Author's Note:
Thank you again to all the readers, followers and reviewers :)
So, quite a few of you were anxious to have Mr Darcy explain about Wickham soon! My original plan dragged it out a bit more, but as I've been writing, Elizabeth and Mr Darcy have gotten to a friendlier place than I expected them to at this point, so I think you're right that he would tell her about Wickham now. This chapter ended up being longer than I thought, though, so it will be in the next chapter.
I'm having some trouble with how Elizabeth thinks of Mr Darcy / Fitzwilliam - I feel like she would start to think of him as Fitzwilliam, so the narration from her POV should reflect that, but I think we all love to hear him referred to as Mr Darcy! So, I think I'll continue to refer to him as Mr Darcy, except when Elizabeth is kind of 'voicing' her thoughts - in which case, it will be Fitzwilliam. But I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this!
Thank you also to the people pointing out when I use the word 'okay' - I naturally write it about 10 times in a chapter and then catch myself and remove them, but I was writing and editing late at night, and one slipped through in the last chapter. I've removed it now, but I can't promise it won't happen again! Thank you for your patience :)
-P&P-P&P-P&P-P&P-
Chapter 7 - Darcy House - A New Day
"Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth woke slowly from where she had been resting comfortably. She sat up and opened her eyes to see the eyes of Mr Darcy - 'my husband!' she recalled with a jolt - staring back at her.
He smiled.
"Elizabeth," he said again, "We're almost home."
Home! Another jolt. Elizabeth still felt a little disoriented from her nap, and was also starting to feel awkward about having slept on Mr Darcy's - Fitzwilliam's - shoulder. But she also noticed a slight feeling of loss after ceasing contact with him. It had felt… nice? Warm?
"Thank you, Fitzwilliam," she said, blushing, "I hope I did not bother you too much with my slumber."
"Oh, no, Elizabeth," replied Mr Darcy, looking at her with affection, "Not at all."
He continued to smile at her.
"In fact," he said, "I was also asleep. I have just woken up myself."
She felt her embarrassment lessen.
"The staff will be waiting for us," he continued, "And I had thought that you might prefer a subdued afternoon and evening. Perhaps just a tour of the house and then a quiet dinner together?"
"That is very considerate, Fitzwilliam," Elizabeth replied, smiling shyly, "I think that sounds perfect."
-P&P-P&P-P&P-P&P-
As they exited the carriage and entered Darcy House, Mr Darcy found himself suddenly concerned about every detail. Would Elizabeth like her new home? Did the steps need repair? Were there enough flowers in the rooms? Was it too masculine? Was it fashionable enough?
No, he thought, Elizabeth was not Miss Bingley - she would care more about her own taste than the current style.
He introduced Elizabeth to some of the staff, but continued with the tour himself. He was anxious to gauge her opinion.
"This is a beautiful home, Fitzwilliam," she said, looking somewhat awed.
"You will be able to change anything you like, of course," he replied, quickly, "I want you to feel comfortable in our home, and we can afford to make some changes."
"That is very kind, Fitzwilliam," she said, smiling at him, "And perhaps I would wish to make some changes in the coming months or years, but for now, I like it very well indeed."
"So you approve of it?" he asked, eagerly.
"Yes, I very much approve," replied Elizabeth.
Mr Darcy beamed.
"There is one room that I'm particularly anxious for you to see," he said, opening the door to the library.
"Oh, Fitzwilliam!" cried Elizabeth, "It's wonderful!"
She immediately walked over to the shelves and began scanning the abundance of titles, and Mr Darcy felt his heart leap at her response.
"It's nothing to the Pemberley library, of course," he continued, "But I took the liberty of transferring here some of the titles I thought you might particularly enjoy. There is a selection of poetry here, Byron, some Shakespeare and I also had some of the latest novels purchased." He gestured to each selection in turn.
Elizabeth spun around, taking it all in, then ran over and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you, Fitzwilliam," she said, her cheeks pink.
Mr Darcy flushed with pleasure.
-P&P-P&P-P&P-P&P-
Elizabeth was mortified. She had not meant to kiss him, but she had been so overwhelmed by his care and generosity that she had forgotten herself.
"Mr Darcy?" called a voice from the hallway.
"Excuse me, Elizabeth," he said, stepping into the hall.
Elizabeth took the opportunity to collect herself.
She could hear the conversation in the hall - evidently, an expensive vase had been broken by a new young maid, Lottie. The housekeeper for Darcy House, a Mrs. Smith, had brought the tearful girl to apologise to Mr Darcy.
"Please do not be troubled, Lottie," she heard Mr Darcy say, "Mrs Smith has previously informed me of your fine, hard work. Accidents can happen to anyone and I accept your apology. In fact, to show you that I have complete trust in you, I would like you to be the one to dust all the vases this week."
