Sophia sat at the dining table waiting for dinner to be officially served. She watched her brother intently. Now that his engagement to Anne had been announced, she frequently found herself scrutinizing him whenever she was in their company, and tonight that was her chief purpose. She had been very pleased when Frederick had told her of his engagement to Anne, as she had come to regard Anne as a friend, but she had also been surprised. She had not noticed him paying her any attention over the last few months. He certainly had not paid her the same amount of attention he had paid the Musgrove girls, so Sophia had initially been suspicious about the circumstances that led to his being engaged to Anne.

Once the news of their engagement had gotten out, rumors abounded. Sophia heard them all. Most atrocious to her was the idea that Frederick had proposed to Anne because he was jealous of Benwick having secured Louisa Musgrove's hand. Sophia knew her brother well enough to find that idea preposterous, and she thought she knew Anne well enough to doubt she would ever accept such a proposal. However, she had to admit that Frederick's engagement to Anne had come as a surprise to many, when he had previously seemed to prefer everyone but her.

It was partly with these rumors in mind that Sophia had organized this little dinner party. She of course wanted to welcome her friend into her family as a soon-to-be sister, but she was also determined to find out more about the attachment between her brother and Anne. She was sure the dinner would be a success, for once Sophia Croft put her mind to something, it always came about.

These musings were interrupted when Sophia realized that her husband had asked her a question. She had been too preoccupied with her own thoughts and missed what he had asked. Slightly abashed, she asked, "What was that my dear?"

The Admiral smiled at her. He knew her well enough to recognize that she had been lost in thought. His question had been an attempt to pull her back into the conversation. "We were speaking of Captain Wentworth's plans for the end of his shore leave after the wedding," he informed her. "Do you not think that Miss Anne would enjoy travelling the world with her husband as you and I have done?"

Sophia shot him a thankful glance for cueing her in and replied enthusiastically, "oh yes, of course she would," Sophia declared. With a friendly and knowing look at Anne, she added, "she is not the type of woman to miss the niceties of finer society, I think."

Anne dipped her head in gratitude for Mrs. Croft's acknowledgement. "I should very much like to see the world, I think," Anne replied. Looking over at Frederick, she added, "I have traveled so little that every fresh place is of interest to me."

Frederick grinned indulgently at her in response and Anne blushed slightly. Sophia felt that she was missing out on some private confidence between them. Her brows furrowed in confusion. They certainly seemed very attached to each other for two people who had known each other for so little time. Their attachment was even more surprising given how little attention they had appeared to give each other during that short time. She and the Admiral had certainly been very attached at the time of their engagement, but it was a few years into marriage before they had been sharing private jokes with each other in front of company at dinner.

It seemed that every sentence said increased Sophia's confusion, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. She sought for a way to bring up their engagement and ask them about it without being improper. Finally, she settled on asking, "did you ever imagine yourself sailing the world as the wife of a sailor, Anne?"

Sophia had asked the question lightly and had meant the question to be somewhat in jest, but to her surprise Anne colored deeply and looked down at her hands. Looking at Frederick, Sophia saw that his smile had faded and he was watching Anne intently, as if he was deeply interested in her answer. Finally Anne quietly said, "At one time, perhaps I did." Avoiding Frederick's intense gaze, she continued, "but I have not thought if it for many years. I suppose... I never imagined it as a possibility." Dinner was served at that time, which saved Anne from having to elaborate and brought in a welcome distraction. Once the servants exited, however, the air became uncomfortable once again.

Sophia was confused, and she felt bad for having caused Anne such obvious discomfort, though she was unsure why her question had garnered such a response. Luckily, it seemed that the Admiral also picked up on the stiffness of the conversation, and he attempted to divert it by asking the pair if they had set a wedding date.

This question seemed to ease the couple's discomfort, and Frederick's smile returned. "We have, although it is not generally known," he answered. "But, as we are among family, I suppose it cannot hurt to tell you. We have decided on May 15th."

"Ah, lovely," said Sophia, "a spring wedding." Neither Frederick nor Anne responded, but they shared another private smile that told Sophia she was missing something again. With talk of their wedding, she finally found her opportunity to ask about the engagement. "We are all very excited for your wedding," she said, "but I must admit, we were rather surprised when the news of your engagement broke."

Frederick looked questioningly at her. "Surprised?" He echoed, "why should you be surprised?"

Sophia tried to approach the situation delicately. She did not want to offend them, but she also wanted some answers. "Well," she said with a shrug, "there was never much sign of an attachment between you two, and you had not known each other for that long of a time…" she trailed off, hoping to get them to fill her in.

