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W illiam Darcy had enjoyed hunting at the Darcy estate, and other locations in Scotland, with his father in years’ past, even before his stop there on his tour, but never in his wildest dreams had he expected to be a servant anywhere, and especially not at one of the Duke’s estates.

Thankfully there was more than thirty miles between Loch Ness View, his father’s estate, and this one, where he had been unknown to almost everyone.

To say that the weeks since he had arrived at Glen Morgan Heights had been humbling was an understatement of epic proportions.

He was thankful Father had taken His Grace’s suggestion that given the tour which William had conducted less than a year past, he would be too well known among the servants at Loch Ness View.

There he would be treated with deference.

Not only that, but the Duke had postulated that it would be cruel to be sent to work at an estate where he would be the master one day.

After all, the aim was for William to throw off his improper pride and not be mercilessly humiliated.

He was impressed with His Grace’s forbearance given how grievously William had insulted his fiancée.

Thanks to letters from their master and William’s father, the only ones who knew his true identity were the steward, the butler, and the housekeeper.

In the letters, the senior staff had been ordered to treat the new footman as they would any other who worked under their direction.

He had been introduced to his fellow servants as Will Alexander and put to work like any other footman.

William dropped his proper accent and adopted the one a man from Derbyshire would have, as no servant would speak in that refined manner.

Until he began working from before dawn until after dark each day, William had considered himself a fit man.

He may have been able to be in the saddle for hours, fence, or face a man in pugilism, but none of that prepared his body for the level of activity he had been performing since his arrival at the estate.

For the first few days, although he had not displayed any rude or haughty tendencies, Alexander, as he was called, did not interact with his fellow footmen more than was absolutely necessary.

It did not take him long to realise that even though he was not being rude, he was being standoffish, and he understood that was his improper pride asserting itself.

He realised he kept a distance when there was no pressing need to speak to his fellow servants because it maintained his feeling of superiority; it fed into his false sense that he was still above them.

As soon as he accepted the fact that here, he was not Fitzwilliam Alexander Robert Darcy, son of one of the wealthiest landowners in Derbyshire, nephew of an earl, but a servant like all of the rest, he began to allow his defences to lower.

From that point on, his life became much easier to bear.

He was no longer alone, because slowly but surely, he saw the wisdom in Rich’s words to him in one of the few letters which had reached him from the battlefields of the Peninsula.

Richard had written about his experiences in battle, and how true nobility had nothing to do with birth, but rather with character.

At the time, William had scoffed at his cousin’s radical musings.

Now he was able to see that his refusal to see the truth in Richard’s words was a refusal on his part to own that as soon as he accepted it, he would have to examine his beliefs and behaviours.

At that point, William had not been ready or willing to do so.

Surprisingly, since he had released the last vestiges of his improper pride, his life at the estate began to improve. True, the work was still as hard as it had been before, but now he felt lighter of spirit, thanks to the interactions and growing friendships he was cultivating.

The butler had Alexander summoned to his office. “A letter arrived for you,” the man intoned as he handed over the missive.

As with all letters that William received here, if it was from someone outside of the immediate family, it was enclosed and directed to Will Alexander.

So that the other footmen would not get suspicious of letters arriving in quantity for him, William was permitted, once a fortnight, to read his letters in the butler’s office; the only special consideration he was allowed.

It had been two weeks so, with permission, William seated himself on a wood-framed chair at the small table in one corner of the butler’s office.

He broke the seal. There was a letter from his parents and one enclosed from Bingley.

Anna had only written once. Evidently, she was still rather disappointed in him.

Knowing it was only his own actions which had caused the distance between him and his sister, William concentrated on what was before him.

11 June 1807

Darcy House

William,

The first report we received about you at Glen Morgan Heights is positive, even if you still hold yourself apart. Your mother and I are praying that too will change.

We just want you to know we are thinking of you, and yes, we miss you, but we know in the end this will be the best thing for you.

It may be hard for you to see it now, but your mother and I are sure you will look back on this with warmth.

You will, we are sure, also see it as a turning point in your life.

We are aware that Anna has been short with you. She does not love you less and is very concerned for you, but she was shocked to witness the depths of your pretensions.

Speaking of your sister, she is even closer to the three younger Bennet sisters than she was when we last saw you, especially Cathy and Lydia, the youngest two.

When you insulted Lizzy and Lydia, she took it very hard, which explains her reticence where you are concerned.

She will come around; she loves you too much not to.

We are aware that the life you are living is not one you ever thought you would endure. Keep improving, and it will be sooner rather than later that you leave Glen Morgan Heights.

Enjoy the letter from your friend. With much warmth of feeling,

Mother and Father.

He savoured any words from his parents, but he knew his time was not unlimited, so William broke the seal on his friend’s letter.

2 June 1807

14 Grange Street

Scarborough

Darce,

Do not be surprised, nay shocked, that you are able to read this; I have requested that Louisa act as my scribe, so you do not have to wage a war to be able to read my letter.

