“It is my cousin, William Collins. The one I evicted after an hour in my home in October. The same one who made a spectacle of himself when I married my wonderful wife,” Bennet related. “Objecting was not enough for him though. He decided to try to protect his interests by soliciting murder. Take this page; it is in his own hand.” He handed the paper to a very shocked Sir William.
The more he read, the angrier Sir William became. “And this man was a clergyman? No wonder the Archbishop defrocked him. He deserves so much more. This paper will ensure that he hangs. Do you have him here?”
“No, we are waiting to hear from the men watching the Blue Bull Inn in Hatfield,” Bennet replied. “Lucas, are you familiar with the magistrate in that area?”
“Yes, I know Mr James Austen; like me, he takes his duties very seriously. His estate, Barton Park, is a few miles west of Hatfield. Why do you ask, Bennet? Do you want my friend to arrest your criminal cousin?” Sir William queried.
“When my men apprehend Collins, I would like your help to smooth the way to have Mr Austen agree that we may remove the halfwit from his jurisdiction. I want him brought back here so he can see the depth of his failures. We already have the man he paid to commit the act locked in the cellar. Lord Matlock agreed to have that man branded and transported in return for him handing over the proof you hold in your hand. And no, I shall not be requesting that Matlock have Collins transported. I want him to answer for his crimes.” Bennet said the last very firmly, giving his friend no doubt of his resolve.
“I am at your service. As soon as you are ready to make for Hatfield, I will join you and speak to Austen,” Sir William volunteered. “I am sure that he will be only too happy for your cousin to be brought to Meryton, where his crimes were centred.”
After thanking him, Bennet told his friend a letter would suffice so that he did not need to ride to and from Hatfield. Sir William agreed to compose a missive for Bennet to take with him. After taking his leave of all of those at Longbourn, the knight departed.
It was dusk when the man arrived from Hatfield to report Collins’s arrival. Given the lateness in the day, it was decided that the men would ride for Hatfield at first light. When the man who had brought the news rode back to Hatfield, he was accompanied by three additional men, one ofthem being Johns.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Collins enjoyed a hearty meal—enough food for two or three people—before he retired to his chamber.
The loss of his money was a blow, but it was not so very important seeing that once the devil-marked woman was killed, and he took care of his cousin, money would no longer be an issue. He had heard that the Bennet daughters had two thousand pounds each, all of which he would, of course, commandeer for himself. That would more than replace the almost two thousand pounds that had been stolen from him.
The question was how would he do the deed of killing his cousin and make sure he was not arrested for the murder? ‘That Wickham fellow was very keen to earn money, so I will use that. I will give him two hundred pounds and tell him that he will get two thousand more once Cousin Bennet is dead. That will be easy as by that time I will have control of those uppity Bennet sisters’ dowries.’
The more Collins thought about his plan, the more certain he became of its success. That night he dreamed of how it would be to finally reclaim the Collins family’s birthright.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The men from Netherfield Park arrived at Longbourn a little before the sky began to lighten in the east. The five men entered the house and enjoyed some steaming cups of coffee with Bennet and his wife.
“You men will ride while a carriage follows?” Louisa verified.
“Yes, that is our plan,” Bennet confirmed. “Sir William sent me a letter of introduction to the Hatfield magistrate, Mr Austen. Our plan is to ride for his estate, Barton Park, and oncewe have met him, present Mr Austen with the letter. As soon as we have his permission to remove Collins to Longbourn rather than him being incarcerated in Hatfield, we will return. I will have Biggs and Johns ride with the halfwit in the carriage; that will ensure he does not try anything on the way back.”
“And you will be safe, will you not, Thomas?” Louisa worried. “All of you, I would hate for any of you to be harmed.” Her three stepdaughters who were being courted all nodded their agreement.
“Mrs Bennet, your sentiments do you credit,” Fitzwilliam stated. “Even were we without Bennet’s men, who will have the aid of some Darcy footmen, that corpulent snivelling pile of horse dung would not be able to harm any of us.” Fitzwilliam patted the hilt of his sabre, which was strapped to his side.
Louisa realised that her worry had been irrational, as all of the men would be armed. She remembered how Thomas described what a coward his cousin was based on his reaction to seeing John and Brian when he had been at Longbourn for his very short visit. In addition, she reasoned that given the man’s extreme obesity, it would be hard for him to move fast enough to do anything.
“Please excuse my irrational worry,” Louisa said.
“I enjoy the fact you are concerned for my safety,” Bennet responded. He was about to kiss his wife’s lips, but he remembered they were not alone and instead satisfied himself with kissing one hand and then the other.
Once the coffee was drunk, the six men made their way to the front of the house, where Bennet’s Jupiter had joined the mounts waiting for their riders.
Standing in the doorway, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders against the cold wind, Louisa waved to the men, now a group of eleven including the Bennet and Darcyfootmen-guards. As soon as she could no longer see the men, Louisa entered the house, and Hill closed the front door behind her. In an hour or two, she intended to send a note to Aunt Hildebrand requesting that a carriage be sent for her. She would, of course, leave a note for Thomas in case she was not home when he and the men returned from their mission to Hatfield.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Barton Park was an unexceptional estate. As he followed his uncle, Bennet, and Andrew, riding down the drive towards a smallish manor house, Darcy guessed it produced an income of two to three thousand pounds per annum.
As the group of riders had departed Longbourn at half after six, by the time they arrived at the magistrate’s estate, it was a little after eight in the morning. When the eleven men on horseback arrived at the manor house, a man in the dress of a gentleman and a servant, more than likely his butler, were standing in the drive before the house.
“How may I be of service, gentlemen? I am James Austen, the master of this estate and magistrate hereabouts,” Austen related.
Bennet made the introductions. “We seek your services as magistrate.”
If Mr Austen was surprised by having a peer of the realm and other highborn men call on him, he did not display it. “Please follow me inside,” he invited.
