AN: Sorry for the delay. As those who read my comment know, I was having troubles getting the multiple fragments of this chapter to sort themselves into a continuous narrative (In other words, my muse ran off for a while and came back hung over and fit only for a nap with the cats). I had a pretty good visit with mom Sunday, but my health is still not great, and I have been having a lot of trouble concentrating as a result, so I had nothing for you on Sunday evening. In addition, the RL job was requiring some OT and I have been exhausted as a result. I did finally manage to get this one sorted out. Not sure there will be a chapter tomorrow, though. All depends on whether the elusive muse cooperates or not or if I just fall flat on my face and actually sleep. ;oD

Just remember, even if there is a break, the story is not abandoned. I would rather give you something reasonably complete than post just to be posting. Cheers!

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The group gathered in the Gardiner sitting room all stood up in expectation of the greetings to come as Mr. and Mrs. Bingley followed the maid through the door. They had agreed in advance that Jane would introduce the Bingleys to the Gardiners, Georgiana and Aunt Susan. As the new guests entered, Darcy saw that all three sisters only just held themselves back from rushing to hug Mrs. Bingley instead of waiting to greet their sister after the introductions were complete. Seeing surprise on their faces, he turned back and noticed Miss Maria Lucas looking as if she was trying to hide behind the Bingleys as they entered from the hall.

He could see Jane swallow her surprise as she stepped forward and said, stumbling just slightly on the unfamiliar name of her brother-in-law which she had received permission by mail to use, "Charles, Mary, Maria, welcome. Our hosts have asked me to provide the necessary introductions."

Her duty was quickly fulfilled. Mrs. Gardiner offered all three of the newcomers a very cordial welcome, expressing no dismay or surprise at the unexpected arrival of Miss Lucas. All that had been needed was a nod to the maid who had escorted the newcomers from the front door and Darcy knew there would be an extra place set at the dinner table later on.

Once the formal welcome was done, Jane, Elizabeth and Kitty did finally enfold their sister and Miss Lucas in welcoming hugs, while Darcy and Richard offered a hand in greeting to Bingley before bringing him over to speak with Mr. Gardiner.

As the chaos of the less formal greeting died down, Darcy heard his usually shy sister welcome Miss Lucas to the spot between her seat and Kitty's with a friendly comment. "I am so very glad to meet you, Miss Lucas. Kitty has told me that you were her closest friend in Meryton and she has missed your company. I hope you will allow me to be your friend as well."

He only just kept from turning around to stare at his little sister. Like him, she had always had trouble when meeting new people. You would never know that now. Miss Kitty must have told her a great deal about her friend during their morning sewing sessions if Georgiana was willing to greet the girl like she would another sister.

Once everyone had settled into their seats and quieted a bit, Mrs. Gardiner addressed the company as a whole. "We have been anxiously awaiting all the news from Meryton. The arrival of Miss Lucas suggests there is even more news than we thought there might be. Would one of you be willing to share?"

Bingley and his wife looked to one another. At her slight nod, he began.

"There have been several happenings of interest lately, and it seemed like a great deal of writing to do when we were planning to join you here in town anyway. May I assume that you, your husband and Lady Matlock are aware of the events leading up to and just after Jane, Lizzy and Kitty's departure from Longbourn?"

"Yes, Mr. Bingley," Mrs. Gardiner answered. "The group of us have discussed matters freely among ourselves. Speak freely and if you bring up something we do not understand, we will ask."

Bingley nodded. "Well, I suppose it would be best to start with the question of why we brought Miss Lucas to London with us."

There were several nods. Darcy saw the young woman duck her head, blushing. Kitty and Georgiana each took one of her hands with the intent to offer unspoken comfort. It seemed to help.

Bingley continued," Mary told me she wrote to her sisters of our agreement to offer sanctuary to Miss Lucas if she felt threatened in her father's home. Darcy and the Colonel were still there at the time."

"That is Mr. Fitzwilliam now," Richard said with a smirk. " The final paperwork to release me from service came through two days ago. That is why I am wearing these civilian rags instead of my fine red coat." He fingered the lapel of his new, fashionable, high-quality forest-green coat with an air of pride despite his deprecating words.

"Oh, that explains why I did not spot you at first. You were trying to blend in with the trees instead of making yourself a target," Bingley quipped.

"Mr. Bingley," Aunt Susan said, with a warning look to Richard. "It seems we have hit the first item where I am not properly up to date. Why would Miss Lucas require sanctuary from her father? I understand Sir…oh, yes, William…how could I forget?" She gave Darcy a grin and then continued, "Sir William Lucas was a major part of the reason that Lizzy and Jane had to shuffle back and forth between this home and Longbourn, but I have not heard of him being a danger to his own daughters."

