A Midsummer Christmas

Part 7

"Ah, how I have missed this view!"

Richard Fitzwilliam pulled his horse to a stop at an outcrop overlooking the rolling green hills, edged by distant blue mountains, which made Pemberley the most beautiful estate in all of England.

It is biased of me to hold such an opinion, Darcy conceded. But as my cousin is equally admiring I cannot deny it must be at least partly true.

"You are seeing it at its best," he commented, cheered by Richard's admiration. "There is some advantage to your being here in July, rather than December."

"And it seems the ladies are quite determined to bring all of December's delights into this sunniest of months, too, so I shall not miss any of it!" Richard chuckled, glancing at his cousin. "I am quite surprised to you approve of this scheme. Is it not all silliness, in the dismissive mind of Fitzwilliam Darcy?

"Approval is not quite the same as acquiescence," Darcy said, with a grimace. "You have met both ladies before and are more or less acquainted with them. Tell me, how do you think you would have refused such a request?"

"I would not! But then I am of a much jollier constitution than you and find the whole thing a delight in theory." He winked. "Let us see how it works in practice."

"I do not believe my wife has made sufficient arrangements for wintry weather to accompany our wintry festivities, so you need not fret over your snow-ploughing abilities being called into service." Darcy smiled, and with a nod to his cousin, they prompted their horses into motion again.

Darcy could not fault the pleasure of having Richard here with him. Although solitary by nature and quite content with his wife and sister for company, there was something to be said for the companionship of male friends. Neither of Pemberley's resident ladies cared much for riding, for one, and when they did Darcy was forced to adhere to a polite and dull canter. Now, with Richard, they could truly put Darcy's fine horses through their paces.

"I shall race you to Grenville's Oak Tree!" Richard declared, bolting past him and starting the race with an unfair advantage.

Not to be outdone on his own horses and in his own land, Darcy soon pulled level with him and after several exhilarating, tense minutes reached the finish line half a hair before his cousin.

"There! And that -" He blurted, breathless with exertion. "Is how one secures victory!"

"One secures it by riding the better of the two horses," Richard said, before collapsing into laughter. "But as both beasts are yours to choose from I can hardly hold that against you." Dismounting, he tied his horse's reins to a low-hanging branch and surveyed the tree, blinking up at it in admiration. "Well, I am pleased to see the old man of the woods is still standing." He tipped his hat to the ancient tree and turned to Darcy, who dismounted to join him on foot. "I do declare the world could come to an end and this tree would still be standing here, marking its place at the boundary of your land."

"And keeping its secrets," Darcy said, securing his horse and stifling a grin at the memory of how the young Richard Fitzwilliam had broken his collarbone one afternoon many years passed. "Did you ever admit that it had been scrapping with Wickham, and not climbing this tree, that caused your injury?"

"I did!" Richard let out a whoop of laughter, then winced and stiffly rolled his shoulder as if remembering the old damage made the pain fresh again. "But only because your father threatened to cut the old man down." He winked. "Tree, not Wickham. Had it been the latter I suppose I ought to have let him. It would have saved all of us a great deal of trouble now, wouldn't it?"

Darcy sniffed. He had not meant to bring Wickham back to mind, but the young boy who had been his friend - before time and false character had made him an enemy - was as entwined with his memories of Pemberley as Richard was. More, for Wickham had lived here all year round, and their duo only included Richard on high days and holidays.

"Forgive me, I ought not to have mentioned him." Richard let out an expansive sigh. "Between us, we have devoted enough time and energy to George Wickham to last a lifetime." He turned to survey the tree once more, taking a moment to allow a natural break in the conversation. It was easy to see the link his mind made when he spoke again. "Georgiana seems well. I suppose it has been a pleasant shift in her circumstances to now have a sister!"

"Mmm." Darcy could not have wished for a better relationship between Georgiana and Lizzy. They were immediate and close friends - to the point that he sometimes felt as if they fought together against him. He rolled his eyes. This midsummer Christmas being a chief example of that.

"Come, let's go back and see what assistance we may offer." Richard was already walking back towards his horse. "I know they wished us out of the house so they might ready it for this evening's celebrations but I do not see why we must make ourselves scarce for them to do so!"