by Anne Louise
The more the two women talked, the more Mrs. Reynolds was convinced that Miss Bennet might be perfect for Darcy. Elizabeth was intelligent and was a gentlewoman, though not of wealth or title. She was also pretty and was easy to talk to and would make Darcy comfortable, and her eyes were dazzling and charming. Her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner were respectable people and took the time to spend their holidays with their nieces and Mrs. Reynolds assumed that the Bennets were also of good stock. Miss Bennet was inquisitive and the older woman could see that Darcy might be impressed with the young woman’s knowledge of many things and her ability to talk pleasantly, and she was certain her master would love to hear her speak. The older woman continued to observe the way Elizabeth stared at the portrait of Darcy and she saw the young woman’s eyes studying the portrait. Yes, the master will approve of those eyes.
A thought came to Mrs. Reynolds about Elizabeth’s interest in seeing the study after visiting the library. The young woman seemed disappointed when she told the visitors that the study was not part of the tour.
“Miss Bennet, I would like to show you the study, and allow you to peruse it. Normally we keep the study closed for the tour, but I will make an exception in your case.”
The two made their way to the main floor and to the study. “I shall leave you here with the doors opened and you may peruse the many books or sit and rest for a spell. Miss Bennet, you should expect me to return in less than an hour.”
With that said, Mrs. Reynolds opened the double door leading inside and Elizabeth slowly entered. The room was large and had many bookshelves and cabinets for various files and a large wooden desk and a large table for meetings. Off in the corner she saw a fireplace with three large leather wing chairs turned toward the fire and a large leather sofa on the other side. The study was decidedly masculine with beautiful walnut wood accents and floor to ceiling windows near the seating areas, and large drapes covered most of the windows.
For several minutes Elizabeth perused the many books and began to talk out loud with some. “There! I have found you, Mr. Shakespeare. I see you are read quite often, just like you are at Longbourn, but you have beautiful leather bindings and gilded pages. You are too rich for my blood. Let me see, what other friends are close by? Oh, now I see some books on the ancient Greeks and here are some on English history. Your master must be a prolific reader, and his taste in literature is acknowledged.”
For many minutes she continued to peruse the books, sometimes whilst softly humming a tune as she began to make her way toward the large wing chairs. Suddenly she heard what sounded like a man clearing his throat. Next she looked around and saw a man sitting in a large wing chair, and he did not look to be reading. Immediately he stood up and she saw she was speaking with the gardener who she had seen when they first arrived.
“Sir, I must leave this place now, and may I suggest you do the same or Mr. Darcy will find you in his study and you will be out of a job.”
“No Miss, I am not worried about the man.”
She turned to speak to him but was startled to see the man was smiling at her, and he did not seem concerned of what Mr. Darcy might do. Suddenly seeing him before her, she could not help but admire his fine figure and his handsome looks. He appeared to be over six-foot tall and had a lean physique With his broad shoulders and large hands and his deep, baritone voice, his presence near her came with no small disconcertion.
Darcy was aware that a stranger had entered and had remained silent, curious about the stranger. He was pleased to meet this young woman who talked to his books. Her voice was sweet and he immediately thought that Mrs. Reynolds wanted them to meet. When he next saw her embarrassment, all he could do was smile as she gasped and blushed crimson.
Next she smiled with her arched eyebrows and looked directly at him, and made his heart quicken.
“But you are the gardener who I saw as we arrived at Pemberley, and you still are in your work clothes. For the second time, sir, neither of us should be in this study. I will leave now, and may I suggest you do the same if you want to keep your job?”
“Wait, Miss! You are mistaken.”
As Elizabeth turned to walk away, Mrs. Reynolds arrived.
“Oh, Mr. Darcy, I see you and our young visitor have met.”
“Miss Bennet, I wish to introduce you to Mr. Darcy. Master, Miss Bennet is on holiday with relatives who live in town, but she resides in Hertfordshire.” Darcy bowed as Elizabeth curtseyed. “Miss Bennet, my master has been working in his gardens again and I have told him to always look presentable.”
