I have been different from most authors, I have a hard time posting or reading excerpts from my work. This is my newest book that went on line almost 2 weeks ago. So, I decided to share a part of the story. It ended up far different from where I planned, as the characters took over.
blurb: Elizabeth is forced to leave her home forever for refusing to marry Mr Collins. When she gets on the post coach, she finds Georgiana Darcy, who has escaped from Wickham, after learning the truth of Wickham’s true reason to wed the girl. Wickham catches up with the coach, and attempts to force Georgiana out. Elizabeth protects Georgiana, though is injured. Later, after the young ladies were at Darcy House, men came in an effort to remove them away from the townhouse. Someone is behind Georgiana running off with Wickham, then the attack on Darcy House. But who could it be? And why are they so determined to capture Georgiana and Elizabeth?
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Mr Jansen hurriedly entered the room. “Mr Darcy, you must come quickly. The constable from the other day demanded to speak with Miss Darcy and Miss Bennet. He has a magistrate, one Sir Andrew Stuckley, with him. The men refuse to leave the house, after they forced their way in, when the footman on duty opened the door. The men have two others with them, who shoved the footman, James, to the floor.”
“Gather all the male staff in the house and the mews, especially Andrews. Where are the invaders?”
“They are in the foyer. Fortunately, they did not see me.” The loyal butler replied.
“Under no circumstances are those men to be allowed any further into the house. Station our staff at every possible entrance, and once the men from the stable are inside, lock the rear door until we are able to rid ourselves of these men. Inform Mrs Oaks to keep the female staff inside the house. Have my sister come here, so she and Miss Bennet are together. Mr Gardiner, would you remain here with the ladies and the physicians?”
“Whatever you require of me.” Mr Gardiner agreed with Darcy.
When Darcy reached the stairs, he heard loud male voices raised in anger. Upon arriving at the base of the stairs, the men attempting to force their way further inside Darcy House. Mr Morton noticed Darcy and raised his voice.
“Mr Darcy, we are here to speak to your sister and her friend.” Morton called out. “Your servants are disrespecting us and refusing us entry.”
“Mr Morton, how dare you force your way inside my home? Why have you brought all these other people?”
“Mr Darcy, this is Andrew Stuckley of Fieldington, in Hertfordshire. When I was here last, I informed you of his being the magistrate in this case.”
“So that gives you permission to force your way inside my home, bringing other men, without a word?”
Andrew Stuckley stepped forward. “Mr Darcy, the decision was mine, as I feared the young ladies would escape justice if you knew ahead of time tha t we were coming. These men are acting on my orders.”
“As a magistrate, I would think you would know that coming here, outside your jurisdiction, bringing a group of men who appear to be thugs ready to start a fight, would be highly inappropriate. I have Miss Bennet residing here due to her injuries. There are two physicians attending her. You will not be disturbing her peace, as she had a difficult night with a high fever.”
“Then it is imperative we speak with her immediately. Her statement will be vital, in case she does not survive.” Mr Stuckley declared. “Show me to her this very minute. If we do not hear her declaration, and she dies, I will hold you responsible. We are discussing a murder, Mr Darcy. A murder where your sister is accused of killing her husband.”
“George Wickham has never been married to my sister. No matter what any other so called witnesses claim, Georgiana is not, and never shall be, the wife of George Wickham.” Darcy’s lack of sleep had robbed him of tolerance with the men. “If you wish to speak with my sister, you will be required to await our family solicitor. You will not be allowed in the same room as Georgiana if she does not have our solicitor or myself with her.”
“With her husband being her legal guardian, and he is now deceased, you have no say in what happens.” Stuckley spat out the words.
“Again, there was no marriage. George Wickham had no legal authority over Georgiana. Besides myself, my cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam of The Fourth Dragoons, is Georgiana’s guardian. As he is on the continent, fighting in our king’s name, his father has been given authority to act in his place. That would be Lord Matlock, Henry Fitzwilliam, the fourth earl of Matlock. I have sent a footman to Matlock House to have my uncle join us as well.”
There was a momentary look which passed between Stuckley and Morton. Darcy was sure he saw it, just a fleeting look which appeared to be fear. A knock was heard at the door, and the butler motioned for one of the footmen to open said door, allowing Lord Matlock to swiftly enter.
“Darcy, your footman informed me of trouble. What has happened? Are Georgiana and Miss Bennet well?”
“Who are you sir?” Mr Stuckley demanded.
“I am Lord Matlock. Just who the devil are all you and what right do you have to speak to me in such a manner, in my nephew’s home?” Lord Matlock pulled himself to stand his full height. He was not as tall as his nephew, but Henry Fitzwilliam was not short like the rude man before him.
