PP FF

AU NON-Canon GENERAL REGENCY

NOTE: I made a small edit in Ch. 3 to show Janet had made multiple visits to the Bennet home after her first one.

Longbourn's Secret

Previously:

"I am sorry, Mrs. Bingley, all I can say is my cousin has plans that are not immoral or illegal, but ones that I am not at liberty to speak of, though I desperately want to."

Visit to Bennets

CH. 6

Thomas' home on Longbourn was an old-fashioned, but charming, unassuming structure cradled amidst the rolling fields and rich green grass of the estate. The exterior was constructed of old well-worn stone, but still in shockingly good condition. Thus, giving it a rustic charm that blended seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. Its thatched roof, once showing signs of age, had recently been replaced. The front door had also been repainted and now was a soft shade of dark brown and was flanked by small, neatly trimmed hedges and Kitty had added a few potted flowers.

Janet stepped inside, alongside Colonel Fitzwilliam, who -as far as the neighbors were concerned- had come for a casual evening visit. Inside, the home - so, Miss Chapman thought, was a cozy and inviting, feeling.

Its low ceilings and exposed wooden beams spoke of age and history. The main living area had long since been furnished with simple, sturdy pieces, including a well-worn sofa and a wooden dining table that she was convinced had seen multiple family meals.

"I recall a friend of my neighbor saying he helped repair that fireplace." Janet grinned as she looked at the stone fireplace which dominated one of walls. It provided well for the warmth of the Bennet home and was the focal point of the room.

"He did at that. But he about ruined the wall next to it." Laughed Thomas. "I have no one but myself to blame for that, I dare say I distracted him with my humor, and he was not paying attention to where his tool was going." The walls were now adorned with a few modest paintings and family photographs, adding a personal touch to the space.

"I recall Mrs. Bennet burning Christmas dinner in that kitchen one night when I was forced to cross over Longbourn's lands due to a storm." Richard looked over at the kitchen, small though it was -it was efficiently laid out and well-used. Wooden cabinets line the walls, filled with everyday crockery and cooking utensils. A small window above the sink offers a view of the garden outside, where a few herbs and vegetables are grown.

"Most of the time our meals were tolerable." Thomas laughed. "Personally, I think my three oldest are relieved Providence provided them with men who could afford to hire them housekeepers and kitchen staff."

"I recall visiting Jane and Elizabeth bringing me out a meal to eat on my way home and I was having issues with my horse." Richard grinned wide. "I really did appreciate it. I am sorry it happened more than once though; I had to be quite the nuisance."

"You did not come to reminisce about old times." Thomas finally leaned back from where he sat on the sofa. "What did you two really come for? And this time Miss Chapman could not have come to convince my wife and I to allow you to make sure our daughters had doweries, or to set up husbands for them. My wife has passed on and I have but one daughter home who has already told you not to play matchmaker with her." He grinned wide.

"Your books, if you will let us look through them."

"Which ones?" Thomas's forehead muscles caused his eyebrows to raise. "I have quite a few though I seldom have time to read them."

"Anything to do with Longbourn and its history."

"You want to prove my grandfather correct?" Mr. Bennet did his best not to get excited. "Miss Chapman, do you know how hard I used to try to find what you are asking? Do you know how hard I dug though those same books? I found nothing."

"I know, but it is not me that would really be doing the looking. And, well, I must confess I may have some other ideas on how to get it proven. Ones if the Collins knew our plans; they would have a fit."

Thomas grew even more puzzled and asked, "What do you mean and who do you mean by we?"

"My cousin, Miss Olivia Hendricks and I." Janet quickly gave Mr. Bennet a run down on who her cousin was, what she looked like and of the lady's history -and what her parents had said. "She has now started watching your grandson, James; however, it is only until eleven in the morning. I have books over there that need to be gone over; I picked them up from a bookstore in London; the Collins' have no idea I have them. And, truth be told, they may be useless-no telling yet. Anyhow, Miss Hendrick has a sharp eye for clues and such. If your books show anything - anything you may have missed, old family journals included- my money is on hers catching it."

"Why would she be willing to help me? A stranger she is not even related to?"

"Oh, but she is. Her parents just do not know that." Janet ignored the shocked expression on Mr. Bennet's face and explained. "My cousin is into tracing family history and although her parents -mostly due to her father's second wife- ignore it all. Anyhow, Olivia has found your grandfather and her great-grandfather on her mother's side were cousins. And, for reasons my cousin will not tell me, she has an axe to ground with the Collins side of the family. So, yes, she is more than willing to see if what your grandfather said on his deathbed is true. Please, come tomorrow to see us?"

