by APRIL FLOYD
Mr. Darcy and the earl joined the ladies there instead of retiring to the library with Mr. Bingley. They would see Elizabeth’s son first and then resume their after dinner customs.
Georgiana was the first to greet the boy and she rained kisses on his small cheeks before presenting him with a tiny wooden horse she had found in Richard’s things.
Years ago, a fortnight after her cousin’s death, Lady Matlock had allowed the Darcys to choose a memento from his room at Matlock House. She had kept that soldier to remind her of the colonel’s bravery and strength. “I kept this for myself, but I want you to have it. If you are ever lonely or scared, hold it close and gain the strength of your dear Papa.”
Richard took it and thanked her most politely. He placed the figure in his pocket for safekeeping. “Thank you. I will keep it always.”
Lady Matlock called to her grandson and he came dutifully to her side. She had no gift for him but she gave him a comfit from her pocket. The boy gave a small bow and smiled. “Thank you, Grandmother.”
He went next to the earl who spoke of how very much the child looked like his father that he had to retrieve his handkerchief and pretend to cough. Mr. Darcy called to the child and young Richard almost forgot himself in his joy at seeing the man. “Mr. Darcy! I missed you!”
Elizabeth felt her son’s words to the depths of her soul for she had missed Mr. Darcy as well.
When the men quit the parlor and moved to the library, Mr. Darcy took his young cousin along. Elizabeth made a noise as if she wished to object but Mr. Darcy interjected. “It has been too long since we last spoke of pirates. I will only keep him for a half hour and send him back up to Nanny and Rose.”
Chapter 14
Elizabeth forgot about Major Wickham as the summer days passed in relative peace. Lady Matlock became a favorite guest in the homes of Mrs. Bennet’s friends and neighbors. There had been some minor skirmishes between the two women at Netherfield until Elizabeth assured her mother that having a relation such as Margaret Fitzwilliam was a feather in her cap. “Our friends and neighbors have welcomed her because of their respect for you, Mother. Certainly you see that?”
Mr. Bennet had stood and quit the parlor to hide his amusement. He truly did not wish to have his wife causing trouble for Elizabeth.
Fancying himself a capable angler, Mr. Bennet sought the company of Mr. Harley. The butler was coming inside with the children and Nanny and they met Mr. Bennet in the entryway. Rose was crying and Nanny took her directly upstairs. Young Richard pulled on Mr. Harley’s coat. “May we go to the pond, please?”
Mr. Bennet offered his hand to his grandson. “I was going to ask Mr. Harley if he would care to fish with me this afternoon. Would you like to come along with us?”
The boy nodded his head enthusiastically. “Oh yes sir! I have only been twice since we returned to Netherfield.”
Mr. Harley arranged for a footman to gather the poles and arrange a basket of food from Cook. He knelt and smiled at his young charge. “Let us find your mother and tell her our plans. She would not like to wonder where you’ve gone.”
Mr. Bennet waited in the entryway until his companions returned. He nodded to his grandson and winked at Mr. Harley. “This one is a fine fisherman, Harley. You and I will be lucky to catch a fish with him along.”
Mr. Harley laughed. “He is a remarkable young man. I am pleased Mrs. Fitzwilliam allowed me to come along and visit Hertfordshire. It is such a peaceful place.”
The fishermen set off when the footman handed over Cook’s basket and opened the front door for them. Mr. Harley had enjoyed his summer stay at Netherfield. It was very strange not to be a servant of the house, though they all treated him well.
The groom had brought around a cart for their use and Mr. Harley took the driver’s seat. “’Tis no reason to take a carriage when the ladies may have need of it whilst we are away.”
The afternoon was warm and bees buzzed in the fields as they rolled along the lane that led from Netherfield to Longbourn. Mr. Bennet had insisted on a lively creek that ran between the two properties as the fish would be plentiful there in the shade beneath the trees.
Young Richard kept the two older gentlemen alert as he regaled them with the pirate tales Mr. Darcy had read to him in London and now again at Netherfield.
