Posted on: 2011-09-23

Chapter 4

Liz did not receive a response from Michael Sutton either that day nor the next. By the third day she sent him a follow-up email to which he replied with an apology and assurances that he was gathering the information required. The next day a parcel arrived addressed to Liz - it contained a new list of items and estimated prices as well as documentation substantiating some of the losses. It was better than nothing but still not adequate, however Liz proceeded to sort out what she could. Michael then sent another email to her confirming that the parcel had been sent and that they were going to proceed to replace some of the items and would send the accounts to her for reimbursement.

This is not the way that things should be done. Unless there are urgent replacements required, and quite frankly a Plasma TV does not fall within that urgent category, the loss adjusters sort out a suitable replacement. They have insurance contacts who may be able to source the item at a lower cost and the insurance company has the right to decide how they want to replace. Rather than put this into an email Liz thought that it would be better to discuss with Michael over the phone, so she rang his number.

Michael answered his phone with a voice that indicated that he was very busy.

"Hi Michael, its Liz from ABC Assessing" Liz said, trying to speak politely as she could sense his stress "I'm ringing about your email. I did receive the package - thanks for that. However there is still more information and documentation that I require before the claim can progress"

"I've sent you all that I could find. Some of the items are irreplaceable so I have discussed with William and we have put values on them so that the insurance company can just pay that to him" Michael replied.

"Unfortunately the insurance company needs to have something to go by. If an item such as an artifact cannot be replaced then you will need to go to an expert and ask them what the value would be. You can't just pluck a figure out of the air and hope that it is ok. The insurers need to justify their claim payments to their auditors" Liz tried to explain.

Michael muttered something about how much time that would take.

"If you have any photos of the items then I may be able to source someone who can assist" Liz reasoned. "Also please try not to replace any items at the moment - as I said before the insurers have contacts that we use to get items replaced and jewelers who we would send him to".

Michael said that he would talk to William about it but that he was a very busy man and did not appreciate having to spend time on this. They both said their goodbyes and hung up.

Liz once again put the file to one side and continued on with her other work.

Liz was not at work the next day as she only worked part-time. When she arrived at the office after her day off she was greeted by Di who informed her that William Darcy had called for her and was most indignant when he was told that Liz was not there.

"He insisted on speaking with someone so Jules put him through to me" Di explained. "I had a quick look at the file notes and told him that it appeared that you had spoken to someone and advised them that more documentation was needed. He did not seem to be happy about it and said that it all seemed like a waste of time and why were we assuming that he was trying to claim for items that he did not have."

Di went on "I advised him that no one doubted his claim, it is just that he needs to substantiate what he had and how much it was worth. Anyway he was not impressed and wants to speak with you - he gave me his number"

"Oh" exclaimed Liz "What did he sound like? Was his voice deep? I have a picture in my mind about him". She felt a bit ashamed of her thoughts - not that they were wanton or improper. She was sure that she would never see William Darcy but the name evoked curiosity. She certainly did not want to give the wrong impression to anyone.

"He did not sound very nice at all. Very rude and abrupt" Di huffed

Yes, thought Liz, just like Mr Darcy!!

Liz checked her emails to see if there was anything further from Michael Sutton - there was not. Nothing for it except to ring William Darcy. Liz dialed the number that he had given and it went to voicemail so she left a message but William had not called her by the time that she left that afternoon.

Liz was waiting at the school gates to collect David when her mobile phone rang. "Hello, Liz speaking" she answered

"Err yes, I wanted to speak to Liz Bennett" said a male voice

"This is Liz speaking".

"Yes, this is William Darcy. I want to speak about my claim".

Liz was shocked to say the least - how did he get her private phone number? Just then a hoard of kids started clamouring out of the school gate, laughing and shouting. Liz managed to yell that she was sorry but she couldn't talk now and would call him back in about 10 minutes. No doubt it would have sounded like she was in the monkeys cage at the zoo!

When Liz and David arrived home she picked up the phone and dialed the number that William had called from. David was in the background talking and turning on the TV and asking for food all at the same time, as children always do when you are on the phone. She was just about to yell at him to be quiet when the phone was answered by a gruff male voice "Darcy".

"Hi Mr Darcy" she answered brightly, "It's Liz Bennett returning your call. Sorry that I couldn't speak earlier but the reception was not good" she lied. "What can I do for you?"

"I want to talk to you about my claim. Michael tells me that he has supplied you with sufficient information however you are still requesting more. We have given you all that you require so I would appreciate it if you could just attend to my settlement. I have been without my items for too long now and it is not acceptable" Darcy exclaimed.

Liz made a mental note - the burglary occurred a week ago so it has been 7 days without a Rolex. Poor thing, I guess that the Seiko just wouldn't do.

"I'm sorry Mr Darcy, but we do not have sufficient documentation. We assess these sorts of claims all of the time and the insurers are very specific in their auditing requirements. I am not in the office at the moment but will be there tomorrow. If you could let me know a suitable time then I will call you" Liz attempted to soothe him.

Darcy continued on for a while, during which time Sherie barged through the door. Liz pointed to the phone and mouthed that she was speaking on it, all the while rolling her eyes at Darcy's spouting forth. Finally he advised that HE would ring HER tomorrow morning so would she please put aside time to discuss with him then.

Liz hung up the phone and put her head in her hands. How did he get her private number - it was not a work phone so it should not have been given out. The children were both trying to speak to her at the same time and so she gave them their afternoon tea, supervised their homework, and then made dinner.

Darcy was in a foul mood when he rung up - how dare he be inconvenienced like this. Unfortunately for his staff the mood continued for the rest of the day and still continued into the night when, upon arriving home, he remembered that he could not play any music whilst he was making dinner, as was his usual custom, because the damn stereo had been stolen. He swore out loud and banged the pots and pans around - in his temper he even cut his finger while slicing up the vegetables, which made him swear even more.

William did not usually drink alcohol at home but tonight he felt in need of a beer and he helped himself to one after dinner. Just as he was about to sit down in his armchair the phone rang; it was his sister Jenny checking that he would be coming to her house on Sunday for lunch. He abruptly answered her with a yes, all the while still seething about his inconvenience and the cut on his finger. Jenny could sense that something was wrong:

"What is the matter with you Will?" she asked.

"Well" he hissed "I am sitting here in silence because I have no TV, no stereo, no nothing. And I have a lady from the insurance place virtually accusing me of making up the whole thing and hassling me to provide documentation."

"So what? That is usual procedure. We had to supply proof when we had a claim" Jenny tried to reason. "I know that you are the 'great' William Darcy but rules apply to you as well. And she was only doing her job. Anyway I'm going now - see you on Sunday. Bye".

William mulled over her words. Yes, she was probably right. He was very meticulous about his account keeping so no doubt he could rustle up the documentation tonight - after all, he had nothing else to do!!

Later that night after the kids had gone to bed Liz slumped, exhausted, in front of the TV. Her thoughts turned to William Darcy - his voice was certainly deep and masculine, however he obviously had other qualities that were not ok. He had spoken to her in a condescending tone and had attempted to tell her how to do her job. No doubt he was not used to people contradicting his interpretation of things. And why did she even care? Then she thought about John and how different he was to Darcy and how he would never have spoken to someone that he didn't know like that, and how much she missed him. Then she had a little cry.

The next day was Friday, and Liz left for the office wondering if William Darcy would indeed call her. First though, she had to find out how he obtained her mobile phone number.

"Hi Liz" called out Jules

"Hi Jules, how are you?" Liz strolled to her desk, trying to determine how to ask the next question without accusing

"Yesterday after I left I received a call on my mobile from one of the clients, William Darcy. I don't know how he came to have my number and I was wondering if you gave it to him"

"Yes" replied Jules "He did ring here. He said that he wanted to speak with you and when I said that you had left for the day he asked me if there was another number that he could reach you on"

"Oh, ok" Liz responded. "Next time please don't give out my number as it is really difficult trying to sort things out when I don't have the file" she wanted to add you moron but Jules, though not endowed with sense, was obviously trying to do the right thing.

Liz was checking through the Darcy file when her phone buzzed indicating that there was a call her for. "Hello" she said "Hi Liz, it's William Darcy for you. Great voice" said Jules

She picked up the phone "Good morning, Liz Bennett speaking"

"Good morning it's William Darcy here" said the 'great voice' on the other end of the phone

"Hi Mr Darcy, how are you?" asked Liz

"Fine" he gruffly replied (and didn't ask how she was, Liz noted) "I went through all of my documentation last night and found a lot more information that you might find useful. I am sending it over by courier today. If you could send me an email confirming receipt and let me know if there is anything else that might be required"

Liz was just about to ask for his contact details when he said "I will include my contact details with the documentation. Please correspond directly with me from now on. I would appreciate if this could be settled promptly as this is causing me a lot of inconvenience. Good day to you". And with that he rung up, leaving Liz with her mouth open - aghast at the arrogance of the man.

The courier duly arrived and Liz checked the contents. William had included information for the electrical items and watches and for many of the other things. He gave details of the dealer where he purchased a number of the artifacts so that Liz could check the details with him. She was surprised that Darcy had purchased these from a shop and not from his travels; somehow it detracted from the mystique of it all. There was no time to finalise things this week so they would have to wait until the next Tuesday as Liz did not work on Mondays. She sent Darcy an email advising of this and dreaded his response upon reading that nothing would happen until the next week. Luckily he was too busy with meetings for the rest of the day to notice the email.

Chapter 5

Friday was a day of the week that William both dreaded and liked. Dreaded - because each Friday night he left work despairing that there was still so much to do (he had a rule to try and not work on the weekends which, unfortunately, he frequently broke). Liked - because he could sit down, put his feet up, and watch the football on TV. No, wrong again, this weekend he remembered that there would be no football because there was no TV!! Aaahhh.

Saturday was bright and sunny and William decided to clean up some mess that was still left from the burglary. They had upended a cupboard and rifled through the contents taking anything of value and leaving the rest all over the floor - there were lots of valuable items there however mostly they were not of monetary value but rather of sentimental value. William found himself smiling as he picked up and examined old school year books, laughing at the pictures and remembering the faces, wondering what they were doing now; sporting trophies - how proud he had been to receive them; a child's train set which had been his pride and joy; and other items from his younger days. It seemed strange that such a meticulous man had kept such seemingly mundane items. His cat (yes he had a cat) watched on curiously, pouncing on any items that caught her fancy, and William told her all about his sporting triumphs and even put together the train set to see if it would still go.

By the time that he finished it was late afternoon so he decided, uncharacteristically, to order a pizza (gourmet of course) and sit down with a book, something that he silently acknowledged he did not do often enough these days. It was good to finally have a Saturday night where he was not obliged to attend some social event.

The weekend also held the prospect of Sunday lunch at his sister's house, a family ritual that they endeavored to do at least once a month. He adored Jenny and her husband Nick and good naturedly tolerated the antics of their three children, but his mother would also be there as usual. His mother was old money / old school. She did not really have time for those who were outside of her circle of acquaintance and her circle, of course, consisted of those who were also old money / old school.

She wanted William to settle down with a suitable partner and was always coming up with new choices for him - usually society women of a certain age, not too old and not too young. At the moment he was tired of it all and tried to tell her that he was perfectly happy to just cuddle his cat but his mother would not let up. The annual Black Tie Benefit for the childrens hospital was on soon and so that, and who he would bring along as his partner, occupied her thoughts and conversation.

"William" she said "Don't forget that the Black Tie Benefit is on soon. Who will you be bringing as a partner? Please choose carefully - no one who is young enough to be your daughter this time."

"Mother" he replied "I am not sure who I will bring - perhaps no one at all. I don't even want to go. I have no desire to have my picture in the paper or have to chat with a whole lot of random people"

"William please" she exclaimed "Remember that these are people that we have known for many years and it is a family tradition that we attend - it won't be the same if we are not there"

"I think that you flatter yourself mum" interjected Jenny "Will is right - most of them are would-be's if they could-be's. I'm not even sure if Nick and I are going to go - depends on whether or not we can get a babysitter"

His mother was not yet finished with the subject and Will, who could take no more, went and joined in the game of backyard cricket that Nick and the children were playing. His attendance caused them to shriek with pleasure, which extracted lots of tut tutts from their grandmother and mutterings about children being seen and not heard and how much it affected her poor nerves.

Back at home in the evening Will attended to some of the household chores all the while thinking about the day. He always enjoyed playing with his sister's children and he knew that that was something that they would remember when they were adults. His own father had not had much time for family life and though he provided a great lifestyle he, as was typical of lots of men at the time, was not necessarily what you would call a good father. Will knew that his father loved him, but did not show it physically; Nick on the other hand was always hugging and praising his kids. Will suddenly had a pang of jealousy as he realised that he would probably never have that opportunity to have children of his own to cherish.
His mind also wandered to the dreaded Black Tie Benefit. The older he was the more he just wanted to stay quietly at home - not healthy he knew, but going around with some vacuous dolly-bird on his arm no longer held any appeal. Maybe his mother would lay off if he took someone unexpected and unknown; someone who was normal and average and had not undergone extensive plastic surgery….and for some reason his mind started wondering about....Liz Bennett!!

Of course he knew nothing at all about her except that she had an average job (perhaps even below average by his standards) and probably lived in an average house in an average suburb. What a stir that would cause!! Of course he would have to 'check her out' first - just to make sure that there were no warts on the nose or mono brow. It never occurred to him that she would be anything but interested in him - he was William Darcy after all and many people were impressed by that - and he did have some vague thing in the back of his mind about her name and his name somehow being connected ?? Anyway, that might be a plan so he would think about it some more.

