This is chapter 15 but it's NOT the same one that had been here before. I think we're finally on the right path and will stay in this direction until the end of the story. Have fun!

'Come, Mr. Darcy, you must do it again.'

'Pardon?' Could she truly imagine him to have deemed himself entirely prepared to embark upon a new competence? He and Eldon Lucas had practiced this particular series a dozen -or perhaps two dozen - times, with nothing to be said of the numerous repetitions performed in the privacy of the tall gentleman's rooms, but it assuredly was not sufficient for him to consider himself proficient.

Panting, the gentleman said acerbically, 'Of a certainty I shall continue my drills, as I have but lately begun this particular technique. Was there a specific purpose to your visit or were you here merely to . . . . . observe?'

The maddening response to his query was a laugh, before Miss Elizabeth replied in an amused tone, 'You decline to lay claim to prowess? How unassuming of you, sir. I am quite relieved to hear that a gentleman of your station would wish to perfect the mastery of his craft but I do believe that you are already well aware of my opinion on this subject. For now, I am here to test you on your existing skills.' With a gesture of her hand, she wordlessly requested Eldon to move aside and she assumed his position opposite the Master of Pemberley.

Retaining one and handing Mr. Darcy the second of a pair of daggers clothed in singular and close-fitting sheaths, Elizabeth spread her arms. 'Mr. Darcy, please stab me.'

At his discomfited expression, she continued, 'Come, sir, you must utilize what you have learned, as can assuredly be said for any discipline. So I ask you again, stab me.' Her words changed as she spoke and went from an ironic playfulness to a resolute gravity. She was no longer standing in a relaxed pose; instead, she had adopted a pugnacious stance, covered dagger firmly in hand and sharp end pointed in his direction.

Perceiving that she was in earnest, he slashed forward with both reluctance, as well as strength, fully expecting a deal of unpleasantness, but she took a quick step back and blocked his movement with her forearm, while thrusting her own piece toward his shoulder. There was a moment of pain on impact, not quite what his cousin, the Colonel, had described from his own encounters with adversarial daggers, but not insignificant nonetheless.

He pulled back concerned and probed at his chest, but feeling no tear or hole and seeing no blood, he looked up at Elizabeth, deeply perplexed.

She took note of his confusion and said, 'Ah, you did not scrutinize the blades you have been using, sir? Our daggers which we utilize for training are sanded and blunted, then enclosed in a sheath that contains a padded leather tip. It might give a little pain but you will not be grievously injured and in time, you will become accustomed to the discomfort. Better than that, though, is to avoid the blade entirely and there should be no pain. You must perform well, for in quarters too close to use a sword, a dagger can be that which saves your life. It is vital that you have great adroitness with this weapon.'

Despite the gentleman's misgivings, Elizabeth soon brought him to the point of agreement and she began to draw out the lessons which he had learned. She drove at him, threatening the soft and delicate portions of his abdomen; he retaliated by pushing her arm away and stabbing at her shoulder - but was unable to complete his motion, as she had already changed her stance and shifted the blade to her other hand and was now slicing at his neck. They halted and separated, as Darcy was deemed 'dead' in this rapid but vigorous exercise.

Elizabeth resumed her aggressive posture; yet this time, she permitted him the initial attempt. He swung at her midriff with the hand holding the dagger but she averted his blow with her arm and quickly pushed Darcy's arm behind him, twisting it as she went. She butted her knee roughly into his thigh and he dropped to the floor.

As she held out the weapon which had been in his hand but moments before, Elizabeth remarked ironically, 'Mr. Darcy, I believe you are missing something.'

This was, in Darcy's opinion, entirely unacceptable.

It was now imperative that he disabuse Miss Elizabeth of her low opinion of his skills for he had, in fact, been practicing dutifully and was in no mood to accept either her scorn - or her imagined superiority. As a gentleman, he found it difficult to consider with any level of gravity fighting with a woman, even one of Miss Elizabeth's prodigious talents. But tolerate it he must, for he could not accomplish his purpose here without accepting - albeit grudgingly - the presence of females in their fighting force.

The gentleman stood with renewed energy and reclaimed his weapon, stretching his limbs and preparing himself for further exertion. As he announced, 'Let us resume,' he swung his blade arm toward her with a violent motion, shortening the arc with each pass until his dagger tip was tightly weaving in front of her torso. She moved to block his weapon and reached for his arm that was not occupied with threatening her. This time he was too quick for her and he rotated away, leaving her unable to catch hold of him. As he turned, he swiftly swept his blade toward her and felt triumphant to realize that he had struck her on her side. More rewarding than the strike, however, was the look of astonishment on her face on perceiving his victorious blow.

At Darcy's instigation and, perhaps, to prove his true facility, they again engaged. He focused his entire energies on their sparring, watching her movements even more closely, and found himself - to his immense relief and triumphant feelings - the victor a second time.

