NON-CANON, AU GENERAL REGENCY

NOTE: *NOTE: *Sunburst Ruby Choker as I know is purely fictional and is NOT real. This event did NOT ever take place. And if anything close to it did occur it is honestly a freakish coincedence.

Hearts in Hiding

Previously:

"I would not suggest trying to move," Mr. Clark warned, his voice cold and steady. The suspense hung thick in the air as a gunshot rang out.

Thieves Caught and Talk with the Marquess

Ch. 23

"How lucky can one get?" Mr. Smith asked as they put Mr. Jacobs in chains, along with Mr. Scott and Mr. Moore, while someone else bandaged Robert's arm with clean bandages from the cottage. "Mr. Clark, you get shot at close range and get nothing more than a flesh wound."

"I was blessed indeed." He ignored Mr. Jacobs threatening to find Mr. Clark after this and get revenge. "I take it there will be no problem with me taking my old name, profession, and looks back?" He grinned as the trio were hauled off by Mr. Smith's associates.

"I doubt it, but you will need to talk to the Marquess about that." Mr. Smith shook his head. "Still say you are in the wrong profession."

"As to the Marquess, I figured as much. Past that… deal with it."

It was only after Mr. Smith and Mr. Clark got some sleep that they traveled to London and met with the Marquess, who, by then, Mr. Clark was told, was named Jonathan Boyden. And that he was to meet them in an office in the Palace of Westminster.

"And once inside, you can ask about the name thing."

The two men entered a set of doors, walked through an open foyer, and down a set of multiple stairs to another open foyer. Mr. Smith introduced Mr. Clark to a few men, but only after instructing Robert to simply nod and not speak. It was only after the gentleman had knocked on an office door and was told to come in did he and Robert disappear from sight of anyone in the outer foyer.

"Lord Boyden, this is Mr. Clark better known to his friends as Thomas C. Bennet."

Mr. Bennet looked around. High ceilings were adorned with intricate moldings, and walls were lined with rich, dark wood paneling that exuded an air of authority. Tall windows were draped with heavy velvet curtains which allowed streams of light in. Bookshelves filled with leather-bound volumes lined more than one wall. And behind one very large, simple decorated desk, sat Lord Boyden, his dark hair and business-shaped beard giving him a commanding presence. Faint silver strands were beginning to show in his hair, adding a touch of distinguished wisdom.

"Great to meet you, please, take a seat." Turning to Mr. Smith the gentleman spoke again "You can leave now Mr. Smith." There was no room for argument in his tone. "We will talk later." It was only when the lawman was gone did the Marquess lift up the thin book. "Has Mr. Jones been told? And did he really not know what was going on?"

"Yes. he has been told." Mr. Bennet sighed. "No, he had no idea his second wife got caught up in the smuggling ring. And while Mrs. Erickson's sharp mind caught many things, I fear she may have missed the mark on Mrs. Jones; at the very least I can say I am unsure she is as gullible as people claim. I guess that is for the courts to decide."

"Tell me straight, is it true you have no interest in the law as a profession?"

"It is true. 'And I really do wish to go back to my birth name."

"Considering who you just helped to apprehend, I think that is wise for both you and your family." Lord Boyden took stock of Mr. Bennet and chuckled. "May I surmise there will be no problem with a haircut, shave, and change of attire? After the trial, that is; one that will be closed to the public. We cannot risk your family or friends finding out you are in London."

"There will be no problem. I am curious as to why you kept in the shadows."

"Staying out of sight was in the hopes of not scaring Mr. Jacobs off. He is very well aware of my family." Lord Boyden asked if it were true Mrs. Erickson had promised herself to Mr. Bennet.

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Is there anything you wish to ask about her background?"

"Tell you what?" Thomas leaned back and took on the look of a father patiently teaching his own child. "You ask the questions, and I will hand out the answers."

"You know her background? You know whole truth?" The marquess shook his head in disbelief already knowing the answer as soon as it had been asked.

"Mrs. Erickson, as soon as it was clear my proposal was sincere, told me everything. There are no secrets between us. I think it is one reason the group -in the end- wished to frame her. I think they had begun to suspect who she really was." Mr. Bennet leaned forward his smile turned flat. "Certain people shall we say are ...acting the parts of fools very well. If by letting them have all those jewels, and other pieces of smuggled merchandise, stops a war with Sweden, let them have it. I have no interest in any of it. I am... now... far more concerned about Mrs. Erickson and her daughter. Seems to me they are the ones worth fighting over."

"What of the lands, the gold. By law they should go to you."

"I could care less; it is all in Sweden. Though I must confess, Mrs. Erickson and I both are curious as to why that piece of jewelry is causing so much ruckus."

"The... Crimson Heart... along with... other jewels... were in hiding for safety. However those men stole what you all recovered And they were not simply a collection of valuable items. They were significant due to diplomatic agreements between our country and Sweden."

"How?"

