Anne refused to accept Gardiner’s offer of no commission and expenses only, so the two settled on half of his normal commission plus expenses. While it was true he would receive more than he planned to, she was paying less than she preferred so everyone won.
The plans were finalised, resulting in Anne de Bourgh giving Chippendales one of the largest single orders in their history to date. The meeting at Chippendales about the needs for Darcy House was also very productive and Mrs. Bennet, her daughter, and her future son-in-law were very satisfied with the pieces that were ordered and promised to be delivered before the wedding was to occur.
The same day of Lizzy’s final fittings, seven coaches, two wagons, and many footmen and outriders made their way on the Great north Road in a convoy headed for Derbyshire.
Chapter 17
Any highwayman with enough gumption to try ply their trade with the convoy travelling from London to Derbyshire would have made a very fatal error. Each driver, postilion, footmen, and the multitude of outriders were all heavily armed. In fact, most of the outriders were ex-soldiers. And in addition, there was a brace of pistols inside each carriage that all in the families had knowledge of how to use.
Bennet and the Earl were adamant that their ladies understand not only the safety required for guns as they were on the grounds and would be seen, but many had enjoyed hours of target practice through the years with the understanding nothing was too much to protect their sisters and family. In this rare instance, it was luckier for highwaymen and knaves that they were disinclined to interfere with this particular convoy than it was for those in it.
Even though the arrangements as to who would reside at which estate had been decided prior to departure, they would all travel to Pemberley first, and after a rest and refreshments, the group staying at Snowhaven would travel thither once Lizzy had received an abbreviated tour of her home to be. The journey was both pleasant and lively, which for Anne and the Darcys was a completely new experience as most of their travel had been lonely.
They sat in wonder at how much their lives had changed for the better in such a short time. Darcy was happy, happier than he could remember he was even before his dear mother passed away.
His taciturn and brooding nature and the famous Darcy mask, which had begun to be developed after Lady Anne’s death, which he used to use to discourage being approached, was gone.
Georgiana Darcy had flourished into a happy and confident young lady approaching her sixteenth year. Instead of crying spontaneously, she was now far more likely to laugh or giggle with her sisters. She was more confident and outgoing than she had ever been, and Darcy knew the vast improvement in both their happiness and joy was thanks to the Bennets and their inclusive love.
As Darcy had planned, the travelling party stayed at two inns along the way in order to break up their journey north. Both inns had been very comfortable, and the owners welcoming the Darcys and Fitzwilliams back with deference owed to elite clientele.
These same inns were routinely used by both families on their journeys to and from London. This way the innkeepers anticipated their needs without any trouble. The only difference on this journey was the number of travellers and attendant servants.
Based on the letters requesting chambers, neither innkeeper had accepted other guests while the Bennet, Darcy, Fitzwilliam, de Bourgh, Bingley, and Hurst party stayed, and were more than well compensated for their trouble.
Not long after lunch on the third day, the convoy rolled through Lambton with many inquisitive stares by the townspeople who were not used to seeing quite so many fine-looking coaches in a row, most sporting crests of noble houses.
The town owed much of its prosperity to Pemberley and the Darcy family, so they were able to pick out that some conveyances in the convoy belonged to that family. The name of the town was well known to the Bennets as it was a favourite of their aunt Gardiner.
Aunt Maddie often opinedthere was no finer shire than Derbyshire. Lizzy would never allow any shire could be better than her home shire of Hertfordshire, but she was captivated as she became engrossed by the wildness of Derbyshire and was fascinated at her first look at the distant peaks of the Peak District.
‘Yes,’ she thought to herself, ‘I will be very happy here and I can see that soon I will have two favourite shires.’
Not five miles after the convoy left Lambton, the coaches and the Darcy wagon entered Pemberley. The Fitzwilliam’s wagon had gone directly to Snowhaven from the last inn that morning.
The gates were attached to ten-foot high stone pillars on either side of the drive with a stone gatehouse on the right. Running above the gate was a metal arch,Pemberleyproudly displayed in big brass letters.
The gatehouse keeper had opened the gates wide as soon as he spied the master’s and his guests’ equipages come into view. He had a weather eye out for the master as he had been advised the previous afternoon by the housekeeper that very important guests were expected to accompany the master to Pemberley, one being his fiancée and soon to be mistress of the estate. Burris bowed and doffed his cap as each carriage passed him by, and as soon as the wagon had followed, he closed the gates.
The gatehouse keeper fired two pistol shots in the air to send the lad waiting halfway to the house galloping toward the manor house to notify Mrs. Reynolds, the housekeeper, and Mr. Douglas, the butler, of the master and his guests’ imminent arrival.
Lizzy, with permission from her father, was riding in the Darcy carriage at the head of the convoy, accompanied by her William, Georgie, Mrs. Annesley, and Anne de Bourgh. Lizzy could barely contain her building excitement as she saw more and more of what would soon be her home.
On either side of the drive which led to the manor house was the most magnificent forest. Elizabeth could imagine endless rambles and rides on Mercury through these majestic trees. After thirty to forty minutes of rolling through the woods, the coach negotiated a turn toward the right, then started to ascend an incline.
The carriage was just short of the crest of the small hill when Darcy rapped on the roof with his cane and the coach came to a stop. Darcy was in anticipation as he assisted all but Lizzy to alight, and then he turned to Lizzy, and she took his hand as he led her from the carriage. As they started to walk the little distance left to the crest before she could see beyond it, William stopped, and Lizzy stopped with him.
“Do you trust me?” he asked quietly as he looked down into her eyes.
“With my life William!” was her emphatic answer.
“Then close your eyes and keep them closed until I request that you open them. Do you agree?” As he asked and she nodded her agreement, the twins, feeling the relief of stretching their legs, came running up the incline followed more sedately by the rest of the party. William stopped and waited for everyone to reach the crest before he led Lizzy to the front of the party where she would have a clear view of the valley below.
When he had her standing in the perfect spot he turned to her alone and leaned down, “Open your eyes, my Lizzy,” Darcy murmured close to her ear, then pulled back so she could have the view he’d been wanting to show her for a long, long time.
She blinked a little as her eyes adjusted to the sunshine, then she saw the most magnificent sight: “Oh my, of all of this I am to be mistress?” she gasped as she tried to absorb what she was seeing.
As Elizabeth surveyed the sight that greeted her, she couldn’t help but continuously return to the very large, handsome stone manor situated perfectly on rising ground. The stonework, the same used on most houses in the area, quarried and formed in the Peak District, seemed almost to glow with a golden hue as the sun light shone on the facade of the huge manor house.
