by Wendi Sotis
“I’m not tired, Will. Those seats on your plane are very comfortable, and I slept well. How about you?”
“It’s our plane.” He hesitated a few moments and frowned. “I was looking forward to taking you to Pemberley right away, but now, after spending our wedding night on an airplane, I realize it wasn’t a very bright idea,” he grumbled.
Elizabeth bit her lip in an attempt to refrain from laughing. “Just remember that it was your suggestion, not mine.”
“Yeah, I know.” William huffed out a breath. “But I’m glad you’re not tired, because even though it’s still night back in the States, it’s morning here. I’d like to show you around the house after we grab something to eat.”
“Actually, husband, that might have to wait for later today. I think we need a nap first.”
“I thought you weren’t tired.”
“I’m not.” She smiled impishly.
He glanced over at her, displaying a dazzling set of dimples. The expression in his eyes gave her goose bumps. “Good.”
William seemed lost in thought for a while, and then he pulled over to the side of the road, scowling.
“Why’d we stop?”
William gestured to a gated entrance across the road. “That’s the gate to Pemberley.” He hesitated. “The last time I was here was about three months before my parents died, during the last spring break before graduation. My parents invited Richie and Charles... and, of course, Georgiana came with us, too.” He sighed. “Wickham was with us.”
Elizabeth squeezed his hand. “We can spend tonight at the inn we passed if you don’t want to go up to the house today.”
“Thanks.” He brought her hand up to his lips. “It would be... wrong, somehow. I just need a minute.” William stared off at nothing in particular. “Even though we’ve lived mostly in the States for the past three generations, Pemberley is my—no, really, it’s our ancestral home. You’ve always been a Darcy, whether you knew it or not, Elizabeth. It’s part of us, especially after receiving the pictures and the trunk.” William smiled at his wife. “This is the place Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth called home.”
Elizabeth looked across the street. “Is it the same gate as it was back then?”
“The guard house to the left of the road is the same as it was in 1811 when they married, though from what I understand, it was rarely used. The gate was installed in the mid-1900’s to keep out the tourists when the family is in residence. Every generation has tried to restore instead of upgrade.” He chuckled at her worried expression. “Don’t worry; we have indoor plumbing and electricity. We even have internet and Wi-Fi. But most of what you’ll see is pretty much the same as it was in the early 19th century—when they lived here.”
Elizabeth raised both eyebrows. “What did you mean by tourists?”
“Many of the great houses of England were taken over by the government as historical sites if the owners couldn’t afford the upkeep or the taxes; or, like Chatsworth, the private owners open them to tour buses. The present Duke and Duchess of Devonshire have made quite a successful business of it. Pemberley is part of history. Whenever we’re away, it’s open to tours. I’ve closed the house to tourists while we’re going to be here.”
“Great house... guided tours?” Her eyebrows rose further. “Just how big is Pemberley?”
William smiled mischievously. “You’ll see in a few minutes.”
He pulled up to the gate, rolled down the window, and pressed the intercom button. After some discussion with the person on the other end, the gates opened, and William drove the car through. After driving a few minutes, William pulled the car over to the side again. “I’d like you to approach the house the right way. It’s warm for this time of year, but it’s still chilly. Would you mind?”
“If you want to walk, that’s fine.”
William just shook his head. “You’ll see.”
A few minutes later, Elizabeth gasped at the sight of an open, horse-drawn carriage coming into view. Two men sat atop, one holding the reins. Both were in some sort of costume that reminded Elizabeth of a livery uniform from her favorite Regency period movies. The carriage had a Darcy crest painted on the door.
William winked at her and exited the car. He rushed around to her side and helped her out. “That is the right way to see Pemberley for the first time.” He gestured toward the carriage.
Elizabeth couldn’t take her eyes off it. “Is it a recreation?”
“Nope, it’s almost two hundred years old. Carpenters have kept it in good shape through the years, haven’t they?”
“You have a carpenter come out to the house to restore things?”
“There’s a lot to keep up around the estate. There’s always one on staff.”
“Full time?”
“Yes. He lives here, along with the groundskeeper, stable manager, housekeeper, and cook. They each live with their families in what used to be tenants’ homes, and the rest of the staff lives off the estate. The cook usually works part-time to provide lunch for the staff, but she’ll be working full-time while we’re here.”
“You have a cook?”
William nodded. “We have a cook.”
Elizabeth paled.
William furrowed his brow. “Elizabeth?”
She shook her head. “I thought the magazine was exaggerating.”
“About what?”
“About how rich you are.”
“We are. Actually, they were off the mark. They under-estimated by half.” He hesitated.
Elizabeth paled further.
“Didn’t you read the pre-nup?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t read one word. All I knew was that, as part of your inheritance, if I didn’t sign a prenuptial agreement saying that Pemberley remained yours if we broke up, we couldn’t get married. Since I have no intention of breaking up, I just signed everywhere I was told to sign.”
