Disclaimer: I don't own Jane Austen, etc, etc.

Summary: See previous Chapters

Chapter Six

Captain Fredrick Wentworth was a fool, he decided as he rode to Salisbury, where Lord Berrington had requested to meet, and doubly so for taking so long to realize it.

Oh, Wentworth had already been well aware that flirting with the Musgrove girls - for girls is what they were, just out of school, with double the high spirits and half the sense that Anne had displayed at their age - brought satisfaction only when Anne was there to witness it and bear the loss of his attention. Such resentment was unbecoming of an officer, of course, but how else was he to look her in the eye without being consumed by regret for the years missed?

With the Elliots and Musgroves giving Anne little of the notice she deserved, it had never occurred to Wentworth that anyone other than himself might see her value! Miss Weirbrook was perceptive, too, and her remarks on asking Anne to go with her as a friend and companion had been too deliberate for her to be unaware of their impact. He found himself hoping even more that Anthony's suit was successful; Anne at least remaining in England was better than Anne halfway around the world!

Lord Berrington took a short time to locate at the Inn he had arranged as a meeting point, seated in a mostly-private corner. The Earl smiled in welcome, then frowned slightly, "Are you well, Wentworth? You look troubled."

That was certainly one way to put it, but as Wentworth was still struggling to explain the whole mess to himself, he wasn't about to burden the Lord with it. "A story for another time, I fear. However, you will be pleased to learn that Miss Weirbrook arrived safely, and has already begun making friends."

He'd managed to corner the insufferable woman, who kept Navy hours as easily as she had Army ones, even in the country, and ask a few clarifying questions. Mostly to do with gaining her permission to tell Lord Berrington that she was at Kellynch, and if there was anything she would prefer he not mention. Wentworth might decry the presence of women on ships, mostly because they had reminded him of the dreams he had of Anne as his wife, eight years ago, but he had ferried enough women and children escaping unfortunate or abusive situations to know that sometimes it was better to keep one's mouth shut.

Many of the ones he pretended not to notice stowing away during stops in the West Indies did not look so very unlike Miss Weirbrook, and Wentworth would rather insult a Peer than be the cause of a trapped woman's suffering.

Miss Weirbrook had thanked him for the concern, and requested that he not be too specific, because she didn't trust her betrothed's family as much as she trusted the new Earl. It still reassured him when Lord Berrington relaxed, rather than demanding every detail. "Thank you. Has she said anything of why she left London?"

Wentworth shook his head, "Not to me, though she may have told others."

Most likely Anne, and perhaps Sophia, if only to explain why she was at Kellynch instead of planning her wedding. Wentworth had been weighing up the odds of the young lady having been jilted, or the Dowager Countess and her daughters throwing a fit when they found out Miss Weirbrook was no titled Englishwoman. Personally, he was leaning toward the latter; he knew how judgmental the Peerage could be, even when all else was equal.

Lord Berrington nodded, "My mother claimed that I had no interest in marrying her. I am fortunate beyond measure that Phoebe didn't believe a word of it, but decided to remove herself from my mother's immediate influence, as a precaution."

Suddenly, Lady Russell's interference seemed rather mild. Whether her demands had been rooted in prejudice, selfishness, or genuine concern for her god-daughter, she hadn't tried to sabotage Wentworth's career once he was gone, something that would have been well within her power. She would not have been the first; at least one Duke was notorious for stalling the careers of any Army second son or Navy Captain who dared to dance more than once with his daughter. It left the poor lady as something of a wallflower, even at events where gentlemen were in abundance. Captain Granville, a cousin of Benwick's, had spent the last five years escorting prison ships to and from Australia, after merely requesting a second set!

Looking more closely at the young Earl, Wentworth could see the signs of stess and worry. "How are you handling them, and how much of it would you like me to tell Miss Weirbrook?"

Lord Berrington leaned back in his chair. "My ancestral estate is in Salisbury. I made it known that I am visiting to ensure that the dower house is in good repair, and made a few pointed remarks at the club that I would rather be without a hostess entirely than suffer one that seeks to undermine me at every turn. I have also placed strict limits on their spending, and made sure that the merchants know that anyone extending her credit does so at their own risk."

