Chapter 33

Several hours later, a note arrived from Lord Matlock addressed to Darcy. As soon as he began to read, however, he immediately called for his wife, aunt, and cousin to join him.

"Uncle James and Richard will travel with Lady Catherine to the estate in Wales. It is a close enough distance from Matlock that someone can easily check on her when necessary and they will hire staff there to keep an eye on her. Should she attempt to leave, she will forfeit any remaining funds from her jointure and face prosecution. Uncle believes her decade-long appropriation of Rosings' income undoubtedly constituted a charge of theft, not to mention potential additional allegations arising should there be an inquiry into the deaths of Sir Lewis de Bourgh and George Darcy. While they may not be able to prove she had done anything to either man, the mere suggestion of such would ruin the de Bourgh name and prevent anyone from seeking to assist her," Darcy told them.

"She is going willingly?" Lady Matlock inquired.

"Not exactly," came the response. "Uncle told her she did not have a choice and threatened her with either this or Bedlam after she ranted about how Pemberley ought to have been hers in the first place and how she deserved to keep Rosings as well for ‘putting up with' Sir Lewis. Richard came in and made allusions to what we discovered about her poisoning Anne and possibly others, and well, she did not exactly deny the claims."

This confirmation of what they had deduced from the journals made everyone stop for a moment. The silence grew heavy, and finally Darcy broke it by saying: "It would seem that Lady Catherine did not intend to kill my father, but her tonic did hasten his demise." His tone was devoid of emotion.

Elizabeth stood behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders in support. Darcy reciprocated by covering one of hers, and they exchanged a brief glance. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly as he attempted to recover his equanimity. "I had just finished university and returned home to find Father ill. He could still speak, and we spent hours discussing Pemberley, at least when he was not sleeping. I spoke to the steward, the tenants, and anyone concerned about my father during the day, then spent hours in the evening sitting with him as he told me all he could. I vaguely recall him mentioning something about his journals, but we never discussed Rosings except for him advising me not to marry Anne." He cast a sympathetic glance at his cousin, and she returned it with a sad smile.

"He warned me about Lady Catherine, but I believed it had to do with her claim that Mother arranged our marriage, not because he believed my aunt was drugging people. It took years for me to feel as though I had things under control, though I still dutifully visited Rosings each Easter and exchanged letters with the steward in between. That first year, I had to replace the stewards at both Rosings and Pemberley, though thankfully, I had under-stewards in both places, making the transition smoother. Fraser took over easily here when old Mr. Wickham died, and the transition at Rosings was simple. However, it was not always perfect, and I spent nearly as much time on Rosings's business as I did on Pemberley's. Uncle provided some assistance, visiting Kent on my behalf after the harvest for a year or two, but still, it was all overwhelming. I never read Father's journals unless I sought something specific, but that was rare."

"You had much to contend with that first year or two," Lady Matlock agreed. "It is disturbing that the letters your father sent your uncle never arrived, but if he sent them from Rosings, I can easily imagine Catherine tearing them up. Your father was a good man, but it may not have occurred to him that if Catherine was capable of poisoning her daughter, she was equally capable of destroying a letter."

"Speaking of that, we have discovered my missing messenger and the letters I sent informing those at Pemberley of my arrival. The young messenger took ill along the way and turned up a little while ago, much recovered. He was very apologetic, but apparently, it did not occur to him to let anyone know or to send the letters to anyone else. I am not upset about the letters, but we have been most concerned about the messenger since no one knew where he was. I have also had a report from Netherfield about how Miss Bingley obtained my letters," Darcy informed the group.

"I have not heard from Bingley again after that first letter. He intended to go to Scarborough immediately after he departed from Pemberley, but perhaps it was fortunate he remained long enough to hear Lady Catherine's plans and inform us. However, I do not know what his plans are after that or when he will return," Darcy finished.

"Jane was saddened by this second departure," Elizabeth said quietly.

Darcy took her hand and squeezed it. "Come, we should all join the others. There is little we can do for the moment, and your sisters will not remain at Pemberley much longer."

They all stood and began to exit the study. Darcy held Elizabeth back for a few moments. "I am pleased that we have had family to visit, especially given all that we have had to deal with over the last few days, but I am looking forward to the day they all depart. I find that I am looking forward to having you all to myself for a month or two."

Elizabeth grinned at him. "Then, should we retire early tonight, my love?" she teased.

Darcy pulled her into an embrace. "Yes, my dear. You are clearly very, very tired." Her giggle was cut off when he kissed her.

Elizabeth and Darcywere the last to arrive downstairs the following morning, arriving after the breakfast room was cleared. While the countess and Gardiners merely exchanged knowing looks, the unmarried ladies expressed some concern as rising late was most unusual for both Elizabeth and Darcy. Elizabeth assured her sisters they were both well, though she could feel her cheeks flush as she answered their questions.

Gratefully, this conversation was interrupted by a servant, informing them that the picnic arranged for that day was ready and carriages at the front to take the party on their tour of the estate.

