given comfortable quarters and fed well after his journey.” Elizabeth stroked her filly’s soft muzzle and said, “You know, Fitzwilliam, there is a Bedouin legend that goes, ‘ … and Allah took a handful of southerly wind, blew His breath over it, and created the horse. Thou shall fly without wings, and conquer without any sword. Oh, horse!’”
“I had not heard that fable before; but someone once said, ‘To ride a horse is to ride the sky.’ My own personal favourite equestrian quote is from William Shakespeare’s
“I do admit I oft’ feel that way when cantering across an open field at Longbourn. There are two Arabian proverbs Papa told me. ‘The horse is God’s gift to mankind’ and ‘The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse’s ears.’”
Darcy was busy thoroughly inspecting the newest additions to his estate’s stable. He expertly ran his hand over each shiny coat; observed posture, muscular development, and spine; checked limbs; and looked into their trusting eyes. Lizzy laughed when he pried Majeed’s lips apart to inspect the colt’s teeth. “Upon my word, Mr. Darcy! Do you not know one must never look a gift horse in the mouth?”
Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, Miss Darcy, and Miss Bennet ventured out on a crisp Christmas morning to attend the parish church on the sacred holiday. The new mistress of Northumbrella was of great interest to the congregation and was introduced to many of those who would be visiting her home on New Year’s Eve.
Mr. and Mrs. Roman Candel and their twins, dark-haired Randall and Miranda, who were only slightly older than Mary and Anna, were invited for an afternoon of ice-skating on Northumbrella’s frozen pond. The Darcys’ bordering neighbours cheerfully accepted.
When the Candel family arrived, skate blades were distributed to one and all; and the party of eight walked the short distance down the lawn to the lake. Darcy fetched the point-setter puppy, which he and Elizabeth had decided to call ‘Balthasar’. They chose the Magi name because the little dog had been one of three gifts from a wise man on Christmas Eve.
Mary Bennet was somewhat bashful at first; but between Balthasar’s comical antics on the slippery surface and the cordiality of Miranda and her fine-looking brother, the ice was almost immediately broken; and those three youths skated circles around the others. Randall Candel was quite smitten with Anna Darcy and tried to be of assistance every time she took a tumble; however, the lad realized he was skating on thin ice when gimlet-eyed Darcy scowled at such actions. Elizabeth gracefully glided over to her husband and said, “Fitzwilliam, you could be a good brother and a-sist-her too; the poor fellow is rather taken with Anna and in some way reminds me of a certain cork-brained mooncalf with whom I was once acquainted. In your own words, you were a blushing, stammering schoolboy with a crush. My dear, the young man obviously wishes to embrace your sister. But, as I am sure you agree, no one could ever hold a Candel to a Darcy!” She giggled and skated away just as Darcy’s feet flew out from beneath him.
Fitzwilliam tried to catch his lovely, teasing wife; but similar to his sister, Northumbrella’s master was not a great proficient on blades. He had already taken more than a few spills and was somewhat irked his graceful spouse had no difficulty keeping her feet under good regulation. His mood was not improved when he tumbled yet again; and Lizzy skated in close proximity to inquire, “Are you not tired of sitting down, Fitzwilliam?” The next time he lost his balance, Darcy landed hard on his backside and hoped his wife had not noticed; however, she was, of course, instantly there to offer invaluable assistance. “Would you like some
When they all had an adequate amount of fresh air, exercise, tired ankles, sore backsides, and teasing, the chilled skaters returned to the house for an assortment of favourite brews. Lizzy ordered a variety of sweets and pastries, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, mulled cider, and Mrs. Cringlewood’s delicious wassail of ale, sugar, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. As soon as the fire and hot drinks had warmed one and all, Mrs. Darcy suggested they gather around the pianoforte to sing Christmas carols; and after Miss Candel, Miss Darcy, and Miss Bennet had all taken turns performing, Fitzwilliam asked Elizabeth to play next. Lizzy merrily agreed but insisted her husband join her for a duet; and since she was the apple of his eye, he mulled it over and sat down be-cider.
