Page 10 of Chivalry & Chauvinism (The Victorian Vagaries #2)
Darcy stood with Richard as he watched his wife dance with Lord Matlock and Richard watched Mary dance with his brother. “I cannot help but be astounded, Richard, at the sight before me. This is what I always hoped for. That I would find such a worthy woman who would make Pemberley whole in a way it has not been since before my mother became ill. As I watch the scene before me, I almost cannot believe it is true.”
“It seemed like it would not come true for some time, Cousin.” Richard returned. “There were a number of weeks at Windmere when my father and I believed that you would never come to the point.”
“Speaking of coming to the point, young man, when do you plan to come to the point with my sister, Miss Bennet?” Darcy mocked, playing the intimidating protective brother. Richard had agreed with Elizabeth not to ask for more than two sets with Mary, the supper set and the final set, which was a waltz. In a few months, Mary would travel to London with the family to be presented at court. This would be followed by a grand ball, to celebrate both Mary’s debut as well as Darcy’s elevation. Mary would participate in the season, and Richard would court her quietly as was respectful.
At the end of the season, the party would go to the seaside until Mary’s birthday. As soon as Mary reached her majority, Richard planned to travel to Hertfordshire and propose, then immediately call for the banns to be read. Mary wished to marry from Netherfield, and to have the neighbourhood she grew up in about her when she married.
Elizabeth struggled to find ways to improve Pemberley with the rest of her dowry, for it was so well run already. She decided to assist the villages of Kympton and Lambton as well. The foremost issue the area faced was a lack of quality physicians. There was an elderly Mr Wilkes Elizabeth had not met, but she knew he bled his patients excessively. He stated his intention to retire quite often and he was the only doctor for more than an hour’s ride. The nursing school planned to bring a reputable modern physician to the area to work with the school. Elizabeth wrote to her contacts in London looking for recommendations. She arranged for two physicians, one a man in his early thirties, the other a recently widowed middle aged doctor, to come to Derbyshire.
Elizabeth purchased a comfortable house in Kympton, and a small building beside it to be a doctor’s surgery. The house and surgery were of course outfitted with proper plumbing and furnished with everything a modern doctor might need. She also selected another house on Pemberley’s estate, an older, smaller dower house that had not been used for some generations, but was comfortable and well maintained. After making the same renovations upon that house, the younger doctor, Mr Lloyd, would move into the house on the Pemberley estate and become responsible for the care of the family, as well as all of the servants, tenants, and all who lived and worked there. Elizabeth set a large portion of her dowry into an endowment that would pay Mr Lloyd an income for the rest of his time there, not unlike a vicar. The greatest benefit was that because the physician was paid by the estate, the tenants would no longer need to pay for their care.
The other, older physician, Mr Clarke, came to live in the house in Kympton. He would receive no income from Pemberley, but would be allowed the free use of the house and the surgery for as long as he provided services to the surrounding communities and the nursing school. Mr Clarke had been despondent trying to manage his house and busy practice in London after the death of his wife and had considered retiring and going to America. His fellows encouraged him to try a year in the countryside before making any rash decisions and leaving the country.
Elizabeth planned this with Mother Mary Mathilde from the academy. The school had planned to hire a doctor to assist in teaching and working with the nursing students. Mr Clarke would accept a very modest income from the order, and supplement his income through services to the local villages, who would greatly benefit, for Mr Wilkes did not always come when he was called. His methods should be accepted by the locals, for no doctor sponsored by Elizabeth would bleed or purge his patients. Though Darcy had always offered to pay for medical services for his tenants, it still took some persuasion to encourage the tenants to go to the new doctor for their ailments.
It took a number of visits to the tenants and villagers and much encouragement from Elizabeth before the people of Derbyshire began to slowly trust the new doctors. Elizabeth ensured that Mr Clarke had an excellent cookmaid, a manservant, and a housekeeper who had worked for a doctor previously, to manage the housework and help in his surgery so he would not be overwhelmed as he was before in London. Mr Clarke and Mr Lloyd were known to one another as well, so it was pleasant for them to have an acquaintance already in their new community.