It was a surprisingly measured response, and a good one. Whether a new lord allowed his mother to remain with him or sent her to the Dower house was considered a matter for the lord's discretion, as was how much spending money she had beyond the joinure laid out in the marriage articles. Wentworth did not think that a Dowager Countess would want for much, but he was the equally sure that she was unlikely to see it that way. Regardless, a warning taste of what the Dowager Countess's future could be like was a good way to start. "Well, for what little it means, I approve. Nothing is the cause of as much strife as allowing others to interfer in your home."

Berrington was as observant as his lady love, and raised an eyebrow. "Speaking from experience, I suppose?"

The Earl was easier to talk to, perhaps because they were on a more even footing. Wentworth's other options were his sister and brother Croft, who had always faced life together without regret or doubt, Edward or the Harvilles, who were in much the same boat as the Crofts, or Benwick, whose love story had ended in the most tragic way possible. "When I was newly made Captain, I loved a Baronet's daughter. I had little fortune at the time, but we could have waited. Instead, her godmother persuaded her to give me up."

"Her godmother, but not her family?"

Wentworth scoffed, "Not one of her family cares a jot about her, unless it is to complain that she is not there to take on the unpleasant duties of life! Her father thought me too low for his blessing, but gave his consent, as if he were deciding which of his suits were no longer in fashion! I resolved to forget her, but it has proven... more difficult than I imagined."

Berrington clapped him on the shoulder. "Phoebe's family were more comfortable with her marrying a mere Captain than an Earl. Her grandfather is the equivalent of a Baronet or Viscount, so she knows how to play the game, but a Countess is held to greater scrutiny than a mere Mrs. I do not know if it helps, but there is rarely only one reason for someone to act against their heart. Perhaps, when you have the opportunity, you might talk to her about it."

Anthony had told Captain Wentworth the truth, but he had rather underplayed it. He was also seeking a new butler, after two footmen and a maid had independently verified that the old one had been allowing his mother to check the return addresses of his correspondence and dispose of any "unsuitable" ones. The pompous man had kept a detailed list of the addresses, and provided them immediately when Anthony demanded it. Quite aside from Phoebe, there were several army and university friends who were owed a lengthy apology and explanation for Anthony's apparent snubbing of their invitations, and the butler's co-operation was the only reason the man was being allowed the length of this trip to seek new employment on the strength of the character letter Anthony's father had written for each of the staff before his death.

Anthony could have had the man brought up on charges, given that tampering with the Royal Mail was, in fact, a very serious crime. But that risked his mother getting involved, and potentially also accused, and that was a scandal that Anthony did not need. How was it that managing an entire company of the British Army was easier than keeping a single noble family in line?

At least one of Anthony's sisters - the least insistent in terms of trying to set up her friends as the new Countess, as she did no more than introduce them for the purpose of a dance - had grasped which way the wind was blowing, and offered to help him, and Phoebe, once they were re-united. Anthony was willing to extend a little trust, and give her the opportunity to earn the rest, but his unrepentant mother was on her final warning, as far as he was concerned. Maybe they would find better harmony at a distance.

It was Captain Wentworth's turn to offer consolation, "I will ask my sister and her husband if they are willing to host another guest, while you sort things out at home. I will write to you directly. Can you leave while parliament is in session?"

Anthony nodded, "My uncle holds my proxy, for now. At the time, I didn't understand his comments about getting my own house in order before I worried about the House of Lords, but he's right that I shouldn't juggle learning to be an Earl and learning politics at the same time."

He rose to his feet, "I really do need to see to the estate over the next day or so. Would you care to join me?"

.

.

.

.

A/N: sorry for the delay, but my laptop threw a tantrum right before the deadline for another novel, and I actually forgot that I hadn't posted this yet.

I hope you enjoy it, and any feedback would be much welcome, since this is the first time I've tried to write Persuasion fanfic.

Thanks

Nat