Chapter 28

B y the time those resident at Lambert Hills departed the aforementioned estate, a steady snowfall had begun and lasted for the two hours it took to reach Pemberley. The white blanket over everything only made the welcoming vista appear that much better to Elizabeth as she looked out of the window on her side of the coach.

She would have been lying to herself had she attempted to say the building anticipation was only for this tragic year coming to a close and the beginning of a new one. Elizabeth silently admitted her excitement was increasing at the prospect of seeing Mr Darcy again and spending more time in his company. At the same time, she knew she could not, would not, show anything other than friendship while she was mourning. This was the time to honour Janey. When it was over, then moving on with her own life would take precedence while never forgetting her most beloved late sister. On that subject, if she had a chance to do so, Elizabeth desired to have a conversation with Mr Bingley to convey some of the wisdom Janey had imparted right before her passing. As they rode she placed her hand in her jacket pocket which contained her two treasures. It was very comforting to feel them there.

"Do you think we will be able to go ice skating?" Lydia asked while looking at the lake in front of the manor house which, if the snow collecting on the surface was any indication, was frozen over.

"That will depend on whether or not the ice has sufficient thickness," Charlotte opined. "If it is too thin, there is a danger of it breaking and one ending up in the frigid water below the surface. I am sure the Darcys will be able to tell us, as this is not the first winter they have lived here."

"I noticed it was already frozen over when we visited on Christmas Day," Lilly noted. "Where did you learn to skate on ice, Lyddie?"

"There is a pond at Longbourn, and the water freezes when the winters are cold enough," Lydia related. "Jane and Lizzy learnt how to skate on their own, and then they taught those of us who wanted to attempt to glide on the ice. I was the only other one who chose to do so."

"I am sure Giana or some of her cousins will be able to show me how to skate on the ice," Catherine stated. Kitty had been afraid to make an attempt, but Catherine was not.

Hearing of an activity she and Jane used to do together made Elizabeth feel sad. However, she did not feel like she was about to cry as she had until the recent past, whenever she was reminded of something she and Jane did together, or any other poignant reminder of her beloved sister. She was about to chastise herself for beginning to recover too soon, but recalled the words of both Charlotte and Mr Darcy, assuring her there was no wrong or right. Everyone grieved and recovered at their own pace.

Before she could analyse her feelings any further, the conveyances had been pulled into the internal courtyard. Even though the surrounding building shielded the interior to a certain extent, there was a light covering of snow on the central portion of the courtyard. In turn, the coachmen pulled each of the carriages as close to the stairs leading into the house as they were able, so the passengers would be exposed to the elements for as little time as possible. Elizabeth, her sisters, Charlotte, Lilly, and Addie were in the second carriage.

Waiting for their guests just inside the doorway were Mr and Miss Darcy. After quick greetings with their host and hostess, those arriving were assisted in divesting their outerwear and made speed towards the warmth of the large drawing room. The walls common with the music room were open .

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Bennet and his wife had been joined by the Phillipses to see the old year out and the new one in. Had they not been in mourning, they would have been invited to any number of parties being held in the neighbourhood thanks to their being forgiven by their friends and neighbours for their thoughtless actions before the loss of Jane.

Knowing his sister-in-law's penchant for gossip and her, at times, inappropriate inquisitiveness, Bennet had forgotten the letter Lizzy had written on a table in the drawing room on a day Hattie Phillips was to visit. He had Mrs Hill request Mrs Bennet's attention to look over something in the kitchen for some minutes. As Bennet expected she would, his wife's sister had not been able to resist reading the letter. As he had planned, within a day of her call, word was spread to every corner of the area the two eldest Miss Bennets were coming home in early January. Also made known was that Miss Elizabeth Bennet was ready to forgive her parents. As it was well known how close she and the late Jane Bennet had been, her being willing to pardon her parents meant the last few holdouts allowed their resentment at the Bennets to fall by the wayside.

What amused Bennet greatly was seeing his sister-in-law's consternation at the changes in his wife. In the time Catherine and Lydia had been away, Fanny had been soaking up Mrs Perkins's lessons with gusto. As much as he was beyond pleased his wife was making so many improvements, Bennet could not but feel shame once again at not insisting she learn from his mother. He was sure had she begun to see the benefits then, she would have been as keen to learn as she was now.

In a way they had never been previously, both Bennet and Fanny were diligent in their duties, and their relationship was as good if not better than the day they had married. It seemed they had fallen in love all over again.

The truth was both were counting the days until their four daughters would be home a few days after Twelfth Night. Fanny was well aware she had many amends to make beyond her begging pardon for demanding Jane ride that awful day. Thanks in part to the subtle teachings of Mrs Perkins, she had admitted to herself it was unconscionable to treat anyone the way she had always treated Lizzy and Mary, especially so since they were her own daughters.

