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B ennet was not concerned when Miss Millar informed him that his eldest daughter was being courted by no less than a duke.

Thanks to the agreement he signed with Gardiner and Phillips, until they reached their majorities, he retained the right to determine if any of his daughters could marry, to whom, and when.

He was not ready to allow his highly intelligent daughter, whose suggestions had increased the estate’s income, to leave him so soon.

He was also sure this was merely a passing flirtation for the Duke. He could have any titled lady from high society for his wife, so there was no chance he would marry the daughter of a country squire with uncles in trade.

The fact that Miss Millar had seemed rather put out at her half-sister receiving attention from any man while he had no interest in herself did not bother Bennet.

He was sure that her jealousy was driven by the recent news that Charlotte Lucas had become engaged to the son of a very wealthy man who happened to be the nephew of a duke.

If only he could find a loophole in the agreement he signed which would have his daughters returned to him permanently, but even consulting with two solicitors in Hertford had not brought him the answer he sought.

There was no way around the penalty for his breaking the agreement, which would lead to debtor’s prison, and then he would reap no advantage from his daughters’ work.

At least the two eldest visited the tenants when they were in the area, and thankfully any issues were communicated with the steward, so other than signing bank drafts occasionally, Bennet was left to his books and port.

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

On the day he had requested the courtship, Hertfordshire had forgotten to mention the measures he had taken for Elizabeth’s protection or the fact that Miss Millar had been spying on them and her other activities, which she thought no one knew about when they rode out.

To correct that oversight, the Duke arrived at Purvis Lodge the next morning, which was Sunday, to accompany Elizabeth and her family to St Alfred’s church in Meryton for the sabbath worship and return to the estate to join them in breaking their fasts, and additionally to inform Elizabeth about that which he had not done the previous day.

The three Barringtons were at Lucas Lodge with the Lucases who attended the Longbourn Village church to hear the first of the banns being called.

“Gardiner, may I speak to you, Mrs Gardiner, and Elizabeth in private, please?” Hertfordshire requested. He knew there was about a half hour before they needed to depart for the church.

“Of course, Hertfordshire,” Gardiner responded after nods from his wife and eldest ward. “We can adjourn to the west parlour.”

Hertfordshire looked at the three once the door had been pushed closed.

There were nods for him to continue, “I thank you for allowing me to meet with you. Especially as we are courting now, I do not want to keep any secrets from Lizzy; I would like to discuss the measures I have put in place for her security and some troubling information my men have uncovered. Based on what I know of the way Elizabeth and her sisters were treated, and the absolutely insane ideas Mrs Bennet has…please pardon me, Gardiner; I know she is your sister.”

“No need for contrition. Fanny is my sister in name only, and my older sister, Mrs Phillips, will tell you the same. We have always known there was something wrong with Fanny, and it may very well be insanity,” Gardiner allowed.

“Thank you for your forbearance. I…” Hertfordshire explained the steps he had taken to protect against anyone attempting to harm any of the Bennet sisters, their guardians, and the Gardiner children.

“Elizabeth, if you will allow it even now, I would like John Biggs and Brian Johns to become your personal footmen-guards. I trust them with my life, and you are more dear to me than my own well-being. Before you say that I need the protection too, I still have many men with me, all of them trained by Biggs and Johns, so I will not be unguarded.”

Elizabeth looked to her aunt and uncle, both of whom nodded. “In that case, thank you, Archy, I will agree to John and Brian being with me when I am not in the house,” she stated gratefully.

“Something else I need to share. Miss Millar, who you know has not joined us for a ride since her rather embarrassing display that one morning, has been spying on us when we ride out,” Hertfordshire shared.

“So far she has done nothing other than watch, and in that, she is not doing anything outside of the law. However, she has been meeting with her mother occasionally. That, in and of itself, would not be worrying because they are parent and daughter, but it bears watching —especially when combined with Miss Millar’s attempts at surreptitious spying. ”

“Thank you for offering protection, Hertfordshire. I approve of all of the steps you have taken. Unfortunately, jealousy fuelled by impossible expectations can be rather dangerous. My footmen will be placed on alert as well,” Gardiner decided.

“It is time for us to leave for the church,” Madeline pointed out.

