Chapter 15

After dinner they retreat to a little room with a free standing bath in it, a room just for bathing! The bath is already full, someone has had a lot of work getting it that way, and they'd better make use of that work before it cools off again. It is a tight fit with two adults, but they do enjoy sitting in the bath together, though after a while it gets rather cold. After drying each other off, they then race for the bed, leaving the cooling water for the staff to remove the next morning.

And that bed is as good as it looked this afternoon, so warm and so soft, and the covers are so thick. As Elizabeth starts to get really warm, holding her beloved close, feeling totally tranquil after the hot bath, four days of travel and all the feelings she experienced today start to take over and she falls asleep before she can even think of making love.

There is no way in which Darcy can be disappointed over that, his urges have been satisfied so often the last few days that they do not bother him, besides, there are things that need thinking about, and that is best done by himself, before he goes to sleep. Having a warm, soft shape lying against him just makes it a lot more pleasant.

How will he secure Elizabeth from ever becoming dependent on anyone? Money of course is the answer, and it needs to be available only to herself, not even to him, not even to her children or family. Nathan will sort it out, and if he cannot, Darcy will write to his London lawyer. A few weeks will see it arranged to his satisfaction.

Then the riding business, Darcy really wants his beloved to feel the joy of riding a good horse, and hearing Peter talk so airily of his wife riding astride has returned his wishes to the front of his mind. The idea of a skirt that is divided in two parts does not entice Darcy at all, it's merely practical. Ladies' clothes are not exciting, but usually rather boring, he totally agrees with Georgiana on that score.

Can Darcy live with encouraging Elizabeth to do something her own class will find indecent, but which other classes find completely normal? Should he consult Mrs Reynolds? She is very conservative, better not. Nathan then, he is married, and he is just one class below nobility. He knows the people in this neighbourhood, they would never tell Darcy what they really think, but Nathan is one of them, he'll know. Better find something else to do for Elizabeth during their meeting, they did after all have a deal there was to be no business these two weeks. Maybe she'll enjoy a tour of the other side of the house, the servant's side. Kitchen, laundry-rooms, storage and larder, scullery. Somehow he suspects she'll want to know what is going on in the house, in the entire house.

Exploring the rooms they don't use will be a lot of fun too, especially with Mrs Reynolds, she knew Darcy's mother well, and she knows a lot about the family-history. Or he could give Elizabeth that lewd book from his London library. Finding his father's stash here will be a pastime he wants to undertake together, but of course she can easily spend a few hours browsing the fabulous library here. He'll just propose the options and she can choose, or do anything else she might enjoy, like going on a ramble outside.

Satisfied with his contemplations, Darcy very gently nuzzles his beloved, to feel her lovely soft skin, and smell her sweet feminine scent. Such a prize for him, such feelings she evokes in him, he has been very emotional with happiness several times today. But soon it will become sweet habit to stroke her, or kiss her, or make love to her, those memories of grief and sadness will no longer make him feel weak. So much to look forward to.

The next morning, Elizabeth wants to walk around the whole park: 'Your gardener, John, was it?, said it was ten miles round, we can be back in time for lunch.'

Frankly, Darcy has never walked it in its entirety, though he has often made the trip on horseback. But his boots are well-worn, he has been on several incredibly long walks with Elizabeth the day they got engaged and the day after, and several times during their engagement, they must have been as far. So why not? Maybe it is time for him to really get to know his own park on ground level.

And he manages quite well, they set a nice pace and enjoy the winter woods. 'It was more beautiful in summer, but I'm still very glad to be back here,' Elizabeth says.

'It will be summer again before you know it,' Darcy replies fondly, 'and I'm even more glad than you to have you back here.'

And he kisses her with all the love he feels, extending their outing by at least ten minutes.

Ten miles is quite a lot of ground to cover, and by the time they get back, a bit later than Darcy's usual lunch-time, they are both ready for a long rest and some hot food.

After lunch Darcy takes Nathan to his study, and Elizabeth is off for a tour of the servants' part of the house with Mrs Reynolds. It feels wrong to Elizabeth to live in a house and not know what lies behind every door.

They start out in the kitchen and a large room adjacent to the kitchen with tables and chairs, such a large space, with so much going on, Elizabeth never realised the staff needs to eat, too, and needs space to do so. This is a whole dining room for them, where they drink coffee and eat their meals, sometimes together, sometimes apart.

Then there is a huge larder with mainly foods that will keep, and a small space with perishables, meat, and cheese and vegetables from their own kitchen-garden, or grown by the local farmers. The scullery is next, where the pots are scrubbed and the water is heated for washing and cleaning. The laundry-room needs hot water too, and space to dry laundry even in wet weather.

