Beginning, Section II, Section III, Next Section
Posted on Sunday, 9 September 2001
"And that's why you didn't tell me? I find that hard to believe."
"Look--I wasn't sure how much I should say. After all, this is no little thing, in the world of business."
Elizabeth poured cream in her new cup of coffee and stirred it thoughtfully. "But you couldn't in any way be deemed responsible, I thought you said--I mean, these rumors were in no way your fault."
"Right."
"So why were you so nervous at acknowledging the connection between yourself and William?"
Jorges sighed. "He paid me. He gave me money to disappear. I figured that it was easier for me to take the cash and go--after all, I could prove nothing. Sure, I could set a little bit of a furor in the wrong places if I set my mind to it, but even then, nothing could be proven against them in a court of law. All of the evidence was long gone."
Elizabeth took a sip of the coffee, then set it down gently in the saucer. "So let me get this straight--during the takeover of Lambton, Inc., there were rumors spread--rumors that deterred the other companies for competing for the top bid. What exactly were these rumors?"
"That a certain microchip that Lambton was producing was faulty."
"And the rumors were proved false?"
Jorges made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "Of course. There was nothing wrong in the first place, as Lambton repeatedly tried to assert during negotiations."
Elizabeth thought through this. "So why did Pemberley and Sons continue their bid?"
"Isn't that obvious?" he countered with a snort. "They knew it was false. They could obtain the company cheaply, then make millions on the sales of the product which was not quite as defective as reported."
"Wow," Elizabeth breathed. She stared into her coffee cup for a few moments, then looked back up at her companion across the table. "I'm still confused on one point. Why exactly did William get so upset when he saw you in the hall? I mean, he didn't just look shocked. He was livid!"
Here Jorges sat back in his seat and rubbed one arm as he exhaled loudly. "That's a bit of a long story."
"Try me," she responded, holding up her cup. "I can always get a refill, and Webbs is open all night."
He gave her a quick smile, then rubbed one hand over his forehead. "I guess I should first explain that I have a history with the Darcy family, outside of my late employment with the company."
"What employment was that, again? I'm sorry--I must have forgotten."
He shook his head. "No, I don't think I mentioned it. I was in charge of some of their larger contracts. I was in charge of the Lambton contract. I was in on every single one of the exchanges."
"Oh. So...you were telling me about the family history?"
"Yes, well, my father--George Wickham--and Mr. Frank Darcy--William's father--were very close friends. About five years before William was born, my father, who had been married to a cousin of Mr. Darcy, had an affair with a woman named Isabella Impio--my mother. It was something of a shock when she became pregnant, and there was a huge furor over it, ending in a divorce for my father. So you see, the Darcys had more than one reason to hate me--I was the reason for the break-up of a twenty-six year marriage, and I was mexicano."
"Well, that's unfair. It's not as if you were at fault."
"Tell that to William Darcy," he said wryly. "But Mr. Darcy never had a problem with my illegitimacy, or my race. In fact, he was always kind to me, even to the point that after my mother's death--my father had died two years before--he funded my college tuition for me, and put me through law school. He even got me a small position at Pemberley and Sons, and I made my own way up through the ranks. It was very hard on me when Mr. Darcy died."
"I can imagine," Elizabeth murmured. "So then what happened?"
Jorges shrugged. "Things went on as usual, for the most part. It became very obvious, though, that Mr. Darcy's son was not the same kind man his father was. He resented my place, and went out of his way to avoid me as much as possible. Meetings I requested with him were put off for one reason or another, or he sent a subordinate--usually his cousin Richard Fitzwilliam--to deal with me.
"There was one thing, however, that William Darcy could not tolerate at all. You see, I had known the family for a long time, and Georgiana, Mr. Darcy's daughter, was quite fond of me, as I was of her, sisterly-brotherly-like. The high-step Mr. William Darcy, however, would not accept the friendship between his sister and a base-born mexicano. He must have said something to this effect to his sister, for shortly after the Lambton deal, she came to my office, crying. Her brother came in, though, absolutely incensed, and started accusing me of trying to seduce his sister, or something. He finally dragged his sister off, and a few hours later, Fitzwilliam came in and told me to clean out my office, that I was being fired."
