Chapter 10 #2
As Sir William had called on him first, Bingley returned the courtesy in the same order.
He was shown into the sitting room of the small manor house at Lucas Lodge.
Sir William introduced their new neighbour to Lady Lucas, Miss Charlotte Lucas, and Miss Maria.
He apologised that his heir, and his younger son were away from the estate.
After some polite but inane conversation, Bingley posed a question he was burning to ask. “I understand that Mr Bennet has five daughters and no son?”
Before Lady Lucas could stop her loquacious husband, Sir William responded, “Ay yes, the Bennet sisters, the absolute jewels of the county. Each prettier than the next one.” Sir William missed the way his wife directed her gimlet eye at his person.
‘So, not ugly and with warts as Caroline claimed,’ Bingley thought. “Then I may meet them as I am for Longbourn next,” he said aloud.
Lady Lucas had hoped to promote Charlotte before Mr Bingley met the Bennets but now, thanks to her husband’s loose lips, the wealthy man’s head was full of dreams of meeting the pretty Bennet sisters.
There would be nothing gained by remonstrating with her husband later as he would not see that he said anything wrong, so she would say nought.
She did not know it, but Lady Lucas had nothing to be concerned about upon Mr Bingley’s call to Longbourn as Fanny and her daughters were calling on Hattie Phillips in Meryton.
Bingley was disappointed he had not been able to meet the girls Sir William had characterised as the prettiest in the area, but he perked up when Mr Bennet repeated that his wife and three eldest daughters would attend the assembly on Friday evening.
Mr Bennet made it clear he would not be attending himself.
Although he would have preferred to meet the Misses Bennet when he had called on Mr Bennet, Bingley was in anticipation of meeting them at the assembly.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“What does Mrs Nichols say?” Gardiner asked when his wife placed the missive from their housekeeper on the small table next to her chair. He had just arrived home to have nuncheon with his beloved wife.
“The Bingleys and Hursts are just as we expected, except for one thing the report did not tell us,” Maddie reported.
“Miss Bingley is just as we were told, but she is directed by Mrs Hurst. The report had implied that Miss Bingley ruled the roost in the Bingley household, but it seems Mrs Hurst is the power behind the throne. As would be expected, neither of the sisters have a clue about how to dress for the country. Mrs Nichols reports much scheming between the sisters and that is after being there for a little more than two days. What say you we send the two footmen you just employed to Netherfield Park and have them report to Mr Nichols?”
“You are speaking of Biggs and Johns?” Gardiner verified.
Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam was one of Gardiner’s investors.
When they had met a fortnight previously, Colonel Fitzwilliam had mentioned that two of his former sergeants, huge, hulking men, who had recently completed their service to King and Country in the Royal Dragoons, were looking for some good, honest work.
He had also told of a few of the sergeants’ former men looking for work.
After consulting with Maddie, Gardiner requested that the six men be sent to see them at Gracechurch Street.
The former sergeants were as big as advertised, but were not scary, unless they needed to be.
The additional men, while not as big, were also not very small.
The four Gardiner children were not at all intimidated by any of the men.
It had not taken the Gardiner parents long before they decided to employ all six.
Both huge men were married with some small children, and they had indicated a willingness to live in the country if required by their new employer.
The other four were single and would go where they were sent.
“Correct,” Maddie confirmed. “There are some open cottages at the estate where their families can reside, and the children will enjoy the country.”
“I will have the butler summon them. I should have thought of this as well. When they are at Netherfield, if we need them to protect our nieces for any reason, they are close enough to do so.” Gardiner rang the bell and imparted his instructions to the butler.
“If they agree, we will send the other four men with them.”
Soon the two mountainous men were bowing to the master and mistress in the dining parlour.
Gardiner explained that he needed them at his estate some twenty miles from London in Hertfordshire.
“Biggs and Johns, you and the other men we employed with you, do have a choice. I will not sack you if you prefer to remain in London and not have to move your families to Netherfield Park.”
The two men spoke quietly one to the other.
The slightly bigger of the two, John Biggs, spoke for both of them.
Brian Johns was the less talkative of the two.
“We ‘ave no objection to going to the estate in ‘Ertfordshire, but we needs to speak to our wives. I believe the other men will not object. May we give a reply on the morrow?” Biggs requested.
“Of course,” Gardiner allowed. “You can let me know in the morning.”
It was no surprise when Biggs passed a message to his master the next morning that he, Johns, their families, and the other four men would be happy to move to Hertfordshire.
Three carriages and a cart would be ready to depart first thing on Friday morning. The two enormous men, as well as the others, would report to Mr Nichols, but they would be ready to protect the Bennet sisters if and when the Gardiners felt it was needed.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
On Friday morning, Darcy departed Darcy House in his travelling coach about an hour after the conveyances carrying the Biggs and Johns families as well as the four other former soldiers began the journey from Cheapside.
After two hours Darcy’s coachman guided the two matched pairs pulling the coach into the courtyard of the Clucking Hen Inn.
As he alighted from his conveyance, Darcy saw two giant men, four a little smaller, two women and five children of varying sizes board three older carriages, each one pulled by two unmatched horses.
Once the equipages were pulled into motion, a cart piled high with belongings followed them onto the road in the direction Darcy knew he was to travel.
He thought no more about what he had seen and went to seek some coffee and sandwiches knowing that he would be here for at least an hour while the coachman and postillion rested the horses.
A groom was riding Zeus, his almost completely black stallion.
The only variant in his colouring was a small white blaze on the horse’s forehead.
The two footmen were available to assist the groom with the horses if needed.
Darcy attached special meaning to his stallion. He was the final gift his late father had given him after his graduation from Cambridge. Zeus had not been three then, and less than two years after receiving the stallion, his father had been called home to God.
At the same time that he had received Zeus, Richard had been gifted Invictus, a fully black stallion and half-brother to Darcy’s horse, practically the same age.
He remembered how jealous George Wickham had been that he too was not gifted a stallion.
The fact he never actually graduated and was not a son or nephew did not seem to matter to him.
Darcy supposed that had been one of the offences the libertine had counted when he had attempted to use Anna to take his revenge on himself.
He shook off thoughts of Wickham as he entered the inn. The landlord showed Darcy to a private parlour where he was served a steaming cup of coffee and a plate of ham and cheese sandwiches. Darcy made sure that his men received warm drinks and sandwiches as well.
An hour and a half later he was back in his coach on his way to the estate. He prayed for strength to deal with Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley while he was there.