Page 208

The excitement among the three co-conspirators was growing.

The Coastal Trader was due to arrive in Bundoran in a matter of days and then the Stealthy Runner would finally put to sea four days after the Dennington Lines ship’s departure.

Once that ship sailed, Younge’s ship would leave its anchorage dock to take on fresh supplies, then make ready for sea.

The three ‘new crewmembers’ worked as hard as any, and had fast become much liked by the other seven members of the crew, most especially Jones who was a natural leader.

First mate Laraby was somewhat jealous that the rest of the crew gravitated toward the new man, but he was smart enough not to challenge Jones.

Even he could see that he would come out on the losing end of any fight with the big man.

Besides, the man and his mates would be good to have if there was trouble when they captured their prize.

Karen Younge was the happiest that she had been since the day that her George was ‘murdered’ by the whore.

Very soon they would leave the Godforsaken place where they had sojourned for the last months and head toward her revenge.

She had fantasized endlessly about all the ways that she would hurt the woman before finally ending her life.

Nowhere in her delusions was there room for any outcome but complete success.

Johanna álvarez was counting her share of the ransom already.

As much as she was furious with her son for his defection, on some level her maternal instincts caused her to feel some sadness that Tony had left her, but not sad enough to reconsider his plea.

She too believed that they had a plan which would not fail and that she would avenge the death of her husband, and those same persons would be punished for making, in her twisted logic, her Tony abandon her.

She silently cursed her late husband for teaching their son to think for himself; the lessons were meant to keep him safe, not cause him to turn away from his mother!

Clay Younge was more than ready to leave Bundoran.

He had been forced to increase the crew’s take to one thousand pounds per man after his three crew members had absconded; he needed to quell the discontent that this waiting while not earning any money had engendered.

Once he had his money, he could replace all the crew, excepting the three new ones, but until then, he needed them to be content and follow his plan.

He was mollified by the thought that the men had no idea how huge his share of the prize would be, nor did they know the size of the ransom to be demanded.

If they had, they would not have been content with just one thousand.

Luckily, he had not shared with them that the family was related to the royals and what it would mean if they were caught.

Personally, he was rather attached to his head, which he knew would be separated from his body at the Tower of London if they were caught.

Like his sister’s late paramour, over confidence in his abilities was one of Younge’s flaws, so he did not think about contingencies for the plan should something not go according to it.

Jones, Forester, and Tibbson were sure that the missive they had posted had reached the intended recipient by now, and that plans would be in place to stop the miscreants.

One of the three would go see the postmaster of the small town where they expected to land in case a confirmation or even further instructions were awaiting them.

The three were not unhappy that their time with the group of blackguards was drawing to a close, they were very much looking forward to seeing their families again, and being reunited with their own crewmembers.

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

The family gathering at Pemberley was a very pleasant affair except for the hours that the men had spent closeted in the master’s study reviewing the letter from Jones.

They spent some time composing a response to be sent to the town, which was mentioned as a waypoint.

Darcy had sworn to his wife that he would tell her all so that she would not be kept in the dark about the plans to keep her safe, and away from the criminal conspirators.

He had also promised that they would take decisive action to remove the threat once and for all.

The rest of the young wives and older ladies had extracted promises that they too would be informed once the men had decided on a plan to defeat and capture the miscreants.

While the men had been busy, the ladies had not sat by idle.

With the agreement of the four young ladies, a plan was set in motion for the joint coming out ball.

With coaching from their older sisters and cousins who had made their curtseys before the Queen, the four had begun to practice so that when they made their actual curtsies, they would be fully comfortable with the procedure and the backing out of the reception hall without tripping over their feet.

Luckily there had been foresight to bring the gowns that the sisters had used, and Lady Anne had someone retrieve hers from the attics so that there were enough for all four.

As hideous as the young ladies considered the dresses with all of their hoops, frills and ruffles, they knew that there was no choice, so practice in the older dresses they did.

Notes had been sent to Madame Chambourg to start working on their presentation gowns, and the local dressmaker from Lambton had graciously come to Pemberley to take the four young ladies’ measurements.

When Mrs. Green arrived at Pemberley she was pleased to see her friend Maddy Gardiner, whom she grew up with in Lambton and had not seen for many years, although they did correspond occasionally.

When Mr. Gardiner was not found to be fishing in one of the estate’s many locales for that sport, he and his wife had visited a number of their friends from Lambton, though they had not yet been able to visit with Miranda Green, so Mrs. Gardiner was most pleased to able to catch up with her friend after she had measured the four girls.

One afternoon while the men were fishing, the younger ladies took a ride up the bridle path to the point that overlooked Pemberley that had the best view of the Peaks in the distance. Jane, who could not ride, had stayed behind with the mothers and aunts, and so did Franny Bingley.

After the riding party had departed, escorted by a cadre of footmen and grooms led by Biggs and Johns, Hattie Phillips turned to her daughter.

“I know how much you love to ride, Franny,” she stated with raised brows.

“Mayhap there is a special reason that you are not with the rest. Could it be the same reason that Jane cannot ride?”

“I had not planned to say anything yet,” said Franny, as all eyes in the drawing room focused on her. “After I missed my second monthly cycle, I informed Charles, and we decided that we would wait until I felt the quickening in a month or two before we shared our news with the family.”

“Good luck hiding that state in this family,” Lady Catherine said with a smile, “Most here can spot a lady in that state easily, so trying to hide the news is an exercise in futility.”

“My sister has the right of it,” Lady Elaine agreed. “Both Anne and I suspected but decided it was not for us to say anything.”

“I did also,” Lady Sarah and Aunt Maddy added at almost the same time.

“Have you seen a doctor to confirm your suspicions as of yet?” Hattie asked her daughter as she filled with the joy of becoming a grandmama.

“Yes, Mama,” she said, long knowing that with the assembled group there was no way to hide anything. “Charles took me into Lambton to go see Mr. Jamison. He confirmed my state and says that if all goes well, I should enter my confinement in January or February of next year.”

“How wonderful that we will be grandmothers soon, Hattie and Elaine,” Lady Sarah said. “Catherine, have you any news from Anne on that subject as of yet?”

“No Sarah, no news yet,” responded Lady Catherine, “and you know me too well enough to know that it was not from lack of inquiring on my part while I was with them.” The self-deprecating statement drew a laugh from all of the ladies.

“We can only pray to the Lord that Marie will enter that state again soon,” Lady Elaine stated, “and this time may there be no problems for my daughter-in-law.”

“As I recently told Lizzy when she was worried that she was not yet enceinte ,” Lady Anne offered, “when it is time, it will happen. I have no doubts that Marie will get her wish.”

“Lizzy told me that she talked to you, Anne,” Lady Sarah said as she patted her friend’s hand.

“I became with child with Tom within a month of my marriage to Thomas, and Jane entered the state within three months, so my impatient daughter could not understand why it was not her time yet. Thank you, Anne, for opening her eyes to the fact that it takes some much longer than others. It was a good lesson for her to learn.”

“I was just like my niece,” Lady Catherine admitted. “It took me almost two years to become pregnant with Anne, and then a few years later I had a miscarriage and was never in that state again,” she said sadly.

“It seems that some of us are only granted a few children like me, Catherine, Anne, and Elaine,” Hattie Philips said, “while others, like Sarah and Maddy are able to produce a brood.”

Jane who had been silent as she listened to the matriarchs of the family talk interjected, “I wonder how many I will be blessed with,” she stated as she rubbed her swollen belly.

“You never know, Janey,” her mother answered. “Your father and I were blessed with seven, and others have even more, but whatever God grants you will be a blessing, whether it is one or ten.”