"Why? What was their reason?"
Jorges shrugged. "They said something about the contracts, and how they had noticed a few flaws...etc, etc. Mostly just a bunch of hot air. You know how it is."
She rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately, I do. Only, most of the time, I'm on the other end."
"And that's ok," he replied, "as long as you have good reason. But what they told me was all just a bunch of fluff, none of which would really hold up to the light."
"So why didn't you raise hell?"
He shook his head. "I had already applied and been accepted to another company. I was leaving anyway--they had already given me the money, and I had been leaving in about a week. They simply shortened that time. There was no sense in raising a stink. And anyway, as much as I hate his son, I still respected his father's memory. I wasn't about to tarnish the old man's image by association. You know...the apple doesn't fall far."
She nodded slowly. "I guess I understand. I've done the same thing sometimes. Not in situations this...explosive, you might say, but basically, the same idea."
"So you understand, no?" he asked.
She hesitated, "I suppose I do. It's just so hard to reconcile this...I've seen so many aspects of Will's character, that I'm really not sure what to really believe. This only adds more uncertainty to the whole mess. And the thing that bugs me the most, is that I am usually such a discerning person. But lately, my life has been so topsy-turvy that I'm not sure which way is up, even." She laughed unevenly. "And I'm really not sure why I am telling you all this. I don't even know you very well."
He smiled warmly at her. "I guess it's the naturally affinity between us. You know, the feeling that we've known each other our whole lives."
There was a pause before Elizabeth responded. "Yes, I suppose you're right." She laughed. "Yeah, I guess you are. Thanks."
"No problem."
"And that's it?"
Elizabeth spread her hands wide. "What else is there?"
Aria made a strangling noise in her throat, throwing up her arms in an uncharacteristic show of exasperation. "What else is there? Everything! How did you respond to this? Is there anything he can back up with proof?"
"Well, no, not really," Elizabeth said, wrinkling her brow. "But I already explained that."
Her friend sighed. "Look, Liz, I don't want to question your judgment in this, but I'm going to anyway. Sometimes you have the habit of making a decision before you know all the facts."
"How can you say that?"
"Easily. Have you gotten the other side of the story?"
Elizabeth snorted. "And how would I do that? Just go and ask William if he was really an unscrupulous, racist, judgmental businessman with no morals whatsoever and an overly-bloated opinion of himself?"
"For a start, I suppose that's alright. You might want to work on the overly-bloated part, though. Sounds as if he has constipation or something."
"This is no joke, Aria," Elizabeth retorted. "And much as I absolutely adore your sarcasm, I don't think it's being used to best effect here. If you don't mind, I think I will continue in my own opinions for a while, thank you."
Aria shot her friend a glance. "Fine. It's really none of my business, except for the fact that I care about you, and I know how much this is hurting you."
"And how could you know that, pray? What if I told you that this does not bother me at all? I was expecting something like this to come to light."
"Speaking of coming to light, why exactly was he telling you, of all people, this? I mean, there are certainly much more effective avenues through which a man can start a rumor to ruin another man's life."
Elizabeth gasped. "Aria! That is so out of line, even for you! What is wrong with you today?"
"More to the point," Aria retorted, "what is wrong with you that you can't see exactly what this creep is doing?"
There was a long silence before Elizabeth responded. "I really don't understand why you are doing this, Aria."
Aria looked at her friend steadily. She then turned away to put her empty soda can in the sink before walking out of the kitchen and retrieving her coat from where it lay on the arm of the couch in the living room. "Because, Elizabeth, we are friends, and have been for as long as I can remember. And for that same reason, I am going to tell you that I think you are doing something so incredibly stupid, I'm hoping that I will wake up in a few moments, and hear that it was all a nightmare. I don't want you hurt, Liz. And I know that if you continue like this, you will be. But for now, I'm going to leave. You don't want any of my special brand of sense right now, and even I know when to pick my battles. If you want to talk later, give me a call. Otherwise, I'll see you on Saturday, at Cathy's graduation."
