Chapter 45

Dining Room

Pemberley

Dinner Time

Long had the grandeur of the main dining room at Pemberley been shut away behind closed doors and swathed beneath holland covers. Darcy preferred one of the smaller, more intimate dining rooms for family meals. He saw no need for the massive table and imposing surroundings for a simple meal shared between himself and Georgiana and Anne and their companion.

Tonight's dinner was to be no simple meal, and Darcy had ordered that the main dining room be thrown open and prepared for their many guests. The meal, likewise, would be worthy of the deeply polished table it would grace; a beef fricassee, a ham, several game birds crackling brown, a ragout, apple pies, white soup, potatoes and carrots and asparagus, a bowl of oranges from the orangery, fish, fresh bread, and any other vegetables that would be convenient to place before their guests.

Darcy was not disappointed in either his servants or his cooks. The oak table had been polished until it glowed like golden sunlight – the parts of it visible, at any rate, peeking up between the plethora of gold-rimmed china dishes. The smells coming from platter and bowl and tureen were delectable, and Darcy found his eyes straying towards Miss Bennet, seated at his left hand, wondering if she was impressed by this example of Pemberley's bounty.

Certainly he was impressed by her. She was dressed in a gown of soft candlelight yellow, ornamented only by the simple gold cross at her throat, and she looked enchanting. She met his eyes briefly with a brilliant smile, and he smiled back equally brightly before looking around at the rest of the diners. Georgiana, sitting to his right, seemed entirely content, wearing a small smile as she ate. Mrs. Annesley, beside her, was watching with an approving eye, complacently pleased to have the table filled with so many younger people.

Further down, Jane and Charles Bingley kept sharing affectionate glances, his hand occasionally moving over to brush hers. Beyond them, Kitty and Lydia had their heads together as they so often did, eating with hearty appetite and the disregard of the young as to what, precisely, they were eating, fully engaged in their own conversation. Neither Alexander Sinclair nor Anne, at the far end of the table, seemed to mind much, each entirely engrossed in the other.

Darcy looked beyond them, to the vista beyond the window. The panes had been opened, letting in light flower-scented breezes to stir at the curtains and freshen the room. Sunshine poured in, unhindered by the drapes, to illuminate carpet and dresses and wood in brilliant jewel tones. It was a gloriously beautiful day that matched Darcy's mood exactly, and he sighed in contentment as he took a bite of ragout.

"I hope Mrs. Montgomery is well? I had expected her to travel with you," Anne remarked.

"She is very well," Elizabeth assured them all. "Kitty and Lydia are enjoying a holiday from studies, and we felt that our mother needed some additional support at Longbourn. Mrs. Montgomery is a charming companion."

"Oh, I understand completely," Georgiana said, turning a fond look on Mrs. Annesley. "I suppose that Mrs. Montgomery is a great comfort while you and your sisters are here in Derbyshire."

"Yes, she is wonderful," Jane Bingley agreed. "Our sister Mary is also pleasant company, but of course she is also mistress of Longbourn, which requires a significant amount of work."

"It must be difficult for Mrs. Collins," Georgiana said sympathetically. "To be married, and then promptly bereaved due to the loss of Mr. Bennet, and now to have the burdens of an estate on her shoulders."

"Mary has always been a sensible, pragmatic person," Elizabeth mused. "She has told us that having all these duties is actually helpful, as they keep her busy many hours of the day."

"I found that to be true when our father died," Darcy agreed, "though in our case, his death was no great surprise, as he had been failing for some months. But there were still many tasks to be completed on a daily basis, which made it easier for me to get up every morning."

There was a communal sigh of understanding and sympathy, and then Kitty turned to Anne and Alexander and said, "Mr. Sinclair? Miss de Bourgh? Will you not tell us how you met one another?"

Elizabeth had already heard some of the story from Anne's letters, but she enjoyed watching the parson and his fiancée talk about their meeting; it might not have started off as a love match, but the couple were obviously very fond of one another. She was confident that they would be happy.

/

Pemberley

Early Evening

The air had the balmy feel of evening, when the sun had baked the ground all day, but the late breezes had blown away the worst of the heat. Warmed gravel crunched beneath shoes, as a sizable party wandered through the gardens, flower heads hanging heavy in the golden afternoon, the copses of the parkland shady and verdant ahead of them. Anne's hand rested lightly on her fiancé's arm as they walked just behind Darcy and Elizabeth, and Georgiana clustered close after with Kitty and Lydia, the three of them conversing quietly and giggling. Bringing up the rear came the Bingleys, sharing affectionate glances, and with Jane hanging on her husband's supporting arm. There was little conversation between each group. The stream burbling alongside would have necessitated voices raised enough to disturb the idyllic scene.

At a fork in the path, Alexander Sinclair stopped and turned, taking Anne's other hand in his own.

"This has been a most pleasant afternoon," he said to the party at large with a warm smile, "but I must return to my parsonage before the sun quite sets and it is fully dark."

"I will walk back with you," Anne said at once, and making their goodbyes to the party, they turned back towards the house.

"Where would you wish to go now?" Darcy asked the woman at his side.

Elizabeth scanned the walk and looked up the hill to where the stream diverged from the woodlands. "Let us go up there, to the forest," she suggested.

