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Chapter Four

Posted On: Friday, 6 September 2002, at 10:17 a.m.

By the time Lizzy had showered and dressed Richard had prepared breakfast. Lizzy walked into the dining room, where he was setting up a buffet on the credenza.

"Where's the blushing bride?" she asked conversationally as Richard held a chair for her.

"She was in the shower, last time I looked," Richard replied as he went to the credenza and returned with a carafe of coffee. Lizzy nodded at his silent offer and he poured her a cup.

"Why is the table set for a crowd?"

"Oh, I asked Will and Grandma Bess to join us," Richard said as he disappeared into the kitchen. Lizzy blanched, but she'd begun to recover by the time Richard returned. It was to be a Continental breakfast. There was an assortment of pastries, bagels and muffins, in addition to butter, honey, cream cheese, and a selection of jams laid out on the credenza. There was also coffee, orange juice, mango juice (Sarmistha's favorite), and a bowl of fruit salad.

"You've gone all out!" Lizzy said as she looked at the spread.

"We had it catered," Richard said. "We wanted a stress-free morning. You do realize that you'll have to eat all the leftovers while we're away."

"Excuse me?" Lizzy forgot about her hunger for a moment and turned to look at him.

"Mish told me that she'd asked you to house sit while we're on our honeymoon."

"Oh, uh...yes. I haven't decided..." The prospect of staying at Sarmistha and Richard's apartment had suddenly taken on a dimension Lizzy hadn't counted on.

"Oh, you should! You'd be centrally located, rather than having to travel back and forth to the suburbs every day."

"Oh, I was also invited to stay with Alva. She lives uptown."

"Why do that when you can have the place to yourself?" There was a knock at the door and Richard went to open it. Lizzy took a deep breath to brace herself but only Bess appeared a moment later. She tried to hide her relief as she rose and went to the buffet.

"William will be along in a minute. I wanted to get over here and have a cup of coffee," Bess said as she sat down. Richard placed cup in front of her and filled it as she inhaled its rich aroma. "Good morning, Lizzy," she said after she took her first sip.

"Good morning," Lizzy smiled. She selected a muffin and perused the choices of jam.

"That was a cute little number you had on before. Should I ask what you and William were up to on the terrace earlier?" Lizzy's mouth fell open and Richard's head shot up.

"Secret assignations, Lizzy?" Sarmistha asked as she entered the room. She bent to kiss Bess's cheek before she sat down.

"No," Lizzy said darkly. "I was trying to find the cat."

"Oh, was Squeaks here again? I meant to warn you about leaving the window open. I did that a few weeks ago and he scared me out of my wits," Sarmistha said with a smile for Richard, who handed her a glass of mango juice.

"Should that fur bag be roaming the terraces on his own?" Bess asked.

"Oh, he's all right," Richard said. "He doesn't jump high enough to reach the top of the wall anymore, and the wall's ledges are nice and wide if he did manage to get up on one of them. Besides, William has him well trained."

"He's trained him to peek in at people's windows?" Bess smiled.

"Peek! I woke up and found him on the bed next to me," Lizzy said as she reached for the cream cheese.

"Smart cat," Richard laughed. Sarmistha smacked him playfully. "Morning, Will." Lizzy froze as Sarmistha looked up and smiled.

"Grab some food and join us," she said. Lizzy moved to the end of the credenza to help herself to the fruit salad.

"Good morning," she said when William arrived at her side.

"Hello, again." Richard looked up and saw William smile warmly at Lizzy, who seemed to be intently arranging fruit on her plate.

"So what's the schedule for today?" William asked as he took a seat between Sarmistha and Bess, affording him a perfect view of Lizzy.

"Well, Mish and Lizzy are going to be doing whatever it is girls do on a wedding day. You and I are out of here in an hour or so and heading for mom's house," Richard said. William looked at Bess.

"Are you coming with us or staying here?"

"In other words, I'm not a girl and I'm not a young stud, you mean?" she replied tartly. "Maybe Ill just catch a movie."

"Grandma Bess! You are staying with us, of course," Sarmistha said. "I need you."

"Thank you, dear," Bess smiled. "William, please marry a girl as sweet and considerate as this one," she said. She patted Sarmistha's hand and abruptly turned to Lizzy. "How's your love life these days?" Richard suppressed a laugh as Lizzy nearly splattered the dining table with a mouthful of coffee. William ran a hand over his face and Sarmistha immediately acted to rescue her friend.

"You don't have to answer that, Lizzy. Grandma Bess is just teasing."

"Grandma Bess is an incorrigible busybody and you certainly do have to answer me," Bess persisted.

"I'm unattached at the moment," Lizzy said as she felt the color rise in her cheeks.

"Pity. You're such a beautiful thing. I daresay you won't be alone for very long. Oh, I know: isn't your friend Jeremy coming today, Richard?"

"Yes, Grandma Bess," he replied dutifully, peeking at his cousin's face for his reaction.

"Good! He's very available, Lizzy; so is John Corrigan...ooh, and Andrew Stewart. Sweet!" Bess stirred her coffee and sighed. "Too bad you weren't here a year ago. You would have been perfect for Matt, you know..." William looked at his grandmother as though she'd gone insane. "Of course, I'd pair you off with William, but he's yet to meet a woman who can live up to his impossibly high standards and why should you be put through that agony?" William was apoplectic.

"Impossibly high?" William appealed to his cousin. "Do you think my standards are impossibly high?"

"I'm hardly the person to ask, Will," Richard said with a wicked gleam in his eye. "You can ask Becca at the reception--if she'll speak to you." William glared and Sarmistha rolled her eyes. Lizzy felt for William at that moment and raised her head to look at him. However, images of a wet, virtually naked William Darcy flashed before her eyes and she quickly looked away.

"I swear, the two of you are terrible," Sarmistha said reproachfully. "Bring your coffee, Lizzy. I have to get organized and I need your help." She gave Richard a stern look and led Lizzy to the master bedroom.

"Don't listen to Grandma Bess, Lizzy. William's standards are no higher than Richard's. He told me so himself. It's just that women are constantly throwing themselves at him and he's had to become rather selective out of necessity. Richard told me that, too."

"You needn't explain him on my account," Lizzy said as she watched Sarmistha begin to take clothes out of her closet and dump them on the bed.

"Oh, right. Sorry. I guess I forgot that you and William are not friends." She bit her lip and looked at Lizzy imploringly. "I admit that I'm hoping you two will sit down together at some point and iron out your differences. I want us all to be friends."

"Maybe someday, but I doubt that William is eager to bury the hatchet."

"Why do you say that?" Sarmistha asked as she began to sort the clothing into piles.

"What are we doing here?" Lizzy asked as she sat down on the bed and fingered the neckline of a silk dress.

"Oh, I need to decide what to take with me on my honeymoon."

"Where are you going?"

"We're going to a resort in a castle in Ireland for two weeks. I finally found that out this morning and now I have to repack. Richard decided to keep his honeymoon plans a secret till today and I foolishly allowed Jane and Alva to talk me into preparing for something tropical."

"Hah!" Lizzy snorted. "What kind of clothes does one need in Ireland?"

"Who knows? But I need to pack something. Maybe Grandma Bess knows, but first things first." Sarmistha pulled out a large suitcase and hauled it onto the bed. She unzipped it and began to pull out the clothes inside.

"I've got this covered," Lizzy said as she rose to help. "Why don't you speak with Bess?" Sarmistha left the room and Lizzy finished her muffin before she began to sort out the items she knew would be inappropriate. Sarmistha returned a few minutes later with Bess, who was obviously well aware of Richard's honeymoon plans. The women put their heads together and quickly put Sarmistha's wardrobe in order. The slightly anxious bride sighed and sat down with her juice. Lizzy gave her a sympathetic look.

"You haven't eaten anything yet. Let me get you something," she volunteered. Sarmistha smiled gratefully and Lizzy left the room.

"While we have a minute," Bess said as she rose and closed the distance between her and Sarmistha, "I may as well give this to you now. We had a little talk your--mother, grandmother, Richard and me--and we decided on a wedding day strategy for dealing with that 'something old, something new, something, borrowed, something blue' jazz." Sarmistha smiled. Bess settled herself in the other chair and leaned forward to hand her a small flat box. "I got the 'something borrowed.' Richard didn't have anything to lend you, and Faiza insisted on the 'old' and at her age, who was going to argue with her?"

"And my parents gave me my 'new' wedding dress. I suppose Richard was left with the 'blue' portion of the deal," Sarmistha said as she fingered the box.

"Well, don't just sit there, open it! Now, I don't expect you to carry it. Maybe you can just pin it inside your gown somehow." Sarmistha held up the handkerchief of fine Irish linen and examined the lacy tatting around its edge.

"This is so beautiful!" Bess smiled.

"My mother made it for me and it was my 'something new' on my wedding day, since I wore her gown. Both of my daughters carried it at their weddings."

"Oh, thank you, Grandma Bess! I'd be honored to carry this today." She went to Bess and gave her a warm hug. Lizzy entered the room bearing a plate, which she set down on a small table.

"I have the feeling I missed a Hallmark moment here," she teased lightly. Sarmistha rose and showed her the handkerchief and the two women held it to the light to examine the fine handwork. "Oh, by the way, Richard wants a word with you." Sarmistha smiled and left the room. Lizzy sat down in the chair and smiled at Bess. "This is lovely," she said as she ran her fingers over the fine cloth.

"You can borrow it when you marry," Bess said. Lizzy looked up in surprise.

"That won't be for sometime, I'm afraid."

"Oh, I don't know. The men in my family aren't inclined to let grass grow under their feet. Richard proposed just three months after meeting Sarmistha."

"I know, but men in other families may not be as eager," Lizzy said as she handed the handkerchief back to Bess.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about other families. I was only kidding about not pairing you off with William. He is picky, but I think you've got the right stuff."

"Don't!" Lizzy said with more warmth than she meant to reveal. "Your grandson and I aren't exactly friends."

"Sarmistha and Richard weren't friends when they met, either. In fact, they were complete strangers. You think they let a little thing like that get in the way of them falling hopelessly in love?' Lizzy laughed in spite of herself, but she quickly recovered.

"Your grandson and I--."

"Richard told me all about that nonsense. Why don't you just forget all about that and move on?"

"I'm not sure he would want to, especially if he's picky. He may not want a woman who caused him public embarrassment and humiliation," Lizzy said, rising to retrieve her cup of coffee. Bess watched her carefully.

"I think you did him a world of good, personally. Being a man, he'll never admit it, but then there isn't a man alive who wouldn't benefit by a good swift kick to his ego every now and again." Lizzy laughed again. "There; we're in complete agreement."

"About periodic ego deflation, yes; but what makes you think--."

"That you two are right for one another? Oh, wishful thinking on my part. And the fact that William hasn't taken his eyes off of you since you met. We had a whole conversation last night where he didn't look at me even once. I was very tempted to slather my nose with kulfi and yell 'boo' when he turned around." Lizzy laughed at the image of Grandma Bess in an elegant restaurant wearing her dessert on her face.

"Now that would have--." Sarmistha entered the bedroom in tears. Lizzy jumped up and hugged her.

"Sar, what's wrong?" Sarmistha shook her head.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Richard was just leaving for his mother's house and he gave me my wedding present before he left. I'm just a bit emotional."

"You call that a bit? If this is any indication of the kind of waterworks we can expect to see today, we'd better forget the handkerchief and pin a roll of paper towels to your train," Bess declared. Sarmistha laughed and hugged her.

"Would you like to see it?" Lizzy nodded solemnly as did Bess. The two women sat on the bed and Sarmistha handed Lizzy a small box. Lizzy gingerly lifted the lid and gasped at the elegant diamond dragonfly pin.

"Oh, my!" Lizzy breathed.

"I saw this and admired it at Tiffany's when we went looking for rings. I never imagined that he'd give it to me."

"That boy has style," Bess said, taking the box and peering at the brooch. "But he was supposed to give you something blue."

"It has blue sapphire eyes!" Sarmistha said defensively as she took the box and smiled at the pin. "Richard specifically pointed them out to me. Of course, he also admitted that they weighed a total of 0.1 carats all together. But he knows I love dragonflies and he knew that I loved this pin."

"Well, I'm sure we can easily pin it inside your gown," Lizzy said.

"It'll go outside where he can see it, thank you very much. It's a very simple gown and this will adorn it nicely,' Sarmistha said.

"I still haven't seen this dress of yours, you know," Lizzy said. "Where is it?"

"It's next door in William's apartment. He was kind enough to offer it 'sanctuary,'" Sarmistha smiled. "Since they're probably gone now, why don't we go and get it?"

"You two go ahead," Bess said. "I want some more coffee." Lizzy followed Sarmistha across the elevator lobby to the door of William's apartment. Sarmistha unlocked the door and the women slipped inside. Squeaks came trotting out to greet his visitors and rubbed himself along Sarmistha's legs as she headed down the hall. Lizzy wandered into the immense living room and took in the rich mahogany wood, the undeniably masculine color scheme, and interesting objet d'art scattered about the room. She started back toward the hall, but paused to admire a painting over the mantle.

"Lizzy!" Started out of her reverie, Lizzy rushed down the hall and stopped in the doorway of the master bedroom. "Cool, isn't it? I think he said it came the Caribbean."

"The Caribbean?" Lizzy asked as she took in the massive four-poster bed with canopy.

"Oh, yes...very British colonial...probably inspired by the Raj," Sarmistha said from within the confines of William's closet. "It's teak, if you can believe it." Lizzy swallowed hard and stepped into the room. Squeaks came running in, hopped up onto the bench at the foot of the bed and onto the mattress itself, sprawling amid the unmade linen. Lizzy noticed William's discarded towel on the floor as she walked over to the bed and picked it up, but she didn't know what to do with it.

"Silk bed hangings?" she muttered.

"Yes; I got him the silk from my uncle's import business. You've met Uncle Roshan on my mother's side of the family? David's father; he was the one who always teased you and made you blush," Sarmistha said, emerging from the closet with a garment bag in her hand. "I love this room! The saturated colors, the gorgeous fabrics, the quiet elegance--. I gave William the spicy potpourri and candles in here because I thought they'd go perfectly."

"Does Richard know about your fascination with William's bedroom?" Lizzy teased.

"Why do you think he is so willing to redo our own space?" Sarmistha replied. "Let's go." Lizzy followed Sarmistha to the door, tossing the towel back onto the carpet where she'd found it and shamelessly peeking into every open room on her path to the front door.

William checked his watch against the time on the imposing grandfather clock in the living room of the Fitzwilliams' townhouse.

"What are we going to be doing for the next four hours till the ceremony?" he asked impatiently.

"I think the idea was to kick back and relax for a couple of hours till it was time to go to the church," Charles replied.

"What's Richard doing?" Matt asked. "He's been gone for nearly twenty minutes."

"I'll go check," William volunteered. He went up to Richard's old bedroom and found his cousin sitting on his bed reading a comic book. "Isn't it a little late for you to be reliving your childhood?"

"Actually, I think it's a bit early," Richard replied as he closed the book.

"What the heck are you doing?"

"Oh, I just left mom. She and I had a little heart to heart. I think she's in her room bawling her eyes out now," Richard said with a smile. "Anyway, I wandered in here just now and found this."

"Lovely."

"You're bored aren't you? You know, Will, I hate to be vulgar, but I really think you need to get--." Richard cut off his remark as the door to his parents' bedroom opened and Kathleen emerged. "You okay, mom?" Richard asked as he went to her and enfolded her in a hug.

"You call that a wedding dress? You weren't kidding when you said it was simple!"

"Here we go!" Sarmistha laughed and rolled her eyes. "I knew exactly how you'd react. As a matter of fact, I was kind of relieved that you were a continent away when I picked this out."

"I've got fancier underwear," Lizzy complained.

"Don't tell me you didn't have a clue as to what this would be like when you saw your own dress."

"I like simple bridesmaid dresses," Lizzy argued. "I'm going to be stuck with mine for some time and I'd like to think I can actually wear it again without humiliating myself. But brides are supposed to look like brides. This is more like a slip that goes under a real bridal gown."

"I like it."

"Thank you, Grandma Bess," Sarmistha said gratefully.

"The cut is fabulous," Lizzy admitted begrudgingly as she fingered the silk of the simple sheath gown that lacked the merest hint of beading or trim.

"I tried on about fifty things before they let me have this one made," Sarmistha admitted, "but I knew what I wanted and couldn't find it anywhere."

"Jane and Alva? Hah! You should know better than to shop with those two," Lizzy sneered.

"Actually, I went with my mother and father. It was a riot! Daddy cried every time I came out of the dressing room in another gown."

"That old softie," Lizzy smiled fondly.

"He was probably looking at the price tags," Bess teased. The intercom sounded and Sarmistha went to answer it. She returned shortly with her mother and grandmother.

"I think I'm more nervous than you are," Lizzy said as she stepped into the elevator with Sarmistha and her mother.

"It's the thought of seeing him again, isn't it?" Bess asked mildly. Lizzy spun around to gape at her.

"You never quit, do you?" Lizzy said.

"Seeing who?" Jane asked. A twinkle in her eye told Lizzy that she already had a suspicion. Lizzy turned her attention back to Sarmistha, who sighed heavily.

"Are you all right?" Sarmistha nodded. Nishtha fussed with a loose strand of hair and Sarmistha pushed her hand away.

"We can fix it at the church," she said impatiently. All the attention from her mother, grandmother, Bess and her three attendants was beginning to wear at her nerves. She stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby to a round of applause by the concierge, doorman and a few neighbors. Sarmistha's attack of nerves immediately dissipated and she smiled as she and her entourage moved toward the waiting limousine. Jane joined Mrs. Tiwari, Alva and Bess in the second car, while Lizzy got into the car with Sarmistha and her parents. The two younger women held hands and took deep breaths as the car made its way north. In too short a time it came to a stop on Park Avenue and the door was opened. A hand reached in and drew Lizzy out first. She found herself looking into William's eyes.

"Good afternoon," he said, bowing gallantly. Lizzy returned a curtsey and stepped aside for Nishtha and Rajiv. A moment later, Sarmistha emerged from the car, smiling radiantly. William bowed to her as well, but he was rendered speechless momentarily and Sarmistha smiled when Lizzy winked at her. Suddenly remembering his instructions, William bent to kiss each of Sarmistha's cheeks.

"You look amazing," he said.

"Thank you, William," Sarmistha said as she straightened his tie. "You look rather ravishing yourself." William smiled and offered his arm. He escorted Sarmistha to the entry of the church with her parents and grandparents, and finally the three bridesmaids in their wake.

"By the way, I have a message from your cheeky groom," William said. He handed Sarmistha a tiny envelope and started to walk away.

"William? Thank you." William smiled and took hold of Mrs. Tiwari's arm. He escorted her to her seat as Matt did that honor for his grandmother. Sarmistha turned away and opened the envelope. She read the note inside and sighed as tears welled up in her eyes.

"I knew that would happen," Lizzy laughed as Alva reached for her supply of tissues.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help it," Sarmistha said. She handed the envelope to her mother. "Here; I would stick this into my bodice but if it doesn't melt in the heat it'd probably fall straight through to the floor." Lizzy slapped her arm playfully.

"So how did she look?" Richard asked as William returned to the groom's side.

"She looked fabulous," William said simply.

"Yeah?" William smiled. "Details?"

"You have to see her for yourself."

"What are we waiting for, then?" Richard straightened his collar and went to meet his destiny.

"Are you ready?" Lizzy asked seriously.

"Unless you girls want to run out and find a few red velvet capes, I guess this is it." Lizzy kissed her cheek and Sarmistha hugged her tightly. She turned and hugged her mother just as Charles appeared to take her to her seat. Sarmistha watched her mother go then quickly hugged her father before turning back to Lizzy. She nodded and Alva and Lizzy arranged her veil. Then Sarmistha took a deep breath and watched as first Alva and then Jane made their way down the aisle.

