A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. No one suggested that perhaps there would be a love triangle! As one guest reviewer comments, it would be hard to watch Elizabeth pining for an indifferent Mr. Darcy. Remember when I said I was considering doing a Captain Wentworth-Anne Elliot thing for ODC in this story? I rejected it because this is not a crossover between P&P and Persuasion, and also I would have a hard time writing about our Lizzy pining for what she wanted.

One reviewer thinks the story drags a bit, and the other says she enjoys the banter of the gentlemen at the club. It is a dilemma for me on how to shorten the story. I do truly appreciate your letting me know your opinions.

Well, in this chapter, ODC meet again-after a fashion.

Chapter 17

On his way back to Darcy House, Mr. Darcy contemplated his relationship with his sister. The culpability for their lack of conversation since he returned from the Peninsula was partially his. He had been so busy catching up with estate business that he allowed his sister to lock herself in her room. In fact, he had not lately even heard Georgiana's practicing on the pianoforte .

Mr. Darcy decided to seek his sister out and went straight to her rooms.

After a few quick knocks on the door, he heard his sister call out, "Come in."

She has not closed herself away after all. It is all my fault, Mr. Darcy chastised himself.

When he opened the door, his sister was sitting in the window seat of her sitting room, reading. The smile which must have been from some amusing passages fell off her face instantly when she saw whom she had admitted.

"Brother! I did not know it was you!" cried Georgiana while trying to hide the book she was reading in the folds of her dress.

"Georgiana, I apologize for neglecting you since coming back from the Continent. Would you show me what you are reading? I have never seen you so absorbed in a book before. Let me guess. Mrs. Radcliff has a new novel out?"

"Oh no, Brother, this is not by Mrs. Radcliff. I know you do not approve of Mrs. Radcliff's novels, even though you never forbid me from reading them. I would not openly defy you…"

Mr. Darcy interjected, "Sweetling, you are all grown up. You can, and should, choose your own reading material without my input. I do hope, though, you will still allow me to make recommendations for books I think you will enjoy. However, this time, you could recommend a book to me, especially since you seem to adore it. Until you saw your somber brother enter, you had a wide, lovely smile on you."

Mr. Darcy regretted this jest as soon as the words came out of his mouth because his timid sister was not used to teasing.

Instead of immediately withdrawing into her shell, to his surprise, his sister proudly showed him the book and excitedly said, "Brother, I would love to! I am certain you have not read it because it was published when you were still away. This copy belongs to Aunt Charlotte. She has not yet finished it. All her friends have read it, and they talk of it incessantly—but those are Aunt's words. She wanted me to read it and tell her what I think of the story from a younger person's point of view so she could bring up something new when they next discuss the novel."

Mr. Darcy took the book from his sister, careful not to lose her place in the book. He truly treasured this talkative version of his sister, something not seen since the Ramsgate debacle.

Perhaps she has finally got over it, thought Mr. Darcy with renewed hope for the happiness of his sister.

"Please look over the book as much as you like. I have read it once already. I am just re-reading sections I particularly enjoy."

Mr. Darcy was now quite intrigued. Georgiana was a reluctant reader. She usually would much rather play on her pianoforte.

"'First Impressions' by 'A Scribbler.'" Mr. Darcy read the title and the author aloud softly. "Hmm…"

He opened to the page where his sister was reading with such glee. He may as well start there.

'"Implacable resentment is a shade in a character. But you have chosen your fault well. I really cannot laugh at it. You are safe from me."

"There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil—a natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome."

"And your defect is to hate everybody."

"And yours," he replied with a smile, "is willfully to misunderstand them."'

Georgiana was watching to see whether her brother would find the passage as diverting as she. Instead, he stood abruptly, his face drained of blood. Not only was his hand holding the book shaking, but his body also swayed slightly, as if he would fall down.

"Brother! Are you well? You have turned ghostly pale. Did I do wrong to read the book? I shall return it to Aunt directly!"

Mr. Darcy steadied himself and apologized to his sister. "Forgive me, sweetling. I stood up too fast, and that was all. I am well now."

Seeing the worried look on Georgiana's face, he reassured her, "Georgiana, I am indeed well. I might have imbibed more than what was good for me. At the club, there were many rounds of cheering toasts for your cousin's heroic return."

Georgiana appeared to be satisfied with this explanation, as her only experience with drinks was from an occasional glass of sweet sherry.

Mr. Darcy detested disguise, but this time, it was necessary. He had been shocked out of his wits when he read the exchange he had with Elizabeth in the early days of their acquaintance. He carefully, tentatively, asked his sister, "Does anyone know the identity of 'A Scribbler?'"

