Pemberley

by Kirsten Bij't Vuur

  'I know you have sisters yourself, Your Highness, so you must know how much trouble sisters are. Though I suppose you were raised with them, in my case it was more like being raised by them. My mother was happy enough to let them take care of me, she had plenty of work to do.'

  'I only met my sisters at mealtimes, and later during the holidays at mealtimes. We barely know each other.'

  'That is very sad, Your Highness. I've actually never worked in a household where there were several young children, I suppose they are mostly under the care of a maid or a nurse, very different from when I was a boy.'

  'Do you see yourself as anything else than a valet, Simon?'

  'I'm very good at it, Your Highness, I couldn't think of anything else I might do that would allow me to make a comfortable living.'

  'But isn't it demeaning and rather boring to wait upon someone day in, day out, without a day off? You have a true talent for dress, you have me ready to try a pair of pantaloons, and those black cravats are such a unique touch. And your uniform is a marvel. I'd hire you to bring my wardrobe into the next century, the way we dress at court, even mine, is a disgrace. What use is applying the most modern standards to one’s home if one has people walking around in it dressed like one's grandparents?'

  'If you put it that way, I see what you mean. I think I'd like that, enable men to dress much better. Women, too. I'll consider it, for indeed the idea of still serving as a valet ten years from now does seem a little, well, dull.'

  And with Frederick's five thousand Simon could easily start his own business in ready-mades. 'Close to fashion', if one pronounced it right it was even funny.

  'I can see you like the thought of that. Well, keep it in mind, I'll have plenty of work before me if I want to introduce modern dress at court, it'll take a few years and I'm afraid I won't even profit, I keep gaining weight. And that reminds me of breakfast, I hope we'll get some of Mrs Brewer's pie again.

  Maybe I should move my court to Mr Darcy's garden, to be near Mrs Brewer's kitchen. Thank you very much for your help, I suppose I'm staying in this morning to enjoy as much of Mr Fielding's talent as I can, which means I won't need to change until dinner. So I hope to see you tonight, to help me make ready for another evening of delightful conversation. I think I've found a way to make sure that Mrs Manners will always be as happy as she is now, I'll tell you all about it then.'

  And here Simon thought he'd gotten away easily.

  Chapter 20

  Elizabeth had been very excited all morning, for after breakfast she would accompany Fitzwilliam and Frederick on a real fox hunt. Of course the hunt master would be there with the pack, but of the others only Nick had dared accept the invitation to join them, and only at Frederick's insistence that he would not be in their way. Frederick had asked Fitzwilliam whether it was acceptable to take Nick along, and her beloved had merely replied dryly, 'If you think Anne won't come to harm without her guard, it's fine by me. I'm not going to risk Elizabeth's neck too much in her first real hunt, so I suppose Nick can handle the speed and the jumps.'

  Anne, Simon and Prince George would not be joining them, Prince George professed he preferred to listen to Eric as often as possible while he still could, but Elizabeth also guessed he probably couldn't handle going cross country and jumping, he was not in good shape and his horse would be sorely pressed to keep up with a bunch of hunters. Anne and Simon were still too inexperienced to partake safely, though Anne could probably have managed she'd said, 'I'm not going to run the risk of being a burden to you because my horse is not fast enough, and I wouldn't dare ride a borrowed hunter for the first time in a serious hunt. I'll stay at home and entertain our guest. Please take care of Nick, I worry he may be too self-assured and hurt himself and your hunter, Frederick.'

  By then, the prince had already left the breakfast parlour with Georgiana and Eric, of all those assembled here they were most at ease with their guest, probably because they shared a love of music, giving them something relatively innocuous to talk about without fail. If they had time for talk, because music was a demanding mistress to Georgiana and Eric.

  So now they were once again gathered by the stables, horses saddled and ready, Nick visibly eager to try Frederick's calmest hunter. Well, he was used to Liquor, this tall bay couldn't be much more difficult to handle than Nick's own black. Elizabeth doubted that the bay would perform better than Liquor, what he might lack in stamina and speed he made up for in determination, but of course a fox hunt wasn't just about performance, there was a certain atmosphere to it as well. The hounds were out and baying nervously, causing even Barley to fidget, he wasn't used to being surrounded by deep-voiced predators, even if their attention was not on him but on Mr Oliver, the

  Pemberley hunt master.

