But Elizabeth knew she was being childish about this, and she would get
used to it.
'Thank you so much, love, for being willing to indulge me in my every whim. But I'm going to do this, for poor Fanny's sake mostly. She would feel rejected if she was dismissed. She has to work all day, Fitzwilliam, I can sit still and let myself be attended to for half an hour a day for a fortnight. I have such an easy life as your lady.'
He didn't reply straight away, but embraced her and kissed her face noisily.
'I love you, Elizabeth, and I think a bit more every day. If that is at all possible. Let's have breakfast and get the hunt over with. I suppose we will not have time to ride today, since you will be tuning that piano all afternoon to make a good impression on handsome Mr Fielding? I hope your father will spare him, he seems quite sensitive, those with a lot of feeling usually bear with sarcasm very ill.'
'My father generally makes fun of ridiculous traits in people. I see very little foolishness in Mr Fielding, and once he has played my father will have the same respect for his talent that we all have. No, Mr Fielding is safe from him. I hope.'
Darcy's morning turned out surprisingly entertaining, hunting shoes with his father-in-law. Since there was no time to have their shoes made to size they only had the choice of a few stores selling the novelty of ready-made footwear. Of course Darcy knew all of them, before he met Elizabeth he used to take his time shopping with Simon, and they had seen this new form of manufacturing start among the larger stores. Now even the smaller businesses offered a few pairs for hasty buyers, and Simon firmly believed that one day, most clothes would be ready-made.
'How could one ever buy a ready-made coat, Simon? It wouldn't fit at all,'
Fitzwilliam objected when Simon told him, but Simon retorted, 'They already have stores for ladies that make dresses up front in several sizes, then have a seamstress present to adjust them on the spot. People in London are hasty, and seem to get hastier all the time.'
Though Darcy hadn't wanted to believe that, Simon said it was really true, and this very morning Elizabeth would go to several of those with Simon to find a fitting dress at the very last moment. Buying shoes ready-made was fine, and he supposed dresses and accessories as well, but coats? As long as Darcy had the figure to wear a fashionable, tight coat well, he would always have it fitted, for a badly fitted coat would be a waste of money. And his
trousers, especially the longer pantaloons Simon insisted would become the fashion more and more, how could one ever get them skin-tight without having them fitted?
But when he had asked Simon, his valet just laughed and said, 'Dear master, do you think poor people can afford to have their clothes fitted? And do you think most rich people have their servants' liveries fitted? I know mine is and I am glad for it, but I don't think Mrs Reynolds has all the Pemberley servants measured for theirs. She orders them ready-made, then has a maid adjust them to size.'
In fact, Darcy had never thought about how poor people got their clothes, Mrs Annesley always looked perfectly dressed, though she of course was not poor by any means.
Anyway, thanks to Simon, Darcy knew the best stores for ready-made shoes, and he took Mr Bennet on a tour of them. They started with two reputable stores, not too expensive nor very cheap, but the shoes on offer were old-fashioned and almost gaudy, Darcy himself wouldn't wear them and Mr Bennet clearly was as little pleased with the looks of them. Next was a very expensive shop where Mr Bennet clearly didn't feel at ease at all.
Two liveried attendants plus a clerk were just too many people to have looking on when trying out shoes, Darcy could not but agree with that, and they quickly moved on to his own favourite for buying new boots, a small shop with just a few models of the best quality.
An old man helped them find the right size, and Mr Bennet immediately liked a sturdier pair, great for daily wear but also suitable to a grand occasion. Darcy tried an elegant model, very becoming with his longer, skin-tight pantaloons and the coat Simon chose to go with them. They were a bit tight, but the clerk assured him that was normal with ready-made shoes, they would adjust to his feet after a few days. Once he got used to wearing them he'd make a fine figure on the dance floor with his lovely lady. They both paid for their new shoes and decided to stick with coffee, considering the time of the day. And after their celebratory cup, with a large slice of pie of course, Darcy had a proposal for Mr Bennet.
'After fulfilling our duties, shall we conclude this hunt with a visit to a shop that will warm both our hunters' hearts?'
