This one is a little later than I planned but I wanted to finish out this summer in one chapter so stayed with it until we were there. I hope it was worth the wait as there is some of my favourite Darcy-Lizzy stuff so far! Thanks, as always, for your support! And just a little reminder I have 4 books available on Amazon (all currently in KU) under my pen name – Elizabeth Squire.
As she had the previous year Elizabeth spent the night at Pemberley after the birthday celebration. Mary was thrilled to be included and as her family prepared to leave her excitement grew – she and Georgiana talked with considerable animation about their plans for the evening and the following day.
Several hours after the end of the picnic games the Barlow Hall party declared their intent to leave. Even though they were pressed to stay to dinner it was clear Mr. Barlow was too tired. Those who would remain saw the others to their carriage, a footman trailing behind with a small trunk - Elizabeth was sending her prize home with Mr. Barlow and the Gardiners.
"I wonder what would have happened if Master Darcy had won? You possess all six volumes in the library here at Pemberley," Elizabeth mused.
She had been elated that the prize turned out to be the multi-volume History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. It was a text she had long wanted to tackle but had only managed to obtain a copy of the third volume from Meryton's circulating library last winter. Once Lizzy got over her joy and ceased expressing her boundless gratitude she did wonder at how perfectly tailored the prize seemed to be for her. She doubted anyone else save possibly Mr. Gardiner would have appreciated it.
"Perhaps the purchase of the books as the prize was my way of betting on you from the start."
"You are too good to me, Mr. Darcy. I am so thankful for the gift."
"As you already told me, many times when we presented them to you. I assure you your gratitude was ably conveyed by the tears, the hugs and the promise of many discussions based on your reading," he teased. "And I will hold you to that promise."
"Of course," Lizzy laughed. "It is no hardship to me to keep it."
"We will take good care of your prize, Lizzy," Mr. Gardiner assured her as the trunk was loaded onto the carriage.
"I confess I hope you will keep the set at Barlow Hall though of course you would bring the volume you are reading with you back to Longbourn – you can keep me abreast of your progress in your letters. That way we can be certain you will always return – for how else will you know the ending?"
"I hope you know, Sir, that I need no such motivation to come to Derbyshire," she rejoined taking his arm. "And though I am not quite so well read as some who call Pemberley home, I like to think I am at least literate enough to know the fate of Rome without having to read the entirety of the histories you have gifted me."
They waved the carriage off and proceeded to return into the house. Over dinner the conversation centred on the respective plans of those present for the summer. Georgiana was disappointed to not have more time at Pemberley and with Lizzy and Mary, but she was excited about their upcoming travels which would take them to the estate of a Darcy cousin in Cornwall.
"I can hardly wait to see Trewithen," Georgiana said, referencing the family estate they were to visit.
"You have seen it before," her father reminded her. "Your mother and I travelled there with you and Fitzwilliam many years ago."
"Yes, but I was so young. I hardly remember a thing."
"Is that where the portrait of Mrs. Darcy was done?" Elizabeth asked, thinking of the painting that had pride of place above the fireplace in the most used sitting room.
"My cousin commissioned it as a gift for my fiftieth birthday," Mr. Darcy responded. "More than any portrait we had done before or after it captured her spirit as well as her likeness. Anne loved the sea, and I often wish I had taken her to Cornwall and many other seaside locales more often."
The party ate for a few minutes in silence after this pronouncement. Each lost in their own reflections. Elizabeth thought about the expression of joy on Mrs. Darcy's face in the picture. It was what had first caught her attention. It was not until the second or third time seeing it that she noted the lady's surroundings. Instead of a formal setting, as was usual in most portraits she had seen and all the others at Pemberly, Lady Anne Darcy was seated on a blanket in the sand. The sea crashed behind her right shoulder with cliffs looming in the distance. The artists had captured a moment in time where the wind was teasing her, with tendrils of blond hair escaping her straw bonnet which seemed to be threatening to fly off her head at any moment. Sometimes when Lizzy and Georgiana were alone in the sitting room Lizzy would ask about Lady Anne and Georgiana would share the few memories she had and many of the stories she had been told. As Elizabeth heard about picking wild strawberries at Matlock, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy racing one another across the fields of Pemberley and his mother teaching Fitzwilliam to play the pianoforte so they could do duets Elizabeth would look into the pale blue eyes of the woman on the beach and feel like she knew her just a little.
"It must be a very beautiful place," Elizabeth said wanting to break the silence and pull them back from the melancholy that seemed to be threatening.
"Indeed," Darcy agreed, shooting her a small smile of thanks. "I am looking forward to seeing the sites of Cornwall as well as getting reacquainted with this particular branch of the Darcy family tree."
