Chapter 11

The Duke was walking in Meryton a few days later, when he bumped into none other than Miss Elizabeth Bennet, literally. He was surprised and Elizabeth already thinking the man was an arrogant man who thought he could do what he wanted when he wanted, misread the look she saw as one of hauteur and disdain.

Before the Duke could say a word, she was off with a "Well I never, who does that man think he is? The King!"

Richard, whose leg was bothering him had remained at Netherfield with Lady Georgiana. "Miss Bennet I assume?" Major Wickham snickered at the surprise still evident on his friends face.

"The one and only," Lord William replied as he shook his head. Would he ever greet her and not offend her?

Mrs. Bennet and her grasping daughter had seen the interaction from across the street. "Mama, we must apologise to the Duke for Cinder-Liza's rudeness. It will bring me to his notice!" Caroline bleated.

"Yes, my dear you are correct, let us cross the road." Martha took her daughters thin fingers and crossed the road. They stopped in front of the Duke and his party and before Biggs or Johns moved, they genuflected as they would for the Queen.

"Your Grace," Caroline said with her nasally, grating voice, "we must apologise for Cinder-Liza, she knows not how to behave around one as highborn as yourself," she simpered.

"Who are you to address me without my requesting an introduction, it is you and this other woman who know not how to behave in my presence, not Miss Bennet," the Duke replied angrily. Both women were taken back at the rebuke thinking all they needed was to introduce themselves.

"I am Mrs. Bennet, mistress of Longbourn and this is my daughter Miss Caroline Bennet," Martha fawned.

Mr. Hurst stepped forward. "Firstly madam, how dare you lie to a duke?" Both women gasped. "It is well know that this," he speared Caroline with a look of pure disdain, "is Miss Caroline Bingley the daughter of a tradesman." Caroline almost swooned. "And you are as much the mistress of Longbourn as I am!" With that the Duke, Major Wickham, and Mr. Hurst cut the women as the two huge bodyguards followed daring the gasping women to try and approach their master again.

"This is all Cinder-Liza's fault!" Caroline Bingley hissed.

"You are correct my daughter. We will get even with that uppity chit!" Martha promised.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The day HMS Charger docked in Nassau was the day that the reality of their rescue well and truly hit the Bennets and the two former crew of The West Indies Trader as they stepped onto the quay and were met by no less than the governor, Lord Wesley St. George. A pigeon had been released a day out of Nassau and from the reception as the frigate docked, it was obvious the bird's message had been received.

"Lord and Lady Holder and family you are most welcome. This is a glorious day; it has been years that any hope of your recovery alive and well-being was feared to be naught but an impossible dream. Before we go any further and you have a chance to relax at the governor's mansion, there is a packet ship departing in two hours. She will reach England, God willing in about two months, I expect there are those at home who would want to know you are alive and well?" Lord St. George suggested.

It was decided with alacrity. The Earl wrote to his daughter, his cousin Thomas, Mr. Phillips and Mr. Gardiner and Jane wrote to her father and Elizabeth care of Mr. Phillips. She would not take a chance that the awful stepmother would intercept this most important of missives. The letters were sealed and delivered into the hands of the Captain of the packet ship.

The Earl insisted that the two men who had survived with them on the island be included in the party to be hosted at the governor's house. Lord St. George did not object. Before the Bennets left the dock, they could not thank Captain Sandiford and his crew enough for rescuing them from New England. The Captain quipped that the Earl should thank the pirates that tried to hide in the waters around the islands.

Parrot was happy sitting on Tommy's shoulder as the party was shown to their chambers. Oh what a luxury to sleep in a real feather bed once again! Jane and Jamie were especially pleased to have a suite to themselves with thick walls and not the thin boards that separated the cabins on board the frigate.

The newly married couple found their enjoyment of the marriage bed increased exponentially without being able to hear those around them, and the others being able to hear them. Jane had told her father and Lizzy of her marriage. She could not wait to hug them both again, as she was sure was true for Tommy as well.

'Wait until Papa sees Tommy is taller than him! I cannot wait to see his face,' Jane giggled at the thought.

"Why are you giggling Janie?" her husband asked as he bestowed a long languid kiss.

"I was thinking about Papa's reaction when he sees how big Tommy, and for that matter, Phillip are. Oh my, Lizzy was always petite, Tommy will tower over her now." Jane smiled as her husband captured her lips as all thoughts of England and family were forgotten for a while.

The next day with a letter of unlimited credit from the governor, the Bennet family went about the business of visiting the seamstress and tailor. They had a sennight before the ship that would carry them home to England departed. As much as they wanted to return home, they were not unhappy they would have some time in a thriving port town before going to sea again.

