Pemberley Celebrations - the First Year Page 4

  Elizabeth reached out and took her husband’s hand. “But think of what this would mean to them, if we did something for them.”

  “For instance?”

  Elizabeth drew in a breath. “We could do a good part of the preparations for the dinner! By doing some of the work ourselves, it will free them up to enjoy the party!”

  He looked at her and chuckled softly, hoping she was not in earnest. When her expression did not change, he exclaimed, “Surely you jest!”

  “No! Mrs. Reynolds, particularly. She apprised me this morning of all she has done and the work that still needs to be done. She, of all people, deserves a reprieve from her duties.”

  “What, exactly, are you thinking we should do? You certainly do not mean for us to do all the cooking, serving, and cleaning up.” He eyed her suspiciously. “Or do you?”

  Elizabeth quickly shook her head. “Of course not. But we could do a portion of it. I would like to ease Mrs. Reynolds’ responsibilities, at the least.”

  Darcy put his hand over Elizabeth’s. “From what I recall, my dearest, your mother once said that Mr. Bennet kept servants so you and your sisters never had to do any work. How can it be that you would be able to master something of this sort?”

  Elizabeth placed her hand on top of her husband’s. “You would be surprised what I can do. I always enjoyed Cook’s company at Longbourn. When I was younger, I spent time in the kitchen listening to her stories and watching her as she prepared the meals. She taught me quite a bit about cooking.”

  Elizabeth bit her lip and looked down at their hands, stroking her husband’s with her fingers. “I never had any assurance that I would marry well enough to have my own cook. In a way, I suppose I was preparing myself for that possibility.”

  “But now, Elizabeth, you are Mistress of Pemberley. There is no need for you to do this sort of thing. The servants do not expect it. I am not inclined to have you – us – do this.”

  “But that is the reason why it would mean so much to them. They do not expect it!”

  He looked intently at her. “I think not,” he said. “I will not have you working in the kitchen with the lower servants as if you were a servant yourself!”

  Elizabeth let out a long sigh. “Is there no possible way for this to be done?”

  He recognized that stubborn look in her eyes and smiled. He could not help but think this was the reason he loved her so much. He placed his free hand on top of Elizabeth’s, so their four hands were stacked atop one another.

  “I appreciate your generous heart, my dearest, but trust me when I say, it is not necessary for us to do this.”

  Elizabeth pursed her lips and her shoulders dropped. “I merely thought it would make the evening special for them.” She shook her head slowly. “I shall be in the sitting room.”

  Elizabeth stood up to leave and began to walk slowly toward the door. Darcy’s voice halted her.

  “Elizabeth, if you are really inclined to do this, since the dinner is already planned, there is one possibility.”

  Elizabeth spun around, her face lit with anticipation. “What would that be?”

  “There is a small kitchen off the ballroom that has not been used in years. It was designed so that foods could be prepared or brought there so they would be close at hand.” Darcy shook his head and gazed up, as if thinking. “I do not think we have had a ball here since my mother died, and I am not even certain it was ever used for these dinners.” He turned back to Elizabeth. “It has been many years, and while I am certain Mrs. Reynolds keeps it cleaned, it may need to be…”

  “That sounds perfect!” Elizabeth clasped her hands together. “I shall make sure everything is in good condition, and I can work in there!”

  “Elizabeth, I shall agree to it only on one condition.” He paused, and then added, “No, make that a few conditions.”

  “What are they?”

  “Knowing Mrs. Reynolds as I do, I doubt she will readily give up what she considers to be her duties to Pemberley and to you. She most likely will not even agree to this scheme of yours, but even if she does, she will want to be apprised of everything. You may discover that instead of being pleased to be relieved of some of her duties, she will be troubled. If you see that she is at all unhappy being left out of anything, by all means turn some of the responsibilities back to her. Consult her, get her opinion, and most importantly, get her approval.”

  “I will be most attentive to Mrs. Reynolds’ wishes,” Elizabeth assured him.

