Chapter 136

Elizabeth was very relieved when she came home to find her beloved slightly needy rather than angry or truly upset. He'd be tested a little further since Prince George was almost certain to give her a sentimental and very familiar send-off, but even that was worth it since it had gotten her home so much more quickly than waiting for His Highness' carriage. And meeting the man Fitzwilliam might realise his beloved was in fact not interested at all in the powerful and spoiled heir to the throne, despite his charm and interesting conversation. Oh well, if it triggered one of those strange spells she'd deal with it, he didn't know it yet but there had been reason to worry. Maybe there still was...

Fitzwilliam locked the door behind them, so the others were back already. Of course they were, it was incredibly late and Simon no longer watched the door at night, unless his beloved was out.

'Did you manage to enjoy yourself, my love?'

How calm and sweet he sounded, Elizabeth had not been afraid of her reception, she could never fear her beloved, but she had not expected him to be merely incredibly glad to see her. No sign of doubt, no reproaches, just pure joy to have her back.

'Very much indeed, my love. Can you believe it? Do you want to hear about it? They showed me the house, dinner was surprisingly sensible. Mr Hurst would have been disappointed at the lack of fancy dishes, though he would have loved the desserts.'

'I can't wait to hear it all, my love. Do you want to go to bed straight away or sit in the drawing-room a little longer? There is no-one left awake, though, they were all tired. Or eager for some time together.'

Elizabeth felt a smile forming on her lips, Fitzwilliam still had some trouble thinking of his baby-sister as a woman. And the day after tomorrow they would be off to Pemberley! For a few instances today it had seemed unlikely they would manage to flee town, but she really believed she had convinced Prince George that Mr Fielding needed the respite or risk losing some of his genius composing.

'I do want a drink of water, I tried to hold back on the wine but it was a long night and they were very generous with it. I had it watered down or I would not have come home tonight, Fitzwilliam. I'll tell you about that later.'

And she would. She promised she'd tell him everything, and though she had not kept that promise where Wickham was concerned she would do so now.

'But we can just go to the kitchen, do you know where Cook keeps the potable water?'

Though alarmed by her offhand remark, Fitzwilliam did not say anything besides, 'I do, ever since that mess with Janine and Theo I've kept direct contact with Cook, I know the kitchen well by now. Let me get that coat and put it somewhere safe, it must be worth a fortune. To think he'd just have given it to you.'

'It wasn't his to give, which characterizes our heir to the throne perfectly: generous and kind, but unaware of the feelings of others. Until he has his nose rubbed in them, which as you witnessed he accepts perfectly well. I suppose too few dare do that to their future king, though.'

Now her beloved beamed with pride.

'But you did it, like you taught me a very valuable lesson. I'm sure if you'd stayed, the country would have benefited and his reputation improved. But I'm not going to sacrifice my own happiness for the good of the country. I love you so much, Elizabeth, I've been in such an agony of fear all night.'

He had taken her in his arms, priceless coat and all, and held her so tightly she almost had trouble breathing. She had to be the happiest woman alive, to have run into a man who loved her so tenderly that he had held onto his love for her though she had broken his heart. And who loved her so exclusively he didn't even look at other women anymore, when plenty admired him wherever they went.

After exchanging a few loving kisses he did help her out of the coat, and stood gaping at the dress underneath. It was spectacular, Elizabeth had to admit, and she felt like a princess wearing it, especially with her hair done up in a matching elaborate fashion by two perfectly groomed ladies in waiting. It was a fashion from a different class than her own, and from a different decade as well, Mrs Fitzherbert said she'd worn it as debutante to St James', which had to be more than twenty years ago.

It showed, the waist was much lower than was fashionable these days, with a much tighter top and without the flowing skirts that Miss Fillinger seemed to have a talent for designing. Not that even one of Miss Filliger's creations would have managed to flow with this many pearls and glistening stones sewn on, it totally illustrated the word encrusted and weighed accordingly. But when Elizabeth had seen herself in the ornamental mirror of her guest room she had nearly cried out in admiration of the look her attendants had created for her. This was a wholly different level of dress than she could ever aspire to, and she was going to enjoy the memory of it thoroughly before changing into split skirts once they reached Pemberley.

