Hello again to all my repeat readers and welcome to those who are new to my stories. I know I have been away for a while. Real Life has felt rather, well, tight these past few months and I have not been able to spend nearly as much time writing or editing as a result. For those still waiting on the promised sequel to Miss York's Match, I must apologize. I am still having issues even drawing together a coherent outline to start building "Coming Out". I have some ideas but the story itself is being very resistant so I have had to set it aside to let the ideas percolate for a while longer.

This story was prompted by several ideas pigtails913 suggested as plot bunnies. It took a while to build a good outline and it is still morphing a bit as I work, but both the beginning and the end are done and the middle is coming along very nicely. I have also spent more time editing what I have completed of this story prior to beginning my postings, which will hopefully improve the quality. I do not expect to consistently post a chapter a day as was my previous habit. More likely you will see a chapter every other day or so after the first few go up. Just wanted to set the correct expectation for when you see the first gap. :oD

The narrative in this story leans heavily into the Darcy side of things, although we will see some snippets of life on the Bennet side. Wickham plays a large part, although he is not often "on stage" after his first few appearances. Even from his earliest days in this characterization he is amoral, manipulative and generally bad news. I have tried not push him too far into caricature, but to stick to behaviors I have seen, heard of or read about regarding both children and adults who truly appear to have no conscience or belief that anyone has value beyond how they can be used by that individual in meeting whatever needs they wish to satisfy. He is the type who is charming by day and a serial killer, or moral equivalent, by night.

As mentioned in the summary blurb, because this is an alternate universe view and the family history changes slightly, some characters will behave in ways that are out of canon. In addition, I have dropped the "starting year" (Fitzwilliam Darcy's birth) to a year that would have put the events of canon at about 1809 instead the normally used 1810 or 1811. I have also reduced the gap between Fitzwilliam Darcy and Lizzy from the usual 7 or 8 years to 6 and I have made Darcy and Bingley the same age for reasons which will become clear.

Because this story contains multiple generations of the same families I have followed these naming conventions in the narrative portions of the story (although a few changes become necessary in later chapters for those of title). Of course the characters will address each other based on their relationships at the time.

Darcy - George Darcy, Fitzwilliam Darcy's father

Will - Fitzwilliam Darcy

Bingley - Charles Bingley Sr., contemporary of the elder Mr. Darcy

Charles - Charles Bingley Jr., Fitzwilliam Darcy's friend

Matlock - The Earl of Matlock, until this changes in the story it refers to Lady Anne's father

Ashby - Viscount Ashby, until this changes in the story it refers to Lady Anne's brother

Alex - Alexander Fitzwilliam II, son of Viscount Ashby, Fitzwilliam Darcy's cousin

Richard - Richard Fitzwilliam, 2nd son of Viscount Ashby, Fitzwilliam Darcy's cousin

All others should be easy to figure out in the context of the story.

I include the years and sometimes the month or season until we reach a point where it is clear we are simply continuing along a series of events for several chapters. When breaking the narrative within a chapter I use 0o0o0 for a distinct change in time or scene and 0o0 fora slight change in time or scene. Within the body of the story italics denote words of particular emphasis.

Now that we have all the administrative stuff out of the way, I hope you enjoy the show…

No Good Deed

Chapter One – A Beginning

Sunday, March 30, 1782

Lambton Church

"I will never forgive you, George Darcy! Never!" The words rang in the spring air outside the old stone church, blowing across those at the door like a chill reminder of the winter just past.

Instinctively Darcy moved to stand in front of his wife, who was carrying their newly baptized son in her arms. Lady Anne had gently cuddled little Fitzwilliam Darcy against her shoulder, stroking his back and cooing to him as she and her husband left the church, followed closely by her son's godparents and the rest of their family. Now, she held her son more tightly, worried by the sudden attack on her husband.

"You celebrate your son and your future while you have ruined my life and that of my sons!" The angry man continued to shout. "May lightning fall upon your head from heaven in retribution for your sins!"

