Another Day in May

Posted on May 13, 2009

Elizabeth's back ached and when she tried to turn over in her half sleep daze, she bumped into something rather large and hard. Her eyes sprung open and as she pulled back, she realized she was asleep on a sofa under a sheet with her own pillow under her head. She glanced around the room.

"Why am I in the library?" As she moved the sheet back, she gasped. "Why do I have no clothes on?" Holding the sheet against her chest, she sat up and called out, "Fitzwilliam?"

When no answer came, she wrapped the sheet around her. She tried to recall the night before and determined that nothing unusual happened. She had not drunk too much, or fell and hit her head. Although the drapes were drawn, she could tell the sun was just beginning to lighten the day. When she caught sight of a breakfast tray on the table, her stomach grumbled.

She searched for something to wear and when the roar returned accompanied by a hunger pain, she glared at a family portrait of the Darcy ancestors. "Be a thoughtful group, and do not look." She smiled at the painting as she fashioned the sheet in a round her, hooking the corner in the top.

Forced to take little steps to avoid tripping on the end of the sheet, she trudged over to the table where someone had placed a trunk. She tried to open it, but quickly discovered it was locked. On the table was a note addressed to her and written in his hand. She ripped it open.

If it is a scavenger hunt that thrills you, then who I am, but your servant. Will you succeed when you are the victim?

First, eat and drink for the day will be long as you mull over the riddles, but first you must dress for the hunt. Shake the cobwebs from your head, as I tried not to make them too easy.

Lizzy hit her forehead with her hand. "Goodness! What have I started?" She pulled the sheet tighter. She sat at the table, gulped her coffee, nibbled on her sweet treat, and studied the note.

THIS IS MINE. Find the book that reveals this clue and you will locate your key to your much desired modesty. I warn you to hurry because the maids will come to clean at nine.

"Oh my! It is nearly eight now." Elizabeth raised her shoulders and let them drop quickly as she blew out a breath. "I cannot imagine what he has in store for me!" "THIS IS MINE. Hmmm. I think I recognize this clue, but where the book is, I do not know." She glanced around the room. The library was large. The Darcy family had acquired too many books for anyone to tally. She counted the number of bookcases--two and forty. Each case had floor to ceiling shelves and each shelf held at least fifty books.

Lizzy noticed a journal filled with blank pages, several quills and the ink well on the table where she sat. "You, sir, are a devil." Lizzy scratched her head and read the rest of the note.

You can find the exact location of the key by first solving these clues and do not mix up the order.

Clue number one: What number gets larger when it is turned upside down?

She started writing numbers down, beginning with the number one. It was not long before she had her answer. Holding the journal and the note in her hands, she jumped up, shouting, "Six! When it is turned upside down it is nine!" Using her arms, she tried to keep the sheet around her, but failed. It fell to the floor. She glanced around the room, and even though she knew no one was there, she sensed someone watching her. She scolded the family in the portrait on the far wall. "I told you not to look."

She remembered she had to solve two more clues, sat down and returned to the note.

Clue number two: What goes up and never comes down.

Lizzy laughed and spoke directly to the handsome young man in the portrait. "My age. One and twenty! Every child knows that riddle." She was tempted to give her own names to the family in the painting, but focused her attention on reading the rest of the note.

Clue number three: I walk into a room where there are ten people who are twenty years old, ten who are nineteen, ten who are eighteen, and ten who are thirty. How many people are there in the room?

Lizzy opened the journal to the next blank page and started figuring. "I know there is a trick. Perhaps it is only ten since those people that are thirty are also the other ages." She continued to reflect on the problem when she stood up and cried out to the handsome man in the painting as if he was standing before her. "Forty one!" Of course, the trick is to count the person that walked in the room."

She pulled the sheet tightly around her and again tucked the corner in the top before studying the room. Six, twenty one and forty one. Not understanding what the three numbers meant, she slogged over to the bookcases. Luckily, she noticed a handwritten sign on the bookcase by the door. "Number One." Her eyes light up as she read one part of the note again. Do not mix up the order. The answer to the first clue was six so she quickly moved to the sixth case where she thought about clue numbers two and three. She looked up towards the ceiling as she counted the number of shelves. "Yes, indeed there are more than twenty shelves." She threw a backwards smirk to the portrait.

She pushed the ladder near the end of the bookcase, muttering bookcase number six, shelf number twenty one, and book number forty one. She stepped upon the first wrung, but before she could reach the second rung, the sheet snagged under her foot. "Damn," she muttered. She glanced around the room to ensure that no one was there, and then threw the sheet on the floor. She started at a sound, almost like a chuckle, and checked over her shoulder. When she saw no other person in the room, she continued up the ladder counting the shelves. She searched with her eyes for the bible and found it so easily she did not need to count. "I found it!" She shouted as she thumbed through the book stopping at Isaiah where she found the key to the trunk.