Other goods like bedclothes and liveries, candles and China that has gone out of fashion are stored along with many other things a household like this needs.

And then there are the sleeping quarters for the staff, of course some go home after a shift, like Peter, but some, like Mrs Reynolds, live in the house and have their own rooms and their own sanitary facilities.

So many people to take care of a single family, Elizabeth is dizzy with the implications. The scale of it all is difficult to envision, of course they have servants at Longbourn but not this many. She looks forward to the time when Mr Brewer will explain the finances behind it all. Last of all Mrs Reynolds shows her the cellar where the fuel is kept, so many rooms to heat, and all that fuel has to be bought and delivered, and brought to each hearth, each fire maintained all day.

Then they go back to the main part of the house, where Mrs Reynolds says: 'It has been a real pleasure to show you around, Mrs Darcy, I feel I know you a lot better already.'

As they continue towards the sitting-room, Mrs Reynolds suddenly halts and says: 'I beg your pardon ma'am, but I really want to tell you I'm so very glad to see the master so very happy with you. My dear master is so much in love with you, it is such a joy to behold him finally getting the woman he deserves.'

Elizabeth is really touched that Mrs Reynolds tells her this, it gives her the feeling that she must be doing something right, that she has that estimable lady's approval, and she thanks Mrs Reynolds for her kind words.

'I was always afraid he'd fall into the clutches of one of those ladies out for his standing and his affluence, who seem to think the world was created for their pleasure, without a proper place in it for those of lesser birth and fortune. The master is not like that, he cares about all the people. It is clear you do, too, and that makes all of us here very happy. Of course we should have trusted Mr Darcy to find himself a loving wife.'

'Thank you so much, Mrs Reynolds, I admit I was a bit afraid you'd object to my being somewhat below your master's class,' Elizabeth says frankly.

'I never much cared about class, Mrs Darcy,' is the reply, 'I care about my master's happiness. I must admit I had my doubts about him being so much in love without his love being returned.'

Of course Mrs Reynolds cannot imagining a woman not loving her master.

'For months he was very unhappy, very sad. I though he was taken seriously ill, for he didn't eat, and had black rings under his eyes. I asked him whether he was ill, and he simply told me he was just love-sick, and that it would take time to heal.'

Elizabeth nods, she still finds it hard to believe that Fitzwilliam would have been physically ill after having his love spurned by her. She thought him so proud, so vain, and all this time he had really suffered.

'It was your account of him that made me realise he was in fact a very good man, Mrs Reynolds,' Elizabeth observes, 'until then he had not made a good impression on me, I thought him disdainful of the people he considered below him.'

The estimable lady clearly has trouble believing that of her beloved master, but she admits: 'He did tell me you had reason to dislike him. I couldn't imagine how that could be, but the master wouldn't lie.' Her face brightens, and she walks on, saying: 'Anyway, everything turned out for the best, and he is certainly very happy now.'

And as if to prove that, as they enter the sitting-room where Fitzwilliam is already waiting for his beloved, he immediately gets up from the comfortable chair he was sitting in and takes Elizabeth in a gentle embrace. 'I've missed you already,' he whispers in her ear, 'even an hour without you is too long.'

She kisses him chastely and says, in a normal voice not to exclude Mrs Reynolds who came in with her: 'Did you manage to resolve your personal issues with the help of Mr Brewer?'

Still holding her, not caring at all whether that might be awkward for Mrs Reynolds, he smiles at her and says: 'To my fullest satisfaction, my love. I feel as light as a feather. Which is for the best since my feet are killing me from our ramble this morning.'

And that is very true. Not about the feet, for in fact he didn't suffer at all, he just complains in the hope of being spoiled by his beloved, and it works, for she takes him to a sofa and offers to massage his feet. Mrs Reynolds has fled minutes ago, so he gladly accepts the offer of intimacy, and Elizabeth removes his knee-high boots and his socks and lovingly kneads his strong feet.

'Do you think I should take to wearing low shoes in the house?' he asks, 'maybe they would be more suitable to a married man.' His feet must have been tired after all, for the massage feels fabulous, he can feel the tension drain from his muscles.

As he sits back and enjoys his lovely wife's ministrations, he thinks of his conversation with Nathan just now.

Nathan started by expressing his approval of Darcy's choice of wife, some might find that disrespectful of a steward towards his master, but Nathan is older than Darcy and has been married to a lovely, superior woman for years. Darcy cannot but respect his smart and able steward, and their relationship has ever been very familiar.

