Page 5 of The Duke of Derby (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

When Mr. Darcy left, Elizabeth felt oddly at peace, more so than she had felt since she received the express from her father. She suspected it was mostly due to her unsightly outburst of laughter, but she did not think too hard about it. She was far too relieved to have her mind truly at rest.

Half an hour later, she ate a small supper. Then she retired for the night, finding it much easier to sleep than she had the night before.

The following day, both Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam called at the parsonage to make their farewells, since they would be leaving that very day.

Each of them seemed to pay particular attention to Elizabeth, but she refused to shake her newfound peace by wondering what it could mean. For the moment, it did not matter.

The next few days passed as most other days had done during her stay with Mr. and Mrs. Collins. The mornings and afternoons were peaceful, and dinner was always taken up by Mr. Collins telling all the ladies about the events of his day.

Finally, Monday arrived, and with it came Mr. Bennet.

He drew up to the parsonage just before noon in the family’s carriage with four post horses attached.

Elizabeth had never in her life seen her father use more than two horses, and he usually did his best to use just one.

The extravagance caught her by surprise, but she decided not to question it in Mr. Collins’ presence.

Elizabeth’s trunks were attached to the back of the carriage by the driver while she said farewell to Mr. Collins, Charlotte, and Maria.

Though she could hardly say so, she was fairly certain that she wouldn’t be seeing any of them again for a very long time.

Since Charlotte was Elizabeth’s closest friend, the thought brought tears to her eyes, but she did her best to hide them.

Once she was in the carriage and it was moving, Elizabeth was finally able to ask some of her many questions. “Based on the number of post horses you are using, I would assume you have at least ascertained that the dukedom is not in dire straits.”

Papa chuckled. “I do not yet know all the details. That will have to wait until I consult the solicitor who handled the will, but from what I was able to ascertain from the Prince Regent and others at court who knew Duke Derby, the estate is on sound financial footing. Those who knew anything about it estimated that his income was about twenty thousand pounds per year.”

“Twenty thousand…” cried Elizabeth. “That is enormous. Is that a normal income for a duke?”

Papa nodded. “I am not certain, but it seems about average for that rank. I have heard of dukes’ income being anywhere between ten thousand and forty thousand,” he said.

This brought to mind the various dukes Elizabeth had heard of.

As she combed her memories, she realized that most of what she had heard of them were tales of their extravagance and mistresses.

She realized that their family was going to have to mingle with those who had very different social mores to what they were used to.

“Lizzy, I know you have questions, and I will answer what I can, but please understand that this is all new for me, too,” Papa said. “We will simply have to learn as we go. At the very least, however, I am certain your mother will not be starving in the hedgerows as she has always feared.”

“I assume, since you are traveling by yourself, that you have not told Mama,” said Elizabeth.

“I have not,” he answered. “She does not handle change particularly well, so I will not be telling her until we have learned what our current situation actually is.”

“Then, I suppose my first question is why you said this was not Mr. Collins’ business,” said Elizabeth. “If he is next in line for Longbourn, it stands to reason he would be next in line for the dukedom.”

“I can’t remember if I ever told you, but your cousin was adopted as a baby,” said Papa.

“It turned out that Mr. Collins, Sr. could not have children, but he was desperate for a son, so he adopted an orphan. It was enough to satisfy the requirements for Longbourn, since the entail allowed for adoption, but adopted children are never eligible to inherit titles.”

“I see,” said Elizabeth. “And does Mr. Collins know this?”

“He knows he was adopted,” said her father. “Any man of sense knows that titles cannot be inherited by adopted children, but I long ago gave up attempting to determine what common-sense Mr. Collins is privy to. He seems to have a rather selective memory.”

“Were you able to find out anything about our new home?” asked Elizabeth. “Is it in good repair?”

Papa shook his head. “Unfortunately, everything I know about the estate and the old duke’s financial situation is based on speculation from others who knew him.

