"Miss Elizabeth, you look even handsomer than usual tonight. Miss Bennet, you look quite tolerable as well."

Elizabeth, for a minute or so experienced a few of the very rare moments filled entirely with laughter and happiness since Ramsgate, while Jane looked on in perplexity. Jane was of course not offended by the remark but had to admit it was a peculiar sort of compliment. However, when she saw a hint of the laughing quirky Elizabeth, who had been mostly absent the past half‑year, she reckoned that Mr. Darcy could call her an ugly and none‑too‑bright sow and she would not mind in the least.

Elizabeth finally quit laughing, and replied, "Oh Jane… I fear I must act as interpreter for Mr. Darcy."

"Interpreter," she asked even more puzzled.

"Yes… well, you see. Mr. Darcy occasionally needs an interpreter to translate from English to English. I fear I must take up the office."

"If you say so, Lizzy."

Elizabeth chuckled again, and noticed Mr. Darcy was also enjoying the conversation, and was perhaps more relaxed than he had ever been in her company.

"You see Jane, 'tolerable' is the highest pantheon of beauty in Mr. Darcy's world. He just paid you the greatest compliment."

Jane laughed, and asked, "Is this one of those jokes where you had to be there to understand it?"

"Apparently so. Mr. Darcy, please start again with the King's English if you please."

Darcy laughed, and said, "It would be my pleasure. Miss Bennet, you look exceedingly handsome tonight. In fact, in this room your beauty is only eclipsed by your sister."

Jane's face lit up like the sun, while Elizabeth turned beet red but kept her eyes on the man's face. She was incandescently happy for the moment, until she started being bothered by Lina's words. 'He could be.'

She had spent so much time with Lina that she had no entries on her dance cards except the three Mr. Darcy had arranged and the fourth, which she was unwilling to think about; but she had no fears for the evening. Four sets would be enough, and she could in fact be Mr. Darcy's partner for supper, and she could easily get partners after supper so there was no hurry. Perhaps she might compromise and forego the supper set, but still dine with Mr. Darcy.

Charlotte Lucas joined the group just a moment too late, and Mr. Darcy complimented her as well. Charlotte tried her best to demur, but she could not quite stand up to the combined weight of Jane, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, all of whom were quite insistent. Mr. Darcy asked Charlotte for the third set, which she gladly accepted, just before the music was to start.

"Miss Elizabeth", Darcy asked with a deep bow, and blushing again, Elizabeth took his hand to go to the top of the set.

Elizabeth found the start of the dance quite agreeable, and as it had been in the woods, neither partner felt any compulsion to fill the air with conversation. Since they were at the top of the set because of Mr. Darcy's status, they spent the first several minutes leading off the pattern, and then enjoying the first few dancers who fell in behind them. It was a soothing experience, being in a position where they could just dance. Elizabeth had decided that for the remainder of the evening, she would try her best to forget any of her possible troubles, and just enjoy her time.

At long last, she finally sighed, and said, "I suppose we should have some conversation, Mr. Darcy."

The man smiled in response, and asked somewhat playfully, "Do you talk by rule, then, while you are dancing?"

"Sometimes. One must speak a little, you know. It would look odd to be entirely silent for half an hour together; and yet for the advantage of some, conversation ought to be so arranged, as that they may have the trouble of saying as little as possible."

Darcy looked at her somewhat sternly and put the most ferocious frown on his face before replying.

"Are you consulting your own feelings in the present case, or do you imagine that you are gratifying mine?"

"Both," replied Elizabeth archly; "for I have always seen a great similarity in the turn of our minds. We are each of an unsocial, taciturn disposition, unwilling to speak, unless we expect to say something that will amaze the whole room, and be handed down to posterity with all the éclat of a proverb."

With that, they both burst out laughing so loudly Lydia would have been ashamed to admit a relationship, and then carried on with the dance. Elizabeth thought she could really appreciate the gentleman's sense of humor and wondered what it would be like to go many days without it when he inevitably left the area.

The first dance of the set came to an end surprisingly quickly, and Darcy asked, "May I get us some punch, Miss Elizabeth?"

"I will go with you, Mr. Darcy."

