The Guardian Gambit (The Silver Screen Retellings #1)
Prologue
The house was unfamiliar, but the fair-haired woman who answered the door was as beautiful as she had been ten years before.
She was again wearing mourning garb, reminding the gentleman of the afternoon so long ago when he first met the bereaved vicar’s daughter.
But all those years ago, she had gazed at the dapper soldier with irrepressible admiration.
Now, though he stood before her as a wealthy landowner, she only looked through him; her eyes fixed on the little girl at his side.
“She is the very image of Jane,” Fanny breathed. Her eyes welled with tears, and she took a step toward the girl. She stopped when she noticed the plainly dressed woman lingering a few paces away, determined not to notice the tender moment. “You brought your housekeeper, Thomas?”
There was a tone of implication that Thomas resisted the urge to bristle at.
“You know that she has family in the village.” Fanny’s gaze was still fixed on the child, and Thomas crouched down a little as he addressed the girl.
“Your dear Aunt Bessie was very popular here, before she moved away. Would you like to go and see the village with her?”
The girl stared curiously at Fanny for a moment, boldly holding her gaze before finally looking over at Bessie Hill, who extended a hand out to her. “May I spend my allowance at the bookshop, too?”
Fanny let out a breathy, rueful laugh, her eyes betraying a modicum of affection for the pair.
“Certainly,” Thomas told the girl with an indulgent smile. He handed her another coin and then tousled her golden hair. “I daresay you will find some sweets that catch your fancy, my dear one. Run along, now.”
The girl cast one last glance at Fanny before running to take the housekeeper’s hand. Bessie led her away, giving Fanny a cordial nod before they exited the garden gate of the tidy cottage at the edge of the village.
Fanny gave Thomas a pained look. “Cannot she stay?”
“I would speak privately with you, if you will invite me in.”
Fanny nodded and led him into the house.
It was finer than he expected – not grand by any means, but comfortable, respectable, and larger than the vicarage where she had lived when first they met.
Her mother sat in the parlor, knitting, and glared at Thomas before silently rising from her seat and quitting the room.
And then he noticed Jane, sitting in the corner of the room, and all the air whooshed out of his lungs. “Identical,” he marveled.
The child looked up from her drawing and smiled shyly. Thomas stared at her in wonderment. Hers was a face he saw every day, and yet it was not. There was perhaps not the same sparkle of mischief in her eyes, but she moved with astonishing grace as Fanny sent her up to her room.
Thomas felt a pang in his heart, but he knew it was only fair that Fanny should repay his deprivation with more of the same. And it was best that they speak alone. “I suppose you are surprised to see me.”
Fanny betrayed no such sentiments, and it vexed him beyond measure. “You cannot have come to pay your respects to my half-brother.”
“No,” he said evenly; he was rather surprised Fanny was observing mourning at all for the man who had altered the course of their lives a decade before, causing them each misery of the acutest kind.
“Then I suppose my letter did not please you,” Fanny said coolly.
“It seems I am not too late. There is still time for you to reconsider.”
Fanny shook her head. “The Colonel shall arrive within the hour, sir.”
Sir . The formality stung, and he defensively stiffened his posture. “Please, Fanny.”
“I have not given him my consent to injure you; I cannot see how it affects you in any way.” Fanny’s stubborn glare faltered, and she glanced down into her lap, fidgeting with some lace on her long sleeves.
“You refuse to ask why I have come, and perhaps that is your prerogative as a woman, but I will tell you nonetheless.”
Fanny looked up again, and this time there was fear in her lovely visage. Time had been far kinder than he might have imagined her circumstances would allow, but then she had always been a remarkable beauty. “What is she like? I suppose it is no surprise she would ask for books.”
She was stalling; she did not wish to hear what he had come to ask.
Thomas sighed, finding himself still unable to refuse her anything she desired.
“She is bold and fearless. She climbs trees and plays in the mud, and half the boys her age in Meryton are frightened of her ferocity. She fears nothing at all, and makes friends wherever she goes. She speaks French and Latin very well, and yes, she spends many hours with me in my library.”
Fanny smiled warmly. “Jane’s French is very good – she is so clever, and very compliant in her studies. She has a talent for drawing – I have one of her sketches here….”
Something softened in Fanny, and for the next hour she and Thomas spoke of the two girls with great feeling. Their conversation was easy and natural, as if no time had passed since their fateful, tearful parting a decade before.
And then Fanny posed a question that cut him to the quick. “Was Lady Amelia kind to her?”
She spoke in the past tense – she knew of his wife’s death.
“She was not unkind, though my late wife did not especially care for children. We had talked of sending her to school in a few years, for a proper education, though now I think it best to keep her with me. She will need to be taught the responsibilities that await her, for if I never have a son, she will inherit.”
Fanny raised her brows. “You broke the entail?”
“Lady Amelia’s fortune might have gone to any children we had together, but since the babe perished with her, I have used the funds to purchase a neighboring estate.”
“She is an heiress,” Fanny breathed, her eyes wide with awe.
“So, too, might Jane be.”
“I am quite resolved on my plans for her,” Fanny hissed.
“I made amends with my half-brother before he passed, and he left Jane a generous sum in addition to what was set aside for Mother and myself. Indeed, it is enough that I no longer have need of the stipend you provide. Jane will not be a grand heiress, but she will be able to marry respectably, if not spectacularly.”
