Never dreading an evening more, but in support of her sister, Elizabeth arrived at the same house they had visited a few weeks before when they had called on Louisa Hurst and Caroline Bingley. Flight Lieutenant Bingley and his two sisters met them in the entrance hall in such a formal manner that Lizzy felt embarrassed and out of place.

Most of the parties she went to weren't parties so much as impromptu events where friends congregated at clubs. This was a dinner party, a proper one. Elizabeth felt under-dressed as she glanced at hemlines when she and her sister walked into the same parlor that they had sat in a fortnight before. There wasn't anything she could do; she didn't own the sort of elegant evening wear most of the other women displayed. In this age of rationing, she couldn't have purchased another evening dress. She had the one that she had purchased back in '39 for the Brigadier's first New Year's Eve party. It was well-worn and well-known.

The room was packed with people. Elizabeth was relieved to discover that this wasn't going to be an intimate dinner. Because of Frances' fussing over Jane, they had been delayed leaving the house and were among the last guests to arrive (as near as she could tell). At least twenty other people were scattered across this room and another. A young woman stood near the fire, lost in thought, and Elizabeth approached her since Jane was already occupied. The two introduced themselves; her companion only said her name was Miss Elliot without giving a first name. They talked of pleasantries, but nothing in particular as cocktails were passed around, and others spoke with more familiarity.

"You must be friends with Caroline and Mrs. Hurst?" she ventured to ask.

Miss Elliot's face clouded. "No. I came with Dryden." Elizabeth's gut twisted. She didn't want to upset her new acquaintance.

"I'm an outsider and only know the flight lieutenant and his family, I'm afraid," said Lizzy. "Who is Mr. Dryden?"

"Dryden Avery, Lord Wingrave," said her companion. "He's talking to Miss Bingley." Elizabeth turned to look at their hostess. Caroline held a cocktail glass in her hand, and her prettiness shone across the room. She stared up at a man Elizabeth assumed was Lord Wingrave. He had that same aristocratic bearing Lord Dalbury had and was better looking with pale hair, though he was quite short. The fact that Caroline was petite made them a perfect couple.

Though Lord Wingrave had brought Miss Elliot as his date, he was now flirting with Caroline Bingley. Was it an attraction or the cocktails or something else? Elizabeth noticed Sir Robert Morris about ten feet away speaking to a couple, but she sensed that he was unhappy about his sweetheart's focus on this other man. She felt sorry for Noddy but admired a man who was so devoted—even when the object of that devotion didn't deserve it.

"Do you know, Noddy?" Elizabeth asked suddenly.

"Noddy?" Miss Elliot prompted.

"Sir Robert Morris," she said, then bit her lip.

"I know of him," Miss Elliot replied. It was treading troubled waters to bring him up since he was in all but name considered to be engaged to the person who currently had Lord Wingrave's attentions just then.

"He's one of the best men I've met," Elizabeth asserted. "Let me introduce you." A tentative Miss Elliot followed her, and the two were introduced.

From the beginning, what had impressed Lizzy about Sir Robert was immediately shown as he expressed his extreme pleasure at meeting Miss Elliot. He then easily launched into a conversation with the two women. She wondered if it was the sort of skill that was given in mother's milk in the upper classes. It made her dislike Caroline Bingley more that she had the devotion of such a man and disdained such admiration; instead, Caroline wished only for a better title—as if that was the only way to measure a man.

Elizabeth had noticed William, of course, she had. He was speaking to the Brigadier and his wife when she walked in. But she didn't allow her gaze to linger or let her eyes wander. It was why she had walked straight through to the second drawing room, to be as far away from him as possible. She had enjoyed William's devotion once and felt its loss keenly that evening. Their past mistakes had been enormous. When he reappeared a month ago, part of her had wondered if they might find some footing again, and negotiate a relationship, if only a friendship. It would help to lessen the sort of perpetual grief she had borne since his disappearance three years ago. He had been important to her, had been everything to her once before. Part of her desired that, even if it warred with the part that knew their past mistakes were irreparable.

A young man walked up; he sported a flower in his buttonhole. The sense of familiarity that Elizabeth had when looking at him was explained when Noddy introduced him.

"This is my kid brother, Richard. Dickie, this is Miss Elliot and Miss Bennet." Dickie shook hands with both women. He sported the same mustache as his older brother. Lizzy had a sudden thought of them both being born with it—as babies with downy mustaches. She couldn't help giggling at the thought.