“Yes, Mrs. Reynolds, he could use some cleaning up, but perhaps he was tired from his work earlier?”
Darcy studied the young woman and found that he enjoyed her teasing him and he saw those eyes that sparkled and he liked her wit.
“Miss Bennet, let me show you around the study. I would imagine some of your favourite books are over there.” He next asked Mrs. Reynolds to have the servants bring some light food and drink for both of them.
“Which books do you think I enjoy, sir?”
“You have already told me when you entered the study. So you like Shakespeare and the classics and books on history. I am most impressed.”
“But I am more impressed. These books would be my many good friends if I lived here. Certainly you have not read even half of them?”
“You are correct, but I have read many of them. They have been here for many years and each owner has added to the collection. Of course, this is just the study. There are other books in the library.”
“Mrs. Reynolds showed us the library earlier. It would be so easy to pass the entire day there and read. My aunt and uncle are presently out on a ride around the park, but they too thought the library to be the best they had seen in a private collection.”
“Oh, and you did not wish to join them?”
“I have to say that my answer is both yes and no. Mainly I thought it wise to give them more time together and I wanted to walk some of the nearby trails and explore the gardens. Both my aunt and uncle are not fond of long walks. Also, I really wanted to return on the morrow or some other day while we are nearby, to walk more of the trails.”
“You must be staying in Lambton, are you not?”
“Yes, sir, we are staying at the Inn of Lambton. My aunt grew up there and she has always wanted to show me Derbyshire and Lambton and Pemberley.”
“I do hope you have enjoyed your visit to Pemberley and are not disappointed.”
“Mr. Darcy, I would think that few would dislike Pemberley. The tour was wonderful and Mrs. Reynolds was very informative, and I like her.”
The two continued to speak of many things and realized they had similar opinions on many things and enjoyed reading and politics and history.
Later a servant entered and made a place setting for Darcy and Elizabeth, and both soon set down to a light lunch.
“Miss Bennet, I do apologize for my appearance. I had no idea that you had come inside, but I am glad you did. Please help yourself. Normally I eat alone, but today is much better and I am enjoying your company.”
They continued to speak on many things as they ate. Elizabeth could not believe what was happening, and now she pictured in her mind how this good and handsome man would look all cleaned up and dressed for society. How can it be that this man has remained single?
For his part, Darcy had seen many young women of the ton. Many of them were pretty, but he knew all would quickly bore him. He could not understand how this woman, who had no formal instruction, was so knowledgable about history, the arts, philosophy, politics and science. Surely she was very intelligent, but she was also captivating, and had a sense of humour. There was something different about her. He saw a liveliness about her features and she was a lithe, energetic young woman, full of wit. This day she was clad in a simple muslin gown with a high waist and a slender skirt and puffed sleeves. She wore her soft chocolate curls in a bun, and ringlets framed her face.
If he could, Darcy
would prefer to sit and watch her all day, but now he saw her smile and knew that his sleep that night would be doomed. He would likely dream of her bouncing curls and her bewitching eyes and he would certainly have thoughts of kissing her ruby lips and holding her in his arms.
The room suddenly was darker and the sound of thunder shook the heavens. Some of the servants screamed out in fear and Elizabeth was frightened. Darcy next tried to assuage her fears and told her there was no need to worry.
“Oh, my aunt and uncle are in trouble out in this storm.”
Darcy went to the window and saw that the rain had not yet reached the house, but the sky was very dark in front of Pemberley. He knew that it would be but a few minutes before the storm clouds would completely cover the sky.
“Excuse me Miss Bennet, I need to go to the front of he house. Your relatives may be arriving soon. We will see them if they are returning.”
