The Adventures of Lizzy Bennet - Book 3: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Kate Speck

  Thorpe brightly beamed, “My father was actually a solicitor while he lived and I have learned a thing or two from him. I can certainly be of assistance, especially to two such beautiful ladies. That cottage is one of the largest homes in this area and belongs to a very wealthy man, I believe. It had been leased for some time but I had heard that it was to be sold. Your inheritance must have been quite generous to be able to purchase such an extensive property.”

  “Well, we are only using a portion of our share, since we have been given equal shares and we have decided to purchase two homes. One will be here in Ramsgate and another in London. If we should ever marry, my sister and I would not need to fight over which home belongs to whom since we will each have our own home.” Lizzy shared. “It is confidential so I hope you will not tell anyone, my dear neighbour. We do not wish for our fortune to be known since there are so many unscrupulous men in the world.”

  Thorpe raised an eyebrow, “Your secret is safe with me, Miss Elizabeth. Shall we tour the house together? I would be happy to talk to the solicitor and perhaps explain some of the contract wording to you since I am knowledgeable in that field. You can trust me, ladies.” He seductively kissed each of their hands.

  Lizzy and Jane smiled charmingly and headed to the cottage on his arms.

  “This is Mr. Smith, the solicitor that we had told you about.” Lizzy introduced Mr. Knightley.

  “A pleasure, I am sure,” Mr. Knightley responded sharply with his nose in the air. “As I have stated before, Miss Elizabeth, Miss Bennet, this property is a highly valued house and I have several interested buyers. If you are not serious about the place, I suggest you move on to another location after your brief stay here. I have no patience in dealing with women who do not know from left to right.” He spoke condescendingly. “Come back with your solicitor and I will talk to that man but I do not care to do business with feeble-minded ladies. You should have your husbands handle the business for you.”

  Thorpe stepped in, “Now, you wait one minute, Smith! I am their solicitor and I can see clear as day that what you want for this house is much higher than what it is worth. I would like to make the inspection myself and wish to see the rooms.” He turned to the ladies and winked, “I will see that you get a fair price for this place, ladies. You would not wish to spend all of your fortune in the purchase price.”

  Mr. Knightley left with Mr. Thorpe to show him the rooms of the large house.

  There was a soft knock on the front door and Lizzy opened it.

  “Is he here?” William whispered to Lizzy.

  Lizzy nodded, “Yes, he is touring the house.” She teased, “How do you like having another man’s wife on your arm?”

  William winked and returned her smile, “Knightley might kill me if I am not careful with his wife so do not give me away!” He turned and grinned at Mrs. Knightley on his arm.

  “Good thing we sent the staff away for the day, otherwise it would have been very confusing for us all!” Lizzy laughed. “We are ready. Go!”

  “MR. SMITH!” William shouted and waited until Mr. Knightley rushed downstairs. “What is the meaning of this?! Why are there other buyers in this house when I was told to arrive at this hour? You said I would have priority in purchasing the cottage but these ladies have shared that they are also here to purchase it, with their solicitor, no less!”

  “Mr. Darcy! My heartfelt apologies,” Mr. Knightley bowed, “I had no idea that these ladies were sincere in their intention to purchase the home and I thought them too poor to be able to afford such a place. The ladies are staying here at the hospitality of Mr. Knightley and their solicitor assures me that they have enough funds to buy two homes of this size and I must consider their offer now. Are you willing to bid higher for this house? I know you and your lovely betrothed wished for a large seaside home and this is the grandest one in the area.”

  William huffed, “Well, I have just received word that my cousin Anne de Bourgh is ill and will be signing off all of her fortune to me, making me £30,000 richer. I am willing to outbid these ladies by any means necessary since my future wife likes the place and wants it.” He lifted Isabella’s hand and kissed it. “Yes, I will take the place. My dear lady deserves the best and if she likes it, she will have it.”

  Lizzy and Jane cried out softly in distress. “That is not fair,” Lizzy whined. “You cannot take the place from us. Mr. Knightley, the owner, had personally given us priority. We are not without our own fortune and we will outbid you! Send word to Mr. Knightley, Mr. Smith! As we are staying in Ramsgate for two more nights to enjoy this place, we will await word on what your client wants and we will be ready to match it.” She turned to William, “We will fight you for the place, even if my sister and I must consolidate our funds to win. Your £30,000 is nothing compared to what we have!”