Elizabeth hesitated but then offered, 'You have now won twice in a row, Mr. Darcy. I applaud your remarkable and rapid improvement in skill. Would you care to resume your practice with Eldon and perhaps continue to increase your recent triumph?'

With a complacent smile, he bowed and riposted, 'My deepest thanks, madam, for your generous words. I likely will return another day for more work with the weapons but for now, it was my intention to be done and accompany you back to Longbourn, as I desire to speak with your esteemed parents.'

Acknowledging his comments, she bade Eldon farewell and departed, Mr. Darcy following closely behind. They walked in silence, neither troubling themselves to speak. The gentleman was glad of the quiet; he was better able to collect his thoughts for the upcoming interview, for he had an appeal to make and did not wish to be denied his petition.

'Let me understand you rightly, Mr. Darcy. You imagine yourself to be in enough of a state of readiness to join us on a mission and are seeking leave to do so. Is this indeed the substance of your request?' Mr. Bennet addressed the gentleman standing rigidly before his desk. Mrs. Bennet was seated to one side, listening silently.

Darcy replied, 'Yes, sir. As you are aware, I have been diligently observing and working with Miss Elizabeth and her fellow Watchers to learn those abilities necessary to ensure the success of a similar undertaking in my native Derbyshire. Therefore, it is with utmost confidence in my aptitude that I am here, appealing to you to permit my inclusion in the next foray.'

Mr. Bennet remained motionless and unspeaking, eyes upon his guest. With a glance at his wife, the Master of Longbourn inquired, 'I must ask, is this an attempt to prove to yourself the fullness of your knowledge, so you could take your leave of this neighborhood sooner than otherwise planned?'

Ah. He had not counted upon such quick comprehension of his motives but roused himself tolerably to try and turn their interest; he therefore answered, 'My desire is to further my own abilities with the added inducement of putting these newly acquired skills to use within a potentially mortal affair. This will, in its turn, permit me to be in a better position to properly organize and lead my own division.'

Mrs. Bennet observed, 'I have been following your progress through reports by those tasked with your training and am satisfied that you have grasped many of the disciplines of combat. However, there is a great deal more to the operation of such a group than simply mastering the techniques of fighting. One of the most vital elements to success is precisely the one that, I imagine, you would find most distasteful, but without the usage of this offensive agent, none of what we seek to accomplish would be done.'

At the puzzlement upon his face, she clarified, 'Gossip, Mr. Darcy. Talk. Speculation. The idle speech that decorates equally every location where people congregate, be it in a tavern or a duchess's drawing room. We have been gradually increasing our connections and reach for these past ten years, seeking at first solely to know of those who might be crossing our borders with ill intent and then to remove from harm's way any innocents. Unfortunately, we have found, as you can apprehend, that to only avoid trouble is not enough; to prevent it is far superior. Nevertheless, both are an absolute necessity. Can you boast a vast network of collectors of rumors? To be capable of repelling any attack is laudable; to know of an attack prior to its start is what must be done. Do you have access to those who know what is to happen before it does, those who hear hints and whispers? Can you in truth call yourself entirely prepared to begin?'

Mr. Darcy stood, if possible for such a tall man, even taller and responded, 'My cousin the Colonel, who recommended your group as an exemplar of a well-run organization, has a vast system of well-connected - but not necessarily reputable - individuals. With their assistance, I believe that we shall be in a position to unite the training you have presented with what information gathering sources I have and birth a safer Derbyshire. With that as an objective, I again ask of you to permit my attendance at an upcoming undertaking.'

He watched with interest as Mr. and Mrs. Bennet held the other's eyes for a full half a minute, neither revealing the slightest emotion. Despite this seeming indecipherability, a consensus appeared to have been reached and the seated gentleman returned his attention to the visitor. 'You may, Mr. Darcy. However, sir, you will remain at all times in the close company of Eldon and my daughter Elizabeth. If you are separated from one, you will stay with the other. As to the actual skirmish, I must insist upon your withdrawal from the field of combat. It is a matter of your safety and your life, for which we are responsible whilst you are our guest. Are you in agreement with these terms?'

Vexatious ultimatum notwithstanding, his design was answered for now and Mr. Darcy assented graciously.

The much-awaited summons had come several days later in the innocuous form of a short note from Mr. Bennet, reminding him of their plans to meet that evening. Both time and location for the rendezvous had been arranged beforehand, leaving Mr. Darcy with little more to do than to excuse himself to Bingley for yet again forsaking his host, carefully dress in the set-aside suit of his darkest clothing and then - to do nothing in the blackness, watching and waiting with tense impatience.