  He took in a deep breath. “The main meal shall be prepared as usual by our servants in the main kitchen, but if there is anything special you wish to do in the ballroom kitchen, feel free to do it, but for the upper servants only. We shall serve only them, and they shall be seated together at one table. The Pemberley servants will do all they normally do ahead of time, and then the outside help that comes in will finish cooking the main meal and then serve the lower servants. There is no other way this can possibly be done.”

  “So you will allow me to do something special for the upper servants?”

  “Yes. And we will serve only them!”

  That sounded reasonable to Elizabeth, and she clasped her hands together. “I cannot wait to get started!”

  Darcy looked up at her. “You had best go talk with Mrs. Reynolds now and inform her of your plans.” He tapped his fingers on the desk. “And make sure she knows that while you wish to help her out in this endeavour, you will be more than happy for any assistance or advice she has for you.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “I shall!”

  “Oh, and Elizabeth, make sure she knows that I…” Darcy took in a deep breath, “…that I approve!”

  Elizabeth squealed and put her arms around her husband's neck and kissed him. “Thank you so much!”

  Darcy could not share in her enthusiasm, but would not deny hers. “You need to inform Georgiana of this, as well. I have no idea what her thoughts might be.”

  “Oh, I shall do that directly after speaking with Mrs. Reynolds.” She smiled as she gave him an affectionate squeeze.

  Darcy shook his head. “You better leave quickly before I change my mind and put an end to this whole ridiculous scheme of yours!”

  Elizabeth leaned over and gave her husband another kiss.

  He smiled, but quickly put up his hand. “Elizabeth, one more thing.”

  “Another condition?”

  Darcy nodded. “Just one more. I will not, under any condition, wear the Pemberley livery or any other such nonsense!”

  “I would not have it any other way!” Elizabeth said with a laugh as she left the room.

  He wondered if every decision the two of them would have to make would involve this back and forth exchange; their sparring brought about by their different points of view and ideas. It was exhausting to him! But how he enjoyed the spark of life she added to his.

  Darcy muttered to himself, “Oh Elizabeth, do you really know how much work this is going to be?”

  *~*~*

  Elizabeth discovered, as Darcy suspected, that Mrs. Reynolds was initially reluctant to turn even a few things over to her. At first she did not understand why Elizabeth wanted to assume some of her responsibilities. She was somewhat reassured, however, when Elizabeth told her that she was only doing it so the housekeeper could enjoy herself at the dinner. They finally came to an agreement on what Mrs. Reynolds would continue to do and what tasks Elizabeth would undertake.

  The housekeeper seemed pleased, however, that Mrs. Darcy graciously received her advice in those tasks. She later confided in Elizabeth, with a smile and a glimmer in her eye, that she greatly looked forward to being served by Mr. Darcy.

  Mrs. Reynolds acquainted Elizabeth with more of the particulars about the dinner: the menu, the number of people who would likely be attending, and the outside help that had been hired. She detailed when the help would be expected and what they would do. As she did this, Elizabeth began to plan what special additions she would have for the upper
servants that night.

  Georgiana was receptive to the idea, and she and Elizabeth continued to meet with Mrs. Reynolds each day to discuss what needed to be done. It not only gave Elizabeth a good idea of what to expect that evening, but was also a means of acquainting herself with the overall responsibilities as Mistress of Pemberley.

  Elizabeth was pleased to discover that the ballroom kitchen was in very good condition, and once she and Mrs. Reynolds had ensured that it would do very nicely for some of the food preparation, Elizabeth requested that Mrs. Reynolds confine her responsibilities to the main kitchen and leave the work done in the smaller kitchen to Elizabeth and Georgiana. She wanted everything she prepared in there to be a surprise that evening.

  Each day she and Mrs. Reynolds visited with the cook, Mrs. Evans, to go over all aspects of the dinner. Elizabeth would then set off for the ballroom kitchen, where she enjoyed indulging in some of the talents she had acquired in the Longbourn kitchen with Cook. She even taught Georgiana a few things and was pleased that the young girl seemed to enjoy gaining a few culinary skills.