Soon, Mr. Harley found the creek. It rambled merrily beneath them a little way down a small hill.
The butler drove the cart off the lane and stopped beneath a tree near the road. “Let me loose the horse so he might enjoy this lovely grass and then we will get these poles and settle on the bank.”
Mr. Bennet took his grandson’s hand and Cook’s basket and led the boy down the small hill. It was a gentle slope and quite easy for a gentleman of some years to reach.
Young Richard broke free and ran to the edge of the creek. There were small stones scattered about and he chose a smooth one. He arched his arm back to throw it but Mr. Bennet called out. “Now, son! You will scare off all the fish and then what shall we have for dinner?”
Mr. Harley came down the hill after them and handed Mr. Bennet his pole. “He may be the only thing we catch as the boy loves to splash about in the creeks and ponds. He got Rose’s dress wet earlier in the gardens, thus her tears.”
The gentlemen laughed as they recalled their own adventures as young boys. Mr. Bennet grew serious for a moment as he helped his grandson bait his hook. “I am happy he has come home to Longbourn for a time. It is easier to find a creek or a tree in the country.”
The butler nodded. “’Tis true! He and I have our adventures in Town, as he does with Mr. Darcy, but the country is a treat.”
The three soon rested on the bank of the creek with their poles propped against several large rocks along the bank. A breeze lifted the leaves above them and Mr. Bennet soon dozed off.
Mr. Harley grew quite drowsy himself but his young charge kept him awake with his chatter and with the treasures he found along the creek bank.
When they had sat for an hour with not a fish interested in their bait, Richard took his friend by the hand. “May we go into the forest, Mr. Harley? Grandfather Bennet is asleep and I would like to bring flowers for mother. She does love the poppies that grow in the shade of the forest.”
Mr. Harley looked to Mr. Bennet and indeed, the man had nodded off. They would only be a short time and so he led the boy down the creek to a place where several large rocks made a natural path across the water.
Richard was across the stones before the butler might stop him and so Mr. Harley laughed and skipped across much slower than his young companion.
In the forest, they walked along together and Mr. Harley showed Richard which mushrooms were safe and which were poisonous. “Never even touch those, my boy. Best not to take a chance that their spores might make you sick as well.”
Richard nodded solemnly. He loved the forest as his mother often brought him there on her long walks across the countryside. “How do the birds and rabbits know not to eat them, Mr. Harley?”
The butler was impressed with the young boy’s curiosity and the question. “The colors of poisonous plants and berries warn the birds and such away. Nature is brilliant that way. It teaches us to use our senses and take care.”
The two walked on and Mr. Harley was surprised to hear a man calling out from somewhere nearby. He sounded as though he was in trouble.
The butler quickly found a fallen log and lifted Richard to sit upon it. “Stay here, son. I will not be long. If you here me call out, run back to your grandfather.”
Richard nodded solemnly. He had heard his Uncle Charles and Grandfather Bennet speak of highwaymen before and thought they must not be real. He had never seen such a man himself in his travels with his mother.
Mr. Harley left him and he grew scared the longer his friend was away. He jumped down from the log and walked slowly in the direction Mr. Harley had gone. Soon he heard voices and knew one was Mr. Harley. He was arguing with a man.
R
ichard hid behind a bush and peeked from between its scratchy branches. The other man was the major who had come to see his mother at their picnic! Major Wickham.
Richard wondered why the major would yell at Mr. Harley. Something was not right, he must go to Grandfather Bennet. He stood and Mr. Harley saw him. The major saw him too.
Mr. Harley shouted and the major pulled out a gun. Richard knew what a gun was as he had gone with Uncle Charles once to shoot birds. Uncle Charles had not allowed him to touch the gun and Richard had not wanted to for it was horribly loud.
The sound of the gun deafened him as he covered his ears and cried out for Mr. Harley. The butler fell to the ground, his eyes closed and his hands gone to his middle.
The major grabbed Richard by the arm and pulled him away from the bushes. He struggled and kicked and screamed but the major was strong and hurt his arm. The man pulled off his cravat and tied it over Richard’s mouth so he could not scream.