One of the benefits of no longer being a shrill gossip, was that ladies who used to barely tolerate her company previously, now sought her out. Once she took Mrs Perkins's advice on no longer boasting about anything, it had had a very positive effect.

Just like their four remaining daughters did, Fanny and Thomas Bennet missed their late daughter all the time. Although it was acceptable to mourn for six months, they had both decided to mourn for a year complete.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Once all the arriving guests were shown to their suites on the guest floor directly above the family floor and had washed and changed, they rejoined everyone in the enlarged drawing room. By the time they did so, Mr and Miss Parker had arrived .

Even though the church on the estate was the smallest of the three in Darcy's gift, the parsonage attached to it was the largest of them all. Parker and his sister had walked the less than a half a mile to the great house. They both enjoyed walking, and the volume of falling snow had not discouraged them. The vicar was more than pleased to see Miss Lucas again as she had impressed him with her good sense when they had met the first time. Now he desired to get to know her better; his sister encouraged him in this endeavour.

Elizabeth had been speaking—more like debating—with Mr Darcy about a book they had read in common when she noticed Mr Bingley sitting and looking as forlorn as she had ever seen him. "Mr Darcy, will you excuse me, I think I need to have a conversation with your friend." Elizabeth inclined her head to where Mr Bingley was seated.

"He has ups and downs," Darcy revealed while looking towards his friend, "as I am sure you do as well." He watched as Miss Bennet made her way to his friend.

"Mr Bingley, will you agree to join me on the settee in the music room for some minutes?" Elizabeth requested. "We will be in full view of everyone in the drawing room. Bingley nodded and followed her to the seat she had indicated.

"Come, Catherine, Lydia, Lilly, and Addie, let us go into the music room and you may practise some of the things Mary has taught you," Georgiana suggested.

"Not just yet, Giana," Darcy said next to his sister's one ear. "As soon as Miss Bennet and Bingley have spoken, then you and your friends may entertain us on the instrument as much as you desire."

"Of course, Brother," Georgiana replied and then led her friends back to where they had been sitting previously.

"You asked to speak to me?" Bingley questioned once they had taken seats at the opposite ends of the settee from one another. There was no missing the sadness in his eyes. He had attempted to be cheerful when in public, but it was becoming harder and harder to keep the mask in place.

"You are heartbroken, and believe me I understand that better than most," Elizabeth began. "There is, however, some wisdom I feel I need to share with you, part of that wisdom comes from Jane, the rest comes from others…" She imparted what Jane had made her promise before the end and the similar advice, given separately by Charlotte and Mr Darcy. "I wi ll leave you with this, Mr Bingley. It would cause Jane much consternation if you did not eventually return to being the man with whom she fell in love. Of course, I am not saying do not mourn her. If I did, that would make me a terrible hypocrite. Take your time until you are ready, but remember, you will not honour Jane by ceasing to live your life."

"How am I to move on after having earned the love of the most perfect angel?" Bingley lamented.

"Jane would have been the first one to correct you and tell you she was as flawed as any other. Do not turn her into something she was not, just because she is no longer with us," Elizabeth responded firmly. "Remember, if you truly want to honour her, then when you are ready live, love, and be happy once again."

Bingley cogitated on Miss Bennet's words for a while. When he had pushed the fog of his sadness to the side, he had to admit she had made much good sense. "I will do what I must so I am not overtaken by the despair I have felt at times since your sister's passing."

"Mr Bingley, never forget had she lived, Jane would have been your wife. Therefore, you will always be part of my family," Elizabeth insisted.

"Thank you, Miss Elizabeth. Forgive me, I mean Miss Bennet. I still see her face whenever I use the appellation, or I hear someone else address you thusly," Bingley owned. "She may not have been a perfect person, but she was perfect for me." He stood, bowed towards Miss Bennet and made his way back into the main part of the drawing room with a look of determination on his countenance.

Seeing Miss Bennet and Bingley vacate the music room, Darcy nodded to Giana who was soon on her way to the instrument with her friends. He was well pleased Miss Bennet returned to his side. "I neither know, nor need to know what you said to Bingley, but he looks far more like himself after your conversation."

"Without revealing the substance, I will tell you I imparted wisdom I gleaned from others, including advice you shared with me, with only a little of my own added for good measure," Elizabeth reported.

"Whatever it was, you have my thanks," Darcy said. "I am sure Mrs Hurst will second my saying so. I know it had pained her to see her normally cheerful brother looking so depressed." Darcy looked out of the window. "The snowfall is much heavier now than when you and your family arrived. I have a feeling you may be at Pemberley more than one additional day."

"I could think of far worse things," Elizabeth replied without thinking. Her forwardness caused her to blush deeply.

