Chapter 13 #2
“You should know that my father is mortally wounded. You are both part of the reason that he is in that state; you may not have pulled the trigger, but you are no less culpable, not to mention that you were reaching for a pistol in your reticule when you were apprehended. You do not take part in the murder of a peer of the realm and live to talk about it!” Richard stated with cold finality.
“B-b-but you said…” Miss Younge started to splutter.
“Do you think that you are the only one who knows how to prevaricate?” Richard spat back. “Jackson, gag the woman and keep these two murderers secure until Sir Rudolph arrives with the sheriff.” The big man nodded and did as he was instructed with pleasure and none too gently.
The three were silent until they were ensconced in the study where mere hours earlier Reggie had confronted Miss Younge. “We will go after the brother will we not?” William asked.
“That is for damned sure,” Richard used an invective usually restricted to the Dragoons’ training grounds.
“There is a militia unit stationed at Faxfleet. If you will stay here, Uncle George and Will, I will ride and speak to the colonel in charge, and we will pay Mr Younge and his crew of brigands a most unwelcome visit!”
“Of course, Richard, we are here for as long as it takes. You go do what is needed!” George said as he looked on his nephew with pride. He was sure that Richard was hurting terribly inside, but he nevertheless remained outwardly calm as the military officer took over.
“William,” he turned to his son, “Please write to Mrs Reynolds and Mr Douglas; have them send our personal servants, the governess, and clothing for an extended stay.” William nodded and sat down to transcribe his father’s orders.
After talking to his mother, aunt, and sisters, Richard was back on Achilles heading north-west. A half hour after Richard rode away, the magistrate and sheriff were shown into the Earl’s study.
Lord Reginald Fitzwilliam, besides being a leading personality in the area, was also a much loved and admired one.
The anger of the two men grew exponentially as the story was told to them.
“You both witnessed the confession?” Sir Rudolph asked. Both Darcys nodded. “And Captain Fitzwilliam witness the shooting? When will he return? I will need his witness before the criminals are sent to the gallows,” the magistrate explained.
“We are not sure when he will return, but we have four guards who witnessed the conversation in this office and three of them were witnesses to the events that happened before we arrived,” George Darcy informed the two men.
“That will be more than enough. Jeffers, take charge of the prisoners. The circuit judge will be in Matlock on Monday, the fourth of this month. Will you two gentlemen and the three guards that witnessed all be able to be in Matlock Monday morning for the trial?” the magistrate inquired.
Both Darcys nodded emphatically. Even if Reggie still lived by the time the trial was held, there were more than enough grounds to send the conspirators to hell.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
As Richard was riding toward Faxfleet, the courier he dispatched was barrelling south. He had more than enough funds to change horses as often as he needed and rode through the night, knowing how urgent the missive was that he carried.
He brought his horse to a halt in front of the Cottage just after Midday on Saturday, exhausted but his critical duty had kept him going.
Andrew and Marie were just exiting the house for an afternoon ramble when they saw one of the Snowhaven grooms practically fall off his horse.
Andrew had a feeling of deep foreboding as he ran forward to steady the man before the groom collapsed.
The man extracted the missive from his pouch and handed it to the man who would soon be his master.
Two footmen helped him to the kitchen while Andrew seeing Richard’s handwriting ripped open the seal and read.
1 August 1804
Snowhaven.
Brother come home; father has been shot and is not in a good way.
R.
“Marie, we have to leave within the hour!” a distressed Andrew said as guilt washed over him that he had been thinking of extending their stay by a fortnight.
“My God Andrew, what is wrong?” Marie was much concerned. Andrew handed her the missive and she gasped as she read it. They were on the road within a half hour.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“This is all my fault!” Lizzy cried as she held her father’s hand. “If I had not been part of your family then none of this would have happened!” She leaned her head on the bed as big sobs wracked her body.
“Elizabeth Elaine Fitzwilliam!” her father rasped.
Elaine gave him a sip of water. It was one of the few times that he had been lucid in the two days since the shooting.
“Look at me young lady,” Reggie ordered in the most authoritative voice that he could muster.
Elizabeth lifted her head as she obeyed her father and looked at him with her tear-filled hazel eyes with the flecks of green and gold.
“We were a broken family when you came to us. We were still questioning God’s plan that He could take our beautiful little Tiffany from us.
” He took some deep breaths so her could continue.
“You came to us at the perfect time, not to replace the sister you never met, but to bring life, light, and hope back into our family.
“We would have just gone on with life without actually living it, so we see you now as we have since the day that your brothers brought you home. A gift from the Almighty God!” He coughed some more, and his wife gave him some more water to sip.
“You had no part in what happened here. Those who did are dead or soon will be.
I pity the men on that sloop when your brother gets his hands on them.
“I digress; the people who did this were driven by avarice. They wanted that which they did not have to earn and like the reprobate who attacked you at Pemberley, deluded themselves that it was somehow their due. All the way back to Cain and Abel, jealousy and coveting what others have had ruled some men, and will as long as there are men alive in the world. You, my sweetling, are not responsible for any of them nor the criminals who invaded our home. NEVER let me hear you say that again, my sweetling.” Elizabeth nodded, huge tears still rolling down her cheeks.
“Swear it to me Lizzy,” her father demanded.
“On my honour I swear it Papa,” Elizabeth said through her tears.
“That warms my heart to hear you promise me that, my sweetling. You have brought so much pleasure into my life, all of our lives. I need to rest now Lizzy,” Reggie said weakly as he slipped back into a troubled sleep.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Riding hard, with breaks to rest his horse as needed, Richard reached Faxfleet in less than four and twenty hours.
