The Ashes of Longbourn (15 page)

             
A knock came to the study door.  Bingley called out “Enter” and the door opened.  A young man entered the room and stepped close to Colonel Fitzwilliam, leaning in to speak privately to the man.  Colonel Fitzwilliam’s face turned red with fury.  “Where?” he demanded the information from the young man.

             
“What has happened, Son?” Lord Matlock asked.

             
“I sent Sgt. Winters to keep watch of Collins when he left Lucas Lodge.  Sgt. Winters has just returned from Longbourn estate, a small cottage at the far end of the estate, where he has overheard an interesting conversation between Collins and another man.  Sgt., please tell us what you have heard.”

             
“Collins was furious with the other man, yelling at him.  He stated that the other man was incompetent and had ruined everything.  He said that only Miss Elizabeth Bennet was to die, and that the other man had been a fool, destroying the house that Collins was supposed to move into rather than inheriting a burned out pile of rubble.  The other man stated that he had been paid to eliminate Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and that was what he had attempted to do.  He told Collins that it was only a matter of time until she succumbed to her injuries and that he had heard that the young lady was not expected to last much longer.  He also told Collins that with all of her family gone, Miss Jane Bennet would soon marry Mr Bingley and move away from here where there is nothing but painful memories.  He felt certain that she would want nothing else to do with the neighborhood, and, as she was marrying a man of some means, she would most likely be talked out of the five thousand pound inheritance.”

             
Lord Matlock and Mr Gardiner were required to hold Darcy in place, as the newly wed husband was ready to storm from the house and kill Collins as soon as he found the scoundrel.   “Forgive me, Sir, but there is more.” Sgt. Winters stated.  “From what I gathered from the rest of the conversation, Collins and the other man were not in the plot alone.  A lady paid for the man to come here and execute Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

             
“Exactly what did the men say?” Colonel Fitzwilliam asked.

             
“Collins told the man that ‘She did not pay you to make such a mess of things and you will be fortunate if she gives you one farthing of what you were promised’.  The other man said that if he did not receive is pay, and soon, he would make Collins and the woman regret crossing him.”

             
All of the men were appalled.  Sir William stood and looked at the other men.  “I am the magistrate in this neighborhood.  I believe it would be wise if we were to have someone else come to hear this case, as I would not wish for any appearance of impropriety.  You can keep Collins secure in the shed which is near the back of my house.  Colonel, if you would be so kind as to request soldiers to guard the shed and keep this conspirator secure, I would appreciate it.”

             
“Sgt. Winters, did the other man leave the cottage after speaking with Collins?  Do you recognize the man?”

             
“I have seen him in Brighton, and if I am not mistaken, he was with Colonel Forster’s unit.  A gambler, if I remember correctly.”

             
Darcy, Bingley and Colonel Fitzwilliam all looked at each other.  Wickham.  George Wickham had been in Meryton until the militia removed to Brighton in July.  The man had terrorized Darcy’s life since they were young boys and now this man was involved with the fire that killed Elizabeth’s family, nearly killing her.  And his goal was to kill her.  He had been hired by some lady to kill Elizabeth.  They believed that Elizabeth was near death and would die soon.  Would he try again to kill Elizabeth?  Would he set fire to Pemberley?

             
Then reality finally struck.  “What did Wickham use to burn Longbourn?” He asked.

             
“We never knew what had caused the fire.” Mr Phillips said.

             
“Until now, I had not even thought about this until now.  Why did the house explode?  There would not have been much inside the house to cause an explosion, especially one that was as severe as the one that ripped through the house and threw Elizabeth the way that it did.”

             
“We should go to Longbourn and investigate.  Mr Bingley, most of the tenants have moved to Netherfield, have they not?”

             
“Yes, they have.  I believe there is only one tenant left at Longbourn, and that is Mr Jolly.”

             
A strange look came over Mr Phillips face. Mr Gardiner noticed something was troubling his brother in law. “Phillips, what is it? What are you thinking of?”

             
“Mr Jolly had raised a complaint that he felt Thomas had favored some of the other tenants over him.  He had only been at Longbourn for perhaps two months when the fire struck.  I believe he had only moved to the area when he came to Longbourn.  The man is single; I have never heard tell of a wife or children.”

             
“Could he have been hired, as well, to assist Wickham?” Lord Matlock asked.  “But who would have wished Elizabeth dead?  I do not understand it, unless; William, could you have been seen at Hunsford speaking with Elizabeth?  I do not wish to think of my sister capable, but could she have learned of your attachment to Elizabeth?  You know how she has the desire to have you and Anne wed.”

             
“Elizabeth and I went for walks several times, and I do not recall seeing anyone.  It is not to say that someone did not see us, but I cannot imagine Aunt Catherine being the woman behind this affair.  She may be vindictive, but conspiring to commit murder?”

             
“I do not wish to think of my sister so poorly, but who else would have the sort of money to pay for this, as well as connections to not only Mr Collins, but Wickham as well.  No, I believe we must consider this a possibility.”

             
Mr Gardiner shook his head.  The thought of anyone planning to have his niece murdered was something he could not fathom.  “What should we do?”

             
“First thing, I wish to publish the announcement that Elizabeth and I have wed.” Darcy said.  “I want the world to know that she is my wife and that I will not tolerate any harm to come to her.  She has my protection.  I will also write to Lady Catherine personally to inform her of my marriage.  We will remain here at Netherfield, only if you feel safe with us being here, Charles.”

