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Seeing that his nephew was confused, Sir James grunted.

“I fear I’ve skipped ahead without explaining properly.

I would recommend that you not pursue any charges for the attack itself.

Rather, Miss Bennet’s discovery of the men is likely to be of great interest to the constabulary and may very well lead to the arrest of several known felons.

Last autumn there was a disturbing increase in petty thievery in the large public parks, particularly Hyde Park.

People are at their ease and there are plenty of places for hoodlums to hide so I suppose it is easy pickings for the criminal element.

The Runners have deduced that there was a well-organized ring preying on visitors.

First, pickpockets (often children) lift wallets, watches, jewelry, and the like.

They hand off the takings to go-betweens; we think they may have been women posing as nurses with prams. Those blinds transport the valuables to a location where another would sort through them and arrange for them to be sold out of a back door or melted down. ”

Sir James watched Darcy sit down heavily on the settee, clearly stunned.

The judge smiled sardonically; most of the ton had no idea how closely London’s underbelly brushed up against them.

“The thievery quieted down over the winter but appears to be heating up again with the weather. If I am correct, Miss Bennet may have just stumbled upon one of their staging areas. With any luck, they won’t bother to move it just because some random young lady interrupted them. ”

In short order, the High Constable himself arrived at Derwent House as a summons from Sir James Darcy was not to be taken lightly.

The Darcys explained the situation to Mr. Minton until the housekeeper arrived with a message that Miss Bennet’s wounds had been cared for and the ladies awaited them in Miss Darcy’s sitting room.

In response to the questioning, Elizabeth was able to give very precise directions to the place where she had interrupted the ruffians.

Darcy was able to estimate the height and weight of the two he had fought off and Lizzy had noted a tattoo on one man’s hand and a scar on the other’s cheek.

They were attempting to describe their features when Georgiana quietly picked up her sketch pad and drew two faces from her own memory, aided by Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam’s suggestions.

Mr. Minton was extremely pleased. When the three men excused themselves from the ladies and descended to the front door, he explained that the descriptions were good enough for him to recognize the two criminals.

Both had been too clever to be caught thus far but Minton was already plotting how to watch their hideaway and capture them with the stolen goods in hand.

The constable was just departing when the Gardiners’ carriage pulled up at the Darcys’ front steps.

When he had first met Mr. Gardiner in the park, Fitzwilliam’s focus had been on Elizabeth.

Now faced with a fashionable, polite couple whose only resemblance to Mrs. Bennet was in Mr. Gardiner’s physiognomy, Darcy was thoroughly ashamed by his former condemnation of Elizabeth’s relations.

Although dressed in play clothes appropriate for an afternoon at the park, the children were as well-behaved as any he had seen, standing quietly and responding perfectly to the introductions.

The eldest boy was about twelve and he and his sister stood by the younger ones, making sure that curious hands didn’t upset any valuable curios.

It struck Darcy that this was where the two eldest Miss Bennets had learned their poise and manners.

Once again, he mentally kicked himself for his previous prejudice against tradesmen.

After the couple had greeted Mr. Darcy, he turned to make introductions to his uncle. Before he could do so, the gentleman himself stepped forward with a smile.

“Mrs. Gardiner, how excellent to see you and your husband again. It has been too long since we dined together.”

Darcy was surprised. “Uncle, I had not realized that you were acquainted with the Gardiners.”

Sir James turned to his nephew; “Indeed, ’tis an acquaintance I treasure!

This pair hosts some of the most entertaining dinner parties that I have ever had the good fortune of attending.

” Seeing his nephew was still uncertain, the judge expanded; “Mrs. Gardiner is the daughter of Sir Edmund Churchill— an excellent man, even if he is a barrister .” He grumbled the last as if it was highly shameful but the twinkle in his eye belayed the condemnation.

Mrs. Gardiner responded with a smile of her own.

“And Sir Edmund would say much the same of you, sir, though you are a judge .” After some moments of shared laughter, she continued, “But I must correct you, Sir James. Sir Edmund is my uncle; my mother’s brother.

