Frederick had not seen Anne in almost a fortnight and was glad for it. The memory of her dancing with another gentleman at the ball tormented him every time he closed his eyes at night. He ought to have been more cordial towards her at Sydney Gardens, but seeing her again, and in the company of the very woman who influenced her long ago, had overwhelmed him; in that moment, he acted as he felt. He did not want to consider how a third encounter might go, and in hopes of avoiding her altogether, decided to favour private parties over the theatre and concert performances. He also made excuses to skip a few balls but went to others, as Sophia would grow suspicious if he stopped altogether, but thankfully Anne had not been at any of them.

One morning, he and the Crofts returned from a visit to the pump room and discovered they had missed a new visitor while they were out - Captain Benwick. He was staying at a nearby inn, so they made the short walk to call on him.

"My sweet Louisa wrote that she would be in Bath and I had to follow her," Captain Benwick explained when they arrived. "Of course, your being here was an inducement as well."

Captain Benwick looked remarkably well; he was less thin in person and in his cheeks since September, and had a healthy complexion which Frederick noted.

"Thank you, Captain Wentworth. I do believe Lyme agrees with me."

"And love as well," Admiral Croft added with a laugh.

"Yes, that too." Captain Benwick smiled. "I have decided to organise a dinner party for Monday evening so that I may introduce you to Louisa. It will be a small gathering - just us, her family, and some close friends. I hope you can all attend."

"Absolutely," Sophia replied. "We have a subscription to the dress balls on Monday evenings, but I shall see if we can transfer our tickets to friends."

Captain Benwick's eyes brightened. "It has been so long since I have attended a ball. I would love to stand up with Louisa and cannot imagine she or her parents would object to the idea. Perhaps I might accompany you to the ball instead and move the dinner party to Tuesday?"

Sophia, Admiral Croft, and Frederick agreed to the new arrangements. They were then invited to stay for dinner at the inn but had a party to attend that evening, so they made plans to see Captain Benwick again the following day.

~~OOO~~

A couple of hours later, Anne and Lady Russell rode in the carriage to Colonel Miller's uncle's house. The ride was a silent one, for Lady Russell was feeling rather anxious and vexed. The two women had vehemently disagreed on Anne's dress for the evening. Lady Russell wanted Anne to look the part of a wealthy baronet's daughter, so she had instructed her maid to put a white ostrich feather in Anne's hair and dress her in a green satin gown trimmed with lace. Anne, however, insisted on pearls in her hair and a simple blue muslin gown. In the end, Anne left nothing for advice to do, and Lady Russell quietly fretted over whether her god daughter looked well enough to keep Colonel Miller's interest.

When they entered the drawing room, however, Colonel Miller immediately stepped forward to greet them with his uncle and aunt, Admiral and Mrs. Watson. On his arm was a young woman whom Anne recognised - he introduced her as his cousin, Miss Ryder. It turned out that Mrs. Watson had two sisters; one was Colonel Miller's mother and the other was Miss Ryder's mother. As for Miss Ryder, a very few minutes of acquaintance convinced Anne that she was perfectly amiable, with good sense and unassuming manners.

Lady Russell was entirely unaware of the significance of Miss Ryder's presence, but Anne was not. When more guests arrived, Anne saw Frederick enter the room, accompanied by an older man and woman. She had the advantage of preparation and could meet his gaze with some measure of calmness, but he was obviously struck and confused by the sight of her. The woman next to him also saw Anne and said something to Frederick. He paled, she seemed rather insistent, and to Anne's astonishment, they walked straight toward her.

"Good evening Lady Russell, Miss Elliot," Frederick said with a curt bow. He looked as if he wished to be anywhere but there.

Introductions were made and Anne recognised the names of Frederick's companions, the Crofts. He had told her about both of them in the year six, and Anne had followed Admiral Croft's career in the Royal Navy.

Sophia turned to Anne. "Frederick mentioned he made your acquaintance a long time ago." She had a warm, friendly smile that would have put Anne at ease, were it not obvious that Frederick was uncomfortable with the exchange.

"Yes, Mrs. Croft. We met when Mr. Wentworth was the curate at Monkford, which is near my home."

"Oh! That was some time ago indeed. Edward left Monkford in the year seven, and Frederick had not visited him since the year six, I believe. It was in the year six that you stayed with Edward, was it not, Frederick?"

He gave a terse nod. Sophia turned back to Anne. "I understand you were only slightly acquainted?"

The question caught Anne by surprise. She did not expect Frederick to reveal their whole history to his sister, but had it been necessary for him to alter it so greatly as to claim only a slight acquaintance with her? She struggled to answer and Lady Russell opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment, dinner was announced.

~~OOO~~

Mrs. Watson had carefully arranged the seating at the dinner table, giving Lady Russell the place of honour next to Admiral Watson. Frederick sat nearby next to Miss Ryder, while Anne sat next to Colonel Miller at Mrs. Watson's end of the table.

