Mrs. Bennet began to moan and complain, blaming anyone and everyone for the problems in her life. Lady Anne was grateful that Mrs. Bennet would no longer bother her or her family once she was in Scotland.
Jane sat quietly through all of this. She was concerned about the idea of being hanged, but she was unwilling to meekly accept this punishment as it was explained to her. Indeed, there was something she could do to create a better life for herself. But she had yet to figure out how to take Elizabeth’s happiness for herself.
The gentlemen heard Mrs. Bennet’s complaints and stepped into the drawing room to see what progress had been made. Jane thought she would make one more attempt to ingratiate herself with George Darcy, but this effort proved as unsuccessful as her previous ones. Soon, the Netherfield party departed, and Jane concluded that one way to make her sister miserable was to steal her husband’s affections. Jane began plotting how to enter Netherfield that night and sneak into the younger Mr. Darcy’s bedroom to seduce him. Convinced of her superior beauty, she believed her plan could not possibly fail.
Sneakinginto Netherfield at night was far more challenging than she realised. She was not the walker her sister was, and the three miles that separated the two estates took Jane several hours to traverse. When she finally arrived, she was surprised to find the front door locked and eventually made her way around to the servants’ entrance, which was also locked. Fortunately forher, she did manage to find a window that was barely open and, with significant effort, managed to slide it open enough to allow her entrance.
Finding her brother’s room was the next challenge, and at this, Jane began to realise that her plan was poorly formed. She had no idea where to find her target, and there were several wings on the second floor, each containing several bedchambers. Jane tried a few but became frustrated at her lack of success. Several doors were locked, and those that were not locked were empty. In addition to bedrooms, some doors opened into sitting rooms, but those doors were almost always locked.
Entering the hallway after examining several doors off one elegantly appointed room, she saw a light moving down the hall. She peered into the darkness, trying to determine who was approaching, hoping it was her intended target.
All the men residing at Netherfield were of considerable height, but her sister’s husband stood out as the tallest among them. While George Darcy possessed a lean frame, which showed signs of his years of over-indulgence, Major Fitzwilliam possessed a stocky, well-built physique, the result of his rigorous military training. Even Mr. Livesay, the smallest of the group, was taller than most men in Meryton. As the figure approached her, Jane soon recognised from the breadth of his shoulders that Major Fitzwilliam was coming toward her.
She tried to hide herself in a dark nook of the hallway but was unsuccessful. “Miss Bennet,” the deep voice of the major called out, “what on earth are you doing at Netherfield in the middle of the night? Are you here to complete what you started, or are you attempting to steal from your sister or her family?”
“I … I wanted to see my sister,” she stammered.
Richard regarded her with scepticism. “In the middle of the night?” he asked, disbelief evident. After a moment of silence, he continued, “I sincerely doubt you intended to visit your sister. If that were the case, you would have knocked on the front door and been escorted to your sister’s room by a servant. The fact that you are wandering the halls, peeking into rooms in the middle of the night, suggests otherwise. How did you gain entry into the house?”
He fixed her with a hard stare that he used on recruits. It worked the same on Miss Bennet as on those green boys. “A window,” she said in a whisper. “It was open slightly, and I was able to push it the rest of the way up and enter. I was looking for my sister’s room.”
“Whatever you say, Miss Bennet,” Richard replied, his voice hard. As they talked, servants appeared, the same ones who alerted him to the noise in the hallways. Turning to them, he stated, “I have found our intruder. I believe it is likely she is alone, but please continue to check the house. Please wake a maid and send her here so she might act as a witness that Miss Bennet is left undisturbed all night. I will escort her to her father’s house in the morning.”
The servants promptly complied with the instructions, leaving Richard and Jane alone in the hallway. Jane’s gaze seethed with hatred, directed at the man who once again thwarted her vengeful intentions—they remained that way for several minutes before a maid arrived. She received Richard’s instructions regarding Miss Bennet’s overnight accommodation and led the woman to a rather plain bedchamber. Despite Jane’s attempts to dismiss her, the maid remained undeterred by the guest’s wishes.
Eventually, tired of arguing with the maid and frustrated at her plans being thwarted yet again, Jane collapsed onto the bed, her tears flowing freely. The idea of moving to Scotland, something she didn’t want, seemed increasingly likely with each setback.
CHAPTER 29
Changes
All of the residents of Netherfield Park were early risers, so when everyone gathered for breakfast, Richard told the story of their midnight visitor.
Fitzwilliam was astonished. “What did she intend to do?” he asked incredulously.
“She claimed she wanted to see Elizabeth,” Richard replied. “I think she was out to compromise someone. She was searching bedchambers, and had she found you or George alone, she would have attempted to take advantage. While she could not force you to marry her, she likely thought she could come between you and Elizabeth.”
Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth looked at each other and grinned, as Jane would definitely not have found Fitzwilliam alone. Depending on the time of her arrival at the door, she may have seen them sleeping or engaged in other nocturnal activities, either of which would result in an awkward scene. Richard noticed the exchanged glances and discreetly kicked Fitzwilliam under the table, which caused both him and his wife to blush deeply.
“Well, it is fortunate that a servant heard her opening and closing doors and alerted you and some other servants to the intruder,” George said, having also noted the exchange. Momentarily, he felt a pang of desire to experience what his brother had found. However, his uncle had written that he discovered a titled heiress willing to marry him, though shewanted to see if he could convince the Regent to award the marquessate to the Darcys sooner rather than waiting until after the marriage. George supposed that was because she could still withdraw from the engagement if his petition were denied, something she could not do if they were already married.
“Shall we all escort Miss Bennet to Netherfield?” George asked the group. “Perhaps bring a few maids to begin packing and send the lot to Scotland. After last night, I am tempted to put her on the same boat as George Wickham.”
Richard nodded his agreement. “It is tempting, but a woman aboard a ship like that would not fare well. I am not willing to condemn a woman,anywoman, to that life.”
“Nonetheless, we need to ensure that Miss Bennet will not be able to return to England. Since we will unlikely return to Hertfordshire, I sincerely doubt she could find either Pemberley or Oakridge. She will not have the funds she would need to hire a carriage,” George replied.
“Richard, does the Earl still own that hunting lodge in the Outer Hebrides? Or was it the Orkney Islands?” Fitzwilliam asked.
“I had forgotten about his lodge there. It is near Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands. It is not overly fancy but surely sufficient for the Bennet family. Perhaps we can find a boat in London to take them north; it would make the journey easier in many ways,” Richard replied.
“Who will accompany them?” Fitzwilliam asked. “How can we be certain they will arrive?”
“My men will accompany them,” Richard replied. “We can hire a few to accompany them all the way there and then ensure theyarrive at the lodge safely. They can also arrange for a servant or two and for their funds to be distributed appropriately.”
“The female contingent will not be happy about such a remote location. Bennet will not mind as long as he still has access to some books,” George stated.
“But it will make it nearly impossible for them to leave. We can circulate the story that they are there for their health, which might dissuade the residents from trying to reach them, especially if they believe they are unbalanced. If our men hire and we arrange to pay the servants, we can have them send us updates in case of any changes,” Fitzwilliam replied. “Richard, do you have any men who would want to live in Scotland? Perhaps a married man whose wife would be willing to be a housekeeper and cook for the family.”