Startled by the volume and sharpness of the man's angry words, the babe began to wail. Lady Anne's sister, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and Darcy's sister, Mrs. Miranda Evans, slipped through the crowd of people standing outside the church door. Together they quietly guided Lady Anne back into the church and away from the sounds of the conflict. All three women hoped to soothe the troubled infant and keep him safe.

Before they were even halfway back to the door a gruff and imperious voice rang out, prompting an even louder response from the child. "Take yourself away, man! You have no business here!" Martin Fitzwilliam, Earl of Matlock made his way through the crowd, which parted readily for him, and joined his son-in-law as he faced the agitated man. The earl was quickly followed by his son, Alexander Fitzwilliam, Viscount Ashby, and his other son-in-law, Sir Lewis de Bourgh. The other members of the congregation who had gathered in the churchyard as they left the building ranged in loose groups behind the men.

"He is right, Anderson. You are making yourself look even more the fool by coming here!" shouted a man in the crowd.

"This is not the time or place for discussion of your grievances, Anderson," Darcy said firmly, trying to calm his attacker. "If you have something to say to me about your recent lawsuit then we can make an appointment to meet in some neutral location later this week. I am certainly willing to hear you out, although you know better than anyone I had nothing to do with the lawsuit or the judgment against you."

"Yes! That was your own stupid fault, Anderson!" shouted another man in the crowd. Several other men made rude comments about the aggrieved man, infuriating him further. Anderson took several steps toward closer to Darcy, his anger evident in his every move.

Before Anderson could say another word the earl's voice boomed out, "I said to leave! Get out of here!"

Again the crowd backed him with a number of rude comments. Anderson's face took on a dark red hue as his fury increased with every insult.

Bishop Ormon, who was visiting in order to officiate at the baptism of his friend's grandson, stepped outside the church at the continued noise and made his way past the crowd. "Gentlemen, this is a holy day. Set your anger aside and let us attempt to resolve whatever dispute is between you like rational men."

"Holy day! Hah! How can it be holy when men like Darcy walk unpunished after heaping ruin upon my head!" Anderson shouted.

Darcy answered calmly, "Anderson, you know I did not make that judgment against you nor did I request it. I did not even testify before the court. You were the one who filed the court case trying to take land that was not your own. It was the magistrate who determined you held no title to the lands he then awarded to me. You also know I have not made any attempt to evict you from that land, although lawfully I could do so."

"Oh, yes! The rich man can do anything. Well, d**n you! D**n you all to fiery h**l! I cannot stand against you here, but I will have my revenge!" With that the man returned to the horse he had left standing on the green. Swiftly he mounted and rode away, leaving the gathered people whispering to one another about the scene.

Viscount Ashby clapped his brother-in-law on the shoulder. "Sorry this had to come up today of all days, Darcy. We know the man is a d**n fool. You certainly had nothing to do with that lawsuit and bear no blame for the judgment against him. As you said, that was all his doing."

Behind the group of men Bishop Ormon could be heard offering a blessing to the crowd and asking them to disperse in peace. "Hmph, troublemaker," grumbled the earl. "We are all well shot of him."

"I know you were trying to support me, sir," Darcy told his father-in-law, "but I wish you and the others had not provoked him. I would have preferred to calm him down rather than make him angrier. Now it will be more difficult to get him to see reason when I do meet with him."

"You know the fool was in the wrong, Darcy! He had no right to attempt to ruin the occasion by accosting you like that."

"I agree, but I still would have preferred to calm him. Who knows what he will do now that he has been shamed before the crowd assembled here."

"Darcy is correct," Sir Lewis said. "It is always more difficult to deal with an angry man."

"Well," said the earl gruffly, "he is gone now. And good riddance!"

"Indeed," said Ashby. "Shall we check on Anne and Cathy? I was a little surprised Cathy did not join you in shouting at Anderson, Father," he finished with a laugh.

"Had the man made any move towards her sister or the child, her protective fury would have been a sight to see," the earl chuckled. The family often joked about how Lady Catherine bore the closest resemblance to their father in looks, attitude and mannerisms. Even her voice and mode of speech was similar to his, although not nearly so deep or gruff. Her siblings, Viscount Ashby and Lady Anne, were much calmer and more refined, both taking very closely in looks and manner after their mother.

