Twenty minutes later, she was washed and asleep scarcely before her head touched the pillow.
The maid had asked if she could endure five minutes to pin a dress for preparation for the morrow.
Elizabeth had little enthusiasm for the scheme but thought it her duty to allow the staff to present their de facto mistress in her best light.
Dressing Room
“Miss Bennet, it is time to wake up.”
Elizabeth awoke with a start, blinking blearily at the maid who had gently roused her. “It is seven o’clock; you asked to be called.”
Elizabeth nodded, fully alert the moment she realised there were things to be done. She was surprisingly refreshed; were the beds at Pemberley magic?
“Thank you! My apologies, I did not catch your name.”
The maid, a kindly woman of forty, replied, “You did not miss it, ma’am. I was visiting tenants for Mrs Reynolds on the other side of the estate. I returned late last night.”
Elizabeth was no longer surprised that Pemberley took care of its tenants, whether Mr Darcy was in attendance or not. It was simply the way of the estate.
The maid gave a small curtsy which might have seemed foolish with Elizabeth still lying in bed, yet she made it appear the proper thing to do. “I am Molly Stewart, ma’am. If you have no objection, I should like to serve as your lady’s maid.”
“I have no objection, though I hardly believe I need one for more than a dozen minutes per day. Should I address you as ‘Molly,’ ‘Stewart,’ or something else?”
“‘Stewart’ would be perfect, ma’am, and I will dispute the dozen minutes.”
Elizabeth laughed. “I see you have heard the rumours of the disagreeable dragon lady. Or perhaps you know how frightful my hair is to control, or my extreme particularity in all matters of dress.”
Molly smiled. “Perhaps I need to catch up on the gossip. My friends neglected to mention any of those things, but the day is young.”
“Well, what shall we do with our dozen minutes?”
“I took the liberty of bringing you a tray. Stockton said you did not eat nearly enough last night. I do not know your preferences, so we brought a variety. Once you finish, you should try on your dress. The sleeves and length were hemmed last night, but the bodice requires attention. I will see to it while you bathe.”
A bath was a heavenly prospect, so she put on a dressing gown. She knew not which rooms she occupied, save that they lay in the family wing, and she looked about with delight.
It was a large, well-proportioned room, handsomely fitted up. Elizabeth went to a window to enjoy its prospect. The hill, crowned with wood, which they had descended in the rain the previous day, receiving increased abruptness from the distance, was a beautiful object. Every disposition of the ground was good; and she looked on the whole scene—the river, the trees scattered on its banks, and the winding of the valley, as far as she could trace it—with delight.
The rain had ceased, and it had all the appearance of a fine day, though the ground would obviously be muddy. From the window, Elizabeth smiled in wonder. She had seen Pemberley reasonably well through a short break in the rain the previous day from across the valley, though at the time she had not made the effort to truly appreciate it.
She recalled the view: a large, handsome stone building, standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills; and in front, a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance. She had never seen the like; and of course, those benefits had at the time been entirely superseded by being a place that was warm and dry.
Resigned to the impossibility of wandering, she went into the sitting room to begin her day. There she found a tray with every variety of breakfast imaginable.
“I cannot possibly eat all this.”
“Do not worry; eat what you wish.”
Not normally given to a large breakfast, Elizabeth sat to nibble at the porridge, but soon found the bowl empty, along with several slices of ham, an egg, half a dozen rolls, a cup of coffee, and another of chocolate.
“I imagine I was hungrier than I thought.”
“Yes, ma’am. Now, we have time to pin the dress before your bath.”
“Truly, that dress does not need work. I wore one of Miss Darcy’s dresses yesterday, and it was perfectly adequate.”
Stewart looked stern. “‘Perfectly Adequate’will not do for the mistress of this house, Miss Bennet.”
Surprised she was not snapping at the maid, Elizabeth said kindly, “I amnotthe mistress of this house—simply helping Miss Darcy.”
