GREEN

As the staff went to get about their duties, Elizabeth said, "Let us go somewhere private. I believe it is time to discuss your cousin."

"Ah, Richard – I half‑forgot about him."

Elizabeth swatted at him, but then took his arm as he led her through more of the house, pointing out this room or that room, until they arrived in the library.

Darcy said, "I am not certain the library was my best strategy if I want your attention, but I wanted you to see it, since I expect you will practically live here."

"You are right about that," she said, as she looked around in wonder. It was without doubt the best library she had ever seen.

With a laugh, she said, "This really is quite the library, but I suppose …" then with another giggle, she lowered her voice and said, "… It ought to be good, it has been the work of many generations."

Darcy laughed along with her, then offered her a seat on a sofa, then took the chair opposite, mainly to resist any temptation to violate doctor's orders. "What do you propose we do about my cousin, Richard?"

"I have a suggestion, but I need to frame it correctly.

"I am listening – quite attentively as it turns out."

"Let me ask you a question. How many times have you had to negotiate from a position of weakness?"

Darcy scrunched his face in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I would assume most of your life, you have had the stronger hand in negotiations. Tradesmen in Lambton or Kympton dare not push their luck, as the long‑term patronage of Pemberley is at stake. The same with selling crops or wool and so forth. You always have a plethora of choices, and with the size of your estate, I would say nearly everyone negotiating with you wants to make an agreement more than you do. I am not criticizing – just stating the obvious."

"I never thought about it, but as you say – it is obvious once you think about it. On the other hand, I do know how to play a strong hand."

Elizabeth leaned forward. "Correct. So, the question becomes, what kind of hand will you have in France? You are a very rich man, regardless of what kind of trouble your family is in. Suppose it cost you £50,000 to ransom your cousin? Could you afford it? Would you afford it if they said it was that or a firing squad, and you had to make an immediate decision?"

"Yes, I would. I suppose you could say the same of £100,000. My sister's dowry is £30,000 and 50 is but five years income just from Pemberley, let alone Matlock. Yes, I would trade that for my cousin's life without hesitation. In the worst case, I would have to sell some land or some interest in my businesses, but I would still have plenty left."

"Exactly! Your plan to rescue your cousin is, I suspect, driven more by your elevated sense of responsibility, your love for your cousin, and by your obvious skepticism for the Earl's ability to get anything done – than by practical considerations. I submit that even if you were healthy as a horse, I would still be fighting to change your strategy, but more because I think another plan would be have a better chance of success."

"Why do I get the feeling your grandfather of the skipping stones and contracts is going to come back into the conversation?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Because he is. He was a solicitor who did business with merchants. He managed to dower my mother well enough that my sisters and I would have been reasonably marriageable in our society if my parents had managed it better – but of course, if I had wings I could fly, so there is that."

Darcy chuckled. "Oddly enough, you did end up quite marriageable as it turns out – quite marriageable indeed."

Elizabeth blushed, pleased by the compliment, and smiled, then continued.

"He had two sons as well. The elder inherited his law practice but died before I knew him well. His other son, my Uncle Gardiner started an import export business. I believe he may have indirectly sold some of Pemberley's bounty early in his career. He married Madeline Lewis, the daughter of a merchant in Lambton who also passed about five years ago."

"I remember Madeline Lewis. She is what, a decade my senior?"

"That seems right."

Darcy thought back a bit. "We traveled in different circles, but I saw her about her father's shop from time to time."

Elizabeth nodded. "That is all interesting, but we are getting off the track. My uncle absorbed the lessons from my grandfather well, and specifically asked for a very small bit to get him started in business. He told my grandfather he wanted to mostly make his own way, and he felt that the lessons he had learned from his father was enough of an advantage. He specifically wanted to ensure his brother and sister were well situated – or the alternative explanation that he was ate up with pride and wanted to prove himself."

Darcy laughed. "You do not expect me to criticize that?"

"Of course not. He was successful. He now has better income than my father, and I would not be overly surprised if it is better than Mr. Bingley's. He does not flaunt his wealth, but he has it, all made from his own work and his own talents."

"My hat is off to him then," Darcy said with a smile, then ruefully said, "I am not complaining, but sometimes I wish I had a better chance to prove myself. Everything was handed to me on a silver platter."

Elizabeth thought to chastise him but thought about it a moment. "How many people's livelihoods depend on Pemberley. Hundreds? Thousands?"

"Closer to the latter, I imagine."

"Then prove yourself by making Derbyshire a better place. You have great power, so use it wisely – which, somewhat incidentally, requires you to stay alive."

"You think my plan to go to France too risky."

"It was risky, but noble. Perhaps you felt a bit like my uncle and wanted to prove yourself. It is all understandable enough, and admirable, but probably not the very best move right at this time."

"Let me guess your thoughts. You are suggesting I send someone else to get my cousin out?"

"Yes. You need someone who has the power of your house, Pemberley and Matlock at his disposal, but not someone who has a stake in them. You need someone who is accustomed to negotiating from a position of weakness. You need – a tradesman."

