"He is waiting until we leave the area" predicted Mr. Gardiner the night before they were due to remove to town over after dinner drinks during the separation they had rarely taken during their time in Hertfordshire.
They heard absolutely nothing from Mr. Bennet during their fortnight in the country. After the rampage through Meryton shops he was silent on all fronts. They knew not what to think but what they did know is that he had not accepted his fate. They knew he would not sit idly by as his daughter basically told him how to live his life. They had waited for him to act so that they could quickly remove him from the estate, but he had not responded and it was time for them to return to town.
"You think so?" asked the duke.
"Undoubtedly" answered Mr. Gardiner. "He most assuredly will do something now that he knows he has no way to reclaim the estate after the general's call on him."
"What do you suggest?" asked Lord Matlock.
"I suggest we do nothing and leave the area" said the Lord Sutton.
"No we cannot allow him to disrupt what we have put in place" said the duke.
"I am not suggesting we do. I am simply suggesting that we leave as plan…or at the least let our carriages and empty trunks leave as planned" said the viscount before sitting back and crossing his legs, letting them figure out the rest as he watched in amusement.
"I admire your tactics, Sutton. Maybe you should be the military man" said the general.
"I beg your pardon?" said the colonel in mock affront.
"You are also a tactical genius, Colonel" the general conceded.
"But how long do you think it will take him to act? That plan would require us to basically live in a home that looks like it has been closed and not leave the residence until he strikes" said the duke.
"Netherfield's larder is full as well as the liquor cabinets though I expect he is growing impatient and will act shortly after we leave" said his Uncle Gardiner.
"So we wait?" asked the duke, wanting to be done with this as soon as possible.
"We wait!" said the viscount.
BH***************************BH
"Mr. Bennet has had his family pack their trunks and remove to a Mr. Phillips' house, Your Grace" said Willis, one of the Bennet ladies' new guards two days later.
"Has he gone with them?" asked a nervous Mr. Gardiner, though he was glad he had finally acted.
"No sir but he has sent his trunks as well as trunks of books and other possessions from the home" he advised.
"Do you think he has quit the estate all together and decided to reside with this Phillips?" asked Lord Matlock.
"There is hardly room for that" said Mr. Gardiner in confusion. "My brother Phillips is a solicitor that lives in a home attached to his offices. They only have one spare room" he explained.
"So he shall not reside there permanently" said the colonel. "Is there a chance he has relocated temporarily until he can find his family a suitable home?"
"No and what funds he does have shall not afford them much should he choose to do so" answered Gardiner.
"Maybe his pride is greater than his need for comfort. Many men strike out on their own and live in reduced standards just so they will have control over their lives" suggested the viscount.
"Yes that is a possibility" said a still doubtful Gardiner, unable to figure out what his brother could be thinking by such a move.
His answer came quickly.
"Begging your pardon, Your Grace" said an anxious Davies as he entered the room unannounced. "There is a Mr. Lucas here to see you. He says Longbourn is on fire, sir!"
"Dear Lord" cried Mr. Gardiner as everyone were immediately on their feet and rushing out of the door.
No one had expected him to make such a dastardly move!
"Willis, have the housekeeper tell the duchess to send for her sisters from the Phillips' and get them here immediately. Davies, you and Travis come with us" ordered the duke as he all but ran for the door.
BH***************************BH
"What shall we do now, Lizzy?" asked Lydia as the frightened girl sat next to her sister and buried her head on her shoulder.
"You shall stay at Netherfield, of course" answered her Aunt Gardiner.
"Where you will continue to turn yourself into a ladylike young woman in preparations of your come out while a bigger, more beautiful Longbourn is rebuilt" said Elizabeth as she rubbed her back, trying to make her feel better while she herself was still in a state of shock as they waited for the men to return.
"Jane and mama knew" whispered Kitty who was numb with shock.
"Whatever do you mean, Kitty?" asked her aunt.
"They knew what papa was going to do to Longbourn. I heard them laughing about it a few days back though I knew not what they were speaking of at the time. Now I understand" she said sadly as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Are you sure, Kitty?" asked an outraged Elizabeth.
"Yes" she sniffled. "They said they would love to see you takeover a pile of ashes and that they could not wait to see the look on your uppity face when your plans went up in smoke."
"Fools!" cried the grand duchess. "The lot of them!" she said in disgust
"And where did they plan to reside once Longbourn was no more?" asked Lady Matlock in confusion.
"I know not but I heard them say it was worth living in cramped conditions until the funds came, though I know not what they meant by that" said Kitty as she dried her eyes.
"Until the funds came?" asked a baffled duchess.
"Begging your pardon" said Mrs. Williams, Netherfield's housekeeper "but there is a Mrs. Hill and the servants from Longbourn here. Says the master sent them over."
"Thank you, Mrs. Williams. Please provide them with accommodations and advise them that their mistress will speak with them about everything once they are settled" said Mrs. Gardiner.
"But please have Mrs. Hill join us here first" said Elizabeth.
"Very good, madam" she said as she left to follow their instructions.
"Mrs. Hill, are you well?" asked Elizabeth as the stunned housekeeper entered the room.
"Just a mite upset but tis fine" she answered.
"Was anyone injured?"
"No, Your Grace, the master called us to a meeting in his bookroom…"
"All of the servants?" asked Mrs. Gardiner.
"Everyone, yes ma'am" she answered. "But before we could get started with what we thought was a household meeting he asked if we smelt smoke before ordering us all out immediately. He would not let us attempt to put the fire out. He sent us all out onto the lawn and went back into the house" she said.
