Jump to new as of December 14, 1999
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Chapter 1
Now that Fanny was firmly in control of things, all that remained was for her to consolidate her control of the markets in the surrounding areas. Slavery was indeed dying out, and she would need to expand the enterprises to continue making the kind of money she was now accustomed to. Unfortunately, this would present a few new obstacles in her path as she ran up against the kind of people who, while wealthy, were not the kind of fools the Bertrams had been.
One fine spring day while reviewing the latest figures of her ill-gotten empire, the butler informed her that a gentleman had come to call for and refused to give his name.
"Who would be so rude as to not give his name?" she wondered. However, she knew all to well the sort of people who would, the kind of people who would cut your throat for a penny back in Portsmouth. The butler had said it was a gentleman..."Hmmm, well, we shall see who it is."
"Are you Fanny Bertram?" asked a darkly handsome gentleman.
"I am" she replied, "and whom might you be?"
"My name is not important now, only my message is. It has come to my attention that several, shall we say, traders of certain products, have been removed from this area, and my sources inform me that you are the one responsible!"
"My, my, whatever can you mean?"
"Do not play the fool with me Mrs. Bertram! You know very well what I mean! However you fail to see that those men worked for me, and I take their loss personally. I am not the sort of man who wastes words, you have been warned! Stay in your own part of the country, and leave well enough alone." With that the stranger turned and left.
"My, a handsome fellow, to be sure, but rather abrupt!"
Mentally she went over her list of enemies and business rivals, there had been few to challenge her recently. The laughable George Wickham, whom Fanny had last seen falling off of a cliff, what a loser he had been. John Willoughby, whose pathetic attempts to woo Fanny's sister had resulted in his being "accidentally" trampled by some wild horses. No, few were willing to take on Fanny Bertram these days, her only fear was of the law and order types. Fanny left to consult with her good friend and occasional assistant in these matters, Mary Crawford.
Mary had recently come to inherit her brother's fortune when Henry had been killed while sailing into Portsmouth some years earlier. Oddly enough, Henry had been on a boat that was owned by Fanny's father. The entire crew said they couldn't believe that a gentleman would stand so close to the rail during rough weather, the poor man had simply been washed overboard and drowned. Fanny arrived at Mary's and had tea together while Fanny described her mysterious visitor.
"He doesn't sound like anyone I know of," Mary said, "and the only people even close to us in that area are all free agents with no real leadership. How very odd."
"Do you think that someone might be organizing them?" Fanny asked.
"Doubtful, and we are too far away from any real competition for this sort of thing to happen."
"Do you think he might have stayed in the area? Perhaps we might find out more about him if he stayed at an inn somewhere close."
"Excellent suggestion, Fanny! Let us see what we may in the village."
When the two women arrived at the local inn they found a talkative and friendly barman, and an equally chatty maid.
"I'd be happy to tell ye, yer ladyships, but he never left his name with me, 'e just had his pint and went to bed. Ye showed him to his room girl, ken ya remember anything about him?"
"Oh yes! Very nice gentleman he was! Very handsome, too!"
"We were hoping for his name!" said Fanny impatiently.
"Oh, that, he never said such to me, but his case had a name on it, let me see, Franklin? Frederick? Ah, Fitzwilliam it was...Fitzwilliam Darcy."
Chapter 1
INTERLUDE
The place: A quiet pub near London
The time: Early evening
The people: A darkly handsome man in his early thirties, and a man of military bearing in his later thirties
"The meeting went well, D?" asked the older man.
"Very well B," replied the younger man with a grin, "She doesn't appear to be worried, yet, but she will be, oh, yes, she will be!"
"Excellent! She has no idea as to your true plans?"
"None whatsoever, she simply sees me as a competitor"
"Ah, yes, very good then, carry on with the job, and soon we shall see an end the likes of Lady Bertram!"
"Yes, sir!"
Chapter 2
Fanny raged through Manglefield that morning. Servants got in her way, she kicked the dog, broke crockery, and threw many things. Needless to say, Edmund was hiding in his study. "Calm down, damn you!" yelled Mary, "we cannot accomplish anything with you wrecking half of the house!"
"That man thinks he can threaten me? He thinks I will run from him? I will not! I will see him in hell!" she screamed.
"Fanny, please calm down, he can be finished, but only if you settle down! We will find his weaknesses, exploit them, and it will be over for Mr. Darcy. You haven't failed yet, have you?"
"No, it is true, I've been quite successful so far, so how do you propose we remove Mr. Darcy?" Fanny replied, her rage spent.
"My sources indicate that he is apparently uninvolved in our 'line of business' as it were. He has a magnificent home called Pemberley, a lovely wife, many friends, and lots and lots of money. We must not take him lightly."
"What avenue shall we exploit? Threaten his wife? Remove a few more of his people? Perhaps torch of few of the outbuildings at Pemberley?" Fanny suggested.
"No," replied Mary with a smile, "I think the poor sister of Henry Crawford should make an appearance in his neighborhood. After all I'm very much hidden from public view as part of your operation."
"Ah, yes, a tragic shame, your brother drowning like that!" said Fanny with a giggle, "And his sister all alone in the world, I wonder how sympathetic Mrs. Darcy would be to such a tragic figure?"
"I think she'd welcome me with open arms, then I can get a little closer to him, and then find out the best way to remove him from our path."
At that moment Edmund walked into the room. "I hope you are feeling better, dear?"