Liz also both liked and dreaded Fridays - liked because the coming weekend meant that the usual weekday routine didn't apply and because the kids played sports, but she also dreaded it because it meant that another week had passed without John there and he loved attending the kids sport. Sherie in particular found it difficult on Saturdays - she had played netball for about 5 years and her dad had never missed a game. He was always shouting out encouragement even though he never did understand the rules.

The two of them also had a great love of professional football - in particular the Red & White team - and weekends were when the teams played. They would sit and watch the game together and often go to see it live. Liz tried to get involved with the football but Sherie would have none of it. She was getting more and more difficult as teenagers can do, and she had lost her father as well so it was understandable, but Liz despaired about having to deal with it all herself. Throughout the weekend Liz often thought about William Darcy - not in a romantic way but just in a curious way. She wanted to know more about him so resolved to do some internet searching to see what she could find out.

The weekend passed as weekends do. Liz didn't work on Mondays so this day instead of doing the washing or vacuuming she sat down at the computer and typed in 'WILLIAM DARCY'. This brought up a lot of search sites but by checking through some of them she found the details that she was looking for:-

William Frederick Darcy (so the WFD in the company name was his initials). He was 45 years old. Had been married 20 years ago but had been divorced for several years. No children mentioned. One sister, Jennifer (not, disappointingly, Georgiana). Father was Walter Darcy, now deceased. His mother was listed as Greta (it emphasized that she pronounced it Greeta) who was presumably still alive. Old Boy of one of the top private schools. There were also lots of pictures - William at the museum, at the opera, at the theatre, at a ball etc etc each one, it seemed, with a different lady on his arm. He was linked as having been in relationships with several of them.

Liz felt a pang of guilt for searching about him - it seemed somehow that she was being mentally unfaithful to John. However she was sure that John would understand; after all he indulged her fantasies regarding Colin Firth, and Bridget Jones' Diary was one of their favourite movies to watch together. Colin aside, Liz liked any Mr Darcy - the Keira Knightly movie was a favourite as was the original with Laurence Olivier as Darcy. The fact that she actually became Elizabeth Bennett was not, she felt, a coincidence!!

Liz found his picture interesting. She was expecting a Colin Firth type but there was nothing at all remarkable about William Darcy. He appeared to be tall, and certainly not overweight; he was good looking but showing some wrinkles; his hair was greying around the edges and she suspected that there was probably a balding spot in the middle of his head. In other words he looked like a typical 45 year old guy who took good care of himself. None of the pictures showed him smiling which was a shame, and he did look decidedly uncomfortable in most of them. Maybe his life wasn't so happy after all?

A song called 'Richard Cory' ¹ popped into her head and she started singing it:-

They say that Richard Cory owns one half of this whole town,
With political connections to spread his wealth around.
Born into society, a banker's only child,
He had everything a man could want: power, grace, and style.

But I work in his factory
And I curse the life I'm living
And I curse my poverty
And I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be
Richard Cory.
[
The papers print his picture almost everywhere he goes:
Richard Cory at the opera, Richard Cory at a show.
And the rumor of his parties and the orgies on his yacht!
Oh, he surely must be happy with everything he's got.

But I work in his factory
And I curse the life I'm living
And I curse my poverty
And I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be
Richard Cory.

He freely gave to charity, he had the common touch,
And they were grateful for his patronage and thanked him very much,
So my mind was filled with wonder when the evening headlines read:
"Richard Cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head."

But I work in his factory
And I curse the life I'm living
And I curse my poverty
And I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be
Richard Cory.
If you changed the words 'Richard Cory' to 'William Darcy' maybe they applied? Not that she wished him, of course, any harm.

When William arrived at work at around 8am on Monday morning he had already had a 1 hr session with his personal trainer, something that he did 3 times a week. He still had the feeling that Liz's name was significant so he tried an on-line search, although he did not expect to find anything specific relating to the Liz Bennett he was searching for. Of course the name search threw up a multitude of listings and it was not long before it hit him like a ton of bricks - of course! his name and her name were linked together in one of the best known novels ever written. Because she referred to herself as "Liz" he had not given any thought to the fact that it was short for Elizabeth. Yes, Elizabeth Bennett and Filtzwilliam Darcy. How could he have been so "dumb"?

At school he reluctantly had to read Pride and Prejudice, which was not really an interesting book for teenage boys. Of course the others teased him unmercifully - calling him 'Fitzy' and getting girls to 'swoon' in front of him. And when the Colin Firth miniseries was on it started again, only this time it was not just school kids mucking around and commenting but adult colleagues as well. One thing, though, it did give him a certain advantage over some of the other guys when it came to the opposite sex, so no complaints on that score.

He scanned through his emails and noticed the one from Liz advising that she was not in the office until the next day - he was slightly annoyed that his claim was not being worked on however he formulated his plan to finally meet Liz Bennett.

Liz decided that she would devote as much of the working day as needed on Will's file. He had provided lots of documentation so she felt sure that at least some of the claim could be settled and items could start to be replaced which, hopefully, would give William Darcy a reason to smile. She settled in and started going through the lists and the documents.

Meanwhile Darcy was sitting through the regular weekly staff meeting. As Will believed in helping his staff to develop their skills he insisted that they all took a turn at chairing a meetings and today it was the turn of one of the recent new recruits. Will should have been paying attention to them he could later offer a critique and suggestions, but today his mind was wandering as he began to formulate his plan - today he would, hopefully, meet Liz Bennett. He could not understand why he was so anxious to meet someone who, he surmised, had some sort of clerical role in a suburban office, but it was like an itch that he had to scratch. He had formulated in his mind how she would look and he wanted to compare the real thing with his imagination. He checked the address of her office 'blast' he thought 'it is in the sticks. The GPS will be working overtime on this one'.

Now, the city in which Liz and Will lived was divided into 4 main areas - North, South, East and West. Will lived in the East and Liz lived and worked in the South. The upshot of this was that those who lived in the East generally looked down on those who lived elsewhere. They were decidedly out of their comfort zone travelling more than a few kilometers from that area unless they were on their way to the snow or going on a weekend break, which would necessitate driving through the dubious other areas. So, Will had what he considered a fairly arduous drive ahead of him, not realizing that it was, in fact, only around 20 minutes away. He would be perfectly safe and his fancy car would be untouched.

As mentioned previously the office where Liz worked was actually a house, so when Will pulled up at the address he was quite puzzled. He had written the details on a piece of paper and he now took that out of his pocket and compared the street name and property number to what he had written down. There was no signage to indicate that it was anything other than a normal house so he rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. They rarely had any visitors, apart from the odd courier, so when the bell rang it Liz and the other ladies by surprise.

Jules got out of her chair and opened the door "Yes, can I help you" she asked Will (yummy, she thought)

"Err yes, I'm looking for err" William looked at the paper that he was holding "ABC Assessing. This is the address that I have for it"

"That's us!!" replied Jules enthusiastically "what can I do for you?"

"Um, I was hoping that Liz Bennett is in and um, if so I would like to speak with her"

"Sure, I'll get her for you….and your name is?"

"Will….I mean William Darcy" he stammered

Liz was stunned when she heard who was at the door - "What is he doing here?" she whispered loudly

She had spent a lot of time sorting his documentation into neat piles and her hands shook as she tried to scoop them up without disturbing their order. She told herself that the agitation was due to the fact that she was caught off guard and was now hurrying - what else could it be, she had met with clients before so she could not understand why she was so nervous.

Liz picked up the file, hoping that nothing fell out, and went to greet William Darcy, who was still standing outside the door as Jules had not invited him in.

"Good morning Mr Darcy" Liz said as she offered her hand for him to shake "nice to meet you - please come inside"

Will shook her hand firmly and Liz was glad about that as she did not like it when guys shook hands differently with women than they did with other men.

"Good morning. I hope that you don't mind my turning up unannounced - I was visiting a client nearby" Will lied "I found some more information that may be of use so thought that I would drop it in as I was in the neighbourhood"

Liz looked around for somewhere for them to go. There was not a meeting room, only some bedrooms now turned in to offices. What was originally a lounge room now contained a large kitchen table and chairs so Liz took Will into there and offered him a seat.

"I'm sorry - we don't have a meeting room and will have to sit in here. We very rarely have any clients come into the office so we are not set up for meetings. I hope that you don't mind" Liz apologized.

Will muttered that it was fine. He took a quick look at Liz - she was dressed in jeans and a blouse and what appeared to be ballet flats. Not a very professional way to dress in his opinion. Or maybe it was mufti day?

"Would you like something to drink? A cup of tea or coffee perhaps? Unfortunately we only have instant" Liz offered

Will did not want to show his disapproval - first the staff dress too casually and then they only have instant coffee "No, I am fine thank you"

Someone had to commence the discussion so Liz started "I have your file here, I have been working on it all morning, it is at the stage where I can start to arrange replacement of some items, of course we give you all of the details first so that you can confirm that they are ok, so I will be sending you a letter this afternoon, I would have had it available for now if I knew that you were coming here" Liz barely paused for breath while she said these things and, aware that she was blathering, slowed down.

"I'm sorry - I have the file here if you would like me to go through it with you"

Will could see that for some reason she was nervous. He did want to go through the details with her so he said "Look, I really would like a coffee but not an instant one. Is there a café somewhere nearby where we could go?"

Liz was surprised to say the least "Well, it is only a small shopping centre here however the local takeaway makes a fairly decent cup. I will just let my colleagues know that I am going out". Liz left the room and stopped in the corridor; she put her hand against the wall and breathed deeply - what was happening here? She went and picked up her handbag and casually told Jules that she was just going up to the shops and would be back shortly.

Will had let himself out of the front door and was standing in the front yard. "I did not expect that your office would actually be in a house"

"Yes it is a bit unusual" explained Liz "when I first commenced I was actually working in an office within the house where the owner lives. As the business became busier Jim, the owner, had to employ more staff so he set us up in this house that he also owned. It is close to where we all live so it works well" she knew that what she had said was not at all an explanation, but the arrangements suited the staff so she did not really feel obliged to explain further.

The local shopping strip was quite drab and dated. Like many places the local shops had once played an important role, however as large centres sprang up, and more people had cars, the local shops had gradually fallen into a decline as they could not compete with the larger retailers. There was still the usual pharmacy, Chinese restaurant, newsagency, small grocery, sandwich shop etc, all struggling to eek out an existence.

"Here it is" advised Liz "the coffee is ok - not that I am an expert".

She suspected that Will would be less than impressed and she was right. This was certainly not his idea of a café however he did not comment. They made their orders and when the coffee arrived in takeaway cups he felt justified in his reaction. Liz went to pay for the drinks however Will got in first saying "Please allow me - I insist"

They sat down at an outside table (plastic of course, he noticed). Liz took a sip of her coffee - it was very hot and she scalded her lips and started to splutter. Will asked if she was ok and she apologized and said that the coffee was much hotter than she had expected. 'How embarrassing' she silently thought.

Liz opened up the file, hoping that the loose papers inside would not tip out or blow away. She had a vision of the wind picking them up and Darcy chivalrously running down the street after them, which would be a funny sight indeed. She suppressed the laugh that rose up from her chest and cleared her throat.

"Hhmm - yes as I mentioned I will be able to recommend settlement and replacement of some of your items - in particular the plasma TV and the stereo. The models that you had have now been superseded and our suppliers have advised which of the new versions is the most similar. I will let you know the model numbers so that you can check them and confirm that they are suitable" Liz hoped that she sounded professional in her approach.

Darcy listened to what she had to say, said that he would await her correspondence, handed her some more documentation, finished his coffee and bid her good day - again shaking her hand although not so firmly this time. He then walked to his car which was parked nearby, got in, and drive away. 'Nice ride' Liz noted.

Elizabeth Bennett, as mentioned earlier, was 42 years old. She looked slightly younger than her years although she was convinced that the wrinkles were coming thick and fast. People would probably guess her age as between 35 & 40. She had darkish brown hair which had a natural reddish tinge and which was naturally curly; she wore her hair just above shoulder length as any longer and it looked too wild. To her dismay there were a few greys starting to appear which she pulled out when she could, but there were not enough of them yet to warrant having her hair coloured. When the time came she would have no hesitation in having a colour put through - Liz was not vain but had no plans to allow her hair to grey until she was much older.

She was an average weight - slim but certainly not thin and not carrying any extra kilos. In the months immediately following John's passing she had lost several kilos, as was to be expected, but a few had crept back on and Liz was determined not to allow any more to do so. Her height was around 5 foot 6 inches, so again average. Blue eyes. Fair complexion with a few freckles still dotted on her face. Nothing about her at all to make her stand out in a crowd.

Liz picked up the folder and walked back to the office all the whole thinking about William Darcy. He looked pretty much like the pictures of him that she had seen on the internet, though in real life he did seem to be taller than the pictures showed. His hair was graying at the temples and he had crinkles around his eyes. He had sunglasses on so Liz could not see the colour of his eyes, but she assumed that they would be brown. He looked fantastic in his business suit - it is amazing how much bespoke clothing (and she assumed that his suit was bespoke) flattered someone. Liz imagined that he would take good care of himself and make sure that he was very well presented, but underneath he would be all 'naturale' i.e. no waxing or pedicures !! His voice was quite deep and Liz wondered if he could hold a tune - she loved the sound of a bass singing voice. Yes, he was very close to her idea of how Mr Darcy should look ?.