"Aye, my Cathy would have given him the tongue lashing of a lifetime for threatening those she holds dear, especially in her current condition," Sir Lewis confirmed. Her sister's confinement and the christening/baptism had been both a joyful and a difficult time for Lady Catherine with its reminders of the stillborn son she and Sir Lewis had lost two years previous. She was expecting again and hoped this time the child would survive. Her well-known protective nature had been on full display from the moment of their arrival at her sister's home in Derbyshire.

The small group of men turned to make their way back into the church to join the women, passing the remnants of the crowd of observers who offered their good wishes and a few comments of support against Anderson. Darcy acknowledged their comments with nods, but did not stop to talk further.

As they entered the church they could hear the distinctive loud tones of Lady Catherine echoing around the interior of the church. "I know you are honoring our family, Anne, but could you not have chosen a more appropriate name for the boy than Fitzwilliam? If you had told any of us what you planned to call him, I am sure we all would have agreed it is just too much. The boy will have enough to live up to without carrying the weight of the Fitzwilliams as well as the Darcys in his names."

"This is precisely why we did not tell you, Cathy," said Lady Anne in much quieter and gentler tones than her sister. She still held her son, who was now sleeping. "We were quite determined to give him this name and did not want the time leading up to the christening to be filled with constant arguments over it. Naming the first-born son with the mother's family name is a tradition in the Darcy family."

"Well, what about George, then?" Lady Catherine asked. "Did he have an older brother no one has mentioned before?"

Darcy joined his sister, Miranda, in her laughter at the comment as he came up to the women. "No, Catherine, I do not have an elder brother either living or dead. My mother's name was Miranda George before her wedding to my father. He was not quite as fortunate as I, having the name Parmenter Darcy. Of course he always thought that was an improvement on his father, Hagthorpe Darcy. I agree that Fitzwilliam is a large name to hang upon such a small boy, but our tradition has been followed for eight generations and I did not wish to be the one to break it."

"It is true, Cathy," Miranda agreed. "No matter what the family name of their bride, no matter how much they disliked their own name, each Darcy male, not just the eldest, has followed the tradition in their turn for the first-born son."

"I still think it is a silly tradition," Lady Catherine declared huffily, "but I suppose you are correct to maintain it. He bears the name now and no amount of arguing can change that." The others gave nods of agreement.

"I plan to call him William or Will," Lady Anne said. "We shall keep the full name for more formal occasions."

"Or when he is in trouble," Darcy added with a smirk.

"Anne's son? In trouble? Perish the thought," Ashby said, chuckling. "Between her quiet nature and your steady adherence to duty, the boy will be lucky to have any fun at all, let alone get into any trouble."

"Oh, he will have your sons to lead him astray, Ashby," Darcy said, laughing outright at the thought. "Young Alex and Richard are already a handful of trouble. After all, that is why Susan is not here with you. She did not want to leave them at home with just the servants after Alex hurt himself jumping off that hayrick thinking he could fly. Those two will make certain their new cousin learns the value of fun in addition to duty."

"Ah! Those two scamps will see to it, indeed." Matlock's booming voice and loud laughter woke the baby, who cried and twisted in his mother's arms. "Sorry about that," he added a little more quietly as Lady Anne hummed softly and patted her son's back.

Bishop Ormon joined the small group, pausing to gently rest his hand on the infant's tiny head. Whether it was from his mother's efforts or surprise at the feel of an unknown hand on him, little Fitzwilliam quieted again. The bishop smiled and removed his hand. "Be at peace, little one," he said and then turned to the adults. "The crowd is gone now and I have spoken to the vicar about the scene outside. His sermon next week will be on the value of a quiet answer in turning away wrath. Now that all is quiet here, shall we return to Pemberley?" The bishop was staying at Pemberley as a guest and looked forward to a relaxing afternoon at the estate.

