Chapter 8
Darcy did not sleep properly that night and was up early the next morning.
Deciding that a ride would clear his mind, he summoned his valet and was dressed and out of the house soon enough.
The cool breeze of the early morning was a balm to his face.
He was still reeling at the coincidence of Mrs. Hardwicke being Miss Elizabeth’s aunt.
It had been agonising to talk to her as any other acquaintance, but he had persevered.
It had stung when she had said that he made it difficult for people to like him.
He was not a circus clown; his duty was to live up to his principles, not to keep smiling like someone fit for Bedlam.
Well, she was free to form whatever opinion she wanted of him; he had offered her his whole world and she had thrown it back in his face.
It was not like she was a paragon of politeness.
‘You would not like her half as much if she were demure and proper like a blushing debutante.’ A small voice in his mind challenged him.
He scoffed at it. She was too stubborn and illogical for him to persist in his preference for her.
He returned to the house and rang for breakfast. As he waited for a servant, he once again repeated to himself that Miss Elizabeth’s ill-conceived notions were for her pleasure, for his part, he was not going to be distracted by the lady.
He was here to settle the management of Willowmere by setting up a system that would allow the estate to flourish in his absence.
He had no time to worry about stubborn young ladies.
He had just finished his breakfast when a footman informed him that Mr. Grant, the steward of Willowmere, wished for an audience with him.
Asking him to be shown to the study, he made his way to meet him.
“Mr. Darcy, thank you for meeting with me,” Mr. Grant said, as soon as Darcy entered.
“Mr. Grant, please take a seat. I was planning to seek you out. I would like to understand the details of the workings of the estate,” Darcy responded.
“I would be happy to assist you for now, sir, but I wanted to inform you that I will not be continuing with the position. I was used to working with the landlord on a daily basis and an absentee master would be difficult for me to adjust to. I do not mean any impertinence, sir, but I understand that you are the master of a great estate in the north.”
“Mr. Grant, I understand your preference and would only request for you to stay for a month or two. I will be in the area for that time and would like to get all the details I require. If possible, I will also appoint a new steward who may learn from you while you are here.”
“I will be honoured, Mr. Darcy. Would you like me to get the ledgers of the estate from the main house?”
“No, not now. I am planning to take a tour of the estate tomorrow. I will meet the tenants and see the fields for myself before I get to the ledgers.”
“Very good, Sir. I will take my leave and await your presence tomorrow,” Mr. Grant took his leave.
Once the steward had left, Darcy sat thinking for a while.
A well-established steward would have been a perfect solution for managing the estate but Darcy would never ask a person to remain after he had made up his mind to leave.
He was not aware of Mr. Grant’s abilities and thought that someone new with no knowledge of the last master may actually turn out better.
He took a fresh sheet of paper and wrote a letter to his steward at Pemberley.
The man had been working for him for three years and was very reliable and honest in his dealings.
Darcy hoped that he would be able to suggest someone suited for Willowmere.
Deciding that the matter of a steward could wait until he had received a response from Pemberley, he pulled out the copy of the entail papers and the estate account details that he had received from the solicitor and started studying it.
Pulling out a paper, Darcy made some notes.
He continued to study the documents and deliberate on them till it was time for luncheon.
He decided to eat in the study as he absently considered all the information.
Then deciding to speak to the solicitor, he sent a note requesting a meeting.
With that done he summoned the housekeeper.
“Mrs. Clarke, do take a seat,” Darcy said as the housekeeper arrived. Seeing her hesitant expression, he added, “This will take some time, so I would prefer it if you were comfortable.”
The lady finally seated herself opposite him. “I understand that you have been working for the Hardwickes for some time.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Hardwicke had hired me and a maid of all works just after he got married. While the dower house was not in use, he did not want it to go in disrepair.”
“Of course, I am sure he made the right decision. The house is habitable and in decent condition,” Darcy commented, trying to reassure the lady.
“Thank you, sir. Mr. Davis came and inspected everything before your arrival.”
“I have no complaints about my stay. What I require from you is a list of any repairs or furnishings that would be needed to make it suitable for regular use. I understand that a few servants were added after my arrival,” at Mrs. Clarke’s nod, he continued, “Please let me know if you would like to retain them or if any other servant would be required. Take a week, Mrs. Clarke, but by the end of it I would like to have the details of all that needs to be done and suggestions, if you have any, on what could be locally achieved.”
Mrs. Clarke was quite intimidated by this formidable master. Mr. Darcy was as rich as a lord, and his reticent manner made him appear foreboding to the intimidated servant. She quickly assured him that she would have the details ready by next week and fled his presence.
It was a little later that a footman came to inform him that Mr. Davis, the solicitor, was here to see him. Asking the servant to let the visitor in, Darcy took a seat behind the desk and pulled out his notes.
“Mr. Darcy, you wanted to meet with me?” Mr. Davis entered the study and greeted Darcy.
“Yes, I was hoping to discuss some details of the estate and entail.”
“Of course, I was visiting the main house to discuss the matter with Mrs. Hardwicke, and would happily explain anything that is not clear to you as well. Please let me know how I can be of service.”
“I have read all the details, and from what I understand, while Mrs. Hardwicke is entitled to five hundred pounds annually, there is no other annuity set aside for her?”
“You are correct, sir.”
“That payment would also cease were she to remarry, which I would think likely as she is still young,” Darcy commented.
“I am not so sure. Marrying again would be difficult for her as she does not have any independent fortune,” the solicitor responded with a frown.
“I see the estate accounts have ten thousand pounds in them. I was thinking of settling five thousand on Mrs. Hardwicke. It would be separate from her annuity and could be her dowry were she to remarry,” Darcy leafed through his documents.
“I wished to understand if the remaining five thousand would be enough for any emergency on the estate till more could be added.”
“That is very generous of you. The estate was well run from what I have seen and it should not be a hardship.”
“Good, then that is settled. What about Miss Hardwicke, Mr. Davis? Has Mrs. Hardwicke suggested anything regarding her daughter’s funds?”
“I just spoke to Mrs. Hardwicke regarding the same. She wishes to add the amount Miss Hardwicke is to receive to her dowry till she is eighteen years of age. At that time she feels that they may need the funds for outfitting her and to take her to either Bath or London, for the society here is limited.”
“Hmm. That is a sensible plan. Miss Hardwicke will have a dowry of seven thousand pounds by then. Very respectable. Well, Mr. Davis, I would like you to take care of the formalities for settling the five thousand on Mrs. Hardwicke. I will let you know if I think of anything else.”
Mr. Davis took his leave and went back to his office but kept wondering about the generous funds Mr. Darcy was settling on the widow.
He felt a little ashamed for he had been sure the man would be quick to drive away the widow and child.
Deciding to keep the matter confidential to avoid much speculation in the village, he did not mention anything to his clerk or his wife.
Darcy stood in the study, brandy in hand, thinking that he had finally made some progress towards settling the situation.
He hoped to gain a decent steward for that would be paramount in gaining the tenants’ trust. As he sipped from his glass, an errant thought crossed his mind.
What would Elizabeth think of all that he had done today?
Would she still consider him unfeeling? She had been surprised to see him comfortable with Miss Hardwicke but had recovered quickly.
He had felt her trying to smooth his conversation with her aunt.
He drank the rest of the brandy and walked out of the study resolved to ignore the infuriating part of his brain that kept turning to Miss Elizabeth.