Sarmistha gave Lizzy's hand a squeeze before she left, and peeked into the chapel as Lizzy began to make her way down the aisle. She caught a glimpse of Richard and jumped back. Lizzy, on the other hand, smiled when she saw Richard. When William's smile intruded into her line of vision she quickly averted her eyes to the bouquet of flowers in her hand and recited to herself her mantra for the day "don't trip, don't trip." She reached the altar, took her place and turned. The doors were opened at the back of the church and Sarmistha entered on her father's arm. Lizzy smiled when she heard Richard's gasp. Then Sarmistha was at his side and her veil was being lifted. They exchanged smiles and Richard stole a quick kiss, earning a half-hearted glare from the priest.

From that point things moved rather quickly and before she knew it William was extending his arm to Lizzy, who caught a glimpse of Bess in the front row as she reached out to take it. Lizzy blinked and allowed William to escort her up the aisle in a daze. She'd recovered her composure by the time she reached the doors and tried to erase the image of Bess's cagey smile as she went to congratulate the bride.

"I'm so happy!" Sarmistha gushed.

"There's a shock," Lizzy replied as she hugged her tightly. Lizzy hugged Richard as well. "You are the luckiest man on the planet," she whispered.

"I know," Richard said giddily. He waited for his bride to accept the congratulations of Alva and Jane before leading the wedding party into a small waiting room. They were soon joined by Richard and Sarmistha's parents and grandmothers, Sarmistha's aunts, and Anne. "We ought to have found a church with a bigger room," Richard observed wryly. A few minutes later, after posing for a few pictures at the altar, the wedding party emerged from the church. The bride and groom slid into a white limousine.

"This is ridiculous. We could walk to the Waldorf faster than it will take this car to get there," Sarmistha observed.

"I'm looking forward to the five minutes of privacy myself," Richard said as he leaned in to kiss his bride. "In fact, I'm kind of hoping for heavy traffic." Outside of the car, Lizzy made a similar observation to Sarmistha's.

"Isn't the Waldorf-Astoria just a couple of blocks away?"

"One block, actually," William said as he led her toward the waiting limousine. Matt and Alva were already inside.

"I think I'd rather walk, then," Lizzy said. She regretted her words immediately, fearing that it made her appear unwilling to share a confined space with William. However, he waved the chauffeur away and offered his arm to Lizzy.

"I can't let you walk on your own dressed like that," he reasoned.

"What's wrong with the way I'm dressed?" Once again, she cursed herself for speaking too hastily. She quickly took his arm and he laughed lightly.

"Have you checked a mirror lately? You look--well, let's just say that it's nice to have a friend like Sarmistha who's not afraid of being over-shadowed at her own wedding." Lizzy heard the compliment in that statement, but she clamped down on her jaw before she said anything else she might regret.

"Hey, wait up!" William turned and saw Charles and Jane, Matt and Maura, and Alva and Morgan behind him.

"Who's taking the limos?"

"We offered to them to a few of the straggling guests," Charles said. "Walking seemed like much more fun."

"My thinking exactly," Lizzy said. She wanted to extricate her arm from William's but was unsure how to manage it without causing him offense. When they stopped at a light, she handed him her bouquet and bent to fuss with the strap of her shoe as an excuse to slip away from him. To her surprise, however, William took a hold of her free hand to steady her. She stood up abruptly and looked at the hand that now entrapped hers.

"Everything okay?" Jane said archly as she and Charles passed by and crossed the street ahead of the pair. Lizzy blushed as she reached for her bouquet. William released her hand and handed it to her. She took hold of the bouquet in both hands and William took her elbow as she crossed the street.

"Spend a lot of time with your grandmother, do you?" William smiled.

"I was raised to be a gentleman." He withdrew his hand as soon as she was on the other side of the street and she felt the deprivation more than she cared to admit. "You know, I thought Sarmistha was only kidding when she said she chose the bridesmaid's gowns to match your complexion."

"What? She did not!"

"Ask her; she must have seen you blush a lot to have such a good memory of that shade."

"Oh, that's it!" Lizzy sputtered. She turned away from William and was infuriated by his laughter. "Are you done?" she said when she turned around after a moment. William schooled his features and nodded. Lizzy looked over his shoulder and saw the white limousine pull up in front of the hotel. She lifted her skirts slightly and practically ran to meet the couple. "What did you do, come by way of Bayonne?" Lizzy asked as Richard stepped out of the car.

"Did you guys walk?" Richard countered as he handed Sarmistha out.

"It seemed like a good idea," William said. Lizzy glanced at him and he nodded his head towards Sarmistha. She blushed and tried to ignore the challenge.

"We'd better get you inside and get you out of that veil," Lizzy said as she fell into place at Sarmistha's side.

"We have a suite upstairs for the night. I want to go up and fix my face," Sarmistha said.

"There is nothing wrong with your face," Richard smiled as the foursome crossed the lobby. "Come with, Will. You can keep me company while Lizzy tries to improve upon perfection." William stepped into the elevator and Richard noted that Lizzy assiduously avoided looking at him. When they reached their suite, Sarmistha retreated to the bedroom with Lizzy.

"How does it feel to be a wife so far?" Lizzy asked. Sarmistha looked at the clock by the bed.

"Well, the first 26 minutes has been all great," she smiled. She scooped up the veil and sat down. Lizzy immediately began to undo the pins that held it in place.

"Do you want everything off or just the veil?"

"Oh, leave the flowers. Richard thinks I smell good with them in my hair. Of course, I didn't bother to explain that most hybrid teas have virtually no scent and that if I smell good it's because of my mother's attar of roses." Lizzy laughed.

"You're a good wife."

"So, how's it going?" Richard asked as he sat back on the sofa of the suite's outer room. William struggled with the foil of the bottle of chilled champagne that was awaiting the couple's arrival.

"Great. Are you sure we should open this now? Don't you and Sarmistha want to do a little celebrating in private later?" The question was rendered moot a second later when the cork of the bottle came away and the frothy spewed forth.

"Mish and I are very accustomed to having private celebrations without alcohol, thank you. Besides, we can have another bottle sent up later."

"Well, let me do that for you," William said. Richard shrugged as William poured out the champagne. "Maybe we should wait for the ladies."

"Speaking of ladies, are you and Lizzy behaving yourselves?"

"We're getting along just," William paused as Lizzy and Sarmistha entered the room, "peachy." Lizzy sighed and rolled her eyes, a blush reddening her cheeks. Richard furrowed his brows.

"Are you okay, Lizzy?" He rose and fetched her a glass of champagne.

"I'm fine," she said tightly.

"Here you are, love," Richard said as he handed Sarmistha a glass. William cleared his throat.

"Allow me to practice my wedding toast. True love is timeless. Here's to a love destined to last an eternity."

"Very nice, William," Sarmistha said, before taking a sip. She looked lovingly into Richard's eyes and Lizzy suddenly felt as though she was intruding. She took a sip from her glass and rose to her feet.

"Why don't we give you two a few minutes of privacy before you join the party?" she said. She looked at William, who nodded. He drained his glass and headed for the door. Richard and Sarmistha never heard them leave. "They're so good for each other," Lizzy said soberly as they waited for the elevator.

"She completes him, he completes her. That's how it ought to be. The reason why I'm 'picky'--as my beloved grandmother put it this morning--is that I refuse to settle for anything less than what those two found in each other." Lizzy considered his words for a moment.

"Do you think you'll ever find her? The woman who will complete you, I mean?" William smiled to himself and nodded. "And how will you know--."

"If I complete her?" William didn't say anything more. He stepped back as the elevator filled with hotel guests and gazed at Lizzy pensively.

The reception was gearing up when Lizzy and William entered the ballroom. Sarmistha and Richard had insisted on a laid-back affair and their influence was apparent to Lizzy the moment she entered the space. Instead of stiff, formal arrangements the glass vases at each table were filled loose, almost casual clusters of flowers, all of which were the same shade of Lizzy's dress. Waitpersons were circulating with trays of hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Lizzy helped herself to a glass of wine and dove into the fray. Richard and Sarmistha entered the ballroom a short time later and the reception got under way in earnest.

Lizzy looked on wistfully as Richard and Sarmistha took the floor for their first dance. It was one of only a few concessions the couple had made to their harried wedding planner. They'd insisted on having no reception line, no DJ, no intrusive photography or videography. There was no tossing of the bride's bouquet or garter, much to the consternation of the single women anxious to catch the attention of the groom's handsome bachelor friends. It was a simple, elegant soiree that befitted everything Lizzy knew of Sarmistha's nature.

As Richard and Sarmistha danced on into a second song, Lizzy felt a slight nudge at her elbow and looked up. William smiled and reached for her hand. She reluctantly took it and was led out onto the dance floor. The vocalist sang one of the old standards and Lizzy felt a bit like Ginger Rogers as William suddenly spun her around. Feeling slightly lightheaded and giddy, she forgot to feel self-conscious as she allowed herself the brief fantasy of dancing cheek to cheek with the man of her dreams.

Chapter 5

Posted On: Wednesday, 11 September 2002, at 10:20 a.m.

Lizzy hugged Sarmistha tightly and smiled back tears of happiness. The last guests were trickling out of the ballroom below and the members of the wedding party and the parents of the bride had retired to Richard and Sarmistha's suite to say their goodbyes.

"I'll call you tomorrow before we leave," Sarmistha said. "And would you do me a favor and take something home for me?" Lizzy nodded and Sarmistha took Lizzy by the hand. They went into the bedroom and retrieved a velvet pouch from the dresser. "This is the rosary my grandmother gave me today. It's very old and valuable and I don't want to risk losing it. So I'd appreciate it if you took it back to the apartment--."

"Sar, I'm still not sure I--."

"Well, you're going there for tonight at least, aren't you? I thought your parents left already." Lizzy's shoulders slumped a little and she nodded. "What's wrong?" Lizzy shook her head.

"I'm beat," she said with an exaggerated yawn. "Can I take anything else for you?" Sarmistha smiled and removed the dragonfly pin from her bodice. She put it into the velvet pouch.

"I think I left the box for this in the bathroom. You should be able to find it and if not, just put it in my jewelry case, which is in the top right hand drawer of the bureau."

"Got it," Lizzy said as Nishtha and Rajiv came into the room.

"We're leaving, darling," Nishtha said. Lizzy slipped out of the room to give them some privacy. The outer room had emptied considerably. Only William, Mrs. Tiwari and Sarmistha's aunts remained along with the clearly impatient groom. William looked on as the two aunts lectured him about how their niece was to be treated. Mrs. Tiwari seemed to be unwilling to intervene on Richard's behalf, beyond patting him on the shoulder and saying that he was a "good boy." Lizzy looked confused and William sidled over to her. He turned away from the others and explained that the two aunts had seen something on American television about domestic violence the previous night and were just making sure that their niece didn't end up a victim.

"You're joking, right?" Lizzy said. William shook his head. The door to the bedroom opened and the Agarwals emerged along with the bride. Richard rose and walked over to them. Nishtha took one look at him and pulled him into a hug. Whatever she whispered into his ear seemed to lift his spirits. Rajiv also hugged his new son-in-law and pressed a set of keys into his hand before he led the rest of his family out of the room. Lizzy took her turn at kissing the bride and groom one last time and then they were all herded into the elevator by Rajiv. When they reached the street, William took Lizzy's arm.

"Thanks, but the doorman can get me a cab," she said politely.

"We're both going to the same place, aren't we? And in case you've forgotten we still have a limousine at our disposal...unless you care to walk." Lizzy blushed again and allowed William to lead her to the waiting car.

"What do you think those keys were for?" Lizzy asked as the limo sped down Park Avenue. "Did the Agarwals give them a car?"

"The Agarwals gave them a house," William corrected. "Richard told me about it this morning."

"A house? Where?"

"Oh, it's out in New Jersey somewhere, not too far from their own place, as I understand. Nothing spectacular, he said, just a very nice, mint-condition, 3,000 square foot, four-bedroom house on an acre of prime real estate."

"Huh!"

"I know. Richard says that Rajiv is wonderfully subtle. He wants his daughter to be well taken care of, but he's very careful not to give the impression of advising or directing. He wants the two of them to start a family soon and to raise it in the suburbs as the Agarwals raised their daughter."

"He's got Mr. A all figured out," Lizzy laughed. "Smart man."

"Oh, that's right; you know the Agarwals rather well, don't you?" Lizzy nodded as the car came to a stop at a light. "Richard's other theory is since that the Agarwals didn't blow a fortune on giving their daughter a royal wedding they bought them the house with the money they saved."

"I doubt that! Do you have any idea what houses cost in that area?" Lizzy said as William covered his mouth and yawned.

"It has been a long day, hasn't it?" Lizzy said conversationally.

"Yeah, and I really didn't sleep much last night." Lizzy gazed at the passing tableau as the car made its way across town.

"I'd sleep like a princess if I had a bed like yours to do it in," she said absently.

"Excuse me?" Lizzy turned back to her companion and saw his shocked expression.

"Oh," she flustered, "I went with Sar to fetch her gown from your...closet today," she finished weakly. "Your bed is...magnificent," she said, determined that if William said anything other than a simple thank you she was never going to speak to him again.

"I was rather lucky to get it," he said, relaxing a bit and stretching his legs as far as the back seat of a Lincoln Town Car would allow. "It was part of an estate sale and I--. Oh, we're here." The door was opened within seconds and before Lizzy knew it she and William were saying their goodbyes in the lobby of the penthouse floor. "Today was fun," William said tentatively.

"Yes," Lizzy admitted. "It was a beautiful wedding and a lovely reception." William bit his lip and stared at the pattern on the carpet for a moment.

"I'm glad you came," he said finally. He looked up and held Lizzy with his eyes. "Sarmistha wouldn't have been as happy if you weren't with her today."

"Thanks...I'm glad I could be there for her," Lizzy said awkwardly. What did this mean? Was their "truce" now at an end? Lizzy was oddly ambivalent about the matter. She turned away and dug out her key to the apartment. "Get some sleep tonight," she said, turning back to William with a smile. William returned it easily.

"Good night, Lizzy." He opened his own door and disappeared.

"Alone at last," Richard sighed. He tugged at his tie and fumbled with the knot until Sarmistha went to him and calmly took over.

"I'll have you out of this thing in a second." She deftly loosened the tie and pulled it off. "Now, let's see about getting you out of this shirt..." Richard stood and allowed Sarmistha to undress him.

"May I be of any help to you?" he asked when she'd divested him of cufflinks, studs, cummerbund and shirt.

"If you can get this zipper, I'd be very obliged."

"Oh? How obliged--hey, what happened to Duane?" Richard asked suddenly. He'd been nuzzling Sarmistha's shoulder as he undid her zipper--doing more nuzzling than zipping, in fact--when he noted the absence of the dragonfly pin.

"He's gone home with Lizzy. I didn't want to risk losing him on our trip." Richard pouted.

"Oh."

"You aren't upset?" Richard shook his head.

"No," he said as he helped Sarmistha step out of her dress. "We don't need an audience tonight, do we?" He said, laying the dress aside and pulling Sarmistha into his arms.

"Those were very tiny eyes," Sarmistha smiled. "I doubt that he would have seen very much."

"Yeah, but he could always fly in close for a better view," Richard reasoned. "No, it's better with just the two of us."

"It always is."

Lizzy retrieved the jewelry box and carefully restored the pin to its place. She put it and the rosary into Sarmistha's top drawer and went into the guest room to undress. She turned on the light and walked over to the dresser. She took in her appearance in the mirror: her dark hair cascading over her bare shoulders, the elegant sleeveless gown in a pale pinkish peachy shade..."You know, I thought Sarmistha was only kidding when she said she chose the bridesmaid's gowns to match your complexion." Lizzy shook her head as if to discard that particular memory and set aside her bouquet. She got undressed and slipped into her nightgown before she grabbed hold of the flowers and padded down to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and saw the large container that held the remaining fruit salad. A glance at the counter told her that there were bagels and muffins left as well and wondered if she should take some of them over to William in the morning.

"Have you checked a mirror lately? You look--well, let's just say that it's nice to have a friend like Sarmistha who's not afraid of being over-shadowed at her own wedding."

On second thought, Lizzy decided, if William was hungry he could just come over and get the muffins for himself. She tossed the bouquet into the refrigerator and slammed the door. What was he playing at, coming on to her like that? Not only had he openly flirted with her on the walk to the Waldorf, he'd dipped her in the middle of the dance floor! Lizzy colored at the memory.

She'd been dancing with him for a few minutes, completely enjoying herself when William suddenly spun her around. She was amused and laughed at the sensation of being rendered slightly dizzy. He swept her into his arms again and she'd allowed herself to pretend just for a moment, that she was dancing at her own wedding... Lizzy shuddered and headed for the bathroom. She washed her face and reached for the toothpaste.

He dipped her so unexpectedly that she'd cried out. It was exhilarating, nauseating and ultimately embarrassing, Lizzy decided. She didn't want to think about the look in William's eye as he bent over her. Or the look in his eyes when Bess--as good as her word--brought Jeremy Strong over for an introduction immediately after her dance with William was over.

"If you promise not to dip me, it's a deal."

William splashed water on his face and tried to forget the look of triumph in Jeremy's eyes as he led Lizzy onto the dance floor. Why did she have to go and make him look like a fool...again? Of course, William was somewhat mollified when the man standing to his left spoke up.

"That man is an idiot."

"I beg your pardon?" William asked.

"He's not going to dip her, is he?"

"She asked him not to," William replied reasonably. The stranger shook his head.

"Yes and the little wimp will do just as she asked. He has no idea how to deal with Lizzy." William was intrigued.

"And you do?"

"Young man, I gave her life."

Although his ensuing discussion with Dr. Thomas Bennet was rather entertaining, he could not shake his suspicion that the good doctor knew far more about William than he let on. He was also aware that he was being assessed in some way, although he couldn't quite put his finger on exactly how.

"How should one deal with Lizzy?" William asked boldly. The older man chuckled.

"I should think you'd enjoy the challenge of finding out for yourself. I'm sure it's excellent sport," he chuckled. "But I'll say this much; had that young pup out there seen how Lizzy looked when you tipped her over, he'd have her bending backward right now.

William managed a smile, which fell to the ground when John Corrigan cut in on Jeremy and Lizzy. A glance across the room revealed that his grandmother was beaming at her success. What on earth was she about? She'd been a puzzlement all evening, William realized as he left the bathroom and went into the kitchen for a drink of water. She was pushing Lizzy at him one moment and yanking her away the next. It was bad enough that his mother was openly hinting to him that she liked Lizzy every ten minutes; did his grandmother have to add fuel to the fire by dangling Lizzy before his eyes like a yo-yo?
And he wasn't exactly in need of any hints. He was quite capable of falling hard for Lizzy on his own, wasn't he? William emptied the glass and turned out the light. He strode to his bedroom and paused to look at the bed.

"I'd sleep like a princess if I had a bed like yours to do it in."

"Darcy, don't even go there," he said as he turned back the sheets.

Lizzy stared at the ceiling, seeing nothing in the dark. She didn't dare close her eyes or allow herself to think. All of a sudden, William Darcy had begun to weigh very heavily on her thoughts and she was not going to encourage her mind to embrace the idea that--. She didn't want to think, period.

It was a hot, muggy night and Lizzy got up to open the window. Because the apartment had windows on three sides, she also opened the door and allowed the air to circulate through the large space. Richard had said something about upgrading the apartment's faulty air conditioning system, but Lizzy felt quite content to lie in the dark room and let the cooling breeze wash over her body. She'd done that on her first night when she and Sarmistha had been alone in the place. The previous night had been stifling because she'd closed her door to give Richard and Sarmistha some privacy.

She saw something moving at the window and sat up in time to see Squeaks leap onto the bed. He walked over to her and laid down, leaning heavily into her side and demanding to be petted.

