Hello everybody! I hope your holiday season has been blessed! Thank you for all your support through this past year and even longer. Please enjoy this newest installment of our story.

Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner had renewed their desire to visit Monsieur Marait's tea shop after their first aborted attempt. In fact they were even more determined to take their custom there, since many shopkeepers in the city were suffering from the unrest in the city. They did not want their friend to be affected in the same way and felt it was their duty to support him however they could. Jane and Elizabeth agreed, and so a date was set.

As Elizabeth stepped into the hired carriage that would take them to the shop, she could not help recalling the circumstances of their first intended visit and the daring escape she had witnessed. It was now two weeks later, but the old woman in the cart was still in her mind's eye. Had she truly been the Fleur de Lys in disguise, as Gardiner thought, or was she some unknown accomplice? Where had she gone? And what about the two men on the wall? One was the baron himself, but who was the other gentleman? It did not seem likely that she would ever discover the answers to these questions.

As they approached the street where the tea shop was located, Elizabeth was almost hoping that there might be another daring rescue under way so that she could see the Fleur de Lys at work again. But nothing remarkable was occurring in front of Marait's shop or around the city gate. Parisians intent on their errands were passing by in every direction, and various gentlemen and their ladies were sitting at the little tables that lined the sidewalks. There was an unusual feeling of calm in their air, and the traffic entering and leaving the city was unremarkable. The little party stepped out of the carriage and went inside.

The tea shop was nearly empty except for Monsieur Marait and his assistants. Marait greeted them warmly, and he and Mr. Gardiner almost immediately fell into a conversation about the current financial conditions in the city. While they spoke together the ladies amused themselves by walking up and down the narrow aisles with shelves filled with jars of exotic teas and spices, exclaiming when they found an especially pleasing variety. They took their time examining the labels, opened some jars to inhale their aromas deeply, and listened to the opinions of the clerks who waited on them.

At length Mrs. Gardiner made her choices and handed her selections to one of the clerks hovering nearby. She turned to her nieces. "Jane, Lizzy, why don't you go find a table outside and claim it while I have these things wrapped up? I will get your uncle away from his friend," she nodded bemusedly to where Gardiner and Marais were still deep in conversation, "and we will join you directly."

Following her instructions they emerged into the bright light of the autumn day and looked for a table where they could enjoy their tea and that sweets that Mrs. Gardiner was surely purchasing. Most tables were already occupied with patrons of the other shops in the area- a bookstore, a chocolatier, a watch maker and the like. Nobody paid the slightest attention to the two sisters. It appeared that they might have to wait or else walk a short distance away in order to find an open table.

As they stood looking about them Jane nudged her sister. "Look, Lizzy. Isn't that Mr. Bingley across the street, in front of the watchmaker's?"

Elizabeth followed her glance. "So it is. And Mr. Darcy is with him."

"I think they are coming this way. What a coincidence, that they should be here at the same time as us!"

"It is not terribly surprising. Monsieur Marait's is a popular destination."

Bingley happened to glance across the street just then, and happened to see Jane and Elizabeth. At once a smile appeared on his face and he gave a slight bow. Beside him Darcy frowned, but after a moment he, too, inclined his head in their direction. Bingley stepped off the sidewalk and began to make his way to them, artfully dodging the passing carts and carriages on every side. Darcy followed behind.

"I wonder what Mr. Bingley said to convince his friend to accompany him. I cannot imagine Mr. Darcy stepping away from his books long enough to be sociable."

"Lizzy, hush! They will hear you."

A few seconds later both men stood before the ladies and the usual greetings were exchanged. Bingley asked after their aunt and uncle and seemed pleased to discover that they would be joining their nieces shortly. It was only natural, then, for Jane to invite the gentlemen to join them, an offer Bingley happily accepted. Soon Bingley and Jane were deep in conversation, comparing their impressions of different parts of Paris. For the moment they seemed to have forgotten the existence of their companions.

Standing nearby, Elizabeth felt decidedly de trop. Darcy, of course, could no more leave Bingley than she could leave Jane, and he had already shown that he had no interest in conversation. She shifted awkwardly from one foot to another, watching carriages pass by and wishing that the Gardiners would not take so long. Until they reappeared there was nobody to speak to and nothing in particular to occupy her interest.

A deep voice at her elbow caught her attention. "Miss Bennet, I recall that when we met the other night you urged me to see the sights of Paris for myself. Is this one of the places you would recommend?"

Startled, she turned her head towards the speaker. Darcy was standing with his arms clasped behind his back, focused on her with polite interest. "You remember our conversation, sir?"

"I do. You suggested that I observe the architecture, or perhaps the gardens."

"You surprise me, Mr. Darcy. I had not the slightest idea that you took note of anything I said!"

The corners of Darcy's mouth twisted into a wry smile. "I must beg your pardon for my behavior that evening. You were being kind and I was abominably rude to you. I apologize."

