Page 7 of Till Death Us Do Part: Book 2
They climbed one more flight of stairs, went down a corridor, and Jennings opened the doors to a large suite. Elizabeth entered, looked around, and thought her eyes might never recover from the shock. She just stood staring in horror and stunned disbelief.
Mrs Reynolds noted her expression. “Lady Anne Darcy was daughter of an earl, and she liked her furniture,” then she paused a moment, scrunched her eyes in concentration, discarding words as she went, and finally settled on, “ornate.”
Elizabeth laughed. “I believe you have a talent for understatement I will greatly appreciate, Mrs Reynolds.”
She stared at the furniture which, was indeed,ornate. It was exactly the way she pictured Rosings, based on Mr Collins’ description. She decided she would use that word instead of—well—she would just stick with that one. There was no point in disparaging the taste of a dead woman.
“What are the other chambers like?”
“There has been no mistress for fifteen years, so the rest of the rooms are not consistent. Some are nicer than others. If you like, I can show you the most recently decorated.”
Elizabeth nodded and went with Jennings, Reynolds, and Molly several doors down the corridor, where they found a suite that wasmuchmore to her taste. To be sure, the furniture was very nice and quite expensive, but it was all tastefully elegant. Sitting proved it was not only tasteful, but comfortable. The colours were muted, the lines clean, and the upholstery subtle. She liked it very much.
Elizabeth briefly considered simply moving into that suite but rejected the idea reluctantly. Her arrival would already be the stuff of legends for generations, and adding yet more gossip to the mix by avoiding the mistress’ suite could not help.
She studied the room for some time and finally asked, “Could your footmen just swap all the furniture?”
The butler looked perturbed by the idea. “What do you mean?”
“Swap them—have your men move all this lovely furniture into my suite, and all that horrid furniture into here—or the attics, or the burn pit—you decide.”
Mrs Reynolds said, “That seems a good immediate solution. It will make your chambers more comfortable until you have time to redecorate properly.”
Elizabeth nodded. “I suppose your men may as well get started.”
“We shall get to it immediately, madam.”
“Very well. The rooms are similar enough that you should be able to exchange like for like or use your judgement. If we need to make alterations later, I have all the time in the world. For now, I do not need to watch over the men making them nervous, so I shall leave it in your hands. I have been cooped up in a carriage for days. Molly and I will explore the grounds.”
“Very well, madam. We should finish in two hours.”
Molly went to retrieve her coat and boots. A quarter-hour later, both women were alone in the garden. Elizabeth was happy she had a great many gardens and woods to explore. The weather was, according to Mr Gregory, very mild for that time of year. He did not know how long it would last. He said sometimes they were snowed in for weeks at a time, but thus far, all they had was rain and light snowfall.
Elizabeth thought light snowfall would be great fun, but being snowed in for weeks, much less so.
Once they got away from prying ears, Elizabeth said, “Molly, you can see my efforts at escape were in vain.”
Molly looked just a bit nervous at the unexpected intimacy, but she gamely replied, “I suppose so. Do not worry—I will not gossip. Mr Bartlet and the innkeeper know to hold their tongues as well. Your secret is safe, at least with everyone I know.”
“I never doubted it,” she replied, then paused a moment. “We must play our parts when in company, but when alone, I would like you to not be overly deferential. I would like one confidant in the area.”
“I am not certain I can do that. I know my place.”
Elizabeth understood the sentiment, but insisted, “Yes, I know it may be uncomfortable, and perhaps someday when all of this is behind us, we might have to behave differently; but I would like you to try, within the limits of your own comfort.”
Molly nodded reluctantly and decided it was time to broach the other awkward subject.
“I still have most of the money you gave me. I can return it tomorrow.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because it isyours.”
Elizabeth reached over to take the younger woman’s arm and pulled her along, so they might both find some comfort in movement.
“Trust me. I knew exactly what I was doing when I gave it to you. At the time, I expected this precise moment to be almost certain. The coins are right where I wanted them. If I thought I might want them returned, I would have asked you to hold them. I did not. I gave it to you gladly, and I would do so again without qualms. It is yours to keep, with my blessings.”
Molly was dubious, but unless she wanted to have an argument with her new mistress on their very first day, she saw no need to press her point. It was not as if the money would be unavailable in time of need, or Mrs Darcy would be short of funds. She had spent little, had the balance well hidden, and imagined Mrs Darcy’s allowance must be enormous beyond comprehension.
