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.

    As promised, Tobias showed Darrel into the library. He said that it was the main library, which had most of the volumes. There was also a small library, which was for entertaining.
    "I spent a lot of time in this room growing up, and before I moved," Tobias announced.
    "Then we are more alike than I thought," Darrel nodded. "Whenever I need a break from Their Majesties, I hide in the library. Although now that it has been four years, it is not much of a hiding place; they find me instantly. Or rather, the servant that they send to find me does."
    Tobias chuckled. He enjoyed it when Darrel told him stories about the Royal Family. Previous members of the family never wished to disclose any information to the public, but Tobias admired how much Darrel valued honesty.
    "Which is your favourite book?" Darrel inquired.
    Without hesitation, Tobias went up to a shelf and pulled out a green book that had a drawing of a flower on the cover. He handed it to Darrel: Familiar Wild Flowers by Edward Hulme.
    "I would love to write a book like that someday," Tobias informed.
    "I am sure that you will," Darrel nodded as she flipped through the book. "Your drawings are better than these."
    "You are being too generous; mine our mediocre."
    "You are too hard on yourself. Your drawings are splendid, and I love how focused you are when you make them."
    Tobias smiled, "Well, thank you. And do remind me to take this book when we leave."
    "You can find one of the guards roaming the hall. I am sure that he will put it in the car for you."
    "Yes, I might do that."
    The door to the library opened and a footman stepped in.
    "Lord Dankworth, the Earl of Nottingham wishes to speak with you," the footman announced.
    "Please tell him that the Princess of Wales is here," Tobias replied.
    "He is aware of that, my lord. However, he says that he will not have time to speak with you afterwards due to Their Graces' party."
    "But..."
    "You can go," Darrel interrupted. "I am fine here on my own."
    "Are you sure?" Tobias inquired. "I am sure that Montgomery will understand if I am unable to leave you."
    "I assure you that I do not mind. I have all these books to keep me company."
    "All right. I will be back soon. Feel free to look at any book that seems appealing to you."
    "Thank you."
    Tobias left the room with the footman, who shut the door behind them. Darrel was disappointed that she was on her own in a strange house. But at the same time, she appreciated having some alone time, which she did not often get at Buckingham Palace. Darrel sat down in an armchair and continued to look through Familiar Wild Flowers. If Tobias found flowers so fascinating, she was determined to learn more about them.

    A little later, Darrel studied a diagram in the book when she heard the door creak open. She looked up and saw a pair of blue eyes peering in.
    "Hello?" Darrel called, getting up. "Who is there?"
    The door pushed open and a young girl walked in. She had curly dark brown hair, bright blue eyes, and she wore a pair of beige dress pants, a white blouse and a beige vest.
    "I am sorry, Princess," the girl curtsied. "I know that I should not be here. But I was passing by and I could not help myself."
    "It is quite all right," Darrel assured. "What is your name?"
    "Francesca Dankworth."
    "And how old are you, Lady Francesca?"
    "Ten."
    "I have a nephew that is your age."
    "Are you actually going to become the Queen someday?" Francesca inquired, ignoring Darrel's answer.
    "Assuming that Their Majesties do not have a son, then yes."
    "That is so cool!"
    Francesca got over her nervousness and walked further into the room. She plopped down on the sofa, and Darrel resumed her position in the armchair.
    "So, if my brother, Tobias, marries you, will he become the King of England?" Francesca asked.
    "I do not know what his title would be, but I am afraid he would not become the King," Darrel replied.
    "Why not?"
    "Because Tobias will not become the reigning monarch if we get married. The term queen can either mean that someone is the monarch, or that they are the Queen Consort. However, King Consort is not a title."
    "Could you make it a title?"
    "I suppose so, but I do not know how that works."
    "If you do marry Tobias, can you make me a Princess?"
    Darrel laughed, "I can certainly try."
    Francesca grinned.
    "I heard Tobias telling Montgomery, my other brother, that he lost to you in a horse race. Is that true?" Francesca wondered.
    "Yes, it is," Darrel nodded. "However, your brother put up a good effort."
    "Were you riding side-saddle?"
    "No, I was not. I do not think I would have won riding side-saddle."
    "My mother says that horse racing is unladylike, and that is not elegant to ride side-saddle. But if you are to be the Queen, and you do it, then it cannot be improper."
    Darrel laughed again, thoroughly enjoying Francesca Dankworth's logic.
    "Well, I shall tell you a secret, Lady Francesca," Darrel said, leaning forward in her chair. "Even though I am the Princess of Wales, I do not always do ladylike things."
    "Why not?" Francesca asked.
    "Because it is not exciting to act like a proper lady all the time."
    "I agree. And it is terribly uncomfortable. These clothes used to belong to my brother, and they are so much nicer to wear than dresses."
    "I agree. I used to wear old clothes meant for boys when I was your age."
    "Really?!" Francesca gasped.
    Darrel nodded again.