Seeing Fitzwilliam's awed admiration Elizabeth was really glad she hadn't insisted on changing back into her own dress before returning. She'd felt a bit uncomfortable not leaving the priceless dress in Mrs Fitzherbert's care, but after what happened that night she didn't want to take the time to change nor offer her hosts the temptation, she just wanted to return home as quickly as possible, even if that meant sitting in a carriage all by herself with Prince George. Her discomfort was heightened with the hastily fetched fur coat added to the borrowed clothing, but on the other hand, the thick layer of extra fabric felt very snug and secure as well.

'You look incredibly beautiful, my love.'

To have him watching her with adulation felt as good as it was disconcerting to have another look at her that way. She would have expected Fitzwilliam to find it a little too much, she thought it was too much herself, though a girl liked to dress up every once in a while.

'But it's also a bit disconcerting, as if you're not you, not my dearest Elizabeth but some court lady far beyond my reach. Your hair, too, it must have taken two hours to put it up like that.'

Actually, those two ladies did that in half an hour. And they chatted almost as nicely as Fanny while they worked, except Elizabeth knew practically no-one they mentioned. Apparently they moved in different circles altogether, though even they proved to read the papers and knew of the shop in Cheapside and Frederick's New Year's Eve Ball. It appeared they thought that too docile to attend, more for the Queen's ladies, so to speak. These ladies seemed to have taken a page out of the Blackwood twins' book, or even Frederick's college clique's: they liked their parties wild. Spirits, a lot of men, though they were both as yet unmarried, and no hesitation at all to continue to celebrate life throughout the night and even on Sundays. Frankly, Elizabeth had been a bit shocked to hear their wild stories of what was going on the the very top layer of British society, but of course she would not let them know that.

'It took two ladies-in-waiting half an hour, they were very good. Still I prefer Fanny, she has a wholesome influence on me, whereas these two were of much better breeding than me but very, very naughty. They could use someone like Nick Fowler to keep them in line.'

'I suppose there are limits to what even he could do, my dear. It sounds as if things are indeed going on in Carlton House that can barely stand the light of day.'

'You are right, they'd never take orders from a commoner. They'd just as likely seduce him, I'm afraid. But they did not hold the worst of those parties at Carlton House, Mrs Fitzherbert is over forty, she prefers quiet and cultured gatherings over bacchanals.'

Though the current Lady of Carlton House did not eschew the occasional enjoyment of sinful practices herself, especially overindulging in spirits. Elizabeth was fast discovering that people sinned a lot more than she'd always thought, and though part of her feared for those of them that she liked, even loved, another part of her, that had awakened under Simon's guidance, relished how they had taken their lives into their own hands.

'Well, I'm glad you're back and in one piece. Let's go upstairs and crawl into bed, and you can tell me everything.'

Absolutely everything.

It was always such a pleasure to undress each other, and despite the late hour this time was no exception. Darcy started with his beloved's hair, it was not easy to find which pins to take out first, and eventually he asked Elizabeth to sit next to the lamp to be able to see what he was doing. Still he managed to take the creation apart and her hair fell over her shoulders, freed until tomorrow morning. It had taken quite long, and Elizabeth was impatient to start on his shirt and coat, so he didn't offer to brush it for her. Fanny would take care of that, tomorrow morning.

Before long they were lying in bed, snuggled up to each other, and they kissed and stroked to their hearts' content.

'Now, will you tell me about the Prince? Georgie and Fielding didn't have much time to tell us how the concert went, they had to leave right after dinner and came back knackered. Though I got the impression all went well, and they did tell me not to worry, that the Prince did admire you but that you and his lady could handle him. They said you stayed because otherwise he would have insisted on the lot of us going there either on a Sunday or postpone going to the country.'