Darcy's frankness took her aback. Elizabeth studied him for a moment, wondering at the change in him. "Do you normally refuse to make polite conversation with strangers at assemblies?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Darcy shook his head. "I mean no, not intentionally. I am not at ease with strangers, and that night in particular there were also other matters on my mind. Rest assured that my lack of manners was a reflection of those circumstances, not on you."

She was still puzzled, but if Darcy was friends with Bingley then she owed it to Jane to try to be on civil terms with him. "Very well, then, I suppose I can accept your apology, on one condition."

"Name it." Darcy leaned forward slightly, straining to hear her over the noise of the street.

"You must satisfy me on one point. If you are not at ease with strangers, as you say, how do you account for your friendship with Mr. Bingley?"

"Ah." He straightened up again. "That requires an explanation. We met at university. As the son of a tradesman Bingley sometimes had a difficult time making his way amongst men from more established families. I also had a difficult time, but - hullo, what's this?"

There was a disturbance of some kind on the sidewalk a little ways from them, a quick shuffle and shoving of the crowd, and a man's voice crying out. Men and women in the area turned to see what was happening. Surprised utterances rose on every side. A young boy ducked and dodged through the crowds at a run, coming straight towards the two couples, with a loaf of bread clutched tightly under one arm. Behind him a heavy set, red faced man grabbed for the child, calling out, "Seize him!" as they both ran.

The race was over nearly as quickly as it began. Not half a dozen feet from where Elizabeth stood, the pursuing shopkeeper pounced. He caught the child, grabbing him by the collar of his thin, bedraggled shirt. The child gave a yelp of fear as the man spun him around, with the child still clutching the loaf tightly against him. The man's face was a picture of rage. One of his hands held the boy in place while the other reached up in the air, about to descend across the child's face.

"Stop!" Elizabeth and Darcy both cried out. Elizabeth leaped forward and threw her arms protectively around the child's neck, turning him slightly and shielding him with her own body. She was just in time. The hand stopped in mid-air. The angry man could not strike the child without striking Elizabeth.

There were gasps from people all around, especially Jane and Bingley. Darcy swiftly stepped in front of Elizabeth, who pulled the boy a little closer to her. He faced the furious shopkeeper boldly. "What is the meaning of this? Why would you strike a defenseless child?" Darcy demanded, speaking in English.

The heavyset Frenchman directed a stream of angry sentences at Darcy, their faces only inches apart. Darcy shook his head. "I do not speak French."

"He says for us to get out of his way," Elizabeth translated, standing behind him. "The child is a thief and we are to hand him over at once. He wants to teach him a lesson!"

Darcy turned his head to glance at the boy now cowering against Elizabeth. The boy's rags did nothing to conceal the thin shoulders, the gaunt features, and the trembling form. "Tell him that rage is an unsuitable lesson for a starving child."

"I doubt he will care for your answer!"

"Then tell him we can pay for whatever the child has taken." Bingley had stepped forward, his face uncharacteristically grim. "He will suffer no loss if he lets the boy go."

Elizabeth's eyes widened but she translated rapidly, then listened to the man's response. "He says perhaps we can make a bargain, if the price is right."

"How much does he want?" The question came from Darcy.

Elizabeth relayed the question, then blanched as she took in the answer. She named an outrageous sum. Darcy nodded and the angry man blinked, taking an astonished step back. From the look on his face Elizabeth guessed that he wished he had asked for more.

"I believe your offer is accepted." Elizabeth still kept her arms around the boy's neck. She was not prepared to release him until she was assured of his safety.

"Done."

Without speaking Bingley stepped up beside Darcy. He reached into his jacket pocket for a small purse, which he silently handed to Darcy. Darcy counted out the required coins and handed them over. The other man stared at the coins in his hand as if he could hardly believe what he was seeing. He looked from the coins to Darcy and then back at the money once again. Finally he closed his fist, turned, and walked away.

A little murmur rose from the crowd all around. Elizabeth exhaled in relief. She knelt down next to the boy and turned him so she could look in his face. "No need to fear," she said to him, in French. "You are safe now. What is your name?"

"Jules, mademoiselle."

"Where do you live, Jules?"

The boy shrugged, staring at his feet. "Where people let me."

"Where are your parents? What are their names?"

The boy shrugged again, even more helplessly than before. "They're gone."

Elizabeth's heart melted in pity. Jane stepped forward and put a comforting hand on the child's shoulder. "We will make sure you are safe from now on."

"What in the world has happened here?" The Gardiners had finally come out of the tea shop. They stood transfixed, taking in the peculiar scene of their nieces gathered around a street child, along with Darcy and Bingley. "Who is this boy?"

Elizabeth answered her aunt. "This child stole a loaf of bread, and the shopkeeper chased him down and was about to beat him. But Mr. Darcy and I stopped him."

"That man might have struck Elizabeth, if Mr. Darcy had not intervened!" This was from Jane.

"Dear heavens!" Mrs. Gardiner exclaimed. "I thank you, Mr. Darcy, for your assistance. But- Lizzy, what trouble you could have got in! What were you thinking?"

"I could not stand by and let a grown man beat a helpless child!"