Elizabeth put the rest of the funds from her dowry into a school for the tenant children. There was a small school in the village, but it was too far for the Pemberley children to walk to and from in winter. A comfortable school building was built in a central location of the estate, school books and slates were ordered, and a teacher was hired. He was paid extra to assist any of the adult tenants or servants who wished to learn or study in the evenings. Nearly all of the staff and most of the tenants at Pemberley were already literate or at least partially so, to Elizabeth’s delight. She believed that everyone must learn to read and write.
In the kitchens, Hazel threw herself into studying and Mr Farinacci began teaching her to speak Italian. Mrs Pottinger did not like them speaking in a language she could not understand, so she began learning a bit here and there as well. Elizabeth made arrangements for all of Pemberley’s staff to have use of the Lambton lending library. Several of the maids and footmen expressed wishes to become better with figuring, history, or other subjects. Darcy’s valet Mr Mason, who had always been a scholarly sort of man, asked for permission to give assistance to the other servants who wished for it, and Darcy and Elizabeth were happy to encourage it and paid him a little extra for serving as an additional tutor for the household staff. Everyone from the tenants, to the servants, to the townspeople were thriving, learning and growing with the new momentum at Pemberley.
*****
One morning when Elizabeth and Darcy returned from a snowy walk with Diane and Beau, she was approached by Mrs Hayes, requesting to speak with Elizabeth in her study. When they sat down, Mrs Hayes related that Timothy had received a letter that morning which distressed him greatly and that he had apologised for being unable to give notice, but due to a family matter, had no choice but to tender his resignation, effective immediately. “I am concerned, ma’am, for Timothy is a very knowledgeable and competent first footman, and I have every reason to believe he values his position here very highly. I knew you would wish to get to the bottom of the situation.”
Elizabeth did indeed wish to get to the bottom of it. Intelligent, literate, well spoken, loyal servants who valued their positions were not growing upon trees, and Elizabeth found it best to retain them by any means necessary rather than starting over with new people. If Timothy was having family troubles, it might be helpful for Elizabeth to determine if there was anything the Darcys could do to help before letting the man abandon his position without proper consideration. She asked Mrs Hayes to please ask Timothy to see her in her study, and when the young man sat across from her, she considered him carefully. Mrs Reynolds had suggested in one of their discussions about the household that Timothy was rumoured to have ‘unnatural inclinations’. The housekeeper complained that she had brought it up to Mr Darcy a number of times, but there was no evidence other than he was particularly disinterested in the maids, and was fussy with his appearance. Darcy had always responded that he would not let go a servant due to an idle suspicion or without just cause.
“Mrs Hayes tells me you have abandoned your position and that you do not appear to be happy about it,” she began.
“I am sorry Mrs Darcy. I have no wish to leave Pemberley but a family matter calls me to London. I do not believe I will be at liberty to return to my position. I understand that leaving without notice will cause me to lose my reference, and I regret it but I must go,” said Timothy miserably.
“Timothy, if you are leaving due to an emergency family matter, of course you must have a reference. We have no desire to ruin you just because you’ve left us short handed. We will manage, I am sure. But before you go, I would like you to share the entirety of your problem with me in complete confidence, because you are a valued member of our staff. You have been with the family since you began as a hall boy at Darcy House at age fifteen or sixteen I believe, and you have been with the family for ten years or more. I cannot promise that I can help with your problem, but I would rather have the opportunity to determine if it is possible, rather than allow you to abandon your position, which I know you value highly, without having taken time to consider properly,” replied Elizabeth.
“Mrs Darcy, I know you will not wish me to stay-”
“Timothy, I believe I must be allowed to decide that for myself. Please tell me everything. Leave nothing out. I do not wish for any surprises later,” Elizabeth insisted.
