Page 9 of The Duke of Derby (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

The next day, shortly before one, a carriage arrived at Lockwood.

Once the guests were announced as Mr. Darcy, Miss Darcy, and Mrs. Annesley, Elizabeth’s father practically pounced on Mr. Darcy, saying, “I am extremely grateful for your kindness in coming to assist us. Now, if you don’t mind, I have built up quite a list of questions for you. Shall we adjourn to my study?”

Elizabeth felt embarrassed at her father’s rude behavior, but she said nothing.

Surprisingly, it was Jane who corrected him.

“Papa, you must let Mr. Darcy rest from his journey for a bit before taking him away like that. I shall ring for some tea and refreshments, and while we wait, our guests can get settled in their rooms and change if they desire.”

Papa looked abashed. “My apologies, Mr. Darcy,” he said. “I admit that after looking over ledgers and books for twelve hours, my eyes are crossed, and my brain is scrambled. Please forgive me.”

Mr. Darcy chuckled, and Elizabeth felt her jaw drop to hear it.

She didn’t think the man was capable of laughing.

“No need for that, Your Grace,” he said.

“I have felt the same way when looking over my own ledgers after a lengthy absence.” He turned to Jane and Elizabeth and said, “I would like to get myself and my sister settled, though, if you don’t mind. ”

“Of course,” said Jane. “If you would make the introductions, I will see that you are all taken care of.”

Mr. Darcy introduced his sister as Miss Georgiana Darcy and the young lady’s companion as Mrs. Annesley.

Based on Mr. Wickham’s description, Elizabeth had expected Miss Darcy to be proud, possibly something like Miss Bingley, but she was the exact opposite. If anything, she seemed timid, almost mousy.

Mrs. Perkins arrived almost immediately after the introductions, and she led the guests away to their rooms.

“I do hope their rooms are comfortable enough,” said Jane.

“So do I,” said Elizabeth.

~~~~~

Mr. Darcy spent the rest of the afternoon closeted away with Papa. Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Jane spent some time with Miss Darcy getting to know her.

It took a bit of work, but gradually, the two sisters managed to convince Miss Darcy to open up.

Elizabeth realized, to her shock, that much of Miss Darcy’s shyness came from a lack of confidence.

Given Miss Darcy’s status, this seemed utterly impossible.

Miss Darcy must have grown up in a situation where every need and many of her wants were filled without her even asking.

It only seemed natural that such a situation would lead to confidence.

Yet, confidence in herself and her ability to please those around her was exactly what Miss Darcy was lacking. As Elizabeth realized this, her initial reaction was to think that Mr. Darcy must be a harsh guardian, but she immediately withdrew that opinion.

She had heard him speak about her with affection often enough at Rosings to know that such a thing was impossible. She could think of nothing else that would create such timidity in a young lady who should expect the world to be handed to her on a silver platter.

After a while, Elizabeth put such thoughts out of her mind and focused on chatting with the young lady and getting to know her.

Miss Darcy had all the typical interests of a young lady.

She loved to shop, not just for clothing but also for little knickknacks and other items that caught her attention.

She enjoyed trying her hand at designing her gowns, though she had not yet succeeded in creating one that her dressmaker completely approved of.

Her primary interest, however, was in music. She played both piano and harp, and she practiced for many hours every day.

After the three young ladies had chatted for a while, Elizabeth suddenly remembered that they had a piano in the music room. After mentioning it, she asked, “Shall we go see if it is any good? If it is, you will be able to practice even while you are visiting with us.”

“I would not wish to put you out in any way,” said Miss Darcy.

“It is no bother, I assure you,” said Elizabeth as she stood up. “I play piano as well, as does my younger sister, Mary. We would need to take a look at it sooner or later anyway.”

The three ladies headed to the music room. It was a fairly small room just off the largest drawing room with the two rooms being connected by a large pocket door.

The piano had a prominent place in the middle of the room.

It was a beautiful instrument. Its glossy black color made it somehow both stand out and blend into the background simultaneously.

The general shape was perfectly normal, but there were plenty of scrolls of decoration carved into it wherever possible, and the feet had been carved into the shape of cat paws.

Elizabeth approached the piano nervously. It was clearly very old. She wondered when it had last been played. Which duchess had purchased it and played it? Did she love music, or was it simply a chore?

She ran her hand along the top before lifting it and propping it up, which would allow the sound to travel properly. She was pleased to see that, just like everything else in this enormous, empty house, it had been kept free of dust.

She turned to Miss Darcy and gestured toward the seat. “Would you like to do the honors?” she asked.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly, Lady Elizabeth,” she said.

Elizabeth had planned on insisting, but when Miss Darcy used her new form of address, Elizabeth remembered her station. She realized it would be very unkind to force Miss Darcy to take precedence over herself in her own home.

“Very well,” said Elizabeth.

She sat down on the bench. Like every other piece of furniture, it was faded and worn, but at least there were no holes in the fabric. She lifted her hands to play one of her favorite tunes which had a short dancing sort of melody.

Within only a few bars, however, she stopped playing. The noise coming out of the beautiful instrument was absolutely horrid.

“Oh my,” she said. “That is quite something.”

“Yes,” agreed Miss Darcy. “That was definitely something.”

After glancing at each other, clearly seeing both the shock and dismay on each other’s faces, they each burst into giggles while Jane looked on with a smile.

Once the laughter was gone, Elizabeth said, “I believe we will need to have the strings completely replaced, possibly a few hammers as well. We may even need to simply replace the instrument completely. What do you think, Jane? Should we try to repair it or replace it?”

Jane ran her hand along the side of the piano. “I think it would be a shame to replace such a beautiful instrument. Let us see if it can be repaired.”

“I agree,” said Miss Darcy. “Though it is probably not my place to say my opinion, I must at least admit that I have never seen a more beautiful piano. It would be a shame for such workmanship to be consigned to the fire. If you do plan on repairing it, there is a craftsman in Derby who we call in occasionally to tune the two pianos at Pemberley. We have never had any issue with his work.”

“Thank you for the information, Miss Darcy,” said Jane. “I will let my father know.”

