“What ye say is true, sir. But when I saw the chance to earn all the money at once . . .”
Her father was very quiet for a few moments, before he said, “I would like all of you to leave for a moment whilst I finish my discussion with Mr. Todd.”
Mr. Fitzwilliam and Mr. Darcy frowned. Clearly, they did not like the idea, but they complied, following her and Jane out into the hall.
“I would have his neck in a noose,” Mr. Fitzwilliam said coldly.
Elizabeth shook her head. She knew how this would end.
“Miss Elizabeth, it is a special sort of betrayal to turn against the family that has given him succour.” Mr. Fitzwilliam’s expression had become rather dark and ominous.
“Papa will not pursue Mr. Todd,” Jane said firmly. “And I would not wish him to. He will think of the girls.”
“I should be very surprised indeed if Mr. Todd does not exit that room with the funds to take Molly and Nora to Cornwall,” Elizabeth added.
“Papa cannot allow him to remain here, but he would not have the girls orphaned.” Jane met Mr. Fitzwilliam’s angry gaze. “He sees the girls, sir, and he sees his own daughters.”
“He might have killed you and your coachman that night, Miss Bennet,” Mr. Fitzwilliam replied. “I could not be so forgiving.”
“He is not forgiving the man,” Elizabeth said. “He will be evicted and never again allowed on Longbourn’s lands. Yet a man who has lost his wife and may soon lose his daughter must struggle with a particular kind of desperation. Papa understands that all too well.”
There was silence for a moment, and then Mr. Darcy spoke. “Were any of you ill?” he asked in a hushed tone.
“Kitty,” Elizabeth replied. “She had a terrible fever on the ship that brought us home and still has a trace of the cough today.”
“It is well known at Longbourn that Papa loves children,” Jane informed them. “Mr. Todd has perhaps not been with us long enough to understand that. Whilst my father expects a great deal from those who benefit from Longbourn’s largesse, he is generous to those in his care.”
Mr. Fitzwilliam crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall. “He is a better man than I.”
Mr. Darcy did not seem to take offense to Papa’s response in the way his cousin did. He just listened. Elizabeth thought he appeared rather thoughtful.
Jane smiled sadly. “Mr. Fitzwilliam,” she began, “say that Papa called for the magistrate and had Mr. Todd taken away. That would satisfy his desire for justice. But Mr. Todd’s daughters are so very young, and Molly is terribly ill. What would they do without their father? What would their lives be like if they were thrown on the care of the parish? How long would Molly live and in what circumstances?”
Elizabeth picked up where Jane had left off. “I feel the betrayal, Mr. Fitzwilliam, believe me. If anything had happened to Jane, I do not know . . .” Her chest constricted, and she reached for Jane’s hand, holding it until the pain receded. “Do remember, though, that Mr. Todd came to Papa on his own to offer his confession. By giving Mr. Todd the funds for his travel and requiring he remove himself forthwith, Papa serves both justice and his conscience.”
Mr. Darcy half smiled. “I have seen him do it before.”
Mr. Fitzwilliam turned to his cousin. “Vaughan?”
“Vaughan.” Mr. Darcy held Elizabeth’s gaze with his own. “The soldier who shot your father. The general could have insisted upon a court martial and then a hanging. Instead, your father ordered me to make him a better soldier.”
“It worked, did it?” Elizabeth asked.
“After what felt like a lifetime of drill, yes.”
Mr. Todd appeared before them suddenly. They had none of them realised that the door to the study had opened. He was blinking rapidly, and his breaths came quick and hard. In one hand, he clutched a small coin purse.
“Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth,” he said, the words choked and tortured. “I thank you for your kindness. Your father is an angel. We will never forget you.”
“God go with you and your girls, Mr. Todd,” Jane told him, and Elizabeth echoed her sister’s farewell.
The men said nothing, but then, she did not expect that they would.
This was one of her father’s many lessons, driven home from the time they were all quite young. His own parents had taught it to him and when he had risen so far up the ranks in the army, he felt compelled to put it into action.
“For to whomsoever much is given, from him will much be required,” she whispered as they watched Mr. Todd exit the house.
“Gentlemen, I would request that you return to him now.” Jane held out her hand again to Elizabeth, who took it. “These confrontations are rare, but they have occurred often enough over the years that we know he does not like to see us afterward. However, I believe your company would cheer him.”