“You will find everything you need in your chamber. It is the third room along the hallway. As soon as you make yourself comfortable and rest a little, we will take a tour of the house—Mrs. Reynolds paused to cough—sorry about that, to start at the beginning. Then we may discuss everything at length—most likely tomorrow, as you must be very tired now.”
“I am not tired at all, the journey was rather long but quite comfortable,” Elizabeth declared. “Except for the letter to my uncle, I have nothing else to do but to be of help to you.”
“Oh, how nice of you. We will talk while we enjoy some tea. The master is away, visiting the Matlocks, but he will return in two days. By then, I hope you will have a clear understanding of your duties and our expectations.”
The first encounter with Mrs. Reynolds put Elizabeth at ease. As impressive as Pemberley was, Mrs. Reynolds seemed friendly and amiable; her loyalty and affection towards the family and Pemberley was so great that Elizabeth listened to her praise with pleasure and a hint of amusement. There was nothing more flattering than the opinion of a loyal and respectful servant.
Half an hour later, Elizabeth finally withdrew to her room. She expected a comfortable and lovely but modest room, according to her position. Instead, it was as large as Mrs. Reynolds’ chamber—double the size of her old one at Longbourn or even in London.
The chamber was well proportioned, elegantly furnished and suitable for her. It had everything she needed, just as Mrs. Reynolds had declared: a comfortable bed, a large closet, a table with two chairs, a mirror on the wall, a small desk and an impressive mantlepiece. Elizabeth imagined for a moment that if Mrs. Bennet were to accompany her to Pemberley, her poor mother couldn’t possibly refrain from oohing and aahing over all the things that the manor had to offer a first time visitor, but she quickly dismissed that thought with a light-hearted smile.
The most important asset, however, Elizabeth noticed when she stepped towards the window: the view!
In front of her eyes, there was the hill, crowned by the wood, from which they had descended, then the stream, the river, the trees and a glimpse of the colourful gardens.
She looked on the whole scene with delight, wondering about the other beauties she still had to see.
“So this is Pemberley,” she whispered. “Nothing I have heard of it has been exaggerated and it will be my home till the end of the summer. To all this I will have full access and major responsibilities for the next three months. Will I be able to rise to their expectations? Am I mad to have accepted such a challenge?”
She glanced through the window one more time, and then she hurried to write the letter to her uncle, asking to send the news to her father and Jane too. Of Pemberley, she did not write much, except that which she had seen on the first day was everything Mrs. Gardiner had said it would be.
Of her apprehension and second thoughts, she did not write anything at all. Her worries would remain her own, and she would strive to accomplish her duties accordingly, so she could achieve her purpose. Three months would surely fly by in no time. What could possibly go wrong with an arrangement so clearly settled?
Bonus Story – Chapter 3
The first three days at Pemberley passed in a whirlwind of activity. Several tours of the house in order to see it all; introductions to the staff; the assignment of her responsibilities, including organising the staff which was lower in number than it had ever been in the last fifteen years; interviewing people to fill the vacant positions based on some clear requirements; instructing the new hires, if any; assigning new responsibilities to the existing staff in order to improve efficiency. Also, the budget for daily procurements and the staff wages were in her charge—for which Elizabeth felt an enormous burden, as she had never managed such an amount of money—kept in cash, in velvet pouches, in a locked drawer for which only she and Mrs. Reynolds had a key.
Elizabeth was given a uniform very much like the one Mrs. Reynolds wore, but more appropriate for her young age. The gowns were made of fine fabrics—finer and likely more expensive than her usual muslin dresses—but the style was modest. At her first glimpse in the mirror, she barely recognised herself, especially with her hair tightly pinned under the white bonnet. She looked a little bit stern, a little bit commanding, but serious and professional—just as her responsibilities required.
With Elizabeth’s approval, Mrs. Reynolds revealed her connection to Mrs. Gardiner, Mrs. Templeton and Henry and Leah Barnes—well known and respected by the entire neighbourhood. Suddenly, it became more apparent why a young lady of obvious good breeding and high education had accepted coming across the country to help Mrs. Reynolds. It seemed now like an arrangement between friends, whichsatisfied Darcy’s household and made them trust the newly arrived housekeeper more readily.
Despite her dear wish to do so, Elizabeth had no time to meet in person with Mrs. Gardiner’s relatives in Lambton. Henry and Leah—both Mrs. Gardiner’s age, in their mid-thirties—came to greet her briefly and the introduction was pleasant and warm. But for Elizabeth there was little spare time for enjoyment and everybody seemed to understand that.
The Master of Pemberley—although expected to arrive in two days—had not come even on the third. Elizabeth was quite eager to meet the man of whom every person and every object in the house seemed to speak. She was impressed to hear that all the remaining servants had been with the family for a long time. Even the married couples remained there, some after they had children, and all of them were given proper accommodations, either in the servants’ rooms or in small cottages with a piece of garden, spread around the estate half a mile from the manor.
Furthermore, two young maids seemed to also have children—one a boy and the other a girl—but neither had husbands. Nobody spoke openly about it, but she heard rumours that, instead of being thrown out as usually happened in other places, the master had given Mrs. Reynolds complete liberty to keep them and to reassign their duties, so that they could take care of their children.
“Very few masters would be concerned with the staff’s wellbeing,” Elizabeth observed.
“Indeed, Miss Elizabeth. But my master is different—he always has been. I have known him since he was four years old and I never heard a cross word from him in my life; and many other servants and tenants would say the same. I have always observed that good-natured children are good-natured when they grow up. My master was always the sweetest, most generous boy in the world. And the most handsome.”
“How wonderful!”
“Indeed, Miss Elizabeth. He was the joy and pride of his parents. His kindness and generosity remained. And his handsomeness too; all the young ladies fight for his attention,” Mrs. Reynolds jested, then continued in earnest. “Anyone who has a problem and applies to him will receive the help they need. And when he is upset or displeased, you can only see it in his face. But we try to never upset him; he deserves nothing but our consideration and loyalty.”
Elizabeth struggled not to laugh. The description of the master was close to that of a saint and she doubted it could be entirely true and unbiased. ‘Surely he does not usually wear a halo above his head,’ she thought, amused.
“There are very few people of whom one hears such excellent accounts. You are lucky to have such a master,” she offered politely. The housekeeper smiled meaningfully.
“Do not believe me oblivious to your doubtful expression, Miss Elizabeth. But you will see for yourself that I speak no more than the truth. Everybody who knows him will say the same.”
“Mrs. Reynolds, I meant no disrespect,” Elizabeth said with embarrassment. “I do not doubt your words or your judgment, but I did feel a little bit amused and intimidated at the same time. Mr. Darcy sounds like a saint, which is very rare among the gentlemen I have met in my life.”
The housekeeper laughed. “Oh, he is not a saint. He can be rather resentful when he feels deceived or betrayed. Disguise of any sort has always been his abhorrence. And he is sometimes too hasty in his judgment, but once he sees his faults, he is always ready to remedy them. Some people call him proud, but I am sure I never saw anything of it. They call him so because he does not rattle away like other young men. And if he is proud, he has every reason to be so, more than any other gentleman I know.”
“Now I am truly intimidated and I speak in all earnest. I am grateful that Mr. Darcy granted me his trust and allowed me into his house and I will do everything to help you in any way,” Elizabeth said genuinely.
The older lady lowered her head in approval and suddenly coughed. “Oh, I am sure you will be fine, my dear. You seem intelligent and lively and a quick learner. Besides, Mrs. Templeton has been my friend since we were your age. She highly recommended you and I need nothing else. Now let us go—there are some important things you must learn before the master returns.”