P&P FF NON-Canon AU GENERAL REGENCY
"Captain's Concession: A Bennet's Destiny"
NOTE: while I did refuse to let a guest review go through because of what I felt were some personal attacks, I did go make some MINOR edits in ch. 6 (and I mean minor). However, they make a major shift in feel. It puts Mary on the same level as Jane and Elizabeth and not above them, which is how I meant to convey her in the first place; that part of the review I did appreciate)
Previously:
"All I know is...if it is with my power, our father will not go to debtor's prison over a bad investment he made attempting to save Longbourn due to a bad agriculture year that was affecting not only him, but other estates as well."
Jack Meets up with Emil
CH 7
The Hartford Inn was a modest establishment, its newly, redone sign, was swaying gently in the evening breeze. The facade, a patchwork of stone and wood, spoke of years weathering the elements and the comings and goings of countless travelers. As Emil entered, the warm glow from oil lamps cast a welcoming light across the low-beamed ceiling, and the scent of roasted meat and fresh bread filled the air.
Emil had planned on being in Meryton by nightfall. Alas, a broken carriage wheel and a coachman dying without warning had changed his plans. Hence, he had sent a post to his uncle, and Mr. Bennet, telling them both about the change of plans.
The inn's common room was not overly large, but it buzzed with the quiet murmur of patrons. The captain now sat at a table near the hearth where a fire crackled, its flames dancing merrily and casting a warm, flickering light. His dark blue coat, sturdy and well-made, was draped over the back of the chair on which the gentleman sat. His vest was a solid color with no flashy color or pattern. The buttons it sported were made of bone simply because they tended to last longer than others worn by younger, less-experienced sailors.
Emil's linen shirt was comfort and breathable. It had been great to wear while out at sea, and the man saw no reason to change just because his legs had taken him inland. Captain Pedersen only wore a cravat when necessary and, considering his uncle as a stickler for those stupid things, he had worn one. However, it was far looser than most land lovers. His trousers shouted they were made for the rigors of a rougher life than one which called for sitting around the table eating tea, biscuits, and other such items.
His tricorn hat sat on the bench next to him, an outline could be seen in an oversized pocket of his vest, and a ring with a seal could be seen on his left hand. Anyone who looked at him easily figured out this was one gentleman who lived, or had lived, most of his life upon open waters. It helped that his hair was longer than most inlanders and was tied back with a simple black ribbon.
"Think you can find a barber now that you're back on land?" Emil's uncle nudged him about his appearance.
"I danne think so. I'm quite attached to my beard and hair. Being on land doesn't change that," Emil replied, brushing off the topic. "So, have ye met Mr. Bennet? What kind of fellow is he?"
"Yeah, I took a little stroll before your letter came. Caught him tending ta his front garden. Mr…" Emil's uncle trailed off, leaving the sentence hanging.
Emil and his uncle quit talking as the innkeeper, though a somewhat portly man with a jolly laugh, making his rounds, making sure his guests were well attended to stopped by their table to see if what he could get them.
"Bread and cheese shall suffice," said the captain speaking with an english dialect only because he had met this man before and, this man had no ear for the Scottish talk and would have been at loss as what to bring them. They waited to converse until the gentleman had departed.
"Alright, to finish my reply. Mr. Bennet seems like a really nice guy. Your letter's got him feeling all sorts of ways," Jack leaned forward. "I can guess a few things you might be hinting at, my boy. Each one is honorable, in my eyes. Some might doubt the honor of one, but I see them all as such, because I know well the kind of gentleman you've become."
There's a twinkle in yer eye that tells me ye've got something up yer sleeve that ye think I ought to know.
Jack sat back. "Neither he nor I are sure what proposal you're talking about, so you should know about the changes in their family since you left England."
"And what's that?"
"His two oldest girls are now married. Miss Jane Bennet ta a Mr. Charles Bingley, and Miss Elizabeth Bennet to a Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy."
The captain burst out laughing, loud and full. It was a bit rude, sure, but after meeting Mr. Darcy and his aunt, Lady Catherine, he just couldn't help it.
"Mind sharing the joke?"
"Having met Mr. Darcy and his aunt, I can only imagine Lady Catherine's face, all full of scorn, at a Bennet daring enough to marry into her family and take over Pemberley. Sorry about that," Emil said, wiping away his laughter tears. "Havin' met Mr. Darcy and his aunt, I can just picture Lad' Catherine's horrified face at a Bennet bold enough ta marr' into her family and take over Pemberle'."
His uncle only rolled his eyes on picked up where he left off. "Then there's Mary, who's almost nineteen, and her sister, Kitty, who's seventeen. Looks like their youngest sister went and did something silly, and to cut a long story short, Mr. Darcy stepped in ta save the family's honor, and now she's married to a Mr. George Wickham. You'd need to get the full scoop from Mr. Bennet himself."
"I danne need de details. I've heard enough about Mr. Wickham's reputation, and his wife's too. I just danne know she was his daughter," Emil said, curious about his uncle's take on Mrs. Bennet and the daughters still at home.
"Mrs. Bennet's been on edge; word around town is she was quite the handful until her youngest's antics. That seemed to be the wake-up call for her husband to start laying down the law more. Kitty's apparently pulled herself together. But it's Mary who's got everyone talking." Jack filled in why Mr. Bennet's third daughter was the talk of the town, and Emil listened intently. They then mused over the polite but distant interactions between the Bennets during Jack's visit.
"They both knew it wasn't the issue you mentioned in your letter that brought me to their place. I reassured them, when he asked straight up, that I was just enjoying a walk and didn't realize I was so close to their house. And…" He gestured firmly towards Emil. "Whatever you're thinking about, you shouldn't even be entertaining the idea of debtor's jail. Mary's dead set on making sure her dad doesn't end up there; it was clear as day in her look." Jack mentioned he caught a glimpse of the lovely lass as he was leaving.
"Please, dear uncle," Emil leaned in, stressing the word 'please'. "Do ye reall' think I'd come all this wa' just ta doom a man ta such a fate? I could've sent de law ta do that.
Later that night, after dinner and his uncle had gone to bed, Emil stepped outside. His uncle's last words, said out of earshot of anyone else, kept ringing in his head, loud and clear. "I know well the several options you might be hinting at, my boy. Whatever you're planning, debtor's jail can't be part of it. Because his daughter, Mary, is determined her father won't be sent there; I could see it in her eyes, feel it in her posture."
Emil knew the only two real choices the Bennets had, was well aware of the ones he himself had thought about, and now, after talking with his uncle, he felt an even stronger need to have a face-to-face with Mr. Bennet.