"What's the matter? Is your daddy snoring back there?"

William was hardly snoring. In fact, he was far from unconscious. He stood on the terrace and thought about his second dance with Lizzy. It was preceded by a brief battle of wills between his Grandma Bess and Thomas Bennet, although William guessed correctly that they weren't exactly working at cross purposes. They just went about their respective missions in their own way. Bess had presented yet another bachelor to Lizzy as a potential partner and Thomas offered William. Dr. Bennet won the round.

"Aren't you forgetting your promise to the bride?" he said sternly. Lizzy said nothing, but allowed William to lead her onto the dance floor.

"Sarmistha made you promise to dance with me?" William asked as he took Lizzy in his arms, noting that the bride's choice of music made for an agreeable amount of old-fashioned close dancing.

"No; daddy was talking about our promise to behave tonight."

"Oh." William looked slightly put out, to Lizzy's amusement. "Do you think we've fooled them, yet?" It was Lizzy's turn to be put out.

"Am I so difficult to get along with?" she demanded.

"Not at all," William replied easily and felt her relax in his arms.

"Thanks. I haven't exactly been struggling tonight, either," she admitted.

"Haven't you?" he asked, piercing her with his intense gaze. She felt her cheeks glow warm.

"What would you like me to say?" she challenged, thinking of all manner of things she might say and daring to say none of them aloud. William could practically see the wheels turning in her head. He just smiled and enjoyed the dance. To his pleasant surprise, Lizzy did the same. Alas, it had ended all too soon.

Lizzy jumped up when she saw Squeaks hop down off the bed and amble out of the room. She ran out into the hall in search of him and found him a few minutes later sitting on the dining table. He had stuck his paw into the vase at the table's center and was casually licking the water off of it.

"I don't think you should be doing that, Mr. Kitty," Lizzy said as she confiscated the vase and carried it into the kitchen. Squeaks jumped down and followed her. She placed the vase where she hoped he wouldn't reach it, on top of the refrigerator. "Okay, okay. If you want something to drink, try this." She found a bowl, filled it with cool water and placed it in front of the loudly purring cat. He immediately started to drink and Lizzy relaxed and leaned against the counter. "Shouldn't you be at home at this hour?"

William stretched and yawned. When he brought his arms down he saw a light flick on in the bedroom at the far end of the terrace and stepped backwards into the shadows. A moment later he saw Lizzy pass by her window, which was diagonally across from his position. She seemed to be speaking to someone and at first he supposed that she was on the phone. She was standing in front of the dresser brushing her hair and using both hands, however. Was she speaking to herself?

"You're quite the voyeur, Mr. Kitty," Lizzy said as she brushed her and fashioned it into a loose bun. She pinned it securely and felt the back of her hair tentatively. "Not that you're getting an eyeful of anything interesting. Why are you here, exactly, anyway?" Squeaks responded by walking between her legs and rubbing against her. "Great! The first male I entertain in my bedroom on my return to the states and he's got a leg fetish."

Lizzy woke up early the next morning to the sound of knocking at the door. She leapt up and grabbed the robe Sarmistha had loaned her before she left. It didn't take a stretch of the imagination to figure out who her caller was, so she unpinned her hair and checked herself in the mirror on her way to the front door.

"Good morning," William smiled when she opened it. He was wearing a pair of old, faded jeans and a polo shirt that he'd apparently thrown on in haste, judging by the way his collar was askew. She instinctively reached up to smooth it down. "Thanks. I realize it's early yet, but I'm here on a mission for Richard." Lizzy stood back and William went through the door and headed down the hall. "I shouldn't be long," he said. She trailed him and watched as he bent to search through the drawer in Richard's nightstand.

Take all the time you want, Lizzy thought admirably as she noted how well the soft denim caressed William's form.

"I don't see it," William declared. Lizzy started and looked up. William wasn't speaking to her, though. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Richard back. While he waited to be connected he turned to look at Lizzy, who quickly went into her own room and closed the door.

"Hello?" Sarmistha's laughing voice answered.

"Good morning, Sarmistha. May I speak to your new husband?"

"My new husband is in the shower."

"Alone?" William teased.

"No comment," Sarmistha laughed. "May I be of any assistance? He's under orders to stay in there until he can think straight."

"Don't you two have a plane to catch in a few hours?" William smiled when Sarmistha laughed again. He was very fond of her laugh which he felt was among her best traits. "Anyway, he asked me to go over to your place and look for his driver's license. But I can't find it in the place he told me to look."

"Really? Hold on." William walked out of the bedroom and heard the shower going in the second bathroom. He walked down the hall and into the kitchen, where he helped himself to some juice and began to brew up a pot of coffee. "William?"

"Yes, I'm here," William said. His foot accidentally kicked the cat's water bowl when he reached to turn on the coffeemaker.

"Richard's license is right here in his wallet. I wonder what made him think he'd forgotten it," Sarmistha said innocently. But William was pretty certain as to his cousin's motives.

"Well, if he gets out of the bathroom before he becomes a complete prune, would you ask him to give me a call?" He said goodbye and hung up the phone. Squeaks came trotting into the kitchen and greeted William by rubbing against his legs. "Et tu, Squeaks?"

William took out the container of juice, the fixings for the bagels and muffins and arranged them on the dining table. He was sitting in the dining room savoring his cup of coffee when he heard Lizzy call out.

"Where did you go?"

"I'm in here," William replied. Lizzy appeared in the doorway a few seconds later. William looked up from the Sunday Times.

"I was talking to the cat," she replied tartly. "You said you'd only be here for a minute." She softened the comment with a smile and sat down. William poured her a cup of coffee.

"I thought it would be rude to walk out," he said by way of explanation. "And the cat is somewhere around here," he added, peeking under the table to see the cat bathing itself at his feet.

"Did you find Richard's...whatever?" William frowned.

"No, Sarmistha did. It seems he--." William paused as the phone rang. Lizzy went into the kitchen to get it.

"Hello, Sar! How does it feel waking up as a married lady?" Lizzy teased. She toyed with her damp hair as she made small talk. William pretended to read, but he was truly far more interested in the long, tan legs emerging from a pair of trim denim shorts and Lizzy's midriff-baring top wasn't hard on his eyes, either. He also found her bare feet oddly distracting. "Oh, yes; here he is." Lizzy walked over to the table and handed William the phone. As she retreated to her seat, William savored the faint aroma of her citrusy shower gel.

"Hello?"

"William, I have my soggy husband here for you," Sarmistha said. "He's looking rather wicked, as though he ought to be sent back to the shower, in fact. Don't go easy on him."

"I have no such intention," William said, although he realized that he could hardly ask the questions he really wanted to with Lizzy sitting on the other side of the table.

"Will? Where are you?" Richard said.

"That can hardly be a surprise to you now, can it?" William replied tersely. "What's with the spontaneous wild goose chase?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't toy with me, Fitz!"

"Oh, the license thing? Sorry about that; I'm not thinking too clearly this morning," Richard smiled.

"So Sarmistha said. I hope she realizes that it's very likely a permanent condition." Richard smiled at the jab. He was in too good a mood to care.

"Speaking of permanent conditions, Will, you have a prime opportunity to work toward improving yours over the next two weeks."

"What do you mean by that?" Sarmistha's outcry obviated the need for William to ask.

"I just meant that maybe by the time we return from Ireland William and Lizzy will have made peace, that's all."

"Yeah, right," William said pleasantly as he looked at Lizzy benignly.

"Look, we ought to get moving. Do you want to speak to Lizzy again, Mish?" William heard her say yes.

"You two have a great trip," William told Richard before he handed the phone to Lizzy. She'd been perusing the real estate section and looked up blankly to take it.

"Hello?" Lizzy took the phone and walked out onto the terrace off the dining room.

"Hi, Lizzy. Did you find the case for the pin?"

"Oh, yes; I put the pin in its box and both of your treasures are in that drawer."

"Thank you. Now, I want your impression of the wedding and reception yesterday."

"They were both wonderful! The ceremony was so romantic and Richard was so cute when he suddenly couldn't pronounce your name," Lizzy smiled. "And I think your wedding reception was every bit your childhood fantasy come true. It was so nice. I'm really glad I was there yesterday, Sar, and I'm sorry I ever considered not standing up with you at the altar."

"I'm glad you were there, too," Sarmistha said.

"Tell me something," Lizzy said, peeking into the room and lowering her voice slightly. "What made you choose that particular pink for the gowns?" Sarmistha laughed.

"Was it Diana Vreeland who said that pink was the navy of India? Anyway, I love pink, as you know, but I thought that a bright pink would be too garish for most of Richard's side of the family. So I looked for a pale color that was just right. Mother and I were looking at fabrics in Uncle Roshan's warehouse and I saw this beautiful shade that for some reason or other reminded me of you. I knew it would be perfect and I knew it would flatter the complexions of all the bridesmaids, even though I gave you a slightly different hue."

"William said my dress matched my complexion," Lizzy admitted.

"He told me that, too!" Sarmistha laughed. "I think he was right. You looked so beautiful yesterday. You should have a dress that color when you get married."

"If I ever get married, you mean," Lizzy sighed.

"Oh, I think you will. You excited the attentions of a lot of men last night. Richard referred all inquiries to me and believe me, there was more than a handful. Now, do me one more favor, will you? Go into my bedroom and open the closet." Lizzy went into the bedroom and did as she was bidden. "Now, look up on the shelf and you'll see a box."

"The big white one?"

"The same; take it down."

"Okay, got it. Now what?"

"Now you open it, silly! It's a little something to thank you for being the best friend in the world. That can wait till you're off the phone, though. Anyway, I have to get dressed. Our plane leaves in three hours and we have to get out of here."

"You and Richard have a wonderful time," Lizzy said fiercely.

"We will. Take good care of our apartment and William, will you? He's not really such a bad guy and I think he's a little lonely lumbering around in that big apartment all on his own."

"Doesn't he have a lady friend?"

"Not lately; gotta go. Love you!" Sarmistha hung up and Lizzy sighed again. She carried the phone down the hall to the kitchen and hung it up before returning to her breakfast.

"So, exactly what were you about?" Sarmistha asked as she zipped the garment bag containing her dress and veil closed. Richard's mother was coming by to pick it up, along with a few other items she wouldn't be needing on her honeymoon.

"What do you mean?" Richard asked innocently.

"You know perfectly well what I mean! Why did you send William over to our place?"

"I thought he might want to have breakfast with Lizzy. You know he'd be too shy to invite himself over."

"Are we speaking of your cousin, William--the man who heads a division of a very successful corporation?"

"The very one," Richard replied calmly. He took Sarmistha by the hand and led her to a chair. "He can be very shy around women sometimes."

"Hah!"

"He seems rather interested in Lizzy, so I thought I'd--."

"No!" Sarmistha's passionate response stunned her husband.

"What?"

"Don't even think about it! Lizzy is not interested in William, Richard." He squinted at his wife.

"Were we on the same planet yesterday?" He immediately retracted from his misstep. "Look, all I know is that when Lizzy and William were tripping the light fantastic on the dance floor last night there was magic in the air."

"You were probably projecting. Look Richard, I know Lizzy and I know she's not the slightest bit interested in William. Besides, have you forgotten that she was only tolerating him on our account?"

"So, did anything important happen while we were making merry yesterday?" William lowered his paper and smiled sheepishly.

"Forgive me. Reading the paper is my favorite Sunday morning indulgence and I get kind of wrapped up in it."

"There's no need to apologize," Lizzy smiled, amused at making William blush for a change. They ate breakfast, chatted, and read the papers for an hour or so, till the intercom buzzed and Lizzy rose to answer it. "I'm not expecting anyone," she said as she went to the panel by the door. She returned to the dining room a moment later. "Your mother is on her way up," Lizzy announced. William's eyes went as wide as saucers, much to Lizzy's delight. She went to answer the door before William could speak. He was out of the chair and went past her through the door an instant later.

"Mother--I wasn't expecting you," William sputtered.

"I know, Willums," she said as she headed for his door.

"In here, Mrs. Darcy," Lizzy said with quiet amusement. Anne turned and saw Lizzy standing at the open door. "We were just having breakfast when you came." She glanced back at William and he groaned inwardly. She held the door as first Anne then William went through. "Willums?" she whispered softly as he passed. He smiled and followed his mother into the dining room.

"We decided to finish up all the leftovers from yesterday's big breakfast," William offered as an explanation. "Please join us," he said as Lizzy brought in a plate and cup.

"I've already had breakfast, but I wouldn't refuse a cup of coffee," Anne said as she took a seat. She observed Lizzy for signs of having spent the night with her son and quickly realized that she wouldn't know what to look for. She noticed Lizzy's bare feet and saw that her son's feet were equally bare. "If you've been over here all...morning, how did the doorman--?

"It's easy," William said, ignoring his mother's implied query. "Henry knows that I'm usually to be found over here on Sunday mornings most weekends."

"I see." Anne took a sip of coffee. "I like your toe rings, Lizzy."

"Oh, thank you," Lizzy replied, uncertain as to whether or not she was serious. "Sar and I bought them at a bazaar in Dubai."

"Yes, I think I saw Sarmistha's toes similarly decked out at the picnic," Anne replied. A silence fell over the room for several seconds. William and Lizzy ate and Anne quietly observed them.

"So, what brings you downtown this morning?" William asked.

"Oh, Kathleen and I are meeting Nishtha for lunch and--."

"It's not even eleven o'clock!" William blurted before she could finish.

"And I thought that since she had to run a few errands I'd come and visit my firstborn son. Count your blessings that I came alone," she said with a significant look at Lizzy. The object of that look froze like a deer in the headlamps of an oncoming truck.

"So Aunt Kathy is coming over as well?" William asked, trying to keep the inflection of annoyance out of his voice.

"No; she volunteered to pick up Sarmistha's dress and Richard's tux and take them to the cleaners. That saved Nishtha some trouble since she has her in-laws to deal with and gave Kathy a chance to see Richard off. There are a few other things to gather that were left at the hotel yesterday. You know you're right," Anne said, digging into her purse, "she may as well meet me here. She should be at the airport by now" she said as she dialed her phone. "Except for the clothing I think most of the stuff she's collecting belongs here--unless you two..." Lizzy quickly shook her head and William followed suit.

"I'm fine with it. In fact, if Sar had mentioned it I would have been happy to go up and collect her stuff myself," Lizzy said. "I'll be around all day," she said as she rose and began to clear away the remains of her meal.

"Me, too," William said. "Next door."

Kathleen gave Richard a final hug and stepped back. "You two have a wonderful trip," she said.

"Thanks for driving us to the airport, mom," Richard replied.

"Yes, mom, thank you," Sarmistha smiled impishly. She hugged Bess and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you both for everything." Richard took her hand and the two of them went into the terminal. Bess and Kathleen got back into the car and headed for Manhattan.

"So, we're meeting Anne at William's apartment," Bess said. "What's she doing there?"

"They've really done a lot with this place," Anne said as she surveyed the living room. "Last time I was here with Constance I think this room only had a coat of paint."

"Constance is the interior decorator responsible for both our apartments," William explained, "although I had a lot of stuff from my old place and Richard had virtually nothing when he moved in here except a few things from his college apartment. Not the kind of thing for a penthouse," he said dismissively. He checked his watch again and wondered what his mother was playing at, showing up at his place unannounced on a Sunday morning and casting suspicion on the perfectly innocent circumstances of his breakfast with Lizzy. And now she seemed unwilling to go next door.

"I see a lot of Sar's influence here," Lizzy noted. She was somewhat bored with having to entertain William's mother with an apartment tour, but she was learning a great deal about both him and her best friend's husband and that opportunity was irresistible.

"Yes," William said. "Somehow, even though she made a concerted effort to stay in the background, her color sense pervaded the space. All the chosen colors got darker. The pale yellow in the guest bedroom became saffron, the white in the kitchen became a rich sage...and it spread to my apartment, too! You saw my bedroom, Lizzy," William said. He saw Anne look up with interest and bit his tongue. Lizzy noticed his unease.

"Yes, Sar showed it to me yesterday. There's a lot of rich color in both apartments," Lizzy said casually. "Except in here," she amended as they entered the master bedroom.

"This is lovely," Anne said as she admired the pale blue walls and blond wood furniture.

"Sarmistha hates it," William and Lizzy said in unison. They smiled at each other as Squeaks came in and hopped onto the bed.

"What's he doing here?" Anne asked suspiciously. Squeaks climbed onto the box Lizzy had left lying on the bed. William walked over to the bed and scratched his head.

"That's mine, Mr. Kitty," Lizzy said as she gently freed the box. "We had a long talk last night about your standing on my things, didn't we?

"Did you?" William teased lightly. Lizzy looked up at him and colored slightly.

"Well, we did spend the night together again," Lizzy explained sheepishly. Anne spun around.

"Again?" Anne blurted.

"I meant the cat," Lizzy said before she carried the box into the guest room. She laid the box on the bed and started when the intercom buzzed again.

"I'll get it," William called. Lizzy turned back to the box and opened it. It contained pale, rosy peach silk, very likely more than enough to make a wedding dress.

Chapter 6

Posted On: Saturday, 14 September 2002, at 8:57 a.m.

William dragged his mother with him to the intercom and let her into his apartment before Kathleen and Bess arrived at the penthouse level. Anne went willingly, although her eyes clearly indicated that she was still more than a little curious.

"Hello, William," Kathleen said as he relieved her of the duffle bag in her hand. William gave her a kiss before reaching out to embrace his grandmother.

"Hiya, handsome," she said. William waved the women into his apartment and closed the door. Across the hall, Lizzy sighed in relief. She'd had more than enough company for one day. If forced to admit it, though, she'd have to say that she enjoyed her breakfast with William. In fact, for an hour or so, she had almost forgotten that she and William weren't friends. Lizzy closed the box of fabric and placed on the chair in the corner of her room. She went back to the dining room and picked up the newspaper.

She would have to find a place to live and late summer was supposedly a great time to look. Of course, there really wasn't any rush. Sarmistha and Richard had already made it clear that Lizzy was welcome to stay on at their apartment for as long as she needed to. Alva had also offered to put her up in her spare room and just yesterday Nishtha and Rajiv had offered Lizzy the use of their Upper East Side pied-a-terre. Lizzy, however, was perversely determined to sleep under her own roof as soon as possible. Her parents had offered to provide financing if she chose to buy a place. But Lizzy didn't even know where to begin looking or even what she wanted.

I want a bedroom large enough to hold that bed, Lizzy's brain decided treacherously, which led her into even more dangerous thoughts. Lizzy slammed down the paper and went to see if there was any coffee left. She poured out a cup and sat down again, but she picked up the Arts and Leisure section of the Times and looked for something interesting to do far away from William Darcy.

"It was such a lovely wedding," Kathleen said. "Richard looked so happy."

"And Sarmistha looked so beautiful," Anne concurred. "That dress; so elegant, perfectly tailored with just a hint of sparkle."

"Duane." All three women looked up at William, who smiled to himself.

"William, where's Lizzy? You haven't left her all alone in that huge apartment, have you," Bess frowned as she rose to her feet and headed for the door.

"We just left her, mother," Anne said. "William apparently spent some time with her earlier this morning," she said with enough emphasis to excite Bess's interest.

"How much earlier?" William rolled his eyes.

"About an hour, Grandma Bess," William said with a glare for his mother. "What's going on? Why are you three really here?" he asked suspiciously.

"I can't speak for your mother," Kathleen said, "but I spoke to Nishtha this morning and we decided to have a ladies' lunch at the Plaza. She had her hands full with Padma and Madhavi, so I volunteered to make a run over to the Waldorf to pick up the wedding clothes. Mother came with me and we took Richard and Sarmistha to the airport. That's when Anne called to invite me over." William looked at his mother. Then he turned to look at Bess, but she was gone.

Lizzy didn't realize that the front door had been left unlocked until she heard Bess call her name. She cringed for a second then bravely rose to meet her fate.