He could feel her nod against his side, and she replied, 'They were right, and I'm not certain he will leave us alone once we're at Pemberley, though usually city folk don't care than much about what happens far to the north. But he really did love Eric's music, and there is a chance he will be unable to forget it. In which case he will not hesitate to send for Eric, he is used to getting his way and thinks nothing of inconveniencing people for his own comfort. The world is his playground, and both Mrs Fitzherbert and I had to point out a few times that I was not put on this earth to please him. That didn't anger him, he's not bad at heart, just selfish.'

What could this much older man have asked of Elizabeth that she didn't want to give him? She had hinted several times now that she had more or less escaped from Carlton House, which was still a bit worrying though she didn't seem afraid or even put out. And they certainly had parted on the best of terms, Prince George and Elizabeth.

She told him how she had rambled and talked with Mrs Fitzherbert, then watched the Prince and his friends during the concert. How she had talked to him during the break, and to his cronies afterwards.

'So while Mrs Fitzherbert helped Georgiana and Eric avoid having to stay in London to play for him again, she practically lured me into staying for dinner, by offering to show me the house. I cannot help it, I love to get a glimpse of people's lives, and her tour certainly didn't disappoint.

We did that right after Georgiana and Eric had taken the piano and gone home. I was tired, but the prospect of seeing in person all those rooms the papers speculated on was enough to keep me wide awake. I didn't mind looking slightly dishevelled by now, for it was clear the Prince did have an interest in me, I tried to shock him several times, by mentioning that I rode astride and had my own rifle, but he actually loved that, like you. I thought looking less than my best might put him off, though he did not accompany us on the tour of the house.'

See, it was as he thought, if his uncle and most other intelligent older men were still charmed by Elizabeth, a developed man like Prince George would most certainly be interested, he did not get his reputation as a philanderer out of thin air.

'Mrs Fitzherbert really enjoyed giving me a tour, she started by walking from the music room through folding doors into a smaller room that was decorated solely with Chinese objects, in strong colours and a totally different style from what we are used to seeing. I was stunned. The next room was even smaller, about the size of our dining room. Then we crossed another set of folding doors into a traditional ante room, huge but not for Carlton House, and furnished with lovely rugs and expensive French chairs. I wanted to linger and look at the paintings, but Mrs Fitzherbert obviously thought nothing of that single room and took me right to an incredible staircase, less lavishly decorated but with a priceless chandelier watching over it and such a unique shape of the stairs. We moved up a floor and I saw the staircase leading to the top floor, which was even more grand, and very bright for all that is was in the middle of the house. Then we came into the fabled octagonal room, which was astounding. Not because of the décor, that was much the same as the other rooms except for a few angry-looking marble statues of old men, but because of the lighting. It had no windows to the sides but a beautiful glass roof like a huge bell-jar high above us, and three door openings without actual doors but draped in velvet and brocade. We went through one into a huge hall. I've never seen anything like it in my life, my love, it was two stories high and there were real columns all around it. Huge columns of yellow marble inside a house! Except Mrs Fitzherbert said they weren't actually made of marble but some Italian technique that resembles marble perfectly but can be made to look exactly as one wishes. I couldn't see the difference, though I suppose this is less costly. Imagine getting a marble column that size from Italy to England.

The roof was incredibly high, like the library where we attended the lecture on the renaissance, but this hall was even larger and the roof was made of squares of wood with the glass fitted inside. The floor had carpeting all over. Mrs Fitzherbert liked to see my admiration and I didn't hesitate to show it, I'm still a country girl after all, my love, I was so impressed by miles of carpeting, lavish gilding, oceans of velvet and the most expensive and exclusive statues, ornaments, China and paintings, so many paintings! Portraits, but also landscapes and seascapes, so incredibly beautiful.

'I'm afraid we don't have time to view everything, Mrs Darcy, so you'll have to choose: do you want to see the formal chambers, the throne room and the formal dining room for instance, or would you prefer to skip the state apartments and let me take you to the top floor, to the armoury, maybe to George's private quarters, he won't mind showing you around either, and since you loved the garden so much, maybe the conservatory? George is planning a magnificent new one but much more formal, we should enjoy this one while we still can since it actually has plants in it.'

