Darcy hoped he was doing the right thing, leaving Miss Elizabeth to walk the rest of the way on her own. She was so stubborn, he had little choice unless he had stopped at the top of the hill and waited until she was inside. She had made it clear that was not what she wanted, however. She wanted him to go after Wickham at once. As he made his way across the fields to the drive, he had to force his thoughts back around to the task at hand. He needed to find and stop Wickham – really stop him.

Instead, he was the one who ended up stopped, just as he reached the drive. A loud shout came from the direction of the main road, and Darcy looked up to see Richard pounding along towards him on his war stallion. If Darcy had been an enemy fighter, he would have considered turning around and galloping back to the woods to hide. As it was, he waited where he was, knowing that was easier than trying meet Richard only to pass each other by and then have to turn back around to speak. Even then, Richard almost passed him by before his stallion came to a full stop near Darcy's horse.

"I am sorry it took me so long, Darcy," Richard said. "Bingley is so inept at stalking that I just had to give him some lessons and we were out far longer than we thought. We only just got back and received your message. Bingley is staying at Netherfield to take action if we send the word. His back is still bothering him, and I think I pushed him too hard."

"I hope you both at least brought back a few pheasant for tomorrow's dinner,"

"Oh, yes, of course," Richard said irritably. "What is the word on Jamison?"

"Right now I am tracking Wickham, but I have just been a little too far behind both of them all day. Let us start back in the direction of Meryton while I tell you what I have found out."

The two men started off at a trot down the drive towards the road. Darcy hoped there was not a path or shortcut Jamison might be taking to return to Longbourn, but without knowledge of the estate, this was the best way to go. As they rode side by side, he outlined the events of the day for Richard.

While Richard could not fault his strategy, he did swear over the timing of Darcy's arrival at the Green Sow. They always seemed a day late and a shilling short when it came to Jamison and Wickham.

"I cannot believe you just missed them!" Richard exclaimed. "Blast it all! How do they always manage to do that? I hope there will be no trouble because of it."

"Oh, there was trouble already, but I will get to that." He detailed the rest of his interview with the innkeeper.

Richard approved of setting the local constable on the two men. "What can you tell me about this Denny fellow?" he asked.

"He is one of those militia officers you saw on Sunday. Do you remember Bingley mentioning the one who kept asking about his sister's dowry? That was Denny. His friends joked about his lack of funds. It seems he may be one of Wickham's cronies just like Jamison. The innkeeper indicated he was not there by chance. Wickham was expecting him and the three of them had a talk together."

"That does not sound good."

"Not at all. I stopped by the militia camp on my way back from Larchton. He had not returned yet, but since he was not on duty, no one really cared. I wished I had you there with me to put some fear into that commanding officer of his. Anyway, after that, I headed back to Longbourn to see if Jamison had returned there. Miss Bennet was worried because Miss Elizabeth had taken the opportunity presented by Jamison's absence to go out to retrieve something she kept on the grounds. I had once seen her leaving the spot, so I knew where to look..."

"And you found Wickham," Richard interrupted in a growl. "Was she hurt?"

"Honestly, it was just like that scene with Georgiana all over again. At least this time I managed to land a few blows on the snake before he slithered away. Miss Elizabeth fought more vigorously than Georgiana had and she was giving him a good deal of trouble. He could not get a hand free, but was using his forearm to cut off her air."

"To weaken and subdue like Jamison did to Anne."

"Exactly. I regularly offer up prayers of thanks that we both decided on visiting with our cousin in the garden that day and scared him off before he could do anything more than nearly knock her unconscious."

"What about Miss Elizabeth? How did she react?"

"It will be hard to say long term. My presence did make her nervous, but not in the same way Anne reacted. It was like Miss Elizabeth knew she was safe with me, but she did not want me to get too close. As I escorted her to within sight of home, she stayed several feet ahead of me. Just before we parted, though, she did allow me to come close and she looked me in the eye when she thanked me."

"She is resilient then. It took Georgiana a few weeks before she would look anyone in the eye. Even now she ducks her head more often than not."

"I think that was part shame for having trusted Wickham and her companion. Miss Elizabeth was upset she had allowed him to take her by surprise, but she had no idea he was anywhere around and did not appear to bear such a burden of shame over the attack. This is her father's land. She should have been safe."

"One would think, but safety is an illusion. So, we find Wickham and kill him? Jamison, too?"