"Perhaps Jane or Lizzy could better explain that," Bingley suggested.

Darcy saw Jane look to Elizabeth. She nodded and gave Aunt Susan a bare-bones explanation of how Sir William had treated his eldest daughter, how Mrs. Carlson had defied him and their concerns for Miss Maria Lucas. After a few questions, Aunt Susan indicated she understood and motioned for Bingley to continue with his news.

"As you have no doubt guessed, Miss Lucas came to us requesting our help and protection, hence her presence here. Sir William's position in the community has suffered somewhat since Darcy publicly called him out on his bullying behavior. That has not stopped his attempts at controlling people, however. Unlike his refusal to allow anyone to court or marry his older daughter, he is now trying to force his younger daughter to marry someone she rightfully despises."

"Who?" "What?" and other questions erupted throughout the room. Bingley waited for the noise to die down. When he had their full attention again, he continued.

"To explain, I need to go back to the death of Mr. Bennet. As you probably know, Mr. Phillips sent a letter to the heir, Mr. Bennet's cousin, at his home. When he heard no response of any kind, Mr. Phillips decided to send a messenger to ensure the letter was received, since he would have no way of knowing if the man simply chose not to pay the postage. Matters at Longbourn require the presence of the new master, even if no one really wanted him to arrive. The messenger discovered that the heir himself had been dead for more than a year now and his home had been sold. With a little investigation, they learned that he had a son, the new heir, who has been studying to be ordained."

Darcy suddenly had a flash of memory. "Collins! That was the name of the newly-ordained idiot my aunt would probably have granted the living at Hunsford to had I not been there to make a more reasonable selection for her."

Everyone but Elizabeth looked at him in surprise. Then, Richard apparently remembered their discussion from the time after the initial events with Wickham and Jamison when Darcy had helped their aunt leaving Richard to search for the culprits.

"Do you mean that boot-licking toady who kept insisting the living should be his even after you notified him the position was already filled?" he asked.

Darcy just nodded as Bingley said, "That sounds like Collins the younger. He alternates between cringing and fawning on others of potentially higher status and pompous bloviation in face of those he considers his equals or less. Mr. Phillips tracked him down with help from the vicar through the church hierarchy. The man was still looking for a position, so he came running the minute he learned he was now the master of an estate."

"I expect he would," Darcy said. "No one with any sense was going to put him in a church role of any responsibility – aside from someone like Aunt Catherine, who enjoys having a parson she can control in every detail of his duties."

"You are saying our aunt has sense otherwise?" Richard asked slyly.

"Richard!" said his Aunt Susan sharply, "Behave!"

"Yes, mother," he said, trying to look repentant and failing spectacularly.

Bingley shook his head as he chuckled over Richard's antics. "I think he was feeling the financial pinch from not being able to find a place. From what Mr. Phillips' messenger said he cannot have gotten much from the sale of his father's home and the general opinion in the area was that he was fortunate his father had managed to pay for his schooling. At any rate, he arrived late last week and quickly installed himself at Longbourn."

Mrs. Bingley broke in as he took a breath, "Mrs. Hill says he has no idea how to behave like a gentleman. His manners are atrocious, and he treats the servants as if they were purchased slaves. She and her husband plan to find other work as soon as possible."

Darcy advised, "Oakbrook has a caretaker watching over it now, but when you move in you will need a housekeeper and butler, Richard. If they are willing to relocate to Derbyshire, I would snap the Hills up quickly." With a look to Jane, he added, "Assuming that meets with the approval of the possible future mistress of the estate."

Jane colored slightly, but she answered back, looking at Richard, "I would hire them, and Mrs. Fowler, the cook, as well, immediately if it were my home, Mr. Fitzwilliam."

Richard smiled. "It sounds like I will be sending a messenger with some offers of employment tomorrow morning. Darcy, would you help me figure out the appropriate salary for their roles in an estate of Oakbrook's size?"

"Of course," Darcy replied, "Although you might want to ask your mother as well." He turned back to Bingley, "So, Collins arrived, and the household was not impressed. I think I see where you are going with this information, but please tell us the rest."

