A/N: Things starting to come together. The end is nigh! Wade

"Brother, have you received your dancing orders for the evening."

Darcy startled a bit at the oddly phrased question, but nearly a month in the Bennet household had left him more resilient to statements made purely for effect, so he answered calmly.

"I would hope you are not being overly presumptuous, Miss Kitty. I am not your brother and may well never be, though I dearly hope it may come to pass. I would hope nobody outside of this household knows of your supposition?"

He was happy to see Catherine Bennet was capable of chagrin, although her downcast expression did not last long.

Darcy added, "Out of curiosity, which of your sisters told you?"

"Oh, none of them… secret to the grave and all that. I worked out the thought on my own, and needled Lydia until she came clean. Do not fret though, the ideas is still quite foreign to Mama, and nobody outside this house knows, nor will they ever. We have enough sense of self‑preservation to protect Lizzy's reputation."

Darcy chuckled, and said, "I see you are aware that your sister's reputation affects your own. I am happy to see it."

Kitty just laughed, and said, "No, not that kind of self‑preservation… I mean keeping ourselves free of Lizzy's foul temper. I assume you are acquainted with it? I am curious. Just how bad was the setdown she delivered? You still seem to be able to walk straight, and still have most of your teeth, so maybe she went easy on you."

Darcy grimaced, and said, "She walked out without a single word, got in a post coach and left the county."

Kitty laughed and said, "Lucky you! If she had spoken, you would have no chance at redemption at all. You would be a broken man, wandering the country completely lost, hoping you might just find her randomly wandering around Pemberley one day."

Darcy laughed, "Yes, perhaps she would tour it on holiday at the exact moment I arrived."

"Yes, yes, yes. She would stay in Lambton and… well, this is all quite ridiculous, is it not?"

Darcy laughed along with her, and said, "Yes, Miss Kitty. You may be right about her mode of communication. I might not have much chance of redemption, but a little is better than none and I will take what I can get."

"Ah, so you are a man who gives up after one setback?"

Darcy chuckled, realizing that teasing was a congenital habit, probably passed down from the patriarch.

Smiling, he asked, "So, what are these orders?"

"Oh, that! Yes, well, we need to keep the gossip down to a manageable level. So far, the neighborhood believes you are here to 'protect' Anne, so you need to act accordingly. As our guests, you will need to dance with all of us just to be polite. Open with Anne, then just take us in birth order, mixing in one or two married ladies for color, and none will be the wiser."

Darcy chuckled, "I see… and you are telling me this because?"

Kitty laughed, and said, "Short straw, brother. Be ready on time. My mother detests tardiness."

Fitzwilliam Darcy, for perhaps the very first time in his life, arrived at an assembly at the exact right time, all due to Mrs. Bennet who managed her daughters like a General preparing for battle. When he attended assemblies with Bingley or Fitzwilliam, they always dragged him there too early, so they might have the first chance to be introduced to the ladies. When he went by himself, he assiduously avoided the first set, and in fact procrastinated until the very last minute. He usually calculated the 'last minute' as the very last moment he could appear without giving offense, and the last minute before he would convince himself it was better to not attend at all. With Mrs. Bennet in charge, they arrived neither too early nor too late.

Over the previous month, he had reacquainted himself with all the principle families in the neighborhood, and spent some time mending fences. He had even visited the Netherfield tenants with Jane and Anne, while making significant purchases from all the local merchants. He thought it could not be amiss to reduce the number of people in the Meryton neighborhood who disliked him down to only one.

He was completely unsurprised to arrive at the Netherfield tenant cottages and find that the tenants all knew Jane well and welcomed her with open arms.

Anne found the whole experience instructional, and Darcy was happy to know that part of Anne's education would not fall to his lot. Anne was actually the heir to Rosings, and when she turned five and twenty in a few months, she would have to decide if she would fight her mother for her inheritance or let Lady Catherine play out her last few years. It was a difficult decision that Darcy would help her with but would not make for her. Either way, she needed to be ready to assume the role of mistress, and her mother had not lifted a finger to prepare her.