What followed was a lengthy discussion of the cousins, aunt, uncle and several other relatives farther removed they would be staying with. Several of whom they had spent time with on their last visit ten years prior. As Georgiana did not remember and they were all new to Miss Baxter who would be accompanying them there were plenty of questions. Though Mary and Elizabeth contributed little they were both content to hear about what sounded like a very interesting clan of Darcys.
The ladies bid the gentlemen good night directly after the meal was finished and proceeded to Georgiana's chamber where all three girls would sleep. Mrs. Baxter stayed with them for a half an hour joining their discussion of the next day's plans.
"Would you mind terribly if Mary and I did not join you on the morning ride?" Georgiana asked, her voice at once tentative and pleading.
"Do you not wish to rise so early?" Elizabeth asked. "We do not have to see the sunrise I am quite content to begin after breakfast."
"You are not," Mary accused gently. "You have talked of watching the sun rise over the lake for weeks."
"It would of course be lovely, but it is not only my wishes we must consult."
"But your wishes are important," Georgiana insisted, "and it is not so much that we wish to sleep longer – though I do not relish leaving my bed at such an hour – Mary and I were actually hoping to sketch the sunrise over the peaks."
"And to do you would need to set up on the south lawn." Miss Baxter surmised.
"Exactly," Georgiana affirmed, then turning to Lizzy she clasped her hands. "But if you desire our company we can proceed as planned. It will be a lovely outing."
"No, of course you must do as you desire. You both possess such skill and passion for sketching and painting I would never suspend any pleasure of yours. But I can simply join being with you instead of riding to the lake."
"No, you must,"
"Absolutely not," Georgiana and Mary said at the same time.
"Miss Elizabeth, if you still desire to ride to the lake I was also looking forward to the outing so it is not trouble for me to accompany you."
"Yes! Thank you, Miss Baxter," Georgiana exclaimed. "And Fitzwilliam was also anticipating joining you so you must not disappoint him either.
"It is settled then," Miss Baxter declared, rising from the sofa and moving to the interior door which led to her own chamber, "I shall bid you ladies good night, trusting you will be sleeping soon in light of the fact that Colleen will be here in just a few short hours to bid you rise and make you ready for your respective adventures."
Though they intended to heed Miss Baxter's parting admonishment the girls found themselves unable to settle down to attempt sleep for another hour, all three aware that their time together was growing short. The Bennet girls would return to Barlow Hall in the afternoon and would not see the Darcy's again that summer as they planned to set off for Cornwall the following morning.
An hour before sunrise Colleen, Georgiana's lady's maid, crept into the dark room holding a candle aloft. The three girls were cuddled together in the centre of the bed, heads resting on each other's shoulders with arms and legs going in every direction. She looked fondly upon the young girl she had known since she was but a toddler chasing after her big brother on unsteady limbs before attempting to rouse her.
The aforementioned fondness was stretched to a near breaking point and Colleen more than earned the generous wage Mr. Darcy paid all his household staff trying to cajole her charge from the bed. Lizzy and Mary, more used to rising early, stumbled from their blankets and pillows quickly and began to help one another dress and ready for the day.
"I have put your clothes just there," Colleen said, even as she continued to gently shake her charge, quietly urging her to rise. As Elizabeth had outgrown Mrs. Gardiner's old riding habit the Darcy's had gifted her a new one at the start of the previous summer. Though she could not wear it anywhere other than the fields and trails of Derbyshire it was Lizzy's favourite outfit. This was partly because when she donned it she knew she would be doing something she loved. The other part of her favouritism was simply because it was the finest thing she had ever worn. The quality of the fabric was beyond anything she owned and the precision of the cut, she had been fitted by a Lambton seamstress who made many of the clothes for the Darcy family, meant it fit her better than the gowns, often second and third hand, she and her sisters made and remade.
After they had dressed and before they began on their hair, Lizzy and Mary helped convince their very reluctant friend to leave the warmth of her bed. Colleen thanked them and she and Georgiana disappeared into the wardrobe.
"Let me do your hair first," Mary said, guiding Lizzy to sit in front of the mirror at the vanity. "You must leave sooner to make it to the lake before sunset. Georgiana and I have more time."
"Thank you, Mary," Lizzy said as her sisters' fingers quickly braided and twisted her long brown tresses into the simple style Lizzy favoured.
Miss Baxter came in a few minutes later, greeting the sisters and moving to find Georgiana whose excited chatter could now be heard.
"I am surprised she sounds so cheery," Miss Baxter commented. "Mornings are not her favourite."
"That was more than apparent ten minutes ago," Lizzy laughingly responded.
When Mary finished, Lizzy sprung from the seat. "It is perfect, Mary. You are better than Jane! Enjoy your sketching, I will look forward to seeing your masterpieces."
"You have a lot of faith in us," Georgiana said as she emerged from the dressing room.
"I do indeed," Lizzy smiled and hugged her friend. "Shall we be off, Miss Baxter."
