Short chapter.
Also, the final version of this story will be much more edited than what appears here as I use you all as a sounding board. I really appreciate when you all point out things that don't make sense or are mistakes.
Heir Apparent is available for preorder if you wish to read the final version. I do greatly appreciate reviews, both here and on Amazon. (hint, hint, if you liked Such Happy Manners, you might leave a good review on Amazon)
Anyhow, you all have probably noticed that I post less regularly now, and that is due to teaching and the fact that my brain is TIRED when I get home these days. What is it about February that makes kids forget all the expectations that have been in place since the beginning of the year? I also just had a bit of writer's block, so hopefully this chapter can just act as a bit of a bridge to the next act of the story.
The Darcys were able to get back to a state of relative normality in the subsequent days. The Brett children were brought to their new home. Despite shedding tears when leaving the Millers, the hope of many visits gladdened them. The milliner, who was in a much more advantageous position than Mrs. Brett or the Millers, so the children quickly moved past their distress and focused on the new toys and playmates they had in their new home.
Elizabeth and Darcy were overjoyed that things had ended in a favourable manner, given all the difficulties that the issue had caused between the two of them. Even after locating a new home for the children, however, Elizabeth still could not rid herself of the sense of inadequacy. Her trepidation of not being the wife and hostess Darcy required and anticipated weighed heavily upon her. Consequently, when Darcy told Elizabeth about the Beltane celebration, she was intent on demonstrating her abilities.
The late-spring celebration in Hertfordshire went by the name of May Day and, although some customs varied, the essence of the festival remained constant. The people celebrated the reappearance of summer, rejoicing in its abundance and expressing gratitude for having weathered the hard and long winters. There were maypoles for children to prance around, copious amounts of food and refreshments, blazing fires, and the crowning of a May Queen. Nonetheless, the festivities in Lambton and Kympton were not identical to those in Meryton. As opposed to the bonfires of Meryton, here they were to build a massive effigy to burn. Mrs. Reynolds enlightened Elizabeth that the smoke and ash of the fire was seen as an omen of good fortune, hence people would guide their sheep near the fire so the animals could inhale the smoke. Others might gather some of the ashes and incorporate it into their soil, striving to enhance their yield that year.
The most salient difference, however, was the emphasis on the fairies. Boughs of flowering trees were to be arranged in particular places, even tied to goats and cattle, to stop fairies from stealing dairy. Gifts of milk and cheese were left on doorsteps to mollify the fairies and dissuade them from plundering the food inside. The gardens of Pemberley were adorned with ribbons and garland, with flowering trees being the recipients of the most decorations. To bring about good health, some people bedecked holy wells with designs made of flowers. The Darcys had no well to ornament, even though one was regularly adorned in each of the villages. Nevertheless, they were to furnish the majority of the festivities. Most of the arrangements were customary to the cook and housekeeper. Even with a new mistress, the long-held traditions remained mostly unchanged. This slightly disheartened Elizabeth, for she had so little to do with the arrangements. All was to be as it ever was. All that was required of her was to be present on May first and engage in conversation.
Despite this, Elizabeth felt comfort wash over her when she felt the air on her face each day when she walked or rode out. When she looked across the impeccable gardens of Pemberley, Elizabeth was mesmerised by the beauty of the flowers in full bloom, their sweet aroma filling the air. Frequently, Darcy would accompany her during these outings, since the period of planting had ended, and the farmers were now only required to wait for their crops to develop and take care of their animals. During the lambing and kidding season, Darcy was not actively involved. The farmers and grooms were knowledgeable in their work and this year's livestock did not present any irregularity to concern Darcy. Occasionally Elizabeth and Darcy would visit a tenant who had sheep or goats and Elizabeth would hold the young and coo over them. However, while Elizabeth liked animals, it was nothing to the draw of nature.
"Your brother wrote me that he does not think it a good idea to take your new sister all the way to the lakes," said Darcy one day on a walk.
"I had wondered at that. I know Charlotte is not to be taken to bed for some months, but the Lake District is very far."
"He asked if they might visit here. They wish to see the Peaks, which are not at all far."
"The Peaks!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "I cannot believe I have not yet been out to see them. I have been so preoccupied with exploring this little area of Derbyshire that I had not even considered the rest."
"Indeed. That was my thought. I supposed we might, when they take their excursions, sometimes accompany them or perhaps go our own way."
"How lovely that would be! Oh and how Lydia should love it! How much there will be for her to sketch!'
"I thought the same. Both your sisters and mine would adore it if they wish to remain instead of going north with the Gardiners," said Darcy with a smile. "And I supposed perhaps it might be nice to invite their friend Mr. Baxter on a few excursions as well, so he might keep up his drawing skills."
"You are not matchmaking?"
"No, I am not. Hubert Baxter is only seventeen. He is a good sort, so far, but he is still but a boy."
"I am glad for that. Both he and Lydia are much too young, regardless of what my mother should think."
"I know you and I are of one mind on this. Still, it might be nice for them to meet with their friend while in company. I daresay they might be missing their friends."
"I know them to be, and worried as well. Two of the boys at Wright School have died. None of the girls that I know of."
"Dreadful illness, cholera. I am so thankful your sisters were away when it came."
"I can't comprehend why Charlotte can go gallivanting around in the north, but I can't even go calling on my acquaintances here in Meryton," complained Mrs. Bennet.
