The party ambled into the house where the arriving guests were shown to their chambers by Mrs Hill and their hostess, the nursemaids and governesses were directed to the large nursery. It was decided that as Lily was only two years younger than Lydia, she would have a bedchamber and no longer sleep in the nursery. She was very excited that she would be part of the group of girls going forward, not in the nursery with her younger brothers and sister.
The other six girls accepted her as a peer and did not treat her like an interloper. Lily was very sanguine that they did not treat her that way. She was extra careful to make sure that her behaviour warranted the way that the older girls were relating to her. She very quickly found that she liked her new cousin Helen very well.
Two hours later, the now sizable party met in the largest drawing room before dinner, which was quite a raucous affair that night as friends and family caught up on the lives of their loved ones.
After dinner, when the ladies were sitting in the drawing room while the men were busy with their libations and tobacco, the three Gardiner and two Fitzwilliam children were brought down from the nursery to wish their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins good night. Almost eleven-year-old James Gardiner was gifted with the knowledge that John Lucas, just over two years his senior, would be with his mother and other ladies that were invited to tea on the morrow. James and John had become close over the years during visits to Longbourn. After hugs and kisses, the children were herded back up to the nursery. Her younger brother was not envious of the fact that Lily had permanently vacated the nursery. He would miss her, but he knew that his time would come soon enough. As Mama always told him, ‘childhood is a very precious time in your life and once it is gone, it is gone.’
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The large group of riders left Bennet Park in the early morning not long after the sun rose. Lily was on a Bennet horse as was Helen, who did not know it yet but was soon to receive her own mare. The group consisted of one married couple, one betrothed, two courting couples, seven girls, and a bevy of companions, grooms, and footmen. The three older couples had demurred and were spending the morning together at the house. They rode across the land of all three estates to circumvent Meryton. While the escorts and chaperones waited for them, the group climbed the path to the crest of Oakham Mount. There they looked down on the three Bennet Estates, which stretched farther than the horizon on three sides, and the sleepy market town of Meryton. It was not an exaggeration to state that the Bennets owned a good portion of Hertfordshire and were, by far, the single biggest landowner in the shire.
After they descended and joined the waiting retainers, they rode to a very pretty glade at Bennet Fields. There was good natural shade, a pleasant area of soft grass, and an undulating stream that bordered the glade on one side. The footmen spread blankets while the six companions situated the spread that had been brought along to break their fasts. There was fresh bread and rolls, cold ham and beef, cheeses, and fresh fruits, with flagons of water and milk to drink.
The Fitzwilliam brothers and their ladies sat on one blanket, and the girls and their companions sat on two blankets that had been placed end to end. Mary and Hugh found a log to sit on, and as for the last two, they decided to walk along the bank of the stream, one a great walker and the other who would follow her anywhere. It was such a pleasant day and Lady Elizabeth wanted to enjoy a little stroll before sitting to break her fast, a footman and companion available if they decided to leave the immediate area. They started off in companionable silence.
“Either you have not forgiven me completely or you are not sure if the changes that you see in me are permanent and are worried that the taciturn, arrogant hypocrite will emerge once again,” Darcy stated bluntly. It seemed to Elizabeth as if he had mind reading capability.
“Have you been speaking to Mary?” Lizzy asked with no little consternation that Mary could have breached her confidences in that way.
“Indeed not Elizabeth.” Darcy was confused that she would ask if he had spoken to her sister. “I would never discuss something so personal, except with you. Other than in greeting, I have not had the pleasure of a conversation with Mary since we were all in Town together.”
Lizzy stared at her suitor as if she was trying to see into the depths of his soul, ‘Is this man a lot more perceptive and self-aware than I have thus far given him credit for? I know that he will not lie to me, and it was unjust to think Mary would speak to anyone about a conversation that we held in confidence.’ She shook her head as a mental reset and turned to her company. “I must apologise, William. After all of the wrong-headed assumptions and beliefs that I jumped to before Hunsford, one would think that I would be more circumspect. It is just that I was asking myself those same questions when I spoke to Mary recently. My only excuse is that I underestimated your power of perception and that caused me to jump to a conclusion with no facts to support it.”
“At least you are giving my suit serious consideration and have not yet decided irrevocably against me.” He gave her a smile as they stopped walking and faced each other, one dimple revealed, but not the other and she felt the deprivation of not seeing both, as he was so very attractive when he smiled in such a way.
As he paused, he looked into her fine eyes, wishing that he was allowed to kiss those lips that called to him, then the nape of her neck, and what he would not give… “There is no need for you to apologise,” he cleared his throat as he regulated his thoughts. “I can see how it would disconcert you for me to come so very close to a discussion that you had with Mary and for you to make the assumption that you did. If the roles were reversed, I would have made the same leap as you.”
“Why do you have to be so understanding?” She was looking into his eyes as she asked the question, getting more and more lost in those penetrating, dark deep cerulean orbs.
“I speak nothing but the truth. I did not contrive to say that to please you, it is my genuine belief.” He intended to stop talking as he did not want to push, then decided to continue. “Your reticence is wholly understandable. Although at the time I was blind to it, you did not like me, nay you thought me the worst kind of blackguard. Yes, some was based on lies and manipulation, but it was my own arrogant behaviour that opened the door for you to want to believe the worst of me.
“It is an indisputable fact that in many ways I have changed, while at the same time returning to be the man that my parents would be proud of. It was at first the shock of seeing the truth in your reproofs to me. However, when Georgie and the Fitzwilliams pointed out how certain aspects of my behaviour mirrored my aunt’s, it felt like I had been kicked with all of the power of a stallion’s hind legs.
