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Lady Elizabeth Bennet had started Haven House when she was but fourteen.

She had been visiting the Gardiners and saw some girls who looked to be her age begging, one of them with child.

She had approached them, handed over all the money that she had on her person, which had been a vast sum for girls who had nought.

Once she gained their confidence, she asked them how they had ended up in the straights that she found them.

Elizabeth Bennet had been aghast at the stories of abuse and seduction that these young, pitiful girls had told.

Knowing how men invariably were not held accountable for their actions while women suffered the scorn of society, young Lady Elizabeth had marched the girls back to the Gardiner’s house.

Madeline Gardiner had not been as surprised as one would have thought when her niece returned home with the two timid, hungry, cold, and dirty girls in tow, even if one was with child.

They were the first of many who inhabited what became Haven House.

The physical building was located near Cheapside.

The Bennets had purchased a property, torn down the abandoned warehouses, and had the very large house built.

The purpose of the house was to give a place for young girls who had been seduced, ruined, or worse, and then abandoned by deceiving blackguards.

It was an irony that at least three current residents were victims of George Wickham’s seductions from various parts of the country.

Haven House could host up to one hundred girls comfortably.

There were dining areas, sitting rooms, classrooms, and administrative offices.

More importantly, there was a hospital wing where girls could be taken care of during their confinement and be assisted by competent midwives, nurses, and, when required, an accoucheur.

One of the best known accoucheurs in London was Sir Frederick Gillingham.

He and the physicians he was training to become accoucheurs would volunteer their time at Haven House to help out as needed.

The house had a permanent staff of five and thirty that included a contingent of footmen who were ex-soldiers, employed to keep the residents safe at all times in addition to their normal duties.

The staff was augmented by a cadre of volunteers of which both Ladies Anne and Elaine were part.

If the girls were with child, then they were cared for in every way until their confinements, and until and after they were delivered.

If the mother could not take care of her child, which was most of them, the babe was transferred to the nearby Foundation orphanage that was only for babes.

No girls were ever forced out after she had delivered her babe.

In some cases where the abuse had been particularly bad, the girls were allowed to stay for as long as she felt that she had a need.

There were classes that taught the girls at Haven House skills that they would need to seek gainful employment; they were supported and educated until they found good situations for themselves, a process that the employees and volunteers helped them with so that they were never on their own and left to fend for themselves.

The employees of Haven House were determined to keep them off the streets and away from the brothels once they moved on from their time at the Haven.

Aside from reading, writing, and sums, music, arts, and other accomplishments were taught by masters hired by Haven House so that girls would be able to learn the skills needed to be governesses or companions.

Some of the former residents of the house chose employment at Haven House to work with and support others in the same situation that they had been in when they were offered sanctuary.

Once Lady Anne discovered who the founder was, she and the Countess of Matlock had convinced Lady Elizabeth to accompany them on their next visit to the Haven the following week.

When Darcy heard his mother tell the story of how the fourteen-year-old Lady Elizabeth was the impetus to create Haven House, and of her tenacity in convincing her family to provide the considerable finances needed to build and fund the project, he would have dissembled if he said that he was surprised.

He had already seen first-hand that once the lady set her mind to something, nothing would divert her from her course, except for herself.

The information only added to the respect and tender feelings that he had for the lady.

He had requested and been granted permission to accompany the ladies to Haven House when they went on their next visit.

The fact that his new cousin would be one of the groups that would be at the house had no influence in his decision.

He wanted to see how he could assist, either materially, physically, or both.

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

As the Darcys prepared to leave Haven House to join the ladies on their foray to Gardiner and Associates warehouse, Lady Anne could only shake her head at the faraway look that she saw in her son’s eyes.

She was as certain as she could be, that her William had finally lost his heart.

Her concern for him was that she was unsure if the lady would find and keep it.

Only time would tell. The Darcys made the short walk to Bennet House where Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst were presently visiting the Bennets.

Madeline Gardiner would join them at the warehouse which was well within walking distance from her home.

Anne de Bourgh would not be with them as she and her mother had returned to Rosings Park in Kent earlier that morning to take care of business that Anne, who had been mistress for almost a year since her full inheritance on her five and twentieth birthday, needed to attend personally.

One of the duties was to welcome the cleric at the Hunsford Church home and wait on his new wife.

He had been invited to go view the estate that he would inherit and had met the Benet’s second daughter, Harriet Forster’s sister Miranda, and two months later married her thereby securing the future of his cousin’s wife and any unmarried daughters if Mr. Collins inherited Longriver prior to all of them marrying.

This day it was only four ladies who headed to the warehouse.

Miss Darcy remained at Bennet House with her new cousins, Ladies Mary, Kitty, and Loreta.

Georgiana was sad that Lord James had returned to complete his studies at Cambridge even while not fully grasping the depth of her growing feelings for the Marquess.

Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner welcomed the ladies to the warehouse and introduced them to a clerk, Mr. Peter Hobbs, who would be at their disposal to help them retrieve any bolts of fabric that they desired to inspect.