Darcy had to assume Elizabeth was well familiar with all the duties of the mistress of an estate, but just to be sure, he asked Jane. She just laughed, and said, "Of course, Silly! "

He found spending time with Miss Jane Bennet to be delightful, as did all the tenants, and he once again kicked himself for his interference in Bingley's affairs. The debacle with Bingley had been his most egregious interference in his life, the very first time he had ventured an opinion about a lady's affection, or lack thereof. He knew she wholeheartedly forgave him, as if she was capable of anything else, and even thanked him; but he still did not think that made it right.

Of course, in the dark recesses of his mind, what little pride remained, asserted that even as abominable as his interference had been, he had been right all along. Jane may well have married Bingley and been happy, but Darcy still did not believe it. He could think the thought, but would never say the words, that the more formidable Jane Bingley would have emerged at the first crisis. That woman would have become bored and disenchanted with his overly amiable friend within a few years at best, so it all worked out in the end.

Now, walking in to the assembly hall with Anne and Jane on his arm, he saw the appreciative looks, greeted all the inhabitants correctly, and wondered what in the world he had made all the fuss about. For the very first time, he understood what his cousin and Bingley had been trying to teach him for years. Assemblies were supposed to be fun.

"Jane, I believe this is our set."

"Yes, Fitzwilliam, it is. Shall we be about it. Who knows, perhaps this will be your last assembly as a single man."

Darcy chuckled, and thought he probably should remove Jane from Anne's pernicious teasing influence before it was too late, but then decided, it had been too late for quite some time. Jane had told her she found Anne's ability to tease not that impressive after a lifetime with her sister, and that Darcy had better toughen up. He had to admit, he had seen traces of it, but Miss Elizabeth had kept a pretty tight rein on her impertinence in his presence. He hoped to one day see it unleashed. He even hoped to be exposed to her fiery temper one day, as making up should be worth the cost.

The opening had been a quadrille, with Darcy paired with Anne, and Jane paired up with the eldest Lucas son. Jane liked the young man, but asserted the relationship was more fraternal than romantic, and would remain that way. Jane had introduced Mr. Lucas to Anne, who found him delightful but not particularly exciting. He was to be good fun for a dance, but unlikely to be any more. Of course, rumors of Anne's status had preceded her, so nobody in the entire county harbored any unrealistic hopes.

Mrs. Bennet was just happy to have two guests who increased her consequence, and to be honest, gave her much more fodder for gossip, but who were not in direct competition with her girls. She still had five unmarried ladies in the house, or well, four in the house and one entirely missing, much to her consternation.

Darcy finished his dance with Jane, and there was a bit of a break between sets, so he went off to give Mr. Bennet a chance to make sport of him, after leaving Jane with Anne and obtaining some punch for them.

"Jane, who is that man over there. He is fearful handsome!"

Jane looked at where Anne was pointing with her fan and laughed.

"Anne, do not tell me I will lose you at your first country assembly. You Fitzwilliam's seem to go mad in this hall."

Anne laughed along with her, and said, "Yes, I can see that. Did you see it, and if so, do you believe it. Fitzwilliam Darcy is having fun. The world has run amok, and this hall seems to be the center of the disturbance."

Jane giggled, and said, "Well, I will introduce you, but you will not abandon me before our season. You can come back for him at your leisure… although…"

Anne looked at her best friend, who was scrunching her forehead in concentration.

"You are beginning to worry me, Jane."

Jane laughed, and said, "Well, Anne… Here is my thinking. That 'fearful handsome' man, and by the way, I need to remove you from Lydia's pernicious influence while you still have some grasp of the English language."

Anne just laughed, and said, "Stop prevaricating!"

Jane said, "Well, he is a third son, but he is resisting his father's pressure to enter one of the 'acceptable' professions. He told me he has an aversion to bullets, regardless of whether they are incoming or outgoing, which shows him to be somewhat sensible. He finds the idea of the Navy, with months at sea thoroughly untenable. And he thinks he could spend days compiling a list of the most tedious professions in the world, and clergyman would top the list."

