Page 2 of The Cheapside Runners
“You will have no objection from me,” Darcy said emphatically, though he was not entirely certain how he felt about his childhood friend’s fate.
“Agreed. I am glad we got that out of the way. Some might argue that your father created the menace, but I am not inclined to criticise a man for honourably upholding his duty to a trusted employee.”
Darcy was astonished Mr Gardiner knew so much, but assumed any investigator worth his salt should not have that much difficulty getting the story, especially with Wickham available to give his version which was generally about half true.
“I appreciate your forbearance,” he replied, with something of a haughty attitude.
“The man had an accomplice, though I am loathe to apply similar treatment to her. A woman obviously cannot be pressed, but there are equally harsh measures that could be applied if necessary. She was in on his plan, but it is hard to say how much she was motivated by malice and how much by plain stupidity. I am holding her and will decide how to handle her later.”
“That seems more than I really need to know,” Darcy said in some confusion. “What was their crime, and how does it apply to me?”
Gardiner blew out a breath before continuing.
“The man no doubt deserved his fate for any number of crimes, such that I would be comfortable with any punishment from transportation to the rope. That said, theparticularoffence that caught my attention was an action involving my speciality. You see, our primary activity consists of protecting young ladies, often of high-status, from the depredations of rogues and fortune hunters. We mostly protect them from compromises, assaults, and of course, elopements. We interrupted an elopement in progress. He was not preying on one of our clients, but we got wind of it anyway and stepped in.”
“Stepped in… why? Is this a way to get more business?” Darcy growled.
“Of course not! Most guardians would be quite happy to engage us retroactively after we saved their charges, but it would be alessening of the honour of my triumph very sadly.Madness lies down that path, for obvious reasons. I would be little better than a common blackmailer. Who is to say I did not engineer the situation just so I could swoop in and play the hero. No sir, it would not do,”
Darcy sat stunned at the statement. “Just to clarify, you assert that the woman’s guardian owes you nothing?”
“Exactly!Not only will I demand no payment, but I would not accept it if freely offered. I consider it my basic duty as afamily man. Unfortunately, scoundrels are common as rats, so I shall never lack for customers. We cannot fix the world, but we should at least fix the problems that are right in front of us. If a guardian wants to engage me later for another matter, that is perfectly acceptable, but for the original action, nothing is owed.”
“An admirable system,” Darcy replied, feeling sheepishly guilty about his suspicions, though it appeared to him that Mr Gardiner was not the least bit surprised by his supposition. In that man’s business, he may well have a conversation just like that once a fortnight.
Darcy was just beginning to congratulate himself on his forbearance when a disturbing thought occurred to him.
He asked nervously, “Can you tell me who his intended victim was?”
“I can tell you she is an heiress, but fifteen years old, with a reported dowry of £30,000. Absent my men’s intervention, they would have left Ramsgate tomorrow. As it is, your sister is very curious about why her erstwhile suitor disappeared abruptly, and her companion soon followed.”
Darcy jumped up and yelled, “Why did you not lead with that? Why all the tiptoeing around the subject?”
Gardiner just let him vent his spleen as experience told him was best. He took a minute to grab another biscuit from the drinks tray, then even poured himself another cup of tea and gestured to Darcy to ask if he wanted some.
He finally said, “Be easy, sir. Miss Darcy is perfectly safe. I have taken the liberty of ensuring she is unmolested, and she has been given a convincing story about her companions. You should go to her soon, but do not kill yourself getting there. A day or two will make no difference.”
Darcy realised the man was acting sensibly and felt slightly bad about his outburst—though it would be many days before hegot over the worst of the shock and worked out that Mr Gardiner had presented the information in the only manner that would allow him to listen to anything beyond the danger to his sister.
He finally calmed down enough to ask, ‘What liberties have you taken, exactly?”
“We investigated the housekeeper at your lodgings, and she seems reliable. She is unaware of what transpired and not a part of the scheme, as the companion was careful and rather sneaky in her machinations. I temporarily engaged a lady I can personally vouch for who seeks employment as a companion to look in on your sister. Mrs Annesley is reliable, and she will look in on the young lady each day, though I obviously could not actually engage her. I also have a couple of men watching the house in case Wickham had accomplices. We are holding Mrs Younge in slightly better accommodations than Mr Wickham and will leave her to your discretion. She was part of the scheme, but I do not know why or how she became involved. It is possible this Wickham fellow held something over her and blackmailed or threatened her for compliance, though it is equally likely they were paramours.”
Darcy leaned back in his chair, too stunned to speak.
He finally started feeling guilty for the cloud of suspicion he had for a man who in no way deserved it.
“Mr Gardiner, I can freely admit you have saved my life—or at least my sister’s, which amounts to the same thing. I am in your debt.”
“As I said, no debt is owed. I am here simply to finish the action and reunite you with your ward. I will say that Mrs Annesley might do for your sister, but that is for you to decide. If you do not employ her, I will find her another charge.”
“May I assume that is not a particular challenge for a man with your connexions?”
“You may.”
“I still feel I owe you something, sir.”
“I have explained my reasons against that.”
