Hey everybody! I had hoped to update earlier, but I exchanged a quicker update for a longer chapter. I have also been dividing my time between this story and a story in-progress (which I hope to have uploaded by the end of the month *crosses fingers*). Sadly, school is also starting at the end of the month, but I don't think teachers will try to kill me with homework until at least the second week, so I'll be able to write another chapter by then. I'm terribly sorry for the slow plot development. I just need a few chapters to get this story all thought out and then the action begins! As always, please review! They keep we motivated to write new chapters!
A/N: the real Dalkeith Palace in Scotland was my inspiration for the Duchess' estate, and the Belton House (from 1995 Pride and Prejudice) is used again for Rosings Park. To procrastinate from finishing up summer homework, I might work on a cast list. I would love recommendations of actors as I have no definite image of the characters in my head!
"How could anyone possibly remember all this?" Eleanor groaned in frustration and let her head fall into her hands.
"Sit up like a lady, there will be no slouching in my presence," her grandmother commanded her with stern eyes. "All you need to do is concentrate on what I am telling you. The principles are simple." She began to explain the difference between addressing an Earl and a Duke in full detail. Eleanor tried to pay attention to this lesson, but the information was infinitely more boring than the exciting geography and history lessons that she had previously back at home. She knew she couldn't complain, though. Just to have her grandmother's love and respect was enough to endure a lot of things for.
Later after the lesson, Eleanor had forgotten most of what her grandmother had just taught her but she knew it had to do with the depth of a curtsy. Or was it the length? Eleanor debated over this question but got no further in finding the right answer. She let the question linger a moment more on her mind then let it slip away. After debating how to spend the few hours of peace before the grueling hour long ceremony that was the evening meal, Eleanor decided to take her new horse out and explore more of the countryside. Her grandmother had forbidden most of Eleanor's former pastimes, but luckily horse-riding was deemed "appropriate and advantageous for a young lady to be skilled at." As a present, Eleanor received a lean white Arabian horse from her grandfather. The horse was the most beautiful thing Eleanor had ever seen. Her coat shone brilliantly in the sunlight and she trotted and cantered with more grace than most humans had. Ridding this horse made Eleanor feel like the duchess she was attempting to emulate. With little success, Eleanor thought to herself. Although she had lived at Dalkeith Estate for nearly three months, Eleanor had retained little knowledge of the complex world her grandmother was teaching her about.
"Enough thoughts about my shortcomings, let's ride," she said to herself as she stepped outside and down the stairs, heading determinedly to the stables. She asked the stable boy to get her horse saddled for her, then waited without much patience for the time when she could escape the estate, even for just one hour.
20 minutes later Eleanor found herself in the same situation she had just been in three months ago. The only difference was that she didn't regret placing herself in this new situation. Though she was yet again trapped with no way of escaping, she didn't feel the need to. Not only did her grandmother treat her with love and respect that Eleanor had been craving her entire life, she felt as if she belonged here. The more she thought about it, the chains trapping her were more comforting than anything else. They made her feel wanted; she was needed enough to keep trapped.
She sighed and patted her horses head gently. "You need a name, but something as pretty as you has to have a name that has significance, that means something. I'll think of the perfect name." She guided the reigns to the left, towards home. Time to go back.
"Eleanor."
"What?" Eleanor looked up from her daydreaming.
"Your daydreaming continues to be a distracted, no matter how much I scold you about it. We have to work on that," her grandmother scolded with disapproving eyes.
"Yes Grandmother," Eleanor said meekly, not wishing to call more attention to her horrible habit.
"I wanted to talk to you about your first season," Eleanor's eyes widened with excitement. "You have been here for six months and I think it is time to try out your newly acquired social talents in a real setting. I wrote to a good friend living in England to arrange a," she stopped to think, "trial season if you will. If you can handle country parties and social sphere, then we are not long behind your official season in London."
"I can handle it, I promise," Eleanor said, practically bouncing with excitement. This was her chance to have a normal life and experience everything that girls her age did. She wasn't going to miss this chance. She couldn't.
"We will have to purchase a completely new wardrobe for you. Even though this is a small county affair, you can't pale in comparison to any girl and you won't when Madame Tressade is done with you. I sent for her yesterday, so I expect her to arrive by the next fortnight." The Duchess stopped talking and stared at Eleanor, almost evaluating her. "I expect you to work more diligently from now until you and I leave."
"Of course I will, Grandmother!"
"Lower your voice, child. There is no need to raise your voice. Remember your lessons. If you continue at this rate, I will cancel the trip." This comment made Eleanor sit even straighter in her chair and fold her hands gracefully in her lap. "That's better," the Duchess said, "Now off you go. I require some time alone to finish my correspondence."
