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Fitzwilliam tilted his head. “I have the basics of an idea, but I welcome any input you gentlemen have. I first propose we interview the staff and find out if there have been any strange men hanging about. Darcy, are you able to give us a description of this tenant?”

“I can.”

“Excellent.” Richard turned to Bingley. “Can you gather your servants together and share the description with them? Ask them if he has been seen and to alert you if he shows up.”

“I will do that.” Bingley rose to ring the bell and call the housekeeper.

“What if he has already arrived,” Hurst asked, “and has somehow swayed one of the maids or footmen, or even the housekeeper, to allow him access to the house or to drug Darcy’s food?”

“We will have to trust that everyone is telling the truth but behave with extreme caution.” The colonel looked each man in the eye.

“My cousin must not be left alone at any time. We cannot be always in the kitchen observing the cook, nor watching every servant all the time. However, if Darcy is never alone we can at least protect him from a kidnap attempt.”

“Perhaps the doors to whatever rooms he is in should be locked, as well.” Bingley tilted his head. “What do you think, Fitzwilliam?”

The colonel shook his head. “That is an excellent notion, but if we want to catch this person, we must allow him room to come closer than that.”

Hurst shifted in his seat, his brow creased. “Maybe I should send Louisa away for a few days. I do not want her in danger.”

“I suspect the colonel wishes for the household to function normally,” Madison said. “If you suddenly send Mrs. Hurst away, you could tip off the assailant.”

“You are correct. I do want everything to appear ordinary. I do not think it will take long for this man to show himself. By the time your wife is ready to leave, we will have him in custody. We will take the utmost care to keep her out of harm’s way.”

Hurst’s lips thinned but he acquiesced. “Very well. If we are not sending her away, I want her kept in the dark about what is going on. I will inform her after the fact.”

The gentlemen agreed to say nothing in front of Louisa. They set up a schedule of who would remain with Darcy and when. Finally, having hammered out the details, Bingley went to meet with his staff and the others went to their chambers to change before meeting in the billiards room for a game.

~~~***~~~

At Longbourn later that afternoon, Mrs. Hill entered the drawing room where the ladies of the house were gathered and handed a note to Elizabeth.

“Thank you.” Elizabeth smiled at the housekeeper. She turned the note over in her hand, her brow creasing. “It is from Mr. Darcy. I wonder why he wrote.”

With a glance at her mother, who had studiously ignored her second daughter for nigh onto a week, Jane moved from near the fire to the settee where her next younger sister sat. “The only way to discover it would be to open it.”

“True.” Elizabeth hesitated, but then broke the seal and unfolded the page. She skimmed the contents, then moved back up to the top of the letter and read again.

“Well?”

Elizabeth looked up to see three pairs of eyes drilling into her.

She wondered if Mary would be doing the same if she were not in the other room, practicing on the pianoforte.

“He will not be able to join us for dinner. One of his cousins has suddenly arrived from London. He hopes to be able to visit tomorrow but says that if he cannot, he will send another note.”

“Oh.” Kitty’s brow furrowed. “I wonder why his cousin has come to Hertfordshire.”

“I do, as well. He does not say, though.” Elizabeth stared at the page and bit her lip. “I do not think I like this. I hope he is not there to represent another branch of the family that does not wish us to marry .”

Jane reached over and wrapped her hand around her sister’s. “I am certain that is not the reason. I suspect this cousin simply wished to meet you before the wedding.”

“Oh, Jane.” Elizabeth sighed “You always think the best of everyone.” She paused. “I hope you are correct in this instance.”

Jane smiled. “Of course I am correct.” When Elizabeth snorted, she winked and then smiled bigger. “When am I not?”

Elizabeth laughed. “When, indeed.” With a shake of her head, she tucked the missive into her reticule and picked up her sewing. “I shall just finish embroidering the hem of this gown. I will have plenty of time, I think, to also decorate the neckline.”

Jane glanced over at her mother, who was chattering with Kitty and Lydia. Then, in a whisper, she brought up a subject that had been avoided for days. “I am sorry Mama is being difficult about preparing for your wedding. Especially since Mr. Collins is not able to marry you now, anyway.”

Elizabeth shuddered. “Poor Susannah Long! At least he has returned to his home. I hope that when he does come back, Papa makes him take up residence at the inn instead of here.”

“Lizzy! Do not be unkind.”

“You cannot tell me, Jane Bennet, that you wish for him to return here. I hate to sound like our mother, but I do not like him and have no desire to see or hear from him again.”

“Well, no, I do not want him to return, but we must always be open to strangers, or even strange people, coming into our home. We might be entertaining angels, you know.”

“You sound like Mary.” Elizabeth’s grumble came with a lower lip that extended in a pout and made Jane giggle.

“Oh, very well. I am sorry for being unkind. I still hope Papa refuses him entrance, though, for your sake and that of our sisters. Even though Mr. Collins is marrying, I somehow do not trust him.”

“I understand.” Jane squeezed the hand she still held. She let go and picked up her own stitching. “We should get busy before Mama demands my attention.”

“I am not sorry she is ignoring me and my wedding plans, you know. The entire ceremony and breakfast will be to my taste and not hers, and that is not a bad thing.”

Jane smiled. “I know. I just wish she would give you your due. I am shocked that she appears not to care about our status as a family; the neighbors expect dinners and balls and a grand wedding breakfast and that is not what you will have.”

Elizabeth shrugged. “It will be well. Darcy does not like to be the center of attention.” She glanced over at her mother. “Besides, you never know when she will suddenly remember it and take over. I say we get as much done as possible on our own as quickly as we can.”

“I see your point.” Jane nodded. “Let us get busy, then.”

For the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, they did just that.

