For those of you who have not read the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy,

WELCOME to my Blog page and my vision of Jane Austen’s world.

If A Proper Darcy Christmas is your first foray into my Austen World, you might need a few introductions to characters new to the Austen canon that were introduced in the trilogy.

The second one is

Lemuel Fletcher

Lemuel “Lem” Fletcher is Fitzwilliam Darcy’s valet, the first servant chosen personally by Darcy, rather than by his father, shortly after graduating from university. Fletcher came into service a bit later in life than most valets but made up for that deficit quickly with his talent for and discerning taste in fashion that he would cleverly adapt to his employers’ personalities and positions, whether they were aware of it or not.

At the open of the Trilogy, Fletcher had been with Darcy for seven years and four things were quite apparent in that work: his faithfulness to Darcy, his extraordinary prescience, his facility with Shakespeare to communicate with Darcy about matters from which a servant is usually barred, and his unquenchable desire to make his mark and be recognized in his profession, the sartorial world of the Regency.

As for Fletcher’s prescience, there is nothing beyond its origin than being a very observant person and having a retentive mind, especially when he makes it his business. Fellow servants, tradesmen, other men’s valets, all of these sources furnish gossip and bits of information that a good valet would find to the advantage of his employer.

Darcy presents to Fletcher the perfect canvas for his art, but continually frustrated him by his insistence on understatement and simplicity. This does not prevent Fletcher from introducing elegance and discrete amounts of current fashion into his wardrobe. He concentrates his main efforts on the tying of Darcy’s cravats, which could not be seen until most all dressing was complete and could be rejected only with a great deal of time wasted. Eventually, Fletcher reaches the pinnacle of neckcloth knots when his creation “The Roquet” is acknowledged by no less a person than Beau Brummell, as outshining his own at the Melbourne’s Soiree.

Fletcher’s facility with Shakespeare came from a source that he was able to keep secret from Darcy for most of his seven years with him. The truth was, Fletcher grew up on Shakespeare. His parents were the heads of a small-time Shakespearean company that travelled the smaller cities and towns of the English countryside. He broke away from the company amicably in his late twenties to follow his dream of becoming a valet, but a heritage in the acting community was not a recommendation to the classes he looked to for employment. Therefore, it was a “deep, dark secret” for which Fletcher offered Darcy his resignation when it was discovered. Darcy, of course, discounted it, and Fletcher’s future in the Darcy family was secured.