"Yes, I am ready."
"If you keep your squirming to a minimum, I can do both you and miss Mary's hair in time for you to catch your sunrise."
"Thank you, Colleen," Lizzy said as she and Miss Baxter hurried from the room.
When they reached the landing at the top of the stairs Darcy looked up from his post at the bottom. A smile lit his eyes and went so far as to stretch his mouth into a near grin. His curly brown hair bounced as he moved to await them at the centre of the steps. The site of him in his dark green coat and brown breeches was a familiar one at this point. Familiarity it seemed in this case did not breed indifference. Her nerves jumbled and danced within her as they did every time she looked at him after an absence of more than an hour. Every time.
"Good morning, ladies," he greeted them when they were close enough. His deep voice tinged with pleasure at least partially at seeing her increased the frenetic activity going on inside Elizabeth's stomach. She kept her head down and took the final few steps, working to slow her heartbeat and steady her breathing. She heard Miss Bater off her greeting.
"Is it too early to expect a smile and a hello from you Miss Elizabeth?" he teased.
She had just gotten herself under control and he had to go and speak her name and tease her. Had he no mercy? After one more deep breath she ventured to speak.
"Of course not," she smiled up at him, but made an effort to look not into his compelling eyes, keeping her gaze somewhere near his shoulder. "But as you are often reminding me of my extreme youth, I thought it best to concentrate on the stairs lest I stumble. I have not been in the habit of descending without help for nearly as long as you."
"A wise choice, I commend you. Now that you are on solid ground, I am all anticipation."
"Good morning, Master Fitzwilliam," she said, her voice sickly sweet. Then she dared a look right at him to offer her overbright smile. "I hope you are well on this fine day, that your night was restful, and you are as eager as I for this magnificent outing we are about to embark upon."
He chuckled softly and though this did nothing to calm Elizabeth's nerves her pride at having elicited such a thing trumped all else.
"It seems you are becoming quite proficient in small talk, you could perhaps inquire after my digestion and comment more minutely on the weather if you seek perfection in the field, but I confess I should be sorry if you traded your usual conversation for trivial niceties."
"I shall make a note of your preferences," she responded, keeping, for the most part, her elation at the implied compliment, from her voice.
"See that you do," he quipped before indicating the side door which would take them to the path to the stables.
The familiar route to the stables and routine of greeting the hands and horses, mounting and setting out still thrilled Elizabeth even three summers after having earned the privilege of riding a full-grown mount and being given almost exclusive use of the swift and steady Lancelot. She ran her fingers through his black mane and began, as was her custom, to tell him of all the grand adventures they would have together that day.
"We are short on time," Darcy called over his shoulder. Lizzy rode directly behind him with Miss Baxter in the rear. "Shall we ride hard?"
"And take the shortcut?" Elizabeth asked excitedly. It had two jumps, one over a small rock wall and one a fence. Nothing thrilled her more than jumping at full speed.
Darcy considered this for a moment, still looking at her as their mounts knew the path to the trail well. "Very well," he said at last. "Is that all right with you, Miss Baxter?"
"Certainly." She was at least as accomplished a rider as Darcy and Elizabeth suspected she enjoyed the jumps and any opportunity for a good gallop as much as herself.
"Hup," Darcy urged his mount on and they took off. Elizabeth followed and she heard Miss Baxter do the same. For the next ten minutes Elizabeth thought of nothing but what was in that moment. The sound of Lancelot's hoofs, loud and sharp on the paths and muted and steady through the fields. The way her heart raced and settled in turns, seeming to keep pace with that of Lancelot. The blur of green and brown as they flew past the trees and the smell of smoke and flowers. Though she was excited to catch the sunrise over Pemberley Lake for the first time she was sorry when only a quarter of an hour after it began the ride was over.
"It is hard to believe you have not been riding your whole life," Darcy said to Elizabeth as she and Lancelot arrived in the clearing and moved next to his horse Poseidon as Darcy tethered him to the hitching post and pulled some hay from the trough to rub him down. Darcy moved to help her dismount and though her heart leapt at his touch it was over so quickly she was able to talk herself into normalcy fairly quickly. By the time she and Miss Baxter had rubbed down their horses she was reasonably steady.
"If you ladies are interested there the prospect is completely unobstructed from a spot below – just down this path. The way is a bit rocky, but the view is quite worth the effort," he explained pointing to the ancient trees which lined the path and the Lake.
"If you do not object, Master Fitzwilliam, I will content myself on the bench here." Miss Baxter responded. "I turned my ankle last week, as you may remember, and I do not want to risk it on such uneven ground."
"I have no objections of course. You are wise to be cautious. Ankle injuries can be slow to heal."
"Thank you, yes. I am finding that to be the case unfortunately. I am nearly back to normal but that last little bit of healing seems to be taking some time."
