Chapter 24
Previously: The Rose of Whitby – Chapter 23
It’s Arthur who finds Darcy in the library after Dr Seward left, deeply immersed in her work- or looking like it. Gregory told him he was leaving for a few days for something engagement-related, so it’s just the two of them. Arthur feels shy about it, but it would be rude to ignore Darcy, and they’ve spent some nice quiet time in the library together before, after all- the library is starting to feel like a safe space.
So he approaches, asks her how she’s doing. She admits that she didn’t want her father to leave, she’s so afraid that he won’t come back. Arthur isn’t sure what to say to that, tries to reassure her that surely Dr Seward will be back soon (even if he personally preferred that wasn’t the case…), and then remembers that she asked him for his blessing. So he tells her that, yes, she has it, and at least it seems to distract her from missing her father. It also makes her give him a bright smile that makes him blush.
Then she proceeds to inform him that he’s going to be the best man, of course, and does he know what responsibilities that entails?
Arthur has to admit he doesn’t, and feels an anxious flutter on hearing that it means he has to plan the honeymoon- research. That’s definitely something he needs to do research on! Darcy also asks him to help Gregory with writing his vows- he can’t do it himself, after all, and it would be wrong for her to do it for him.
That conversation of course leads to both of them blushing, and Arthur is only too glad to throw himself at that research then, honeymoon and marriage vows and all.
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Over the days that Gregory isn’t returning Darcy grows restless, there’s a constant sense of pressure around her… she supposes heart. She must miss her engaged so terribly much, that’s what that burning feeling in her chest, the irritability, and impossible to ignore hunger for his blood is about. Of course, she’s faithful to him, so she’s probably just low on blood, yes, that’s all it is, together with her longing for him. Which is why she doesn’t let him set more than a foot back into the castle before she just has, has, has to kiss him, sink her fangs into his lips, taste that sweet joy again.
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Gregory is dust covered and more exhausted than he’s ever been since Artie gave him his powers, but he doesn’t mind- he’s engaged to a woman as amazing as Darcy! He can hardly believe that he really is that lucky! Her bite has the usual effect, too, proving even more how amazing she is, and he wishes there weren’t any stupid rules stopping them from doing whatever they want- it’s not like it matters, they love each other and they’re going to get married anyway.
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For the moment, however, Darcy shoos him to get ready, as he’s back just in time for the official engagement announcement. Her papa will be on the next train, too, because of course he’ll be back for it, too. Why her letters and his telegraphs suddenly find their way to each other when all her previous letters seem to have vanished is beyond her, but she’s just glad that she now always can feel safe in getting an answer from her papa. A faster one than ever before, every one of her letters had gotten a reply immediately; the telegraph office in town has already grown to know her from her daily visits these last few days.
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Her papa didn’t get a response from Darcy’s mother in time, and so it is Eluned who takes the duty to be the female presence at the engagement party so that Darcy doesn’t have to host her own party. Llew is slinking around on the edges, and Darcy doesn’t think she’s made a secret of her dislike for him, but somehow he is still closeby for excursions and briefings more often than she’d like. And now he has to infiltrate her social sphere, too! She’s about to try to get rid of him when Gregory intervenes because he likes him- never mind Llew, he wants to give her his engagement gift! He presents her with a box that has her eyes light up. A puzzle box! Papa had brought her some, too, when she was younger.
Despite this being their engagement party, Darcy ends up giggling and excitedly puzzling together with Arthur, not Gregory. After a while, the two of them together can solve it, and Darcy finds a gold ring with a paw engraving on top a pink silk scarf. Ignoring the scarf, she really doesn’t know what she is to do with yet another accessory gift from him, she smiles at the ring. The same little paw as on all his gifts before, it’s such a typical gift from him, but it does fit and she stares down at it to polite, or not-so-polite in Llew’s case, congratulations. It’s real, she’s engaged. She feels a bit overwhelmed, so comes up with the idea of a croquet match just so she can move and burn off the energy that has her feel very unladylike in her agitation. It also works out well because she wants Arthur to stop being so shy around her papa, she thinks he should have a father figure.
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Arthur is anything but keen on being teamed up with Dr Seward, of course. The man is formal and distant, and while he really does seem to be a loving father to Darcy, Arthur doesn’t assume that that means he is in the man’s good graces. Because why would he? Arthur’s well aware he’s not appropriate company for Darcy, being from about the lowest social class England has to offer, and he knows how those higher up the social hierarchy think about that- he reads newspapers, after all. But it’s Darcy’s party, well, and Gregory’s, but the croquet was Darcy’s idea, and so of course he doesn’t want to spoil her day.
And, well, it’s kind of fun- the kind of game he’s never before had the opportunity of playing, something just for the fun of it. And, well… he finds he isn’t even terrible at it. Even Dr Seward says so, at one point, which makes Arthur blush, of course- what’s he supposed to do with that? So, unsure, he thanks him awkwardly and is glad when the game moves on and the attention away from him.
