AN: As a Black Friday special you not only get a second chapter today, you get some answers. Read on...
Mr. Bennet carried in three of the narrow chairs from the dining room to replace the large comfortable chair he normally used when sitting behind his desk. He sat in the middle with a daughter on either side as they examined the ledgers that lay open in front of them. I knitted and listened to the conversation.
"Why are the entries for Mr. Cooper's rent smaller for these two quarters than all the entries before," asked Lydia.
"If you remember, his wife was very ill at that time and he became ill for a while as well. He had to pay the apothecary for medicines and he hired Miss Lacey to come sit with his wife and tend to her needs. While he was ill he could not care for his crop as well, so he hired the Hexham boy to help him. That meant he had less money for the rent. We discussed the situation and I agreed to reduce his rent for those two quarters while he agreed to pay a little extra each quarter going forward to make up for it. You see here how the rent amount went up a little beyond his usual last quarter."
Will you often do something like that if a tenant cannot pay?" Kitty asked.
"It depends on the tenant. Mr. Cooper has always been very prompt in his payments and he takes good care of the farm and the house. As you see we did not reduce the rent by a great deal, but it was enough to make a difference and keep him happy. I trust him to deal fairly with me and even if he did not repay the full amount it would cost me more to replace him as a tenant if I kicked him out or he became unhappy and left. I have to weigh each request carefully. Some people will take advantage of you if you help them out. I try not to let a bad experience with one of that sort keep me from being flexible with someone like Mr. Cooper."
"Why is Mr. Cooper's rent higher than Mr. Hexham's?"
"Think about the two properties, Lydia. What is the difference between them?"
"Hmm. Mr. Cooper is on lower, flatter ground. Mr. Hexham has a lot of little hills on his property. Does that make a difference?"
"Mr. Hexham has a smaller farm too, does he not?" asked Kitty.
"True on both counts," said Mr. Bennet, smiling. "Those little hills on the Hexham farm are harder to plow and tend than flatter ground would be. They are also rockier, which causes problems. No matter how well Mr. Hexham tends his farm he will not produce as much as Mr. Cooper does. In addition, both the plot of land and the farmhouse are smaller than the Cooper farm. I make allowances for that when I set the rent."
"Is there anything Mr. Hexham can do to use the land better?"
"Actually, Kitty, that is just the right question to ask. In fact, since Mr. Cooper's son left to work in London last year he has had more trouble keeping up the work on his farm. He and Mr. Hexham are considering a partnership. Mr. Cooper, Mr. Hexham and young George Hexham would work together farming the Cooper plot. Most of the Hexham farm would be shifted into grazing for sheep which young Landon Hexham would tend. The land is truly better suited for that purpose than for farming. Both families would share the profits for the operations as Mr. Cooper would help purchase the sheep."
"Do you approve of them doing that?"
"Yes, Kitty. I consider Mr. Hexham a very trustworthy man as well. He and Mr. Cooper will draw up a formal agreement so there are no misunderstandings or arguments about who is entitled to how much of the harvest or any profits from selling wool or selling the sheep for food. I may also help with the purchase of the sheep in return for a portion of the profits above the cost of rent. Your brother, Darcy, has done something similar at Pemberley. He has spoken with me and both men about the issues and successes his farmers had."
"Why would there be issues?" asked Lydia.
"There will always be something unexpected that crops up. You plan for what you can and hope that the unexpected thing is not big enough to cause a real problem. If you are lucky, the unexpected thing will be something good, like wool becoming more fashionable than muslin so wool prices go up giving us a bigger profit." He chuckled and the girls joined in.
The discussion was interrupted by a knock at the door. Mr. Darcy poked his head in.
"Good morning," he said. "Would you all please join us in the drawing room? I have some information to pass on and I think everyone should hear it at once."
Both his expression and tone of voice told me the news was probably not good. The others picked up on that as well. We were a silent group as we got up and followed him to the drawing room.
Miss Darcy was helping Mildred settle into a chair by the fire with a shawl comfortably wrapped around her and several of the new handkerchiefs to hand. Mrs. Bennet, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Mr. Bingley, Jane and Elizabeth were already seated. The four of us took seats, while Mr. Darcy stood where he could be seen and heard by us all. When everyone was seated he began to speak.
