Chapter 47

M onday's papers all carried the announcement of the engagement of Lady Elizabeth Rose Bennet to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley. Clearly stated were the Monarchs' congratulations and Her Majesty's obvious approbation and support of the match.

There were many disgusted men who read the paper, who had hoped they would be able to catch—one way or another—the only unmarried daughter of the Duke of Bedford. The open and unequivocal support of the royals convinced all of said men—no matter their financial need—to seek other targets for their matrimonial aspirations. Crossing a duke would have been dangerous enough, especially as word of the fact the Bennets and their family were extremely well guarded when in public was well known in society, but going against Her Majesty would be suicide, social and otherwise.

The ladies who had hoped to be the one who would be the next mistress of Pemberley would do nothing in public to express their disappointment. Behind closed doors, they felt safe in expressing their outrage. Not a few tantrums were unleashed by both mothers and daughters in the privacy of their own chambers. Knowing there was nothing to be done, they would have to find other eligible, and preferably well connected and wealthy, men at whom to set their caps. If only the new Duke's sons had been older. They knew one was not yet twenty and the other still sixteen so for their older daughters, it would not be practical to aim for them, but those with younger daughters were hopeful.

The engaged couple whose betrothal had created such reactions in society were oblivious to what others outside of their circle of family and friends thought, as it would have no bearing on them and their path towards the date of their marriage. The wedding would not be from Longbourn, rather they would be married at Woburn Abbey.

Cilla and Bedford had made the decision, as Woburn Abbey was the seat of the dukedom, they would move to that estate. Much to the family's delight, the Hills would be there as well.

The previous week, the butler and housekeeper of the Abbey, had written a letter to inform the new Duke and Duchess of their intention to retire by the end of June after serving there for over forty years. Hence, the Bennets had offered the positions to the Hills, who had gratefully accepted. Within the next few days, the faithful Bennet retainers would be transported to Woburn Abbey to work with the retiring couple so they could become familiar with the Abbey. A maid and footman, who had been trained by the Hills, and substituted for them when they had been away or not well, were promoted to be the new housekeeper and butler at Longbourn. The only other servants who would move to Bedfordshire with the family were their personal servants.

Mrs. Jones, whose service would not be required once Elizabeth married, was to be given an extremely generous pension and a cottage rent free at any of the Bennets' estates for her lifetime. She would not need to work, so if she did, it would only be because of her own desire to do so. She had elected to take a cottage at Longbourn so she would be close to her brother-in-law and his family. Until Lady Lizzy married, she would continue to chaperone her when other members of the family were not with the engaged couple.

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

Elizabeth and Jane called at the Hursts' home the day after the notice announcing the engagement had been published. They were accompanied respectively by their fiancé and husband.

"Lizzy, Mr. Darcy, we would like to wish you happy," Miss Bingley gushed after those who did not know him were introduced to her fiancé.

"I always thought if you could get out of your own ways, well that applies to Mr. Darcy more than you Lizzy, you two would do very well together," Mrs. Hurst smiled.

"On behalf of William and myself, I thank both of you greatly," Elizabeth replied warmly. "Mr. Ashby, well met, and may I say you have been accepted by a worthy lady."

"Well I know how lucky I am, my Lady," Ashby responded.

"Gentlemen, should we retire to the billiards room and leave our ladies to their discussions," Hurst suggested. The four men agreed and after a few words to each of his respective lady, they followed Hurst out of the drawing room.

"Caroline and Louisa, I have a gift for you," Jane smiled widely.

"It is not necessary, but thank you for whatever it is," Mrs. Hurst stated gratefully.

Jane pulled two vouchers from her reticule. "A gift from Mother and her friends to both of you." Jane held what was in her hand up so the Bingley sisters could clearly see what they were.

"Vouchers to attend Almack's!" Miss Bingley exclaimed. "I thought we would never gain entry due to our antecedents."

"According to Mother, two things changed. You were no longer under the influence of your manipulative brother, and it did not hurt that you are friends of her new daughter." Jane paused as she looked from beaming sister to beaming sister. "You deserve this, although after the first time I attended, I failed to see what all of the fuss is about. It is hot, crowded, and the refreshments are not what I would call capital. "

"Neither of us needs a husband, and making matches is one of the main functions of the place," Miss Bingley mused. "However, it will be nice to be there just once, so we can say we have attended an assembly there."

