Chapter 11 #2
Sam Hodges had attempted to extract funds from the girl’s father on his own, but that had yielded no results, so he decided that it was time to involve the Younges in his quest to make money from the knowledge of who Lady Elizabeth Fitzwilliam really was.
He had learned that the Earl and Countess were looking for a companion for their daughter.
He had overheard two servants talking in the town of Matlock when he was on one of his aborted spying missions for his employer, information that he did not pass onto Mrs Fitzpatrick.
When he wrote to the Younges, they had agreed to assist him for fifty percent of whatever he was able to earn, to which he agreed.
Clay had sent his sister Karen who was currently staying at the inn in Packwood.
Sam knew that his employer would not be happy if he were to do anything without her knowledge and approval, but the potential profit was too good for him to ignore the opportunity.
Karen Younge was very crafty, and she had fashioned herself as Mrs Younge, the widow of an officer killed in the Cape of Good Hope.
She had characters written by some of her cronies and one that she wrote herself, being a good forger, that would impress anyone, as long as they did not check the validity of the references.
The plan was for her to apply for the position at Snowhaven and then once she gained the child’s confidence, she would take her for a long walk without any but herself for company and Sam and one of her brother’s men would be waiting to take her.
They would then demand fifteen thousand pounds from the Fitzwilliams and another unnamed family that Sam was not ready to share the name with his cohorts yet.
“This will work,” Karen Younge opined, “she is but a child so I will be able to get her to do anything that I require.”
“I ‘ope so Miss Younge,” Sam replied. “There be a lot o’ money ridin’ on this caper!”
“It will not be a problem, I am very good at pulling the wool over people’s eyes, especially rich useless ones like these toffs that we are going to pay us a lot of money!” Her avarice made her over-confident.
“The ol’ bat ‘ll be missin’ me. I better get back to ‘er.” Sam could not get away from the imperious know it all too fast for his liking.
He made his way back to Mrs Fitzpatrick’s house where he ran into George Wickham chopping some firewood. “Where have you been disappearing to, Hodges,” Wickham asked.
“Aint none yer business ‘ouse boy,” Hodges shot back.
“If you are up to something and the old bat finds out she will have your throat cut…” Before Wickham could finish the sentence Hodges had his knife at the young man’s throat.
“One more word from yer boy, an’ it ‘ll be yer last. Do ya un’erstand?” Wickham nodded slightly worried that too much movement would cut his throat. Hodges stalked off as he was added to the growing list of those that George Wickham needed to get revenge on.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The three families arrived at Pemberley after the overnight outside of York on the return from the wedding.
After changing out of her travel attire, Elaine sat with her sister-in-law in the family sitting room.
“As happy as I am for Andrew, I cannot believe that one of my sons is married already. I know that he and Marie will have a loving and felicitous union; he could not have found a more perfect wife had he searched the four corners of the known world,” Elaine stated wistfully.
“You will see them often Elaine; Hilldale is less than ten miles from Snowhaven and in Town it is barely two miles between Grosvenor and Berkley squares,” Anne replied understanding her sister’s ambivalence, happiness for her son and new daughter but sadness as her son moved into the next stage of his life that would be mostly independent of his parents, as it should be.
“I am being silly,” Elaine judged, “I should not have any maudlin thoughts when this is such a joyful time.”
“Yes, it is a time to be happy, but I understand your feelings. William is still relatively young, but it will not be too many years before he will marry and then things will change; and I do not want to think about how it will be when Georgie takes that step, and one day Alex too will find his match. As much as I want my children to be happy, our relationships will change, like yours has just done with Andrew and change is sometimes hard to live with; but we will, and everything will be as it should be.” Anne and Elaine sat for a few minutes before they joined the rest of the party in the drawing room.
Elizabeth was making sure that she did not repeat Will’s error from six years ago when he distanced himself from her.
She took her mother’s words to heart and told herself that no matter her feelings, Will was her cousin and her friend, and until she was older that is all they would be.