  'We will be riding three miles east towards the Lower Burton area, then let the hounds seek the trail of this fox we're supposed to do away with. It's a canny old creature and the villagers have begged me to do something about it, it's killing hens at the rate of one coop every other night, for more than two weeks now. The good people of Burton will soon have to do without eggs if this pillaging continues.

  Mrs Darcy, Fowler, welcome in our midst, please remember, let the hounds do their job, and if they bring the fox to bay please do not get in the way of the gentlemen's rifles. This creature really needs to die or we'll have a bunch of unhappy villagers on our hands.'

  Nick and Elizabeth were not allowed a rifle this first hunt, they were supposed to concentrate on staying in the saddle and keeping up. Carrying a loaded rifle was considered too dangerous on a man's first half dozen hunts, and with the noise and Barley's rising skittishness Elizabeth understood very well.

  Nick nodded and said, 'I understand,' after which Elizabeth realised the hunt master wanted a spoken confirmation from her, too. Apparently he was like a captain on a ship, the ultimate authority whilst guiding them through a safe hunt. He knew every ditch and bush on his master's property, and possibly all the foxes' lairs and badgers' dens in the area as well.

  'I will keep a respectable distance, Mr Oliver,' Elizabeth promised.

  Then they all mounted and with a signal to the hounds they were off.

  Fitzwilliam had a pack of seven hounds, which Elizabeth supposed was a small one, but still they took a lot of the hunt master and stable staff's time to take care of. They needed a lot of exercise, and they made a real mess of their kennels which someone had to clean up every day. Elizabeth wondered whether Fitzwilliam kept them for his pleasure or to do his duty to his tenants, she supposed they were the only effective means to keep the population of foxes and other pests under regulation.

  Starting out at a walk, Elizabeth was impressed how well Mr Oliver controlled those fierce hounds, they stuck together in a close pack and though they obviously detected all kinds of interesting scents in the air about them they never strayed. Once across the river, Mr Oliver increased their speed to a quick trot, and the hounds fell into an efficient lope that they could keep up for days, according to Fitzwilliam, who had of course explained the most important facts about hunting foxes.

  Chatting was virtually impossible at the pace they were keeping, giving Elizabeth ample time to relish the whole experience. Barley wasn't less eager, this was what he had been bred for, and he could keep up this pace as long as the dogs would, and long after the other horses needed to be rested.

  Fitzwilliam and Frederick were happy to be back on a hunter, that was easy to see, and Nick showed not a single sign of fear or having trouble handling his horse. It seemed Elizabeth was right, this hunter was actually easier to guide than Liquor, and he wasn't the least bit skittish of the dogs. Nick's expression was one of ecstasy, he had really taken to country living above her expectation, she would have thought he'd be bored without a real job to do and without the bustling city a door away, but nothing was less true.

  After about ten minutes the village came into view, and Mr Oliver blew the horn. The hounds spread out, obviously looking
for a trail or a scent. The party slowed to a walk but didn't halt the horses, they'd get stiff and cold if they couldn't move about just a little. Elizabeth did not relax, any moment now a hound could find a trail or even the fox itself and then the real hunt would start, straight across the land, over hedges and ditches, across the stream and any other obstacle in their way. Mr Oliver would lead the horses where he knew they would not come to harm, a huge responsibility but one he spent the entire year preparing for.

  And indeed, after five minutes of frantic sniffing by the hounds, one bayed and started on a trail, the others following. Mr Oliver blew another note of command, to his human hunters this time, and they followed him single file, Frederick in front, Elizabeth and Nick behind him, Fitzwilliam in the rear.

  The hounds were still merely following a scent, and for five minutes a walk was fast enough to keep up with them while they worked out the different trails undoubtedly criss-crossing the field before them, only discernible to their sensitive noses, picking out the one their master wanted them to follow.

