Chapter Text
Chapter 6
Over the course of the rest of the summer and moving into early autumn, life for the Darcys continued on with comfortable normalcy. Having chosen not to partake in the balls and gatherings of the season this year in favour of spending time together as a family, Darcy and Elizabeth found themselves quite content spending their days at home at Pemberley with their daughter. Though their absence from society was noted, especially by Mrs Bennet who loved to show off her two eldest daughters and their wealthy husbands, the Darcys couldn’t care less. Darcy had a great deal of work to do around the estate, which he was thoroughly set upon modernising as much as possible, while Lizzie would visit their tenants and take Rose with her into town, much to the delight of the villagers who loved to see the child.
When they weren’t otherwise engaged, Darcy and Elizabeth spent their days together with Rose, enjoying every moment of watching her grow and thrive. She had begun to crawl in the early summer and was now quite proficient. She had started standing and loved walking around holding on to her parents hands. She had also started babbling, though no discernable words had come quite yet, Lizzie and Darcy both not-so-secretly trying to get mama or dada to be her first word in friendly competition.
Rose, proving to be as independent and headstrong as her mother, loved crawling about to explore the house and gardens, with one or both of her parents watchful eyes on her. Rose was the sweetest of babies, and her parents were fiercely proud of her. She had inherited her mother’s delicate features and brown curls, but her father’s piercing blue eyes. Her temperament also very much favoured Lizzie, much to Darcy’s delight, as Rose was such a good-natured and happy child, even around strangers. From time to time, she did share her father’s moodiness and the same stare that could be felt from across the room, which Lizzie found very entertaining as she watched Darcy try to tempt Rose to eat carrots for dinner.
The family spent many hours together walking the grounds simply enjoying each other's company and the precious moments they shared as a young family. Time had flown by so quickly, and Rose’s first birthday was fast approaching.
‘Can you believe she is almost one already,’ Elizabeth asked Darcy as they went on an early evening stroll around the lake.
‘Hardly, it seems like just yesterday she was born. She’s grown so much, haven’t you my darling,’ Darcy said as he tickled Rose’s tummy. ‘We had better start making preparations for the party.’
‘Yes of course,’ Lizzie replied, passing Rose over to Darcy to carry her for a while. ‘I have already sent letters to my parents and Jane and Bingley so they have some extra time to prepare. You know how concerned my mother is with the state of the roads, and with Jane being with child and bringing David it will be quite the journey for them.’
‘Indeed, but it will be lovely to have them all here again. I know how much you miss your sister and I’m certain the children will have such fun together.’
‘I’m certain they shall!’ Lizzie confirmed, as she bent down to pick some wildflowers for their bedroom. ‘From Jane’s letters it sounds like David is growing to be a fine young boy, very much like his father, all effervescence and amiability.’
‘Of that, I have no doubt. Thankfully his other Charles’ sisters have not had much of a chance to exert their influence over the lad. Is there anyone else you would like to invite?’
‘I would like for Charlotte to be here, though it is quite a journey for her and as much as I would prefer not to see Mr. Collins.’
‘Oh but Lizzie,’ Darcy gasped mockingly, ‘would you not love to be exalted for days on end over the magnificence of Pemberley and how well you have done for yourself? Such an outstanding estate! A most excellent drawing room! Such elegant gardens…’
‘Darcy!’ Lizzie laughed, taking her husband’s arm. ‘However could I have dreamed that my home would ever manage to rival that of Rosings Park.’
‘A feat indeed, my love. However did you manage to ensnare such a man?’
‘Well, you see Rosie, not so long ago at an assembly there was a very handsome gentleman. He refused to dance with any of the young ladies there and spoke to hardly anyone. His friend suggested that he dance with the sister of the beautiful young lady he had been dancing with all evening. Though he thought she was tolerable ,’ Lizzie winked, ‘he still refused to dance…’
‘And, over the coming weeks and months, that young lady won over that gentleman’s heart. He fell in love with her and asked her to marry him. And how did she reply, but that he was ‘ the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed upon to marry ’, Darcy quoted with feigned admonishment.
