guest list had grown so long. Here you are an expectant mother doing everything, and I am doing nothing and I am the bride.”
“You need not concern yourself on my account,” Jane reassured her sister. “I have done very little. Mr. Jackson arrived two days ago, and he has met with our butler, Mr. Cleveland, and between the two, they have taken care of everything as well as seeing to the needs of all of the servants who have come from Pemberley to help. Mr. Jackson said that this is nothing to him, as he has been with the Darcys since he was a boy, and when Lady Anne was alive, the family was frequently on the move—visiting other families at their country houses, going to town for Christmas and the season, to Weymouth to sea bathe, and back to Pemberley. These pleasant memories brought a smile to his face.”
“You must be mistaken, Jane. Mr. Jackson never smiles. It is not in the butler’s handbook.”
From the day Lizzy had met him at Pemberley, Mr. Jackson had shown her nothing but kindness, and she had developed a deep affection for him because of how protective he was over his master. But she had never seen even a tiny crack in his somber facade. When Lizzy had mentioned this to Mr. Darcy, he answered by saying that he knew for a fact that Mr. Jackson was capable of smiling. “One time, Mercer caught him in the act, but he only performs this exercise when he is belowstairs, and only in the company of the senior servants, and then only once or twice a year as he does not want to overdo it, or so I am told, having never actually witnessed the phenomenon myself.”
“But why does he not smile abovestairs?” Lizzy had asked. “He must occasionally be amused by something he has seen or heard.”
“It is quite normal for senior servants not to smile as they bear heavy responsibilities. You cannot judge the servants here at Pemberley based on your relationship with Mr. and Mrs. Hill. Such familiarity would not work on such a large estate. When you think about it, Pemberley is as large as some villages, so Mr. Jackson must be very strict in order to keep his young staff in line.”
“Well, if Mr. Jackson actually did smile,” Lizzy told Jane, “I am sorry to have missed it, as it happens as frequently as the appearance of Mr. Halley’s comet.”
Lizzy shared with her sister all that she had done in London. “Madame Delaine is an accomplished dressmaker, and while her nimble fingers performed miracles on my wedding dress, Aunt Gardiner and I went from shop to shop, having the best time, all at Mr. Darcy’s expense.”
“By the way, where is Mr. Darcy?” Jane asked, looking around. “Is he with Charles?”
“He is not here. He had some business that required his attention, but he will be here in a day or two.”
Jane was not pleased to hear that Mr. Darcy was once again absent. She had grown used to Charles’s boundless energy and his need for movement, but it was nothing compared to Mr. Darcy’s meanderings. At least her husband remained in the county, but that was not the case with Mr. Darcy. He was always coming and going, but only God knew where he went.
“Lizzy, I do so hope he will not be running about the country once you are married. Your courtship was unorthodox by anyone’s standards, except, perhaps, for those men who travel the roads to sell their wares.”
“Please do not worry, Jane. You must understand that Mr. Darcy’s wealth is not derived exclusively from his properties and that he has investments in other companies and manufactories. Up to this point, he has been personally involved in their management, but he will not do so once we are married.” All of this was true. It just did not have anything to do with what was happening in Herefordshire.
“I am very glad to hear it, and I shall hold him to it as a husband should be by his wife’s side. Now, as to the preparations for your wedding, Mr. Darcy’s cook arrived with Mr. Jackson. Prior to her coming, she sent such detailed instructions to poor Mrs. Blanchard that she was quite overwhelmed, but Mrs. Bradshaw assumed command and went into Meryton to talk to the butcher and the greengrocer and everyone else who will be providing whatever is needed. I have been warned that she is very demanding and brooks no interference in her kitchen.”
“Then we shall not interfere,” Lizzy said. “Besides, Georgiana is now here, and she knows how to get around Mrs. Bradshaw,” or so Lizzy hoped. “She is speaking with her right now, so I shall join her, as I feel that I should do
But it was not to be. As predicted, Mrs. Bradshaw politely told Lizzy that she was the bride and needed to tend to her own role and to leave her to do her work. This was said in a tone of voice that left no doubt that Lizzy had been dismissed, but it was a good thing that she had been shunted aside, as Mr. Darcy came to Longbourn the next day.
Because it was such a gray, rainy day, Lizzy and Mr. Darcy could not go for a walk and were thus confined to the parlor with Kitty, Mary, and Mrs. Bennet. The gentleman tried to appear to be interested in their discourse, but he really did not want to hear Mary summarize the vicar’s Sunday sermon, nor was he interested in Kitty’s visit with Maria Lucas, and he most especially wished to be spared the reasons for the onset of Mrs. Bennet’s flutters. All the news he had to share with his betrothed remained unspoken, that is, until Mr. Bennet took mercy on the couple and offered them the use of his study.
“Finally, we are alone,” Darcy said as he pulled Lizzy into an embrace, and the two remained in each other’s arms saying nothing. When Darcy did kiss her, it was a quick brush of his lips across her cheek. “I am at a point where if I were to kiss you on the lips it would have such an effect on me that I would risk embarrassing myself.”
“I am in a similar state, but you probably already knew that. So let us sit on the sofa, and you may tell me of your trip to Herefordshire. How did it go?”
“Very well,” he said, nodding his head for effect.
“As well as it went with your aunt Catherine?”
“Much better,” he answered, laughing. “I may have found Nell the perfect husband. He is the son of a French aristocrat, twenty-six years old, reasonably handsome, of good height and build. The whole family, their servants,
“Oh, that does sound promising. I really do want Lady Helen to be happy, but I also want her gone, and not for the reason you might think. I was truly distressed at how indiscreet she was at Pemberley, and I would be constantly on edge, fearing that she would say something that would reveal your situation. With Rupert gone, it will be just you and Teddy, and he is completely reliable.”
“Unfortunately, that is no longer true as Teddy will soon be leaving Pemberley for good.”
“But why? If Nell marries Monsieur Reynard and Teddy leaves, then you will be all alone.”
“Which is exactly the way I want it. Rupert was a menace, and Nell is annoying. Teddy and I could get by on a rabbit or partridge or, God forbid, not eat at all, but if there are three of us, Nell always wants to go after a deer and that causes problems. You cannot leave a carcass out in the woods that has been torn apart by animals as it will cause alarm bells to ring, but it is nothing to her as she gets in her carriage at daybreak and returns to Granyard Hall. But Teddy, Mercer, or I must go out and bury the deer or sheep or whatever she has devoured.”
“I certainly understand why you want Nell and Rupert to leave the pack, but why Teddy?”
“I had an opportunity to speak with Teddy while I was in Herefordshire. He is there because that is where Rupert is being held prior to being transported, and it was he who came to me. At Pemberley, the explanation for Teddy’s monthly disappearances was that Rupert was the son of a nobleman, and once a month he was permitted to go see his father, and Teddy would accompany him as his manservant. That situation no longer exists, and you cannot have a groom go missing once a month. It would make Teddy’s life very difficult with the other grooms, and it might possibly invite comment. I cannot have that. Now that I am to be a married man with a family, I will not take any unnecessary risks and that is what I told the Council.”
“The Council was in Herefordshire?”
“Yes, Rupert remains a problem because you cannot have someone who was so public a figure just drop out of sight. The Council is made up of two werewolves and one man. It was decided that Mr. Clark, the human, will take Rupert to London where he will be seen, and when spring comes, word will have got around town that he wants to go to North America, and Teddy will go with him.”
“Oh, poor Mrs. Brotherton! Can the Council force him to go?”
“It is not a matter of