Elizabeth only nodded as she watched her friend throw her long black coat around her shoulders and slip her arms into the sleeves. She looked back at Elizabeth once before opening the door and going out. Elizabeth leaned her elbows on the counter in front of her and put her head in her hands. It had been such a long day; her boss had hated her proposal, she spilled ketchup all over her best white blouse, the toilets all got clogged on the sixth floor at work and spilled out onto the carpet, soaking the floor outside her office, there was a huge accident on the freeway, and she was stuck in traffic for an hour and a half, and now this. She needed to relax, and all she got was a lecture from Aria, making her feel even worse and more confused than she already was.
After a few minutes, she looked up again, more composed now, and after cleaning up the kitchen, was going into the living room when she was surprised by a knock on the door. With a perplexed expression on her face, she went and looked through the peephole to find out who was outside her door.
And so it was with an even more bemused expression that she opened the door to face the object of her thoughts, standing on her doormat with an apologetic expression on his face. He wore a leather jacket over his dark brown turtleneck, above khakis and dark brown shoes. He carried a black leather appointment book in his hands, which Elizabeth immediately recognized as her own. He held it out to her with a sheepish grin. "I didn't even notice this was left in the car. I was in the neighborhood, and decided to drop it off. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "No. No, of course not." She glanced in back of her, then opened the door wider. "Did you want to come in?"
William nodded and moved past her into the room. "By the way, I saw Aria on her way out the door. Uh, do you happen to know why she told me it was my own funeral?"
Elizabeth flushed slightly, silently cursing her friend. "No, not really. You know Aria."
"Yeah, I guess I do." He laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. "But anyway, while I am here, I guess I can apologize...look, about Saturday..."
Elizabeth breathed deeply, suddenly glad for the easy opening. "I know; I was going to ask you about that."
He looked at her in confusion, his hand still on his neck. "You were?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to ask you what your side of the story is."
"My side? What?"
"Are you really what he says you are?"
There was a heartbeat of a pause, before he spoke again: "What does he say I am?"
Suddenly, her courage deserted her, and she hesitated. She looked away, biting her lip, and searched for the best way to phrase it. When nothing came quickly to mind, she blurted out her second-best response, which, admittedly, might not have been the best idea: "A racist, a bigot, and an unscrupulous businessman with no morals whatsoever...and an inflated ego," she said, her voice fading away with each word until she uttered the last on little more than a strangled breath of air.
There was complete silence in the room for what felt to Elizabeth's strained nerves to be a complete hour, before she finally got up the nerve to look William straight in the eye. The pain and anger she saw there caught her off-guard, and she wrapped her arms tightly about herself in defense. At last, he spoke, in a voice curiously devoid of expression. "And is that what you think?"
She waited too long to respond, and even as the words wrapped themselves around her tongue, ready to assuage his doubts, he held up his hands in protest. "No, don't even try to give me some thought-out response, no doubt arranged just right so that you don't have to admit to anything. You've already told me exactly what you think. I'm sorry that I even..." He shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry. I would've expected it of him, but not of you. But I was wrong." A spark of anger showed in his eyes, and his jaw hardened slightly. "You couldn't even trust me so much to find out the real story, for I have no doubt he fed you some bull that has absolutely no resemblance to real life. You didn't even ask me."
"Yes I did!" she cried in protest.
"Yes," he admitted, "you did. But you had already made your judgment beforehand, didn't you? I was called the villain, despite how many times in the past few weeks I have been the hero. I feel like I'm in some twisted story, where the man everyone has trusted, everyone has been rooting for, is suddenly blackballed and made into some despicable monster. I'll be the first to admit I'm not perfect, but never in my life, I hope, have I been as black as you paint me."
He glanced at the door, then back at Elizabeth, but she was simply gaping blankly at him, a world of hurt in her eyes. He closed his own eyes, breathed deeply, then opened them again to meet her gaze. "I suppose I've taken up too much of your time. Give my regards to Aria and your sister. Good-bye Elizabeth."