~~~~~

Elizabeth didn’t see either her father or Mr. Darcy until dinner. Once they were all seated for dinner however, she asked, “So, how did things go with the ledgers today?”

She was looking at her father when she asked, but she was curious how Mr. Darcy would respond. Out of the corner of her eye, she could tell that he was rather surprised that she would ask such a question.

“Excellent,” said her father with a pleased smile on his face. “Darcy, here, has taught me a great deal in just a few short hours, including a few shortcuts that will allow me to make sure I am not being cheated without having to double check everything my secretary does.”

Elizabeth noted that her father had dropped the Mr. from in front of Mr. Darcy’s name. She wondered whether it was because they had become closer during their time working together or if her father was simply exercising his prerogative as duke to call Mr. Darcy whatever he wished.

“I now have a firm grasp on how much this house costs to run and maintain as well as a rough idea of what my income is,” continued Papa.

“In the near future, I will need to look over the investments and the maintenance costs of my real estate, including the London house, but I believe tomorrow should be set aside for shopping. What do you think, girls?”

Elizabeth was ready to agree immediately, but Jane said, “What kind of shopping?”

“Well, we will need sheets and blankets for your mother’s room as well as your sisters’ rooms. Most of what we have on hand is either already in use or is a bit moth-eaten.

Additionally, we will need wallpaper for those rooms. I don’t want to do too much, for I expect your mother will enjoy redecorating everything herself, but the rooms need to at least be inhabitable before they arrive. ”

“When will Mrs. Bennet…I mean Her Grace…be coming here?” asked Mr. Darcy.

“That depends almost entirely on how long it takes to prepare the bedrooms,” said Papa.

“I imagine she is quite looking forward to it,” said Mr. Darcy.

Elizabeth looked at Mr. Darcy’s face. His expression was impassive, and she could not tell whether he was poking fun at Mama’s excitability or if he actually meant exactly what he said.

“Our mother does not know about this new situation, yet,” said Jane.

Mr. Darcy’s eyes widened while Miss Darcy asked, “How could she not know?”

Papa shook his head. “I cannot predict whether she will be over the moon with excitement or absolutely intimidated. If I told her about it before I had assessed the situation, I would not know how best to help her with either reaction. Therefore, I told her that Elizabeth, Jane, and I would be taking a trip to Derbyshire to visit an old friend of mine.”

“But now that we know what our circumstances are, we can move forward,” said Jane.

“Yes,” said Papa. “I promise that, as soon as the bedrooms are ready, we will send for her.”

After a short silence, Elizabeth asked, “I wonder if the two of you gentlemen remembered to think about a possible governess or tutor who can teach us the social rules of the upper classes.”

“It completely slipped my mind, Lizzy,” said her father.

“If I recall, Mrs. Annesley has a sister who is between jobs right now,” said Mr. Darcy. “Is that correct?” he asked the companion.

“Yes,” she replied. “My sister, Mrs. Rigby, was let go a few months ago when her charge, Lady Pamela Frank, married. She is currently staying with our brother in Nottingham.”

“Is that the daughter of Lord Barnaby Frank, Earl of Pembroke?” asked Papa.

“Yes,” replied Mrs. Annesley.

“I see,” said Papa. “That seems suitable. Can she provide references?”

“Of course, Your Grace,” said Mrs. Annesley. “Would you like me to send her a letter?”

The duke looked at Mr. Darcy. “Are you confident that she can handle this task?” he asked. “You are acquainted with my family and the various personalities involved. What is your opinion?”

Mr. Darcy hesitated, and for a moment Elizabeth wondered what he was thinking. Was he reminded of her younger sisters’ habit of flirting with any gentleman who would pay them attention? Was he thinking of Mama’s shrill voice or her tendency to say whatever came into her head?

He squared his shoulders and said, “As long as she is supported by the master of the house, I believe she can help you all a great deal.”

Elizabeth felt her eyes go wide in surprise.

She looked at her father to see his reaction.

Papa was eying Mr. Darcy speculatively. Eventually, he sighed.

“I suppose I deserved that,” he said. “Mrs. Annesley, would you mind composing a letter for your sister explaining our needs? If she is interested in the position, I will send one of my carriages to bring her here for an interview.”

“I would be happy to,” said Mrs. Annesley. “If you don’t mind my asking, however, would you mind explaining exactly what your needs are so that I can be as specific as possible when writing to my sister?”

“Ah, of course,” said Papa. “We are looking for someone to act as a governess and companion for my youngest three daughters. They are ages nineteen, seventeen, and fifteen. Additionally, she needs to be able and willing to teach the entire family, including myself and my wife, the manners necessary for mingling with those of our new status.”

“Isn’t nineteen a bit old to need a governess?” asked Mrs. Annesley.

“Perhaps,” said Papa, “but age does not automatically convey knowledge, wisdom, or proper behavior. I assure you, all three of my younger daughters need a great deal of assistance before they can be presented to society.”

“Very well, Your Grace,” said Mrs. Annesley. “I will write to her this evening.”