Pirates and Prejudice (6 page)

The carriage
slowed down, and both Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth looked out the window. “Ah! I
believe we have arrived.” Mr. Bennet took in a deep breath. “Are you ready, my
child?”

“I believe I am;
but are
you
, Papa?”

Mr. Bennet
tightened his fists and rubbed his thumbs and fingers together. “Yes, Lizzy.
The only other alternative is to turn around and return home, and I will not do
that.”

The carriage
door opened, and the two stepped out. Someone must have been watching for them,
for as soon as they had taken a few steps towards the house, two young men
hurried out, followed by a tall gentleman.

Elizabeth smiled
as she realized it was her uncle and his twin sons. As her father extended his
hand to his sister’s husband, Elizabeth watched, eager for a sign in his
features of the condition of his wife. As she watched them converse, she felt
someone take her hand. She turned to see a young lady smiling at her.

“Melanie!”
Elizabeth said, grasping her hands. “I would recognize you anywhere, even
though it has been almost ten years!”

“And I you!”
Melanie replied. “I am so glad you have come.”

“I am, as well,
but pray tell me, how is your mother?”

“Only fair. She
is inside. She does not get around easily, never goes outside, and stays either
in her room or in the western sitting room.” Melanie bit her lip and squeezed Elizabeth’s
hands. “We do as much as we can to make things easy for her.” A tear slid down
her face.

“I am so sorry,
Melanie. I know my father cares deeply for her.”

“And she feels
the same towards him. Her spirits have been so improved since hearing that he
was coming!”

Elizabeth
greeted her uncle, Henry Clower, and noticed the fatigue in his eyes. She felt
the grief that was reflected on his face. She then greeted Melanie’s brothers,
Martin and Adam, who were four years younger than she was. Elizabeth remembered
them as being quite young when she saw them last, and now they were turning
into very nice looking young men. 

They walked into
the house, Elizabeth keeping an eye on her father in case he needed her at his
side.

They were
immediately ushered into the sitting room, where they saw a small, frail woman
sitting in a chair. She had been watching for them and came to her feet when
they walked in.

Mr. Bennet
walked towards his sister with his arms outstretched.

“Viola!”

She embraced him
as tears trailed down her face. Elizabeth marvelled at how much the two
resembled each other. She had not recollected that when they visited all those
years ago.

“Now, you must
sit down!” Mr. Bennet admonished her.

“I am not that
much of an invalid, Brother!” She looked up into his face as if to etch his
features in her mind for all eternity. “You look exactly as I remembered!”

“Ha!” laughed
Mr. Bennet. “And you were always the tease!”

She turned to
Elizabeth. “And my lovely niece! Elizabeth, how good of you to come. I know you
and Melanie will enjoy each other’s company.”

Viola coughed
into a handkerchief and waved at the chair. “I think I will sit down now.” She
lowered herself into the chair and took a few sips of water from a glass on the
table next to her.

She looked at
her husband with an almost apologetic smile. “Henry, will you please make the
introductions?”

There were
several other people in the room. Elizabeth looked around, not recognizing
anyone, but noticing a young man standing across the room whose eyes rested on
her.

“I believe,
Edmund, that you remember your cousin, Jenny Adams?”

Mr. Bennet
nodded. “Certainly! It is because of her that the two of you met!”

“Hello, Edmund.
And do you remember my husband, Calvin? I believe you met several years ago.”

“Calvin and
Jenny have been so kind as to come,” Viola said. “Our two families have spent a
good deal of time together over the years.”

Mr. Bennet
extended his hand. “It is good to see you again, Adams. It has been many years,
but I do recollect when you and Jenny passed through Hertfordshire. That was
over twenty years ago, before any of our girls were born.”

“Indeed, it
was!” Mr. Adams exclaimed. “And our David was barely walking around!”

Mr. Adams waved
his son over. “David, this is your mother’s cousin, Edmund Bennet, and his
daughter, Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

The young man,
whom Elizabeth had noticed earlier, smiled, stepped forward, and extended his
hand to Mr. Bennet. “It is a pleasure, sir.” He turned to Elizabeth. “Miss Bennet,
if I had known I had such a lovely cousin in Hertfordshire, I would certainly
have gone out of my way to pay a call.”

