By Charm or by Choice by Shana Jefferis-Zimmerman

Author:Shana Jefferis-Zimmerman [Jefferis-Zimmerman, Shana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-02-07T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Elizabeth found Fitzwilliam outside near the stables meeting with their steward, Mr. Smith. Mrs. Parker and Catherine were inside the stables and a very curious Catherine was indeed reaching for and grasping Artemis’ nose. Elizabeth wasn’t sure who had the bigger eyes, her horse or her daughter!

“How are you, my dear?”

“About as well as I expected,” Elizabeth laughed. “She at least let me finish before she stormed up to the Lavender Room. I don’t think we will see her until supper or perhaps to-morrow. She has had quite a shock, I fear.”

“Did the saloon survive unscathed? That would have been the perfect excuse to force you into fitting up the room anew!” Fitzwilliam laughed at his own joke.

“Mr. Smith, I apologize for being late, but I had hoped to join you and Fitzwilliam for the remainder of your tour of the property.”

“Mrs. Darcy, good day to you ma’am,” he replied cordially. “And we are happy you can participate in our meeting. Your input is always welcomed and appreciated.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Pemberley ran on a detailed annual schedule. It was the work of many generations of the Darcy family and contained the learnings of many mistakes that were made along the way in building Pemberley into its current size and scale. Mr. Bennet was a rather indifferent and retiring estate holder, whereas Fitzwilliam was scrupulous and active. A portion of their differences could be explained by the entail on Longbourn. No matter how profitable, Longbourn would cease to be the Bennet homestead as soon as Mr. Bennet passed on. Pemberley of course was not entailed, in fact Pemberley did not even have any debt. It would be in the Darcy family for many generations to come if the Darcy learnings and plans had the desired effect. Although Mr. Bennet’s tutelage of Elizabeth regarding estate management had provided her with a general understanding of which only a few women could boast, it was Fitzwilliam’s instruction since their marriage which had truly elevated her skills to that of a competent estate holder. And she was still learning.

Mr. Smith and the Darcys spent the afternoon together, on horseback, touring several of the estate’s buildings, visiting with several key tradesman and staff, and looking at some of the crops and livestock in the fields. Fitzwilliam had been continuing his father’s work on building local canals to shorten the time of getting Pemberley’s goods to market. As there was always progress to be reviewed on the canals, part of their tour today included meeting with the supervising agent who was overseeing the canal construction. They also discussed the reports that had been received from the various under-stewards that Mr. Smith oversaw. After their tour concluded, they made arrangements with Mr. Smith to meet the next day and review the financial ledgers for the estate.

Elizabeth went to check with Georgiana’s lady’s maid, Clara, who would also be attending Caroline. As anticipated, Caroline had not stirred from the Lavender Room, which was to be her guest suite for the duration of her stay.

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