"Good morning," Bess said pleasantly. "I was next door visiting Will and thought I'd just say hello."

"Hello, Grandma Bess," Lizzy said graciously. "May I offer you some juice or coffee?"

"Thank you; I'd love some of that juice Sarmistha had yesterday if there's any left." Lizzy offered her a seat and fetched Bess a glass of mango juice.

"I just wanted to let you know that I saw the happy couple this morning. By now they're winging their way to Ireland." Lizzy smiled.

"I spoke with Sar this morning. She was still on cloud nine."

"Well, why shouldn't she be? She married my adorable grandson," Bess said with great affection. Here it comes, Lizzy thought, but the expected torment didn't come. "So how are you this morning?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Lizzy said, "although I think I'm not going anywhere that requires two-inch heels again for at least a month!"

"I know the feeling," Bess said as she lifted a foot to show off her flat shoes. "So are you planning to lie low today?"

"No, actually, I've been thinking about getting out of the house. I've been in the country for a week now, but aside from wedding related activities I haven't gotten out and done anything."

"There's a lovely exhibit at the Metropolitan's Costume Institute," Bess suggested. "And the American Craft Museum has a spectacular exhibit of glass."

"I was just reading about that," Lizzy said with a wave at the newspaper. "But you know what I really feel like doing?" Lizzy smiled conspiratorially. "I want to shop at Saks!" Bess laughed.

"Then, by all means, go for it! You deserve a day of pure fun."

"I do, don't I?"

"There are probably a half dozen new shops on Fifth Avenue you haven't seen."

"Care to join me?" Lizzy found herself asking eagerly. Bess's smile faded.

"I'm already committed to having a boring lunch with my daughters," she sighed. "But I'll take a rain check." Lizzy smiled.

"What did you say to her?" William demanded as soon as his grandmother reappeared twenty minutes later. His mother and aunt were at the other end of his apartment and he'd taken to hovering near the entrance to catch the earliest intelligence of Bess's return.

"I said hello--what do you think I said to her?" Bess said testily. She strode past him into the living room.

"I was just concerned because mother was over there earlier--. She's a bit tired from yesterday..." William said hesitantly.

"Your mother? What did she have to do yesterday?" Bess asked obtusely.

"I meant Lizzy," William said exasperatedly. "She's been inundated with visitors all morning." Bess took in William's expression and smiled sympathetically.

"Well, we'll leave her alone for the rest of the day, then." William wasn't sure what that meant, but he was somewhat mollified to know that Lizzy wouldn't be subjected to any more surprises.

Lizzy returned to the apartment with her arms weighted down with shopping bags. On the cab ride home she'd spied a restaurant that Sarmistha had spoken of and decided to venture out for dinner. She took a shower, slipped on a sundress and headed out again, enjoying the solitude that she'd so recently found so oppressive.

Lizzy was seated near the window of the restaurant and settled in with the menu. She also had a book to keep her company until her meal arrived. She was nearly through her seafood salad when she looked up and saw William walk by. He was carrying a shopping bag from a pet shop in one hand and a small bag from a bookstore in the other. Lizzy wondered how he'd spent his day. It was, in fact, not the first time William had entered her thoughts.

While walking through the men's department of Saks to reach the exit, Lizzy caught herself admiring a sweater and imagining it on William. She'd also thought she'd found the perfect leather coat for him in a boutique window, thought she saw him passing by on a bus and--more times than she cared to admit--her thoughts turned toward sharing that massive bed--and her life--with William Darcy. Lizzy closed her book. Where did that come from?

"Your table manners are appalling," William said to Squeaks as he watched the feline tear into a piece of beef. William was on the terrace outside his dining room eating his dinner. He'd grilled a steak and was now enjoying it with a cold beer and his faithful, if slovenly, companion. He caught a movement in his peripheral vision and knew that Lizzy had returned from her outing. William had given in to temptation and gone across the hall to invite her to dinner. He was disappointed when he got no response. At least now he knew that she hadn't been home all along and in hiding.

Squeaks hopped off of the chair he was occupying and trotted over to her window. He jumped up on the sill and rubbed himself against the glass until Lizzy noticed him. She opened the window and as she did so, she saw William wave. Lizzy smiled and waved back.

"Have you eaten?" he called. Lizzy couldn't make out his words and held up a hand to tell him to wait a minute. Then she walked around to the terrace door in the master bedroom and made her way to William's side of the terrace.

"I would have thought that these terraces would have some sort of partition between the properties," Lizzy said as she came within earshot. William rose and wiped the empty chair with a napkin and offered Lizzy a seat.

"There used to be. You look lovely," he said as she sat down. "May I offer you a beer?"

"Thank you...to both," Lizzy said. William stepped inside and emerged a minute later with a bottle of imported beer and a chilled glass.

"Richard, Sarmistha and I like to sit out here in the evenings and toast the sunset," he smiled. "Have you eaten?"

"Yes," Lizzy replied, "I went to a little restaurant Sarmistha recommended. She left me a whole list of things to do and places to go in the neighborhood."

"Sarmistha is nothing if not thorough. I suppose that's what makes her a good editor." William took a sip and watched Squeaks rubbing Lizzy's legs with no small amount of envy. "So you went out?"

"I went shopping," Lizzy confessed. "All the time I was in Asia I craved a shopping excursion on Fifth Avenue. Don't get me wrong; there were great markets, bazaars, and even department stores to be found, but nothing beats the thrill of elbowing your way through the sale crowds at Saks or Bendel's."

"So what did you buy?" William asked. Lizzy hesitated for a moment.

"Among other things, a bathing suit...two bathing suits, actually. I can't remember the last time I wore one. It must be close to a year and a half ago."

"Well, there are still five or six weeks of beach weather left," William replied. "I should think you'd be able to get some use out of them. By the way, fashion pundits will warn against shopping at the end of the season because this year's suits will be out of style next year. On behalf of men everywhere, let me tell you that it's a crock. We don't care when a suit was made, so long as you wear it."

"That's my plan' Lizzy laughed. "I was thinking of going out to Montauk for a few days. My parents used to spend their summers out on the eastern shore of Long Island, but they sold the house when it became overrun with celebrity wannabes and geek entrepreneurs."

"Hey! Richard's a geek entrepreneur!" William said in defense of his cousin.

"Sorry!" Lizzy laughed. "But I have a very hard time thinking of him as a geek. Tell me about Richard," she asked. "I really don't know that much about him, except that he's apparently the best man on earth and he has impeccable taste in women." William smiled.

"Richard is the youngest of the three male cousins on my mother's side of the family. We grew up across the street from one another so we were always together: Matt, Richard and me. Matt and I are the same age, Richard a year younger, but for some reason, he and I have always been a bit closer. Maybe it's because we have--no, that's definitely not true," William chuckled.

"What's not true?" Lizzy demanded.

"I was going to say that we have similar personalities but no one who's known us for more than an hour would agree with that."

"True enough; I can't say that I know your personality at all, but I definitely wouldn't say that you and Richard are similar."

"Yeah, he's the original happy go lucky type. I'm more the dark, tormented, brooding soul."

"Are you? You haven't struck me as dark and brooding type--though you certainly have the right looks for it."

"Thanks, I think..." Lizzy laughed.

"Go on; you were telling me about Richard."

"He's the kind of person everyone only has good things to say about--a nice guy in the best sense of the word. When he met Sarmistha, however, he was a changed man."

"In what way?" Lizzy asked, leaning forward and propping her chin.

"It's hard to describe. She breezed into his life and really opened his eyes to a world he never saw before, as though he'd been just going through the motions up to that point. He'd been in a few relationships, but he'd always valued his independence above anything and never even thought about marriage till the day they met. But after that first cup of coffee with her, I think he knew she was the one. She was all he talked about for days. And as they became involved he really came alive in a whole new way. She has that effect on people, you know?" Lizzy nodded.

"She does light up a room." Lizzy toyed with a droplet of condensation on her glass. "You sound as though you're a little in awe of her."

"I guess I am, a little. Don't get me wrong," William said hastily, "it's not what you're thinking. I guess I envy Richard...a lot. I envy what he's found with her, what she does for him." William paused and looked at Lizzy, who was carefully avoiding his eyes. "You asked me yesterday when I'd know if I completed the woman I fell in love with." Lizzy looked at him expectantly. William gestured loosely at his mouth. "If she starts babbling this sort of nonsense I'd take it as evidence that I'm on the right track." Lizzy laughed and William joined her.

"So tell me about yourself," she ventured boldly.

"I was born at a very early age..." Lizzy giggled into her glass.

"What do you do for a living?"

"I'm the scion of my father's empire, whatever that means."

"I think that means that unemployment will never be a problem for you," Lizzy said archly. William chuckled.

"My father owns a publishing company."

"Let me guess: Darcy Press?"

"Sarmistha said you were as smart as a whip," William said with smile.

"As I recall it's primarily an academic press."

"Yes, primarily, but we have a growing trade division and a magazine division, which I head up."

"So I heard," Lizzy replied. "Do you only have the one sister?"

"Oh, she's more than enough for any family. Her name is Georgiana and she lives in England with her boyfriend. I think you were introduced to Christopher Brandon at the wedding."

"I met both of them, yes. She had flattering things to say about you as well."

"I'll just bet she did," William smirked. Lizzy bit her lip for a moment and then succumbed to curiosity.

"Why didn't you tell me she was your sister Friday night?"

"You didn't ask," William shrugged. Lizzy swallowed the retort that sprang to her lips.

"And Matt works for Christopher?"

"Uh huh," William said. "He's yet another 'geek entrepreneur' and Matt does a lot of scouting for his future business ventures. It's a rather interesting career."

"What would you be doing if you weren't being groomed for the family business?"

"Oh, I think I'd like to start a business of my own. I'm actually a minor partner in Richard's company, but I have no head for that geeky stuff."

"What manner of geeky stuff?" As William answered her question, Lizzy gave up her internal struggle and admitted that she was falling for him. It no longer surprised her that she should develop feelings for the man. She had been attracted to him from day one and thought about him constantly over the past week. She'd been shocked when he'd turned on his charm after the wedding. Prior to that, she had been under the impression that he'd just been keeping his promise to his cousin. But his behavior on Saturday suggested something very different. Either William Darcy was falling for her, too, or...was it possible that he was toying with her? Stoking her fire and cranking up the heat for his own amusement, perhaps to later avenge himself on her for her past deeds? As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Lizzy's face darkened. She felt a warm hand lightly touch her own.

"Are you all right, Lizzy?" She looked up and saw genuine concern in William's eyes. Lizzy tried to swallow her fears as she gently pulled her hand away and sat back.
as she gently pulled her hand away and sat back. "You look as though the light just went out in there."

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm tired from all the running around I've done these last few days."

"That's understandable," William said. "Perhaps you should turn in early," he suggested, but Lizzy could see his disappointment as he said it. She lifted her glass.

"May I have another one of these first?" William smiled and went to fetch her another beer, taking the opportunity to clear the table of his dinner plate as well. Lizzy rose and stretched, going over to the low wall to take in the Hudson River view at dusk.

"Here you are," William said and handed her a glass. Lizzy started. She hadn't heard him approach.

"Thank you," she said taking the glass and quickly downing a gulp of the cooling brew. William leaned on the wall and stared out at the river. "How did you manage to wangle the apartment with the superior view?"

"It was simple. I looked at the place and made an offer on it before Richard got here," William said easily. "He didn't mind, though. As I said, he's a very accommodating guy. Plus he knows he's always welcome to come over here and enjoy it whenever he wants to. That's how the three of us got into the habit of sitting out here in the evenings, either with a cold beer or one of Sarmistha's iced tea concoctions."

"And the Sunday breakfast thing?" Lizzy prompted. She wanted to keep him talking. She needed to keep both him and herself occupied so that neither of them would think about their close proximity, the romantic setting, the music, the perfect...absolutely perfect moment before them.

"That just happened. I opened my door one Sunday morning to get my copy of the Times and Sarmistha opened her door to get theirs. She was wearing a pair of Richard's pajamas for reasons I've never dared to pursue. Anyway, she blushed and told me that if I gave her a few minutes to change her clothes she'd be delighted if I came over for breakfast. I've been eating breakfast there every Sunday since. It must be going on to three or four months now."

"Sar has been weekending with Richard for four months?" Lizzy gasped.

"What's wrong with that?" She shook her head.

"My little friend has grown up," Lizzy smiled. "Her father was always very strict about her dealings with the male of the species when we were younger. In college, she had a steady boyfriend who was at Yale and she only saw him when they both were home for the weekend, where her father's rules prevailed. She didn't party much, either, so I have this image of Sar as something of a sweet innocent. I imagine that once she moved into her own place she loosened up a bit, but even when we were both in the city she didn't seem to be 'actively' involved with anyone, if you take my meaning."

"So, were you a good girl, too?" William asked, moving a bit closer and leaning in to hear her response.

"I don't think I should answer that. 'Goodness' is a...relative concept...and--what are you laughing at?"

"It's a simple question: yes or no."

"If I simply answer yes or no, you're likely to get the wrong impression of me."

"Probably nothing worse than the impression I'm getting from your evasiveness," William smiled.

"Why don't you just go with that, then?" Lizzy suggested as she dodged him and returned to her seat. William smiled and followed.

"I don't know," William sighed and stretched out his long legs, "I kind of imagine that a foreign correspondent could get into all manner of mischief overseas. A man in every port--." Lizzy nearly choked on her beer. "Then again, after seeing you in that dress yesterday, I could be persuaded to believe that you're really--."

"What?" Lizzy was all curiosity. But William just smiled and drained his glass. She tried not to let her frustration show. She knew he was counting it. "I didn't have a man in every port," she finally admitted begrudgingly.

"I didn't think so," William said as he poured out the last of his bottle of beer into his glass. "If you'd broken that many hearts it would probably had made the news." Lizzy raised her eyebrows.

"I wasn't in that many ports," she frowned.

"Oh, but the wailing and keening would have been terrific, nonetheless. You leave quite an impression," William said. He put down the bottle and looked at Lizzy. His gaze seemed to pierce her soul and she was rendered speechless. The phone rang inside, but he made no move to answer it. Lizzy was saved by Squeaks, whose appearance provided a welcome distraction. He jumped into her lap, much to William's horror.

"Squeaks!" he sputtered. Lizzy laughed.

"Oh, it's all right. We've become good friends," she said as she stroked one of the cat's silken ears.

"You know, if I judged by the way you two seem to be getting on I could really get a rather bad impression of you." Lizzy smiled.

"You're just jealous."

"You--." William cut off that remark and smiled as the sky suddenly lit up. "Your smile really lights up the place, too, you know that?" Lizzy laughed again.

"I think that was lightning, William," Lizzy laughed as Squeaks leapt off her lap at the sound of thunder and scurried into the apartment. "Perhaps we'd better call it a night." She finished her beer and handed him the glass. "Thanks for the beer and the good company."

"Good night, Lizzy."

"Good night, William." He watched her walk back to the other apartment. The lightning flashed again, startling Lizzy, who picked up her pace when rain began to spatter the terrace. William stood and watched her go even as he became drenched. A smile spread over his face and he turned to go inside.

"What do you think they're doing back in New York right now?"

"Who cares?" Sarmistha said drowsily as she snuggled more deeply in Richard's arms.

"I'm just wondering...maybe I should give Will a call later on," Richard said as he stroked Sarmistha's dark, silky hair. She lifted her head to look into his eyes.

"Why?" Richard blinked. Sarmistha seemed to be able to see right through his façade of casual inquiry. He shrugged as a stall for time. Sarmistha poked him in the ribs and he unsuccessfully tried to suppress a giggle. "Tell me, habib."

"What? Am I not allowed to think about my family while I'm on my honeymoon?"

"Of course you are, my darling, but I don't hear you talking about calling your parents or your brother or your dear grandmother..."

"That's a great idea," Richard said brightly. "I'll call Grandma Bess instead!" He reached across his wife and retrieved the wireless phone on the nightstand. Sarmistha rolled over and grabbed it from him.

"Richard--." He tried to grab it from her and she dove under the covers and quickly slid the phone down to her feet.

"Come on! Just a short call," Richard pleaded.

"No! First of all, it's probably the middle of the night in New York. Moreover, don't think I haven't figured out what this is about."

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently. Sarmistha smiled.

"Oh, don't try and pretend! We both know I can see right through you. I know you're just calling to pry."

"I'm not prying!"

"You are prying! We discussed all this on the plane. You are not going to intervene between William and Lizzy."

"Why not?" Richard whined. "He wants her. He needs her, for crying out loud!"

"And she wants nothing to do with him, or have you forgotten that?"

"That's only temporary! Trust me, no woman can resist in the face of a Fitzwilliam."

"William is not a Fitzwilliam," Sarmistha smiled, privately conceding that the Fitzwilliam charm was indeed irresistible.

"Actually, my cousin's proper name is Fitzwilliam George Darcy...the third, no less."

"Is it really?" Sarmistha mused.

"Yes, so obviously Lizzy is doomed!" Richard chuckled. Sarmistha poked him in the ribs again and they wrestled until Richard succeeded in capturing both of Sarmistha's hands and rendering her immobile with her back to him.

"You are wasting your time. She is not going to fall for William Darcy."

"She's as good as his already." Sarmistha squirmed in an attempt to turn over and look Richard in the eye. He relaxed his grip long enough for her to accomplish that feat and waited for the argument to come.

"How can you say that? You don't know anything about Lizzy!"

"I know all about Will," Richard smiled smugly, "and as you know, I am seldom wrong about matters of the heart. Didn't I tell you on our first date that I was going to marry you before the year was out?" Sarmistha laughed.

"So you think that all this happened on your say-so? You announced that we were destined to marry and I simply capitulated to your will?" Richard's smile faded.

"You mean you didn't?" Sarmistha smiled and rubbed her nose against his. Richard released her hands, which she brought up to cup her husband's face.

"No, my love. The truth of the matter is that you fell under my spell. You actually had nothing to do with this happy outcome." She lowered her lips to his and took his breath away. He neatly flipped her under himself, pinning her to the mattress.

"Nothing, huh?"

"Well, I'm really glad I called ahead. I would have been completely lost," Lizzy said. She wrote down the address in her book. "I'll be there in half an hour." Lizzy picked up her purse and headed for the door. Twenty minutes later she stepped out of the cab in front of a new high-rise building. She entered the lobby and walked over to the security desk to obtain directions to the offices of the news service. When she entered an elevator she looked up and saw the name Darcy. She looked more closely and saw that the building housed the offices of Darcy Press. In fact, Darcy Press occupied the top fifteen floors of the forty story building. Lizzy's mouth fell open, especially when she realized that the offices of her news service were located on one of those floors. She absently stepped back when the elevator came to a stop to admit more riders and then nearly jumped out of her skin when someone put a hand to her chin and gently closed her mouth.

"Hello," William smiled.

"William!" Her face registered a combination of surprise and pleasure, both of which he found very gratifying. "Forgive me for gaping like an idiot. I just realized that Darcy Press was located in this building." William smiled, but someone behind her snorted.

"Maybe that's why the call it the Darcy Building?" the woman said sarcastically. Lizzy started to turn to look at the woman, but William deliberately slid behind her, effectively blocking her access.

"We moved in here just two months ago," he said calmly. "I don't suppose Sarmistha would have mentioned that in her emails."

"No," Lizzy said, still seething from the woman's snide remark. "She also didn't mention that Darcy Press acquired a financial news service, either."

"Where have you been?" the young woman said. This time Lizzy sidestepped William to confront her.

"Well, for the last two months I've been living in Kuala Lumpur, which, by the way, is not a Thai dish." The elevator opened and William stepped out, dragging Lizzy with him. "My appointment is on the 33rd floor," she complained.

"I know. You might want to take a moment to cool off first, however." Lizzy put her hands on her hips.

"Why?"

