A/N: Hi all. Thank you once again for continuing to come back to this story. Unfortunately, life happened and I could not stick to the deadline (sigh). I didn't realise how difficult it is to write to a set timetable when trying to handle life (lol). So, to manage mine and your expectations, I am going to be honest and say that I won't be able to post weekly. But do not worry I will be posting as frequently as I can. I just want to ensure I do not rush the story. Regardless, I hope you enjoy the next instalment.
Chapter Summary: Elizabeth meets the Twins and Darcy lays down the law.
Track Recommendation: "New World" - Chamber Orchestra of London(Downton Abbey)
There was too much blood. Far too much blood. How could there be this much blood, Darcy thought.
"No," Darcy uttered helplessly "Please, God!"
"I am sorry Mr Darcy. There is nothing more I can do. She has lost too much blood," Doctor Moore said regretfully. The doctor's blood-stained hands were shaking.
"Anne," Darcy said, placing a kiss on Anne's ice-cold hands. "Anne, I am so sorry," Darcy said in a whisper.
As if in response, Anne's already limp body ceased the shallow breathing that had signalled her last attempt to hold on to life.
From a distant the wails of a baby could be heard mirroring the gut wrenching one that erupted from Darcy.
Darcy woke up with a start, his nightshirt drenched with sweat much like on the fateful night he had lost his wife. His heart was beating almost painfully fast and he found it difficult to control his breathing to a steady rate. Not requiring the light, Darcy reached across with familiarity to pick up the glass of water on his bedside drawer. He did not have time to be concerned with the graceless way he drank the water with unsteady hands that left most of the glass' contents on his nightshirt. Once his breathing slowed and his mind reconciled itself with the present, nightmare-less state, Darcy prayed for daybreak. He knew that the rest of the night would not bring him peace.
…
"Good morning Miss Bennet," Mrs Reynolds said to a groggy Elizabeth who was roused from a surprisingly peaceful slumber considering the events of the previous day. Exhaustion had aided her in falling asleep so quickly. Mrs Reynolds was opening the drapes which were letting in the early rays of sunlight. Elizabeth did not know if being awakened by the housekeeper was part of the benefits of working at Pemberley but she was not one to object.
"Good morning Mrs Reynolds. Apologies, I overslept," Elizabeth said.
"No need for apologies my dear. You must have been exhausted, you did not even let down the curtains to keep warm!" Mrs Reynolds said pointing at the curtains still wrapped in their sashes around her bed. "A journey like that would knock most people out. Miss Darcy usually takes two days to recover when she returns from school," Mrs Reynolds finished chuckling.
"Mrs Darcy?" Elizabeth asked curiously. Elizabeth had wondered whether Mrs Darcy was supposed to have joined them during the meeting last night. Perhaps a woman's presence might have changed things in her favour.
"Miss Darcy," Mrs Reynolds emphasised. "The Master's younger sister. Mrs Darcy passed away seven years ago," Mrs Reynolds said while she moved about the room.
"I am sorry to hear of her loss," Elizabeth said. The absence of a lady of the house now made sense. Although Elizabeth was saddened by the prospect of meeting the children. Moments like these made her grateful for her own mother. Even when Mrs Bennet's love manifested itself in the worst of ways, such as her obsession with seeing her daughters married to any man that so much as breathed in the direction of Longbourn, Elizabeth was grateful. After all, Mrs Bennet only meant well.
"She is resting with the Lord, all we can do is honour her memory," Mrs Reynolds said with a sad smile. "Now let us get you dressed and do not worry I will not always disturb your mornings Miss Bennet. Lord knows this household is responsibility enough, but I thought you might appreciate some assistance getting dressed. You will be meeting your charges after all and it is best to make a good first impression," Mrs Reynolds said as she ushered Elizabeth to the dressing table.
