In the morning, when Lizzy came down to the breakfast room, she found that her Uncle Gardiner had already left for his first day of fishing with Cubbins, and Mrs. Gardiner, an avid gardener herself, was getting a private tour of the gardens with Mr. Ferguson. But Georgiana, with Pepper, her pug, on her lap, was waiting for her. There were also two whippets that had the run of the house and seemed to be on some sort of mission as they went from room to room, and Georgiana explained that they were Will’s dogs, David and Goliath.

“When I come to Pemberley, they think Will must be here as well, so they just keep looking for him until he does come, or I go. He would never admit it, but they are part of the reason he comes home so frequently.”

Georgiana had not prepared any events for the day, but she did ask a favor. “Mrs. Reynolds is to conduct a tour of Pemberley for some visitors from the inn, and I would ask that you join them. Our housekeeper came to Pemberley from Kent with my mother when my parents married, and she delights in telling people about the family and estate. I have heard her tour so many times that I have learned it by heart. In addition to telling you about the portraits and the dimensions of the room, she will mention that my brother is the best landlord and master who ever lived, that my father was an excellent man, and that Will is as generous with the poor as my mother had been. I will not repeat what she says about me, only that she is too kind.”

All was as Georgiana had said it would be, with the housekeeper pointing out some of the exceptional pieces in the Darcy collection: a Van Dyke here, a Reynolds there, and a Greek antiquity nestled in a niche. Of particular interest to Lizzy was the family portrait painted when Miss Darcy was about five and her brother fourteen. When Lizzy said that Miss Darcy resembled her mother in all things except hair and eye color, Georgiana was elated.

“Now that I have been out in society and have seen the best that London has to offer, I still think Mama was the most beautiful woman in the world. She was a little taller than you, perhaps five feet, four inches, with the tiniest waist, and she wore these enormous hats with an abundance of feathers. And I loved her dresses. Unlike the very straight lines of our frocks, hers were all frills and flounces, and I thought that she might take flight.”

If Georgiana resembled the Fitzwilliams, her brother was all Darcy and a younger version of his father. When Miss Darcy showed her another portrait of her brother that had been painted three years earlier when he was twenty-four, she remarked on how much he had changed since becoming the master of Pemberley.

“My father died while my brother was traveling on the Continent. Will once told me that he had left Pemberley a boy but had returned as a man. You can see it in his face; he is so very serious. The management of such a large estate and being responsible for so many others, including the servants, our tenants, and me, weighs on him because he always does the right thing even when it costs him personally.”

The two ladies rejoined the tour group with Lizzy only half listening to Mrs. Reynolds’s recitations. However, there were two statements that did merit Lizzy’s attention: “Some people call my master proud, but I am sure I never saw any such thing. To my fancy, it is only because he does not rattle away like other young men.” Lizzy agreed that no one could ever accuse Mr. Darcy of “rattling away.”

But it was her response to a second question that truly puzzled Lizzy. When asked if there was a Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mrs. Reynolds had replied: “Not at present, and I do not know when that will be. I do not know who is good enough for him.”

Had not Mr. Darcy gone to town for the purpose of beginning a courtship with Miss Montford? But if that were the case, then why was Mrs. Reynolds completely ignorant of the news from London? Lizzy looked at Georgiana, and seeing the confusion on her friend’s face, Georgiana knew what Lizzy was thinking, but could say nothing.

A relaxing afternoon was followed by supper in the most elegant dining room Lizzy had ever seen. Robert Adam had designed all the public rooms at Pemberley, and his soft colors and classical embellishments lifted one’s spirits as soon as you entered the manor house. An aura of tranquility was present in every room, and for a man with as many responsibilities as Mr. Darcy had, Lizzy understood why Pemberley would be a welcomed retreat. He had confided in her that whenever he was troubled, he returned to Pemberley because the clean air and magnificent views provided clarity, and she wondered if, instead of going to London after the Netherfield ball, he had returned to his beautiful estate in Derbyshire, if things might have turned out differently.

Chapter 27

Although initially a reluctant rider, Lizzy was coming along nicely. When Sugar had returned to the stables that first time, the mare had stood in front of her stall patiently waiting for Belling to remove her saddle, but after Lizzy had stopped laughing over her inability to control the ten-year-old horse, she had remounted, and Georgiana and she had ridden around the lake. Now she and the old gray mare were friends, especially since Lizzy stuffed her riding coat full of carrots.

The following day, Lizzy was looking forward to another ride around the lake, but her hostess had something else in mind. With Mr. Gardiner gone off at dawn for another day of fishing, and Mrs. Gardiner once again in the gardens with Mr. Ferguson, Georgiana decided to teach Lizzy how to drive a phaeton, and she protested in vain.

“Will and Mr. Bingley race phaetons, and it is a very exciting sport. But we shall declare victory if you learn how to have the team go at a trot. It is all in the reins.”

That simple statement took an hour to achieve, but when Lizzy realized the two horses were actually doing what she wanted them to do, she was all smiles. And that day was as perfect as the one before it and the one after. No matter the weather, fog, light rain, wind, or cold mornings, Lizzy’s days at Pemberley were sublime, that is, until she learned Mr. Darcy was coming.

“Lizzy, this is such good news,” Georgiana said as she stood in the foyer reading her brother’s letter. “Will is coming to Pemberley with our cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and you will like the colonel very much. He is charming and witty and gracious as well as being an excellent dancer and card player.”

Lizzy pretended to be pleased with the news, but what she really wanted to do was flee.

“Oh, this is disappointing,” Georgiana said as she continued reading. “Will writes that he is coming to shoot, fish, and ride, and he has underlined all three.” Turning to Lizzy, she explained, “He has not fired a gun once this season, and December is nearly upon us, so you can imagine his frustration.”

“Georgiana, this may be a good time to remind you that as wonderful as our time here has been, it must come to an end. Mr. Gardiner needs to return to his business and Mrs. Gardiner to her children, and I must go back to Longbourn as my dearest friend, Charlotte Lucas, is to marry shortly.”

“But I would really like for you to meet Colonel Fitzwilliam, who is a particular favorite of mine. Although Will does not say exactly when he is coming, they should be here no later than three days hence.” Georgiana pleaded with Lizzy with her big eyes, which she had probably used to get whatever she wanted since she was a child, and they got her what she wanted once again.

“I shall ask my aunt and uncle if we may stay for another three days, but after that, we must go.”

“Will! Richard!” Georgiana shouted from the top of the staircase when her brother came into the foyer with Colonel Fitzwilliam. “You are early,” she said too loudly as she rushed down the stairs. She kissed her brother on the cheek before turning to her favorite cousin, and standing on her toes, she gave the tall, fair-haired colonel a kiss before he lifted her off her feet and hugged her.

“Let me hear it, Georgie,” the colonel said, and it was not until she had said “Uncle!” that he put her down. It was a ritual they had established when Georgie, as a young girl of twelve, had developed romantic notions about her handsome cousin, and Richard, recognizing that her excessive attention was a clumsy attempt at flirting, had turned it into a game.

With Richard and Georgie happily engaged, Will let out a loud whistle that brought David and Goliath from the far reaches of the house, and when Darcy crouched down to pet his whippets, their enthusiasm knocked him over. They were crawling all over him and licking his face, and it was minutes before he could get them to settle down. This scene was repeated every time Darcy returned to Pemberley.