PP

AU NON-Canon GENERAL REGENCY

Note: Sophia is Olivia's Father's wife and Priscilla is William Jr's wife: I have -by now- went and corrected the chapter that had that wrong.

Longbourn's Secret

Previously:

"When Jane was told, Mrs. Bingley's eyes went wide and she realized the maid had come looking for a position after our wedding. So, that is when the lady was confronted, she admitted to moving the books, but refused to say why she had done it. She was fired. Might have gone after the Collins, only with no proof...how do you do that?"

"You do not."

A Suspicious Mind

CH. 18

The sun had long since set over the grounds of Longbourn. William Senior stood at the foot of the attic stairs holding a lantern, his face set in a determined expression. "We need to go through my grandfather's trunk and any boxes holding the family's books," he declared. His sons, William Jr. and Andrew, exchanged nervous glances but followed their father up the creaky stairs.

The attic was dimly lit, with beams of sunlight filtering through small windows, casting eerie shadows on the cluttered space. Dust motes danced in the air as they disturbed the long-forgotten items. William Senior had not been home when Richard and Janet had visited Longbourn, and while he was thrilled at what the colonel had shown his boys from the attic, he was not pleased to hear Richard had been standing so close to the chest. He may not have recalled everything about his grandfather's day, but one thing he remembered loud and clear was not to let anyone friendly with the Bennets see anything with his grandfather's name on it. And, as far as he knew, everything with his grandfather's name was in that chest.

"What did the colonel come down with?" William Senior asked, his voice shouting he had not been happy that man had been left alone to go through their family heirlooms on his own.

"Nothing, other than those items in the boxes we showed you," William Jr. replied.

"Everything he brought to us is worth a mint. He knows his antiques," Andrew replied, holding his own lantern up. "Why are we needing to come back up?"

William Senior's brow furrowed. "We need to be thorough. He might have missed something." He pointed to a large, weathered chest in the corner. His son moved to obey, lifting the heavy lid with help from his brother, which showed how much better shape the colonel was in than the Collins men were. Inside, they found a collection of old books, letters, and documents, all meticulously preserved.

As they sifted through the contents, William Jr. held up a particularly old book. "This looks interesting," he said, handing it to his father. William Senior opened it carefully, looking for information he was not telling his boys about.

Meanwhile, Andrew was examining a stack of letters tied with a faded ribbon. "These might be useful," he said, passing them to his father. William Senior nodded, his eyes scanning the familiar handwriting.

"Keep looking," he urged. "There might be more."

"Exactly what are we looking for anyway?" Andrew asked, a little disturbed but not admitting it to his father. "Might help if I knew."

"Anything written by your grandfather is all you need to know, but no need to read the stuff; I can do that myself tonight before I go to bed."

The group continued their search, moving boxes and examining their contents. However, they were unaware of the space where Richard had hidden the book he had taken out of the chest in an effort to keep it out of their sight. The book had slipped out of sight. Hence, it remained safe, out of the oldest member of the Collins family's hands.

As they worked, William Senior's unease grew. He could not shake the feeling that something was missing, but nothing looked out of place. Everything the gentleman had personally put in the trunk was still there. Finally, they descended the attic stairs, their arms laden with documents and books. William Senior's mind was racing, trying to piece together the fragments of the past.

"Take these to my room. I will go through these carefully," he said, his voice determined. "There has to be something here that will help us."

William Jr. and Andrew nodded, though their thoughts were elsewhere. The eldest just wanted to go to bed; he was tired. His brother, at first skeptical and not trusting the colonel, was now wondering if it was not Richard's side he should be listening to. After all, tonight had gone just a little too strange for his taste—even if he was a Collins.

As William Jr.'s and Andrew's father settled in the study to examine the documents, William Senior's mind drifted back to a conversation he had overheard as a child. His grandfather had been speaking in hushed tones to a trusted confidant, warning him never to let anyone friendly with the Bennets see anything with his name on it. The memory was hazy, but the sense of urgency and secrecy was clear.

"Father, are you alright?" Andrew asked as he started to shut the door but noticed his father's distant expression as he did so.

William Senior shook himself from his reverie. "Yes, just remembering something from long ago. Now let me focus on these documents."

Andrew's father spread the papers out on the large oak table, the flickering candlelight casting long shadows across the room. Each document was examined with meticulous care, but nothing seemed to provide the definitive proof they needed. That was at least what Andrew figured as he went back to his own room.

Laying down in bed, he thought about the attic. He had no idea about the hidden book, nor about what Richard had read in it, what had caused the colonel to hide it. However, the youngest Collins boy—being the oddball of the group, so that part of the family claimed—got the strangest urge to go back up to the attic and take two oversized rugs and place them up against the wall next to two boxes on top of each other. He then went back to bed having no idea why he had just done it.

The next morning, his father woke him up earlier than the rest of the family. "Come with me." The older gentleman would not budge until his younger son was dressed and heading out of his room. "You and I are going back to the attic."

"Why? We just spent hours there last night. Did you discover something in those papers which tell you we are missing a piece of a puzzle, so to speak?"

William Senior sighed. "I thought of that when I was reading those documents, yes. And your brother is useless this morning; his wife is a bundle of nerves. Leave no stone unturned when we go back up to the attic if it holds any possible connection to my grandfather's papers."

The next morning, they climbed the attic stairs once more. This time, they were determined to leave no stone unturned. They moved boxes, shifted trunks, and examined every nook and cranny. However, the boxes which remained untouched were the two boxes where Andrew had propped the rugs up by. Simply because the rugs were not relevant to his search and the boxes were marked old linens, and knick-knacks.

As they descended the attic stairs once more, William Senior could not shake the feeling that they were on the verge of a breakthrough. The hidden book remained out of reach and left Andrew's father agitated with high concern. He could not help but fear that Richard might have found something during his visit. Something that would prove Longbourn rightfully belonged to the Bennets. The possibility gnawed at him, but he pushed the thought aside. For now, they had to keep focused on what they had found, or the books that had been brough to them. Keep searching them… if what he feared was true… it would be he who found the proof so he could destroy it, and not have it fall into the hands of the Bennets by some strange -unexplainable way.

"I have to go to London." William Sr. took his briefcase and looked at Andrew. "Try to stay out of trouble now since you are home from school." He then looked at William Jr. "I will expect you and Priscilla to have moved to the dower house before I return. As long as I am in good health, I refuse to move out of this house."

"Yes, Father. We have already started."

William Senior took his walking cane and walked out the door. His sons watched their father climb into his carriage and ride off. Neither one spoke until the wheels could no longer be heard.

"How do you stand it, Will?" Andrew could not bite his tongue any longer. "The way he talks down to you is horrible."

"I will lose this house if I do not deal with it. Then where would I be?" And when he could tell what his brother was about to come back with, he pointed a finger at his little brother and snapped. "And do not dare tell me you think the Bennets have a rightful claim to Longbourn because that was just Mr. Bennet's grandfather's way of denying our family was in the right."

"I have work to do." Andrew walked out of the parlor, his mind going back to Richard standing by the chest.

He had not been lying to Wiliam Jr., there was something needing to be done, and then he had to talk to the colonel because something was not sitting right. for once, this Collins was getting sick of dealing with an overly arrogant father and a spineless brother. Although he felt bad for William Jr., he could no longer play a part in any of their games.