I asked her to let me think for a moment, but of course I already knew what I wanted: see those parts of the house no-one else ever saw.

After a few moments I said, 'I choose the top floor, Mrs Fitzherbert, though I couldn't possibly bother the Prince of Wales in his private chambers. It's too much honour but also rather improper. The conservatory sounds much more suitable, and I love nature, even confined to a building.'

Mrs Fitzherbert wasn't offended by my frankness, but she was very much amused.

'I assure you George wouldn't mind at all, I'm quite certain he rather likes you. But you're young and newly married, and I'm also quite certain your cleverness hides a strong sense of right. So we'll skip George's rooms for now, and start with the armoury. The state rooms are more of the same anyway, if you've seen one, you've seen them all. I've lived in all kinds of houses, Mrs Darcy, and it's the people that make the difference, expensive furniture doesn't make up for lack of love.'

I thought of Anne and could only agree, though I wondered whether my hostess had ever lived in anything less comfortable than Longbourn or Charlotte's house.'

Everyone knew Mrs Fitzherbert had been married two times, and had an independent income from her marriages. But she had most likely lived by herself for some years, and in London that might mean in a small apartment.

'I wouldn't be surprised if she'd lived in less than that, remember, this is a large city and she wasn't always Prince George's consort. It would have been interesting to see her rooms, for I'm certain she has her own.'

'She does, I did see them, they were on the top floor and surprisingly modest and in excellent taste. I'm afraid Mrs Fitzherbert has no illusions about her life with the Prince, she seems loath to get used to splendour. Imagine expecting to be discarded in due time.'

'That is so sad. But she wasn't sad at all, was she?'

'No, she seemed pretty happy. She took me up that beautiful staircase, onto a gallery that looked down upon the octagonal room. It was a marvel, so beautiful with the sky overhead. Of course it was starting to get dusky outside, but still it was beautiful, the pure colours, the velvet hangings, the gilded ornamentation, everything. We passed several chambers, including her own, which she showed me, and another, more elaborately decorated one with a gorgeous four-poster bed with satin drapes. The room was very feminine, with a walnut dressing-table and a beautifully carved walnut wash stand. The bed was a generous size, almost a double.

'After our tour, you can rest in this room until it is time to dress for dinner. I will find you a suitable court dress, though we will be with just the three of us I'm certain George will be pleased to have us dress up for the occasion. My ladies will attend to you, they are very good, they're from excellent families themselves.'

I did wonder where they were at that moment, if they were ladies they could hardly be in the servants' quarters, could they? But I didn't ask. Somehow the chamber bothered me, it was too richly furnished for a commonplace guest like me. But it had a good lock on the inside so I thanked my hostess and we resumed our tour.

The armoury was magnificent, arms everywhere, from modern to ancient, from efficient to gruesome. There were suits of armour as well, and arms from exotic cultures, from as far as China, Japan and Mongolia. You'd love to visit that, anyone would. I guess we may have spent as much as an hour up there, and then we went back through the house, through the back door and to the conservatory. Fitzwilliam, I want one of those, I can do without all the riches, but I'll never forget the scent of orange blossom in that beautiful warm place. The orange trees weren't that attractive at all, and the flowers are much less pretty than some of our most persistent weeds here in Britain. But the smell in that conservatory, and the oranges Mrs Fitzherbert showed me, one can really eat those! She said most of theirs went to the confectioners for desserts and sweets, and I remembered the beautiful cake I'd had during the concert. It must have been flavoured with orange or lemon, Mrs Fitzherbert said they even used the rind as a potent condiment.'

A conservatory, what an excellent idea! It would make a valuable addition to their estate. But where would one get orange trees? Well, someone was bound to know, and he'd get a few and build a place where they could survive winter.

'And you'll have one, my dearest, your very own orange tree. Do you want a confectioner as well?'