She stepped into the office and walked back to her desk trying to avoid the prying eyes of Jules.

"Well" Jules commented "what was that all about. Come on, spill the beans".

Liz brushed her comments off saying that she had lots of work to do. As she promised William, she spent the rest of the afternoon on his claim and before the close of business she had sent him a letter outlining her proposal for an interim settlement. Now she just had to wait for his response.

¹ Richard Cory written by Paul Simon 1965, recorded by Simon and Garfunkel for their second studio album, Sounds of Silence. The song was based on Edwin Arlington Robinson's 1897 poem of the same title.

Posted on: 2011-09-26

Chapter 6

As William drove back to his office he reflected on his meeting with Elizabeth Bennett. He had to admit that Liz was not as he had imagined. He thought that she would be quite tall and younger than she appeared to be, with long dark straight hair, but instead she was of average height, curly shortish hair, and ok looking but not a head turner.

He told himself that Liz seemed to lack confidence. She stammered and stuttered her way through the meeting, even burning her lip on the coffee in her haste. Plus, she was wearing jeans at work!! He was vaguely disappointed that she did not seem to be very professional, but he couldn't understand why he felt that way.

He arrived back at the office in good time, surprised that "out in the sticks" was actually closer than he thought. He sat at his desk to eat his lunch, checking emails as he ate. The rest of the afternoon was taken up with reading a report and a teleconference - he had forgotten about the settlement letter that Liz had mentioned until an email popped up from her with the letter attached. He briefly perused it and determined that he would read the contents at home that evening.

Liz was happy with the claim letter that she sent to William. She proposed to replace various electrical items and pay a cash settlement in respect to some smaller objects such as a broken vase and stolen suitcase. The rest of the claim was well on the way to being settled so all in all she thought that it was a satisfactory interim result and she hoped that William agreed.

Sherie went to her grandparents house after school on the days that Liz was working, so she needed to be picked up and then David collected from after school care. David then had soccer training so it was a quick trip home to change his clothes and then off to the sports field. Liz took the dog so that she could take him for a walk around the park.

By the time David had finished training Liz was feeling exhausted and the kids were hungry so it was take-away for dinner. After they were all fed Liz looked around at the mountain of ironing to do, dishes in the sink, crumbs on the floor, and felt like crying - it was nights like this that John would have come to the rescue, telling her to relax and watch TV while he took care of things. Would she ever have free time again? No one tells you that it actually gets harder as the kids get older. Liz thought how nice it would be to occasionally be alone and be able to eat in peace and sip a glass of wine - and she found that her mind wandered back to Will Darcy. He was probably doing that now. Why was this happening?

William arrived home to be greeted by his cat, who was meowing very loudly. "Hi sweetie" he said. Will flattered himself that she was making so much noise because she was happy to see him, but in reality he knew that she was just protesting the fact that he was later than usual and it was past her dinner time.

Whilst his meal was cooking he opened up his mail - bill, bill, junk, checkup reminder from the dentist, and his tickets to the Black Tie Benefit. It was on in 5 weeks and he still had to find a partner - he mentally ran through the list of some possible available ladies that he could ask but he could not come up with any that he was interested in - too blond, too vague, too clingy. Will did not enjoy going to these social events and to have to sit through the evening with an unsuitable partner was not his idea of fun. He thought perhaps there was an employee that he could ask but quickly dismissed that idea; most were too young and he did not want to seem like a letch.

After Will had finished his meal he sat down and opened up his laptop - might as well get a few more hours of work done. He checked his emails and noticed again the one from Liz. He remembered that Liz had mentioned that that she would quote some model numbers for items and he thought that it was a good chance to check them out on the internet.

Will printed off Liz's letter and read through it. He had to admit that it was very well written, professional and informative - for some reason he was surprised at that and he reminded himself that you can't always judge a book by its cover and it did seem that he may have done that to her. He spent the next few hours checking out the information on the internet. Will wanted to say thanks to Liz for her assistance as he now realised that it would have been an arduous task for her to sort everything out. He would send her an email however she would not receive it until the next day; then he remembered that he would still have her number on his phone log so he wondered if it would be too late to send her an SMS? Probably, he reasoned, but he would send one now anyway. Just to say thanks.

Liz was getting ready for bed when her phone beeped indicating that a message had been received. No doubt from the service provider she thought, as who else ever sent messages this late at night. She found her phone, opened the message and gasped as she read

Hi Liz thx 4 the letter. Looks gr8. Will contact u 2moro. WILL D

She was stunned to say the least.

The next day Liz arrived at the office and saw that there was an email from Will confirming his instructions. He also rang her to make sure that she had received it and then again later on to ask her some small question that he could have answered himself. From there it was a simple matter to organise replacements and by the end of the day she had arranged delivery of a new TV and stereo system for him. Things should be able to progress very rapidly from now on and hopefully his claim would be settled in no time.

Will didn't know why he had rung her these times. He could have sent an email, or arranged for his assistant to ring and convey his thanks. He should have been happy that he at last had his possessions again but strangely he was not. He could have purchased new items at any time, despite what the insurance company said, but truth be known he chose not to - he realised now that he had actually enjoyed having the time to think and read without the usual white noise distractions.

Darcy's sister Jenny was 37 years old and a mother to two boys aged 9 and 6 and a little princess who was 3. She was married to Nick Morton who was a solicitor. She and Nick had met at university and, much to her parents dismay, they decided to marry young whilst they were still students. Jenny was always strong willed and when her parents initially objected to the wedding she told them that was fine - they would just live together then. Will had stepped in and convinced his parents that they were totally committed to each other and that if they did not want to risk losing their daughter then they should consent.

Will had always been a very protective older brother, as several of her previous male acquaintances would confirm. As their father was often away on business Will had sometimes stepped into his role in respect to Jenny's welfare. Whilst she did not appreciate it at the time, and in her adolescent rants had often told him that she hated him, she now knew him for the loving brother that he was, only ever acting in her best interests. He had told Nick that if he ever so much as touched a hair on her head he would personally strangle him. Will and Nick were now very good friends who respected each other, however Nick knew that Darcy meant what he said and was still secretly a bit afraid of him.

Jenny left university before graduation so that she could get a job and support Nick in his studies. Her mother in particular was not happy about this and had never quite forgiven Nick, however to Jenny it was not a sacrifice and it had been the right thing to do. Now that her children were older she was thinking about taking up her studies again. Her two boys, Michael and Patrick, were full of energy as boys are and her daughter Karina, though very girly, was very much up for a game of rough and tumble. Will was the favourite uncle who was there to join in a game or give piggy backs, which would no doubt have surprised some who knew him.

That night Jenny rang to see how he was going. Will told her that he now had some of his items replaced and Jenny said that she was sure that he was pleased about that. Will answered that he was, however he saw now that he had to a certain extent enjoyed having to find other ways to entertain himself.

"Entertain yourself? The mind boggles" smirked Jenny

"Ha Ha" Will relied sarcastically "no, I meant that I actually sat down and read a book for the first time in ages. Oh… you remember I mentioned that the claims assessor was initially giving me a hard time? Well……would you believe that her name is Elizabeth Bennett"

Jenny laughed out loud. "You are kidding me.What did she say to you about that?"

"She never mentioned it. Perhaps she didn't realise" Will ventured

Jenny snorted "I don't think so. Any girl who has gone through life with that name would surely be aware. She has probably been waiting for her very own Mr Darcy to appear. Will, I've had a brilliant idea - why don't you invite her to be your partner for the Black Tie Benefit. What a hoot it would be when you introduce her"

"Yes, yes, very funny. You don't even know what she looks like" he retorted "she may have a crooked nose and ride a broomstick"

"No" reasoned Jenny "Elizabeth Darcy would never be like that. You should try and meet her"

Will hesitated before replying "Well, actually I have met her. I was in the vicinity of her office and dropped in some documentation and met her briefly. She seemed very nice"

"Is that all - very nice? What did she look like?"

" She was around 5'6", slim build, curly shoulder length hair, probably late 30's…"

Jenny interrupted "Sounds like a lot to have noticed when you only met her briefly. Seems like you were having a perve"

Will reddened "Certainly not. Anyway, please don't mention this to mum or Nick"

"Of course not" she answered. Will knew that she was lying - the information would be safe from her mother but Nick would be told the minute she had hung up the phone!

William rang Liz the next day, again with some small question that he could well have asked via email. She was very polite and professional in her response and he acknowledged that he liked the sound of her voice. He could not keep ringing her with inane queries so he came up with a plan so that she would have to ring him (or so he hoped) - he would send her a 'thank you' gift for the assistance that she had given. Now, what should he send? Flowers - no, too personal; Store gift card - no, shows no thought put into it; Chocolates - no, would probably just be shared around the office; Gift Hamper - no, they always have some things included that you will never eat; Wine - yes, wine would be the perfect choice, neither too personal nor too impersonal. So wine it would be, a nice bottle of white as surely no one could object to that.

Liz was very surprised when the courier arrived with her delivery. She had already been a bit shocked that Will had taken the time to ring her with his thanks, rather than just email her, so this was totally unexpected. Liz knew that she would have to ring him to say thank you, however she did not wish to do so in the office, where there were too many listening ears, so it would have to wait until she was at home. Meanwhile Will continued on with his busy day, hoping that she would ring and taking care that his phone was not on silent so that he would not miss it if she did call. Liz did ring him later on that night, after making sure that the children were not around to make any noise. The call was brief and she conveyed her thanks and pleasure at his thoughtfulness; Will was glad that she had called but felt strangely disappointed when that the conversation was so short.

Liz arrived at work the next day wondering if Will would call her again. She was pleased that he was satisfied with the way that things were progressing but soon the claim would be finalized and he would no longer have a reason to ring. Just then her boss, Jim, came around the corner - he was rarely in the office so she was a bit startled to see him.

"Hi Jim" she said brightly "how are you"

"Hi Liz, I'm fine thanks. Could I just have a word with you in my office?"

"Sure" she replied "is it about a particular claim so that I can bring the file?"

"No, just come in"

Liz was surprised - was she in trouble for something? Jim was usually very easy going and had never before expressed any concerns about her work.

" Please sit down Liz" Jim started. "I am sure that you have noticed that the workload has been gradually decreasing" she acknowledged that she had, "Well I can no longer keep everyone so, I hate to do this, but I will have to let you go".

He continued " As you know the position was only ever guaranteed for six months, and it has been three years. I can only keep Di on as she has been here for many years. I hope that you understand my situation. As you are casually employed it will be effective from the end of today - if you can just show Di what is going on with your files so that she can take them over. I will of course pay any salary that is owing"

Liz was not really surprised that her position would become redundant as she knew that the work had been decreasing, but was shocked that it was so soon. Yes, she was casually employed on a day-by-day basis so he could terminate her with so little notice. She knew that Jim was a good man and that this would have been a very difficult thing for him to do.

"I understand" she said "I know that the work had dropped off and assumed that this day would be coming. Thank you very much for the opportunity to work here and the flexibility and support that you have given to me, especially over the last year. I have appreciated it all."

Liz went out to her desk and could tell that Di already knew. Jules was called in next to see Jim and Liz felt sorry for her as Jules was very dependent on the income. The rest of the day was spent with Liz going over the outstanding files with Di, and with clearing out her desk. As she drove home she remembered that Will had not rung her that day and now there was probably no reason to ever hear from him again.

Chapter 7

That night after the children were asleep Liz sat and sipped her cup of tea. She had decided not to yet tell family and friends about her discussion with Jim that day. She wanted people to think that she was still working - not because she was ashamed but because she wanted to have an opportunity to go for a while without the questions that people would inevitably ask e.g. what would she do for money?; when was she going to look for a new job? She was aware that they meant well, but ever since John's death she had been fielding off questions that she did not have the answers to. The only thing that Liz knew was that she needed to take time out and this was a blessing in disguise. She needed a chance to sort out the compensation payout, she needed a chance to focus on her children, she needed a chance to decide where she wanted to go in the future, but most of all she needed a chance to grieve.

John Bennett met Elizabeth Robins when they were both working for the same company - at the time she was 19 and he was 20. They bonded over a shared love of contemporary music and started their relationship by spending several nights a week out at venues seeing various bands play. Some nights she would not get home until 2am and then have to get up for work.

Liz and John went out together for several years , happy with each other, until one day they decided that the next step was to get married, so they did. They bought a house and after a few years Sherie was born. Liz returned to work after a suitable period and when Sherie was old enough for school they decided to have another baby, and so David was born. The age gap between them proved to be very beneficial for the family - the extra time that Liz had spent working set them up financially, and when David came along Sherie was independent and old enough to not be jealous of the new baby. In fact, she loved him to bits and still did, despite the occasional sibling squabbles.

Yes, Liz and John were very happy with their life - John worked his way up at his employment to a senior position and Liz worked part-time. They owned their home, took nice holidays, and as a family unit were very tight. John helped out with the kids sport and Liz was a volunteer at the school and they planned on watching their children and, one day, grandchildren grow.

But it was not to be - sometimes Fate plays a cruel hand - and so it was for the Bennett family. On a New Years Eve John was driving home from work when his car was hit involved in an accident that was caused by no fault of his own. Instead of going to a party as they had intended Liz found herself at the hospital emergency centre, as doctors explained to her that there was no hope. The decision was made to turn off John's life support and donate whatever organs could be used - and the life that Liz and her children knew was to be changed forever.

New Years resolutions made way for funeral arrangements. Liz was sure that John would have been happy with his send off, and now his ashes rested peacefully in a garden next to those of his father.