Mr Bennet, not used to London and very curious, assented, and Darcy took him to the store that Elizabeth loved, the one that sold hunting gear right in the heart of London.
That was a hit and no mistake. Where their hunt for shoes took them a little less than an hour, they stayed in this store for nearly two. Guns, clothing, fishing rods, nets, hunting coats, trousers, boots, knives, even stockings, they had everything, and of the best quality.
Mr Bennet ultimately bought a new rifle and accepted Darcy's gift of a pair of sturdy riding boots of the same materials as the ones Elizabeth wore when they went riding.
'Your daughter loves them, Mr Bennet, and you'll love them too. They're fine for riding in winter, but also very well-suited for walking.'
After they had seen everything and bought whatever they wanted, they went home, to see how the ladies had fared.
Of course they had Simon to help them choose, which was no mean advantage. On his advice they took a cab to a long street in the middle of town, which was actually more like a single long row of individual shops on both sides of the street. There were milliners, dressmakers, seamstresses, cobblers, ribbon shops, Elizabeth just could not believe her eyes, there seemed to be a store for everything a lady might want to buy, several actually.
They visited one shop after another, Simon leading, but wearing his livery to look like an ordinary attendant. Of course it was not common practice for a lady of one of the wealthy families to visit a store in person, usually they had their dresses made by expensive seamstresses, but time was really too short for that and these stores might even be a tad more fashionable. With Simon and Mrs Annesley to protect the ladies from overzealous clerks they soon found a very beautiful dress for Georgiana, a lovely dark blue silk that emphasised her tall, womanly figure. Her figure was so ideal at sixteen that the dress didn't need any adjustments, which saved a lot of time, and embarrassment for Georgiana. Remarkably, the store also had a set of beautiful white accessories to go with the dress, a scarf of finely-woven Merino wool, and a turban-style hat with a pair of short but spectacularly-coloured feathers. Simon took a deep breath to discretely convince her to take them, but she had already decided she wanted them. Mrs Annesley arranged to have them sent to the house, while they walked to the next store, only a few doors away.
Elizabeth was the next one to find a dress to her taste. It had rich bronze tones, was made of the most beautiful silk velvet, and fitting to her new
status as wedded lady, but still youthful enough for her age. It was cleverly made, with a sash to adjust the fit to most body shapes. She decided to have a short coat with it, not a very common accessory, but so incredibly well-cut and beautifully decorated with embroidery and little bronze ornaments she could not resist it. It looked a little like the kind of coat Fitzwilliam wore but much shorter, entirely lady-like and very elegant, with slightly-puffed sleeves and beautiful bronze buttons .
One of the clerks, a pretty girl with a sweet voice, commended her taste.
'It's our mistress' invention, ma'am, and she is convinced it will be the next high fashion. She got the idea in Paris, where most ladies wear these beautiful coats over their dresses. It is risqué to wear it in England already, only for the very brave.'
Elizabeth checked with Simon, who beamed at her and signalled a decided,
'Yes!' and a look that seemed to say, 'I'm proud of you!'
And Elizabeth was proud to have his approval, fo
r Simon seemed to be a living, breathing fashion magazine, he knew everything. And he could not help himself, he was supposed to be along to carry purchases and should have given his advice subtly, but despite that he brought Elizabeth a little hat, the opposite of turban-style, a rather abstract, square shape, but also made of the finest fabric and decorated exquisitely, with two long, brown, speckled feathers attached to it.
'Would you dare wear this, ma'am? It would totally complete this outfit, well, except for some jewellery, which we have found in one of the rooms with old stuff, I know just the thing to go with this dress.'
'Simon, I trust you. I like the hat, though it is a bit too much of a good thing for me, but I'll take it and I'll wear it at the wedding. Are we done, Mrs Annesley?'
'Almost, ma'am. You both need a pair of matching slippers, and I'd like Miss Georgiana to choose one other dress, she has grown so much she should really wear more lady-like dresses, she's no longer a girl and I suppose she wants to be treated like a woman. Clothes make a large difference in the way people see you.'