She smiled sweetly and kissed him.

'I guess our regular cook will find some recipes, and if not we'll just peel them and eat them. The oranges, not the cook or his helpers.'

'And after the armoury, did you get your well-deserved rest?'

'I certainly did, that is why I was so late: I overslept, I must have been pretty tired not to hear the knocks on my door. I had locked it, so they couldn't shake me to wake me up. When I finally woke, it was past eight, I had slept for a whole hour. Now I did hear the knock, and upon my opening the door two ladies entered, with a magnificent and very elaborate dress. Well, you know, you took it off me.

They helped me wash and put it on, which was quite an accomplishment since it had those side hoops. Have you ever seen a dress like that? They're hopelessly out of fashion but at court apparently they are still worn by everyone. That is what Mrs Fitzherbert told me, she was wearing them herself though she admitted she preferred modern fashion, and had been wearing a very smart dress during the afternoon. Anyway, those ladies arranged the dress and told me how to walk in it, and then they did my hair and made up my face more than I liked. They let me keep my necklace, said it suited me and they didn't have a better one. My slippers, too, were judged acceptable. One hour, they needed no more to gild me so much that when they finally allowed me to look in the mirror I did not recognise myself. I looked like a princess. They let me walk towards the mirror and Fitzwilliam, it did look good, I cannot deny it. But I wondered how the skirts would fall back into place when I sat down and got up afterwards. Still, there would be just an older couple and myself, so why worry, even if one of them was the Heir Presumptive? He was wearing breeches all day, though his hair was totally up to date, I have to admit.'

This was turning out to be a rather long story, and they were both tired, but Darcy wanted to know the rest.

'Mrs Fitzherbert came to take me to the dining room, I excused myself for oversleeping but she laughed it off and said, 'You must have needed it, we're just very glad you agreed to stay. Even though we have guests very often and know a lot of interesting people, somehow our entertainment is always the same. People at this level of society are so sophisticated they never say anything interesting, they're afraid to make a bad impression. It makes them bland and predictable. Your lively manners are like a fresh breeze to us, Mrs Darcy, and your person is no less interesting, you'll see.'

I'm certain Mrs Grenfell would have been devastated to hear that, but somehow I wasn't surprised at all, I met almost a dozen of their hangers-on and they had little of interest to say. They were very good at guzzling expensive wine, though.

We crossed the gallery, now lighted with beautiful lamps, and descended the staircase, really, in that dress I did not walk but glided elegantly.

'You look very elegant, Mrs Darcy,' my hostess complimented me, 'I wore that dress to my debut at St James, years and years ago. It was a beautiful time, but it ended in an unhappy marriage. I never thought I'd end up living like I do now.'

She did not specify whether that last fact pleased her or not, and her tone of voice did not betray her either. I chose to believe she was glad to be loved, be it by a philanderer. After crossing the octagonal room again we entered one opulent, high-ceilinged room after another.

'George has requested we start in the dining room. It is also our public music room, Mrs Darcy, I suppose he hopes you'll tell your brother-in-law all about it and make him so curious he will agree to come play again. I wouldn't be surprised if his favourite brand of piano has been added to George's collection by then.'

'If he does buy a Zumpe, maybe he should bring Mr Clementi with him. He knows which piano's have the right sound. Mr Zumpe makes outstanding instruments, but he is not a musician himself.'

'Thank you for pointing that out to me, I will tell him if needed. Please do not mention it yourself, I still hope he will forget all about this new kind of music until it's in the papers again. It will save your Mr Fielding a world of trouble, though George always uses his influence to better an artist's lot, he compensates handsomely for the time he takes up, and he really knows how to spread someone's name to relatives, acquaintances, connections, you name it. Not just in Britain, abroad as well. But with Mr Fielding so recently married I suppose he wants to spend some time with his girl, not with an elderly heir to the throne with a taste for music and good wine. Let me handle it, Mrs Darcy, if he really wants one of those piano's I'll give him your advice.'

