AU Pride an Prejudice

Fan Fiction

For Clarissa's Sake

*My research claimed women in regency England- as a general rule were discouraged from attending funerals.

Previously

Thomas prayed that his wife still alive, that they would reach her in time. If the Viscount was not above ordering a kidnapping he was not above leaving a person to die. That thought caused the realizaton Baron's Grey's were true...Clarissa's father's words were true..he would be dead by the time Mr. Bennet and Clarissa returned. Nonetheless, Mr. Bennet could not focus on the Baron needed to focus -with the men -on getting Mrs. Bennet back; preferablly still with the breath of life in her.

Reunited and a Funeral

Ch. 16

Mr. Bennet and his men followed a tunnel that led them to the sound of muffled voices. They hastened their steps, careful not to step on any debris or broken boards. They arrived at a large chamber, where they spotted Clarissa bound to a wooden post, with two armed men guarding her. Luckily, the guards were looking the wrong way. This gave them a chance to advance further into the tunnel.

Mr. Bennet and his men wished they could surprise the enemy, but their torches betrayed their presence. The Viscount's men turned around, shocked to see Bennet leading the group. Wasn't he supposed to be with the Viscount?

The older guard shot first, followed by the younger one. Bennet and his men shot back, and a hail of bullets filled the air. Mr. Bennet and his men hid behind some boulders, while Baron Grey's servants surrounded the enemy from both sides, using other large rocks as cover. The fight was over in minutes; one guard lay dead and the other was too injured to escape. Mr. Bennet ran to free his wife.

Clarissa had concealed her fear from her captors, but when she saw the men either dead or tied up, she flung herself into Mr. Bennet's arms, crying tears of relief.

"Oh, Thomas! I thought I would never see you again!" she sobbed, forgetting that she was not supposed to use his first name in public.

"You are safe now." He whispered, disregarding her slip as trivial under the circumstances. "You were very clever, Mrs. Bennet. Your father told me how you begged them not to take you to these mines, pretending to be terrified of this place. And they fell for it."

"Yes, I did," Clarissa smiled broadly and her tears subsided. "I thought if they brought me here, it would keep me on Longbourn and increase your chances of finding me. I hoped the risk I took would be worth it."

"I am very much relieved you thought of such a thing." Mr. Bennet said, as he carried Clarissa out of the mine. The tunnels were not safe for a lady in a dress; two of the searchers slipped away unnoticed, but they did not go far; they were not about to let the Bennets out of their sight; not until there was a way figured out to bring the Viscount down. And even if they had not, there was a personal vested interest for sticking close by.

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The summer heat was bearable, as it was not in the heat of the day, and the air was blowing just enough to also give aid in feeling as if the temperature had dropped. A few mourners, wrapped in black, gathered around a plain grave on the edge of the town. They stood in silence, their heads bowed, as the vicar read the final prayers for the departed soul.

The deceased was none other than Baron Morgan Grey who, as he had claimed, was no longer breathing upon Mr. Bennet and Clarissa's return. Clarissa had, orginally, begged to be allowed to be present at her father's funeral only Thomas insisted she needed to stay with her mother. Mrs. Bennet had figured it would not be worth the fight to go with her husband, nor would it have shown any respect, hence she had stayed at home.

Lord Grey's sons were not there as their fates were still unknown. Mr. Bingley, Ensign Carter, and Colonel Jansen all were gathered around Mr. Bennet along with male members of the Grey family. A few old army comrades also gathered to pay their respects, but that was all other than the vicar.

Vicar Smith finished his sermon and sprinkled holy water on the coffin. He then offered to let Mr. Bennet say a few words if he so wished, but Clarissa's husband declined. He simply placed the glove on the coffin and nodded slightly. He then stepped back and joined the rest of the mourners.

Lord Grey's coffin was lowered into the grave, and the gravediggers began to fill it with dirt. The mourners watched in silence, as the last traces of their loved one disappeared from their sight. They then slowly dispersed, leaving behind a simple stone with the baron's name and dates engraved on it.

Mr. Bennet was the last to leave. He lingered for a while, gazing at the grave with a mixture of sadness and gratitude. Sad that the baron's slip had cost him his life - something he had no proof of, only instincts -yet grateful the gentleman had cared about Clarissa enough to take a gamble on Mr. Bennet's own change sticking. He also wished he could have thanked the baron properly for his friendship and generosity before Lord Grey had taken his last breath.

Mr. Bennet turned to go towards his carriage only to be stopped by a gentleman he had never seen before who had been led to him by Mr. Darcy. His rustic hair sported a natural wave and he begged to talk to Lord Grey's son-in-law.

Mr. Darcy introduced the gentleman as a, a lawman who - most of the time worked independently of any group, but this time was working with organized law. He then gave details as what had been going on, and the latest bit of news that had come their way.

"Are you both certain? Thomas asked dumbfounded at what he was hearing.

"Yes, we are. Well, we are to a point. We cannot prove any of it; all the information we have been gathering for close to a year- including the latest is not solid, merely rumors or circumstantial at best. Everyone knows one thing without a shadow of a doubt. This Viscount Bruin's guns are set on you. He wants your lands, at least the ones Baron Grey deeded over to your family. The gentleman...a term I think may prove not fitting in this case... was not happy Baron Grey made it to your place before he passed away. He blames you for knowing where Clarissa was. I myself have not ever personally met anyone going by that name, though I have heard of him." Mr. Blake then told some minor thing Mr. Bennet was also being faulted for.

"Fool" Thomas had muttered and then asked what Mr. Blake needed him to do; after also being told the guard Mr. Bennet hired, and who had deserted his post, had been found attempting to flee the country.

"He is having charges pressed for neglecting his duty and allowing Mrs. Bennet to be kidnapped in the first place. Now, as to what we need you do to. It is like this."

Afterwards Mr. Bennet climbed into his own carriage. There was no way he could repeat what had been told him, at least not quite yet. Thomas just hoped what Mr. Blake wanted could be pulled off. It was only after Mr. Darcy and Mr. Blake had left did Thomas notice a man on a thoroughbred with the silver bridle underneath a tree, only this time he noticed a sword by his side; after what he had just been told, he suspected the gentleman also had a gun handy for protection.