“There is that,” Darcy shook his head. He stood and bowed to the superior opponent. “If you will allow me to try again, may we play after dinner?”
“I see no reason not to accept your challenge,” Elizabeth agreed.
Across the room the Colonel finally won, but it had not been as easy as he had suspected when Miss Mary told him how long she had been learning the game. He was well aware she was intelligent, but it seemed he may have underestimated the level of said intelligence.
Mary admitted, even if it was only to herself, how much she was enjoying Colonel Fitzwilliam’s company.
Before they went up to their chambers to change for dinner, the men agreed that if the snow continued to accumulate at the rate it had been for the past few hours, those from Lambert Hills would not be departing on the morrow. Before he followed the rest of the men upstairs, Darcy left orders with his butler for the sleighs to be prepared and ready for them in the morning.
Chapter 29
Bells attached to the tack of the horse rang joyfully as Darcy drove the sleigh which seated six on three benches, each seating two adults comfortably. Miss Bennet sat next to him, with Richard and Miss Mary in the next row, and Parker and Miss Lucas on the last bench.
They were being pulled effortlessly by a single Shire horse on the morning of New Year’s Day. Andrew, accompanied by Lambert was driving one of the two larger sleighs, it could seat twelve comfortably, and more when the majority of the riders were children as was the case. It was pulled by two Cleveland Bays who were accustomed to working together. Snow was still falling, but it was not as heavy as it had been the afternoon and evening of the previous day, all through the night. Had the snowfall not lightened significantly, the mothers, who were in the warmth of the house along with the Earl and Gardiner, would have protested their children being allowed out of doors.
After hearing Miss Bennet speak of how much she would like to see the peaks, Darcy turned his horse to the west as they travelled along the floor of the Pemberley Valley. Just before they reached the river Derwent, which cut across the valley from north to south about two miles before the western edge of said valley, the snow stopped and the clouds parted. Darcy pulled back on the horse’s reins and halted the sleigh near the bank of the river. He caught Miss Bennet’s attention and pointed.
Elizabeth’s breath hitched when she saw the magnificentview before her. There were still clouds near the summits of three particularly tall peaks, but seeing the real thing, even with the residual clouds, was so much more beautiful than the plates she had looked at in a travel book in her father’s study some years ago. Seeing the reproduced painting had made her determined to see the mountains for herself one day, and here they were before her. She was closer to them than she had ever thought she would be. There was no missing the fact Mr Darcy had paid attention when she had asked his aunt about the peaks and been determined to gratify her, and he had!
Once the second sleigh arrived next to them, Darcy pointed to the three highest summits with his gloved hand. “That is Kinder Scout, the tallest peak in this shire at over two thousand feet,” he shifted his hand, “that one is Bleaklow, which is only about ten feet less than Kinder Scout in height, and the third one is Higher Shelf Stones, not much less height than the other two. Off in the distance is Black Hill, which is a little less than two thousand feet.”
“In the summer, William and I travel to see the peaks up close, well also the lakes,” Georgiana shared. By the time everyone went to bed the previous night, Giana was on familiar name terms with Elizabeth and Mary as well.
“It is not hard to imagine how everything in the area will look in spring and summer. I am sure it would make a wonderful vista to capture,” Catherine sighed.
“In that case, Miss Catherine, we will have to make sure you visit Pemberley at that time of year, so you may capture whichever views you choose. That is, as long as you gift me one of your drawings or paintings,” Darcy offered.
Catherine was chagrined she had been so forward while at the same time happy Mr Darcy had made the offer. She and Lydia hoped they would be able to maintain the connection with Giana. “Please pardon me, Mr Darcy, I was not fishing for an invitation.” She blushed deeply; the colour of her cheeks could not be blamed on the cold.
“Do not make yourself uneasy, Miss Catherine, had I suspected you were, I would not have made the offer. And besides, I would gain another picture for one of my studies. It is always a pleasure to have friends visit us,” Darcy responded to put the young lady at ease.
Elizabeth was greatly impressed at the way Mr Darcy had replied with understanding and kindness to Catherine’s statement. A man with less compassion could have made her sister extremely embarrassed at the comment she had made before she had fully considered her words. It was another tick on the good side of the ledger for the handsome man. So far, the good side had most of the ticks while the bad side had nothing of significance.
As if the weather knew it was time for them to return to the mansion, the clouds reasserted themselves, and by the time the two sleighs were half way back to the manor house, the snow had once again begun to fall in earnest.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The prediction the party from Lambert Hills would remain past the one night they had intended to be at Pemberley had been borne out. The snow had ceased to fall on the third day of January, and thanks to slightly warmer weather, the Lambert Hills party was able to depart on the morning of Epiphany Eve.
Had the Gardiners, the four Bennet sisters, and Miss Lucas not needed to commence the journey southward on Monday, the day after the morrow, there would not have been a need to leave Pemberley as soon as the roads were somewhat passable. As it was, the two hour journey without a change of horses, had been closer to three hours due to the conditions.
Three ladies in the coaches returning to Lambert Hills were admired by three men at Pemberley. The men were not very sanguine with the departure of the lady in whom he was interested, so they had done something to rectify thesituation .
To that end, they would see the lady of their own choice on Monday. Bingley had previously agreed to travel with the Gardiners, and now they were to be joined by two Darcys, a Fitzwilliam, and two Parkers. The male of the latter was the only one of the three men who could actively court the lady who intrigued him.
As such, Arthur Parker who was normally not an outgoing man, with sincere encouragement from his sister, requested, and was granted a courtship by Miss Lucas on Friday evening. Seeing that he had two curates and could call on the one from the Metting church when needed, Parker’s duties—with the unreserved approval of his friend and patron—would be performed by the curates while he was away.
The carriages arrived back at Lambert Hills in the late afternoon just as the temperatures were falling, and dusk was heralding the fast-approaching darkness.
Those who would depart on Monday morning made directly for their chambers to begin the process of packing, so there would be little or none to do on the Sabbath. They worked on their trunks until dinner, and after the meal as well, prior to spending any time in the drawing room, only making for that room once the balance of the packing had been completed.
Charlotte, Elizabeth, and Mary met in their shared sitting room before they went downstairs to join those in the drawing room for a while before retiring .
“You seem very happy with your courtship,” Elizabeth observed as she looked at her good friend.
“How can I not be? Mr Parker is a very good man for whom I find I am developing tender feelings, regardless of my past pronouncements about not being romantic. All I ever wanted was my own house, a husband who was not vicious, and some security. Romantic feelings were never part of myrequirements. In fact, I used to believe felicity in marriage was a matter of chance. Being around the Gardiners, Lamberts, and even the Matlocks and Hilldales have shown me another way. He is joining us with his sister on Monday in order to speak to my father, even though I am of age,” Charlotte reported. “Do you know when he spoke to me privately, he admitted some things about himself in case I wanted to cry off?”
“What things, if you are at liberty to share?” Elizabeth enquired.