Elizabeth reserved any more enquiries about Mrs Darcy. She was not yet familiar with Mrs Reynolds to comfortably ask the questions she wanted to. She wanted to know more about the late Mrs Darcy to better understand how she would care for her new charges. While working for the Turners she had been informed that the current Mrs Turner was the second wife. Mr Turner had lost his first wife to pneumonia the winter before Elizabeth had arrived, leaving three children who had felt the loss of their mother acutely. The Turner children had been fortunate to have a caring figure in their stepmother but Elizabeth had witnessed moments of tension when discipline was administered by Mrs Turner. Elizabeth had had to be the bridge between the children and their stepmother.
She hoped that would not be the case again as there was no sign of Darcy having remarried. However, she could not guarantee that would be so for long. Men of Darcy's status rarely stayed as bachelors or widowers. They needed to continue the family line and the only way to do so was through marriage. Unless, as in Mr Bennet's case, marriage was not enough and a distant cousin had to step in to fulfill the duty of continuing the family line.
Mrs Reynolds helped Elizabeth into her dress and to pin her hair. She had recommended for Elizabeth to wear her newest dress to meet Darcy. Elizabeth wondered if the recommendation was a result of Mrs Reynolds' knowledge of what had occured the previous night. She would be surprised if Mrs Reynolds did not know, after all at Longbourn news had a way of reaching the servants. Elizabeth did not doubt that Pemberley would be any different.
Regardless of Mrs Reynolds' reasons Elizabeth still wanted to make sure she did not have a hair out of place. Not for the sake of her charges who would most likely not take notice of what she would be wearing. Nor to please Darcy aesthetically. Elizabeth had mastered her professionalism and knew not to cross any boundaries that would confuse her situation as a subordinate. However, the disastrous nature of their first meeting, which Elizabeth had felt more than prepared for, made Elizabeth want to be extra vigilant. She was not one to care for people's opinions because these opinions were never founded in truth. However, with Darcy, Elizabeth had an irrational desire to disprove any misconceptions about her that he may hold based on that meeting. Steady now girl, he is only your employer and you know yourself employers are not in the business of liking their employees, Elizabeth thought. The desire though did not go away.
There was a knock on the door and a woman who looked slightly older in age to Elizabeth entered. "Master Archie and Miss Rosie are dressed, Mrs Reynolds," the girl said.
"Thank you Bessie," Mrs Reynolds said with a smile towards Bessie. Elizabeth noted Mrs Reynolds' warmth. It was encouraging to know that she was approachable. "Miss Bennet, this is Bessie. The children's nurse. Any help you need with their care, Bessie will be on hand to assist you. Bessie, this is Miss Bennet. The new governess," Mrs Reynolds said introducing the women that would be working closely to see to the care of the children.
"It is lovely to meet you Bessie," Elizabeth said.
"Likewise Miss Bennet," Bessie responded, reciprocating the smile although rather shyly compared to Elizabeth.
"Shall we go and meet the children?" Mrs Reynolds asked Elizabeth.
"Yes, I am eager to meet them," Elizabeth said despite her nervous anticipation at the prospect of the children being anything like their father.
Mrs Reynolds led Elizabeth and Bessie to the children's day nursery. Elizabeth had only gleaned the existence of separate day and night nurseries from the few governesses she had interacted with while working in France. Most families only had one room where the child played and slept in, usually with an adjoining room for the governess. Once again the extent of the Darcy family's wealth, although not revealed to her, was made apparent.
Mrs Reynolds stopped in front of a door. "I will give you a proper tour when you have finished meeting the children but I thought I would indicate to you the night nursery," Mrs Reynolds said walking into a small room.
Elizabeth realised it was an entrance room for it was sparsely furnished with a simple settee by the window and two doors situated on either side of each other.
"Most of your activities with the children will be in the day nursery but when they retire to sleep, these are their bedrooms. Master Archie's room is on the left and Miss Rosie's room is on the right ," Mrs Reynolds said. "Bessie will be in charge of seeing to their night routine but you are not restricted from assisting," Mrs Reynolds added, directing them back into the hallway.