"Richard, much as I also want to, our reason for not killing them has not changed. We cannot defend the action without exposing Georgiana, Anne, and now Miss Elizabeth to social ruin. No, we put them away using the chains of debt they have forged for us. With any luck, they will both starve in the Marshalsea without either of us being held responsible by society for their deaths. You know Georgiana needs us both. Taking full revenge ourselves is not worth the price to her."

Richard swore so loudly, it startled Darcy's horse although his own was unfazed. Darcy dropped back behind his cousin for a few minutes to let him get control of his anger. They were on the road by this time and could see Meryton ahead.

"Richard? Where do you think? The encampment or the Green Sow?"

"We have nothing on Denny except his association with the other two. We know Wickham not only has rooms at the Green Sow, he has paid for them, so he will be back. I suggest we go that way."

Darcy caught back up to Richard and they continued to ride side by side through the village. About two miles beyond it, Richard suddenly pulled his horse to a halt. Darcy stopped as well. He watched as Richard looked back the way they had come, forward down the road and then back again.

"We are going the wrong way," Richard finally said decisively.

"What do you mean?" Darcy asked.

"It just struck me that Denny is the key here. You and Bingley both mentioned how he was tying to find out about Miss Bingley's dowry. What if he was not asking for himself? Remember, Jamison was after Anne for her dowry and estate and he used information Wickham procured for him to make the attack. How much does Bingley's sister have?"

"Twenty thousand pounds, I think."

"That would make marrying her worthwhile, so long as you did not have to live with her. So, what if Denny was just finding out information for Jamison and Wickham? Jamison knows the area and may even know the back ways into Netherfield. A house that big is always permeable, especially during the day. No, you have already set things in motion to surprise Wickham if he returns to the Green Sow. The constable can detain him more easily than we can because he will go to ground if he catches even a sniff of our presence. I think we need to go back to Netherfield."

"You are the one with the military training. I will follow you." Darcy said, turning his horse back around the way they had come. He added teasingly, "Of course, I think you are just jealous I landed a punch on Wickham and you want to be sure you get the chance to do the same for Jamison."

Richard's reply was more serious. "You were right earlier and I did tell Mr. Bennet I would not set out to kill Jamison, but if he does something to put himself in a place where I have a good excuse to, I will not hesitate. With him or with Wickham. They are both blights on the world."

"So long as you are not putting your own freedom or the lives of others at risk when you do, I will not stop you."

Both men kicked up their horses and headed back to Netherfield.

~o~

They arrived to find tension in the air that matched their own concern. Even before he made it off his horse, Richard was asking the groom who met them at the stable door what was happening.

"I do not know how, but the master received word that Tony Jamison might try to sneak inside the house to cause trouble. We are all to be on the lookout for any intruders and detain them if we can."

"Jamison is sneaky. Keep a close eye out," Richard told him.

The two men left the horses with the groom and took the quickest way inside. They found a footman on guard at the side door. He knew nothing more than the groom, not even where in the house they could find Bingley.

It was not long before they learned from another footman that Bingley had taken up a station in the master's study. The house was on full alert, the servants patrolling the corridors with deliberate care. Darcy was impressed. Even Richard admitted it was well done, although he complained that they were so obvious that Jamison would simply be deterred.

"I know scaring him off is the best mode of immediate protection," Richard said, "But I want to catch the man, not just prevent him from attacking today! At the sight of the first guard, he or Wickham would know to get off the property and bide their time. The only hope we have of catching Jamison here now is if he was already in the house when the message was received and the servants deployed as guards."

"We will have to see how Bingley got his warning and what other steps he has taken," Darcy replied.

Those questions were soon answered. They reached the study to find Bingley talking with one of the footmen who was apparently reporting on a sweep he had made of the house. Bingley dismissed the man to make another run-through.

"Good to see you both," he said to Darcy and Richard. "I assume you have heard about Jamison."

"We worked the possibility out on our own," Richard said. "I was not expecting to have it confirmed the minute we reached the grounds. How did you know?"

"Mary sent me a note of warning not long ago. She said Miss Catherine overheard Jamison and Denny discussing a plot for Jamison to sneak into the house and forcibly compromise Caroline in hopes of marrying her to gain her dowry. I expect he would just as likely accept a large payment for silence about what he had done. Mary further warned that Jamison was very familiar with the servant passages and hiding places within Netherfield. Apparently, the family living here when he was a boy had a son around his age and they got into all kinds of trouble here."

"What have you done to protect your sister?" Richard asked.

"I have moved both Caroline and Louisa to a room that does not have access via the servant passages and placed a guard on the door. I imagine the two of them are huddled together, complaining about the inconvenience."

"I expect she would have a great deal more to complain about if Jamison had gotten to her," Richard said impatiently.