The gentleman held out his arm again, and they ambled across the room, saying quick 'hellos' to several acquaintances. Elizabeth was a little bit surprised at how many people Mr. Darcy had struck up acquaintances with in six weeks. That first night at the assembly she would have sworn he would enter the county and leave it a year later without a single friend, but the proof against that thesis was plain to see.

At the refreshments table, Darcy obtained two glasses of punch, and they moved over near a small potted plant to enjoy it.

Darcy, looking somewhat pensive, asked, "Miss Elizabeth, you are aware I have a sister?"

Elizabeth had been wondering just how long it would be until the conversation came up. This seemed as good of a time for it as any, since it was inevitable. The only thing that surprised Elizabeth was her lack of consternation about it. It was as if waiting for the axe to fall for so long, had eventually worn out her resistance to the point where she just wanted to get it over with.

"Yes, Lina mentioned her."

Looking puzzled, Darcy asked, "Lina?"

Elizabeth chuckled, and said, "Miss Bingley."

Darcy looked at her in absolute confusion, and said, "Lina?!"

"Yes, Lina… although I am the only one that calls her that."

Darcy shook his head in confusion, and said, "I… sseeee."

Elizabeth laughed, and said, "Do not look so shocked, Mr. Darcy. It all started out somewhat unconventionally when I gave her a bit of a setdown about calling me 'Eliza'. Do you remember?"

Darcy laughed, and replied, "Of course! That was the most entertainment I have had in months."

Now Elizabeth looked a bit embarrassed, and said, "Yes, well, entertaining or not, well-deserved or not, it was probably not my finest hour."

Darcy just looked at her strangely, and asked, "And then?"

"You remember our 'secret affairs' on the steps of Netherfield? Well, I offered a truce and she accepted. I gave her permission to use the name and invited her to visit Longbourn. She later retaliated by offering 'Lina'. We have since become surprisingly good friends in a very short time, and she has even shortened it to 'Liza'."

Looking at him curiously for his reaction, she saw a grin spread from ear to ear, which moved him from quite handsome to insufferably handsome, as he replied, "Liza and Lina! Who would have thought?"

"Yes, who would have thought."

Both sat there for a moment digesting, and Elizabeth asked.

"Mr. Darcy, I am always asking favors, but would you be willing to grant one more?"

"Of course!"

"Will you give Lina a chance? I believe she has… well… I cannot say without breaking her confidence, but… I believe she may not be who and what she has previously appeared to be. Her upbringing may have been more difficult than we might think. I believe she may be trying to be someone different. Would you mind… perhaps… starting over with her. Just give her a chance."

"It will be my privilege, Miss Liza. I must admit to being curious to see what she makes of herself. Did you know that she is about twice as intelligent as she appears to be?"

Elizabeth's eyes got big as saucers, and said, "No!"

Darcy chuckled, and said, "The idiots in her seminary taught her that men disliked intelligence in a woman, so instructed her in the fine art of either suppressing it or hiding it. I only know because she occasionally forgets how stupid she is supposed to be. She grumbles about her brother's library just because she has a tough time hiding how much she reads."

Elizabeth just chuckled, and replied, "I did not see that coming."

Darcy said, "Do not worry, Miss Elizabeth. What you ask is no hardship. I have the second set with her, and we shall begin anew."

"I thank you, Mr. Darcy."

The next dance was starting again, so Elizabeth thought she might well have avoided the discussion of Georgiana Darcy once more.

The next dance turned out to be a very fast Scottish Reel, which left no time to talk in anything other than a few words here and there, and Lina's sense of humor seemed to be evolving quickly. The dance started out very fast, and every few minutes, it sped up, and then sped up again until everyone was flying across the floor like madmen. It was something that could not have happened in a sedate London ballroom, but in Hertfordshire, everyone loved it.

The dance ended with a bang, and the raucous applause from the dance left Lina smiling and laughing along with everyone else. She was dancing with Mr. Hurst, who Elizabeth was quite astounded to see was as Mr. Darcy had asserted, a very good dancer. He was not as good as Mr. Darcy of course, but he did very well as second-best.

At the end of the dance, Elizabeth grabbed Mr. Darcy's hand and pulled him towards the refreshments table so they could get a cup of wine before the rest of the dancers arrived. They were comfortably to the side talking again in just a few minute's time.