By the time the Bennets boarded the Dennington Lines ship for the voyage home, they once again looked like English gentry and not castaways. Before departing, the Earl issued an invitation to any of the officers of the frigate to visit him when they were in England once again.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

"How dare you show us up like that Cinder-Liza!" Caroline Bingley fairly screeched as she and her mother arrived back at Longbourn after their demeaning performance in front of so many denizens of the town.

"Of what do you speak stepsister?" Elizabeth asked not having a clue what the shrew was on about this time.

"You were rude to him, and we had to apologise to him on your behalf!" Martha spat out, literally with spittle flying in all directions.

"He was so angry as you he cut us!" Caroline screamed at the top of her annoying voice.

"Let me see if I have this right. The Duke bumped into me. He said nothing to me, and somehow it is my fault that you decided to approach him even after I explained protocol to you. And when he did exactly what I said he would, you choose to lay at my feet responsibility for your own actions. Let me guess, you introduced yourself and you called this doxy," Elizabeth pointed at the shaking with rage Caroline, "as Miss Caroline Bennet when every single resident of the area knows that is a lie! Please explain to me how I have anything to do with ridiculous choices you made with no reference to me? You thought this was your chance to come to the arrogant man's notice!" Elizabeth challenged.

Both changed colours as Elizabeth had hit the nail squarely on the head and the two hated her even more for being correct. Caroline advanced and tried to slap Elizabeth. The intended victim was more than ready for the paltry attack and easily caught her arm.

"Would you like a reminder what happened to you the last time you hit me, Caroline Bingley? If you do not remember, raise your hand to me again and I will remind you!" Elizabeth stated with steel in her voice.

Caroline shrank bac. The one and only time she had struck Elizabeth would not be forgotten. She looked to her mother pleadingly.

"You strike my daughter again and you will rue the day you were born Cinder-Liza! If you had been more like a lady and less like a man, you would not have been in the Duke's way, and we would not have had to apologise for you!" the nasty woman unloaded her vitriol.

"And how did that apology work out for you stepmother dearest!" Elizabeth knew she was goading the woman, but she cared not. Louisa sat quietly ashamed she was related to her mother and younger sister.

"Your family all went and died to get away from you…" spewed forth from Martha's mouth when an unexpected voice rose in opposition and halted her tirade midway through.

"That is enough mother! A halfwit can see that you and Caroline alone are the authors of your own problems. How can you be so evil as to say something like that to Lizzy? If it were not for her running this estate you and that," Louisa pointed at Caroline, "would be in the hedgerows about which you are always going on! I am ashamed to be your daughter," she looked at her mother, "and Lizzy has been a friend and sister to me these many years, when you have allowed your selfish needs be your only guide, Caroline!"

"So you stand against your own blood with Cinder-Liza!" Martha spat. "So be it, you are no daughter of mine!" Mother and younger daughter marched out of the drawing room, noses in the air.

"Lulu, I thank you for your support, you did not have to destroy the little relationship you had left with your mother and sister for me. You know I pay them no heed no matter what they say," Elizabeth told her friend as she hugged her.

"I did it as much for myself as for you Lizzy. It was a long time coming. It has been some years now she had not been a mother to me, only interested in her own and Caroline's machinations. It is good that I will not have to hide how I feel about you any longer. We are stepsisters but you and Charlotte are sisters of my heart." Louisa hugged Elizabeth tightly.

The two soon retired to their chambers where Elizabeth wrote a letter to Jane and then read her book in front of the fire. She finally crawled into bed after midnight.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

"We should have a masque!" Richard suggested a few afternoons after the Bingley women's, yes they knew one had the name Bennet, performance in Meryton.

"Are you in your right mind Richard, suggesting that William here host a ball, masque or not! You would have better luck having him walk over hot coals!" Wickham guffawed as the three sat in the study with snifters of brandy in their hands.

"Actually George, I think for once Richard may have a decent idea. It had to happen sooner or later!" the Duke ribbed his cousin.

"William are you well, you understand as host you will be expected to dance, and you will not be able to stalk around the perimeter in that stupid manor you are wont to do," Wickham confirmed.

"Yes, George, I am well aware of what my duties would be. It would be a way of showing the neighbourhood I do not think myself so above them as to not socialise with them by choice," the Duke explained.

"Do you not mean that you want to show one particular young lady those things William?" Richard prodded.

"Yes, mayhap, I do not know. Be quiet Richard!" Lord William was flustered, and he was never flustered.

"When will we have it?" Wickham asked.

"The local assembly is on the morrow, correct?" the Duke asked as he looked at a calendar." His cousin and friend nodded.

"Then we shall have it the last day of March, it is a Friday. I will ask Mrs. Nichols to make sure we have more than enough white soup ready. I do have standards to maintain you know," the Duke affected a look of fake hauteur.

