“I do not believe it for a moment, but I am glad we could offer you sanctuary when it was required.”
Charlotte laughed. “Indeed.”
Elizabeth left them all to take the news to her father.
“I thought as much,” Papa said. “I might have mentioned to Fitzwilliam at one time that Miss Lucas would do for me.”
She startled. “Truly?”
Papa nodded. “I was in earnest, but I knew Fitzwilliam had a tendre for her, so I waited to see how it would end. I suppose I will have to appeal to my new sons-in-law to suggest an appropriate match.”
“I did not know you ever meant to marry again. Has this something to do with Mr. Collins?”
Papa nodded. “It has everything to do with Mr. Collins.”
Elizabeth nodded. “Then I wish you luck, Papa. I shall keep my eyes open for a suitable bride. It may be difficult to find a woman willing to put up with you.” She could not quite suppress a smile, and her father shook his head at her.
“You are not wrong, Lizzy,” Papa said. “For now, let us focus on you and Jane.”
Epilogue
April 1812
Thoughtheywereeagerto arrive at Pemberley, neither Elizabeth nor Darcy had seen much of England. When Elizabeth admitted to her doting husband that she longed to visit as many places as she might in her own country, he had made extensive arrangements. They toured Blenheim, Oxford, Warwick, Kenilworth, and Birmingham before visiting several places in Derbyshire. The last stop was Bakewell, where they had spent last night. Now they were at last arriving at Pemberley.
The roads were dry but not yet dusty, and there had been sunny spring weather for nearly the entire length of their travels. Now, as they turned in at the lodge, Elizabeth felt her spirits rising even higher.
“I have not been on this road in a very long time,” her husband said as he watched the landscape rolling past. “It is just as I remember it, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth smiled at her husband’s enthusiasm and leaned over him to peer out of his window. He laughed and pulled her onto his lap.
“We shall have to take out a chaise if Pemberley has one,” she said. “The weather is so very fine.”
“If we do not already own such a conveyance, we can certainly hire one for a few days and ride out with the Fitzwilliams when they arrive. I want you to enjoy your first summer in Derbyshire.”
Elizabeth laughed lightly. “I do not believe you shall have to do much to convince me to adore Pemberley. We have already ridden through enough woods to entice me, and we are nowhere near the house!”
The carriage tilted as they moved uphill. “If I recall correctly, we shall ascend for about a half a mile,” he informed her.
She sighed happily. Pemberley was stunning. The trees, the craggy rocks, the green hills—she loved it already. When the carriage finally crested at the top of the hill where the woods ended, Fitzwilliam stuck his head out of the window and called for the driver to stop.
“This is the best view of Pemberley House,” he said, turning to her with an eager smile. “Come see it with me.”
They tumbled out of the carriage like children, for that was what he had been when he was last here. Elizabeth marvelled at the transformation of her sombre Mr. Darcy, almost so taken by his boyish excitement that she missed the house. But he would not have it; he stepped behind her and turned her so that she could not miss the view. “Look,” he said, waving one hand before them.
On the opposite side of the valley sat a great stone house, positioned on rising ground. Behind it were more hills, more woods, and before it, a stream and what appeared to be a pond or a small lake.
“The lake was man-made, but you can scarcely tell,” he told her, his hands on her shoulders. “The stream has trout. Fitzwilliam and I spent several summer visits fishing every day. I wonder if the best spots are still the same.”
“Have you any memories from inside the house?” she teased him.
“No,” he said with a laugh. “Not many. There were too many things to break inside.” His voice was husky in her ear as he whispered, “You shall have to help me explore each of the rooms.”
Elizabeth shivered. “How many rooms?”
“Too numerous to count.” He straightened. “Enough to house my family, your family, the Gardiners included, Mrs. Fitzwilliam’s family, and still have room for the Bingleys and the Hursts. Can you imagine?”
“I cannot, but as we shall see them all this summer, I am pleased.”