Mr. Knightley left with Mr. Thorpe to show him the rooms of the large house.
There was a soft knock on the front door and Lizzy opened it.
“Is he here?” William whispered to Lizzy.
Lizzy nodded, “Yes, he is touring the house.” She teased, “How do you like having another man’s wife on your arm?”
William winked and returned her smile, “Knightley might kill me if I am not careful with his wife so do not give me away!” He turned and grinned at Mrs. Knightley on his arm.
“Good thing we sent the staff away for the day, otherwise it would have been very confusing for us all!” Lizzy laughed. “We are ready. Go!”
“MR. SMITH!” William shouted and waited until Mr. Knightley rushed downstairs. “What is the meaning of this?! Why are there other buyers in this house when I was told to arrive at this hour? You said I would have priority in purchasing the cottage but these ladies have shared that they are also here to purchase it, with their solicitor, no less!”
“Mr. Darcy! My heartfelt apologies,” Mr. Knightley bowed, “I had no idea that these ladies were sincere in their intention to purchase the home and I thought them too poor to be able to afford such a place. The ladies are staying here at the hospitality of Mr. Knightley and their solicitor assures me that they have enough funds to buy two homes of this size and I must consider their offer now. Are you willing to bid higher for this house? I know you and your lovely betrothed wished for a large seaside home and this is the grandest one in the area.”
William huffed, “Well, I have just received word that my cousin Anne de Bourgh is ill and will be signing off all of her fortune to me, making me £30,000 richer. I am willing to outbid these ladies by any means necessary since my future wife likes the place and wants it.” He lifted Isabella’s hand and kissed it. “Yes, I will take the place. My dear lady deserves the best and if she likes it, she will have it.”
Lizzy and Jane cried out softly in distress. “That is not fair,” Lizzy whined. “You cannot take the place from us. Mr. Knightley, the owner, had personally given us priority. We are not without our own fortune and we will outbid you! Send word to Mr. Knightley, Mr. Smith! As we are staying in Ramsgate for two more nights to enjoy this place, we will await word on what your client wants and we will be ready to match it.” She turned to William, “We will fight you for the place, even if my sister and I must consolidate our funds to win. Your £30,000 is nothing compared to what we have!”
William and Isabella huffed in anger, “Smith! Let us know what the owner wishes to do. You will do better to deal with a respectable gentleman like me than with two unknown ladies without connections. We will return tomorrow. Good day!” They left the house to await John Thorpe’s departure.
Thorpe gulped at hearing of the ladies’ fortune. He had been planning on travelling to Bath next month to seduce Anne de Bourgh, but it had been most fortunate that Mr. Darcy, of whom he had heard from Lady Catherine for years, happened to show up to look at the house at the same time. Hearing that Anne de Bourgh was ill and had given away her dowry, which Lady Catherine had promised to him, John Thorpe knew what he needed to do.
“Ladies, if you will give me a moment with Mr. Smith in private, I will see what we can work out. Could you please step outside for ten minutes?” He petitioned to them.
Lizzy and Jane curtseyed and went outside.
Thorpe immediately grabbed Smith and led him to a corner of the room where no one could hear them. “I can tell that you are a man of low morals and wish to gain some funds from this deal. Make your agreement with Darcy and do whatever you want, but do NOT let the ladies purchase this house, do you hear me? I know that it is a grand house but one of those ladies will be my wife and I do not want their funds to be wasted in buying a house. If I could marry them both, I would do so but I plan on choosing one so that I can get my hands on their fortune.” He pulled out a ten-pound note and put in in Mr. Knightley’s hand. “And another tenner when you have rejected their offer. Tell them that your client wishes to do business with Mr. Darcy.”
Mr. Knightley grinned, “Ah, an enterprising young man. I assure you, I will do as you say, as long as you keep your end of the bargain. Bring me another twenty pounds tomorrow and I will do my part. Are you in need of funds? I did not know those ladies were so rich. Perhaps I will try to seduce the other one.”
“I am desperate to get my hands on some money since I lost my house down the street due to gambling debts. My mother does not know but we are to vacate the place by next week and I was to have an opportunity to get some funds from another source, but I only now found out that the same woman gave her dowry to Mr. Darcy. These Bennet ladies are primed for picking and I will be able to get my hands on their fortune earlier and easier. They are both fine ladies. Which one do you like?” He asked with a sneer on his face.
“It matters not. I only care for their purse-strings. They are both very pretty.” He answered, swallowing down his disgust.
Thorpe snickered, “I like the dark-haired one. She is an energetic little thing and will be more exciting to