And without another word, he walked to the door and left. Elizabeth stared dumbly at the door, her mouth open to tell him to stop, to apologize, her eyes filling with tears. At last, she closed her mouth, and a strange, mewling sound came from her throat before she sank down on the couch and buried her head in her arms. When she finally raised her head, her eyes were red, and her cheeks streaked from her tears. She rubbed one hand slowly up and down her arm as she stared unhappily at the rain rolling down the window pane.
It was nearly a half hour later that Jane arrived home, a grocery bag in her arms, but she found her sister still sitting on the couch, her face a mask of emotional agony. She quickly set down the groceries and came to sit on the couch beside her younger sister, and in a wordless bond of sisterly sympathy, opened her arms and gathered Elizabeth into her comforting embrace. Neither spoke for minutes; the only sound in the room came from Elizabeth's soft sobbing into her sister's shoulder. Jane patted her gently on the back, rubbing her hair softly in a motherly gesture, and didn't ask any questions.
At last, Elizabeth leaned back and wiped her eyes, giving her sister a watery smile. "I'm so sorry, Jane."
Jane smiled gently. "It's ok. I understand. Did you want to talk about it?"
Elizabeth looked down at her clasped hands for a few seconds, then back at her sister, and with a sad smile, related the whole of the tale. Jane listened silently, then looked down at her hands. "I don't know how to tell you this, Lizzy..."
"I managed to tell you how stupid I was. I shouldn't think anything would be more difficult than that."
Jane bit her lip. "Well, I do know the truth of the Lambton scandal, and it's not quite what Jorges told you. In fact, that version is little more than fiction slightly based on fact. Yes, there were some rumors being circulated about Lambton's microchip, but none of them came from William or his upper management. Actually, they came from a wholly different source--Charles never said exactly who, but he did say he worked on the contracts. William did everything in his power to help Lambton dispel the rumors, but nothing worked. In the end, he paid the original highest bid, instead of what he had gotten down to, in order to save face. Afterwards, he and Richard did some digging into the files of the worker they suspected of spreading the rumors. They found some rather funny account records--it turns out, over the number of years he had been employed there, he'd siphoned over $100,000 out of the company through false business expenses."
"Holy cow..." Elizabeth murmured, her eyes wide.
Jane nodded. "That's what I thought when Charles told me. It's so hard to believe people can be so unscrupulous. Especially with the kind of salary the man was getting!"
"I can't be that surprised," Elizabeth replied sadly. 'I know all too many people who would take a chance like that on the turn of a dime."
"Sad, isn't it?" Jane asked.
"Yes, Jane. Yes it is."
Elizabeth looked up and smiled as Richard entered the George Webbs and sat down on the bench seat across from her. "How are you, love?" he asked playfully.
"Much better, now that you're here," she replied with a grin as she took another sip of her hot cocoa. "I've already ordered, but I can get Maribeth to come back and take your no-doubt humongous order."
He rubbed his stomach. "Good. I'm starving. You're picking up the bill, right?"
She laughed. "Yeah, I guess so, since I was the one who asked you out."
"Oh, is this a date?" He glanced down at his perfectly-tailored suit. "I forgot to dress up."
"Very funny," she said with a repressive glare. "And this isn't a date. I think I've sworn off all dating forever."
He sobered at that. "Uh-oh. This sounds serious."
She smiled a little weakly. "Well, it was really the reason I had asked you here. I've been tossing this around in my brain all week, and something about it all just doesn't make sense."
Richard sighed ran a hand through his dark, tousled locks. "Why don't I order, and then you can tell me all about it." He signaled Maribeth over to their booth, and after giving her his order, he sat back on the bench and gestured for Elizabeth to begin speaking. She sighed. "I'm really not sure where to start..."
"How about the beginning?" he suggested with a smile that took the sting out of his words.
She laughed. "I guess that would be the most sensible thing to do. I'm just not sure where the beginning is..."