  As the day for the dinner drew near, Elizabeth found herself spending more time in preparations for the dinner. She was exhausted at the end of each day and collapsed into bed at night. There was one consolation she had in the midst of all her hard work. With the time and effort she was putting into arrangements for the dinner, she had little time to think of missing her family this holiday season.

  *~*~*

  Early in the morning on the day of the dinner, Darcy awoke to find that Elizabeth was not beside him in bed. He got up and went downstairs to a silent house. He had almost expected to find her still working. When he entered the sitting room and found her sound asleep on the sofa, he gently picked her up. Though still asleep, she snuggled her head deep into his chest. As he carefully carried her upstairs, he wondered how long she had been sleeping there and began to think that her involvement in this dinner was something he should not have allowed her to do.

  A few hours later, Elizabeth awoke and rang for Lucy, her maid, who helped her dress quickly, and she returned downstairs to make the final preparations.

  The outside help that Mrs. Reynolds had hired arrived at four o’clock to allow for a smooth transition as the Pemberley staff was released from their duties. Most of the outside help had worked the Pemberley kitchen and ballroom before and were familiar with where things were stored and how things were done. Mrs. Reynolds was the last to leave; she seemed almost reluctant, but finally left after beseeching Elizabeth to summon her if she needed anything at all.

  Elizabeth almost breathed a sigh of relief when Mrs. Reynolds finally left for her quarters. She was confident the main kitchen was in capable hands, and she looked forward to finishing up her tasks in the ballroom kitchen.

  The festive atmosphere at Pemberley wrought excitement in Elizabeth. The recently arrived servants hustled about, making sure the ballroom was set up properly. The aroma of roasting turkey and the spices from the Christmas pudding, cakes, and pies filled the air. The tree looked stunning and the garland and ribbons brought a smile to her face.

  Darcy came into the ballroom kitchen looking for Elizabeth.

  “What can I do?”

  “Stay out of the way!” replied Elizabeth sharply, but followed it with an apologetic smile.

  “Elizabeth, I can do something! Just tell me what to do!”

  “All right, would you please bring me another serving tray and put it on the sideboard over there.”

  Darcy looked at her oddly. “Where do I find the serving trays?”

  Elizabeth sighed and shook her head. “Never mind. Here,” she said, handing him a loaf of freshly baked rye bread. “This needs to be sliced and put on one of those plates.”

  Darcy skewed his mouth and looked around. Finding a knife, he began to slice. Or at least he attempted to slice.

  “I never thought it would be this difficult to slice bread.”

  Elizabeth looked at what he had done and let out a soft laugh. “You need to use a bread knife, Fitzwilliam!”

  She walked over to a small table and picked up some cards that were laying there. “Perhaps it would be best if you just set out the place cards at the head table.”

  “Certainly, my dear.” He took the cards into the ballroom and began placing them around the table. Oddly, he never seemed pleased with the seating arrangement and rearranged them several times. He walked back into the small kitchen and looked sheepishly at his wife. “That was not as easy as I thought.”

  Elizabeth looked at him and smiled, and in mock impatience shook her head. “I will look it over.”

  With that task completed, he decided he had helped enough. “I think you two have this under control. I shall be in my study if you need me.”

  Elizabeth smiled and looked over at Georgiana, who was drizzling a sugar glaze over the gingerbread cake.

  “How much time do we have before everyone arrives?” Georgiana asked.

  “Our esteemed guests will likely begin gathering in the ballroom in about an hour.” Elizabeth rubbed her throbbing forehead with her fingers, pressing them into the furrowed area between her brows. “I thought your brother would never leave, Georgiana. His help in the kitchen is certainly very ill indeed, is it not?”

  “I am surprised he knew where to even find this kitchen!” Both ladies laughed.

  When Elizabeth and Georgiana finished doing everything they could, they walked over to the head table. Elizabeth walked around it, looking at the name cards her husband had set out. She only made one change.