~~~***~~~

At Netherfield, the evening was quiet. The gentlemen kept to their plan of not leaving Darcy alone.

Wherever he was in a room, there was someone no more than an arm’s length away at all times.

If Louisa noticed, she said nothing. Eventually, everyone retired, all at the same time, and the house grew quiet.

Darcy had explained the situation to his valet, whom he trusted implicitly, and instructed the man to make certain the doors to the hallway were locked and to have a cot brought up to his bedchamber and set up along the wall by the dressing room door so that he could sleep in the room with him.

The following morning, Darcy and his cousin rode out alone for their morning exercise.

They had both risen before the rest of the household, in part because it was a habit they had long had and in part because their sleep had not been particularly restful and they saw no point in lying in bed, staring at the canopy above them.

“Bingley told me he called in the staff from the stables last night so they could hear what he had to say. Everyone on the estate is aware to look out for Larkin.” Darcy’s words to his cousin were quiet as they stood in the barn waiting for their mounts to be brought to them.

Fitzwilliam merely nodded. He was silent for several minutes, his sharp eyes darting back and forth as he listened and watched and assimilated the sounds, looking for anything out of place.

“I suspect he will approach a maid before he tries to get a groom to help him. A maid is more easily able to slip a drug into a pot of tea or bowl of soup. He will only involve a groomsman if he cannot get an in with a house servant. Even then, I think he will be more likely to attempt to spook the horse or something.” The colonel shrugged.

“There is an abundance of ways he could choose to use to get you.”

Just then, the first groom brought Apollo out for Darcy, who grasped the animal’s bridle.

With a nod for the servant, he began to walk the horse toward the door.

Fitzwilliam’s mare was not far behind; he followed suit, guiding her out the door and into the paddock.

They mounted and rode out without incident.

Thirty minutes later, they returned and handed the reins over once again to the staff. They made their way into the house and up to their chambers, agreeing to meet in the breakfast room in thirty minutes. When Darcy walked into his chambers, he was unsurprised to see Bingley waiting for him.

“How was your ride?” Bingley stood as he spoke.