"Would all of you mind going ahead of me back to the house?" Darcy asked. "I wish to speak to Mr. Sheffield about the situation with Anderson and the lawsuit. You know the lands Anderson originally tried to claim belong to Sheffield and it was only due to the judge reviewing the deeds that the issue with the portion of Anderson's land that abuts on both Sheffield's and mine came up. If the man is that incensed with me, he may be a threat to Sheffield as well. I will return shortly to join you all. Anne, would you ride back in one of the other carriages?"

"No, George," she said firmly, "I am staying with you."

He smiled at his wife. "Very well, we will see the rest of you shortly. I am certain luncheon is already prepared. Miranda, would you act as hostess until we arrive?"

His sister smiled. "Of course, Brother, I would be happy to do so. I suppose I am the most familiar of your guests with the staff at Pemberley."

They left the church as a group, but once outside Darcy and Lady Anne stepped aside while the others headed to their carriages. As his wife had her hands full with the baby, Darcy escorted her with a hand placed gently at the small of her back instead of taking her arm. Together they walked to where a pair of men stood at the edge of the churchyard.

"Sheffield!" Darcy hailed one of them. "Might I have a word?"

"I expected you might want to, Darcy," Mr. Sheffield answered. He turned to the other man. "I will speak with you again later, Perkins. Thank you for waiting with me."

Mr. Perkins bowed respectfully to Mr. Sheffield and the Darcys before walking away. Once he was out of earshot Mr. Sheffield turned to his neighbor. "I had not yet left the church when Anderson accosted you, but I did hear the whole thing. Given his attitude I thought it best if I stayed inside and out of sight so as not to enrage him more. You did well trying to calm him, but the other men have become so sick of his fits of anger and stupid lawsuits that they just could not keep quiet."

"Has he threatened you at all, Sheffield?" Darcy asked.

"Actually he has been surprisingly quiet since Judge Larson handed down his verdict. I was expecting some kind of retaliation. You know how Anderson is."

"That is what has me concerned. I was as surprised as anyone when Judge Larson declared nearly a third of Anderson's land as ancestral Darcy property with no sign of deed or title to prove a change of ownership. I am not so poor as to need the land, especially at the price of Anderson's enmity. Unfortunately, my records show nothing to indicate a transfer of ownership either. I do not know how Anderson's family came to live there and call it their own, but I am certain there must have been a purchase or gift of the land sometime in the past."

"I agree. The Darcys have always been responsible land owners. They would not have simply let someone take their property without good reason. I can see the Judge's ruling will be a cause of more trouble than gain to you. Of course, I was glad I had all the documentation to prove ownership of the land Anderson was trying to take from me, even if it did lead to the question of the other property."

"I am glad you did as well. For my part I had hoped to talk with Anderson and see if between us we could find records showing the gift or sale of those fields. He simply never gave me the chance to open the conversation. Now that he has been humiliated by the crowd I doubt he will."

"Not any time soon, I suspect. You should know I have insisted my wife and daughters be accompanied by armed guards anytime they leave our house or gardens. We will remain vigilant until I am certain Anderson has accepted the judgment. I suggest you be cautious as well, Lady Anne. I should hate to see any harm come to you or your son."

"Thank you, Mr. Sheffield. I dislike the idea of having to take such precautions, but I will certainly discuss it with my husband," Lady Anne told him.

"You will both need to take care. Congratulations to you on the arrival of your heir. Please accept my hopes your son will grow into a man of whom you can both be proud. I will see you later."

With a bow, Mr. Sheffield turned to leave. Darcy escorted his wife to their waiting carriage. After helping her inside he settled into the seat next to her, enjoying the chance to spend a little time with just his wife and son. He rapped on the roof and the driver started them on their way out of Lambton heading for the road to Pemberley.

0o0

"I think Sheffield is correct to suggest a guard when you leave the general vicinity of the house, Anne," Darcy said to his wife after riding for several minutes in comfortable silence.

"I do not plan to go anywhere without you for some time, but if I do I will make sure to have the footmen on the carriage armed."

"Thank you, dear. I could not bear to lose you."