“You would part with her to them , but you need not part with her at all. You could both come to Netherfield with me.”
Fanny sat up straight, her eyes again flashing wide. “I am not sure I comprehend your meaning, sir.”
“I should think it obvious – it is what is right, Fanny. Marry me, at last, and we shall all be a family.”
For a moment, Thomas allowed himself to believe his words had touched her heart, for there was a distinct softening of her lovely visage. But then she shook her head, her lips twisting with disdain. “And preside as mistress over the home you purchased with my rival’s fortune? I could never!”
“After ten years, you still resent me for what was beyond my control?”
Fanny stood, her hands balling into fists at her side. “I resent you coming here now, to be sure, acting as if you never broke my heart! I comprehend your love of money, sir, but I was never swayed by such things.”
“That is poppycock,” Thomas hissed, standing and glaring at the woman he loved despite all odds.
“Edward was always shading your judgement with fripperies from his warehouses! If I had ever believed I might make you happy with a soldier’s pay, I would happily have forfeit my father’s property and broken entirely with him! ”
“You might have taken me at my word, for I promised you so faithfully that I cared nothing for such material concerns! Even now, I sit here refusing your stipend, and you are still resolved to think me so easily swayed by your fortune – her fortune! I have found another way to ensure Jane’s future prospects, and you cannot stand it! ”
“You are shipping her off with strangers,” Thomas bellowed, taking a few steps toward her. “Damn and blast, woman, you rile me so!”
“And you take delight in vexing me,” Fanny cried, closing the distance between them. They stood only inches apart, each panting with the force of their ire. Thomas gazed down at her, his eyes landing on her perfect, rosy lips. “Fanny….”
He grasped her shoulders and drew her closer, and she raised a small white hand to his cheek. And then, there were footsteps on the stairs.
“They are here, they are here!” Jane’s cries echoed down the corridor, and Thomas stepped away from Fanny just in time. Jane skipped into the parlor and pointed to the window. “Colonel Campbell is here, Auntie, in a very grand carriage!”
“Then we must have Martin carry out your trunk, dearest.” Fanny rang the bell, and a manservant appeared a moment later. “Martin, it is time.”
The servant gave a deep bow of his head, looking rather forlorn. He offered Jane a small basket. “I have just come from my cousins’ farm, and they have sent you some tarts made from their famous Abbey Mill apples, Miss Janey. You must be a good girl and share them with your new friends.”
Martin wiped a tear from his eye before retreating into the corridor and collecting a small trunk to load on the colonel’s carriage. Fanny offered Jane her hand and led her out of the room without a backward glance at Thomas, who could only pursue them with rising dismay.
“Ah! Captain Bennet! It has been far too long, my good fellow!” Colonel Campbell shook hands warmly with him, oblivious to his old friend’s discomfort.
He presented his wife and their daughter, a girl who looked to be about nine or ten. Then he set about introducing the two girls, who shyly assessed one another as Colonel Campbell and his wife assured Fanny that Jane would be vastly content as a companion to their little Diana.
Jane was handed into the carriage after her new playmate, and then Mrs. Campbell.
The colonel gave a sweeping bow as he bid them farewell, offering more pretty promises for Jane’s prospects.
“I am sorry we cannot tarry, Bennet, for I should love to reminisce about old times, but we are expected in London by supper, and my aunt is quite a stickler for such things. Miss Bates, I shall write to you of our safe arrival, and my wife shall send you frequent updates, as promised. Good day to you both!”
It was rather one of the worst days Thomas Bennet could recall.
He moved closer to Fanny Bates and offered her a handkerchief for the silent tears that began to spill down her cheeks as soon as the carriage door closed behind their old friend.
“Good God, I ought to scream and shout to put a stop to this,” he murmured.
“Uncle!” Elizabeth called out, releasing Bessie Hill’s hand as she ran to his side.
“I have found a copy of Gulliver’s Travels with the most wonderful illustrations!
” And then she stopped, standing stock still as she stared at the departing carriage.
In a small rear window, a face identical to her own appeared, wearing a look of tearful astonishment.
He gave a great clap of his hands to divert her attention. “Well done, poppet! And have you found any sweets? Your – my friend Miss Bates is very fond of sweets.”
Elizabeth reached into her pocket and offered Fanny Bates a small fabric pouch of candied pears.
Fanny accepted them with a sad smile, still dabbing at her tears.
“Thank you, my dear. But I have nothing for you – here, take this.” Fanny reached up and pulled a small golden comb from her hair, giving Thomas a sly smile as her golden curls tumbled loose around her shoulders.
Thomas recognized that object, having purchased it himself ten years ago. Elizabeth held it in both hands with a look of glee. “It is so pretty! But I cannot accept it.”
“Certainly you can. You must think of your visit to Highbury when you wear it, and your – your friend, Fanny Bates. I am sorry you cannot stay, but your uncle tells me you must be getting back to Meryton.”
“Yes, I suppose we must,” Thomas said, gazing at Fanny with so many unanswered questions. He bowed deeply before her, and then raised her bare hand to his lips. “I hope you will write to me, if ever you reconsider,” he said softly.
She only nodded tersely, flexing the fingers of her hand before she spun on her heel and hurried into the tidy little house at the end of the lane. Thomas watched her go, then turned with a heavy sigh and led Elizabeth and Mrs. Hill away, each step an unbearable penance.