He wondered why his mother and Uncle Charles and Grandfather Bennet had not known that Major Wickham was a highwayman.
Chapter 15
Mr. Bennet was awakened from his afternoon slumber by the distinct sound of gunshot. For several moments, he merely looked about the tranquil setting and wondered if he had dreamed the noise.
With a start, he realized that Richard and Mr. Harley were nowhere to be seen. He pushed himself up from the bank of the creek and hurried up the hill to the lane. Looking up and down the road, he saw a rider in the distance galloping away from him.
He listened hard for a moment and then turned to hurry back down the hill. “Richard! Richard!” he yelled, worry gnawing at him.
Only the sound of birds overhead answered him and he began to pace before the poles his grandson and Mr. Harley had abandoned.
They would not have gone far but the gunshot worried him. It was not entirely unheard of for some traveler with little means to shoot a bird in the woods beyond the creek.
Remaining calm, Mr. Bennet walked alongside the creek looking for some hint of where the butler and Richard may have gone.
A noise in the bushes across the creek alarmed him, but when Mr. Harley stumbled out holding his side, blood staining his coat and shirt, Mr. Bennet became animated.
“What on earth has happened man? Where is Richard?”
Mr. Harley stopped and bent double to catch his breath. There were brambles in his hair and scratches on his face. Mr. Bennet dashed across the creek heedless of his pants and shoes.
Mr. Harley stood as straight as he could and Mr. Bennet placed the man’s arm on his good side around his shoulders. “Tell me what has happened and let’s get you across this creek to the wagon.”
The butler was astonished at Mr. Bennet’s calm exterior. As they gained the other side of the creek bank together, he began to speak. “Richard is gone. Major Wickham took him. We have no time to waste. Leave me here and go round up Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. They will find him.”
“I’ll do no such thing! We must go together for what if the major returns and finishes you? Come on, Harley, climb up in the cart while I get the horse.”
In just a little more time than it took to hook the horse up to the cart again, Mr. Bennet had them up on the lane and thundering towards Netherfield.
He called back over his shoulder to Mr. Harley. “Hang on! I’m sorry to throw you around back there. Once we get to Netherfield, we’ll send for Mr. Jenkins, the apothecary.”
Mr. Harley waved his hand as if to dismiss Mr. Bennet’s worry. “I am fine, sir, truly. The major’s not so good a shot as all that.”
Mr. Bennet laughed in spite of the worry for his grandson. Major Wickham had gone too far and for what reason? He could think of nothing else than the man was a notorious fortune seeker.
Perhaps he was fixed on getting money for Richard’s safe return from Elizabeth or Mr. Darcy or even the Matlocks. Or perhaps all three. It was the only thing that made sense to him at the present time.
He did not think the man would harm Richard, but he certainly did not want to test that theory. He imagined Elizabeth’s face when they arrived at Netherfield with the news. She would be scared and angry, and might blame him for losing the boy.
Mr. Bennet certainly blamed himself. But that would be dealt with later, when Richard was home safe again.
When the cart came to a stop in front of Netherfield, Mr. Bennet began to call out and went to Mr. Harley in the back of the cart. Footmen dashed from the front door of Netherfield and helped their friend from London inside.
Elizabeth and Jane met the footmen in the entryway. “What has happened Mr. Harley? Where are Father and Richard?”
Mr. Harley bowed his head. He hated to have to tell Mrs. Fitzwilliam that he had lost her son. Mr. Bennet came in and took his daughter by the hand. “Lizzy, call for Mr. Darcy and Bingley. Major Wickham took the boy. Mr. Harley and I are to blame.”
Jane took hold of her sister as she began to cry. “How? How did he get Richard? Why would he take my son?”
Mr. Harley sent a footman in search of Bingley and Darcy. “Mrs. Fitzwilliam, we will find the boy. The major cannot have gone far just yet. He won’t hurt Richard. He likely wants money from you or the Fitzwilliams.”