"Into the fire?" screeched Lydia in horror.
"Well it was not blazing at that time, but it was by the time he ran out. His clothes were on fire but we quickly put him out though I am sure he sustained some burns which he would let no one treat. The house was really ablaze by that time and we all worked to put it out as best we could using water from the well and then people was coming from all over to help put it out" said the still upset Mrs. Hill.
"And is it out now?" asked Kitty.
"Yes nearly, just a few smolders left" explained the housekeeper.
"And the manor house?" asked Elizabeth, only receiving a shake of the head before she dismissed the woman as her sisters wept distraughtly.
"So he did do it" said Mary in stunned horror. "I wanted to believe he would never do such a thing" she said as she quietly sobbed.
"Girls everything shall be fine" said Mrs. Gardiner. "We shall get to the bottom of this. Go, put yourselves into Claire's capable hands and let her help you get ready for bed. I will send up trays to you" she said as they quietly left the room with their arms around each other.
"He is out of his senses!" said the duchess as soon as the girls left.
"I have come to believe so, yes" said Elizabeth sadly.
"Until the funds come, Lizzy?" asked her aunt.
"Fire brigade insurance, 15000 pounds, which I suggested" she informed her.
"And will no doubt be paid out to your father" said the countess.
"Undoubtedly" Elizabeth said.
"Not if I have anything to say about it" said the livid general as he entered the room followed by the men. "He has once again, made a grave error in judgement."
"We will not have to do much beyond presenting the deed of the property to the insurance supplier" said the duke as he came to sit next to his wife and kissed her before wrapping an arm around her, not caring who saw though their family was use to their displays of affection by now. "They will not issue the funds to a man who no longer owns the property" he explained.
"What he did is equivalent to me, who has no claim on Netherfield, setting it ablaze and then expecting them to pay me for it" said the colonel.
"Imbecile!" said the angry viscount.
"I am sure he thinks that since he purchased the policy he shall be able to collect on it" said Lord Matlock.
"So that would be the equivalent of me purchasing a policy for Netherfield, selling it, setting it on fire, and expecting them to pay me instead of the person who actually owns the property currently though they are the ones who has the loss and not I. If it were that easy we would be besieged by arsonists" said the colonel.
"Widows of entailed properties would be the main culprits" said the duchess to everyone's amusement.
"So what do we do now" said a weary Elizabeth with a sigh that did not go unnoticed by anyone.
"Now, you go and get some rest" said the duke in concern.
"No I am fine I assure you and I would never be able to sleep in this state. Is the manor house salvageable?" she asked.
"I am afraid not, my love. The structure is no longer sound. Whatever is left standing will have to be torn down and the home rebuilt from scratch."
"How long does something like that take?" she asked, wanting the girls to be resettled as quickly as possible.
"To normal everyday folk like myself?" said her uncle. "Anywhere from a year or more. To people like your husband and grandfather? Less than a six month" he guaranteed.
"Less than that if I have anything to say about it" said the general. "The bigger the workforce the quicker it is done. I know you do not want the girls to be without a home for that long though I know you can provide for them until it is finished."
"Yes, they have a long way to go and Mrs. Keyes has a lot of work to do. I want them in a stable environment where they can concentrate on their lessons without all the distractions that comes with our lives" she said.
"Why do we not leave them here while we finish the season and then take them home to Pemberley with us? By the time your confinement is over the new Longbourn shall be ready for them to occupy. We can get them settled once we return for the next season" said her husband.
"Yes, thank you, my love" she said. "And my father?"
"Gallows!" said the general immediately.
"Undoubtedly" said the viscount.
"How do you want to handle this, Lizzy" asked her aunt in concern, knowing how close she once was to her father.
"You do realize that if you leave him unpunished there is nothing to stop him from repeating the vile act once the new house is built do you not?" asked the colonel who saw her wavering.
"Yes. Yes of course" she sighed and leaned into her husband. "Are there any other options besides sending him to prison? The girls are already devastated enough."
"I feel no need to punish him at all" said the duke to everyone's great astonishment. "Has he not once again punished himself? He burned down the manor out of spite and for a profit. He no longer had control so he would rather destroy it, but as we all know, building a home can be little cost to my wife and I since we are thankfully so blessed and the estate was insured. He cannot receive the funds from the insurance as he planned so he cannot profit from his horrible deed. What will he live on now? Where will he live? How will he provide for his wife and daughters if he tried to take them from us which he has every right to do?"
"Excellent point, Derbyshire" said the viscount.
"Add him having to see a bigger, better Longbourn manor house with no access to it and it will drive him mad" said Mr. Gardiner, liking the duke's plan.
"So he has, once again, put his own foot into a rabbit's trap" agreed Lord Matlock.
"We will put security in place and alert the magistrate, barring him from coming anywhere near the property. If he is caught on the premises he will be immediately arrested" said the duke.
"And the Collinses and Mrs. Bennet?" asked the colonel.
"I care not" said Elizabeth venomously. "They knew all along what would happen and did nothing to stop it! Let them find their own way in the world for they most certainly shall not be allowed back at Longbourn."
"Hateful shrews" said the duchess in agreement.
"If the new manor house is near as nice as I expect it to be, just the sight of it alone will drive Fanny Bennet out of her mind with wanting to occupy it" said Mrs. Gardiner in satisfaction.
"Well she should be prepared to lose her senses" said Elizabeth.