Well, you all believe you know Old tame Mr. Bennet, don't you. You're wrong. I prove it!
Third day...

Chapter 15: On the road to Rosings

England, London and surroundings. Thusday, August the sixth and Friday, August the seventh

"Your rank?"

Edward Bennet looked up at the French --Breton-- sergeant who rode with him side by side.

"Major" answered he. "Royal Horse..."

He was not aware of it but after only an hour he had reversed into his old military self. He spoke with as few words as possible and, if possible, by giving straight answers.

"That's commandant, isn't it?"

He nodded. It was the equivalent.

"Where?"

"Our American colonies, mainly. I was stationed there to root out the insurgents. Did a good job of it, too. Not the best memories of my life, though. Never good to fight against brothers. Tends to bring nightmares..."

"That's quite right" approved Kervadec. "I have not a single nightmare about Italy, Egypt or Syria. All my nightmares are French ones. When we fought against the insurgents of the Vendée. Never fought uglier battles... Never had bloodier hands."

Mr. Bennet could only nod.

He was not very proud of this period of his life. But he believed, at that time, that the colonies had to remain British. Still believed it for what it was worth.

"Why did you quit?"

"Did I quit?"

"Sure, if not you would be major general by this time. Good officers always finish generals, that's a sound rule."

"In a Republican Army perhaps, not in an aristocratic one. We tend to promote titles not efficiency. But I could probably have done it to lieutenant general. I Had the skill and the name. But got a problem. A woman..."

Kervadec laughed almost silently.

"Happens always. Got her pregnant?"

"No, got her father ashamed of me. He married her away fast and sound. Never got to say my opinion on the matter. Neither did she... Her father didn't liked what I had to say to him. Would have thrown me out. Quited before it happened."

"Got married soon afterwards ?"

"Same year... Didn't spend lots of time choosing. Took the prettiest one I could get. Was not the best of choices, wasn't the most bad, either. Got me quite a few pretty girls..."

"Beautiful ones also" said Kervadec. "The blond one is quite a looker. The old man fall for her the second he saw her. Never before did I see him show such interest in a woman."

Edward Bennet knew he had got his sergeant at the very point he wanted him.

"How is he?"

"Brilliant" answered the sergeant. "Only the General is a better leader. Couldn't say which of them is the better strategist. Bonaparte has more intuition. D'Arcy prepares much more thoroughly. Never goes into a fight without knowing everything about the enemy. Was quite in rage when the Prince of Wales failed to show his ass in Brighton. He was counting on taking him prisoner. It would have mightily pleased the Consuls. Never came to it..."

"And as a man?"

"Exotic... He has strange tastes and he spends hours each day training with his sparring partners. Never saw a man move so fast. And when he kicks in the face, it hurts just from viewing it, you can believe me..."

"I believe you, I believe you. Never was an adept of getting kicked in the face either."

He pointed to his pistols.

"That's my weapon of choice. I'm quite good with them. I kill a man at fifty paces. Was quite a duelist in my time."

"He prefers his funny two handed sword" said Kervadec. "It's with it that he killed the Highwaymen who attacked your daughters..."

"Highwaymen?"

"Perhaps common bandits, I don't know. They tried to attack your daughters and two other women. He heard them shout. He went in and saved them..."

Mr. Bennet looked at the sergeant.

"You're not making this up?"

"Never! He is that sort of man. Never could stay out of an unfair fight."

He made a face.

"Or perhaps out of any fight... I know him since Egypt and he was never one to hide behind his guards. Always in the thick of it!"

"Not always a good way to survive..."

"But a hell of a way to be worshiped by your troopers, Sir. They know he won't command from somewhere safe. They like him for it. And as the Egyptian said, he has the Baraka. God's on his side..."

Edward Bennet closed his eyes and tried to imagine how this Darcy looked.

"Does he look like his cousin, Fitzwilliam Darcy?"

"No idea. Never saw the other Darcy. Kennedy will be able to answer your question. In a few days he will have seen both of them."

"How is he physically?"

"Tall, long black hair dressed in a pony tail, shaved square face, deep blue eyes. Very brawny, especially in the shoulders. Likes to dress fanciful. Likes physical effort..."

He blinked at Mr. Bennet.

"Girls and Ladies often take a fancy with him. He likes to flirt but he is no womanizer. Only saw him with one girl all these years. They no longer are together..."