She hurried down, checked the time, and was relieved to have more than twenty minutes to dress. Not bothering with the sheet she moved to the trunk, unlocked it and pulled out her clothes. Thankful that the dress required no assistance, she dressed hurriedly. At the bottom of the trunk was another note, which she grabbed and tore open as she returned to the table.

Excellent! If you are reading this then you must be dressed and can begin your day in solving the riddles to finding me. Now leave the key to the trunk on the table, you no longer need it.

Riddle Number One: Someone introduces you to your mother's only sister's husband's sister in law. He has no brothers. What do you call this lady?(

Lizzy gulped her cold coffee, took the last bite of her treat, as she read the riddle again. With a scrunched up forehead and a determined glare, she wrote down names she knew for the people in the riddle. My mother's only sister's husband is Mr. Phillips and since he has no brothers, his sister-in-law would be my aunt's sister which makes it… Ah ha!" She smiled to the portrait before jumping up and racing to the door. Once she exited the room, the servant bowed.

"I cannot let you pass, ma'am until you give me the answer. " He chuckled when she graced him with a smirk and a twinkle in her eyes.

"Mother! I guess the answer is Mother!"

"Very good, Mrs. Darcy. You have won this key, which may serve you well." He handed her a key and when she questioned him with her look, he shrugged. "The master did not say."

While she studied key, the servant handed her a small velvet bag. "Are you ready for your next riddle?"

She nodded as she placed the key in the pouch.

"Mrs. Darcy you must solve this problem and then hurry to the place to which it refers. And you must shout out your answer if you wish to get your key and another riddle. Are you ready?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, I did make him shout out answers for my game."

With a wide smile, he read her the note.

Riddle Number two: How many biscuits can you eat on an empty stomach? You must hurry to answer the question before there are none left to be found. There are no empty stomach's there.

"Goodness! I must go to the kitchen before they eat all the biscuits. Your master is a devil." She chuckled.

"Do not forget to solve the riddle and do not enter until you know the answer!" The doorman bowed and whispered, "They are eating very slowly, Mrs. Darcy."

"No need, since this is another child's riddle. He will have to do better than this to best me!" Lizzy laughed and then rushed off towards the kitchen.

"One! Once one biscuit is eaten then your stomach is no longer empty." She shouted as she burst through the door. She stopped abruptly when she spied several servants each with a biscuit in their hands. "Are there any left?"

They chuckled and held up several biscuits.

Mrs. Wilcox handed her the prize. "Very good, Mrs. Darcy. I told him it was too easy. Now put the key in the pouch and read your next riddle."

She did as she ordered, but scanned the riddle first before reading it to everyone.

Riddle Number Three: The mistress has six pairs of black gloves and six pairs of white gloves in her drawer. In complete darkness, how many gloves must she take from the drawer in order to be sure to get a pair that match?"

Mrs. Wilcox put a quill in her hand. "After solving the riddle, you must go to the place it refers to and tell the girl waiting there the answer. Think carefully, madam. We want you to win. Draw pictures if you have to." She pushed the ink towards Lizzy as she was sitting down. She poured her a cup of tea and fixed her a plate of breakfast meats and eggs. She included several pieces of toast and Mrs. Darcy's favorite marmalade.

While the servants crowded around the table and whispered among themselves, Lizzy opened her journal and began to draw gloves on the next blank page while she ate her breakfast. She filled in the outline for the black gloves and began to count. She was quick to figure it out and winked at everyone.

"I have the answer." Swallowing the rest of her tea, she made a dash out the door and headed for her own dressing room. Her abigail was waiting for her with a key and another note in her hand.

Lizzy heard a door close down the hall as she rushed inside her room,. "Thirteen! To be sure that you have a match you must get thirteen gloves." she cried out to her abigail.

"Yes ma'am." The maid handed the key and the note to her. "You must now figure out the next riddle while taking a bath and preparing yourself for the rest of the day. Mr. Darcy ordered hot water for you."

"He is very sweet, more so than I was to him. Lizzy chuckled and as her clothes were removed, she opened the note. She stepped into the bath and allowed her maid to attend to her as she puzzled over the riddle.

Riddle Number four: Using C, D, E, F, G, A and B, you must play at least a seven letter word using some or all of these letters, as many or as few times as you like.

Lizzy hummed the notes as she tried to come up with a seven letter word. She closed her eyes as her girl added scented lavender oil to the water and cleansed her mistress' body.

"Do you have one, ma'am? The master said you must solve the riddle before Miss Darcy begins her music lessons."

"Another clue! I know where I must go, and yes, I do have a word. As soon as I am dressed, I will run." Lizzy was aware that Georgiana would be in the music room in less than a half hour.

