The Downton Princess | A Downton Abbey Fanfiction

Chapter Fourteen

The following afternoon, Darrel and Tobias went to the Birmingham Estate. There was a dinner to celebrate the Duke and Duchess of Birmingham's thirtieth wedding anniversary. His parents ordered Tobias to attend, claiming that he had was not involved with the family enough over the past few months. Despite them being the ones who insisted that he move to London, which made it hard for him to see the family as often as he used to. Tobias invited Darrel, suggesting that it would be an easy way to get to know his family more, and she agreed.
    Darrel looked up at the house as the car pulled up into the driveway. It was not as grand as Downton Abbey, but it was still elegant. It was a large brick house, with hedges lining the exterior and a small fountain in the centre of the driveway. On the drive towards the house, Darrel caught a glimpse of the grounds, which were well-landscaped and in her opinion, seemed to be a good area to ride a horse.
    Meanwhile, Tobias mentally prepared himself to see his family again. Since moving to London three months ago, he only visited the Birmingham Estate a handful of times. He did see his older brother on occasion since Montgomery enjoyed going to London now and then to meet his friends. Tobias liked his family, but he never felt as if he could be himself. When he was with the rest of the Dancaster family, he always felt as if he had to maintain a certain image. He felt as if he needed to act a certain way; like a typical nobleman; like Montgomery. But when Tobias was alone in London or spending time with Darrel, he felt as if he could be himself. While Tobias did not want to let Darrel know how he felt about his family, he was glad that she came along to the party. His family would be too distracted by the Princess of Wales to bother him about minuscule matters.
    "Are you all right?" Darrel inquired, noticing Tobias' silence.
    "Yes, sorry," Tobias nodded.
    "There is no need to apologize; I just wanted to know if anything was the matter."
    "All is well."
    "Good. Now, I forgot to ask this before; but how do you wish me to address you once we are there? By your first name, or your title?"
    "Whichever you prefer."
    "But I had specific requests for how I wanted you to behave in front of the Crawleys. Do you have any advice for me?"
    "In all honesty, I do not think my family will care either way. Besides, they will be formal since they do not know you yet. And you are the Princess of Wales."
    "Very well," Darrel shrugged, sensing Lord Dankworth's discomfort. "I shall see what the situation calls for."
    Tobias nodded. Unlike the Crawleys, Tobias did not believe that his parents cared whether he was happy or in love with Darrel. To them, he managed to convince the Princess of Wales to court him, and that was all that mattered. Although, Tobias did hope that after tonight they would view her as more than a title.

    The car stopped in front of the house, and a footman scurried down the stairs to open the door. He sunk into a deep bow as Darrel left the car, and she gave him a kind smile, causing him to blush.
    "Your Highness," Allen said, going up to her. "We would like to do a thorough sweep of the house and the immediate grounds. It would be a good idea if Lord Dankworth could show you to a private room for you to remain in until we are finished."
    Darrel did her best not to roll her eyes. Allen brought more guards than usual, since they were at a different estate, and there were going to be people there that they did not know. Darrel found all their safety precautions unnecessary. As long as someone stood outside the door of whichever room she was in, she did not particularly care about how safe the rest of the property was.
    "I can show you to the library," Tobias offered.
    "Very well, thank you," Darrel nodded and followed Tobias inside.