Once the whole, convoluted story had been related, and their food had been laid out in front of them, Richard sighed and picked up a French fry, twirling it around before tossing it into his mouth. "You are missing a few pieces of the story," he said after he had swallowed the fry. "Especially with what relates to Genie. You know how dear Genie is to me, so I trust that this won't go any farther than this table here, right?"
"Do you even need to ask?" Elizabeth asked with a lift of her eyebrow.
He shrugged. "I guess not, but you understand, I had to be sure."
"Of course."
He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes briefly, then put his knuckles to his mouth, considering. "I'm really not sure how to begin," he said at last.
"How about at the beginning?" she replied.
He grinned. "Yes, I suppose that would be the best place. Well, I guess I can say that Impio was at least truthful in his acknowledgement of the relationship between himself and the Darcy family. He and Genie had always been rather close. To her, he was like her favorite uncle, or cousin or such. And that's how he treated her--or so we thought. It turns out, there was a little more to it than that.
"It had been going on for years, from what we can tell. It was only about a year ago--during the Lambton deal--that Darcy began to suspect something. So he tried his best to keep them apart. But it was when he told Georgiana about Impio's, well, duplicity in the company that the whole truth came tumbling out. She believed that she was in love with him, or at least he made her believe that. In my opinion, he's a sick freak that should be kept as far away from children as possible, but of course, to accuse him of anything would have put Genie through hell, and both Darcy and I agreed that we couldn't do that to her. As it is, she went through over six months of therapy--and, I am incredibly glad to be able to say, she's recovered well. But when she went to Impio's office to hear the truth directly from him about his embezzlement, Darcy kind of flipped, and you know the rest.
"The only flaw in the rest of his version of the story is that he wasn't fired. We gave him a choice--we would take him to court, or he could leave of his own free will. Honestly, I thought he was long gone. I can't even begin to imagine why he stayed in--or came back to--Milwaukee."
Elizabeth shrugged. "Who knows. I'm just glad that now I know the truth." Her eyes widened. "There is a family with three teenage girls in the apartment next to mine. He wouldn't..."
Richard laid his hand on top of hers. "Elizabeth, I'm sure he wouldn't. If it would make you feel better, though, I could go and beat the living daylights out of him. I've wanted to ever since I found out about Genie."
She shook her head. "I'm sure it would make you feel better, but I doubt it would have any effect on him. Some people just don't change that quickly."
He sighed and sat back on his bench. "I guess you're right. Perhaps he'll just decide to move away on his own." He smiled wryly. "But enough of that. My food is almost stone cold, and will be soon if I don't start eating it."
Elizabeth laughed and agreed, and they both dug into their meals. When they were finished, and Elizabeth had gotten herself another mug of hot cocoa, and Richard had ordered himself some hot tea, she brought them both back to their previous conversation. "So, where do I go from here?" she asked.
Richard took a sip of his tea and scowled. "Yikes; still a little too hot." He wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked up at her. "I'm really not exactly sure I understand what you mean."
She rubbed her cheek with her hand. "You know, I don't think I even understand."
He smiled at that. "That doesn't sound good. But I think I understand what your dilemma is." He picked up the cup and took a small sip. "Ah, that's better. Now, back to what I was saying: you are worried about what you are going to do now that you believe you've made an entire fool of yourself with regards to my cousin, William Darcy."
"That's exactly it."
"Hmmm..." Richard murmured in response. He looked at her steadily over the rim of his cup as he took a sip of tea. At last, he set it down, staring at it for a while before looking up at her again. "I know this may sound stupid, but I have an analogy you might like."
"Go ahead," she replied. "Shoot."
He took a deep breath, and then expelled it slowly. "I've always thought that Life is a lot like the down escalator. Do you remember how, as you were a kid, you would always try to run up the escalator, and you would never really go anywhere? Well, that's what life is like. Some people have forgotten that completely, and now they simply let it take them down, not really giving it a second--or even a first--thought. Others still struggle against it but don't seem to get anywhere. And then, of course, there are those who put their whole heart into getting to the top of that escalator, and, though they have many obstacles--other people going down, shoelaces getting stuck in the grates, whatever--they just keep pushing, and eventually make it to the top." He paused and took another sip before waving a hand dismissively in the air. "I'm not sure if that made sense..."
