No one objected.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Wickham had used some of his meagre funds to drink the night before, hence, he woke later than he had wanted to in order to make the ride to Hatfield to attempt to gain that which was unavailable to him in Meryton. Not even a serving wench was willing to warm his bed.
He made his way to the inn, met with the landlord and paid the fee to rent a horse for the day. The landlord sent a boy to the stables with word of the rental and suggested the Lieutenant wait a few minutes before going to claim the horse so it would be saddled and ready for him.
Ten minutes later, whistling a tune as he imagined the success he would have with the girls in Hatfield, Wickham sauntered into the stables. He saw a saddled horse before him and a rather large groom holding it. He was about to put his foot in the stirrup when someone grabbed him from behind. Before he could protest. Wickham saw the size of the hands and the giant of a man who stood before him which caused him to shake with fear.
“Unhand me, I am an officer in the militia. I will haveyou arrested and hung,” he blustered, hoping the men would buy it.
“You promised me sister marriage an’ then scarpered,” Brian roared next to the useless man’s face. “Did you think you could defile Jenny and get away wif it? If we need ta, we will drag yer back to Dadlington!”
He froze, that girl Jenny had been serious. She had sent her hulking brothers to fetch him back. He had to think fast. “I will happily marry Miss Biggs as I always planned. I was planning to return to marry your sister as soon as my business here is completed. It is all done except for one thing. I need to complete a task which will get me the funds I am owed before I can marry your sister. I have a proposition for you…”
Chapter 28
When he woke up, his head was throbbing, and he felt like he wanted to cast up his accounts. When he tried to move, he discovered that his hands and legs were bound. The only option was to scream and pray that one of his friends discover him. He tried to make a sound and that was when he realised that he was gagged in addition to being trussed up like a bird before it was to be roasted.
He began to panic, and as he lay there, under some straw in the stables he thought back on how he had ended up in this position. He attempted to remember what had occurred. One thing struck him forcefully, except for the fact he was not drugged, he was tied up in the same manner he had tied up that troublesome brat all those years ago.
As much as his head was hurting, he forced himself to remember what had occurred that led to his being in this state.
A quarter hour previously:
The huge men had demanded he marry their sister, Jenny Biggs.
“I will happily marry Miss Biggs as I always planned to do. I was planning to return to marry her as soon as my business here is completed. It is all done except for one thing. I need to complete a task which will get me the funds I am owed before I can marry your sister. I have a proposition for you which, if you assist me with it, I will be able to travel back to Dadlington with you and marry Miss Jenny.” Wickham was sure the men were as unintelligent as they were big, and hewas banking on them believing him without question.
Brian turned to John with a look passing between them that said, ‘let us hear what this liar has to say.’ “Speak, we don’ ‘ave very much patience,” Brian barked out.
“There is a lady who is holding up my receiving the inheritance I am due, and as long as she is able to do so, I will not have the money I need to marry your sister,” Wickham told. His self-confidence began to return the more he became convinced he would have them eating out of his hand. “As soon as she is no longer aproblem, I will receive all of the funds I am due and then return to Dadlington to marry Miss Jenny.
The brothers looked at one another. This was the ‘does he think we are simpletons’ look. They needed to know more. “‘Ow can we ‘elp yer?” Brian asked gruffly.
“There are some dishonourable people around the woman who would recognise me, otherwise I would have dealt with the problem myself and already have returned to set a date with your sister,” Wickham claimed. “I did attempt to get close, but alas, it was not possible.”
“Agin I ask yer, ‘ow can we ‘elp yer?” Brian demanded.
“I need you to bring the woman to me, or better still, dispose of her,” Wickham said nonchalantly. “As soon as she is not a problem, I can go to the solicitor’s office to claim my money.”
“We need summin’ to assure yer be ‘ere when we come back,” Brian stated after he saw John nod his agreement.
“Would that I could,” Wickham said with feigned sadness, “but I am short of funds thanks to the woman I mentioned. I am but a poor lieutenant now, that is until my funds are released to me.”
“Yer do ‘ave summin,” John growled. “We seen it in Dadlington, an’ I see the chain now.”
“You mean the gold fob watch my dear departed father left for me. It is all I have of his and could never part withit.” Certain that the men would be moved; Wickham put on his best display of mournfulness. They were not; they made to turn around. It was ironic that the watch he had liberated from her father’s safe would be the instrument of her death, at long last. “As much as it hurts my heart, you may hold it until you return.” Wickham had been able to hide this from the men he owed money to in the past, but he had made the mistake of flashing it in Dadlington and wearing it today to impress ladies in Hatfield with his supposed wealth.
He detached the chain from the special hole in his pocket and handed it over to the brother who had been doing most of the talking.
“Now ‘o is this ‘ere lady, and where do we find ‘er?” Brian asked.
“She is called Elizabeth Bennet, or it could be Wendell. But she is at the estate of Longbourn, only a mile to the east,” Wickham pointed. “She likes to walk and ride. She is about twenty, has black hair and green eyes. If you end her, I will add…” There was a hard knock and a sharp pain to his head, and everything went black.
The Present
He had been so sure the big oafs had bought his story without question. Could it be they simply wanted to steal his watch, and they had left?