He loved his wife, but was understandably a bit frightened of her. After all, she had removed his father and brother for him, and allowed him to assume the title.
"Yes, Edmund, I've calmed myself, we were just discussing the best way to remove Mr. Darcy from interfering in our plans."
"Darcy? Unless I'm very much mistaken, my old mentor from the church Mr. Collins, knows him, or at least relatives of his."
"Really?" said Mary and Fanny in unison.
"Yes, his patron is either an aunt or a cousin of Darcy's."
"Could your old friend introduce Mary around the neighborhood?"
"I should think so, if Mary doesn't mind his groveling at her, the man is a born bootlicker!"
INTERLUDE
The place: A quiet study
The time: Early morning
The people: A handsome, open faced man in his early thirties, and an attractive blonde woman in her mid twenties
"Jane, you look troubled, whatever is the matter?" he asked
"It is Lizzie, she is worried about Darcy."
"There's nothing wrong with Darcy, that I know of."
Oh, I do not mean she worries of his health, it is just...well, I do not know if I should say anything."
"I've known Darcy for years, please tell me your worries."
"It is just that he told her he was going to London last week on business, and yet Father was in London at the time and inquired at their home, and the servants said he had not been there in weeks. Do you think he lied to her?"
"I don't think he would, perhaps he got called away on some other errand. He is a very busy man, you know. You shouldn't worry, I'm sure it is some kind of mix-up"
Chapter 3
Elizabeth Darcy wasn't the sort of woman who worried much, but for some reason, her current situation had her very upset. She loved her husband very much, but there had always been a bit of mystery to him. The news that her father had attempted to see him while he had supposedly been in London, yet the servant claimed he had not been there in weeks. It was all very strange. She trusted her husband implicitly, yet knew there were things about him that she would never know, it seemed. She did not fear infidelity, for she knew he loved her, but this business of not being where he had claimed to be bothered her. She was distracted from thinking further of the matter by her maid speaking to her.
"You've a visitor, ma'am, Mr. Collins it is." Wonderful. As if her day hadn't been troubling her enough, a visit from her toad-like cousin was all she needed to make her wish she had not gotten out of bed that morning.
"Ah, good day dear cousin!" said the aforementioned toad.
"Why, Mr. Collins! How pleasant to see you!" Lizzy was nothing if not polite.
"I have good news, indeed! A young man whom I had the great fortune to be a mentor to will be visiting in the area with the sister of a friend of his, and he was wondering if I might introduce the young lady around. The lady's brother died at sea, and she is now his ward. She is heir to a fairly large fortune, you know!"
"Ah, no, I did not know, and what is the young lady's name?"
"Oh, yes, it is Mary Crawford, a very nice young woman I am told."
"I see, well, perhaps there might be a ball to introduce her?" Lizzy asked questioningly.
"The very thing! At Pemberley, no less! How generous of you, cousin! It will be a rousing success!" said Collins enthusiastically. Whereupon the groveling little churchman left in a hurry, presumably to tell everyone about the ball that would be given at Pemberley. Lizzy had not said any such thing, but such subtleties were lost on Collins. Oh well, perhaps a ball would give her a chance to clear her head of her worries. Just then, her husband strode into the room. "Good morning my love." she said.
"I am sorry my business took longer than expected in London, my dear."
"How were things in London?"
"Frightfully boring, as usual!" said her husband with a chuckle.
"It is odd, though, Father was in London, and stopped in to see you, yet the servant said you had not been there in some time."
A brief look of consternation played over Darcy's handsome features before he replied, "Oh, that? I stayed with a friend of mine just outside of the city, he has a new place there he wished me to see. I never got to our townhouse."
Lizzy giggled with relief. "I am so glad! For a moment I began to suspect a philandering husband!"
"Lizzy! How can you say such things! You know I love you only, but I might as well tell you now, I spent the whole time making love to Miss Bingley!" he said with a grin.
"You monster!" she replied with a smile. She then kissed him deeply. No, her husband would certainly never betray her, and certainly not with Miss Bingley, whom Darcy despised.
Chapter 4
Things were in an uproar at Manglefield as the party made ready to leave. Edmund would act as Mary's guardian, and she would be introduced to Mr. Darcy and his friends, while Fanny would stay behind and continue expanding the operation. Her hired thugs sometimes needed to be restrained from too much enthusiasm in their duties, and dead customers were of no use to her.
She reflected on the circumstances that had allowed her to take over Manglefield and rule an empire of crime, and wondered when she would quit. She certainly had enough money, they were building a new home that would dwarf Manglefield. She had a best friend in Mary that she could share her every thought and feeling with, she had a husband who adored her (even though he was somewhat scared of her), perhaps the only thing she could want were children. "Perhaps when this Darcy is finished, yes then Edmund and I could have a child." She said to herself as the carriage rolled through the gates. But, first business. One of the ship captains who brought over the cargo from the coca fields had been trying to cheat her out of some money, something like that could not be tolerated. She would draft an order to have the man beaten in an alleyway in Portsmouth, and if he didn't learn his lesson from that, well, accidents at sea happened all the time, and the first mate of that particular ship would make a fine captain.
Chapter 5
Edmund and Mary reached their destination soon, and were greeted in due course by Mr. Collins and his wife Charlotte. "I am pleased to see you, my boy, pleased indeed! You've done so well for yourself! Where is your wife, did she not come? Sir Edmund it is now, very grand!" The words flowed out of him in a torrent, and Edmund wondered how he could have been inspired by this twit earlier. Fortunately Mrs. Collins was a fairly intelligent woman and took matters in hand.
