THE GENTLE BREEZE of the morning greeted Elizabeth upon her stepping down the stairs that led her into the verdurous grounds of Pemberley, where she and Mr. Darcy had settled with the gracious benevolence of the latter's sister, Georgiana, who had occupied the place while its master had been away on business. After months of living in the beautiful mansion, whose richly furnished rooms never ceased to bestow upon them the admiration and restless compliments of Mrs. Bennet and Kitty, it was nonetheless its vast property that the second eldest Miss Bennet had always found herself drawn to.
Strolling toward the path that she favoured most for her quiet getaways, in the process of which she was able to indulge in her thoughts, Mrs. Darcy payed attention to the rustling of leaves caught in the wind that made strands of hair fall upon her neck, noticed the distant jostling of the stream peacefully running far-off into the trees and could delight in the mild summer weather to her heart's content. Ever since her first visit of Pemberley, then accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and having unexpectedly, though most civilly, been met by Mr. Darcy, few days had passed without Elizabeth taking refreshing walks upon its estate—a most appeasing sense of tranquility prevailed amongst the dense trees and the murmurs of the nature surrounding the house.
On occasions, she would be joined by Mr. Darcy, who, as she, gladly sauntered amidst the grounds, holding his wife's hand tenderly without the need for words to be ceaselessly exchanged.
As her promenade took her upon the area where she had once been reunited with Mr. Darcy, who had then showed the upmost kindness of character, contrary to that which the young woman had known him to formerly display, Elizabeth relished, not without smiling to herself, the memory of the effect such behaviour had had on her. If she had once been led to mistaking Mr. Darcy's manners for a symptom of abundant pride and contempt, it however now added to the fondness with which she reflected upon their story; though a very unlikely match at their first acquaintance, their present situation atoned for the errors of the past.
While she was thus engaged in thought, still following this familiar route, it happened that Mrs. Darcy had not been the only one willing to escape from the shelter of the Pemberley castle. Soon enough, Elizabeth's attention was attracted to the echo of footsteps arising from afar, and she had not been walking for five minutes when their owner appeared from behind a steady oak, his tall frame and posture recognisable amidst any other. Mr. Darcy stood before her, reminding her of the time they had likewise met during her first visit to Pemberley with her uncle and aunt.
"Good morning, dearest," said he, the features of his face still softened from the night's slumber; happiness nonetheless never left his spirits after being entrusted with the knowledge of Elizabeth's feelings from her own account.
"Good morning," she replied, "it is the most pleasant of mornings to be thus found by you. Has the early sunlight driven you out of sleep?" she inquired, not the least objecting to her husband taking her hand.
"Only the foreshadowing sensation of you being risen already," said he warmly. "After coming upon the note you left to relate your going outside, I could not oppose the prospect of joining you."
"I must leave notes more frequently, if their consequence is to be encountered by you," she observed affectionately, recalling to herself with good humour the former uneasiness which Mr. Darcy brought upon her with his presence; how far from it were they now.
The Darcys walked around at leisurely pace for a little while, before Darcy thus addressing her: "It is here that, many months ago, I am to this day grateful I have by accident been reunited with you and Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner."
Elizabeth smiled, having been thinking the same. "It is indeed. That day shall for ever be one I have a clear remembrance of. It is, I am led to think, a day that sealed the fate of many fortunate events."
"I am only sorry that it came so late," Mr. Darcy confessed regretfully. "I can however not help but be infinitely glad that it did happen, though as late as aforementioned, for it is the proof that it was in my power not to conduct myself the repelling way I did before. If I had not thus changed my conduct, I believe it would have separated us for a time I can only dread to imagine."
To such earnest declarations, Elizabeth's affection and esteem of her husband could only swell with an every-second-renewed expression of the love she harboured for him. To her eyes, his mind possessed all that was good and fair, and she treasured every transport of the deep emotion he felt for her as the greatest of gifts.
"The improvement of your manners was indeed the object of my surprise, but I am now to think that my understanding would have been even more shattered by the idea of what we were to become," Elisabeth laughed, teasing her husband with a tenderness that was particular to her character and that he loved dearly. She had once thought that he had yet to learn to laugh at himself, but now knew that his capability of it was not to be questioned any more.
"It would have been an outcome most surprising, outrageous even, for everyone involved in us first meeting," Darcy agreed, smiling. "But I am the happiest that it indeed ended up being that way."
"I could not myself wish for a different turn of events."
On they therefore went, the agreeable chill of the early hours of the day accompanying their delight in such a calming tour of the grounds; and although Elizabeth took great pleasure in such escapades by herself, the present presence of Mr. Darcy by her side only added to her enjoyment. They spoke openly, their hearts never restrained from one another, and at last they took the direction that was to lead them back to the manor. There, they were greeted by Georgiana—even if Mr. Darcy's sister's natural reserve sometimes prevented her from taking part in their playful bickering, she loved her brother most tenderly and was so fond of his wife that they would spend much time together, ambling amidst the estate or occupying themselves with various shared activities. Thus the morning flew between heartfelt conversations and the simple felicity of domesticity, making Pemberley the forever home of many happy occasions.
