The assembled guests…

Jane Houston…

Jane tried avoiding looking at Charles but there was no use. Her gaze moved toward him as if there were an invisible magnet that wouldn't let her out of its grasp. How angry she was at him at the moment, how angry after everything they had shared since her return to Europe—the late night talks they had had, the unexpected passion that had flared between the two. The memories of stolen moments caused her skin to crawl in ways that it probably shouldn't. He looked up then and their eyes met. She thought she saw regret there and she fought the sense of triumph that made her feel. What had made him leave? Were the rumors about her that disturbing to him?

"Men sometimes fear love more than death." A voice said from behind her and Jane turned to find Elizabeth's aunt watching the exchange between Charles and herself. It made Jane flush. But Lizzie's zia waved her hand.

"Posh with the embarrassment, child. I'm not so old that I don't know a heated glance when I see one. He's afraid." Zia Gardiner commented as Jane looked over at Charles once more.

"Afraid of what?" Jane asked as Elizabeth's aunt chuckled lightly.

"Of letting go. Men fear love because it means giving control of their heart to someone else and the male testosterone fears losing control." Zia explained as Jane looked over at her quietly. That did make sense.

"Do you have children, Zia Gardiner?" Jane asked with a small smile as the older woman laughed.

"Are you volunteering, dear?" Zia asked in return as the two shared a grin. Jane looked up once more and allowed her face to express confidence instead of hope. She wanted Charles to know that she didn't need him. She wanted him, but she certainly didn't need him. His eyes met hers and he sat up straighter. Aunt Gardiner chuckled.

"That's it, girl. Make him realize that he's the one that needs you."

Georgiana Darcy…

Georgiana watched the guests with interest, almost laughing as Mrs. Bennet pulled on her clothes when she spilled a little wine down her large cleavage. She was certainly not a modest woman by the way she dabbed at it conspicuously. Her daughters surrounded her like little planets. Two of them were twins and seemed oblivious to their mother's embarrassing actions, but the third couldn't be any younger than Georgiana if not the same age and she seemed mortified, hiding her nose in a book about the history of Europe. It made Georgiana smile slightly. How wonderful it must be to have such an…interesting family. Boredom was never an option. And then Georgiana caught sight of Elizabeth and she sighed. That was the woman Darcy was in love with. There was no doubt in Georgie's mind. She had never seen her brother so conflicted before, so un-used to questioning his own judgment. She had also never seen him so enamored, although he refused to admit to that. To most, it would appear that he hated the woman, but she knew her brother and she knew when he was feeling passion instead of anger. The electricity between the two of them was pure, unadulterated passion. Colonel Fitzwilliam said something to Elizabeth and she laughed just as Darcy entered the room. Will's eyes grew dark, and he closed them briefly as if in pain while moving across the room. Georgiana shook her head. Why was he doing this to himself? Was he that afraid of letting go? Georgiana figured it was time to get to know the flamboyant Elizabeth Bennet a little better.

Mary Bennet…

Somewhere between reading about the Reformation and the French Revolution, Mary found herself rubbing her temples and realized a headache was coming on. She absorbed the information inside the pages with adamant attention despite the shrill nature of her mother's voice. She needed to disappear. Elizabeth had always found it easy to accept the way their mother acted in public, had always seemed to find the good in everyone, but Mary was soundly disgusted by it at times. Simple fact was, it embarrassed her.

"You look bored." A cheerful voice said from behind her and Mary spun to find Darcy's sister, Georgiana perusing her curiously. Mary sighed.

"No, not bored…really, this is a lively affair. I'm just a little tired." Mary stated simply as Georgiana grinned and pointed across the room. Mary followed the direction of her finger and felt her cheeks darken with a crimson flush as her eyes landed on a young man speaking happily with Charles. He was a well built man, blonde and slightly tanned. And he was young.

"Why don't I introduce you to some of the guests?" Georgiana asked as Mary scoffed.

"Oh no, I couldn't….I" Mary began as Georgiana waved off her statement and pulled her along behind her. Mary closed her eyes and prayed that they weren't moving toward the men. She was just not a very good conversationalist. Unfortunately, when she opened her eyes, she found them resting on Charles Bingley. Damn!

"Hello, gentleman!" Georgiana supplied winsomely as she pointed toward Mary. "I'm sure you remember Elizabeth's sister, Mary, Charles?" Georgiana asked before turning meekly toward the other man. Mary could tell by the way that the young woman moved that she was interested in him. It was a good thing that Mary posed no threat.

"Mary, this is Lord Devon. He is Lady Stephanie's brother. He's also a scholar. Is that not so, Lord Devon?" Georgiana asked with a smile as Lord Devon turned his blue eyes toward the women. They were like clear bottomless ponds, and Mary found herself lost in them. Now would be a good time for her to look at the ground. So she did.

"I'd like to think I am, Lady Darcy. Thank you for the compliment. And it's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Bennet." Lord Devon stated in a friendly tone as Mary nodded. That's all she could manage really. Georgiana sighed.

"Mind if we women ask what you men were discussing?" Georgiana asked as Lord Devon shrugged.

"Mostly, I was doing the talking. I was telling Bingley here of a new theory I have about the Egyptian project I've been helping a professor with. I've been dabbling in archeology, and I'm fascinated with a few new discoveries. There's markings on some of the pieces that denote some sort of ritual. I haven't figure out what kind. But it appears to be something to do with sacrifice." The man stated simply as Georgiana nodded. Lord Devon was very similar to her brother, Mr. Darcy. He was very absorbed in his own business and accomplishments, not because he was vain but because it was important to him. Mary listened quietly before glancing up. He was encroaching on her territory now and she felt more comfortable.

"It depends on the type of mark, doesn't it? If it's indentation, then you may be looking at something that may denote cannibalism. If it's bone that is. Or maybe a type of ancient writing or primitive calendar use. If it's something that appears scraped or chopped, then you are looking at more or a ritualistic type death because the bone was not revered—only used to meet an end or a hurried purpose possibly to appease a God. Again, that's only if your discovery is a bone." Mary inserted as the group grew uncomfortably quiet. May blushed before looking away again. She caught sight of her sister, Elizabeth, and sighed.

"I…um…must see my sister a moment. If you will excuse me." Mary insisted as she moved to exit the group. Georgiana looked impressed as did Lord Devon who held up his hand a moment to stop her.

"Are you interested in science and history, Ms. Bennet?" He asked softly as Mary shrugged.

"It tends to fascinate me." She answered quietly before turning away again, feeling her face darken more as Lord Devon called out,

"Then maybe we'll get a chance to discuss it more. I'd like to see what you think about the finds." He emphasized as Mary merely nodded, trying to hide a smile that fought to break out across her face. When she looked back though, Devon was devoting his attention to the very beautiful Georgiana.