"Dear, they are tired from their journey! Let them rest before you pester them! There will be time enough for questions later!"
Edmund and Mary flashed her a grateful smile and followed her into the house.
"We are pleased to be your guests, Mrs. Collins, thank you for having us here." Mary said. "It is wonderful to have company," Mrs. Collins replied, "my husband is rather busy, and I enjoy having friends visit. Most everyone I know is in residence this time of year, and we shall introduce you 'round."
"I am so eager to make new friends, since the death of my brother, I have been quite alone except for Edmund and his dear wife Fanny" Mary replied sweetly.
"Well, you shall make new friends here! I shall introduce to my dearest friend, Elizabeth Darcy, and her sister, Jane Bingley! They will like you very much, and you won't be alone for much longer."
"Thank you, Mrs. Collins, you are a kind woman"
INTERLUDE
The place: A small pub, not far from Pemberley
The time: early evening
The people: The gentlemen from the first interlude
"Dash it all! The woman has nerve, I'll give her that! Coming to my own backyard!" said the younger man.
"Calm yourself, D, we will have little trouble from this point on. She has no idea what our plans truly are, it will be a simple matter to destroy her empire soon enough."
"Yes, B, but I don't like bringing the action this close to home."
"My dear boy," said the older man, "it isn't as though you have much choice. We're in a dangerous business".
"When the danger was only to myself, I cared little, but I have a wife, now!"
"My boy, I have no desire to listen to your complaints, you can't back out now!"
"Can't I?" replied the younger man defiantly.
"No. Not if you value your life."
Chapter 6
So Mary was introduced around the neighborhood and made new friends. A grand ball was indeed held at Pemberley, for Elizabeth Darcy did enjoy such affairs greatly. Lizzy and her sisters all enjoyed dancing, as did her sister in law, Georgiana, and Mary made a grand entrance to local society. She danced with all of the young men, and seemed quite taken with Col. Fitzwilliam, a cousin of Mr. Darcys.
"Why Col. Fitzwilliam, you are a very kind gentleman to dance with me so much!" she said.
"Why, think nothing of it, Miss Crawford. The pleasure is mine, you are a very charming young lady."
"Thank you kindly, I have been so alone since the death of my brother, it is good to meet new people."
Mr. Darcy wandered through the crowded room, greeting old friends, and chatting with new ones. When he came to Edmund, he greeted him heartily, and introduced himself.
"Fitzwilliam Darcy, Sir Edmund, I am pleased you could come to our party! A great shame your wife could not join us."
"Ah, yes," stammered Edmund, "she had too much to do to leave home, she is supervising the construction of our new house. My wife takes a great interest in organizing the details of such things."
"She does, does she? I am sure she enjoys the arranging of many other things as well, eh?" Darcy pressed.
"Well, my wife is a remarkable woman."
"That she is, indeed. Well, I must greet my other guests, a pleasure to have met you, and tell your wife that I wished she could have made it."
Edmund steered himself directly to Mary's side and asked to speak to her alone.
"He knows! That man is no fool!" said Edmund when they had stepped outside. "He is very well aware of who we are, and I am quite sure he knows of your and Fanny's partnership as well!"
"Calm yourself, dear Edmund, Fanny and I have thought this out! Darcy cannot expose us for fear of being exposed himself! He is too well respected to lose all by exposing us as criminals!"
"I do not like it, we should have stayed where we were, now we have rival elements looking to stop us, or kill us! All in the name of greater profits! This business is beginning to sicken me!"
"Regrets Edmund? A little late for that, don't you think? And backing out now could be difficult, all sorts of things could happen, any one of a dozen accidents, like the one that befell your father?" she hissed at him.
Edmund recoiled, realizing that he was in danger. "It is true," he thought bitterly, "my wife would kill me if I got in her way!" But there was little he could do, he simply wasn't willing to cross her yet, perhaps he could leave the country for awhile.
Chapter 7
The ball came and went, and Mary slipped into local society. She became fast friends with Col. Fitzwilliam and was seen walking with him on many occasions. They would be deep in conversation together, and it was assumed that the military man would be marrying soon. Little did anyone suspect that while she appeared to enchanted by his attentions, she was actually not impressed with him, and found him to be somewhat of a buffoon, he was however, an excellent source of information about Mr. Darcy. After several weeks, Fanny joined her husband and friend and was introduced around, if anyone noticed a rather hard look in her eyes when she was introduced to Mr. Darcy, it went unmentioned. Fanny had arrived, and she and Mary would begin their plan of crushing Mr. Darcy's attempt to stop their expansion.
"I've found out quite a bit about our Mr. Darcy." Mary told her friend. "He doesn't appear to be even remotely involved in our line of work, can it be that we've been mistaken about him?"
"No," replied Fanny, "he is in the business, he just keeps his defenses up, he has too many connections to good families to let himself be as open as we sometimes are about our dealings."
"Are you sure? He appears to be very charming, and the word is that he treats his servants and such very well, not at all as ruthless as you can sometimes be."
"I am ruthless because I must be. I took what I wanted, and built an empire with my bare hands, this man was born to wealth! His father and grandfather were probably just as vicious as I have to be! He may be kind, but he is soft, and that will be his undoing!" Fanny threw a knife into the table to emphasize her point.