"I was going to get you another cocktail, but perhaps you're done?" asked Dickie, grinning good-naturedly.

"I would love another," said Elizabeth, who handed over her empty glass. However, a servant called them all into the dining room. Dickie took Elizabeth's arm; Noddy took Miss Elliot's, and the four found seats. Sir Robert didn't attempt to sit next to his sweetheart, who was playing hostess at one end of the long dining table. He appeared content to pair up with Miss Elliot while Caroline made a show of placing Lord Wingrave next to her.

Jane was next to Charles at the other end. William escorted Louisa Hurst to the table. There wasn't an even number at the table but whispered words went round that the choice to have an empty seat had been deliberate in honor of Leo Hurst—he was still missing. It was unusual for the Germans not to have found him. Everyone hoped that he was merely hiding and that it wasn't a case of his body not having been discovered yet.

Dickie was equally as animated as his brother, and dinner was enjoyable. The couple on her other side was talkative as well, and Elizabeth found herself relaxing and enjoying the evening more than she anticipated. Most of the people seated at the table were strangers, and while she had been bold and introduced herself to Miss Elliot, there had been no formal introductions of the others. Most seemed to be married couples. Lord Dalbury sat next to a pretty redhead who she assumed was Lady Dalbury (in all her years of work at Baker Street, she had never met the Brigadier's daughter). The woman's cheeks glowed, and she only had eyes for her husband. It seemed that theirs was a love-match.

Across the table, but down, sat an older woman. A young man in RAF uniform entertained her, though she occasionally turned to speak to Lord Wingrave on her other side. Caroline monopolized his time, so the woman didn't have much chance to talk to the peer. Elizabeth admired Charles' guests. His fellow RAF officer, Sir Robert, and Dickie were polite and charming to the people who sat on both sides. His sister was the exception with her monopolizing Dryden Avery; the pair appeared to have had a succession of cocktails, though that was never an excuse for rag manners.

After the plates were removed, Caroline stood up and led the women out of the room. Elizabeth had never done anything like that but dutifully followed her hostess back to the double drawing room as they left the men behind. Most of the women congregated near the fire. Their evening dresses were more revealing than Lizzy's—and perhaps they felt the chill more.

Elizabeth settled in a chair on the far side of the room, content to sit quietly and watch the others. A maid passed out small cups of coffee, and she absently accepted one—with a dollop of cream on top which was a nice treat. Jane was speaking to Lady Dalbury; the pair both had glowing cheeks. In Mildred's case, it was because of the rounding of her belly, but Lizzy thought that love colored the cheeks of both.

She watched a group, Miss Elliot among them, as they talked and laughed. Caroline sat by herself in a chair. Mrs. Hurst spoke to the older woman who had been across the table from Elizabeth. But as she watched, the woman caught her eye. She smiled, stood, and walked across the room towards Elizabeth.

"Hello," the woman said.

"Hello," Lizzy said in return. "Do sit down."

"Thank you; I find I can't stand too long. I'm Anne or Ana," she remarked as she settled in the chair next to Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth. I'm feeling a little out of place since it was my sister who was invited. I fear I was an after-thought," she admitted. The woman was older—her mother's age—with dark hair that was peppered with gray. Her clothes were exquisite and looked new.

Ana laughed. "I am too. It used to be that I was the one sought out, but now it is my son and daughter. I too am relegated to being an after-thought." She shifted in her chair. "I'm sorry, perhaps that is rude of me. I'm being sentimental—but I think I'm always sentimental these days. I only meant that we old people are never wanted; it is the young people who are wanted. They are needed in so many ways. To fight this dreadful and costly war, but also to ensure that life goes on." A finger was pressed against her lips as if she were sharing secrets and should stop.

"I understand," said Elizabeth. "It's our burden to keep going, no matter the cost. We have many roles to play and often pay with our lives." She thought of all the people in her department who had parachuted into enemy territory and would never return. There were rumors of a massive Allied invasion on the Continent, but those were only rumors, and no one knew when that would happen. The ghastly attempt by the Canadians to land at Dieppe the previous August had shocked the nation.

"And mothers fear for their sons," said Ana.

"Your son is fighting?" asked Elizabeth.