Do most men want a woman to mother them, or is it that women cannot help doing it?'

Darcy didn't know either, his mother never did, and Elizabeth certainly didn't do it. But they had been married less than a year.

'I have no idea, my love. Maybe women who have had children do.'

'Mrs Fitzherbert didn't mention her having any children, but of course she wouldn't.

All this time we were walking through the most amazing rooms, and Mrs Fitzherbert commented, 'You will get to see the throne room after all, since we need to cross that to reach the circular room. You'll like the circular room, if you like music, that is. I kind of took that for granted, but maybe you are fed up with piano's, living with two musicians? I suppose they have to practise a lot?'

I couldn't help laughing, imagine disliking music and hearing Georgiana and Eric play all day long.

'They do put in five to six hours of practice each day, and only half of those in their private quarters. But I like music, and I'm looking forward to seeing any instruments the Prince holds superior to the one in the room where Mr Fielding played. For that was a magnificent piano-forte indeed.'

'I suppose the two instruments are equals, but I'm not an expert. Do you play yourself, Mrs Darcy?'

'Indeed I do, I'd dare call myself a gifted amateur by now. I've had lessons from one of the best masters in London, maybe all of England.'

'I can see you smile, your brother-in-law taught you. Maybe you'd like to play for us, after dinner?'

'Indeed I would, if His Highness can bear to listen to an amateur. He must be used to hearing the very best performers.'

She looked very sly and observed, 'I'm quite certain George will adore your playing, Mrs Darcy. Come, we're here. And I think George is, already. That is quite an honour, he usually likes to make an entrance. He will be stunned to see you in this dress.'

I didn't make anything of her outrageous compliments, but I felt surprisingly at home in these fancy rooms. I think it was the dress and how it made me glide, I felt way above my station. Or maybe the lack of daylight made everything seem more commonplace.'

Darcy suspected his beloved had merely become immune to all the riches around her, mere wealth had never made much of an impression on her, and seeing too much of the same French furniture and priceless paintings would soon become boring to a mind like hers.

'When we entered the room, indeed circular in shape, and brightly lit so I could appreciate the splendour of it quite clearly, I saw a rather modestly sized table laid for three. The only thing modest about that table was the size for the rest was stunning, the China, the crystal glasses, the tablecloth, the candles, the chairs, nothing offered my eyes a moment of rest.

Well, maybe the good-natured figure of the Prince himself. He was dressed much the same as before, his cravat was maybe a bit more ornate and his hair had been done afresh, but there was a comfortable aura around him. Any stateliness or pride had fallen away from him, and he approached me like any other man these days: with open admiration. Why is it, Fitzwilliam, that older men seem to like me so much? Do all gentlemen secretly like impertinence? I treated him with respect, but did not guard my tongue overmuch.'

Yes, what was it? It had to be whatever had caused him to fall in love with her, though it took him quite a while to actually see her attractions. Like, a week? Most men fell for her instantly, but they hadn't been in Hertfordshire, and Elizabeth was not the country girl she used to be. He flattered himself that none of them would have recognised her qualities in the company she kept at that time, though maybe he had just been lucky.

'I'm sure it is, my love. Though I think you're beautiful as well, and not just in that dress.'

She nodded and continued, but not before she'd kissed him.

'Well, I can tell you I wasn't pleased with his admiration, I had not given him any encouragement. I decided there and then to be as respectful and as formal as I could without being cold or offensive. Starting with a deep curtsey.

'Please, Mrs Darcy, can't you see I'm in a very informal mood? I know we've just met but I feel like I've known you for years. Won't you just treat me like a friend for this one evening?'

And then I understood what Nick Fowler must have felt like when Frederick was pushing him to be informal, it was incredibly difficult to do! This man was miles above me, how could I not address him with the respect that was his due?'

She did not actually expect a reply, so Darcy kissed her instead.

'I said, 'I'll try, Your Highness.' And that he would have to be satisfied with, and he seemed to be for he smiled very kindly. Mrs Fitzherbert wasn't jealous at all, it almost seemed as if she was trying to direct his attention towards me more than towards herself.

