Tav watched Georgiana's panicky glances. She was trying to be subtle, guiding them through the crowds all whilst managing to keep her pristine white gloves free of the filth of the city. Even so, she couldn't hide the fear that was simmering.

"What is it?" Tav stopped her with a hand on her shoulder as the speed with which she was moving threatened to separate them.

She stopped but didn't respond, her face pale as she glanced over his shoulder.

"Tell me, Georgiana. Now." He tried to imbue a certain dominance in his voice, the same type that Darcy carried with ease. He wasn't sure how successful he was being, but something clicked with her, because she finally looked at him.

"'Tis something wrong," she admitted.

"Wrong? Do you think Darcy has found us?"

She shook her head and took his hand in hers, pulling him along the busy street. "A feeling only. Ignore my foolishness."

They had slipped away from Darcy with a claim to need to look at silks in a dressmaker, leaving him happily perusing the window of an antique shop while they crept out of the tradesman's entrance of the dress shop. During the journey into London, that they had completed only hours earlier, Tav had told her everything that had transpired between them the night before. She'd become positively giddy at the news, and it had prompted her to push even harder. She insisted that it still wasn't time to tell Darcy, for fear that he wouldn't understand, or, worse, that telling him would somehow prevent Tav's challenge from being successful, but she demanded they take action quickly.

So, she'd come up with the plan to slip away, leaving Darcy none the wiser, while they found Lord Greencester's uncle.

"What do you actually expect to find?" Tav asked as Georgiana dragged him along a peaceful street, lined with large villas and tall trees, her arm hooked around his elbow, apparently feeling safer now they'd left the crowds behind.

"Not sure yet. Answers, I hope."

And Tav was hopeful she knew which questions to ask, because he had no idea.

As they drew up to the house, she paused again, worry flitting over her face as she stared toward a wide tree.

"What?"

"Nothing. I- I just thought I saw something. Someone watching. But there's no one around."

She was right, there was no one other than a bustling cook much farther down the road, paying them no mind as she went about her day. Tav wasn't sure if it was Georgiana's nervous influence but he was starting to get a prickle on the back of his neck, and was thankful when she pulled him up the broad stone steps of the villa.

They were accepted into the cool, dim house with ease, and a florid older gentleman with bushy grey mutton chops came towards them, holding two hands out to take Georgiana's much smaller ones, to her clear surprise.

"Miss Darcy, what an absolute pleasure to see you again. Ah! I see you don't remember me. Of course, why would you remember such an old fuddy duddy as myself? You were very young when we met, and I was always struck by what a vivacious girl you were. I was very sorry to hear of your retirement from society."

Georgiana blushed, but Tav couldn't help himself.

"If you were aware of her, um, retirement, why the engagement?" He was careful with his wording, still not sure if the gentleman would claim to know him as his nephew.

"I truly hoped she would be able to curb his worst excesses with her strong personality. I was too late, of course. And who might you be, young man?"

"Octavius Kennerly." He saw no reason not to use his name, it wasn't as though the man would know it, and, indeed, he showed no sign of recognition. "But, what do you mean, too late?"

"I'm sorry," he squeezed Georgiana's hands in his own huge paws, "I presume my letter did not arrive before you left to travel to London. Young Charles met a poor end, I'm afraid. In his cups, claiming one last evening of freedom before going to the country, and he stumbled walking alongside the Thames. Fell, and was dragged down by the thick mud. It was several days before some young urchins notified the local bobby."

"I'm very sorry for your loss." Georgiana's tender heart was clearly affected, though the gentleman just snorted in a most unbecoming manner.

"Well, he is no longer a leach," he announced.

* * * * *

"Are we making changes, do you think?" Georgiana asked as they made their way back into the busy city.

"Do you think the actions we're taking caused the Lord to drown?" Tav asked with a grimace.

"Not really. Based on what his uncle said about his choices, I feel such a sad end was always in his cards. I meant the changes your Miss Austen wants to make. The changes in your time."