William blinked a few times in confusion before swallowing the tightness in his throat. “So you really don’t know...” his voice trailed off. “Elizabeth, some of the papers you signed... you should know that the minute you said, ‘I do,’ Pemberley Deux became yours—along with enough cash to run the place and pay taxes for many years, if necessary. I’ve always thought of the mansion as yours, and now it is—legally.” He shook his head. “If you didn’t read the pre-nup, what were you thanking me for?”
After a few seconds, she recovered enough to whisper, “The tree house.”
“The tree house?”
“When the lawyer was talking about the house, I thought it was a joke... that he meant you were giving me the plot of land where the tree house is located...” Her voice trailed off.
William couldn’t help himself. The sound of his laughter echoed off the woods surrounding them. “If you thanked me like that for the tree house, what do I get for the mansion?”
When he realized Elizabeth wasn’t laughing with him, his mirth faded quickly. Concern gripped him when she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “Elizabeth?”
“What if I don’t have it in me to be that rich, Will? What if I embarrass you or...” A tear ran down her cheek. “Those things Anne’s mother said about Richie’s mom—”
That’s what I get for trying to impress her. All I did was frighten her!
“I don’t care about the opinions of Catherine de Bourgh or anyone like her.” He took her face between his hands and brushed her tear away with his thumb. “Elizabeth, I love you. All that stuff doesn’t matter to me, and it never has. I like Richie’s mom a lot more than I’ve ever liked Catherine. Money just makes everyday living more comfortable—it’s what is inside that counts. If it would make you happy, I’d live in the tree house, but only under one condition.”
“What’s the condition?”
“We’d have to build an outhouse nearby.”
She chuckled. “What about bathing?”
“We could collect rainwater in a bucket. No cook and no gardeners, and since I’m no hunter,
we’d eat roots and berries. Maybe we could plant a kitchen garden.” He kissed her tenderly. “As long as I’m the man who gets to hold you close and keep you warm at night, everything else is unimportant.”
Elizabeth feigned thinking it over. After a few moments, the teasing sparkle that William loved so much shone from her eyes. “It would never work. I can just see the magazine articles now. I guess we’ll have to rough it and live in the mansion instead.”
“Your mansion,” William corrected.
Elizabeth shook her head. “Our mansion.” She slid her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a quick kiss, but he had other ideas. She drew back slightly, laughing. “It would be rather rude to keep these guys waiting for us in the cold any longer, don’t you think?”
One of the horses huffed, as if in answer to her question.
“You have a point.” William stepped away, took her hand, and threaded it through his bent elbow. “May I escort you to the carriage, Mrs. Darcy?”
Elizabeth giggled. “What a lovely idea, Mr. Darcy.”
As William helped her into the carriage, one of the drivers jumped down and walked toward the car.
“He’ll bring the car down to the house. We are arriving in style.”
William pulled a blanket up over both of them and told the driver to begin their journey. He settled into the padded seat, wrapped his arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders, and pulled her close to his side. Pointing to an engraved plate attached to the wall of the carriage next to her, he explained, “You’ll see a few of these around the house and grounds—they’re for the tourists.”
Elizabeth read it out loud:
Purchased in 1813 by Fitzwilliam Darcy
for his beloved wife, Elizabeth.
William explained, “The official story is that Elizabeth loved to walk the grounds. When she was pregnant with their first child, Fitzwilliam worried about her walking alone, so he bought her this open carriage so she could still enjoy the outdoors.”
“What’s the full story?”
He raised one eyebrow. “How’d you know there was more?”
“You wouldn’t have said official if there wasn’t.”
William nodded. “Since his mother had a difficult time having children, Fitzwilliam couldn’t stop worrying about Elizabeth. She insisted she was fine and should be allowed to walk alone all over the estate as she always had. Even though the doctor agreed with her, Fitzwilliam couldn’t allow it. They compromised on this carriage and short walks within sight of the house, though she didn’t know that either he or a servant was watching her at all times during her walks.”
“How could you know all that?”
“I told you, whenever it rained, I was bored and I read. Sometimes, I went up in the attics and rifled through stuff up there. I came across a couple of trunks filled with journals of former masters of the estate. There’s now a section of the library devoted to them.”
“Please don’t tell me you’re kidding, Will!” Elizabeth demanded excitedly. “I’m going to be able to read Fitzwilliam’s diaries, too?”
He nodded. “I thought you might like that.” William looked around then pointed ahead on the left side of the carriage. “See up there, at the top of the hill, where the trees end? Keep looking in that direction.”
The trees broke, and the sight was beyond compare. Elizabeth had never seen any structure so well situated. A large, handsome stone building, Pemberley Manor stood on rising ground on the opposite side of a valley, backed by a ridge of high woody hills. In front, a stream of some natural importance swelled into a large lake, which reflected the manor house perfectly. Elizabeth could barely breathe at the beauty of it all.
“Oh, Will…” she whispered, afraid that if she spoke louder, the mirage would burst and melt away.
He pulled her closer to him. “I’m glad you like it.”
“How could I not like it? It’s heavenly!”
They descended the hill and crossed a bridge. As they approached, the details of the carved stone trim became clear, and the overall beauty of the house only increased.
“This place is huge, and I might get lost, but I want to explore every inch of it.”