They arrived at the room Elizabeth assumed to be the day nursery. The room was double the size of Elizabeth's bedroom with an assortment of toys and playthings. A table was in the middle of what looked like a dedicated work area with stationery and books. Seated at a smaller table in the corner of the room well into their breakfast were Elizabeth's charges. The girl stood up excitedly, almost knocking over her chair, when the trio entered.
"Good morning Mrs Reynolds," Rosie said. The boy only stared at the trio and remained seated. Elizabeth observed that their features were strikingly similar however, where Archie's colouring was like his father, Rosie's hair was golden. She approached the trio and asked, "Is that our new governess?".
Elizabeth smiled as she observed how Rosie bounced on her feet while awaiting a response.
"Good morning Miss Rosie. Aren't you excited? Did Mrs Price put something in your tea?" Mrs Reynolds chuckled while acknowledging Rosie's greeting.
"No Mrs Reynolds, I am just excited to meet our new governess," Rosie replied innocently, her already wide smile threatening to split the corners of her lips.
Mrs Reynolds only shook her head in amusement. "Of course Miss Rosie. To answer your question, yes this is your new governess, Miss Bennet."
Rosie extended her hand and Elizabeth took it in surprise. She was not accustomed to her charges being so confident and forthright. Archie's cautious, non-responsive attitude was what she usually encountered and she appreciated the warmth from the little girl.
"It is lovely to meet you Miss Bennet. I am Rosie. This is my brother Archie", Rosie said pointing behind her to her brother. "Please do not call him Archibald. He doesn't like it," Rosie said in one breath.
"Likewise, Miss Rosie," Elizabeth's smile grew. She was warmed by Rosie's reception. "It is lovely to meet you too Archie," Elizabeth knew that she would have to work doubly hard to earn Archie's trust. For now a simple greeting, though not reciprocated, would suffice. It also prevented Mrs Reynolds potentially provoking Archie by prompting the boy to greet Elizabeth. She preferred silence over a sullen greeting.
"You are very pretty," Rosie said. Her blue eyes observed Elizabeth curiously and seemed to arrive at a conclusion that satisfied that curiosity. "Our other governess was not so nice, will you be nice to us Miss Bennet?" Rosie asked earnestly. Archie seemed to take interest in Rosie's line of questioning as he turned from his breakfast for a moment to look at Elizabeth.
"Miss Rosie!" Mrs Reynolds tried to admonish.
"It is fine Mrs Reynolds," Elizabeth's voice failed slightly. Her earlier thoughts on the potential effects of the absence of Rosie and Archie's mother returned. She crouched down meeting Rosie's eyes. Something told her the next few words would define her relationship with the children. "Firstly, thank you for the compliment and secondly-," the lump in her throat made it difficult to continue and Elizabeth had to pause. "Secondly, I promise on my honour that I will always be nice to you and your brother Miss Rosie." Elizabeth placed both hands over her heart. Rosie in turn held out her little finger and Elizabeth returned the gesture by hooking her little finger around Rosie's. Rosie's smile returned. Archie turned back to his breakfast. Elizabeth knew this was one vow she would never break.
Mrs Reynolds, who understood the significance of the moment for Rosie and Archie, only hoped Elizabeth would truly be different from her predecessors. "You can finish your breakfast now Miss Rosie," she directed Rosie back to her seat. It gave Elizabeth a moment to compose herself. "Bessie, you can resume your other duties. I will familiarise Miss Bennet with the nursery," Mrs Reynolds said.
Bessie nodded and made to exit the room but found her path blocked by Darcy.
"Good morning Sir," Bessie said, surprised at his appearance. She still managed to remember her manners and curtsied. "Good morning Bessie," Darcy said. "Good morning Mrs Reynolds," he added when he saw the housekeeper.
Mrs Reynolds greeted Darcy with the familiarity and comfortability of a servant that had been in his employ for some years.
