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“Lizzy, you have had a great shock; I think we should return to the house. Some sugar water would be in order,” Madeline suggested as she gently took her niece’s arm and guided her back towards the manor. Mary took Lizzy’s other arm protectively.

“What have I ever done to them?” Elizabeth asked plaintively once the drawing room door had been closed.

“Nothing! You are trying to find rational and normal reasoning where there is none in my sister. Additionally, from the way Miss Millar has behaved over the last year as if she had seen the error of her mother’s ways and desired to change, she is even more devious than Fanny Bennet,” Gardiner responded bitterly.

“My sister has always been unhinged. She decided you were to be a son, and when you were not, she turned all of her hate and vitriol against you for something only the Lord above could decide.”

“Edward is correct, Lizzy,” Madeline agreed. “This is not about you; it is about two grasping women who are never happy with their lot in life and are always looking to blame others for the bad consequences of their own decisions.”

“They will never stop trying to hurt me, will they?” Elizabeth asked resignedly.

“There is an option,” Hertfordshire stated.

“It is one I should have insisted on with my friend Darcy when…” He explained what had occurred leading to George Wickham’s hanging and his father’s reaction.

“Darcy believed his former steward had suffered enough, so he refused my offer to have him transported.” He knelt down in front of Elizabeth and took one of her dainty hands into each of his own.

“I will not act unilaterally, but I ask you to allow me to remove these two women from England’s shores forever.

They have this obsession with harming you, and they have not the capacity for change, as evidenced by their current attempt this very day. ”

“Lizzy, I would accept His Grace’s offer,” Gardiner urged. “I know my sister, and once she has decided she is the victim, she will not stop. She is of my blood, but that does not change the facts.”

“If it were up to me, they would be on the first ship to Van Diemen’s Land,” Mary stated with asperity. She was normally a gentle soul, but someone attempting to harm her beloved sister was not something she would ever accept with equanimity.

“May I have a few minutes to consider my options?” Elizabeth requested.

No one denied her request. The Gardiner parents knew their ward would need some time to process the day’s events. They were positive that the fact the Duke asked her opinion on the matter rather than deciding it for her would further endear him to her.

“Gardiner, Mrs Gardiner, may we speak in the study, please?” Hertfordshire appealed.

The Gardiners had no objection.

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

Jane Millar paced back and forth in the darkened room. No matter how many times she had banged on the steel door—which had only hurt her hand—no one had opened it.

Finally tears of frustration fell. She had intended to make changes to her character and outlook on life when Mr Bennet had given her a chance.

She had even enjoyed meeting her four half-sisters that first visit, notwithstanding the fact their outfits were far finer than her own.

It was after that visit that she walked to her mother’s cottage and visited her, which she now acknowledged was a mistake. She remembered it well.

Jane had bemoaned the fact that Charlotte Lucas was to travel north with the Gardiners, Phillipses, and the Bennet sisters, but no one had thought to invite her to join them. Was she not part of the family? Why did they treat her as less than? Jane had felt very resentful at being excluded.

Over the months, although she maintained the serene facade at Longbourn, the resentment built.

Mama had told her over the years that she deserved all of the things the Bennet sisters had.

They were supposed to be jealous of her beauty, something her mother had emphasised many times over the years.

It was not she who was supposed to envy them!

It was these feelings which had driven Jane to seek solace with her mother.

The first time Jane had ridden to the cottage on Nellie, Mama had roundly chastised Jane for betraying her. She had railed at her for a time, but her curiosity had won out, and she had asked what had prompted Jane’s call.

Jane had begged her mother’s pardon before she spoke of the unfairness of the better clothing, horses, and everything else the Bennet sisters had, combined with her not being invited to travel north with them.

Her mother got a knowing look on her countenance and began to commiserate with her.

Slowly but surely Mama had convinced her how badly treated they both were and that all of the blame rested squarely on Elizabeth Bennet’s shoulders.

She had reiterated how the ungrateful, wilful, unnatural girl and her sisters had taken all that should have been theirs.

As it had provided succour to her feelings of ill-usage, Jane had allowed her mother’s words to become her truth.

Then before Easter of 1807, the man who owned Netherfield Park—she did not know he was a duke yet—and his handsome, rich nephew had taken up residence at that estate.

She had thrown herself in Mr Barrington’s path, flirted with him exactly as her mother instructed, and yet he had not been interested in her.

It had been far worse! Jane had been irked no end that the rich man who had ignored her every attempt to gain his attention had passed her over in favour of Charlotte Lucas!

She had fought hard not to display her true feelings and came close to compromising him like Mama had said.

Only her fear of being evicted from Longbourn if she failed had stayed her hand.

Her mother had soothed her bruised ego by telling Jane that Miss Lucas had more than likely compromised the man, which explained his wanting to connect himself with one who was so plain.

Jane ignored the voice in her head which had asked that if that was true, why was Mr Barrington openly courting Miss Charlotte Lucas?

Jane had told her mother when the Bennet sisters were to arrive after Easter, and Mama had instructed her to get close to them, which had led to Jane arriving on Nellie that morning after getting out of bed at an unnatural hour.

It was then the incident with the Duke had occurred.

It had sent Jane right back to her mother’s cottage.

In her outrage, she had agreed with her apoplectic mother’s plan to maim or dispose of the unnatural devil’s spawn who was stopping her from getting what she wanted.

Jane had accepted that her half-sister had used her demonic abilities to entrance the Duke, so she would, in fact, be doing him a good turn and saving him.

Mama had convinced her that the Duke would be so grateful he would offer for Jane right away.

She had thought herself so clever, so subtle, earlier that morning when she slipped the sharp stone between the blanket and the horse’s back; she had believed, unobserved. Until the huge hand clamped down on her shoulder, that was. How was it she had not seen the men watching her?

That ill-advised action had led to her now being locked in this cold room with no knowledge as to what was to happen to her. For the first time in her life, Jane Millar was truly scared.

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

Fanny could not contain her glee. By now, Jane would have placed the sharp stone, and the demon child would have been seriously injured or, better yet, killed! It was the happiest Fanny had felt since the day she had so easily got Mr Bennet to offer for her.

Everything bad which had happened to her was traced back to the devil-spawn child refusing to be a boy.

Now all she had to do was wait for Jane to come relate the good news to her.