'Mrs Annesley, however much I hate buying clothes and wearing fine dresses, you are right.'
Georgiana was determined to do the right thing.
'I want to get respect from the people I know, and therefore I will dress for it. You show me what is on offer, and I'll try it on.'
And with the help of her three companions she chose another two beautiful dresses from that quaint little store, in youthful white but with a womanly cut, very becoming to her tall figure and full shape. One of them was not fitted perfectly and Mrs Annesley clearly objected to that for Georgiana would not like to have it fitted right there and then, being rather shy. But Elizabeth liked the dress very much on her sister, and she knew she could improve the fit really easily, she used to fit both her own and Jane's dresses after all.
'I can easily remedy that myself, Mrs Annesley, I'm very good at fitting dresses. If you want to you can do the stitching, you're even better at that than I am, I bet you can stitch an invisible seam no problem.'
'You can fit dresses, ma'am?'
'We didn't have a good seamstress where we lived, so we learned to do it ourselves. I know I can fix this.'
'By all means, ma'am, I'm looking forward to seeing you correct that flaw, and I'll gladly do the stitching, if you pin the seam for me. Fanny should learn, too, if she is to be a lady's maid.'
Choosing accessories now fell to Simon, since both ladies had had their fill of shopping for one day, and at two different milliners he decided on another turban-style hat and a simple headband of crushed velvet with a beautiful blue stone in front.
'It's rich, but in very good taste,' he explained his choices, 'and very suitable to Miss Georgiana's age.'
'I love them, Simon,' Georgiana observed, 'I'll look like a Eastern princess.'
With their willingness to shop down to zero, they took a little break with coffee and pie, then marched on to find shoes. They settled on beautiful soft leather slippers, showing their feet off elegantly, as opposed to the sturdy half-boots Elizabeth wore outside.
Back home, they had lunch with the men, Fitzwilliam in an excellent mood after having spent the entire morning with her father, but nonetheless eager for a lengthy embrace and some kisses, and of course Elizabeth felt exactly the same.
Chapter 32
They decided to ride out after all, in the afternoon, including Mr Bennet in their ride, to show him the city from horseback and to keep his horse active in the confinement of a London stables. Darcy's father-in-law also needed the exercise, he was used to riding every day and needed to stay in shape for their return journey. The snow kept coming and gave the city a fairytale look, especially in the parks they visited regularly. It was no hardship at all to have Mr Bennet along on their outings, he was a true kindred spirit, talking about books, politics and the news with great interest. He must have really been starved for a sensible conversation at home for they hadn't heard a single instance of sarcasm from him during his stay in London; Georgie loved him, Simon treated him with more respect than he treated anyone, Mr Bennet in his turn treated Mrs Annesley with more respect than Darcy had ever seen him show towards any other person.
After seeing them in conversation in the hall one time, Darcy decided to invite Mrs Annesley to lunch and to dine with them during Mr Bennet's stay, on her working days of course, and fortunately she told him she didn't have the slightest objection against joining them in the dining-room for a few days. From the moment she was no longer Georgie's companion she had stopped taking her meals with the family, sitting with the rest of the staff instead.
'I'm no longer required to sit in on your family moments, Mr Darcy, and I prefer to give you your time together. Also, mealtimes are perfect for getting to know one another, and your entire staff needs to get connected, myself included.'
Darcy could not but agree with her then, but he truly thought Mr Bennet enjoyed her presence at lunch and would enjoy it even more at their dinner table. Like Darcy himself, his father-in-law greatly appreciated an intelligent woman, and Mrs Annesley was near his own age. Besides, Darcy knew little of Mrs Annesley's situation at home but it could not be easy, he
did know her husband was unable to work for a living, which suggested most domestic tasks would also fall on her shoulders. In short, she might enjoy a bit of entertainment now and again, and she clearly enjoyed Mr Bennet's society as much as he enjoyed hers.
