After they shook hands the men found Lady Gardiner in the family sitting room. She was informed of the excellent and ‘completely unexpected’ news and joined her husband in welcoming William to the family.
“Will it not flaunt propriety for Lizzy to stay at Pemberley with her betrothed?” Gardiner asked his wife in true concern.
“Not in my estimation, Edward,” his wife replied with an amused smile. “It is not as if Lizzy was staying there with no chaperones, there is a plethora of them. There are six teenage girls, most of whom are sisters to one or the other and those that are not are very close cousins, four companions, and the ever-vigilant and widowed Mrs Charlotte Collins. The one restriction that I would add, and not because I believe either you or my niece would cross that line, but rather to take any avenue of gossip away, is that her lady’s maid sleep in the bedchamber with her.”
“I will have a single bed moved in for the maid to be able to sleep in comfort.” William bowed to her. “Lady Gardiner and Sir Edward, you have my solemn pledge as a gentleman that my behaviour will be honourable at all times!” Darcy stated with clear conviction.
“Perfect,” replied Lizzy’s Uncle, “except as you are to be family no more of this Sir and Lady nonsense. Call me Gardiner or Uncle.” Gardiner again held his hand to the nephew who had had to travel the hardest road to earn her love so he would treasure his niece. He wondered if perhaps the Marquess who had snagged their Mary was the one who would be happiest. Given the letter recently received from Bennet recounting the day the couple requested to forego the remainder of the courtship period that was standing in the way of the inevitable. Well, that is how Mary termed it when she talked with her father the following day.
“For me, William, either Madeline or Aunt Maddie will be acceptable,” Lady Gardiner smiled at her soon to be nephew. “I assume that the two of you have not yet spoken about a wedding date?”
“No Aunt Maddie, we have not,” Darcy agreed, trying the new appellation on for size. “Is it too late to ask that you and Gardiner join us for dinner tonight to celebrate our betrothal and we can discuss that and other things?” He looked from her to Gardiner. After a nod from his wife, his soon to be uncle smiled as he nodded once.
“Thank you, William. We will leave here after the children are done with their lessons and have a short rest. I will send an express to my brother to inform him that I have approved the request as he authorised me to do. At least my brother and sister will still have three daughters at home for the foreseeable future.” He chuckled as he could hear his sister’s excitement at the prospect of grandchildren. She would been more forlorn at three daughters leaving home in quick succession if not for the gift of Helen Jacobson.
After another round of congratulations Darcy cantered back to Pemberley. Now that the urgency of seeking approval had been lifted, he did not want to push Zeus too hard after the gallop to Dovedale. When he returned to the drawing room it was very much as he left it, full of ladies excitedly talking about weddings, but now that one was his, he could tolerate it a lot better. Weddings were exciting for those who loved the bride or groom and especially when it was to be a love match, as his was. Suddenly the reason for his uncle’s, and other married men he knew, preoccupation with the wellbeing of their family became clear. All it took was for Darcy to be on the cusp of starting his own family to understand.
The following day Aunt Madeline joined Lizzy and Charlotte as Mrs Reynolds led them on a tour of the rooms in the mistress’s suite which would soon be hers. Lizzy was amazed at the size of the chambers that she entered via the left-hand door of the shared sitting room that was between the chambers of both the mistress and the master. It consisted of an enormous bedchamber with a sitting area that led out onto a balcony overlooking the rear of the house and the trees on the rising hill that became part of a verdant forest on the crest of the hill. There was a walk-in closet, that when added to the dressing room exceeded the size of her bedchamber at Longbourn before it was renovated.
Elizabeth imagined what it would look like with her gowns hanging within and how they would be organized. Surely the day dresses would be closest to the front in case she ever needed to quickly change as all new mothers are want to do. As she considered if everyone could see her blush, it burned hotter when she saw the enormous brass tub in the bathing room off her dressing room, one larger than she had ever seen and much larger than she would need. Her blush had deepened when she realised that this tub could easily fit both her and her betrothed, and she wanted not to run, but rather to demand it be filled. ‘Oh my, I am just betrothed and already I have wanton thoughts, what will become of me?’ Elizabeth asked herself as she blushed crimson for all to see.
The mistress’s chambers had not been updated in over thirty years, so this was the only room in which Lizzy, in consultation with her Aunt, Charlotte, and Mrs Reynolds, planned a major redecorating effort, requesting that all items be saved for William and especially Georgiana to decide to keep or discard.