Is there nothing you can do to mitigate the damage (admittedly self-inflicted) to Caroline’s name, and by extension ours?

I am aware that my sister’s behaviour was not acceptable, but was what she did really so very bad? Was her behaviour such that so heavy a price needed to be paid—in which our whole family must now partake?

She is in a constant bad mood, with tantrums interspersed, and it is very hard to live with her, so I am asking for your help. You have been willing to assist me in the past, and now I need your wise counsel more than ever.

Even if Fitzwilliam was not away with his regiment, I would not have written to him about this. Unlike you, he has no tolerance for Caroline and her behaviour.

I trust that you are well.

Bingley

William could only shake his head. This time, and going forward, Bingley would have to learn to stand on his own two feet. He looked up at the butler. “Mr MacTavish, do I have some time to compose a short letter?” he asked.

“Aye lad, ye do. Not ta long noo,” the butler replied in his heavy Scottish brogue.

There were a few sheets of paper on the table and some writing accoutrements. William wrote a short note to his father first and then began the missive to his friend.

15 June 1807

Pemberley

Derbyshire

Bingley:

The reason it has taken me so long to respond is due to the letter being forwarded to me. You know me; I do not dally when I have a letter that needs a reply.

Have you taken leave of your senses? Not so very bad?

Your sister forced her way into a shop under false pretences.

She well knew she would not be accepted there.

Then she tried to have my mother play along with her lie, and if that was not bad enough, she insulted a future duchess .

The longer you remain away from Town, the better for all of you.

The pen was suspended in the air as William remembered he had insulted the same future duchess. In fact, Miss Bennet was now Her Grace, had been for some weeks already. He was paying the penance for his transgression, and now Bingley had to learn there was no easy way out. He continued to write.

I am working on something my parents have set for me; hence, the earliest I will be in society is the beginning of September of this year, but it could be longer than that.

My direction is my father’s estate, but I will hardly be there after I post this.

Anyone arriving uninvited will be turned away.

It is clear to me now that my stepping in and making decisions for you has not been good for either of us.

It is time for you to become your own man and not live and die by your younger sister’s whims. If this experience has not proved that your sister knows nothing of the mores of society, regardless of her claims, then you will never see it.

I know Miss Bingley still nurses a hope I will offer for her.

What she sees as friendship is my tolerating her because of you.

I hate to be blunt, but I do not enjoy your sister’s company, in fact the opposite is true.

Even before her display in London, that was true and I repeat, never will I offer for her, and I will not gratify a compromise.

I wish you well, and I will be in contact with you once I have completed my tasks.

W Darcy

William knew he had been very direct and rather harsh, but as was written in Hamlet , I must be cruel only to be kind .

He sealed the letter and handed it to Mr MacTavish.

It would be taken by one of the Duke’s couriers to a post stop.

That way, it would reach Scarborough about the time a letter from Pemberley would be expected to arrive.

After reading and scribing the missives to his family and Bingley, with sincere thanks to the butler, William returned to his work.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Charles Bingley read the letter from Darcy for a third time. He had not believed his friend would mitigate his sister’s actions in the near term, but contrary to what Hurst and Louisa had insisted he would do, he had held out hope that that would be the eventuality.

He admitted that he had been driven to write the ill-advised letter by Caroline’s tantrums. To hear her speak now, one would swear she was innocent in her downfall.

The more he cogitated on the words in Darcy’s letter, the more Bingley came to see the rectitude in his friend’s words. He had specifically not written to Fitzwilliam because he was far more blunt than Darcy. It seemed his friend would not pull his punches any longer either.

It was time for him to take charge of his life. Could it be that if he had reined in Caroline from the first day it had become his responsibility, they would not be in the straits they were now? Bingley had to admit the answer was a resounding yes.

He stiffened his spine and made his way to the drawing room. He could hear Caroline’s strident tones before he entered. “I did nothing wrong,” she was claiming.

“Yes, you very much did! You and you alone ruined us and yourself. Trying to delude yourself into believing it is not so, is just that, a delusion.” Bingley was happy with the stunned silence. Cutting off one of Caroline’s diatribes was a new and enjoyable experience.

“Did Mr Darcy write?” Miss Bingley asked, ignoring her brother’s words once she saw the letter in his hand.

“He did,” Bingley responded. He made a quick decision. “Here, Caroline, read it for yourself.” He handed the letter over to his sister, who practically tore it from his hand. He watched as the smile faded from her face only to be replaced by a look of horror.

“No, no, no! He cannot mean this,” Miss Bingley shrieked.

“Caroline, you have his words before you, written in Darcy’s hand. Have you ever known him to say or write something he does not mean?” Bingley demanded.

Miss Bingley dropped the letter and ran out of the room.

Hurst picked it up and read it after a nod from Bingley and passed it on to his wife. “Let us hope his words sink into that delusional head of hers,” he drawled.

“We all tried to tell her,” Mrs Hurst stated as she shook her head.