As Darcy poses his problem, Nathan instantly knows what he means, and promises to find out how to lawfully secure an independence on Mrs Darcy, and to make the arrangements with Darcy's London lawyer, so the papers can be signed as soon as they are back in town.

Then Darcy asks him: 'What would you think of a woman riding astride, Nathan, would it be shameful?'

Nathan replies: 'Is there another way to ride, then? Oh, you mean on a sidesaddle. No-one does that where I live, the only people owning a horse are farmers, and their girls don't have their own saddle. If their dads even have a saddle at all.

May I ask why you want to know, is Mrs Darcy thinking of joining you in the hunt?'

Darcy replies honestly: 'I want to ride together, but she feels unsafe on a horse. I thought she might feel safer astride, but she says it will be a disgrace to me.'

'If you stay on your own property, no-one will even find out, Darcy. Your staff and your tenants will not talk, they are very loyal. Besides, whom would they gossip to? You're the only noble who even notices them.'

That is enough for Darcy, Nathan knows what is going on on the estate, so that's where they'll start.

Elizabeth's voice wakes him from his reverie: 'You were miles away, love, and very pleasantly distracted I think. I suppose you would look fine with low shoes, though I guess I would have to get used to it. I've never seen you wearing anything but boots.

But I'm sure you were not thinking of shoes just now, not even of what you are planning to do this evening. It was something different.'

'It was. There are so many things we can do together, I just don't know where to start,' is his vague reply, hoping she will not ask directly for he will not lie or keep things from her, but he doesn't want her to think he is obsessed with getting her to ride either, he is, but he doesn't want to frighten her or put pressure on her.

Elizabeth supposes he must be planning a surprise, being too inquisitive is not a good trait in anyone, and she will trust Fitzwilliam, he has proven time and time again that he deserves it. 'Will you show me the rest of the house? I haven't seen the library, yet. Maybe we can find some books to improve our minds. Unless your feet are bothering you?'

A bit ashamed of having complained without true reason, Darcy quickly assents: 'Of course, you haven't even seen the house yet. Well, during that tour with your aunt and uncle Gardiner, and bits of it today with Mrs Reynolds. I get the feeling she likes you, am I right?'

'I suppose she does, yes. She has noticed you are very happy to be married to me, and I guess that is good enough for her.' Elizabeth thinks for a moment and adds: 'And I guess she liked the way I took time to get to know all of them, she said most ladies don't see staff as people.'

Starting on the ground floor Darcy shows Elizabeth all the rooms that are currently in use, including the ones she has seen during the tour. Again she is struck by the difference in her situation then and now, but this time it is merely interesting, she is starting to get used to the idea of leaving Longbourn and her family behind and living with Fitzwilliam in this huge house.

He looks very appealing, and since there are no people about she can steal a few kisses without being caught. Wrapping him in her arms is a matter of seconds, and soon they are kissing lovingly, with surprisingly little lust, just a lot of intense feeling.

When they break off the kiss, still holding each other tightly, Fitzwilliam smiles and observes: 'It will take all of our two weeks to view the entire house this way. But it will be time well-spent.'

Elizabeth doesn't answer, not with words. In moments like these they don't need words, though this is only the fifth day of their married life.

They spend the next two days exploring the house and the park, walking as far as they comfortably can, but there is so much more to be seen that they cannot reach on foot. Darcy is aching to ride, but he does not want to leave Elizabeth all by herself, that just doesn't feel right on their honeymoon.

Elizabeth is aware of Fitzwilliam's restlessness, and since she doesn't plan to keep him locked up in the house she says one afternoon: 'You need to ride out, love, don't let me keep you indoors or wear your boots down walking. I'll be fine, there is the library, and Mrs Reynolds promised to give me a tour of the unused chambers, a Darcy history lesson she called it. If you tell me where that lewd book is hidden, I'll certainly amuse myself for a few hours. I don't want you to feel a captive in your own house.'

He cannot deny it, and admits: 'I am aching for a good gallop over the hills. I'm so sorry we cannot share this, there are so many places I want to show you.'

'Why don't you make arrangements then for me to accompany you, Fitzwilliam, I will try for you, really. Maybe I will feel safer when you are with me, we'll never know if we don't try.'

'I feel uncomfortable asking so much of you, Elizabeth,' he replies, 'but I really want to do this together, very much. It's such a huge part of my life, and we share everything else. May I ride out alone for an hour or two, and talk to the coachman to see what can be done to put you on a horse?'

'You may, beloved, if you hand over the book, in case Mrs Reynolds is too busy to spend an hour on me.'

'Will you come with me to the stables to see me off?'

'That, too.'