Darcy immediately went to the front and Elizabeth followed and stood behind him as he opened the door. A gust of wind blew at the door but he managed to get a good look and saw what looked like sheets of rain off in the distance and the sky was dark and foreboding. They heard the wind whistling and saw the trees now affected by the wind as a torrent of rain brought them inside.
“Miss Bennet, this is quite the change from earlier and it appears we have a nasty storm to deal with. John is the name of the man showing your relatives around Pemberley. He is very knowledgable and should have been here by now, unless there is a problem. Unless he was in the deep woods, he would have seen the storm coming and would have returned by now.”
“What type of problem do you suspect?”
“Miss Bennet, they must have just encountered problems with the carriage or perhaps one of the horses has been injured. Anyway, I shall defer going out at present and will not do so in all this lightening. John will take care of your aunt and uncle and it is likely they are safe inside one of the shelters about the property. They may be awaiting our rescue, or perhaps they just waiting for the storm to end.”
“But we cannot wait too long, Mr. Darcy, or can we?”
“You are correct. We will wait for the worst of the storm to past and if they are still missing, I will ride out to look for them. Miss Bennet, please do not worry, all will be well.”
“But I wish to go with you?”
“No, I wish you could come, but I will be riding alone. There are many trails that I can take that offer the best views of the route that they took. I do not want them doubling back on me and possibly missing them completely. Do not be concerned, I shall find them, but if it is a problem with the carriage and it cannot be corrected, then I would have to return to Pemberley and bring back another carriage.”
The two watched as the wind and rain pelted the great house and the thunder brought screams from some of the servants.
For several hours Elizabeth and Darcy waited for the storm to pass but now the thunder and lightening had stopped and the rain was not as hard. Elizabeth watched for a sign that the carriage was approaching but her vigil was in vain.
Darcy had made his decision. Even as the storm continued, at least the lightning had stopped. Meanwhile, Darcy left to gather some things and next spoke with Mrs. Reynolds.
“William, there is no need to be Miss Bennet’s hero. John and her relatives will be here soon. Why not stay and visit longer with Miss Bennet?”
“I certainly prefer doing that, but there may be a problem with the carriage and now that it is no longer lightning, I will ride out to check on things.”
“How do you like the young woman?”
Darcy could only manage a smile but heard Mrs. Reynolds let out a soft chuckle as he walked away. Later, he appeared in his great coat and observed an emotional Elizabeth Bennet approach him and she wished him success. Darcy believed that he saw more in her eyes than fear as she told him to be careful. He looked back in time to see a single tear run down her cheek as he waked toward the stairs from which he would go to the lower floor exit on the side closest to the stables.
Soon she noticed a man on a black horse ride out in search of the others and Darcy had something packed in what looked like a bed roll behind his saddle.
Moments later he was out of sight and almost at the same time the rain and wind increased in intensity and the sound of thunder made her jump. The lightning had stopped for the last twenty minutes and she knew Darcy had not intended to go out in such conditions, but he was on his way and she worried for all caught out in the storm.
This day had so far been unlike any other day in her life. It had started off so promising and she had thoroughly enjoyed her visit and had prepared to walk the gardens and trails nearby, but the housekeeper invited her to see the study and she had not been the same person since.
Of course, he was the same man she had seen earlier, and that surprised her greatly as she did not suspect any other person was in the room. Now she again thought of seeing him sitting in one of the large wing chairs, and felt a fool after telling the man that he must leave before Mr. Darcy discovered them. She blushed again just thinking of that moment that she realized that the Master of Pemberley had heard her talking to the books and humming a tune, and when Mrs. Reynolds introduced her to Mr. Darcy, she had wished she could disappear. But such thoughts did not last long because the man would not let her be uncomfortable and was friendly to her and soon the nervousness in her voice was gone and the two even bantered about many things. In just the small amount of time she spent with the man, she began to understand that both of them had similar interests in literature and world affairs and history and both were innocent in matters of the heart. In fact, Mrs. Reynolds had as much as told Elizabeth that Darcy was a workaholic.