Will returned home after being away for a few days on business. Among the mail there was a letter from ABC Assessing and he eagerly tore open the envelope. It gave some more settlement information, which he glanced through, and then he noticed that it was signed by a Di Jones. Not to worry he reasoned, Liz probably dictated this to someone else, but he was strangely disappointed that she had not taken the time to sign it herself.

The next day he rang her office under the guise of discussing the letter. The phone was answered by Di Jones and when he asked to be put through to Liz Di informed him that she no longer worked there and that Di would be now looking after his file. Will was confused - he had spoken with Liz a number of times during the previous week and she did not mention that she would be leaving. He asked Di a few hasty questions, so as not to arouse suspicion, and hung up. He was disappointed as Liz had been previously been very professional. Will spent the rest of the day consulting with his staff but later on he determined that he would ring Liz - just to again say thanks and wish her well and maybe find out what was going on.

Liz had spent the last 6 days enjoying not having to go to work. So far no one had suspected what had happened as she kept to the old routine, but she knew that she could not keep up the rouse forever. She had cleared out some cupboards, updated her accounts and washed the windows - next on the list was the most painful; going through the compensation details and meeting with her solicitor so that the matter could hopefully be finalized and she could move on, secure that they were going to be financially taken care of.

She was sitting reading the paper when her phone rang - when she glanced at the number Liz suspected that it might be Will (she had not saved his number as there was no need to) so she did not answer. A few minutes later the phone rang again and Liz decided to answer - no doubt he was just ringing about his claim and she could inform him that she was no longer involved.

"Hi, Liz speaking" she tried to sound bubbly

"Hi Liz, it's Will Darcy" said the familiar voice "I hope that you are well. I have been informed by ABS Assessing that you no longer work there?" no mucking around there.

"I'm fine thanks Will. Yes, that's correct - I left there six days ago. Di Jones will be looking after your file now and you will be very well taken care of I am sure"

"I have spoken with Di. I was just surprised that you were no longer there - I thought that you would have informed your clients that you were going to leave"

"It was very sudden. Anyway, I hope that everything works out ok" she said.

Will sensed that she was about to hang up so he continued "I just wanted to say thank you again for your assistance - I know that I was at times difficult"

Difficult - she nearly laughed out loud - you could say that again!!

"There is no need to thank me again, you have already and have sent me a bottle of wine as well" Will could not let her hang up so he thought quickly

"I…I was wondering if you would like to come out to lunch with me. Just as friends" he shocked himself at the fact that he had just blurted this out

Liz was silent, her mind spinning around thinking of the pros and cons. And then she answered him "Thanks Will, that would be nice". Why not - it would be a nice diversion.

They decided on a day and time - Liz insisted that it was not at the fancy restaurant that Will had suggested but at a coffee shop halfway between her home and his office. (And I will insist on paying for myself she thought).

Will was relieved that he would have a chance to see Liz again. What he had done was so far out of his comfort zone that he spent the rest of the day with a smile on his face, extremely proud of himself. Liz also had a smile - it would be nice to go out somewhere after being cooped up in the house and it would give her an excuse to get the haircut that she had been putting off.

Liz dressed with care as she prepared for her lunch with Will - she didn't want to be overdressed or corporate-like but she didn't want to be too casual either. It was spring time but the weather was still a bit chilly so she put on her boots and a coat which always gave a dressy feel. Liz didn't usually wear much makeup and this day was no different - just a bit of foundation, mascara, and lipstick. She had been to have a haircut and checked in the mirror, pulling out any grey hairs that she could see, not entirely happy to notice the small wrinkles that seemed to have suddenly appeared.

Will always was smartly dressed but today made sure that his shirt and tie really did complement each other and that his suit had been freshly cleaned. He was engrossed in work in the morning and found that lunchtime crept up on him and he needed to hurry if he didn't want to be late.

On the way to the coffee shop he wondered why Liz was no longer working at ABC Assessing and his mind went through the following scenarios

- she has a new job
- she won lotto
- did she have an illness that prevents her from working
- was she fired for non-performance (he thought not considering the way that she had handled his claim)
- was she involved in some sort of fraud (not likely, it was a small business with, he thought, not much opportunity for that)
- was she having an affair with her boss and it went wrong (well, it could be, he reasoned)
- did she have personal issues such as drugs or drinking
- did she have to become a carer to an elderly parent perhaps OR
- could she be pregnant !!!

at the last one he stopped, his mind going ten times to the dozen over the following: 'People did not have to leave work until they were quite pregnant and she did not appear to be in the family way at all, much less just about to drop a baby! But what if she is pregnant and has complications - that could make someone leave; but if there were complications then she would be under doctors orders not to be going out. What if she is pregnant and hoping to catch someone like me as she wants a father for her baby'. It was all enough to make him consider turning around. 'Will Darcy, he chided himself, 'get a grip. It is just lunch and if it doesn't work out, or she appears to have a pillow shoved up her jumper, you don't ever have to see her again'. The only scenario that he did not consider was that she already had children !!

Liz arrived at the coffee shop a little bit early and settled down at a table for two by the window. The sun was streaming in and it was not long before she removed her coat. She ordered a juice and waited - her eye on the door, trying not to look too obvious. Apart from business lunches she had never been out one-on-one to a restaurant with any guy except John, so she was feeling a bit nervous. Then Liz saw him coming through the door and she smiled at him - he walked up to the table with long strides and sat down opposite her.

"Hi Liz" he smiled "glad that you could make it". He was glad it appeared that she had made an effort with her appearance and had not just worn jeans

"Thank you for asking me, it is nice to see you again. I hope that everything is going well"

Will assumed that she meant regarding his claim so he answered "I haven't spoken to Di recently but no doubt will in the next few days". He could not put off his curiosity any longer "I'm sorry Liz, I hope that you don't mind me asking, but how come you left ABC so suddenly" (please don't be pregnant, please don't be pregnant his mind said)

"I don't mind you asking. I was employed there 3 years ago for a guaranteed 6 month period and after that it would be on a casual basis as needed. Well the need was up and so my boss, Jim, had to let me go. He could only leave one employee and he chose Di as she has been there for many years'.

"But it seems a bit unethical that he did it so suddenly doesn't it"

"Not at all" Liz didn't want to get into her private life so she had to cut him off here "it was agreed when I started that would be the case. I have known for a while that business was slowing down so I have been expecting it. The job suited me at the time and now this break is suiting me too - it has allowed me to do some long overdue spring cleaning and sort out my accounts. Not to mention the fact that the dog is very happy to get multiple walks a day. So all is fine. Let's look at the menu now"

The waitress came to take their orders. Will could sense that the work issue was a closed subject so he thought of other small talk

"So, you mentioned that you have a dog. What sort is it?"

"His name is Olly and he is a small mixed breed terrier. He is from an animal shelter and is the sweetest thing and a great companion except that he thinks he is a big dog in a little dogs body. Walks can be a challenge as he tries to fight anything larger than him. She avoided using any words such as 'our' or 'we' which could indicate that there was more than just herself in her house. Liz was very guarded in her personal life, not only with strangers such as Will but with close friends and family members as well - she just did not want people knowing her business.

"I have a cat as well - his name is Percy and he is pitch black and is the devil in disguise. He often gives poor Olly a hard time"

Will laughed "I have a cat". He hoped that he was safe to say this to her - some people think that it is not very manly for guys to like cats.

Liz however was delighted by this. John had been a great cat lover and they had owned several different ones during their time together "what is it's name?"

"Susanna York - I, uh, had a thing for her when I was young"

"Susanna York - I love it !!" Liz laughed

"Well, Suz when she is good and the full name when she is in trouble. She is a Russian Blue and was given to me by my sister after I went through a bad break up. I had never had a cat before and wasn't interested in them, but she appeared with this little ball of fluff, and what could I say? She has had me twisted around her paw ever since!"

The lunch continued with them discussing pets and music. When they discovered that they had the same taste and they used to see the same bands at the same venues Liz joked that she may have met him before then, as there were always sleezy guys trying to pick up at those places. Will huffed that he was certainly not one of those guys - well, he might have been, he conceded! Darcy went back to work very pleased with how things had gone - and she obviously wasn't pregnant as she had drunk a glass of wine. Liz likewise was smiling as she drove home. Neither of them had mentioned was the fact that their names were intertwined in one of the greatest literary works of all time, Both of them had thought about it, but it did not seem the right time to bring it up. Next time they both thought - very interesting that they were anticipating a next time.

Also, neither had the relationship status question or the children question come up. Liz was not going to volunteer that until it was necessary - not because she was keeping it from him - if he had asked she would have told him -but because she considered, as said before, that her personal business was no one else's business. That afternoon Will sent her an SMS saying that he had a good time, and she replied that she did too.

The Black Tie Benefit was getting nearer but Will was still unsure whether or not to ask Liz - truth was, even though their lunch went well he was wary that, because of their previous business relationship, she may not be interested in anything other than friendship. Sure they had chatted at lunch but it was about pets and music but she had seemed reluctant to talk about the work situation. He thought that they needed to meet again; if she seemed reluctant then that would indicate her feelings. The weekend was approaching so he decided to ask her to the movies.

Will rang Liz the next day to see if she was free on Saturday night. She didn't want to ask someone to baby sit as they would ask questions about where she was going and who she was going with, so she told him that she had a family function on. He seemed disappointed but then she remembered that both of the children had birthday parties to attend on Sunday so she suggested that day instead.

They arranged to meet at a cinema half way between their houses - Will offered to pick her up but she would not allow him to come out of his way; again her wariness concerned him. It was a foreign language film that Will had chosen - there were sub titles but the translations were so ridiculous that Liz started giggling. Will was a bit annoyed and embarrassed at this however her attempts to stifle her laughter soon broke through and he found himself trying not to giggle as well. Afterwards they went for coffee and dessert, still laughing over what had occurred. Will felt his guard slipping and he said

"You know, you seemed just like my sister Jennifer in there. She sees the ridiculous in those sorts of situations too"

"Oh" replied Liz, "I like her already. Tell me about her". So Will proceeded to tell her about Jenny and Nick and their children - his eyes brightened when he described the children and how much he loved playing with them but her heart sank when he remarked that much as he enjoyed it he was very happy when he went home to his cat!! Obviously not the time to bring up her children. Liz said that she had a sister and a brother but did not elaborate on their family situations.

There was a lull in the conversation and Liz decided that now was the time to bring up the issue of their names. "Will" she asked "are you aware that there is actually a connection between our two names?"

"If you mean Pride and Prejudice then certainly I do. I was forced to read it as a student and it caused me a lot of grief I can tell you. Some of my acquaintances from that time still call me Fitzy"

She smiled at that. "Well I think that it is great. P & P is one of my favourite books and I am so happy that I have finally met a Mr Darcy. I laughed out loud when I saw your name on the file. I have wanted to mention it before now but I wasn't sure if you would know what I was on about"

A Mr Darcy - what did she mean? Did she mean her Mr Darcy?

They parted, Liz to her car and Will to his, and drove to their respective homes. Will decided that he would ask her to be his partner for the Benefit - surely she could not refuse him now that she had acknowledged a connection.

Posted on: 2011-09-30

Chapter 8

William Frederick Darcy was 45 years old and the CEO of his own company, WFD Consulting, which he had started from the ground up. The company assisted businesses with such issues as finance, staffing, acquisitions etc. He had a Master of Business degree from university and was a millionaire a few times over (though not multimillionaire as the papers liked to presume). He worked hard and whilst he enjoyed the finer things in life he was not intentionally flashy or showy for example, he travelled business class and not first class, and even economy on occasions; his car was sporty but was made by a main stream manufacturer, not Ferrari or Porsche. He expected his employees to perform at a high level but made sure that they were well looked after both financially and personally and was a very approachable boss.

Although he had at times partnered well known socialites to functions he was not a play boy and his personal life was largely unknown. Because he was relatively aloof and innately shy, an affliction which he struggled to overcome in his business dealings, Will often came across as seeming that he considered himself above others. In some aspects this was true - he could not entertain anyone who was foolish or a liar, and he could not abide anyone who was lazy or ignorant, and was not really at ease with anyone out of his comfort zone. But, if anyone had asked him, he would have told them how it was - currently single, lives alone with his cat, likes to cook, listen to music, and travel. Is very close to his sister and her family.

A week had passed since they went to the movies and Will had had time to think about things and deliberately had not contacted Liz. Although after the movies he had decided to ask Liz to be his 'plus one' at the Benefit he was now having second thoughts. He had started out trying to see whether or not she would be a suitable partner for a one-off occasion, but now he didn't really know what he expected from all this. One thing that he knew was that she was most definitely outside his comfort zone. He did not think that Liz wanted to be any more than friends - sure she was very polite and seemed to enjoy his company, and joked about wanting to meet a 'Mr Darcy', but there was something there, like she had a shutter permanently pulled down. Best to leave it for a while.

Liz noticed that Will had not contacted her and assumed that things had reached their conclusion. She felt vaguely sad about this as she had been happy to have someone that she considered a new friend; she did not know if she wanted more than that. She guessed that the fact that he had not rung her indicated that he previously was only being polite. The truth of it was that though Liz did have acquaintances she did not really have many friends - John had been her best friend. Most of their social contact had been with other parents from the school - when John had died everyone was very nice, rallying around, but now that the months had passed people had gone back to their own couples lives and she did not now fit in. She did not want to be the sad older single who frequented the retro clubs.