"I think that I have figured out his main weakness, let us go for a walk, and we shall discuss our plans to defeat him." The two women then proceeded to go for a walk along the river, and plan the removal of their enemy.
INTERLUDE
The place: a quiet room
The time: late evening
The people: a young woman, recently widowed.
"Now where did I place that letter from my sister? Ah, there it is! What is happening at with her and her family these days?" The young woman read the letter through, and stood and looked out the window. "I must get out of here, there are too many memories for me, perhaps I should take her offer and come for a visit, perhaps there will be some eligible young men to dance with, that would be grand."
Chapter 8 Posted on Tuesday, 14 December 1999
Fanny's plan was a fairly simple one, direct, and to the point: put enough pressure on Darcy and he would fold. Perhaps he might make a fine assistant, Fanny was not one to waste talent where she found it. She set her plan in motion with a visit to Pemberley that morning.
"Why, good morning, Lady Bertram! It is good of you to visit!" said Lizzy.
"Oh, Mrs. Darcy, it is a pleasure to visit you, rest assured, it was good of you to welcome my husband and friend to the neighborhood when they visited the Collins'"
"There seems to be an open season on visiting these days with friends and relatives coming and going! Thank goodness Pemberley is big enough to house them all!"
"Yes," Fanny replied, "it is very nice. Edmund and I are building a new house that shall be much larger than Manglefield Park, I shall be much happier when it is finished. Perhaps you might come visit us there?"
"I should like that very much, although I do not know if my husband will be able to make it, he is very busy these day.,"
"I'll bet he is," thought Fanny "but he'll be much quieter once I've shut him down!"
"Mrs. Darcy, I should be delighted if you came by yourself, the men are always busy talking of politics, and sport, we women seem to have more fun when they are away!"
Lizzy laughed at that and said "And they do not seem to care if we purchase new gowns if we leave them to their hobbies!"
"Very true, Mrs. Darcy, very true."
"Please, Lady Bertram, call me Lizzy."
"Only if you agree to call me Fanny, it is no secret I grew up poor, and sometimes I am ill at ease with titles."
"I should be happy to, but we must be formal soon enough, for my widowed sister will be arriving at Pemberley soon, and we shall throw a ball for her as she is done with her mourning"
"How wonderful, perhaps she will meet someone new!"
"I hope so, for she has been saddened over the loss of her husband, he wasn't the best of men, but she loved George Wickham very dearly."
"Wickham?"
"Yes, did you know him?"
"Ah, I knew someone who was a friend of his." Fanny replied, thinking of that foolish man. He had tried to cheat her out about fifty percent of her profits, and that poor example of judgement led to his "accidentally" falling off of a cliff. She hadn't even considered that he might have had a wife. Oh, well, it wasn't anything for her to be concerned about, there was a new enemy to be disposed of.
Chapter 9 Posted on Tuesday, 14 December 1999
The ball came and went as Lizzy's sister made a grand re-entrance into society. The young woman seemed less than pleased at Col. Fitzwilliam's attentions to Mary Crawford, but had a wonderful time and danced with all the eligible men as well as the married ones. As Fanny's plan progressed, the time came for she and her husband and Mary to return to Manglefield. As they left, invitations were issued to visit them when their new home was completed. Some months later Lizzy prepared to visit her new friends, but as luck would have it, the day she intended to tell her husband about her visit, he had risen early and gone to London. "Why must he leave so suddenly?" she thought, "He could at least tell me when he will return!" The servants knew nothing about his trip so Lizzy decided to forge ahead and go for her visit. Her sister Lydia had been staying with her since the ball and went along as well.
"Lizzy, won't Darcy be angered when he finds you have left so suddenly?"
"No, Lydia, he probably won't unless he wished for me to complain about his many unexplained absences. He has left many times and told me nothing about his whereabouts!"
"Surely you don't suspect him of infidelity?"
"Certainly not! It is just mysterious, as well as annoying!"
Just then the carriage slowed to a stop.
"Surely we cannot be there yet?" said Lizzy as she poked her head out of the window. The sight she saw filled her with dread. There were fifteen or so armed men surrounding the carriage, with weapons pointed at the driver and footman.
One of the men opened the door and ordered the two women out.
"Do as yer told, and you won't be hurt!"
"Who are you?" demanded Lizzy.
She received a slap to the face from the man that staggered her.
"Shut yer mouth! I'm under orders to not hurt ye, but if you don't keep quiet, I'll smack ye again!"
Lizzy quickly nodded her agreement.
"Now ladies, you'll be coming with us, no questions, no talking, and no trying to run away, or it'll go the worse for you, I've been told not to hurt you, but the driver nad footman are another matter!" he said with an evil laugh. "Now get back in the carriage and pull the blinds tight!"
Lizzy and Lydia were terrified but did as they were told. As the carriage turned in a different direction, they heard the sound of fists striking flesh. As the carriage rolled away, Lizzy said a silent prayer for the driver and footman.
Chapter 10 Posted on Thursday, 16 December 1999
As the carriage finally slowed to a stop, Lydia and Lizzy were terrified. They had no idea what was happening or why they had been taken. The door opened and their captor motioned for them to get out.
"Now if you sit tight, and don't cause no trouble all will be well. My orders are to keep you here, nice and quiet like. You'll be fed if you keep quiet, the master was real particular 'bout that, but he said you was to stay here until things was finished. Then you'll be set free."
