Chapter 12
The Earl and Countess had arrived at Snowhaven the previous morning.
In the past, it was always the boys at home—until Lizzy was gifted to them—it felt somewhat surreal to return and find only their two daughters.
One son was at Seaview Cottage, on his wedding trip; and the other had returned to the Royal Dragoon’s training ground after his brother’s wedding.
Rather than relax their vigilance, Lord Reggie Fitzwilliam had increased it over the years.
He had given work to a good number of ex-soldiers as outriders, footmen, and even gardeners.
Of course, wherever Lizzy was, Biggs, Johns, or both of them were never far.
Expecting the nefarious woman posing as a companion candidate to arrive that morning, Reggie had suggested that Elaine take the girls and make some tenant visits.
He wanted all three out of the house in case there was any unpleasantness.
The ladies had departed a little while ago, with both of Elizabeth’s personal footmen-guards as well as four additional guards, two who doubled as the carriage driver and his assistant and two additional footmen.
Both George and William had volunteered to be with Reggie when he confronted the woman, but he had politely refused the offer as he had, in his opinion, more than enough security at Snowhaven.
As the carriage departed from the front of the house, Aggie happily loping alongside, Lizzy turned to her mother. “Mama, Papa wants us to be away from the house because he is worried that this person wants to cause me, or us, some harm, does he not?” she asked pointedly.
“I should have known that we can never get anything by you Lizzy, Yes, Smythe suspected when she arrived here some weeks ago to apply to be your companion that her story did not ring true. Your father would prefer to deal with her and try and find out her true reason for her being here,” her mother told her.
“How come Uncle George and Will are not here to help Papa,” Elizabeth wanted to know.
“They wanted to be here to do just that, my darling daughter, but your father refused the offer. He says that he is able to deal with the woman on his own. You are just like your father sometimes; you are both very stubborn when you choose to be,” Elaine smiled as she said the last. “At least,” she added, “I was able to convince your father to send an express to Richard.”
“Why do these bad people all want to hurt Lizzy?” Anne asked. “She has never harmed anyone in her life, and yet she was discarded, then that boy tried to murder her, and now this!” Anne did not disguise her anger that someone would try and harm her younger sister.
“That, Anne, is a particularly good question.
We have no idea why Lizzy was discarded.
Unless we find someone who knows, we may never know.
George Wickham was jealous. He was never happy with his lot after his mother filled his head with lies about Uncle George; he always wanted what was not his due.
For some reason, he took his hatred out on Lizzy and his adoptive father.
“This woman today, we are not sure if she means you harm or if it is something aimed at all of us. That is why he wants to have Smythe bring her into the house, into his study, where two guards will be in the secret antechamber, and two outside the door ready to enter at a moment’s notice,” Elaine explained to the girls.
Just then Aggie barked to let them know that she was right outside the conveyance, not enjoying being ignored.
“Good girl, Aggie,” Elizabeth called to her. Hearing her mistress call her name was enough to placate the small-horse-sized animal.
“We will be at the Smithson’s soon; do you girls know which basket is for them?” Elaine asked, receiving nods from both of her daughters as they pointed to the basket with the yellow and green ribbon.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
When Richard received his father’s express, he did not have a good feeling about the stubborn man not accepting help from the Darcys.
This sent Richard to the office of his Commanding General, Grant Atherton, with an emergency leave request which was granted without delay.
An hour later, Richard was on his mount, Achilles, heading north in his uniform, sabre and all.
He rode hard, resting his horse when needed, and by that night he was well over half way home.
Richard had considered sending an express to Andrew at Seaview, but he would not disturb his brother and sister-in-law’s wedding trip unless it was a life-or-death situation, so he had not done so.
As he lay in his bed worrying, knowing that the woman, whoever she, was would be at Snowhaven on the morrow, he hoped that he would reach the house on time.
He planned to leave as soon as there was sufficient light to ride safely.
It would help no one if he had a riding accident.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
George Wickham had followed Hodges to the Wild Bull Inn a number of times, but as he remembered the knife at his throat, he never got too close and kept his hat pulled down low over his eyes.
He was inquisitive and would have loved to get Hodges in trouble with the old bat, but he knew that Hodges would know who the source of her information was, so he had to be careful.
Almost a month back, Hodges had been gone for three days.
On the third day he saw him return in a hired carriage with a man and woman.
All he knew was that the woman was Mrs or Miss Younge, but no more than that.
On the last day of July, he was following Hodges in the morning and into the Wild Bull he went again.
Less than an hour later, the same small hired carriage emerged from the inn, Hodges was installed as the driver; the Younge woman was inside.
A third man was in the footman’s position.
Wickham did know that Hodges was fully aware of the last few times the boy had followed him to the inn but had never gotten closer than the other side of the road, ineptly attempting to be unobtrusive.
He decided that he would give the boy his promised reward when he returned from dropping Karen Younge off and hopefully being hired as the girl’s companion.
He would take pleasure in dispatching him.
Sam had no idea why Mrs Fitzpatrick kept him around.
Before they left the Wild Bull, the character that Karen Younge would present to the toffs was checked to make sure that it looked in order.
She dressed conservatively, unlike a woman who earned her money on her back occasionally.
They set off at ten and would overnight about half way; they expected to arrive at the estate by eleven the next day.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Bennet was impressed. He now understood how this thirteen-year-old girl beat both Darcys at chess routinely.
He had just received her sixth move and she had moved her knight to put him in check, in a position that all he had to do was accept the sacrifice and he would be out of check, except after studying the board, he knew that was exactly what she hoped that he would do.
If he took her knight with his king, she would have him in two or three moves.
He retreated towards his queen and wrote down his move, wrote his missive, sealed it, and placed on the salver for Hill to hand to the courier.
He was looking forward to seeing her in the flesh and playing a game or three against her when they stopped at the Bingleys on their way to Town for the little season.
He was fascinated by the strategic ability that this young lady was displaying, far better than men two to three times her age.
He was willing to wager that his Lizzy would have been like this girl if he remembered her innate intelligence correctly.
Even at just over one, he had seen it in her.
After hearing the reports of both the Bingleys and Gardiner, who her father was an investor with, Bennet was looking forward to meeting the Earl.
He did not sound like your typical puffed-up self-important peer of the realm.
The rest of his family was looking forward to meeting the Fitzwilliams in early October.
For Jane this would be a second meeting.
After Lady Elizabeth’s name was mentioned as a chess opponent, she shared that she had met her almost ten years ago, at her Uncle’s warehouse near Cheapside.
It spoke well of the family that they would shop there and not only the highfalutin stores on Bond Street.
Thanks to Charles Bingley not always paying attention to details, the only description they had was very pretty, petite, and dark hair.
That broad a description could have fit his Lizzy, but thousands of other girls as well.
When Bennet had asked the steward, who made the sale to the Fitzwilliams, he was of no more help that young Bingley.
The steward had been busy with the father and had remembered only her dark hair.
Bennet could have canvassed others in the Bingley household, but he did not want any of them to think he was paying an improper amount of attention to a girl that he had never met.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Andrew and Marie Fitzwilliam were enjoying their wedding trip and hated the thought that it would be over far too soon.
The wedding night had been subdued as they were at an inn and the walls were thin, but that did not deter them entirely; however, they had to take care to be as quiet as humanly possible.
The next afternoon they arrived at Lakeview House and after admiring the magnificent view, they had retired to the much more inviting view of each other wearing no more clothing than the day that they were born.
Save for their personal servants, they were unseen for four days before they emerged from the bedchamber.