AU Pride and Prejudice

Fan Fiction

Previously

"Yes, Mother." Mary's change of what she called her father's new wife shouted which side had won the war that had been fought inside herself; an act that made her father smile just as much as it did Emmaline.

Blindsided

Earl and Maja's Visit

Ch. 15

Dark clouds had been pouring down bucket loads of water all morning long. Emmaline, with the help of some of the servants, had put up the last of the dried fruit and vegetables for the winter. She had already placed herbs in jars and stored them in cold, damp spaces, along with tinctures she had learned to make from an Asian lady when she was fourteen. Now, with all the preparations done, Mrs. Bennet felt as if she may as well have come in waddling into the parlor, rather than walking, even though she was not really all that far along with their firstborn child and, in truth was not showing any outward signs of being in the family way.

"You must be very pleased with yourself. I soon will be as big as pig in the middle and will be waddling like a duck into our parlor. I hope our child will not inherit your wit and humor, or we shall have no peace in the house." Emmeline pretended to pout as if she did not share the same humor as her husband.

Her remark only served to make Thomas laugh. He stood up from where he had been reading the paper, walked over to her, and wrapped his arms around her middle. He replied with a chuckle, "My sweet Emmaline, you will be as graceful as a duck in the air. And most assuredly, you will soon be as round as a pig in the middle. I hope our child will inherit your charm, wit and intelligence, or we shall have no joy in the house."

The two might have continued to joke around about the changes her figure would take on due to the child she now carried, but one of the servants entered the parlor. "Mr. Bennet, Lord Jay William and Lady Maja have just arrived, along with their children."

"I had no idea they were coming. Did you know?" Mrs. Bennet asked her husband.

"No, but I did tell Ivar that he and your sister were the only ones that were welcome. To expect your sister to come without her husband would be absurd, so as long as that wife of Mr. Gunnarsson's is not with them, I will not send them away." Turning to the servant, Mr. Bennet told the man to show the couple and their family in.

Lord William was only a few inches taller than his wife. His countenance, to those who had not met him before, would not have drawn attention. They simply would have labeled him a jovial man with well-behaved children. His wife's sister, however, could not help but sit in shock. This was not the same gentleman who had attempted to get her to marry him - something she managed to say tactfully.

"No, no, I am not." Lord Jay grinned widely. "And I owe that all to you and my wife."

"Your wife I understand, but me? What have I to do with anything?"

"That lecture you gave me over my behavior?" Sir Jay shook his head. "That was harsh. Far harsher than anyone ever had the nerve to hand out to me. And you were supposed to be the quiet, timid sister."

"Well…" Mrs. Bennet ignored her husband's amused look. He knew how brave she could get when in her comfort zone. "You needed to hear it. Your behavior towards me was beyond rotten."

"Yes, so it was. And, yes, I did need to hear it," Maja's husband agreed. "And your sister." He turned to give a very tender smile to Maja. "She has been showing me more patience and love than I ever thought possible, more than I deserve. So, that roving eye everyone accused me of having…it quit looking anywhere but at her. And these children…" He grinned at the young man and lady sitting quietly in chairs next to their parents. "They are products of a very lovely woman." Sir Jay then casually asked if Mr. Bennet minded going to his library to talk. "As much as I adore my wife, and admire yours, I am in dire need of man talk."

"In other words, get away from the talk of babies and household chores," Maja laughed. Her husband grinned and was happy when Mr. Bennet was more than willing to oblige him.

Lord William did not speak as he followed Mr. Bennet down the hall, nor did he pay attention to any of the women's joking around about their husbands. The Earl was only interested in talking privately to Mr. Bennet. It was for that reason that he did not stop walking until they reached Thomas' library.

"Please be seated," Mr. Bennet said as he shut the door and sat down himself. "What is it you wish to talk about?"

"Matilda," Maja's husband replied, dropping any jovial pretense. "I could not bring myself to show anything but a light mood to your wife, I did not want this visit marred by any mention of Ivar's wife. And for that I am truly sorry. Please, do not think me a liar for doing so."

"What is that female pulling now?"

"I do not know, but her actions are too disconcerting to ignore. Even Maja has noticed it, even with us living on the outskirts of London. We discussed things and decided our best bet was not to mention this trip to anyone, but just to show up. She would keep quiet on the topic and keep Mrs. Bennet busy while you and I talked."