Stuckley stepped back a step, clearly intimidated by his lordship. “I am the magistrate for the area near Ware, where my estate is two miles from the town.”
“If you are the magistrate near Ware, you have no authority to make demands of my nephew while he is in his home, in London. How long have you been the magistrate?” Lord Matlock
“That is none of your business. I am here to find justice for a murdered man. If I must follow these women to the Americas to discover the truth, I will do so.”
Darcy could see that his uncle was not believing the words of the magistrate. There was definitely something the man was not telling them, which only added to Darcy’s desire to protect his sister and her friend. Before he could ponder the question further, there was another rapping on the door. This time, it was Mr Merriweather who entered.
“I was preparing to make my way here when the footman found me. In preparation of this event, I sent a missive to Mr Jeremy Dennington. He is a barrister who will officially represent the young ladies if matters are taken to the court.”
Again, Darcy noticed a look shared by Morton and Stuckley. “What is wrong? Are you concerned with others joining us? Men who can protect the young ladies?”
“I do not understand what you are saying.” Stuckley stated, a loud sniff was part of his response.
“You and your friend seem to share looks which lead me to believe you do not want any delay. Are you afraid that we will protect the young ladies from whatever you have in store for them? I do not trust you, as you have refused to honor any conditions we have set forth. Why is it that you do not want my sister and Miss Bennet to have representation or allow their male relations to be with them when they are questioned? What is it you have to hide?” Darcy and his uncle moved so they were able to block the staircase from the interlopers. Darcy’s staff moved closer, with the largest of the men who worked in the mews aiding in forming a menacing wall.
“I am attempting to bring a murderer to justice. If you are protecting the females so determinedly, there must be something that you are keeping hidden from us.” Stuckley insisted, though his voice was strained from his nervousness.
Merryweather looked at the magistrate. “Forgive me, but where is your estate?”
“N…near Ware, in Hertfordshire.”
“Lord Matlock, do you know Lord Whitaker? His estate is near Ware.”
His lordship understood what the solicitor was saying. “I had a feeling that this man could not be the solicitor from Ware. I know Lord Whitaker, not closely, but have been at gatherings with him in the past.”
Stuckley was becoming extremely nervous. “I know no Lord Whitaker. I am the magistrate for the area to the south of Ware.”
“Forgive me, but I believe it would be best if I were to make some inquiries.” Darcy decided. “If you are the magistrate, you should have no difficulty in waiting a few days until we are able to collaborate your claims.”
“If the females do not accompany me and my men, there will be hell to pay. I will spread it far and wide that your sister is married to a man who was murdered by her and her friend.” Mr Morton nearly spat out his words.
“If you are wishing the truth to come out with regards to a murder case, you would have nothing to hide from the ladies to be represented.” Merryweather stated. “Obviously, you are not here as you have stated. My question is what are you attempting with your desire to remove the ladies from here?”
Chapter 12
Suddenly, chaos took over the foyer. Stuckley and Morton turned to the men who were with them. Morton gave a slight nod of his head. The men pulled pistols from their coats. Pointing one pistol at Darcy, Morton made his demands.
“The females are coming with us. You will not stop us.”
“You have no right to come into my home and make such demands. You have no authority, as Stuckley is not the magistrate. If he is pretending to be a magistrate, I am certain you are not a constable. My sister and Miss Bennet are under my protection. I must insist you leave my home or I will be forced to send for the magistrate here in London to have you removed.”
One of the footmen moved slightly to the right of the fake constable, making the imposter turn, firing a shot at the footman. As the footman fell to the floor, the men on both sides began to battle.
Throwing his pistol to the floor, Morton pulled out a wicked looking knife. He used it to wound those who came near him, slashing and stabbing some of the Darcy House staff. The men who accompanied him were also using knives, after having fired their pistols. Stuckley was shocked at what was happening around him. He was not violent, only a con man. He found he could not fire the pistol which Morton had handed him prior to entering Darcy House.
By the time the fight was over, Morton and his men were dead on the floor, with Stuckley the only survivor of the intruders. Darcy found he had lost one of his footmen, with another four members of his staff wounded.
Merryweather knew he was unable to fight the younger men, his age and health kept him from being physically fit. Lord Matlock was near, and the pair took hold of Stuckley, dragging the coward to the corner and kept him there until the battle was over.
Darcy quickly called for Mrs Oaks and Mr Jansen to aid the staff who were wounded, thanking his luck that Tanner and his nephew were still in the townhouse. One of the uninjured grooms from the mews was sent for the constable. Before the constable could arrive, Darcy wanted his chance to learn what the invaders were planning.
