Mid-September 1805

"Welcome aboard, Mr. Alexander. Has the housekeeper shown you to your quarters and briefed you on the rules of the house?" Admiral Blackwood's voice boomed around the study in a way that reminded Will of his Grandfather's usual mode of speech, although the Admiral was only between fifteen and twenty years older than Will.

"Yes, sir. Mrs. Nichols gave me a very complete introduction to the house and its rules. I was a little surprised to see you had placed me in one of the family suites. I am not complaining, of course, but I am still surprised."

"I thought you might be. It is not the usual place to dock a tutor, I agree, but we have so many fine rooms here and so little family to fill them, you know. You are an important member of my crew, Mr. Alexander. I thought it a shame to send you to the attics when that suite actually puts you closer to the boys and the schoolroom. Do you think it will do?"

"Most definitely, sir. The rooms are pleasantly situated and furnished very comfortably. As you say, they are close to the back stairway that takes me directly to the schoolroom. I could not ask for anything better or more convenient."

The Admiral gave him an approving look. "I told the head groom to show you the ponies I purchased for the boys when you brought your horse to him. Did he give you a good look at them?"

"Yes, sir, he did. They look like fine beasts. The groom tells me they have been very well behaved so far and they appear patient and unlikely to startle easily. Since your boys have no previous riding experience the two ponies you purchased should do very well for them to begin on."

"Good. Good. Cluett told me his boy had become an excellent rider under your training and his older girl was nearly as good. He told me you even taught the little one to sit on her sister's pony and be led around while maintaining a good seat. I have not spent much time on horses. They do not like to be ridden around the deck of a ship, you know." He and Will both had a good chuckle before he continued. "All the same, my father was a country gentleman and he made sure my older brother knew how to ride almost as soon as he could walk."

"It is an important skill if you own and manage land," Will agreed. "Sometimes you can walk the land, but sometimes you really need to ride."

The Admiral nodded. "Cluett told me you had a good understanding of estate matters and might be able to give me a hint now and again. I am always willing to accept a few words of advice from my junior officers, but be sure you do it in a way that does not undermine my command. I am the master of this ship, even if it is on land. Of course, your primary duty is always to the boys. Keep them safe and teach them what you can."

"I understand, sir. I will do my best by them and by you."

"You will do, young man. The boys are eager to see you again, so if you would, go on up and have a few words with them. Then you are free to spend the rest of today settling in. You go on duty at breakfast time tomorrow. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir." Will said, giving a short bow before he turned and left the room.

~o~

Howard and Benjamin (better known as Benny) were indeed eager to see their tutor again. Will had met them briefly when he first interviewed with the Admiral and his wife. Both boys were younger and less mature than Master David had been when Will first arrived at Hazelmere. Howard was nearly eight and Benny was only slightly more than a year younger. When Will showed up at the door of the nursery they would both be sharing, the two boys cheered. Even the nursery maid who would look after them when they were not at lessons gave him a bright smile.

It was a good start to his new position. He knew it was just as likely one or both of the boys might have been resentful and sullen. Instead, they both seemed to have sunny dispositions that reminded him of Charles. In fact, they even looked a bit like him, with their bright green eyes and red-gold curls. He took the resemblance as a good omen. Will visited with them for a little while, assuring them that their lessons would begin the next morning and that they would have plenty of fun in addition to learning the things a young gentleman would need to know.

He was still thinking of Charles as he headed to his room a little later. Something about what he had seen of the house so far left him wondering if this might do for Charles, if Admiral Blackwood decided not to purchase the estate when the lease ended. Since they left Cambridge, his friend had spent some time working with his father on the family business, but he did not really enjoy it. His father wanted him to find an estate and had funds set aside for the purchase. Charles told Will all about it in his letters, along with complaints about how ridiculous his sisters had become since their time in Miss Allenham's select seminary. He had mentioned his older sister's marriage to a man named Hurst, saying it was a good match and a step up socially, although he did not think much of Hurst himself. The younger sister, Caroline Bingley, was the real problem. As Charles's latest letter had said:

She seems to think she is a duchess or something, and puts on terrible airs. Father is quite out of patience with her and her insistence on marrying a nobleman. Even with a dowry of twenty thousand, the family connection to trade makes it highly unlikely anyone from a noble family would ever offer for her. He has no idea how she got such ideas in her head, but he truly wishes he had pulled her from that school when he first started to notice her changed behavior two years ago. No man of sense will have her as she is now, he says, and I agree.

For my part, I have met a lovely young woman who I am currently courting. She is a niece of Mr. Gardiner, which makes her a very distant relative of mine. Miss B...(here there was a big splotch of ink) is the daughter of a country gentleman of little wealth or substance, but socially it would still be a step up for me. More than that, she is sweet, kind and very beautiful. I think my next letter will probably be announcing my engagement. I hope when the time comes you will be my best man.