To her surprise, Anne colored and looked away again. At this point, Sophia knew there must be something more to their story that she was missing. She looked to her brother for an answer, but he too had avoided her gaze. Shifting uncomfortably, he looked over at Anne. Sophia watched as Anne looked back at him. He seemed to be questioning her without words. Anne looked particularly distressed. The silence had started to become so strained that the Admiral looked over to Sophia to see if he had missed something himself. She shrugged lightly and turned her attention back to her brother.

Frederick had put his hand on Anne's shoulder and leaned over, ostensibly to whisper something in her ear. This action was perhaps pushing the boundaries of propriety, but as they were alone, Sophia said nothing. Finally, Anne sighed and nodded. Frederick sighed too and looked back at his sister and the Admiral.

"There is something that you should know," he said, his voice intense. "And though it likely goes without saying at this table, I would ask that you keep this in your confidence for the time being." He waited until both Sophia and the Admiral nodded before continuing. "Anne and I have known each other for a very long time," he said hesitatingly. It was obvious to Sophia that this speech was painful for him. "As you perhaps know, we were acquainted in the year six, when I visited here during my leave." His sister and brother-in-law both nodded once more. "However," Frederick sighed, "we were much more than simply acquainted."

He paused, letting them make their inferences from his suggestion. Sophia looked at Anne, who was studiously examining her food and avoiding looking up. Her expression was unreadable, but it seemed to Sophia that she was striving to control her features. Frederick looked over to Anne momentarily, but she did not look up. When it became clear that no one would respond, Frederick elaborated, "we were… very much attached to each other then, and we were engaged for a short time. But," he sighed heavily, "it was not to be, at the time."

He said no more, and Sophia and the Admiral looked at each other in astonishment. Sophia realized that when Frederick had whispered to Anne earlier, he must have been asking her permission to share their secret. She had been suspicious that there was more to their story than she knew, but she had not expected anything like this. She found herself at a loss for words. Once again the Admiral filled the silence by saying, "that was nearly nine years ago now. And you are still as devoted to one another as you were then?" he asked, somewhat incredulously.

Some of the pain left Anne's face and she looked up at Frederick for the first time since his admission. He smiled fondly at her and nodded. "Even more so," he said quietly, his eyes not leaving hers, "if that is possible." Finally Anne smiled in response.

Sophia had numerous questions: why had they not told anyone of their engagement before? Why had they ended it? What had happened in the intervening years? However, she sensed that this was neither the time nor place to continue barraging them. She did not want to cause them any further discomfort than she already had, and she was grateful to them for confiding even this much in her. However, she resolved to interrogate her brother more later, when she could talk to him alone.

Recalling the looks her brother and Anne had shared throughout the evening, a thought occurred to Sophia. "May 15th," she said questioningly, "might we assume that date has some importance to the two of you?"

Anne finally spoke, though her voice was quiet and abashed, "it was the day we met," she said, "in the year six." Anne looked back up at Frederick, and they once again smiled at each other. Sophia smiled too, for she had not seen her brother look quite so happy in a very long time.

The party was quiet for a time, but eventually talk moved on to other things, and Sophia regaled Anne with stories of her adventures and life at sea.

After dinner, as the party was retiring into the great room for the evening, Anne and Frederick found themselves able to talk privately for the first time. Gently pulling her aside, Frederick whispered, "thank you." Anne looked at him questioningly, so he said, "for giving me leave to tell them."

Anne blushed and said, "they are your family. They deserved to know." As much as she had hoped their secret could remain only between them and Lady Russell, Anne had figured Frederick's family would find out eventually. She was just glad to have done with the conversation.

Frederick nodded. He whispered, "I must admit, it is a relief to have them know. I am very close to my sister and her husband, and though I never told them anything untrue, only letting them know half of the truth nonetheless felt like deceit."

Anne simply nodded, but Frederick could tell she was still uncomfortable. "I do wish I could have told them in private," he lamented, "I am sorry to have caused you distress by discussing it in your presence."

"Oh," Anne said, mildly surprised, "no, it is better that I was there as well." Looking at him sadly, she added, "the past is not your burden to bear alone."

Frederick smiled, wishing they were alone so he could take her in his arms and never let her go. As it was, he contented himself with taking her hand and pressing it to his lips. Anne beamed, and Frederick thought his heart might burst. They stood there looking into each other's eyes until they heard the Admiral's voice calling them from the next room. Fredrick turned toward the sound of voices and went to find his family while still holding Anne's hand, for he was reluctant to let it go.