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In the days following the engagement, Gregory takes up the habit of staying overnight in Darcy’s bedroom- he just wants to watch over her, he assures her, he doesn’t really sleep himself anyway, he can’t patrol all night, and there’s nothing wrong with it. He’s always just Pretty, he told her before that he never thinks anything lewd when he watches her in that form. Also, she’s asleep anyway when he gets back inside, she won’t and doesn’t even notice when he returns and then he’s gone before she gets up for breakfast so he can make breakfast for Artie.
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‘Artie’ wishes Dr Seward hadn’t also chosen the library as his favourite room to spend the day in. Though it is sometimes convenient for research purposes, he supposes- being able to check a finding or conclusion right away against someone else’s.
Just that he’d prefer that someone else not to be an adult and Darcy’s father.
At least the next little while passes quietly enough, with only minor matters outside the castle they have to see to, so Arthur can focus on the wedding vow and honeymoon research.
And he most certainly stays out of it that time when Darcy needed to play big dog to find some lost (not stolen by wolves or werewolves or monsters, as claimed) livestock and she got dragged into playing with some village children.
She claims her fur is a disaster now (being back in human form, and not having any fur anymore, though…) and that it has always been Papa who helped her bathe! Gregory, of course, promptly offers, Arthur wishes he was anywhere but there, and Darcy turns so red and uncomfortable that Gregory leaves off again and instead follows Arthur back to the library.
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As she bathes, Darcy chatters at her papa about the excursion, also that Arthur is always so impractical, always insisting on the, how does he say it, “Can we not with the killing?”, she doesn’t get it, it’s just goons but fine, she mostly listens, he’s her friend, she doesn’t want to upset him. Papa agrees with her that he doesn’t see the problem but has learned that yes, that’s another one of those social rules, and of course his rose petal wants to be good for her friend, that’s the sweet girl he knows. Starting in on their normal routine of him singing the verses and her answering the choruses she relaxes. Life is good like this, it’s okay if she has to be baroness if it means Papa doesn’t have to go on his terribly long excursions anymore, if he can stay with her.
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That family bliss is rudely interrupted when Gregory knocks on the door, causing Darcy to squeak and Dr Seward to roll his eyes, however, he is nearly surprised that Gregory at least knocked instead of just walking in. Given that Darcy is undressed, Dr Seward answers the door and then slams it in Gregory’s face to rush over. He recognizes the seal on the letter and so does Darcy, sitting up in the bathtub she has him open the letter for her and together they read over it. It indeed is from the Duchess of York, and it’s a summon to an event, including an apology for the short notice, but with the young baroness having sworn somebody into the Order of Galahad recently, the Duchess must insist on her attending, her personal sheriff will escort her back.
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It’s Arthur, of course, who ended up not only answering the door (maybe he should just stop doing that, he thinks…) but also keeping the Dame Jennifer company in the salon. And he’s well aware his manners aren’t up to this task, but at least the Dame isn’t offended- or if she is, she’s very good at pretending not to be.
He also thinks she’s fishing for information, and does his best to dodge her questions with polite non-answers. Except when, he’s not sure how, the question comes up how much of an ‘eligible bachelor’ the postulant is- none whatsoever.
All in all, he is, for once, deeply grateful to see Dr Seward when he and Gregory show up to escort the Dame to Darcy’s study.
He follows behind, in time to hear the Dame comment that clearly, the archives will need an update since the Westenra family crest appears to have gained a set of feline supports she hadn’t been aware of.
Darcy lifts her hand with the engagement ring, blushing, and so does Gregory, and apparently there’s nothing wrong with that, as, to Arthur’s relief, the Dame congratulates them.
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Now, Darcy is assured by Dame Jennifer, if the Lady Rossmore would relax, she was sent to escort her for safety, not as a prisoner, there is no reason to be this tense. The event is a ball in a few days, with a theme of fairy tale and folklore given that it will be October and the Duchess thought it fitting for Halloween. Darcy might have stopped listening fully when she heard ‘fairy tales,’ because she got lost in one of her childhood dreams coming true. She will be at a ball, a real ball, and she’ll dance with her engaged. It will be magical and it will be perfect and if she has to murder half her barony so that nothing stands in her way to get it!
Gregory is quickly tasked with showing Jennifer to a guest room, because Darcy has to plan, and beg the house spirit to indulge her wildest fantasies for a ball gown and matching outfit for Gregory, all while she also concocts a plan to get Arthur into a King Arthur outfit. Yes, she knows that he hates his father’s mad ambition that he should become King Arthur, rule over all of England. That’s exactly why she needs to get him into the outfit, so that he can ritually burn it afterwards, show himself that he can take the role off and be rid of it. She thinks he lets his father rule over him too much with fear, that man isn’t worth being a father, Arthur needs to be rid of him. In fact, she’s very tempted to get rid of him should they ever get close enough to the Shiver.
But enough of that, she has so much to prepare, so many dresses to try before she really can decide. She ends up so overwhelmed with glee that she has to sit down for a bit, at the harp, and just hammer out some emotions on the instrument, strum away until the jitters calm down. A ball, a ball, a real ball, and she’s going! Oh, this whole baroness thing might be worth it after all.