"No," she said softly, thoughtfully, "it did."
He smiled. "I always ask myself which one of those people I am. Do I simply ride the escalator, or do I try to go up it? How much exactly do I want to make it to the top?"
Elizabeth had nothing to say. Or at least, if she had, she didn't reveal it. Instead, she stared thoughtfully out the window, over Richard's shoulder. They sat in silence for a while, Richard stirring his tea slowly with a spoon, Elizabeth staring at nothing, occasionally taking a sip of her cocoa. The sounds of the rest of the diners continued: the clinking of silverware, the gentle murmur of other conversations, the slapping of patties on the grill. But their little corner stayed quiet, until Elizabeth broke the silence at last: "I guess I never really thought of it that way. I never ask myself those kind of questions. Probably because I know I wouldn't like the answer."
"That's the same way it is for most people. It really scares you, doesn't it?"
She nodded. "So what you are saying, basically, is that I should suck it up and go on. That all this is simply an obstacle that I have to overcome."
He took a sip from his cup, then set it down, shaking his head. "No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that you have to evaluate where you stand, where you are going, and exactly how you are going to get there. And then you have to actually do it. And sometimes, every so often, you need someone to help you up. Sometimes it takes two people to help each other make it to the top."
Elizabeth reflected on that, then looked up at Richard, giving him a sad smile. "Do you really think that's possible? What if--to continue with the analogy--he's so many steps ahead of me, that I can't catch up?"
Richard smiled slowly. "Why, that's what friends are for. Look, I know it's hard right now, but trust me, thins will get better. Darcys always take care of their own."
She grinned at him. "Sounds like it's the mafia, or something." Her grin faded. "But that still doesn't make me feel any better about what I've done. I've made him hate me. So where does your 'take care of their own' leave me?"
Richard shook his head. "Just give him time, and he'll get over it. He cares for you, you know."
"No, I don't know! And even if he did 'care for me' he hates me now--after I so distrusted him as to believe him capable of such dishonesty? Of blatant racism?"
"You're too hard on yourself, Liz."
She sighed and shook her head. "I think you're too optimistic about it all, Rich."
"'To err is human.'"
"And 'to forgive divine.' Now that I've messed it up royally, and for the billionth time it seems, is William a 'god' enough to forgive me?"
Richard harumphed. "Yeah; only in his mind. Look at it this way, Liz--he knows that you couldn't have truly believed any of that. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so hesitant to call him on it. It was simply the shock of the moment. After he had time to think about it, I think he would have realized that he gave you as little trust in the situation as you gave to him."
Elizabeth looked sadly down at a crumb lying on the table and rolled it slowly around with her forefinger. "But how can you build a relationship off of that? So little trust cannot be a good foundation for any kind of relationship, especially friendship."
"I agree," Richard replied. "But all relationships begin like that. The trust grows as the relationship grows. It's even harder when that trust is lost, but it isn't impossible. It just takes work."
"Then work it will be," she said with a smile. "Work it has to be."
Posted on Tuesday, 20 November 2001
The graduation was the normal pomp and circumstance high school graduations usually are. Elizabeth sat with her family up in the bleachers, looking out over the football field, where 300 graduates sat on uncomfortable folding chairs, waiting for the moment they could throw their hats in the air against the warnings and dire threats of the principle, who also stated firmly that no sunglasses were allowed (yeah--try telling that to the guy in the third row). But at long last, the hats were lying scattered across the football field, and everyone was running around, getting in the way of other people's pictures, hugging, kissing, screaming shrilly, and crying.
Avoiding her mother, and glancing somewhat resignedly at the sight of Lydia plastering herself to a graduate of the male species, Elizabeth went up to her younger sister and embraced her while asking, "So, how does it feel?"
