AU Pride an Prejudice

For Clarissa's Sake

Fan Fiction

Previously

"I do." Mr. Bennet stepped up to the open door with his own face beaming. He went to say more only a loud boom sounded outside the house, sending Mr. Bennet, and the men servants all out the door. And multiple ones kept them out for a good fifteen minutes trying to locate the source before finally turning around and going back inside."

Kidnapped

Ch. 15

"Good heavens! Where have they carried her off?!" Mr. Bennet cried out half in fury and half in dismay as he turned to his butler who now stood beside the housekeeper and Miss Kitty. "And where are the guards I hired for our security? And what of the watchman at the rear door? How could any scoundrel slip past his notice?"

"They were subdued, sir, at least those who were posted here. I know not what happened to the one at the door. It appears as if he were tempted by some inducement to turn a blind eye and then -I dare say- flee from Meryton." The butler announced loudly from where he was helping one of the injured guards to stand. "The ladies, having no weapons to resist, wisely locked themselves in a room downstairs when they heard some commotion going on up here. They would have been more of a hindrance than a help if they had attempted to come up to the baron's room." The other guard was able to pull himself up at the same time rubbing his head as the butler was giving his reply. Mr. Bennet hurried back down the stairs to the Baroness.

"I do not know." Baron Grey's wife sobbed as she answered, thinking her son-in-law had addressed her, but he had been drawn away before she could finish. "We heard a door slam upstairs, footsteps running, we wished to go up, but we had nothing in which to defend my husband, daughter, or ourselves with."

Mr. Bennet swore under his breath. Those explosions had been a mere ruse to lure the men out of his house. The Viscount had to have been the one to have orchestrated this latest scheme. Dashing up the stairs, he peered into the Baron's room to see if the old man yet lived.

"Find Clarissa…" Baron Grey uttered faintly. "They have not removed her from your lands."

"By what means are you so sure?"

"Because…" The Baron smiled broadly despite his feebleness. "My daughter has more in her than wit and humor." The old baron took as deep a breath as he could and then spoke with difficulty, "Clarissa pleaded with them to take her anywhere but the old mines on the land I granted you. Those fools wickedly laughed and said to one another, as they were departing the room, that if she were so fearful of those mines, that was precisely where they would conceal her." He then spoke even softer. "I will be gone ere you return." The Baron said no more as he shut his eyes.

Mr. Bennet, though he was anxious for his friend - whom he would have deemed dead if not for his faint breathing - and fearful for his wife, could not help but laugh. "Thank heavens for a wife with a clever mind. We have a hope of retrieving her." Thomas did not inquire of Baron Grey the reason for this deed; he thought it was obvious to any sensible person. Thus, he left the Baron to Clarissa's mother, who had just ascended the stairs, and hastened back down to gather the Baron's servants and his own.

"Kitty." Mr. Bennet addressed his only daughter remaining at home. "Assist the Baroness with her husband; I doubt he will survive much longer. The lady will require all the comfort we can offer her. And when Ensign Carter comes, inform him of our destination. Tell him I instructed him to keep his gun ready; I am leaving four men here. So, with the Ensign that will be five men until we return."

"Yes, Father."

88888888

The sun shone brightly, though a few clouds dotted the sky. Mr. Bennet, along with Baron Grey's coachman and footman, and several of his own servants, urged their horses onward. They had been joined by other men, two of whom had been riding night after night keep a closer eye on Mr. Bennet's home and make sure a more reliable man had taken the place of the guard who deserted his post. Now they, and the rest of the search party, knowing from the Baron where Clarissa was likely to be held, did not slacken their pace. The abandoned mine came into view.

The mine was a dismal sight, a dark hole in the side of a hill littered with rubble and debris. The men left their horses and advanced with care and their weapons ready. They were not fools; they knew what perils lurked inside. But they were also resolved to rescue Mrs. Bennet, at any price.

"Follow me." Mr. Bennet whispered, not wishing to alarm the Viscount's men.

As they made their way through the mine, they encountered various creatures that had made their home in the dark and damp place. Some were harmless, such as the beetles that scurried or the moths that fluttered away from their torches. Others were more menacing, such as the rats and spiders that lurked in the shadows. The men tried to ignore them, focusing on finding Mrs. Bennet, but they could not help feeling uneasy and disgusted.

At one point, they heard a loud squeak and a flap of wings above them. They looked up and saw a bat flying towards them, disturbed by their presence. More than one man ducked and swatted at the bat, trying to avoid being bitten. The bat flew away and down another tunnel.

"Darn bats!" A man at the end muttered as another one flew by him.

"Keep your mouth shut!" The baron's coachman hissed. "Do you want to warn the Viscount's men?"

The group walked in silence, alert for any sign of movement or sound. The tunnel twisted and turned, branching off into smaller passages. Mr. Bennet had a rough map of the mine in his pocket, but he knew it was not reliable. He hoped they were going the right way.

He glanced at his companions, who followed him closely. The baron's two servants, the coachman and the footman, looked grim and resolute. They had been loyal to Clarissa ever since she married the baron, and they would not abandon her now. The male servants from Longbourn, who had volunteered to join the rescue party, looked nervous but brave. They had grown fond of Mrs. Bennet, who had treated them well.

Mr. Bennet felt guilty; why had he not anticipated the Viscount's low move? He thought Bruin was a coward to send others to do his dirty work. He also felt guilty for putting the men in danger to help him find Mrs. Bennet.

Thomas prayed that his wife was still alive, that they would reach her in time. He knew the Viscount was capable of leaving a person to die. He realized that if the baron's words were true, he would be dead by the time they returned. But he could not dwell on that; he had to focus on getting Mrs. Bennet back, alive and well.