Chapter 6
Mrs Lucinda Arnold, aged five-and-fifty, widow of a country rector and avid supporter of Church of England missionary work in the far east…
Miss Abigail Clairthorpe, bluestocking and sister of an noted Oxford academician who had published several ethical tracts with her brother…
Fr?ulein Luisa Meier, a Prussian lady who had previously worked with minor European royalty and had her own very strict system for pianoforte practice…
Darcy tossed the neatly summarised profiles and submissions from all three ladies into the tray of other discarded suggestions from Mrs Bevan’s agency.
Presumably attracted by the generous pay he offered, all these candidates were eminently well-qualified, even over-qualified, to be a mere companion to Georgiana, but Darcy could countenance none of them.
Perhaps unfairly to these ladies he had never met, he could not help imagining Mrs Arnold moralising sanctimoniously at Georgiana, or Miss Clairthorpe drilling her endlessly in dry ethical principles.
The thought of Fr?ulein Meier squeezing all the joy out of music, as her “system” looked likely to do, was particularly unacceptable.
Still, Darcy must hire someone, and soon.
Georgiana did need female companionship, and Darcy did not feel comfortable leaving her alone for more than a day or two without some sensible older woman to steer the domestic ship and alert him to any hazards.
He picked up another profile from the latest pile sent by Mrs Bevan that morning and then let out another long sigh after reading it.
Miss Alice Monkton was no more inspiring than the others.
She might come with shining references from the households of a duke, an earl, and a former government minister, but her manner of expression in answering Darcy’s questions was dull, incurious, and unintelligent.
He winced at the idea of enduring Miss Monkton’s conversation at supper, both for Georgiana and for himself. No, she would not do.
There was only one profile remaining. Grown tired and out of spirits, Darcy was tempted to throw this last set of papers into the discard tray after the others and be done for the day.
It seemed to have been included at the last minute, missing both the little slip of paper with the candidate’s name and the concluding paragraph of commentary from Mrs Bevan which the others possessed.
Curiously, Darcy glanced through the various pages and found himself smiling, although still unsure.
The profile was of a very young woman, only twenty years of age, with no pretensions to great learning, but a very sharp and engaging way of communicating.
This young lady was said to be the daughter of a country gentleman, but without any independent means or expectations.
Darcy supposed it was well for a lady to begin work early if her chances of a good marriage were low.
Likely this young woman was not very comely, or possessed some physical defect that might be a bar to matrimony but should not hold her back as a companion or governess.
In fact, a lack of physical beauty might help compensate for her age and allow her to be taken more seriously.
Interested, if far from convinced, Darcy turned to the written answers to his questions.
The applicant wrote that she played the pianoforte adequately to accompany a singer or to perform a duet.
She had also read most of the books on his reading list, remarking that she did not consider several of the others worth reading, a remark that made Darcy chuckle even though it was rather pert.
Her thoughts on appropriate manners, conversation, and society for young ladies were well-considered and pragmatic, their insight and intelligence impressing him far more than the responses from the older and more experienced applicants.
Mealtimes at Darcy House would not be dull with such an addition to their party.
The experience she mentioned in superintending her own younger sisters was also in her favour.
After reading the candidate summary twice, Darcy drummed his fingers on the table thoughtfully.
On paper, he rather liked the sound of this young woman.
Her age was obviously the greatest count against her.
She had not even attained her majority, and someone so young would require closer supervision from him, especially at the start.
This requirement for Darcy’s oversight might clash with the need to be very careful in guarding such a young companion’s reputation as well as Georgiana’s.
While he hoped his good character was widely known and respected, gossip was always a danger when a single man and woman of marriageable age were in frequent close proximity.
Darcy’s housekeepers, Mrs Reynolds at Pemberley and Mrs Stark at Darcy House, would always have to be on the premises when Darcy was in residence with the young woman.
Well, neither of them were presently due any long holidays and Mrs Annesley might be back within a few months.
A proper arrangement might be manageable in the short term.
“Fitzwilliam, are you in there?” asked Georgiana’s voice as she knocked quietly on the study door.
“Come in, Georgiana,” he answered and smiled at his sister.
“I wondered if you would like to walk in Hyde Park with me after luncheon,” she asked him. “There is barely a cloud in the sky and we have both been indoors so much of late.”
“Yes, we should. What a good idea, Georgiana. Before that, however, I would welcome your view on something.”
“My view?” Georgiana asked with some surprise as Darcy gathered up a bundle of paperwork. “I am afraid I do not know very much about banking or estate management or law, Fitzwilliam.”
“No, no. It is nothing like that,” he assured her. “These are the latest selection of candidates sent for my consideration by Mrs Bevan’s agency. Since this will be your companion, I should like to know whether any of them are particularly interesting to you, or otherwise.”
“Oh, yes,” Georgiana replied enthusiastically, her face brightening. “I should very much like to see them. Is there anyone just like Mrs Annesley?”
Darcy shook his head as he handed over the profiles and gestured for Georgiana to take a seat.
“They all have their own strengths,” he said tactfully, not wishing to influence her opinion. “But none of them reminds me of Mrs Annesley.”
His sister read slowly and carefully, her youthful and unguarded face often showing her opinion even when her comments were polite and noncommittal. She even shuddered when she read of Fr?ulein Meier’s pianoforte practice system, bringing a smile to Darcy’s face.
“I like this one,” Georgiana declared eventually, placing the profile of the witty twenty-year-old on the desk before Darcy. “Where is the lady’s name? I am sure that all of these others are very good women but… I cannot imagine living with them, in place of Mrs Annesley.”
Darcy took up the selected profile again and nodded to his sister.
“I can understand that,” he said. “The name seems to have become detached from the papers, unfortunately, so I do not know it yet. I shall ask Mrs Bevan to arrange an interview with this young lady as soon as possible. If she is as she seems, perhaps she will do well enough for a few months.”
“Thank you, Brother,” Georgiana said happily, and hugged him before leaving the room.