Jane said, one hand on her stomach, "I fear I must beg off; I am too weary to be equal to that hill. I will return to the house and rest for a spell."

"Are you well, Jane?" Lydia asked with concern.

"I am quite well," Jane reassured her, "merely tired. I will return to the house and all will be well."

Accordingly, the Bingleys also departed, and the depleted party started up the hill. Some halfway to the top, another path cut off from the side of the main, and Georgiana exclaimed suddenly, "Oh, Kitty, Lydia, one of our dogs whelped only three weeks ago, and the puppies are the most darling things! Come, let us go down to the stables to see them!"

This plan was greeted with eager acclaim from the younger Misses Bennet, who barely pausing to take their leave from Darcy and Elizabeth, as the three girls hurried down the side path. Darcy, smiling indulgently, offered his arm once more to Miss Bennet, and the two of them strolled on at a leisurely pace, enjoying the solitude and the company and the scenery.

"It is a truly beautiful view, Mr. Darcy," Elizabeth said, gazing raptly over the burbling stream.

"It is not as beautiful as you are," Darcy blurted out immediately and flushed.

Elizabeth turned pink and said, "That is very kind of you, Mr. Darcy. I confess that I feel a trifle overawed now that I am here. Pemberley is more impressive and enormous than I had imagined. If, indeed, we come to … if we … well, if you and I … it is a great responsibility to be mistress of such a place."

"You would do a marvelous job," Darcy said, reaching over and taking the lady's hands in his own. "You are kind, intelligent, diligent – if you are willing to accept my hand in marriage, I know that you will be the best mistress of Pemberley I could ever imagine."

She hesitated for a moment, and then her own fingers tightened on his own larger, stronger ones, and her back straightened, and she looked directly into his eyes. "Are you asking me to marry you, Mr. Darcy?"

"I am," he said, and his chest was tight as he waited for her answer.

To his relief, she did not make him wait long. "I accept. I would be honored, and grateful, and happy, to become your wife, as I have fallen deeply in love with you."

He could not help the geyser of joy and relief which erupted in his heart at these words, and within a moment, he had pulled her closer and kissed her, first her hands, and then her rosy lips.

For a full thirty seconds, there was only the bliss of expressing their powerful love toward one another, and then Elizabeth, who had sharp ears, heard a loud gasp and pulled away from her new fiancé. She blushed at the sight of a servant boy, who was standing on a nearby path with a bucket in his hand and staring at the couple with wide eyes, and then found herself giggling. Darcy, initially bewildered and then annoyed, glared at the boy, who turned pale with dismay and, after bobbing his head meekly, fled. Darcy glowered after him, and then turned his attention on Elizabeth, who was now helpless with laughter. He gazed at her in surprise and then started laughing as well.

When they had recovered, a full two minutes later, Elizabeth said, "That poor boy! What do you suppose he is doing here?"

"Probably feeding the peacocks," he replied, gently taking her hand and tucking it into his arm. "We have a large pen of them beyond the stables."

Elizabeth stared up in amazement. "Peacocks? Truly?"

"Yes. My mother was fond of them, and Georgiana loves them as well. Would you like to see them?"

Elizabeth hesitated and then said, "I would, very much, but I think we should bring my sisters along. Kitty enjoys sketching animals and birds and would absolutely adore seeing live peacocks."

He smiled down at her, touched again by her care for her sisters.

"Of course," he agreed and began strolling down the path towards Pemberley. "When would you like to marry?"

"Soon."

He grinned down at her hopefully. "Very, very soon?"

She laughed. "Yes, very, very soon. Ideally, here in Derbyshire, if you are willing."

"You do not wish to wed in Meryton?" he asked, a little surprised.

"I do not," she answered and sighed. "I have thought about this in detail, as we have been courting for some months, albeit by letter. The truth is that while I would enjoy having my sister Mary, and my mother, and the Lucases and the Longs, at the wedding; it would not do. Mr. Collins is still in the habit of sending every bit of news to Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and she would probably leap onto a horse and rush to Meryton in an attempt to stop our marriage. I would far prefer to offer your aunt a fait accompli ."

Darcy could not help but chuckle at these words, and he nodded. "That is true enough. My aunt still believes, with all evidence to the contrary, that she is permitted to rule my life."

"So I would like to marry here," Elizabeth said simply.

Darcy felt as if his chest was on fire, so great was his joy, but he could but say, "Are you … that is, I realize I do not know how old you are…?"

"Three weeks ago, I turned one and twenty, Fitzwilliam. I am of age and thus am free to marry as I wish."

It was the first time she had ever used his Christian name, and his left hand reached over to pat the slender fingers which were resting on his right arm. "I am glad. We will need to arrange for the settlements, of course, but there is an excellent solicitor in nearby Lambton, so long as you feel at peace with trusting him and me."

She stopped in her tracks and turned to face him, her dark eyes solemn. "I do trust you, Fitzwilliam. I would not have accepted your offer of marriage if I did not believe you to be a kind and honorable man who will care for me and any prospective children."

She blushed vividly at these words, and again, he was so gloriously happy that he felt as if he could fly. He found himself praising God silently – if he had married his Cousin Anne, such happiness would have been entirely unknown to him.

"Shall we ask Anne and Mr. Sinclair whether we can share their wedding day?" he suggested.

Elizabeth's eyes widened, and she grinned. "That would be marvelous."