"So, what actions are so disturbing that you came here unannounced?"

"First, tell me, is it true that you made a trip to London, without Maja's sister? And that Ivar's wife pretended to care about her well-being? Maybe even convinced Ivar to ask when they could come visit?"

"Yes, it is true. I gave them a resounding no to that woman coming to my house." Thomas folded his arms and leaned back as his wife's sister's husband began to open up.

"Ever since she succeeded in getting my wife, and yours, out of the main house, she has been scouring it from top to bottom, rummaging through every single drawer, nook and cranny she could get hold of. Good gracious, one of the servants, who came to our place without telling Mrs. Gunnarsson, said that she had even gone up to the attic - a place she had always avoided like the plague." The Earl clasped his own hands and set them on his knees. "She has been going through every private building they have on the Gunnarsson estate, doing the same thing to them as she did to the main house. I believe she is still going through them, as that estate is quite large. Crumb, she even came to our place and - behind my wife's back - rummaged through Mrs. Williams' personal belongings."

"She wanted to come here to go through our possessions?" Thomas was more than a little appalled. "What is she looking for?"

"I do not know. But if Emmaline brought anything with her, you need to be aware of a few things." When asked what they were, Lord William firmly replied, "First, do not tell me. I wish to remain in the dark. I do my best to be strong, but I honestly cannot say I would not break. Second, do not tell Maja. She has a good heart, but - miracle of miracles - even at her age, we have found her to be expecting. I have no desire for her to be under that kind of pressure should Matilda find out. Third, talk to your wife without telling her what I have just told you. See if you can figure out what Mr. Gunnarsson's wife is after. I fear her sights will turn back to your wife when she cannot find what she is looking for north of London."

"First, I am sorry, while I am willing to talk to my wife, I will not keep her in the dark. Second, do you think it would really surprise her? Third, do you think Mrs. Gunnarsson will try to harm Mrs. Bennet?"

"I am sorry, I guess that female has me rattled more than I realized. You are correct, your wife should not be kept in the dark, nor would she be surprised. As to your question, I am not inclined to think so. If she had been, there would have been no need to pit the family against her own husband." Sir Jay confessed. "But her actions of late are so questionable I cannot really say. What I do know is those same stunts are the reason I made this trip. I realize, money-wise, you are not a rich man. Yes, you are faring better with my wife's sister's ability to live within your means, and her skills of reusing what is already on hand, but that is not enough to hire any…shall we say, extra help?"

"You mean guards."

"More like guard, as in one, as stated, I am not - at this point- thinking it is your wife who Matilda is after, but more of what your wife may possess. So, I am thinking for you to take a 'hard-luck' case on as a servant, let people think you are being overly generous. I will have paid him ahead of time, in ways that are untraceable."

"Are you sure you want to do that? It may end up costing you a pretty penny." Mr. Bennet knew good guards were not inexpensive.

"Both her sister and I are in your wife's debt more than she realizes." The Earl smiled wide. "While I am not convinced that I can afford two without going over my accounts without others knowing; I know I can afford one and others remain ignorant."

The men might have continued, but a very loud "EMMALINE!" coming out of Maja's mouth caused the men to rush down the hallway in fear, thinking, maybe, the Earl had been wrong this whole time and the trip had been made too late. However, they men only found tears rolling down Mrs. Bennet's face, as her shoulders shook with laughter.

"What is going on?" Mr. Bennet demanded to know once his heart stopped racing a mile a minute.

"Did my sister really threaten to make you…" Maja looked straight at her husband, "an involuntary eunuch?"

"She did. I may have deserved it." Lord Jay grinned and nodded his head. Mr. Bennet said nothing, only the muscles under his eyebrows moved up as if to say 'really?' as he looked at his wife.

"Do not look at me like that, Lord Jay just confessed he had it coming, and he was being a scoundrel. He flirted with me in a most ungentlemanly manner, and I do not know why my sister is throwing such a fit…" Emmaline could have held her tongue, probably ought to have, but she did not. Instead, she glanced at her own flat belly knowing how quickly its shape would change and then at all three. "It is not like I cracked the code of that particular mystery; a fact you, Mr. Bennet, can attest to."

"EMMALINE!" Once again Maja emphasized her sister's name, appalled at Mrs. Bennet's remark. Only big sister could not get Mr. Bennet to chastise his wife; the man had fallen into a chair from laughing so hard.