'Doesn't Mrs Darcy look like a princess in this dress?'

Now he really looked at me and almost gaped.

'Indeed she does. I cannot say I'm fond of this habit to dress in a style that no sensible person would still wear, but it becomes you very well indeed, Mrs Darcy. This is one of your former favourites, isn't it, Maria? You must be glad to see it in use once again. Now, enough talk of dresses, Mrs Darcy, I want to pick your mind on more interesting subjects, and maybe hear a little about how and where you lived before you made every paper in town. I've read them all, and they seem rather fond of you. Maybe that is why you give me this feeling we've know each other for a long time.'

I'd read in those papers that Prince George hardly ever let anyone get a word in edgewise, but not tonight. He showed a real interest in what I had to tell them, about growing up with four sisters in a small village and many other things. It was personal, not a future monarch trying to find out how his subjects lived but an intelligent person trying to get to know someone he liked. Dinner was pleasant, plenty of good food but rather more sensible than I expected. Only the constant supply of wine struck me as being rather decadent, though he accepted my drinking mine very well-watered, as he had promised when they asked me to stay for dinner. And dessert was incredible, he certainly has a sweet tooth. There was such a choice of cakes and tarts and sweets, beautiful fruit and cream, that I almost regretted having eaten anything else. Though I should have expected it after that lovely cake we had during the concert.

'You like sweet things, too, Mrs Darcy! We've caught you out, you do have a vice!'

'I confess, I do like confectionery, we eat pie ourselves almost every day, but nothing like this, not at all.'

After dinner I played the piano, creditably, even well, and my audience of two praised my skills, I think sincerely. That room had the best acoustics I'd ever heard, not even one of the halls we've been to could beat it. And the instruments were a marvel, not just another grand piano, but a harp, violins, several kinds of trumpets. The harpsichord was the same Eric used, I suppose they took it back through the throne room and all those other rooms.

After admiring the décor of the room we chatted some more, until suddenly I wondered what the time was. I asked Mrs Fitzherbert, and she admitted it was close to twelve already. I'm afraid she knew all this time, my love, and didn't say a thing. But I did enjoy myself and never thought of you sitting here, waiting. In agony, and not undeservedly so, for when I announced I had to leave immediately, in quite a bit of panic for I realised I would have to cross all those rooms again and trudge up those stairs to change back into my own dress, a deep silence fell.

'Would you consider staying the night, Mrs Darcy?'

Somehow Mrs Fitzherbert didn't sound as if she meant by myself in that room with a sturdy lock on the inside.

'What Maria means, Mrs Darcy, is, will you please spend the night with us? Both of us, in my private quarters? Our staff is very discrete, no-one will ever know.'

'We have done it before, it is very satisfying for everyone involved.'

Part of me was shocked, my love, but can you believe part of me was flattered as well? Of course I didn't even consider taking them up on their offer, I have no wish to do that with anyone else but you. But had I indulged in the wine I might have, we will never know.

I refused politely, admitted I felt flattered but that you were most likely waiting up for me. They didn't seem ashamed at all to propose a night of sin to an almost complete stranger, I suppose strange things are going on in that house, Fitzwilliam. Nor were they at all offended by my refusal, they seemed to have expected it, but hoped I'd agree anyway. I managed to not lower myself with excuses, nor show any sign of reproach or being scandalized.

'Do you want to change back to your own dress, Mrs Darcy? It will take about half an hour to have the carriage readied.'

I did not want to spend another half hour here, nor undress in a room that looked like it was designed to house a mistress. But I was wearing a small fortune, and wanted my own dress back.

'I'll ring for my phaeton and ponies, it's very quick, you can be home in half an hour. Never mind your dress, we'll have it sent over tomorrow. Maria, you have a thick coat fetched and take Mrs Darcy to the foyer, I'll take care of the phaeton. Don't worry, Mrs Darcy, we'll have you back with your husband in record time. Are you afraid he'll be angry? I suppose I'll have to make excuses for you in person, I want you to remember this evening with pleasure.'

