The Colonel's Ungovernable Governess : A Pride and Prejudice Vagary

Chapter Four

“Claimed the chit had measles!” Edward declared in absolute befuddlement. “After first saying Miss Romfield had a head cold? What next? Will her ladyship claim her daughter has leprosy? I am seriously considering ending this arranged marriage business my father and our aunt have concocted.” He refilled his drink.

“A marriage and a ready-made family could have frightened the girl,” Darcy said in the man’s typical reasonable tones, which did little to assuage Edward’s anger.

He frowned his disapproval. “More likely she learned I do not have Lindale’s fine countenance. She danced with Sizemore and a few of his lordship’s ‘pretty’ friends at Almack’s.” Edward sank heavily in a nearby chair. “Those who speak of her claim Miss Romfield is a beauty,” he said as he leaned back into the cushions and closed his eyes. “What if she considers me ugly?”

“Then, you will tell the earl you cannot honor this agreement. If something happens to Lindale, and Matlock insists on seeing to the welfare of Lady Lindale and her children, then he can provide her use of the dower house or send her to one of the minor estates. The woman’s children are not your personal responsibility. If you marry, your loyalty should be to your wife, just as my loyalty was to Elizabeth, though your mother thought I should marry elsewhere. You must please yourself first, cousin. The earl’s plan is an admirable one, but it is not the only choice for you or for him.”

“Then you think I should permit Lady Romfield and her daughter their deception?”

Darcy stretched out his legs towards the fireplace. “Before I took Elizabeth’s acquaintance, I would have said my uncle had overstepped his role as your parent. You are two and thirty and your own man. You have carved out a successful military career and can easily use both your reputation and your knowledge of people to claim a seat in the Commons or whatever else sparks your interest.

“One of the earldom’s minor estates or the one from your mother’s side of the family will be yours and the seat of your family. The home of your wife and children. Whether you eventually assume Lindale’s estate and title or outlive both your brother and your father, you must think upon what is best for you, not for the Matlock earldom. Your efforts to change yourself into your father and brother will destroy you. Would you not prefer your wife to choose you for what you can offer her—the life of the gentry, rather than constantly wondering if Mrs. Fitzwilliam is praying for Lindale’s demise? Unfortunately, until you take her acquaintance, you will not know whether Miss Romfield is the former or the latter. I am praying you will know the type of contentment I have claimed with Mrs. Darcy. You deserve a chance at being you, not an imitation of your pater.”

“I suppose I simply must wait. In the meantime, after my business is complete with my superiors here in London, I mean to return to Maitland Manor and resume my recruiting efforts, as well as oversee the late planting. Then I mean to stay at William’s Wood for a sennight or until the older Babcock girl returns from school and I employ a proper governess for all three.”

“That reminds me, Elizabeth has written to say she ‘may,’ and I repeat ‘may,’ have a candidate for the governess position,” Darcy shared.

“Such is the best news I have had in a fortnight.”

* * *

“Pardon. Now turn north,” Jocelyn sputtered. “I fear I do not understand.”

Mrs. Bingley shook her head at her sister. “Not everyone can follow your various paths in discussing a topic, Elizabeth. None of us are Mr. Darcy, and even I sometimes lose your point. I believe you must start at the beginning for both Miss Lambert and me.”

Mrs. Darcy shrugged a good-natured gesture. “Mrs. Bingley is a true judge of my nature. I tend to be considering points three or four steps ahead of my current discussion. Permit me to begin here: My dear husband possesses two male cousins, one of whom also serves as guardian to Mr. Darcy’s sister, a girl of eighteen now. They two are always ready to assist each other.” The woman sighed heavily. “To make a long story shorter, the eldest cousin is of a sickly nature and is often away searching for miracle waters or whatnot. He and his wife have three children, an elder girl, who is away at school and a set of twins—a boy and another girl of about ten years, if I recall correctly.

“As their parents are often away from home, the children have been left alone and often to their own devices, though they have had a governess of late. In truth, I know little of the eldest girl, for I have only been in her company once, so I can provide you next to no information on her personality or her temperament.

“The boy, according to my husband, who has sat with the child upon multiple occasions, is quite intelligent, but he appears to have no talent for coping with situations outside of his comfort preferences and tends to communicate only with his twin. The child will likely require a bit of creative thinking to meet his needs. Mr. Darcy says the boy should have a governess who can employ a variety of methods to teach him about the world. Meanwhile, the youngest sister has been neglected because she often defends her brother, and must also go without instruction when a traditional governess will not bend a bit. The pair require someone willing to teach them at their level. Does such make any sense?”