At precisely half past the hour, he at long last noticed shadowy shapes coalescing in the near distance; excited, the gentleman rode across the lawn to join them but slowed when the figures began to resemble people, remembering the instructions given him by Mr. Bennet. It would not do to forget himself at the outset and neglect to give the sign of identification.

Two hooded riders awaited him, acknowledging his gesture with silent nods and, with a wave from one of the individuals, they rode off, unspeaking, their hoofbeats causing ripples in the stillness. Within a very short span, Darcy found himself once again entering the ostensibly unused barn on Longbourn's property. Mrs. Bennet stood, expectant but unsmiling, at the head of a black-clad group, waiting for their trio to enter.

She nodded at him before saying in a voice loud enough to be heard only by those around her, 'Very well, everyone has now arrived. You have likely noticed an increase of late in the villainy in our area and we have continued to strike at those responsible for such. Tonight is no different. I will, however, apprise you that we are even now planning an attempt to stop their brigandry definitively, with the possibility that we will stepping over our county's borders in order to permanently halt their criminal activities.

For the moment, we shall continue as we have been; however, I warn you to remain on your guard moreso even than your wont for I have been apprised that our enemy is becoming aware of our presence, which lends an added layer of danger to this night's mission. You will be riding near Elstree to Aldenham House, where there is to be a theft and the potential for loss of life. Intercept and stop them with caution. Be aware that Mr. Darcy will be riding with you as an observer and he will remain well back from your point of attack. Elizabeth and Eldon will be watching over him. Ride safely!'

During a lengthy ride that tested Darcy's horsemanship and would have strained greatly a lesser rider, he had to concentrate to follow the two escorting him closely, for it was obvious that the way was known to both of his companions but Darcy had not spent his formative years in Hertfordshire and only knew portions of Derbyshire with the level of familiarity that these two evinced. They soon eased their pace and began to use greater caution in their choice of route, as if they were uncertain of what precisely was before them, hiding behind the black curtain of night. He listened assiduously for evidence of others - perhaps the sounds of conflict - to ascertain if they were in fact approaching their destination.

Then, of a sudden, they stopped. One of the figures soundlessly held out their hand as a signal for him to remain in place, to stay at a secure distance from the actual danger of combat, away from the thrust and swish and stab. The other person rode ahead to where Darcy presumed more of the Watchers were noiselessly lying in wait, biding time until their quarry appeared.

He waited. As the minutes passed slowly, he listened to the stamping and huffing of the horses, the chirruping of crickets and the crinkle of dried leaves being lightly blown about. The longer he sat and waited, the more he could discern: the hoot of an owl as it soundlessly slid through the air in pursuit of sustenance; the far-off bark of a lone dog. Ah, a new sound - voices, men's voices. Was it a group of neighbors at last come home from wherever they had gathered or could it possibly be -

His escort tapped him upon the arm, indicating that their purpose in this place was now in motion and, as he nodded his understanding, there was a crash of metal against metal and the grunts of straining fighters. An abrupt cry of pain came and alarm began to build within his breast, a fear and concern for those who put themselves willingly in the way of the sharp end of a sword to ensure the security and peace of a region. It became agonizingly apparent to him, as never before, the magnitude of the burden taken on voluntarily by the Watchers and the nature of what he might expect to encounter, if he followed his present course.

To ascertain his safety - and uphold his promise to the Bennets - he cautiously brought his horse a few steps further from the sounds of combat. Curiosity and the instincts of Pemberley's Master, a man accustomed to seeing to a plethora of often complex details, began to surface. What was the average length of time of an encounter? What was considered an acceptable ratio of Watchers to the rumored number of enemies? More questions that necessitated explanation by the Bennets came to him and he commenced to make a list in his mind of items which he wished to ask of them, while maintaining an external vigilance.

The reality of his new endeavor started to emerge and he found it exhilarating to have something of such importance to focus all his energies upon, rather than the morass of helplessness into which he had fallen after Ramsgate.

It appeared that all was well in hand, from the cautious but not overly alarmed attitude of his escorts, thus, Darcy surmised that they would soon embark upon their return journey. With this in mind, he began to relax his surveillance of the surroundings and to wonder how he might find his way covertly through Netherfield back to his apartment. In short order, he was given the signal to turn about and the three prepared to leave, with the dread expectation of deadly conflict absent from their attitudes.

As they started to move forward, he heard Eldon break the heavy silence and comment something to the person he now knew to be Elizabeth. She rotated her head to reply and, at that moment, there was a wild shout from behind them of caution. There was another who had been hidden and now pursued them.

Elizabeth turned her mount, waving Eldon and Mr. Darcy to hurry to safety, when the Derbyshire gentleman felt pressure, then a shocking, excruciating heat burning his leg. He grabbed desperately at his mount's neck for stability, the pain steadily growing until it was the only thing on which he could focus.

Ba-dum-bum! :)