Mr. Hobbs led them to the back area where new goods that were not yet available for public sale were processed, allowing Caroline Bingley the pick of fabrics that no other had seen, never mind owned.

As the ladies were searching through the newly arrived silks, muslins, satins, and other fabrics, Biggs, Johns, and the rest of the footmen guards were keeping watch, which was as they usually did.

Biggs noticed the same ragamuffin watching their party at the Gardiner and Associates warehouse that he had noted at Madame Chambourg’s earlier in the morning.

He was sure that he had seen the boy hanging around Bennet House as well.

It could have been a coincidence; but Biggs did not believe in coincidences.

He walked nonchalantly in the direction of the scruffy boy, trying to look innocent as the lad leaned again a wall that gave a good view of the interior of the warehouse.

He noticed that the closer he got the more suspicious the boy got.

Just before Biggs reached his huge hand out to apprehend the scalawag , the boy ducked and took off in a sprint between two buildings which no one larger than himself would be able to fit through.

Biggs berated himself for not having some of his men help him to trap the boy.

He would make sure that they would be on higher alert from now on.

The ladies were unaware of the disturbance outside and had a very good time looking through fabrics.

Caroline Bingley settled on a light green silk which Mr. Hobbs took charge of having sent to the modiste’s shop.

Louisa Hurst, Lady Anne, and Lady Elizabeth all selected fabrics for themselves that would join the one that Caroline chose on its journey to Bond Street.

“Caro did you see that hideous orange colour? Who would wear something like that?” Louisa asked, her nose in the air in a teasing way.

“I know that colour would look horrendous on me at least, Louisa. I am much happier with the softer tones that I use for my dresses and gowns,” Caroline agreed, shuddering as she tried to imagine herself wearing the colour that did not suit her at all.

“Mayhap it would look good on me,” Elizabeth said as she held some of the offending fabric to herself. It looked as bad on Elizabeth as it would have on Caroline, even though they had very different colouring. This caused the ladies to laugh raucously, Lady Anne and their Aunt Madeline included.

Once Elizabeth brought herself under regulation again, she asked her aunt, “Aunt Maddie, why would Uncle Edward order that fabric in that horrid colour?”

“It does not suit us, Lizzy, but there are those who it does, or they think that it does. So as long as there is a demand, Edward will bring some in,” she explained.

Miss Bingley, Mrs. Hurst, and Mrs. Gardiner farewelled Ladies Anne and Elizabeth who were returning to Grosvenor Square.

The Bingleys and Hursts would be dining with the Gardiners that evening; Hurst and Bingley expected an hour prior to the meal.

As Elizabeth followed Darcy’s mother into the coach, she noticed that Biggs and his footmen were looking around for something, but she dismissed it as them just being ever vigilant.

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

Wickham was livid. “Your brother was almost what?”

“Sorry guv’ner, some’ow one of ‘em big men s’pcted summin and almos’ caught ‘Arry,” the leader of the group of boys said nervously.

“I should kill you! How can you be so useless?” Wickham raged. “If you have spoilt this, I will kill all of you.” The coward had no problem threatening malnourished, underweight boys.

“Ah tolds you we needed more ‘elp so’s they don’ see a same boy too ofen, but you say we don’ need more,” the boy said with some conviction, even knowing that speaking the truth may earn him a punch or worse.

Wickham thought about what the lad said and stopped his visceral reaction, which would have been to strike out of the boy.

The Spaniard had given him enough money to double the number of watchers, but he had saved some for himself, just in case.

He admitted to himself that it was short-sighted.

He had to change his plan to throw the guards off the scent and increase the number of boys significantly.

“Here is what we will do. Until early March, some of the boys need to be sent to the area to beg, but they are not to watch for the lady or pay attention to anyone in particular at Bennet House. Harry cannot be used, but I want you to find ten more boys from St. Giles. You will all get paid the daily amount that we agreed on, each and every day,” Wickham told the ragamuffin as he thought out his new plan.

“‘Ow comes we don’ need to watch ‘em, guv’ner?” the confused lad asked.

“I want them to relax. After today they will be watching for any boys watching them,” Wickham said with a smile.

“With different boys begging in the area, they will get used to seeing them near those swanky houses. It is very important that your friends understand that they are not to follow them at all ! For now, those are your orders. Do you understand them?”

“I does, guv’ner,” the boy reported and smiled as Wickham handed him the coin for that day’s work for him to pass on, after his cut of course.

Wickham did not like the delay, but after what happened earlier that day, he knew he had no choice.

If he pushed forward now, the guards would be on heightened alert, and that would only hurt his plans.

He would tell the Spaniard that they were away from Town for a few weeks.

Wickham was sure that the added boys and the plan to make the footmen relax for the next few weeks would help him in his dastardly quest to avenge himself on the woman who had so humiliated and laughed at him publicly.

That night when he crawled into his lover’s bed, he was in a decidedly better frame of mind about his plans, Karen Younge misinterpreted his mood as an increasing love toward her. Wickham knew only how to love one being on earth, himself.