They lapsed into silence again, broken only by soft snuffles from the baby as he shifted and squirmed on his mother's shoulder. Darcy tenderly stroked his son's cheek. The quiet moment was interrupted as the carriage suddenly pulled to a halt. Anne looked at her husband in surprise.

Darcy opened the carriage door to ask why they had stopped, but what he saw answered the question better than words. Anderson stood by the side of the road with a rifle in his hands. Darcy could see one of Anderson's three teenage sons on horseback with a pistol aimed at the driver. He assumed the other two young men were on the other side of the carriage menacing his footmen. While he had not expected Anderson to take his revenge so quickly, he recognized the spot as a perfect place for an ambush. The road traveled along a winding depression between two wooded hills and they had just turned a sharp curve within a thick stand of trees that would have hidden the attackers from his men.

"It is time for you to pay, Darcy! I have suffered enough humiliation on your account!" Anderson shouted.

"Anderson, think about what you are doing! Have I actually wronged you? Have I made any move to take what you see as yours? If you will just calm down and think, you will see there is a better way."

"NO! I will not give you the chance to take my future. I will show them all what happens when others try to make a fool of me."

"By doing something that will see you and your sons to the noose? What future is there in that? You must calm yourself, man!"

The young man within Darcy's line of sight startled a little at the mention of the probable punishment for their actions, but he did not lower his pistol. Darcy thought their father had likely told them he only meant to scare the Darcys. For the sake of his wife and son, Darcy hoped that truly was all Anderson intended. Judging from the look in the man's eyes he feared that was not the case.

Anderson raised his rifle, aiming inside the carriage at Lady Anne and the baby. "Say farewell to your future," he said grimly.

Before Darcy could push his wife away a shot rang out. Lady Anne screamed and Fitzwilliam cried out with her. To Darcy's surprise, it was Anderson who fell to the ground, the rifle dropping from his lifeless grasp.

"Drop your weapons, boys, or you get the same as your father!" a new voice said loudly. Recognizing the voice, Darcy felt the situation was under control now. He turned to Anne, who was huddled protectively around her wailing son. "Anne, are you well?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him.

"He…he was going to…shoot us," she sobbed. "He was…going to shoot…my little boy."

"He failed, Anne. Calm yourself or the baby will keep crying. Everything will be fine now. We are all safe." He stroked her back gently and rocked her in his arms. "Shh, shh, all will be well."

As he soothed her and then helped her soothe their son, Darcy could hear the newcomer talking to Anderson's sons. As he had expected, the oldest son claimed they had only meant to frighten the Darcys.

"And why should you want to do that?" the other man asked forcefully. "If you had any sense you would know your father was to blame for any trouble with his neighbors. Mr. Darcy did not ask for that judgment or expect it. Nor did he make any effort to enforce it. If your father had just stopped shouting and listened I am sure Mr. Darcy would have done his best to find an equitable solution. That is his way. Now you are all in trouble."

"What do you mean?" the oldest boy asked, his voice cracking a bit with nervousness.

"You were threatening this carriage with weapons drawn like highwaymen. Your father was about to shoot the occupants. How do you think that will be seen by the magistrate?" asked the man with an exasperated sound to his voice.

Darcy could not hear the words in the boy's mumbled response, but he could guess he was blaming his father. Darcy felt the carriage shift as the horses moved restlessly. He hoped his footman had picked up one of the pistols just in case one of Anderson's sons tried anything. Anne stopped sobbing and Fitzwilliam finally quieted as well.

"I need to go out and be a part of this, Anne," he said to his wife. She looked up at him fearfully, but nodded when she saw the calm look on his face.

"Be careful, George," she whispered.

After a final gentle pat to his wife's back, he released her and opened the carriage door. Darcy stepped out to see his footman training a pistol on the three boys who had dismounted and stood together in a group. The man who helped them had also dismounted. He held a pistol, but had it pointed at the ground.

"Wickham!" Darcy greeted the man. "I am very glad to see you! Thank you for your timely assistance."

