Darcy remembered clearly all that Georgiana had told him when she almost ran away with Wickham last summer. He said, “I can well believe it. Young ladies have little of worth to occupy their minds and attention other than romance and marriage.”
Duke Derby sighed. “I suppose you’re right,” he said. “I could have, should have, done more to help my daughters understand the world better. I have failed them as a father. But even though it is very late in the game, all is not lost just yet. We shall leave first thing tomorrow morning and search all of London until we find them.”
“May I offer my home as a base to work from?” asked Darcy. “I understand you have a house in town, but I am not certain if it is currently occupied. Besides, if you take up residence there, the whole country will know who you are within days.”
“I was planning to stay with my brother, Gardiner, but I believe your offer is the better choice,” said His Grace. “I would not wish to drag him into this unless absolutely necessary.”
“I am happy to be of assistance,” said Darcy.
The duke gave him a piercing look and said, “I bet you are. I have noticed how you look at my daughter, you know, and I’ve seen how she looks at you. I imagine you are eager to helpsimply to get into Elizabeth’s good graces. My family thinks I pay little attention to them, but I am able to see a few things. Tell me, what happened when she was in Kent? When she left Hertfordshire, she still despised you heartily, but when I took her to Derbyshire, she had much more respect for you.”
“I am glad to hear it, though somewhat surprised,” said Darcy. “I did not particularly cover myself in glory in either place.”
Duke Derby seemed to be waiting for him to continue, but Darcy said nothing else.
“Are you planning to propose?” asked the duke.
“No,” said Darcy honestly. With Lady Elizabeth’s new status, she was too far above him. He could not possibly propose to her again. “Though I am curious if you would approve if I did.”
The duke looked at him with a great deal of humor in his eyes. “You are not in love with her enough to propose, yet you want my blessing should you change your mind, is that it?” he said.
Darcy made no reply, and the duke sighed. “I used to be very much of my eldest daughters’ opinion about marriage,” he said. “Though I did not put much emphasis on love, I was adamant that they find a man they could respect and look up to. Status and wealth had little to do with it other than my desire that they be comfortable in life. In that respect, you would be very good for Elizabeth.
“Now, however, I have to think about reputations and status, which despite my antipathy toward both could play a large role in their future happiness. I do not yet know how I will be received among the other Lords, whether my family will be treated as a new creation or as an established lineage. I also don’t know enough about how much status and wealth trulyaffect anyone. So, for now I believe the answer would be no. However, that could change as I gain more understanding.”
Darcy was honored that a duke would show such weakness in front of him. He decided to be bold and said, “May I speak frankly, Your Grace?”
The duke waved away Darcy’s concern. “Of course, of course,” he said. “I would be lost if you had not been willing to speak frankly these past ten days or more. Speak your mind.”
“I did ask Lady Elizabeth to marry me while in Kent,” he said, “but my timing was bad, as was everything else about my proposal. I happened to ask the day after she received your letter, and she was clearly distressed. Fortunately, if you wish to look at it a certain way, my proposal was so bad it caused her to break out in hysterical laughter, which seemed to calm her down.”
The duke chuckled at Darcy’s admission, but he said nothing.
“You asked me if I intended to propose, and I spoke honestly,” said Darcy, “but that is not because I don’t love her. I love her now more than the first time I proposed. Even so, it is as you said. I do not know if I could make her happy in her new position in life. Without that knowledge, I cannot in good conscience offer for her no matter how much I might wish to.”
Duke Derby watched Darcy for a few minutes before saying, “In the end, I believe it will be up to her. I would never gainsay her something she is absolutely certain will make her happy. I suspect you might be right to back away for a time, though. She will not be able to determine anything until the whole family has made its debut in society.”
“Do you know when that will be?” asked Darcy.
“Assuming we can get this situation with Lydia under control quickly, I plan to take my family to Lockwood for a few weeks then to Manchester for the rest of the summer. There, we will be able to outfit all of us in suitable clothing without raising too much in the way of rumors. Then, we will go to London in the autumn, likely arriving mid to late September. That is when we shall make our presence generally known. By that point, we should have had enough time to learn how to act the part of a duke and his family.”
“I see,” said Darcy. “It sounds like a good plan. I look forward to reading of your society splash in the newspapers.”
“To be honest, I was hoping you could assist us with that,” said the duke. “You could arrange a few introductions to the right people.”
“I could, but I don’t see the need for it,” said Darcy. “As a duke, you are well within your rights to introduce yourself to anyone you like, except, perhaps the Prince Regent or his brothers.”
“That’s just it,” said Duke Derby. “I don’t know who I would like. If I am not mistaken, there are some real rotters among my new peers, and I would not wish for them to be the first new acquaintances I make.”
“If that is what you wish, I can help you,” said Darcy, “though I don’t have any acquaintances higher than an earl.”
“That will do well enough,” said the duke. “Now, let us return to the present and deal with my wayward daughter. I will take my leave, but I will return for you at eight in the morning.”
His Grace shook Darcy’s hand and departed, leaving Darcy with many new ideas to mull over.
~~~~~
Three days later, Darcy and the duke arrived at a dilapidated and dirty apartment building. It looked as if was no longer standing completely straight, and Darcy wondered how long it would remain intact.
