Chapter 2

September 1810

"M ama, what are you able to tell us about the new tenants who will take up residence at Netherfield Park soon?" Elizabeth, who had turned twenty the past March, enquired.

"According to the investigation Mr. Philips commissioned on my behalf, Mr. Bingley is a man from the north, Scarborough in Yorkshire actually," Cilla averred. "He is the son of a very successful tradesman who is trying to enter the world of the landed gentry. According to the report, he is very conscious of social position and looks for ways to increase his consequence. His two sisters and a brother-in-law, Mr. Hurst will accompany him. One of the sisters will keep house for him."

"Was Mr. Bingley's father as wealthy as Uncle Edward is?" Mary enquired.

"Not quite, but he made a very large fortune with carriage works in Yorkshire and surrounding counties," Cilla averred. "As we know, it is not fortune or rank which defines a person, but their character.

Cilla looked at her three daughters who were nodding their emphatic agreement. "Take care around Mr. Bingley," she turned to Jane exclusively, "especially you Jane dear."

"Why me, Mama?" Jane wondered. Jane was two and twenty. She was still unmarried by choice. Her beauty had attracted interest, especially in London, when she, like her younger sisters after her, was presented. No man had yet touched her heart, and given the fortunes the girls would each have, it was not imperative she marry.

"Based on what we know of him, he is attracted to tall, willowy blonde, blue eyed women. Does that sound like anyone we know, Janey?" Cilla asked her stepdaughter who she saw no differently than the four children born of her body. Jane blushed deeply. "It does not exactly say he is a rake, because if he were, I would not accept him as a tenant. However, he seems to fall in love with women who look like our Janey and then he moves on looking for someone who can assist in his advancement in society."

"So he is a fortune hunter and social climber who is capricious, but not a rake?" Mary, who like her twin brother had recently turned nineteen, summarised.

"That is an accurate assessment, Mary dear," Cilla acknowledged. "Add to that he relies heavily on the opinions of others, especially a good friend from his university days, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the master of Pemberley in Derbyshire. Mr. Darcy is the scion of nobility and a member of the first circles. Even though Mr. Bingley is the son of a tradesman, they reportedly have a close friendship. Do not forget the way Mr. Philips has the lease structured, I am able to evict them for contravening moral clauses, as well as other more mundane ones."

"How old are they, and did they attend Cambridge?" Elizabeth queried. "If so did they leave the university before Henry began to attend?"

"They were students at the same university as your papa and Henry, but Mr. Bingley is seven and twenty and Mr. Darcy a year older so they had graduated from the university long before Henry attended," Cilla shared.

"When will my twin and Tommy return from their schools?" Mary asked.

While Henry was in his second year at Cambridge, Tommy, who had turned sixteen a few days before the start of the new school year, was in his penultimate year at Eton.

"Mary, all of you, I know that you miss your brothers, but you should remember from past years, their first term break will be about a fortnight prior to Christmastide," Cilla replied. "We have new neighbours to meet and an assembly to attend on the final Friday of this month." Priscilla paused as she cogitated, "I wonder if they will attend the assembly given they take up residence on the preceding Monday."

"Mayhap when Papa calls on Mr. Bingley to welcome him to the neighbourhood he will be able to discover whether the Netherfield Park party will attend the assembly," Jane suggested.

"I am sure your papa will be able to ferret out that information, and if not, Sir William will be far more direct and you know once he knows, Lady Lucas will be informed. She will share the news with one and all and as soon as Jane's Aunt Hattie is made aware, she will assist in the sharing of the gossip."

"If only Aunt Hattie was more like Uncle Edward and Aunt Maddie," Jane lamented.

Over the years, with the continuing close relationship between Bennet, Gardiner, and Philips the three men had maintained a brother-like relationship even after the familial ties had been broken when Bennet's first wife had passed away.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The relationship between the Bennets and Hattie Philips and her daughter, Lydia, were not as cordial as they were with her husband Frank and their son Elias. This was true of Jane as well. Jane, like the rest of the Bennets did not countenance gossip and hated vulgarity. Something mother and daughter Philips exhibited constantly. Even before the scandal, none of the Bennet siblings had been close to Lydia.

Hattie Philips was an inveterate gossip who was proud of the fact her daughter had eloped with a militia officer seven years previously when Lydia Philips had been just fifteen. All she cared about was Lydia was married and not how it had happened or the fact her daughter's husband was barely able to support himself and his wife.