             
“I have no problem with your being here.  It would be ridiculous for them to start another fire, especially here.  I will send to London to hire men to guard the estate and the house.”  Bingley stated.  “Once I am married to Jane, we will finally be family, William.  I stand beside you, through thick and thin, and will defend Elizabeth to the best of my ability.”

             
Colonel Fitzwilliam walked to the window, looking out at the sunny day.  “I will send to Brighton to ask the General if he will allow me a detail of men to stand guard.  I especially wish to have some of the men familiar with Wickham, as it will benefit us encase the man comes here.  When Wickham learns of the wedding, his desire to cause more harm will grow.  He will wish Elizabeth more harm simply due to William loving her.”

             
Mr Gardiner looked at his brother in law.  “I will remain here at Netherfield, as will my family.  We will do what we can to protect our dear girls and all of their family and friends.”

             
Mr Phillips nodded his head.  “I will do whatever is needed of me, and I pledge to do whatever I can to protect Elizabeth and Jane, as well as our new family members and soon to be family members.  Sir William, I will also do what I can to protect you and your family, with the exception of your son in law.”

             
“Have no fear when it comes to that good for nothing.” Sir William spat out his disgust.  “I will speak with Charlotte in private, for I do not wish for her to be taken by surprise when the truth comes out.  I will keep the news from my wife, as she will not be able to keep her silence.”

             
“Perhaps you should speak with your eldest son, John.  He is level headed such as Charlotte, and he could keep an eye open in case Wickham comes to Lucas Lodge to find Collins.” Mr Phillips suggested.  “Your family needs to be protected as well.”

             
Darcy nodded.  “I agree with Mr Phillips.  Your family is not to blame for Collins’ behavior and they should be protected from Wickham and Collins causing them harm.”

             
“Gentlemen, I cannot thank you enough for your thinking of my family when you could easily turn against us, and rightfully do so.” Sir William said as his eyes welled with unshed tears.

             
“Richard, take the seat at the desk so that you may begin the letter to the General.” Bingley stated as he stepped from behind the desk.  “Perhaps we should contact Colonel Forster to learn why Wickham is here rather than in Brighton.”

             
Sgt. Winters assisted Colonel Fitzwilliam in writing his letter.  Winters knew of several men at Brighton who would be able to recognize Wickham, as well as several others who would be ideal for their ability to hide in plain sight.  A letter was also written to Colonel Forster.  This letter could be most important in resolving the issue of what to do with Wickham, for if he was a deserter, he would be hung for that offense alone. There would be no need to expose Elizabeth or any of the rest of the family to the scandal it would raise if the truth were to come out.

             
Darcy realized the time and stated that he needed to return to Elizabeth. The other men nodded their heads and continued on with their plans to protect their loved ones from further harm as well as capture and punish those responsible.

             
Lord Matlock prepared a notice to send to London to be posted in the newspaper, announcing his family’s pleasure to welcome Mrs Elizabeth Bennet Darcy to their family.  As Darcy had wished to ensure that people knew of his wife and his protection of her, the men of the Fitzwilliam family, as well as Lady Matlock, wished to make it well known that Elizabeth was accepted into their family and thereby was under their protection as well.  They knew that by supporting Darcy’s and Elizabeth’s marriage, Lady Catherine could not openly denounce the union and she could not attempt any sort of legal maneuver to dissolve the marriage.  Lady Catherine never appreciated that her brother was the head of the family.

             
Mr Gardiner left the study to speak with his wife.  They would have a footman or one of the guards accompany their children and their nanny whenever they went outside to play.  Mr Phillips had decided not to inform his wife of all that was happening so that she would not gossip with anyone. 

             
Everyone determined ways to keep all at Netherfield safe.  Darcy would have preferred to take his wife and sister home to Pemberley, as he knew his lands and could keep them safe there.  But with Elizabeth just beginning to heal, it would be quite some time before she would be able to make a journey of such distance.  The possibility of taking her to London also came to mind.

             
The more Darcy thought of the situation, the more he had to admit that it was better to stay at Netherfield.  They needed to keep a watch over Collins, Mr Jolly, and Wickham, and they needed to discover who was behind the conspiracy to murder Elizabeth.

             
Now, all Darcy needed to do was determine the best way to tell his wife of the conspiracy.  He knew that telling her would cause her to find herself to blame for her family’s demise.  She was far too fragile to allow her to return to her melancholy, yet she needed to be told the truth.

             
Darcy decided that the only thing he could do was to speak with Elizabeth and Georgiana as soon as possible and inform them of all they had learned that morning.  He feared for Georgiana’s safety as well.  She must have someone guarding her at all times as well, for when Wickham learned that Darcy and Georgiana were at Netherfield, and learned that Darcy had married Elizabeth, the son of Darcy’s father’s steward would become enraged.

             
Any other man would run when he learned that the cards were against him, that his days of freedom were coming to an end.  Not Wickham, no, his jealousy and hatred of Darcy would keep him from thinking rationally.

             
Knocking on his sister’s bedchamber door, it was quickly opened by Georgiana’s maid and she allowed him in the room.  “William.  How is my new sister this morning?”

             
“She was well when I left her in bed, sleeping soundly.  I must ask your indulgence.  Would you join Elizabeth and me in our bedchamber in a quarter of an hour?  I will have food sent up on trays for us to break out fast together.”

             
“Certainly, Brother, is all well?”

             
“It will be, my dear girl. I will see you soon.”

             
Darcy smiled as he tenderly placed a kiss on the top of her blonde curls.