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“W e,” Gardiner looked at his wife, who nodded, “agree that your solution may be the best way to make sure Lizzy, and her sisters are fully protected. However, as you have already seen, we must lay out what we are thinking for Lizzy and not present it to her as a fait accompli . We all know she will not appreciate us deciding the course of her life without her input.”

“I had never thought we would do anything else,” Hertfordshire stated. “Her independence is one of the many things I have come to love about her.” The Duke paused. “By your leave, I would like to have a message sent to my men watching the cottage to detain Mrs Bennet if she attempts to leave.”

Both Gardiners agreed with alacrity.

With everything discussed and resolved, the Gardiner parents and Hertfordshire left the study.

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

“What think you, Mary? Is it too cruel of me to send Mrs Bennet and Jane to New Holland?” Lizzy asked when the sisters were left alone in the drawing room.

“Your scruples do you credit. However, Lizzy, I agree that these attempts will not stop,” Mary opined.

“Mrs Bennet bore me as well, but she is not now, nor has she ever been a mother to us. From what our uncles and aunts have said, she is insane. Would it be kinder to send her and Miss Millar to somewhere like Bedlam?”

Her sister still looked torn, so Mary added, “What Aunt Maddie said before she and Uncle joined the Duke is true. Remember her words, Lizzy. You have nought over which to feel guilt. These are the consequences of their own bad choices. The fact they blame the bad results of their decisions on others, especially you, is not yours to bear.”

Elizabeth cogitated on her sister’s words. “When did you become so wise? At least there, if they survive the voyage, they will have a chance to begin a new life,” she reasoned. “I think I know what I need to do.”

“Good. Never forget you are protecting your younger sisters as well,” Mary pointed out.

“If Mrs Bennet is so depraved as to attempt to harm you, what would stop her from attempting to harm any of the rest of us? In my mind, it goes beyond insanity. She is evil, so having her transported is better than she deserves.”

“I cannot argue against your logic,” Elizabeth owned.

“My slight hesitation was with regards to our half-sister. Yes, she should be able to make better decisions, but for the whole of her life, her mother has inculcated her.” Elizabeth raised her hand, seeing Mary was about to interject.

“Yes, it shows a lack of character to attempt what she did. No matter what her mother told her to do, she had to make the decision to place that stone under the saddle. I saw the look of glee in her eyes just before John apprehended her. Although I may be able to sympathise with her to a certain extent, I will not ask for leniency for her.”

“It is Christian to forgive, and we can forgive both of them one day, but that does not mitigate the need for them to pay for their deeds,” Mary stated.

“Now, we will wait for Aunt Maddie, Uncle Edward, and Archy to return from their meeting,” Elizabeth said. She did not realise she had used her suitor’s familiar name, and Mary did not point it out either.

Just then Charlotte and Anthony entered the drawing room looking rather worried.

“Eliza, we heard some grooms speaking when we arrived. Please tell me that Miss Millar did not attempt to harm you? Even for her that would be something I would never have imagined she would try, not in my wildest dreams,” Charlotte enquired worriedly.

“Unfortunately, it is true…” Elizabeth, with some help from Mary, related what had occurred and what the Duke proposed. Lastly, she told of her agreement to allow the Duke to act as he saw fit.

“I never trusted that Miss Millar,” Charlotte hissed.

“Neither did I, at least not completely,” Elizabeth declared.

“There was always something about her that did not allow me to be totally comfortable in her company. I could not tell exactly what it was, but I knew she was hiding her true self from me, from all of us actually. Knowing that made me somewhat suspicious of her.”

“I knew you could not be so intelligent for no reason,” Charlotte told her friend. She stepped forward and pulled Eliza into a warm hug. “As long as you are well.”

“How is Jamil ?” Anthony queried.

“Both she and her rider are well. Jamil has a very small, inconsequential scratch. And I never mounted her thanks to John and Brian,” Elizabeth responded.

“John and Brian?” Charlotte was puzzled.

“The two guards Uncle Archy assigned to watch over Lizzy. Enormous, fearsome fellows. John Biggs and Brian Johns,” Anthony explained. He turned towards Elizabeth. “You know Jack is in my uncle’s employ, do you not?”

“Yes, he told me that and informed me that there is a groom and a manservant in his employ at Longbourn as well,” Elizabeth replied.

