Page 6 of The Duke of Derby (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

Mr. Bennet took the document and began reading it aloud.

Apparently, the old duke had a great deal of fondness for his servants.

Every single one of them, from the lowliest scullery maid all the way up to Mrs. Perkins’ assistant was granted an amount equal to ten times their annual salary.

Mrs. Perkins and Mr. Warburton were granted a thousand pounds each.

There were also a few bequests to some friends, but those took the form of items of sentimental value rather than cash. The final paragraph was the one Elizabeth found most humorous.

After having left as much as I should to those who took care of me in my final years, I am aware that there is a great deal more that needs to be disbursed.

However, I am out of friends and out of servants to leave it all to, and my family has all been taken from me.

Therefore, the rest of my money and possessions can go to the devil.

Perhaps it will make him happier than it ever made me.

Before the new duke could ask any questions, Mr. Maxwell said, “As you can imagine that last bequest was difficult to execute. Under ordinary circumstances, when there is property that is unspecified in a will, it either goes to the next of kin automatically, or it goes to the crown if there is no obvious next of kin. In this case, it was debated in the courts during the time they were looking for you. In the end, the crown took a portion, but the vast majority of it is yours.”

“If the crown took a portion, why wasn’t I informed when I spoke with the Prince Regent?” asked the duke.

“I can’t say for certain,” said Mr. Maxwell. “I suspect, however, it is simply because the Prince Regent did not know. The entire matter was handled through the courts by solicitors and secretaries. I can well believe our Prince has not yet been informed, if he ever is informed.”

“I suppose that seems reasonable,” said the duke. “And how much is it that I have inherited, exactly?

Mr. Maxwell gave him a piece of paper while he said, “There were several different types of investments as well as various properties. The Duke of Derby is the owner of most of the property in Derby itself as well as a great deal of agricultural land in the area. Additionally, there is an estate in Cheshire, called Northdale, that is usually set aside for the heir’s support.

The former Duke has left money in the funds which currently total over two hundred fifty thousand pounds.

Other investments, excluding real estate, total another fifty thousand pounds. ”

Elizabeth could see her father was struggling to keep a blank expression when he asked, “Was there any money in a normal bank account that was used for daily expenses?”

“Ah, yes,” Mr. Maxwell replied as he pointed at a line on the paper.

“In addition to the estate account, there was also a bank account that is now yours with six thousand pounds in it, ready and waiting for your use. When the steward collects the quarterly rents at the end of June, that money will be deposited in the estate account. From there, most of it will then be transferred into your bank account, leaving behind enough to cover a reasonable amount of unexpected repair costs.”

“And how much will the quarterly rents be?” asked the duke.

“At the current rates, you will receive approximately five thousand pounds per quarter,” said the solicitor.

“That includes a little more than a thousand pounds from Northdale. The total varies a bit, depending upon how many of your dwellings are currently occupied. At the moment, you are close to capacity with only a handful of houses in Derby lying empty.”

When Mr. Maxwell was done discussing the situation, he turned to take his leave, but just before he left, he said, “I forgot to mention the family jewels. They are stored in a safe in the Mistress’ suite, though they haven’t been used since the late duchess passed away.

There aren’t as many as you might think, and none are older than a century or so.

Apparently, your grandfather stole most of his mother’s jewelry to fund his escape. ”

He then bowed and exited the room. Once Mr. Maxwell was gone, Mr. Bennet turned to his daughters and said, “Well, my dears, what do you think?”

“I think I would be very interested to hear the full tale of how your grandfather came to be separated from his family,” said Elizabeth with a grin.

“I have heard bits and pieces,” said Papa.

“Apparently, Brent Smythe, tired of his father’s tyranny, ran away in the company of the duke’s secretary, who made off with a significant fortune.

The secretary made his way to the Americas, never to be heard from again, while Brent Smythe joined the navy under the name of Brent Smith, using the money he made from selling his mother’s jewels to ease his way. ”

He chuckled. “I am only grateful that my grandfather used a name so similar to his original name, not even bothering to change his first name. Apparently, that made it much easier to verify his real identity.

“In fact, the most significant evidence they found which identified my grandfather as Duke Derby’s son was a file of papers almost a hundred years old, found in this house.

They consisted of reports from investigators who had been sent to search for Brent Smythe after he ran away.

The investigators quickly learned that Brent had joined the navy.

Apparently, the duke simply didn’t care enough to force his son back home. Instead, he pretended he was dead.”

“So, your great grandfather, the tenth duke, knew his son was alive, but he declared him dead anyway?” asked Elizabeth. She couldn’t believe a father could be so callous toward his son.

“Exactly,” said Papa. “At least the duke didn’t chase him down and demand the jewels back, or worse, have his son tried for theft, which would have seen him hanged. I suppose he treated it as though the jewels were the boy’s inheritance and left it at that.”

“Even so, it seems awfully callous,” said Jane.

“Perhaps,” replied Papa. “Dukes aren’t usually known for their generous and forgiving natures, though.”

There was silence for a few moments as each of them contemplated that particular observation. Elizabeth wondered if her father, now that he was a duke, would eventually become so callous and heartless, but she shook the thought away. Her father loved all his daughters. Of that, she was certain.

“Now, back to the subject at hand,” said Papa. “I was asking more what you thought of our situation.”

“I would like to know how much this grand house costs in upkeep,” said Jane. “The numbers Mr. Maxwell quoted sounded like a great deal, but if it is all taken up by simply keeping the house in good repair, then it won’t do us much good.”

“Very wise,” said Duke Derby. “I will spend some time this afternoon with my new secretary, who has been handling the day-to-day affairs since the old duke’s passing.

I suggest you two talk to the housekeeper.

She should be able to help you understand that side of things.

Then, we will discuss it over dinner and make plans. ”

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 move ten 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 no doubt 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, teased him 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.