Cathy shrugged. "I dunno. Am I supposed to feel something? Graduation from high school is the same as a birthday. Everyone asks you, 'how does it feel?' and then you have to make up something like, 'Great! I feel like a college student already!' or at least something to that effect."
Elizabeth grinned. "That's ok. I felt the same way when I graduated. Don't worry--it'll hit you sooner or later."
Her sister rolled her eyes. "Ooooh, don't I have something to look forward to." She then saw someone she knew, and excused herself before running over to get her picture taken. Elizabeth only laughed and let her go.
"I remember when you graduated from high school. It wasn't too long ago."
Elizabeth turned to look at her father, Douglas Bennet, who had approached while she was talking to her sister. "It seems like that, doesn't it? The years are passing so quickly."
He grimaced as he looked up towards his nonexistent hairline. "Don't I know it." He sighed and slipped his arm through hers as they wended their way through the crowd towards the parking lot. "But it is true that we haven't talked in a long time, and I'd really like to catch up on things. I know that Jane and Chuck drove you over, but I told them I'd take you back to the house. Is that ok?"
"That's fine, Dad," she replied with a smile. "And Dad, you know that Charles hates it when you call him that."
He laughed. "Yeah, I know. But he never says anything; he just looks awkward and hems and haws. It's rather amusing." He cleared his throat. "But I am glad that he is the man your sister found. I was very proud of her choice."
Elizabeth looked fondly at her father. "As if Jane could ever have chosen any man unworthy of her. She may, contrary to the philosophy of most people, trust the world in general, and she might not ever be able to think a mean thought against anyone, no matter what they do, but she does know whom to love. Charles is perfect for her. Just as she is for him. They would have been miserable with anyone else."
Mr. Bennet smiled. "I don't think they'd be miserable, necessarily, but I do think that their happiness wouldn't have been as...overwhelming as it is now." They had finally reached the car, and he came around and opened the door for his daughter. Once he had gotten in, and turned the car on, he asked, "So, what are you going to do about the apartment when it comes time for Jane to move out?"
"I have been avoiding thinking about it," Elizabeth replied with a grimace. "I'm really not sure what I can do."
"So you can't afford it on your own?"
She sighed. "Well, I could, if I put off buying a new car. Even with the insurance money, things'll be a little tight if I get a car now. So if I need to pay all of the rent myself, I'd have to wait until I could get a little more saved up before making that purchase. The thing is, with Jane gone, I won't even have her to give me a ride to work and back, and I don't think I want to have a rental for as long as I would need it."
"Have you considered a used car?" he offered.
She shook her head. "No. I don't want a used car. This is something I'm going to have to use for years, most likely, and I want something that will last me that long."
"True."
Elizabeth studied her hands. "Do you think I should buy a car now?"
He hesitated, then nodded. "I think it's a good investment. I mean, unless you take your mother's advice in the next few weeks and find yourself a nice rich man to marry--one who has more than a dozen cars just sitting in his garage, I think you'll need one of your own. As great as the bus system is here, I don't like the idea of you having to take it to work every day, especially with the late hours at the office you keep."
"I know what you mean," she said. "I don't relish the thought, either. But if it's necessary..."
Her father only shook his head. "Why don't you think about moving in with the Hengals sisters? I'm sure you all could find a nice apartment with three bedrooms, for fairly cheap. Or if Kim is really considering moving in with that man of hers, maybe you could move into Aria's apartment, or vice versa."
"Kim is going to move in with Richard? How come she hasn't told me this? For that matter, why didn't Richard tell me Friday when we were at Webbs? Oooh, that boy is in trouble."
Mr. Bennet laughed. "Well, just don't blame me--Kim, Dickie--
"Dickie?" Elizabeth asked with an eyebrow raised.
Her father grinned. "He thought it was funny; I like him. Anyway, Kim, Dickie, and I, earlier this week, had gone out to the home improvement expo downtown. It seems that her boyfriend is interested in re-doing some sections of his house, and she asked me to come with them, as it seems that I am such an expert on home improvement."