Mary had watched her sister closely while she had her discussion with Mr Bingley. The previous night, Lizzy had revealed her intention to speak to him and about what. All she could do was hope it would have a positive effect on the man. Often when she spoke to Mr Darcy, she blushed brightly, something she had not done much in the past. No, Lizzy was anything but indifferent to their host.

Her preoccupation with what her older sister was doing had caused her to miss what Colonel Fitzwilliam had been saying to her. "Please pardon me, Colonel, I was wool-gathering. Would you mind repeating what you said?"

Fitzwilliam displayed an understanding grin. "I was asking if your preferred activities are the same now that you have been taught to ride? I am aware you love to play the pianoforte, and you are very well versed with the Bible, but are there more interests of which I am not aware?"

"I used to be enamoured of the writings of one Reverend Fordyce," Mary saw the Colonel's face fall a little before he schooled his features. "I did say used to be. I have since come to realise the last thing the good reverend knows about is what is good or not good for ladies. These days my reading material has expanded greatly. Lizzy has been teaching me to play chess, do you play, Colonel?"

"While I am not as proficient as either Andrew or William…Darcy, I am able to hold my own," the Colonel revealed.

"I know who William is. I have heard Giana refer to him by that name many times," Mary stated. "I see a board set up in the corner," Mary cocked her head towards where the board was on a small table between two armchairs. "Will you agree to me challenging you to a game?"

"Certainly. It would be my pleasure," the Colonel declared. He led her across the room.

Once she recovered, Elizabeth could not but smile when she saw Mary sitting opposite Colonel Fitzwilliam with the chess board between them. It had not been many weeks since she had begun to teach Mary, who had been spurred to learn when Lydia had enthused about the lessons she was receiving from their father. As it seemed Lydia was, Mary was a natural at the game.

Darcy saw the direction of Miss Bennet's gaze. "Does Miss Mary play?" he enquired.

"She recently expressed a desire to learn, so I began to teach her," Elizabeth disclosed. "My father will be greatly surprised to discover she too can play. He used to think I was his only daughter with an aptitude for the game, but then Lydia expressed her desire to learn. Given the amount of time she has been learning, she is more advanced than I was at a similar amount of time studying the game."

"You play as well? It should not surprise me that one of your intelligence is able," Darcy averred .

"I thank you for the compliment, and yes, I play chess," Elizabeth responded. "My father began to teach me when I was nine years of age. It took me four years before I began to win against him. Now he beats me only on occasion."

He had thought he could not be more impressed by Miss Bennet, but he was. "Would you do me the honour of playing against me?" Darcy invited. "My uncle and yours seem to have completed their game." Darcy inclined his head to where the two men had been playing while Lambert and his eldest cousin looked on.

"Certainly. I never refuse an opportunity to play chess," Elizabeth accepted.

They replaced their uncles and set up the board again. Elizabeth was impressed by the set. The white pieces were made of crystal while the black pieces were made from marble.

Lord Matlock was about to return to his wife, when Gardiner placed a restraining hand on his arm. "Stay and watch, it will be entertaining."

The earl was glad he had followed Gardiner's advice. It took Miss Bennet less than twenty moves to checkmate William's king. The men, except for the Colonel who was engrossed in his game, or more accurately his opponent, all watched with rapt attention, as did some of the ladies.

When the game was over, Darcy sat back and looked on in amazement. He had not been so soundly drubbed at the game since the early months of his learning to play.

"Lizzy, did you not warn Darcy how well you play?" Gardiner grinned.

"She did tell me she beats her father," Darcy owned.

"Did she mention her father is the Thomas Bennet who still holds some records for chess at Cambridge?" Gardiner queried.

"Miss Bennet omitted that from the telling," Darcy admitted. "However, rather than discourage me, that knowledge would have increased my desire to test my skills at the game against her. "

"And you would have not gone into the game assuming you would win," Hilldale stated as he clapped his cousin on the back.

"There is that," Darcy shook his head. He stood and bowed to the superior opponent. "If you will allow me to try again, may we play after dinner?"

"I see no reason not to accept your challenge," Elizabeth agreed.

Across the room the Colonel finally won, but it had not been as easy as he had suspected when Miss Mary told him how long she had been learning the game. He was well aware she was intelligent, but it seemed he may have underestimated the level of said intelligence.

Mary admitted, even if it was only to herself, how much she was enjoying Colonel Fitzwilliam's company.

Before they went up to their chambers to change for dinner, the men agreed that if the snow continued to accumulate at the rate it had been for the past few hours, those from Lambert Hills would not be departing on the morrow. Before he followed the rest of the men upstairs, Darcy left orders with his butler for the sleighs to be prepared and ready for them in the morning.