Elizabeth was
flattered. “You are very kind, Mr. Adams. I would have liked that very much,
and I have four sisters who certainly would have enjoyed it, as well.”

“Please, Miss
Bennet. We are cousins. You must call me David.”

Elizabeth
nodded. “And you must call me Elizabeth.” Elizabeth felt a blush warm her
cheeks, and she turned away. His manners were certainly amiable; he had an intelligent
look, a ready smile, and was tall and rather handsome. His family seemed warm
and open. Elizabeth bit her lip as she considered that her father may have a
sensible – and rather suitable – relative after all.

Chapter 6

After four days of loathsome preparation for his role
as a pirate, Darcy grudgingly donned the wardrobe that he had earlier refused
to wear. He walked to the mirror and looked in dismay at his reflection. The
clothes he saw on his person were suited for the most flamboyant pirate, definitely
not for him. He grumbled as he beheld the loose white shirt with billowing
sleeves, the bright red sash about his waist, a double breasted jacket with
large gold buttons, and boots with garish bronze buckles. His hair now hung in
loose coils that peered from beneath the tri-corn hat and almost touched his
shoulders. His beard and moustache were nearly as thick as his hair, but
fortunately, not as curly. Despite the warmth of the day, he was tempted to don
his oilskin coat just to conceal his ridiculous appearance.

Before venturing
out to be seen by anyone in this outlandish garb, he sat down at the desk. It
had been far too long since he last penned a letter to his sister. He was
uncertain what he should say to her, but he knew it must be written before they
set out for the ship.

He dipped the
quill in the inkwell and put it to the paper. Usually the words flowed as
easily as the ink flowed from the pen, but this day they did not. He knew any
hint as to what he was about to do would worry Georgiana.

He perused the
letter once he had finished it.

My Dearest
Georgiana,

I hope you are
finding great enjoyment in your summer stay at Pemberley thus far. I trust you
have been able to pull yourself away from practising on the pianoforte to enjoy
some walks about the grounds with Mrs. Annesley and have had the opportunity to
visit with some of your friends.

Regretfully, it
shall likely be another few weeks before I return. I have been visiting with
acquaintances just outside of London and shall return to my town home in a
little over a week to meet with my steward to discuss some matters. I shall
then return to Pemberley as quickly as possible once my business is complete.

I hope, dear
sister, that you will forgive me for such neglect. I shall be home shortly and
will explain fully what has been taking up so much of my time. I greatly look
forward to our reunion.

Until then,

Your loving
brother

He read it
several times, hoping he had not written anything that would alarm his sister. She
knew him so well, and he hoped any indication of his former state of mind or
his present circumstances would not find its way to her. Once satisfied, he
folded the missive, sealed it with wax, and addressed it to Pemberley,
Derbyshire.

Darcy picked up the
one last piece of his pirate’s wardrobe: a thick gold chain from which hung a
large ruby surrounded by gold nuggets. He twirled the chain around his fingers
a few times, and then clasped it tightly. He refused to slip this around his
neck.

When he stepped
out of his room, carrying both the letter and the ruby, he came upon Evans.

“Whoa! I ken’t
believe me eyes! It’s Lockerly fer sure!”

Darcy held out
his letter. “Ev… Ellis, would you be so kind as to have this letter mailed?”

Evans leaned in
towards Darcy. “Would I what?”

Darcy closed his
eyes and slowly shook his head. “Would ye see that this ’ere letter be mailed?”

Evans took it
from Darcy. “O’ course.”

“One more thing,
Ellis.” He held out the ruby, dangling from the heavy gold chain. “You really expect
me to wear this? I could never wear something this pretentious!”

“I’m sorry?”
Evans replied. “What was that ye said? I cuddunt quite unnerstand ye with those
big words ye use.”

Darcy let out a
huff. “I can’t wear this! I could never wear somethin’ as appallin’ as this!”

“That is much
better, Lockerly. Yer speech ’as so much improved. But, aye, ye must, for you,
Lockerly, are known for wearin’ precious jewels that you have seized!”

