Chapter 53 Attack #3
Edward nodded. "I hate to say it, but Wickham proved to be even more trouble dead than he had been alive, although a large part of the blame falls on Mr. Aveny, the constable.
I have heard your descriptions of Mr. Collins, the elder, and his son.
Mr. Aveny could easily be a close relation of the two.
I have never met such an idiotic, self-important bully of a man before.
The degree of his stupidity simply cannot be measured.
Despite the clear evidence that I was acting in defense of my niece, he wanted to detain me for murder.
He questioned the testimony of every person there.
He had no idea how I could identify a man I claimed never to have met and even suggested a far more sordid reason for his attack on Mary and Mary's presence in our group.
I was nearly ready to explode by the time Captain Jackson showed up. "
"Was he able to resolve the problems?" Bennet asked.
"It took some time, but eventually he did.
" Edward replied. "Of course, he identified Wickham right away and confirmed he had escaped from military custody early this morning.
He sent his men looking around the inn and they discovered the horse Wickham had stolen, identifying it by a brand or marking on it.
He also confirmed the pistol Wickham held was stolen as well.
Captain Jackson tried to insist that, because it was a military matter, the local constable had no jurisdiction or right to continue questioning me.
Mr. Aveny refused to listen and, I am sure, willfully misunderstood everything the captain said. "
"Sounds just like Collins," Martin agreed.
"I pity the man's parishioners in that case.
By this time, I knew we would be very late arriving, but Mr. Aveny would not allow me to leave the room long enough to send a message.
Fortunately, Captain Jackson had sent a man on to London for assistance and that man returned with several other men to help transport the body and deal with any problems. When they arrived, the captain suddenly had manpower enough behind him to turn the situation around.
He forced Mr. Aveny to let me proceed on my way, and it was a good thing he did, because I was almost seriously contemplating using Colonel Fitzwilliam's pistol once again, this time on Mr. Aveny. "
"Fortunately, the innkeeper knows us from all the times we have stopped there over the years," Madeline said.
"While Edward dealt with the constable, the innkeeper allowed the rest of us the use of one of his private rooms. Had I realized Edward had not been able to notify you of the delay, I would have done so myself.
Mary and I were able to keep ourselves partly distracted by amusing the children, but the longer Edward was held by the constable, the more worried we became.
You have no idea how glad we were to leave there and get back on the road again. "
"Despite the kindness of the innkeeper and the fact that I like that stop, I may be tempted to find another resting point for our future journeys," Edward told them.
"I could not vouch for my behavior if I were stopped or questioned by Mr. Aveny again, and I could see him doing so just because he could at a time when I did not have the military escort to protect me. "
"I suggest putting the innkeeper on notice. He may have something to say about losing a good customer over the interference of an idiot constable," Mr. Damask suggested.
Edward nodded, but silently went back to sipping his tea, which had been fortified with a little something alcoholic that Bennet provided.
"Well, even though it was a difficult event, the good news is that none of us have to worry about George Wickham anymore. We are free to walk or travel as we wish. Now, if my uncle can just get Aunt Catherine to stop this nonsense, perhaps we will all be safer going forward," Darcy said.
Bennet shook his head, "I suspect that hope is overly optimistic much as I would like to see the event happen. I doubt your aunt will ever be willing to give up her grudges. The best we can hope for, I think, is that your uncle can place her in a position where her ability to do harm is limited."
"Mr. Bennet is correct," Anne added. "Mother eats vengeance and breathes it as well."
"I suppose you are correct. I was just hoping for more. I guess we will have to wait to find out until my uncle returns for the dinner party tomorrow."
"Well, in that case, I think we should lighten this conversation and return to those deferred congratulations," Lord Sheldon said. "Mary, I wish you and Mr. Bingley great joy!"
At that, the entire room joined in offering their good wishes, led by more exclamations from Mrs. Bennet.
Darcy turned to Lizzy with a smile. There would be more challenges ahead, but for now they were safe and one problem was solved permanently.
He wondered how long he should wait before suggesting to Lizzy that an afternoon walk would be a pleasant diversion from the worries of the day.