Will hoped the young lady was as sweet and kind as Charles believed. He had frequently had his head turned by a pretty face, although never seriously enough to be talking about marriage before. Will did not think he would marry for several years, if at all. Even with George shipped off to Australia, there was still no guarantee Will would ever inherit Pemberley. Without an entail, his father could will it where he wished. In the absence of certain knowledge regarding the succession, Will must expect to live on what he could earn and save. It was quite enough to support him, but not quite enough to support a wife and children, for those often followed after a marriage and should be considered.

He had already heard their nearest neighbor had six children, five of them daughters. With a good estate one could make provision for five dowries, but it was still a heavy burden to be considered. He remembered Miss Whatcom telling him how her father had never bothered to set aside a dowry for her or her sister. To Will that was both poor planning and irresponsibility. He would think carefully before binding his life to someone else because he would never want to leave his family in such a state.

Of course, with two young charges he would have little time to socialize with gentlewoman and little chance of meeting someone he might consider marrying. Will knew he should consider only gentlewomen, as there was still some chance of inheriting Pemberley and he owed it to the estate to find a woman capable of being a proper mistress should he be in a position to marry. He remembered his teasing conversation with Alex about what they both should look for in a wife. It sounded as if Alex might have found what he needed with Lady Penelope, just as Charles thought he was settled with Miss B-splotch.

~o~

As he had told the Admiral, Will found his new suite of rooms well-furnished and comfortable. They were truly comparable to his old rooms at Pemberley. He had a large and comfortable bed in a room that could practically serve as a sitting room as well as bedroom. It had a large dressing room attached that even had its own bathtub, although Will would be reluctant to ask the servants to draw a hot bath for him very often, since he was actually a servant himself. He would have to ask Mrs. Nichols her views on the subject.

The sitting room had a few comfortable armchairs, a table, desk and matching chairs. A set of bookshelves looked like they had been added to the room recently. The fireplace shared a common wall and the chimney with the small fireplace in the bedroom. Best of all, the sitting room had a glass door that opened onto a small balcony. Will could leave it open for air on these days that still contained the lingering heat of summer or cover it over with heavy curtains in the winter unless he needed the light.

Will unpacked his trunks and arranged his belongings for ease of use. His clothes had nearly filled the wardrobe at Hazelmere, yet they seemed rather scanty in number when hung up in the dressing room. Will thought it was rather funny. Before he left Cambridge he sold all the good clothes he had outgrown over the four years he had been there, adding the funds to his savings. Throughout his time at the university he had made his purchases carefully, choosing quality fabrics that would last and conservative styles that would not quickly go out of fashion. From necessity, he had replaced a few items while at Hazelmere, but in general his clothing was still in good repair and not badly worn. In addition, his uncle had insisted on purchasing a small collection of the less durable items - body linen, cravats, stockings, shirts - for him during the visit to Ashby Hall. Even if the dressing room was not full, Will was well-set for the position he held.

After arranging his books, Will settled into one of the armchairs to read the two letters the housekeeper had given him when he first arrived. Both were from David Cluett and had been written about two weeks apart. They described the boy's first experiences at school. Will enjoyed reading about the new friends his former charge was making and how he was settling into his boarding house and classes.

Will felt honored by the boy's continued friendship and would maintain a correspondence for as long as David wished to keep it up. During his time at Hazelmere, Will had become very fond of the entire family and his young charge in particular. He suspected his mother had been right when she told him he needed younger brothers and sisters to protect. David was the closest to a younger brother Will had. He hoped Howard and Benny would soon feel that way as well.

David and Will had spent their time in the classroom making certain the boy would get the best possible start at Harrow, and it seemed they had succeeded. Despite his initial reluctance, once he got started David had taken to both mathematics and Latin with nearly the same enthusiasm he showed for reading. Will had even been able to give him a head start on Greek. He would definitely be at the head of his class and might even be able to skip forward a bit.

It had not been all study, however. As promised, once Master David picked up enough Latin to start reading about the Roman battles, Will helped him act them out with ranks of wooden soldiers on the schoolroom floor. They even found a place in an unused portion of the estate where they could create simple versions of the battlefield terrain and have their mock battles there. They had some fun times that reminded Will of the occasions he and his cousins had escaped from George and gone off on their own. He hoped to have times like that with the Blackwood boys as well.

Taking out his writing desk, Will drafted a response. He thanked David for his letters and told him about his recent arrival at Netherfield. He described the two ponies Howard and Benny would be learning to ride on. Will kept the tone conversational, as if he were writing to Charles or Richard. It really did feel like a letter to a younger brother.

Thinking of siblings, when he finished the letter to David, he wrote another to Georgiana, telling her about some of the same things. By dinner time he had both letters ready to go out in the next morning's post.