“Then what?”
“Well, in truth, I have decided to take you up on your offer to establish myself at Rosings Park.”
“Richard!” William exclaimed, holding out his hand. “I could not be happier. Have you told your parents yet?”
“Only Father. As you can well imagine, the two of us have talked extensively since you made the offer.”
“And what of Mrs. Walden and your commission?”
He smiled brilliantly. “Diana has agreed to become my wife, and I have taken steps to sell my commission so that we may marry by the end of the year, hopefully earlier.”
“Excellent!” William exclaimed, giving Richard a brotherly hug. “This is the best news. Elizabeth and Georgiana will be pleased.”
“Thank you. I plan to formally announce our engagement once we are all back at Matlock and everyone has had a day to rest after your ball. In truth, I suppose my engagement will come as no surprise to Mother, since she has been hinting at the possibility ever since Mrs. Walden arrived last week. Because Diana does not have many close living relations, she plans to askMother for help with the wedding preparations. Needless to say, Mother will be delighted.”
“I should think so. And now with Lady Catherine having moved into Town at the beginning of August, Rosings Park is yours for the taking. I shall inform my solicitor and have him complete the arrangements. If you do not mind, I should like to go over some pertinent information with you before we travel back to Longbourn. Once you are able to take your leave from the military and spend some time at Rosings Park, you can begin assessing your transition to civilian life with the aid of Mr. Parker. Parker is an excellent land steward and will serve you well.”
“Of that, I have no doubt. There is one other thing. In addition to Rosings Park, it seems I now have another prospect.”
“You do? Tell me, I am eager to hear it.”
“Father has offered me a rather neglected property which recently became available to our family following the death of a second cousin in early July. Apparently, Mother’s cousin had no surviving immediate relations, and unknown to Mother, chose to include our family as well as a few other relations in the disbursement of his assets. Our cousin, being somewhat of a recluse, had been ill for quite some time and nothing was known of his bequest until the reading of the will.”
“What do you know of the estate? Is it far from Rosings Park?”
Actually, it is a small estate in Surrey, not far from Epsom where the derby is held every spring. Because of its location, the estate was at one time used to breed racehorses. At present, the bulk of the income comes from numerous tenants who continue to work the land. Now that I will be giving up my commission, Father has suggested I consider looking into building up the estate with the purpose of raising horses again. Because of the close proximity, it should be easy enough to travel back and forthbetween both properties. And at some point, when you no longer need me in Kent, it could prove to be an excellent opportunity for my future family.”
“I heartily agree, and with yourpenchantfor horse flesh, the possibility of taking on the venture will certainly serve you well.”
“Thank you, Cousin. All in all, my prospects are quite favourable, and I must say I am looking forward to the change.”
“Richard, I have no doubt you will do well. Congratulations, my friend.” The two men hugged again in brotherly affection and left the room to join the others who were ready to depart.
During the few days which followed, the final preparations for the tenants’ ball were put in place. In truth, while Elizabeth enjoyed meeting all of her neighbours, it was the folks who supported her husband with their loyalty to the estate whom she dearly wished to honour with this offering. Those who were in attendance were in awe of their new mistress and were pleased that the Darcys had included them in their harvest celebrations.
12 September
William’s Birthday
With the harvest balls being a success and now behind them, Elizabeth had determined a simple family affair would be best for William’s birthday. She had planned a dinner with all of his favourite foods to be followed by some relaxation in the music room where he would be gifted with meaningful presents provided by her, Georgiana and Anna. This suited William quite well, for a quiet evening with those who were dearest to him was a balm to his soul after so many weeks of activity.
Later That Night
Elizabeth’s Bedchamber
“William.” Elizabeth looked at her husband in the mirror as she sat at the vanity watching him brush her hair, her eyes twinkling. “How is it you have become such an expert at taming my unruly curls these past few weeks? Your touch feels heavenly.”
“Thank you, my love.” He gently pushed her hair to the side and tenderly kissed her neck in appreciation. “Brushing your hair gives me the greatest pleasure, and I shall never tire of doing this for you.”
“Nor shall I.” She turned in place and kissed him in appreciation.
“Come,” he said, pulling her up from the stool and into his arms. “Before we retire, I have something I wish to show you.”
“You do?” she asked with curiosity.
“Yes,” he answered, picking up his wife, as was often his habit when taking her through their shared room and to his bed.
Sitting her down and offering her a tender kiss, he said, “Just a moment, my love.” Moving to his dresser, he retrieved a large book. Sitting next to her on the bed, he opened the cover, revealing it was the Darcy family Bible.
