The Lioness At Pemberley

03-11-2020 - Favourite Book Character - Mr and Mrs Darcy from Pride and Prejudice

Prologue: After a lot of twists and turns in their love story, Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy is now happily married to Miss Elizabeth Bennet and they reside at his country manor, Pemberley. This story proceeds, 3 months from the date of their marriage.

Mr Darcy watched as his wife walked up and down the carpet, her brow furrowed in worry, alternately twisting her hands and peeking out of the window at the road leading in from the manor gates.

 “Whatever is the matter, my dear ?” asked Mr Darcy tenderly.

“I beg your pardon, Mr Darcy, but you very well know what the matter is. My mother coming for a visit is no small event and you are looking forward to it even less than I am, “ said Mrs Darcy.

Mr Darcy sighed. Though Mrs Bennet dearly loved all her 5 daughters, her over-enthusiasm and lack of tact when it came to marrying them off had not endeared her to many. Her relationship with Mr Darcy could be described as difficult at best, his only redeeming feature in her eyes being that he was very rich and that he commanded a huge estate like Pemberley.

“I promise to be at my best behaviour, my dear”, said Mr Darcy as he drew her into his embrace and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. Elizabeth smiled and melted into him. These may be the only few minutes of peace they got before her mother descended on them.

 Soon, the rattle of the carriage wheels could be heard and Mr and Mrs Darcy went out to receive their guests. Mrs Bennet could be heard complaining loudly about the state of her nerves and her aching muscles after the long journey from her house, Longbourne. She was accompanied by her daughter, Mary, the only daughter still at home. On spying the couple, Mrs Bennnet clasped Elisabeth in her arms and commented enthusiastically on the splendour of the estate, the beauty of the woods surrounding it and the lushness of the gardens.

To Mr Darcy, she said, “Well, well, Mr Darcy. Marriage to my daughter seems to suit you. You have certainly lost that haughty expression from your face.”

Mr Darcy cringed, but gracefully accepted her greeting and led them all inside. Mrs Bennet oohed and aahed over all the treasures to be found in the vast halls of Pemberley and Mary, being the bookish one and the quietest among the sisters, requested Elizabeth the use of the vast library to which Elizabeth readily agreed. 

Lunch which had been laid out in the beautifully furnished dining room was a strained affair. Mrs Bennet set up a non-stop chatter which Mr Darcy could just about bear as he was busy enjoying the play of emotions on his wife’s face as they ranged from embarrassment to despair and finally resignation.

“I told Jane and Charles that their estate was very nice, but for sure would not match the grandeur of Pemberley. Ahh... I am so happy to see my daughter settled here and be a mistress of a large estate such as this. Really, Mr Darcy, I would wish you to consider a job for my dear Mr Wickham. He and my Lydia are just getting by and a little help from you would go a long way. Sit straight will you, Mary,“ she admonished before continuing her gossip about her neighbours at Longbourne, her sister and her family, the officers at the Militia, Mr and Mrs Collins and whoever else she could think of.

Elizabeth looked dazed and Mr Darcy wondered how he could bear another few months with his mother-in-law. He looked at his wife and decided that the inconveniences were minor compared to the joy of having Eliza in his life every single day.

Finally, the lunch came to a close and Mrs Bennet and Mary were shown to their rooms to recuperate from their journey. Mr Darcy expressed a wish to walk with his wife in the woods bordering the lake and as they headed out on the gravelled walkway, they were surprised to hear the rattle of carriage wheels again.

“Whoever could it be?” they wondered as they waited for the visitors to take the last bend in the road and appear before them. They were treated to an impressive sight of a barouche drawn by 4 spirited horses and liveried footmen riding it. It came to a stop before them and to their extreme shock, out stepped Mr Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine De Bourgh.

Lady Catherine was Mr Darcy’s mother’s sister and a very wea

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lthy landowner in her own right. Her fondest wish had been for Mr Darcy to marry her daughter Anne. She looked down upon people whom she considered below her rank and status and could not countenance the fact that her nephew had married one of them. She had sent him a very abusive letter on the event of his marriage, which had greatly upset him and had made him decide to stop all further communication with her. It was only a few weeks back, with Elizabeth’s gentle persuasion that he had written her a letter of reconciliation and invited her to visit with them at Pemberley.

But never had Mr.Darcy or Elizabeth anticipated this twist of fate which would bring these two paragons of their families to visit them at Pemberley on the very same day!

“I need my rest. We shall talk later,“ said Lady Catherine, by way of greeting and walked away with her lady’s maid scurrying after her.

Mr and Mrs Darcy looked at her retreating back with amazement. Then they looked at each other, their eyes asking an unvoiced question. With her mother’s over effusiveness with everything and Lady Catherine’s disdain, how on earth were they going to get through the evening meal?

They walked hand in hand through the paths in the woods, each lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly, Elizabeth stopped him and said “Mr Darcy. Promise me, that you will be all things kind and gracious today. Lady Catherine is your aunt and our esteemed guest. Let her find no fault in our welcome.” Mr Darcy, still upset with his aunt, felt no inclination to be kind but relented at the earnestness he saw on his wife’s face. After all, he could not deny her anything.

The evening meal followed the same course as the afternoon lunch, but this time it was Lady Catherine who did the talking. She found no joy in the food, the table arrangements or the company. She took great pleasure in deriding Elizabeth and it was only his promise to his wife which made Mr.Darcy control his reactions. Mrs Bennet who had always stood in awe of Lady Catherine, was very quiet, though at times it felt as if she would like to say a word or two in defence of her daughter.

They retired to the drawing-room after dinner, where Elizabeth sat down on the pianoforte to entertain her guests. As the haunting melody and her sweet voice filled the room, Lady Catherine interrupted loudly bringing her rendition to a sudden stop. “Oh, Elizabeth! How awfully you play. I have brought it to your notice several times that only regular practice can make you sound better. Why, my dear Anne, who is sick quite often, plays better than this. And Fitzwilliam, why do you allow her to dress so? Is she a peacock to be flaunting herself in these brightly coloured clothes? If it were my Anne, I would…“

“Lady Catherine!” came an imperious voice. Lady Catherine and the Darcy’s turned as one to see who had dared to interrupt her. To their surprise, it was Mrs Bennet who now stood to her full height. “I beg your pardon, but I have had quite enough. My daughter may be married to a gentleman, but she is also the daughter of a gentleman and brought up as such. She is educated and intelligent and well versed in the arts of embroidery, playing the piano and drawing room conversations. She was well raised to be a proper wife to any gentleman of the realm as she is now to Mr Darcy. As such, I would request you to accord her the respect she deserves. If you cannot compliment, then do not condemn. “

A stunned silence greeted this outburst from Mrs Bennet. Lady Catherine opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no coherent words could be uttered. “I ... well... I will be …I never…” she said and suddenly stood up. “ I apologise,” she said, executing a stiff bow towards Elizabeth and walked out of the room. Elizabeth got up and hugged her mother, offering her silent gratitude as Mr Darcy could only smile at these unbelievable turn of events.

Later that night, as the whole of Pemberley slept, Elizabeth lay with her head on Mr Darcy’s shoulder and her hand over his heart. “What an evening !” said Mr Darcy. “Your mother was magnificent. Like a lioness protecting her cub. For this alone, I will be ever grateful to her and she can stay with us whenever and for as long as she wishes to.”

Elizabeth smiled into his chest. As her eyes closed, she thanked the Dear Lord for the gift of her beloved husband and a supportive family who were always there for her.