A Gentleman’s Treasure (Pride & Prejudice Variation)

Chapter 1

Elizabeth Bennet threw open the carriage door before it stopped and ran for Longbourn, the maid scrambling down behind her.

Tugging at the strings of her bonnet, Elizabeth tossed it to the butler, and hurried to the study, which she entered without knocking.

With relief, she found her father seated contentedly behind piles of books perched precariously on his desk.

“Papa? Are you well? What has happened?”

She had been enjoying a restful spring holiday in Kent with her close friend Charlotte Collins when an express rider delivered a letter demanding her immediate presence in Hertfordshire.

Knowing he would never justify the expense unless something dire had happened, Elizabeth fretted for the entire fifty miles.

“Where are Mama, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia? Is it Jane? Is she well? Bingley?”

Rather than provide a direct reply, her father opened a drawer and sorted through the papers crammed inside until he found the object of his search. “I am pleased you came home quickly, Lizzy. We have no time to lose. Read this, please.”

Accepting a letter from him, she stared at him before dropping her gaze to the paper. The broken seal bore the stamp of Trinity College, Cambridge. Scanning the contents, she stopped mid-paragraph.

The greatest treasure ever to be found.

She reread the phrase, her brain screaming that this was impossible. “Papa,” she whispered, her voice catching. “This cannot be real.”

Thomas Bennet leaned back in his worn leather chair, animation lighting his face with an excitement she had not seen in years. “Oh, but it is, my dear girl. Professor Phineas Drye is the most reliable man on the planet, along with being the keenest researcher I know.”

She read the improbable words again:

Mr. Thomas Bennet,

Time is short, and I find myself in need of scholars possessed of both intellectual courage and practical resourcefulness.

A discovery of extraordinary significance has come to my attention—one that could eclipse every archaeological triumph of our age.

The information I have points to what is undoubtedly the greatest treasure ever to be found.

I am convinced that the scrolls and manuscripts from the ancient Library of Alexandria are hidden within that sprawling Egyptian city. A series of clues left behind centuries ago conveys the library’s exact location.

In my research, I recently stumbled upon the first clue, my translation of which is: ‘Where the eagle’s shadow falls upon the seven hills, seek the scholar who fled with flame-touched scrolls.

In the house of law, wisdom sleeps beneath marble feet.

’ This points to Rome, where I believe the second clue will be found.

That will lead to the third, and the third will give directions to the fourth, and, what I suspect, is the final clue.

According to my research, all four are necessary to gain access to the library.

Young man, these clues are almost one thousand years old, so they are not scraps of paper stashed in an old book.

The journey to uncover the clues and the library will require several months abroad, considerable personal risk, and absolute discretion.

But the scholarly rewards would be beyond current imagination.

Unfortunately, my health and age make it impossible for me to undertake such an extensive journey myself, so I am offering this remarkable opportunity to three of my most capable former students and pray you will go on this quest in my stead.

Upon acceptance, please depart immediately. As others outside of Britain pursue the treasure, I cannot commit the full details in correspondence. However, I assure you that this opportunity is genuine and the potential discoveries unprecedented.

Should you possess the means and inclination for such an adventure, reply with utmost haste. The sands of time wait for no man, my dear Bennet. This chance may never come again.

Your devoted colleague,

Professor Phineas Drye

Trinity College, Cambridge

PS: Bring your finest young mind along, should family circumstances permit. Fresh eyes often see what experience overlooks.

“Young man? You? Surely you jest! A treasure hunt? At your age?” Elizabeth laughed, thinking it was one of his wry jokes, yet he was completely in earnest.

He shook his head. “Lizzy, these are scrolls written by eminent scholars gathered from the four corners of the earth.” Sitting back in his chair, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Imagine the sights we will see and the memories we will have for our lifetimes.”

“We?”

“Oh, yes, my dear girl. The fresh eyes and young brain that the professor suggested we will need to complete this task must be yours.”

This was exactly the sort of extraordinary experience she had always craved. Though she relished the idea for herself, she doubted his health and stamina would permit such an undertaking. “Papa, you cannot manage a walk to Meryton without complaining about your constitution.”