After they caught their breath, Mr. Darcy tried another tack.

"Miss Elizabeth, I believe we were distracted from a discussion of my sister."

Feeling her heart in her throat, Elizabeth decided it was time to tough it out and get it over with.

"I believe she is reputed to be very accomplished, and slightly taller than I. Is she at Pemberley?"

She hoped beyond hope that the answer was 'yes', since her Aunt Gardiner had assured her that Pemberley was a good four days travel to the North.

Darcy assumed a smile that Elizabeth thought boded well for Georgiana Darcy's future felicity. It was obvious that her brother loved her, which just went to prove Elizabeth's theory that 'GW' was a scoundrel of the worst order.

"Last summer, I removed her from school… abominable places… I wish I had known…"

Seeing his smile turn into a frown, Elizabeth asked, "And?"

Regaining his thoughts, Darcy continued, "I hired a companion for her, and she took a holiday in Ramsgate. It was probably around the time you were on holiday."

"Perhaps," was all Elizabeth was willing to say.

"When we first met… well, not when we first met…"

Elizabeth laughed, and teasingly said, "Do not even think about it, Mr. Darcy!"

He laughed, and said, "Oh, I mean when we first met after that night that I cannot recall."

Elizabeth smiled, and said, "Good boy."

"Your father mentioned you were very concerned by propriety and manners, which was something new. I mentioned that my sister had gone through something similar, as she very suddenly took an immense interest in the topic. Mr. Bennet assured me that it was a normal and expected part of growing up, though obviously not all young ladies go through it."

"How old is your sister, Mr. Darcy."

"She just turned sixteen."

For just a moment Elizabeth relived her previous nightmare but kept her voice steady despite her quickly beating heart.

"So, between Lydia and Kitty."

"Yes."

"Do not be concerned, Mr. Darcy. We all go through many changes at that time of life, and decorum, is not a terrible subject for her to take up."

Darcy chuckled, "I happily concur. She does not seem to be harmed by it."

"So, what happened?"

"I have no idea what, if anything triggered it. I have no idea if I should even ask her or not."

Feeling a bit of panic, Elizabeth quickly said, "I would not recommend it, Sir. If she wants you to know, she will tell you. Consider it one of those 'secret affairs'. Make sure she has a female to discuss it with if she likes, but otherwise, let her lead."

She felt like he must be able to see right through her since she had just made that entire assertion up out of whole cloth; but that was the only thing she could think to say.

"I concur, Miss Elizabeth. That has been my thought. I have not spoken to her for some months, so it may be all different next time anyway."

Elizabeth was confused, and asked, "Some months, Sir?"

"Yes. After her holiday, we were visited by a distant cousin from Ireland. My cousin has a daughter of around one and twenty… she reminds me of you, actually. Georgiana quite liked her cousin, as she has been mostly deprived of female companionship near her own age and station. She asked to go with them for a visit to an estate in Scotland, and I granted it. Her letters are full of adventure and excitement, so I am quite jealous."

Elizabeth laughed, and said, "Poor, Baby!"

The laughter felt good. If Georgiana Darcy was in Scotland, she was safe for a while.

Not noticing the fleeting emotions flashing across Elizabeth's features, Darcy continued.

"She will be returning to London for the festive season. I expect her in about a fortnight."

Elizabeth tried her best not to cry out at that reminder, and it took her some effort to still her heart enough to hide her feelings.

"I am sure you will be happy to see her, Sir. I presume you will be leaving us then?"

She waited breathlessly for the answer.

Darcy, feeling like he was making excellent progress, but missing something in his interactions, studied her carefully. He had been in her company enough to know he enjoyed it immensely… perhaps… well, best not to get too far ahead of himself. There was till some mystery about Elizabeth Bennet that had him confused, and he desperately wanted to get to the bottom of it. He wanted to understand her.

"Yes, I will meet her in London. I was wondering though, Miss Elizabeth. Might I bring her here for a visit and introduce her to your family and the neighborhood. I think it would be very good for her."

Elizabeth's heart once again started beating hard enough she thought it might her chest, and it took an act of iron will to keep her voice even in her reply.

