As soon as I know the direction, I will write to you again. We will be there for a little more than a month, so a correspondence, if that is what you wish, will be possible. If I do not receive a reply from you once we are situated at the lakes, I will understand you do not desire for us to write to one another, and I will not think ill of you if that is your choice.
For me the highlight so far will be a visit to the Bodleian Library on the morrow. I am sure I have mentioned my love of books to you. Hence, for me to see the library that Sir Thomas Bodley founded in 1602 will be a great treat. Can you imagine a place which houses millions of books and manuscripts?
Also on the morrow, we will tour Blenheim Castle and other great houses over the following days as we travel north. I will admit to you, my friend, that although I will enjoy seeing the estates as we travel, nothing will come close to exciting my interest like the library at Oxford. Please apologise to Mr Darcy for me, as I am so keen to visit Oxford when Iknow he is a Cambridge man.
Perhaps Mrs Reynolds and Richard were right. Surely she would not joke about him in that way if his reading of her being disgusted with him had been correct, would she? The wealth which would be on display in the houses she was to visit was not as important to her as seeing the library at thatotherschool. This was one of the things he loved about her. She was anything but a fortune hunter. With a grin on his lips, Darcy returned to the letter.
Do you and your brother know that my uncle’s business is assisting your cousin, Miss de Bourgh, to remove all of your aunt’s ‘treasured’ items from her home? I understand Miss de Bourgh staged a legal coup d’état and removed Lady Catherine from the reins of power at Rosings Park. As the estate belongs to your cousin, I can only congratulate her for asserting her rights.
Uncle Edward is sure he will sell everything for more money than your aunt spent on them in the first place. There is no accounting for taste, is there?
I must away to prepare for dinner.
Before I do, please give my regards to your brother, and if you see him, Colonel Fitzwilliam.
Your friend,
Lizzy
Darcy knew he was grinning like a fool. The little bits she had written about him were not the words of one who was disgusted with him. The only problem was that it seemed he would have to wait the best part of two months before he saw her again.
“Gigi, when you write back once Miss Elizabeth informs you of her direction at the lakes, you will give her my warmest regards, will you not?” Darcy asked. He could, ofcourse, request the use of the Fitzwilliams’ house near Lake Windermere, but he decided against that. Things were still too tentative with Miss Elizabeth, and the last thing he wanted was for her to feel like he was pressuring her.
“Of course, I will, William.” Gigi smiled. Could it be that Elizabeth would be her sister one day? She certainly hoped so.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The two Gardiner carriages reached the Rose and Crown Inn in Lambton on Saturday, the twentieth day of June. They arrived a day later than anticipated because their travel was slower than originally planned.
That afternoon and evening, Maddie and Edward met with one of Maddie’s very good friends in the town while their nieces rested.
Jane and Elizabeth needed some time without any planned activities after seeing so many great houses on their way to Lambton. That is not to say that they did not enjoy seeing everything; they just appreciated some time without anything to do. When their aunt and uncle gave them the option of seeing Chatsworth or having an afternoon to themselves, the two sisters chose the latter.
The thing that fascinated Elizabeth most the further they travelled north was the changing landscape around her. Derbyshire was the wildest she had seen so far, and when they had been lucky enough to see the Peaks for the first time, she had been greatly excited.
As Elizabeth had not raised the issue of the Darcys and Pemberley since she had written her letter, Maddie had not mentioned they were only five miles from that estate.
What she could not have known was that thanks to the burnt structures having been demolished, plans approved, and building about to commence, Darcyhad elected to take his sister into Lambton on Saturday afternoon for them both to peruse the wares of the bookseller.
He wanted to see if any new tomes which he did not already own had arrived since his last visit. Georgiana was interested in any new sheet music. After both Darcys found several items to purchase, they went to the tearoom at the Rose and Crown Inn. The Darcy coach had just pulled away when the Gardiner parents returned from their call.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The next morning, the travellers made their way to All Saint’s Church for Sabbath services.
They had no way of knowing that by a quirk of fate, Mr and Miss Darcy decided to attend the church at Kympton this week. As he was the patron of the churches in Lambton and Kympton, when he was home, Darcy would attend them on alternate Sundays. The previous Sabbath, he had attended All Saints, making it Kympton on this Sunday.
While the Darcys spent a quiet rest on Sunday at Pemberley, the four travellers were with Maddie’s best friend and her family for the afternoon and evening.
On Monday morning, the carriages departed the Rose and Crown Inn before the sun was up. They would travel to Warrington in Lancashire and spend the night. The next morning, they would once again depart at first light and make for Bailrigg, also in Lancashire, where they would overnight.
Everything went according to plan, and on Wednesday morning, they departed Bailrigg in the early morning for Bowness-on-Windermere in Westmorland, which was less than forty miles away.
That day’s travelling was very exciting to the Bennet sisters, as part of the way, especially from Bolton-le-Sands and Carnforth, the ocean could be seen in the distance. Granted, itwas Morecambe Bay, but neither Jane nor Elizabeth had ever seen the sea before, so to them, it was the fulfilment of a dream to see the vast expanse of water.
Gardiner had his coachman drive to the agent’s offices first where he alighted to notify the agent they had arrived and to make sure the house was staffed and ready for them. Assured all was well and armed with the direction, which he handed to the coachman, Gardiner boarded the conveyance and struck the ceiling. It was less than ten minutes to the house, aptly named Lakeshore House. The shore of the lake was where the garden of the house ended.
They actually arrived at the rear of the house, as it had been built so the front faced the lake in order to provide the best views possible of Lake Windermere.