The guests had planned to depart before darkness fell but were having such an enjoyable time that daylight had diminished swiftly without anyone’s notice. When servants entered the drawing room to light gas lanterns, Mrs. Candel exclaimed upon the lateness of the hour.
“Mrs. Darcy, we had not intended to encroach on your evening for such an extent. Thank you, my dear, for your splendid hospitality. It was a pleasure to meet you and your charming sister, but we really must be on our way home. Roman, where is that parcel?” Her husband passed her a peculiarly-shaped package wrapped in paper, and Mrs. Candel handed it to her hostess. “Here is a modest gift from our house to yours, Mrs. Darcy. Merry Christmas, and welcome to the neighbourhood.”
Lizzy was at a loss to identify the mysterious glass object she had unwrapped but did not want to appear unappreciative. Initially she thought it was a decanter, but it had a hole in both the top of the slender neck and in the rounded bottom as well. “Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Candel. It is exquisite, and I am positive we will utilize it regularly … whatever its function.”
“Oh, my dear Mrs. Darcy, you are delightful! It is a toddy lifter made by a talented craftsman in Erethistle.”
Mr. Roman Candel then continued the explanation, “You see, it works similar to a siphon. You simply immerse the bulbous end into the bowl of hot toddy, and the liquid is drawn inside. Once you place your thumb over the hole on top, you can transfer the drink into your glass by releasing your thumb.”
Lizzy had grabbed a lit candlestick and positioned it close to the gentleman as he described the procedure. Mr. Candel then searched the wrapping paper for a small card with written instructions about the toddy lifter. In the process, the flame made contact with the man’s disorderly mop of dark russet curls. The stench of burnt, sizzling, frizzling hair alerted Elizabeth to the predicament, and she hastily withdrew the candle before it caused a conflagration on Mr. Candel’s head. Unfortunately, the tall tallow taper toppled out of its holder and hot wax dripped onto the poor fellow’s foot. Fortuitously, his foot was encased in a sturdy boot; and there was no damage done other than a few singed strands of hairs and an unsightly splotch of wax on brown leather. Mrs. Darcy apologized profusely and summoned a servant to remove the globule, but Mr. Candel waved away both her distress and the maid.
The Candel family departed almost immediately following the unpleasant incident but with no hard feelings toward Northumbrella’s agreeable new Mistress. As the door closed behind them, Elizabeth flung herself into Fitzwilliam’s arms and wailed, “Mama often warned me about burning a Candel at both ends!”
Darcy acknowledged his wife was, without a doubt, keeping relatively late hours. Her commitment as Mistress of the household was taken very seriously, and Elizabeth especially wanted their first holiday season together to be as perfect as possible. As her husband, Darcy had also been responsible for her missing out on a fair amount of sleep, not that she had ever complained about that aspect of her wifely duties.
Darcy kissed Lizzy’s crown while he held her in his loving arms and suggested a rest would be beneficial prior to dressing for dinner. Yet when the newlyweds arrived at their chambers, he promptly forgot, or simply ignored, his own recommendation. Although they were soon abed, the couple did not sleep. Later, as they prepared to meet their sisters for the Christmas feast, Darcy made a decision.
Elizabeth Darcy was garbed in an elegant cranberry velvet gown; and her curls were swept up, exposing the entire elegant column of her creamy white neck. Her abigail had woven a crimson ribbon throughout her lady’s locks and also tucked a few sprigs of holly and ivy into the creation. Lizzy’s face still glowed from their previous activity, her eyes sparkled, and she dazzled her husband with her brilliant smile. In Darcy’s estimation, she was the most breathtaking woman that ever lived; and he stood, rooted to the spot, and gaped at her in silent adoration.
“Fitzwilliam, are you unwell?” Lizzy rushed to stand in front of her statuesque spouse, soothingly stroked his clean-shaven cheek, and brushed several rebellious curls off his brow.
Darcy roused himself and said, “I am in perfect health, dearest, but can scarcely believe you chose to dress