"Thank you Grandmother," Eleanor said, trying her best to rise as gracefully as she could from her chair.
"Don't be late for dinner, as you were yesterday." As if Eleanor had forgotten. When she stepped into the dining room 10 minutes late for dinner, she had literally felt her grandmother's eyes bore holes into her. Eleanor knew she deserved it, though. Her grandmother had few rules, and it was Eleanor's own fault that she had trouble abiding by them.
"I won't, Grandmother." Satisfied by Eleanor's promise, the Duchess dismissed her with a small nod. Eleanor left the room walking on air and, had she been less careful, she would have broken another rule; absolutely no humming Mozart.
"Ow!" the dressmaker barely gave Eleanor a glance as yet another pin went too far into the dress and poked its victim.
"Stay still," Madam Tressade mumbled as she exchanged her assistant a handful of pins for a measuring tape. "You have gotten taller since I last measured you," Madam Tressade said with a frown, unhappy that she had to make even more alterations, though no doubt a small bit of ribbon could be added at the bottom with little inconvenience.
"My grandmother did notice that I had grown. Is it that much?"
"A half inch, but that does not make me concerned. I am in trouble if you continue to grow at this pace, though. I can't make alterations since you leave within the week."
While the dressmakers finished up adding the final touches to Eleanor's new clothes, Eleanor became more and more anxious of the upcoming trip. The more she thought about it, the more convinced Eleanor knew that she was going to make a complete fool out of herself. Other girls had years of practice, while she had a meager eight months of half-remembered lessons. The only thing that put her mind at ease was the confidence her grandmother showed in her. It was actually the lack of criticism her grandmother made about Eleanor's current behavior, but Eleanor choose to overlook that fact.
Speaking of overlooking, Eleanor thought as Madame Tressade and her assistant busied around her, I haven't seen Andrew in over a month. I thought living here would let me see more of him. In fact, whenever Eleanor had seen her brother, he was always with Lord Darius. Odious man, Eleanor thought with a mental foot stomp. Though she had purposely kept their interaction to a minimum, every time she saw him, a re-enactment of their first meeting always played in her head. She didn't know what she saw in him the first time. All he is is a tall and handsome noble, nothing special. But why does he infuriate me so much? After much internal debate, she realized the answer; because he took away her brother. Not only had he influenced Andrew to take up law, but Darius introduced his cousin to him. His lady cousin, to be more specific. Apparently Andrew and Lady Rebecca were quite smitten with each other, but Eleanor didn't have the authority to say so. She had only met Lady Rebecca once, at a dinner party her grandmother had hosted. All Eleanor could remember was a gentle smile and a pleasant, equally gentle voice. So, Eleanor had come to the conclusion that this mysterious lady was trying to emulate a feather. And doing a good job of it. The part the Eleanor didn't understand was why Andrew was taken by this piece of insubstantial fluff.
Unfortunately for Eleanor's argument, Lady Rebecca was probably the woman whom her grandmother was trying to model her into. This assumption would explain why her grandmother was so keen on having Andrew spent all available moments of the day at Lord Darius' estate, where the lady in question resided. Though not for long, Eleanor thought grimly. But she had to look for the silver lining amidst all the dark clouds, many of them were her own creation. Her critical personality often turned a harmless fact into a false problem. She didn't have control of her brother's feelings, but she had control of her own. With effort, she might even begin to love, or at least respect, Lady Rebecca.
Abruptly deciding that the current subject of her thoughts has beginning to depress her current sour mood, Eleanor put all her attention into watching Madame Tressade busy around her, making last minute tugs at the fabric and ribbons. All of Eleanor's current worries were temporarily locked far away in her consciousness.
Eleanor awoke with a jolt and took a few moments to blink away the shock that the bright sunlight created. She had been asleep for a couple hours it seemed. She and her grandmother had left the inn immediately after their morning meal, and judging by the intensity of the sun, it was already afternoon. The carriage door opened and her grandmother exited gracefully and waited outside for her barely conscious granddaughter. Eleanor took the hand of the attendant and stepped down slowly, engrossed in her new surroundings. Rosings Park, at least that's what she believed it was called, was a stately manor that seemed more windows than walls. The house itself was made out of a stone that Eleanor believed used to be a warm, inviting color, but the sun had made into a washed-out, cold color. She turned around to view the gardens surrounding the house and was pleasantly surprised. Although Rosings didn't seem to have an abundance of flowers, the grounds looked perfect for riding horses and walking. Contemplating the soonest time when she would be able to escape her grandmother and venture out alone, Eleanor completely forgot the purpose of why she was there.
"Come child," the Duchess called to her with a disapproving tone.