"What of our driver and footman?" Lizzy ventured.
"Shut up! They've just been bashed a bit, but they'll be all right, now no more questions. You've got beds in the next room, and you'll be fed twice a day, if you behave. Don't try and escape, or it'll make it much harder for you."
The room they were in was small, but not cramped. Lizzy guessed it to be a small cottage of some sort. The other door did reveal two small beds, and she and Lydia sat down.
"What has happened Lizzy? Why have they taken us?" The younger sister was close to tears.
"I do not know, it is all very strange, I hope they can be trusted to feed us as promised."
"We've been captured and you worry about food?" Lydia wailed.
"Hush! I don't know why we've been captured, but once Darcy finds out that we've not arrived at the Bertram's, he will come looking for us!"
"Lizzy! He does not know we've left! And when will he return to Pemberley?"
"There is that...but Lady Bertram was expecting us any time now, she will worry, and perhaps look for us. We must not give in to despair, someone shall wonder at our whereabouts."
The two women spent a fitful night on the small beds and woke the next morning feeling not in the least rested.
A knock upon the door startled them as their captor came in with a plate of food.
"Here's your breakfast, the master told me to look in you and make sure you were all right."
"Thank you, we are hungry."
"I'm sure you are!" he said with a soft laugh.
"Might we inquire as to what this is all about?"
"You can ask all you want, but the master will tell you only if he feels like it."
"And will we meet your master?"
"It'd be more fun than the mistress!" he laughed. "Now, continue being well behaved, and it'll be easy. The master told me to bring a basin of water if you're of a mind to clean up."
"Thank you again, that will be helpful."
The two sisters spent the rest of the day growing more anxious with each passing moment. Later in the afternoon their captor appeared again with the promised basin and more food.
"You're in luck, the master has changed his plans and will be right along to fetch you soon. Behave and there'll be no troubles." With that the man left quickly.
Shortly after the man left the sisters heard a carriage approaching. It stopped outside and Lizzy could hear muffled voices outside. The door opened and their captor came through the door.
"He's here to take care of you 'imself, so be on your best behavior or you'll be back here!"
"So we're to meet your mysterious master?"
"That you are, Mrs. Darcy," said a soft-spoken voice behind the man, "I'm here to take charge of you personally." The man stepped aside to reveal Edmund Bertram.
Chapter 11 Posted on Thursday, 16 December 1999
Darcy rode home to Pemberley with a feeling of relief. His duties had called him away all too often, and he would like to have spent more time with his family. "Business never ends does it?" he said to himself with a rueful laugh, but business never did for him. Even without his current situation, there was plenty to keep him occupied; his tenants, business holdings all over England, his shipping concerns, his wife's extensive social life, and keeping an eye on his younger sister. He was surprised to see a servant running to meet him as he rode up to the house.
"Sir! There's been an emergency! The mistress has been taken!"
"What?!?!"
"The coachman sent word, they were attacked along the road to visit the Bertrams, and the mistress and her sister were taken!"
"Damn her to hell!!" Darcy shouted, "I will kill her personally! Get me a fresh horse, now!" The man wondered who his master was cursing, but rushed to get a fresh horse for him saddled. Before Darcy could leave, a man rode up to him and stopped some twenty feet away.
"Rushing off like that will only get her killed, you fool."
"Who are you?" Darcy raged.
"Who I am makes little difference, I suggest you read the letter I have for you from my mistress. By the way, if I don't return in a certain amount of time, your wife will be killed, so don't get any ideas about trying to force information from me." With that the man tossed a letter wrapped in ribbon at Darcy's feet, turned around and rode off. Darcy picked up the letter and quickly ripped the ribbon off.
Dear Mr. Darcy, (it read)By now I assume you've surmised the gravity of the situation you are in. Your wife is my prisoner, and will be killed without hesitation if you do not follow my orders to the letter. We are in the same business, but you are becoming too much trouble for me to let you roam about much longer. Call all of your people together, and tell them that I will be assuming control from here on in. You may wish to consider retirement and leaving England as the alternative to being killed along with your wife. You may have inherited your wealth and position, but I rose to take mine, and rest assured, I shall take yours. It was a pleasure to watch you fumble about trying to intimidate me, but your efforts have failed and I am the victor here. I assume you to be enough of a gentleman to keep your word and truly leave the country, my reach is long, and I will not fail to find you and your wife should you renege. Once you and I meet with your people, and I have been satisfied that you have left the country, she will be sent to you unharmed, you have my word. Another letter shall be delivered in a few days detailing when we shall have our meeting. Do not attempt to do anything foolish, I truly would regret killing your wife, but I have few compunctions about killing her sister.
Yours affectionately, Fanny Bertram.
Darcy swore furiously at the fate which had allowed his wife to be placed in jeopardy, but willed himself to calmness. The man had been right, rushing off would only get her killed. The plan was still salvageable, it would need some work but it could still succeed. The chief would have an idea or two, of that Darcy was certain.
Chapter 12 Posted on Thursday, 16 December 1999
"Damn it all, sir! Why can't we go after my wife?" Darcy thundered.
"Because we aren't ready to force the issue, if we go charging in, all of our work will be ruined, and she will slip through our fingers! Actually, her kidnapping your wife and sister-in-law will only make it easier to crush her."
"So I'm to go on with my role?"
