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“Have you heard of the Duke of Hertfordshire?” Wickham challenged and got a nod from the man, “I was recently acquainted with his daughter, Lady Elizabeth. The lady’s dowry is more than one hundred thousand pounds.”

“What of it,” Withers, Scarface to those on the street, asked.

“With a little help, I intend to take her and then demand a ransom from her family.” Wickham smirked.

“’Ow much, Jorge ?” Until Wickham mentioned the size of the dowry and ransom, the Spaniard was getting ready to order his death and disposal.

“One hundred thousand pounds!” Wickham announced triumphantly. The amount of one hundred thousand pounds hung in the air like the smoke from the cigars that álvarez liked to smoke.

“What make you think you able do this Jorge ?” The Spaniard demanded. He had heard of the Bennets and was well aware that the sum that Wickham mentioned was not a hardship for them, and he was not one to pass on an amount such as this.

“That is where I will need some help and funding from you, Mr. álvarez.” Wickham could see that he was on very thin ice, so he proceeded before an objection could be raised.

“I will not need much, just a supply of coin to pay a group of urchins to watch her when she comes to Town. There needs to be a good number of them, or the Duke’s guards will notice the same two or three hanging around Bennet House. ”

“You expect the boss to trust you, Wickham?” Withers demanded.

“No, which is why you should be with me to help and to keep an eye on things to make sure that all is being done as promised and I am not trying to double cross Mr. álvarez.” Wickham offered the gambit he hoped tipped the scaled in his direction.

“Before I agree, ‘ow much will I ‘ave from this?” The Spaniard challenged. Wickham had been willing to go to thirty thousand, but he decided to offer lower so there was some room to negotiate.

“Twenty thousand; which is double what I owe you now,” Wickham proposed with affected confidence.

álvarez knew that it would take a few months, but he saw merit in the plan.

Besides, he was even now hatching his own plan that would cut Wickham out after the girl was taken, literally and figuratively.

Yes, he would dispose of them and keep all the money for himself, with a little to Withers.

Scarface would be integral to his alternate plan succeeding.

Thus, the scheme was agreed to. He would fund the hiring of the urchins necessary to watch the quarry and ascertain her schedule, and Scarface would be with Wickham to help execute the actual kidnapping.

His avarice overruled any pause that he may have taken to consider possible problems. Until closer to the kidnapping, two of his toughs would be with Wickham, one awake always, so he would have no time to slip away again.

Wickham was accompanied back to Edward Street by Withers and the two men.

The men would stay at the boarding house for free, much to the displeasure of the landlady who lost two rooms to rent out in the deal, until the Bennets arrived in Town and a full plan with a date the kidnapping was to occur was in place.

When the plan was that far along, Withers would replace the two ruffians.

George placated his lover, Karen Younge, convincing her that the presence of the men was a necessary evil and that she should keep her eye on the prize, which was the magnificent fortune that they would soon have.

He thanked his lucky stars that the Spaniard had not balked at the amount that he had offered.

He, who would do what he had to do to cheat or steal, did not consider that there was an ulterior motive for the quick acquiescence.

His own greed and desire for revenge blinded him to things that should have been plain for him to see, especially when dealing with someone of his own ilk.

George Wickham was feeling better than he had been since his humiliation and subsequent flogging.

He was sure that it would not be too long before he would take his revenge in full on the woman who thought that she was so much better than he.

Wickham’s fragile ego had always been his Achilles heel, and it would be again.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Two days after Christmas, the Fitzwilliams, de Bourghs, and the two Darcy ladies started the journey south to Hertfordshire while Darcy headed north to Pemberley. Even though he would have preferred to travel with his family south,

His relationship with his Uncle and Aunt Fitzwilliam was better than he could remember.

He had thought that because he always paid the deference due to his family, all was well.

He now knew better. They had not been comfortable with his behaviour outside of the family circle.

It was with no little shame when he recalled that Uncle Reggie had tried to talk to him a few years past, and just as he had cut off Bingley and Caroline in Hertfordshire, he had done the same with his uncle.

As he sat in his carriage for the short ride from Snowhaven to Pemberley, he thought back on the conversation he had with the Earl the evening after Christmas.

Being the only two men present, the Earl and his nephew had retired to the master’s study to enjoy their cigars and brandy.

For the first ten minutes they had sat in silence, puffing on their cigars and sipping the French brandy then Darcy had opened the conversation.

“Uncle, where did you acquire this excellent French Brandy? With the war I had thought it was all but impossible to procure.”

“It is thanks to my connection to the Duke of Hertfordshire.” His uncle had replied with a nod when Darcy looked at him questioningly, not understanding how his Grace helped acquire French brandy. “Have you heard of Gardiner and Associates?”

“I have, Uncle Reggie, but I do not see the connection between an import export trading company and his Grace.” Darcy admitted somewhat perplexed.

“William, you are much less arrogant and haughty than you used to be, but the last bit there lets me know that you have some work left to do. The Bennets themselves are in trade. Do you know that they own the Dennington Line Shipping Company?” Seeing the look of surprise on his nephew’s face he chuckled.

“Before you ask, there are many peers who have interests in trade today, there are many of us who have seen the future, and it will be us seeking favour from tradesmen soon enough.

“You have made great strides, and it makes my sister Anne, all of us, very proud as we see you fighting to become the man that all of us, including my late brother George, knew that you could be.” Not the type of men who usually discuss topics so emotionally charged, the two men had sat for a few moments in silence.

“I know that the Bennet family is wealthy, but I did not know the extent of their interests. How do they connect to Gardiner and Associates?” Darcy’s voice was gruff as he tried to maintain his composure.

The Earl then explained the connection via ‘she who is not to be mentioned’.

He informed Darcy that Bennet did not hold her brother and sister responsible for the abhorrent actions of their sibling and father, and that the Gardiners and Phillips’ were considered to be full members of the family by all.

“Gardiner and Associates have sources on the continent, and I would guess in conjunction with Dennington Line Shipping they are able to acquire almost all that most of us would not have access to.” Darcy mused, his conjecture confirmed when his uncle nodded, “You know that Bingley is one of my best friends and he is in trade, and I have invested in some of his ventures.”

“That, William, has been the contradiction that was you until Lizzy tore into you,” the Earl said with a smile as he thought about the vivacious young woman that would soon be sister to his sons.

“You treated your dependants at Pemberley, your other estates, and Darcy House as well if not better than most, but disdained any others that you thought below you.

You are close to the Bingleys, but even now, and mayhap you did not realise it, when you mentioned the words ‘trading company’ you got a look of distaste on your countenance. Fleeting, true, but it was there.

“All I am suggesting is that you need to work on schooling your features toward kindness rather than judgemental. It will take work, but I know that you are determined, and I have yet to see you fail to realise a goal that you have set for yourself,” the Earl squeezed Darcy’s shoulder to reinforce his pride in how far his nephew had progressed to date.

Darcy was snapped out of his reverie when the coach passed Pemberley’s gatehouse and the keeper, Burris, doffed his cap to the master.

Yes, he had made much progress, but he wanted to be even further along before he was again in company with the lady that filled his thoughts if not otherwise engaged during the day and inhabited his dreams at night, Lady Elizabeth Bennet.