A/N: Thanks for reading and commenting. About watching movies about HS life to learn about HS, it was indeed futile and my daughter told me so. However, if there had been a movie that described HS life truthfully, I would have learned something useful.

There seems to be quite a lot of anxiety about Lydia's safety. Here is a short chapter. To make up for it, I will post the next chapter that will ease your worries about Lydia. Is it not a nice a surprise?

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Once they had been seated, Anne looked Darcy in the eye and said, "As far as my mother is concerned, you and I will no longer need to avoid each other like the plague, as the notion that we were made for each other from the cradle is now lost to her. She started harping on this nonsense only after your father had died. Mother now thinks that you are in skeleton suits and your father and mother are still alive."

Mr. Darcy looked a little stunned by Anne's rather sportive way of speech that he had never dreamed would emit from his timid cousin. He recovered soon enough and smiled a genuine smile at Anne, saying, "Perhaps I should address you as Anne as cousins should and not the formal Miss de Bourgh? Is that acceptable to you, cousin?"

"That sounds like flirting with me, Darcy! So long as you do not call me 'sweetling' like you call Georgiana, I do not care at all how you address me," answered Anne saucily.

Both Elizabeth and Darcy looked at Anne with gaping mouths. Who was this forward woman?

Anne turned to Elizabeth and said, "I cannot explain why I am so light-hearted. Could it be because mother's life is not in danger, and she will not be a menace to me and the people of Rosings anymore?"

Elizabeth squeezed her friend's hand and said, "Day by day you turn more self-assured. You will become the brilliant mistress of Rosings in no time!"

Mr. Darcy watched the two women before him. If only Georgiana could have such a sister to guide her! He sobered up on the impossibility of this wish and steered the conversation to what was at hand, "Miss Bennet told me that you were not injured during your ordeal with Wickham, cousin. I am very glad to hear that. Would it be impertinent of me to know how he tried to impose on you? I would like to make sure that the situation will not become intractable with time."

"Oh, Wickham pulled me into an embrace and kissed me on the lips. That was all. I pushed him away, of course, and scolded him as my mother would have – a servant who did not know his place. The intended audience did not pay us much attention after a few rude whistles and remarks. In fact, some shouted, 'Go away, redcoat!'"

Darcy contemplated for a moment and said, "It seems that Wickham's trick failed because he was not important enough to be recognized by the crowd on St. James Street. Could you tell me how you managed to make Wickham release you without any monetary demand?"

Anne pondered, and answered, "I think it must have been because I told him that I would be penniless if he had forced me to marry him…. I think I should tell Lizzy my decisions concerning my dowry and my estate before I tell you. Could you leave us for a few minutes?"

Mr. Darcy was startled to hear this pronouncement from Anne. He then looked over with curiosity at Elizabeth, who had her head bent and looked extremely embarrassed, but then she raised her head and said firmly, "Anne, I think it beneficial that you tell Mr. Darcy and me together this rather monumental decision that I know nothing about. Mr. Darcy, being your closest relation, needs to be aware of how you handle your finances."

Mr. Darcy immediately replied, "Miss Bennet, Anne is the mistress of the entire Rosings Estate. She is in complete control of all the holdings. She is also of age. Whatever her decision on her assets is, it is hers to make, and none, even the trustees, has the right to interfere." He paused, trying to come up with a way to be of use to the ladies while he was away, and continued, "I shall go to Brooks's to try to find out whether there would be anything damaging to Miss…. Anne's reputation from Wickham's licentiousness. Excuse me, ladies."

Once Mr. Darcy had left, Anne said to Elizabeth, "I have told you, Lizzy, Darcy is an obliging gentleman and not a controlling monster like my mother."

Elizabeth said thoughtfully, "I suppose he is. But Anne, when you first mentioned the possibility of making me your heir, even in jest, I have been thinking about alerting Mr. Darcy to your propensity to give your inheritance away. I do not want him to think that I somehow swindled your birthright away from you."

"Lizzy, many landowners and heirs lose more than they own in a few card games. You should know that since you have read 'Cecilia.' Remember Mr. Harrel ends up killing himself because he cannot cheat Cecilia out of her fortune to pay back his debts? I am using my fortune much more advantageously. Firstly, I have fended off one practiced fortune-hunter already. Imagine how many more would have followed his path if I still owned my dowry, which is useless to me as I will not marry, and there are no other de Bourghs to whom to bequeath my holdings."

Elizabeth thought for a minute and said, "Anne, I guess the novels have taught you much about life. However, I now count it my mission to help you live your life as you want, instead of as some story dictates. Now, I am burning with curiosity. What have you done with your dowry and the estate so that Mr. Wickham lost interest in forcing marriage on you?"

