Darcys newlywed christma.., p.1
Darcy's Newlywed Christmas, page 1
Darcy’s Newlywed Christmas
by Zoe Burton
Darcy’s Newlywed Christmas
Zoe Burton
Published by Zoe Burton
© 2025 Zoe Burton
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews, without permission from its publisher and author.
Early drafts of this story were written and posted on fan fiction forums in July and August 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-953138-43-9
Acknowledgements
First, I thank Jesus Christ, my Savior and Guide, without whom this story would not have been told. I love you!
Additional thanks go to my friends, Rose and Leenie, and my writing group buddies, Bill and Cheryl, who have all been hugely supportive as I’ve written this book.
I must also thank my patrons at Patreon. Without them, this story may not have been written at all.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Before you go …
About the Author
Connect with Zoe Burton
More by Zoe Burton
Chapter 1
Fitzwilliam Darcy stepped out of his travelling coach and glanced up at the façade of his country home, Pemberley. With a smile, he turned back and held his hand out to his bride. He handed her down, then carefully tucked her delicate appendage into the crook of his elbow and, turning with her to face the house, kept his gaze on her expression. He grinned at the look of awe she wore. “Well, Mrs. Darcy, what say you? Do you think you can bear to live here with me for the next fifty or sixty years?”
Elizabeth shook her head before turning her fine eyes up at him. “I daresay I can.” She looked back at the house. “I thought it was magnificent in the summer when I visited. Who knew snow and bare trees could make it appear even more impressive?”
Darcy laughed. “If we remain much after Epiphany, you will be cursing its magnificence, I daresay.”
She tilted her head as she turned her attention back to him. “Why is that?”
“Because, my love, the snow is often deep … knee high or more … in January and February.”
“Indeed?” She arched her brow. “Well, perhaps we will need to stay at home this winter instead of going to town for the social season, hmm?” She laughed when he linked the fingers of his free hand with hers and grinned.
“We shall see.” He chuckled. “I would enjoy remaining here, but there are expectations placed upon us by my status.” He shrugged. “We can discuss it later.”
With those words, he began to walk toward the house, knowing his housekeeper and staff would be waiting for introductions. He was eager to present to them their new mistress.
Mrs. Reynolds, Pemberley’s housekeeper, curtseyed as they entered the large foyer. “Welcome home, Mr. Darcy.”
“Thank you,” Darcy replied. “It is good to be home.” He turned toward his wife. “You will recall the former Miss Elizabeth Bennet, now Mrs. Darcy?” He pulled her closer by putting an arm around her waist. “I am happy to bring her back to Derbyshire.”
“I do remember!” Mrs. Reynolds curtseyed to Elizabeth. “Welcome home, Mrs. Darcy. The staff and I are at your disposal. We are very happy to have you here.”
Elizabeth laughed, a warm, smooth sound that Darcy was sure he would never tire of hearing. “Given some of the ladies who I know coveted my new position, I have no doubt just how pleased you likely are.” She began removing her gloves. “I am equally happy to be here.” She looked around at the walls decorated with murals and the high, vaulted, painted ceiling and sighed. “I can hardly believe I am so blessed as to be mistress of all this.” She looked at the housekeeper again. “I will rely on you to help me get my feet under me. My mother taught me how to run a household, and I am certain the concepts are similar for large ones as well as small, but I will likely have questions.”
Mrs. Reynolds smiled. “I am at your service, madam.”
Darcy helped his wife out of her coat, bonnet, and assorted other winter garments, handing them to the maid who waited nearby, then removed his own and gave them over to the care of a second girl. Then, he led Elizabeth toward the lines of servants, men on one side of the great entry hall and women on the other, all in matching livery. He stopped a couple of feet from the end of the line and in a commanding voice, addressed the staff.
“I present to you Mrs. Darcy.”
The maids curtseyed and murmured greetings while the footmen bowed and did the same. Mrs. Reynolds stepped up to join Darcy and Elizabeth.
“If you please, ma’am, I will introduce you to them individually.”
“Oh, yes, please do.” Elizabeth smiled and took a step away from Darcy, who clasped his hands behind his back and, with a barely contained grin, followed as his servants made the acquaintance of his new wife.
Once Elizabeth had greeted each of them with a smile and a witty comment, they were dismissed.
Mrs. Reynolds turned to her employers. “When I was told you had entered the gate, I ordered hot water to be carried to your rooms and added to the iron pots in the fireplaces. I assumed you would wish to bathe after being in a carriage for so long.”
“That would be delightful!” Elizabeth tucked her hand into the crook of Darcy’s elbow. “Would it not, Mr. Darcy?”
He gazed down into her twinkling eyes and lifted his free hand to cover her fingers. “Indeed, it would.”
Elizabeth turned back to the housekeeper. “Perhaps you could send a tea tray up with some meat and cheese or whatever is available. It has been a long time since we broke our fasts and dinner is still hours away.”