"Many an acquaintance has been calling, some who had seemed to disdain our company before, to ask about your family. It is known our brother leased an estate near Longbourn. We have said nothing," Mrs. Hurst assured the two Bennet sisters.

"Feel free to report you are our friends," Elizabeth averred after a nod from Jane. "I am sure you will have to sort the wheat from the chaff as the desire to learn about us is still greatly heightened. At least it seems from the reduction in callers we saw today before departing Bedford House, Mama will not be so inundated with ladies seeking to come stare at the new Duchess."

The ladies discussed the two weddings upcoming. Caroline's would be towards the end of July and she would marry from the Bingleys' house in Scarborough. Elizabeth told the Bingley sisters to expect invitations to her wedding in Bedfordshire.

The men returned to the drawing room to partake in tea and seed cake. Soon after tea, the four callers took their leave.

"If Bingley had been an honourable man, he too would have been included in the Bennets' circle of friends," Hurst observed. Seeing Caroline had apprised Ashby of all, there was no danger speaking of their transported brother in his company.

"Charles was his own worst enemy," Mrs. Hurst opined. "Look at the good friends we have and how we are accepted by those at the highest levels of society without any machinations, manipulations, or prevarication."

No one disagreed with her estimation.

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

Elizabeth did not object to ordering her trousseau as, just like when she and Mama had ordered their new wardrobes, the modiste and her seamstresses came to Bedford House. As before, Elizabeth had chosen bolts of fabric from Uncle Edward's warehouses.

As she would be living in the climes of the north, she was well aware of the necessity to purchase a large number of garments in heavy wool and other fabrics to keep her warm in the harsh winters she would experience in Derbyshire.

The day after the modiste made her first call regarding the trousseau, Elizabeth, accompanied by her mother, Aunt Elaine, and Anna, was given an extensive tour of Darcy House. The house itself was about half the size of Bedford House, but then again, it was much more than spacious enough for her, William, and Anna and any other little Darcys which would—hopefully—arrive.

The only changes Elizabeth asked Mrs. Killion to make notes of were in the suite belonging to the mistress of the house. The late Lady Anne Darcy had decorated the walls in floral patterns with the predominant colour being pink.

Pink was not one of the colours Elizabeth desired in her chambers, she preferred the green and yellow palettes. The rest of the house was decorated in an elegant way, but nothing uselessly fine, and all the pieces of furniture she sat on to test were extremely comfortable.

Mrs. Killion, the housekeeper, was greatly impressed by her soon to be mistress and believed the master had chosen wisely. It did not hurt that the love which flowed between them was readily apparent. She wrote to her aunt, Mrs. Reynolds, Pemberley's housekeeper, to share her favourable impressions of Lady Elizabeth. She also mentioned how much lighter the master's moods had been, and the happiness which pervaded the house, since he had returned from Pemberley when he was courting the lady .

The invitation (a royal summons, which one did not refuse) for Elizabeth and Darcy to attend the Queen at Buckingham House for tea was received two days before they were scheduled to decamp for Bedfordshire. Like his father and other ancestors before him, Darcy politely refused the earldom the Prince of Wales offered in his father's name.

The Queen remarked the Darcys were rather singular as she could not count on one hand the number of men who would turn down a title. The Queen also stated she would be sending one of her sons and a daughter to attend the wedding at Woburn Abbey. She offered them the use of her vicar (the Archbishop of Canterbury) to perform the wedding ceremony, but Elizabeth demurred saying she preferred not to slight the vicar of the Woburn Abbey village church.

Before they departed, the Prince of Wales informed them that Lord Thomas Bennet was to be named the Earl of Meryton, with the courtesy title for his son (when and if he had one) of Viscount Netherfield. They were told to have him arrive at St. James Palace for his investiture at eleven on the morrow.

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

The long line of coaches departed London for Woburn Abbey as planned. As they took breaks every hour or so to make sure the horses were not overtaxed, after departing at sunup, the lengthy convoy of conveyances and carts, escorted by many outriders and footmen-guards, passed the gatehouse at Woburn Abbey in the afternoon a little past three o'clock.