“Mr. Harley, you are hurt,” Elizabeth said as her tears dried, “we must have Mr. Jenkins come and see to you. Did the major shoot you?”
“”Tis only a flesh wound, thank goodness. For a man who has been to war, he certainly cannot shoot very well.” The butler gave a short, pained laugh.
“All the same, you must lie down. Help him upstairs, Thomas. Have Mr. Jenkins brought and bring around Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley’s horses. I would like a gig for myself. We must all go look for Richard.”
Mr. Bennet thought to object but he knew his obstinate, headstrong daughter well enough to know she would not pace the halls of Netherfield while others looked for her son.
God help Major Wickham if she found him before Mr. Darcy or Mr. Bingley.
Chapter 16
Major Wickham rode to an abandoned tenant’s cottage on Mr. Bennet’s property. He had seen it several times while riding the fields between Netherfield and Longbourn. It seemed a good place to plan his next step. He meant to have money from the Fitzwilliam family.
Elizabeth could have married him and he would not have had to resort to kidnapping for that money. The boy had fought him but a good slap had settled him down. He did not want to hurt the child but it was best he know who was in charge.
A young lady stood in the cottage doorway and covered her mouth when she saw the young boy with the major. He had vowed to marry her as soon as they got to Gretna Green. He had not mentioned bringing along a child and certainly not the young master who lived at Netherfield.
Major Wickham got the boy inside the cottage without much trouble, but the child made a run for the door as soon as he took a hand off his shoulder.
The major grabbed him again and shoved him at the young lady. “Miss Davies, tie him to that chair over there and keep a watch. I must see to some business before we leave town.”
Young Richard looked at Miss Davies with curiosity. “I have seen you at Netherfield before. Mr. Darcy will come for me, you know. He will be most angry with you for causing my mother to worry. He loves her.”
Major Wickham looked at the boy and laughed. “Of course he loves your mother. That must be why she refused to marry me. Darcy is always ruining my plans. But not this time. You are worth more money than Darcy has or will ever have.”
Miss Davies turned to Major Wickham. “You never said a thing about this, this kidnapping. We are supposed to be married, not stealing children!”
Major Wickham looked at the young lady as though she were simple. “Oh my darling, I do love you so but what shall we live on? Your dowry is generous but it is not enough for the life I desire. Just keep watch over the boy. I won’t be long. Once a ransom is paid, we will turn him loose and be on our way.”
Richard did not care for th
e man but he hoped he had brought food. It was long past tea time in the nursery. “I am hungry. Did you bring anything to eat Major Highwayman?”
Wickham laughed at the name the boy had given him. “I may have something in my saddle bag. I did not plan on a picnic though, so do not expect anything like that.”
Mr. Bingley rode to alert the magistrate, Mr. Darcy rode the Netherfield lands, and Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet took the Bingley gig to ride about and ask the tenants of Longbourn whether they had seen young Richard or the major.
“Father, what if we cannot find him?” Elizabeth asked as she allowed herself to despair. All through the hurried preparations at Netherfield to begin the search, she had remained strong. But now, with only her father to witness, she began to worry in earnest.
“He will not go far, Lizzy, nor harm the lad. I am sure of it. What is it the major wants? Money. Only money. He proposed to you to get your fortune since Miss King would not have him. We will find Richard or pay the ransom. You must not worry. He is a smart lad.”
Elizabeth knew her father was right. All the men at Netherfield had agreed. But her heart ached to think of her son with Major Wickham. If only she had listened to Mr. Darcy!
Lady Matlock had been furious with Mr. Harley and Mr. Bennet, but her wrath for Elizabeth was overwhelming. She had threatened to remove Richard from her care as soon as he was found but the earl had taken her in hand.
“Now is not the time, Margaret,” he had said as he pulled her away from the party gathered to search for her grandson.
“Father, do you think the earl will take Richard? He only told Lady Matlock that now was not the time. He could take him and what might I say or do to stop him?”
Mr. Bennet knew the Matlocks could take Richard. They could have done so even before the kidnapping.
