Lizzy laughed while they walked away from the sour woman, “You did not give me a chance to greet her, Will! I know she had much more to say to me.”
William relaxed and smiled, “I will not allow one word of insult to flow from her mouth, Lizzy. I did not think she would come to an art gallery but it appears I was wrong. Now that she knows we are here, we will have to act swiftly. We will need to approach Thorpe and carry out our plans as discussed. Father thought it perfect in his letter yesterday and fully approves.” He looked lovingly at the woman on his arm, “Are you ready to try your luck in acting? The world will be your stage and John Thorpe, your spectator.”
“I am ready, sir!” Lizzy answered. “I will play my part while you play yours, and Jane and the Knightleys are fully prepared as well. Georgiana only wishes she could participate but I promised to entertain her with the full details after we complete our task. John Thorpe will wish he never met us!”
They smiled in amusement and returned to the cottage to alert their friends of their roles to play.
~*~
“Miss! You dropped your handkerchief.” The handsome man came rushing towards the two ladies gracefully strolling the street. “You dropped this lovely piece of cloth.”
“Oh, thank you, kind sir!” Lizzy exclaimed. “This is my favourite handkerchief, as my dearest sister here had embroidered such a beautiful pattern for me. Please allow me to introduce myself and my sister to thank you properly, Mr....?”
“I am John Thorpe. It is a pleasure.” He gawked at the pretty woman with the shining eyes, then leered at the tall, fair blonde. “Such a pleasure to meet two beautiful ladies.”
Lizzy giggled charmingly, “I am Miss Elizabeth and this is my sister, Miss Bennet. We are visiting from out of town. Are you from near here, Mr. Thorpe?”
Thorpe proudly answered, “I have this summer house here for my use,” he pointed to the small home, “and I am here with my mother. My sisters are with their governess in Fullerton in our modest home there but I am quite happy to bring my mother so she can enjoy the seaside for a few weeks.”
“I am happy to hear it, sir!” Lizzy replied. “We have recently inherited a large bequest from our uncle and are here in Ramsgate to purchase a home for holiday use. Do you know that house over there?” She pointed to Mr. Knightley’s home. “We are considering it and I wonder if you can be of assistant to us. Do you know this area well? I wonder if you know if it is a sound house. The solicitor does not seem to be forthcoming with us, being only women after all, and since you have been so gentlemanly in assisting us, I wonder if we can trouble you to inspect the cottage with us. We could be close neighbours if all goes well.” She fluttered her lashes alluringly.
Thorpe brightly beamed, “My father was actually a solicitor while he lived and I have learned a thing or two from him. I can certainly be of assistance, especially to two such beautiful ladies. That cottage is one of the largest homes in this area and belongs to a very wealthy man, I believe. It had been leased for some time but I had heard that it was to be sold. Your inheritance must have been quite generous to be able to purchase such an extensive property.”
“Well, we are only using a portion of our share, since we have been given equal shares and we have decided to purchase two homes. One will be here in Ramsgate and another in London. If we should ever marry, my sister and I would not need to fight over which home belongs to whom since we will each have our own home.” Lizzy shared. “It is confidential so I hope you will not tell anyone, my dear neighbour. We do not wish for our fortune to be known since there are so many unscrupulous men in the world.”
Thorpe raised an eyebrow, “Your secret is safe with me, Miss Elizabeth. Shall we tour the house together? I would be happy to talk to the solicitor and perhaps explain some of the contract wording to you since I am knowledgeable in that field. You can trust me, ladies.” He seductively kissed each of their hands.
Lizzy and Jane smiled charmingly and headed to the cottage on his arms.
“This is Mr. Smith, the solicitor that we had told you about.” Lizzy introduced Mr. Knightley.
“A pleasure, I am sure,” Mr. Knightley responded sharply with his nose in the air. “As I have stated before, Miss Elizabeth, Miss Bennet, this property is a highly valued house and I have several interested buyers. If you are not serious about the place, I suggest you move on to another location after your brief stay here. I have no patience in dealing with women who do not know from left to right.” He spoke condescendingly. “Come back with your solicitor and I will talk to that man but I do not care to do business with feeble-minded ladies. You should have your husbands handle the business for you.”
Thorpe stepped in, “Now, you wait one minute, Smith! I am their solicitor and I can see clear as day that what you want for this house is much higher than what it is worth. I would like to make the inspection myself and wish to see the rooms.” He turned to the ladies and winked, “I will see that you get a fair price for this place, ladies. You would not wish
