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His thoughts wandered to the Bennet daughters of Longbourn. With all their wealth and privilege, the Darcys were the beneficiaries of every blessing known to man save one—a large extended family. Even the number of his Fitzwilliam relations was few.

The Bennets of Hertfordshire may not possess great wealth, they may be in great want of connections as well, but they have riches that are beyond measure in the ways that really count. Of that, Darcy was certain.

He looked forward to seeing not only how the Bennet sisters got along with his young sister, Georgiana, but also how well they got along with each other. Thoughts of the Bennet sisters soon gave way to thoughts of another pair of sisters who had arrived at Pemberley—the Bingley sisters: Mrs. Louisa Hurst and Miss Caroline Bingley. Their relationship with each other seemed genuine enough, for they always seemed to have secret affairs to discuss, and rarely did Darcy have opportunity to be in company with one that did not also include the company of the other. However, their relationship with his own sister gave him considerable pause. Not that they were unkind to Georgiana. On the contrary, they were overly solicitous toward her in a manner that reeked of insincerity. What a great irony that the younger of the two Bingley sisters went to such excessive lengths to garner Darcy’s approbation in one breath and practically assured herself of being the recipient of his disapprobation in another by proving herself to be full of pretentiousness where his sister was concerned.

Should I detect any evidence at all of such condescension on the part of either of the Bennet sisters, I will know in an instant what they are about.

Such thoughts immediately gave him pause, for again, he was not really looking for a wife, but if he were, he certainly considered this would be a factor in his decision. He sighed in relief at this resolve, for it would not do to let his guard down.

Besides, his sister spent a great deal of her time with her companion, and he imagined that would not change even after his father was gone. Darcy paused and whispered a silent prayer to the heavens above.

May my dear father live for years to come. May he live to see his grandchildren parading the halls of Pemberley. What a blessing that would be indeed.

Darcy smiled a little inside. Grandchildren, indeed, for one thing, was certain, and that was when he did decide to take a bride, he hoped to beget many children. Gone would be the silence that had filled the halls of his beloved home for most of his life. In its place, there would be laughter and joy—the sounds promised by sons and daughters alike. First things first, he considered.

The first thing I must do is resolve myself to the idea of marriage—of relinquishing my current manner of living, and that is the one thing I have no intention of doing anytime soon.

CHAPTER 5

THOROUGHLY DISTRACTED

One look at the people gathered in the room, and Elizabeth was not so certain she wished for her sister to be married to such a man as Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy if this was the company her dearest Jane might be expected to keep.

She only needed to give the people gathered there a cursory glance to know they all thought rather highly of themselves. Among those assembled, the Bennets were considered the strangers, for everyone else seemed to be acquaintances of long standing. Feeling quite up to the task of studying these people and assessing who among them was to be considered friend or foe, Elizabeth’s greatest concern centered on her sister.

On second thought, perhaps I ought not to worry in that regard, for Jane thinks everyone in the world is kind and good. It is not in her nature to think meanly of anyone. Jane’s angelic smile alone is enough to warm the entire room.

Elizabeth sighed. Indeed, my sister Jane is forever the optimist — a bright ray of light that shall serve her extremely well over the coming weeks. It is I who could use a bit of Jane’s enthusiasm.

Elizabeth hardly attended the formalities of the occasion as the introductions were being made. Instead, her thoughts tended to her earlier conversation with Jane that took place before the two came down to join the others.

From what Elizabeth could garner, her elder sister had not been the slightest bit offended by Fitzwilliam Darcy’s earlier affront. Indeed, Jane offered that he was merely shy. What gentleman would not be? Jane had posited. Certainly, it was not every day that a gentleman met the people who might very well be his own relations. When asked by Elizabeth if she liked the gentleman, Jane had replied in the affirmative that indeed she did. She decried that there was something in his manner of walk and even his manner of speaking that gave a favorable indication of his character.

Elizabeth would have been extremely pressed to deny that were one to judge by physical appearances then yes, Fitzwilliam Darcy was everything a gentleman ought to be. Still she could not help but worry that this particular gentleman had not fallen to his knees the moment he laid eyes on her beautiful older sister and begged her to be his bride—just as she had envisioned he would do from the moment her father spoke of his bargain entered into with his old friend Mr. Darcy during their university days. As their agreement that the older daughter of the one should be wed to the eldest son of the other had been reached in such broad terms as to leave the ultimate decision in the hands of the principals, Elizabeth, of course, knew nothing was certain.

On the other hand, how could the young man do anything other than fall madly in love with my dearest Jane upon first sight? Here again, Elizabeth smiled inside. Me and my fanciful notions of love at first sight. An uncomfortable feeling crept over her as she recalled the moment she first laid eyes on the future master of Pemberley, the way he looked at her, and the lingering touch of his hands on hers.

“So, you are Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

The sound of her name recalled Elizabeth from her reverie. Looking up, she noticed a regal, elegantly attired woman who had once known her fair share of beauty, slowly approaching.

A bit embarrassed that she had not been attending to the events unfolding all around her, she dropped a deep curtsy. “I am. It is an honor to make your acquaintance.” She knew not what else to say, for surely this was a person of some consequence. How relieved she was when the colonel immediately came to her rescue.

“I see you have met my aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh,” he said.

Elizabeth smiled warmly in appreciation of his gesture. She had surmised that she would enjoy the colonel’s company very much during her stay at Pemberley. His gallant intervention confirmed her earlier established conjecture. She said, “Indeed, I was telling her ladyship what a great honor it is to make her acquaintance.”

“Yes, well, you ought to be honored, young lady,” the other woman, lavishly donned in a regal purple gown and sparkling diamonds, declared. “You, your father, and your elder sister. It cannot be a usual occurrence for the three of you to be welcomed into society such as ours.”

The colonel’s countenance colored a bit, but he refrained from saying anything, no doubt in deference to his aunt. Supposing the woman to be more eccentric than crass, Elizabeth pretended what she heard was not outrageous as well.

“Pemberley is magnificent. I recall my great pleasure as our carriage crossed the bridge and I observed the stream, its banks neither formal or falsely adorned, and then the park itself in all its natural splendor. Indeed, I can hardly wait to explore all its lovely paths to find out where they lead.”

Her ladyship arched her brow. “Oh! I suppose you mean to take full advantage of my brother’s stable of beautiful bays. They are among the finest in all of England.”

“I am afraid I do not ride, your ladyship. Indeed, I mean to explore all of Pemberley Woods’ trails by foot. I thoroughly enjoy long solitary rambles about the countryside.”

Lady Catherine scoffed at this assertion. “Perhaps such untamed behavior is perfectly acceptable in the wilds of Hertfordshire, but you would be prudent to curtail such escapades while you are here in Derbyshire. I say this out of the generosity of my own heart, and thus I expect you to conduct yourself accordingly.”