"Aunt says the general assumption is that Mrs. Lillian Trumbull is the authoress because she promotes the subscription most ardently. She is also well known for her intellect. Aunt said she might have written the novel to pass time during her mourning period. I am uncertain what a subscription is. I do so want to buy one, but I do not know how."

Mr. Darcy was silent for a long moment. He finally smiled at his sister and said, "Selling books by subscription is just another way to sell books. The author, or authoress in this case, simply did not want to go through a commercial publisher. She has the means to cover the expenses of printing the books, and she is also influential in wide circles to ensure her book will get into the hands of her readers. There is no mystery about it."

"Oh, may I buy a subscription then? I so want to have a copy of my own since I promised Aunt I would keep this copy for only a week."

"Of course, sweetling. I have read hardly anything of the book, but I trust your judgement. I shall ask Mr. Nolan to acquire a copy for you."

"May I have the subscription in my own name?" asked Georgiana hopefully. "Aunt said the Prince Regent's name was on the subscription list—Aunt's good friend, Lady Nottingham, is one of the sponsoring ladies. She has told Aunt tidbits about this book. Lady Nottingham said the book has sold six hundred copies since January and was one of the best-selling novels of our time."

"Yes, sweetling. You will have your own subscription, and I am glad that you have found something you enjoy so immensely. Your own copy will arrive shortly, if you will excuse me to speak with Mr. Nolan."

Georgiana thanked her brother profusely, and before he was out of her room, she called him back and said, "Brother, I truly think you would like the story as well."

Mr. Darcy turned and smiled at his sister. "Any book that makes you so animated and enthusiastic must be good. I look forward to reading it."

A footman all but jumped aside when he saw his master barreling down the hall in an agitated manner.

"Nolan!" Mr. Darcy barged into his secretary's office. "Could you order two subscriptions for a novel called 'First Impressions' by 'A Scribble' for Miss Darcy? Lady Nottingham is a sponsor. Please hand the books to me directly, preferably this afternoon."

"Of course, Mr. Darcy. I shall get on the errand myself. I know my counterpart at Lady Nottingham's house well and I shall be back here in an hour."

Mr. Darcy smiled, a little embarrassed, and said, "Thank you, Nolan. Please excuse my abrupt manner."

Mr. Nolan replied, "There is no need to apologize, sir. Through the years, you have not once asked me to do something frivolous, and I shall not disappoint Miss Darcy."

As they exited his office, his master said once again, "Thank you, Nolan. I can always depend on you."

Mr. Nolan had only seen his master so agitated on two previous occasions: the first was when he came back from Rosings the previous year and needed to return to Pemberley in all haste; and the second was when he was in London making preparations for his trip to the Peninsula to rescue his injured cousin. Mr. Nolan had heard about this new novel from his contacts in other great houses. If Miss Darcy wanted it desperately, it would be his pleasure to procure it for her, although he had a strong suspicion Mr. Darcy was equally eager to see the book.

As luck would have it, Mr. Baker, steward to the Nottinghams, let him have the last two copies at the house. Mr. Nolan paid two guineas for the two copies, quite a tidy sum for a novel written by an unknown author.

Even though it had not taken Mr. Nolan above half an hour to complete his errand, his master had almost worn a hole in the Persian rug in his study.

Mr. Darcy's furrowed brows smoothed instantly when he held the books in his hands. Mr. Nolan swallowed the chuckle that was on the verge of breaking through. He wondered why everyone thought his master inscrutable and stoic. To him, his master wore his heart on his sleeve.

"Thank you, Nolan. That will be all. Could you hold all business matters for the next couple of days? You should, of course, let me know of any genuine emergencies."

As soon as Mr. Nolan left the room, Mr. Darcy tore into the book.

While waiting in his study, his overly active mind imagined all kinds of scenarios for how this impending disaster would play out. The most worrisome were the contents of his letter to her, specifically the part about Georgiana. It was all his fault. How could he have risked his dearest sister's future by exposing her past to someone not yet connected to him? He had made a fatal mistake, and now she had betrayed him for profit! Perhaps he could pay a large sum to stop her from printing more copies. However, that would cause too much attention and perhaps even unforeseen damage. What to do? What to do…

He skimmed the pages hurriedly until he found the proposal—he nearly cried out in agony when the proposal was there, as he predicted. There was now no doubt in his mind who had written this book.

He placed his finger underneath every word as he read, as if his life depended on it. When he saw those fateful words: 'God bless you' and the signature 'Egerton Keynes,' he let out the breath he did not know he was holding.

She had not exposed Georgiana!

