Pride and Prejudice FF

Unbreakable Bonds

Previously:

"They would have enough as it is." Richard stood up. "You can finish the meal alone. I am finished...especially seeing as how any company that invited us have had no decency to show up." The gentleman walked out the door in spite of the protests of his 'poor wife'.

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Ch. 21

Richard had sat at his desk after lunch, not knowing whether to fume or cry. The necklace he had put out as a test, the one he thought for sure would still be securely in place, had indeed been taken and a false one put in its place. Someone had to have either picked the lock or had been hiding in the shop without his knowledge. He would have sent for Mr. Bradley to see if anything else had been taken, but for now, Mr. Rhy had simply locked his shop up early and gone over the most expensive jewelry sets before heading home.

The gentleman had weighed his options, thought about who did—and did not—have motivation, and came to the decision that he needed to discuss things with his main investor. And that was his mother, Lady Rhy. Richard had planned on doing it privately, only to find—to his surprise—his brother's carriage in front of his mother's home.

Climbing down from his own, his foot had barely touched the ground when his brother came out. That did not surprise Richard. Baron Rhy's frown did.

"What is wrong? Is mother ill?"

"She is well enough," the Baron drew close and spoke low. "Mind telling me how this…" He held out a brass necklace with a very expensive pendant hanging from its chain. "Got up to Kendal? And not on a member of any of our relations? I should not have had to buy our mother's wedding present from father back for her."

"Why look at me? I certainly have not been selling off family heirlooms. The fact is my store has been robbed; I was just coming to discuss the matter with mother."

"When was it robbed?"

"Last night and again today," Richard set his jaw. "And do not go blaming Patricia; she was with me both times."

"I do not blame her… directly," Baron Rhy's jaw remained as if set in stone. "But that wife of yours allows questionable characters into your home, and if you know you do not, you are blind. Now, I highly suggest you go have that talk with mother, for she has news for you that you are not expecting."

The Baron began walking towards the main house. His long strides held power in them, and his cape would have waved in the wind—had it been blowing—instead, it only swayed. It was only when he veered slightly off course did his brother realize Lord Rhy was most likely going to talk to the groundskeeper. Richard ignored where his brother and went inside his mother's home.

"Are you going somewhere?" Richard asked as he saw boxes stacked near the door and traveling bags nearby, including his mother's companion's.

"Yes, your brother is now insisting I move down to Derbyshire, which is closer to his second estate. And, since I now have a granddaughter in that same county and daughters are either in the same county or within a four days' drive, I see no reason to say no," Lady Rhy scrunched up her nose. "Even if it does mean there is a high chance 'that' woman will decide it is her duty to visit me. Though, from the last letter I received, Mr. Bennet may have spared me that headache."

"I will be the only one in the family left in Bath?"

"Quit your whining and wake up. You are a man with two grown children. You and your brother have better health than most Englishmen, even though your middle brother will probably not last out this year." When her youngest went to protest, Lady Rhy held up her hand. "You know I speak the truth, so deal with it. I am taking anything of value that I care about. Anything I leave behind is your and Patricia's."

"She may have anything here. Anything I am interested in is already in the main house, I will double-check when I go back inside to see if there is anything that I should send down to my brother's home for you." Richard informed his mother of what had occurred in town and sighed when Lady Rhy had the same reaction as his brother. "But Patricia was with me both times, Mother."

"I came to the conclusion long ago, after watching the house from my location, it is not so much your wife that is the biggest issue-it is the friends she keeps. There needs to be a serious change."

Their talk had actually taken longer than Richard had anticipated, for Lady Rhy's companion had also complained about how Mrs. Rhy had accused her of stealing jewelry from the main house. "I have never stolen a day in my life." The woman then explained it had only been upon the Baron's appearance and questions that her own good name had been cleared. It was their long talk winding down which allowed the Baron's return to coincide with Richard helping the coachman load the women's items onto the carriage.

"As much as I hate to admit it," Richard sighed, "it is probably a good thing Mother is going with you."

"Are you admitting we are correct about your wife and, or her friends?"

"I do not believe Patricia is stealing from us," Richard shook his head. "However, even I am seeing her friends are not so great. I will have a serious conversation with her tonight."

"I would suggest you talk to Mr. Hartung and his new help before you do. You might be surprised at what you hear." The Baron then pointed out that Richard really needed to take the time to think, really think… especially if his place in Bath was now being robbed.

"What does that have to do with the talk here this evening?" Richard was honestly confused.

"For someone who has been quite successful in business, you are being extremely dense," the Baron climbed up by the driver. "Seriously, stop and think about your old place of business in York and this one." He then had his coachman drive up, leaving Richard alone to walk up to Mr. Hartung's office by himself.

A candle was casting its light around the room and out the window as Mr. Rhy stepped up to the door and knocked. The gentleman could see Mr. Hartung sitting at his desk talking to another gentleman wearing a gardener's jacket, with white hair, grizzled face, and a somewhat toothless grin. The second gentleman stood up and answered the door.

"Why hello, Mr. Rhy, did not expect to see ya this evenin'." The man spoke with a slight accent and did not stand straight.

"My brother suggested I come talk to you both, though I must confess I am a bit lost as to why I need to talk to a groundskeeper and his help about my place of business being robbed today."

"I think you had best sit down, Sir." Mr. Hartung pointed to a barrel. It was only when his boss was doing so did the head groundskeeper point to his help and speak again. "This man's real name is Mr. Brackenridge, and he is working with the English law."

"Why is he here?" Mr. Rhy heard, quite literally, a sound of ringing in his head but tried to ignore it. "Surely, you do not think my wife has anything to do with it."

"That, I confess, I was unsure about at first." The man's accent completely disappeared as he had been raised in England after his Scottish father had met an early demise. "However long it may have taken us, we have gathered enough that your wife has been taken off the list." He was not surprised when Mr. Rhy looked relieved. "However, we still suspect Mr. Wayne Tyler of being the head of a smuggling ring. We are not convinced his niece is aware of what is really going on. Nonetheless, at the very least, he is using her and your wife as a means to gain access to places. However, I could be wrong…" He held up his hand when Richard went to speak. "We saw his niece enter your house just now. I need to speak to at least Rosie without risking Mr. Tyler interfering with our conversation." His eyes conveyed more—a great deal more.

"I will send the young lady out here on a believable errand," Mr. Rhy stood up. "And I will have a discussion with my wife."

Richard felt sick to his stomach. He wanted to dismiss what the gentleman had said, to think Patricia had been gullible enough to be sucked in by such a group, but even he had to admit his old place of business had been doing extremely well until he had remarried.