Thus it was decided the invitations would start going out the week following the assembly.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Elizabeth loved to walk, but that did not mean that she was not an accomplished rider, she was. On this particular afternoon, she was riding her old mare Nellie along the fence that bordered Netherfield when she spied some riders across the fence. She was about to turn Nellie thinking it may be the arrogant duke. She did not turn away as she saw it was a young girl, fifteen or sixteen at the most, riding with some escorts. Elizabeth knew that the Duke had a sister so she decided to see if she would be approached or if the sister was anything like her objectionable brother.

From the description her brother had given, on more than one occasion, Lady Georgiana was fairly certain the solitary rider across the fence from her was the enigmatic cousin she had never met, Miss Elizabeth Bennet. She was aware that both William and Richard agreed that the family connection would not be revealed until there were better relations between the two estates.

Normally very shy, Lady Georgiana approached the fence opposite where Miss Bennet was sitting and watching her with the green eyes William mentioned quite often. "A-as there is no one to perform the office, would you agree that we introduce ourselves?" she asked tentatively as Miss Bennet watched her as if deciding if she wanted to know the girl that spoke to her without an introduction.

It did not take Elizabeth long to see that this was a shy young lady, not proud or haughty as she had judged the brother to be. The girl had straight blonde hair, had the beginnings of womanly curves with the same Cerulean eyes Elizabeth had noted when she saw the brother's eyes. "I assume that you are the Duke's sister and no, I do not object to our self-introducing. With you being the higher ranking person, I will begin. I am Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn," Elizabeth offered.

"I am Georgiana Darcy of Pemberley and—well one estate is enough, as you correctly surmised my brother is the Duke," Lady Georgiana forced her self to look the other young lady in the eye and not look down as she inclination was to do.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Lady Georgiana. You know, I believe I met your brother many years ago, in a much happier time," the smile slipped but Elizabeth schooled her features, "at a cousin's estate."

"Do you mean at Holder Heights when you met the mark-ess!" the girl smiled.

"Yes, but how could you know that? You must have been a babe! I do not remember meeting you as a babe," Elizabeth searched her memories and found none that included the girls opposite her. When Elizabeth looked up, she paid attention to the girl's four escorts for the first time. "I am sorry Lady Georgiana. I am holding you and your party up."

"As I am the one that initiated the conversation, you have nothing to apologise for Miss Bennet," replied Lady Georgiana. "I was deeply sorry to hear about your sister, brother, and cousins and then to lose your father. William and I lost both of our parents," she saw the questioning look at the name. "William, is my brother, the ogre that stole your apples and bumped into you in Meryton."

Miss Younge was extremely impressed by her charge; she could not remember another instance of her ladyship being so quickly at ease as she was with the young lady across the fence. Better still, the young lady, Miss Bennet was treating her charge like any other young lady. No fawning and no seeking information about the Duke and his preferences.

"It is possible I jumped to some conclusions without allowing him time to respond," Elizabeth owned. "Is it just the two of you in your party."

Lady Georgiana made a snap decision based on the question. "There are two others, a cousin of mine and a friend of the family. In fact I believe you know my cousin, his name is Richard, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam."

"Richard is my cousin! His brother Andrew is married to my Cousin Marie, the only one of my cousins not to travel to Jamaica…" Elizabeth stopped speaking as the realisation hit her.

"I know Marie well, she happens to be my cousin too," the younger lady smiled widely.

Elizabeth's mouth formed a perfect 'O' as she processed the information. "That makes us cousins! Goodness, I threw an apple at my cousin, Andrew and Marie's cousin! How long have you all known?"

"With Richard's help, but a day or two. As we are cousins will you call me Georgiana, or Gigi as all my friends and family do. We are the latter already and I hope that we become the former sooner rather than later," Georgiana requested.

"In that case please call me Lizzy. Oh my, I must apologise to your brother, the Duke," Elizabeth realised.

"Do you not mean Cousin William?" Georgiana teased. "He is in reality an honourable and good person, in fact the best brother a girl could ask for." Georgiana did not miss the look of sorrow that crossed her cousin's countenance when she mentioned William being a good brother.

"Absolutely not! He is your Grace to me! I will not blame him if he thinks me a silly young girl the way I have acted and made assumptions about him. I let my prejudices get in the way of my good sense," Elizabeth bemoaned her faulty snap judgements.

"Lizzy, I promise you, Wills holds nothing against you, in fact if anything it amuses him," Georgiana assured her cousin.

"Lizzy, please join me for tea this afternoon. You will see Richard there, meet Major Wickham and see that my brother is but a flesh and blood man like any other," Georgiana asked hopefully.

"My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me, like Daniel I will enter the lion's den. What time?" Elizabeth asked using much hyperbole.

"You are being overly dramatic newly discovered cousin. How does three sound?"

The young ladies farewelled one another and set their mounts in opposite directions to their respective houses.