Chapter Text
Tom Hayward sat at his desk, methodically going line by line through the documentation in front of him. He crossed out errors, wrote additional notes in the margins, and corrected the smaller mistakes that one of the assistants had made. They had done a decent job for a first draft research paper, but it wasn’t where it needed to be for the case to be brought forward. He was about to pull a book towards him to look up a particular statute that he thought applied when he heard a knock on his door.
Once he had given his leave for his visitor to enter, Mr. Rutherford walked in with a smile on his face.
“Good day, Tom,” Mr. Rutherford greeted. Tom stood as the man entered his office; it wasn’t often that his boss came to his office personally.
“Good day, Sir,” Tom said quickly. “Is everything alright? Were there any issues with the documents I sent over?” Tom asked. While Mr. Rutherford appeared in good spirits, Tom wasn’t certain why else Mr. Rutherford would be there in person.
“Ah, everything is perfectly well, Tom. Your work was flawless, as always,” he assured him. Tom let out a sigh of relief, but that still didn’t answer why his boss was here.
“Then what can I do for you, Sir?” He asked. Mr. Rutherford gave a rough chuckle at Tom.
“Always trying to get straight to the point,” he observed. “ I appreciate it. I’m actually here about a new client that I need you to take on.”
“A new client?” Tom asked. He had very few clients, and normally such connections sought Tom out directly; why would Mr. Rutherford be bringing a client to him?
“Indeed, it seems you impressed some people with your work on your friend, Mr. Ryder’s inheritance,” Mr. Rutherford explained. Tom remembered the complications with that. While Mr. Ryder had been named as the heir over Lady Catherine’s daughter, for whatever reason that Tom did not know, but Lady Catherine’s late husband had bequeathed all he had to their daughter. That meant Tom had to sort through to discern what would still be inherited by Lady Catherine’s daughter and what would be inherited by Mr. Ryder. While Lady Catherine was still alive and well, it took a long time to sort everything out. Tom had not gone into the situation to get Mr. Ryder everything he could in the inheritance, but to genuinely sort out who was to inherit what. It had been a long and arduous process, but what he was very proud of was the effective and efficient resolution he had brought about.
“I don’t know if you recall Mr. Darcy,” Mr. Rutherford said. Tom gave a small nod of his head.
“Yes, Sir. I corresponded with him regularly while figuring out the inheritance issue; he’s the nephew of Lady Catherine,” Tom said. He had preferred his correspondence with Mr. Darcy as opposed to Lady Catherine, or even Mr. Ryder, throughout the legal ordeal. Mr. Darcy has been forthcoming and prompt with providing the necessary documentation. “Has he requested to be my client?” Tom asked, confused. He was sure that someone like Mr. Darcy already had legal counsel readily established.
“It is not for him that your services have been requested,” Mr. Rutherford explained. “It seems that one of Mr. Darcy’s close friends is in the process of purchasing an estate. This is the friend’s first attempt at being a landowner, and Mr. Darcy was so impressed with your previous work that he has asked that you provide legal counsel.”
Tom felt a swell of pride that his work had merited such attention. He had certainly worked plenty of land purchases and negotiations.
“I would be happy to help, Sir. I can send a letter post haste to begin our introduction,” Tom said, moving to grab a quill. Mr. Rutherford coughed before Tom could do anything else.
“Actually, Tom, it was requested that you provide your counsel personally. Because it is the gentleman’s first time, Mr. Darcy thinks it is best for an expert to be there to explain and dive through everything in person.” Mr. Rutherford explained. Tom was surprised; personal services were rarely rendered to brand new clients. While Tom was certainly not opposed, this did better explain why his boss was there; it was clear that this was an important new client that they wanted to retain, and Mr. Rutherford wanted to make sure Tom understood that his presence was absolutely expected.
“Ah, I understand, Sir,” Tom said. “I’d be happy to go in person. When am I expected and will I have time to set up by lodging?”
“They’re actually expecting you in about two days, so you’ll need to leave tomorrow,” he said. Tom gaped in surprise at the quick turnaround his brow began to furrow as he tried to figure out how he would secure a place to stay on such short notice.
“Don’t look so worried, Tom. They’re requesting that you stay at the estate with the client. It’s a large home with plenty of room,” Mr. Rutherford assured him. The fact that the new client would be able to house Tom for an extended period on such short notice certainly lent to the idea that there was much to offer, and thus much to make taken care of legally.
“I’ll make sure to thank them for their generosity when I arrive. I’ll pack tonight and will leave first thing in the morning,” Tom promised.
“That’s the spirit Tom,” Mr. Rutherford said as he began to depart. Before he left though, Tom remembered a very key piece of information that hadn’t been shared with him yet.
“Sir, might I know where I’m actually going? And who my client is?” Tom asked. Mr. Rutherford let out a chuckle at having forgotten to actually tell Tom.
“Of course, my boy, apologies,” he handed Tom a card with the client’s information and case details on it. “You’ll be going to Netherfield Park in Hertfordshire; your client will be a Mr. Bingley and his new wife, Jane.”