Liz had spent the past few days finishing off her cleaning and going through the compensation documents. Though John's life insurance and superannuation payouts had come through there was still the matter of settlement for his death due to the accident itself, which hopefully would be a considerable amount taking into account his lost future earnings, the ages of the children, pain and suffering etc. Liz made an appointment to see the solicitor who was handling the case. So far she had been a bit disappointed in his performance and as she now had more time to spend on the case she intended to make sure that it was actioned as quickly as possible so that they could all move on. She still had not told anyone that she was no longer working, which she felt guilty about, so would have to come clean on that score soon.

It was again time for the Darcy family Sunday lunch. It was nearly always at Jenny's house - at his mothers the children were not allowed to move out of their place and though Will had occasionally hosted at his place there was nothing really for the kids to do there. At their own house they had their toys and could amuse themselves. Will had arrived early and Jenny, who never forgot anything to do with his personal life, started quizzing him about Liz, asking if he had seen her again and was he going to ask her to the Benefit.

He hesitated before responding - he did not want to say too much but if he didn't say enough to satisfy her then Jenny would keep probing "Yes I have seen her, we met up for a light lunch one day and then last Sunday we went to the movies"

"Ooh…sounds serious" Jenny teased "what did you see?"

"A foreign film. I must admit that some of the sub-titles were quite unusual and she started giggling. Reminded me of you"

"I can see you cringing! You shoosh anyone who makes a sound even when the previews are on. Did you hold her hand?"

"Don't be ridiculous - what am I, 12? And so what if I want silence at the movies - I pay my money. Actually I must admit that she caused me to laugh as well and it gave us something to talk about over coffee"

"Oh, and coffee afterwards!! Well, will I get to meet her at the Benefit?"

"I don't know that I will ask her" Will admitted "I don't even know that we'll meet again as we both have lots going on in our lives". Not really true he said to himself, I do not know about her life except that she used to work and now doesn't.

"Who won't you meet again" Nick asked as he came in to the kitchen, but his question went unanswered as his mother-in-law entered the room.

Greta (pronounced Greeta as she liked to say) Darcy was 75 years old. She had been born into a well to do "old money" family and went to the best schools and moved in the best circles. She was the 'belle of the debutante ball' in her own words, painting a picture of herself as a Scarlett O'Hara type surrounded by her beaus. Her father had been a prominent surgeon and when he introduced his new registrar Walter Darcy to his family Greta was smitten.

They married when she was 21 and he was 25 and they continued to mingle with the so called social elite of the day. Greta suffered a number of miscarriages and a still birth, so when she became pregnant again at the age of 29 she assumed that it would end as all of the others had. However the pregnancy continued and so William was born, but by this time Greta had hardened herself to never becoming a mother and she found it difficult to give up her social ways to attend to a baby. Walter had now taken over from her father, who had retired, and as there was plenty of money Greta employed assistants to look after young William. A few more miscarriages followed and then Jennifer was born but by now Greta was the patron of so many charities and committees that she did not have much time to care for her daughter.

William was a sensitive young boy and quickly became devoted to his little sister. He dried her tears when she scraped her knees and played tea parties with her and her dollies. Jenny grew up to be feisty and she used to tease Will unmercifully, particularly where girls we concerned, however he took it all in his stride. Walter was a loving father but his work and the social life that his wife forced him on him left him with little time to share with his children, though he always made sure that he would kiss them goodnight, even if they were asleep at the time. He provided well for his family and ensured that the children received what he considered the best education, including spending a few years at boarding school. For William boarding school was difficult at first, but he hardened his exterior to cope with it even if inside he was still the sensitive little boy. Jenny on the other hand thrived at boarding school and she came out as a headstrong independent women. Sadly Walter Darcy had passed away 10 years ago.

Becoming a grandmother had not really softened Greta - but she had tried to be a bit more involved with the grand children than she had been with her own children. Her relationship with William was distant - he loved her but did not like the way that she tried to control his life. Out of necessity she had become closer to Jenny, as age was taking its toll and there were times when she did need assistance. As mentioned earlier she had never quite forgiven Nick for taking away Jenny's chances of meeting someone else, but she had to admit that they did seem happy together. Nick, for his part, tolerated her because he loved Jenny.

As was usual when they were together Greta dominated the conversation. "William" she boomed "I trust that you have received your tickets to the Black Tie Benefit". Without giving him a chance to reply she went on "and who are you taking?"

He wanted to say that he was not taking anyone. He wanted to say that he was taking a man. He wanted to say that he had no wish to go to another function where he had to talk to a lot of bores and be on show. But instead he said

"I am taking Elizabeth"

"Elizabeth, Elizabeth who?" inquired his mother

He didn't know why he had blurted this out, he had practically decided not to ask Elizabeth. He did not want to reveal her surname as his mother, who had obviously read P & P (although she denied that he was named after Fitzwilliam) would assume that he was just trying to mock her. Just then his little niece Karina came running up, waving her arms and squealing - William picked her up and swung her around, kissing her cheek as he did so. Never before had he been so glad to see her. The interruption was a great diversion - his mother tutt tutting at the noise and forgetting the question. He knew that his mother would ring him about this later on, and so would Jenny, but he resolved to screen his calls very carefully until he had spoken with Liz - he felt that fate had stepped in and he now had no choice but to ask her to be his partner.

Will resolved to ring Elizabeth that evening so as soon as he arrived home he picked up the phone, determined that he would just ask her like a man and not a stammering schoolboy, straight and to the point 'Liz would you like to go with me', but it was easier said than done especially as they had not spoken for a week.

He arrived back at his sanctuary and took a beer out of the freezer - perhaps it would give him some Dutch courage. The beer was consumed in a few gulps so he picked up the phone and dialed her number - it rang several times but Liz did not answer and it went to voicemail. This was not part of the plan so what was he to do now? If he hung up then she might consider him rude but if he left a message then it seemed impersonal.

Anyway he decided to leave a message taking care not to umm or aahh "Hi Liz, it's Will. Look, I know that it's been a while since we have spoken and I apologise that I have not contacted you earlier. I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to a function? I will call you tomorrow if I don't hear from you. Bye". It was not satisfactory and he did not know if she would be annoyed or not at the brief message, but he had to say what he could before the time on the message was up. If she didn't ring him back or answer when he rang the next day then he knew what her response was.

Liz was not in the habit of carrying her phone around so when it rang she was in another room. She ran to get it but was too late - the number flashed up as Private (Will had rung from his home phone, not his mobile) so she had no idea who had called. Her phone beeped then to indicate a message had been received and she listened to it, surprised that it was Will and even more surprised by his question. He had a nerve ringing her after no contact and asking her to go to a function somewhere - what, was everyone else busy so he thought 'I'll just ring Liz'. Well she was not going to call him back and would hesitate to answer if he called her the next day. Liz knew that she was being stubborn, but from now on she only wanted to surround herself with people who were similar to her and on whom she could rely and she did not know if Will fitted into that category.

The next morning Liz was settling down to breakfast after rushing around getting the children off to school. She had forgotten about the call last night from Will so when her phone rang she just answered it before even noticing who was calling.

"Hi, Liz speaking"

"Hi Liz, it's Will" at least she had answered which was a good sign he thought "how are you?"

"I'm fine thanks" Elizabeth was determined to be a bit frosty in her responses "and you?"

"Yes, fine as well. I rang you last night and left a message - did you have a chance to listen to it" Liz replied that she had "Well, I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to the Black Tie Benefit. It is a fundraiser for the children's hospital and my company has purchased a table. Quite boring so I will understand if you don't want to go" Will said this all practically without taking a breath.

Liz was confused. Did he want her to go or not? He asks her to accompany him and then says that she doesn't have to?

"When is it?" she asked, but was shocked when he replied that it was in three weeks time. Yes, she thought, he definitely had been working through his little black book then hadn't he - oh I know, Liz will jump at the chance to mingle with the hoi polloi.

"I don't know - three weeks is not far away. I will need to think about it"

He realised then that he wasn't asking her just to save face with his mother, he really did want her to go, so he had to convince her of that "Please Liz…I really would like you to accompany me. I know that I should have given you more notice but, to tell the truth, I do not enjoy attending these sort of functions however as a supporter I am obliged to go and it is a cause that is very close to my mothers heart. However, as I mentioned earlier, I will understand if you decline. I have no excuse at all for not ringing you during the past week, but would like to try and make amends for it now".

He sounded so forlorn that Liz felt sorry for him and could not refuse, plus it might be fun "Ok, I will go with you, but you must promise to dance with me even though I am sure that you never dance!!" Will agreed and advised that he would be away on business for the next week but would contact her upon his return to make final arrangements.

Liz had been to a few black tie functions in the past but they were always work related, not ones where the females were there to be seen dressed in the latest designer gowns. She searched the internet for information on the Black Tie Benefit and was stunned to read that tables of 10 cost $10,000 - that was certainly some serious money. There were pictures from the previous years and as suspected an off the rack number from the local department store certainly would not do. Liz did not have anything at all suitable to wear not to mention shoes, accessories etc that were required as well and she started to despair - why had she agreed to go? She should have declined when she had the opportunity; to do so now would be to lose face and she did not want Will, or anyone for that matter, to think that she couldn't hold her own.

How was she possibly going to be able to be ready in three weeks. Not for the first time Liz thought how easy men have it - they just need one tuxedo, which will last them their whole lives, and they are set - a man always looks good in black tie, no matter what their shape or size. She sat down and made a list of what needed to be done - dress, shoes, bag, jewellery, hair, makeup - the list went on. What a shame that Sherie was not older as she would have been able to assist.

Liz rang her sister Katrina to arrange a shopping date, saying that Jim (her former boss) had purchased a table and had invited the staff as an early Christmas party. Katrina did not suspect anything as she assumed that Liz was still working at ABC Assessing. They set aside a day to visit the designer warehouses and shopping malls and Liz desperately hoped that she could, at least, purchase a dress quickly as then all the rest should fall in to place.

They tried on countless dresses and visited what seemed like hundreds of shops until Liz saw what she thought could be the perfect dress. It was emerald green , floor length, with a sweetheart neckline and little capped sleeves - Liz was well aware of her age and wanted to dress appropriately - not too young but not too matronly. When she put it on it fitted like a glove and with the right undergarments her figure would be enhanced and any little lumpy bits hidden. By this time it was getting late and Katrina had to leave so Liz assured her that she could attend to the rest of the ensemble herself.

Over the next few weeks Liz purchased shoes, a bag, and underwear. She arranged for a visit to the beautician for a facial and waxing - even deciding to have something done to her nails, made an appointment with the hairdresser, replaced any old makeup that had dried up. It certainly was expensive to outfit herself and Liz once again thought how easy it was for guys - one tuxedo and you were set for life. She found that she was actually quite excited by the prospect of dressing up and going out; it had been a long time since she had had much to look forward to.

Chapter 9

The day of the benefit arrived and Liz busied herself with the daily chores and making the evening meal for the children. Her hairdressers appointment was in the afternoon and she chose to have her curls accentuated so that they hung softly around her face. Back home she applied her makeup, putting on a little bit more than usual, pulled on her support undergarments (guaranteed to make you feel better) and then slipped into her dress. For her jewellery she chose a tear shaped opal pendant that John had given her on her wedding day, and simple round earrings. Liz loved to wear rings, but fearing that they would snag her dress she only selected a couple which had smooth stones. Last on were her shoes and she was done!! Liz looked at herself in the mirror and was satisfied that she was passable.

Will had contacted her to organize arrangements. He wanted to pick her up however she declined - it was too risky as he would be sure to see or hear something - so she elected to get a cab. She thought that perhaps she would let him drive her home afterwards, curbside drop off only of course, as by then the kids would be asleep. Liz's parents were minding the children and they were very impressed when she came to say goodbye, but a bit surprised that she had gone to so much effort for what they thought was a work function. The benefit was near the CBD and the cab fare from her house was quite expensive, but better than trying to drive herself in all her finery.

When Liz arrived at the venue she was surprised to see photographers waiting to snap pictures of the guests. She skirted around the outside and made her way into the venue, not sure of where to go but not wanting to have her picture taken. Once inside she stopped and looked around - the room was brightly lit and people were standing around in groups talking - she felt quite self conscious and hoped that she blended in. Liz stood on her toes and scanned the room and at last she saw Will, standing to one side chatting to someone. Even though he was side on to her she knew by his profile that it was Will. Luckily he turned then and noticed her - she was caught by how he looked, so tall and broad shouldered. His tuxedo fitted him perfectly as she knew that it would.

Will looked at Liz, smiled and gave a little wave, and made his way over to her. He thought that she looked fantastic and noticed how the emerald green of the dress made her eyes shine. He did not want to seem too effusive so he merely said "you look very nice tonight. I hope that you enjoy yourself"

Liz was a bit disappointed with his reaction but she smiled and said that she was looking forward to it. Will had some news for her - both his mother and sister would not be attending. His mother had the flu and the doctor forbade her to come, which caused her great consternation, and his one of his sister's children was ill. Apparently Nick had told Jenny to come and he would stay home however the boy, on hearing that his mother would not be there, became inconsolable. Liz was secretly glad. She suspected that his mother might not be impressed with her and she feared that if she met Jenny then her secret might come out as their conversation would no doubt inevitably get on to children.

It was time to sit down and Will took her by the elbow and guided her to their table. There were two vacant seats where Jenny and Nick were to have been and three couples already seated in the remaining chairs. Introductions were made and it turned out that the other members of their party were Will's General Manager, Financial Controller (female, Liz was happy to see) and his legal advisor, together with their respective partners. They all seemed nice and Liz thought that it was sure to be a pleasant evening.