"I already told you before. Charlotte's condition isn't yet visible to people not looking for it, and she is eight-and-twenty, not one-and-forty," replied her husband as he hugged his daughter-in-law goodbye.
"We won't be going so far north any longer," said James. "With Charlotte's state, we are only going to the Peaks, not the Lake District."
"I ought to be the first to visit Lizzy at Pemberley. After all, I made the match myself!" exclaimed Mrs. Bennet.
"How do you figure that?" asked her husband while laughing.
"Do you not know! I put them in each other's way. I invited the Netherfield party to dinners. I even ensured Lizzy knew not to argue with Mr. Darcy, lest he tire of his impertinent ways. You must have known I thought of him for her since the beginning."
"If you had your preference, Lizzy would have been married to John Lucas ages ago. I remember how put out you were with her. You tried to make me force her to accept. You said you would never speak to her again."
"Well, if she had, it would have been a good match," declared Mrs. Bennet. "Mayhap then Mr. Darcy might have fallen in love with Kitty or Lydia."
"I highly doubt it, my dear," said Mr. Bennet. "Come now, my dear, let us see our children off." Upon their approach to the carriage, Mr. Bennet questioned his son regarding their exact arrangements, due to the fact that they had been so drastically amended since their creation.
"We will meet up with the Gardiners and Miss Darcy at the inn this evening, provided that all goes as anticipated," said James. "We can re-distribute everyone across both carriages tomorrow. We shall journey together until Pemberley. We shall stay there for a short period. Then Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner must go on to see Mr. Bingley, and my sisters may either join them or remain at Pemberley, whichever suits their pleasure. Of course, Miss Darcy will stay, but then Kitty and Lydia might choose to stay the rest of the summer as well, or return with the Gardiners or me and Charlotte. "
"And you will write at every stop?" asked Mrs. Bennet.
"Perhaps not every," said James. "But we shall write at least twice during the journey and when we arrive."
Mrs. Bennet complained that they must write more often, but her husband silenced her so their children might be off. Lydia and Kitty were thrilled to be going to see their sister in her grand new home. One of the sisters would never admit that she was more than a little excited to see her friend, Mr. Baxter, again. The other had no notion of the other's feelings, as she assumed the excited mentions of the boy were due to a shared passion for art, not a liking.
The journey to Pemberley took almost a week. The weather was not the source of the delay, though a single rain event did temporarily impede them. Instead, it was the presence of an expectant woman who found even the well-sprung carriage of the Gardiners very uncomfortable to ride in for very long. James had no inkling of how they would travel home in a month, for it would be yet more uncomfortable for Charlotte. He began to think himself very foolish for continuing on with the notion of a wedding trip at all, even if it was only to visit Lizzy and see the nearby peaks.
When they arrived, they were road-weary and hungry. Her family was delighted to see that Elizabeth had settled into the role of Pemberley's mistress quickly, as evidenced by the baths which had been readied for them when they arrived and a sumptuous meal which followed soon after. They were then given a basic tour of the manor. All of the Bennets had much the same reaction as Elizabeth did upon arriving, for they feared becoming lost in the house. Only once they realised that they need not ever leave the family wing if they did not wish it, did their trepidation ease.
"Lizzy! I knew Pemberley would be very grand, but this is beyond all imagining!" Kitty exclaimed when they had come to the magnificent ballroom that Pemberley boasted. Elizabeth smiled as she watched her sisters practice the steps of some dances.
The ballroom was not at all a draw for Elizabeth, although she supposed that soon she might take it upon herself to host a ball. It should not seem that the Darcys were hiding themselves away, and she knew very few of the local gentry yet. For now, the Beltane celebrations were quite enough to manage. When her sisters had concluded their improvised dance, Elizabeth completed giving them the tour of the house. Georgiana was happy to let Elizabeth and Darcy do most of the speaking, for although she had spent days in a carriage with the Gardiners and Bennets, she did not have the same familiarity with them as she did Elizabeth and Mary. It wasn't until Lydia stepped into the art room, surrounded by Georgiana's artwork, that Georgiana spoke to tell her of a few of the pieces. From then on, the girls could hardly concentrate on the tour, their thoughts always returning to the art room. Therefore, the young ladies spent the evening in the art room, the sound of their conversation echoing off the walls of the sparsely furnished room. That evening, while the others dined more formally in the smallest dining room, Georgiana, Kitty and Lydia dined in the art room, the smell of paint and clay mingling with the aroma of bread and lamb. All were quite content with the arrangement and looked forward to many happy days at Pemberley.
The Misses Teann's Seminary for Young Gentlewomen, Brighton
22nd of April,
Dear sir,
I write to you with sad news, for Miss Dor, Miss Bennet's roommate and particular friend, has passed during the night from cholera. Miss Teann will write to her cousin and her sister. In spite of this, I am certain that Miss Dor would have desired your family to be informed of her death in a timely manner. She regarded your daughters and family very highly. Miss Dor expressed the desire for Miss Bennet to be given her ivory hat pin, and for Miss Lydia to have all her bonnets and ribbons. Until the sickness has cleared from the school, I will not distribute the items. I do hope you understand my caution. May God bless Miss Dor as she ascends to her place there with him and may God watch over and comfort your family in this time of loss.
With kind regards,
Miss Rachel Teann