"Miss Bennet," Darcy said, acknowledging Elizabeth's presence although it paled in comparison to his earlier greetings. Elizabeth, who had not prepared herself to meet him so soon, could only curtsy. He has not forgiven me then, Elizabeth reflected.
"Good morning Papa!" Rosie chirruped upon seeing her father. She once again rose from the table and ran excitedly towards Darcy whose hand extended stopping Rosie in her tracks.
"Rosie, what did I say about running in the house?" Darcy asked his daughter. Although not stern, his tone was not as warm as Elizabeth would have liked.
Rosie's face lost some of its cheer. "I am sorry, Papa," she apologised and walked backwards rather comically to resume her seat. If it was not for fear of offending Darcy, Elizabeth would have laughed at the comedic nature of his daughter. However, she noted that Darcy's lips turned up slightly.
"Good morning Papa," Archie said with not as much excitement as his sister.
"Good morning to you both," Darcy said, approaching the breakfast table. "I see you have met your governess."
Rosie nodded excitedly, her disappointment at her father's correction seemingly forgotten.
"She is very pretty! She also promised to be nice to us, so you don't have to worry about anything Papa," Rosie said. Elizabeth flushed and looked down. She did not want Mr Darcy to think she had been fishing for compliments or information from his children. Elizabeth believed he already found fault with her.
What she missed was Darcy's look of surprise at Rosie's comments. He looked at Elizabeth for some moments and said abruptly as he made for the door, "Miss Bennet, come with me."
Elizabeth looked up, confused and annoyed at Darcy's commanding tone. She understood Darcy's superiority as the Master but based on the few interactions she had witnessed with his children and employees, Elizabeth was the only one who seemed to be receiving the brunt of his coldness. Elizabeth knew that her behaviour the previous day had been abominable but she wondered if it warranted such incivility.
"Sir, I was planning to show Miss Bennet around the nursery and relay some other details about the children's care," Mrs Reynolds tried to interject. Darcy paused in the doorway. Elizabeth waited with bated breath to see if there was a possibility of delaying an encounter alone with Darcy. Unfortunately her hope was short-lived.
"She will return to you. I thought it best to speak with her alone while the children finish their breakfast," Darcy said. He looked to Rosie and Archie, "I have some business to attend to, I shall see you after your supper," he said.
"See you Papa," Rosie said smiling, while Archie only glanced at his father. Darcy seemed to want to say something to his son but thought better of it and exited the room.
Remembering Darcy's condescending remark about not wanting to repeat himself, Elizabeth was tempted to test his patience by disregarding his request for her to follow him. Mrs Reynolds, who was not privy to Elizabeth's motive for not immediately bending to Darcy's will, only made a shushing motion prompting Elizabeth to follow Darcy reluctantly.
Darcy was already halfway down the hallway heading to another wing of the house separate from the nursery and Elizabeth's room. His strides were longer than Elizabeth's and to keep up Elizabeth had to jog slightly although she ensured she was always three steps behind him. This position and the silence between her and Darcy allowed Elizabeth some time to collect herself.
Darcy's tall, finely dressed frame moved through Pemberley with ease. Occasionally, the pair would meet a servant attending to one duty or another and Darcy would always greet each servant by name. In turn the servants did not seem anxious to meet the Master of the house. If only that was the case for me, Elizabeth thought. She hated that in both their interactions Darcy seemed to best her, at what exactly Elizabeth could not quite articulate, but she was certain that at present, with yesterday's interaction included, she was a shadow of the impression she had made in her letter of application.
Darcy entered another room which by the looks of the furnishings and size, Elizabeth deduced was his office. Unlike other rooms that she had taken the time to observe, Elizabeth did not allow herself to indulge in the beauty of the room with its high bookshelves filled with numerous volumes that her reader's heart would no doubt take pleasure in. Elizabeth was much too aware of herself and could not take a moment's reprieve to relax. She feared that if she did so, Darcy would once again find something to find fault with.