Timothy took a deep breath and bowed his head. “I must go to London to take care of my son, ma’am.”
“Your son? But I thought- never mind. I should not have listened to Mrs Reynolds,” Elizabeth said.
Timothy bowed his head even lower. “If she told you that I am not like other men… that I’m… unnatural…”
“Timothy, I do not see any purpose to descriptions of that sort. Indeed, Mrs Reynolds made a reference to your possibly having certain preferences. Mr Darcy and I have agreed that you show no evidence of having broken any laws or behaving in a manner that would bring scandal upon this house. We have no desire to judge you based upon any personal feelings you might have. Of course acting upon some inclinations is illegal, and we would not wish to see you imprisoned. But the rest is your own business, as long as you do not bring scandal upon our home. “
“And of course I never would, ma’am. But as for my son, I had a friend growing up in London. Edith was my best friend, and she did not care about that. And when my father would beat me because he suspected, she was my only comfort. When we were fifteen she persuaded me to try, you know, with her, to see if I could manage it, and see if I could be married someday. But I shouldn’t have listened. She wanted to help me and I let her persuade me to try. It only happened once, but we got into trouble, and her father wouldn’t let her marry me because of what my own father had said of me in the pub. I would have married her. She begged her parents. She loved me as a good and kind friend and she wanted to help me but they wouldn’t let us. My father sent me into service. And she died in childbirth.”
Timothy was sobbing openly now. “I have never forgiven myself. I shouldn’t have let her convince me. Her parents kept the boy, and I have met him a number of times. I send them part of my pay to help with him. But the grandmother died two years ago, and the grandfather died just this week. They have sent the boy to my father, and he is a brutal man. I do not know if I can be a good father to the boy, but I cannot leave him with my father, who is a drunkard who has only become more vicious since I’ve left home.”
“So this boy would be about nine or ten years of age?” Elizabeth asked.
“Edmund is nine years of age. He will be ten this summer,” Timothy answered miserably.
“Did not the hall boy, Thomas, just request to work in the stables? Nine years of age is rather young to begin employment, but if you brought the boy here, and he attended the estate school with the tenant children, do you believe he could manage some very light duties?” Elizabeth inquired.
“You would do that, Mrs Darcy?” asked Timothy, hardly expecting such a suggestion.
“I would rather do that than see you leave a position that you have worked hard for, and worry about whether you will find adequate employment in London,” Elizabeth declared. “I am insistent that he must attend school, and be diligent with his studies while he is here. He must mind his manners, and not cause trouble. He may share a room with the other hall boy, James, who is nearly twelve, and I expect him to work two hours per day on days he is at school. When there is no school he can work three hours per day unless it is Sunday. Let us make a trial of it. Go to London, take a few weeks to manage your affairs, and bring the boy back here. Later on, we will reconsider if this is what is best for everyone, and if it is decided the two of you will not stay, you will not have to go out into the night, but rather will have the opportunity to make proper plans and will remain here until you have secured a place to go.”
“I will need to sell their house. They left it to me so I can take care of him, but I cannot manage it from here,” Timothy responded.
“I shall give you a letter for my man of business. He can take care of the sale for you. He can deposit the funds from the sale into your retirement account for now, unless you have other plans for it,” Elizabeth offered.
Timothy said that would be acceptable and left to begin making his travel arrangements. Elizabeth spoke to Darcy about the matter and asked, “Should I have consulted you first, or are you satisfied with my solution? I thought afterward that perhaps I should have discussed such an offer with you.”
“No, I am perfectly satisfied. I appreciate the way you reward the servants’ loyalty with loyalty in return. It is a good investment you make into our relationship with the staff,” Will answered. Elizabeth was happy he did not mind that she had made such a decision without consulting him.