"Because that woman works on the 33rd floor and you don't to get out of the elevator embroiled in a heated argument."

"Oh." Lizzy took a deep breath and exhaled it.

"So you're back at work already?"

"Not for another week, but I do have to speak to the head of my new bureau."

"What will your new assignment be?"

"That's what I'm going to find out." Lizzy checked her watch. "I'd better get going. It wouldn't do to be late for my meeting."

"How long will you be?" William asked as he pushed the button for her.

"I'm not sure," Lizzy said. She glanced down the hall and noticed a group of women eyeing her suspiciously.

"Well, if you're free afterward, maybe we can have lunch...unless of course you'd like to spend some time with someone else for a change." William made the latter half of his offer so wistfully that Lizzy couldn't refuse him.

"I'd like that. I'm assuming we'd eat someplace where I could at least glimpse other people," Lizzy smiled.

"If you insist," William shrugged as the elevator doors opened. "Just meet me down here when you're done." Lizzy started to ask how to locate him but the doors closed before she could finish her question. Roughly an hour later she returned to the 30th floor and approached the reception desk.

"Good morning. Can you tell me where I can find William Darcy's office?" The receptionist directed Lizzy to the end of the hall. She walked into a small, tastefully appointed office and was greeted by a smiling woman.

"Good morning, may I help you?"

"Yes, I'm here to see William Darcy," Lizzy began, but she paused when the woman gave her a smile of recognition.

"Lizzy Bennet?"

"Yes." The executive assistant to the head of Darcy Publications buzzed her boss.

"She's here, William." Lizzy was taken aback by the woman's informality. She was also surprised by the frankly assessing gaze she received as she spoke.

"Send her in, Jo."

"What do you think of Lizzy Bennet?" Anne asked her husband ten stories above her son's office.

"I thought she was a delightful young lady," George answered.

"I meant for William." George looked up.

"Excuse me?"

"He seemed to be quite taken with her. I can't gauge her impression of him, though. I asked Nishtha about her when we had lunch--she's known Lizzy for fifteen years--and she had nothing but good things to say about her. Her parents were at the wedding. Her mother's a bit talkative but they were both very congenial and amusing. Dr. Bennet is obviously very proud of his little girl and--. What?" George blinked at his wife. He shook his head and laughed.

"You apparently took what Sarmistha's aunts said about arranged marriages to heart, didn't you?"

"I am not trying to arrange a marriage!"

"Have they found a new name for it?"

"George! William wants to find the right sort of woman and settle down," Anne insisted.

"And has he enlisted you as an advance scout?" George smiled. Anne smacked him on the shoulder.

"May we leave now? I'm famished?"

"I warned you about coming early," George said as he rose. "And don't expect to eat anytime soon. You know how these award banquets are." Anne took George's arm and led her to the elevators. When they emerged from the building a few moments later, Anne gasped. "What's wrong?" Anne pointed across the street and George turned his head in time to see Lizzy and William entering a restaurant. "I told you he didn't need any help."

"So how did your meeting go?"

"Very well," Lizzy said as she handed the waiter her menu.

"And you know your new assignment?" William prompted. Lizzy smiled radiantly and nodded. "Are you planning to tell me what it is or should I just keep asking questions?"

"I'd be more than happy to tell you," Lizzy said. "I'm going to be on television!"

"Excuse me?"

"For the past six months I've been trying to establish myself as an economic and news analyst covering the Asian financial markets. Well, it's finally paid off. I've been offered a position in front of the camera reporting on the Nikkei and Hang Seng. Just three minute segments, really, but they're syndicated to news programs in about twenty-five prime markets."

"You've got a face for television," William said as he propped his chin. "No one's going to listen to a thing you say." Lizzy frowned.

"Female television reporters are not just pretty women who can read, you know."

"I do know. Georgiana is a reporter for the BBC News. She had the same knee-jerk reaction when I teased her, too." Lizzy was brought up short by his remark. William smiled innocently and dug into his salad. Lizzy picked up her fork and began to eat, all the previous day's insecurities firmly back in place. She would not open her heart to William Darcy, not till she knew what he was really about.

William realized that he'd have to tread more carefully where Lizzy was concerned. Her behavior over the last few days had been somewhat inconsistent. One minute she seemed closed to him, distant and merely civil. The next she seemed to open herself, sensible to all the potential of their budding friendship. It was somewhat frustrating, if not understandable, and for the first time, William regretted not approaching Lizzy in a more conciliatory manner in the first place. He'd allowed his ego to get the better of him. But he would not let his pride get in the way again. He vowed to tread carefully, determined to win Lizzy for his own, no matter what it took.

Chapter Seven

Posted On: Saturday, 14 September 2002, at 9:02 a.m.

Sarmistha says:
Lizzy, that's fabulous! You must be overjoyed!

Lizzy says:
I am so stoked I don't know what to do with myself! J and A are taking me out to celebrate tomorrow.

Sarmistha says:
Give them both my best.

Lizzy says:
I thought you were saving all your best for you know who!

Sarmistha says:
He gets plenty!

Sarmistha says:
says her! do you two always IM in perfect punctuation?

Lizzy says:
Hi, Richard! Yes, we do!

Sarmistha says:
As a geek, he finds this perplexing! :)

Sarmistha says:
as a geek, shouldn't I be the one frittering my honeymoon away on the net?

Lizzy says:
I hope you're taking good care of my girl, Richard!

Sarmistha says:
she's MY girl and she hasn't got any complaints.

Sarmistha says:
I am being very well taken care of!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sarmistha says:
Twelve of those exclamation points were Richard's.

Sarmistha says:
she counts exclamation points! is she great, or what? :)

Lizzy says:
She's quite a woman, Richard.

Sarmistha says:
and she's all mine! congrats by the way, L

Lizzy says:
Thanks! Say, I'd better let you two get back to honeymooning!

Sarmistha says:
Don't mention mooning in front of Richard!

Sarmistha says:
private joke, L

Sarmistha says:
Very private.

Lizzy says:
Say no more. I'll talk to you on Wednesday.

Sarmistha says:
you two have a schedule for these things?

Sarmistha says:
Bye Lizzy.

Sarmistha says;
bye L!

Lizzy closed the browser and sat back smiling. Even online Richard and Sarmistha sounded happy and in love and Lizzy once again envied them their good fortune. She left their home office and went into the kitchen to put on water for tea. Her thoughts drifted to the man next door--well, not presently. He mentioned something at lunch about having plans for the evening. Lizzy hadn't pried, and he hadn't volunteered any information and she'd spent the rest of the afternoon trying not to obsess over the idea of William being out with another woman.

Lizzy wandered into the master bedroom and turned on the television. She curled up among the mass of pillows at the head of the bed and searched for something to watch. She settled on the Yankees game. It had been over a year since she'd watched an American baseball game in English. But it didn't hold her attention for very long. Lizzy's eyes were drawn to a cluster of little frames on one of the nightstands which, on closer examination, contained tiny love notes from Richard to Sarmistha. Lizzy sighed wistfully as she read each of them, knowing that she was prying into something intensely personal, but unable to resist. Sighing, she set the last one down and grabbed the remote. She found an old movie and settled in to watch it. But her thoughts began to wander again and she found herself staring at a picture of Sarmistha and Richard. In it, his arms were wrapped around her protectively and Sarmistha's head rested on his shoulder. Lizzy studied Sarmistha's face thoughtfully.

So that's what true contentment looks like!

She put the frame back where it belonged--on Richard's nightstand, Lizzy decided--and went out to the kitchen for a glass of wine. When she returned she snuggled in among the pillows again and tried to get comfortable, but her eyes kept wandering toward the terrace. After a half hour, during which she saw very little of the movie and reread each of the love notes, she gave in to her temptation and went to the door. She walked out onto the terrace, traveling far enough to ascertain that William was not yet at home. She had made an additional trip before she became completely absorbed in the movie. It ended badly, with the lovers parted and Lizzy sniffling into a pillow. She turned off the TV, feeling sheepish for having succumbed to the predictably maudlin finale and opened the door to step out onto the terrace for a breath of fresh air. That's when she heard William's voice coming from around the corner.

Lizzy started to go back inside. She had no business eavesdropping on William's date. She certainly wouldn't appreciate it if he snooped on her. Of course, the thought of William entertaining another woman in his apartment made her want to cry again. Lizzy closed the terrace door and went into her room. The lamps still on in the next room provided enough ambient lighting to allow her to undress so she left the lights off. Before she could stop herself she went to the window and peered out. She couldn't quite see, so she warred with her conscience for a moment and then went to the terrace door. She stepped out, being careful to not allow it to close fully. Then she crept around the corner till she found a good vantage point.

"Back so soon? She's probably already asleep, Squeaks," William said. "The lights are out down there and I didn't hear any sounds coming from the apartment when I knocked earlier. Of course, I knocked lightly; it wouldn't improve her impression of me if I woke her up. Of course, you don't have to worry about that, do you? You've got it made in the shade. All you have to do is walk in, wag your tail a little and you're home free. Trust me--it's a lot tougher for us human males."

Lizzy covered her mouth to stifle a laugh as William went into his bedroom to answer the phone. Lizzy decided that she'd better go back inside lest Squeaks scented her out. She started to rise from where she was squatting, but William came back out onto the terrace and she was afraid he might see her if she moved.

"...It's been years since I last saw the ballet. I'm glad you talked me into it. Well, someone talked me into it. Maybe it was mother... Now, Christopher strikes me as a man who'd appreciate the ballet. I was surprised when he fell asleep, too! Ha ha! Thank goodness he waited till intermission."

As bits of William's conversation drifted over to Lizzy, she figured out that he was speaking with his sister. They'd been together that evening at the ballet. Lizzy felt relieved at the news, even if in all likelihood William had brought a date with him. He was clearly home alone. William went back inside, presently, and Lizzy took the opportunity to hightail it back to the terrace door. She stepped inside and locked it. A wave of guilt washed over her as she opened her window and crawled into bed.

She was wrong to listen in on William's conversation and what right had she to begrudge William a social life? Lizzy was the newcomer on the scene. William was a handsome, personable and intelligent man who did not spring to life full-grown a week ago. Lizzy was had to reconcile herself to the idea that William probably already had an established, healthy social life that need not include her. The thought of not being needed greatly upset Lizzy and she rolled over in the bed, fighting tears. She was determined not to cry. After a while she gave up and rolled onto her back again as two tears rolled down her cheeks. She sat up when she heard a noise. Squeaks had arrived and he was walking across the dresser with practiced insouciance. He knocked the brush to the floor as he made his way to the end of the dresser and leapt onto the bed to greet its occupant.

"Hello, there," Lizzy said as she hastily wiped away the tears. "Decided to sleep out again, have you?" She reached out and began to scratch his throat. She felt something around his neck and turned on the light. There was a piece of paper folded neatly around his collar. Lizzy retrieved it and opened it with trembling fingers.

Dinner tomorrow?

Lizzy turned off the light and lay back in the bed, smiling.

The next morning, however, she awoke depressed. She recalled that she'd already had plans for dinner with Alva and Jane. She showered and dressed quickly, uncertain as to what time William left for work. She was about to knock on William's door when it opened and he appeared, dressed for work and pleasantly surprised to see her.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, William," Lizzy said glumly. He frowned at her tone.

"What's wrong?"

"I have a problem," Lizzy sighed. "You see, Squeaks came by late last night..." William smiled, and she averted her eyes before pressing on. "He invited me out to dinner tonight and I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint him." She stole a glance at William, who looked utterly crestfallen.

"I'm sure he'll be most...disappointed."

"Well, you know I think the world of him and wouldn't dream of hurting his feelings. But I already have plans with Jane and Alva for tonight." William appeared to think for a minute and Lizzy saw him relax.

"Well, perhaps he'd be willing to give you a rain check; for tomorrow night, maybe?" Lizzy beamed.

"Tomorrow night would be perfect." William returned the smile.

"What kind of food do you like? I...Squeaks will want to make a reservation somewhere."

"You can tell him I'm really up for typically American fare: Italian, French, Mexican, Nuevo Latino...thanks," Lizzy said with a twinkle in her eye. William smiled.

"Don't mention it. I'll see that he gets the message." William locked his door and pressed for the elevator. "He'll probably come by later and give you the details for your date." Lizzy smiled broadly as William stepped into the elevator.

"I shouldn't be out late. Alva and Jane have to work in the morning." She waved goodbye and as soon as the door closed she pumped her fist. "A date!"

"So what are you doing with your free time?" Alva asked as she picked through her salad in search of an olive.

"Well, I hauled myself down to Penn Station today to get some clothes--."

"Excuse me?" Jane sputtered, nearly choking on her water.

"My dad took the train in and brought me my suitcase," Lizzy clarified. "He was on his way to a meeting so I met him on the way."

"Oh."

"Anything else exciting?" Alva pressed.

"She's got a big date tomorrow," Jane announced. It was Lizzy's turn to be shocked.

"How--?" Lizzy blurted. "And it's not a big date. It's just dinner." Alva looked up.

"With whom, if I may be so bold as to ask?"

"With William, of course," Jane smiled. Lizzy's eye bulged open.

"How did you know that?" She was too shocked to dissemble.

"William called Charles to cancel his Wednesday night basketball game. He said something about having dinner with a neighbor of his."

"And you just naturally concluded that it was me," Lizzy grumbled.

"She wasn't wrong, was she?" Alva quipped. "So where is he taking you?"

"I don't know yet."

"I do," Jane smiled smugly. Lizzy's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Alva, remind me to never tell Charles a secret," she said darkly.

Richard slipped out of bed and reached for his robe. He went to the dresser and fumbled around in the dark for a moment till his fingers closed over a familiar object. Then he went into the bathroom and locked the door. He sat down on the toilet seat lid and punched up William's number on speed dial.

"Hello?"

"Will! It's good to hear your voice," Richard said softly.

"Yours, too, though it sounds as though you're whispering," William said. "How's the honeymoon?"

"It's great, so far. Mish humored me this morning and tried her hand at a round of golf."

"Bad?"

"I'm glad we only agreed to nine holes. I've never heard anyone laugh so much about playing so badly."

"Well, at least she kept her sense of humor," William said. "Say, what time is it there?"

"It's a little after two."

"That's what I thought. What are you doing up so early--or should I say so late?"

"Just thought I'd check in. How are things back in the city?"

"Things are good."

"Have you seen Lizzy?"

"Since Sunday, you mean?" William asked sarcastically. "Yes."

"So she decided to stay, after all."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, she was considering going back to her parents' house out in Jersey."

"What for?" William asked, his voice full of concern.

"Well, Mish thought she might change her mind about house sitting. I mean it's not like we really need a house sitter. You're the one with the cat," Richard reasoned.

"Oh...well, she didn't mention anything to me about leaving."

"She sounded pretty determined Saturday morning. Maybe something changed her mind." Richard swore he could hear William smile. "Well, I'm glad she's decided to stick it out. Mish has been kind of worried about her."

"What has she got to worry about?" That tone was back and Richard was delighted. A worried William was a good thing.

"Well, you know, Lizzy's been out of the country for a long time and Mish feared that if she went back out to the boonies and stayed there awhile she might develop second thoughts about staying on the east coast. I understand she had an offer for a job in Chicago."

"She hasn't mentioned that," William said. "In fact, she just took a new position here in front of the camera."

"Yeah, I heard about that. She and Mish have been checking in with each other via the net. I think it's great."

"Yes; I'm taking her to dinner tomorrow night to celebrate."

"Really?"

"Isn't there any other topic you two want to talk about?" Lizzy asked exasperatedly. Alva and Jane exchanged a glance.

"Nope," Jane concluded.

"You have to understand, Lizzy; we just spent the last six months talking to Sarmistha about Richard. Now that there're married we have to move on," Alva explained.

"Why not talk about Jane and Charles?"

"Boring! Come on, Lizzy--don't tell me you really want to hear about me and Charles!"

"No more than I want to hear you talk about me and William Darcy, admittedly."

"Well, I'd like to hear about you and William Darcy," Alva said helpfully.

"Ditto," Jane said.

"There is no me and William Darcy!" Lizzy snarled through gritted teeth.

Richard closed his phone and rose to leave the bathroom. He carefully unlocked the door, turned off the light, and made his way back to bed. He put the phone on the nightstand, slipped out of his robe and pulled back the sheets. That's when he noticed that the bed was empty. He looked up and made out the shape of Sarmistha leaning against the wall next to the bathroom.

"What are you doing over there?" Richard asked conversationally. She turned on a lamp.

"I was wondering the same thing about you," Sarmistha said in the same light tone. "So I came over and found out."

"Oh. Things are fine in New York. Everyone sends his love," Richard smiled.

"Everyone? I only heard you speaking to William."

"You--gulp." Sarmistha laughed.

"So when do you go on the air, Lizzy?"

"I'm not exactly sure, Alva. I start next Monday and it'll be at least a week or two before they put me in front of the camera."

"Speaking of being in front of the camera," Jane said, "they say that it adds ten pounds to your figure."

"Yes, Lizzy," Alva chimed in. "I don't think you should risk that eating all that chocolate mousse by yourself," she said as she drew the plate toward the center of the table.

"Yeah, I think we should help you with that for the sake of your career." Lizzy rolled her eyes and raised her fork.

"You know, with friends like you, who needs a diet?"

"You are so busted," Sarmistha smiled.

"Who, me? For what?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about." Richard smirked.

"Oh, yeah? What's the punishment for calling one's best friend and close relation after midnight in a foreign country--and before you answer that remember that we're subject to Irish law."

"It doesn't matter. No lawyer in Ireland can save you," Sarmistha replied as she folded her arms and enjoyed Richard's pout.

"Are you planning to hold up that wall all night?"

"Would you like me to come back to bed?

"Please."

"I didn't want you to call William." Richard opened his mouth and closed it again.

"But--," he managed.

"Yes?"

"Oh." Sarmistha sighed wearily. "Well, can't we negotiate this?" Richard asked.

"You mean work out a plea bargain?" she asked. Richard looked at her sulkily.

"All right, if you insist. But you have to come over here first." Sarmistha rolled her eyes and walked over to the bed. She sat down on the edge and Richard frowned. "Closer."

"Uh uh. You always try to negotiate with your hands."

"Actions speak louder than words," Richard reasoned.

"That's precisely why you're in trouble."

"Oh. Well, there's nothing for it, then. I submit myself to your tender mercies."

"How big of you," Sarmistha smiled as Richard scrambled to the foot of the bed and laid his head in her lap. She bent to kiss him between his eyes as he offered up his wrists.

"Whip me, beat me, write me bad checks." Sarmistha laughed.

"I think I'll just confiscate your phone." She held out her hand. Richard retrieved the phone and handed it to her. She rose and put the phone into a drawer, turned off the lamp and then returned to bed. Richard slipped under the covers and slid close to her.

"Now about my punishment..."

"I'll write you a bad check in the morning," Sarmistha said, turning her back to him. Richard was undeterred. He spooned up against her and kissed her shoulder.

"Forgive me?" Sarmistha smiled and gave the fingers he'd entwined in hers a squeeze.

William was on his terrace when Lizzy came in. He considered walking over to see her, but unlike his apartment, where the kitchen and dining room provided a neutral place for him and Lizzy to meet without venturing as far as his bedroom, the arrangement of rooms in Richard's apartment was such that Lizzy's bedroom windows would be the first thing he encountered if he walked in that direction. Should Lizzy be changing her clothes--or even if she wasn't--she might not appreciate the surprise.

William shook his head and smiled. He could just do things the old-fashioned way, couldn't he? He turned and started for the apartment's front door, but as he stepped inside, Squeaks went trotting past him and out onto the terrace. William turned and watched him go. The cat disappeared into the dark only to reappear as a silhouette on Lizzy's windowsill. A moment later, the window opened and Squeaks jumped through. William saw that Lizzy was still dressed and called out to her. She smiled and signaled that she would be over in a moment. William smiled and went inside for a bottle of wine.