Juxtaposed to the Philips ladies were the men of the family. Frank, the father, was a good man and his son Elias was of the same ilk. The latter had attended Oxford like his father before him, and also like his father, he had read the law. For the last year since graduating from university, Elias Philips had been working as a clerk in his father's law practice in Meryton—the one which used to belong to his namesake and late grandfather. Rather than trade on the fact he was the son of the proprietor, Elias had begun at the entry level, like any other new clerk would.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

With the Gardiners there was no division of loyalties. All seven Bennets were extremely close to Edward and Madeline Gardiner. Gardiner had met the love of his life while a resident at the Rose and Crown Inn in Lambton in the late summer of 1795. He had been in Derbyshire to meet with some of his local investors, the primary ones being the Fitzwilliams and Darcys. Even though the head of the latter family had been in mourning for the loss of his wife, he still had to take care of business.

That Sunday, Gardiner had attended All Saints' Church in Lambton where he had met the lady to whom he was now married. Miss Madeline Lambert was the daughter of the rector and an only child. Even though Mr. Lambert—who was a widower—was aware that if Madeline ended up marrying Edward Gardiner, she would move far distant from him, he was not selfish and did nothing to deter his daughter from accepting Gardiner.

A year after they met, they had married from All Saints in Lambton. By September 1810, they had four children: Lillian—Lilly, twelve; Edward—Eddy, nine; Peter, seven; and the youngest, May, four.

Over the years Gardiner's business had gone from one success to another, so much so that they moved from Gracechurch Street to Portman Square in early 1806. Gardiner had also purchased a mid-sized estate near Lambton, Clover Dell. Most of the year the Gardiners lived in London while Gardiner managed his businesses, but for a good portion of the summers, if they had no other commitments to visit the Bennets, or others, they moved to Clover Dell. Maddie's father had retired from the pulpit and lived quietly at the estate. He did not feel up to the length of travel from Lambton to London. He lived there still.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

"It is all my fault," Darcy bemoaned, his elbows resting on his desk, his head in his hands. "You told me to check Mrs. Younge's characters and I did not listen to you even though you are as much Anna's guardian as I am."

"William, you are the one who saved our ward," Richard reminded his cousin. "Had you not been suspicious of why her letters had ceased, you would not have travelled to Ramsgate and stopped that bastard and his paramour before they could do any real harm to Anna."

When Robert Darcy had perished in a riding accident at Pemberley some five years previously, his will had appointed his son and nephew, Richard Fitzwilliam, as joint guardians. Even though Richard was in Kent for part of the year and Darcy in Derbyshire they made it work.

"I am only sorry you were not with me when I went to Ramsgate," Darcy lamented. "I should have stopped at Rosings Park and had you join me. You would not have let the profligate wastrel escape with his life."

Richard Fitzwilliam was a man who would do what was needed, and when needed, had a very hard edge, especially if someone harmed a person he loved. It was the reason he would have joined the army had he not agreed to safeguard the de Bourgh ladies and all of the de Bourgh fortune and property. He would have thought nothing of making George Wickham disappear permanently.

"Stop berating yourself!" Richard demanded. "If you had stopped, they may have been on their way to Gretna Green before we arrived. As it was, you made it to your house with a few scant hours to spare. Imagine if he had succeeded in his damned plan to elope with our Anna. Even though her dowry would have been beyond his reach, he would have caused you immense pain for his perceived wrongs at your hand."

"I should have ended him instead of just punching his smug face," William opined. "Even though we cannot prove it, we both suspect he had a hand in Father's death. Do not forget, I had been supposed to ride out with father that day. If I had…"

"Thankfully we will never know, and now you employ sufficient guards to make sure he can never harm you," Richard pointed out.

As Richard spoke, Darcy's mind returned to the scene he had witnessed the day he had arrived in Ramsgate.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Darcy's House, Ramsgate May 1810

Darcy arrived at his house as the sun was beginning to sink below the hills in the west. The reds, golds, and silvers thrown out by the setting sun reflected on the surface of the rather calm sea. Until he had entered the house, Darcy had felt as calm as the sea had looked to him.

He had heard a male voice coming from the sitting room, the door only partially closed. He knew whose voice it was and was momentarily frozen as he heard the disgusting words. "Come now Georgiana, we are to leave for Gretna Green on the morrow, even now Mrs. Younge is supervising your packing, as we are soon to be husband and wife, there can be no evil in anticipating…" Whatever else George Wickham was about to say was lost when the door flew open, and an enraged Darcy flew into the room. The former turned white with fear.

Anna immediately burst into tears at the fury she saw on her brother's countenance, not the joy George and Mrs. Younge had assured her William would feel when their surprise was revealed to him.