‘After that,’ Lizzie grinned, running her fingers through Rose’s curls and hugging into Darcy’s side, ‘the young lady started to have a change of heart about the gentleman and realised that maybe she had been too quick to judge him. And, before she knew it, she noticed that she loved him in return.’
‘That gentleman will be forever the better for it,’ Darcy said before kissing Lizzie’s forehead.
‘And that, my love,’ Lizzie a giggling Rose ‘is how you win the heart of a gentleman of great fortune.’
‘A most excellent plan indeed,’ teased Darcy, ‘and one that you executed perfectly.’
‘As did you, you filled the role of proud, brooding gentleman flawlessly.’
‘Handsome,’ Darcy quipped, ‘you forgot handsome , proud, brooding gentleman.’
‘How could I forget,’ Elizabeth winked as she leaned in to kiss him.
‘Don’t worry, my love, I will always remind you what a dashing gentleman you married,’ Darcy said as the couple sat down on the grass near the lake, their favourite spot.
‘Of ten thousand pounds a year no less, a very handsome sum indeed,’ Lizzie chortled as Darcy tickled her side. ‘Now, back to the matter at hand. Who else should we be inviting to the party?’
‘Colonel Fitzwilliam, of course. It seems ages since we last saw him.’
‘Absolutely, I’m certain he will be glad to come,’ Darcy smiled as Rose held his hands, standing on shaky legs. ‘As much as I would prefer not to, I feel as though we must invite Lady Catherine. I doubt she will make the journey all the way from Kent, but for the sake of appearances I feel we must invite her.’
Lizzie sighed. Ever since their wedding, Lady Catherine had kept her distance from the Darcys and Pemberley. She had come to Rose’s christening which they had held at Longbourn, but she had shown no real interest in Darcy, Elizabeth or Rose. She had spoken to Darcy most, but even then it was not much more than a few sentences.
‘I agree,’ Lizzie sighed, ‘as much as I too would prefer she didn’t come. I think the invitation would be best coming from you, I’m sure if I sent it she would only throw it in the fire.’
‘That would be just as fine,’ Darcy smiled, lifting her spirits. ‘She may be my aunt, but I cannot forgive her treatment of you.’
‘Oh Darcy, that was such a long time ago. If anything, our encounter only bolstered my hopes that you shared my feelings.’
‘And for that I am eternally grateful,’ Darcy said as Rose started to take wobbly steps towards her mother still holding Darcy’s hands. ‘For if she had not, we may have missed out on all of this.’
‘And I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.’
***
A few weeks later, just under a month to go before Rose’s birthday, Lizzie had begun the preparations at Pemberley to ensure that all of the accommodations had been made for their guests. Her parents, Mary, Kitty, and the Bingleys would be arriving in a fortnight, but she wanted to ensure that everything was perfect for their stay. Colonel Fitzwilliam would be arriving a few days after the Bennets and Bingleys. She was so delighted that her family would be here to celebrate her darling Rose’s birthday.
As Lizzie was making her way to the guest wing, one of the servants appeared with a letter.
‘A letter from Rosings for you ma’am,’ she spoke in a friendly, yet shy tone.
‘Thank you, Betsy,’ Lizzie smiled at her, she was still new to Pemberley and was still quite timid around the Darcys. ‘Why on earth would she address the letter to me?’ she pondered, heading towards the library where she knew Darcy was watching Rose for the afternoon while she made more preparations.
As she approached the library, Lizzie could hear Darcy attempting to explain the finer details of the workings of Pemberley and its tenants. She paused for a moment at the door to see Darcy sitting with Rose in his lap going over the paperwork for the farms on the estate.
‘Now you see, Rosie,’ he noted to the toddler, who was looking rather intently at her father as though she was absorbing everything he was telling her. ‘We rely as much on these farmers as they do on us so we have to make sure that we always do our very best to take care of them. And I know that you and Mama go round and visit them and make sure that they are all doing well and that is something that is very important for us to do, and you are doing such a brilliant job already.’
‘She’s a natural, just like her Papa,’ Lizzie remarked as she walked into the room, earning a smile from both father and daughter. ‘I just received a letter from Lady Catherine, which I thought was strange since you were the one who wrote to her. I thought we should read it together.’