The Duke, Duchess, Dowager Duchess, the two Bennet sons, and Charity rode in the lead coach. Elizabeth was in the one following with Darcy, Anna, Jane, and Wes. Mary and Richard were in the next one with Marie, Andrew, Robby, and his nurse, while the Fitzwilliam and De Melville parents in the one following that.

"The topography is very similar to the area around Longbourn," Elizabeth noted as she looked out at the fields full of wheat waving in the gentle breeze. "I have not seen a hill as high as Oakham Mount yet."

"You do remember Derbyshire is far wilder than this," Darcy pointed out. "It is why we have so many sheep, cattle, and goats, and less cultivated fields, although in the valley Pemberley is in, we have more fields than many in the county."

"And the hill behind your house is much higher than Oakham Mount," Elizabeth recalled. The day she had visited, they had ridden to the top of the hill, she on a borrowed horse from Pemberly's extensive stables. "I must own the vista of the Peak District from there is rather spectacular."

"I agree with Lizzy. Darcy's estate has much natural beauty as I recall from my memories. I was there more than ten years past," Wes added.

"When I see Westmore I am sure I will love our estate," Jane stated. They had been supposed to make for the estate from Margate, but the epic surprise had changed all their plans so Jane had not seen any of the De Melville estates yet.

The ride from the gatehouse seemed to go on forever until they entered an avenue with oak trees lining either side of the drive. Where the trees ended, the gravel roadway turned to the right which gave the riders who had not previously seen the mansion their first view of it. The size far exceeded anything they had ever imagined. Bedford looked at his beloved wife.

"Oh my, I am to be mistress of all of this!" Priscilla exclaimed.

"On my first time seeing the house, I too was intimidated, Cilla dear," Lady Rose assured her successor. "However, I soon learnt, what I am sure you will as well, regardless of the size, it is but a house. You have been the mistress of two estates up to now. This is the same, just on a larger scale. "

Charity looked at her house with a certain amount of trepidation. The previous time she had been here, Papa, Sed and Rebecca, Saul, and Little Sed had all been here as well. Now they were gone and they were not even having their eternal slumber in the family crypt below the chapel attached to the house. She was thankful Uncle Thomas had decided there would be a memorial service at the village church and a stone listing those lost would be placed in the crypt so future generations would know they had existed.

The fact Aunt Cilla and Uncle Thomas treated her the same as they did their own children was comforting to Charity. She knew Mama was gratified they were counted as close family, and not the very distant relatives they were. It was not Sed and Saul, but in Henry and Tom she had two older brothers, even if she did not want to think of one of them in a brotherly way.

As they travelled the last half mile to the house, Cilla turned to Rose. "Do you think the two underbutlers and assistant housekeepers will resent the fact we brought the Hills in rather than promote some of them?"

"If needs be, I will explain that with all of the changes to your life, you, Thomas, and your family needed some familiar faces among the staff," Rose assured Cilla. "Based on what you said, the Hills will retire in about five years, so it is not like the current staff will not have an opportunity for promotion, if you think some of them deserve it."

"Rose, I am sure you would not have had them in the roles they are now if you did not believe they have the abilities needed to be promoted," Priscilla insisted.

"You do have the right of it, but regardless of what I thought, you are the mistress here, so you must see if they suit for you," Rose averred.

"I will assure the staff and servants we will not be dismissing anyone without good cause to do so. Also, I will be relying on you to guide me as I get used to this house," Cilla informed Rose. "And Rose, there is no need for you to vacate the mistress's suite as speedily as you did at Bedford House."

"Yes there is," Rose replied firmly. "You are the mistress and there can only be one. I will have the last few things of mine moved from the suite today. Besides it would be unseemly as Thomas will be in the master's apartments. I instructed the retiring housekeeper to make the suite ready for the new master while most of my belongings were moved from my old chambers."

Cilla knew Rose was correct, so she did not say anything in opposition.

By the time the lead coach was drawn to a halt, the Hills and their soon to be predecessors were waiting next to the steward and his four under-stewards. Behind them were the under butlers and housekeepers, and four neat rows of servants.

As William handed her out of the coach, Elizabeth could only shake her head. She had thought Pemberley's manor house enormous, but this one dwarfed it. She, like her siblings, smiled when they saw the Hills waiting to greet them. All Elizabeth could think about was that there was only three weeks until she and William wed. She could not wait!