Frederick and Anne wasted no time in announcing their re-engagement to their companions in Bath. Frederick asked permission from Sir Walter who consented to the match, willingly if rather dispassionately.

Frederick then determined to ride to Somersetshire to visit his sister and the Admiral at Kellynch and tell them of his engagement. He did not wish to tell them of the engagement in a letter and thought a visit more appropriate. Anne was reluctant to part from him so soon, but she was comforted in knowing that this would be a short parting, and they would soon be reunited and then married, so Frederick set off.

When he had been gone from Bath for but a few days, Anne received a letter from Frederick. He told her that the Crofts wished to host a celebratory dinner at Kellynch in honor of their engagement. Her family and Lady Russell were all invited. He enclosed an accompanying letter from his sister which congratulated Anne on the engagement, welcomed her to the family, and urged her to come visit for the dinner at her earliest convenience. Anne was touched by the offer from her to-be family and eagerly presented the invitation to her family.

To no one's surprise, however, Sir Walter and Elizabeth begged a prior engagement and declared they could not give it up to attend dinner with the Crofts. Lady Russell sighed in annoyance, but Anne was hardly moved. She was used to such treatment by her family. Besides, she knew that their excuse of a prior engagement was a farce, for they would never be willing to dine as guests in their ancestral home. She was little surprised by their refusal.

It was therefore determined that Lady Russell should accompany Anne back to Somersetshire, and Anne should lodge with her during their stay, as it would hardly be proper for her to reside at Kellynch while her fiancé was in residence. Anne was more than pleased with this plan, as she already enjoyed the company of her to-be in-laws more than she did that of her father and sister. Very much looking forward to the dinner, and to seeing Frederick again sooner than she had thought she would, Anne left Bath in high spirits, surprising her godmother with her unusual delight in the journey.

On the night of the dinner, the Crofts gave up the seat at the head of the table to Frederick and Anne, as it was after all a celebration in their honor. Anne was filled with gratitude for the generosity of her fiancée's family, and Frederick was pleased with the kindness with which his family received Anne.

Though the couple made decent conversation with the rest of the dinner party, Lady Russell could not help but notice how their eyes would stray to each other during lulls in the conversation. She watched as they shared what they thought were private smiles. Lady Russell sighed. Though she did not regret her actions in urging Anne to refuse him eight years ago, she had to admit that her goddaughter had been so out of spirits for the past eight years, and her felicity at the moment threw her past demeanor into sharp contrast. It was as if this engagement had brought the old Anne back to life.

Lady Russell was also pleased with how much the Crofts seemed to regard Anne. They treated her better than Anne's own people did, although that was not saying very much. Lady Russell was glad that Anne was to join a family that seemed ready to see Anne's true worth. She deserved to be surrounded by such people.

As these thoughts and more preoccupied her during the dinner, Lady Russell did not say much. She largely left the conversation to her companions.

After dinner, the small party retired to the Great Room. The Admiral and Mrs. Croft eagerly engaged Anne with stories of their many travels around the world, and Frederick found himself hanging back from the conversation and watching as his sister conversed with his betrothed.

He had a great respect for his sister and brother-in-law, and he was pleased that they seemed to have just as much respect for Anne. Frederick was unconcerned with the Elliot's reception of him, as their opinion was not worth much in his eyes. The good opinion of his sister and the Admiral, however, meant much to him, and he was relieved to see that Anne had already gained it. He was not surprised at her ability to charm them, but it pleased him to see it in action.

As he was ruminating on the conversation in front of him, Frederick noticed that Lady Russell also sat somewhat apart from the group. She had occupied a chair by the fire, across the room from where the group stood chatting. Her eyes, like his own had been, were watching Anne. Frederick could not quite make out her thoughts, as her expression was always carefully guarded. Seeing an opportunity, Frederick made his own way toward the fire. When Lady Russell looked up at his approach in surprise, Frederick motioned toward the empty chair next to hers. "May I?" he asked deferentially.

Lady Russell nodded. "By all means, Captain," she answered pleasantly.

Frederick occupied the chair. There was a stiff, momentary silence between them, as neither had ever really spoken to the other alone. Frederick, however, cleared his throat and broke the silence. "I hope, Lady Russell," he said quietly, "that despite our past… disagreements of opinion, we can be friends now?" Lady Russell looked at him in confusion for a moment, so Frederick added, "I know it would make Anne happy."

Lady Russell's immediate instinct was to correct his use of his fiancée's Christian name, but she checked the impulse. This man was to marry the girl who she had come to love as her own, and he was offering her an olive branch. It would not do to scold him. Lady Russell smiled at him. "I would like that, Captain Wentworth," she agreed.

Frederick returned her smile. His eyes strayed from hers and landed across the room where Anne still stood conversing with the Crofts. Lady Russell watched him as he watched Anne, an indulgent smile creeping onto his face the longer he looked at her. Lady Russell then looked at Anne, who, perhaps feeling Frederick's eyes on her, momentarily turned from her companions and met his eyes. She returned his smile with a soft one of her own before turning back to the Crofts.

Lady Russell sighed quietly. "Captain Wentworth," she addressed, bringing Frederick's attention back to her. "I do not know whether I owe you an explanation for the past, but perhaps one would help clear the air between us," she said quietly.

Frederick looked pained, and Lady Russell could tell he did not want to speak of the past, but she thought it necessary. She continued, "I think it best that we try to understand each other, for her sake." She nodded toward Anne.

Fredrick sighed but smiled. "I would do anything for her sake, Lady Russell," he admitted. "Pray continue."