In the story, the girl Ariana Grey was Keynes's distant cousin and ward. She was an orphaned heiress left in Keynes's care. The girl was eighteen years old and on a pleasure trip to Bath. She met Henry Wolfe, who pursued her assiduously. After she accidentally observed an assignation between her companion, Mrs. Evans, and Mr. Wolfe, she distanced herself from the wicked man. But when Wolfe did not cease his pursuit of her, she wrote her guardian and asked him to come retrieve her, as she no longer trusted her companion. Her life was imperiled when the villains attempted to kidnap her to Gretna Green, but the timely arrival of Mr. Keynes thwarted the foul scheme. Mr. Keynes made sure the villains were suitably punished, and the near scandal was hushed up.

Once his greatest fear proved unfounded, Mr. Darcy went back to the beginning of the book to skim through the pages, reading a few lines here and there to get an idea of the plot line of the story.

Just before dinner, he reached the last page. He had very little doubt the first half of the story until the letter was about him and Elizabeth, but the second half was quite unknown to him. There were two points that stood out. First, the heroine, Isabella Delancey, married the hero, Mr. Keynes, for love. Her poor first impressions of him began to fade when she visited his estate in Cheshire, and then underwent a material change when he rescued her silly youngest sister, who eloped with that scoundrel, Henry Wolfe. Having found them in London, he forced them to marry, thus saving the Delanceys' reputation.

Anger and despair took the place of the initial fear. Mr. Darcy was devastated that Elizabeth should have treated his feelings as a commodity to be publicly exhibited for monetary gain. He had never loved any woman but her, and now his deepest feelings were on display like the animals in a menagerie.

He was still extremely upset when he heard the dinner gong. As agitated as he was, shutting himself in his room would surely drive him mad. He needed his sister's presence more than ever to distract him from the upheaval within him.

The siblings had never been lively conversationalists. Despite exerting himself, Mr. Darcy could not break the dark mood he was in. Miss Darcy, still fearful the novel she was reading somehow offended her brother, was equally silent.

Finally, Mr. Darcy could not stand the strained atmosphere any longer and blurted out, "Georgiana, did you find the novel disturbing at times?"

Georgiana almost jumped off her seat when her brooding brother suddenly spoke to her.

"Brother, what do you mean? I… I… I found the story engaging. There are villains in the story, but Mr. Keynes finds them out and defeats them. Should I find any of this objectionable?" Georgiana added timidly.

"No, no, little sister. I am glad that you enjoy this work of fiction. With the little I have read, I could see characters resembling people I know in real life."

"Aunt said the same thing. She said Lady Paddington in the story reminds her of Aunt Catherine and Lady Northam. She also said this was a sign of a great novel—the characters popped out of the pages like real people we recognized. She also said…"

Georgiana stopped suddenly, looking abashed.

Her brother urged her to continue. He said, "Georgiana, you can say anything to me. I am interested."

"She said Mr. Keynes reminded her of you in some respects, and some other gentlemen whose names I did not know or recall. But then she said you were the steadiest young man she knew, and you would never be so impetuous as to propose to a lady in such a rude manner."

Mr. Darcy forced a smile on his face and asked with a feigned lightheartedness, "Do you agree with Aunt on this?"

"Oh, no! You are always kind, and so good to me. I have never connected you with any character in novels I have read."

"You do not think Lady Paddington resembles Aunt Catherine?"

"Uh… no. Aunt Catherine scares everybody, and I try to avoid her attention as much as I can. But Lady Paddington is not nearly as scary, or at least she does not intimidate Miss Isabella Delancey. I wish I could have Miss Delancey's courage."

Mr. Darcy touched his sister's wrist for reassurance. "You are full young, sweetling. By the time you get to Miss Be… Delancey's age, you will be as poised and self-assured as this character in the novel."

Miss Darcy looked at her brother with gratitude in her eyes. She clasped her hands in front of her and said, "I truly hope so!"

After dinner, Mr. Darcy presented a copy of "First Impressions" to his sister, who gave her brother a most brilliant smile. This reinforced her esteem for her kind and most amiable brother, who was not at all like the haughty but enigmatic Mr. Keynes in the novel. She volunteered to play a piece on the pianoforte before the siblings parted ways for the night.

Mr. Darcy removed to his study to continue reading the novel which had created such turmoil in him. He reminded himself that his wartime experience on the Continent had changed him. Women, love, heartbreaks were simply follies. He had witnessed momentous events in the annals of history: two enormous armies facing each other, ready to decimate their opponent at the order of their commanders-in-chief.

After this self-introspection, he was finally calm enough to open the book to the first page and begin reading.

'It is a truth universally acknowledged…'

When the maid came into the study to tamp down the fire for the night, the master asked her to bring in more wood instead, as he intended to stay up for a few more hours.