Elizabeth was astonished at his kindness to the staff. She supposed she expected him to be a cold, firm master, but here he was, the complete opposite. Could she have been wrong about other aspects of Mr Darcy?
"Thank you very much, Sir," replied Lottie, sniffling a little.
"Thank you, Mr Darcy," added Mrs Smith.
He came back into the library.
"That was very kind of you, Fitzwilliam," said Elizabeth.
"Oh, it was nothing," replied Mr Darcy, "And I've asked Mrs Smith to continue to come to me with household matters for the time being, to give you a chance to settle into your new role as Mistress."
"I thank you," said Elizabeth, gratefully.
"I suppose you would like a chance to rest before dinner?" Mr Darcy asked, "Shall we continue to your rooms?"
"Oh, yes, thank you," replied Elizabeth.
-P&P-P&P-P&P-P&P-
Mr Darcy led Elizabeth to her rooms. There had not been sufficient time for extensive renovations (and he would hope to consult Elizabeth on her preferences in such a case anyway), but he had ordered some general improvements to be made to the layout and decor. He found that his earlier anxiety in anticipation of her reaction had returned.
"Oh, this is lovely," said Elizabeth, entering the bedroom and looking about.
Mr Darcy felt too awkward to experience any relief at her good opinion of the room - he had only just become cognizant that he was together with Elizabeth in her bedroom for the first time. He attempted to put that out of his thoughts.
"I had some minor improvements made," he said, "So the rooms might be more comfortable for the time being, until further renovations can be done."
"I advised the staff that you would need some comfortable chairs and serviceable candlesticks for reading," he continued, "And that you were fond of the outdoors, so you would probably appreciate curtains that would let some light in. I also suspected that you liked the colour green."
"You were right, Mr Darcy," replied Elizabeth, smiling as she continued her visual tour, "I do like the colour green. This will do very well indeed."
She hesitated when her eyes landed on an internal door.
Mr Darcy cleared his throat, "Yes, that door leads to a sitting room, which adjoins my bedroom. You'll notice that I had a lock installed on your side, for your comfort."
Elizabeth's eyes flicked over to his. She appeared to be a little startled.
"I don't intend to break any promises, Elizabeth," he said, "But I also know that you do not have very much basis on which to trust me, and I wanted you to have peace of mind."
"I don't know what to say, Fitzwilliam," she said, blushing and looking down, "That is exceptionally kind of you. Yet, I don't feel that it's necessary - I trust your word on this matter."
She looked back up at him, with an unreadable expression, and Mr Darcy once again felt some hope for their growing friendship. He was planning to tell her the truth about Mr Wickham in the coming days, so hopefully her trust in him would grow further still.
"Shall I call for your maid so you can prepare for dinner?" he asked.
-P&P-P&P-P&P-P&P-
Elizabeth had had a bath and changed into a new dress for dinner. She knew she would not need the silk and lace nightgowns her mother had insisted on purchasing for her, but she was pleased with her new dresses.
Her maid, Rebecca, had helped her to select a green dress for the evening. Elizabeth did not dwell on the reason she'd wanted to wear that colour, telling herself that it was simply because the dress matched the necklace she had earlier received from Mr Darcy. Rebecca had also arranged Elizabeth's hair, and the two had shared a pleasant conversation. Elizabeth had taken a liking to Rebecca immediately.
When dinner was announced, she stepped through the adjoining door to the sitting room, to find Mr Darcy already waiting for her, as well as enough food to feed at least four people.
"Elizabeth," he said, standing to greet her, "Good evening."
He kissed her hand before inviting her to sit down with him.
"That is a lovely dress. Are you feeling refreshed? Were you satisfied with your maid?"
"Oh, yes, Fitzwilliam," replied Elizabeth, "I'm feeling quite refreshed after my bath, and Rebecca seems to be a most excellent maid. I think she and I will become good friends."
Elizabeth faltered slightly - should she have said that? Would Fitzwilliam expect her not to be too friendly with the staff?
But Mr Darcy beamed.
"Excellent!" he said, "I have been told that while Rebecca is an excellent maid, she is also friendly and has a lively temper. I recognised that after Longbourn, you may find Darcy House a bit too quiet for your taste, so I thought a friendly maid would do a great deal to alleviate the loss of company."
Elizabeth was not sure what to make of this. She knew that Mr Darcy did not approve of her family's behaviour, and yet, he appeared to be willing to make his home more like Longbourn.
"You would like a more lively home, Fitzwilliam?" she asked.
He took her hand in his, and looked at her seriously.
"I would like our home to suit both of our temperaments, Elizabeth," he replied, "I want for us both to be happy".