"Thorpe was supposed to join us but I have sent him ahead to meet my tenants before I join him," Darcy said, sitting behind his desk opposite Elizabeth. Even in his guarded state, Elizabeth observed how he waited for her to be seated first before he settled in his chair. Such a contradiction, Elizabeth thought.
"Miss Bennet, before we continue I need to first address the matter of what happened yesterday," Darcy said, staring at Elizabeth emotionlessly.
Elizabeth hoped her face did not reflect her apprehension. She was not certain if this meant her position was over before she had even started or if Darcy would have some choice words for her. The latter she would gladly receive. The former would be unwelcome.
"I will not have such behaviour exhibited in my house again," Darcy stated.
"I understand sir and I am-," Elizabeth's attempt to apologise was halted by Darcy's raised hand. Elizabeth resolved not to speak again until asked to.
"I also do not appreciate any promises being made to my children. They are your charges and your relationship should not be overly familiar," Darcy continued, referencing his daughter's comment that Elizabeth had promised to be nice. "I am entrusting you with my children and I expect you to mold them into respectable members of society. If I should be given another reason to worry, know that I will not heed any advice from Thorpe to keep you on. I will see to it personally that you are relieved of your duties," Darcy said. If it was not for the harsh nature of his words, Elizabeth might have believed they were talking as fellow business people discussing the order of the day. Darcy did not raise his voice beyond a cool delivery void of emotion.
After a brief pause in which Elizabeth remained quiet, Darcy reached for three books on his desk. He slid the first towards Elizabeth. It was embossed in gold with the title Curriculum. "I expect you to follow the curriculum as it is set out in this book. An experienced school master curated it specifically for the children's needs," Darcy said.
Elizabeth noted the emphasis Darcy placed on describing the school master as "experienced".
Darcy slid a second book across the table with the title Schedule. "Each day is to be followed according to this schedule unless something imminent arises. That includes meal times, lessons, rest and play time. Although I expect play time to not be a priority. I expect every item to be marked off at the end of the day and if it is not, I expect an explanation as to why that particular item was not attended to," Darcy said.
Elizabeth thought back to her wish for Darcy to be a mixture of the nonchalance of the Goulds and the strictness of the Turners. She was slowly realising Darcy would be the extreme of the Turners.
Darcy slid the final book to Elizabeth and opened it to show the blank pages. "This will serve as a report book which you will use to document the children's progress including the deviations from the schedule, any interruptions and areas they need to improve," Darcy said closing the book and piling it with the other books neatly.
"We will be meeting weekly on Saturday afternoons for you to brief me. Ensure you are on time and are well prepared for these meetings. I do not tolerate tardiness. Any questions?" Darcy finished, sitting back in his chair. He stared at Elizabeth waiting for a response.
Elizabeth only stared back at Darcy uncertain of what to say or do. A part of her wanted to laugh a deep belly laugh at what she believed to be a peculiar meeting. Although Elizabeth had not long interacted with Rosie and Archie, she knew enough about children to understand that Darcy's plan was not conducive to their needs. She did not care whether an experienced school master had designed the curriculum but she cared about how the children would be taught. Rosie had already expressed an energetic nature showing how suitable lessons would have to balance giving Rosie the freedom to absorb all the knowledge she could without neglecting the fundamentals she needed. Archie on the other hand needed to be pushed far enough that he could express himself but not so far that it would force him to retreat further into his shell. Elizabeth had not yet looked at the curriculum but she was certain that it did not offer anything that would cater to these needs.
Another part of Elizabeth wanted to understand the root of Darcy's sternness and need for control. She could easily frame it as a by-product of his upbringing as a gentleman. Men of Darcy's calibre were raised to believe the world was theirs to do with as they pleased. However, Elizabeth strongly suspected that Darcy's actions were tied closely with the absence of Mrs Darcy. If his character had always been as she was witnessing Elizabeth suspected his wife's death had exacerbated that. Mrs Reynolds' admission that Mrs Darcy had passed away seven years prior and the lack of mention of another woman in Darcy's life indicated that Darcy had been solely responsible for the care of his children for a long time. That strangely made Elizabeth empathetic towards Darcy's situation. The feeling was short lived however.