"Oh, my!"

"And he is the most frighteningly intelligent young man I have ever met. Papa is afraid of him, and even Lizzy approaches debates with him with caution."

"I see. What does he do while not making all the intellectuals in the county quake in fear?"

"Well, that is the odd thing. His elder brother will obviously inherit, but he made a bargain with his father and brother. He works at the estate, purely in the capacity of increasing its income. Each year that the income improves with his new designs, he gets to keep the difference for three years. He cannot win at that game forever, but at the moment, he is doing marginally well for himself."

Anne still thought he looked fearful handsome.

Leaning over, Jane whispered, "He would make a very fine estate master, with the right wife."

Anne's smile lit up her face, and Jane thought she was uncommonly pretty with the expression. Jane thought she could boast to having done a good service for two people, but she would kill Anne if she did not at least get her started on a London season.

On the other hand, Jane doubted that she would lack for London connections when Lizzy resurfaced. Even Lizzy's stubbornness had limits. She took Anne's arm, led her over to the gentleman, and performed an introduction worthy of Fordyce himself.

"Miss Anne de Bourgh, allow me to introduce you to Mr. Jason Goulding, a lowly third son without much to recommend him, but smart enough on a good day. Jason, Miss Anne de Bourgh. Anne, Jason is as I described a few minutes ago. Jason, Anne is heir to the Rosings estate in Kent, which is about a third the size of Longbourn's doghouse."

Jane then smiled hugely, moved one step to the side, and added as she walked away.

"You can put your eyes back into your head and ask Anne to dance now, Jason… Goodbye!"

"Did you misplace her, Mr. Darcy?"

Darcy looked at the lady who had spoken to him but did not recognize her. He assumed she had been introduced to his evil twin but was struggling to recall her name.

"Be at ease, Mr. Darcy. We have not been introduced, but you seem to have abandoned the propriety manual altogether, so I imagine you are more resilient than you were last Autumn."

Darcy decided that impertinent women were just to be his lot in life and was not necessarily opposed to the plan.

"Shall I make up an arbitrary name, Miss… or perhaps I can limp along with ma'am or madam?"

The lady smiled a brilliant smile, curtsied, and said, "Rebecca Goulding, Sir. I think your friend Jane just attached my brother to your cousin, and right under Mrs. Bennet's nose."

Darcy said, "Do you approve of the operation, Miss Goulding?"

"Of course! Jason needs leg shackling before he floats away. I overheard the introduction. What did you do to my Jane? She is hilarious."

Darcy scrunched his face in concentration, and said, "We both helped each other come out of our shells, but…"

Rebecca said, "… do not finish that sentence, Mr. Darcy. I have worked out your entire scheme. My brother is not the only intelligent person in my family."

Darcy looked in concern, and she added, "He is also not the only one who knows how to keep his mouth shut. Have no fear, Sir."

Darcy nodded, and said, "I appreciate it, Miss Goulding. Can I do anything for you?"

"Perhaps eventually, Mr. Darcy, but tonight my agenda is to help you. I presume your presence and Lizzy's absence are related?"

Darcy's eyebrows rose in surprise, and she continued.

"Do not worry. I doubt anyone else will work it out or start any gossip, but I wish to shore up your plan. You are only dancing with your cousin and Bennets. It would be better if you dance with someone else who is at least theoretically eligible. Then, a certain amount of the gossips will focus on a possible connection with that lady, even though it is only one dance and we both know what it means."

Darcy asked, "Are there any other genius woman in Hertfordshire?"

Rebecca laughed, and said, "I do not know, sir, I can only speak for myself."

Darcy chuckled, and said, "I can applaud your cover Miss Goulding. I believe you have done me a service, and I will remember it."

"You owe me nothing, Mr. Darcy. I just enjoyed the exercise."

Darcy nodded, and said, "Well, Miss Goulding. There is a quite eligible woman standing in front of me. Perhaps, she could be convinced to serve as the decoy?"

Rebecca laughed, and said, "It will be my pleasure, Mr. Darcy. Tell Lizzy she owes me a letter."