In London, an invitation for the Bennets to join the Darcys for dinner the night they arrived in Town had been received and accepted. The Bennets walked across the square and were announced by Killion at six o’clock in the evening. Just before they sat in the drawing room, Darcy requested and was granted a private audience with his betrothed from her father on condition that his study door was left partially open. When she walked in, as all women seem too quickly be able to, Elizabeth spied a velvet covered ring box on his desk. Darcy opened it and Elizabeth was taken aback by the beauty that she beheld. In the centre of the ring was an oval cut giant emerald surrounded by diamonds that were not small themselves. Her betrothed was very pleased to see the approval in her eyes.
“William, thank you, this is a ring that any woman would desire,” Lizzy gasped.
“It was my mother’s,” he choked up a little as he thought of her in this moment wishing she was here to meet his Elizabeth, “and only an exceptional ring would do for my exceptional betrothed, my love.” They shared some very deep, and none too chaste, kisses before he helped his beloved put herself to rights. “Would you be available in the morn for a more extensive tour of your future home? I would also like to give us more than just the hour before dinner so you can determine what needs to be changed or what requires adjustments.” He smiled when she blushed as she wondered what his suite would look like here at Darcy house.
“I will confirm with Mama, but I believe that we can be here even before nuncheon. Is ten o’clock available for you or do you have other addresses to pay then, William?” she teased him back, smiling when she gained his laugh.
“That would be perfect, my love. I will let Mrs Killion know that I need her to help conduct a tour for her soon to be mistress on the morrow.” As he was about to guide her out, he caught sight of the settlement draft. “If you would, my love, would you ask your father to join me in my study?” She nodded, kissing his cheek after he had sat at his desk then made her way out to inform her papa.
Bennet entered the study with a questioning look and Darcy handed him the draft settlement just to avoid any question of his sanity being lost and choosing to break the engagement. He wanted it signed as quickly as possible as it would then no longer be an unfinished task regarding the legalities of his marriage to his Elizabeth. But first, he wanted Bennet to review it. Bennet would send it to Norman and James on the morrow for one of his solicitors to review.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
At the agreed upon time the next morning, Lady Longbourn and her second oldest daughter were shown into Darcy House where the master, Georgie, and Mrs Killion were awaiting them. After a few words of greeting and to verify all her soon to be sisters were well, Georgie joined Mrs Annesley in the music room.
The tour of Darcy House that she had not seen on her first visit was everything that Lizzy had hoped for. Like Pemberley, Darcy House exuded understated elegance. The furnishings in the house were of excellent taste and comfortable, nothing unnecessarily ostentatious, opulent, or gaudy. Lizzy and her mother gave the housekeeper a list of changes to be made as they went along which included minor updates to a small number of the guest chambers that had not been updated since the previous Mrs Darcy had been mistress of the house.
Mrs Killion expected nothing less, having conducted the first tour with her future mistress and had received a report from Mrs Hannah Reynolds, who confirmed what she had said when Lady Elizabeth had first seen Darcy House. Mrs Killion shivered with disgust as she thought about the household changes that one such as that horrid Bingley woman would have made had the master been addled brained enough to give one of her ilk the chance.
Lady Elizabeth could see that the furniture and decoration in what would soon be her chambers, as well as the shared sitting room in the master suite, were old and worn. Her betrothed informed her that he never used the sitting room in the master suite at Darcy House and had not intended to while he was single. Lizzy chose a palette of colours in various shades of green and some nice complimentary blues with just a touch of gold for the walls. She and Lady Longbourn agreed to accompany him two days hence to the famous furniture maker Chippendale, a Gardiner and Associates company, to order a complete new set of furniture for her bed chamber and the shared sitting room as they had not yet any other fixed plans connected to the wedding.
As Elizabeth considered the colour schemes for the guest rooms, which would all be in the richer tones rather than the paler tones she knew would be in Jane’s guest rooms, Lady Longbourn offered yet another prayer of thanks for the wonders her family experienced each day. There were no vulgar effusions about the quality of the rooms or the costs of the furniture, the house, or the decorative pieces.
Lizzy was amazed at the collections of art on display in the house and tomes in the library, especially as she thought about the library at Pemberley that was many times larger than the one at the townhouse. The art at Darcy House was a mere fraction of the collection housed at the estate. Lady Elizabeth smiled as she thought about the pleasure that her father would derive from their libraries.
Darcy House was a house of five stories with a very similar configuration to that of Bennet House. When Lady Longbourn commented on the similarities, Darcy explained that the Grosvenor family, who had owned the land and built the townhouses that created what was now known as Grosvenor Square about a hundred and fifty years earlier, had built two sizes of townhouses. The houses that were built with the same dimensions were very similar in layout unless the owners had undertaken major renovations and neither Darcy nor Bennet House had other than a few minor modifications as benefited the owners through the decades. Darcy and Bennet Houses, like Matlock House, were the larger version of the homes built. The larger houses were close to half a size bigger than the smaller versions that were built.