“When will you two marry?” Mary asked to change the subject.

“That is what we were doing at Lucas Lodge before we came here,” Charlotte revealed. “We chose, and my parents agreed to, the twentieth day of May of this year, from Lucas Lodge, of course.”

“That is little more than six weeks from now,” Elizabeth realised. “Anthony, what of your family? Will they all be in attendance?”

“Yes, there is more than enough time for them to arrive. I am looking forward to Charlotte and all of you meeting Loretta, Marjorie, and their families.” Anthony turned to his Charlotte.

“My sisters told Mother they intend to write to you.” His parents had departed Hertfordshire that morning before he made his way to Lucas Lodge.

Before Charlotte could reply, the door from the hallway began to open.

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

The Gardiner parents and Hertfordshire entered the drawing room. There, they discovered the numbers had grown by two, with Charlotte and her fiancé present.

“Have you two been apprised about this morning’s attempt to harm Lizzy?” Madeline enquired of the newly arrived couple once the three who had entered took their seats. She saw Charlotte and Anthony both nod. “Well, Lizzy, have you reached a decision?”

“Yes, Aunt, I have…” Elizabeth revealed what she had chosen.

“I know it seems harsh, but it is better than the alternatives,” Gardiner assured his niece.

“We will question Miss Millar and see if she is willing to be honest about how this all came about. Whether she reveals all or not, it will not change the consequences she and her mother will experience. Remember, it is not you who forced them to do what they attempted to do.”

“Mary and I spoke, and my wise younger sister helped me see that I bear no fault in this, so there is no reason for my guilt.” Elizabeth looked around. “Are not our sisters and cousins up and about already?”

“They are, but I asked the governess and nurses to keep them entertained while we speak. When there is something to tell them, we will,” Madeline related.

“There is much to tell from our meeting,” Gardiner stated.

“Then, now that we know Lizzy is well, Charlotte and I will go for our ride and allow you some privacy,” Anthony began to say.

Gardiner shook his head. “You are part of this family, and soon enough Miss Lucas will be also, so unless Hertfordshire disagrees with me, there is no reason for you to leave,” he insisted. Gardiner looked to the Duke.

“I agree with Gardiner. Lizzy and Mary, do you object if Charlotte and Anthony remain?” Hertfordshire asked.

The Bennet sisters shook their heads.

“Even though my sister and her daughter will be sent where their mischief will never touch you again, Bennet is still a problem,” Gardiner related.

“In order to give him some concession in the agreement, we allowed him the right to approve or disapprove of any man who asks for your or your sisters’ hands before each of you reach your majority. ”

“Given his mercurial moods and his trying to find a way to break the agreement with Gardiner and Phillips without having to pay the penalty prescribed in it, I, we,” Hertfordshire inclined his head to the Gardiner parents, “want to canvass your opinion about marrying before you turn eighteen.”

Elizabeth put on an impish smile. “And who is the man I am supposed to marry? Have I met him yet? Is he at least handsome?” she asked innocently with a straight face. “I would prefer to meet the man before I am leg shackled to him.”

“Elizabeth Rose Bennet, you know it is the man who is courting you, and none other!” Madeline scolded playfully.

“Yes, I do know that. In that case, I believe that the two of us need to speak in private,” Elizabeth stated seriously. “I know it is the man who normally requests the private interview, but nothing about all of this is normal.”

“You two may use the parlour opposite,” Madeline permitted.

“The door will not be closed all of the way, and I will ask Biggs to stand outside the door so that propriety will be observed. Given the circumstances, you may need longer than ten minutes, so I will allow a little leeway with the time if it is needed for you to come to an agreement,” Gardiner granted.

The Duke stood and held out his hand to Elizabeth and led her across the hall to the parlour. As he closed the door three-quarters of the way, Biggs took up station in the hallway.

Hertfordshire guided Lizzy to a settee and once she was seated, he sat, leaving a foot or two between them.

“As you know, my intention was to give you as much time as you needed, even beyond your eighteenth birthday, if that was what you required, before we married…if you accepted an offer from me, that is.”

Elizabeth had arched an eyebrow, but as soon as Archy let her know he was not assuming her acquiescence, the eyebrow returned to its place, and she smiled. She nodded her head for him to continue.