“Uneventful, thankfully. Come.” Darcy gestured toward the dressing room. “I will have Smith set the screen up in front of the tub and we can talk while I bathe.”

Bingley followed his friend into the other room.

Darcy did exactly as he said he would and within minutes, was behind the screen, undressing.

Once the valet had gone out the door, Bingley locked it and moved to a chair near the tightly-closed window.

“Mrs. Nichols informed me a little bit ago that a maid had come to her and told her of a man asking at the back door about the guests here.”

In the bath, Darcy stopped. “Did she describe him? Was it Larkin?”

“She did,” Bingley replied, “and I believe it was. It did not take him long, did it?”

“No, it did not. We need to tell my cousin.”

“I have instructed the servant assigned to him to relay the message.”

Darcy was silent for a long moment. “Good,” he finally said. “We will speak to him anyway. No offense to you or your servants, but I want to know without the shadow of a doubt that he has been informed.”

“No offense taken. I assume Fitzwilliam will want to lure this man inside at some point?”

“There is not a doubt in my mind that he will.” Darcy quickly finished his bath. “You need to either unlock the door and let Smith back in or come to this side and pour that bucket of water over my head.”

“I will let him back in this instant. I have no need of ever again seeing anything as frightening as you without clothing. The last time we went swimming was terrifying enough.”

Darcy laughed as Bingley let Smith into the room.

A few minutes later, after Darcy was dressed and shaved, he and Bingley joined the colonel and the rest of the gentlemen in the breakfast room.

“I have encouraged Louisa to take a tray in her chambers this morning.” Hurst walked to the sideboard and made up a plate, then gave it to a maid to take to his wife, along with a pot of tea.

Once they all had plates and the servants had been dismissed, the gentlemen, who had seated themselves all at one end of the table, were informed of the latest news by Darcy and Bingley.

Madison whistled. “I should not be, I suppose, but I am astonished at the speed with which this man has begun his task.”

“I am, as well, but I am happy he has.” Fitzwilliam waved his fork at each of his companions.

“We will need to be vigilant today. I spoke to the housekeeper and the maid in question and instructed them to allow the man in and to do as he asks. They are then to give me a signal that the drug has been added to a food item; there is a different signal for each and a set menu for the day. Darcy …” He turned to his cousin.

“You are to pretend to eat or drink whatever I suggest to you. When you are finished, you are to behave as though you are sleepy … you can yawn or whatever … and walk to another room, or, if there is a large enough piece of furniture available, you can lie down and we will go. The rest of you will help me apprehend the man.”

Madison’s brow rose. “How can we be sure he does not see us?”

“When I get the signal, we will leave the room one at a time. I assume Larkin is aware of the number of gentlemen in the house. He will make note of each one and know when my cousin is alone. Then, he will enter the room Darcy is in. We will have walked to other rooms … I have noticed that most of them can be accessed through doors between the rooms. One never needs to enter the hallway. When we leave, I will go to the nearest room to the right and enter it. Madison, you do the same to the left. Bingley and Hurst, the pair of you can go further down the hall or even toward the back stairs, but find a place where you cannot be seen.”

“There is a water closet under the stairs,” Bingley said. “One of us can duck in there and the other can go into the parlor across the hall.”

“I will take the parlor,” Hurst stated. “I dislike that water closet. It is too small.”

“Good. That is settled, then.” Fitzwilliam looked at his friends one at a time. “Are there any questions?”

Bingley shook his head. “Not from me. I assume Darcy’s safety is of uppermost importance?”

“It is. However, I do not wish for you to put yourselves in any more danger than you have to. I have my sword and Darcy has a pistol, I believe?”

His cousin nodded. “I do, but it remains for the moment in my luggage. I will call for Smith to bring it down to me.”

“Do that.” The colonel looked around at the gentlemen once more. “If that is all, we should break our fasts and get on with our day. I suspect it will not be long before Larkin strikes.”

With that, the five of them ate hearty meals and retired to the library to wait.