Darcy supposed they would see Mr Bennet more often from now on, even at Pemberley. To be in the company of people of superior understanding had to be very tempting, and worth a long ride. He was certain Elizabeth would be glad if her father would take the trouble to visit, he knew she felt bad about leaving him behind with just his wife and their silly younger daughters as company. And for himself he didn't mind at all, he liked his father-in-law, who treated the servants friendly enough and entertained himself most of the time. Once at Pemberley, Darcy wouldn't mind hunting and fishing with him, they could even make it a party this spring if they included Mr Gardiner.
Lost in contemplations for a few moments, Darcy was brought back to the now by their arrival at the edge of a rather large field where they usually galloped. As he looked up, Elizabeth was just urging Daisy into a slow canter to test the footing. After a few jumps the mare slipped, and slipped again, fortunately regaining her footing almost instantly. Elizabeth sat as firm as a rock despite the sidesaddle, slowed down back to a walk and turned to face them.
'I suppose it's a bit slippery today, Fitzwilliam, it may be better if we don't gallop. Too bad, Daisy was looking forward to a good run.'
Darcy was very proud of her, to recover so matter-of-factly from a scary situation, she really was an excellent horse-woman by now, he could hardly wait to ride to Netherfield together. But he looked forward even more to the summer on their estate, where she could ride astride once more and really test her mettle on a few mounted hunts.
But as much as Darcy admired her, her father's reaction was one of utter amazement.
'My dearest Lizzy, where did you learn to ride like that?'
Elizabeth replied airily, having Daisy walk on beside her father's sturdy horse.
'One of Fitzwilliam's stablehands has a real talent for instructing, papa. He taught me a lot, starting out riding astride.'
'You always refused to ride and I never understood why, you loved nature and being outdoors so much, and you were so much more athletic and quite
a lot braver than Jane, who did ride.'
'I didn't like being dependent on the horse, papa. I never felt I could control such a large, strong animal. But astride I gained the confidence that I could, and I got to know Daisy as the sweetest-natured, most stable horse ever, and I realised I wouldn't want to stop riding in London so I decided to try a sidesaddle. I'd still rather ride astride, though.'
Mr Bennet's face was a study in admiration and amazement, and he didn't have anything to say for a good few moments.
'So that
was the whole trouble, being in control. I might have guessed, knowing you as well as I do. And you ride astride at Pemberley? I cannot wait to see that, though I admit I find it disconcerting to picture my daughter in trousers. I suppose that explains why your husband is so extraordinarily fond of you.'
Darcy could not help smiling at this observation, it was not entirely true, but he remembered how the very idea of Elizabeth in trousers had turned him on instantly.
'I don't ride in trousers like yours, papa, they're more like a split skirt. Very elegant and quite decent, if I say so myself.'
'Well my dear Lizzy, I'm just glad you discovered the pleasure of riding a horse, and I'm sure you'll show me some real feats in summer, astride and on safer turf than trampled snow. But please let me tell you how wonderful you look riding like this. Your dark hair against the snow, that lovely dress, and your mare the colour of a horse chestnut just burst out of its prickly shell. You've truly grown from a pretty girl to a beautiful young woman. I'm looking forward to seeing you in the gown you chose for the wedding, as much as I'm looking forward to seeing Jane in her wedding gown. I'll have the two most beautiful women as my daughters, I'm going to burst with pride.'
Why, Mr Bennet seemed altogether quite affected by the picture his daughter presented, which was indeed quite stunning. Looking at his beloved, Darcy realised his father-in-law was actually right, Elizabeth had changed. She was no longer merely a pretty girl, their months together had matured her into a woman, strong and self-assured, and indeed truly beautiful. Darcy could hardly wait for their moment of washing and changing after the ride, when she would undoubtedly allow him their usual intimacies.
A bit shyly, Elizabeth said to her father, 'Thank you, papa. I'm glad you
approve.'
Then as her cheeky self, 'Though I'd ride astride anyway if you didn't. But only on our own grounds. Let's turn back, I promised Georgiana we'd try for at least two more octaves before Mr Fielding arrives. Did you invite Mrs Annesley to the concert? She'd love it, though she says she's not a connoisseur she has a real appreciation for good music.'
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