Page 30 of Shields and Roses

Bennet studied the game in progress on the tiny chessboard. Although young Darcy's letter had been insulting in both its brevity and tone, Bennet appreciated the gift of the set. He had another metal plate made, just like the one with his own name but inscribed 'Darcy’ and affixed it to the opposite side of the box. He then arranged the board, with the shallow bowl that had had come with the set and arrived fitted inside between the sets of men and the tiny tongs for moving the pieces, on the most accessible corner of his desk. Now he had a constant game going in which any visitor to his study who understood the game made one move on his former partner's behalf. Lizzy, Mary and Sir William were the most frequent of Darcy's seconds, but Kitty and Lydia sometimes stopped by to take a turn, primarily because they enjoyed looking at the tiny pieces so much. Bennet had even caught Mrs. Hill playing a move once, and a very canny move at that.

It was a completely different kind of game than those to which he was accustomed. Normally, you had one opponent who played with a certain strategy in mind. With so many people taking turns on that side there was no set strategy to the moves, which could cut both ways. Of course, it often made Darcy's side lose, but some of Bennet's success as a player was spotting and circumventing the strategies of his opponent. In this case, his opponent was a wild card and sometimes that scored a win. No matter what the outcome, Bennet enjoyed the frequent reminder of all the games he had played against George Darcy over the years. He wondered what young Darcy would think if he knew the board was still in use.

Bennet made his next move just as a knock came at the door. Mrs. Hill poked her head into the room.

"The post just came, sir. You have a letter from Mr. Gardiner."

He accepted the letter with a word of thanks, and Mrs. Hill went on her way. A letter from Gardiner probably meant one from Richard or from Rand as well, possibly both. He broke the seal and unfolded the sheets. Just Rand, this time, he discovered as he found the insert. He decided to read it before seeing what Gardiner had to say.

Greetings, old friend,

I have just returned from a visit to Pemberley. My nephew is doing well with his new responsibilities, but he had a tricky tenant dispute to resolve and wanted to hear my thoughts before he made the decision. In the end, he made the decision himself, and I think it was a good one even if it was not quite what I had advised. He is learning to be his own man, and the tenants respect him for that. I have told him he is always welcome to ask my advice, and, unlike my sister, I will not insist that he take it.

He did take an action I would have advised but did not need to. Since his father was so clear in the will about not wanting Catherine to influence my niece, I was glad to learn that Will had finally replaced the nursemaid with a governess not chosen or recommended by my sister. The woman seems capable and competent. Even better, Georgiana already likes her. The dear girl has returned to her studies and other activities as her grief has lessened. She still misses her father a great deal, but the worst has passed. Life does go on.

I have heard some news of your cousin, Collins the younger. I told you earlier he had graduated from divinity school near the bottom of his class. It seems Catherine has set him up as a curate but for some reason he disclaims all knowledge of her, even though we know he met her several months ago. She probably does not want word to get back to us that she is assisting the cub for purposes of her own. I have a man watching him and will let you know what more I learn.

At each report I receive from Anne's governess, I learn she is becoming more like Lewis than we would ever have expected. Her mother suspects nothing, so far as we know. All the same, Anne is bright and witty, with the off-beat sense of humor my brother-in-law often displayed. Richard tells me her rare clandestine letters make him laugh with the way she describes her battle against her mother. He is most amused that Catherine has an opponent of which she is not even aware right in the midst of her own household. She thinks of Anne as a pawn, but I think my niece is probably a knight. One day she will jump right over her mother's pieces and lead us to the checkmate.

Speaking of checkmate and knights, I think you will find my next move in our game gives me the win. Knight to E5. Checkmate, my friend. I suspect you were expecting that move and hoping I would miss it. Not this time.

Please wish Lizzy a happy birthday for me. When I visit Gardiner today, I will pass him a small gift to carry along when he and Madeline come to Meryton for the celebration. He will give it to you, and you can present it to Lizzy. It seems like only yesterday she was a scruffy child having an argument with a rosebush and now, here she is, about to come out as a beautiful and elegant young woman. I can hardly believe it.

I wish you and your family the best of health. Perhaps I can sneak in a visit some time so we can have a real chat. I look forward to it.

Bennet folded up the letter and placed it in the locked file in the hidden drawer where he kept his secret correspondence. The idea of young Collins as a clergyman still gave him the shudders. From Rand's reports, the cub, as he called him, was not a man to be entrusted with anyone's spiritual aid. He hoped they would figure out what Lady Catherine's move was before she made it. Was Collins meant to be a pawn or a bishop?