"I am pleased I made it here in time, Mr. Darcy. From my house I can see the corner of the Anderson property where it meets the road coming this way. My wife and I had just arrived home from the church when I saw Anderson and these three riding this way, carrying weapons. After his threat of revenge on you today I knew it must be trouble, so I grabbed my own pistol and saddled my horse. I arrived just in time to see Anderson ready to fire into the carriage. The only way I could stop him was to shoot and hope he did not pull the trigger as he fell."

"He was only trying to scare them," the middle boy said in a whiny voice.

"He looked very serious to me, especially since he vowed to take revenge on me just a little while ago in front of the church. He apparently blames me for the judge's actions and would not allow me the chance to see what agreement we could come to that would have resulted in him not losing the land," Darcy told the boys. All three hung their heads. It was starting to sink in that they were in big trouble.

"Where is your father's horse?" Mr. Wickham asked.

"Tied up to one of the trees over there," said the oldest boy, pointing into the woods on the hillside. "Father said he could not keep a steady aim from horseback."

"And why would that matter if he only wanted to scare us?" George asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

The boy looked down again and mumbled something unintelligible as he kicked at a clump of dirt with his toe. The other two fidgeted, but said nothing.

"How do we want to deal with this, Mr. Darcy?" Mr. Wickham asked.

"I hate to turn these boys over to the magistrate, but their father is dead, so I think we must. If we load Anderson on the back of his horse and tie the hands of the boys my footman can ride Anderson's horse and lead one boy while you lead the other two. Take them to the Anderson house and keep guard on them. I will take my wife and son home and send a messenger for the magistrate before heading over to the meet with him there."

"Very good, Sir," Wickham said.

"You have always been an excellent steward, Wickham, but today you proved yourself a good friend as well. Your quick actions saved my wife and son. I know your wife is due to enter her confinement in a couple months. I would be honored to stand as godfather to that child if you wish it. I am most grateful to you." Darcy was so affected by the thought he had almost lost those dear to him he was almost in tears.

"I thank you, Mr. Darcy. My wife and I will be pleased to accept your offer when the time comes. For now, let us take care of these troublemakers."

Darcy nodded. "Peters," he addressed the footman, "I will watch these three if you will find some rope to tie them." He took the pistol from the man, who went to get some rope from a box on the back of the carriage.

Mr. Wickham retrieved the horse that was tied among the trees, bringing it to where the body lay. Working together he and Peters draped Anderson's body across the back of the horse behind the saddle. Mr. Wickham handed the reins to Darcy who held them with his left hand while continuing to keep the pistol at the ready with his right. Mr. Wickham then directed the three boys to mount their horses one at a time. After each boy mounted and had his hands tied, Peters tied a rope lead to each bridle on the boys' horses. When Mr. Wickham and Peters had each mounted as well, Darcy relaxed his guard. He handed a rope lead to Peters and the other two to Mr. Wickham.

"I will see you at the Anderson house," he said before he returned to his carriage and gave the driver the signal to continue on. Darcy was not looking forward to the interview with the magistrate. He believed the boys had not really considered the implications of following their father's instructions. It was bad enough their father was dead now. He was not a vindictive man and had no wish to ruin their lives as well. After all, his family was safe now. Given the threats Anderson had made and his generally fractious nature though, the magistrate was not likely to go easy on them.

"What will happen to the Anderson boys?" Lady Anne asked him after he had settled in his seat and the carriage was moving again.

"I am not certain. I was just considering how to argue for leniency. There was something fundamentally wrong with Anderson. He had a streak of cruelty in addition to that nasty temper of his. I do not think the boys are like that and I do not want them to hang for following their father's orders."

"I think you will need to go deal with the magistrate before my father tries to involve himself in the problem. He would definitely complicate matters."

"With your permission, then, I will send my messenger and slip out before speaking to your family about the event. Will you feel comfortable telling them and omitting mention of those three?"

"Yes, George. You go see if you can save those boys. Their family has lost enough today."

Darcy looked fondly at his wife and son. He felt so very fortunate to still have them safe and sound. His debt to Abraham Wickham was immeasurable and Darcy knew he would do everything in his power to provide his steward's as yet unborn child with the best opportunities possible. It was the least he could do given the very great service Mr. Wickham had done for him.