Like ODC (presumably this means our dear characters?) I've also decided to take an intermission so I will see you next month.

I've been enjoying this - and your feedback so far - but real life has intervened so it was timely that I wrote the intermezzo chapter.

Some background information and responses based on your comments and questions:

- "Want a root?" = Sex?

- "Six with jangles on" = The Kiwi (NZ) accent is funny when it comes to the pronunciation of "sex". Sex is pronounced as six, and six as pronounced as sex. A smart Kiwi would ask for half a dozen eggs LOL. Jangles = beach thongs (footwear). The point I was making was the bitchy ladies were making fun of Aussies and Kiwis - as some Brits tend to do. It's a class thing.

- George Darcy moved to Sydney with Darcy and Georgiana after Anne died. He also didn't want to send Darcy to boarding school which would have been the norm for him over there. Darcy is a British citizen that's why he could enter Sandhurst and serve.

- Darcy and Bingley met at the Australian school (where James now attends) hence Darcy is on the board.

- Pro-tip never go to La Boheme for an opera first date. Avoid Don Giovanni, Carmen, Rigoletto, and other such types. Too many sub-texts. Go for something light like Magic Flute, Figaro (both Rossini's and Mozart's) or Nabucco for something deeper. Darcy "forced" her to see the opera with him because of his box - so this was on Darcy. She would have happily enjoyed it by herself. He should have known better but he's still in the showing off phase. So every time he shows off, it backfires big time on him.

- Elizabeth is in no position to ask who the blonde in the photo is because a) she has no status in Darcy's life - well, she believes she doesn't because he's been hot and cold to her and it's far easier to see herself as Charles's sister in law and that's it; b) she will probably get eventually jealous of the blonde in the photo which will provoke another misunderstanding. LOL

- Someone pointed out that Lizzy may be scared of loving again after having lost George; yes that is a possibility but didn't want to make that explicit. With her awful luck in her love life, tragedy may befall the people she falls in love with but this is an HEA so I'm not going to kill off Darcy!

- Lizzy has more to lose emotionally if she falls in love with Darcy, hence she's tentative or even "cold" with him. When Lizzy falls in love, she falls hard that's why yes, she was on the brink of suicide after George's death (the black dog that would visit her) and the whole family was worried (see Bingley and Darcy's conversation at Netherfield after Fanny's dinner antics). Darcy's just horny. LOL

- Map of Tassie: if you still haven't googled it, it's the women's private parts because Tasmania looks like it geographically; Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark and Crown Princess Mary (born in Tassie).

I'll update this page when I can but rest assured I intend to complete this story but I also have work to do :-)

I also have a birthday coming up and my real life Mr Darcy is taking me to Rick Stein's Bannister's in Port Stephens whose meal I will probably write up at some point.

Ooh, that's a thought - send D and E to Port Stephens. Just let me figure out how ;-)