Chapter Two

One week later, Mr. Darcy was gazing out the window near his desk, silently contemplating what work would have to be done today. A pasture fence had to be mended- he would likely have to ride out to supervise that. Not that he minded; It was a glorious morning, and the reminder that summer would soon be upon them was apparent. All was peaceful at Pemberley, until-

-"Papa!" A whirl of blue fabric and dark hair barged into his study, without care for any sort of decorum. It didn't take long for Mr. Darcy to recognize who was kind enough to pay him an early morning visit this fine day. No care for etiquette, an early riser like himself, dark curls reaching her waist, and a fondness for blue, it could only be his eldest daughter.

And sure enough, when the figure stopped moving, there stood Isabella Darcy in all her morning glory. Her hair was mussed, her cheeks were pink, no doubt from one of her early-morning walks, and her eyes were shining from the exercise. If she didn't have his hair and eyes, Mr. Darcy would be quite certain that a younger version of his beloved Elizabeth was standing before him.

"Have the letters arrived?" Isabella asked breathlessly, no doubt having run inside as soon as she saw a servant fetching today's post.

"Good morning to you too my dear," Her father smiled, reaching for the stack of mail on his desk. Isabella wasn't paying any attention however. She was already pacing around the study, mumbling things like "It's been over a week," and "Surely they must have come by now".

"Ah here we are," Mr. Darcy said as he rifled through the untouched correspondence, "One addressed to you… and one more! My word you are very popular today, Bella," He teased as he handed her the letters, which she impatiently took from his hand. She then proceeded to fly out, as suddenly as she came in, leaving Mr. Darcy to only chuckle at the antics of his eldest daughter.

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Isabella fairly flew up the stairs, past the servants, and into her chamber where she, mercifully, found it to be empty. She proceeded to sit at her writing desk and open up one of the two envelopes addressed to her.

The first one was written in a scrawling script and seemed to have been posted rather hastily. It could only be from her brother, George.

6 May _

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

Dear Bella,

You will be amused to know that it is currently late morning as I write this, and Julian is already groaning about having to take the final of our exams today. He had, unfortunately, made the mistake of celebrating the end of term earlier than he should have, and his 'celebrating' was in the form of drinking copious amounts of spirits at a local tavern. He was quite in his cups all of last night, and early into the morning.

And as I wrote that, Ashleigh reprimanded the both of us for not studying in every spare moment we have. He can be such bore at times.

But enough of my amusing anecdotes. How are you Isabella? I hope you have been enjoying your time back at Pemberley, and I am quite excited to come back home. As you may know already, I will be joined by Cecil and Ashleigh as well as our cousin Bingley. By the time this letter is posted to you, we will be well on our way. Give my love to Papa, Mama, Jamie, and Tilde.

Your Affectionate Brother,

George

Isabella grinned as she set aside the letter. Only George would regale her with his drinking tales in a missive to her. Quick with a response, let it be a joke or an artfully delivered set-down, the heir to the Darcy estate was universally adored, and Isabella knew he would do great things one day. Her spirits rose further when she opened the other envelope, elegantly sealed, and lightly scented.

10 May _

Mayfair, London

My Dearest Isabella,

I must thank you for your kind words, though I wonder if you meant them in kind at all. There, see? I am working on my wit.

How are you, Bella? And how are my Aunt and Uncle Darcy, and little James and Tilde? I know they must have grown since I last saw them, and I am eagerly anticipating being reunited with my dear cousins.

London, as you know, is lovely, but can get quite tiring at times, and I confess, I cannot wait any longer to be in the countryside with my family once more. I have been told by my brother that he and my cousin Darcy, along with Lord Cecil and Mr. Ashleigh, will be coming as well. I am glad to be acquainted with all of them, and I know we shall have a most amusing summer together.

I remain your loving cousin,

Eliza

Isabella smiled, absentmindedly smelling the perfume.

Lavender, She thought. Of course her cousin would perfume all her correspondence before sending them. A more sweeter creature than Eliza never lived, except perhaps her mother, Isabella's Aunt Jane. They resided in Netherfield Park in Hertfordshire for most of the year, and Isabella cherished every time they met. The two girls, though a year apart, were as close as sisters. Isabella looked up to Eliza as an unparalleled paragon of virtue, while Eliza loved Isabella for her lively nature.

Charles, Eliza's brother, was a much livelier young man who enjoyed society to the fullest (much like his own father), and was an excellent companion to George. Indeed, the four cousins had grown up together, and the bond between them, no matter how old they became, was unbreakable. Together with Lord Cecil, and the mysterious Mr. Ashleigh, Isabella was already anticipating what fun they would have this summer. And they were all to come in a fortnight! Just the thought sent Isabella into excitement. Abandoning the letters, she gazed dreamily out the window. She could just imagine them all walking the grounds together, the dinner parties, the balls they would attend…

So lost in her own thoughts, Isabella did not hear her maid, Lucy, enter.

"Miss Darcy," Lucy said softly, and Isabella was nonetheless startled, and turned quickly.

"Oh," Isabella smiled, "You scared me Lucy."

"It's nearly time for breakfast," Lucy said by means of explanation as Isabella sat at her vanity. Lucy immediately began combing her long hair which was tangled from her morning romp about the grounds. Her pale green eyes narrowed in concentration, it took all of Lucy's effort to make her usual comments about Isabella's morning habits, something Isabella definitely noticed. In fact, Lucy was humming a cheerful little tune as she did Isabella's hair.