"But should we not stay together. I would not mind staying here," Elizabeth said, though she longed to do as Darcy suggested and not simply because it was he who suggested it. Any path at Pemberley she had not yet discovered was sufficient temptation as was a better view of the very spectacle they had journeyed to see. She had no skill to capture such beauty with a pencil or brush, but she was eager to add this sunrise to her mental gallery which she could draw on any time she needed a little beauty in her life.
"No, Miss Lizzy, I insist. I can see the path from here as well as the landing. You need not worry. You are quite well chaperoned regardless."
"Very well if you are certain, you do not mind," Lizzy responded after a moment's surprise at this response.
"Not at all. I am content here and would hate for you to miss a perfect view."
Darcy thanked Miss Baxter and then offered Lizzy his arm. She took it absently, almost too distracted to appreciate the sensation of his arm under her hand, the strength of his distinct scent when he walked so close or the care he took to remove branches from their path and guide her around rocks and puddles. The path took them, rather steeply, down a hill and she had to lean on his arm several time to stay upright.
When they reached a small landing that pushed into the hillside creating a half circle dotted with small trees and wildflowers Darcy led Elizabeth to the stone bench in the centre. They sat side by side just in time to see the sun emerge over the distant peaks. In silence they watched as the clear dark sky became blue, tinged with orange and red lighting the lake, fields and forest below. When the sun had cleared all hurdles and shone above unencumbered, Lizzy sighed, her mind turning back to Miss Baxter's comments.
"What is wrong?" Darcy asked, interrupting her swirling thoughts.
"Nothing at all," she responded automatically. "That was absolutely worth the journey. Thank you for sharing this place."
"I knew you would appreciate it and if you do not wish to tell me what is troubling you, I will not press, but if I might be of assistance I trust you will tell me."
"I am sure you would or could be if I was able to put into words the agitation in my mind."
"What precipitated the agitation?"
She thought for a moment before deciding she may as well tell him and perhaps, like with Jane or her father, discussing it would bring her clarity.
"What Miss Baxter said about being chaperoned."
"Were you concerned about me?" he asked, alarm evident in his voice. They still sat side by side with at least a foot between them, but as Darcy spoke he moved further from her even as he turned more fully toward her.
"No, of course not," she rushed to assure him, then took a moment to consider how to explain. "It was the implication . . . or the reality that I am of an age where I must be supervised – that it is unacceptable for me to walk with a friend."
"That is not exactly the case," Mr. Darcy replied.
"It is," she countered. "And it is not that I object to being chaperoned or Miss Baxter, but it just feels like this summer, this time is an in between and I cannot help but look behind and see how I fit in my family, in my neighbourhood, here. It is all familiar and certain."
"And when you look ahead?"
"It is new and different and I am learning that I am somewhat adverse to change," she said, offering a small smile.
"Well, if it helps, I see you as the same girl who befriended my sister in the woods and after returning her to us refused my escort and then taught me how to properly apologise."
Elizabeth thought about that day, when she met the Darcy siblings. She felt exactly like the girl she was then and yet somehow unlike her as well.
"That does help, actually. Thank you. And I did eventually accept your company," she reminded him.
"It took a great deal of persuasion to get you to do so if I recall, but my memory may be faulty as even all those years ago you seemed to believe I was quite ancient – a belief you expressed again just this morning."
Though Elizabeth remembered every word of their conversations she was surprised and pleased to find his memory so precise. Darcy stood and offered her his hand. She took it, adding another memory to her collection, the sensation of her hand in his, his eyes on her, the sunshine illuminating him from behind giving him an otherworldly appearance as he bent to help her rise. It would likely be a more clear image for her looking back than that beautiful sunrise.
As she linked her arm in his she teased, "perhaps I should not lean too heavily on your arm as men your age are not to be relied upon traversing such treacherous ground."
His laugh framed the picture she had already locked away.
"I do not pretend to know what it is like to be a young lady, in fact I am hoping as you blaze the trail ahead of Georgiana you will be giving me advice in years to come, but I do know that growing up is a tricky business. Do not be too hard on yourself for feeling uncertain. When in doubt trust the counsel of your family and friends."
"That is sound wisdom. I shall trust it," she told him. "I appreciate your listening to me."
"Anytime, Miss Elizabeth," he assured her as they reached Miss Baxter.
As they rode home at a more sedate pace Elizabeth's mind, heart and spirit whirred with all that she had seen and felt and of course at least half of any space she had for thought and feeling were taken up by Darcy which still irked her.
The Darcy family was much missed at Barlow Hall but Mary and Elizabeth enjoyed the final weeks of their visit and most especially their final dinner at which Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner told them that their family party would be increased by one just before Christmas. The girls were overjoyed for their relations and Elizabeth was particularly gratified to be invited to spend the December holidays at Barlow Hall attending to Mrs. Gardiner and the new baby.