  William and Isabella huffed in anger, “Smith! Let us know what the owner wishes to do. You will do better to deal with a respectable gentleman like me than with two unknown ladies without connections. We will return tomorrow. Good day!” They left the house to await John Thorpe’s departure.

  Thorpe gulped at hearing of the ladies’ fortune. He had been planning on travelling to Bath next month to seduce Anne de Bourgh, but it had been most fortunate that Mr. Darcy, of whom he had heard from Lady Catherine for years, happened to show up to look at the house at the same time. Hearing that Anne de Bourgh was ill and had given away her dowry, which Lady Catherine had promised to him, John Thorpe knew what he needed to do.

  “Ladies, if you will give me a moment with Mr. Smith in private, I will see what we can work out. Could you please step outside for ten minutes?” He petitioned to them.

  Lizzy and Jane curtseyed and went outside.

  Thorpe immediately grabbed Smith and led him to a corner of the room where no one could hear them. “I can tell that you are a man of low morals and wish to gain some funds from this deal. Make your agreement with Darcy and do whatever you want, but do NOT let the ladies purchase this house, do you hear me? I know that it is a grand house but one of those ladies will be my wife and I do not want their funds to be wasted in buying a house. If I could marry them both, I would do so but I plan on choosing one so that I can get my hands on their fortune.” He pulled out a ten-pound note and put in in Mr. Knightley’s hand. “And another tenner when you have rejected their offer. Tell them that your client wishes to do business with Mr. Darcy.”

  Mr. Knightley grinned, “Ah, an enterprising young man. I assure you, I will do as you say, as long as you keep your end of the bargain. Bring me another twenty pounds tomorrow and I will do my part. Are you in need of funds? I did not know those ladies were so rich. Perhaps I will try to seduce the other one.”

  “I am desperate to get my hands on some money since I lost my house down the street due to gambling debts. My mother does not know but we are to vacate the place by next week and I was to have an opportunity to get some funds from another source, but I only now found out that the same woman gave her dowry to Mr. Darcy. These Bennet ladies are primed for picking and I will be able to get my hands on their fortune earlier and easier. They are both fine ladies. Which one do you like?” He asked with a sneer on his face.

  “It matters not. I only care for their purse-strings. They are both very pretty.” He answered, swallowing down his disgust.

  Thorpe snickered, “I like the dark-haired one. She is an energetic little thing and will be more exciting to tame her to my will. You can have the quiet one.” He shook Knightley’s hand. “See you tomorrow. I will work on them and you and I will both soon be engaged men!”

  They roared in laughter for a few moments and Mr. Knightley walked out of the house with Thorpe and made his farewells.

  Lizzy and Jane smiled at Mr. Thorpe. “Thank you for coming to our rescue, Mr. Thorpe. You have been so kind to help us in our time of need.”

  Thorpe gloated, “It was nothing, Miss Elizabeth. I have an appointment right now but I would like to see you both again soon
. Perhaps tonight for dinner?”

  “Well, we are staying at the cottage here at the hospitality of Mr. Knightley, the owner of the home, and we can certainly invite you to dine with us. Would seven o’clock work for you?” Lizzy asked with a bright smile.

  “Yes, that is perfect.” Thorpe walked close and lifted up Lizzy’s hand. “You are most kind and absolutely charming. I would love to get to know you better, Miss Elizabeth.”

  Lizzy lowered her eyes shyly, “I will see you tonight, sir. Truly, it has been a pleasure to meet you today.”

  Thorpe grinned and bowed to Jane and left quickly. He had a meeting with a certain elderly woman to give her a piece of his mind for attempting to trick him into a fool’s errand.

  ~*~

  “That was a capital performance, Lizzy!” William laughed loudly once they were all back inside the cottage. “He was completely fooled that you both were helpless women in need of his expertise.”