"Miss Bennet, I clearly remember stating that I do not like to repeat myself. Will this continue to be a problem?" Darcy asked frustratedly.
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. And to think I almost felt sorry for you, she thought bitterly. Elizabeth cleared her throat trying to rein in emotions that were threatening to spill over. Once again meeting Darcy was proving to be a trying experience. In a quiet voice that belied the temptation for her to respond in a manner that would be considered unlady-like and surely lead to her termination, Elizabeth could only say, "No Sir, I do not have any questions and no, it will not be a problem. May I return to Mrs Reynolds?". Her smile was paper thin.
Darcy paused as if measuring the truth of her statement. He eventually nodded his assent for her to leave, seemingly wanting to also be free of Elizabeth as much as she wanted to be free of him.
Elizabeth curtsied and made to leave but was called back by Darcy who pointed at the books on his desk which Elizabeth had forgotten. In collecting the small pile Elizabeth made a show of picking up the books, straightening them unnecessarily on his desk and tucking them into her elbow. She nearly gave in to the urge to slam Darcy's office door as she proceeded back into the hallway, her initial anxiety about Darcy's perception now long forgotten.
...
Left alone, Darcy rubbed a frustrated hand over his face. The sun was barely at its peak but it already felt like it was a long day. His lack of sleep did not help matters. As always the nightmares of Anne played out as a variation of the tragic night seven years ago and as always he hated himself more for having inflicted that pain on her. Contrary to his sister and Grandmother's assertions that he was not at fault for Anne's death, as Anne had always been sickly, Darcy held on to the belief that if he had not done his duty as his Aunt de Bough had insisted upon, Anne would still be alive.
At the first signs of light Darcy had decided to walk the grounds. The walk had helped Darcy calm his mind and shift it from the self-loathing he felt at thoughts of his deceased wife.
What the walk had failed to do was prepare him for his meeting with Elizabeth, as judging by the way Elizabeth had exited his office Darcy could safely say the meeting had not gone well.
Darcy had thought rushing through the meeting would be best to avoid the unease he felt around Elizabeth. Since he first beheld her sitting on the piano bench she had proved to be an anomaly. Equal parts intriguing and frustrating. He recognised that she was a beautiful woman and there was nothing he could do to change that. Even his footmen had expressed similar sentiments last night when they thought he was out of earshot. However, he would not analyse that observation further. So great though the temptation to be rid of Elizabeth was, he would not terminate her employment on the basis of his apparent attraction. Unless, Darcy secretly hoped, she gave him reason to.
For the duration of the day Elizabeth was not far from Darcy's mind. Most especially was the look Elizabeth had given him before he had asked her, rather rudely he knew, whether her propensity to make him repeat himself would be a regular occurrence. There had been pity, which Darcy knew all too well was a result of his status as a widower, after seven years he was accustomed to it. However, laced with that was something that confused Darcy. He wondered what in his actions had warranted Elizabeth's understanding and why that recognition had vexed him to the point of once again losing control.
A/N: Darcy 2 - Elizabeth 0. Jokes this is not a battle, but it also kind of is. Elizabeth is still trying to protect her employment so she can't be sparring with her new boss no matter how much he deserves it.
And for those who were wondering who "Mrs Darcy" is, there it is - Anne de Bough is the late Mrs Darcy in this tale. I didn't want to deviate too much from canon characters so she was the best choice. And yep Lady Catherine will factor in this story so look out for her.
The dreams/nightmares of Anne are something I settled on including to add something different to show why Darcy might be so difficult/struggling with this widower status. Won't really delve more into the hows and whys at this stage.
Look out for chapter 5!