Mr. Bennet smiled at the sergeant.

"You seem quite resolute to show him to me in the best of lights."

"Wouldn't want you to say 'no' the day he asks for her..."

"And you're so sure he will?"

"I searched and found no one who would agree to bet against. That's a sure thing for every one of us. Couldn't find a better one, either."

"Thanks for the compliment, sergeant but I doubt my daughter is the only one who could have pleased your d'Arcy."

"Probably not, but she clearly is the only one who gives him the desire to have her at his side. And we never saw him in this fancy mood before. Bouncy gait and so. Quite smitten is our commander in chief..."

"Why?"

Kervadec looked at Mr. Bennet rather astonished.

"Who knows with love? He saw her and he found her irresistible. I, for may part, can only agree. Were I not a lowly soldier, I would dream of her, too..."

Mr. Bennet smiled at him.

"One is always free to dream but sometimes the dreams vanish and nightmares take their places..."

"Your Lady love?"

Mr. Bennet nodded his agreement.

"But my 'why' was not about a love affair. My question was why he came here with his armies..."

Kervadec was clearly astonished by that last question.

"We are at war, Sir! It should have been evident that one day or the other we would try..."

"What of the Navy? Normally they should have been there to intercept you..."

"Were not! If I have understood everything, your ships were following our troop transports going to Ireland. There were ships going to Ireland but there were no troops aboard. The troops were elsewhere. Going to Brighton to catch you Prince of Wales..."

Edward Bennet could only nod.

"So that was the plan, came ashore and capture the Crown Prince. That part of the plan was a failure."

"Yes but we got so much ammunition, chariots, horses and supplies that we could launch our next step with a full week's advance. He couldn't believe it... There was everything to supply our seventy thousand men for two weeks. We were free to go on without losing a single day..."

Edward Bennet did not show his surprise.

Seventy thousand men! By God, the whole French army was in Great Britain. And why not? Every good strategist knew that with concentration of forces comes impact and with impact comes Victory...

No wonder the troops stationed at Brighton were crushed.

"Casualties?"

"Two hundred and forty... We had two barges that went under in the middle of the Channel. Saved as much as possible but with their weapons and gear, they went down like stones. Could do nothing! Luckily we lost nobody when we came ashore. The sentries on the Beach were all asleep. Good preliminary work by our agents. It was smooth like never. You lost only a few dozens. The others we caught in their sleep..." He laughed up. "Or dancing!"

And they didn't even lose a part of their army. As it stood, the French Army was complete and with morals of winners. Nothing in Great Britain could stop such a force.

He perhaps...

If he got in shooting range with this d'Arcy. He could put him a bullet in the head. He'd die immediately but the French would be weakened... Considerably weakened.

Let's hope Jane is not smitten with him. I would hate it to bring her more unhappiness than my death will already cause.

His face must have shown something because Kervadec came nearer.

"Don't dream, we will never let you in his presence with even a knife. We are no fools, you know. And if I could have let an old funny man talk unsearched with his future son in law, I'd never let an old sinewy and experienced veteran like you see our commander in chief with more than a tooth stick in his pocket... Not now that I know that you've been quite a duelist in your time. Wouldn't want the young Lady to be unhappy because of the death of her papa... Would we?"

Mr. Bennet took a deep breath. Never underestimate the enemy... That was a law he had never, until now, forgotten. And he should have known, sergeants were the most intelligent of all military creatures, and generals the least...

"Point taken, sergeant... I'll try and be wise!"

"Thanks, Sir. I'd not like it to injure you. But if I must, I'd do it..."

"Point taken, sergeant, I said! You'll get my pistol when we arrive."

"And the knives..."

Mr. Bennet smiled at Kervadec.

"And the knives..."

They arrived to the London suburbs.

"From now on, you let me make all the speaking. I don't want to hear anything else than yes, sir! and no, sir!"

"We should have gone around..."

"We'd have lost a day and I remind you, you and your man are exhausted. We'll spend the rest of the day and most of the night at my brother's house. There you'll have the time to sleep..."

"I'll have you guarded, Sir!"

"I know that and I have not the least wish to take you into a trap. I want to arrive safe and sound to my daughters. Nothing else! And to achieve that, I need you to be alive, won't I?"

