Page 69 of The Colonel's Ungovernable Governess
“All this sounds wonderful for the boy, but what of your hopes for a new commission, Edward?” Miss Romfield asked him in concern.
“What commission?” his father demanded.
“Your son hoped for a major general promotion,” his betrothed responded before Edward could silence her. “It is his desire, and I will not deny him the opportunity.”
His father studied Edward seriously for an elongated moment before he asked, “Major general? Skipping over brigadier?”
“There is a position available now, but it shan’t be for long,” Edward admitted.
“Could you not recruit men from Yorkshire as easily as from Derbyshire and Lincolnshire? Are you not already in parts of Yorkshire and the surrounding towns and boroughs as part of your recruiting? Living in Yorkshire would provide you more credibility. Would it not be possible, Fitzwilliam? Those in the Lords believe this war will soon know an end. Perhaps another year at most. You should act before the opportunity disappears and all of the soldiers again become private citizens.”
Edward fought back his emotions. He was on the brink of knowing all his wishes at once. “The recruiting aspect of my position would be possible. Captain Carlson could carry on in Derbyshire, and I could concentrate on the many areas of Yorkshire. A bit of paperwork would be required in London.”
“I can expedite the necessary forms for your overseeing Yorkshire,” his father said in firm tones, which meant it would be done quickly.
“And the promotion?” Darcy asked. “I have offered to finance the commission. Can you speak to someone in your son’s behalf?”
“You did not ask me,” his father accused.
“I only confided in Darcy because, at the time, I wondered if my ‘unknown’ betrothed, who was doing a magnificent job of avoiding me, would do so if I was a major general,” Edward explained. “You were away with Lindale at the time, and I required someone to whom to express my frustration.”
“Is this idea of a promotion only to impress my daughter?” Lord Romfield asked.
“Trust me,” Darcy responded before Edward could provide another excuse, “my cousin has been hoping and saving for the commission for more than a year. I offered to finance the purchase as a wedding gift.”
“Then why not accept either my offer, which is now on the table, or Darcy’s, boy?” his father asked with an arched eyebrow, meaning he wanted an answer quickly.
“If I accept the promotion, I will likely be sent back to the war,” he said grudgingly. “How many major generals exist on half pay? Moreover, the army requires men with experience. I have lived through the terror, twice. Doing so is my choice, but I could not thrust it upon Miss Romfield or you and mother. If I do not survive, what happens to my marriage? What happens to the earldom?”
His father flinched as if Edward had struck him. “You have listened too often of your mother’s fears. I would be devastated to lose you, my son, but the earldom should not be part of equation. It would go to my Cousin Frederick. Nice enough fellow. Not even close to your caliber, but he will not harm the earldom.”
“He will not advance it either,” Darcy stated firmly.
It was his betrothed who put an end to such talk. “Edward Fitzwilliam, you will accept either your father’s or your cousin’s offer to purchase the commission. Secondly, you will cease thinking on the possibility of dying. I shan’t hear it nor will I tolerate such thoughts ever again. Do you understand me?”
“I told you Miss Romfield and Elizabeth are cut from the same cloth,” Darcy said with a smirk.
Jocelyn turned a hard stare on Darcy. “I adore your wife, and I expect no more insinuations that either of us are some type of ‘shrew.’”
“I did not mean . . .” Darcy began, but Elizabeth said, “Shush, love, permit our Jocelyn to speak to the colonel in frank terms.”
“Do you understand me, sir?” Jocelyn asked again.
“I understand, my dear,” Edward said with a smile.
“A bit ungovernable for a former former governess,” his father observed with a chuckle.
“The very best type of governess,” the boy declared, though Edward was confident the child did not quite understand his father’s insinuations.
Edward smiled easily. “I have heard it often said, even from the lips of an ungovernable governess, that they make the best wives.”
Epilogue
It had taken another two months for them to be in a position to pronounce their vows.
Lady Lindale had employed Marcus Sheffield as Vincent’s tutor, and it was decided that the boy would remain at Babbington Hall with Jocelyn while all the legal paperwork was completed.
Meanwhile, Edward resided at Maitland Manor during that time, but he could often be found at Babbington, enjoying the pleasures of kissing his betrothed and praying for the day when they could pronounce their vows. Babbington Hall was obviously much easier than his traveling all the way to the Essex and Kent border to spend an afternoon with Jocelyn. Meanwhile, his intended had called on the estate’s cottagers and many of the local businesses, creating bonds and trust, just as Mrs. Darcy had instructed her to do. Jocelyn often insisted both Vincent and the boy’s new tutor attend to these calls with her. All of them needed to be both seen and heard as the new, yet permanent, faces of the earldom.