  Then a flash of red ahead of them and they were off, Elizabeth ready to follow but trying to keep a sensible distance between herself and Frederick to make the inevitable jumps a little safer. She preferred Barley seeing what was in front of them as well as the ground underneath his feet, though he seemed very smart in somehow feeling his way across even the worst terrain, apparently sure-footedness was an important trait of Arabian horses.

  Soon Elizabeth saw their first jump approaching, a low wall with a higher hedge on both sides, and she adjusted her seat and posture, Barley needing no encouragement to take the jump. She no longer looked for the hounds but

  merely kept her eye on Frederick, understanding ever better why the hunt master was in charge: this was hard work, keeping up with the hounds through this rough terrain!

  In quick succession they took five more obstacles, including a very frightening one, a scramble up a bank of some kind and then a jump across a broad ditch hidden behind it with a little stream running at the bottom.

  Elizabeth swallowed hard but Barley never hesitated and jumped clean across the ditch before she could even think of pushing him. They were speeding up again already, she didn't even have time to wonder whether Nick and Fitzwilliam behind her were doing well. On and on and on, she lost a few pins and felt a large strand of hair coming loose from the solid whole, but she ignored the feeling and checked the ground beneath Barley's feet and the hedge coming on fast. Up and over, and on towards the next, not faster, but not a whit slower either.

  Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. Barley came to a halt next to Frederick's horse, breathing fast. Elizabeth looked up and saw the hounds milling about a little wilderness next to a larger stream.

  'They've lost the scent,' Frederick said, 'that fox is a wily one, some know a lot of tricks to get rid of a pack on their tail.'

  The hounds ranged further now, some crossed the stream to search the opposite bank, but nothing could be found. Nick and Fitzwilliam had joined their group but there was no chance to talk, if a hound picked up the scent they needed to be ready to follow.

  After another ten minutes, when still nothing was found, Mr Oliver turned towards Fitzwilliam.

  'I'm afraid they've lost him altogether, Mr Darcy. Do you want to have a look at his lair? He is probably back there by now, I'm afraid this will come to digging after all.'

  'If he has gone to ground the hounds will never find him, Oliver. I think our novices have had enough excitement for one day, it's time to turn back. Or do you want to see the fox's den, Elizabeth?'

  Actually, she wanted to, if it wasn't too far.

  And so they went for another short ride, explored a stretch of wood where the old fox had its lair, the hounds indeed picking up its trail but straight into the mound where the smart beast was undoubtedly laughing at their puny efforts to catch him.

  They returned a little more slowly, and over the road instead of across the fields, Frederick and Fitzwilliam discussing how that lair would need to be dug out entirely to prevent a fox from ever making a home of it again.

  'I'm afraid I cannot be sorry it got away, Mrs Darcy,' Nick observed calmly

  from beside her.

  'I loved the chase and the jumps, this horse is a magnificent creature and an honour to be allowed to ride, but I'm kind of glad I didn't get to see those hounds ripping that poor fox to pieces. It's only trying to feed itself after all. I know they kill a lot of fowl and probably rabbits and other small things, but I respect it for fooling seven hounds and a very capable hunt master.'

  And he turned around and pretended to salute the forested mound behind them, looking at her in a sort of challenge to rebuke him for siding with vermin. He wouldn't get what he expected, though.

  'I suppose I have to agree with you, Nick. And when they dig it out I hope they will shoot it and have it over with quickly. But I've had a great time, though I've never worked so hard in my life. That jump across the ditch, I thought my heart would stop.'

  'My heart did stop for a moment or two, but the horse never hesitated and jumped as far as he could. I'm glad it wasn't Liquor, he would probably have refused and I couldn't have faulted him for that. That was dangerous. But incredible fun! I'm glad I could come, you're all so good to me, I can't believe I'm really living this, it's like a bizarre dream suddenly come true.'

  And he meant it, but frankly, if she thought about it it was as unreal to her.

