Page 21 of The Colonel's Ungovernable Governess
He found the woman more than satisfactory, and that was the problem with her, but he did not dare to provide his cousin a hint of Edward’s desire for the lady. “We held an interesting discussion,” he admitted. “We did not agree on everything, but we agreed the lady deserved the opportunity to prove herself an appropriate governess for Lady Lindale’s children. As I said only moments prior, my greatest fear is how quickly they have formed an attachment to the lady.”
“They require some stability,” Darcy cautioned.
“Such is my concern. I do not want the twins to know rejection again nor do I want a woman in charge of their futures who treats them as if they are punishable criminals, as did Mrs. Peyton,” Edward explained.
Darcy said, “Elizabeth has decided if Miss Lambert does not meet your needs as a governess, my wife would like to employ the woman as the teacher for the new village school she has planned for Lambton.”
“A school, heh, Cousin?” Edward teased.
“Elizabeth and I share a vision for Lambton to grow as a crossroads with better roads, transportation, and more business. We wish it to no longer be a pass-through town, but rather a stop-off place for those traveling both north and south on the western side of the shire, as well as east and west. A school for the children would be a great draw to entice more trade and commerce to consider Lambton a valuable choice.”
“Quite a vision,” Edward remarked. “You two complement each other so well.”
“Someday you will know such happiness in marriage,” Darcy assured.
“Will I?” Edward asked. “How am I to achieve such with a woman upon whom I have never laid eyes? What if Miss Romfield and I hold no values in common? You will pardon me, Elizabeth, if I say I always wanted what you and Darcy share. I do not believe I could spend the remainder of my days sitting across the table from someone for whom I have no wish to hold her hand, as you and Darcy do at this moment.”
“I do not wish to disagree with you, Colonel, but the road Mr. Darcy and I traveled was not as smooth as one might assume,” Elizabeth countered. “We partook of a number of disagreements.”
“Yet, you hold common values and an unspoken respect for each other,” Edward argued. “Even when you were testy with each other at Rosings Park, I knew Darcy admired you and you him. The road you would claim would not be easy, but you would keep butting heads until you realized, while doing so, you were close enough to embrace each other. You hold similar plans for your family and the future of Pemberley, as well as your legacy as the master and mistress of Pemberley. As I have often shared with both of you, I have a vision for my future in the military, as well as the possibility of my sitting in the Commons. Miss Romfield has been raised on the Continent. What if her personality and views of the world hinder my hopes for both? Her education is likely more ‘liberal’ than many with whom she would be required to interact in English society. Before she took ill, if such is the actual truth of the matter of her absence, she was banned by Lady Jersey from Almack’s for dancing a waltz with some scoundrel.
“How is the lady to serve me in obtaining my hopes for both a promotion and a political career if she chooses to buck long-standing traditions? As Darcy did not wish to marry someone who viewed Pemberley as his best asset, I do not wish to marry someone who chooses me only to one day become a countess.”
Elizabeth asked teasingly, “Who says I did not choose to marry Mr. Darcy after I viewed the magnificence of Pemberley? I told Jane that Pemberley had changed my mind about the gentleman, though, now that I consider it, Jane instructed me to be serious.”
“Even if your sister had not been so pragmatic, one must remember that you did not know whether I might renew my proposal,” her husband argued. “Moreover, even if you did prefer me more after viewing Pemberley, it is excellent news to know Pemberley is good for something other than the taxes and the continual need for repairs.”
“Yet, you both understand my qualms,” Edward reiterated.
“We do,” they chorused together.
“How long do you plan to remain at William’s Wood?” Edward asked.
“You wish to be rid of us, Cousin?” Darcy questioned. “We have not yet examined the loose façade on the third storey.”
“I have also not forgotten the façade,” Edward assured. “And, as to wishing to be rid of you, I do not.” In truth, Edward was not confident his residing in the house without the Darcys chaperoning him and Miss Lambert was such a good idea, for his own peace of mind. “It is just when I was in the village, I heard news there is to be a fair on Saturday. I thought I would escort the children, but I wanted your opinion on whether all the noise of the fair might frighten the boy. You both seem to relate well to Lord Vincent. Do you have an opinion?”
“Fairs can be quite loud,” Elizabeth mused.
“Yet, the child cannot hide away from the world if the colonel’s family expects to support Lord Vincent’s bid for the Babcock title,” Darcy countered. “He will face more than a dancing bear or a juggler in the Lords. Men shout over each other all the time, and London, itself, is far from a quiet country house.”
“Agreed,” Edward declared, “but how do we go about it?”
“We?” Darcy asked with a grin. “Mrs. Darcy and I have not said we would stay until Saturday.”
“How often did I save your backside at Harrow and university?” Edward countered.
“Often enough,” Darcy admitted. “Should we stay until after the fair, Mrs. Darcy?”
“We are rarely more than each other’s society, even in London,” Elizabeth reminded him. She grinned, signaling she meant to tease him. “Soon people will begin to think you are not as fond of your wife as you claimed.”
Darcy said sweetly, “I most assuredly would not wish others to question my choice of wife. Your observation is so noted, my dear.” To Edward, he said, “We will remain, but I suggest you and I, sir, sit down with the young lord and attempt to explain what all he might see and hear at such an entertainment and prepare him for all the noise and people. I also have thought of another task for the child, which should interest him more thoroughly.”
* * *
“Might I steal Lord Vincent away, Miss Lambert?” Edward asked.
The boy looked up from his book in concern.