Tav was surprised how quickly Georgiana had grasped the idea of a different time, although she was, understandably, not entirely understanding of the concept of being a character in a story.

"There may be some things changing," he allowed, but he didn't want to go into detail about the shadows he'd seen, that, each time, he was sure were a sign of a change taking place. She was still jumpy, looking over her shoulder repeatedly and gripping his arm, and he didn't think 'reality changing shadows' would help, particularly as he seemed to be the only one able to remember the attitudes before each change.

Either way, whatever changes were happening within the story, he felt safe that he wasn't affecting his own future. He could hardly accidentally kill his own great-great-grandfather when everyone here was fictional. The reminder of that gave him a pang though. Even if every sweet moment between himself and Darcy was small and subtle, Tav was feeling them. In his process of trying to get Darcy to fall in love with him, even in this fictional world where love apparently came rather easily, he could hardly claim to be unaffected by the bond growing between them. And when he'd fixed this authorial problem to Jane Austen's satisfaction, everything would go back – he'd be back in his own time, and Darcy and Georgiana would be back to only existing as fictional characters in an old novel.

"There's something wrong," Georgiana said as she tucked herself closer to Tav, and he could feel her shaking. "We're being watched. I am quite certain." Her words and constant wariness was setting Tav on edge too, but his heart lifted when he saw Darcy heading towards them, even if he did look livid, dark brows furrowed and mouth set in a scowl.

"It's just Darcy," Tav said lightly, hoping the sight of her brother would calm her.

Before Darcy reached them someone stepped into their path, making Tav jump and Georgiana let out a tiny scream.

"What-," Tav tried to breathe his heart back to calmness. He didn't recognise the man, though it seemed Darcy wasn't the only furious one, he wondered if they were friends.

"Mr Wickham," Georgiana had recovered herself and her icy tones sent a shiver through Tav, though the man seemed unaffected.

"Miss Darcy," he sneered, "you look well."

"Well, you don't sound sincere, at all," Tav said, and Georgiana giggled at his side, amused and shocked in equal measure at his rudeness.

"I am extremely well, thank you," she smiled, a little smugly, but who could blame her. "Meet my fiancé, Mr Kennerly."

Darcy had reached them, still furiously glowering, but more at Wickham than them now. But when he heard Georgiana's words he almost stumbled and his face dropped. Tav wanted to reach out for him, but that may be a step too far. The plan wasn't ready for public statements yet.

"If you'll excuse us, Mr Wickham, we have important things to do," Georgiana exclaimed, pulling Tav away and linking her other arm to Darcy.

She didn't stop in her insistent drag until they'd reached one of the green-grassed, leafy parks that dotted the city. They found a space far from everyone on the dry grass and sat unceremoniously, Georgiana unbothered by grass stains on her linen dress.

"I didn't mean it," she said, patting Darcy's hand. "I only said it to get at him."

"Didn't mean what?" Darcy went with, in a not particularly believable attempt to seem unaffected, but all that elicited from Georgiana was a noise that sounded a lot like a cat sneezing.

"Darcy," Tav said, laying his palm over the top of Darcy's other hand, seeing the opportunity, "I told you, Georgiana and I have an understanding of each other. She isn't the Darcy I have an interest in."

"She is not?" Darcy asked, sounding sweet, and quite young in his hopeful tentativeness as he stared at the grass.

"It's you I like, Fitzwilliam. I want to be with you."

They couldn't kiss, not yet, though Tav hoped the changes would happen so they could, so that being in public like this would be accepted. But Darcy did turn his hand, linking his fingers with Tav's as colour bloomed on his cheeks.

They pulled apart in shock as Georgiana let out a fearful scream, Tav's eyes flicking to where she was watching a figure, seemingly formed of black smoke and grey ash, with enraged garnet eyes, as it soundlessly roared at them, its maw a void, before it disappeared behind a tree. Darcy twisted his head around to see what had made the two of them pale to ghostlike proportions, but there was nothing there.