  She and Georgiana then stopped by the main kitchen and checked with the woman acting as head cook to make sure everything was proceeding well. Once they ascertained that it was, they decided it was time to go ready themselves.

  Elizabeth had to admit that the dinner had turned out to be a bigger task than she had ever anticipated, but she was determined to accomplish it all without complaining. She was so grateful she had agreed to her husband’s conditions to only prepare for and serve the upper servants.

  Georgiana went up to her room, and Elizabeth stopped by the study, where she found Darcy reading. He had already changed and looked quite dashing. She smiled as she walked in.

  “You look very handsome, Fitzwilliam. I fear no one will believe you are a servant!”

  “I do not doubt that!” he laughed. “But it is not my looks that prevent me from being considered a servant, but my abilities – or I should say my inabilities!”

  Elizabeth rested her hand on his shoulder. “May I ask one more favour of you, dear?”

  “What would that be?

  “Since this is a Christmas supper, I feel it would be very proper to begin with a blessing. Would you be so kind as to do that tonight?”

  “You want me to ask the blessing?”

  Elizabeth smiled and nodded. “I should like that very much.” She walked around behind him and gently rubbed his shoulders, and then leaned over to kiss his cheek. She was using her charm to get her way, and it was working.

  “If that is your wish, Elizabeth, I shall.”

  She brought her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, “Thank you.” She stood up and walked towards the door but then stopped and turned around. “I dare say you shall be much better at offering a prayer than you were at slicing a loaf of bread.”

  “I would hope so,” he said as she walked out, the sound of her laughter echoing through the hall. He immediately stood up and walked over to the shelves, looking for a book of prayers.

  “Aha!” He found one and pulled it off the shelf. Opening the pages, he looked for inspiration for the blessing he would offer before tonight’s Christmas meal.

  Elizabeth and Georgiana had decided to dress simply, as they did not wish to impress their staff with their latest fashions, and since their main role tonight was serving, they wanted to dress appropriately. Without their maids to help them and do their hair, Elizabeth displayed her skills for Georgiana as she
redid her hair, putting it up in a simple style. She then put up her own, surprising Georgiana at how adept she was.

  When the young lady commended Elizabeth on her abilities, Elizabeth replied, “I fear it is from having to share one ladies’ maid with my four sisters.” She looked at Georgiana with a smile. “It was often easier to do things myself than wait for my turn!”

  The two ladies returned downstairs and walked into the ballroom. Elizabeth gasped when she saw the room dancing in candlelight. The garland and bright red ribbons reflected in the mirrors across the room, and the blazing fire added a festive warmth. Darcy had lit the candles on the tables and added logs to the fire. It was beautiful!

  Tables were set up on one side of the ballroom where steaming wassail and other drinks, and a variety of small tasty foods awaited the guests. On the opposite end, where the dinner would be eaten, the tables were set with fine linen, crystal, china, and silver candelabras.

  Darcy stood at a large serving table stirring the steaming wassail that had been brought out. When he looked up and saw them draw near, he exclaimed, “This I can do!”

  Elizabeth gave him an appreciative smile. “You are too good at this, sir. We may just want to hire you!” He directed a satisfied smile at her.

  When they heard voices outside in the hall, the three readied themselves to go out and greet their guests, the ladies smoothing their dresses and taking a deep breath and Darcy giving a sharp tug of his jacket.

  Mrs. Reynolds was the first to arrive and greet her hosts. “I hope you do not mind, but I came early to make sure everything was in good hands!”

  “Of course, we do not mind, Mrs. Reynolds,” Elizabeth said warmly. “Now please, do not worry about a thing and enjoy the evening. Give it not another thought!”

  “I will try!” she laughed.

  Georgiana took the woman’s hand in hers. “Please know, Mrs. Reynolds, just how much we appreciate all you do and have done for us at Pemberley throughout the years. We could not manage without you!”

  Mr. Darcy gave hearty agreement.