Oh no, Eleanor thought, waiting for the lecture that usually followed after she had forgotten her manners. Walking quickly to catch up with her grandmother, suspense clouding her mind, the reprimand never came. In surprise, Eleanor almost stopped walking. Possible explanations flickered through her head, but after a second of inner debate, she let the issue slide off her mind. She has more important things to worry about than my tendency to daydream during unimportant events.
Stepping into the main hallway, a maid dressed in a pristine, somber uniform guided them to a pair of doors, equally imposing as the exterior of the house. It amazed Eleanor how all the grandeur of an estate could be preserved in a pair or ordinary doors. Well, they certainly weren't ordinary. Not just anyone could afford them for sure, but these doors were more than doors. Congratulations, Eleanor, you are officially beyond the normal nervous. You have been forced to preoccupy your mind debating over doors. After elating in that sad moment, Eleanor realized she was in the presence of a woman who could have been a sister to her own grandmother. They both had equally critical gazes and an air about them that made the watcher never dream about disobeying them. This woman, however, had dark, graying hair that was pulled back, leaving waves on either side of her face. Her nose was thin, and not nearly as elegant as her own grandmothers. This stranger, too, had cool, calculating eyes that took in every detail that they saw. Overall, this woman commanded the presence of the gentry, but not nearly as well as her grandmother. She had to be titled a "lady".
"Eleanor, may I present Lady Catherine de Burgh. Catherine, this is my granddaughter, Lady Eleanor Riddell." Both women bowed, though Eleanor felt obliged to hold hers longer since she was meeting a woman of equal rank but her senior.
Introductions made, the duchess made herself comfortable in the only chair in the area, no doubt lady Catherine's usual chair for receiving visitors. Eleanor barely had time to attempt to suppress her nerves before both older women launched straight on into planning her near future.
Her grandmother began. "Is Anne away visiting today?"
"I had hoped that my daughter would be able to join us this afternoon, but unfortunately she has caught a passing cold. Nothing too serious but she is required to remain in bed for a few more days until she has recovered her strength. In the future, I hope that Eleanor and Anne will become good friends. Broadening the girls' social interaction will benefit them both immensely."
You could ask my opinion on the subject, Eleanor retorted in her head. She dared not say her feelings aloud for fear of making an enemy of Lady Catherine. Does she always talk over people as if they are not present? How am I to bear these next few months? Surely Anne will not be a source of great friendship if she is confined to bed due to a little cold.
"I have also invited my nephew and his new wife to join us for the season. I expressly wanted them to come and bring his younger sister. She is a year older then Eleanor but will no doubt be able to give advice to her, having already finished her first season."
"She did not find a husband last year?" the Duchess asked with a hint of concern.
"Unfortunately, her older brother is very protective over her. It is to be expected because she has a very large dowry. That fact always attracts disreputable fortune hunters."
"Quite right," the Duchess agreed with a nod.
"What is this lady's name," Eleanor asked, curious of the subject of their conversation. Lady Catherine stared at her with a surprised expression, as if she had expected for Eleanor to remain seen but not heard. "Miss Georgiana Darcy."
"What a lovely name. Is she equally as beautiful," Eleanor continued her inquiries.
"She is a very beautiful girl. Quite a credit to her family, though she has a shy and timid nature," lady Catherine admitted.
"It sounds that Eleanor could learn quite a few things from Miss Darcy. When is she to arrive?"
"In two days, if their carriages do not get delayed. I have planned a small dinner in honor of both your arrivals. It will consist of a few families that live in close proximity to Rosings."
"Are any titled?" the Duchess asked with extreme interest, leaning closer to her friend.
"Only one, a bachelor by the name of Wyhdham. Lord Wyhdham lives five miles south at Gainsborough Hall. His first wife died when she was very young, and he has never remarried. Now he is a little old for most girls, but he is still a very eligible man." Lady Catherine emphasized the adverb.
"And you say he is coming to dinner?" Eleanor thought her grandmother looked too excited for talking about an old widower.
"Yes, he wrote that he was more than delighted to meet our three young ladies."
Eleanor shivered at the thought of having to converse with Lord Wyhdham while he was considering more than acquaintance. Suddenly the joy of the new adventure dulled. At least she would not be alone in this struggle. Miss Darcy seemed an infinite more eligible lady than Eleanor could ever be. Eleanor's feelings shifted again. Poor Miss Darcy, Eleanor thought with compassion, she is so shy yet she must be thrust into the world of men, most attempting to win her fortune. At that moment, Eleanor made a silent pledge to support the other girl anyway she could. Eleanor knew that nothing could go wrong as long as the two girls remained together. Well, at least few things could go wrong.