Georgiana had met someone during her second season and married a gentleman who owned an estate not thirty miles from Pemberley. She had since given birth to a sweet little girl, the image of her mother, and hoped to one day have a son, as well.
Anna, now fifteen years of age and the oldest of the Darcy children, continued to be very close to her parents and was devoted to the well-being of her younger siblings, taking an avid interest in each one. Her family was all-important to her, and she took great pleasure assisting in the schoolroom and giving music lessons to her brothers and sisters, as Georgiana hadonce done for her. Like Georgiana, she had a natural aptitude for music, and because of her continued interest, William had sent for a music master to further her study of voice and the pianoforte. Not only did she excel in playing the music written by many of the traditional composers, but she was also an accomplished singer of Italian and French, as well as her native English. Over the years, she and Elizabeth continued to collect folk songs, thus adding to her vast vocal repertoire. Even so, the traditional ballad which her mother favoured was also Anna’s favourite.
In addition to her musical and academic studies, William was pleased that Anna had become an avid horsewoman, and it was not unusual to see her riding about the estate with her father and the young masters Bennet and Daniel. Anna loved Pemberley every bit as much as her father did, and when William began to instruct the boys in the foundations of estate management, she asked to be included. Like Elizabeth, she had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and was happiest when her father challenged her in this way.
The Darcy summer house party, held every August, had become a tradition over the years in which extended family members and close friends journeyed to Pemberley to renew acquaintances and enjoy a month of diversion and fellowship. The Darcy children were always elated to entertain so many beloved cousins. In addition to Richard’s two sons, there were the three Bingley cousins, as well as Mary’s two children, Kitty’s daughter, Lydia’s two boys and Lord Nicholas’ son. Lady Deming often attended with her son’s family, as did the family of her eldest, Eleanor. Although her misdeeds of so many years prior had been forgiven, Eliza and her family routinely chose to spend the end of the summer on their own estate. As for Mr. Bingley’s sisters, once Caroline had married a British Diplomat,the sisters and their families often spent the summer months on the continent following the end of the war.
After her first season, Kitty had married a military doctor who worked at the London Hospital tending the recently wounded from the continent. When she was able, Kitty joined Mrs. Gardiner, volunteering one day a week to read letters and take dictation from soldiers who were unable to write to their loved ones because of injuries. At one time she might have shied away from this type of activity, but being married to a military doctor had helped her mature into a lovely, caring woman. Lydia had also met her husband during her first season; he was an army colonel who was working in intelligence with the crown. This suited her quite well, since for the most part her husband was stationed in London where she could easily entertain and enjoy the many cultural activities the city had to offer.
Mr. Bennet surpassed the prediction of his doctor and lived another five and a half years following his initial collapse. His dream of seeing his youngest daughters well settled came to fruition with the marriages of Kitty and Lydia. In the end, the man did not suffer, but died peacefully in his book room, where Mary found him one day slumped over a treasured tome.
Following Bennet’s death, Longbourn was taken over by Mr. Collins and his family. He and Charlotte had two sons, thus ensuring the entail on the property could finally be broken when they became of age. Mary and Edmond Barton continued to take responsibility for Mrs. Bennet. During the time William had leased The Willows, Barton had been very successful at managing the small estate and investing his share of the tenant profits with Mr. Gardiner. Upon Mr. Bennet’s death, Darcy purchased the property outright and gifted it to the Bartons, since they would continue to care for Mrs. Bennet during the remainder of her life. With Barton’s investments proving sound, in time he was able to purchase some adjoining acreage, addingon to the property and thereby increasing his income and ultimately a respectable inheritance for his children.
Mrs. Bennet was ecstatic that she did not have to experience “the hedgerows” after her husband died. As difficult as it was, under the direction of the Bartons, she did manage to learn a modicum of economy as time passed. Socially, she still had her sister and friends in the village. For the most part, her greatest pleasure in life was making regular visits to see her other four daughters and their families, with whom she could stay weeks on end, indulging her whims and doting on her grandchildren.
As always, the Darcys were looking forward to seeing the Gardiners at their summer house party. Though not yet engaged, the oldest girls had experienced their first season together and were currently being courted. The boys had been attending university and assisting their father during their time off. Even though the young men intended to partner with their father in business, it was important to Gardiner that his sons experience university as he once did.