“The changes that I have affected are not foryourbenefit, they are for my own. Regardless of the success or lack thereof of my suit, I willNEVERreturn to be the man that I was. It would shatter my heart into a million shards if you were to ultimately deny me; I will not lie about that, but I will never cease striving to be a better man either way.” He shuddered at the thought of life without her but was sincere as he made this point clear wanting to explain that while she was the catalyst, he saw the need to better all aspects of his behaviour.
“I believe you, William. I am not ready to give you an answer yet. The answer is very close. You must know that I would never toy with your affections. Had I not believed that there was a better than good chance that I would accept a proposal from you at the end of it, I would not have agreed for you to court me.” As she reassured him, she rested her hand on his arm gently and both felt the frisson caused by the touch. “It is safe for me to promise that you will know what I have decided before Anne’s wedding.”
Both felt a lot better about the course of their courtship and for the first time Lizzy openly acknowledged to herself that it was all over bar the open admission. She was falling in love with Fitzwilliam Darcy, of that she was no longer in doubt.
After all had their fill, they mounted their horses and made a slow walk into an open field, then those that were accomplished riders gave their mounts their head, riding at full gallop from one end of the field to the other. They cantered back so as to not overtax their mounts to where Helen, Kitty, and Lily were awaiting them. The next stop for the group was Meryton. Although the Bennet’s wealth and elevation was now common knowledge, none of the residents had ever thought to see so many thoroughbreds together ridden by so many members of the first circles.
The group dismounted in the centre of the town, passing the care of their horses to the grooms. They broke into groups to explore the town. By the time they were done, the townspeople had discovered what Lady Lucas now knew, that the elevation had not changed the Bennet girls and none of the highborn friends with them looked down on any they encountered. All found them to be very pleasant.
The denizens of the town thought that they were in an alternate reality. The proud, taciturn, and arrogant Mr Darcy from Derbyshire was pleasant to all with whom he crossed paths! With warmth he greeted anyone that greeted him, and even initiated greetings with some he remembered from his first visit to the area. They began to understand why Lady Elizabeth had agreed to let the man court her.
The merchants were ecstatic at the biggest single day increase of sales that any of them could remember for a long time. Except for items that were not available locally, the Bennets were purchasing what they needed from the local merchants. As more of the wedding guests started to arrive, the volume of sales in Meryton increased. Those guests new to the town could now understand why the Earl of Longbourn wanted to stay in the area and left the townsfolk very impressed with them as they rode the final two miles back to Bennet Park.
Helen in particular was keen to get back as she was sure that the courier would have returned with more letters for her from her Papa and brother. Every day she felt more at home with the Bennets. She had two families and she loved them both. She was waiting to hear the answer to her request that they be allowed to visit Janet’s Well a few days before Miss de Bourgh’s wedding. It would not be much out of the way as Rosings Park was not far from the border that was common to Kent and Surrey, and the estate that she grew up on was but ten miles from that border. She knew that it would be difficult for both her Papa and herself, but she was sure that if she were not able to say goodbye in person, she would regret it for the rest of her life. There was the added benefit that she would see Tim again and be able to introduce some of her new family to her birth family.
When they returned, there was, in fact, a letter from her father. As soon as she was able, she repaired to her bedchamber where her new lady’s maid, Miss Janet Jeffries, assisted her to change out of her riding habit and into one of her new day dresses. As soon as she was dressed, she dismissed her maid and tore open the seal. She scanned the missive and let out a very unladylike ‘whoop’ as she read the words that she had been hoping for. ‘Thank you, Papa, I do not think you know just how much this means to me!’ He prepared her, explaining that he had shed a lot of his weight and that he looked quite gaunt, though he assured her that other than some pains he was well most of the time. Unless she told him otherwise, they would be expected on the final Wednesday in July.
A very excited girl found Mr Darcy, she was not used to calling him William yet as he intimidated her somewhat, sitting and talking to Georgie, Tiffany, and Lizzy. Once she explained her request to him, he told her that as long as her guardians agreed, they would arrive at Janet’s Well on the appointed day. The sought permission was granted with alacrity and the plans were set. Helen also requested of Lizzy that she travel into Surrey with them so that she may see Janet’s Well. After a little consideration, and to the delight of everyone concerned, Lizzy acquiesced to Helen’s request.
In addition to Lady Lucas and Hattie Phillips, Mrs Long, Mrs Goulding, and their nieces and daughters had been invited to afternoon tea. As soon as he was excused, John Lucas was joined by James Gardiner, with a maid in tow, and they went to play outside where they had spied some ideal trees to be climbed.
The local ladies who had not seen Fanny Bennet since her elevation, felt trepidation about the manner in which they would be received, especially because it was known that Fanny was not the only Countess at the tea. There would be a number of titled personages present. If they had asked Lady Sarah, they would have known there was no reason to fret and soon found out that Lady Longbourn was as friendly as she always had been and did not want them to use her title when speaking to her. After they were introduced to Ladies Matlock and Hilldale, it was easy to see that those ladies were open and friendly and did not look down their noses at them in the way a certain Miss used to when she had been a tenant of what was then Netherfield Park.
The two Long nieces and two Goulding daughters were welcomed by all of the younger ladies and girls that they were introduced to. The two suitors and one betrothed man were back at Bennet Fields and would return an hour or so before dinner.