Like she had been told, no one can predict the future; her soul mate may still be an unmet someone that was out in the world waiting to meet her.
With her determination that there would be no awkwardness between them, she entered into their debate on the latest works they had read as spirited a manner as ever.
William was also fighting his attraction, but he would not repeat the mistakes of the past. He told himself that although older, his cousin was still too young to be the object of his affection, but he was not sure how he would be able to hide the attraction that he was feeling as she got more and more beautiful in body and mind.
He resolved that until she was of an age that it would be appropriate, he would make sure that he behaved as her cousin and friend and no more.
Neither was aware that they were battling the same attraction and had come to almost identical decisions on the way forward.
Elizabeth and William were seated in the vast Pemberley library playing chess while Charles Bingley watched the game as the two seemed to make their next move just as soon as the other’s hand was lifted from the piece that had been moved as if they had their next ten moves planned in their minds already.
Elizabeth moved her bishop into the desired position. “Checkmate, Will!” she said triumphantly. Will looked at the board and knew that she had bested him again and tipped over his king.
“Well played, Lizzy. How many moves ago did you know that you had me beat?” He asked.
“After the fifth move I could see how I would win,” she stated matter of factually. It was not a boast; it was a simple statement of fact.
“How do you two see your moves so far in advance?” an astounded Bingley asked.
“It took me some years, first learning and then playing against my father, to know that he was thinking many moves ahead so I trained myself to do it. Not all of us can learn at the speed that Lizzy here does, or remember every possibility as she is able to,” Will explained.
“Our neighbour, Mr Bennet, has not been beaten for many years according to Sir William Lucas, who has played against him for years. Even though he loses each time he enjoys the company and Mr Bennet’s excellent port,” Bingley informed the cousins.
“I met the gentleman briefly when I stayed with you that first Easter; had I known that he was a chess virtuoso I would have requested to play against him.” William was sorry that he had missed the opportunity, but he would not let the chance get by him again the next time that he visited the Bingleys at Netherfield Park.
“He is a Cambridge man, as all good men are,” Bingley ribbed, “he had seen the record that your father had as unbeaten while he was there and I believe he would enjoy playing against both of you, and you, too, Lizzy.”
“How would he know that I play chess?” asked the intrigued young lady.
Bingley informed the cousins how he had mentioned that she beat both father and son.
“Well, if that be the case, I will write a move for Mr Bennet; when you return home, give it to him and our direction if he wants to play a game with me via the post. If not, I will have to challenge him if we are ever in the area again.” Elizabeth wrote her opening move and handed it to her cousin’s friend.
“Rather than wait, I will send him a missive now with your challenge and direction,” Bingley enthused.
“Either wait until you return to Netherfield or have Lizzy write the missive; your handwriting is nigh on unreadable, Bingley,” William pointed out.
“Yes, I dare say that it is. Will you write the letter for me, Lizzy?” he requested.
Elizabeth nodded and went to the escritoire in the corner of the library and wrote what Charles Bingley dictated.
He signed at the bottom and after it was closed and sealed, Elizabeth wrote the direction so that the post would have a chance at getting it to the desired address.
When she wrote the name of the estate, Longbourn, a deeply recessed memory stirred, but she could not place it, so she filed it as a random unexplained memory.
She was sure that she had never been there before and when Charles explained that it was between Netherfield and Bennington Fields, Lizzy assumed that she had seen the name on a sign in the area.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Bennet was sitting in his study with his brother Gardiner when the post was delivered.
Besides moving into Portman Square, the Gardiners had been blessed with Edward Junior.
Eddy, as everyone called him affectionately, was born in June of 1801.
Maddie was with child again but as she had not felt the quickening yet, neither she nor her husband had shared the news yet.
From his combined share in Gardiner and Associates and the Bingley Carriage Works, the Gardiner income had just topped ten thousand pounds per annum.