"Yes, make whatever arrangements she asks for, and meet with her, but see if you can get to set the meeting in her part of the world. It will make the evidence all the easier to gather."
"If anything happens to Lizzy..."
"Calm yourself, my boy, I've been involved in this sort of thing for years, and my father and grandfather before me, we will succeed, have no doubt."
"Do we have any idea where she is being held?"
"Not at the moment, and even if we did, I shouldn't tell you in case you might act rashly and go charging off. Fear not, we shall recover her and the other young lady soon enough."
Darcy returned to Pemberley to await the letter detailing his meeting with Fanny. When it arrived, he tore it open eagerly, and was thrilled to see a note from his wife enclosed.
Dearest, (it read)Lydia and I are unharmed, but please hurry and do whatever she wishes so we may be together again!"
The letter from Fanny was more detailed.
Mr. Darcy, our meeting shall be in seven days at the address listed below. Bring all of your important people as well as all ledgers detailing your finances. I shall inspect them very closely, and should you attempt any trickery, your wife will die. You will inform all of your people that I will be in charge from now on, and please bring no weapons, or it shall go badly for you. You and your men shall be searched, so do not attempt anything foolish. If you do not obey my directions to the letter, she will die. Yours always, Fanny Bertram"
Damn, the woman had gall! The address was a tavern in Portsmouth, he hoped the Chief's plan would work, but if it didn't he swore he would kill Fanny Bertram with his bare hands.
Chapter 13 Posted on Thursday, 16 December 1999
Edmund led them to a small house not far from the cottage where they had spent the night. "I am quite sure you will be comfortable in the house, while not as magnificent as Pemberley or Manglefield, it is still nice."
"I am sure we will be, but what is the meaning of this? Why have you imprisoned us?" Lizzy asked.
"The whys and wherefors will be answered by my wife. If she chooses to tell you, fine, if not, I have no desire to give you that information."
"And we are to be your prisoners for how long?" Lizzy asked archly.
"That, too, is up to my wife. I hope for your sake that your husband loves you more than his money and power." Edmund replied.
Just then Edmund was staggered by a kick to the shins from Lydia, but the other men grabbed both women roughly and prevented any further outbursts.
"You *%(#%*#!" Lydia hissed, "You made me believe you were a kind man, you danced with me and said sweet words! You are nothing but a common criminal!"
"No, I am a rather uncommon one," Edmund replied wincing, "I do what I do to further myself in the world. Is that not what you believed yourself to be doing when you married George Wickham?" They entered through the front door of the house to be greeted by Fanny.
"Welcome to your prison, ladies. Hopefully your stay will be a short one."
"What is the meaning of this? Why have we been taken?" Lizzy demanded.
"My, you are a fiery one, aren't you? It is simple, your husband has something that I want, if he gives it to me, you go free."
"So you seek to hold us for ransom?"
"No, not really, if your husband hands over control of all his dealings to me, I will allow him and you to go free."
"His dealings? His properties and tenants? Have you not enough of those yourself at Manglefield?"
"Foolish girl! I do not care for such things it is his real businesses that I care to have, not common ones. His income from his criminal dealings is worth far more than a few tenant farmers!"
"My husband is no criminal!" Lizzy shot back.
"He is, my dear, or did you not know? He has killed several of my agents and attempted to crush me, sadly for him, I will end up victorious!"
"You lie, my husband has killed no one!"
"He has, my dear, he has, and I have, too. He has attempted to take over my cocaine dealing and smuggling operations, and he has failed. Did you truly not know? Who knows what other secrets he holds from you? Perhaps he has several other lovers as well!" Fanny said with a smirk.
"Darcy would never do such a thing!" But even as she said it, doubt crept into her mind. There were too many unexplained absences, too many stories that didn't add up. Could Darcy be a criminal? She knew little of business, her father had always handled such things, and Darcy had handled them since her marriage. She realized that she had no idea of where her husband's vast wealth came from.
Chapter 14 Posted on Friday, 17 December 1999
The days of captivity went by slowly for the two sisters. On the fourth day, Lizzy was asked to write a note to Darcy, but told to leave any details other than urging him to agree to their demands out of it. She had little choice but to agree. Edmund was detailed to be their main guard and was there constantly. At times he would take one sister or the other for a walk, leaving the other behind as a guarantee of good behaviour. Lizzy found it odd that he mostly went walking with Lydia, and when she asked her sister why, she only refused to answer. After several more days, she refused to speak to Lizzy at all.
Lizzy was puzzled by her sister's actions, but could think little of it, wondering instead if she knew her husband at all. It seemed impossible that he could be a master criminal, but there were several times where his behaviour was downright odd, indeed. She had also been able to confirm that when Darcy had supposedly been in London, on that day he had in fact visited Manglefield and threatened Fanny. The thought of the man she loved being a killer chilled her blood, but somehow she could not make herself believe it. The next morning Fanny came in with a smile of triumph on her face.
"Well, my dear, you will soon be freed if your husband keeps his word. He has agreed to all my terms, and will hand over his operations to me, and leave England immediately. I've been generous to him, and allowed him to keep Pemberley to pass on to his son, whoever the mother may be!"
At that moment Lizzy wished for nothing more than a pistol to kill the hateful woman. Her world was shattered, and this woman was responsible for it. She didn't have any real evidence of her husband's misdeeds, and if he was a criminal, he had loved her and shown her every kindness. No, the truth about her husband's business was unknown to her, but she believed with every fiber in her body that he never loved another woman. At that moment she spoke with more cold fury than she ever thought she could.