This year, the Darcys’ friend Lady Gwendolyn had also accepted the invitation to join the house party and would arrive with a few of her favoured bluestocking friends. Although she had had several close gentlemen acquaintances over the years, she had never married and was yet devoted to her charities. This summer, Lady Gwendolyn was also bringing her fifteen-year-old niece, whom Anna had met five years prior when the family was in Town. The girls had immediately formed a friendship and had regularly corresponded since that time. Miss Melanie Talbot, like her aunt, had a great interest in local charities and was also proficient in music, excelling on the harp as well as the pianoforte. Between Anna, Georgiana, Miss Talbot and many others, there was sure to be an abundance of music during their month of entertaining.
The Study
Closing up his correspondence for the day and happy to be caught up before their house guests began arriving, William looked up when he heard Anna knocking on the study door. “Papa, may I come in?” she asked in her usual cheerful voice.
“Please do, Anna.” He rose from his desk and went to greet her, taking the vase of flowers she was carrying and placing it on a side table. Pulling her into his embrace and kissing her forehead, he continued, “Your flowers are quite lovely. How did you know I needed cheering this afternoon?” He chuckled.
“Oh, Papa, you always say that when I bring you flowers. Mama, Amy and Maddie and I just finished with the flowers for all of our guests’ rooms. We had some extra lavender branches and daisies, and since I know how much you and Mama like lavender, I decided to bring some here for your study.”
“Ever since I first met Mama and could smell the scent of lavender in her beautiful hair, this flower has been a favourite. Thank you for thinking of your papa, sweet one.” Taking her hand, he said, “Let us sit for a few minutes. I should like to hear what all of you have been doing while I have been finishing up here.”
“After I helped Mama with the menus, Amy and Maddie and I spent the rest of the morning helping with the flowers while the boys were re-arranging the schoolroom for the cousins. Bennet insisted they take inventory of all of their toy soldiers so that they will be ready to do battle with the Fitzwilliam and Bingley brothers. I was pleased to see the boys let little Alexander help by lining up the soldiers as they worked. Alex idolises both Bennet and Daniel, and will do anything to help the older boys when asked.”
“So I have noticed. And Mama? I hope she has not been pushing herself too much with all of the preparations for our party, not to mention her caring for the twins.”
Of all the Darcy children, Thomas and James had been full of energy from the very first. They rarely wanted to nap and wished to be with the rest of the family whenever they were allowed. The identical twins had started walking before they were one and easily got into mischief if they were not carefully monitored by their nurse.
“Mama seemed to be doing fine. When I urged her to take a nap, she promised she would after spending some time with Thomas and James in the nursery.”
“Good. Thank you for telling me. Now, what of the girls?”
“Amy and Maddie are also preparing for the cousins and are currently arranging all of their dolls in Amy’s room. Yesterday, we finished making the cloth dolls for the little ones, and once everyone is here, I plan to organise several tea parties for all of the girls.”
“It sounds quite lovely.” He squeezed her hand. “I know how much you enjoyed your tea parties with Mama when you were little.”
“I did.” She smiled in remembrance. “Mama was always so good to me in that way, and I loved being with her. I remember that I could not be happier when you first brought her to me. Every tea party we had was like a new adventure, since she would delight in teaching me something I did not know while we played with my dolls. And when we finished, she always told me how much she loved me and how precious I was to her. Even though she has all of the younger ones to care for, Mama still comes to my room every night to brush my hair, and then we talk. Papa, I love her so very much. ”
“I know, sweet one.” He pulled her close. “We were both blessed when Mama came into our lives, and we still are.”
“Yes, Papa, we are.”
“Tell me, you must be looking forward to seeing Miss Melanie Talbot again this year.”
“Melanie and I have exchanged music by post and have been practicing so that we might play several duets for our guests. We also intend to try one or two vocal duets, and Aunt Georgie says she will play for us. Did Mama tell you that she, Aunt Georgie and I have written a song together for our party?”
“She did mention it, though she would not sing it for me.”
“Mama wrote the poem, and I composed the melody while Mama made up the harmony for me to notate. Aunt Georgie wrote the accompaniment, and we plan to practice our song together after Aunt Georgie and her family arrive. I cannot wait for you to hear what we have written. It is a ballad, of course.”
“Ah, I shall look forward to your offering. It always warms my heart to hear all three of you sing and play together.”