Once he explained what he needed and why to the unit’s colonel, he was given whatever resources that he needed.
In the twilight, they rowed across the River Humber to the island and camped on the opposite side from where they had spied The Stealthy Runner anchored close to the island.
As the sun rose in the east while the captain and crew slept, dreaming of their cut of the fifteen-thousand-pound of the ransom, Richard led twenty men in three longboats as they rowed silently to the sloop.
The crew had left a rope cargo net hanging over the side that they must have used when they used their longboat to get to one of the riverbanks or the Island.
The men followed Richard up the netting stealthily until they were all on deck.
There was one man on watch on the quarterdeck who was fast asleep.
He had a rude awakening as he woke to stare down the barrels of two muskets with bayonets affixed.
Some men remained on the deck. The bulk of them went down to the messdeck where the crew slept while Richard and two soldiers proceeded to the captain’s cabin.
Clay Younge was shaken awake and rather than his first mate, he woke to three soldiers all with their weapons pointed at him. “What are ye doin’ on my ship?” he attempted to bluster.
“Arresting you and your crew,” Richard returned.
“On what grounds?” Younge had a sneaking feeling that all was not well with his sister and her part in their plan.
“Being part of a conspiracy to kidnap the daughter of an earl and the murder of said earl, who happens to be my father, so please give me an excuse to end you here and now!” Richard shot back. “We have your sister,” he added, “so before you try and make useless denials, she sang like a bluebird!”
Younge eyed his pistol in the belt hanging over the chair but even he could see that he would be dead before his feet hit the deck.
While Richard and a soldier kept their weapons aimed at him, the other soldier clapped Younge in irons and then he was frogmarched to the deck to join the rest of his crew, all in the same straights.
As they were making sure that all of the crew were secure, as arranged by the Colonel of the militia unit, a navy cutter sailed alongside the sloop and secured herself to the smaller vessel with grappling hooks.
The Lieutenant that led the boarding party congratulated the Dragoon Captain on the success of his mission and took charge of the crew and the ship.
Younge would go to the gallows and his crew would all be transported.
Richard returned to the boats with the militiamen and as soon as he was able, he was on a rested Achilles’s back riding towards his home making sure that he rested the horse more than on the way to Faxfleet.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Andrew was praying that his father still lived all the way home.
They had travelled through the nights, only stopping briefly to refresh themselves as the horses were changed.
As they pulled to a halt at Snowhaven, he was relieved to see that there were no black bows on the doors.
As he was helping hand Marie out, he saw Uncle George and William descend the stairs.
“Andrew, Marie, it is good that you are here,” Uncle George intoned seriously. “Your father still lives, but we know not for how much longer.”
“Where is Mother Elaine?” Marie asked as they entered the house. Once told she headed up the grand staircase to find her mother-in-law. The three men went to the study. Andrew refused to sit behind the desk.
“Tell me all,” Andrew requested. Between his uncle and cousin, the informed him of all the facts.
When their recitation was complete, Andrew was astounded and angry all at the same time.
“The man that shot my father was the one who discarded Lizzy?” Both Darcys nodded.
“That was not enough; he wanted to visit further heartache on her, on all of us. He is lucky he is dead, or I would have killed him with my bare hands. I am sure that Richard will make quick work of the brother and his crew of miscreants. You say the trial was today?”
“Yes,” William confirmed. “The evidence was overwhelming, it took the jury but minutes to convict on all charges and the judge passed the sentence of death. The two will meet the hangman at dawn on the morrow.” With all the information assimilated, Andrew proceeded to his parent’s suite.
When he entered, he found his wife comforting his sisters and Georgie.
Seeing him, a tearful Elizabeth flew into his arms. She was about to apologise for what she caused when she stopped herself as she remembered the promise that she made to her papa.
She held on for dear life for a few minutes and then Andrew took Anne into his arms and hugged her tightly.
As he walked into his father’s chambers, he could hear that his father’s breathing was laboured and he went to his mother, who had Aunt Anne next to her. His mother stood and enfolded her oldest into her arms and wept silently on his shoulder.
When Richard tore up the drive at full gallop, he was gratified to see his brother’s coach standing near the steps and like his brother he was relieved that he saw no black bows or ribbon on the doors.
As his horse came to a stop, he vaulted off its back and threw the reins to a waiting groom as he ran up the stairs.
He stopped to kiss his sisters and sister-in-law, briefly greeted his uncle and William, and then proceeded into his father’s chambers.
As he walked in Reggie woke, pleased to see his sons present. “I am not long for this world, Andrew and Richard. I could not have asked for better sons. I love you all and not even death will alter that.”
“I will not be able to do this without you, father,” Andrew said with tears flowing unashamedly.
“Yes, you will Andrew; I have taught you well and you are a good man. Richard,” he addressed his second son, “I am sure that you will do well. Remember that your estate is there for you when you are ready to leave the military.”
“I love you father,” Richard choked out as he too was crying. “You are the best father any of us could have wished for.”
“Lizzy blames herself; she will need all of your support after I am gone,” he wheezed.
“She made you a promise Reggie,” his wife reminded him, “and we will all support one another after you are gone.” Seeing that his breathing was slowing, Elaine sent Richard to summon the family in the sitting room.
Once Georgiana was sent to the nursery with her governess, William joined the family.
It seemed that Reginald Fitzwilliam, Earl of Matlock, had been clinging to life until all of his family was present. He took two more shallow breaths and then he breathed no more.