"Are you forgetting something Lucy?" Isabella asked innocently, hiding her smile, which threatened to burst from her.

Lucy frowned. "I don't think I am Miss. Have I forgotten anything of import?"

"Merely your usual disapproving comments about my morning walks."

"Should I have said something Miss?" She asked dryly.

"Oh no Lucy!" Isabella chuckled. "In fact, I notice you seem to be in a rather fine mood this morning. May I ask why?"

" 'Tis nothing," Lucy said, but her blush gave her away.

"Come now," Isabella smiled at Lucy's reflection. "Is it Daniel?"

Daniel Mills was a young footman who worked in Pemberley, like his father had, and his father before him. The entire household staff (and by extension, Isabella, who missed nothing about the goings on at Pemberley) knew he was sweet on Lucy, and was working to save enough money to ask Lucy to marry him. Isabella thought this was horribly romantic, especially since both Daniel and Lucy were barely a few years older than her.

"Yes Miss. His brother works on a trade ship in the Indies, and he sent a beautiful ivory carving, which Daniel gave to me."

"Then we are both in good moods, Lucy," Isabella stated.

"May I inquire as to why, Miss?" Lucy asked, biting her lip in concentration as she pinned up a particularly stubborn lock of hair.

"My brother and cousins are to spend a month at Pemberley, along with their friends from Cambridge."

"And Lord Cecil too, Miss?" Lucy blurted out, before she realized what she had said and her eyes widened.

Isabella frowned. This was the second time someone had indirectly accused her of partiality on Julian's behalf, and she was starting to wonder, was she truly being more open with him in public than she ought to?

"Why do you ask, Lucy?"

"Well… " She stammered and blushed, and Isabella could detect that she was hiding something from her, and was trying not to speak of it. What could it be? Servant's chatter? Idle gossip?

"What have you heard?" Isabella chose to ask instead.

"Well Miss, he visited often during the Season and you have always been good friends-"

"-And we will always remain the best of friends and nothing more," Isabella interrupted lightly, but firmly. However, her mind was continued to be occupied by the matter, small though it was, it continued to do so until Lucy finished with her hair, and pronounced her ready.

"Where are Mama and Papa this morning, Lucy?' Isabella asked and she stood up, and smoothed her skirts in a perfunctory manner.

"They are expecting you in the small breakfast room Miss, and I believe Master James and Miss Matilda will be joining you," Lucy replied.

"Will they?" Isabella asked interestedly. Her younger siblings would clearly have different opinions on being asked to break their fast with their parents.

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"Sorry I'm late," Isabella said, effectively announcing her presence in the breakfast room. Though it was considered informal, it was certainly a beautiful room, combining the best aspects of the indoors and outdoors. Large windows lined the room with the perfect view of Pemberley's extensive grounds, and in the center was a table that sat six, which was currently groaning under the weight of the excellent spread. At the table sat Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, along with their other children.

James, or Jamie as he was reluctantly nicknamed by his doting mother, was a mischievous boy of twelve, and loved to spend his days romping about the countryside. It was only the looming prospect of attending Eton that brought him inside to have his lessons. Like his mother, James had a mop of unruly brown hair, and deep brown eyes that seemed to glimmer with mischief or kindness, depending on how you looked at it.

Across from James was the youngest Darcy, Matilda, who was most likely very excited to breakfast with the "adults".

Matilda was a stunningly beautiful girl of eight, with a sweet and even temperament to match. Her long blonde curls fell down to her waist and her dark blue eyes were a unique feature of hers. They all agreed she must have inherited this from her Aunts Georgiana and Jane.

"Do sit down dear," Mrs. Darcy said lightly, "We have yet to break the news to the children." She raised her eyebrows significantly at her eldest daughter, who smiled knowingly; James and Matilda had clearly not been told about their guests this summer.

"What news Mama?" James asked curiously.

Mr. Darcy cleared his throat. "As you know, George is to come home soon, and he will be bringing guests."

Matilda's eyes widened. "Who are they, Papa?"

"In addition his friends Mr. Ashleigh and Lord Cecil," Mr. Darcy said, "We will be hosting your cousins Charles and Eliza." He had barely finished his sentence before James whooped and cheered, and even Matilda squealed in excitement.

Then, the questions started. Isabella struggled to hold in her laughter as her little brother and sister bombarded their overwhelmed parents with questions.

"When exactly are the coming?"

"How long will they be staying?"

"Can Cousin Eliza teach me the harp?"

"Who is Mr. Ashleigh?"

Mrs. Darcy took pains to answer every single one of her children's questions, and at the end of it, Mr. Darcy spoke.

"Now I expect you to be on your best behavior," Mr. Darcy said sternly, but Isabella could make out a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Yes Papa," Matilda chorused obediently. James simply huffed and shoveled more porridge into his mouth.

"All of you," Mrs. Darcy added teasingly, looking at her eldest daughter.

Isabella smirked. "When have I ever not?"

Hello! I just updated my second chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it!

And as an answer to all the people who wondered why Darcy would name his son after Wickham, I will say this: it's been speculated that Wickham himself was named after his godfather, Darcy's father. In that case, I'd like to think that he was honoring his father, and not Wickham, when he named his eldest son.

Thanks for the feedback, and I hope you all continue to do so!