"Hi, there," Lizzy said as she came over to William's terrace a few minutes later with Squeaks in her arms.

"Good evening." William gestured for her to sit and poured out a glass of wine for each of them. "How was your celebratory dinner?"

"It was very nice, although I had to deal with an inquisition thanks to you," Lizzy laughed.

"An inquisition?" William asked, amusedly. "How did I manage that?"

"You apparently spoke to Charles, who spoke to Jane, who spoke to Alva, who subjected me to twenty questions."

"Oh. I apologize. I only spoke to Charles because I wanted the name of a restaurant he raved about at the rehearsal dinner."

"The food had better be very good or Squeaks and I aren't going." William looked down at the cat, who'd made himself comfortable in Lizzy's lap.

"Hey! You're supposed to be my companion, not my competition," William complained.

"Haven't you ever heard the story of John Alden?" William shook his head. "Cyrano de Bergerac? It's dangerous to rely on others to do your wooing for you--that is, if you are...wooing," Lizzy blushed. William sat back and pensively took a sip of wine.

"Am I wooing?" William asked himself aloud as Lizzy cringed inwardly. If he was going to mock her she was going to leave. But William chuckled self-effacingly. "I suppose I am, although if anyone ever told me that I'd be wooing the woman who called me 'shallow, self-serving, arrogant...'" Lizzy cringed again, this time very visibly. There was no hiding from the truth of William's accusations.

"I didn't realize you committed my editorial to memory," Lizzy said in a small voice.

"Oh, Matt cut it out for me," William said. "He was a bit miffed at not making the list, by the way."

"Well, if I was making the list--which I wouldn't, of course--I--. What the heck am I saying?" Lizzy cried, scaring the cat into leaping out of her lap. Her wine splashed onto her and William jumped up and fetched her something to clean up with. Lizzy looked at the stain on her dress and announced that she had to deal with it immediately.

"Of course," William said as she took off for her room. He watched her go and sat down again with a sigh. He hadn't thought about Lizzy's editorial since the day before he met her. Two years earlier he'd been outraged when her letter to the editor of a New York daily was printed as an editorial and launched a flurry of news coverage, almost all of it calculated to put him on the defensive.

William had been rather surprised to be named to Persona magazine's top ten bachelors list. What surprised him even more was the ensuing controversy that arose after a freelance reporter wrote a scathing critique of both the list and the publisher of the magazine, who just happened to be bachelor number one. William Darcy had been rudely thrust into the public eye and had to defend both himself and the magazine on every morning news program in the country. The freelance reporter, meanwhile, quickly faded into obscurity. She had left the country on assignment before the editorial was published and when she was tracked down in Hong Kong, she refused all opportunities to rebut William's comments. He was livid but powerless to sue. Within two weeks the furor had died down, but William still had that article in his desk at his office. He read it frequently and eventually came to agree with many of Lizzy's points, secretly acting to address the worst of them. Persona never published another bachelors list.

William looked up when he heard footsteps and saw Lizzy returning. She'd changed into the shorts and top she'd worn on Sunday. He quickly refilled her glass. Lizzy smiled meekly and took a long sip.

"I'm sorry," Lizzy said as she sat down.

"Not at all. I hope your dress isn't ruined."

"It's not; and I wasn't speaking about the wine. I'm sorry for my outburst earlier. I didn't mean to shoot off my mouth...again." William smiled.

"Maybe it's time we cleared the air on this whole thing," he said. It pained him to see Lizzy stiffen slightly. "When Richard came to me last week and told me that you were the friend Sarmistha's been raving about, I was surprised and not a little concerned. But when he went on to tell me that you were afraid to meet me--." He raised his hand to forestall the expected comment, but Lizzy didn't protest. "I admit it; I derived quite a bit of satisfaction from hearing it. As far as I could tell, you were afraid to face me then and you were still afraid of me now. I was vindicated; it confirmed everything I believed about you."

"Which was?"

"I won't humiliate myself by repeating it," William said darkly. "But the next morning I went to my office and pulled out a folder. Wait." He rose and disappeared into the apartment for a moment. He returned with a briefcase, which he opened on his lap. He produced the folder and handed it to Lizzy. Inside, she found a well-worn, yellowed copy of the editorial. "I've kept that in my desk for the last two years. I can probably recite parts of it from memory. I've certainly read it often enough." William placed the briefcase at his feet and rose to gaze out at the river. "At first, I read it keep my anger flowing and to curse you for your flawed arguments and opinions. And then I realized that most of what you said was true."

"Most of it?"

"Well, everything in the article was true except the part about my knowing about my selection to the list. I'm not self-serving, Lizzy. Shallow, arrogant, elitist possibly." Lizzy cringed again as he calmly reeled off the words. William returned to the table and sat down. "I pride myself on hiring good people and I leave them alone to get their work done. All the decisions regarding that issue of Persona were made without my advice or consent. I had no prior knowledge of my nomination to the list and the judging was conducted independently." Lizzy didn't know what to say. William saw her squirm uncomfortably and he changed his tack.

"I read the article last Monday and realized that I was going to meet the woman who nailed me to the wall without having had as much as a glimpse at me. I guess the thing that hurt me most of all in that article was how easy I was to read, how predictable...how superficial I was. And I was scared to meet you, because I knew I'd be meeting someone who was my superior in every way."

"I...I'd hardly consider myself anyone's superior, William. I've done lots of things I'm not terribly proud of, so I'm hardly qualified to make such a claim." Lizzy toyed with the stem of her glass as she sought the right words. "I never knew you'd taken my words to heart like that," Lizzy managed, unable to look him in the eye. "I never meant to have any of it taken so seriously. I thought the list was ridiculous and I thought all the hoopla about my editorial was ridiculous. That's why I never bothered to do any interviews on it. I merely wanted to give my opinion and move on. I never imagined that it had such an impact."

"It did," William said with a smile. "I'm a different man than I was two years ago...a better man, I'd like to think."

"In what way?" Lizzy asked curiously.

"I give a lot more consideration to how I'm perceived by the rest of the world. I'd never given that much thought and I was stunned to learn how many people were influenced by what I said or did. I found out just how little consequence I gave to the concerns of others. It shocked me because that's not how I was raised. Yet all this time I thought I was following in my father's footsteps I've just been going through the motions. I'm not anymore."

"I think you're being too hard on yourself."

"I think I've had it too easy. What was it you said? Being my father's heir apparent meant that I never had to worry about unemployment? I never worried about anyone's unemployment. I'm not saying I fired good people; lord knows I've tried to employ as many as possible. But I never really understood what that responsibility meant. And I never understood what it meant to be dependent on a job to feed myself or my family. After that whole debacle I began to look at the world very differently."

"I think you're a very good man," Lizzy smiled, relieved at the return of William's smile. "I strongly suspect that you've always been a good man. Your family and your friends certainly seem to think you are.'

"I'm glad that they do. But I've never had to earn their love and respect, either. I've endeavored to be a better friend and relation to all of them." William glanced at his watch. "I've babbled enough for one night and I have to get up early in the morning." Lizzy rose as he did. "I'm glad we got this out in the open."

"So am I," Lizzy said. "I think we can officially stop 'behaving' now."

"In that case, the answer to your question is yes." Lizzy frowned in confusion.

"Yes?"

"I most certainly am wooing. In fact," William smiled, "I intend to give Squeaks a run for his money." Lizzy's last sip of wine nearly went down the wrong pipe, but she managed to swallow it and hand William the glass. She took a step backward, toward her own turf.

"He's got a pretty good head start, you know."

"I'll try and get some pointers before tomorrow night. Which reminds me; I'll pick you up at seven o'clock." Lizzy smiled.

"I'll look forward to it, William. Good night."

"Good night." Once again, William watched Lizzy till she disappeared around the corner. He waited until the light turned on in her room. Squeaks was sitting on her windowsill, silhouetted against the light emanating from the room. "Why you sneaky. little--."

Lizzy says:
It was unbelievable, Sar. It's like he just opened the floodgates and all these things poured out of his mouth. I got the feeling that he hasn't spoken to anyone about this.

Sarmistha says:
Well, if he told anyone, it was Richard. I don't think those two have any secrets. But I'm glad he was able to open up and talk to you about it. It sounds as though it was really important to him. And, of course, now you two can be friends.

Lizzy says:
You won't believe this, but we have a date tonight.

Sarmistha says:
A date? A real date?

Lizzy says:
Yes! I can hardly believe it. Well, that's not true, actually...

Sarmistha says:
Has there been something going on that Richard hasn't told me about?

Lizzy says:
Richard? What would he know about anything?

Sarmistha says:
He spoke to William yesterday.

Lizzy says:
Oh. I don't know if William told him about our date.

Sarmistha says:
So what does this mean, Lizzy?

Lizzy says:
I think this means I've fallen for William Darcy. *Thunk* Hard.

font size=+1 color="#336666"> Chapter Eight

Posted On: Tuesday, 17 September 2002, at 7:22 a.m.

"What are you doing?" Richard said as he entered the couple's room. Sarmistha was sitting at the desk staring at the blank screen of her lap top. "Mish? That thing isn't on you know."

"I know," Sarmistha replied. She sighed deeply and closed the computer. Richard put his hands on her shoulder and bent to her ear.

"Are you all right, honey?" Sarmistha nodded and Richard caught the trace of a smile on her lips. "Mish? What's going on?" She seemed to emerge from behind a cloud of mist and she turned to Richard with a smile.

"I'm ready for that walk."

"Cool."

"And when we take that two-day excursion to Dublin tomorrow? I want to find a good silversmith."

"Okay...does this have anything to do with my continuing penance?" Sarmistha smiled and lovingly caressed Richard's cheek.

"You'd better believe it, habib." Richard bent closer to kiss her lips.

"Let's go."

"Daddy, you're an angel!" Lizzy gushed enthusiastically.

"There's no need for hyperbole, Lizzy," Thomas Bennet said calmly. "It's just a car and my motives were purely selfish."

"How can leasing me a car be a selfish act?"

"I know how you hate riding the train out here. If you had a car you might be willing to come and see me more often. I'll deny this if you repeat it to anyone, but I've missed you terribly."

"I've missed you, too. And I promise to visit as often as time allows. Hey, now that I've got a car at my disposal again, maybe can meet up somewhere midpoint between here and the house or the hospital."

"I'd be open to whatever scheme you want," Thomas laughed. "First, however, we have to get the car to you, somehow. I arranged to have it delivered to the house."

"The perfect lure," Lizzy teased.

"Can you come today? I have a rare day off," Thomas said, upping the ante a little, "and your mother said something about cooking your favorite meal for dinner.

"I'd be happy to come out, but I can't stay for dinner. I've got a date tonight."

"All right, then, we'll settle for lunch."

"I'll see you in a couple of hours."

When Lizzy arrived at the Bennet home she stood in the driveway and admired the charcoal grey BMW in the driveway. She'd called for a cab from the train to avoid having to make one of her parents come to meet her at the station. As she peered through the car's window Thomas came out of the house. He walked over and watched his daughter for a moment. When she finally looked up and noticed him he held out a set of keys. But instead of taking them, she hugged her father tightly.

"It's beautiful, daddy."

"We weren't sure about the color," Edith Bennet said. Lizzy looked over her shoulder and saw her smiling mother behind her. She turned and embraced her as well. "I was thinking you might prefer white or blue."

"It's perfect, mom, just perfect."

"Well, I don't see why she gets a new car just for coming home. I've been here driving my old car for three years," Lydia Bennet whined. "I need a new car more than she does."

"Hello, Lydia," Lizzy sighed. She walked toward the entrance to the house, opting to hold off exploring her new toy and adding to Lydia's misery in the process. She was slightly annoyed because it unfairly deprived her of the pleasure of fully enjoying her parents' gift and her parents the pleasure of seeing her joy. But Lizzy had lots of experience in dealing with her sister's jealous outbursts and took the path of least resistance.

"Come in, come in, Lizzy. Lunch is ready and waiting for you," Edith said as she bustled toward the kitchen. "Betty and I have been fussing over it since you called. Come have a seat," she said, gesturing at the dining table beyond the airy kitchen. "I want to hear all about your new job."

"Lizzy this, Lizzy that," Lydia pouted. "That's all I've heard about these last two weeks." Thomas silenced her with a look. Lizzy excused herself to freshen up and then sat down to dine with her family.

"So, Lizzy, what about this job?" Thomas prompted. Lizzy told them about her new assignment in detail and gamely attempted to answer all her mother's questions.

"Three minute on-air segments? Big deal," Lydia sneered.

"At least I make enough money to buy my own gas," Lizzy said self-righteously. Thomas gave her a reproachful look, but she saw the twinkle in his eye that gave the lie to his outward expression.

"What's the point of working when I'll be marrying in a year or two and then quit, anyway?" Lydia asked. Lizzy refused to engage her in that longstanding argument, although she had more than enough evidence to disprove Lydia's line of reasoning. Her sister chose to remain virtually idle in spite of a good college education on the grounds that her mother never worked after college; why should she?

"You said you had a date tonight, Lizzy," Thomas said, distracting Lydia from her tirade. "Is it with anyone we know?" Lizzy hesitated momentarily.

"William Darcy."

"Ooh, you mean that major hunk who was best man at the wedding?" Lydia exclaimed. "How did you manage to land him when I couldn't even get him to ask me to dance?"

"Perhaps he prefers women who've made something of themselves," Lizzy said. Thomas suppressed a snort.

"So, the man's come to his senses, has he?" Lizzy turned to her father in surprise.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing."

"Daddy..."

"Well, I knew the boy had good taste. It was only a matter of time before he realized what he had in front of him and made his move."

"Thanks, daddy; you make me sound like a piece of real estate or some sort of business opportunity," Lizzy laughed.

"Well, you are, of sorts. After all, marriage is as much a business arrangement as a joining of two hearts these days." Lizzy was taken aback by her father's comment and it showed in her face.

"Marriage," she gasped.

"I wish I'd made a business arrangement with Richard Fitzwilliam," Lydia said. "If I did I'd have had a much nicer wedding than Sar's. I can't believe she only had three attendants and such a dinky little wedding with all the money her parents have.'

"It was a very stylish and tasteful wedding," Edith replied before Lizzy could come to her friend's defense. "Just because it didn't scream 'money' doesn't mean it was done on the cheap. Nishtha said that Sarmistha's dress and those of her bridesmaids were custom designed and everything in the whole wedding and the reception was done to the highest degree. The cost of all those roses alone must have been close to five figures."

"Oh, Rajiv certainly spared no expense," Thomas concurred.

"And she called that a wedding dress? It looked like a slip," Lydia said disgustedly. Lizzy laughed at the fact that her sister's comment so closely echoed her own.

"Well, I thought the wedding was beautiful," she said, "even if I have to agree with you about that dress."

"I think she looked lovely," Thomas said. "Understated, elegant; you girls could learn a thing or two from her style," he said. Lizzy didn't object to being included in that statement. She knew to which daughter the comment was really directed.

"Well, when I get married I'm going for the whole enchilada. I want lace up the wazoo!" Lydia said dismissively.

"How does one get lace up a wazoo, Lydia?" her father teased. But Edith's mind was elsewhere.

"Was William Darcy that tall, dark and handsome man who sat next to Richard?" she asked.

"Yes, dear; he was the one you accused of staring at Lizzy like a stalker all evening." Edith gave him a withering look.

"I said no such thing! Does he have money, Lizzy?"

"Excuse me--hello--Darcy Press?" Lydia said exasperatedly. "Really, mom, you are so out of it sometimes!"

"Oh, my!" Edith exclaimed. She looked at her daughter proudly and Lizzy cringed.

"So, this is a first date, I take it," Thomas pressed. Lizzy looked from one parent to the other.

"Yes."

"Well, if you decide you don't want him, I'll take him. Of course, you're going to keep him, if only to deprive me of my chance at him."

"Lydia," her father said sternly, "Lizzy will decide what, if anything, she wants from Mr. Darcy without any consideration of your desire for him. If you want a husband you're going to have to get off your lazy duff and go find one. You won't get anywhere lusting over her conquest and hoping she'll reject him."

"My conquest?" Lizzy asked in a tight voice. She reached for her water glass.

"He's yours for the taking. I should have thought you'd already noticed that. Really, Lizzy, you're slipping; you were always a better judge of character."

"To tell you the truth, daddy, I never gave much thought to his character until last night," she replied pensively. William's words still haunted her.

"Last night? What happened last night?" Lydia prodded shamelessly. Lizzy colored slightly and Lydia pounced on it. "And yet, your first 'date' is tonight, eh?" Thomas declined to press her any further and he asked about dessert to change the subject. Lizzy looked at him gratefully, but she could see that his eyes were brimming with curiosity.

William rode up the elevator with the chief of the literature department of Darcy Press.

"It was a really lovely wedding. I've never seen Sara in better looks."

"She was radiant, wasn't she," William said, distantly recalling that at work most people referred Sarmistha as "Sara." H preferred to use her proper name himself, even though it had taken a few tries to get the correct pronunciation. "She and Richard are very happy together."

"Yes; her husband is related to you, isn't he?" the man said. "Well, Sara's a wonderful girl and I hope he knows what a lucky man he is."

"I'm sure he does," William said as he stepped off the elevator. "But I'm luckier." He walked to his office with a spring in his step. He'd slept like a baby and had awakened feeling happy and relaxed. It had taken every bit of self-restraint not to knock on Lizzy's door before he left that morning. But he'd ultimately decided that he'd wait till the evening, allowing his anticipation to build till then.

Lizzy helped the housekeeper clear the table and then went looking for her father in his study. She found him easily. He was sitting on the loveseat waiting for her and patted the empty seat beside him. Lizzy smiled and went to him. She put her arms around him for a kiss and a hug.

"Thanks again for the car, daddy. When you said you'd help me find some wheels, I didn't expect a Beemer. And I will be making those payments myself, by the way."

"You'll do no such thing! I planned to buy you a car after you graduated high school but you got that job after school and beat me to it. Then, when my chance came after college you went off wandering around the world and when you came back you announced your intention to live overseas. Let me do this for you. I may not get another chance if William Darcy has his way."

"You're making too much of my date, daddy," Lizzy said diffidently.

"Oh, I'm not basing my opinion on your plans for tonight," he said. "I had an opportunity to speak to the man at the reception and observed the way he looked at you."

"How did he look at me?"

"Like a man in love," Thomas replied with a sad smile. "I'm afraid I'm going to suffer the same fate as Rajiv and have to relinquish my daughter to a worthier man."

"There is no better man on this planet than you," Lizzy said fiercely as she squeezed him tighter. Thomas smiled and stroked her hair.

"But I will lose you to him." Lizzy didn't know what to say. Tears welled in her eyes. "There, there, now. Don't cry, Lizzy girl."

"It's your fault!" Thomas chuckled as he wiped away her tears.

"I take it you two have settled your differences?" Lizzy nodded.

"We had a long talk last night," Lizzy began. "He told me how my editorial affected him. I was shocked by some of the things he said about himself."

"What did he say?" Lizzy snuggled in her father's arms and recounted in detail all that William had told her.

"I'm buying you dinner tonight, habib."

"Why is that, habiba," Richard asked sweetly. He'd spent the day pampering her and catering to her very whim in order to get back into her good graces. Of course, it was all a game; he knew perfectly well that Sarmistha hadn't been truly angry with him. But she had been oddly distracted all day, even when they toured the Waterford Factory and shopped for crystal to send back to the states. Richard was very curious as to what was on her mind. They were at a quaint restaurant in a small town not far from Ballyseede Castle, where they were staying.

"You deserve a treat," Sarmistha said. "You've been such a good boy all day."

"If that means I haven't made any unsanctioned phone calls, it's no big deal. I haven't got my phone." Sarmistha smiled at Richard's pout.

"So, what did William say, anyway?" Sarmistha was interested in hearing William's impression of Lizzy.