“Mrs Reynolds, if Georgiana wants to come in and select her pieces and William wants to save but one or two things, please make sure everything is stored or gifted to someone in the parish who has the need, but if neither choose all three vases, could one be left? I would like to keep fresh flowers in one as a thank you to Lady Anne for her gift of William and Georgiana, so she knows I appreciate them as she had hoped one day a lady would, and as a promise to us both that I will always do so,” Elizabeth requested as she lightly touched the two on the tables by the windows and the one on the table in the dressing room. “What were her favourite flowers, Mrs Reynolds?” She asked, her smile honest and sweet when she turned to look at the housekeeper, eyes wide with alarm when she saw Mrs Reynolds crying and holding her aunt’s hand and Charlotte’s.
“I don’t think I have ever heard of any woman doing that when she is redecorating the mistress’s chambers,” Lady Gardiner said proud of the depth of her niece’s feelings. “Maybe a favourite garden that the predecessor had planted stays under the care of a gardener, but this gesture I have never heard of, even when one has met their mother-in-law and they have bonded. I can but hope to inspire that when my sons marry.” Aunt Maddie beckoned Elizabeth over and she was hugged by all three women, the moment transcending society, roles, and rules, just the joy of having her in their lives.
“Lady Anne loved her roses above all other flowers. We have them year-round at Pemberley as the gardeners keep a selection growing in the conservatory,” the choked-up housekeeper answered as the ladies transitioned to the shared sitting room.
“I cannot imagine you changing a thing in here, Eliza. This is precisely the sitting room I would have designed with you in mind but for an extra pillow to throw when you need Mr Darcy’s attention and do not want to get up,” Charlotte teased as they returned to the sitting room, Elizabeth’s laugh filling it with unaffected joy.
“You are right the room is otherwise perfect. Mrs Reynolds, two additional pillows for the sofa, not one. If he is lost in Homer as I sometimes get, a second one may be required and I will not want to give up the one I am lounging on.” Lizzy smiled brightly at her friend and Mrs Reynolds laughed as she took the note. Whether or not Lady Elizabeth meant it, they would be added to her settee. The room truly did not need any changes as William used it all the time therefore it was up to date and very comfortable. “I love the furniture and colours, and especially the fact that there are bookcases so that there will always be reading material for myself and William here,” she said wistfully.
“I do agree with Charlotte, Lizzy. This is the perfect proof that you and William are so perfectly matched,” Lady Gardiner winked at Charlotte as they had privately agreed that it had taken too long for Elizabeth and William to come to the point but had suspected it would happen once Lizzy was there for more than an hour. As it happened, it had taken two so Charlotte had won the last chocolate truffle from the box they had procured before they left London.
They proceeded into the master’s chambers, which Lizzy believed perfectly epitomised her William. The décor was very masculine, the walls hunter green with some light browns. Lizzy blushed all over again when she saw that the bed in his bedchamber was the biggest that she could ever remember seeing. Her escorts noticed what she was looking at and her blush so they all turned and looked elsewhere. William had a bathing room as well, but his brass tub was of a size that would only hold one. Elizabeth felt warm all over as she knew that she was looking at the bed that they would share at Pemberley.
Chapter 31
Two days later, his brother’s personal courier arrived at Bennet Park with two deliveries; a thin one from Gardiner and a much thicker one from Lizzy. Suspecting what the news was, while surprised by the speed the deed seemed to have been accomplished, Lord Longbourn took the expresses with him into the drawing room where his wife, his only daughter in the house currently, and the Rhys-Davies were seated, coincidently also discussing wedding plans, clearing his throat to get the attention of the room.
“I have just received two expresses from Derbyshire, one from Gardiner and one from Lizzy. She is the one that always seems to send me epically astonishing expresses when she is away. When he put them side by side, he noticed a ‘1’ next to Gardiner’s seal and a ‘2’ next to the Darcy seal on Lizzy’s missive. Following the numbers, he broke the Gardiner seal first and read aloud for all to hear the news with him:
Dovedale
Derbyshire
8 July 1812
Brother and Sister,
As you ceded authority to me to consent or deny a betrothal request for Lizzy, this missive will cause no genuine alarm or be met with true surprise. William came to see me this day and requested permission to marry our Lizzy.
As sure as we are that she would never agree to that which is unacceptable to her, I waited until I spoke to her before I sent this to you. It took no time at all to determine that she is being granted her heart’s desire.
We agreed that she can continue to stay at Pemberley as there are so many chaperones in residence, not the least of whom is Mrs Charlotte Collins. To make sure that there is not even the appearance of impropriety, Maddy insisted, and it was agreed with no resistance from anyone, that Miss Arseneault will sleep in Lizzy’s bedchamber until we all depart Pemberley. If you have any amendment to what we have agreed to, please have my courier bring your response to me forthwith.
Your brother,