“I am well enough. The receipt of this letter…well, I have not been this invigorated since Lydia was born.”

“Who is this Professor Drye? How are arrangements to be made for passage on a ship?”

“Professor Phineas Drye must be eighty if he is a day. He is serious-minded and devoted to scholarly achievement. Of all the subjects I studied, his class was the most interesting. He made ancient languages come alive.” He began sorting through the papers and books covering his desk.

“But is he of sound mind? Have you stayed in contact all these years? Are you confident that his request is not fanciful? Papa, a journey of this distance will take months.”

Holding up another sheet of paper, he showed Elizabeth the outline of a map.

“What if it does? As we speak, your uncle Gardiner is arranging shipboard accommodation for us. Bingley promised to oversee Longbourn and entertain his new mother-in-law while we are away. I even purchased a pony and cart for your mother. Once she has learned to drive, she will undoubtedly flit from one end of Meryton to the other. Not since I inherited have I had the wherewithal and a valid reason to be away from this estate for any length of time. As for you, Lizzy girl, do you have important events planned that will prevent you from joining me?”

“I do not. But what of Mary, Kitty, and Lydia? To leave them under Mama’s sole supervision for so long would be catastrophic.”

“I agree. Although my habit has been to ignore everyone, my family included, I noted how poorly my two youngest behaved at Bingley and Jane’s wedding breakfast. Even Mary—whom I once credited with more sense than Kitty and Lydia—displayed a marked deficiency of discernment and an unseemly amount of vanity.

She believes her performance at the pianoforte was excellent when, in truth, the dogs could sing better.

Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to…

” He plucked another sheet of paper from the chaos and waved it in the air victoriously.

“My three youngest will be attending Miss Peabody’s Academy for Young Ladies in London, and there they will remain until they can comport themselves properly at home and in company.

” With a grin, he added, “They do not know it yet, but we leave in two days.”

Elizabeth was stunned that he had taken steps to educate his youngest daughters. “What about Mama and Jane?”

“They are well enough. Mrs. Bennet has a new purpose in life—that of disturbing the newlyweds daily. Jane bears up well, ignoring everything her mother says in favor of gazing adoringly at her husband.”

Elizabeth’s sensibilities warred with a yearning she had carried since childhood for horizons beyond Hertfordshire’s gentle hills. “The expense alone…”

“I sold the distant fields on the southern border that are not part of the entail to Goulding for a pretty price. I also parted with several of my first editions. Since they were not my favorites, they will grace the library of another literary connoisseur. This pays for one year of schooling, the monthly expenses for Longbourn for the same period, and I can leave enough with Bingley for your mother. The rest, which is considerable, is for our journey.”

He leaned closer. “Lizzy, I want to do this. I feel the need to stand in the same places the pharaohs stood and where the Caesars rode their chariots. I want to sit where ancient, learned men discussed the meaning of life. If I do not do this now, I will never have the opportunity again. I would regret missing this journey for the rest of my lifetime, however long that may be.”

Elizabeth knew not whether she should reject or embrace the idea. Her fingers worried the edge of her sleeve.

“And if this Professor Drye proves to be a madman? If there is no lost library? If we find ourselves stranded in some foreign port with nothing but empty promises?”

“Then we will have had a grand adventure trying.” He placed both hands on the desk.

“I have spent almost thirty years managing this estate, indulging your mother’s vapors, and seeing my daughters grow up.

I have been a son, a student, a husband, and a father.

I have never been an explorer. I have never stood at the edge of the world and wondered what lay beyond. ”

The passion in his voice caught her off guard. This was not her languid father speaking, but a man hungry for more than books and solitude.

“Please come with me. If not, I will go alone. I have decided.”

Although Elizabeth took a breath to voice additional concerns, she thought better of it, knowing where the problem lay. Her rational brain struggled with her willing heart.

With his last plea, she no longer had a choice.

His tendency toward indolence and his habit of becoming so absorbed in scholarly pursuits that the rest of the world ceased to exist required a practical-minded companion.

“Someone must keep you from trading Longbourn for a handful of magic beans, Papa. I will be happy to accompany you.”