In a shorter time than usual, Lizzy was dressed and her hair styled. She patted the girl's hand and thanked her. She ran through the hallway, smiling at all the servants when she passed them. They returned the smile and wished her luck. By the time she arrived at the music room, a small gathering of servants were tending to unnecessary cleaning chores in the hallway, which rarely needed dusting.

"Is there someone I must report too?" Lizzy asked to no one in particular.

"Me!" Georgiana laughed as poked her head out the music room door. "You must play the word and I will give you the key and the next riddle. She pointed to the pianoforte. Her mouth displayed a frown and a wrinkled forehead. "You do have a word?" She leaned in to Lizzy and whispered, "I have one if you need it. Fitzwilliam will not win!" She laughed at her new found mischievousness.

"I do have one. I did solve the riddle." Lizzy sat at the pianoforte and played her seven notes.

"Baggage! Wonderful word." Georgiana cried out and gave Lizzy a hug. The servants that had gathered inside the room clapped and their whispers spread out the door to the other servants.

Georgiana retrieved several items from the pianoforte. "I am so glad! Here is your key and let me tell you the riddle." She opened the letter with the riddle. "I am afraid it is very hard. I did not solve it and was surprised by the answer."

Lizzy shrugged. "Let me hear it."

Riddle Number Five: A man went on a trip on Friday, stayed for two days and returned on Friday. How is that possible?

The murmurs increased as the servants tried to come up with a solution. Lizzy opened her journal and scribbled down the days of the week and the months of the year. She paced around the room and began to frown. More than fifteen minutes had past and the hallway filled with more servants. Their faces showed worry lines as no answer came to their mistress.

Lizzy looked up from her journal. "Did your brother give a time limit?"

"Oh yes. I forgot to tell you. He said you must solve the riddle before two in the afternoon. He said that the person holding the key will not be in the right place after then."

"A clue!" Lizzy spied Mrs. Reynolds standing in the doorway. "Come in!"

Holding her own journal, she approached her mistress. "I believed that you would be ringing for me. I heard the whispers."

"Yes. You know what I want?" When the housekeeper nodded, Lizzy asked, "Am I breaking a rule by asking?"

Mrs. Reynolds shook his head. "No, ma'am. When Mr. Darcy told us about the game, he indicated that all the resources of Pemberley were to be made available to you. I am a resource."

Lizzy approached the housekeeper and hugged her. "You are more than that."

Mrs. Reynolds opened the book. It listed everyone's work schedules, organized by the time of day. She handed the book to Mrs. Darcy, opened to the page entitled two o'clock.

Lizzy scanned through the names and duties and when she arrived at the very end of the page, she exclaimed, "I know the answer. I must hurry!" She pointed to a name at the bottom of the page and Mrs. Reynolds nodded.

Cheers rang out as Georgiana rushed to her sister's side and gave her a hug. "Bravo!"

How many riddles and keys are there in this game?"

"A total of six keys for six riddles. Good luck!" Georgiana shouted as Lizzy rushed out the room. The time was almost two.

Lizzy reached the top of the stairs where she was tempted to slide down the railings. She had always wanted to do such a thing, but even today proper decorum must be kept. Many servants had gathered at the bottom. She hung on to the banister as her feet flew down the stairs. The doorman opened the door the moment he saw her approach and shouted, "Good Luck!" as she raced by.

She hiked up her dress and employed long unladylike strides to reach the stables in time. She felt a pair of eyes on her back as she sprinted ahead. Glancing backwards, she bumped into the stable hand just as she shot through the door.

"I beg your pardon, Mrs. Darcy. I am so sorry. I did not see you." He dusted himself off as he rose from the ground.

"Bah! I am the one that must apologize. You are Henry?"

"Yes, ma'am. I have been waiting. Do you have the answer?" His eyes twinkled because she would only have come to the stables if she had figured out the riddle.

"Friday is a horse!"

He clapped. "Yes, ma'am. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a key and a note. "I wish you the best of luck. It is easy." He leaned closer to her and glanced around the building before whispering, "But you must think it through carefully." He returned upright and nonchalantly dusted off his shirt. "Mr. Darcy said you have one half hour."

Lizzy nodded, opened the note.

Riddle Number Six: A row that is thirty yards long has a bush every six yards on both sides. How many total bushes are on the entire row?

"My goodness. I must hurry to the garden. At least I do not have to dig up a buried note."

"No ma'am. He would not want you to get mussed up. The gardener will be leaving in a few minutes. Do you have the answer?"

"I think so, but it seems too easy."

Alarm showed on his face. "There is always a beginning, ma'am. Do not forget the beginning!"

Lizzy's eyes widened and she hugged the boy. "You are so smart. I had not thought of that." She ran out the door and headed for the garden. She noticed the upstairs curtains had moved as she turned the corner. "Fitzwilliam, you are clever, but I shall win!"

She caught up with the gardener as he was putting away his tools. He smiled when he saw her and reached in his pocket for the key and note.