Everyone in residence at Pemberley moved toward the entry, donning their outer clothing before loading on to the waiting carriages. Several servants joined their party to drive the wagon with the picnic and games. The Gardiner children were full of anticipation for the picnic, as it was a new experience for them, and their presence contributed greatly to the overall festive mood of the party.

It took nearly half an hour to arrive at their destination, near a small pond with a view of the Peaks in one direction and Pemberley in the other. Everyone scrambled down from the carriages and wagons, and the children immediately found the games to entertain themselves.

While the children played, Elizabeth and Darcy wandered away from the others. Elizabeth went up on her tiptoes to kiss her new husband, but before he could pull her into his embrace, she darted away. Sending a playful look at him, she encouraged him to chase her. "Catch me if you can!" she called over her shoulder.

Darcy immediately pursued her, his long legs allowing him to easily catch up with her, though she only allowed herself to be caught once they were hidden from the rest of the company behind some trees.

Darcy smirked. "Do you plan on often escaping me, my dear? As soon as all our guests leave, I fully intend to keep you in our bedchambers until the time we must depart again for London."

Though her cheeks were burning, Elizabeth still managed to tease him. "Are you tired of our company, sir?"

"I am very tired of any company that is not you. I confess, my darling Elizabeth, that I intend to be very, very selfish for the next few months. I am considering keeping you here with me until Christmas, perhaps even foregoing the season entirely next year."

She did not say a word for several moments as she held his eyes with hers. Her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke again and sounded almost breathless. "Well, Mr. Darcy, would it be wanton of me to admit I wish for the same? I enjoyed our days together in the cottage, but it was not enough time with you." She dropped her head to his chest. "I am so happy to be here with you, my love. It almost feels magical to be married to you, especially since our dreams brought us together."

Softly, Darcy replied, "It is magical, my dearest Elizabeth, because it is you. We were destined for each other, and our dreams only saved a little of the heartache we would have experienced otherwise. I think we were granted a picture of the future, and had I ignored my dream, I would have still proposed to you in Kent and would have done so as terribly as I did in the dreams."

Leaning back, Elizabeth reached up to touch his cheek. "But it did not happen, William, and we are together now. Put it behind you." Shaking off the sense of melancholy that had overtaken them for a moment, she said again, "Come, we need to rejoin our family. There is no room for such negative emotions today." She hugged him tightly and seeing he was still pensive, she raised up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Give yourself a moment, and then join us when you are ready."

The entire group spent several delightful hours together, laughing and teasing as they played games and ate the tasty food that was prepared for the picnic boughs. Eventually, the men and boys moved to the pond to try their hands at fishing, while the girls gathered flowers that they brought to the ladies who helped form them into crowns.

While most chose to ride back to the house, Elizabeth and Darcy decided to walk. Jane and Georgiana offered to accompany the pair; however, Lady Matlock and Mrs. Gardiner wisely encouraged the girls to ride back, leaving the couple to themselves.

Nearly an hour after the rest arrived at Pemberley, the newly married Darcys returned to the house, walking hand-in-hand. When they returned, a little flushed and dishevelled, Mrs. Reynolds quickly directed the pair to their bedchambers, calling for baths. Elizabeth blushed furiously when Darcy scandalised his valet by asking him to only fill the oversized tub in the mistress's bathing chambers.

"William, what are you doing?" Elizabeth cried when the servants left the room.

"I am joining you, my darling," he replied as he climbed into the tub behind her. "Even before I met you again in Kent, I ordered the mistress's chambers refreshed, hoping that I would bring you home soon. I also ordered a larger tub to be installed here, as one recurring fantasy involved you and me bathing together. I was a little ashamed by my lack of control where you were concerned and felt foolish once the letter was sent, though I could not get it back. I was still battling with myself, worried far more than I ought about how marrying you would affect my sister's chance of making a good match, and concerned at how my aunt and uncle would receive you." He dropped his head to her shoulder. "I apologise, Elizabeth. I have told you how I struggled and how my dreams made me reconsider those ridiculous objections. Truly, the thought of being in love with you frightened me. I was afraid I would completely lose control of myself, and the letter I sent to Pemberley only seemed to demonstrate that fact."

He was silent for a moment more as he rubbed her shoulders and dropped light kisses on her neck. "I was a fool, Elizabeth, a fact made most clear to me over the last several weeks. My sister adores you and has already blossomed with your attention and that of your sisters. My aunt and uncle were surprisingly easy to convince of your worthiness. I never expected Aunt Catherine's approbation, so I did not even consider her objections. It did not take long to realise that all my objections resulted from my fears."

She leaned back into him, moved by his words. "What frightened you, William?"

"You, my darling girl. The way you made me feel. I wanted a love match, yet I was terrified of love at the same time. After my mother died, my father was a shadow of himself. I feared being like him; I feared my heart being broken. I still fear losing you, but I have come to realise that the sense of loss I would feel without you is far worse than anything else I might experience."

Elizabeth could not let such a confession pass without a kiss. She turned to kiss him deeply, and they did not leave the bath until the water was once again cool. In fact, they did not go downstairs again at all that afternoon.