Colonel Miller was a solicitous dining partner, offering Anne all the dishes at the table and summoning the footman if they were out of reach. Their conversation centered around his experiences in St. Vincent, Trinidad, and Gibraltar. Anne spoke knowledgeably about the war but was often distracted; she worried about Lady Russell and Frederick sitting so close to each other. He seemed unmoved but she looked very disconcerted, especially as Admiral Watson continually drew Frederick into their conversation about the navy. Once, Lady Russell almost knocked over her wine glass, and another time she dropped her napkin, which an alert footman quickly replaced.

After dinner, the ladies moved back to the drawing room. Anne wondered if Lady Russell might speak of Frederick, but Sophia immediately sought out their company again. Hoping to avoid more questions like the ones before dinner, Anne quickly asked her about her travels in the navy; Sophia was so eager to discuss the subject that she did not mention her brother again.

When the men reappeared, Sophia went to Admiral Croft and the card tables were brought out. Mrs. Watson began forming groups of two men and two women for each table. She placed Miss Ryder with two new gentlemen.

"I believe Admiral and Mrs. Watson are trying to promote matches for their niece and nephew," Lady Russell observed quietly to Anne. "But Colonel Miller's choice is clear, so they are focusing their efforts on Miss Ryder."

Anne blushed at the intimation of Colonel Miller's interest in her and decided she would spend the remainder of the party with Lady Russell, as she was not a card player. To her dismay, however, Colonel Miller soon approached them.

"Miss Elliot, will you join me for a game of whist?" He asked with a smile.

She was about to politely decline when Lady Russell said, "Miss Elliot does not often play cards, but she would be delighted to join you tonight, Colonel Miller."

Anne did not appreciate Lady Russell's officiousness but did not want to make a scene. She reluctantly allowed Colonel Miller to lead her across the room, where she saw Frederick at a corner table with a young lady next to him and two empty seats. She considered it a most unlucky perverseness when Colonel Miller steered her to that very table. Anne was introduced to the young woman, Miss Stanley, who laughed and giggled at nothing in particular, and then she took the seat across from Frederick. They would be partners for the first rubber.

As Colonel Miller began dealing the cards, Frederick said stiffly, "I did not know you were a card player, Miss Elliot."

Determined not to be affected by his cold civility, she replied evenly, "I play on occasion, Captain Wentworth."

"Miss Elliot is an excellent dance partner," Colonel Miller said. "I have no doubt she shall be an equally excellent whist partner."

Frederick shifted in his chair. "And how about you, Miss Stanley? Do you enjoy playing cards?"

"Oh! Yes, I do, though I prefer lottery tickets. I love collecting fish. Do you play lottery tickets, Captain Wentworth?"

"Sometimes," he replied, but Anne knew he found no pleasure in simple games that required no strategy.

The game began and Anne and Frederick quickly won tricks while Colonel Miller, who was a strong player, struggled to compensate for Miss Stanley's poor playing. After Anne and Frederick easily won the first rubber, the gentlemen changed seats and Anne partnered with Colonel Miller. In the first five tricks, they won three while Frederick and Miss Stanley won two.

"Miss Elliot," Colonel Miller said, "for someone who does not often play cards, you play remarkably well. What is your secret?"

"Thank you, but I have no secret. I simply remember which cards have been played and by watching each trick, I can guess what cards each person has remaining."

He nodded. "Intelligent and beautiful. A capital combination."

Anne flushed and Frederick frowned. Colonel Miller led the next trick with a club and the gentlemen grew quiet, both having a natural competitive spirit. Frederick and Anne followed with clubs, with Colonel Miller's card the highest, and then Miss Stanley played a ten of diamonds. Frederick let out a small puff of air.

Colonel Miller moved to collect the cards when Miss Stanley said, "I believe Captain Wentworth and I won that trick, did we not?"

She smiled charmingly at Frederick who answered, "I am afraid not, Miss Stanley."

"What were trumps again?"

"Hearts."

"Oh, dear me! How silly I am. Confusing diamonds for hearts! Though they are the same colour, so it is easy to mix them up."

"Indeed," Colonel Miller said graciously, "it is a common occurrence."

"No wonder ladies prefer dancing at balls while the gentlemen retire to the card room," Miss Stanley said with a giggle. "Whist is more suited for a man's mind. Would you not agree, Miss Elliot?"

Anne inclined her head in apparent agreement.

"And yet," Frederick suddenly said, "Miss Elliot is a better whist player than most men of my acquaintance."

"She certainly is," Colonel Miller said, looking at Anne with unabashed admiration. "Miss Elliot, you continually surprise me."

Frederick cleared his threat loudly. "Colonel, I believe it is your turn to lead again."

~~END OF CHAPTER~~