“I intend to spend as much time with you as I can, so you won’t get lost. Just make sure you have your cell in your pocket so if you do, you can call me, and I’ll send out a search party.” Will chuckled. “Years ago, we would issue two-way radios to guests.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
He kissed her quick. “Absolutely.”
~
This is truly unbelievable. Elizabeth thought. I feel like Cinderella!
The carriage stopped near the entrance. William stepped down and helped Elizabeth out. Again, he tucked her hand into his arm. “Welcome to Pemberley, Elizabeth.”
When they were about halfway up the steps, the door opened and a middle-aged woman sporting a pleasant smile appeared.
“Hello, Mrs. Finn. This is my wife, Elizabeth.” William proudly made the introduction.
“Welcome, Mrs. Darcy.”
Elizabeth stepped forward and extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Finn. Please call me Lizzy.”
“Then I’d prefer it if you’d call me Helen.” Mrs. Finn stepped forward and shook Elizabeth’s hand. “The maids are already unpacking your bags. Would you like to eat something now, or freshen up in your rooms first?”
William answered, “I know it’s now closer to lunchtime, but as always, as soon as I touch down on English soil, I start thinking about a proper English breakfast. Can we have that sent up, Mrs. Finn? After their lunch, the indoor staff can take the rest of the day off—we’re planning to take a long nap. I’m sure we can fend for ourselves in the kitchen later.”
“Certainly.” Mrs. Finn tried to hide a smile, but was unsuccessful. “The change in time zones can be quite tiring.”
“Something like that.” William looked at Elizabeth in a way that could only make her blush.
Elizabeth changed the subject. “Is it a British custom to have conversation outdoors, or am I not allowed inside the house?”
“None of the above.” William smiled mischievously. “I just wanted to get that out of the way before I did this.”
Elizabeth squealed as William scooped her up into his arms and carried her across the threshold. He took several steps into the entry hall and stopped. Taking full advantage of his nearness, she threaded her fingers through his hair, and she pulled him closer. She realized that they were acting very rudely toward Mrs. Finn, but she was too easily distracted by William’s kiss to care. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was aware of the sound of the door closing and the clacking of Mrs. Finn’s heels as she walked away.
When William broke the kiss, Elizabeth couldn’t tear her gaze from his. “Thank you for bringing me here…the carriage, the costumes…everything! It’s all so perfect.”
“You haven’t even seen the inside of the house yet—”
“It wouldn’t matter to me if it were gutted and covered in fluorescent paint; it would still be perfect.” She stretched upward for another kiss.
He obliged her briefly but pulled back when Elizabeth’s stomach growled loudly. They both laughed.
“I guess ordering a meal was another perfect idea?”
She nodded. “Aren’t you going to put me down?”
“Nope. Because of enduring your mother’s rule of not allowing us to see each other for three days before the wedding and my idiotic idea of flying directly to England after our wedding reception, this is the closest I’ve been to you in days. I’m carrying you up to the family wing just like this.”
Elizabeth giggled. “I won’t argue with perfection.”
When William started walking, Elizabeth took the opportunity to look around her for the first time. The entrance hall was spectacular—marble floors, stunning wooden mouldings, vintage furniture, and a wooden vaulted ceiling carved with intricate designs. She wanted to examine everything thoro
ughly, but there’d be plenty of time for that later.
Elizabeth was proud of herself when she successfully hid her mirth as William’s steps slowed on the third flight of stairs. His pace picked up once again as he made his way down the hallway.
“This is the family wing. Our rooms are at the end of the hall on the right.”
“Rooms? Plural?”
“Yes, you’ll see. Time for a little history. This has always been the family wing, but we moved the original furnishings to the opposite wing on the second floor for posterity’s sake. This area has been kept up to date as times have changed, although the floors, walls, and ceilings have been preserved.” He stopped before a handsomely carved doorway. “Can you reach the latch?”
She could, so she pushed the door open. He was right—it was a mixture of modern and antique, charmingly blended. Nothing seemed out of place. As was the case with everything else in the house so far, this room was huge. A gigantic hearth took up a good portion of the wall to their right, with a comfortable sitting area nearby. On the outside wall were French doors, through which she could glimpse a balcony. Taking up a good portion of the left side of the room was a gorgeous four-poster bed, which was stripped of sheets at the moment, framed by two large windows.
“This is the original master’s bedchamber. The dressing room was converted into his-and-hers walk-in closets and a bathroom. The shared sitting room for the master and the mistress is through this door here.” He pushed open a door near the corner of the wall with the fireplace, and they entered what looked like a modern living room with an entertainment center housing any type of electronic device one’s heart might desire. This room claimed another massive hearth. Her trained eye caught that the fireplaces were not back-to-back. She smiled thinking that it could prove embarrassing if they were. Voices would carry through the flue and into the other room.
In the corner, she saw what must have been a bar at one time, but now was a small kitchenette with an array of soft drinks and water on display instead of liquor.
William placed her feet on the floor, but did not let her go. “I would have put you down in the other room, but I wasn’t sure I could trust myself…”