Darcy laughed. "Why do I suspect I will be meeting your uncle soon?"

"Probably because you can see the clock. He will call at four."

Darcy chuckled. "Outplayed at my own game. Well, Mrs. Darcy, let us meet this Uncle Gardiner. I suppose he is my uncle now as well."

Elizabeth laughed. "We have an hour or two. Show me my new home – and I do not mean the house."

With that, they started perusing the shelves. They were less than five minutes into the process before Elizabeth asked for a notebook and pencil to keep track of what she had found.


"Ah, Lizzy, so nice to see you looking and sounding happier than yesterday, although I must confess to some amazement at the transformation. May I assume a long, loud, vicious shouting match put things aright. That is usually the solution to marital discord. By the bye, can I still call you Lizzy or is it to be Mrs. Darcy?"

Elizabeth let out a laugh at the impertinence of her Uncle Gardiner. He had not even been 'properly' introduced yet. He had of course been properly introduced to the scowling, bad‑tempered groom in Meryton the previous day, but had yet to meet the amiable Mr. Darcy, and up to that point, had thought he never would.

Darcy said, "Lizzy! I did not know that one. Can I use it?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Of course, Fitzy!"

Gardiner said, "I will heed your instructions and keep my distance, Mrs. Darcy. Mr. Darcy, a pleasure to meet you. I met a man who looked like your evil brother yesterday. Do you know him?"

"Never heard of him, but if I had, I would say he is a bounder, and we are well rid of him."

Gardiner took the offered seat in the yellow parlor. "Lizzy, I must admit that I am astounded by the transformation. I thought for certain I would have to check my good humor with the butler, although if he is like most butlers, it would not hurt him to have a bit of it."

Elizabeth sat down in a chair a few feet from Darcy. "I would not have asked you here if I thought you would not be welcome, Uncle. As you surmised, there was not very much shouting but plenty of weeping, yesterday. With that, there was quite a lot of corrections of both our mistakes and prejudices."

"Congratulations, then. You are doing far better than anyone expected."

Elizabeth smiled at her husband and saw him smiling back while she replied, "Thank you, Uncle. Now, to business."

"Ah, business. I suppose you have talked your husband out of his original plan. If I may say so, sir, it was noble, selfless, and admirable – but not very practical, of course, but noble nonetheless – no offense."

"None taken. To be honest, I like having people who speak their mind without shading their thoughts. It is rare in my circles."

He turned to Elizabeth. "That was one of the reasons I always liked Bingley. He seems like a puppy, but he is smarter than he looks, and he has always told me what the thought without prevarication. If I took his advice more often …"

Elizabeth laughed. "… you might have saved yourself a lot of consternation."

"What do you mean, Lizzy," Gardiner asked in amused curiosity?

Elizabeth laughed. "The first time Fitzwilliam and I laid eyes on each other; Mr. Bingley tried to get Mr. Darcy to dance with me. He pronounced me not handsome enough to tempt him."

"Egads! I suppose you would not have danced with him anyway, since he clearly was not a sensible man."

Elizabeth just smiled. "Back to the main topic."

"I would not be averse to helping you Mr. Darcy, and there need not be any remuneration. I will do it for our future relationship, which I will assume to be cordial and occasionally profitable. Now …"

And he thought a few minutes. "… On the one hand, it might seem sensible for me to go in your place. I am a crack negotiator, after all, but I do not think that is your best play – aside from my disinclination to risk my own neck in lieu of yours in a war zone."

Elizabeth laughed. "You do realize most of the war is actually happening in Spain?"

"Still impertinent, I see. Let us leave that aside and look rationally at what you need to be successful."

"That is why I called you, Uncle. By the way, were you still in Meryton for Christmas as usual, or did you come home? I did not check to see when I sent the note. I hope I did not cause you a mad dash from Longbourn."

"We were back in Gracechurch Street. I found your mother to be more intolerable than usual. Perhaps I might be able to visit again next year, but I thought it would be a bad example for my sons if I strangled my own sister on Christmas Eve."

Elizabeth was surprised at the reminder of the season and looked at her husband with an eye arched eye.

He sensed the question. "We usually do not make a large affair on Christmas, although by next year I would hope you and Georgie might change that."

She nodded and turned back. "I apologize, Uncle. We seem to keep getting off on tangents."

"We have plenty of time, Elizabeth, and you have a lot to learn in what will probably be a very short amount of time. Do not distress yourself. I am saving up stories for Maddie, so I will be the hero for the day either way."

"Thank you, Uncle."

"Let us get back to the principle matter by reviewing what you actually need. You need someone who you can trust to give negotiating power over your cousin's status. You need a man who can get through the blockade, with or without the Navy's help. You need a man who can navigate French society, find out who has the power, and who thinks they do. You need someone who can get an Englishman quietly out of the country, using any means necessary, fair or foul. Does that about sum it up?"

"I see you are thinking along the same lines I am, Uncle, are you not?"

"I suspect I am, Elizabeth. You and I both had the same teacher, so it seems reasonable that we might come up with the same solutions."