During the meal the conversation flowed and the others regaled Liz with stories about Will, and asked her various questions such as how she met him (she gave a vague answer) and what work she did. They were surprised when she said that she was not currently working and Will became quietly embarrassed by that - what would the others think that their relationship was? Would they think that she was some sort of 'escort' or such. He started scowling - yes, why the secret, why didn't she work? He signaled to the waiter to bring him another drink.

After dinner there were the usual speeches and then a live auction commenced - various supporters and businesses had donated items that would now be sold to the highest bidder, with the money going to the childrens hospital charity. Liz had been to fundraising events before at her kids schools, but where the items on offer there may have been a signed football jersey or a TV, here they were luxury jewellery items, first class travel vouchers, and television advertising space! Yes, this was certainly a different league. She listened incredulously as large sums of money were offered and mused that in some cases the bidders did not really want the items, they just wanted the glory of being the top bidder.

Will did not raise his hand to bid but, alarmingly to Liz, he waved his hand several times for his drink to be replenished. Liz was not a big drinker and John had not been either - she could not understand why people would drink to excess and although Will was a big guy who could no doubt hold his liquor she was concerned that he was certainly overstepping the mark. She did not know him well enough to ascertain if this was usual for him, and did not know how his demeanor would be after drinking - would he be happy, sad, aggressive - alcohol caused different reactions in different people. She looked towards the other guests at the table, they knew Will better than she did - but they appeared to be oblivious to it all; perhaps this was the norm for him then, she thought. If so, it is not the sort of 'norm' that I will accept.

Liz tried to engage Will in conversation, but could get not much response from him except for one word answers. The music had started and couples were getting up to dance - Liz remembered the promise that Will had made to dance with her and playfully attempted to get him to stand up. He shrugged her off and muttered that he had no intention of dancing. One of the other guys at their table then asked Liz if she would like to dance and she happily accepted. Though the music was loud she attempted conversation and ventured to ask him if Will was usually this taciturn when he was in a group situation. The man said that Will had been very busy lately with work and was now relaxing, which was a response that really told her nothing.

As Liz walked back to the table after the dance she noticed that there were two young women sitting beside Will. The older you get the younger everyone else looks, but she still fairly certain that they would be young enough to be his daughters. They were clearly flirting with him (who wouldn't she thought, he does fill out that tuxedo nicely) and, rather than discouraging them Will appeared to be flirting back! Liz sat down, expecting that Will would introduce her, but he did not - after laughing with them a bit longer he whispered in their ears and they rose to leave, giving Liz a glance as they went. Liz was quietly fuming; they were not a couple but Will had asked her to accompany him here and the least that he could do was to be respectful. She looked at him and he glanced over "What" he said roughly.

Liz decided then that she would leave, but before she could make her escape a man walked over, slapping Will on the back and shaking his hand. He saw Liz sitting there and extended his hand to her as well, introducing himself as Richard McKinnon. It turned out that he was a professor at the hospital and he had come over to say hello to Will. After talking with Will for a while Richard asked Liz if she would like to dance and she felt that it would be impolite to refuse. Will glared at them as they moved towards the dance floor but by now Liz couldn't really care less what he did.

"So" Richard asked "how do you know Darcy?"

Liz said that they had met during a business dealing (not strictly true of course) and he had asked her to accompany him here, and as it was a worthwhile event she had agreed.

"Yes, we are very fortunate to have such support from the community. Will's mother is a great patron and it is sad that she could not be here tonight". Liz answered that she had not met Will's mother but was sure that she was a lovely lady.

"It's good to see Will with someone nice - he's such a great bloke. It is time that he settled down" Richard continued. Liz was shocked at this and her pulse started racing; is that what people here are thinking about me - someone for Will to settle down with? The dance ended and she excused herself saying that she needed to freshen up. She went back to the table, grabbed her bag, and headed for the ladies room. Once inside the cubicle Liz breathed deeply in and out until her heart rate had subsided; what a disaster this night had been - it was now time to go home.

Liz went outside and got into one of the waiting cabs. She had not told Will that she was leaving but he probably would not notice given that lack of attention that he had shown to her tonight. She thought about how much money she had spent on the dress and shoes, and the care that she had taken, not to mention the lies that she had told her family. That's it, she resolved. No more lies. She would tell her family the truth about the job situation but she didn't quite know what she would tell them about Will - it was probably irrelevant now anyway as surely she would never see him again. The taxi pulled up at her house and she paid the fare, glad that she had popped some extra cash into her purse. She went inside and spoke with her parents, feigning that she had had a nice time, and enquiring about the children.

After her parents had left Liz went into her room and started taking off the layers, starting with her earrings. She did not think that sleep would come easily and decided to have a cup of chamomile tea to assist with this. Just then her phone beeped and she noticed that there was a message from Will - it read 'R u alright?' Liz didn't want to answer however she thought that it was only fair to let him know that she was ok - 'yes, am home' she responded. She felt that he did not deserve any more explanation than that.

Will had seen Liz grab her bag and head to the ladies room. He waited for her to come back and when he realised that she had been gone for rather a long time he made his way over to where the rest rooms were, grabbing a drink from a passing waiter on the way, and stood near to the door hoping that he did not look like he was obviously waiting for someone to come out of the loo. More time passed and though Will knew that ladies sometimes took a long time over their toilette, this was way beyond the usual. It then occurred to him that she must have slipped out and left. Rather than go back to his table and explain her absence to his other guests Will decided that he would leave too - he quickly finished the drink and went out to the waiting cabs. He had actually driven to the Benefit but luckily he still retained enough sense to realise that he could not drive home. Once inside the cab he took out his phone and punched in a short message to her….R u alright?

The cab had just pulled up at his house when Liz sent her message back confirming that she was at home. He banged through the door and was greeted by Susannah York rubbing herself against his leg. "What do you want?" he snapped at her. If Susannah had been a dog she would have been very upset at his tone and would have tried to please him but as she was a cat she did what cats do - showed her distain by seating herself on the sofa with her head pointed away from him and her backside facing him.

Will snorted and went to his bedroom - he proceeded to remove his jacket, tie and shoes, pulled back the covers, and climbed into bed fully clothed. He was snoring in no time.

Chapter 10

Posted on: 2011-10-16

Will woke up with a start - where was he? His eyes hurt and his mouth was dry and felt like something had died in it. At some stage during the night Susanna York had forgiven him and she was now curled up on his pillow, her fur tickling his nose. Will attempted to sit up but the pounding in his head caused him to lay down again….he groaned as he remembered why he felt like this.

Will was not a big drinker and it was unusual for him to even get a bit merry let alone really "tie one on" as he had last night. During his days at university he was like many of the other students - partying all night and waking up the next day not feeling too bad, and then doing it all again. As often happens when you get older the body cannot just bounce back from things as he was now finding out. He looked at his clock and was staggered to see that it was 10.30am - Will was usually a very early riser and hardly ever slept in. He picked up his phone and checked; there were two missed calls, one from his mother and one from Jenny. Of course.

He eased himself out of bed and went into the bathroom. Will was very fastidious about his personal hygiene and he was disgusted that he had actually gone to bed without brushing his teeth! Or taking his clothes off, which he now did. Will turned on the shower and stepped in, letting the warm water run all over him and gulping down mouthfuls to try and sage his raging thirst. After his shower he very carefully dried himself and got dressed; he could not believe that every inch of his body seemed to be protesting, even his hair follicles! Will then went into the kitchen and downed some pain killers which, he thought, he should have done last night. Susanna joined him protesting loudly at the delay in her breakfast and Will put his hands to his ears and whispered to her to be quiet. Even his ears seemed to hurt.

Will knew that he needed to eat something so made himself some dry toast and a cup of tea. As he ate he thought about the night before, or what he could remember of it. He remembered that Liz looked stunning in her green dress but he had only told her that she looked nice. He remembered them all sitting down to dinner and how much at ease Liz was conversing with the others; he admired her for that as talking to strangers did not come easy to him. He remembered her dancing with that pompous twit Professor McKinnon - they were talking and Liz was laughing - why hadn't she laughed like that with him? Will's phone then rang which caused him to jolt in surprise, the action sending shock waves thru his head. It was his mother - Will knew that he could not avoid her forever so he might as well get it over with.

"Hello mother"

"Hello William, how are you this morning?". She seemed to be shouting and Will groaned to himself as her voice caused his head to pound. What, he thought, did she mean by that question? Did she know about his behavior last night?

"I'm fine thanks" Will squeaked "and how are you feeling today". His mother went on about the darn fool of a doctor who didn't know what he was talking about, she would have been perfectly able to go to the Benefit. Will half listened as she droned on but then his attention was caught as she asked

"Who was the woman that you were with? Marjorie Morris told me that you were with someone wearing a green dress. She did not recognize the person at all"

"No, she wouldn't" William replied "it was Elizabeth - remember, I mentioned to you that I was taking her"

"Elizabeth? Elizabeth who"

It's now or never thought Will "Elizabeth Bennett" he said. This caused a tirade from his mother as she accused Will of trying to mock her. He attempted to pacify her with assurances that that was indeed her name - finally the conversation ended with his mother still not convinced and warning him that no doubt the chit of a girl had made it up to ensnare him.

Jenny called soon after as he knew she would - his mother had rung her as soon as she had hung up from Will. He assured Jenny that it was indeed Elizabeth's name, as he had mentioned to her before. He also told her of how he had behaved at the benefit and how ashamed and embarrassed he felt.

"Why don't you ring her and explain. I'm sure that she will understand" Jenny suggested

"Explain what" Will asked "I don't actually know why I acted that way. I'm sure that she won't want to see me again". Jenny said that he should try anyway and Will had to agree that she was right. He now just had to ring her, but when would he do that and what would he possibly say?

As she had suspected would happen, Liz found it difficult to get to sleep after the benefit. Her mind keep going round and round in circles - why had Will asked her to go and had then treated her that way? Sleep finally did come and she woke up the next morning with a dull head which certainly was not from drinking too much. If she felt like this then how must Will be feeling? The thought of him suffering brought a smile to her lips.

At some stage during the night David had crawled in beside her and was now curled up sleeping peacefully. Ever since he had learned to climb out of this cot as a toddler he made his way into her bed nearly every night. When John was alive it was difficult having three in the bed - John would instinctively move himself over so that he had half the bed and Liz and David would have to squish into the other half. As David grew bigger this became more difficult and Liz often resorted to sleeping in his bed. Now that she was in the big bed by herself there was plenty of room for them both.

Liz looked at him while he slept. David was a very outgoing boy, the class clown, but he was also very sensitive and needed lots of hugs and cuddles and his climbing into her bed was a way of getting reassurance that she was still there. Her mother frowned on the idea of him being in the bed and hinted that it indicated some sort of weird behavior, but Liz found it comforting to be so needed and she assured her mother that David would no doubt not be in her bed by the time he went to high school!

Her phone rang and she answered. It was her sister Katrina asking about the benefit; Liz said that it was fine, she had a nice time etc - truth was that she wanted to confide in someone about how awful the night had really been, and how she had in fact been there with William, but she didn't want to do that now when her children might be listening. The next day was Liz's birthday so when Katrina suggested that they go out to lunch the next day Liz readily agreed - she would make sure that she told Katrina the truth about her job, the Benefit, Will, everything!! It was time that she came clean and she could start with her sister and work her way up to the rest of the family.

The next day was bright and sunny - Liz was turning 43. John had always made a big deal of birthdays, including his own, and made sure that there were lots of gifts, so it made Liz sad to think that he was not there to fuss over her any more. Her children had bought her presents and she smiled and said how pleased she was, trying to hide her sadness from them. They went off to school and Liz prepared for her lunch with Katrina - she was relieved to be finally able to tell the truth but also dreading Katrina's reaction.

The lunch was moving along pleasantly, with the sisters talking about their children. Katrina then asked again about the Benefit so Liz saw this as her chance to confess all. She started off by apologizing, saying that she had things to tell Katrina that might come as a surprise. Liz then told her about how she was looking after a claim for William Darcy (much to the amusement of Katrina) and then how her job was ceased. She told how Will had contacted her and asked her to go to the Benefit with him and she had thought 'why not'. She told how Will had acted at the Benefit and what a fool she now felt. Through it all Katrina listened in silence but then she finally spoke

"I am overwhelmed by all of this. I can scarcely believe that it is true. Why didn't you tell me what was going on?" Liz could tell that Katrina was very annoyed and upset at the apparent snub

"I didn't know what to do" Liz explained "I just wanted some time to myself and I thought that if everyone knew that I no longer had a job then they would be concerned about how I would cope. I really didn't mind about losing the job - in fact it was a bit of a relief as I could then take time out"

"The bit with William was not something that I wanted to broadcast because everyone would have an opinion on whether or not it was ok. But as it is very unlikely that I will ever see him again I don't think that I will say anything about it. The Benefit is over and unless anyone brings it up I won't say anything. I will tell mum and dad that I no longer work for Jim - they don't have to know that I actually ceased a while ago".

Katrina was naturally curious about William Darcy. She had heard of him and wanted to know what he was like…tall? Dark? Handsome? Liz thought carefully before she spoke

"Yes, he is tall and has dark hair and, yes, he is handsome. But unfortunately the other things that I told you about him completely negate that. You know, at one stage two young women even came up and began flirting with him, right in front of me! Will did not discourage them and seemed to enjoy it very much". This last part was perhaps not entirely true but Liz was not going to give him any leeway.

