Chapter 17
Richard had requested and was granted leave from the end of March.
He was sorry to have missed Lizzy’s seventeenth birthday, but he had been required to choose what days he most wanted off and being there when they confronted the villains was imperative.
He would be part of the group traveling; of that there was no question.
Still, he could not believe that she was already so grown.
In less than a year his baby sister would come out into society.
As much as he would have liked to be present at Georgie’s and her joint celebration, it was much more important that he be here now.
And as hard as it was to grasp his sister’s age, it was just as hard to think that their ‘little’ Georgie had just turned fourteen.
The well of love and the need to protect them turned his thoughts to the upcoming confrontation.
They were now certain Lady Catherine de Bourgh was involved, and Richard was hoping that Wickham was somehow connected to the insane lady and would be present when the criminals were apprehended.
He dearly hoped that the murderer would give him the slightest provocation, as he had a debt to repay after the miscreant had tried to murder his little sister.
The Bennets were at Snowhaven, having arrived some days before the celebration of Elizabeth’s birthday.
Bennet had used any excuse that he could conjure to call at Pemberley and lose himself among the shelves of his friend’s library, but his true reason for being present was to offer whatever support he could in the upcoming endeavour.
On the final day of March, the men met in Andrew’s study to go over their plans again, making sure that they had taken every possible contingency into account.
Richard confirmed that a group of ex-soldiers who were experienced in the art of camouflage had been hidden in the woods around the suspected ambush site for more than a sennight and had since reported that four men had scouted the area in question.
More men had returned the day before and cut down two trees, placing them on either side of the carriage trail to be moved into place on the day of the attack.
Branch reported that Jones was still oblivious to the fact that he had been under observation, and Forester confirmed that his men were ready.
He would command a combined force of both Pemberley’s and Snowhaven’s guards of close to fifty men not counting additional ex-soldiers that Richard had hired.
But as the criminals had been led to expect, there would only be two outriders beside each coach.
Elizabeth wished that she could be more involved in the development and execution of the plan, but she accepted that the men would not allow any women or children in the vicinity of the ambush area.
She sat in an armchair in her sitting room with Aggie’s head in her lap as she scratched her behind her ears.
She listened to pleasurable grunts from her dog as her tail thumped the carpet.
Each time Elizabeth would stop her ministrations, Aggie would put her head under one of her mistress’ hands, indicating her desire for more petting.
Elizabeth considered the significance of her being seventeen.
In ten months, ten short months, she would come out, and she was hoping, becoming more and more certain, that Will would ask for the two significant sets after the first which she would dance with Andrew and then Richard.
She was as sure as she had ever been about anything in her feelings for Will; he was the only one that she would ever agree to marry.
Wes had thankfully reduced his attentions, she surmised after reading the obvious signs that her affections were not engaged by him.
After the participants of the meeting had dispersed, Will had taken a ride on Jupiter to expend some pent-up energy.
His thoughts were firmly directed to his exquisite cousin Elizabeth.
When he was not busy with some occupation, and even sometimes when he was, she completely inhabited his thoughts.
There was nothing he could or desired to do to evict her from being so, for she was as beautiful inside as she was outside, and he could imagine naught but a lifetime of her challenging him and correcting him in long debates.
He could also see them on a sable throw in front of a roaring fire not wearing anything…
He stopped himself before the oft-repeated fantasy again went too far and this would not be enough.
Less than ten months’ worth of days to cross off and she would be out.
Even though he knew that Andrew would not allow him to request an official courtship for some months after, he was determined that she would have no doubt of his intentions.
If the looks and smiles she gave him were any indication, his affections were returned in full measure, and thinking about that made his heart race.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Jones was already imagining what he would be spending his money on. He was also planning how he would disappear once he received his reward from Mrs Fitzpatrick—before he paid the promised amount to Branch. Why should he share his hard-earned bounty?
He would follow the instructions and depart once the carriages left Pemberley on the second. Branch would be assisting one of the coachmen, so it was possible that, depending on her plan, he may not have to worry about Branch after the morrow anyway.
Jones was right about one thing, Branch would be with the carriages; not on one, but with an additional twenty men inside them, and not the woman and children that were expected.
He gave strict instructions that as soon as the convoy was no longer visible from the stables that Jones be taken into custody.
He had no doubt that had he truly been working with him; Jones would have double-crossed him.
He was confident that the master and the Lieutenant-Colonel’s plan was sound.
There was always a chance of things not going according to plan in the heat of battle, but it was also true that every possible contingency had been covered.
If Branch had still been in the army, the younger Fitzwilliam brother was the kind of officer that he would have followed anywhere.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Mrs Fitzpatrick was supremely confident; her plan would work because it was, after all, her plan, and she was never wrong.
Her carriage would transport her close to the site of her triumph so she would watch it happen.
With her two footmen having set up a table and chair for her on a slight rise, she would be able to view the culmination of all these years of waiting, to watch her former family finally receive their comeuppance.
It renewed her anger at Hodges for killing her former brother, as she truly would have wanted that privilege for herself. As it was, she planned to watch Wickham strangle the life out of the foundling the man had called his daughter.
Wickham could not believe that the day was here and that his vengeance was finally at hand.
They were at an inn in a town just a few hours from the sight of the ambush.
Disguised in a wig and with his hat pulled as far down as possible, Wickham had worked closely with McLamb to scout the area and confirmed that their employer was correct, that the place she chose would have to be traversed by a party travelling from Pemberley to the Lake District.
He remembered the conversation a fortnight earlier when the old bat had finally revealed her plan to him.
“You summoned me, madam,” Wickham stated dryly.
“Do not be impertinent, boy,” she said as she lifted her cane, reminding him that he needed to be careful how he spoke to her.
“Sorry, Mrs Fitzpatrick,” he replied using as much fake contrition as he could muster.
“In a fortnight, all of those who have wronged us will be dead,” she relayed in a tone that conveyed this as a matter of fact.
She had gone on to tell him the when and where.
“You will help scout the area with McLamb due to your superior knowledge of the terrain around Pemberley.” He had nodded, never pointing out that it had in fact been many years since he had been anywhere near the environs of Pemberley.
“As long as you perform well, you will be rewarded, and I may even start paying you for your work.”
“May I make a request in lieu of any other reward,” he ventured.
She inclined her head like the Queen would indicate he should continue.
“I would like to kill the foundling myself, and I ask for Miss Darcy to use and then I will dispose of her after,” he asked, hoping that she would fall for his ploy regarding Miss Darcy.
“The foundling is yours, but Miss Darcy must die with the rest of them. I want none of them alive with any claim on my soon to be properties,” she told him with finality.
“Thank you for the foundling,” he bowed and then left her company as she had given him a dismissive wave.
Worrying that McLamb would report to the old bat, he rethought the plan to involve him in his attempt to take Miss Darcy for himself.
Wickham knew that in the midst of it all, he would have to find a way to fool the old bat, to make her think that Georgiana was dead.
He then would take her once the action had subsided with him “dead” as well.
Mayhap she would be so grateful for saving her life that she would willingly give herself to him.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
As planned, three carriages arrived from Snowhaven on the first day of April.
As Jones watched them arrive, his excitement built because he knew that he would soon be able to stop pretending to be a stable hand.
On the morrow, he would be rid of the hated tasks forever.
If he never had to muck out a stall in his life again, it would be too soon for him.