“Good,” Will added,“the father may not want to believe it, but I know what I saw and there was nothing benevolent in that man’s assessment of our Lizzy.”
“I hope that he has more good sense than that, son,” George vocalised what they were all hoping.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
When they got back to Lucas Lodge, Sir William summoned his oldest.“Sit, Franklin,” he commanded.“Why were you watching Lady Elizabeth at Netherfield, so much so that it was noted by a number of her relatives.”
“I-it was so many years since she had been taken, I just was fascinated thinking of how it came about that she was reunited with her father and his family,” he lied as smoothly as he could.
“That confirms what I told her brother and the others before I left Netherfield.” Sir William needed to believe his son. He, too, had seen behaviours since Jane Bennet had rejected his son that had bothered him, but he ignored them and hoped for the best.
“The Earl spoke to you about me, father?” Franklin asked angrily. His father did not know that he held a grudge against members of the Ton for the treatment he had suffered from some at Oxford, due to his ties to trade and that his father, although a knight, was poor.
“Yes, the Earl, Bennet, and the two Darcy men.” He proceeded to relay the gist of the conversation. Once he had related all he added,“As I am sure that you are an honourable man and have no intentions towards a young lady not yet out, it should be no hardship for you to keep your distance from Lady Elizabeth.”
“No trouble at all,” Franklin prevaricated. He schooled his countenance and left the study, but once in his chambers, he gave vent to his fury.“They will see,” he told the wall that he had just hit,“she will be mine!”
Chapter7
Richard arrived at Longbourn on the morning of the nine and twentieth of November, a Tuesday. He was welcomed warmly by all, especially James, Tom, and Alex who were interested in all things soldier. After he changed out of his regimentals, they were not as happy to see him. It was not like he had tales of battles to report, as he was still training men who would be sent forward in some future conflict.
As Franklin Lucas had kept away from Elizabeth, it was decided not to say anything to Richard unless he asked, as his family was very aware that he would not take kindly to the man’s attention to his youngest sister. They did not want Richard doing something that he would regret later if he gave into his anger over a perceived breach that no one would consider as such, unless forewarned.
What no one realised or could have guessed was that the only reason they had not seen the Lucas heir was that he was hidden in the woods near Longbourn waiting for his chance to take what he was owed. His anger had grown in proportion with his frustration as his‘intended’had only been seen in public venues with persons surrounding her at all times. After another day of fruitless watching, he decided it was time to cause some trouble. It may not get him nearer to the object of his desire, but it would make him feel a little better.
That evening he took himself to the bar at the Royal Crown Inn. He bought a round of drinks for some of the men who he knew could be counted on to spread gossip prolifically. He did not take into consideration that the rumours would be easily traced back to him as he was too bent on causing pain to think logically.
“You know that Lady Elizabeth, the supposed cousin of the Bennets,” he hedged conspiratorially.
“What do you mean‘supposed cousin’?” a man whose wife was the biggest gossip in Meryton challenged.
Franklin leaned in, indicating that the men should huddle in a pretence of not wanting to speak too loudly.“I heard that she is the long-lost Bennet daughter, but those toffs refuse to return her to her rightful father!” He did not lower the volume of his voice so was heard by a good number of the patrons, among them Frank Phillips, who was sharing a drink with a good friend of his. Frank excused himself, went home, and had his horse saddled, heading for Longbourn with all speed.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Just before they were to sit down for the midday meal, Nichols notified the master that a number of carriages had been seen in the drive. The contingent from Scarborough had arrived in time to pay their respects to the late Oscar Bingley.
Before anyone was assigned chambers, Martha and her two children found themselves being enfolded in a supportive hug after supportive hug, as all family members on both sides had arrived. Martha, who had been strong for days since her husband passed, sobbed in her mother’s arms while her siblings encircled them with love.
It did not take Charles long to see that there were too many for Netherfield to accommodate, so he excused himself and wrote a note to his neighbour to ascertain whether Bennington Fields was still available. The groom returned with an affirmative answer, and not long after the Bennets, Darcys, and Fitzwilliam joined the large party at Netherfield.
Once it was decided who would stay where, William and John guided out the three families that would reside at Bennington Fields for the next sennight. Charles Bingley was most appreciative of the assist from Mr Bennet, as it would have been uncomfortably crowded at Netherfield without it.
When the families who would be hosted at the Fields arrived, they were met by Mrs Tess Kennedy, the housekeeper who had received notice from her master to expect the group. Chambers were assigned upon surveying the families, and once everyone had washed and changed, the two Bennet sons accompanied them back to Netherfield.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
A group had just returned to Longbourn from their visit to assist the Bingleys and found an irate Frank Phillips waiting for their return. He requested to immediately speak to his brother Bennet with the added suggestion that the Fitzwilliam, Darcy men, and his Grace, who had arrived that morning with his mother, be included in their discussion.
The door had barely closed before Phillips stated the reason for his request.“When I was at the Royal Crown with Peter Cromwell, I had the displeasure of hearing that no good Lucas trying to cause trouble for us,” Phillips spat out in disgust.
“What was he saying?” Andrew drew up to his full height, keeping himself in check until the facts were shared. As Phillips recounted what he heard, the anger built among the men in the room.
“Why would he do such a thing?” Richard demanded.
“I think that I may have an idea,” Perry volunteered.“He imagined himself a viable suitor for Jane while she did not—even before we declared for one another. At her coming-out ball, he claimed that everything was settled, and that he had no hard feelings, but it seems he may have prevaricated.”
“We did not want to mention this to you, Richard,” Andrew said carefully,“but the first time that this man saw Lizzy at Netherfield, his attention was too marked to be appropriate. We did not think it was an issue any longer as we spoke to his father and asked him to warn his son off. Until today, we had seen neither hide nor a hair of him.”