The two sisters continued their lunch and when they parted Liz drove home feeling a bit lighter - the burden of her deceit had been weighing heavily. When Liz's parents rang her that night to offer their birthday wishes she told them about the job loss but not about going to the Benefit with Will. They assumed this had happened recently and Liz did not correct them. Naturally her parents were concerned but Liz assured them that she was fine and had the means to support herself and her children. Christmas was not far away and she would look for another position in the new year.

Will spent Sunday feeling sorry for himself, but by Monday he was nearly back to normal and started the week, as he usually did, with a personal training session. He knew that when he got to work his colleagues who were at the Benefit would ask him about Liz - he reasoned that he could either tell them to refrain from questions if they wished to keep their jobs, or could give them enough information to satisfy their curiosity. Not that he actually had much information about her to give, he thought wryly.

His day was particularly busy and filled with meetings and it was not until later in the day that he had a chance to catch up with Mike, his General Manager.

"So Will, how did you pull up after the Benefit?" Mike enquired

Will was cautious - had Mike noticed his behaviour? "Fine thanks", he answered. Short and to the point

"Elizabeth seems nice" Mike continued "where do you know her from?"

"I had a business dealing with her" Will answered brusquely "I needed a partner to satisfy my mother and Elizabeth seemed to fit the bill. As it turned out of course my mother was not even there so I needn't have bothered".

He knew that this sounded harsh but he wanted to try and indicate to Mike that there was nothing in it so no more questions were necessary. Mike, however, was not deterred "I saw Elizabeth leaving - I hope that everything was ok?"

"Yes, she was fine. Just had a sudden headache". Thankfully his secretary interrupted at that moment and so he was spared any further questioning. On his way home he resolved that he would contact Liz to apologise for his behaviour.

Hopefully she would speak to him.

Chapter 11

Posted on: 2011-10-23

Will spent the next few days contemplating what he would say to Liz. It was difficult - he did not have any contact details except her mobile number. He did not know her address, or even which suburb she lived in. He thought about trying to find out her home landline number, but a search of the phone book revealed many E Bennetts and L Bennetts (he figured that she may have her account under Liz). She may even be unlisted or no landline at all! So short of ringing every possible number shown, which Will did briefly think of asking his secretary to do, he would have to rely on the one that he had and hope that she would answer. At lunchtime he walked to the local park, took a deep breath, and dialed.

Liz was not in the habit of always carrying around her phone, so she was often caught out when it rang and by the time she located the phone's whereabouts the call had usually ceased. So it was today - Liz was sitting down eating her lunch when she heard the ring from somewhere in another room. She jumped up and tried to remember where she had last put down the phone, and of course by the time she found it the caller had hung up. The number flashed up, so it was not a 'saved to contacts' person, however it did look familiar so she scrolled through the previous calls and there was the number before - not once but a few times. William!! She thought.

It had been nearly a week since the Benefit and Liz had not heard from William, apart from the brief message that he sent her on the night asking where she was. There had been no apology, no nothing - she had dismissed him as one of the rudest people that she had ever met - typical of those of his so called 'social standing' she thought. Why was he ringing her now? Even he should be able to judge that it was too late for an apology, if that is what he was trying to do. She would need to screen her calls closely from now on as she had no intention of speaking with him ever again.

Will did call a few more times, even left voice mail messages and sent texts asking her to call him. He tried ringing from different numbers in case she had blocked him, but Liz was not stupid and did not answer if she did not know who the caller was. One night she was sitting watching TV when Sherie came in carrying Liz's phone "there's some guy who wants to speak to you" she announced.

Liz carefully took the phone, put it down, and pulled Sherie away "Who is it" she whispered

"I don't know" Sherie answered. "He asked if he could speak to you and I said that I would get you. Sorry" she said in that smart alec teenage way "I was not aware that I had to act like I was your secretary or something"

Liz ignored the sarcasm "Did you tell him that I was here?". "Yes" Sherie said "I told him that I would get you. Sounds like some old guy. He can probably hear you speaking"

Yes, Liz thought, if it is Will he may have heard the conversation and knows that she is here. Her vigilance had been defeated by a 13 year old girl - there was nothing to do but get it over with. Liz went back and picked up her phone "Hello" she hesitatingly said.

"Hello Liz" said the familiar voice on the other end "it's Will Darcy here. Can we talk for a minute?"

She saw that Sherie was now watching TV and Liz certainly did not want her hearing any of the conversation, so she walked out of the room "Mr Darcy, what is it that you want?" she asked. Will was a bit surprised by the coolness of her tone, for some reason he had expected her to be friendlier, but he pressed on regardless. "Look Elizabeth, I'm ringing to apologise for my behaviour at the Benefit. It was inexcusable and you must believe me when I tell you that it was absolutely and totally uncharacteristic of me. I am not in the habit of drinking to excess and being rude and I'm not sure why that happened, perhaps I was just letting off steam or something"

Liz was unimpressed either with his apology or character clarification "Will, it is none of my business what you do or how you behave. Thanks for your apology, but it is really too late for that"

"What do you mean?" he spluttered

"It would have been more gentlemanly of you to ring and apologise the next day" Liz retorted

"I can assure you that I was in no condition to anything the next day except sit on the lounge" Liz smiled at the thought that he had suffered "however I have rung you several times and left messages. Perhaps it was impolite of you not to respond" - he could fight fire with fire.
"Yes I did receive your messages. To tell the truth William, I didn't answer back as I am over the whole thing. As I said, thanks for your apology so you are now released from your obligation. Goodbye"

Liz was just about the hang up when Will yelled "Wait!!" which startled her "Yes, what now" she snapped.

"Sorry for yelling. I just really want the opportunity to apologise in person. Could I perhaps take you to dinner?"

"No"

"Lunch?"

"No"

"Coffee?"

"No"

Liz could tell that he was not going to give up, and she was equally determined that she did not want to see him again but perhaps telling him that in person would finally get her message across. Her children had started calling for her so she said "Ok, I will meet you tomorrow at 1pm at Mackenzie Park. At the War Memorial. Goodbye"

With that she rung up, leaving Will with no chance to say that he would need to check his diary to see if he was free or not.

The next day Will instructed his secretary to reschedule any meetings that he may have for that afternoon. She was very surprised at this as Will was usually against postponing things at short notice unless there was an emergency, as he considered it to be very unprofessional. He told her that he was going to be out from 12.30pm and may not be back in the office until 2.30pm. It should only take around 10 minutes to drive to the park but he wanted to make sure that he was definitely going to be there on time - and as for the duration, he was hoping that Liz would have softened her attitude since the previous night and perhaps they could get a bite to eat after talking.

Liz did not take any extra care with her outfit that day and dressed casually in track pants, runners and T-shirt. There was no need to impress Will and she was sure that the meeting would be over quickly after she said her piece. Liz picked up what she needed - her bag, car keys, floppy hat, sunglasses - and then collected her last accessory, her dog Olly. He would love the car ride and walk in an unfamiliar park, and it would allow Liz to show that she was indifferent to the meeting. Plus it would give her an ally - two against one !!

The park was a longer drive for Liz than for Will so she ensured that she left with sufficient time to be there early and allow the dog to have a bit of a run beforehand. Liz wanted to be the first one there waiting for him, not the other way around. As she suspected Olly was beside himself with happiness at not just going for a drive but a walk as well - at the park he bounded out of the car and pulled so hard on his lead that Liz nearly lost her balance and was hoping that no one, least of all Will, saw her stumble.

After giving Olly sufficient time to sniff and mark his territory Liz made her way to the War Memorial. 'Yeah, first here' she thought, but then she noticed a man standing there with his back towards her - he was tall with darkish hair, dressed in business attire, and she knew straight away that it was Will. He turned around then and saw her, and taking a few steps he was soon at her side.

"Hello Liz" he said, and attempted to give her one of those European style smooch on both cheeks type of greeting. Liz pulled back, distaste clearly showing on her face "Hi William" she responded.

Will was embarrassed by his mistake of assuming that his intended greeting was ok, so he looked down towards the ground and noticed the dog "Oh, I see that you brought company". He reached down to pat Olly but the dog growled and tried to snap at him and Will pulled back his hand in shock. "Olly, No" Liz admonished but she secretly thought 'good dog'.

"Sorry, he is wary of strangers and very protective of me. I usually advise people not the touch him" she explained

"You might have warned me or did you want me to get bitten?" he asked. "I guess that I can't blame you if you did"

Liz was surprised at what he said but jokingly replied that he please not sue her. There was an awkward silence before Will spoke "I just wanted to say again how sorry I am. I cannot believe that I behaved like I did and there is no excuse for it. In fact I hardly ever drink and the way that I felt the next day reminded me why" again he was trying with the humour "I know that you probably never wish to see me again but I don't want to part with you thinking badly of me"

Liz thought before replying. " I don't understand why you would think that an apology would make it ok - what you do in your own time is your business but to ask me along and then treat me with such disrespect is something that I don't accept. If it was not in your character then why did you do that to me?"

They had been slowly walking towards a park bench and when they reached it Liz sat on one end and motioned to Olly to jump up and sit beside her. Will had no alternative but to sit on the other end of the bench with the dog between him and Liz.

Will did not respond so Liz continued "I told you last night that your obligation was fulfilled so I am not sure why you wanted to speak to me in person. Why did you think that would make a difference and why do you care what I think?"

"Also on the night you flirted with two other women in front of me. Do you really think that was ok?"

At first Will did not know what she was talking about and then he remembered "oh, you mean the Smyth sisters? They are social wannabes who are trying to snare a rich husband. You must understand that someone in my situation has many people who want to be 'hangers on' so to speak. Please believe me that I do not encourage or enjoy such attentions"

"Well, you certainly seemed to be enjoying them the other night" Liz said snidely.

"I would not willingly hurt anyone's feelings" Will was starting to get angry, he did not appreciate Liz implying that he was an old letch. "I have known those two since they were young girls and you are very much mistaken if you think that for one minute that I would be interested in someone who is half my age."

The discussion was going nowhere and Liz decided that it was time to state what she was here for "Will, I really don't care what you do or who you do it with. I am just here today to say that I want to get back on with my life and suggest that you get on with yours. Please don't contact me again" she glanced at her watch "and now I need leave so that I am back home in time for my children"

With that she stood up and started to walk away - that was enough for Olly to commence running and Liz started jogging along beside him, not turning round to look at Will. There, she had said it !! Surely that would be enough to ensure that he never contacted her again.

Liz continued jogging until she was far enough away to ensure that Will could not easily catch up with her. She reached her car and climbed in, resting her head on the steering wheel as she tried to slow down her heart rate and breathing. Had Liz turned to look at Will she would have seen that he was frozen on the spot, in shock at what she had said. She turned on the car and drove home sure that the rest of her life would continue without crossing paths ever again with William Darcy. Plus, she realised, he never did reveal the reason for his behaviour that night, only kept assuring her that it was out of the ordinary.

Will's shock soon turned to anger as he digested the information - how dare she leave out this absolutely vital component of her life. His mind went into overdrive - no wonder she didn't work, no doubt she was on welfare living it up whilst taxpayers like him supported her and her offspring. She had probably not believed her luck when he showed a bit of any interest. What about the father? There would probably be a father somewhere and that would mean custody scenarios. Perhaps Liz was married and just looking for someone to have a bit of fun with. Thank goodness that he found this out before maybe wanting to pursue a further relationship with her. His thoughts were irrational and he needed to talk to someone who would make sense of it all and give him some sympathy. He would speak to Jenny.

That night Will rang Jenny. When she answered he said simply "She's got kids".

"Who has kids?" asked Jenny

"Elizabeth Bennett"

"Elizabeth Bennett? What are you talking about Will"

"I met with her today to apologise face to face for my behaviour at the Benefit and she told me that she has kids".

Jenny coaxed the whole story out of him and when he had finished she said "Why is that so unusual? You told me that she was a bit older than me so why are you so surprised that she has kids? It is strange that she never mentioned it before but you never asked her. If I at been at the Benefit I would have found out"

"How" Will asked curiously

"Well, I would have mentioned that it is difficult to get a babysitter and she would have replied that she knew what I meant, or that she had a regular sitter, or that she didn't have kids so it wasn't an issue - so there, I would have found out"

"Good for you" Will said sarcastically

"I don't know why you care so much about this". Jenny then realised something "Oh, you really like her don't you, that's what it is. And you are now disappointed"

"I did like her" acknowledged Will "and then I stuffed it up with my behaviour. But that is of no consequence now - once someone wrongs me I wipe my hands of them"

"Will" continued Jenny "I have wondered why you carried on like that - you surely would have known that it would not impress Elizabeth"

"I don't know - all I can think of is that I was jealous of the way that everyone else was talking easily to her and I was left out with nothing to say. You know that I am not good at making conversation"

"But you had gone out before" protested Jenny

"Yes, but then we discussed our favourite food and movie and actor - all chit chat stuff. You don't talk about those sorts of things at a formal occasion. Anyway, it doesn't matter now. I think that she kept the truth from me so that she could no doubt ensnare me and then I could look after her and her brats. Well not again. Not this time!!"

"Will, that was a long time ago. You need to get on with your life and not assume the worst in everybody"

The conversation ended and Jenny told her husband Nick what had happened. Of course being a man he could not remember what she had told him previously about Will and Liz Bennett so Jenny had to give all the details to him again.

