They roared in laughter for a few moments and Mr. Knightley walked out of the house with Thorpe and made his farewells.
Lizzy and Jane smiled at Mr. Thorpe. “Thank you for coming to our rescue, Mr. Thorpe. You have been so kind to help us in our time of need.”
Thorpe gloated, “It was nothing, Miss Elizabeth. I have an appointment right now but I would like to see you both again soon. Perhaps tonight for dinner?”
“Well, we are staying at the cottage here at the hospitality of Mr. Knightley, the owner of the home, and we can certainly invite you to dine with us. Would seven o’clock work for you?” Lizzy asked with a bright smile.
“Yes, that is perfect.” Thorpe walked close and lifted up Lizzy’s hand. “You are most kind and absolutely charming. I would love to get to know you better, Miss Elizabeth.”
Lizzy lowered her eyes shyly, “I will see you tonight, sir. Truly, it has been a pleasure to meet you today.”
Thorpe grinned and bowed to Jane and left quickly. He had a meeting with a certain elderly woman to give her a piece of his mind for attempting to trick him into a fool’s errand.
~*~
“That was a capital performance, Lizzy!” William laughed loudly once they were all back inside the cottage. “He was completely fooled that you both were helpless women in need of his expertise.”
Lizzy smiled, “He was as vain as you had described, Will, and I hope he receives his just desserts. He truly believed that he could charm his way into a woman’s heart by his smiles and smooth speeches, and I hope we succeeded in rescuing Anne.”
Mr. Knightley laughed, “He gave me £10 and I plan on splurging it on all three ladies on a shopping trip. It was the most entertainment I have had in years!”
The ladies chattered excitedly about what had happened and how they felt about the vile man.
Knightley pulled William over for a moment while Lizzy was explaining to Georgiana the details. “Darcy, Thorpe said that he wanted Lizzy as his wife to ‘tame her’ and that he would get his hands on her money. He has gambled away his home here in Ramsgate and must depart by next week so we should help him along with his departure earlier than later. I hope you will convince him to go back to the countryside and never return here.”
William’s face grew dark at the thought of the rake harming his Lizzy. “I will make certain of it, Knightley. I have my man following him right now and once he meets with Lady Catherine and sends her back to Brighton, my father and uncle will deal with her and I will put the fear of God into Thorpe. If he attempts to touch Lizzy, I will kill him with my bare hands.”
“I have no doubt of it, my friend.” Mr. Knightley laughed. “I only wanted to warn you. Smile now.” He advised. “You look fearsome and you will worry my wife. Nice performance yourself, by the way. We all make fine actors on stage.”
William quickly smiled, “I have learned much from Lizzy over the years. It was very enjoyable to pretend, was it not?” He looked at her fondly, “Life with her is incomparable to anything else in the world.”
The gentlemen returned to the ladies and they spoke happily together.
“Mr. Thorpe was as handsome as you had described, Will,” Lizzy spoke quietly while the others took their tea. “I can see why you feared Anne would be taken with him.”
“You liked him, then?” William asked in surprise. “If you had not known of his character before, would you have been fooled?”
“Perhaps. If he had behaved more gentlemanly and spoke as smoothly as he did without my knowing his deception, I might have fallen for his charms and thought him a good man. But knowing the truth, he is a vile creature; the ugliest soul I have ever seen.” She reached for his hand and caressed it. “I am glad you knew of him and warned us all, Will. There is something about a man that makes him infinitely handsome when he is honest and kind, and you are the handsomest gentleman of my acquaintance.” She smiled affectionately.
William kissed her hand and beamed. “I will ensure he does not hurt you, Lizzy. Knightley told me that Thorpe was planning on seducing you but I will not let him near you after this evening. It burned me with anger to see him stand next to you and I would have beat him with my fists if he touched your hand again. I hope to hear from my man soon so we can put this to rest tonight.”
William and Lizzy returned to the group and awaited word from William’s spy to see how things proceeded with Lady Catherine.
Chapter 10
“Did you know your nephew Mr. Darcy is here in Ramsgate right now?” John Thorpe screeched. “He told me all! He thought I was a solicitor and he is working on purchasing a large cottage and he let it slip that he has your daughter’s dowry at his disposal!”
“It cannot be!” Lady Catherine exclaimed. “Anne’s dowry is to go to her husband and she is not married. How could she give it to Darcy? Are they married?”
Thorpe scoffed, “No, he had some pretty woman on his arm whom he said was his betrothed. Mr. Darcy said your daughter is sick and gave her fortune away. When was the last time you saw her? You led me to believe that Miss de Bourgh was a willing participant in trying to become a married woman. You said nothing about her health! She is probably a sickly thing that cannot even bear children.” He gnarled when he saw her pale. “So, it is true!
