They did exactly that. After discussing everything at dinner, it was clear that there was plenty of money to take care of both the house and the family, though Duke Derby planned to moveten thousand pounds out of the funds and into his bank account to fund the process of refurbishing the interior of the house.
“At least your mother will enjoy decorating such a large home,” said the duke. “There is one thing yet that prevents me from bringing her here, however.”
“What is that?” asked Elizabeth.
“We all need someone to teach us the kind of etiquette expected of the upper classes, including court etiquette. While you girls are very prettily behaved, I imagine there are some rules of which even you are not aware. In short, we need a governess and a tutor who can teach the whole family. Unfortunately, I do not know where to find anyone who is so capable.”
“Mrs. Perkins or Mr. Warburton may know of someone who could assist us,” said Jane. “Longstanding servants always seem to know everything.”
The duke turned to one of the waiting footmen and asked him to summon Mrs. Perkins. When she arrived, he said, “I wonder if you might know of someone nearby who could help us find a governess and possibly a tutor who is well-versed in court etiquette.”
“I do not know of such a governess or tutor myself,” she said. “The closest peer who might know is Lord Matlock, though he is likely still in London, since Parliament is in session. Besides, I do not know that I would recommend seeking help from him anyway.”
“Why not?” asked Elizabeth. Since Colonel Fitzwilliam was their son, and he was both kind and charming, she assumed his parents would be as well.
“They are a bit high in the instep,” the housekeeper answered. “Once you have established yourselves, I have nodoubt they will be good friends, but during this transition period, while it is still clear that you come from the common gentry, they may not show you the respect your title deserves. While that may not be such a bad thing right now, it would establish an unpleasant precedent that could linger far too long.”
“I see,” said the duke. “I thank you for the information. Is there anyone you are aware of that I could seek assistance from without placing myself in a position of being disrespected?”
Mrs. Perkins thought about it for a moment. “I suppose Mr. Darcy would be the best option,” she said. “He is an untitled gentleman, though he has relations among the peerage. In fact, he is the nephew of Lord Matlock. He seems to be quite adept at straddling the line between the gentry and the peerage. His estate, Pemberley, is twenty miles away.”
“I am acquainted with him,” said Duke Derby. “He is, as you say, quite good at straddling that line.”
He glanced at Elizabeth. She knew he was asking if she was willing to ask him for help even though she disliked him. She nodded. While he was proud of his family and his situation in life, she had learned in Kent that he was fundamentally honest and honorable. She suspected he would be of great assistance to her father, assuming he was at Pemberley.
“Thank you, Mrs. Perkins,” said the duke. “You have been most helpful.”
After the housekeeper left, Papa said, “Are you certain you don’t mind me asking Mr. Darcy for information? You were quite opposed to him last autumn.”
“I encountered him several times at his aunt’s home over the last few weeks,” said Elizabeth. “I learned to have a better opinion of him there. His family takes it for granted that he is honest to a fault. In fact, his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, teasedhim about it a few times. He is most definitely prideful, but in this case, I believe that could be useful.”
“Hmm,” said Papa. “You may have a point. The kind of pride Mr. Darcy has is the kind that stems from knowing his place in the world and in the established order. That is just what we need. Not necessarily to have more pride, but to be more aware of who we are and what our place is in society.”
“I have never thought of it in such a way,” said Jane. “I always assumed that pride is a universally bad quality, though I never thought Mr. Darcy quite so prideful as you did, Elizabeth.”
“Well, it is not for us to judge whether someone is bad or good,” said their father. “As long as neither of you objects, I shall send a letter to Mr. Darcy in the morning by messenger.”
Duke Derby did, indeed, send a letter to Mr. Darcy the next morning. The messenger was given instructions that, if Mr. Darcy was not home, he should not leave the message. He also told his messenger to wait for a reply if Mr. Darcy was home.
Chapter 4
After leaving Hunsford, Darcy’s mind was full. Memories of his failed proposal filled his thoughts, but curiosity as to how the Bennets’ fortune would be changing was nearly as strong as his heartache at finding that Miss Elizabeth had no warm feelings toward him whatsoever. All he really knew was that Miss Elizabeth wasn’t necessarily determined against him, but if he wished to win her heart, he would need to correct the faults she had seen in him.
His mind frequently replayed their conversation after his proposal. Her initial reaction had been laughter. Not happiness, not anger, but laughter. It made no sense to him, but it did make him feel ridiculous. Her laughter was loud and long, and he eventually realized that she was laughing at much more than his proposal. There was something about the entire situation, including elements completely unknown to him, that she thought was funny.
As her laughter slowed and faded, he also realized that it had been an emotional outburst of some sort, because afterward, she was much calmer than she had been when he entered the room, so much so that she was able to explain her refusal without any ire.
In the ensuing discussion, she had pointed out four objections she had to him, the first being that she had no inkling of his feelings toward her. It was a valid point, since hehad been hiding his feelings even from himself up until only a day or two before his proposal. This objection, however, was easily remedied. In fact, for the most part, it had already been remedied. Now that she knew how he felt about her, there was no need to hide his feelings from anyone.
The second objection she had was that he had made the assumption that just because he knew who her mother’s relations were, he must know all her connections. It was a reasonable assumption but far from foolproof. There were plenty of minor gentry with connections to nobility, and they often lived out their lives with as little pomp as the various denizens of Meryton. He had erred in assuming everyone was as simple and straightforward as they seemed.
The third objection was a little harder to rectify. She was correct in her assertion that he had been looking down on everyone in the neighborhood during his stay in Hertfordshire. She was even correct that it was foolish of him to expect her to like him after such behavior. He had been selfish, unable to see, much less take into account, anyone’s feelings but his own. While it would take some work, he was determined to improve this aspect of his character.
Her fourth objection had been the only one without merit, but he was grateful she mentioned it, nonetheless, for it had given him a chance to defend his honor against Wickham’s accusations. While the dastard was a perpetual thorn in his side, Darcy had been unwilling to speak against him for fear of ruining Georgiana’s reputation. Additionally, Darcy always had a tiny hope that once Wickham ran out of money, he would find a way to turn his life around. Unfortunately, that hadn’t happened yet.
By the time his journey to London was complete, Darcy was mostly at peace with his disastrous proposal, and he wasprepared to work to improve himself so that when he met Miss Elizabeth again, he would be able to earn her love.
Darcy’s first stop in London was at his uncle’s house. While Georgiana should be able to live on her own with her new companion, Mrs. Annesley, ever since her experience last summer when her companion, Mrs. Younge, and Wickham teamed up to work against her, Georgiana had been reluctant to stay with only her new companion for company. Instead, she had been staying at Matlock House while Darcy had traveled to Kent to visit Lady Catherine.
