovalls and grinned, saying, "Your rooms are located on the third floor on the west wing. You have that wing to yourselves with complete privacy. No one will bother you and you may ignore the world around you. Ring, if you wish services. You can have your meals in your rooms at your convenience or eat with us should you so desire." Mrs. Reynolds directed a footman to lead them to their rooms.

Turning to Elizabeth, Darcy informed her, "Mrs Reynolds will show you to your rooms. I thought we might dine at seven and I could give you a brief tour of the house. I am sure you are eager to explore our library."

The Stovalls did not come down for dinner and, in fact, were not seen by anyone for several days. After dinner Elizabeth was given a tour of the public rooms ending at the library, from which she could not be budged until it was time to retire for the evening. She and Darcy browsed happily, selecting a few volumes for her to read. When they eventually left the library, she accepted Darcy's offer of his arm and he began leading her towards her room. As they climbed the stairs, he stopped when they reached to top and turned to her, "I expect that you will be rising early. If I remember correctly, you like to rise with the sun to walk for an hour or two before breaking your fast. Am I wrong?"

"No sir, you are quite correct. I cannot wait to explore the grounds around Pemberley."

"I do not wish to impose on you but would like to join you on these walks. I prefer to rise early also and would like to enjoy them with you. However, I will understand if you prefer your solitude."

Elizabeth took a minute or two to consider. "I admit to a preference to walking alone but that is mostly because I walk faster than others. I suspect that you should have no trouble keeping pace with me. As I remember our walks at Rosings, we were well matched in that regard." She forbore to add "at least"

Darcy gave a rueful grin, "I suspect I did not show too well there. I thought you knew I was seeking you out but I have come to conclude that you did not."

"Truly sir, I thought you disliked me and that telling you it was a favourite path would lead you to avoid the route and myself."

"Yes, so I now comprehend. I must conclude then that my presence now will not be unwelcome?"

"I would much enjoy having you show me the pathways."

"I will leave you here then. Your rooms are down that hall. Shall we meet at half past six?"

Elizabeth agreed and went to her rooms. As she opened the door she could see Darcy watching her. He bowed when he realized she was observing him. She nodded and entered her room after which he turned and walked to his bedchamber. Tomorrow he would begin courting Elizabeth Bennet in earnest.