Chapter Nineteen
The Brass Duck was much nicer than that awful pub near the docks.
The blonde man was much more comfortable.
The food was tolerable. The cliental were well dressed tourists visiting the seaside.
The owner only asked a small deposit on his room, and the rest to be settled when he departed.
Little did the proprietor realize that the man had no intention of settling his bill when he left.
The boy he found to run errands for him was very reliable, and assured him his note had been delivered, now he simply had to wait for Bernice to show up.
Soon they would make their move, collect their money, and he would shake her off and disappear.
She did not even know his real name. He had originally introduced himself as Henry Blake.
No sense in making it easy for her to hunt him down.
There was a scratching at the door which he cracked open to look out.
“Henry! It is so good to see you!” Bernice lunged into the room before Henry could even open the door all the way.
“Quiet woman! Do you want the entire Inn to know you’re here?”
Apparently, Mrs. Young did not care, for she grabbed him and gave him a passionate kiss before he was even able to close the door.
Henry thought it was better to succumb than anger the woman.
She was under the impression, that once this job was done, they would marry.
Ha! If he ever did marry, it would be to a young, nubile, innocent heiress.
Not a hag like her. She had just been some actress for him to have some fun with.
She had been much prettier in her stage makeup.
She was also easy to finagle money from.
He had told her a sob story about how Darcy had stolen all his money by cheating at cards, and the colonel had helped him.
Now she hated both and would help him in his revenge and get the money they both needed.
She was really rather stupid, but at least she was a good actress, and had been raised in a genteel home.
Eventually he peeled her off him and they discussed the new plan.
“I see no reason why you should have to spend weeks trying to get the mouse to fall in love with you. I can drug her, we can carry her away to Gretna Green, and then we will force her brother to give over her dowry. OR we could just abduct her and ask for ransom. You would not have to marry the chit at all.”
“It would be more satisfying to make her marry over the anvil. Darcy and the colonel would be devastated. Once they hand over her dowry, we can set sail for America, and neither of us will ever have to see any of them again.”
“But she would be compromised regardless! You would not have to marry her! I cannot stand the thought of you laying with her. No, Henry! Do not hurt me that way.” Bernice began to boohoo, even though not a single tear was shed.
Henry was a consummate actor himself. He had fooled and charmed people his entire life.
Should he pretend he believed her false cries?
Yes. Best she thinks she had fooled him and he had a heart.
Which he did not. “Oh, my darling. I understand. I cannot even imagine you with another man, no matter the reason.” He patted and stroked her back as they hugged and began kissing again.
It was several hours later before they solidified their plans.
He told her to watch for the boy who had given her the note and use him to send communications back.
Tommy was going to make a killing in runner fees.
~~~~~
Another tall, blonde man, who was similar in description to the Henry Blake currently residing in Ramsgate, received a missive from a friend who he sometimes gambled with.
My friend,
You might be interested to hear, a certain man who was responsible for your losses, is in Ramsgate.
Also recognized, is a Miss Darcy with a large group of lovely ladies.
I will attempt to garner an introduction.
Such beauty is seldom seen, even in London.
Might other of them be heiresses? I could use one.
You might also be interested to know, there is a gambling house where you might win your recent losses back. I have been having great luck there!
Come visit soonest!
Reggie
Rage passed over the man’s mind and he saw red.
‘That is where the scoundrel absconded! And Georgiana Darcy is there? I would bet my last dime he is there for her. I must do something!’ He paced and paced nearly wearing a hole in the carpet.
By the early morning hours, he realized there was nothing for it.
He would have to ride to Ramsgate and foil the scoundrel himself.
He had been a bane to his existence since childhood, constantly leading him into trouble.
No one really trusted him anymore. Darcy and Richard had been his closest compatriots as children, but now, neither trusted him nor gave him the time of day.
Well, he had finally seen the light. His other friend had set him up and cheated him.
This would be taken care of before summer’s end. On his honor…what there was left of it.
~~~~~
Bernice was able to put on a good store of laudanum for her megrims, and Henry was able to find a small coach and a sturdy horse for their escape.
He had let her believe that they would simply abduct the girl and ask for ransom, but his plan was to leave Mrs. Young on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere and drive on to Gretna Green with the little mouse.
He would compromise her quite thoroughly on the way.
Ah, how he’d laugh in Darcy’s face when he showed up with the cowering chit and asked for the dowry of thirty thousand pounds.
Maybe he would even arrange for an accident so Pemberley would be inherited by his wife, becoming his at last!
He had always coveted Pemberley, even as children when they all played together there.
Tommy had been running messages back and forth and letting Mr. Smith read them all first. John Smith had the twin footmen watching everything closely.
He was keeping Beth informed, but they were unsure what exactly to do.
Should they send a missive to Mr. Darcy?
He was dealing with the aftermath of the fires at Pemberley.
Should they let the colonel know? He had just been reassigned to King’s Guard, so may not be free to do anything.
Write the Countess of Matlock? That seemed like a stretch. So, they decided to talk to Mr. Bennet.
“Uncle, there is an issue we are concerned about.”
“Well, do share it with me. I have become bored with my daughters being so happy and well occupied.”
“Someone is conspiring to abduct Miss Darcy for her dowry. She is being closely watched. We are aware of the culprits but are unsure if we should contact some of her family. Her brother is tied up with the fires. Her other guardian was just promoted and is working directly for the royals. I would be afraid to write to Lady Matlock; I only met her the once. Do you have any advice?”
Thomas Bennet was rarely surprised or shocked. This was one of the rare cases. “And you only tell me this NOW?! How long has this been going on?!”
“Well, since the week we arrived, I suppose. Mrs. Young is in cahoots with a man calling himself Henry Blake. Our runner doesn’t believe that’s his real name. He apparently has mail that was written to different names. It could be stolen mail. We do not know.”
“You have waited more than a month to tell me of this?!”
“Ummm, well yes. You and Mrs. Russell have been enjoying yourselves, and we did not want to interrupt…”
Mr. Bennet looked embarrassed. “Who else knows about this?”
“Well, Lizzy, Lydia, John here, of course, the twin footmen, the Rileys, Jackson, Smithers, the Fredricks, so I suppose most of the servants nearby….”
“The rest of your cousins?”
“No. There was no reason to upset them.”
Thomas Bennet rubbed his face up and down with both hands while he got his equanimity back. “Pemberley is too far. I will send an express to Colonel Fitzwilliam. He is a full colonel now?”
“Yes. He wrote Gigi last week of his promotion and reassignment.”
The express was sent within the hour, but since the colonel had changed quarters, he did not receive it until it was too late.