He was going to leave the letter until later as Bennet did not recognise the flowing feminine script on the outside. His curiosity got the better of him, so he opened the missive and read:
7 July 1804
Pemberley, Derbyshire
Bennet recognised the name of the estate as the Darcys had purchased horses from him but could not imagine why one of the Darcy ladies was writing to him, so he continued reading.
Mr Bennet,
I am sure that the handwriting has confused you.
This letter is from me, Charles Bingley, and is being kindly written for me as I dictate by Lady Elizabeth Fitzwilliam.
If you have not had the pleasure, I am told that my writing is ridiculously hard to read.
I think that my friends exaggerate, but nevertheless I requested help to make sure that you are able to read this.
Bennet grinned and Gardiner looked at him questioningly.
“It is from young Bingley, but it has been pointed out to him that his writing is illegible, so he had a young lady write for him,” he explained.
Gardiner, having seen the young man’s attempt at writing once, understood and broke into a grin himself.
While watching Lady Elizabeth make quick work of her Cousin William Darcy, I relayed to them your prowess with the game and that I mentioned the skill of the young lady in question.
She would like to know if you would be willing to play a game by post, her first move is included if you agree. Her direction is Snowhaven Estate, Derbyshire.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
Sincerely,
Charles Bingley
Below his name was a postscript from the lady herself.
PS. I would appreciate it if you would be willing to play against me sir. I beat both my Uncle George and Cousin William too easily and need a challenge, if you do not mind being beaten by a girl of thirteen!
Lady Elizabeth Fitzwilliam
“Impertinent is she not?” Gardiner said with a wide grin. He did not notice the look on Bennets face. Gardiner looked up when his brother-in-law had been silent for some time and seemed to be staring at an undetermined point outside the window.
“She is the same age as my Lizzy would be,” Bennet finally stated as he thought about the daughter that was no longer with him.
“Yes, she is, and it seems is very proficient at chess. Will you accept the challenge?” Gardiner asked.
“Of course, I will,” Bennet said as he set up his spare chess board and made her move.
He then made one of his own and wrote it in his letter of acceptance to be posted back to the young lady; in fact he would use his courier.
“It will be like playing with my Lizzy if she had not been stolen from us.”
Gardiner did not comment; his late sister was never spoken about, but he was well aware of why Lizzy was not at Longbourn.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Mr Smythe opened the door at Snowhaven to find a youngish lady outside. “May I help you, madam?” he asked. She was well put together but he had no idea who she was or why she was there, and his suspicion was aroused immediately.
“I am Mrs Younge, here to apply for the position of companion for Lady Elizabeth Fitzwilliam, the lady answered.
“Then madam I am afraid that the agency misinformed you; the family is away from home at the moment.” Smythe started to close the door.
“I-I must have got the dates mixed up,” Karen Younge hedged.
“Would you be kind enough to tell me when I should return so that I may meet her parents?” she asked in a fake syrupy sweet voice.
Smythe made a snap decision; he did not believe the woman, but he was sure that the master would like to interview her to find out why she was really at Snowhaven and who sent her.
“The family will return on the last day of July; I would recommend that you present yourself on the first day of August.” Smythe closed the door and went to compose a message to the master.
When Miss Younge returned to the small carriage so quickly, Hodges, who was playing the role of driver while the man that Younge sent was the supposed footman, feared that their ruse had been discovered. “What ‘appened?” he asked sharply convinced that the woman had somehow given the game away.
“Keep calm, Hodges,” Miss Younge said disdainfully. “The family is away until the end of the month, the butler told me to come back the first day in August. If your information had been better, we would not have wasted our time today!” she added with asperity.
“It be too dan’rous to get close to ‘ere. We will return on that day,” Hodges said. He was disappointed that he had to wait, but he had waited this long to get money from his knowledge of who the little miss was; he would wait a little longer.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Reggie read the note from his butler with interest. He trusted the man’s instincts and his suspicions too were raised, especially as he knew that the agency had been told not to send any candidates until mid-August. Yes, he would meet with this woman and find out what she was about.