Chapter 19: Invitation

"Mary, do you mind staying here in London while Jane and I visit Aunt Madeline's family in Derbyshire?" Lizzy asked her sister as the two helped each other finish preparing for dinner. She fastened a decorated hairpin to hold the elegant, braided twist she had just arranged in Mary's hair.

"Not at all, Lizzy. I think I would feel very shy and uncomfortable going into strange society while visiting with people I have met so rarely. You know I have not been out for very long and Aunt Madeline will ease me into engagements here just as she did for you and Jane in previous years."

"Yes, she has always made social events so much easier for us. I think you will like meeting her friends. They are generally very pleasant and welcoming, nothing like Miss Stanton warned us society in London would be." Lizzy twisted a final curl into place, fastening it with a pin before she stepped back to view the result.

"I have been remembering your stories to calm myself, and Jane has told me much the same thing, although we are also not among the highest circles of the Ton. It will be a little different from the last few months in Meryton, but I know I will enjoy my time here. Besides, if I were to go to Derbyshire along with the two of you, that would give the lie to some of the reasoning Papa used for dismissing Miss Stanton," Mary said as she examined Lizzy's work in the mirror. "That looks very good. Would you help me fasten my necklace?"

Lizzy took the necklace and carefully fastened it on her sister's neck. The amber pendant on a fine gold chain coordinated well with the dark green ivy embroidered around the neckline of Mary's creamy-white evening gown and brought out a golden sparkle in her brown eyes. She put on the matching earbobs as Lizzy took a final look at her own hair in the looking glass at the dressing table. The amber set had been a gift to Mary from her godfather in celebration of her sixteenth birthday a year before. She ordered her evening gowns all decorated to coordinate with it, much as Lizzy had her gowns made to match the lovely garnet rose necklace the Gardiners had given her three years before. Both girls wore their special jewelry like good luck talismans in addition to appreciating them because they were beautiful and valuable items. Jane was less sentimental about the pearl set she had received from the Gardiners two years previous, although she frequently wore it just because it was the finest jewelry she owned.

"Yes, it would be a shame to waste the mental effort it took Papa to avoid telling her his primary complaint was the years she had spent serving two masters and his worry that she might do something to cause problems now that all three of us are out. He also finally became fed up with her continued insistence that any association with the Gardiners would be damaging to our social status, which is completely ridiculous. The extended visits we are making to separate locations presented a good opportunity to rid ourselves of a spy in our midst."

"I am glad Papa still gave her a good reference. Despite her divided loyalties, Miss Stanton was a good teacher," Mary said, standing and smoothing the front of her gown.

Lizzy gave a little tug to straighten the garnet-colored ribbon tied into a small bow just under her bodice. "I may not have always agreed with her attitudes and treatment of us, but I will agree with that. She will probably do well by some other family, especially if they are not targets of Lady Catherine's attention. I remember that I was wild for Papa to dismiss her years ago because I knew she was a spy, but I doubt we would have learned so much from someone who was any less dedicated to turning us into paragons of good behavior. Papa was wise to wait and even wiser to find such a reasonable explanation to let her go and avoid causing suspicion for Lady Catherine. With Miss Parks still handling Kitty and Lydia's education, you under the care and chaperonage of Aunt Madeline, plus Jane and I heading off for an extended visit with the Damask family, there really was no need to keep her employed as a governess. In other circumstances, he might have had her transition to being a companion for one of us, but not necessarily. This might still have been a time for any governess to move on."

Mary checked once more to be certain her earbobs were securely in place. "I feel better knowing that Lady Catherine has one less source of information about our daily activities."

"Known source," Lizzy reminded her as they headed to the door. "Papa told me years ago that you must always assume someone is watching and behave accordingly."

"The amusing thing is that Miss Stanton told us almost exactly the same when she would give us lessons on propriety," Mary said with a smile.

"Are you certain she was not teaching us irony?" Lizzy asked. Both young women laughed quietly as they entered the hall, heading for the stairs so they could go down to meet Madeline's relatives, who would be joining them that evening for dinner.

Jane opened the door of the small room she was staying in just as they passed by. She joined her sisters in the hall.

"That periwinkle color suits you well, Jane," Lizzy said. Her older sister did look exceptionally well, with her golden hair twisted and curled into an elegant style that framed her face attractively. The gauzy periwinkle overdress atop a cream silk gown complemented her complexion and gave her light green eyes a more blue tone. Her pearl pendant and earbobs completed the ensemble.

"Thank you, Lizzy. You are both looking very good as well. I was surprised Aunt Madeline asked us to wear our best gowns for what is supposed to be a simple family dinner."