"I will start with the good news. We do not have to worry about Richard being sent back to the Continent any time soon. He will also be remaining in this area past Twelfth Night. The reasons for these two pieces of news are not so good." He sighed.
"I was worried when Richard did not show up for services yesterday and even more so when I discovered he had not yet returned to Netherfield this morning when I went to see him with further news, I went to the camp to check on him." He turned to Mrs. Bennet.
"Mother Bennet, I know you enjoy sharing news with your friends. For the time being I must ask that what I am about to tell you all is not discussed with anyone outside this group. It will become public knowledge soon, but it is best that we are not the ones to spread the information."
"I understand, Will. I will not tell anyone until you say I can."
"Thank you, Mother Bennet. Is everyone agreed?" We all nodded.
"The entire militia unit has been confined to camp as was suspected, but not quite for the reason we thought. I know now that part of what Richard and Colonel Forster have been investigating involves a smuggling and embezzlement operation. Colonel Forster found some odd entries in the unit's accounts which covered up significant thefts of materials and funds. With Richard's help he had traced some of the accounting irregularities back to the previous commander of the unit, a man who is now in charge of another unit currently stationed in Rayleigh near the Essex coast. Many of those seemingly idle soldiers seen in Meryton were actually members of Colonel Mallow's unit from Rayleigh. They were here passing on goods and information or returning from deliveries to the west and north. Several members of Colonel Forster's unit were involved, including Captain Carter, Lieutenant Denny and apparently Wickham."
"Wickham was a smuggler?" said Mr. Bennet in disbelief.
"According to Lieutenant Denny that was Wickham's intent in joining the militia. He let himself be distracted by his desire to make a large sum of money from me through Georgiana, just as Denny was distracted by his desire to humiliate Lydia. Denny's companions assisted because Denny's father is one of the local men providing a landing site for Colonel Mallow's smuggling operation. His detention after the attack on Lydia eventually provided the final key to unraveling the nature of the operation."
"I thought you said this was the bad news," interjected Mr. Gardiner.
"This part is more of a mixed blessing. While it is good they have identified the smuggling operation and several key players it came at a cost. Richard was called to the camp on Saturday by Lieutenant Andrews after Captain Carter attacked Colonel Forster while he was questioning Denny. Carter was stopped by Andrews before he could kill the colonel outright and Forster asked for Richard's assistance. Unfortunately, Colonel Forster passed away from his injuries before Richard arrived. As highest ranking officer in the area Richard took charge of the unit until the investigators could arrive. He insisted on the full lock down of the camp, using men he knew to be loyal as guards for the rest. Runners took word to London and the investigators arrived Saturday evening with a small additional group of guards. They have been conducting a full investigation of the unit since then, uncovering the links to the smugglers and Colonel Mallow's unit. A force has gone from London to detain Mallow and his men. I understand there will be other units investigated as well. Richard has been reporting on this situation during his stay here. Orders came through today placing him in charge of this unit as Colonel Forster's permanent replacement."
"He told you all this today?"
"No, Georgie. Richard has not said a thing about it to me, today or earlier. One of the investigators is a friend from University who I once helped out of a messy situation. He told me and gave me permission to tell my family. I only saw Richard for a few moments. He looks like he has not slept since Saturday morning. He told me to let you all know that he was fine but would be very busy for a while."
"Poor Mrs. Forster!" said Mrs. Bennet. "To lose her husband so young. Is anyone looking after her?"
"She has been taken to stay with Mrs. Shaw until her husband's affairs have been set in order."
"The midwife? Oh, yes, that does make sense. Mrs. Forster did say she was expecting an addition to the family in a few months. Poor dear! I do hope the colonel was able to leave her something for them to carry on."
"She will be taken care of properly, Mother Bennet." From the look on Mr. Darcy's face I could tell that even if the colonel had not left enough to support them he would ensure Mrs. Forster and her child, if it survived, would have a home and means to live on.