"You may have won, Fanny, you may take all that my husband has, and I should never care, but know one thing; you will never rest safely, for I shall be there one day, and that is the day I will kill you."
Lydia looked at her sister in shock for she had never heard her speak so, yet she knew it to be true. Lizzy was not one given to idle boasts, nor would she say such a thing without meaning it. Fanny merely laughed at her.
"You poor deluded woman, perhaps if you had grown up as I had you would be better able to handle the truth, save your threats, I do not fear you. Now your husband and I will meet in two days, he will leave England, and once I am satisfied that he has kept his word, you will be sent to him."
Fanny then left slamming the door behind her. Later that evening Lizzy awoke to find her sister gone, she lit a candle and left the room, knowing full well that Lydia could not have gone far with the guards outside. She found her sister leaving the kitchen with a sad look on her face, but Lydia would not look or speak to her. Lizzy looked into the kitchen to see Edmund sitting at the table with a pensive look on his face. "Good evening, Mrs. Darcy, are you having trouble sleeping?"
"No, I merely wondered where Lydia had gone."
"Ah, she and I were talking of many things, but I do not wish to bore you with the details."
"I wish you would."
"Suffice to say, she is a very sad woman, I wish there was something I could do, but I can do nothing to assuage her grief. Come now, return to your room, the day after tomorrow your husband will hand over his affairs to my wife, and your imprisonment will be at an end."
Chapter 15 Posted on Friday, 17 December 1999
"What do you mean, you've no idea where they are being held?" Darcy said furiously.
"You want me to go in and do the dirty work with her life on the line? This was never part of the bargain! She will be killed for sure if you spring your trap and she has not been recovered! Rest assured Fanny will have some way of notifying her underlings, and they will kill Lizzy!" Darcy's superior grabbed him by the front of his jacket and slammed him against the wall.
"Damn it! I know that! But we have no other choice! Every man we can spare is combing the area around Manglefield! If she can be found she will! Think though, of how many men have been killed by this woman, there are many widows who mourn husbands because of her. She must be crushed utterly, and this is our best chance! You signed on to do a job, Darcy, and swore an oath, will you betray that oath? Will you?"
"I...cannot do that."
"Believe me, I understand your feelings, and no one wants to see her safe more than I do, but Fanny Bertram must be stopped forever. We've invested too much to this point. We will make ourselves known at the right point in the meeting, and we shall make sure that no one escapes us. Then Fanny and her allies will tell us whatever we need to know if they value their skins."
"She's not the kind of woman you can scare with threats of torture, you know. She has nerves of steel."
"In that case I should let you do the questioning, they wouldn't be merely threats then, would they?"
"They most certainly would not be!"
Chapter 16 Posted on Friday, 17 December 1999
Fanny made ready to leave for her meeting with Darcy that afternoon. "Well, Mrs. Darcy, I am off to receive the spoils, soon you will be free. Edmund, you will continue to stay here, and should we not return in three hours, kill them both. Do not fail me in this."
"I won't. Will you have adequate men there in case Darcy tries something?"
"I am not worried. He will not attempt to do anything foolish. See that you keep up your responsibilities, and I will do my job." With that, she left the house. Lydia looked at Edmund with a grief stricken look on her face. Edmund could only look helplessly at her, and he turned away and left the house as well. The next hour went by very slowly for the sisters as they began to fear for their very lives. Lizzy worried that she might never see her family again, and she would never know the truth about her husband. No longer able to cope she broke down and wept softly. Lydia put her arm about her sister's shoulders and tried to comfort her.
"Darcy will do whatever he has to free us, he will not fail you."
"Fail me? He has already done that! He swore he would love me forever, and I find him to be a man who will stop at nothing to gain what he wants. You heard her, he killed or ordered the deaths of her men. He is a monster, yet I still love him."
Just then the door swung open to reveal Edmund. "Plans have changed, ladies. You will come with me, now!"
"What do you mean?" asked the still weeping Lizzy.
"No questions!" Edmund barked.
The two women followed him outside where an open carriage waited.
"Get in!" Edmund shouted.
One of their guards came over to Edmund. "The mistress said nothing about moving the prisoners!"
"She is not here, you fool, I am in charge here! Get out of my way!"
"I don't think so, sir, the mistress said they weren't to go anywhere, and I ain't about to cross her..." Just then a shot rang out and the man slumped to the ground as Edmund backed away with a smoking pistol in his hand.
"Will there be any other objections to my taking charge of the situation?" he asked in a menacing voice. The other guards all backed away as Edmund got in the carriage. "Stay here and wait for further orders!" The horses began to move as they turned towards the road. When they were on the road for some minutes, Edmund turned to Lydia and spoke. "I am sorry, Lydia, I meant the things I said, but I cannot get away from the situation. However, I will no longer stand by and let her threaten you both."
"Edmund! She will kill you for betraying her!"
"So long as no harm comes to you, it will be a small price to pay. I have stood by too long and watched her commit her evil deeds, if death is my punishment, I welcome it."
"What is this?" said Lizzy.
"I have come to care for Lydia, but I cannot escape my wife. Perhaps this act of kindness will come to balance the scales."
"I...thank you Edmund, I hope you will someday find happiness."