Leaning in towards Stuckley’s quivering form, Darcy used his height and athletic body to intimidate the criminal.
“What was your plan? Why were you so desperate to take my sister and her friend from my home?”
“M…Morton told me that y…you would pay t…to get your s…sister back.”
“Tell me the entire plan. Where is Wickham?”
“Dead…that is what Morton told me. Never met the man. Morton said that he came across Wickham on the road. Said that Wickham wanted revenge against the ladies and knew he was dying. Morton said that either we would take the females and ransom them back to you, or, more likely, you would offer us money, bribing us to go away.”
“What did you plan to do today?”
“If we could not take your sister and the other one from here, we were going to demand money, threatening to ruin Miss Darcy if you refused. Morton… he was desperate. Someone was looking for him, as he had stolen from the wrong person. If he had not been so desperate, we would have taken our time and been more prepared. I told him this would not work. We did not have enough men to assist us in pulling off the deception, but Morton was greedy, not wanting to split the money up any further than necessary.”
“Mr Darcy, come quick.” Mr Gardiner shouted from the upper floor.
Unsure what had happened, with his thoughts primarily on his beloved sister and her safety, Darcy rushed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. When he reached Gardiner, who was standing at the landing next to the staircase, he saw blood on the man’s clothing and hands.
“What has happened?” Darcy looked around, searching for what could have caused the man to be covered in blood.
“Your sister, two men came from the servant’s staircase, they forced their way in the rooms and attempted to take Miss Darcy.”
A chill coursed through Darcy as if he had plunged into a frozen lake in winter. “Where is Georgiana?”
“She is in the room with Lizzy. I…I…I used the fire poker to strike the men. The one man fell to the floor, bleeding from his head. The other fled and I am not certain where he is?”
“You are unharmed? My sister is not injured?”
Gardiner shook his head. “Miss Darcy is well, though she took quite a fright. Mr Tanner is with the ladies, Mr Moreland went downstairs to aid your staff.”
A scream was heard from the upper floor, coming from the nursery. “My family…” Mr Gardiner shouted as he hurried up the stairs, though Darcy outpaced the elder man, allowing him to arrive at the nursery sooner than Gardiner.
Mrs Gardiner was holding one of her children in her arms while the others were hiding behind her skirt. The maid who had been assigned to care for the children was being held by a man who had a knife to the girl’s throat.
“Let the maid go. You do not need to harm her.”
“Just wanna leave. Got lost, this place be too big. Let me leave and none get harmed.” The young man said, pulling the maid closer to his body.
“I can show you the way. There is no need to harm anyone else.”
“Saw what that un did to my mate. Split hims head like crackin an egg.” The man motioned his head towards Gardiner.
“This is my home; my staff will do as I say. If you let the maid go, I will go with you and show you how to leave the house.” Darcy pleaded with the man.
“Dunnot trust quality. You show me, but the maid goes with us. No tricks, she will be unharmed.”
The master of the house had to take a chance. If he was not careful, Mrs Gardiner and her children could be harmed. “Very well.” Turning his attention to the trembling maid, he spoke again. “Bessie, all will be well. Stay calm and all will be well.”
The girl nodded her head. She knew that Darcy took great care of all in his home. As much as she feared the intruder, she had faith in her employer.
As the intruder pushed the pair forward, he suddenly cried out in pain. Hopping up and down. Darcy turned his attention to the man, grabbing his arm and twisting it, disarming him. Once the man was secured, Darcy looked down to see what had caused the criminal pain. What had caused the pain turned out to be Gardiner’s middle child, young Benjamin Gardiner. The boy was furious over the intruder threatening his family and servants, so he crept behind the adults, carrying a toy sword. When the man pushed the maid forward, Benjamin took his opportunity and stabbed the sword as hard as he could into the cruel man’s calf. Though the sword was made of wood, the point jabbing into the man’s leg was enough to make the man forget about holding onto Mrs Gardiner and hop about in pain. This gave Darcy the chance to disarm blackguard and knock him to the ground.
“Well done, Master Gardiner. Now, can you bring me the ties from the curtain so I can secure him.” Darcy felt the child was far superior than his age would have suggested.
Benjamin was proud to hear Mr Darcy’s words. Running to the window, the boy took the ties from the curtains, unfastening the fabric from the hook, and hurrying to return to the gentleman.
Once the man’s hands were secure, Darcy hauled him up from the floor and marched him from the room and to the stairs. As the pair walked past Mr Gardiner, Darcy shared a nod of the head to the elder man, then looked at Benjamin. Gardiner’s pride in his son was visible, and there was no doubt that something special will be in store to reward the boy.
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