"Nor I," her aunt agreed, with a compassionate look. "And yet, the danger you put yourself in! To think what might have happened! And what do we do with the child now?"

"There is danger to more than just Lizzy," her husband interrupted, glancing at the crowd that still surrounded them. "There are far too many people taking an interest in this affair. Follow me."

He led the way towards where their hired carriage was waiting. Elizabeth and Darcy followed with Jules between them, while Jane and Bingley came behind.

"I must thank you, sir, for taking the trouble to rescue a small child." Elizabeth was not sure what astonished her more- that she had taken part in such a scene, or that Darcy had come to her rescue. "I did not expect you to intervene."

"I had no time to think about it," Darcy countered. "I simply saw injustice occurring and decided to do something, much as you did, I'm sure."

"But you do not even speak French!"

"Not much," he admitted. "But I did not need to understand what was being said to understand the terror on the child's face. You were very brave, Miss Elizabeth."

"I, brave? Not at all."

"That man could have seriously injured you, if he had wanted."

"I will confess that the possibility of him striking me did not occur to me until it was too late to change my mind. Therefore there was no bravery involved. Nevertheless I did feel much safer after you stepped between us."

"Did you?" There was a strange glow in Darcy's eyes as he looked down at her.

"Thank you for jumping into the fray, so to speak, the way you did."

"It was the least I could do."

"It was a great deal more than that."

They were not far from the carriage that the Gardiners had hired, and the little group, moving swiftly, arrived there without further incident. Now that they were off of the main street and the onlookers had faded away, Gardiner turned to Darcy and Bingley. "It was kind of both of you, gentlemen, for coming to our nieces' assistance when they needed you most."

"'Twas Darcy who did the only really dangerous thing," Bingley answered, eager to give his friend the credit. "I was only there to support him."

"I simply behaved as a gentleman must," Darcy countered. "I trust this event will not cause any problems for you or your household."

"On the contrary. I hope we did not cause any problems for you."

At this point Elizabeth saw her uncle extend a hand to Darcy. Darcy took it and shook it firmly, his eyes locked on those of the other man. A flash of recognition of some sort passed between them, a token of something deeper that Elizabeth could not quite identify. The handshake was more like a gesture that might pass between brothers, rather that what would occur between men of business who had only recently become acquainted. She could not help wondering if Darcy and her uncle had known each other longer than she had realized, or if perhaps the significance of the gesture was merely in her imagination.

There was no time to think about it any further. The doors of the carriage were opened, the steps let down, and the footman, at Mrs. Gardiner's nod, tried to help Jules climb up them. But Jules hung back. He stared up at the vehicle with wide eyes and Elizabeth wondered if he had ever seen the inside of such a vehicle before. "Come, Jules," she said in French. "You have nothing to fear. We are going to take you home with us, where you can be safe. Will you not climb inside?"

Still the child hesitated. Darcy gave the child an encouraging pat on the back, and when the child looked up at him he nodded at him reassuringly. Somehow Jules took courage from the silent gesture. He nodded back bravely and went up the steps, disappearing inside the cab. Darcy turned to Elizabeth.

"What will happen to him now?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "I do not know. We will have to see if we can locate his family. If not, perhaps one of the servants will be able to take charge of him."

Mrs. Gardiner, about to step into the carriage behind Jules, turned to Darcy and Bingley. "I feel that simply saying thank you for what you did today is not enough. Words are wholly inadequate for the occasion."

"There is no need for anything else, madam," Darcy assured her.

"Nevertheless, I should like to try. We are having a small dinner for a few friends tomorrow evening. Perhaps you and Mr. Bingley would like to join us. It is not a grand gesture, but it is the least we can do. Please come and allow us to show you our gratitude in a more appropriate setting."

The gentlemen could not very well deny such a request, and they agreed graciously. Mrs. Gardiner smiled in acknowledgement and then accepted her husband's hand to get into the carriage. Jane followed. Elizabeth was about to take the footman's hand after her but Darcy waved the man off. "Miss Elizabeth, when I come to the Gardiner's tomorrow evening, might I have the opportunity to speak to you further?" His voice was low, for her hearing only.

"Whatever for?"

"I would . . . " Darcy hesitated. "I should like to find out how Jules is, and what will become of him."

She was puzzled. "You could ask my aunt or uncle for that information."

"It would mean a great deal to me if I could hear it from you instead. Indeed, I should infinitely prefer it."

Darcy's voice held a strange urgency, and when she looked up at him, she saw that there was a warm smile on his face, an eager look that gave him an unexpectedly handsome appearance. Her heart gave a sudden leap. Without thinking she put her hand into his.

"I would be pleased to speak with you when you visit, Mr. Darcy."

Darcy raised her hand to his lips. His eyes remained locked on hers as he made the customary gesture, and then he handed her into the carriage. He gave a bow, the carriage door shut, and the vehicle moved away.

Please let me know what you think of this chapter by leaving a comment! I love reading your thoughts about what has happened so far and what you think might happen next. And please have a safe and happy remaining week or so in the holiday season. God bless you in the new year! -Elaine