  Lizzy smiled, “He was as vain as you had described, Will, and I hope he receives his just desserts. He truly believed that he could charm his way into a woman’s heart by his smiles and smooth speeches, and I hope we succeeded in rescuing Anne.”

  Mr. Knightley laughed, “He gave me £10 and I plan on splurging it on all three ladies on a shopping trip. It was the most entertainment I have had in years!”

  The ladies chattered excitedly about what had happened and how they felt about the vile man.

  Knightley pulled William over for a moment while Lizzy was explaining to Georgiana the details. “Darcy, Thorpe said that he wanted Lizzy as his wife to ‘tame her’ and that he would get his hands on her money. He has gambled away his home here in Ramsgate and must depart by next week so we should help him along with his departure earlier than later. I hope you will convince him to go back to the countryside and never return here.”

  William’s face grew dark at the thought of the rake harming his Lizzy. “I will make certain of it, Knightley. I have my man following him right now and once he meets with Lady Catherine and sends her back to Brighton, my father and uncle will deal with her and I will put the fear of God into Thorpe. If he attempts to touch Lizzy, I will kill him with my bare hands.”

  “I have no doubt of it, my friend.” Mr. Knightley laughed. “I only wanted to warn you. Smile now.” He advised. “You look fearsome and you will worry my wife. Nice performance yourself, by the way. We all make fine actors on stage.”

  William quickly smiled, “I have learned much from Lizzy over the years. It was very enjoyable to pretend, was it not?” He looked at her fondly, “Life with her is incomparable to anything else in the world.”

  The gentlemen returned to the ladies and they spoke happily together.

  “Mr. Thorpe was as handsome as you had described, Will,” Lizzy spoke quietly while the others took their tea. “I can see why you feared Anne would be taken with him.”

  “You liked him, then?” William asked in surprise. “If you had not known of his character before, would you have been fooled?”

  “Perhaps. If he had behaved more gentlemanly and spoke as smoothly as he did without my knowing his deception, I might have fallen for his charms and thought him a good man. But knowing the truth, he is a vile creature; the ugliest soul I have ever seen.” She reached for his hand and caressed it. “I am glad you knew of him and warned us all, Will. There is something about a man that makes him infinitely handsome when he is honest and kind, and you are the handsomest gentleman of my acquaintance.” She smiled affectionately.

  William kissed her hand and beamed. “I will ensure he does not hurt you, Lizzy. Knightley told me that Thorpe was planning on seducing you but I will not let him near you after this evening. It burned me with anger to see him stand next to you and I would have beat him with my fists if he touched your hand again. I hope to hear from my man soon so we can put this to rest tonight.”

  William and Lizzy returned to the group and awaited word from William’s spy to see how things proceeded with Lady Catherine.

  Chapter 10

  “Did you know your nephew Mr. Darcy is here in Ramsgate right now?” John Thorpe screeched. “He told me all! He thought I was a solicitor and he is working on purchasing a large cottage and he let it slip that he has your daughter’s dowry at his disposal!”

  “It cannot be!” Lady Catherine exclaimed. “Anne’s dowry is to go to her husband and she is not married. How could she give it to Darcy? Are they married?”

  Thorpe scoffed, “No, he had some pretty woman on his arm whom he said was his betrothed. Mr. Darcy said your daughter is sick and gave her fortune away. When was the last time you saw her? You led me to believe that Miss de Bourgh was a willing participant in trying to become a married woman. You said nothing about her health! She is probably a sickly thing that cannot even bear children.” He gnarled when he saw her pale. “So, it is true! You tried to pass off your sickly, invalid daughter whom you have not seen in ages, who is likely dying and you thought you could have me do the work to marry her so you can control her dowry? Well, it is too late and I will not go through with your plans. I have a chance to gain a rich wife now. I met two beautiful ladies today and I plan on seducing the younger sister for her fortune. Miss Elizabeth is beautiful and vivacious and loaded with a large fortune. I will have her for my wife and my debts will be gone.”

  Lady Catherine’s mouth dropped. “Miss Elizabeth?! Are you speaking of Elizabeth Bennet?! But I thought she was some poor hoyden from the backwater country! She has no fortune!”