Before he could move Darcy had planted his fist into Wickham's belly with all of his might, and then when the libertine doubled over in pain, Darcy's other fist was brought up in a vicious uppercut which snapped Wickham's head back, rendering him unconscious.

Attracted by the commotion, Mrs. Younge entered the sitting room. As soon as she saw her George lying prostrate at the feet of Mr. Darcy, her only thought was of escape. She had half turned when a large hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Where do you think you are going?" Darcy, who under normal circumstances would never manhandle a woman, pushed a petrified Mrs. Younge into a chair. "Where are my staff and servants? Why are they not here and how could you, who was employed with the express purpose of protecting my sister, allow that gamester and seducer near her?"

"They are off on a half day," Mrs. Younge admitted but said nothing else as she looked down at her feet.

"Anna, go outside to my coach and tell the Thompson brothers I require their presence immediately," Darcy instructed. As upset and confused as she was, Georgiana understood this was not the time to question her brother. Within minutes the sniffling girl returned with the large Thompson brothers in tow. She sat back down, took William's offered handkerchief, and began to dry her eyes. "Bind that," Darcy pointed at Wickham who was beginning to stir. "And make sure that," he pointed at a shaking Mrs. Younge, "does not abscond. "

Leaving the brothers to watch the two in the sitting room, Darcy led his sister who had shrunk back into herself, out of the room and into the parlour opposite. "Did I hear that you had agreed to an elopement with a man who was banished from Pemberley for immoral behaviour?" Darcy paused, he needed to modulate his voice as he could see his sister's distress. "Did your education not inform you how wrong an elopement is, regardless with whom?"

Anna nodded as she continued to cry silently. "I-I b-believed myself in l-l-love w-with him."

"It is critical you tell me; did you allow that seducer any liberties with your person?" Darcy enquired quietly but firmly.

"One k-kiss," Georgiana owned. "They said you would like the surprise."

"That is one of the biggest of the many lies you were told. Wait here," Darcy commanded. His sister's eyes were firmly fixed on her hands folded in her lap and at the floor.

When he re-entered the sitting room, Wickham was bound and sitting on a chair. Not being one who understood when it was time to be quiet, Wickham decided he needed to turn the situation to his advantage. "Where is my fiancée?" Before he could say another word the older of the Thompson brothers advanced towards him menacingly. Being a coward, Wickham closed his mouth.

"The only reason I will allow you to live is for the memory of your late father," Darcy growled.

Wickham blanched. He knew Darcy well enough to know this was no idle comment. Rather than gain Miss Darcy's dowry and avenge himself on the prig, he would now have to preserve his own neck.

"You will leave this place and never approach a member of my family again or I will speak to the Duke of Bedford or one of the earls to have you transported or worse. Breathe a word of this woman leaving you alone with my sister and you will be sent to hell. Do you understand me?" Darcy demanded. Wickham nodded wordlessly. Darcy turned to his sister's former companion. "You cross me again and I will have you charged with fraud and the attempted kidnapping of an earl's niece. If you want to swing, try me." Like Wickham before her, Mrs. Younge nodded her understanding. He turned to the Thompsons. "Make sure they leave Ramsgate forthwith. If they resist in any way, you are free to do as you see fit."

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

"William… WILLIAM ! Where did you go?" Richard's voice pierced the fog of his memories of Anna's almost ruin.

"Please pardon me Richard, what did you say?"

"In my opinion you should accompany Bingley into Hertfordshire," Richard repeated.

"But Anna…" Darcy began to protest.

"She will be well cared for. Mother will love hosting her, Ladies Rose and Edith, and their daughters will be in Town, and you know how close Anna is to Charity, do you not?" The youngest Rhys Davies, Lady Charity was born in the middle of June 1796.

Just when Lady Rose had been convinced there would be no more after Marie, she had become with child and the result was a second daughter. As she was a little more than a year younger than Anna, she and Charity became fast friends over the years.

"I suppose," Darcy conceded. "And I do hate to go back on my word, even if the way Bingley has behaved of late irks me somewhat."

"Has Miss Bingley received the message you are not interested in her as anything more than your friend's sister? Am I wrong that she seems to behave a little better than she used to when we first met her?"

"She no longer hunts me like she was wont to. And yes, it is easier to tolerate her company now. I am confused why it took so long as I had told Bingley some years back I would never offer for her, regardless of the circumstances." William shook his head. "I only agreed to assist Bingley learn estate management after his youngest sister's behaviour was amended."

"One thing William on the subject of that bastard Wickham. If you encounter him again, summon me and then we will deal with him together."

"You have my word of honour it will be so."