The Pemberley Chronicles by Rebecca Ann Collins Read Free Book Online

went down to dinner, Lizzie was glad she had worn her new green silk gown and the jewels her husband had given her; the servants, all of them, were so smartly turned out. With Mr Darcy at her side, she acknowledged them all, and she accepted their good wishes and the welcoming words spoken by Mrs Reynolds. A little girl--the daughter of one of the men-- approached with a bunch of Winter roses, and everyone was charmed, when Lizzie, quite spontaneously, bent to thank her with a kiss. Looking on, Darcy knew that these men and women had been enchanted, just as he had been--not just by the beauty, but also by the unaffected charm of their new Mistress. He had known most of them all his life and could sense their pleasure and approval.
Dinner was a simple but excellent meal, with soup, fish and poultry, roasted vegetables, and a dessert which was declared to be Darcy's favourite, as well as the best wines from the cellar. Elizabeth could barely suppress a smile at the spoiling of the Master that seemed to be the order of the day.
After dinner, it was time to talk of plans for Christmas, with Georgiana pointing out gently that there were but ten days to Christmas Eve and her important party for the children of the Pemberley Estate. Lizzie and Jane promised to help, and it was decided that on the following day, the three of them would sit down after breakfast and draw up some plans. Darcy and Bingley were going to be riding into Lambton, so they would have the morning to themselves.
Later, Georgiana and Lizzie were persuaded to oblige them with music, and again memories of last Summer came flooding back as Elizabeth played and sang with her sister-in-law, who was now much more at ease than before. Looking across at Darcy, she saw again the expression that she had first seen in this very room. At that time, it had led her to wonder at his feelings for her; she knew now that it was a confirmation of them. The last time they were in this room and she was at the instrument with Georgiana, they may have both preferred to conceal their feelings from each other and the rest of the company; now, they were in love, and it mattered not who knew it. Mrs Reynold's smile as she brought in the candles and bade them all goodnight suggested that she knew it, too. Lizzie recalled their conversation when they had visited Pemberley last Summer as strangers--Mrs Reynolds was not sure there could be a woman good enough for her Master, who, she had assured them, had been the "sweetest tempered, most generous hearted boy in the world." Even allowing for some partiality born of loyalty, it had been agreed that this was high praise indeed. Lizzie could now assert that to the best of her own intimate knowledge, that boy had grown into the most generous and kindhearted of men and the best of husbands. She acknowledged herself the most fortunate of women, that he had chosen her to be his wife. Based on her reception and the kindness, concern, and respect extended to her, Lizzie had reason to believe that Mrs Reynolds approved of his choice.
As they went to bed that night, she told Darcy of that conversation and was assured that he had not always been the perfect little boy Mrs Reynolds recalled. He confessed that he may well have been selfish and stubborn in his behaviour as a young man. "And I need not tell you, my love, that Pride sometimes got in the way too."
"Oh, hush," said Lizzie, not wanting to spoil this lovely evening with memories of recriminations, but Darcy persisted, wanting her to understand the extent of her own influence upon him and the depth of the change he had wrought upon himself for her.
"Since you wish to credit me with this happy transformation, I will certainly accept it, my dearest," she said, "but believe me, I have often reproached myself for the harshness of my judgement, the cruelty of my words, and the hurt I must have caused you. So, shall we say we have both accepted our faults and pledge never to hurt one another again? Are we