Jocelyn said, “Those on the Continent often follow a less ‘established’ program of study. If one wishes to learn something of art, he goes to art galleries. To appreciate music and desire to learn to play, one must attend concerts. Both girls and boys often learn the same subjects, which I would imagine is not what a traditional English household encounters, at least, such was often said by my mother.”

“Exactly,” Mrs. Darcy declared in triumph. “None of the Bennet sisters had a governess. If we wished to read, there were books aplenty and on a multitude of subjects. We were encouraged to follow our own interests. Our sister Katherine lives for the latest fashion, for she adores the different fabrics and has designed gowns for the most influential women in London. Moreover, she is engaged to a man who encourages this talent, rather than denying it.”

Mrs. Bingley said, “Our Elizabeth has read more books and in a greater variety of subjects than most so-called scholars. She possesses an extraordinary interest in subjects such as medicine, architecture, horticulture, and astronomy.”

“Yet, Mr. Darcy loves me most ardently,” Mrs. Darcy announced in her own defense.

“Yes, he does. They are well matched,” Mrs. Bingley stated. “I am just attempting to say there are many ways to learn and subjects to study. In the estimation of many, Mrs. Bennet did each of her daughters an injustice by not hiring a dancing master or a music teacher, but those who wanted to learn did so, nevertheless. I am not saying we could not have benefitted from this singular instruction, for we could, but we each would have benefitted more if we had a governess willing to attempt different methods to teach the concepts, for what our sister Mary knows and loves about a pianoforte, neither Elizabeth nor I cherish.”

Jocelyn thought what the sisters said made sense, but she was not confident of what they expected of her. “Are you offering me a position as governess to these children?”

“I am initially offering you the opportunity to meet the children. I plan to call upon the household on my way north to return to Derbyshire. I mean to examine how they are progressing with both their parents absent at this time. I thought you might travel with me to Lincolnshire. You and I may spend time with the children. You shall be my ‘friend.’ In that manner, the twins may determine whether to provide you the opportunity to become attached to them and they to you, and you may decide if you wish to stay at the estate. If either you or the children appear to think the other is not compatible, I will see you on to Lincoln, itself, or Nottingham or York, whichever you choose so you might seek employment there. As I said earlier, I will gladly write you a character letter to assist you.” The lady paused to wait for Jocelyn’s response.

Jocelyn swallowed her fear. The woman was offering her steady employment in a wealthy household. Food. Shelter. “Your offer is more than I could have hoped to know. Thank you, ma’am. I accept.”

* * *

Three days later, Jocelyn joined Mrs. Darcy in the lady’s coach, which proved more comfortable than she remembered. Her things had been pressed and organized and placed in a small trunk provided by Mrs. Bingley, who also presented Jocelyn additional day dress, which had been hemmed up properly, for Jocelyn was an inch or so shorter than the woman, but more than three inches taller than the much more petite Mrs. Darcy.

“Since having my daughter, these dresses are too tight,” Mrs. Bingley had claimed, but Jocelyn suspected Mrs. Darcy had spoken to her sister on Jocelyn’s behalf. She was quickly learning that once Mrs. Darcy set her mind to something, only a fool of the highest order would stand in the lady’s way.

“Used, but new to me dresses,” she thought. “A trunk on top, along with my saddle.” Mrs. Darcy’s footman rode Jocelyn’s horse with a saddle supplied by Mr. Bingley, who had a fabulous stable, one she would like to have explored, but quickly realized she would never have the opportunity.

“I was thinking on Lord Lindale’s family,” Mrs. Darcy said, jarring Jocelyn from her musings.

“Yes?” Jocelyn said simply, having quickly learned the woman’s brain was always analyzing, manipulating, as well as organizing, though not in a mean-spirited manner.

“The twins both display signs of anxiousness. The boy’s awkwardness is likely more deep-rooted, but I believe the girl can easily be won over. Both will surely be made to go to school soon, and so your responsibility will be to prepare them both for the experience. I shall send Mr. Darcy a note for his cousin to consider a tutor willing to develop a ‘parent’ and ‘teacher’ relationship with the boy. My husband had such a man who came to assist in preparing Mr. Darcy for being on his own at school. Mr. Sheffield, who is my Hannah’s husband, has been a Darcy staple since my husband was a bit short of his tenth birthday. It was Sheffield who broke the news of Lady Anne Darcy’s passing to my husband and who counseled him when Mr. Darcy’s own father became somewhat of a recluse after his wife’s passing.”

