Page 22 of Till Death Us Do Part
Baker sighed. “I will have to give it to your father. My experience says he will just keep it and spend it on his own comforts, assuming rightly or wrongly that you owe it to him for all the expense and inconvenience of the chase.”
Elizabeth shrugged resignedly. “I suppose you are right. At best he will give it to my future husband, which will be like dumping a thimble of tea in the ocean.”
Baker looked around to ensure their privacy.
“Nobody but you and I know how much coin you have. If I returned half, his suspicions would be satisfied. I cannot allow you to just hide it somewhere local where you could use it for another escape attempt, but if you had some other avenue for the funds, I could see to it.”
“Such as?”
“I have no idea. I could send it to someone for safekeeping if you like, though I would not do so for several weeks—you understand.”
“And I should just trust you to do that?”
He smiled grimly. “No, you should not. You should never trust anybody in my profession, but if that is your best alternative, I am at your service. I give you my word I will not steal it, but if I were the sort of man to steal a lady’s money, my word would be worth nothing.”
Elizabeth thought about it for a moment, and finally said, “If I give it to Molly, will you guarantee her safe passage,with the coin intactback to Derbyshire, preferably in safety and comfort?”
He nodded.
“Then I accept your offer. Give me the money. I will give her a few suggestions about how to best use it. It will be nice to think thatsomebodywill profit from my years of discipline.”
The man nodded. “I am impressed. Not everyone would think of a maid.”
“She is not a maid, just a young woman alone in the world.”
“May I presume you wish to continue her education?”
“Of course. That is why I started.”
“Did you meet the proprietor of the bookshop?”
“Yes, he is a lovely man.”
“I suggest she ask him to direct her education. I think he will see to her appropriately.”
“I will do so. And Mr Baker—I trust you, within reason, but you should be aware that I will return Lambton sooner than later withconsiderablyhigher status and nearly unlimited funds. I would bemostunhappy to learn Molly’s fortune did not make it all the way to her lessons.”
“You wound me, Miss Bennet,” he said, but then leaned back and laughed his head off.
The last words before Molly returned were the whispered,“Cheek of the devil.”
11.A Merry Chase
As soon as the coach was in motion, Elizabeth handed the fifteen pounds Mr Baker reckoned could be omitted without her father accusing him of negligence to her new friend.
“Molly, you are too polite to say it, but you probably guessed I am being returned to my father’s authority after an attempted escape. I would like you to have this.”
Molly gasped in surprise, never having seen such a large sum in one place. “It is too much, ma’am. That is so much I… I… I…”
She ran out of words, so Elizabeth tried to explain.
“It is not so much as you think. It is about as much as a scullery makes in a year, or my pin money for a quarter. I will lose it regardless, but I choose to do something admirable with it, instead of just handing it over to my father. I depend on you to make good use of it.”
“I cannot take it, ma’am.”
“Yes, my dear, you can and you will. I insist. There are only a few conditions I will attach.”
Molly just stared with her mouth open and nodded, so Elizabeth continued.