“Of course, Mrs. Darcy. I was just going to suggest that. I will order it sent up right away.” She paused. “Mr. Darcy asked me to procure a maid for you. I hired the cousin of Miss Darcy’s girl; they trained together. Jenny’s previous mistress died in childbirth and she was let go. If she is not a good fit, I can promote from within. We have two others who only want a little training.”
Elizabeth nodded. “Very good. I am certain Jenny will be fine, but if it turns out otherwise, I will let you know.”
Mrs. Reynolds curtseyed then, and Darcy led Elizabeth up the grand staircase to the next floor. From there, they traversed a long hallway to a second set of stairs, which they climbed. At the top, he turned them in the direction of their rooms, opening the door first to their shared sitting room.
“I had this room and my chambers redecorated when I became master, but if you wish, you can change whatever you like.” Darcy watched as Elizabeth explored the space. “Your chambers remain as my mother had them done twenty years ago. At best, they are dated. Feel free to change those, as well.”
Elizabeth paused at the window to look out at the snowy garden. “I am certain they will do as they are.” She turned to face him and winked. “After all, how often will I occupy them?”
Darcy chuckled. “I am delighted to hear that you intend to live in my rooms with me. However, you will be in there to dress and bathe, at the least. I wish you to be comfortable.” He beckoned her closer, holding out his hand when she moved toward him. “Look at it before you decide.” He walked her to the door that led to her bedchamber and opened it, escorting her inside. He laughed when he heard her reaction to the decoration.
“Oh, my.” Elizabeth paused. “I do not know what to say. I thought my mother loved lace, but this …” She trailed off.
“It is rather ornate is it not?” He shrugged. “Father had the rest of the house done over the years after Mother died, all except this room, and as I already told you, I changed my chambers and the sitting room when I became master. He used to say she had gaudy tastes for being the daughter of an earl.” He looked around. “I would have to agree with him.”
“Well,” Elizabeth said as she wandered further, opening doors and drawers and peeking into their rooms and cupboards, “I think it likely that I will make some changes, at least to the wallpaper and curtains. The colors themselves are acceptable; it is only their execution that is garish.” She stopped and tilted her head as her eyes wandered over the furniture. “If there is another bed frame that is less ornate, I would not mind having this one moved out and the other brought in.” She ran her hand over the back of a chair. “The same with the chairs and tables.”
Darcy nodded. “I will ask Mrs. Reynolds. If nothing of a suitable size can be found, it will be easy enough to order new. I do not know if there is another bed of the dimensions of this one in the house.”
“Oh, no! We do not need to go to such expense.”
Darcy approached, taking her hands in his and leaning forward for a kiss. “We can well afford a new bed for the mistress if she so desires one.” He chuckled when she rolled her eyes. He pulled her close, letting go of her hands to wrap his arms around her.
“If you say so.” Elizabeth cuddled into him, snaking her hands around his waist and squeezing.
“I do.” Darcy rested his cheek on her hair and breathed in her lilac scen
“I think that an eminently sensible plan.” She sighed and rested more heavily against him. “I like this.”
A grin flashed across his face just before he chuckled. “I do, as well.” He heard movement in the dressing room and sighed. “But I think we are about to be interrupted, so our enjoyment will be short-lived.”
Just then, a knock sounded and the door between the mistress’s bedchamber and dressing room opened.
“I have a bath ready for you, ma’am.”
Darcy had stepped back when the maid entered, though he kept an arm around his wife’s waist.
“I will not be a moment.” Elizabeth nodded to the servant, who curtseyed and went back through the door.
Darcy lifted her hand and kissed the back. “I am certain Smith is ready for me, as well. I will meet you in the sitting room in half an hour.”
Elizabeth stroked his whiskers with her palm. “I will see you then.”
~~~***~~~
Thirty minutes later, the couple met up once more in their shared sitting room. A tea tray had been delivered, accompanied by a second large tray full of breads, meats, cheeses, and small cakes. Elizabeth had not been lying when she told the housekeeper that it had been a long time since they broke their fasts; they were very hungry. In no time at all, they had consumed every morsel that had been sent up, and an entire pot of tea. They were so busy eating that they had no time to converse, but as his wife poured out the last of the hot liquid into their cups, Darcy leaned back and sighed.
“That was excellent. I am happy you thought to order it.”
Elizabeth laughed. “I was famished and knew I would not make it until dinner without something in my stomach.” She replaced the pot on the tray, then added sugar and milk to each cup to their tastes. “If this was Longbourn, I would have been in the kitchen pestering Cook for a snack, but this is Pemberley and I do not know how Mrs. Piper would react to the new mistress appearing in her domain, demanding an apple.”
Darcy chuckled. “You might be surprised. I have done it often enough. Still, she sent up a goodly amount of food. She will be pleased we ate it all.”