    Francesca was about to ask something else, but at that moment, the door to the library opened and Montgomery Dankworth, Tobias' older brother, rushed into the room, followed by his younger brother.
    "Francesca Adelaide Dankworth!" Montgomery exclaimed. "What on Earth are you doing here?!"
    Francesca jumped to her feet, "I am sorry, brother."
    "You were told to stay upstairs in your room, were you not?"
    "I just wanted to fetch a book and then I saw that the princess was in here..."
    "So you thought that it would be proper for you to enter the library, in such attire, and pester the Princess of Wales?"
    "I was not pestering her! We were talking!"
    "Well, you should not talk to Her Highness either. Especially not in those clothes, you look like a street urchin."
    "Those are my clothes," Tobias reminded.
    "Shut up, Tobias," Montgomery snapped.
    Montgomery took Francesca by the arm and steered her out of the library, slamming the door behind them. Darrel could hear him continue to scold his younger sister as they headed down the hall.
    "I am sorry about Montgomery," Tobias said, "and Francesca."
    "Lady Francesca was not lying," Darrel defended. "She did not come in here to speak to me, I saw her walking outside of the library and called out to her."
    "Well, we did tell her to stay out of everyone's way during the party."
    "I assure you, that I did not mind talking to her whatsoever. She was good company."
    Tobias shrugged as the door opened and Montgomery reentered the room.
    "Your Highness, welcome to Birmingham," he bowed.
    "Thank you, Lord Nottingham," Darrel replied, getting to her feet.
    "I apologize profusely for my younger sister's behaviour, ma'am. I assure you that it will not happen again."
    "I assure you that no harm was done and that I enjoyed Lady Francesca's company."
    "That is very kind of you to say, ma'am. However, we are quite aware of what a lost cause that girl is."
    Darrel was about to say something to defend Francesca, but Tobias gave her a warning look. Darrel knew that it was not her place to voice her opinion on a family matter. While Tobias did think that Montgomery was being too harsh towards their sister, he did not bother to argue with him. Tobias knew that Francesca would have to change to find herself a husband someday. But he did enjoy her personality and did not want her to become boring. However, since he now lived in London, he knew that he no longer had an opinion when it came to how Francesca was raised.

    That evening after the celebration ended, the Dankworth family wanted to have a private conversation, so Darrel found herself alone once again. She stopped a passing footman and asked him to show her to Francesca's room.
    Darrel knocked on the door, and it opened to reveal Francesca standing in her nightgown.
    "Princess," Francesca curtsied.
    "I am sorry if I woke you, Lady Francesca," Darrel replied.
    "I was not sleeping. I like to look out the window and watch the guests come and go."
    "May I come in?"
    "Of course."
    Darrel stepped inside, and Francesca went to sit on the window ledge. Darrel joined her and saw that Francesca had a good view of the driveway, and the cars lined up as people waited for their chauffeur.
    "I wanted to speak with you," Darrel informed. "Because I wanted you to know that I did not find you intrusive when we spoke earlier. I did enjoy your company, and it was lovely to meet you."
    "Do you mean that?" Francesca gasped.
    "Of course. You remind me of how I used to be when I was younger."
    "I cannot imagine a Princess being like me..."
    "Well, I did not always know that I was a princess."
    "That's true, I suppose."
    "I know that there are standards for young ladies about how we are supposed to behave. And they can be tedious, but we still have to follow a decent number of them," Darrel explained. "But that does not mean that you have to stop being who you are. And someday, you will be able to find someone who appreciates you for who you are."
    "Like you and Tobias?" Francesca inquired.
    Darrel nodded, even though she was thinking about her relationship with Sebastian.
    "Thank you," Francesca said. "You are the first person who has ever said something like that to me."
    "Well, we rule-breakers have to stick together," Darrel smirked, causing the young girl to laugh.
    "I hope you and Tobias get married. I like you."
    "I like you too."
    Francesca grinned.
    "Well, it is late; I am going to see if Tobias is ready to leave," Darrel announced. "And you should not stay up too late."
    "I only wait until everyone's left," Francesca defended.
    "I am glad that you have a curfew set for yourself. Good evening, Lady Francesca."
    "Good night, Princess."
    Darrel got to her feet, curtsied to Francesca and left her room.

    Darrel ended up waiting for another few minutes before Tobias was ready to go, so she continued to read about flowers, and remembered to take the book with her so Tobias would have a copy.
As the car drove off, Darrel waved in the direction of Francesca's window, hoping that she saw it.

What are your thoughts on Tobias' siblings? (Francesca Dankworth is one of my favourite characters!)