Page 24 of The Colonel's Ungovernable Governess
“I like my name much better now,” the child admitted. “And ‘Victoria’?”
“From the Latin word for ‘victory.’ In Roman mythology,” Darcy explained, “‘Victoria’ was the name of the goddess of victory, who the Greeks called ‘Nike.’”
The child smiled largely. “I will tell her, but she would prefer being the goddess of beauty.”
He returned his finger to the page, as Darcy shared, “Babcock is an English surname, which can be pronounced as ‘Bartcock,’ which means ‘son of Bartholomew.’”
Edward said, “Ironic indeed. You have much to study about both your family name and the title you will receive, but there was something special Mr. Darcy and I wished you to consider.” He turned the boy so he might take the child’s hands in his. “It was not by coincidence that my brother reached out to your mother to make her an offer of marriage. You see, the family name of ‘Jennings’ has more than the English derivation. There is also the Irish Gaelic surname of ‘Mac Sheoinin,’ meaning the son of Séan, or, as we say in England, son of ‘John.’”
“Is that not the same as before?” the boy asked.
“It is,” Edward assured patiently. “Yet, there is or was a man called ‘John Burke,’ who was the Lord of Connacht with land in both County Mayo and County Galway. The Burke family in Ireland has lines which overlap with the French-based names in England. The Burkes had intersecting lines with the De Burgh and the de Bourgh families in England.”
“And?” the boy’s expression spoke of his confusion.
Edward smiled on the child. “I do not explain things as well as does Darcy. I never did. My cousin scored nearly perfect scores on his oral exams at university.” He sighed heavily. “You are Lord Babcock, which provides your connections to both the Burkes, as in the John Burke I just mentioned, as well as the De Burghs. Mr. Darcy and Lord Lindale and Lord Matlock and I have connections to the French de Bourgh family. Our Aunt Catherine is Lady de Bourgh. She married Sir Louis de Bourgh. She is my father’s eldest sister.”
“We are related?” the child asked in apparent bewilderment.
“Loosely so,” Edward explained, “but family, nevertheless. It was our Lady Catherine who suggested your mother to Lindale.”
The child appeared stunned by the possibility. He turned to Darcy, “Could you assist me, sir, in learning how best to read these lines and trace them to my ancestors. When I know how the family lines are connected, I would like to write to my mother and thank her for bringing my family and yours and the colonel’s together. I do not feel so . . . so . . . I do not know the word to describe it.”
“I understand,” Darcy said softly.
“Perhaps when I learn them, Miss Lambert will assist me in drawing a picture linking all of us together.”
“Excellent idea,” Edward declared. “As I have my own correspondence to which I must see, I will leave you in Mr. Darcy’s most capable hands.”
Chapter Ten
Jocelyn strolled along behind the twins. They had been out early again today searching for specimens to sketch and add to their flora and fauna book. As the two children walked side by side, Vincent was rattling off all Mr. Darcy and the colonel had shared on the family history, explaining it to his sister, but Jocelyn paid little attention. Her move to the governess’s quarters had been quite a shock, for the room was exceptionally sparse; however, both Vincent and Victoria had brought her something to brighten the room.
When they returned to the house, she would privately inform Mrs. Ross that Lord Vincent had moved a flower vase with the bouquet still in it inside her room, while Lady Victoria had presented Jocelyn a hand-held mirror. Jocelyn would not have a maid blamed for theft nor would she have herself accused of a crime.
“May we walk to the pond before we return to the house for our meal?” Vincent asked as he walked backwards. She did not remind the boy how the hesitation had disappeared from his speech. She was beginning to understand the “hesitation” had something to do with his worry of being accepted.
Jocelyn smiled upon the pair. “Only if you assist me in carrying this box. I am juggling too many things to walk much further.”
Both children scrambled to take on part of the burden. “Mrs. Peyton would never permit us to touch the paint or the paper,” Victoria explained. “She said we were too clumsy.”
Jocelyn simply nodded her acceptance of what the child had disclosed. “If we are to explore the estate together, we should share the duties, as well as the pleasures of the adventure. Do you not think?” Mrs. Ross had warned her how the estate must purchase more paper and paints and pencils for the children. In addition to being quite critical of the twins, evidently, Mrs. Peyton had taken many of the supplies with her when she was released from her duties.
“I mean to see the woman’s final wages are dunned for the costs,” the housekeeper had fumed.
“The pond is quite beautiful,” Lady Victoria declared. “I wish we had biscuits for the ducks.”
“We will bring some next time,” Jocelyn assured.
“Do you want me to fetch some?” Vincent asked.
Not wishing the child to be singular in his desire to feed the ducks, she basically ignored his question to distract the pair. “There will be enough samples to draw today without being called upon to feed the ducks, though I think we might do so tomorrow morning before we set out again. Feeding ducks is much better in the early hours of the day. And as quickly as the new paints and paper arrive, we will be painting what we think is worthy from around the pond. I would like to do so after a rain. It is wonderful to sketch the moisture on the leaves.”
Victoria appeared daunted by the possibility. “Will you show us how to draw the rain drops first?”
“Most assuredly,” Jocelyn declared. She suggested, “Let us converse in French, and, in that manner, we will cover two lessons at the same time.”
The children did not appear to think hers was a good idea. “Mrs. Peyton . . .” Vincent’s hesitation reappeared as his body stiffened as if waiting to be struck, “thought me too . . . dumb . . . to learn . . . French.”
