Mrs. Gardiner declined to take a formal tour and leave the children, so the merry party of explorers consisted of the two Darcy siblings, Mrs. Bennet, and her three daughters. Between the various parlors and rooms with each of their fully spelled out history and uses, Elizabeth began to feel proud that her patient husband endured every inane quibble or concern her mother voiced.

After visiting nearly a  two dozen rooms, the mathematics of Mr. Darcy’s fortune appeared to have summed in the widow Bennett’s mind.

“Over two dozen rooms you keep heated, plus the servants’ quarters and the suites upstairs? Not to mention a house in town! My word, Mr. Darcy, I cannot fathom such extravagance on a mere ten thousand pounds a year!”

The rudeness of such an exclamation halted the younger girls in their tracks and Elizabeth exclaimed her mother’s name in exasperation.

“I see no need to discuss my financial situation with you at this time, Mrs. Bennet, but be assured while you and your family are under my care you shall not want for any comfort.” Darcy’s voice was neither callous nor mean, but the tone made it clear his statement was final.

The party of explorers quietly continued down the hall, subdued by Mrs. Bennet’s rude outburst. Elizabeth turned her head to both sides in an attempt to keep her orientation. So far, she managed to note the location and layout of more than half of the rooms that her husband and his sister had gleefully pointed out, but now they were moving to the opposite wing of the house and she noticed the decorations were beginning to age.

“Is this an original wing of the estate?” Kitty piped up from the back of the group before Elizabeth could voice the same question.

Darcy nodded at his youngest sister by marriage and touched his finger to his nose.

“I forget your powers of keen observation, Catherine.” The compliment made both Kitty and Georgiana giggle and look at one another first silent confirmation. “My ancestors owned a more modest home on this very location in the Tudor style. A great fire burned much of the original bedrooms and servants’ quarters so that the kitchen had to be relocated to the location it is now. But one room stood perfectly preserved, and for that, I’m eternally grateful.” Darcy reached behind him to turn the knob and opened the door walking backward so that he could observe the reaction of his wife’s face when at last she spied the famed library of Pemberley.

In all, even the nonreaders of the family marveled at the extensive and carefully cataloged collections of rows and rows upon rows of leather-bound volumes on sturdy wooden shelves. Elizabeth counted three tables which held what must be priceless reference materials as the books took up nearly the entire table for display. A small landing had been crafted on one side of the room with sofas and chairs perfectly positioned for the days’ light spilling through a column of rectangular windows with crosshatching to reinforce the glass.

Georgiana happily grasped Kitty’s hands and led her to the back corner of the library, disappearing around the corner of one of the shelves. Elizabeth looked to her husband in confusion and he offered a very simple explanation.

“We possess an entire collection of the most popular novelists. I suspect Catherine will enjoy finding new inspiration for her stories.”

A flood of emotion threatened to consume Elizabeth as she wished for nothing more then that her father could have seen such an expansive and impressive library such as this. Darcy held his hands out to Elizabeth and led her to another corner of the library to show her a different set of shelves. But Elizabeth did not need to get closer than a few feet away to recognize the bindings perfectly organized on the shelf in front of her.

“My father’s books?”

Darcy nodded, explaining how Mr. Gardiner felt it more proper for the Bennet family library to be housed here for future generations then be held in his London home. Elizabeth made a mental note to return the books she had rescued over a year ago from the cost-saving measures employed by her dastardly cousin Collins under the misguided influence of Mr. Darcy himself. She had expected to feel tears and another bout of guilt and loss overwhelm her, but instead a wave of relief and comfort washed over her heart. It was not easy, but her father’s memory was more and more becoming less painful to keep.

“Come, come surely there must be another room you wish to show us, Mr. Darcy?” His mother-in-law called from where she still stood no more than a handful of steps across the threshold.

Mr. Darcy walked out from the corner of the library where he stood with his wife, spying the three young women on the other side of the library cheerily discussing and trading various volumes of romance novels back and forth. The site of such happiness over reading material made him wish to laugh, but he held his emotions under good regulation. “I’m afraid it was my aim to end the tour here as I suspected once I showed your daughter the library, there was a strong possibility I might not persuade her to leave.”

Mrs. Bennet responded in a flustered tone, ridiculously trying to defend her daughter’s willingness to fulfill her wifely duties and responsibilities to the household when Elizabeth quickly joined her husband’s side.

“You must not take my husband at his word, Mama. He was only teasing me. It is our way.” Elizabeth looked up at her husband and the two of them enjoyed one of those longing looks that had so characterized their courtship, engagement, and still burned brightly even six months into their marriage. Such love and adoration were foreign to Mrs. Bennet who had spent a lifetime learning to employ her attentions and charms for the sole purpose of manipulating men under her will.

“I should still say that tomorrow, Lizzie, you and I shall conduct another tour. I did note a number of places where there is much work to be done. Tapestries and upholstery,” Mrs. Bennet began enumerating the faults on her fingers, pausing to frown, “and I do think the marble floor of the ballroom perhaps would look better in a different color than the same marble coloring of the entryway.”

“Mama!” Elizabeth pursed her lips, wishing she had taken her mother aside before the tour where her incessant commentary of the shabbiness of the decor had embarrassed her most acutely. “As Mrs. Darcy it is my plan to preserve the ancestral the legacy of the Darcy family in this home. Over time, there may be a few things that Fitzwilliam and I decide to change, but all of those discussions will be conducted between my husband and myself and no others.”

“But how could you know what to change and what to leave? A mother knows these things, no, certainly you can explain your decisions to Mr. Darcy, but I shall help you to make the list and inspect the offerings the tradesmen here have to offer. Perhaps we shall need to procure some materials from London or elsewhere. It would not do to diminish the house.”

“My wife has spoken her wishes, Mrs. Bennet, and I will not tolerate any disrespect for her position.” Mr. Darcy’s harsh tone stopped Mrs. Bennet’s frenetic bumblings immediately.

“Brother, do you suppose the repast is ready in the dining room?” Georgiana piped up from the floor of the library, changing the subject to try to move all past the embarrassing display of Mrs. Bennet.

“What an excellent suggestion, Mrs. Darcy?” Fitzwilliam held his arm out to Elizabeth and the couple gallantly strolled past her mother to lead the way out of the library. The girls followed dutifully behind, each with a book in hand.

Elizabeth Darcy breathed in deeply as they reached the hall, feeling a slight squeeze from her husband’s side. It was not pleasant, but her dominance over the household had to be established, even at the embarrassment of her mother. Unfortunately, Lizzie Bennet knew her mother would not relinquish her presumed position of dowager without more than one battle of wills. And eventually, her husband would not be present to support her position and she would have to stand up to her mother on her own.