Their eyes
locked in a gaze, and Darcy tugged at his beard. “I fear Lockerly is bein’ a
bit more cautious about the jewels he used to flaunt until he knows he ken
trust ’is crew. He will
not
be wearin’ it.” He held out his hand, and
Evans took the jewelled chain from him.

Evans chuckled
and shook his head. “If ye insist.”

*~*~*

Darcy, Evans,
and Lindel set out soon after to meet up with Foster. Evans and Lindel had also
dressed in their pirating attire. Unlike Darcy, however, they wore the same
tattered clothes they had worn the first day he met them, but added loose caps
that drooped over their forehead. Darcy wished that Lockerly did not dress so
outrageously. While he might wear something like this to a masquerade ball, he
felt completely ridiculous walking about in such attire! He had earlier hoped
no one would recognize him when he walked the streets of London in such an
appalling state; now he desired that to an even greater degree.

In addition to
the way he was now dressed, Darcy was expected to continually display the most
shocking manners, talk like the lowliest of miscreants, and master a walk that
included a lowering of his right shoulder, a long stride, and resting his hand
lightly on his sword, sheathed in a leather baldric which hung from his
shoulder. He absolutely refused, however, to limp! 

Evans leaned
towards him. “Lockerly, ye ’ave proven yerself quite well in acquirin’ da style
an’ manners of a pirate, but ye ’ave one fault!”

Darcy looked up.
“An’ what is that?”

The two men
looked at each other, and Evans continued. “When ye find yerself in a situation
in which ye feel uncomfortable or surprised, ye forget everythin’ we have
worked so hard to teach ye! Ye say everythin’ the wrong way.”

Darcy kept his
eyes on Evans, but all he could see was the anger in Elizabeth’s face as he
stumbled over his words in his disastrous proposal. He had taken the time
beforehand to think about what he wanted to convey to her and how to express
his love. When he actually had begun talking, however, it had proven to be more
difficult than he had imagined, and nothing seemed to come out right! When she
had refused him, his shock at her response made his ability to speak even more
of a challenge.

As he focused
back on Evans, he nodded. “We can only hope, then, that nothin’ will ’appen
that will throw me back to me ol’ ways!”

“Aye,” Lindel
agreed with a laugh. “We ken only hope.”

Evans and Lindel
had received word from Foster that the ship was ready for them. He hoped
they
were ready, as well. The ship was docked in a rather remote bay along the
English Channel. It was nearer to Brighton than London, as Foster hoped
Lockerly was still in the vicinity.

It took about
four hours to make the journey. As the carriage turned off onto a secluded
road, Darcy saw the masts of a sailing ship moored at a small inland dock. They
could not see the English Channel at all, as it was hidden by large trees.

When Evans and
Lindel saw the ship, they each let out a surprised gasp.

“He got it!”
Lindel said.

“Got what?”
Darcy said. “What is it?”

“He actually got
Lockerly’s ship. ’Tis the
Devil’s Seamaiden
, it is.”

Darcy looked
back at the ship, a feeling of dread rising within him.

Evans slowly
shook his head. “Lockerly ain’t gonna be happy if he hears ’bout this!”

“But it might be
the thing to bring him right to us!” Lindel added.

When the
carriage came to a halt, the men stepped out. Lindel took in a deep breath and
said, “An’ so it begins!

  
*~*~*

Foster rushed
over to greet the two men. Darcy barely recognized him. He had a good four-day
growth of beard and was dressed much like Evans and Lindel, but in place of the
loose cap, a bandana was tied about his head.

“Well, if it
ain’t Lockerly!” Foster smiled at Darcy, giving a nod to his clothes, and then
turned to a small group of men, calling out, “’Tis Lockerly! Our Cap’n be
finally here!”

Darcy grimaced,
took in a deep breath, and then stepped over to Foster, mimicking the walk he
had perfected over the last few days. He patted the hilt of his sword with his
right hand and asked, “Is this motley group of boys me crew?” A scowl seemed
permanently etched on his face.

Foster smiled
and nodded. “A shoddier group of miscreants you’ll not see.”

“Why does that
not relieve my apprehensions?” Darcy asked softly.

Foster waved his
arm through the air. “No need to worry, though we do need a few more men. But tell
me, before I introduce them to ye, ’ave my two men wiped clean every evidence
of polite society from ye? I dun’t have to fear something proper inadvertently
tumblin’ out, do I?”