There was a mountain of business to be conducted, and Mr Banks had been planning a trip to London. Elizabeth decided to trust Timothy with delivering the correspondence to Montague, since he would meet with him anyway to manage the sale of his house. Because he was to conduct some of her business, she allowed him the use of her small carriage, and gave him funds for the inns. “Timothy, these are extremely important documents, and they must be delivered as soon as you enter the city. You will give them into no one’s hands than Mr Montague himself. His clerks are familiar with our system, even if they do not know you. Before you leave the city to return to Derbyshire, please collect any letters Mr Montague wishes to return. If your lodgings are not acceptable for your son when you reach London, you may take him to stay at Pemberley House. Here is a letter for the housekeeper if that need arises.”
“Mrs Darcy. I can never repay your kindness,” said Timothy. Elizabeth waved him into the carriage, and Timothy left Pemberley to bring young Edmund home. They returned three weeks later, with a stack of return correspondence from Montague. Most of it was investment related, however there was an interesting letter from Montague himself.
Piccadilly,
London
Mrs Darcy,
I was very much impressed by the young man you sent in Banks’ place, Mr Wilson. I had a new clerk in the office who had not yet been informed of our arrangements, and he did not inform me that Mr Wilson was here and turned him away. Mr Wilson followed your instructions to the letter. He did not give the documents to anyone but myself, nor did he give up and leave. He remained outside the office, returning inside every hour or so to try again until another clerk took notice and corrected the mistake. I apologised for the inconvenience to the young man’s time, for I understand he is in town to attend some personal business.
I read your letter, requesting that I assist Mr Wilson with the sale of the inherited property and I have spoken with him about the matter. He has asked if I could advise him in investing a portion of the proceeds of the sale for his son’s education and future, which I have done. I was interested in the young man, who seems very intelligent, and so I have taken it upon myself to investigate him. There are a few unsavoury elements to his background, but nothing I would consider to make him untrustworthy in principle. Indeed, he seems to have much of the more worldly experience that makes Banks so useful. I have sent his file to you; after review, you may agree that he could be an excellent candidate to deputise for Banks, after some training.
Enclosed, please find the documents requiring your signature for the shipyard purchase. They will need to be returned at your earliest convenience.
Montague
Elizabeth discussed the matter with Banks and Darcy, and they agreed that Timothy was sufficiently intelligent and trustworthy. In light of his new situation with his son, he would benefit from the opportunity to improve his lot. Edmund seemed to be a reserved, well mannered boy, who Timothy reported to be distant with him, which was understandable given the situation, but seemed willing to do what was expected of him. He seemed to bristle when Timothy became too familiar with him, and only seemed interested in quietly settling into his new situation. Timothy was concerned about the boy’s speech, for his own mother had been a lady’s maid before her marriage, and she had been determined to teach him to speak properly so he could find acceptable employment. Timothy spoke with a very slight East End lilt, but otherwise he spoke properly and took pride in this, because it made him suitable for a senior position one day. Edmund’s grandparents had not been so particular about education, and Timothy worried about the boy catching up and learning to speak The Queen’s English.
“There is no need to worry about his education, Timothy. No one at Pemberley will ever want for it, and the estate will ensure that he receives as much as he has an aptitude for. There is a nun at the nursing school who is talented at elocution and teaching diction. She is teaching my ward. We can send Edmund to her once a week for lessons if it becomes necessary, but for now let us see what the schoolmaster and Mr Mason can teach him,” Elizabeth said as Timothy sat down in her study to discuss the boy’s progress at Elizabeth’s request two weeks after he had arrived. “You have mentioned young Edmund is reluctant to engage with you so far. I have an idea that will give you an opportunity to better your position while giving young Edmund the space he seems to require to settle into his new life.”
“What do you propose, Mrs Darcy?” Timothy inquired.
“We are to travel to see to some of my business affairs soon, and then on to London for the season. I propose that you accompany us, and leave young Edmund here, to settle into the household, develop his own friendships with the other staff and the boys on the estate, get used to school and begin attending to his education, all under the watchful eye of Mrs Hayes and Mr Mason. When you return, perhaps he will feel comfortable and at home here, and you can work on improving your connection with him then.”