Darcy said, "Perhaps you both had the same teacher, but I did not. I have no idea what you are suggesting."

Gardiner looked towards Elizabeth. "It might be best if you explain it."

Darcy looked at her, and Elizabeth said, "Uncle Gardiner is right. The man he just described is a smuggler."

Darcy tensed as if ready to jump to his feet, but then sat back down, and asked confusedly. "A smuggler?"

"Come, come, Mr. Darcy. Which do you prefer, French or English brandy? I would bet fifty pounds that there is a bottle of French brandy within a dozen yards of me."

Darcy chuckled. "I do not know about your question, since if the only thing available is English brandy, I go outside and drink from the horse trough."

"A good rule of thumb to live by. I presume you are aware that brandy did not come through strictly legal channels."

Darcy just nodded, so Gardiner continued.

"The law is not quite as black and white as folks might like to think. There are a lot of gray areas. For example, you know full well that the British Navy uses privateers, basically pirates with a writ from the crown, frequently. They stick to mostly the Navy around the home island, but in the Americas and the Indies, they use privateers often. The French Navy now consists of hardly anything but privateers. Napoleon has tried to strangle trade, but there are still things in England he needs, so he subtly encourages it on a limited scale. Smugglers have been around since around five minutes after the first tax booth was created. They are an essential part of any society, especially in wartime."

Darcy thought about it for several minutes while Elizabeth and Gardiner waited patiently, and finally said, "I suppose the whole enterprise hinges on whether the smuggler, a man who is in an unreliable and illicit trade by choice, can be relied upon."

"I can assure you, Mr. Darcy, that smugglers do not have a free hand. Any who does not turn out to be a man of his word, does not – err – prosper."

"You have someone in mind?"

"I do. By a stroke of good fortune, he is in London until the new year. With your permission, I will arrange a meeting between you, and I will do anything I can to facilitate getting your cousin out."

Darcy smiled. "I am curious, Mr. Gardiner. Are you guided by family loyalty, business sense or amusement?"

"Those are not exclusive choices, Mr. Darcy. Each has a part to play, and I do not think too far beyond that."

Darcy nodded. "How shall we proceed?"

Gardiner stood up. "Give me a day or two. I will need to send out some of my employees to search some particular places for him. Once I find him, and feel him out on the mission, I will introduce you."

"I thank you, sir."

Gardiner said, "One more thing. You should not discount the possibility that the easiest way to get your cousin out might not to negotiate at all. It might be more economical to simply find him, and if he is guarded by few men, simply buy them all off. Loyalty to their 'emperor' is not absolute and can probably be purchased for less than you might think."

"That is a capital idea, Uncle. Who do you have in mind?"

"I have a man I would like to send. He is normally a thief catcher, but I swear he is half ghost and half bloodhound. If your cousin can be found, Baker is the man for it."

Elizabeth gasped. "Mr. Baker!"

"You know him?"

Elizabeth sighed. "My parents no doubt did not tell you, but I made two attempts to run away from this marriage, and he brought me back both times."

Gardiner chuckled. "When we have more time, Lizzy, I would like to hear the story."

"The one small problem with engaging him is that I was planning to use him for my own purposes, but my task is much simpler so I suppose a lesser man would do."

Darcy asked, "What did you have in mind?"

"I would ask the same, Lizzy. I would hope that a single day in the Darcy family has not put you into trouble deep enough to need a Baker."

"No, nothing like that. You see, there is a man in Meryton – a Mr. Wickham. You should ask Aunt about him, as I think she will probably remember him as a reprobate. At any rate, my two silliest sisters are quite attached to him, and he is the sort of man to take what he wants and leave, if you know what I mean."

"I do!"

"I believe he leaves debts everywhere, and perhaps ruined girls. On top of that, I have reason to believe him a fortune hunter. Now that I am a Darcy, I would not be surprised if he decided to sniff around Lydia in the hopes of ruining her and extracting money from me to force a marriage. I planned to have Mr. Baker buy up enough of Mr. Wickham's debts to put him in debtors' prison. It sounds like that is where he belongs anyway. Of course, Lydia will only be saved until the next one comes along, but I do what I can do. "

Darcy said, "I applaud the effort, Elizabeth, but my uncle has already taken on the unpleasant task. I believe his strategy is to tell some of his creditors where he can be found and let them sort it out amongst themselves."

Gardiner said, "If that does not work, can I assume you have enough vowels? It only takes £20. Send them my way before you become too ill, Mr. Darcy. I will see that the man is taken care of if your uncle's man is not up to the job."

"I could kiss you, Uncle," Elizabeth said with a smile.

"There, Lizzy. It has been my most entertaining day in months, but I have much to do so I will bid you adieu."

Then he bowed. "Mr. Darcy, a pleasure," and then just a few minutes later, he was gone.

Darcy said, "Remind me to never get on your bad side."

Elizabeth just laughed.

" You see, Fitzwilliam – you are not perfectly capable of making very good plans. That is your best one yet."