AU Pride and Prejudice

Fan Fiction

Blindsided

Previously:

After taking care of that, she stepped back from where she had put the items. Lady Catherine began again shaking her head. "Mrs. Gunnarsson..." She spoke as if her daughter's brother's wife were in the room with her. "You are a bigger fool than I thought. You are so obsessed with finding your idea of riches that, if I am correct in my thinking, you very well may overshot the mark and handed a gold mine to the Bennets in the process." The dear lady shook her head all the way to supper.

Trouble

Ch. 21

The storms had let up, but the skies remained dark. Thomas would have preferred to stay a few more days with Avar Barnes, as he was beginning to feel slightly ill. Howevr, he could tell that Emmaline was wishing to continue on, though she had not actually said those words. He figured he would be fine to make it to Lady Catherine's. Therefore, he bid his friend goodbye and helped his wife up into the carriage.

"Be careful, my friend." Avar shook Mr. Bennet's hand. Emmaline's husband was also seated in the carriage. "One of my servants, John Dale, just came in this morning and said he had seen carriages having accidents along roads where none had occurred before. He said the road conditions over the past week had been causing them. It might be wise to have a spare wheel in case your wheels get stuck. If you wish, my butler has family close to Lady Catherine's own place; they have been asking him to come visit. He could ride up with Stephan."

Mr. Bennet and Stephan both caught the underlying message loud and clear. Someone was out there causing the accidents. They willingly took Mr. Barnes up on his offer and soon enough Stephan had a side driver with two pistols concealed beneath his long coat.

Emmaline might have caught the same message, but she was tired and simply happy to be heading to visit the only mother she had now. It helped that Anne welcomed her more than most of her blood sisters did. Therefore, Mrs. Bennet's actions of closing her eyes to get some rest caused her to miss that Stephan was not alone in where he sat.

The carriage rattled along the road as the dark and cloudy sky loomed over them. Mrs. Bennet had fallen asleep, as her night dreams had kept her from sleeping much. Now, her body simply insisted on shutting down. Mr. Bennet counted his wife being able to sleep as a blessing, as he was able to look out the window and help keep an eye out for trouble without causing alarm to Emmaline.

Stephan and Dale were just as alert as Thomas, their eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of trouble. Their pistols would be easy enough to access if needed, and a rifle resting on each of their laps showed they were not unprepared to defend themselves if necessary.

"Something has to be up." Dale spoke low to Stephan. "This stretch to Rosings Park is not usually this infested with men attempting to rob people. And when our fellow countrymen are being stopped, the thieves are being mighty picky on what they take."

Stephan said nothing, nor did Bennet, who had sharper hearing than one might think for a man who was not in his twenties anymore. What he had heard bothered him, but he also felt relief. If they were stopped, nothing would be found, as they had already sent Emmaline's things to Rosings Park.

Thinking of Lady Catherine's home was not an option, as they approached a bend in the road. Stephan, his extra help, and Mr. Bennet saw two men standing in the middle of the road, waving their arms and shouting. They looked like they were in distress.

Stephan spoke low to Dale and Mr. Bennet, who had concealed a gun himself without telling Emmaline. "Get ready. I recognize one of those men. I thought he was in prison. If he is here, they are going to try to hold us up. I would rather prevent that." He told Mr. Bennet to drop the curtains and not to use his own pistol unless absolutely necessary. "Which I doubt you will, not with me recognizing Brad."

Mr. Bennet did as he was told, but only because Emmaline had awakened. "Be quiet." Thomas held up a finger as he closed the curtains and then held her close. "Let the others take care of this."

The two strangers in the road came closer to the carriage. One was clean-shaven and wore dark clothing, the other's beard was unkempt and light brown. Both were smiling and thanking them for stopping. However, both were shocked when they found the men's guns pointing at them. "What have we done? We have been stranded for a couple of days. We just need some water and a bit of food."

"You never get stranded, Brad." Stephan's voice shocked the one with the unkempt beard. He had not expected anyone to recognize him with facial hair. "We have no extra food for lying vagabonds." There were more words exchanged, and Brad's partner made the mistake of pulling a gun on the driver, only to find himself falling seconds later.

"Want to join him?" Dale asked, when it looked as if Brad was contemplating doing the same thing.

"No, but..." He glared at Stephan. "There will be others. They are being paid well to find the Gunnarsson treasure."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Dale growled before Stephan could reply. "If there is any treasure to be found, it is certainly not with us. I am sure our driver can attest to that."

"I would suggest you steer clear of Matilda Gunnarsson." Stephan looked straight at Brad. "She seems nothing but trouble." With a few more exchanges, the robber was left behind to question whether or not he was better off leaving other men to Mrs. Gunnarsson's hunt.

Time rolled on and, fortunately for them, while other men attempted to stop them, Dale and Stephan's sharp and steady eyes and cool heads kept them out of trouble, though- sadly, they did end up having to shoot one more man. It helped that they had ordered the Bennets to stay out of sight.

"That Gunnarsson lady has your names out. I can talk us out of anything as long as you are not seen and Dale goes along with anything I say."

It was Dale and the Bennets, following Stephan's words, that allowed them to get past and out of more than one possible disastrous trap. Just as they thought they had made a safe trip, they turned a corner and heard a loud crack. The carriage lurched to one side and then came to a halt. Stephan and Dale jumped off their seats and inspected the damage. They saw that one of the wheels had broken and the axle had bent. They cursed under their breaths and wondered how they would fix it.

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet heard the commotion and opened the carriage door. They asked what had happened and if they could help. Stephan and Dale explained the situation and apologized for the inconvenience. They said they would try to repair the wheel, but it would take some time.

Mr. Bennet decided to get out of the carriage and stretch his legs. He was feeling cramped and stiff and he wanted to see how far they were from Rosings Park. Thankfully, lights from Lady Catherine's home shone out in the evening sky. So, while the wheel took far longer than he would have liked, mostly due to the fact that it had begun raining hard and the temperatures were extremely cold, they were able to get to Rosings Park.

Lady Catherine saw the carriage roll up and was delighted that they had made it safely. Her butler opened the door, allowing the four to enter. No one expected anything but to go warm up by the fire. But just as Mr. Bennet closed the door, he fell to the ground.

"Thomas!" Emmaline screamed, throwing English formalities out the window, caring only about the man who married her against the customs of his country. And who had not only quickly won her respect, but now had her heart bound to his.