‘That is very odd indeed,’ Darcy said with a furrowed brow as he set Rose on the floor to play with some of the toys that they kept in the study for when Darcy cared for her. ‘I wonder why she would do such a thing.’
‘Who could say,’ Lizzie muttered, breaking the wax seal and unfolding the letter. ‘She’s not had much to do with us since our engagement, and was quite clear about her reasoning behind that.’
‘Quite so, now let’s see this letter,’ Darcy breathed as he hugged Lizze from behind to read the letter over her shoulder.
Elizabeth,
A less-than-promising, yet unsurprising, start Lizzie noted to herself. She knew perfectly well that Lady Catherine refused to refer to her as Mrs. Darcy, always referring to her as Elizabeth, Miss Bennet, or simply that girl . Unphased, she read on.
I received a letter from my nephew inviting me to a family gathering to celebrate the birthday of the child. However, given that the child is not of much importance being a girl and not the heir that Pemberley requires, I must decline the invitation. I can see no particular reason for me to make such an arduous journey to Derbyshire for such a minor event.
Had the child been the boy, which it certainly would have been had Darcy married where he ought to have done and where I had suggested, I would have considered attending this gathering where the other guests would have been of a more genteel nature. Upon the birth of an heir, I shall consider making the journey to Pemberley.
I look forward to hearing this news in the near future.
Lady Catherine de Bourgh
The letter was shaking in Lizzie’s hands, out of both anger and sorrow, as she began to crumple it in her fists. Tears began to well in her eyes as she first looked to the ceiling to try and compose her temper. Her eyes then shifted to the beautiful little girl sitting on the floor, playing contentedly with her carved wooden animals.
‘Lizzie, please…’ Darcy sighed, feeling the pain that was radiating from her as he held her more tightly. ‘My aunt is a vicious, unkind woman. Please pay no attention to her words.’
‘It’s not that,’ Lizzie muttered, ‘I am quite used to her slights towards me by now, and for the most part I ignore them. But this, speaking of my daughter, our daughter in such a way, is just… cruel. Look at her, she’s perfect. How could anyone say such horrible things?’
‘A sad, jealous old lady who wanted nothing more than to try and control my life. My friends, my wife, and the family I married into,’ Darcy said, wiping the single tear falling down Lizzie’s cheek. ‘You know that I wouldn’t change it for the world, and how absolutely and perpetually I love you, Rose, and our family. People like Lady Catherine will always gossip or make snide comments.’
‘And, we did not want her to be here anyway really,’ Lizzie smiled, picking up Rose, ‘so let’s not let her ruin the celebrations for our girl’s special day. Right, Rosie? We’re not going to let that nasty Lady Catherine ruin anything are we?’
Rose smiled as Lizzie kissed her chubby cheek and Darcy wrapped his arms around them both.
‘Da-da!’ Rose squealed as reached out her tiny arms towards Darcy, taking Lizzie and Darcy completely by surprise.
‘D-did she just say my name?’
‘Oh Darcy, of course not,’ Lizzie teased. ‘Because her first word is going to be Mama, isn’t it sweetheart?’
‘Da-da!’ Rose exclaimed again, causing Darcy to smile even brighter.
‘I think that was pretty clear, my darling,’ Darcy laughed, running his fingers through Rose’s wild curls. ‘Maybe the next one will say ‘mama’ first, right Rose?’
‘The next one?’ Lizzie beamed. ‘Are we ready for that, do you think?’
‘I believe so, it turned out well the first time didn’t it?’
‘Perfectly,’ Lizzie said, leaning in to kiss Darcy lovingly. ‘As long as you feel like you will have more love to spare.’
‘For you, our family, my heart runs as deep as a sea. And everytime I think I’ve reached the bottom, I find there are new depths to be discovered.’ Lizzie blushed, always surprised by the depth and earnestness of his love for her and their daughter. If she had been told at the ball all those years ago of Darcy’s affectionate and tender nature, she would have utterly rebuked them. But now, she didn’t know who else she could or would want to share this life with.
‘Well then, Mr. Darcy,’ she winked, ‘shall we see what we can do to rectify the matter?’
‘As you wish, Mrs. Darcy.’