Just then they saw a troop of soldiers riding towards them. They quickened to a gallop when they saw the carriage and charged towards them. Edmund stopped the carriage, but before he could say anything to the soldiers one of them leaped from his saddle to drag Edmund from the carriage. The man pummeled Edmund mercilessly for a few minutes before dragging him to his feet. "You murderous dog! It's the rope for you!"
"Wait!" cried Lydia, "he has helped us to escape! Do not hurt him!"
"I'm sorry miss, but this man has been wanted for some time, now we have the evidence to hang him once and for all! Corporal! Send someone to tell the Chief that the women have been found safe! On the double!"
Lizzy stared at the man with puzzlement. "Chief? What is happening here?"
"You've been rescued from these foul villains, and we're about to get the rest of the crooks now!"
"You seek to capture Fanny and my husband?"
The soldier just grinned as he said, "Mrs. Darcy, we need to have a talk about your husband."
Chapter 17 Posted on Friday, 17 December 1999
Fanny waited anxiously for the appointed time. Darcy would meet her in a tavern she owned, with her men all about her, and she would win. There was no chance to fail now. Just before the appointed time she heard a carriage approach. Darcy walked into the room with a defiant look on his face, and an armful of ledgers. Several menacing looking men came with him.
"So good of you to be punctual, Mr. Darcy! I assume these fellows have been told of our plans?"
"They have. I have all you requested with me, here are my books for the last five years."
"Mary, be a dear and look them over, make sure they are real."
"Certainly." said the dark haired woman. "They appear to be in order."
"So how do you like my little den, Mr. Darcy?"
"It is suitable enough for you, I suppose." he replied with an angry look.
"Now, there is no need to be a snob, I grew up in places like this, and it is certainly good enough for me! Most of my trade in smuggling comes through here, I doubt you have had so much profit come though Pemberley."
"Certainly not illegal profit!" he said with a laugh.
"What do you mean? Illegal profit?" At that Darcy began to laugh as the door burst open with a crash.
"Nobody move! You are all surrounded!" shouted a man in uniform as the room filled with soldiers. Several of Fanny's bashers attempted to fight but were quickly subdued, and several were shot when they would not quit. Mary turned to flee and the lead officer shot her in the shoulder, dropping her to the floor. Fanny attempted to draw a dagger but Darcy easily gripped her wrist, forcing her to drop it.
"Now you see what defeat means Fanny!" he shouted, "I could kill you now, but I prefer to see you hang! You will pay for all your deeds, and if there is any justice, you will suffer a good long time before you die." The soldiers came and bound her wrists while she raged helplessly.
"You b%%$@&! You set me up! Your wife will die!" Darcy leaned forward and calmly slapped her across the face.
"My wife is quite safe, but I will not allow you to threaten her again. You have been set up indeed! We have watched you all these months as you built your little empire. Perhaps some of the smaller fish got through our net, but you and Mary and your brother have not. We now have enough evidence to hang you all, and hang you we will. You thought me a competitor, and that was your undoing. My job was to lure you out into the open and distract you while other agents gathered evidence against you. Take her away!" Darcy took a look around the room as the soldiers did their work. "Anyone hurt?"
"One of our lads took a wound from a dagger, but he'll live." said a corporal.
"Good, good, now I can return home, excellent work lads."
Darcy stepped out into the street to see the Chief standing before him. Without a word Darcy struck the man with a closed fist and dropped him to his knees. "That was for endangering my wife. You may file charges against me if you wish, Commander Bond."
The man got up rubbing his jaw. "That won't be necessary, I understand your feelings, but she is safe and you have done very well. The other teams have been successful, we recovered tons of evidence at Manglefield, and she's done for, no doubt about it. Your wife and sister in law should be along shortly, I assume you'll want to greet them, but consider this: you performed well, under incredibly difficult circumstances, are you sure you wouldn't like to reconsider my offer?"
"No, Commander Bond, it was an honor to serve as I could, but I think a career in His Majesty's Secret Service would not be good for my marriage!" he said with a laugh. "It is something you enjoy and I hope your family continues in the field, but I will return to Pemberley and stay there."
"Very well, Darcy, my son is growing up and will soon join me, but you would still have been a great agent of the Crown. Thank you for all your help. Ah, here come the ladies now." Darcy heard a carriage approaching and turned to greet his wife who had jumped out while it was still rolling to run to her husband's arms.
"I am so glad to see you safe, Lizzy!" he said as he wrapped her in his arms.
"Dearest, I almost believed the things she said about you!" she whispered.
"Then I did a fairly good job of acting like a heel? I convinced even you?"
"You did!" she said pulling away with a smile on her face. "But when she tried to cast doubt on your love for me, I could never believe that." Darcy kissed his wife soundly and they turned to walk back to his waiting carriage.
EPILOGUE
Fanny was convicted of her many crimes and was sentenced to death alongside Mary who was also found guilty of many things as well. Edmund agreed to tell all of the details at Lydia's urging, and due to his having helped the sisters to escape he was sentenced to serve with Commander Bond and work for the Crown for five years, using his experience with criminals to help bring down other threats to the government. A year after his trial he and Lydia married and bought a home near Pemberley, as Manglefield Park was forfeited to the crown for Fanny's crimes. The two women were hung for their crimes along with many of their underlings as the Crown reasserted it's authority and crime began to slow to a trickle. Everyone lived more or less happily ever after as the biggest concern that Darcy and Lizzy faced was finding suitable husbands for her sisters Kitty and Mary.
The End.