  “She and her sister inherited recently. She said your daughter’s £30,000 is nothing and she easily has more than that. You truly know nothing, Lady Catherine. Go back to your home in Brighton. Mama will not miss you and she will be glad to be rid of your meddling ways. You have not changed at all in your irritating manners and you are no longer welcome to come into my home and order my servants about. My mother was tired of hearing you before and she is tired of you now.” Thorpe jeered. “This will be the last time you write to us to ask for a favour. I sent my carriage to you and allowed you to visit us this once because of your promise for a fortune but no more. You have no idea what is happening with your own family because they cut you off and you are now a poor woman with little means. Crawl back to your hole and do not come back out!”

  John Thorpe called for her belongings to be packed up straightaway and readied his carriage to deliver Lady Catherine back to Brighton. She was ejected from his house within the hour and gone from Ramsgate forever.

  ~*~

  “I received word that Lady Catherine has departed.” William announced. “Our theatrics worked as intended and I will let my father and uncle know of our actions today. Perhaps Lizzy might write about this in her book and include it in her adventures?”

  Lizzy laughed, “I have already begun it, Will! What great amusement. I shall like a life on stage, I believe, but I do like delivering justice more.” She looked at Georgiana. “Next time, Georgie, we will include you in our acting. We only wished to keep you away from that scoundrel this time because he is not a good man. When you see him tonight, I give you leave to stick your tongue out at him!”

  Everyone laughed and let out a sigh of contentment. Their time in Ramsgate had been filled with excitement and it had been a very memorable holiday already.

  Later that evening, there was a knock at the door of the drawing room. “Mr. John Thorpe at the front door, sir.” The butler alerted the master.

  “Show him to the sitting room but slowly, Morris,” Mr. Knightley instructed. “Everyone will need to take their places.”

  Lizzy and Jane immediately left for the sitting room while the others stayed in the drawing room and kept quiet.

  Mr. Thorpe was all smiles to see the two ladies waiting for him prettily in the room. “Ladies, how nice to see you again so soon. You both look beautiful.” He approached Lizzy and lifted up her hand to kiss it. “You, my dearest Miss Elizabeth, are a vision. My heart soars to see you smile and I hav
e never known such contentment than to be in your vicinity.”

  “Oh, you are too much, sir!” Lizzy smiled as she sharply pulled her hand away. “I truly mean it, sir. You are too much! Has your business gone well with Lady Catherine de Bourgh?”

  Thorpe stuttered, “How... How do you know about Lady Catherine, Miss Elizabeth? Are you acquainted with her?”

  “Yes, I certainly am.” Lizzy answered as they all sat down. “I made her acquaintance when I stayed at Rosings Park in Kent many years ago. She gave me quite an experience by slapping me across my cheek when I was but eleven years old and I am part of the reason why she lost the estate, most unfortunately for her.” She grinned. “Mr. Thorpe, I do not believe you have met the owner of this cottage yet. He and his wife are here with us, as well as his very dear friend.” She called out louder, “You may enter now, Mr. Knightley.”

  Mr. Thorpe immediately stood to make a good impression to the owner of the large cottage and turned around. But he stood frozen when the man he knew as Mr. Smith and the lady he thought was Mr. Darcy’s betrothed walked in.

  “I am Mr. Knightley and this is my wife, Mrs. Knightley, John Thorpe. I believe you know Mr. Darcy, my friend from Cambridge.” He stated.

  William entered behind with a scowl, “We remembered your attempt to seduce Andover’s sister, Thorpe. You were an awful human being then and you are still a scoundrel now.” He walked and stood next to Lizzy to gather her hand on his arm. “We know about your gambling debts and spoke with the man who holds the marker on your house. Your mother is being notified of your loss right now and you will depart Ramsgate tomorrow to never return. Your disgrace will be made known to everyone you know here and if I ever see you again, believe me that you will be made very unpopular by your shameful conducts that I will reveal to your friends.” William lifted Lizzy’s hand and kissed it. “I have the means to destroy you if you ever attempt to fool an innocent lady.”

  William’s bodyguard Matthews stepped toward him and softly growled. Thorpe, seeing that he had been completely tricked and had lost all respectability, he ran out of the house in fear, never to be seen by any of the party again.