When he reached Pemberley, he checked in with his senior servants, thanked all for their help that day, and ordered cider and ale to be delivered as thanks to all the tenants and nearby residents who had stepped up to help search for Lodge. He was glad to receive a report from Richard that Wickham was exactly where he ought to be, with no reported time gaps that would allow a long jaunt to the Lake District.
Georgiana took one look at him, when he checked on her, and flung her arms around him. “You look exhausted, Brother,” she said.
“I have been better, though I have also been worse. I hope very much to receive word that Elizabeth will soon be back.”
It took hours more of waiting, fretting that he was sitting in comfort in Pemberley while Elizabeth may be God-knows-where, waiting for him to ransom her—but finally the rider who had taken his message and Elizabeth’s book of poetry to an inn in Kirby Lonsdale returned. The rider, a young man named Taylor, was brought to Darcy’s study.
Darcy had no idea what expression he wore, but Taylor hurried to assure him that all three travellers were well and had experienced no unexpected messages nor attempts of violence. Even though he had expected this news, the relief Darcy felt made him glad that he was sitting behind his desk; he was certain he could not have stayed standing, so great was his rush of emotion.
“And I am to give you this, sir,” Taylor said, a huge smile on his face.
What he held out in his hand was not a simple folded-and-sealed letter; it was a rather thick packet of papers folded at least three times, making a neat parcel that had been artfully sealed with red wax that had been moulded into the shape of a pair of lips.
Darcy blushed with more pleasure than embarrassment, and he thanked his servant with a measured look and the words, “I gather that you know that the delightfully playful woman who gave you this message for me will be the mistress of all my properties, and that she is also a serious leader, someone who is capable of making tough decisions, someone who deserves your obedience and respect.”
The young man adopted a solemn expression as he nodded. “Yes, sir, I do know all of that. I—I saw in her expression, as she read your message, the anger against those who would hurt you, the steel in her voice. She is…well, you have chosen a wonderful…”
He floundered, and Darcy took pity on Taylor, who seemed to be attempting to express fervent admiration for his soon-to-be mistress. He nodded as he said, “Yes, I have chosen very well indeed. And I chose you for this task because I know I can count on your discretion.”
Taylor nodded and before long retreated to the kitchens for his delayed dinner.
Nine
Alone again in his study,Darcy carefully removed the wax without breaking the shape, and he placed the lip-shape seal into the special locked box he kept in his bottom drawer. Darcy was startled to find that his eyes were moist as he unfolded his little parcel from Elizabeth.
In the very centre of the folded papers was a green satin ribbon tied with a double bow onto one of his beloved’s beautiful curls. Darcy held his token with reverence before looking further at the papers that had encased it.
My dearest Fitzwilliam,I am so looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. I have informed my aunt and uncle that I have already accepted your proposal, and that being away from you for all of these days has only made me more decided, more determined than ever to be wedded to the best of men.
I am already the happiest woman alive, considering that you have proposed twice—a feat unheard of in the annals of history and literature. The constancy of your feelings for me is a sort of roadmap to your character. I can see, whenI look for it, evidence of your constancy in everything that matters: your devotion to your sister, your care for your servants and tenants, your concern for your estates and family name, your hunger for justice tempered with mercy, your thirst for knowledge.
I feel so lucky to have seen, in addition to all of these virtues of upright character, of honour, of constancy, a more relaxed and playful side. Even when the letter you gave me in Hunsford made me realise that I had been entirely wrong about you, I still did not suspect you to be a man who would arrange pleasure jaunts and picnics and outings so carefully designed to meet my own inclinations.
I could not love any human more than I love you.
Always, in all ways, yours,
Elizabeth
Darcy felt…as if he could not possibly even begin to describe how he felt after reading Elizabeth’s letter. He quickly turned to the other pages in the parcel—one was a warm yet practical note from Gardiner outlining their travel plan for the next day, and the other was a sketch of a red deer in front of a lake—Windermere, Darcy suspected. Elizabeth had written at the bottom of the sketch, “I am wandering here, not at all lonely because I dearly love my aunt and uncle, but still, ultimately, as lonely as a cloud because I am far from you."
Darcy caught the reference to Wordsworth, and he smiled.
She is coming here tomorrow!he thought. Then he began writing orders that he would leave out for the servants, when they arose early in the morning. Cook was ordered to prepare a celebratory dinner, and Mrs Reynolds was tasked with extravagantly decorating with flowers the entrance hall and the guest rooms the Gardiners and Elizabeth had used before. Most importantly, Morris was authorised to gather a sort of honourguard of lightly armed men Darcy could ride with to meet the Gardiners’ carriage and to escort Elizabeth safely home.
Home, he thought, almost giddy with the thought that Pemberley soon would be, as he had so long yearned for, Elizabeth’s home.
As always, Darcy rose early. Instead of an early morning ride, he dressed carefully for an entire day of riding, and then he checked on the orders he had written the night before. It was clear that his instructions were understood, including the motivation for such a welcome: that they would be welcoming back to Pemberley the woman who would soon be their mistress. There was a holiday feel to the servants’ attendance to their responsibilities.
Darcy was too excited to eat, but he forced a moderate-sized breakfast down his throat. A fall from his horse before he reached Elizabeth would be humorous in a novel but quite the opposite in real life.
After eating, he stowed in saddlebags the copious amount of food and drink his servants felt he, personally, would need; Mrs Reynolds let him know that each member of his armed guard would be suitably supplied with their own comestibles. Darcy had a quick discussion with Morris. His steward had ordered a contingent of farmhands and tenants to attend to the safety of Pemberley itself, while he and the guards selected for the honour of seeing to Elizabeth’s safety rode out. It was an important day for all, Morris pointed out.
Darcy could not agree more.
Before long they were on their way. Darcy loved his early morning rides because he could give his steed its head and allowit to run freely at its top speed. Naturally, he could not do that on public roads, even those he knew as well as the road they started on their north-northwestward route. But he was able to guide Orion into a gallop and then lengthen the reins a bit because Orion also knew the road to the Lake District.
It was a beautiful day for a ride. Crisp and cool in the morning, but sunny enough that it was likely to be quite a warm afternoon, Darcy revelled in the rolling hills and moorland, the peaks of Mam Tor and High Neb becoming a distant backdrop as he rode through picturesque valleys and crossed burbling streams. He slowed down as he passed through villages, as always taking the time to check out the wells, which were “dressed” with pictures made from petals and leaves and moss, and courteously tipping his hat at anyone they passed.
