Page 5 of Honor Requires

Darcy held out his arm and Georgiana took it. Together, they walked up the steps. The door opened before they reached it, and they were admitted.

“Mr. Darcy. Miss Darcy. I am Smith, butler of Mill House.” He bowed and then proceeded to take their things. “Mrs. Younge has tea waiting in the parlor. If you like, the housekeeper, Mrs. Farr, can show you to your rooms to refresh yourselves.”

“That is agreeable.” Darcy nodded at the man, pleased to see the staff was ready for their arrival.

A tall, stout woman appeared. “Mrs. Farr, I presume?”

“Yes, sir. I am housekeeper here. Pray, follow me, and I shall show you to your chambers.”

Darcy and Georgiana followed the lady, who by appearance seemed a congenial, motherly sort, though she also maintained an air of professional demeanor.

He counted twelve stairs to the next floor, and four doors before the matron stopped. “This is Miss Darcy’s chamber. It overlooks the garden.” The door opened, and Darcy peered in. The room was decorated in rose pink and sage green. The atmosphere was calming, and sunlight streamed through the open window.

“It is delightful!” Georgiana stepped inside, a bright smile on her face.

“Your trunks will be brought up shortly, miss.” Mrs. Farr stepped out and gestured. “This way, Mr. Darcy.”

Two more doors down was Darcy’s chamber. It was handsomely appointed, decorated in forest greens, blues, and cream. “Thank you, Mrs. Farr. This looks satisfactory.”

“Yes, sir. Shall I inform Mrs. Younge you will join her in the drawing room shortly?”

“Yes. I shall wash off the road dust and be down with my sister. Has dinner been arranged?” Darcy had sent instructions with Mrs. Younge, but wished to ascertain all was in order.

“Indeed, sir. I understand we have prepared Miss Darcy’s favorites for the evening.” Mrs. Farr smiled. “Cook has been very industrious.”

“Very good. I thank you.”

The housekeeper departed, and Darcy stepped fully into his temporary bedchamber. His valet, Brisby, appeared, followed by two footmen carrying trunks. In short order, Brisby had his master in a fresh coat and ready to go downstairs.

“See that everything is put away, will you, Brisby?” The man was more of an older and wiser friend than a valet. They had been together since Darcy was twelve, and Darcy trusted him implicitly.

“Yes, sir.” Brisby turned to the trunks and immediately set to work. Darcy left his room, collected his sister at her door, and went downstairs for a restorative tea.

“Everything seems to have been arranged, Mrs. Younge. I commend you on your efficiency.” Darcy sipped his second cup of tea. It was a delightful blend that tickled his senses.

“Thank you, Mr. Darcy. I hope you both find the seashore to be exactly what you need.” The lady smiled. Her dark eyes sparkled behind wire spectacles. Her hair had traces of gray mingled in with the brown, the curls visible peeking beneath her mobcap.

“Miss Darcy wishes to try sea bathing. It will certainly be an adventure.” Darcy smiled indulgently at his sister.

“You are simply too proper to find enjoyment in frivolities, Brother.” Georgiana smirked impishly. “Tell me, have you already ascertained the location of a book shop?”

Darcy gasped, placing a hand on his chest. “How you wound me! To think that my first thought would be for a bookshop. Indeed, it was my second thought. The first was to find that teashop you mentioned.”

Georgiana laughed, and Darcy joined her. They finished their tea and resolved to rest until dinner. Exploration could wait until the morrow.

Darcy spent the rest of the afternoon engaged in a book he had brought with him from London. It was a charming story about four ladies who had been cast from their home after the patriarch passed. He was partway through and thoroughly despised the ladies’ sister-in-law, a miserly woman too full of herself and her belief in her own importance. She led her husband around by her nose, convincing him to break promises made on his father’s deathbed.

Georgiana wished to read it, and so Darcy sought to ascertain its acceptability for a young, impressionable lady. The eldest sister seemed to be a good example of ladylike behavior, and the youngest was very young—not someone his sister would emulate. But the middle sister—Marianne—seemed to be foolishly romantic, lacking the sense her sister possessed in spades.

Georgiana would know better, he mused as he read of how the young Marianne ignored all sense of propriety and threw herself at the man called Willoughby. He felt certain that the future boded ill for the pair.

At length, it was time to dress for dinner. He and Georgiana ate in a small dining room. Mrs. Younge pleaded fatigue and took a tray in her room, leaving brother and sister to themselves. It was a lovely evening, and after a short time in each other’s company after the meal, both Mr. and Miss Darcy retired, eager to begin their explorations the next day.

They departed Mill House shortly after breakfast. It was a brief walk to the teashop, and Darcy eschewed the carriage in hopes of enjoying the fresh air with his sister. Georgiana remarked on the shops they passed, expressing a desire to browse the wares when they had a chance.

“There is your bookshop, brother!” Georgiana pointed at a lovely store front. A sign that said Hogarth’s Library hung over the door.

“That is one of the circulating libraries in Ramsgate, dearest. The general stationers is located further down. But I shall be sure to visit Hogarth’s shop as soon as may be. Look, there is Mrs. Peacock’s teashop.”