"But yes," he continued, retuning to his food, "I do feel that Georgiana would benefit from a livelier home. And… I think that I might, too. After all, I was aware of your temperament when I proposed."
He looked as if the memory of the proposal saddened him, and Elizabeth did not know how to respond. She supposed that sadness was better than anger, but it did not alleviate the pangs of guilt she felt at her treatment of him - in fact, it increased them.
She placed her hand on his arm, and he looked up at her.
"Let us not think of the past," she said.
They continued their dinner.
"I was thinking, Elizabeth," Mr Darcy said, breaking their silence, "Would you like us to invite the Gardiners for dinner this week?"
Elizabeth looked up in surprise.
"Yes, that would be wonderful," she replied, "I thank you."
"You have no reason to thank me, Elizabeth" he said, "I find I quite enjoy their company and I expect it will be a pleasant evening for both of us."
Elizabeth smiled at him in wonder. She had gotten past her shock at Mr Darcy's initial fondness for the Gardiners, as they were kind, proper and fashionable people, but she had not quite thought that he would seek out their company so soon. And in London! Where his connection to those in trade would be made more obvious. He really did not seem to be the proud man she had thought.
And he had been exceedingly kind and thoughtful to her all day. Even the dinner seemed composed of most of her favourite foods, as well as some delicious new dishes she had not tried before.
"I find, Fitzwilliam," Elizabeth said, teasingly, "That many of my favourite dishes are present tonight. You have obviously been paying me closer attention than I thought."
Mr Darcy laughed.
"I admit," he replied, looking into her eyes, "That I find it hard to look elsewhere when you are present."
"Well," she continued, laughing, "I hate to think what you may have observed when I was not aware of being watched! Such impertinence, such improper behaviour!"
Mr Darcy laughed in return.
"You well know, Elizabeth, that you have never behaved improperly in my presence, and I doubt you would have in the presence of anyone."
"However," he continued teasingly, "As you also know, I find myself thoroughly thrilled by your expression of pert opinions."
"I suppose I should be relieved that you consider them only pert and not impertinent?" Elizabeth replied, smiling wryly back at him.
"Actually, Elizabeth," Mr Darcy returned, "I find that even impertinence can be enjoyable on occasion, particularly when it's directed at someone who deserves it."
"Well, that could never be you, Fitzwilliam," said Elizabeth, still in a teasing manner, but hoping he would detect the undertone she was trying to convey. She still heartily regretted the way she had spoken to him in the past.
"I can say with certainty that that was me in the past," he replied, his eyes soft, still smiling, "However, I will do my best to avoid such faults in future."
"And I will do my best to stick to pert and not impertinent with you in future," said Elizabeth, her eyes twinkling, "Although I cannot promise I will able to do the same with Miss Bingley".
"Well, I will certainly look forward to that!" laughed Mr Darcy, "I find I will need to pay even closer attention to you."
He looked at her directly, and Elizabeth blushed and looked away, then looked back at him slyly.
"Well, I will certainly heed that warning, Fitzwilliam," she replied, pertly, for effect, "But I do own that I could scarcely avoid expressing pert or impertinent opinions, even if I were to try! I'm afraid you've aligned yourself with a most… challenging wife."
"It is well that I always rise to a challenge, then, Elizabeth," he returned, raising an eyebrow at her.
Elizabeth was thoroughly enjoying the exchange, and the two were subtly moving closer to each other as they conversed. But the teasing turned to awkwardness at the conclusion of the dinner, at the knowledge that each would return to their own quarters.
"Well," began Elizabeth, "It has been a long day, and I find myself quite ready to sleep."
In fact, she felt exceedingly tired, but to her own surprise, she felt reluctant to leave Mr Darcy's company. The conversation had been pleasant and stimulating.
"I would not wish to keep you, Elizabeth," Mr Darcy replied, a note of disappointment in his voice.
The two stood up, and Mr Darcy walked Elizabeth to the adjoining door, and she stepped through.
"Thank you, Fitzwilliam," said Elizabeth, softly, "For the dinner, the tour, the arrangements… you've shown me such kindness."
"It was nothing, Elizabeth," he replied, stepping closer to her, "Mrs Darcy."
Elizabeth gasped, at his proximity and at the use of her married name.
"It was not nothing to me, Fitzwiliam," she replied, looking up at him.
He was looking back at her with such intensity, such fondness, that she thought he might kiss her.
But in the next instant, he kissed her hand, bid her goodnight, and closed the door.
-P&P-P&P-P&P-P&P-
Mr Darcy all but sprinted back across the sitting room and into his own bedroom. He had wanted to kiss Elizabeth so badly. After solemnly declaring to her that he would not break his promise that their marriage would be in name only, here he was, only hours later, inches from breaking that vow.
He was only now beginning to fully understand the challenges of this marriage.