“Now do you think that it is an issue?” Richard asked acerbically.“Where does the Lucas family live?”
“On our Western border,” Bennet informed him. Before anyone could say a word, Richard wheeled and marched out of the study, calling for his horse, and the rest of the men followed closely behind him.
“Richard!” Andrew tried to gain his brother’s attention, aware of his own anger, and knew his brother had a blind rage building. Richard took the role of the protector for all of his sisters most seriously and when he turned to look at Andrew, his face was stone-cold.“Brother, if you end up in gaol or worse, you will be of no help to Lizzy, and, you know that she will blame herself.” Andrew played the only trump card he knew would bring his younger brother out of his rage.
“I will restrain myself enough to avoid running afoul of the law,” Richard agreed, forcing himself to regulate with a control that awed even those that had never seen it. In less than fifteen minutes the riders arrived at Lucas Lodge and were met by a proud Sir William, who felt the compliment of so many high-born men visiting his humble abode. He was introduced to the new arrival, a lieutenant-colonel and brother to the Earl, who looked resolute and unhappy.
“Lucas, where is your son?” Bennet asked sharply, ignoring his friend’s invitation to enter the house.
“He is away from home…oh, here he comes now,” Sir William pointed, and all the men turned to see Franklin Lucas ride up to the group looking very smug.
He dismounted and strutted toward them, and before he could open his mouth, a man he had not yet met planted his fist into his face, wiping the smug look off in an instant. Both the Lucas heir and two of his teeth were lying on the ground.
“I do not care who you are, but how dare you come to my house and accost my son in such a fashion!” Sir William bellowed. It was exceedingly rare to see him angry, but he had never before seen such violence, and without a cause.
“Although I may have tried a different way, your son deserved that and more, Lucas,” Bennet told the spluttering man.
“Why do you say that, Bennet?” the still irate man demanded, his anger only increasing as no reason he could ascertain was cause enough for that.
“I was at the Royal Crown earlier,” Phillips stepped forward,“and your heir was starting a rumour about my niece being Bennet’s daughter and that the‘toffs’, as he called the Fitzwilliams, were refusing to return his Elizabeth to him.”
Sir William deflated. He had known Frank Phillips for many years, and one thing he had never known his friend to do was to lie.“I should have taken what you told me more seriously. I spoke to him, but I did not check his behaviour. I suppose I did not want to believe that my son would behave so.”
As he spoke, Franklin came around. He stood unsteadily and tried to wipe the blood from his mouth and chin, then he felt that his two front teeth were gone.“Bloody hell, what was that for?” he whined.
“Were you at the Royal Crown drinking earlier, Franklin?” his father demanded.
“I may have passed through the inn on my way home, father. Why?” He hedged, certain there was no way that the rumours he planted would have reached the ears of these men as yet, so he decided that dishonesty was the best way out of this; although that meant he still didn’t know why he had been attacked and his father was not reprimanding his attacker rather than asking him questions.
“Have you mentioned Lady Elizabeth’s true relationship with the Bennet’s to anyone?” was his father’s next question. Franklin started to worry, but he was sure there was no way that it could be traced back to him.
“No, I have not,” he replied confidently, knowing that he was safe because someone else must have said it first and that left him fully in the clear.
“When did you learn to lie so easily, Franklin?” asked his disappointed father.
“Father, I am not…” He managed no more because Mr Phillips stepped forward.
“I was in the bar, and I heard everywordthat you said!” Phillips stated clearly.
“Where are my manners,” Andrew said sarcastically,“let me introduce our pugilist to you. This is my brother; the Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, who, like the rest of us, will doanythingto protect Lady Elizabeth.”
“Why, Franklin, why would you do this to our best friends in the neighbourhood?” Sir William asked plaintively.
“Because the toffs all deserve it after what the likes of you did to me at Oxford! Jane was supposed to be mine, and this one,” he pointed at Perry malevolently,“steals her from me, so I decided that the sister would do. I cannot help it if the little doxy is yet…” Whatever he was about to say was stopped as both Will and Richard hit him with all of their force in his midsection, the blows connecting at the same instant as if intended and Franklin fell to his knees gasping for air.
Richard lifted his head by his hair so that the spluttering man would be able to see his eyes.“If you ever so much as look in my sister’s direction again, I will call you out, and I promise you that will be the last mistake youevermake! Do I make myself clear?” Franklin nodded his head while still gasping for air.
“Whatever happened to you at Oxford was not right, Franklin, but neither is your blaming nor disdaining anyone who is highborn because of it. My daughter had never done anything to offend you, so direct your venom at the ones that wronged you, not at innocents. What you did in retaliation is the way that a coward would react. Is it not much easier to hurt an innocent while hiding behind a rumour than face the ones who actually wronged you?” Bennet stated.“Lucas, I trust that you will take care of this.”
“You have my word, Bennet,” a much-saddened Sir William promised. Lady Sarah Lucas had been standing in the doorway after shooing her younger daughter and son back into the house. She had felt that something was not quite right with her oldest son, but she never suspected he was this deep into his delusions. She hoped that his actions would not cause her to be shunned in the neighbourhood.
Frank’s first reaction was to scoff at Mr Bennet’s words, but then, as his breathing slowly returned to normal and with the pain from his mouth and stomach as a vivid reminder, Franklin Lucas felt shame like he had never felt before.“Mr Bennet has the right of it; I acted as a coward does. I will not bother any of you again; you have my word on that. I will go back to the inn as I am now and tell the men that I was talking out of turn and what I said was all untrue,” he offered in contrition.
“As much as I appreciate your willingness to attempt a repair of what you have wrought, I believe that we will not be able to put the cat back into the bag. We will have to decide on the best way forward,” Bennet stated thoughtfully.“Gentlemen, let us to Longbourn to consider how to handle this, unless either you or the Colonel have an objection, your grace.” Bennet looked at both Fitzwilliam men. The men standing with Bennet nodded in agreement and started to mount their horses.“Lucas, know that I do not hold you and the rest of your family responsible for your son’s actions; I hope that his words here were not just words, but that he is sincere in his desire to correct his behaviour.”
“I swear on my life, Mr Bennet, I am,” Franklin stated unequivocally.
“If not, itwillbe your life,” Richard murmured loud enough that those around him could hear, and all knew he was not joking. Bennet mounted after shaking his friend’s hand to reinforce his words of not blaming him, and the men headed down the drive back to Longbourn.