"I hope you are careful Mrs. Darcy in your figuring. I would not want you to lose the game now."

All the outdoor servants had gathered around. They had not been involved in her game and were pleased their master had thought to include them in his. All the men worried that she would not reason it out. They whispered among themselves until she responded.

"Twelve sir! Six bushes on each side, not five."

The gardener clapped and nodded his head. All the servants crowded around her, expressing their happiness at her cleverness. She thanked them and they discussed the tricky part of the riddle. Many people forget to include the bushes at the starting point and guessed ten. She noticed a few coins exchanged hands along with the bragging words to each other.

"Excellent. Very good. You have won all the keys" The gardener handed her the final key and the note.

"Read it aloud, Mrs. Darcy. What do you do now?"

The gardener smacked the lad across the back of his head.

She sighed as she placed the key in her pouch. She announced, "It is another riddle." Her forehead scrunched up as she read the note.

Excellent job, my dear. Here is the last riddle before the reward. You must determine where to go simply by deciphering the quote into its proper words and then once you get there select the correct key and you will win. But you only get one chance to choose the key that opens the door. Here is the riddle:

One who retires to his nightly repose at an hour deemed not too tardy and gets up in the same manner, will tend to keep himself in good physical condition, good monetary condition and sapient.

Someone shouted, "That sounds just like the master! All those high brow words."

Elizabeth laughed. "It does indeed, not many one syllable words at all. I must figure out the quote. Mm." Lizzy chuckled. "I believe that is the solution. He has substituted big words for the smaller ones. Let me think." She turned and caught her husband watching from the window. She tipped her head and waved. The servants began to move back, but she turned around and told them to stay.

"I think I have it," she said as she smiled to the men gathered around her. "One who retires to his nightly repose at an hour deemed not too tardy. This seems to sound too complicated for such an easy task. I venture to guess it means early to bed! And the whole quote is Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise!" The men cheered. This made sense even to them.

Lizzy nodded. "Yes, simple one or two syllable words! Not very high brow at all." Raising her chin, Lizzy glanced at the window and pointed to herself at the gentleman peeking through the curtain. She watched him clap his hands and bow to her.

"No ma'am, no high brow words in the quote." a stable hand said.

She smiled at the servants and then thanked them before hurrying to the house with her pouch of keys. When she looked up, her husband had now disappeared from the window and she assumed he was locking himself inside his bedchamber. Early to bed! The keys clanked as she scurried up the lane. She heard the good wishes of everyone as she hustled by them, entered the house and ascended the stairs in a most unfashionable manner--two steps at a time.

When she arrived at his door, she panted and once she had caught her breath, she reached in her pouch, pulling out all six keys. There were no markings on them and no servants in the hallway to guide her. She suspected her husband had given strict orders to give her privacy as she stood in front of his door. But, she vowed aloud that she would not to cheat. If the key she chose did not work, then she would admit defeat. She imagined his gloating as his victory words rang in her ears.

Not knowing which key to chose, she decided to allow fate to rule. She placed the keys back in the pouch, shook it up, reached in, and pulled a key out. "May you be the one." She kissed it and placed in the keyhole. As she turned the key, she held her breath and when the lock clicked, she whispered, "Yes." After she opened the door, her husband immediately pulled her inside, slamming the door behind her.

The instant the door closed, he kissed her, which was only broken when he lifted her and carried her on the bed. "My dear wife. You have performed brilliantly." He pushed her hair off her face and placed small kisses on her eyes and then on her lips. "This has been your punishment for letting me wake alone last week."

She kissed him and then wrapped her arms around his neck. "You were very clever. And I admit I needed a few nudges, here and there. But, my love, I must know what you would have done had the key not unlocked your door."

"I had no fear." He laughed. "The keys were all the same and they all unlocked the door, my dear. I would never allow an opportunity of spending the entire evening in bed with you to be left up to chance. And my lovely wife, you looked beautiful on the ladder without a stitch of clothing on."

She pulled away. "You saw?"

"Yes, and tomorrow I will show you the secret passageways in this house. I watched you through the portrait in the library. It was delicious and might I have a repeat performance tonight?"

"I thought someone was watching me. There was something familiar about the gentleman's eyes."

"They were mine! Last night, I placed you in the library while you were sleeping, and since you were so simply dressed, I guarded the room until near time for you to wake. I was behind the portrait before you opened your eyes."

"You sir, did indeed get your revenge." Elizabeth caressed his face until he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.

"Truly, vengeance is mine!" He whispered. "Isaiah 1:17."

They spent the evening laughing about their games and listening to chuckling servants as they walked in the hallway. They promised to make scavenger hunts a May tradition in the Darcy house. In fact, they decided to work on one for Georgiana for next year. What fun they would have scheming a hunt for her. And Richard. And perhaps one for the servants.

The End