"Yes, I am sure you have enough information to guess now. Well, it seems Mr. Collins is not married, although he would like to be. And, of course, that is where Sir William comes in. From what Miss Lucas has told us, her father thinks an alliance with the new master of Longbourn would be greatly to his personal benefit and wants it done before anyone else can get in ahead of him. He has not merely suggested the idea, he has insisted on it and has spoken to Mr. Collins, who is already considering agreeing to a betrothal. Miss Lucas let her father know she does not have any desire to marry Mr. Collins, having taken a revulsion to him from the moment they met. When she refused to visit with the man or agree to her father's plans, Sir William locked her in her room telling her she would not eat again until she agreed to marry the master of Longbourn. Fortunately, her room has a window that is over the small veranda. She waited a day to see if he was completely serious and if her mother would go along with his orders, which Lady Lucas did in addition to adding her own insistence on the plan. In the early hours of this morning, Miss Lucas made a bundle of her belongings, climbed out the window and dragged the bundle with her to Netherfield before dawn. We contacted Mr. and Mrs. Carlson immediately and together the five of us came up with a plan."

The indignation of the group had been growing as Bingley spoke. Now, it bubbled over. Kitty hugged her friend fiercely, while Georgiana patted both their backs. Jane, Elizabeth and Richard all expressed indignation, which Darcy also felt, although he did not say it out loud. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner looked concerned.

Aunt Susan broke through the noise as she asked, "Is the man really that bad, Miss Lucas?"

Miss Lucas ducked her head, nodding as she said, "Yes, Lady Matlock. I could not stand marrying him. It is not just his looks, although he is not handsome in the least. His manner frightens me, and he smells like a full chamber pot that has not been emptied for a week. The worst of it is how he looks at me with that same nasty look Tony Jamison used to use on all the girls, as if he was peering right through my clothing. And I heard him assure my father that he would keep firm control over his wife with every means at his disposal. I cannot marry him!" She was crying by the time she finished.

"And legally, your father cannot actually force you to take marriage vows," Aunt Susan mused, "although he could continue to starve or beat you until you 'chose' to take them on your own. How old are you, Miss Lucas?"

"Sixteen, Lady Matlock. I will be seventeen in February."

"That is a problem. Your father has rights over you until you are twenty-one, which you will not be for another four years. What was your plan, Mr. Bingley?'

"Well, the first part was to get her out of Meryton without her father having a clear idea where she had gone. Since we were planning to leave today anyway, the timing worked out perfectly. We added her bundle to our luggage and left as scheduled. The Carlsons took her away with them, driving through the village and making certain they were seen by multiple people with Miss Lucas in their carriage as they headed out by the north road towards St. Albans. They continued along that road, stopping briefly at one of the inns for breakfast and making certain they were overheard talking about how she would be going to live with distant, and in actually nonexistent, relatives of Mr. Carlson in a village north of Stevenage before heading further north. They then took some smaller side roads to swing back around and meet up with us at a stop where we made quite a fuss about an imaginary problem with our carriage. They pulled to a stop next to our carriage while the driver and one of the footmen made a distraction on the other side. The other footman quietly helped Miss Lucas into the carriage where she hid from general view. The Carlsons returned the way they had come, intending to take time enough for a drive to Stevenage and back. When Mary and I got back into the carriage, our men provided another distraction, provoking one of the horses to make a disturbance so no one was likely to see there was someone already in the carriage hiding under a rug on the floor. Miss Lucas remained hidden until we were far enough on the way that no one would notice, although she slipped down again when we got to the townhouse and a footman helped her in through the servant's door to make it less likely she would be noticed if Sir William thought to follow us and ask questions. She slipped out again the same way this evening and we are hoping Jane and Lizzy will allow her to come stay with them, at least for a time."

" Of course, she can stay with us," Lizzy said immediately. "That was surely a Charlotte plan. I just hope Sir William can be misdirected again after the wonderful job she did when she got married."

"Most of it was Mrs. Carlson's idea," Bingley confirmed, "Although Mary helped refine the details."

"And what is your long-term plan?" Aunt Susan asked.

"Well, the primary goal is to keep her away from her father, at the very least until Mr. Collins has married someone else. Even if Sir William already has a betrothal agreement made, it will not hold up long if there is no bride to fulfill it. I doubt Collins will wait. He seemed very eager."

"Oh, Sir William will be furious if he has already made an agreement he cannot fulfill," Elizabeth said. "She will never be safe returning to his home. The minute word gets out of a broken agreement and a second daughter running away from him, Sir William stands to lose all the status he has gained over the years unless he is very clever about how he reacts and how presents the situation in public."

