a modest proposal

[James Darcy]

James Darcy could be patient when he wanted to. It was difficult, of course, but as a man of education as well as intelligence, knew that the best course of action was not to be hasty. As such, he had waited until he and his first changes had begun to settle into place at Edgewater before reaching for the next level.

Now that they had survived the first year, the time had come to begun setting the larger plan into motion. The school board had already begun to suspect that the headmaster had more plans in store for them, but he doubted they had any idea of his sacrilegious actions' true scope.

And he could be patient on a smaller scale, as well--such as the serene patience he exhibited while sitting in Cecilia Sellar's sitting room, sipping a cup of tea (black) and admiring the tasteful decor. He wondered if any of the art on the wall had been done by the lady of the house, or if it had been done by her students, instead. Either way, there was a lovely seascape with a ship returning on one wall, and a portrait of a blonde woman from behind, with soft waves cascading down her back, on the other.

When the servant returned, announcing Lady Cecilia, James immediately rose to his feet and bowed as deeply as if she were a member of royalty.

"Lady Cecilia, thank you for allowing me a moment of your time."

[Cecilia Sellar]

Truth be told, she was used to gentlemen coming to her home seeking an audience, whether it was set up by her parents or not. Not to be too horribly conceited, but Cecilia had turned down nearly ten suitors in her young age because they were not good enough.

Now, mind you, it had nothing to do with their money or stances within society. On the contrary, they had been very suitable in that regard, and everything both Mother and Father would wish for...just not her. They were not to her standards and Lady Cecilia began to form a bit of a reputation because of it. That she wouldn't be so easily tied down and dared to further educate herself, as well as others, in whatever ways she could offer. Art was her specialty, and she had been in the process of finishing a painting when Lord Darcy came calling.

Oh, wasn't she going to be surprised to realize the type of proposal he had to offer...

With a sigh, she nodded to the servant to let them know she would receive the man (for all of five minutes, she was sure), and moved to wash her hands. She was stepping into the sitting room, drying her hands with a clean rag when those eyes trailed up the length of him in quick inspection and she had to keep herself from sighing once more.

"Of course," she half-lied, forcing a small grin as she dipped into a curtsey. "What may I help you with, my lord?" Did she sound bored already? She was really trying not to, because regardless of how she was treated or what she felt towards most men of this kingdom, Cecilia always made sure to be as respectful as possible. James had done nothing to warrant anything but that right now.

[James Darcy]

James watched with interest as Lady Cecilia curtsied and greeted him. She was a beautiful woman, that much was undeniable, and she held in her posture a certain kind of confidence and power that he liked. She was a woman who was sure of herself. He guessed that she would retain that same aura of untouchable regality when faced with a misbehaving student. Would she lose her temper with troublemakers? She had many siblings, he recalled. James remained standing as long as she did, unwilling to break that small amount of manners in her own home.

Once she asked, however, he smiled. "I'm actually here with an offer, of sorts. You have heard of Edgewater Academy, I hope, where I am headmaster? For decades it has been a fountain of knowledge and a guiding force in the hearts and minds of our young noblemen. However… I'd like to see the Academy grow and change with the times, and I think it's high time that we began accepting female students." He paused for a moment to let that sink in. It usually sent people into a fit, but he suspected that it would actually begin to pique the interest of Lady Cecilia.

"I heard that you've been tutoring young women in a school of your own, here. I'd like to offer you the resources and prestige of Edgewater Academy as a place to further your goals." He raised an eyebrow. "Would you perhaps be interested in such an arrangement? I have more details planned if so, but if you're not, I won't bore you with titles, course curricula, and the like."

[Cecilia Sellar]

Cecilia was prepared for many things to come from the man's mouth...but not that.

Edgewater Academy- of course she had heard of it. All the wealthy men in Tresteria spoke of it and its admirable academics. All male, naturally, which was why Darcy's words had immediately snagged her from the very beginning, and that wasn't such an easy thing to do.

'I'd like to see the Academy grow and change with the times, and I think it's high time that we began accepting female students.'

She stared at him for a long moment, fingers curling into the rag once her hands had finally ceased all movement. Instead of surprise gracing her features, there was something akin to confusion, maybe she was even amused in some sort of way. Oh yes, such an idea would send many into a fit and had certainly piqued her interest...yet, it was a little unbelievable.