  'I can imagine, Nick. I used to live a rather boring life, too, and look at me now. I married a man who actually lets me do these things.'

  That reminded Elizabeth of her conviction that she was indeed with child, which meant she'd better enjoy these dangerous activities quickly, for the time would come all too soon that she couldn't risk them anymore. But undoubtedly there would be other challenges to take up, like learning to drive. At Pemberley, she need never be bored. If only Jane lived closer, enabling them to share the experience, everything would be perfect.

  After a pleasant ride back, spent in conversation with all the others, they rode back into the stable area. Elizabeth was just thinking that she was actually quite glad to be back after such a strenuous ride, when she saw something that gave her a strong sense of deja vu, and not a pleasant one.

  'Fitzwilliam!' she hissed between her teeth, 'look at that carriage, and the livery of the fellows pushing it into the large barn!'

  He had already seen it, but instead of showing his consternation he imitated Frederick's college attitude by calling out to his friend.

  'Manners! Do you see that? Better be on your best behaviour for your motherin-law has arrived.'

  'I'll be damned!' Frederick betrayed his surprise. 'I thought she was coming over next week! Anne is not going to like this, I take her protector once, just this once, and promptly her mother arrives.'

  Anne? Whatever would Anne care whether Nick was there or not? This was Pemberley! She could just go upstairs to headquarters and her mother would never find her.

  'Frederick, you're not usually thick,' Elizabeth blurted out, 'remember who is in our drawing-room as we speak? Anne is the least of our problems!'

  By now they had been spotted by their staff, and the newcomers, and whereas Bob and Peter merely took their horses away to be relieved of their saddles and fed, Elizabeth and Nick found themselves approached by two men they knew from their visit to Hunsford and the scene with Lady Catherine at the parsonage.

  'Fowler!' the younger one exclaimed, 'I was hoping to see you, you need to help me with Dora, I don't know what to say to her.'

  Though Elizabeth felt herself growing all soft with this proof of young love, Nick was very embarrassed and quickly drew the young man away from the genteel folk, and stood talking to him with animation at a respectable distance. But the other man was on his way to greet her, of course very respectfully.

  'Mrs Darcy, such a pleasure to meet you again, and on your beautiful estate.

  Please forgive Fr
ank his outburst, ever since I contrived to take him here he has been all over the place with excitement.'

  'Never mind, Hughes, he couldn't have known we'd taken Nick out on a hunt, and Nick solved it readily. We didn't expect you for at least two more days, I suppose we need to hurry inside to pay our respects to your mistress.'

  'Not just the mistress, Mrs Darcy, I've come to warn you, she actually thought to do you a favour by bringing your relative, Mr Collins. Just so you know he's here, too.'

  No! No, that couldn't be! Mr Collins at Pemberley? With the Prince of Wales staying here? And Fitzwilliam having forbidden him his house? What had gotten into her cousin?

  'When did you arrive, Hughes?'

  Please let it be moments ago, but that couldn't be, not with the carriage being put away, that had to have taken at least an hour since it had obviously been cleaned.

  'It has been about three quarters of an hour, ma'am. But the mistress was very

  handsomely received by a gracious woman who I suppose is your housekeeper, an immaculate young man that looked suspiciously like Mr Darcy's valet Simon but dressed very smartly, and most importantly, a young lady I cannot remember I have ever seen. Tall, blonde, blue dress, not more than twenty years of age and very beautiful. There was a gentleman, too, very handsome but the young lady did the talking.'

  'Georgiana and Eric? And Simon? I suppose everything must be well in hand then. Thank you, Hughes, I'm looking forward to meeting you again during your visit, I'm very curious how my cousin is faring, and maybe you know something about my friend, Mrs Collins. But now I'm afraid we have to rush, I suppose I have to change as well.'

  The tall man looked at her split skirts without being disrespectful or judgemental, just a passing glance at some curious garment.

  'I can see why you might want to, Mrs Darcy, considering my mistress being rather old-fashioned. And I do know about your friend, I'll tell you about her whenever we have time. She and Mr Collins have become good friends with some of the staff. Good day!'