Soon, two coaches departed Purvis Lodge on their way to the church. Elizabeth, Mary, and Lydia rode in the Duke’s conveyance with him.

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

On Tuesday morning, just after dawn had broken in the eastern sky, Elizabeth and Mary made their way to the stables, both dressed in their new riding habits. Elizabeth’s was in navy blue, while Mary’s was a pretty primrose.

The sisters were surprised to see Jane Millar present.

“I just came to see you off on your ride,” Jane said with a syrupy sweet voice.

“I have not seen you very much of late, so I took the time today. May I feed Jamil a carrot?” She inclined her head to the mare who was standing ready with her side-saddle.

“I am sure Jamil will not refuse a treat,” Elizabeth allowed.

Jane approached the mare from the opposite side of the groom who was holding her. She placed the carrot in her palm and held it out for the horse. As would be expected, Jamil munched it happily.

Elizabeth noticed Jamil become unsettled, but then she settled again.

"You do not mind if I watch you leave on your ride, do you?” Jane asked innocently.

Mary mounted Aphrodite and moved her away from the block. The groom led Jamil to the block, but she became agitated again. Elizabeth climbed up onto the block and was about to get into position in the saddle she disliked.

“Stop, Miss Bennet,” Johns barked out.

“Do not listen to a servant, Lizzy; Mary is waiting for you,” Jane stated, somewhat nervously.

Just then an enormous hand clamped onto her shoulder.

“John, why are you detaining Miss Millar?” Elizabeth enquired.

“Because she were tryin’ to ‘urt you,” Johns stated as he emerged from the other side of Jamil , the one where Jane Millar had stood when she fed the horse the treat. “She placed this ‘ere stone between the blanket and your ‘orse.” He held up a small, but sharp stone.

“ UNHAND ME !” Jane screamed.

The noise brought the Duke and his men into the paddock and stable area as well as drawing the Gardiner parents from the house. “Biggs, why are you holding Miss Millar?” the Duke demanded.

“Cause she put this ‘ere stone under Miss Lizzy’s saddle,” Johns reported as he carefully handed the offending object to His Grace.

Hertfordshire jumped down from his stallion and handed the stone with the very sharp edges to Elizabeth. He hated to see how her eyes filled with tears as she realised what would have occurred if she had climbed into the saddle.

“Why would you try to harm my horse?” Elizabeth asked through her tears. She could not bear the thought that her mare would have been injured.

“I was trying to hurt you , not your damned horse!” Jane screeched.

“I should be the one being courted by a duke, not a devil’s spawn like you!

You stole my name and my life. My mother was right…

” She realised she had just said all of that out loud.

Jane tried to shrink back, but she could not because of the vice-like grip the enormous hand had on her shoulder.

“Biggs, lock her in the room off the wine cellar, the one with no windows. We will decide what to do with her later,” Gardiner commanded.

“Mr Bennet will never allow you to marry anyone! He will not allow you to leave him to manage Longbourn on his own again,” Jane called out nastily as she was led away.

“So this is what my sister and her daughter cooked up on those visits they thought no one knew about.” Gardiner shook his head.

“Unfortunately, unless Miss Millar tells us, we have no way to prove that Fanny put her up to trying to harm Lizzy.” He looked over at Jamil , who was without the saddle, as Elizabeth stood on the block inspecting the mare to make sure she had no serious injury.

“That horse loves Lizzy. Do you think she would have thrown her because of the pain?”

“Edward, thank goodness, we do not have to find out the answer to that question,” Madeline said shakily.

She could not believe that a mother could be so bad as to attempt to hurt her own flesh and blood in this way.

Yes, Fanny Bennet belonged in Bedlam. “What can be done with Fanny? Can she be sent somewhere where she can no longer harm anyone?”

“It will depend on whether or not Miss Millar will be forthcoming,” Hertfordshire opined.

“Did she not say my birth mother was right?” Mary asked.

“Yes, that in and of itself is not incriminating, Mary,” Gardiner responded. “We can verify it with Phillips, but I believe I am correct about this.”

Just then Elizabeth returned, still very shaken. “ Jamil is well, just a scratch on her hide,” she reported. “Jack, will you take her back to her stall and make sure she has a good rubdown and that there are not more injuries that I did not see?”

“Aye, Miss Lizzy,” the groom replied and began to lead the mare away.