"Sure, Sir! But that doesn't mean you will not try a dirty trick to give informations to your King."

Mr. Bennet laughed aloud.

"To Hell with George the third! If there's one man who will never ever get anything more from me, it's our jolly crazy King George."

Kervadec looked at him with little suspicious eyes.

Why, by God, had this d'Arcy not send someone unimportant? A Colonel or a Major? Why had it to be a sergeant?

Clearly, there was a man who knew how an army was to be run.

"Mr. Bennet," said Jonas. "I'm sorry, the staff is at minimum. Only my wife, cook, two footmen and me are present. All the others have chosen to spend these awful days in their families. Hopefully that doesn't pose a problem?"

"Of course not, Jonas. They did well. It's always better facing dire hours with one's family around you. My escort will use the servant's quarter in the basement, please ask cook to prepare a hefty meal for my men. We have traveled a long distance and we leave next morning at the earliest hour."

Jonas, Mr. And Mrs. Gardiner's butler, looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Some news from the Master and his family?"

"Yes indeed" said Mr. Bennet. "Your master and his wife are still in Derbyshire where they are guests of Mr. Darcy at Pemberley. My wife and Kitty are en route to join them with the Gardiner children. We all believe that they will be better protected there in the North than here in London..."

"That's good news, Sir. Let us hope they will soon be able to come back..."

"Let's hope, Jonas, but do not allow yourself too much of it! The situation is dire and the French came ashore with quite a lot of troops. We must fear that our army will not be able to stop them. Even if we had six Xenophon, they would still outnumber us, my dear Jonas"

Jonas who was, as Mr. Bennet, a History enthusiast, could only open wild eyes. Rumors had spread all over Town but never in such a size...

Mr. Bennet shot an eye toward Kervadec before frowning at the butler.

Jonas became immediately his old self.

"What do you want to eat, Sir. Our larder is full since I decided to be prudent at the first bad news... And good thing I did it, the Town is now the lair of thieves and swindlers who hoard things and sell them at unbearable prices."

"Then serve us what has chances to spoil if not soon eaten, Jonas. We can run no risk, it could be that what's in these larders is all what will be available for a very long time..."

Jonas made a bow and quited the parlor.

As soon as the butler was outside Kervadec looked up and smiled.

"Nice try" said he. "But we have heard about Xenophon and his ten thousand Greeks. D'Arcy gave us a few history lessons. You're lucky that the number of troops is an information he wants us to spread. Otherwise I would have been forced to kill this poor man..."

Mr. Bennet looked at Kervadec with exasperation in his eyes.

"So he gives also history lessons to his sergeants, this d'Arcy. Is there a thing he does not do?"

Kervadec nodded.

"Loosing, Sir! Never saw him in that sort of the business!"

They left two hours before sunrise.

The trip to Rosings would take a great part of the day but well rested and well fed, the twelve men under Kervadec's command were quite satisfied with their sergeant and their host.

"Found your letters" said Kervadec as soon as they were out of Town.

"Had no doubt you would find some" replied Mr. Bennet. "But perhaps there are a few of them you did not find."

"Could be, Sir! But if I didn't find them, nobody will and it comes to the same..."

"You're probably right, sergeant. What's you exact role in d'Arcy forces?"

"Security and protection, Sir. I'm the one who will be shot in place of d'Arcy if bad comes to worst."

He looked at Edward Bennet and shot him a smile.

"Or, with my luck, I'll be the poor sod responsible for the safety of my Master's wife..."

"That's quite a job, sergeant."

"I'm quite good at it, Sir. Got seven Muslims before they even saw the Old Man. Seems I have an astute eye for the approaching danger..."

Mr. Bennet gave him a fatherly pat.

"Be reassured sergeant, Jane is the most shy and reserved of all my daughters. You should have no problems to protect her if I should avail myself to accept a French invader as my son in law..."

"Glad to hear it, Sir. But obviously you're not speaking of the right daughter. The daughter I mean is the girl who attacks Highwaymen with a staff and a frown..."

"Never would Jane do such a thing..."

"Blond one ? Blue eyes ? A smile like a sun ray ?"

"Yes, that's Jane, but..."

"That's the one, Sir. Staff and frown and everything..."

"You must be kidding! Never would she..."

Next chapter: Courting tiger...