“Does the boy have no one he prefers?” Jocelyn asked, wondering if she had erred in this choice.

“He likes Mr. Darcy’s cousin, for he is the type to take the boy fishing or for a run with the hounds,” Mrs. Darcy explained, only to be struck obviously by an afterthought. “I hope you are not frightened easily by toads or green garden snakes. The twins have driven away more than one governess with their antics.”

“I do not imagine such silly maneuvers would frighten you,” Jocelyn observed.

“I may have, when I was young, placed more than one frog in my mother’s quarters,” the lady said with a chuckle. “In truth, I am not so fond of snakes, but, as it is with those who do not like owls, I see a need for them on a home farm to keep away mice and other creeping and squiggling crawlers.”

“I consider myself made of sterner stuff than hysterics over a croaking frog,” Jocelyn declared, though she was no longer so assured she had made the correct decision. She only possessed her interactions with Andrew to serve as her experience with children.

As if the woman had read Jocelyn’s mind, she said, “If I were in your place, I would not be too strict nor too lenient. If you discover the children enjoy music, I see no reason not to take turns singing the lines of a piece such as Much Ado About Nothing to recognize the lyrical nature of Shakespeare’s words. You would be studying two subjects at once. If mathematics is a favorite, then count bushels of apples or walk off a field and calculate its size. Learning may happen outside the school room. My father is an expert on Shakespeare, as well as Francis Bacon. He and I can recite plays for hours on end. He also is a great lover of different types of architecture, and I share his interest. I love to sing, but my fingers upon a pianoforte are only passable, at best. I can draw you the loveliest bouquet you could ever imagine, but my portraits are more along the line of Cruickshank’s caricatures. Despite what English scholars say, we all learn differently.”

* * *

Edward’s cousin said, “I have finished my business in the City and plan to return north. You may travel with me, if you have a mind for the comfort of my carriage, rather than all those miles on a horse.”

Edward swallowed the bite of lamb he had just popped into his mouth before responding. “Do you mean to go to Pemberley? I assumed you might call upon the Bingleys as Mrs. Darcy is staying with her sister.”

“Elizabeth departed Bingley’s estate earlier than expected. I thought I had told you she intended to escort Miss Lambert to William’s Wood. They should arrive there today.”

“Miss Lambert? Is that the woman Mrs. Darcy suggested for the governess position?” Edward inquired.

“Yes.”

“Has Mrs. Darcy told you anything of the woman?” Edward asked.

“Miss Lambert has lived on the Continent for many years. Her father was a soldier. She and her mother followed the drum? In truth, I believe Elizabeth has taken on the task of making certain Miss Lambert knows success.”

Edward lodged an objection, “Does the woman have a proper education of her own? Many soldiers, even officers, are not of the gentry or the aristocracy.”

“You know my wife would not expose Lindale’s stepchildren to someone not capable of addressing their needs, though I suspect Elizabeth has encouraged the young woman to consider more ‘creative ways’ to teach a variety of subjects, just as Mr. Bennet did with her and her sisters. Just do not overreact if you view a bit of orderly mayhem.”

“What do you consider me to be? My father?” Edward protested.

“Nothing of that nature,” Darcy said with a grin, “though the Fitzwilliam ‘self-importance’ sometimes creeps in before we know what is what. I most confidently ate more than a bit of shoe leather in my attempts to court Elizabeth.”

“Court?” Edward asked with a chuckle. “I would not call insulting the woman a reasonable approach.”

“My dearest Elizabeth is a saint,” Darcy declared. “Anyway, Mrs. Darcy hopes you will provide Miss Lambert a proper welcome.”

“I am not a heathen, Darcy.”

“Just leave the ‘colonel’ packed in your trunk and permit ‘Mr. Fitzwilliam’ his due,” Darcy warned.

“Absolutely,” Edward attested. “I only eat weak soldiers and inept governesses on Sundays after saying my prayers.”

“With good weather,” Darcy surmised, “we should arrive at William’s Wood on Wednesday, around midday.”