Elizabeth continued to stare out the front window for any sign of a carriage but saw nothing but the sheets of rain pelting the great house. Her heart was burdened by worrying about the Gardiners, but now she also felt bereft of his companionship and wished he had never left her. Now she worried about this kind man who took it upon himself to find the others.
PART II
Darcy had been worried about just this type of situation at Pemberley and just in the last year he had the servants put out marker posts to identify that a shelter house was nearby, and he had told Elizabeth all about them. These marker posts also had a signal flag that when raised up alerted others that someone was inside. There were six shelter locations in the park at Pemberley, and a rider could see if a flag was raised and go directly to that site, if needed. The shelters were actually a one room house with a fire place and a few chairs and table and a few cooking items and two blankets. Some food was also provided in each shelter as was dried wood for a fire and each shelter had a well nearby.
He continued to take the trails that provided him the best views of the marker posts, but the weather did not cooperate and he had to get nearer the posts to see if others were present. As he approached the deep woods on the far corner of Pemberley, he saw a post with the flag raised. Nearby was a carriage and it was turned onto its’ side and Darcy saw that a tree had fallen and the driver side rear wheel was broken. As he arrived at the shelter he saw that the horses were free from the carriage and were outside.
Next he was off Sampson and removed the saddle roll he had brought and John, the driver, opened the door and let him inside. Immediately Darcy shed his great coat and saw that the others were soaked from the rain and they had a fire going. Darcy watched as an older man tended to his wife who looked to be in pain as the man tried to comfort her.
“Now John, what happened?”
“I did not see the storm soon enough because we were deep in the woods, but I could hear the wind and it had turned very dark. We made it out of the woods just as the storm set on us and almost made the shelter when a falling tree and a loud clasp of thunder spooked the horses and they ran off the road and the wheel broke, causing the carriage to overturn. Mrs. Gardiner was thrown from the carriage and may have broken some ribs. Mr. Gardiner has so
me bruises and scrapes. What do you recommend, sir?”
Wait a few moments, John. “Mr. Gardiner, Mrs. Gardiner, I am Fitzwilliam Darcy.” He bowed as the Gardiners acknowledged the introduction. “This is a freak storm and I have come here to help you. Mrs. Gardiner, John believes you may have broken some ribs. I know from personal experience that you are experiencing pain, but at least you do not seem to have a cough. It does help things that you may dry your clothes and the fire will help you both keep warm and dry.”
“Yes,” replied a grateful Mr. Gardiner. “We are attempting to dry our clothes at present. I am thankful you had extra blankets in this place.”
“I have some thoughts that I want to run by both of you. Before I begin, let me say that your niece is back at Pemberley and she is anxiously awaiting news that you are both well. My plan is that I will send John back to Pemberley on one of the carriage horses and I will go into Lambton by a back route and attempt to bring Doctor Jamison back to check on you. I do not wish to wait long. Lambton is prone to flooding and you need to see the doctor right away. John will return with a covered carriage and some blankets and pillows. I plan to stop off at the Inn at Lambton and have a servant recover your things and return them to Pemberley.”
“Our driver from the Inn is supposed to return to Pemberley later to take us back to Lambton, ” replied Mr. Gardiner.
“Miss Bennet told me that before I left to find you. Your driver is named Jarvis?”
“You are correct, sir,” replied Mr. Gardiner.
“I know him well. He is not with the Inn but will suspect the worse and is afraid of lightening. The man simply will not risk returning to Pemberley in all this weather, and it would be a risk for all of you. I will inform him that you will not return to Lambton.”
“But this is an imposition for you, Mr. Darcy.”
“No, Mr. Gardiner, it is not as you say. It is necessary that you stay. I expect that if this rain continues that the roads will be flooded in spots for many miles and travel will be dangerous, if not impossible in some locations. You would not be wise if you stayed at your current lodging. We have many rooms and you would not be in the way.”