"Yes and no. He straddles two worlds. He is an army officer, yes, but few these days aren't in the service in some capacity. He has done his duty since before England declared war on those Nazi scum. He has drive and was focused at the beginning, but something has changed him."

"What happened? Did he fight? I know that battle often changes men," she said sympathetically.

"William, as I said, straddles two worlds," Ana mused. Elizabeth couldn't help her heart leaping at the name, and she peered at the face closely, when she had been intently staring at the emptiness of her coffee cup. The black eyes were similar, though the shape of the face was different.

"He's a good boy," Ana continued. Elizabeth couldn't help the small smile. What mother doesn't say that of her son? "Proud, very proud. That comes from my side of the family. I fear that's in his blood. His father was so kind; it was why I fell in love with George." Ana Darcy's cheeks glowed the same way that Jane and Lady Dalbury's did. "William did his part for the war effort here, but he got permission to come get me. You see, after my husband died, I took my daughter back to Greece to live. To be near family, you understand, don't you, Miss Elizabeth?"

"Family is important, yes," she agreed.

"Yes, and he came to get me and Georgia out of Thessalonica as he feared it would be the first place to fall if the enemy invaded," her companion explained, wanting approval.

"When did he come get you?" Elizabeth asked, her heart beating so quickly she was surprised that Ana didn't notice.

"It was May of '40. He brought my daughter and me back to England. Then he went back and fought. First against the Italians when they invaded in the fall of 1940, and then against the Germans when they came to shore-up the Italians the following April."

Elizabeth couldn't help the intake of breath. That was more fighting than she had realized. Orestes Kokkinos had said he and William had fought together against the Germans on the last day of fighting in April '41 on mainland Greece before fleeing to Crete. While Germany's conquest of Crete had been accomplished in a month, William had been in Greece for more than seven.

"That spring was a horrible time," said Elizabeth.

"Horrible, yes. My homeland overrun. So many innocents killed. The Nazis are ruthless, the reprisals…" Ana stopped speaking. Her breathing was just as elevated at Elizabeth's. She shook her head. "This is not a very lady-like conversation for a dinner party."

"I fear the war changes things," said Elizabeth.

"Yes. The war changed many things. It changed William, as I said. But even before the fighting. I would have blamed the fighting for it, the darkness that he carries. But this was before. It was when he came to Thessalonica in 1940 to get Georgia and I. Something happened to him, but I've never been able to figure out what. He never speaks of his work, and I know he cannot speak about what he does. But a mother always worries about her children, so I wonder what happened to rip the kindness out of him—even before he experienced the horrors of war."

I did that, Elizabeth thought. That was my fault. He fell in love with me, but it all fell apart after our night together.

"This war…" she began, not entirely sure what she was going to say or if she was going to confess.

"Mama," a voice interrupted Elizabeth. Both women turned. Lizzy assumed the speaker was Georgia Darcy. She was lovely, tall, dark-haired, and curvy, but she wore a slight frown.

"Headache?" Ana Darcy asked.

"Yes," Georgia nodded.

"This is Elizabeth…" said Ana.

"Bennet, Elizabeth Bennet," she introduced herself, "sit down." She stood to give the young woman her chair. Georgia gave a slight turn to study her before graciously accepting the seat.

"Should we get William to take us home?" asked the concerned mother. She leaned over. "I know you don't like parties too much."

"Sitting helps," said Georgia, leaning into her mother's hand, who pressed the back of it on her daughter's cheek.

Georgia's eyes swung up to look at Elizabeth. The two of them seemed to gaze at each other with equal curiosity. Lizzy suddenly wondered if William had spoken to his sister about the two of them. She remembered that there was a seven-year age gap, making Georgia the same age as her sister Mary: twenty-two. Had he mentioned something to his sister, but not his mother? Would William have written to his sister during their time together, during the period of their happiness? Or had he shared what had happened after it was over? Elizabeth couldn't guess.

"Mama…" said a voice. Lizzy hadn't heard him approach, but he was like that, walking on silent feet. The three women turned to look at him, standing silently next to Ana Darcy. He was staring at Elizabeth, hovering over his sister.

"Gigi has a headache," said Ana. "Did you need a cup of coffee before we leave?" Elizabeth wondered about the emphasis on 'headache' and thought that there was more to it. Frances had frequent headaches, but those were either complaints because life was overwhelming (which currently was a common complaint) or sometimes real suffering. She suspected that the evening of socializing had negatively affected Georgia Darcy, or that she could only mingle to a point before needing solitude.