Finally, she blinked, letting the humor take hold as she laughed gently. Cecilia moved to finally take a seat as she dismissed her maid, pouring her own tea before finally regarding the gentleman once more. "This is a very...interesting proposition, Lord Darcy, but please forgive my disbelief on all of it. You do know we are in Tresteria, correct?" The snark didn't bite, but it was evident in her tone, softened by the amusement in her eyes. No, she was really struggling to believe him, and was about ready to ask him who had put him up to this prank.

"To offer proper education for our girls is something I've been striving for, something that should have been offered from the very beginning. Am I interested? Of course I am...but I don't see how it's possible." Well, now was his chance to explain.

[James Darcy]

James laughed. Yes, he certainly knew they were in Tresteria. But he was a nobleman, heir to the school's legacy as well as his title, and he intended to use the privilege he'd been given to accomplish something, not just to feed his ego and fill his pockets.

He took a seat now that she had, waiting for more.

"To offer proper education for our girls is something I've been striving for, something that should have been offered from the very beginning. Am I interested? Of course, I am...but I don't see how it's possible."

Ah, disbelief. Confusion. Those he could work with, put at ease. She'd left the door open.

"Well, we've already begun hosting evening classes on subjects that I was able to convince the board were 'appropriate' for young ladies. So that's given the board and the student body a chance to get used to seeing women on campus. Soften them up, so to speak."

"What I am proposing as the next step would be to bring you in as Headmistress--on the same level as myself. You would be responsible for the care and education of the female students. Again, essentially the same as myself. I would help with hiring teachers for the various classes. Currently, the classes offered for male students include arithmetic, astronomy, foreign languages, history, rhetoric, writing, combat training, and dance. In my opinion, every one of those can be offered to girls, though we might have to alter the name of combat training...perhaps divide into archery and self-defense?" He paused, gesturing vaguely with one hand. "We can decide that at a later date."

"Obviously, this would be a large undertaking. We would need to rearrange the male students to free at least one dorm floor for female students, arrange for a dorm parent, find and hire teachers for each subject or rearrange the schedules of current teachers to allow them to take on more sessions… We likely wouldn't be ready for the students themselves for several months."

"The real problem isn't the students, or the teachers, or the timing...the obstacle will be the school board. They often feel themselves to be more in control of the school than the charter actually states. The school is under my control, I dictate hiring, curricula, student discipline, all of it. What they dictate, however, is funding. And sadly, we can't entirely escape the tightening of our purse strings. Teachers don't work for no pay, after all. However, if what I've heard of you is true, my lady, I doubt you'd have trouble putting them in their places, should the opportunity arise. You're obviously qualified, you have past experience, resources, students of your own already...they have no room to argue other than their own backward sensibilities."

[Cecilia Sellar]

Oh, this wasn't a joke.

The man seemed to like talking, but for once, Cecilia was listening to every single word that left his mouth. That door had surprisingly been left wide open.

When his long-winded speech concluded, there was nothing but the gentle clank of her teacup hitting the saucer, gripped within both of her hands as she stared at him. Although it was in disbelief, Cecilia was rather good at keeping her composure, even if right now her mask faltered just slightly.

What really took her off guard was how he seemed to already be trying to implement this. Alright, that was certainly a point for Lord Darcy.

'...the next step would be to bring you in as Headmistress--on the same level as myself.'

And that had earned him another.

"Is 'combat training' not suitable?" she challenged, but it would become clear that she meant it in jest by the subtle smirk that found its way onto her mouth. In a way, she did mean it, but Cecilia also understood which battles should be fought and when, and that was such a silly one to combat (pun intended) right now.

In an attempt to calm her nerves, seeming to hide it rather well still, she took a sip of her tea before resting it upon the table. Her hands fell to her lap, lacing fingers together as she lifted her gaze back to him. "This is...quite the proposal, I must say. So, if we were able to procure the extra funds elsewhere, it would really leave the board unable to argue." She paused, knowing they certainly still would. "In theory."