"Well, we didn't talk for very long," Richard said with an arch look. "I was just checking in, remember?"

"So you told me. How was he? Is he looking after Lizzy for me?"

"He said he was taking her to dinner to celebrate her new job."

"That's rather nice of him."

"Yes, especially since Lizzy allegedly wants nothing to do with him," Richard said pointedly.

"That's what she told me."

"Maybe she lied," Richard countered.

"Why should she lie to me?" Sarmistha said defensively.

"All right, then, let's call it denial."

"Oh; she's denying the inevitability of succumbing to a Fitzwilliam?" Sarmistha smiled. Richard leaned forward with a smile of his own.

"You know, you're kind of irresistible yourself."

"Thanks, but we were talking about Lizzy and William." Richard sighed and sat back.

"She's going to fall for him. He'll take her to dinner, wine and dine her, pour on the charm and she'll sink like a rock."

"That strategy sounds familiar," Sarmistha replied as she toyed with an errant lock of Richard's hair.

"I thought you wanted to hear this. Stop flirting," Richard smiled and captured Sarmistha's hand.

"Sorry," she lied. "So William plans to wine and dine Lizzy tonight? I suppose you gave him pointers."

"Actually, William does all right on his own," Richard opined.

"And yet you insisted just the other day that he was shy and in need of guidance."

"He is," Richard insisted. "He's been a bit unsure of himself lately for some reason."

"But he found the courage to ask Lizzy out."

"Yeah, go figure. Maybe the boy just finally found his stride."

"With Lizzy as his incentive, I'm not surprised," Sarmistha said pensively. Richard's revelation about William seemed fairly consistent with what Lizzy had said that morning.

"Yeah; she inspired him." Richard smiled and quietly credited himself for inspiring William as well.

"Is that what he said? Has he actually told you he was interested in her?"

"He didn't have to."

"I see; we're still in the realm of your over-active imagination," Sarmistha said, deliberately baiting her spouse.

"Oh, it's not my imagination. Wait till we get home. I'll bet he'll be chomping at the bit to ask her out."

"He already did!" Richard looked at Sarmistha for a moment and then smiled broadly.

"Yes, he already did. And yet you continue to doubt me."

"What is it that I'm supposed to be doubting: your ability to play matchmaker for two perfectly rational adults who can apparently manage on their own without anyone's assistance? Or was it your ability to interfere in the lives of others a continent away?"

"Aha! You've already conceded, haven't you?"

"What have I conceded?"

"The inevitable outcome; I noticed that you're no longer denying the probability of Lizzy falling for Will."

"Yes, habib; I no longer deny the probability of an attraction. He is a Fitzwilliam after all and as you said, I cannot deny the irresistibility of a Fitzwilliam." Richard eyed his new bride suspiciously, but he couldn't argue against her point, so he leaned across the table and kissed her instead.

"It sounds as though that was quite a speech."

"It was," Lizzy said. "I didn't know how to answer him, except to reassure him that I didn't think of him the way he thought I did. I felt pretty awful when I realized how much anguish I'd caused him."

"Don't worry yourself," Thomas said, patting her knee. "First of all self-reproach is always far worse than the opinions of others. He was too hard on himself and you shouldn't take on guilt for that. Moreover, he seems to have emerged from it a better man. He was giving you credit, Lizzy, not condemning you for what he did and that shows just how much he's matured." He gave Lizzy an assessing look. "It also says that he thinks very highly of you. William Darcy has fallen in love with you, Lizzy. Have you fallen in love with him, too?"

At that moment, the man in question was sitting in his father's office, daydreaming his way through a particularly boring meeting. George Darcy noticed his son's distraction and asked William to stay behind once the meeting broke up.

"I know these meetings are no amusement park ride, but can you at least pretend to look interested?" George chuckled. "If you sit through another meeting staring into space with a goofy smile like that the board's going to begin to worry about the future of the company."

"Was I wearing a goofy smile?" George patted William on the shoulder and took the seat beside him at the conference table.

"You know I love you, but I have to say that it was among the goofiest I've ever seen. Would you care to explain what was going on in your mind at the time?" William averted his eyes. "Would it be a certain woman with the initials 'Lizzy Bennet'?" William looked up in absolute shock.

"How did you know?" George looked down at the pen in William's hand. On the pad beneath it the name 'Lizzy" was written a dozen times.

"Is there anything you'd care to confess?" William swallowed audibly and George laughed again. "Oh, I'm just teasing, Will. But your mother and grandmother are probably equally curious. Which of us would you rather deal with?"

Since her father was determined to pay for her new car, Lizzy was more than prepared to deal with the sometimes exorbitant expense of keeping a car in Manhattan. She found a garage near Richard and Sarmistha's apartment and paid for a week's worth of parking privileges then walked the two blocks over to the supermarket for a few groceries. She wondered, as she walked, if William would be averse to letting her drive on their first date.

She also wondered, as she had all the way back to the city, whether she had been completely honest when she answered her father's question. She really wasn't sure if she had fallen in love with William. She did know that she was very open to the idea, and when he father pushed her for an explanation she admitted to wanting to fall in love with him.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked. Lizzy blinked at him for a moment as she realized that she had no answer.

"I don't know."

"Lizzy..."

"I don't! I...I guess I was afraid to let myself fall in love," she admitted finally. "Until we had that talk..." She rose from her seat and walked over to the wall of bookcases. She picked up a little statue that she had made for her father at summer camp. "At first I thought he was slightly patronizing in his behavior toward me. That first meeting was as pleasant as root canal. But at the rehearsal dinner, he started to loosen up a little and I thought--," Lizzy smiled, "I thought he'd gotten over himself and was just going through the motions because Richard asked him to."

"Lizzy," Thomas said disappointedly.

"I know, but I didn't have any clues to go by. Sarmistha thinks the world of William but she...I wasn't interested in hearing about him." She rolled her eyes when Thomas clucked his tongue at her disparagingly. "Well, I figured that after the wedding I wouldn't have to deal with him again!"

"He's Richard's cousin, his best friend and his next door neighbor...oh, and on top of that, your best friend thinks the world of William Darcy, too. So it's perfectly reasonable to expect that you'd never see him again after Saturday, in spite of the fact that you'd been offered the use of the apartment next door to him. Lizzy, if the board of trustees at Princeton University could hear this singularly flawed piece of logic they'd withdraw your diploma." Lizzy laughed in spite of herself.

"All right, I admit I wasn't thinking clearly. And if you recall, I refused Sar's offer."

"Oh, yes. That's why I delivered a suitcase full of clothes to you the other day," Thomas deadpanned. "I swear, Lizzy, you're sinking into the land of Lydia." Lizzy returned to her seat and Thomas kissed her hair. She thought for a moment before continuing.

"He was really sweet to me at the reception and his behavior was such a departure from our first meeting I really didn't know what to make of it." Lizzy sighed. "That's when I got scared."

"What were you scared of?" Thomas asked as he began to stroke her hair.

What was she afraid of? Thomas had been unrelenting in his inquiry until Lizzy had given him an honest answer. She was afraid of falling for William and finding out that he hadn't fallen for her. Thomas had pressed her to examine the evidence until she was able to see what she'd been unwilling to see for herself. William Darcy had already taken the plunge.

"All I ask is that you give me a few days' head start," William pleaded. George was nearly doubled over in laughter for some time.

"Your secret is safe with me. However, my mother-in-law is pretty hard to sidetrack once she locks onto a scent." It was William's turn to laugh.

"I know, but I'd like to at least try and start this relationship without a Greek chorus."

"I'll do what I can, but I'm not as young as I used to be," George teased. "I won't be able to elude them for long." The phone rang and George strode over to his desk and picked it up. He listened for a moment and hung up quickly. "I'm afraid you're going to have to deal with this matter on your own."

"Has something happened?" William frowned. George smiled wickedly.

"That was your Jo. Your grandmother is waiting for you in your office."

"Tell me something," Richard said, as he and Sarmistha gazed at the midnight sky. "What's been eating at you all day?" Sarmistha snuggled a little more deeply into his arms. They were sitting on the castle's lawn wrapped in a blanket and sipping champagne while they enjoyed the riot of stars.

"I've been thinking about Lizzy," she admitted.

"What about her?"

"I want her to be as happy as I am this minute."

"That's a pretty tall order."

"Even for William to achieve?" Richard replied to that with a few well-placed tickles to her ribs.

"I defy anyone to be as happy as you are this minute," he said.

"You're pretty sure of yourself, habib."

"I'm pretty sure of you, habiba." She turned her head to kiss him and soon forgot all about her friend in New York.

Lizzy returned to the apartment and put away her groceries. She noted the hour and went down the hall to her room. She opened the garment bag she'd brought back from her parents house with her and pulled out a red dress. It was going to need steaming; Lizzy had become very familiar with the professional quality steaming device in Sarmistha's closet on her wedding day. She retrieved the steamer and spent the next fifteen minutes steaming the dress to perfection. Then she hung it up, set her travel alarm and laid down on the bed to take a nap. She awoke a half hour later and after inviting Squeaks in to keep her company, she went to take a nice hot bath.

As she soaked, she allowed her mind to anticipate evening's events. She imagined a gallant, solicitous William--a wee bit nervous at first, but quickly relaxing and enjoying himself. She saw herself, tentative and insecure at first, slowly opening her mind and heart to the man she now knew herself to be in love with, and afraid--still very afraid--of blowing it.

"Heaven help me!" Lizzy sighed.

"Grandma Bess! This is a pleasant surprise," William said as he entered his office.

"Hello, habib! I just found out what that means from Nishtha. I think it's very sweet that Sarmistha calls Richard that."

"He calls her habiba, too, sometimes," William said as he sat down at his desk. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Well, I was in the neighborhood. After talking to Lizzy the other day I got the urge to do a little shopping," Bess said. William raised an eyebrow, but otherwise didn't comment. "So, since I was in the neighborhood I thought I'd come by and see the handsomest man on the continent." William smiled modestly. "I also thought I'd invite you out on a date."

"A date?" William laughed. "Sure! When?"

"Well, it's very nearly five o'clock. How does right now sound?" William's face fell.

"I'm sorry Grandma Bess. I have plans for tonight...with Lizzy." He braced himself for the inevitable inquest. Bess smiled broadly.

"Woohoo!"

Lizzy was dressed and ready to go ridiculously early, as far as she was concerned, and that resulted in another attack of nerves. She was going on a date, her first "real" date in ages. Lizzy was never a terribly patient person at the best of times. And sitting around thinking about William Darcy, about being loved by William Darcy, about being in love with William Darcy--just seemed to add to her anxiety. And just to up the ante a bit more, Squeaks' sudden hearkening, followed by a quick exit from her apartment, alerted her to the fact that William was home. It was only a quarter after six and she was having trouble standing still, much less sitting.

William showered quickly and stepped out of the stall to shave.

"My word; that really is a goofy smile," he laughed. He put Squeaks out of the bathroom and closed the door before he reached for the razor; he wanted no accidents on this special night.

Where are you taking her?" Bess asked. William named the new, highly lauded restaurant where he'd been lucky enough to get a reservation for an early seating. Bess shook her head. "This is no time for experiments, Will," she said dismissively. "This is not some casual date you want to impress with a celebrity chef and a roomful of pretentious snobs looking to be seen in the latest restaurant du jour. This is the real thing, my darling."

"The place is supposed to have great food!"

"Any good restaurant can serve great food, habib. But this date isn't about food."

"I'm taking her out to dinner," William reasoned.

"Listen to me. You're in love with that girl, right?"

"How did you know?"

"Hah! Ask me that again later," she said, placing her hand over his and giving it an affectionate squeeze. "Right now we have to rescue your evening from a potential disaster. What's your favorite restaurant?" William was a bit confused as to what she was getting at, but he played along.

"It's a little place downtown. But--."

"Is it cozy?"

"It's practically a hole in the wall," William snorted.

"Good. That's where you should take her."

"Don't be ridiculous! It's a nice place, but not the kind of restaurant you'd take someone to on a first date."

"Yes, but it is the kind of place you'd take someone on a last date?"

"You mean like when you're breaking up?" William frowned. Bess was tempted to slap him out of his obtuse stare.

"No. I mean a last date--as in when the relationship is no longer new. As in when you no longer consider yourself dating...as in when you have an established relationship..."

"But we haven't even begun a relationship," William said in frustration. This time Bess did slap him--two light pats on his cheek.

"Listen to me. When you were in high school you boys went to a concert. The next day I asked how it was and you complained about the band that opened for the group you really wanted to see. You get my drift?"

"Skip the preliminaries?"

"They're vastly overrated in some relationships. Richard certainly understood that when he met Sarmistha."

William smiled at his reflection in the mirror. He had not only canceled his reservation, he'd called his favorite restaurant and begged the owner to hold his favorite table, even though the place had a no-reservations policy. He succeeded in getting his wish as a special favor from the owner only after William promised him an introduction to the lady he was willing to go to such lengths for. In return, William had exacted a promise of his own. He couldn't wait to get to the restaurant.

"I think it's high time we went to bed," Richard whispered in Sarmistha's ear. She sighed softly. Richard estimated that she'd been dozing for several minutes, based on the rhythm of her breathing. Sarmistha opened her eyes and gazed lovingly into Richard's face.

"What time is it?" Richard looked at his watch.

"Roughly a quarter to seven, in New York. That would make it about midnight here."

Lizzy was standing on the terrace off the dining room when she heard William knock. He was early; the clock on the building across the street read 6:47. Lizzy swallowed hard, checked herself in the glass on the French doors, and made her way to the foyer. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

Chapter Nine

Posted On: Friday, 20 September 2002, at 7:12 a.m.

Everything about the date was perfect. Lizzy forgot her fears the minute she saw William's smile and he radiated confident charm as he whisked her off to a tiny restaurant in Greenwich Village. The owner of the establishment fawned over the pair as though they were old friends. He got his introduction to Lizzy and William, in turn, got the perfect meal along with his favorite dessert, which seldom appeared on the menu. He and Lizzy talked for hours, laughed themselves to tears, gazed into each other's eyes and revealed untold secrets. And some time in the course of the evening they opened their hearts and shared, without words, the greatest secret of all.

William held Lizzy's hand as they rode up to the penthouse level. They'd spoken very little since leaving the restaurant and getting into a cab. They simply held each other, not wanting the magic to end. William's nervousness returned and he would not allow himself to speak, dared not, until they stepped off the elevator. Lizzy felt all of his apprehension and her own. She looked up into his eyes and opened her mouth to speak, but William put his hand on her cheek and gently ran his thumb over her trembling lip.

And then they were kissing. Lizzy felt a maddening rush of sensations. She wanted to capture and revel in every one of them but they sped by too fast. She felt dizzy and disoriented, as though she was falling. She clung to William for dear life as her heart and her senses careened wildly through something she couldn't identify or explain. Lizzy was falling, suffocating, faint. And then, just as abruptly, it was over. William took a step backward as though repelled by the force of the separation. Lizzy took a breath. William's eyes registered surprise as well as desire and she wondered if her face looked the same.

"Goodnight, William."

"Goodnight, Lizzy."

There was nothing else that could safely be said. Neither one looked back; neither one dared. Lizzy fumbled with her key and opened the door. She leaned against the cool steel when it was closed behind her, panting and disoriented as her senses continued to reel. She dropped the key to the floor, blindly made her way to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator for a bottle of water, which she downed in one tilt. It eased the constriction in her throat, but did nothing for her thirst, which no amount of water could assuage. After a moment, she closed the refrigerator, plunging herself back into inky darkness of the apartment, and tossed the empty bottle into the sink.

"That man can kiss!"

William entered his apartment and went straight into his bedroom. His tossed his jacket on the bench and unbuttoned his shirt, discarding it on the floor as he continued on to the bathroom. He splashed his face with cool water and toweled off. Then he retraced his steps to the bedroom and threw open the terrace door. William stepped out into the cool evening and stood for a moment, his hands on the wall and his head bent forward in an effort to regulate his breathing. But when he lifted it again his head immediately turned east and he saw the light go on in Lizzy's bedroom. He pushed off the wall and walked to the far end of the terrace as desire warred with indecisiveness. In the end, the decision was taken out of his hands. Squeaks came out of the bedroom and began to trot toward Lizzy's room and William's fate was sealed.

"Whoa, buddy. Not this time!" He grabbed the protesting cat and put him back inside. Then he closed the door and walked over to Lizzy's window.

Lizzy turned on the lamp and flopped onto the bed, still too emotionally overwhelmed to think, much less act. She started when she heard a tapping at her window and looked up to see a smiling William. Enough of her mental faculties returned to allow her to realize that William's presence was a very good thing. She scrambled off the bed and went to open the window. He climbed through with surprising agility.

"You really did get some pointers from Squeaks, didn't you," she said with sudden and unexpected composure. William pulled her into his arms.

"I think you'll quickly come to realize that Squeaks and I have very different opinions as to how one should behave in a woman's bedroom." His lips were on hers before the smile reached her lips. This time his kiss was slow and passionate, full of promise and entreaty. Lizzy drew him to the bed and fell backwards.

When she opened her eyes again, Lizzy was alone. A glance at her clock told her it was 8:19. She sat up, saw Squeaks sitting on the dresser languidly licking his paw and laid her head back on the pillow. She closed her eyes for a few minutes; she thought she'd dreamed her night of passion with William and attempted to return to the fantasy of lying in the arms of the man she loved. He had admitted his love for her. Had she imagined that as well? The fact that her sleepwear was nowhere in evidence reassured her that the reality was better than her imagination.

The phone rang and Squeaks launched himself off the dresser. He skidded onto the windowsill as Lizzy groggily slid out of bed and went into the master bedroom, hoping it was William. She waited for the answering machine to kick in and grabbed the receiver the moment she heard his voice.

"Good morning, Lizzy."

"Good morning," she replied with an excited grin on her face.

"You were still asleep when I left and I didn't want to wake you. So I called to wish you a proper good morning, just so you wouldn't think I was a complete lout." Lizzy nearly burst into tears of joy. She had all the independent confirmation she craved.

"So, I should continue as before, thinking of you as an incomplete lout, then?"

"If it makes you happy," William laughed. "You can think of me anyway you want, as long as you think of me."

"I haven't been able to think of anything else for days."

"Oh. I thought it was just me." Lizzy frowned.

"Didn't we have this conversation last night?" she asked.

"For the sake of accuracy, it was actually this morning."

"Oh."

"I hope you remember everything I said last night--and this morning."

"I do," Lizzy said as wiped away a tear. "Excuse me a moment. I have to blow my nose." She crawled across the bed to fetch a handful of tissues. "Where are you?"

"I'm at my office. We had a breakfast meeting today or else I would still be there letting you count the curls at the nape of my neck."

"For the sake of accuracy, how many did I find?"

"Thirty-three, I think, but you were working in the dark and giggling a great deal, so I'm sure you miscounted. You do realize I won't be able to rest again till I have a definitive answer."

"Well you're welcome to come by and let me examine you in the light when you get home," Lizzy smiled.

"I'll pencil that into my schedule. How does six work for you?" William said lightly.

"Perfect. I'll make you dinner."

"Good idea; one counts better on a full stomach."

"I'll try and suppress my giggling," Lizzy said with mock solemnity.

"And I'll try to restrain myself from tickling you as you count."

"Sounds like a good plan." Lizzy took a deep breath in the brief silence. "I love you, William."

"And I love you, Lizzy. I'd better go or I'll miss the best pastry." Lizzy said goodbye and hung up the phone. She got up and did a little dance of joy before she went into the bathroom and started the shower. Twenty minutes later, she wandered into the kitchen to put on coffee and went next door into the office to check her email while it brewed. As soon as Lizzy signed in she was hailed by an instant message.

Sarmistha says:
Hey, there!

Lizzy says:
Sar! What are you doing on? I thought we were scheduled for Friday.