“’Tis my hope
not to ’ave that ’appen!”

“Good! Come then,
Lockerly. I’ll take ye to yer new crew. They hold ye in the highest esteem. Yer
reputation is known far an’ wide.”

Darcy shot a
menacing glare at Foster.

As the group of
four men walked towards the young men who had gathered in front of the ship, Foster
whispered under his breath. “Remember, my name is Forrest, and these two are
Ellis and Lansing.”

“Yes, I’ll
remember,” Darcy said.

The four men
walked up to the ship, gathering the men around them as they did.

“Men!” Foster
said, extending his arm towards Darcy. “Meet the illustr’ous Cap’n of the
Devil’s
Seamaiden
! Lockerly ’as come!”

Darcy stepped
forward and eyed the men who eagerly formed a line and eyed him back. He stood
taller than all of them. One hand patted his sword while the other rubbed his
bearded jaw.

“I hope ye turn
out to be better at sailin’ than ye are at dressin’!” Darcy bellowed as he
glanced out over the men. He then waved a hand down his own clothing and said,
“But ye have my respect, as ye must know that I am Lockerly an’ must appear to
advantage over the lot of ye!”

Foster, Evans,
and Lindel chuckled softly, feeling quite proud of Darcy’s transformation.

“I’ll have ye
come up one at a time so as I ken meet ye!”

He nodded his
head towards Foster, Evans, and Lindel to join him, for his two companions
needed introductions, as well.

Darcy decided to
take a somewhat aloof demeanour as Foster introduced him to each man. He wanted
to personally scrutinize each one under the guise of feigned disinterest. It
was not that he did not trust Foster, but he felt he might notice something
that Foster perhaps had missed. If he suspected any of these men had violent
tendencies or might know he was
not
Lockerly, he would dismiss the man.

The men were all
young. Foster had been right in his assessment about who would show up to join
Lockerly’s crew. As he heard each man’s story, many were the same, coming from
poor families and having no trade and no source of income.

A scrawny young
man, who looked not a day over eighteen, came and stood before the men.

“Me name’s
Michael Jenkins. I’m eighteen, the youngest of seven children. Me two older
brothers work for me father in his milliner shop, but he can’t afford to hire
me. He tol’ me to find meself work. So when I hears about this, I said to
meself, I could do that!”

He paused, as if
unsure whether to say any more. Darcy casually nodded for him to continue.

“I ken sew. If
sails tear or if clothin’ needs fixin’, I ken do it.” The young man smiled
weakly.

“Good!” Darcy
replied. “Yer prob’ly someone we ken use.”

Edward Webber
stepped forward and introduced himself. “I growed up in London. Me father
passed on a cupla months ago. I need to help me ma out. I dun’t have no sailin’
experience, but I learn quickly and I ain’t afeard of nobody.”

Webber shuffled
from one foot to the other and seemed unable to meet Darcy’s eyes.

“Will ye hire
me, please? I’ll do anythin’ ye ask!”

“Anythin’?”
Darcy asked and walked over to him. He stood several inches taller than the
young man. “Will ye climb the ratlines an’ swab the deck?”

The young man
looked up quickly with hopeful eyes. “I will, Cap’n. I will. I will even kill
someone if ye tell me to!”

Darcy’s heart
stopped, but he controlled his response, placing his hand on his sword, patting
it a few times. Meeting the young man’s eyes, he said, “But will ye
not
kill someone if I tell ye not to?”

Webber’s eyes
grew wide. “Like I said, Cap’n, I will do anythin’ ye ask.”

“You’ll do,”
Darcy replied. Before he waved him on, he asked, “How old are ye, lad?”

Webber paused and
bit his lip. “I’m almost sixteen.”

Darcy nodded,
concerned about his age, but appreciating his avowal of loyalty.

Most of the
young men had no source of income or any ability to secure it. They were
putting their trust in Lockerly, and while they most likely had great hopes of
securing a vast fortune while pirating, he hoped that they would each find a
good future someday. Foster would pay them for the few days they were unwitting
participants in this scheme, but once the real Lockerly showed up – or the week
was up – they would all go their separate ways.