Darcy asked, "Did Miss Mary mention to you that Wickham was seen on their property not long ago?"

Bingley looked at him closely. "She mentioned that Miss Elizabeth encountered Wickham, but you drove the villain off. I gathered you were out searching for him. Is Miss Elizabeth unharmed?"

"Wickham did not do the worst, but he managed to attack and frighten her. He may have heard of her newly-acquired dowry or he may have just taken advantage of a likely opportunity. Jamison may have even set him on her trail. I had tracked Wickham earlier and set a constable to detain him when he returns to where he was staying. When Richard worked out that Jamison was likely to come here, we gave up chasing Wickham and returned."

"I think I will send a few servants to Longbourn specifically to protect Mary and her sisters. My carriage as well, for escape if they need it or to carry them to the church tomorrow if they do not need to escape. I cannot trust Mrs. Bennet to protect even her own daughters from Jamison after that stunt with the cane."

"I suggested that Miss Elizabeth tell her father about her encounter with Wickham, but I do not know what or..." Darcy stopped abruptly as they heard, in quick succession, shouts, the sound of gunshots, shattering glass, a scream and more shouts.

"We may have our man," Richard said with anticipation and satisfaction clear in his voice. He ran to the nearest window, with Darcy only a few steps behind him.

Moving more slowly, Bingley reached the window closest to him as Richard declared, "The men are heading around the side of the building near us, the opposite side to the stables."

"I wonder if he tried to slip in or out a window in the ballroom. It is just around the corner from us and there are several windows that are at least partially screened by shrubbery."

"We should go check it out," Richard suggested, turning away from the window.

"You two go on," Bingley said. "I will follow behind."

Richard was out the door like a shot. Darcy followed quickly, and soon had to take the lead because he knew the house better and could guess the way to the ballroom even if he had not entered it before. Some of the servants were going that way as well, so it was not long before they arrived at the scene of the disturbance.

The breaking glass they heard had once been a window, giving credence to Bingley's guess. As Darcy and Richard approached the opening that had contained it, they could see at least one of the gunshots had also damaged part of the stone framework around the window. Just outside of it, they could hear the sound of a man sobbing and moaning.

Richard started to scuff his way through the broken glass to the window opening, but Darcy caught his cousin's arm and pulled him back. He pointed to the doors that led to the terrace outside. One of the servants who came in with them was just unlocking them.

"No point either of us suffering an injury," he said.

Richard joined him as Darcy quickly walked over to the door and out onto the terrace. In the chaos of people moving around and talking loudly, they found a group of what Darcy thought were gardeners and grooms surrounding a man who lay on the ground just below the broken window, writhing and moaning in pain. Blood, broken glass and bits of stone spattered the area around him.

The gamekeeper joined Darcy and Richard as they approached. "It is Jamison, Mr. Darcy. He must have been inside. My assistant spotted the window opening and slipped over with one of the grooms to catch him as he came out. Jamison had a knife and tried to fight them. Our two men got clear and I was going to take a shot to disable Jamison as he tried to slip back inside, but one of the men jostled me and I hit the window that had swung nearly closed in front of him instead, just as Tanner took a shot and caught the stone frame. Jamison got a face full of stone shrapnel and glass. We were deciding whether to actually help the man when you and the Colonel came up."

Darcy and Richard stepped past some shrubs and through the circle of men around Jamison. He was a pitiful sight and certainly did not need to be guarded. His face and hands were covered in deep cuts, some with glass still embedded in them. His clothes had probably protected the rest of him, although they were covered in shards of glass and bits of stone that had not been dislodged even by his writhing. He was moaning pitifully and did not seem aware of anything going on around him through his pain.

Richard swore in anger. Darcy looked over at him.

"Well, are you going to hit him?" Darcy asked.

Richard growled and swore again. "He escapes me even now. I cannot strike a man when he is down like this."

Nodding, Darcy raised his voice to a shout. "Get a stretcher. We cannot just leave him here. And send for the apothecary. We also need some wood to board up this window until it can be re-glazed."

Several of the men rushed off to do as he had asked. Bingley walked slowly out of the door onto the terrace.

"Giving orders again, Darcy? I know you just cannot help yourself."

"Sorry, Bingley," Darcy said, hoping he had not offended his friend. "You are right, I do it without thinking."

Bingley briefly smiled, starting to shrug but stopping the motion with a wince. "If it had not been you, it would have been the Colonel."

Richard raised a hand in protest. "No, estates are Darcy's thing. While this may look vaguely like a battlefield, it is not my place to give orders here unless we are in the midst of fighting or maneuvers."