Will had been married 20 years before to Rebecca. Their parents were friends so Will and Rebecca had known each other for many years and as they grew older they started dating. Will was smitten - Rebecca was from the same social background as him and stunningly beautiful, so it was considered to be a perfect match. Will was working hard to make his company successful so that he could provide Rebecca and any children that they may have with a very comfortable life.

Everything seemed sweet but Rebecca had a wandering eye and though Will heard rumours he did not believe them until he could no longer pretend that it was not so. He told her that he wanted a separation and though it torn his heart apart he knew that he could not condone her behaviour. Rebecca moved out of their home however a few weeks later she was back to tell Will that she was pregnant and that he was the father.

Will was overjoyed and agreed to allow her to return to their home with a view to trying again. However it was to be short lived - it soon became clear that Will could not be the father and Rebecca confessed that she was instead pregnant with the child of his (former) best friend. They had decided to convince Will that he was the father and then Rebecca would divorce him and obtain a large settlement plus child support. Rebecca did get a divorce settlement but nowhere near what she had hoped for. The last that he heard of her was that she raising the child on her own and was still trying to snare a wealthy husband.

The whole affair had shattered William and ever since he had only had short term relationships. He had a distrust of women who appeared to be only after his money and status and he had virtually resigned himself to never marrying or being a father. He had thought that perhaps Liz was different but now it appeared that she was just the same as the others.

Chapter 12

Posted on: 2011-10-26

After their eventful meeting in the park Liz felt that Will would contact her again, if only to demand why she had dropped what she assumed was a bombshell, but as the days passed and there was no contact she began to assume that his reaction was as she thought it would be and they would never see each other again. Her baggage must have been too much for him to handle - shame, she jokingly told herself - he sure did look good in a tux!! Well she had not set out to find herself a partner so no use being disappointed.

Christmas was coming and along with that came 7 long weeks of school holidays. It meant an endless round of friends and activities to keep the children entertained and occupied. which grew harder as the kids grew older. Of course following Christmas came New Year, which meant that it was another year since John's passing.

John had the same passion for Christmas as he did for birthdays and he was usually the one who sourced and bought the kids presents and came up with thoughtful gifts for Liz. Her job was to put up the Christmas tree and it was something that she and Sherie looked forward to every year. Liz loved to see the tree covered in bright mismatched baubles and kids craft attempts. Each year after Christmas she would scour the shops for reduced price decorations which would then be put away until the next year, when they would get a surprise at seeing not only old familiar decorations but new ones that she had forgotten about.

This year Liz would take the children to church and they would have lunch with her in-laws and then spend the evening with her family at Katrina's house. There were lots of grandchildren so lots of noise, presents, food and fun. A nice memory before the sad one that would follow soon after.

Christmas morning dawned clear and the weather forecast predicted a warm sunny day which was nice, as the previous two Christmas's had been wet. Each year Will would pick up his mother and take her to church - it was a tradition that he had implemented and his mother was very proud to be able to show off her son to the other members of the congregation. She was a regular churchgoer and Will was not, but he knew how much this small gesture meant to his mother.

He made sure that he arrived at her house with plenty of time to spare - his mother liked to sit at the front of the church and needed to ensure that she was there early in case anyone else tried to take her seat. She had a regular group of elderly women with whom she sat, so Will settled himself into the pew behind her. He looked at his mother and thought that you had to admire her - she was always immaculately dressed with matching hat and bag and she never let her standards slip even though at her age she could get away with wearing comfy clothes and shoes. No, she was just like the queen. The church was the family one that he had attended as a child and he recognized many of the parishioners faces, now much older but still as devoted.

Will had occasionally thought of Liz and wondered what she was doing, but then he would remember the secret that she had kept and he would turn his mind to something else. Today, on this special day, he again thought of her and how she would spend Christmas - would the children see their father? Did he buy them presents? Come on Will, he admonished himself, you are in church and should be thinking about that.

As Will was leaving he felt someone grab his arm - he turned around and came face to face with Catherine Bingham. Catherine was the sister of one of his school friends and she and Will had gone out a few times as teenagers - she was also a friend of Rebecca's. Catherine was snobby and conceited and even when they were young Will was disgusted with the way that she treated those who she thought were inferior, such as shop assistants and waitresses. She was no different now of course! Catherine had been married and divorced three times and each divorce had made her more wealthy.

"William, how lovely it is to see you" she gushed, swiftly planting a kiss on his cheek before he could turn away "you are such a dear to bring your mother to church on Christmas Day, but then you were always very thoughtful. I have just come from Paris, such a lovely city, and am exhausted so it is wonderful to see your handsome face"

Will said hello and attempted to continue walking but Catherine pulled his arm again "I was hoping to return in time for the Black Tie Benefit but it was not to be. I heard that you were partnered by a lady who appeared to be unknown to anyone. I'm sorry that I was not here as you could have taken me instead" (and you could have become husband number 4 was the innuendo that Will picked up).

"I don't know why I am the subject of everyone's gossip" Will was getting annoyed "surely there are better things to discuss than who I may or may not have taken to a function"

Catherine ignored this and continued on "as you know Rebecca is returning home to us. Poor dear, things did not work out with Paolo" Will did not know about Rebecca and had not the slightest idea who Paolo was "when she arrives I will give a dinner party and you will come of course"

"What about her child?" enquired Will

"Oh, I don't know, probably at boarding school or something. Isn't that what you do with them? Anyway I will send you an invitation. You can bring your little friend if you like - I am sure that we would all like to meet her. Ciao"

His mother came up then "Wasn't that Catherine?" she asked. Will answered that it was "Such a nice girl" his mother went on "you two used to be quite fond of each other - perhaps you should ask her out again". Will knew that it was no use disputing this so he just ignored it.

Will dropped his mother home so that she could have a nap and be ready for the night at Jenny's house. He thought about Catherine and how much he disliked her and her kind. There was no way that he would be going to her dinner party - he would fly somewhere to get away from it if he had to. And even though Catherine had not met Liz and knew nothing about her, she still thought herself superior. How he would love to take Liz; no doubt from what he had seen of her she could stand up to them all and cut them down to size.

There it was again - he was thinking of Liz. Comparing her to Catherine and the others. Well, there was no comparison really he thought; he admired how Liz had stood up to him and had not been the least bit impressed by who he was; he admired how she turned up at the park in casual clothes and no makeup; he admired how she had a real dog and not one that is carried around in a handbag. If only she did not have baggage.

When Will and his mother arrived at Jenny's house Nick's family were still there. It was very noisy and there were lots of children running around and the dog was barking. Nick's mother was a large jolly woman and she greeted them warmly
"Will, Greta, so nice to see you again! Merry Christmas". Without giving them a chance to reply she continued on "Will, still as handsome as ever. Do you have a special someone yet, you're not getting any younger you know!"

He wanted to respond that as he was now 45 years old he was well aware of the fact that he was no longer young, but just said "No, not yet. I'm waiting for someone like you to come along" and gave her a big smile. That sent her into a fit of giggles and she went off to tell Jenny what he had said to her. Will knew that secretly Nick's family thought that he was gay, though they would never say that out loud.

Soon the in-laws left and the noise level decreased considerably. Jenny and Nicks children came running in all yelling out to their favourite uncle Will

"Uncle Will, you should see the football that Santa left me. Come and kick it with me"
"No, Uncle Will, come and help me build a spaceship with my new Lego"

"No please Uncle Will, teddy and I would like you to come to our tea party"

He felt himself being pulled in three directions and didn't know which way to go until Jenny stepped in and told them to leave their poor uncle alone. The children looked so sad that he agreed to spend time with each of them in turn. Nick and Jenny smiled at each other and remarked, as they had previously, what a great father he would be.

Once playtime was finished and dinner was eaten it was time for presents. Jenny always advised Will on what to buy the children but she insisted that he purchase the gifts himself. Will hated the crowds and when it came to selecting a Barbie doll he floundered, but he appreciated that it made the giving more meaningful. When he and Jenny were young most of their gifts were selected by their mothers personal shopper and though they always received lots of lovely things they did not have any meaning as they knew that their mother hadn't selected them.

Later in the evening he and Jenny were sitting together. Will told her how he had seen Catherine Bingham and how Rebecca was apparently back in town. Jenny was not happy about this - she knew what Rebecca was like and how manipulating she could be and she hoped that Will would not try to help her or get involved if she contacted him. She asked him if he had spoken with Elizabeth or had sent her a Christmas greeting - Will replied that he had not had any contact with her, but this gave him an idea. Excusing himself he stepped outside on the pretence of going to get some fresh air; but Jenny knew what he was up to, as she always did, and when she saw the flash of light from Will's phone it confirmed it - he was sending Liz a message.

After Will and her mother had left Jenny told Nick what she had heard about Rebecca. "I hope that Will does not have any contact with her - even though she wronged him and broke his heart I fear that Will is still vulnerable to her attentions"

"Jenny, Will is a grown man. He can look after himself" Nick tried to reason with her "I don't think that he would be stupid enough to throw everything away on a pretty face"

"How do you know what her face is like" Jenny demanded "no doubt it is not even her 'real' face any more - there must be so much botox and fillers that she looks plastic"

Nick continued, this time attempting to tease her "and why would a guy who has excess wealth, and no blood-sucking dependents, throw it all away? He is off to London soon for heavens sake. What I wouldn't give to be able to just take off when I wanted to"

"Oh yeah, well you can just go then" Jenny teased back "but seriously, this Elizabeth Bennett that he has seen a few times sounds interesting. I know that she has children but that doesn't mean that she is not a decent person. I wish that Will would see that"

Liz and her children had been to her in-laws for lunch. The families did not meet up often, not for any reason other than there was never enough time, so it was nice for the cousins to get together. John's mother in particular had found it very hard to deal with his death and Liz still felt a bit awkward around her as his mother was always on the verge of collapsing in a flood of tears when things reminded her of her "Johnnie".

On Christmas night Liz's family all met up together at her sister's house. Dinner had been eaten and Liz was sitting on the lounge sipping on a glass of champagne when she heard her phone beep indicating that she had received a message. She went to check her phone but became distracted when someone asked her a question, and so the message remained unopened.

After they had arrived home and the children had gone to bed, Liz sat down with a cup of tea to reflect upon the day. She took her phone out of her bag and remembered that she had received a message a few hours earlier - who would be sending her a Christmas greeting? Liz let out a gasp as she read:

Hope that you have a great Christmas and New Year, Best wishes, Will Darcy

Surely this message was not intended just for her? It was reasonably impersonal so Liz concluded that Will had sent the message to everyone on his contacts list. Should she respond to it? It would be embarrassing if Will had not intended her to receive the message in the first place. Liz chose not the respond to the message.

The days following Christmas rushed by and then it came to the 31st December - it was hard to believe that it had been two years since John's death. They visited the place where his ashes were interred and looked at photo albums and watched home videos. Liz wanted the children and herself to spend a quiet evening together but Sherie wanted to go to a party with her friends and after much pleading Liz agreed to let her go. She knew that Sherie missed her father desperately and meant no disrespect to him by wanting to go and enjoy herself.

Sherie had been a very shy and clingy baby and young child but as she grew older she seemed to gain confidence. Now that she was a teenager she also had developed the laziness, rudeness and rage that they so often have. Liz was usually at the receiving end of her outbursts though they were sometimes directed at David as well. Liz realised that a lot of her anger was because she had lost the father that she adored, but she did worry that she would alienate friends and, later, work colleagues if she continued with this behavior. It was so hard doing this on her own - John was the one who could always make Sherie see reason and he was never coming back !!

January passed by and soon it was time for the children to go back for a new school year. They had spent the remainder of the holidays on sleepovers, movies, swimming, playing in the park, but now they, and Liz, were well and truly ready for the return to school despite their protests to the contrary. Liz had fine tuned her resume during the break and sent it to a few employment agencies but in the meantime she had decided to do some volunteer work at the local community centre and was soon helping out at the child care centre, which she loved.

Will had taken a few weeks leave over the Christmas / New year period as he usually did, and had taken himself off to one of his favourite places in the world, London. He loved the history and the hustle and bustle of the busy city and even though he had been there many times before he never failed to be impressed. He wondered if Liz had ever been to London and if so, what her impressions of it were. It was weird that he thought of her in the strangest places, but he just felt that she seemed to be a passionate person and would have the same feelings about London that he did.

Catherine's dinner party invitation arrived but had gone unanswered - when he returned home he would apologise for his non-appearance. He had a few times spied Rebecca but on those occasions he had simply turned and walked the other way. Once he had heard her call his name but he hurried away pretending that he did not hear her. The past was the past and she had made her own bed and so could certainly lie in it.

He was now back at work and it was as busy as ever, which meant the he was working long hours and arriving home late. Will was often so exhausted at night that he bought take-away for dinner, which was something that he previously rarely did. One night he was sitting down relaxing when the phone rang - it was Jenny asking him to attend a soccer day that her son, Patrick, was competing in. Will had occasionally attended their sporting events before, but he was now so tired he just wanted to spend the next few weekends doing his own thing so he told Jenny that no, he would not attend, as there was an exhibition that he was hoping to go to.

"That's fine Will, you just become an old-fart hermit then" Jenny replied "as you may or may not know, it is soon Patrick's 8th birthday and when I asked him what gift he wanted he said 'I just want Uncle Will to come to the soccer gala day'. So you just go ahead and trot off by yourself. I hope that he is not too disappointed" Jenny knew exactly what to say to get Will to do what she wanted. He knew too that he was being manipulated but how could he say no to a little boy?

"Ok" he sighed. "When and where?"