Cecilia casually leaned back in her seat, her chin held up an inch higher in this sudden feeling of pride. "Because, yes, my lord, I would love nothing more than to put them in their places." All she needed was the opportunity to do so, and prove herself capable to do this job.

[James Darcy]

"Is 'combat training' not suitable?" she challenged, but it would become clear that she meant it in jest by the subtle smirk that found its way onto her mouth.

James's smirk mirrored her own. Oh yes, he'd come to the right person. He could tell already he liked this woman. They were going to make a very dangerous team, and he was looking forward to it.

"This is...quite the proposal, I must say. So, if we were able to procure the extra funds elsewhere, it would really leave the board unable to argue." She paused, knowing they certainly still would. "In theory."

This, now, caught him by surprise. Of course, he'd considered covering the funds out of his own pocket--had done, in fact, to start up the female-student courses they had now. But she seemed to be suggesting finding new sponsors. Now that, that would be interesting. His smile grew as she continued speaking.

Cecilia casually leaned back in her seat, her chin held up an inch higher in this sudden feeling of pride. "Because, yes, my lord, I would love nothing more than to put them in their places."

James nodded, now unable to contain an eager grin. "I had hoped you'd say that. You're exactly what Edgewater needs, Lady Cecilia." He paused, set aside his tea, and offered his hand to shake, to seal the deal. "Or should I say, Headmistress?"

[Cecilia Sellar]

Had this been too easy? Was she just that quickly convinced when normally she would sit and wait on giving anyone any sort of answer, to whatever it was? It was strange- Cecilia usually knew when someone was pulling her chain, but there was something about Lord Darcy that seemed different.

The word she was looking for was "genuine", and it was a rarity for a Tresterian man to possess this quality, at least in regards to something such as this. Would she still be wary? Of course, but she was also a little bored and this sounded very interesting, and would try and change this kingdom for the better if it worked.

Eyes narrowed just slightly- not maliciously, but to study him a little more closely as he extended his hand out to her. "Headmistress", oh, she really loved the sound of that. A subtle bite of her lower lip in contemplation, she finally leaned forward to take his hand with a gentle smile.

"Thank you for this opportunity...but, of course, I will also need this all in writing," she added casually. It wasn't meant to be rude, just smart. As much as she'd like to simply take his word for it, that would be a foolish move on her part. "And if you speak truth, as I suspect you do, I have ideas on how to acquire some funding, I think."

Who else to fund women's classes than widowed, old noblewomen who had a say in where they spent their money?

[James Darcy]

James shook her hand firmly. His eyebrows rose only slightly at her comment that she wanted the deal in writing, and he nodded.

"But of course."

"And if you speak truth, as I suspect you do, I have ideas on how to acquire some funding, I think."

He laughed softly as he released her hand and got to his feet.

"I look forward to hearing those ideas, among others," he answered warmly as he straightened his jacket. "There will be a great deal of discussion to be had, as we set the wheels in motion. First things first, I'll have a contract sent to you in duplicate, along with your starting bonus. Once that's out of the way, I'd like to invite you out to the school, give you a proper tour, and we can have some preliminary discussions."

He took his coat from the rack near the door and draped it over his arm as he approached the door, not bothering to call for a servant for such a simple task as putting on his winter coat.

"I look forward to working with you, Lady Cecilia." He concluded with a deep bow. And with that, if she didn't stop him, he'd make his exit, feeling quite accomplished. He'd just set in motion events that he was quite unabashedly hoping would spiral into things beyond his wildest dreams.

[Cecilia Sellar]

Cecilia rose to her feet as he did, hands smoothing out the front of her skirts from habit. It seemed like the Headmaster was wasting no time on this matter, and she grinned softly in admiration.

"Sounds like a plan, my lord," she told him, following him towards the door as he put on his jacket. "I look forward to it as well." And she did. For once, these weren't just polite words spoken to appease, because it was impossible to ignore the excitement that was bubbling up within her chest.

If everything he said was truth, if he managed to place such things into motion, it could change a lot. It could help the cause she has been fighting for for years now, albeit a little more under the radar. Now? Well, now there wouldn't be much room for subtlety...and that perhaps excited her far more than it should have.

A bow of her head in goodbye, she saw him out.

[ end thread ]