"Of course, she will always be welcome in Hertfordshire, Mr. Darcy. It is not a settled thing, but there is some chance I will be traveling soon, but Lina and my sisters will heartily welcome Miss Darcy, and I will of course, if I am here."

This turn of events was a complete shock to Darcy, and it was his turn to try to keep his breathing under control. He asked, "Traveling, Miss Elizabeth. I had no idea."

Elizabeth replied, "It is not a settled thing, Mr. Darcy… a bit of a family matter. If the plans come to fruition, I will let you know, but you need not constrain your sister to my travel schedule. Everyone here will welcome her."

With that, Darcy started breathing easier, and it would be some minutes into the next set before he began to wonder exactly why the very idea of not having Elizabeth Bennet there to meet his sister made him nearly fall over flat on the floor.

The musicians started tuning up for the next set, which prevented any further discussion. Both feeling a bit unsettled, they returned to the ballroom and their waiting partners.

"Miss Bennet, I believe this is our set."

Elizabeth curtsied to Mr. Hurst, and replied, "Yes, of course, Sir. I thank you for asking."

Hurst just laughed and replied, "Ah, is that how you remember it, eh? Well, so be it. I 'asked'. Let us get to it."

As the couple walked towards the second set of the evening, they passed Miss Bingley, who simply raised an eyebrow in mock surprise.

Elizabeth giggled, and said, "Behave, Lina!"

Caroline just laughed and walked away towards Mr. Darcy who had requested her hand for the second set. Elizabeth smiled at the two and winked at Mr. Darcy to let him know that he was to be on his best behavior.

The dance started, and Elizabeth got to spend some minutes just enjoying a dance well done. Mr. Hurst was as good as he had appeared to be, and she found they put on a reasonable effort.

After some minutes, the gentleman opened with, "Miss Elizabeth, I hope you realize you are quite in my brown books."

Elizabeth was shocked by the assertion, until she saw his lips quirking towards a smile.

"Ah, may I be enlightened as to the nature of my offense, Mr. Hurst?"

"I have many reasons, Miss Elizabeth, but the primary one is that you have ruined my life."

"Oh! How so, sir?"

"Miss Elizabeth, I shall be happy to explain. It will be nice to get it off my chest before I go back upstairs and hang myself."

"I am happy to be of service, Mr. Hurst."

"Do you have any idea what my life is like, Miss Elizabeth. I am heir to an estate, but my father is hale and hearty. He is expected to outlive Methuselah. We do not get on, so I am stuck finding amusement to fill my time."

"It sounds like a cruel fate, Sir."

"Yes, and do you know what my primary sources of amusement are?"

"I have no idea."

The dance separated them for some moments, and when they returned, he continued without missing a beat.

"Well, for some time, it has been poking fun at my sister in law Caroline and Darcy. Now I find them both impervious to all my amusements. Caroline gives me thoughtful answers, and Darcy is polite to everyone in the county. You have ruined my life, Miss Elizabeth."

Elizabeth just laughed, and replied, "Well, sir I really do apologize. I do have quite some experience at estate matters though, so the least I can do is make certain your rope is sufficiently clean and strong for the job. It seems like the least I can do."

With that, they both laughed heartily, and the rest of the dance passed in light-hearted conversation about plain dishes versus ragouts, the joys of hunting and a surprisingly detailed description of the antics of a new puppy.

The discussion of puppies turned out to be a good segue into Elizabeth's next set. Mr. Hurst gallantly escorted her to the refreshments table for more punch, and then delivered her safely into Mr. Bingley's hands.

His parting comment of, "He used to be more fun as well", raised yet another amused grin, before Mr. Hurst went off to see if there was anyone amusing left in Hertfordshire.

Mr. Bingley turned out to be a wonderful dancer. He had the technical skills and timing of Mr. Hurst, and an infectious joy in living that seemed to make everyone around him happier.

Their conversation was quite interesting as well. They managed to sufficiently canvass a wide range of topics including Jane's favorite activities, Jane's favorite foods, Jane's childhood antics, Jane's experience with estate matters, Jane's interactions with young children and too many other interesting and diverting topics to count.

Elizabeth found the set to be over before she even knew it and was absolutely certain that Jane's assertion earlier in the evening that 'he is not my Mr. Bingley' was absolute rubbish.