"The reason I went to see Richard today, aside from my natural worry for him, was because I received an express this morning from the Duke of Montrose. He has been coordinating with the men Richard and I had watching my uncle. I expect you will get an express a little later from the man they were reporting to in your warehouse, Gardiner. My uncle was able to sell the townhouse at a significant loss, but for a full payment in cash. He and the viscount have disappeared from London and the duke believes they have taken the money and left the country, mostly likely smuggled out by boat in an ironic twist to today's events."
"Where would they go?" asked Miss Darcy.
"The earl does own a small estate in Ireland, but it may already have been sold. I will have that option investigated further, but I think it most likely they are making their way to a major port either on the continent or in Ireland where they can obtain passage to the Canadas. If they return they will probably both be thrown into debtor's prison."
"What does that mean for the estate of Matlock?"
"It changes nothing at the moment, Mrs. Gardiner. The man I sent to check on the estate says that Matlock is a nearly empty shell. Most of the staff has been let go and anything that could be has been sold. It still remains tied to the title, so Richard has no claim to it and no responsibility for it. While it is a waste of good land and capital, even in the event the earl and viscount both die and Richard inherited, it would be expensive to renovate and any improvements could probably be seized by the earl's creditors. On the chance that it does someday fall to Richard I will hire a caretaker to look after the building to prevent it from being used by vagrants or destroyed. If I can find a few tenants to look after the farms I will have their rents simply pay for the maintenance of the estate. I have no actual legal standing to do so, but as long as I do not make a profit, I doubt anyone will complain."
I wondered how the colonel felt about this latest news. He had just lost a friend and fellow officer, gained a nightmare of a problem to unravel and now his father and brother had left their family home deserted and in debt. As Mr. Darcy had said, the true good news was that the colonel would not have to return to fighting on the continent. Given the situation here, he might have preferred that.
Mr. Darcy answered what he could of a few more questions, but he had already given the important information. Mildred was coughing badly by this point, so Mrs. Bennet and I helped her upstairs and back to bed. I insisted she have some of the willow bark tincture while Mrs. Bennet went to have a nice hot posset prepared for her. The fever was still only mild, but I did not like sound of her cough. I hoped it would not settle in her chest or become pneumonia.
Elizabeth came up and offered to read quietly or even sing Mildred to sleep with lullabies. I left Mildred well tucked into bed listening to Elizabeth's sweet voice as she waited for her posset to arrive. I hoped the hot drink and rest would help her recover quickly.
"Will Mrs. Annesley be all right?" Kitty asked as the three girls crowded around me on my return.
"I believe so," I told them. "We are looking after her and her fever remains low. Elizabeth is up singing her to sleep right now and we will check on her again a little later."
"Please let me know if Mrs. Annesley needs anything I can provide. Should I send for the apothecary?" asked Mr. Darcy.
"Dr. Burrows felt she would be fine with the willow bark tincture and hot drinks as long as the fever stays low. We have all been checking on her regularly, to the point I am afraid we may be disturbing her sleep. I do not think the apothecary could do anything more at this time, but Mrs. Gardiner or Mrs. Bennet will call him in an instant if Mrs. Annesley's condition worsens."
"Very good. I understand I interrupted a lesson in estate management."
"Kitty and Lydia were learning to help their father with the account books. All three young ladies learned about managing the household accounts yesterday."
"Thank you for looking after Georgiana while Mrs. Annesley is ill. She says she has enjoyed the lessons."
"I am glad to work with her. Mrs. Annesley and I have been sharing the teaching while they are here. Kitty and Lydia look on Miss Darcy as another sister. It is just natural for her to be a part of anything we are working on."
"I appreciate your care all the same. Now I will let you get back to your account work with Mr. Bennet while Georgie and I sit together in the music room for a bit. She will come join you after Elizabeth comes down. Oh, I nearly forgot, my godfather enclosed the latest moves in your chess game in the express. Would you take Mr. Bennet his?" He pulled two folded notes out of the inside pocket of his coat and handed them to me.
"Of course, Mr. Darcy. Thank you for sharing all the news with us earlier. I know it is a difficult situation." He nodded and wrapping an arm around Miss Darcy's shoulder they headed to the music room. I gathered Kitty and Lydia to return to their father's study.