Chapter 23 - Of All the Manors in all the World

Lizzy was sitting in the back seat of the car, wishing she had earplugs so she could block out the repetitive verses of the Wiggles playing on the in-car-dvd-players on the back of the front seats. As much as she adored the two girls singing happily along on either side of her, if she had to spend another hour listening to 'Hot Potato' and evading drool covered potato fists, she might do something she would regret later. Like throw herself out of a moving car, or terminate the dvd screen...no, that would be cruel and the repercussions enormous. She glanced out the window again, cursing her ipod for its terrible battery life, feeling slightly nauseated at the thought that she would either have to watch Wags or another hour of empty rolling hills.

"Lizzy! We're almost in Lambton!" Liadan turned around in the passenger seat, "I can't wait to show you the house I grew up in. I can't believe they refurbished it into a Bed and Breakfast! It will be so nice to stay there, even if everything has changed."

"How is everything set up? Do you want me to room with the squirts?" Lizzy asked, making a face at Lily while Rose yelled "Cawert! Cawert!"

"Uh, depends. There is a double bed in each room and we will set up the port-a-cots in one of them and depending on how the girls behave we can see." Liadan blushed slightly and Lizzy grinned and leaned forward conspiratorially.

"If you and Gary, ahem, need some time to, you know," Lizzy pursued her mouth and furrowed her eyebrows in an effort to keep from laughing as her aunt blushed red and Gary stared determinedly at the road ahead, "'talk', I can totally deal with the terrible twins for a few nights."

Liadan swatted Lizzy away and she sat back in her seat giggling. "And that my cherubs, is an embarrassed Mummy and Daddy who want to be intimate but don't know how to share that fact with their sweet and innocent niece with virginal ears. As if I don't know what baby-making is with three younger sisters, two and a half godchildren and another one coming!"

"Elizabeth Jane! Don't you dare corrupt my darlings!" Gary growled teasingly from the front.

"Shh! I'll tell you all about it tonight while Mummy and Daddy play."

...Break...

Lizzy was wandering around Lambton when she came across a large oak tree in the centre of the town. Curious about the only tree within the town, she approached and smiled at the plague:

'This tree was planted by F.D for his lady love Elizabeth after its predecessor was felled by lightning

January 1813'

Lizzy sighed at the sweetness the plague implied, and the idea of someone making such a small but sweet gesture that could survive almost 200 years nearly made her swoon on the spot. Regaining her wits with a giggle, she stepped towards the tree, sliding her hand reverently over the numerous carvings.

C.B was here FizzWizz 3 Lollipop

.D19982008

18301828

Lizzy chuckled, running her hand over the FizzWizz and blushing at her errant thought that somewhere Darcy might have written that about her, if she hadn't been so cruel to him. Sobered by thoughts of William Darcy, Lizzy turned and moved back towards the B&B, noticing on her way a well worn path through the back alley next to her Aunt's old home, leading away into the rolling pastures where she glimpsed, for just a moment as she walked, a home perched in the hills.

...Break...

"Ok. Lizzy can you hold Rose while we walk up? I'll take Lily and Gary will carry the double stroller, we won't be able to push it up the stairs. If she gets too heavy she can walk a little, but you should be fine. We can't drive any closer, the owner is nice enough just letting us look around this place, and wanted the parking lot out of sight and sound." Liadan fussed about the twins, tugging beanies over their red curls and forcing mittens onto their hands. Lizzy chuckled and tugged on her own fingerless gloves, forcing a bright red woollen bonnet over her tangled pigtails, patting the black and white pom-pom atop it affectionately.

"Certainly. Rosie and I will be awesome, won't we Petal?" Lizzy said, hoisting the squirming three year old onto her hip. "So where is it that we are going?"

Liadan smiled, "Well, I told you it was a gorgeous Manor, belonged to the Lord of Derbyshire back in the 16th and 17th Centuries."

Lizzy frowned a little. Derbyshire, why is that familiar...Darcy. But it is a big place, what is the likelihood...

"The Darcy's have owned the estate for centuries, and have been letting people visit since the 16th C. You will love it, the grounds are gorgeous and there is a giant lake that they allow children to row on during the Summer." Liadan and Gary started walking, not noticing Lizzy standing prone behind them.

Oh shit.

A/N

Short chapter to get me back into writing. Expect more tomorrow, another short chapter leading up to Lizzy running into will. Then a longer one before Lydia does her stuff.