"They were part of a dowry for a marriage alliance for a prominent Swedish family of nobility that is to marry into an influential English family; sorry, I am not at liberty to say which one. It would ensure mutual support and cooperation for both our countries."

"No wonder those items were wanted back so badly. Jewelry is so important to one's ability to survive." Thomas's eye-rolling tone could not be missed; Lord Boyden ignored it.

"Yes, the theft of the jewels has jeopardized the alliance. The Swedish royal family viewed the theft as a deliberate act of sabotage by factions within our country. They believed the marriage could not proceed without them. I feared that tensions and accusations would rise if they were not found. It took a lot of fancy footwork to keep things on an even keel this past year to keep everything from blowing up. It could have very well lead the Swedish government to see it as an act of hostility, leading to a threat of war if those things had gone missing much longer."

"So you went full throttle in getting men to recover the stolen jewels though you knew the truth of those items."

"Yes, with the Crown's full approval. I could not risk opening up to the men working under me; I doubted they would believe me. And when I found out they had not listened to Mrs. Erickson that proved me right, also made me furious. And when other information came in from other sources it only made it even more important we get all those items back. They- our king and queen- are now ecstatic to have gotten those items back to Sweden." Lord Boyden could not help but crack up laughing when the gentleman groaned and begged him not to let the Crown give him a title.

"I just want to go home to my family and Longbourn. I want to see Mrs. Erickson her daughter, Miss Emma, and my own daughters again. I told you; we are to marry after this mess is over."

The Marquess leaned back, drummed his fingers on a book in front of him and confessed what he had told Mr. Smith and the other men had been told was a cover story -one even the smugglers believed. "You said you talked. She told you everything?" When told yes, Lord Boyden let out a long sigh. "Did she also inform you Matthew is not her brother. And, no, Mr. Smith does not know that."

"I told you we had no secrets. Nonetheless, even she was confused how you had pulled that one off."

"Mr. Jones did have a sister and yes, Mr. Smith was not raised around his cousins."

"What happened to her?"

"Christianna Brigitta...died and Mrs. Erickson resembles her enough we were able to pass her off as Mr. Jone's sibling. Matthew Jones was ordered by the Crown—via me—to keep his mouth shut. His second wife was clueless as she had never been around the lady in the first place."

"So, basically, I cannot tell anyone what I know because everyone around us would call us idiots or, worse, crazy. And on top of things her own life would be in danger."

"That...or at the very least they would say you and I were flat out lying. It is not believable and so forth. There is no way she would have had to work and so forth. And yet, it is all true, for truth is often stranger than fiction. And, yes, her life would be in danger. They are all safe enough as their names were all changed upon entering the country and Mrs. Erickson seldom speaks her birth tongue, and her son refuses to speak it out of strong resentment against his birth father, and Emma has only recently begun learning to Swedish." Lord Boyden asked about the children.

"Emma remembers nothing, or very little, of her father, and Brandon-as you just stated- harbors nothing but resentment. He never mentioned the name change; and the way he acted, I dare say he is far more concerned about his mother than anything else. I am wondering what the young man will think of Mrs. Erickson marrying me."

"I dare say the only thing he cares when it comes to you is that you do not treat his mother like something the dog drug in. He admires you for admitting your faults but doing things to correct them. I am sure if you keep a roof over his mother's head, clothes on her back, and food on the table without her having to fight for it, her son would continue to support you."

"I most certainly will do that, and more."

"And as to your remark about a title," the Marquess grinned wide again. "You are fortunate the one called Brigitta Erickson has no interest in that, and the majority of her family believes her to be dead. However, the money I hold for her is nothing to sneeze at and I will insist on adding to Longbourn's land; those two things you cannot escape. Her parents, though ancient; are among the few who know her to be alive and have kept their mouths shut. Therefore, they would have my hide if I allowed her to live on a 'mere' five hundred acres.

"She was living in a three-bedroom cottage, what is the difference?"

"If it were not for your joking tone, and your knowledge of how big that estate's property was, I would think that question was serious." Lord Boyden rolled his eyes but confessed he had left off telling her parents about the cottage part. "At this part I am just grateful Emma's instincts-young as that child is- kept her mouth shut to her piano teacher shall we say. " He then leaned back. "We will talk more about Mrs. Erickson after the trial and you are back to going by Mr. Bennet to those around you." Lord Boyden rose to his feet and tacked "Make sure you are wearing a nice suit when you arrive at Longbourn, you will need it."

"If that is all, I will leave."

"There is one more thing. And what I am about to tell you definitely is for your ears only. Mrs. Erickson may have this knowledge, she may not; I gave a book to her son after he left home. I do not know if the young man has discussed its contents with his mother, or not." Again the man began talking about the Crimson Heart. but this time with a different twist and ended with saying, "So, you see, I was not joking...what we are returning to Sweden has been witnessed in Parliament by officials from both countries as the real deal. It will keep any blood bath from occurring. You - outside a very small circle- now know the truth." The marquess' eyes told Thomas far more than his mouth did.