Lady Russell smiled too. "I hope you know that I only did what I thought best for Anne at the time," she said honestly. "I did not think the match right for her, for many reasons, which I will neither bore nor insult you with now. I will admit that I did underestimate the depth of the… attachment between you," she sighed, "but I cannot say I regret the advice I gave her."

Frederick sighed. "I now know you only wanted the best for her, ma'am," he allowed, "She has told me as much herself. However… I must honestly ask, what has changed?"

Frederick paused, but before Lady Russell could answer, he went on. "It seems you will not oppose our marriage this time," he waited for Lady Russell to shake her head before he continued, "so what is different now? Is it simply the money? Have my prospects improved so much by my profits from the war that I am now worthy of her hand, when I was not before?" This last part came out more caustically than Frederick had intended, but he was unable to completely deny the resentment he had felt for so long.

Lady Russell paused for a long moment, seeking the words to explain herself.

"To be honest, Captain," she said eventually, "many things have changed. Yes, as you well know, your prospects have changed. So have Anne's. She is no longer the lovestruck girl of nineteen who I thought to have been throwing herself away on the first suitor of interest." Frederick winced at her honest words, but Lady Russell was too preoccupied in forming her explanation to notice. "And, to be quite honest, she has not been happy these last eight years. But now…" She trailed off momentarily and stared across the room to where her goddaughter was laughing with the Crofts, "Now she is."

Lady Russell looked back at Frederick. He was watching Anne. The grin on his face spoke volumes. "The truth is," Lady Russell sighed, "I once thought Anne could do much better. I had high hopes for her. Even lately, it is no secret that I wished to see her take her late mother's place and become the next Lady Elliot."

Frederick's attention immediately came back to her and his smile disappeared at the mention of Lady Russell's preference for the man he had come to see as his rival. This time, Lady Russell did not miss his reaction. She hurried to add, "However, I have recently discovered that Anne values very different things in a marriage. She is much different than I am in that regard, and I now see in her what I missed before. I now see that she has found a deeper connection than I thought necessary, or even possible, in a marriage." After a pause, she added, "She is happy now. She cares more for you than I ever knew, and I hope you will make her a good husband, Captain."

Frederick smiled. "I intend to, ma'am," he assured her. "I do not know that I am worthy of her, even now," he admitted, "but I fully intend to become worthy of her."

"Well then," Lady Russell said with a smile, "I should think our interests align. We both want only the best for her. Shall we put our differences behind us once and for all?"

Frederick offered her his hand. "Truce, Lady Russell?" He said with a grin.

Lady Russell laughed. She shook his hand gratefully. "Truce, Captain Wentworth."

As the conversation on the other side of the room appeared to break up, Lady Russell excused herself and went to ask the Crofts to show her the changes they had made since moving into Kellynch. They were delighted to do so and eagerly lead her out of the room, leaving Anne and Frederick alone.

Frederick rose from his chair by the fire and joined Anne. He took her hand and led her to a seat by the window. She followed him with a smile. "You seem to get along well with my sister and the Admiral," he observed happily.

Anne grinned. "They are very kind and have received me with nothing but affection," she said demurely.

"They like you," Frederick said. "You will be a most welcome addition to the family, I think."

Anne blushed at the compliment and Frederick smiled. After a pause, Anne, somewhat nervously, said, "I noticed you were talking to Lady Russell."

When Anne had noticed them conversing by the fire, she had wondered how their conversation had gone. She loved them both so much, and she desperately wanted them to get along, but she worried that they would not be able to overcome their past differences.

Frederick nodded. "Yes," he sighed. "I must admit I sought her out this evening." Anne seemed surprised by this, so he added, "I wanted to see if perhaps she and I could be friends."

He said no more, leaving Anne in nervous anticipation. "And?" She asked eagerly. "What did she say?"

Frederick smiled. "She suggested we clear the air between us. She explained her past actions, and we decided to put it all behind us."

Anne sighed in relief. "You cannot know how glad I am to hear that," she said honestly, "but I must admit I am surprised it was that easy."

Frederick chuckled. "To be honest, it was not easy. It took me awhile to forgive her for the past, but… I merely sought her out tonight to ask for a truce. I had decided before tonight that I would forgive her." He looked Anne in the eyes and added, "I knew it would make you happy, and although it was admittedly difficult for me to forget the past, I would do anything to make you happy, Anne. It is forgotten."

Anne smiled. She took both his hands in hers and pressed them. "Thank you," she whispered.

Just then, the rest of the party returned to the room. However, the couple by the window, momentarily lost in each other's eyes, did not notice their return at first. Lady Russell watched as the two smiled warmly at each other and marveled at the look of complete happiness which had for so long been missing from her goddaughter's face.

The Crofts shared a private smile, glad that Frederick had finally found happiness as well. They did not know all the particulars of his past with Anne, but they knew that he had not been happy for the past eight years. There always seemed to be a piece of him missing. They had thought that perhaps that piece would be filled in when he married, and they were relieved to find that was the case when he told them of his engagement to Anne.

Anne, for her part, was finally content. When she and Frederick had come to an understanding once more, she had been happier than she had ever thought possible. Her only reservation had been her worry about Frederick's relationship with Lady Russell. She had worried that they would not be able to love each other as she loved them. She had been quite anxious about it lately. Now, however, she was relieved of that worry by their truce. Now she could finally revel in the joy of her engagement, knowing it be completely approved by the people she cared about most. Now she could look forward to her impending marriage with complete felicity.

Now, for the first time in over eight years, Anne Elliot could be completely, absolutely, perfectly happy.