Thomas stood up. "I will get all the books I can think of on the subject, and you are more than welcome to take them to her. When I can get some done with my work tomorrow- I will go meet this cousin of mine."

Kitty, who had heard every word of their conversation, hurried to her room and pulled out a thick book with a very decorative cover on it and took it straight to Janet. "I do not know if this will help or not, and it has not been read in years. However, when Mother passed away, it was given to me. It has information on the Bennets. Who knows, maybe, it has something in it?"

Janet took the thick book. Looking at it the lady thought, on face value, it looked to be nothing more than a family Bible. However, if no other reason as not to hurt Kitty's feelings, she thanked the young lady and figured it would not hurt to let Olivia look at the book. Thomas then came back into the room carrying a box of books.

"I will take this out to your carriage." Thomas noticed the book Kitty had given Miss Chapman, thought pretty much the same thing as the lady had, and simply put his box into the woman's carriage and watched the two drive away. It was only when he turned around did the gentleman see his daughter looking at him in a way that let him know his fourth had something serious on her mind.

"What are you wishing to say?" When Kitty hesitated to speak; her father encouraged her to speak freely. "I have mended my ways, dear Kitty, you know my tongue is not nearly as sarcastic as it once was; though it can still be quite satirical."

"I realize that." Kitty spoke slowly. "I... I heard everything they were saying, and not just about the books."

"Oh, I see." Thomas fought back any chuckle, he could easily see where this was going, but he was polite enough not to mock his daughter and, again, urged her to speak her mind.

"I just think, maybe, when you go to see our cousin; perhaps, you could consider courting her?"

"And what if such a lady has no desire to marry a poor tenant? One who is seen as too stubborn, or just plain stupid when it comes to money all due to a promise he made to his dying mother?"

"She turned her back on a five-story mansion and is now working as a governess for our Jane. Why would she turn down an offer from you?"

Thomas went to open his mouth and shut it; the gentleman found he had no real answer to his daughter's question.

Janet in the meantime was talking to Richard as the carriage swayed. Their talk centered on the books, and Olivia. "I was not deceiving Mr. Bennet, my cousin has a very sharp eye for clues in books, when things do not add up, Olivia is able to pick them out." When asked if she were related to the Bennets, Janet laughed. "No, I am a cousin to Olivia on her father's side."

"I believe you as to any of what you just said, especially as not to lying to Mr. Bennet." Richard held up a hand as if in defense. "That is not what I was questioning. "I want to know what axe she has to grind."

"If you are concerned my cousin would purposely frame them then the answer is no, tempting as that might be." Janet narrowed her eyes. "If she wanted to do that; Olivia would have done it last year when a will fell into her possession. The young lady could have altered it easily enough making them poor as church mice; she did not. So, relax. If my cousin...takes them down, so to speak, it will done honestly." The two fell silent.

The carriage swayed gently as it made its way along the winding road from Longbourn to Netherfield. The fields, lush with the promise of a bountiful harvest, stretched out in a patchwork of greens and golds. The rhythmic clatter of the horses' hooves and the occasional creak of the carriage wheels provided a soothing, almost hypnotic, accompaniment to her musings.

The journey was not a long one, but it afforded Janet ample time to reflect on the recent talk at Longbourn, the one William would be appalled if he had known how much Miss Chapman had been listening to. The Collins family had been more than just a little upset over Miss Luca's rejection of their son's proposal. Their pressure on the men in the area not to propose to the lady had convinced them she would -in the end -cower to their wishes.

"Think they hold so much power in this town. No titles and people buckle under. Try that with Lord Bryce; he will stomp you into the ground." It had been another motive to write to him; besides, Charlotte's letter to her.

Janet hoped to swing by the Lucas home and get an update on Miss Lucas before actually going to Netherfield. The idea the Collins had struck out on getting the Lucas family under their thumb would be priceless. The road ahead, lined with ancient oaks and hedgerows bursting with late summer blooms, seemed to promise a brighter future.

As the carriage rounded a bend, the scenery shifted to reveal a small brook, its waters sparkling was a beautiful sight. Janet watched as a flock of birds took flight, their graceful arcs a reminder of the freedom she so cherished. The countryside, with its tranquil beauty, offered a stark contrast to the complexity of other subjects in the lady's life.

The approach to the Lucas' home got Janet's grin to go wider; Lord Hayden Bryce was standing, undaunted, face to face, with William Collins; a man who might as well have turned into a miniature mouse.