In his youth, Duke Derby was extravagant and willful, like most people with wealth and status, but after the deaths of his two daughters by his first wife, he gradually spent less and less time among society until his complete seclusion ten years ago.

With decreased exposure to society there was a corresponding decrease in his expenditures, so there is a very good chance that there will be a large amount of money waiting for us.

“It is also possible, however, that he willed that money to someone else. Only a very small portion of it is attached to the title, specifically the five thousand pounds that are in an account that is used solely for the upkeep of the house and the primary estate. We will know more when we arrive in Derby. Even if he willed his entire fortune to others, however, it will not take us long to build it back up if we are sensible.”

“So, if we are going into the great unknown, why did you wish for Jane and me to accompany you?” asked Elizabeth. “I would think you would prefer to go there by yourself, discover what the situation is, and then summon the rest of us to join you based on what you find.”

“I have two reasons,” said Papa. “The first is that I want your company. This is all a bit intimidating, but with the three of us together, I think we could handle any situation that arises. The second reason is due to an issue that I did not include in my letter to you.”

Her father’s confidence in her ability to help support him was flattering indeed, but her curiosity was even greater. “And what is that issue?”

He looked out the window as if he did not wish to see her expression when he explained.

“The Prince Regent and parliament have decreed that the heir apparent of the title of Duke of Derby will be my oldest daughter. They did not wish to wait in hopes that one of you would have a son, so they declared that the title could be inherited by a female.”

Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open. “So, Jane is…”

“My heir,” said Mr. Bennet. “She will have the courtesy title of Marchioness Northdale until she eventually becomes the Duchess of Derby suo jure.”

It all made sense. Jane would need to accompany their father since she was the heir with a courtesy title of her own. Papa likely insisted on Elizabeth joining them simply to help give Jane courage.

~~~~~

Two days later, just as the sun was setting, Elizabeth, Jane, and the newest Duke of Derby finally arrived at their new home.

Its name, they had learned, was Lockwood.

The butler greeted them at the door and introduced himself as Mr. Warburton.

He was accompanied by the housekeeper, Mrs. Perkins.

They both appeared to be in their late fifties.

“Welcome to Lockwood, Your Grace,” said Mr. Warburton.

“Thank you,” said the new duke. “I trust you received my letter and have rooms ready for myself and my daughters.”

“We received your letter,” said the butler. “Your room is ready and waiting with a fire in the grate. We have also prepared two of the family bedrooms, though the furnishings are a little out of date and somewhat faded.”

“As long as the sheets are clean and comfortable, it will do,” said Elizabeth.

“We aired them out for a full day before putting them on the bed,” said Mrs. Perkins.

“Thank you, Mrs. Perkins,” said the duke. “Now, we will go refresh ourselves. Please see that dinner is ready in an hour.”

The housekeeper curtseyed and said, “Yes, Your Grace.”

As Elizabeth, Jane, and their father climbed the stairs, guided by Mr. Warburton, the duke said, “It is going to take some getting used to, being called Your Grace all the time.”

~~~~~

The next morning was spent taking a tour of all the public rooms, the bedrooms, and the personal sitting rooms. Even though they left quite a bit of the house for later, the tour still took over two hours.

As they went through the house, Mrs. Perkins took notes on what the new owners said needed to be changed.

It was an extensive list, since almost all the upholstery and soft furnishings in the house were faded and worn, and the wallpaper was discolored with age.

Only a single drawing room, the dining room, and the duke’s chambers had been kept up to date.

In the afternoon, the old duke’s solicitor arrived to go over the will with Mr. Bennet.

Upon being introduced, the duke welcomed Mr. Maxwell.

“I am glad you are here so that I can finally know what I have to work with,” he said.

“The house itself is in good condition, but the contents need some work, and for that we will need money. I do hope the old duke left us something to work with.”

“Not to worry,” said Mr. Maxwell. “While there has been a bit of confusion, it has already been straightened out. I think it best that you first read the will. Then we can discuss it.”