The very last set of chambers that they toured were those belonging to the master of the house. Lizzy loved how the room exuded masculinity and were decorated in a similar palette of colours as were his chambers at Pemberley. The bedchamber had a twin of the enormous four-poster bed she had seen at the estate. She blushed, just like she had when she saw its twin, as she thought that soon it would be their suite and, in all likelihood, she would spend a lot, if not all, of hersleeptime in this bed when they were in Town. She hoped William would want to share a bed every night.
In his bathing room she saw the biggest brass tub she thought that she had ever seen, until it struck her that she had seen an identical tub in the mistress’s bathing room at Pemberley. As she remembered that these tubs were built to fit two people, she blushed from head to toe in colours that she had not believed possible before. It was not lost on her that Darcy was blushing furiously as well just like he had at Pemberley when she had stared at the tub there.
On completion of the very comprehensive tour and once she was certain that she had returned to a normal colour, Elizabeth and her mother made their way back to the drawing room with William.
As soon as they entered, she was accosted by a very enthusiastic future sister. “What did you think Lizzy? Do you like Darcy House as much as you like Pemberley? Are there a lot of changes to be made? I remember that you asked for very few changes at Pemberley.”
“Slow down Georgie,” said Elizabeth as she took her soon to be sister’s hand and led her to a settee. Once seated she continued as her mother and betrothed listened with interest. “The house is all that is lovely, and yes, I like Darcy House very much indeed and I am sure that I will love living here when we are in town. If it had the forests and walking and riding paths that Pemberley has, then I would like it just as much as I do Pemberley!” She teased her newest sister. “I should not say that I prefer one over the other, but I will always prefer the country to Town. No Georgie, there are but few changes to make outside of what will be my personal chambers and the shared sitting room. Before the renovations are made to my future chambers, and only if you would like to as I offered you at Pemberley, please go retrieve any mementos you desire that remind you of your dear late mother.”
“Thank you, Lizzy,” Georgie whispered as she held Lizzy’s hand tighter as a single tear rolled down her cheek. “I was only three when Mama passed, but I would love some things that used to belong to her so I can feel nearer to her in my chambers.”
Darcy watched the scene unfold with unbridled happiness. He knew with certainty that his mother, Lady Anne Darcy, would have loved and approved of his betrothed without reservation, as his honoured departed father, Mr George Darcy would have.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
At Brookfield in Derbyshire, Jane had employed the butler’s wife as the estate’s seamstress. With that addition and with the additional maids, under-gardeners, and footmen that had been added to the staff, the staffing needs were complete. It was no longer just a house but a home. Although both Jane and Richard could speak passable French, her maid, Antoinette de Chambé, was not unhappy that Lady Elizabeth’s maid would soon be at Pemberley, as the two maids had gotten close over the time that they had served the two eldest Bennet daughters. It did not hurt that Pemberley employed a French chef either.
Jane was meeting with her housekeeper when a note arrived from her mother-in-law to let them know that she, Marie, and the grandchildren would be leaving the next day for London to assist with plans for Mary and Lizzy’s double wedding. The men had planned to follow a week later. After consulting Richard, they changed their plans to depart with the ladies and children for London.
Richard had worked with Lefroy to accomplish all he had intended. He and his steward had implemented many changes and the estate was starting to run like a well drilled cavalry unit, so there were no matters to prevent him from joining Jane’s early departure to London.
A return note was sent to the Countess informing her of their arrival on the morrow by six in the morning to join them on the journey to London. Jane sent a note to Charlotte at Pemberley, who having spent two days at Brookfield, had just returned, to let her know that they were leaving earlier than planned.
While visiting with Jane, Charlotte had been invited to travel with the Fitzwilliams into Surrey. Charlotte was glad to have the company for the trip so she could not stay quiet with her own thoughts. When that happened, she always got worried about whether or not it was all true and needed it to be. When in Jane’s company, her innate pleasure and goodness helped Charlotte remember that anything was possible, as had been proved with her ability to win the affections and love of Mr Elliot.
Charlotte was sitting on a bench in the rose garden with her betrothed while Gracie was frolicking on the lawn playing with two of Darcy’s pointers. The head gamekeeper could not refuse the cute but precocious five-year-old girl whenever she asked to play with the dogs. It had the benefit of allowing the dogs to expend their excess energy as much as Gracie did.
“Jane writes that they leave tomorrow to join the Fitzwilliam ladies for travel to town. Lady Longbourn asked the Snowhaven ladies to assist with the planning of the double wedding and Jane and Richard have decided to join them. She wants to know if I desire travelling with them or wait a fortnight and then travel on my own,” Charlotte explained to her betrothed, blushing when he lifted her hands in turn and bestowed a lingering kiss on the inside wrist of each.
“As much as I do not want to be parted from you, sweetheart, you should go. I know how close you and Lady Elizabeth are, and it will be a good chance to spend time with her before she marries. We will not be apart for long since I will join you as we originally planned. Also,” he smiled the smile only she brought out in him, “you can visit the modiste and order your clothing. Remember the winter here is much more severe than what you are used to in Hertfordshire or Kent.”