"It is rather simple really," Anne quipped. Seeing Elizabeth's bright eyes and full attention, she continued, "After hearing Dr. Taylor's admonition at dinner last night on how property owners ought to take care of their properties before disaster strikes, I went to see Mr. Winslow, the solicitor, this morning. I signed papers to gift you and your sisters with my dowry, which is now more than seventy thousand pounds…"

Elizabeth gasped and almost screamed, "Anne! You should not have! That is too much!"

Anne said, "It is not that much. Remember there are five of you. Since you are my special friend, and you will be helping me to manage Rosings, you will receive the difference between the value of the dowry at the time of your marriage minus the ten thousand for each of your sisters. I finished reading 'Sense and Sensibility' while sitting with mother. The Bennet sisters will not have to go through the heartaches of poor Elinor and Marianne. You will be able to marry where there is true affection."

Elizabeth still looked anxious and said, "It works out very well in the end for both Elinor and Marianne even without any fortune. Each marries the one who loves her."

Anne looked at Elizabeth with an amused smile, "Lizzy, these are characters in a novel. Of course, they are happy in the end. Who would read a novel where the protagonists end up heart-broken and sad?"

Elizabeth was amazed at how Anne's mind worked. Even Aristotle's Logic did not prepare her enough to comprehend this fascinating lady's way of thinking. It was of course understandable that a person such as Anne who had had very little happiness in life until now would not appreciate tragedies, no matter how well written. However, she could not approve of Anne's using different scenarios of the imagined world of a novel to justify all her actions.

She wrung her hands and said, "Oh, Anne, I had some inkling that you would do something reckless. I wish I had acted sooner on preventing it."

Anne retorted quite fiercely, "How could you have prevented me from doing what I wanted to do? You are not my mother!"

Elizabeth was immediately penitent and said contritely, "Anne, forgive me. I did not mean to imply that I could control you. I meant to say that … well, I do not know what I want to say. I suppose I should be gracious, and grateful, and thank you from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of my family. But…what will others say?"

"Lizzy, you heard what Darcy said just now. I am entitled to do anything I want. I am not a wastrel. I believe that I am using my holdings for the good of others. Enough about the dowry! Don't you want to know what would happen with the estate if I married?"

"Oh, yes, of course. I am all ears," said Elizabeth with genuine enthusiasm and curiosity.

"Well, if someone kidnapped me to go to Gretna Green, the would-be bridegroom would be disappointed because the estate would have changed hands before I arrived in Scotland. As soon as the news of my marriage appeared, my solicitor and his agent would immediately transfer Rosings and all its contents to you. I understand that Gretna Green is a five-day journey away…"

Elizabeth interrupted her friend rather rudely here, "Anne! To whom would you be transferring the estate?"

Anne looked puzzled momentarily and said, "Oh, didn't I say? Rosings would go to you, of course! Who else would I give it to?"

Elizabeth leaned back on the settee where both were sitting and looked quite dazed. She had heard it when Anne first said it. She just could not believe it. She was stunned speechless.

Anne was amused again and said, "This is all presumed, of course, since I will not marry. A portion of my dowry is all you should get."

Elizabeth looked relieved, and she smiled wanly at Anne and said, "Anne, I am indeed grateful. I may not show my gratitude adequately, but I do feel deep down that you are a great benefactor who has single-handedly rescued us from the possibility of being thrown out to the hedgerows when my father dies. My mother, especially, will thank you most fervently."

"Fie! Fie! No more of this! I did not do anything but to give you what I have no use of."

Elizabeth then asked, "Dare I ask whether you have picked an heir to inherit Rosings after you?"

"Oh, it will not be you, if that is what you are worrying about. I did execute a will as well. I heeded my uncle's counsel to keep Rosings within the family. However, I do not know why I should as it was my mother's wish to do just that, and she created nothing but grief and loneliness for me because my male cousins did not want to be trapped to do my mother's bidding. Well, I plan to live a good long while yet."

"Oh Anne, I hope so, and I know so. You looked so frail and sickly before, but you have fooled everyone!" exclaimed Elizabeth.

"I was indeed ill for a long time. I was constantly drowsy and could not even sit up in bed most days, or else the world spun around and around. I was very scared, and so was my mother. All the many physicians she employed did nothing but bleed me, over and over. It was a wonder that I have not been bled to death. However, after a few years, I had not died, and I just lived with it. The dizziness has not come back for the past five years. I may not be as robust as my mother before the apoplexy felled her, but I am well enough to enjoy my new life for a long time yet!"