Elizabeth’s eyes twinkled. “Even more reason to be happy; if she knows I appreciate her cooking, she will be that much more amenable when I do invade her kitchen.”
Darcy shook his head, a grin splitting his face from ear to ear. He drank some tea and then rested the cup back in its saucer, playing with the delicate handle. “I should like to show you around, if you do not mind.” He looked up at his wife. “It is too late for a full tour, but I thought you would appreciate knowing where the principal rooms are.”
Elizabeth’s face lit up. “I would love that! I fear when I was here in the summer, I was far too distracted to pay attention to what was where. I simply admired everything I saw, mourned a bit that it was never to be my home, and followed Mrs. Reynolds. Then, when we had tea here, I was too busy fending off Miss Bingley’s thinly-veiled contempt to take much of it in.”
“I am so sorry for that, darling.” He drained his cup and then leaned back. “I do not believe I ever told you what happened after you left that day, did I?”
“No, you did not, at least not that I remember. What happened?”
“I returned from seeing you off and there she sat, beside her sister, saying how terrible you appeared and reminding me that I had once disparaged your looks.” He blushed at the reminder and cleared his throat. “I was incensed that she would speak so of you and replied with a comment that said something along the lines of it having been many months since I began thinking of you as the handsomest woman of my acquaintance.”
“Oh, my!” Elizabeth’s hand came up to cover her laugh while her eyes sparkled above it. “I cannot imagine she took that very well.”
Darcy shrugged. “I do not know how she responded, because I spun on my heel and removed myself from her presence.”
Elizabeth’s laughter filled the room. Darcy could not help but join her. After a few minutes, they were both wiping their eyes and trying to bring themselves under control. Finally, he spoke again.
“Shall we explore, then?”
He grinned when his bride leaped from her seat.
“We shall!” Elizabeth reached for his hands. “Come on now, do not be slow. We must make the most of the daylight.”
Darcy joined her, taking her hands, kissing them, and then tucking one under his arm. He first showed her the location of his sister’s suite of rooms, then took her downstairs to the breakfast parlor, the yellow sitting room where they had traditionally received guests, the dining room, the study – which was the only room other than the yellow sitting room that Elizabeth remembered from her previous visits – and the billiards room. They thoroughly examined each chamber, locking the doors when they went in and returning later to the hallway flushed and laughing.
Chapter 2
Over the next few days, Darcy and his bride spent most of their time exploring the house. He shared with her every story he could remember about every ancestor and decoration they found. She hung on his words without exception, and it made him feel special, like he was the center of the world. He laughed at himself about it, but he could not deny that her intense interest in his family and their history was gratifying.
About the time they completed their tour of all the rooms in the mansion, the steward, Mr. Philpott, began to send messages through Mrs. Reynolds, asking Darcy for some of his time. With a sigh, he realized that his period of honeymooning with Elizabeth was over. They both needed to get back into a routine.
“I am afraid we must forgo any further exploration, my love.” Darcy kissed her hand as they walked together into his study. “There are some estate matters that I must go over with Mr. Philpott.” He closed the door behind them before pulling her into his embrace. “I want you to meet him. He is my second-in-command here; if there is anything you need and I am not at home, he will be able to help you.” He leaned down and kissed her deeply.
When they separated ever so slightly, it was Elizabeth’s turn to sigh. “I do not like the thought of you not being here with me.” She accepted another kiss. “I suppose it must happen now and then, though.”
Darcy squeezed her, then let go and led her to the chair beside his desk. “I do not intend to be parted from you if I can help it. I have waited too long and worked too hard for your hand to just leave you behind.” He grinned when she giggled. “However, it might happen.” He helped her into the chair and took up his own, then pointed to the desk drawers between them. “Your pin money is kept here.” He leaned down and unlocked the bottom compartment then handed her the key. “You may take as much as you wish. This key is one of three. I have one and Philpott has the third. It is his office to replenish the funds. If you have a need greater than the amount of your allowance, you must simply ask for it. Usually, you will ask me, but again, if I am not here, you should take your request to him.”
“Well, I cannot imagine needing more than the amount you have set aside … after all, it is enough to feed a family for a year … but I thank you for your generosity, and for telling me how to obtain more.”
Darcy caressed her cheek. “You get what you deserve. I would give you the world if I could.” He leaned in and caressed his lips over her smile, then leaned back.
A knock on the door suddenly interrupted them.
“Come in,” Darcy called as he straightened and turned in his chair to face the desk.
Mrs. Reynolds stepped inside with a pile of envelopes heaped high on a silver salver. “The post has come, sir. Also, Mr. Philpott has sent word that he has been detained but will be here as soon as possible. He apologizes for the inconvenience.”
“Oh, my!” Darcy turned to see that Elizabeth was staring at the pile of correspondence, her eyes wide. He reached for her hand, his thumb caressing hers as she continued. “Tell me those are all letters of business.”