Sarmistha says:
We're in Dublin for a couple of days and just had lunch. Richard is taking a nap so I thought I'd use the time to send an email to my folks.

Lizzy says:
I spoke to Mrs. A yesterday. She's invited me to lunch tomorrow.

Sarmistha says:
Give her a hug for me. Give her one for father, too.

Lizzy says:
Will do!

Sarmistha says:
So? How was the date?

Lizzy says:
It was incredible. I'm in love with him, Sar. Better yet, he's in love with me!

Sarmistha says:
I'm not at all surprised. You both have impeccable taste, and if Richard's opinion can be trusted, you were pre-destined.

Lizzy says:
LOL! You didn't tell me you married an oracle, Sar!

Sarmistha says:
Don't let him hear you say that. He's far too smug as it is! I'm so happy for both of you, Lizzy!

Sarmistha says:
So, did he actually say the magic words?

Lizzy says:
Yes...and then some! :)

Sarmistha says:
Oh, my!

Lizzy says:
Oh, Sar, last night was so magical! *drools*

Sarmistha says:
I had a rather magical night myself. *sighs*

Lizzy says:
Life is good!

Sarmistha says:
I can practically see your smile from here! Oh, dear--Richard is beginning to stir and since I won't allow him to use his phone anymore, I think I'd better not let him catch me talking to you. I'll explain tomorrow, if I can get on.

Lizzy says:
Okay. Bye!

Sarmistha says:
Bye! And keep smiling!

Lizzy says:
I can't stop!

As he had done the day before, Squeaks gave Lizzy the earliest intelligence of William's arrival. She had prepared a simple dinner, aided by her new-found knowledge of William's tastes in food. She went into her room do something about her hair. Lizzy had casually piled it on her head in a loose bun earlier and she wanted to do something about it before William came over. The sudden presence of the amiable feline at her feet heralded William imminent arrival. Sure enough, he appeared at her door a moment later--having remained next door only as long as it took him to change out of his business attire--bearing a chilled bottle of wine and a bunch of flowers. Lizzy greeted him with a warm kiss and stepped back to allow him passage. He strode past her, offering Lizzy an eyeful of his snug-fitting faded jeans. Lizzy smiled curiously when she noticed what was protruding from his back pocket. She followed William into the kitchen. He had found a vase in one of the cabinets and was arranging the flowers.

"A renaissance man, eh?" William smiled as Lizzy wrapped her arms around his torso and hugged him as he worked. She slid her hand down to his pocket and relieved it of the magnifying glass she found there. "May I ask what this is for?"

"I believe I demonstrated last night that I was a stickler for detail." Lizzy sighed into his shoulder in response. "I thought--are you all right back there?" Lizzy giggled.

"I'd be much better if you weren't facing the wrong way." William dried his hands and turned around to enfold Lizzy in his arms.

"I missed you all day," William confessed after savoring a second kiss. "I'm afraid my poor father thinks I've lost my mind. I've been non compos mentis for two days now. He's very delighted to hear that my love for you is requited, by the way."

"You told him about us?"

"You spent last weekend in close quarters with my family. Do we strike you as a secretive bunch?" William asked playfully.

"No...not exactly. So when did you guys adopt Charles?" William laughed at the remark and then released Lizzy to sniff at the pots on the stove.

"Something smells fabulous."

"Well, why don't you take a seat on the terrace and I'll start serving dinner." William carried the vase of flowers with him and Lizzy soon emerged from the kitchen with a tray. She followed him onto the terrace and placed it before him.

"Wow!" William said as he inhaled the rich aroma emanating from the tray.

"You said you had an adventurous palate and you liked spicy and exotic foods."

"The more exotic the better," William replied gamely as Lizzy began serving the salad that was already on the table. "I'll get the wine." He ran inside and retrieved the bottle while Lizzy settled herself at the table. "So what am I eating?"

"Well, I thought I'd make you a typically Malaysian meal. The salad is nothing special, really, although the ground dried shrimp, Thai basil and chopped nuts are fairly common in the cuisines of Southeast Asia."

"And the entrée?" William asked as he tried the salad.

"That's Nasi Bokhari, or spicy rice with chicken. I learned how to make it from a friend in Malaysia."

"It smells fabulous," William commented as he poured the wine. He toasted Lizzy and they enjoyed their meal as they watched the sun slowly sink in the western sky.

When they were done eating, they went inside and William handed Lizzy the magnifying glass so she could count his curls. He stretched out on the sofa and rested his head on her lap. Lizzy pretended to examine his hair as they talked about music, their tastes in art, shared childhood experiences and anything else that came to mind. When William looked up and saw that it was approaching eleven o'clock he rose to leave.

"Come with me."

"Where?" Lizzy asked blankly as she also rose and stretched the kinks out of her back.

"Next door; I believe you had a theory about my bed that I'd like to test," William smiled. "By the way, you looked very much like a princess when I left you this morning, so I have some really good baseline data to make a comparison with. But I don't hold out much hope of disproving the null hypothesis."

"You know, in all the conversations we've had over the past several days you never mentioned anything about your passion for scientific inquiry," Lizzy said as he drew Lizzy along as he headed for the door.

"Oh, this is totally new," William said as he pulled out his keys and locked the door behind him.

"Great! How am I supposed to get back in tomorrow morning when you go off to work?" Lizzy complained. William shrugged and continued over to his place. Lizzy noticed that his own door was unlocked and mentioned it.

"No one can get up here without getting past the security downstairs. In fact, Richard and I can lock out the elevators so they don't open up here, if we wanted. But, you're right," William said, slyly, as he pulled her close and began to unbutton her blouse. "All my favorite things in the world are right here in this apartment," he continued as he stared into Lizzy's eyes. "I'll have to be much more careful in future."

Lizzy found William's keys hanging on the doorknob of the apartment's main entrance when she awoke alone the following morning. She had slipped into William's discarded shirt from the previous day and wandered around the place, familiarizing herself with his "native habitat." The phone rang and Lizzy froze momentarily. The answering machine picked up on the fourth ring.

"Oh, don't tell me you left for work already? You know if you spent more time next door romancing Lizzy and less time being a good soldier in your father's army you'd be a much happier man." Lizzy laughed and boldly reached for the phone.

"Not only is your grandson a much happier man, he's more resourceful than you give him credit for, Grandma Bess," she laughed. Bess grinned ear to ear.

"You needn't say another word without an attorney present, dear. But I'm just going to sit here and read all manner of things into the fact that you answered William's phone at...7:52 a.m."

"I expected you might."

"Thank you, Lizzy," Bess said seriously. "I really didn't mean to pry; I just want to see him happy."

"We're both very happy," Lizzy said as she fiddled around in William's cupboards for a glass. "You were right to pair me up with him."

"I knew you had the right stuff the moment I saw the two of you on the dance floor. I saw the look in his eye and I knew he'd never dance with anyone else again if he couldn't dance with you."

"Then why did you make me dance with all those other men?"

"Those were all very nice young men and it's always good to have a backup waiting in the wings," Bess teased. "But the truth of the matter is that Will needed a little nudge."

"Your nudges are larger than the ones I'm used to," Lizzy teased.

"Hunkier, too, I'll wager."

Sarmistha says:
Are you going to?

Lizzy says:
I'm not sure yet. There's no rush, but at the same time I don't see any reason not to. Any advice?

Sarmistha says:
From the wiser, older, married lady? Follow your heart. It rarely leads you astray...well, it did in my case, but I love him so very much anyway! ;)

Lizzy says:
He insists that we have a courtship of a reasonable length before making any commitments, so I have a week to decide. ;)

Sarmistha says:
And if your answer is negative?

Lizzy says:
He said he'd keep asking till I either say yes or move back to Malaysia. :)

"What are you laughing at?" Richard asked. Sarmistha looked up and saw her husband, fresh from his shower and wearing nothing but a towel.

Sarmistha says:
I have to go. NOW! Keep me posted.

Lizzy says:
Seeya soon!

Lizzy met Nishtha and Mrs. Tiwari for lunch uptown. As she walked down Madison Avenue afterward, she passed a lingerie shop and paused to look in the window. As she wondered how William might respond to the sight of her in the lacy number in the window she recalled his reaction to the sight of her on the night of their first date. He leaned against the doorjamb and stared. After counting off ten seconds, Lizzy folded her arms and waited for him to speak. Finally, and with some difficulty, William averted his eyes.

"I'm doing it again, aren't I?"

"Doing what?" Lizzy asked, utterly charmed by his slight blush.

"I'm wearing a goofy smile."

"I'd call it dopey."

"Would you say that was an improvement?" he asked so seriously that Lizzy had to bite her lip to hold back her grin. She took him by the hand, pulled him inside and closed the door.

"I like your smile," Lizzy assured him, "no matter what Disney character it's compared with." Lizzy was embarrassed by the silliness of her statement, but it was just inane enough to snap William out of his daze. From that point on, the evening only got better.

Lizzy couldn't screw up the courage to go into the shop, but as she peered at the display, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass and discovered that thinking about William made her smile oddly, too. She continued to smile as she walked, noting that many passersby smiled back at her. She wondered if they, too, were madly in love.

Over the next several days, Lizzy and William were virtually inseparable. They spent Saturday morning prowling the flea markets on Sixth Avenue and the evening dancing the night away at a nightclub. They shared the Sunday Times over freshly baked rolls and butter that William rose at seven o'clock to get for Lizzy and sprawled on the lounge chairs off the front terrace of William's apartment and did the crossword puzzle. The made dinner together Sunday night and then curled up with a bowl of popcorn to watch old movies till bedtime. When Monday morning came, William escorted Lizzy to her new office and picked her up at the day's end to bring her home. He repeated the pattern the next day and the next, although Lizzy insisted that he go out Wednesday night for his basketball game. She puttered around his apartment while she awaited his return.

"Hello, beautiful. I'm on my way home and I'm famished. Did you cook, or should I pick something up on the way?"

"I'm making dinner even as we speak," Lizzy announced. "You just come home and I'll have it ready." William put away his phone and grabbed his duffle bag with a silly grin on his face. Lizzy had referred to his apartment as "home." Granted, she was just parroting his use of the term, but it sounded pretty good to his ears and he hoped that very soon Lizzy would consciously refer to the place where she'd spent the better part of the last week as her home.

Lizzy, meanwhile, flew into a panic when she realized that she'd begun making pasta sauce when William had no pasta. She ran next door and checked the cupboards and found none there, either.

"What are they, allergic?" she wondered aloud as she turned off the sauce and made a quick run to the supermarket. When she returned, she opened the mailbox and saw a note that said that Richard's dry cleaning was being held for him in the deliveries room. She strode past the concierge's desk to pick it up and waved to the young man on duty, who was too busy dealing with an irate woman to notice. She found Sarmistha's wedding dress without difficulty; it was in a large box with her name on it. But Lizzy had to sort through a rack of dry cleaning for Richard's tuxedo and as she did so she overheard snippets of the exchange between the concierge and the woman.

"What do you mean I can't go up?"

"There's no one at home, ma'am, as I just told you."

"And I just told you that I had the key," the woman growled. "I used to live here!"

"You don't live here now, and you aren't on Mr. Darcy's guest list. I'm afraid I can't allow you to--." The woman swore as Lizzy gasped in shock. For a moment, she didn't know what to do. But she realized that she was being ridiculous. Whoever she was, the woman was part of William's past. Lizzy was his present and his future and she wasn't about to cower in the face of his ex. She stepped out of the room and went to the desk.

"Jimmy, I picked up the Fitzwilliams' dry cleaning for them, okay?" Lizzy stole a glance at the tall redhead who was glaring at the concierge, who calmly made a notation in his book.

"Thanks, Ms. Bennet. Oh, Ms. Bennet? Mr. Darcy isn't at your place by any chance, is he? I'm not getting any answer at his apartment." Lizzy thought it was rather imprudent of him to ask such a question, but she took great delight in calmly saying no and stepping into the elevator as the redhead eyed her suspiciously. William came in less than ten minutes after the lobby exchange. Lizzy pondered whether or not to mention it to William, but he was the one to broach the subject.

"I understand I had a visitor," he said as he stripped out of his sodden athletic gear.

"Yes, a tall, rather determined redhead." William grimaced.

"Becca. I thought as much." Lizzy recalled hearing Richard mentioning a woman by that name. She smiled and started to head back to the kitchen, but William held her back. "She's ancient history, Lizzy. She's the daughter of an old friend of the family and used to live in the building. We dated for a while--a short while; it was never serious."

"I know," she smiled. "I'd pull you into my arms and reassure you with hugs and kisses but, to be completely honest, the idea of touching you kind of grosses me out at the moment."

"I can take a hint," William said as he headed for the shower. When he was presentable again, the couple sat down to dinner, after which they curled up on the sofa in the living room. "Lizzy, we've been together a week as of tonight..." She raised her eyes to him, questioning. He shrugged slightly. "That seems to me like a reasonable length of time..."

"Oh," Lizzy nodded. "All right; let's talk about this plan of yours."

Hugh Fitzwilliam sent a limousine to pick up the returning newlyweds. They slid into the back seat and settled in for the ride into Manhattan in mid-afternoon traffic. Sarmistha pulled out her phone to let Lizzy know that she'd be home within the hour. When Richard pouted, she restored his phone to him and he kissed first her then the phone before he dialed William's office. While Sarmistha and Lizzy had a brief chat, Richard was disappointed to find that William was tied up in a meeting. The couple arrived at their apartment forty minutes later and collapsed on the sofa in exhaustion.

"Hey! Where's the welcome wagon?" Richard said after a few minutes.

"If you mean Lizzy, she's not here," Sarmistha replied.

"Oh, that's right! She started her new job this week."

"No, she took the day off. She said she needed to get away for a few days and she thought we'd like to have the apartment to ourselves tonight."

"Oh; well, where did she go?"

"I didn't ask." Of course, Lizzy had readily volunteered that information, but Sarmistha didn't see any reason to reveal that yet. Richard frowned at his watch.

"William ought to be home any minute now. I wonder if he knows anything about this." Sarmistha yawned and dragged herself to her feet. She went down the hall to the master bedroom.

"Richard?" Sarmistha called. "I'm going to take a shower. Would you do me a favor and bring my luggage in when you come back this way? Richard?" She went back out to the living room. Her husband was nowhere to be seen.

"Of course, I do! But I never promised you full disclosure. It's not my fault you couldn't weasel it out of dad earlier," William laughed. "I must say I'm rather surprised Grandma Bess didn't say anything to you, though. I was sure that she was just a co-conspirator... She found out the other day... Yes, I'm deliriously happy and so is Lizzy... Well, we got off to a rather tentative start...it's a long story." William heard a knock on the door. "Look, there's someone at the door. I'd better go. I'll give you a call later and tell you all about it. Goodbye, mother." He hung up the phone and checked his watch on the way to the door. "Richard! Welcome home!"

"What's going on between you and Lizzy?" William blanched at the question.

Richard and Sarmistha decided to order dinner in and retire early. They curled up together on their bed and ate Chinese food while they watched the news. Richard had dozed off when a clap of thunder roused him. He took that as his cue to get ready for bed.

"I'd better go and batten down the hatches," he said after brushing his teeth. Richard went to each terrace and checked to see that all the windows, doors and outdoor furniture were secured. On his way back down the hall he went into the guest room to close the window and as he turned to leave he noticed that the bed had been stripped. "Mish!"

"Yes?" Sarmistha had undressed and was sliding between the sheets when he reappeared.

"All Lizzy's stuff is gone."

"She went away, remember?"

"No, I mean gone. Everything; the bed has even been stripped."

"The housekeeper comes on Fridays, habib. She probably stripped the bed."

"I don't think so," Richard said suspiciously. Sarmistha patted the mattress.

"Come to bed and I will put your mind at ease." Richard did as he was bidden. "Don't worry about Lizzy. I spoke to her and she's fine." Richard brooded for a moment.

"I have a confession to make, Mish. When we got home and found that she had left, I got a little worried. So I asked William if he knew anything about it. He did and he knew exactly where she'd gone. I convinced him to go after her." Sarmistha bit her lip.

"You convinced him--? So that's what you were up to earlier?" Richard nodded.

"I don't know if they argued or what, but it seemed clear to me by his expression that something major had happened between them. I told him that whatever it was they needed to talk about it and they couldn't talk if they were a hundred miles apart. He agreed with me and decided to go for it." Sarmistha couldn't hold it anymore. She burst out laughing and fell back on the bed. "What's so funny?"

"William told you he'd go looking for Lizzy?"

"Yes! I don't see what's so funny about your friend being out in Montauk all alone on a cold, rainy night!" Richard said exasperatedly.

"Oh, but I'm sure she's not alone or cold if William is with her."

"Hopefully, he is. Will you stop laughing?"

"I'm sorry; I can't help it. I'm afraid I have a confession to make, too."

"Let me guess; you told Lizzy to go away for the weekend as a means of making William declare himself." Sarmistha shook her head.

"It's even more insidious than that! They planned this weekend all by themselves!"

"What?" Richard sat up. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that the two of them planned to go away this weekend--together."

"But--."

"Lizzy drove out this morning and William was supposed to take the Jitney out there after work."

"But--. No wonder he was so easily convinced. The sly dog!" Sarmistha bit her lip.

"My darling, William and Lizzy are in love."

"I told you that!"

"No, you told me that William wanted Lizzy and that it was inevitable that she'd want him. Well, I am telling you that it is already fait accompli. William and Lizzy have fallen in love and you, my sweetling, had nothing to do with it."

"I had plenty to do with it! I talked Lizzy into staying in the wedding party, didn't I?"

"Richard, she changed her mind about backing out the day before she met you."

"And I talked William into going over there the morning after the wedding."

"Lizzy had already thought of taking some of the leftover muffins and bagels to William. And that first date? I believe William told you about it, not the other way round."

"I told you that Fitzwilliam men are irresistible."

"I've known that for close to ten months now." Richard squinted at his bride. She reached across him and turned off the lamp before wrapping herself around him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"By the way, your mother called and invited us to dinner next week."

"Are you going to wear a sari?" Richard asked as he stroked her arm.

"If you'd like me to, I will."

"You should; then you can wear that little dot thing."

"A bindi."

"Yeah, you've earned it, now."

"I most certainly have." Richard kissed her forehead and closed his eyes, hoping to drift off to sleep but the startling revelations about William and Lizzy's romance kept him awake. He stared at the wall and tried to think of something else.

"Mish?"

"Yes, habib."

"I know I said that you could do anything you wanted to in here when we got back, but are you really planning to use all that pink silk left over from Lizzy's dress? And why did you buy so much of it in the first place?" Sarmistha smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Uncle Roshan gave me the silk for all the dresses. He gave me just enough yardage for Jane and Alva's dresses, but when he saw how much I loved the color I chose for Lizzy's dress he gave me the whole twenty-yard bolt."

"So, in other words, we're going to have a pink bedroom."

"Oh, no! That was never really my intent! I was only teasing about that. Besides, I gave the rest of the fabric to Lizzy."

"What is she going to do with fifteen yards of pink silk?" Richard pondered his own question for a moment. "I suppose she could always decorate her own bedroom with it."

"I suspect that William wouldn't care for pink silk bed hangings any more than you would." Richard raised his head.

"You think it's that serious?"

"When Lizzy and William come back I doubt she'll be returning to this apartment."

"Say! Can I pick 'em or what?" Sarmistha rolled her eyes and pulled Richard's head down for a kiss.

"Yes, my darling."

Not only did Sarmistha's prediction turn out to be accurate, it was better than she hoped. Lizzy and William returned home engaged to be married. Richard took his cousin aside for a long talk while Lizzy called her parents. Thomas was delighted with the news.

"I suppose this means I'll get to see what 'lace up the wazoo' looks like,' he teased. "Frankly, I've been looking forward to it since we had our little talk."

"No, daddy; actually, I'm going to be married in pink silk," Lizzy smiled. "Lots of it."

The End.