“Of course, I will travel with the family, if you wish me to, Mrs Darcy. I have explained to Edmund that I am a servant, and must do as I am told, and that if I must travel with the family, he shall be safe at Pemberley until I return. He understands,” said Timothy in reply.
“I am not suggesting that you travel as our footman, but to travel and learn under Mr Banks, and to train in the offices of Mr Montague and my uncle, Mr Edward Gardiner. If you do well, I would like to offer you the permanent position of deputising for Mr Banks,” Elizabeth clarified.
Timothy was slack jawed in amazement. “You would consider me for such a position, ma’am?”
“We have been searching for a man with certain qualities, and Mr Montague was intrigued by you when you met at his office in London. He had you thoroughly investigated, and suggests that you are not only well spoken and well written, but you may also have a more worldly intelligence as well, which is a necessity for this position. Of course, I am not likely to ask you to do anything particularly unsavoury in the course of your employment, but there are many dishonest individuals in the world, and I require someone who is able to easily recognize the vagaries and dangers presented in society, and avoid situations that could cause harm or risk while carrying out my business. You will also be responsible for protecting my family and my interests, and we require someone who is not afraid to be rather ruthless when carrying out these tasks. You will be in London until June, then will travel with us until at least August. Hopefully you may maintain a correspondence, and when you return, you and Edmund may both be ready to move forward with your family connection,” Elizabeth said.
The next day Timothy informed Elizabeth he had talked the matter over with his son, and that the boy had no objection to the plan. “Honestly, ma’am, the boy does not seem to care much whether I am here. I cannot say what his grandparents said of me when they were raising him, but it is clear that it has never occurred to him yet to trust me. I have explained that I am not abandoning him, but that the family is giving us both a marvellous opportunity to improve our station, and the two of us must work hard to be worthy of it, even if it means we must be separated for a time.”
“You must give the boy time and space, Timothy. Just show him that you are working hard to make a good life for you both, and that you are there for him as much as possible, and he will eventually believe it. Even once we return to Pemberley, the position will likely involve a great deal of travel, because that is one of the aspects of his position that Banks is most in need of assistance with. You will find yourself travelling back and forth from London quite often, but you will be here enough for your son and one day, with the education the estate will provide for him, he will benefit from your improved position.”
*****
Mr Mason had begun to fret about the family’s upcoming, extensive travel plans. He had been helping a few of the staff in their studies, and he had also begun spending time coaching young Edmund in his diction, in an effort to help Timothy erase the East End from the boy’s speech. He was also assisting Pemberley’s school teacher on some evenings in tutoring the tenant farmers and their wives who wished to become better with reading or figures. A few of the men had expressed an interest in history. Darcy had grumbled on a number of occasions about his valet being too busy to assist him, but Elizabeth knew he did not truly mind, when Mr Mason was working so hard to help everyone at Pemberley.
Eventually the man turned up at the door of Elizabeth’s study, when he recommended that Elizabeth hire another teacher to help Mr Eaton. “I am confused, Mr Mason, I thought you enjoyed the task. Has the work become too much for you?”
Mr Mason looked unhappy as he explained that he enjoyed the task very much. However, the family would be travelling soon and he would need to go with them. He would still be able to assist any servants who went with them, of course, but young Edmund and the other servants and staff left at Pemberley would have to wait for him to return to resume some of their lessons. “As much as I enjoy helping, ma’am, they would be better served by someone who can dedicate their time to them.”
“Mr Mason, it seems to me that you have missed your calling,” she observed.
“Sadly, the lower orders are rarely able to follow our callings, Mrs Darcy. We must find work when and where we can, usually while we are still children. Rarely can we obtain enough education to pursue a calling. But I never gave up on knowledge. I have worked for Mr Darcy since he left for Eton when I was a young man, and he and his father have always been kind and generous enough to allow me access to the library here. When Mr Darcy was at Cambridge he was even kind enough to allow me to study his assignments and school books. It is only due to the goodness of the Darcys that I have learned enough to help anyone with anything,” replied Mr Mason.
