Chapter 37

After making love, Lizzy and Darcy fell into a deep sleep, and it was only a dying fire and a chilly room that awakened the exhausted pair. There was also the matter of a not quite eighteen-year-old Georgiana. Since she did not know they were in the study, she must be wondering why the newlyweds were still abed at noon, especially since she was teased unmercifully by her brother about her habit of sleeping so late into the day. So instead of crawling into a warm bed, both scooted up the backstairs, got dressed, and joined Georgiana in the sitting room, finding her dressed for another day of playing in the snow.

Darcy needed little encouragement, and both returned to their rooms to change into something more appropriate for an outing. Georgiana was eager to show her brother the snowman they had created the previous day, but when they stepped out onto the portico, they could see that their creation was now a mound of snow with Darcy’s top hat embedded in the pile.

After studying the blob before him, Darcy offered his opinion: “Except for that perfectly good top hat, I must say that I am unimpressed with your efforts.”

Georgiana sputtered an explanation for the use of what she thought was an old top hat. She was about to point out the obvious, that yesterday’s warm temperatures had caused the snowman to melt, when Lizzy hit him in the back with a snowball. Thus began a blizzard of white missiles flying through the air, with no quarter given by either sex. Victory was declared when Darcy dropped to his knees and covered his head with his hands, indicating defeat.

After they stopped laughing, all agreed that they needed to go into the woods and make another snowman, one that would not fall victim to the rays of the sun. Darcy retrieved the hat and after dusting it off said, “Obviously, that fellow did not appreciate the quality or cost of this hat, so we shall give it to the new snowman, who will, hopefully, take better care of it.”

With David and Goliath at their master’s heels, they marched off to the woods, and while Lizzy and Georgiana gathered branches, twigs, and rocks for the arms and face, Darcy worked alone in crafting, in his opinion, the perfect snowman, and to show that he was not displeased with his wife and sister for using his apparel to clothe their frozen creation, he took the scarf from around his neck and placed it on the snowman.

When the ladies suggested that he join them in making snow angels, he declined. Although he had been willing to have a snowball fight and to build a snowman, he had to draw the line somewhere. He held firm until the ladies knocked him down.

As they ventured farther into the woods, Darcy pointed out the cave in which he transformed each nightfall. It was an ideal location and perfectly concealed within a copse of trees and thickets. To further put her mind at ease, Darcy explained to Lizzy how the cave was connected to the house through a tunnel that only Mercer and Jackson knew about.

Lizzy commented that it was a well-chosen site and indicated that she could rest easy now that she knew how he returned to the house at daybreak. But in her mind, she could picture her husband and his black coat contrasted against the blazing white snow, but because this was now her life, she remained silent.

***

“Will, so much has happened in such a short time, I almost forgot. It is New Year’s Eve,” Georgiana reminded her brother.

“So it is. Between the wedding and nightfall, Christmas came and went unobserved, and here we are on the cusp of a new year. Personally, I found 1811 to be the best year of my life,” William said, smiling at Lizzy, “but I predict that 1812 will be even better for everyone. Hopefully, Napoleon will be stopped and peace will return to Europe.”

“I shall pray for peace in Europe,” Georgiana quickly replied. “But, Will, this is also the year I shall come out into society.”

“Of course, my apologies for the oversight. Your debut is much more important than something as insignificant as putting an end to two decades of misery caused by that Corsican corporal.”

“Your brother is teasing you,” Lizzy said, giving him a look to let him know that Georgiana’s debut was as important to her as their wedding had been to them. “So what do the Darcys do to usher in the new year?”

“The family and the senior servants gather in the upstairs sitting room,” Georgiana explained, “and we bid farewell to the old and welcome in the new with a toast in which we wish everyone health and happiness.”

“That is it?” Lizzy asked. “All you do is stare at the clock until it strikes midnight and drink a toast? What about opening the back door to let out the old year?”

“Superstitious nonsense,” Darcy grumbled, “practiced by the ignorant and those from the provinces. The custom is especially prevalent in Hertfordshire.”

“Well, then, what about the symbols of the new year: coal to ensure the home will always be warm?” Lizzy asked, ignoring his comments.

“No worries there. We have timber enough for a lifetime, and unlike Antony, I pay my coal bills.”

“Salt and money to ensure the household will be prosperous?”

“We are not doing too badly financially.”

“Bread to ensure that the occupants will be well fed?”

“If you want some bread, I shall ring for a servant.”

“Greenery to ensure long life and good luck?” Lizzy said, pretending to be desperate.

“Well, it is true that we did not string garland over the mantel of the drawing room, and there was no wreath upon the door. So with my permission, you may go out tomorrow and cut some holly, which I know you know how to do, and we shall use it as a centerpiece for our New Year’s Day dinner,” Darcy said, smiling graciously.

“Oh, Elizabeth, he is only teasing,” Georgiana said, in case Lizzy did not appreciate her brother’s sense of humor. “Do you have any more New Year’s customs?”

“Yes, the first dark-haired male stranger is invited into the house, that is, if he comes bearing one of the gifts I mentioned. No matter how humble his station in life, he is invited to take dinner with the family.”

“Dark haired?” Darcy asked. “So what you are saying is that if Charles Bingley or Colonel Fitzwilliam were strangers to us, they would not benefit from our hospitality because they have red and blond hair?”

“That is correct, as those with dark hair tend to brood and scowl more than their fair-haired brethren, making them much more intriguing.”

“Oh, Will, Elizabeth is only teasing,” Georgiana again piped in, but Lizzy looked away from her husband, refusing to confirm that she truly was in jest.

***

Along with the three Darcys, Mr. Jackson, Mrs. Bradshaw, Mrs. Reynolds, Mrs. Brotherton, and Mercer waited for the arrival of 1812 in the upstairs sitting room. Mrs. Bradshaw used the opportunity to “suggest” that a Christmas dinner be served on Twelfth Night with a goose and all the trimmings.

“Of course we must also have a Christmas pudding, and Cassie, the stillroom maid, makes an excellent wassail. It is a Darcy tradition to have a complete Christmas dinner served in the servants’ hall as well,” Mrs. Bradshaw added, and before Lizzy could say yes or no, the cook had detailed everything that would be on the menu, but she did allow her mistress to decide if the family wished to exchange Christmas gifts.

Mrs. Bradshaw and Mrs. Reynolds, who were believers in early to bed and early to rise, chose to depart two hours before the clock struck midnight. But before returning to her kitchen, Mrs. Bradshaw whispered to Elizabeth, “I have known Mr. Darcy since he was five years old, and I have seen him grow from a sweet boy into a fine man. With all that he suffers, he deserves to be happy, and now that he has you as his wife, he will be.” Lizzy, caught completely unawares, was speechless and nodded her thanks.

Minutes before the new year, Darcy asked Mr. Jackson to pour whisky for the men and a Madeira for the ladies, and when the clock tolled the midnight hour, all raised their glasses and wished each other all the best in the new year, and when Georgiana mentioned again that this was the year she would come out into society, everyone laughed.