"So, what are your orders, Bingley?" Darcy asked.

"Oh, yours can stand. I suppose it would be poor form to let the Colonel bop him on the head and put him out of his misery. If he did, the wedding would have to be delayed since he is Mary's brother, little though he deserves the consideration." He paused and looked at the suffering man more closely, "It is Jamison, right? I have not seen him in some time, and he was not wearing so much blood then." Bingley looked a little ill at the sight.

"Rawlins confirmed it," Darcy said, motioning to the gamekeeper.

"True enough, Mr. Bingley," the man said, tugging the front of his cap respectfully. "I have known Jamison man and boy and he always has been trouble. I saw his face clearly when he was fighting with my men. That is him."

A few men came around the corner with a board wide and sturdy enough to be used as a stretcher. They looked to Darcy, who gestured to his friend.

Bingley rolled his eyes at Darcy before turning to the men. "See if you can get some of that glass and debris off him, then carry him to one of the small ground floor rooms to await the apothecary. Keep a guard on the room. I doubt he will run off anywhere, but no point taking chances."

The men immediately set to work. Bingley looked to Darcy and asked, "Well?"

Darcy shrugged. "Just what I would have ordered. You know what to do."

Richard reached down and picked up a hunting knife lying on the ground nearby. He looked at Jamison, who was still moaning and crying out as the men tried to get him cleaned and transferred to the board.

"I think he is going to lose that eye," Richard said with some satisfaction.

Bingley started to look, and then turned away. "No, I haven't the stomach for it." He winced as the men shifted Jamison, causing him to scream with pain. "Do you think we need to notify the local magistrate of this?"

Darcy turned to Rawlins, who was directing some of the men in the cleanup. "Rawlins, who is the local magistrate? Is it Sir William Lucas?"

"No, sir, although he has been eyeing the job ever since he received his knighthood some eighteen years ago. Sir Daniel Banks of Allenby House had the honor before the Lucas family moved into their lodge and he has kept tight hold of it ever since."

"I do not think I have met Sir Daniel," Darcy said.

"Probably not, sir. He does not come to Meryton events much. His estate is closer to Larchton, so he is more likely to be found in the circles there. His second on the local bench lives even further away."

Darcy looked to Bingley, deliberately keeping his mouth shut. Bingley nodded.

"Send a man to Sir Daniel to let him know what has happened, also mention that Darcy holds several notes of hand against Jamison. That is correct, is it not, Darcy?" Bingley looked his way.

"Yes, enough to put him away in debtor's prison for life, assuming his injuries do not do him in first," Darcy confirmed.

Bingley nodded and continued. "Let Sir Daniel know that we have called the apothecary to treat Jamison, but that he was injured while attempting to break in and do harm. If he recovers I will be charging him with trespass in addition to Darcy's charges of debt."

After indicating Rawlins could go, Bingley said, "I will send a note to Mr. Bennet along with the servants and carriage I mentioned sending earlier. We may know where Jamison is but Wickham and Denny could still be a problem."

"Bingley, am I remembering correctly from your conversation the night we had dinner with the officers – did the others twit Denny about always being in debt?" Darcy asked.

"Well, yes, they did. I guess he was hoping for part of whatever Jamison got from me."

"I see where you are going, Darcy," Richard said. "How long have they been in the village?"

"Just about two weeks. We need to find out where they were last and see what debts he left there, although it wouldn't hurt to send someone around to the local businesses in case he has already started with them."

Bingley's confusion cleared up as he caught on to what they were planning. "One of them told me they had summer quarters at Brighton," he told them.

Richard shook his head. "That will be difficult, although we should check anyway. The merchants in Brighton know better than to extend credit to the men quartered there. They would lose too much otherwise. Any idea where Denny calls home?"

"One of the officers told me that most of them come from Dorset, but that could cover a lot of territory," Bingley said. "Do you want me to see if I could quietly learn where his home town is?"

Richard considered for a moment and then said, "That would be suspect after events here. I am not known to the officers, so I could probably just walk into the encampment and demand the information. I just might go straight to their commanding officer."

"You will not want to tell him you are related to me," Darcy said. "Although he probably saw you with me on Sunday."

"Well, let me go try. I think you have the right idea sending word and help to Longbourn. Darcy, you should probably stay here in case you get a message from the innkeeper at the Green Sow. You know, that is a pretty strange name for an inn."

"I bet there is a story to explain it," Darcy said with a chuckle.

"No doubt there is," Richard said. "Well, back to the horse. I will see you both later." He headed off around the house towards the stables.