Elizabeth told the man she would consider the matter, and discussed it with Will at the earliest opportunity. “What are you proposing, my love? Are you going to make me find a new valet?” Her husband chuckled, smiling indulgently at his wife.
“Would you mind terribly?” asked Elizabeth. “I know it is appallingly presumptuous of me, but as good as he may be at tying a cravat, there is something that he is much better suited to, that he enjoys, and which benefits the estate far more. We can add to the position in order to fill any extra time he has. You have been saying the library is a shambles that needs better organisation, and that you could use a secretary on occasion but that there is not enough work to hire one permanently.”
And so it was that Mr Mason became the Pemberley librarian, responsible for the filing, maintenance, and care of the books in the library, tracking which servants or family had borrowed books and ensuring their timely return. He also continued to be responsible for the tutoring of any and all staff who wished to study. He continued to assist Mr Eaton in the evenings at the school, and assisted Darcy as a secretary when his business correspondence became too demanding. The man seemed to float about the house on fairy wings, so elated he was by his new position, and he credited Mrs Darcy as being “The best and kindest lady he ever had the good fortune to meet.” Mr Mason was able to recommend one of the footmen, Albert Watson, to take his place as valet, trained the man himself, and Darcy was content.
*****
In mid-February, the Darcys left for an extended trip to see to some of Elizabeth’s affairs. Previously Elizabeth travelled to Newmarket to see to her stables at least twice each year, but the previous year had been too demanding, and she had not made the trip. First they saw Charlotte off to Hertfordshire. Once Elizabeth and Darcy had wed they found themselves with far too many luxurious carriages, for neither of them ever travelled in anything less than absolute comfort. Both had always kept extra carriages at their estates. Darcy already had two large carriages just for himself, large carriages to carry servants and trunks, a small one for the convenience of his senior servants at each of his houses, and one each for his grandmother and sister. Elizabeth also had two large carriages just for herself, as well as carriages for her servants that had followed her to Pemberley, and she kept smaller carriages at the London house and her two estates.
Elizabeth had taken one of her smaller yet well appointed carriages as well as a pair of horses and designated them specifically for Charlotte’s use. Charlotte had argued fiercely that she had no need for her own carriage, but Elizabeth insisted that Charlotte must not be dependent upon Elizabeth and Darcy for transportation. Charlotte was going to come out of mourning, and make a life and friends for herself. She must, therefore, have the means to pay visits and calls and travel to see her family whenever she desired. Elizabeth ignored all of Charlotte’s protests, insisting she consider the carriage, horses, and the footman Elizabeth assigned to specifically attend Charlotte and her son to be quite her own, at least until such time as her son inherited Longbourn. Charlotte gave in for the nonce, and the ladies agreed that they would discuss the matter again later in the future.
So Charlotte and young Master Collins boarded Charlotte’s carriage with Charlotte’s maid and footman in mid February, and travelled to Hertfordshire to visit her family. Elizabeth offered her cousin the use of Netherfield while she was there, and after some deliberation, Charlotte accepted, in order to have her own space while she visited her family and the neighbourhood. She planned to invite her sister Maria to stay at Netherfield with her until the Darcys arrived, then Charlotte and her son would travel with them to London after they had their visit in Meryton. It was convenient for Elizabeth as well, because she knew Charlotte would have the house well prepared when the family arrived.
It had not been her intention to have Charlotte as her helper when she invited her to live with her, but Charlotte had quietly begun assisting Elizabeth with many duties, such as managing the stillroom, and stepping in to address small household matters when Elizabeth was otherwise engaged. She gave much oversight to the young ladies in residence at Pemberley, all the while mitigating Aunt Josephine’s nerves, and Marianne’s impulsiveness. Elizabeth was greatly appreciative of the many unobtrusive yet efficient ways Charlotte had found to assist Elizabeth with her many responsibilities.