"No," he answered, dragging his eyes away from Elizabeth. She hadn't been able to gauge how he felt. Mrs. Darcy stood and put a hand out to her daughter.

"Let's say goodbye to the Bingleys then, Gigi." Georgia stood, and the two walked over to Caroline beaming at Lord Wingrave, who was beside her again.

"I like your mother and sister," she said, all in a rush. It was almost the only thing she could say. William had met Elizabeth's mother and two sisters; there was probably little comparison as neither Frances nor Lydia had been their best that one evening, though Jane was perfect.

"I'm glad." It seemed to cost him a lot to give her a polite response. After all, almost two dozen people surrounded them. They couldn't begin yelling at each other like they had that evening in Baker Street.

"It's been a lovely evening." Elizabeth tried again, though she wondered why she was trying. Was there any redemption to be found between the two of them? Talking to his mother had given her insight, but it also made her wonder why he could save his family, but not hers. Why had he let her uncle die?

"Everyone loves a good party." William almost sounded angry. He had been the one person in Baker Street who didn't appreciate the Brigadier's Friday night forays out to play.

"Yes." The conversation was awkward, yet William wasn't walking away to see to his family. "I'll see you Monday," he finally said and turned away.

Elizabeth could only murmur something unintelligible in reply and watch him escort his mother and sister out. She needed to remain calm as Jane's happiness had been her motivation for coming. There would be no chance for breaking down or tears; she and Jane would be one of the last to leave.

Elizabeth sought out Noddy and his brother, who were speaking to Miss Elliot. She spent the remainder of the evening with them before finally taking her leave of Caroline, Charles, and Mrs. Hurst.

At home, she didn't cry but reflected on meeting William's mother and sister and the information that Ana had shared. Mrs. Darcy claimed something had changed her son; it had ripped 'the kindness out of him.' Elizabeth thought about their fight on Tuesday. Him asking about her smuggling Frank Churchill (who was now known as George Wickham) out of her bedroom window. It had been to help her father, but William had misunderstood the situation.

Elizabeth could only speculate that he had witnessed the event himself. That meant he had been there that night. It had been the following night of a monumental weekend. William had left the family home in the dark hours of the morning on Saturday. The Bennet family had gone to get sister Mary for her first holiday as a Land Girl, stopping first to visit Longbourn. The women had decided to see a film, but Frances developed a headache. Elizabeth, distracted, distraught even, with the thought of William on his way to Norway and danger, had chosen to escort her mother home. She had been confronted with that incredible scene and helped her father, discovering Thomas Bennet was a spymaster of some sort.

That night three years ago. She thought only Mr. Bennet, Frank Churchill, and Elizabeth knew about the incident, but it appeared that William knew as well. She speculated now that he had returned to tell her about her uncle taking his place and why he didn't go on the Norwegian mission.

What William had seen was Elizabeth sneaking a man out of her bedroom window. She couldn't fault him for thinking the worst of her. But over the years, had he done anything to discover what had truly happened to Ned Gardiner? For no one knew. Parker and his team of a dozen men had a two-day agenda and specific targets to hit before they met up again in Åndalsnes to board a ship back to the Shetland Islands. But they came home with two fewer men; one shot and killed, and one missing.

Jane's happiness elevated the entire family, though Frances demanded to hear about the whole evening in glorious detail. When Jane and Elizabeth described the house, Fanny was ecstatic, believing that there was money in Charles's family. She forgot that there was the potential of another young man for her second daughter, which suited Lizzy just fine.

A/N: before anyone growls that Ned Gardiner going in Darcy's place would have been impossible, this is a true story. About 60-70% of the events and background I've woven in about Special Ops is true. I moved their weapons factory to Kent because Kent is the 'away story' in Pride & Prejudice (coming up soon), but most of the other details are true (though it's being in Hertfordshire was practically perfect).

Historical note: In late April 1940, SOE decided to send a team in to test the new time pencils in a 2-day hit-and-run and one of the people who was involved in its development decided he JUST HAD to go see it in action, so went to Norway too (he safely made it back, though almost missed the boat). This was in addition to a 1,000 plus delaying-action SOE team on top of the British Expeditionary Force that was also sent to Norway.