“Will, you have your boots on.”
“They are not on the bed.”
“But still…”
“Very well. How quickly you have taken to being a wife, but if you insist that I remove my boots, I am going to remove everything else and get ready for bed. Pemberley is warmer than Wick Manor, but it is chilly enough.”
“Shall I send for Ellie?” Lizzy asked.
“I will be happy to perform the same duties that I did last night.”
“Then I shall not ask her to come in. It will be easier tonight. Fewer pins.”
“Don’t move. I will be right back,” and Darcy went to his room, realizing that when provided with the proper motivation, preparing for bed could go very quickly, and he hurried Mercer along.
Darcy had been pleased with their first night together. Although there was some evidence of nervousness, Elizabeth seemed to respond to his every kiss and caress, and he wondered if she would be completely at ease tonight now that she had known him. But he did not have to wonder long as he watched her remove her nightgown and climb into bed. As they lay together, Elizabeth believed herself to be the happiest creature in the world. Perhaps other people had said so before, but no one with such justice.
Epilogue
The Darcys hosted the promised harvest dance to coincide with the May Day celebrations, and the day was as perfect as they had hoped. Every bedroom at Pemberley was filled with visiting relatives, and every room at the inn at Lambton was occupied by friends of the families.
Children danced around the Maypole, and there were jugglers and acrobats entertaining the guests. The white marquees, with their colored streamers, held every sort of game, and the largest of them was filled with tables practically bowing under the weight of so much food. Roaming minstrels played their tunes, and a magician retrieved coins from Mrs. Draper’s hat and Mrs. Long’s ear. When he asked Mrs. Bennet to pull a handkerchief out of his pocket, the cloth went on for yards, and she broke out into a fit of laughter and her husband joined her in her merriment. Lizzy waved to Charles and Jane, who was no longer able to conceal her pregnancy, as well as Kitty and Lydia, who had spent a good part of their day following Colonel Fitzwilliam around, but there were other handsome men to catch their eye as well.
Over a period of a month, Anne de Bourgh had been ferried from one manor house to another, so that she could be at Pemberley for the fete. As predicted, upon hearing of the marriage, Lady Catherine had been all storm and thunder for a week, threatening to sever all ties with her nephew, but as Antony pointed out, she did not have all that many visitors coming to Rosings Park to begin with. Did she really want to cut ties to the few who still came to Kent? As a peace offering, her nephew suggested that she send Elizabeth something as a token of her regard, and a surprised Elizabeth opened a gift box that contained a pearl necklace given to Lady Catherine by her sister, Lady Anne Darcy.
Lady Margaret, dowager Countess Fitzwilliam, arrived at Pemberley in a carriage with her son, Lord Fitzwilliam, and Mrs. Konig. Her Ladyship had traveled to Pemberley with her son’s mistress? Lizzy looked to Will for an explanation. “Later,” he whispered.
The countess, with all her haughtiness, reminded Lizzy of Lady Catherine, but that was where the similarities stopped. She liked to talk, but she also listened. She was excessively fond of her granddaughters and tolerant of Antony. She walked the grounds of Pemberley like a queen on the arms of her sons, and it was she who decided who would dine with her. After being notified that he was one of the chosen few, Antony demurred. “My dearest Mama, I am truly blest as I am able to see you so often in town, and it would be selfish of me not to share you with others.”
“Sit down, Antony, and say as little as possible.”
“I have no wish to annoy you, Mama, but you know better than anyone that it is beyond my capabilities to remain silent.”
“Try.”
This was obviously a scene that had played out many times before as neither could keep a straight face.
Earlier in the day, Antony had shared with Elizabeth that he had successfully rid himself of Briarwood. With the money from the sale of the Fitzwilliam manor house, he had been able to greatly reduce his debts, and in the House of Lords, he was gaining a reputation as someone to be reckoned with regarding entitlements for the Prince Regent.
“Mrs. Darcy, I understand I give you congratulation,” Mrs. Konig said. If the lady from Vienna had been gorgeous in her governess attire, she was absolutely stunning in one of the new dresses that had been made for her in London, courtesy of the countess. “I vish every joy. Childrens makes our lives full.”
“The Darcys are to have an addition to their family, and I know nothing of it?” Antony asked, pretending to be hurt. “Why wasn’t I told about this?”
“Why weren’t you told?” his mother asked. “Other than the fact that you cannot keep a secret? Oh, don’t pout, Antony. I have just learned of it myself from Georgiana.”
After everyone had eaten their full, the servants lit the torches, the musicians tuned their instruments, the dancers gathered, and Mr. and Mrs. Darcy led the first dance. Lizzy would have danced well into the night, but all the preparations required for such an event had tired her out and Will wanted her to rest. Now that she was assured that the combined efforts of those above stairs and those below had resulted in a good time for all, she wanted to get off her feet. Will took her by the hand and led her up the stairs to the terrace, so that she might watch the dancing while sitting down on a bench.
Georgiana followed them up the stairs to let them know that Mary and she were perfectly capable of seeing to the guests. There was genuine excitement in her voice because she loved a country dance, and tomorrow, she would turn her attention to the start of her second season, which would begin in three weeks’ time. She was eager to be in town to see the latest fashions, and while Lizzy and Georgie shopped, Darcy would see to his business affairs. George Bingley was greatly increasing his wealth, for which he was grateful, but the man had more meetings than Parliament.
“Will, I was very surprised to see Lady Margaret and Mrs. Konig in the same carriage. I am happy for Mrs. Konig, but I confess that I do not understand.”
“That was much more than a carriage ride. It is the dowager countess’s way of acknowledging Mrs. Konig and the relationship she has with her son. Simply put, Mrs. Konig may now move in society with Antony, and it is no longer necessary for her to pretend to be the girls’ governess. The countess has a lot of influence among the ladies of the
“Yes, I must accept what cannot be changed, and on such a night, I shall think only happy thoughts.”
“Well, Elizabeth, now that you have had your wedding breakfast, are you happy?”
“As you well know, I was happy before this day, but our wedding breakfast is a little different from others, is it not? I do not imagine that many brides are with child on such a day.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Just think about Ellie Timlin, a name I shall never forget. I was in the study at Netherfield Park, greatly enjoying myself while kissing you, when you mentioned her name, and that was the end of that.”
“Yes, I remember, and we were very fortunate that we were not discovered,” she said, rising. “Please stay as long as you like, but I am for bed,” and she kissed him good night.
“Shall I send for Ellie?”
“No. I promised the servants that once the torches were lit that they could have the rest of the evening to themselves. They have all been working since before dawn.”
“Then may
“You used to take my pins out twice a day.”
“Yes, but I am a considerate husband, and as noted, you are with child.”
Lizzy knew that Will would come to bed with her and would offer to rub her back or legs or whatever was