The Churchills took me in when my own parents passed away. ”

At that moment, Darcy’s housekeeper entered and the Gardiners’ attention was reclaimed by their niece’s well-being. Mrs. Wilkins assured everyone that, aside from a few cuts and bruises, the young lady was well and would join the party soon, just as quickly as a tear in her skirt was mended.

Mrs. Gardiner insisted on being taken to her favorite niece so that she might inspect her with her own eyes.

It was quickly arranged that the Gardiners’ nurse and manservant would take their children home and then return the carriage to retrieve the remaining three.

Mr. Gardiner waved off Mr. Darcy’s offer of his own carriage.

“Thank you for the offer, sir, but my own driver is quite accustomed to running all over town, fetching and carrying various members of my family. Indeed, John often jokes that he knows London well enough to open a hackney service.”

Thus it was arranged for Mrs. Gardiner to see her niece directly while Darcy and his uncle settled in the drawing room with Mr. Gardiner to discuss what was being done to bring Elizabeth’s attackers to justice.

Sir James did much of the talking, easily answering Mr. Gardiner’s questions while the younger gentleman sat back and studied his two guests.

It was immediately obvious to him that Edward Gardiner was an intelligent, well-educated man with a deep sense of responsibility to his family.

The conversation turned to a more general discussion of the relatively recent establishment of a professional police force and Darcy found himself agreeing with many of Mr. Gardiner’s opinions.

The three were still discussing the ongoing reformation of England’s justice system when Miss Darcy and her two guests joined them.

After all were reassured that Elizabeth had been examined by the doctor and pronounced “fit as a fiddle,” Darcy directed a footman to fetch tea and refreshments for the group.

Standing by the door for a moment, he observed the room.

Elizabeth had seated herself by the window while Georgiana was showing Mrs. Gardiner her harp. Darcy’s stomach turned to ice when he heard Elizabeth’s aunt speak to his sister. “Of course, I recently met your friend, Miss Bingley. She spoke very highly of your musical accomplishments.”

By introducing the topic of music, Elizabeth’s aunt was able to draw the shy girl into conversation.

Mr. Gardiner was deep in discussion with Sir James, allowing Darcy a moment of privacy with Miss Bennet if he could only muster the courage to speak to her.

If he had any hope of changing her opinion of him, he knew there would never be a better setting in which to begin.

Taking a deep breath, he moved to sit beside the lady who had refused his offer of marriage not two months prior.

“I overheard Mrs. Gardiner mention Miss Bingley. I am glad to hear that she called, though I fear to ask if she was pleasant… or even polite.” Although Mr. Darcy’s voice was tense, Elizabeth had finally come to realize that the serious look in his eyes was not condemnation but rather a symptom of intense but repressed emotions.

She grimaced slightly but attempted to be delicate. “Miss Bingley was unable to return Jane’s call for over a fortnight. I was not present but my sister’s letter indicated that Caroline was only able to stop at Gracechurch Street for a brief visit. No doubt she had many other engagements.”

Elizabeth had turned slightly away from him and Darcy could tell from the set of her shoulders that she was thinking about the last time that they had discussed Bingley. Desperate, he forced himself to speak again although it felt as if his throat would close up at any moment.

“Please, Miss Bennet— allow me to explain. Miss Bingley does not speak for myself or her brother. She may claim Georgiana to be a close friend but, like me, my sister can barely tolerate her.”

Fitzwilliam paused and was pleased to see Elizabeth turn back to him.

Her eyes were still serious but at least they were considering his words.

“Bingley has been visiting family in Yorkshire; he left before I returned from Kent. I… I did not want to tell him of my errors in a letter. I had hoped that he would return last week, allowing me to explain and apologize in person…” Darcy trailed off, not certain if she would approve or even unde rstand his convoluted explanation. His pain was brief, however.

Elizabeth studied his face before nodding.

“I can understand not wanting to entrust such a communication to the post.” She paused, thinking carefully before speaking.

“Your letter gave me much to ponder. Upon reflection, I found that I could well understand some of your actions. Jane guards her feelings very closely and our mother… does not.”