'And I will, Your Highness,' I said, 'I had a magnificent time. Thank you for showing me the house, and for all those delightful dainties, and most of all for treating me like a sensible person.'

Then everything went really fast, the Prince disappeared and Mrs Fitzherbert spoke to a servant, then took me to the foyer through all those rooms, including the huge hall with the pillars and the miles of carpeting. By the time we got to the foyer, the same servant was waiting with a thick fur coat, and helped me in. And when that was done, seriously, hoofbeats could be heard outside. How can anyone ready a two-horse team that quickly?

I had to climb the phaeton, the driver's seat was so high, but it looked very fast indeed, and the Prince drove it himself. I had to sit right next to him but I didn't mind, I still liked him a lot. We rushed over, he knew the way perfectly, and when I uttered my surprise he said, 'I see it as my duty to know all my people.'

When I obviously didn't believe that he laughed and added, 'And of course my driver told me where to go. I do have an excellent memory.'

The little contraption was incredibly fast, of course the streets were deserted, which was for the best or I'd be all over the news papers on Monday and not in a good way. And you know the rest. Are you mad at me?'

She sounded like a twenty-one-year-old girl all of a sudden. But there was nothing to be mad about, how could she reproach herself with anything? Apparently the rest of the world held to other standards of propriety than he had always thought. Than she had always thought. Neither of them could help that, she had done exactly the right thing.

'You did nothing wrong, my love, so why would I be mad at you? How could I ever be mad at you? I'm just glad to have you back, even if you are a tiny bit intoxicated. For I suppose that is why you were suddenly afraid I'd be angry with you. I'm not even angry with Prince George, or his lady, they offered something they thought of value and accepted your refusal. We'll have the dress and the coat returned tomorrow, and on Friday you can change into anything you like at Pemberley, even breeches, and we'll have our horses saddled and ride into the sunset. I'm done with worrying what other people will think, even Mrs Reynolds.'

'Even Mrs Baker?'

That was the Elizabeth he knew and loved.

'Well, maybe not Mrs Baker, but she will be in town, and we will be four days away from her. She will never know. Fanny won't dare tell her.'

'Fanny won't care, my love. She just wants to see me happy.'

'As do I, my dearest Elizabeth.' He stroked the smooth soft skin of her breasts and flat stomach, and suddenly remembered a conversation they still needed to have. Well, despite the time of night there was no time but the present.

'Elizabeth, my love, are you serious in not wanting to get the protections Anne mentioned? In short, do you want a child yourself now Jane is having one? Are you sure?'

She did not freeze or stiffen, her warm shape in his arms only snuggled a bit closer to him as she said, 'I am sure, yes. I still don't want to be fat and red faced with stringy hair, but holding little William did something to me, he was so sweet and pretty despite my cousin being his father. I'm sure I could love a baby, which I wasn't before. And sharing it with Jane will be such a comfort. If I can get with child, Fitzwilliam, we have been married for more than six months and nothing happened, yet.'

That was the real reason she suddenly didn't mind having a baby anymore: she wanted to prove she could. It was the worst reason to have a child if that was the only one but she was not lying, holding little William had convinced her babies were actually very sweet and cute. She might be ready, no, they might be ready, for this would not be her child alone, it would be theirs. There was no doubt in his mind that she was able to have children, his father-in-law's assurances that theirs was a prolific family had stuck in his mind and Elizabeth's fears could not change that.

'All right, I'm behind you then. Your father told us your mother never had much trouble carrying or bearing the lot of you, let us trust to his wisdom and enjoy our time together until we are blessed. Then I will be there to support you, even if you do get fat and red faced and weepy. Fanny will never allow your hair to get stringy, my sweet.'

And so for a few moments they lay together, savouring the other's nearness. Until Elizabeth started to stroke him in rather exciting places and he reciprocated, their last day in London starting with some serious loving.

End of part 3