Mrs. Bingley spoke up. "We are hoping he is cunning enough to know that running off and trying to track her down, as they did after Charlotte left, would be the most damaging reaction he could make. Unless he loses his temper, he is more likely to keep it quiet for a short time and then invent some titled relative who volunteered to bring Maria out in their local society, followed by false news later on that she is married to advantage. As soon as he determines the Carlsons had a hand in Maria's escape, Charlotte expects her father may offer a part of her dowry as a bribe to go along with his story, possibly even that they will have been the ones to take her to this unknown relative since he could not get away, thereby also showing a healing of the connection with his oldest daughter for the sake of the gossips."

"I look forward to meeting Mrs. Carlson at some point," Aunt Susan said. The Gardiners indicated they did as well by their looks and nods. "I think we can do one better, though. Let us send a messenger to the Carlsons as soon as it is possible tomorrow morning, suggesting Mrs. Carlson go to her father early tomorrow and insist on certain concessions. First, that he will pay her whatever portion of her dowry she thinks she can get out of him in return for her silence on the threats to starve Miss Lucas until she agreed to marry a man that she, and probably most other people, views as repugnant. Next, she will suggest the story that a distant connection of Mr. Carlson had offered to bring her out in London society next year and wants her to have time to learn what she must before then. I am willing to accept a connection to Mr. Carlson, perhaps through my mother's family, but not to Sir William. If he wants bragging rights, he must be pleasant to his older daughter." She grinned wickedly, and nearly everyone who saw her chuckled at her plan.

After a brief pause, Aunt Susan continued. "The trip to Stevenage will be explained as meeting someone I had arranged to bring Miss Lucas to me. We will keep the role of the Bingleys out of it, since they will not want trouble when they return to Meryton. Finally, the messenger will carry a document transferring legal guardianship of the young woman to a male or males of my choosing, although we will leave the name blank, along with the current amount of her dowry which will be moved to an account which will also be administered by a male of my choosing. He can talk up her 'good fortune' all he wishes but cannot claim the connection as his own. We will not tell him, but Miss Lucas…may I call you Maria, dear?" she waited for the young woman's nod and went on. "Since Maria is so close to Kitty and will probably become close to Georgiana as well, we will arrange for them to be presented and come out together after another year of tutoring. I am pleased with Georgiana's new companion and I know you have asked if she would assist Kitty after you and Lizzy are married. See if Maria can be added to the group. We will arrange for the interest on her dowry to pay her way."

"I doubt Mrs. Annesley will have a problem with that arrangement, although I think we should hire Amy to act in partnership with Mrs. Annesley after Jane no longer needs her as a companion. Having two women in charge of all three will help support our young ladies better," Darcy suggested.

"Good thought," said his aunt. "She has certainly proven a reliable companion so far. Is this arrangement to your liking, Maria?" She addressed the young woman directly.

"Yes, please, Lady Matlock," Miss Lucas said eagerly, although Darcy thought her reaction was more relief at not having to marry Collins than anticipation of a London Season.

Aunt Susan looked pleased, "Excellent, although I think that going forward you should call me Aunt Susan just as the Bennet sisters do. Mrs. Bingley, that goes for you as well."

"Then please call me Mary, Aunt Susan," Mrs. Bingley replied. "That goes for everyone here."

"And I am Charles to all," Bingley said, "except to Darcy and Mr. Fitzwilliam, who have always called me Bingley."

"Well, then, Charles, Mary and Maria, you should call me Aunt Madeline," said Mrs. Gardiner, "and that goes for Mr. Darcy and Mr. Fitzwilliam as well."

After a few more rounds of permission, everyone in the room was on a first name or aunt or uncle basis. When they had finished laughing over the mass re-introduction, Aunt Susan said, "If you do not mind, Edward, I would like to name you as administrator for Maria's dowry, assuming her father signs the documents and hands them over. Of course, we will not tell him who we have selected. Richard and William, I would like to name you joint guardians just as you are for Georgiana. I somehow doubt Maria will be much trouble to you, but she will be well-protected if any suitors have to go through both of you."

"That works for me," Darcy said, and Richard agreed as well. Gardiner, who had allowed the two men to drop the 'uncle' also agreed. The subject of Maria Lucas seemed well and truly settled.

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*Yes, I do know that the term "bloviation" did not come into use until the mid-nineteenth century and that it is an Americanism. I just could not resist the opportunity to use such a wonderful word, despite it being obviously out of period and place, especially after reading the two primary quotes about it on Wikipedia as I was trying to determine if it was period-appropriate (particularly the second one – it was made for Collins) – US President Warren G Harding…described it as "the art of speaking for as long as the occasion warrants and saying nothing." William Gibbs McAddo described "the impression of an army of pompous phrases moving over the landscape in search of an idea." Yeah…Collins.