"You should be," Elizabeth replied with a laugh at his self-mocking tone. "You're an architect, for heaven's sake."
He shrugged. "That doesn't make me an interior designer. But the long and short of it all is that they asked me to come along, and we spent nearly all day there, looking through all of the options. Dick eventually settled on the idea of adding a small glass enclosure off the back of the house, where the rear door is. He might even consider getting a Jacuzzi--that was Kim's idea. I didn't comment."
"You better not have!"
He smiled. "You know me better than that, my dear."
"Exactly. Which is why I am surprised!" she retorted with a laugh.
His grin grew wider. "Thank you. I am so glad that my own daughter has such confidence in me. But anyway, Kim later confided in me that she was most likely going to move into Dickie's house. She asked me my opinion, and I gave it."
"And what was your opinion?"
"That she should have a ring on her finger before she did any kind of moving with him at all."
"You didn't say that!"
He laughed. "No, I didn't. You only asked what my opinion was, not what opinion I gave to her. What I said to her was that Dick seems like a decent chap and that if she really felt ready to make some sort of commitment, and that he was going to return that kind of respect, she should go for it. You see, your dad isn't so far back in the prehistoric era that he can't accept a few of these supposed modern dating rules. Speaking of which, where is your man today? Derry was it?"
"Yes, it was Derrick, emphasis on the 'was'," Elizabeth replied with a grimace. "Well, shows how long it's been since we've talked. I broke up with him a while ago. It seems he was cheating on me with my secretary."
"Ouch. You want me to hire a few thugs to take care of him?"
"Thanks but no thanks, Dad. But it really doesn't matter. I think the relationship was sliding steadily downhill as it was. And besides, it gave me an opportunity to meet other people. Like William."
"William? Who's this? And why couldn't he come and meet your father?"
She sighed. "Because we're not an item, Dad. I hardly think being my knight in shining armor a half-dozen times counts as dating. We were going to go out on a date--I mean, he asked me, but...things didn't turn out."
Her father didn't respond for a while, recognizing the note of hurt that had crept into her voice. "Did you want to talk about it?" he asked at last in a soft, understanding voice.
She smiled sadly at him. "If you don't mind, I don't think I do. Maybe sometime else; I really can't show up to Cathy's party in tears."
"I understand. Maybe later."
He turned his head and smiled at her, and she smiled in return. He then turned his eyes back to the road and in a few minutes, pulled the car into the driveway of a large two-story house with an attached two-car garage. Elizabeth laughed as she spotted the Critter Gram on the front lawn: a huge, pink, flat, wooden unicorn proclaiming 'Congratulations, Cathy!' in large black letters. "I'm sure Cat must have loved that, eh?"
Her father laughed, as well. "Of course. Especially when her mother insisted that she stand in front of it in her cap and gown, so that she could get a picture."
"Oh, how embarrassing!"
They both walked up the path to the front door, and went in. Elizabeth looked around the foyer and smiled. "You've changed it since I've been here last. Weren't the walls light blue? And wasn't there a mirror there?"
Mr. Bennet grimaced. "Yes, your mother decided to spend some of our hard-earned cash redoing the interior of the whole house. I managed to persuade her to give up doing some of the rooms, but let me tell you, it still cost me a pretty penny. Just wait until you see the living room. By the time you leave, you'll be heartily sick of all colors pastel. Thank heavens I put my foot down at the door to my study." He shuddered dramatically.
"What? You wouldn't like having light pink and blue pillows on the leather couch next to your desk?"
"Leather? Oh, no. That couch wouldn't remain long. It would have to be replaced with some flowery-looking sofa. And perhaps a nice loveseat."
Elizabeth laughed at her father's disgusted expression and preceded him through the arched doorway into the living room. She looked around her in surprise. "Well, you have to admit, Dad, at least she's not one of those people without good taste. She does know how to match colors and fabrics. It could be worse." She walked further, and entered the den. "And hey! You got yourself a big screen!" She turned a wry glance on him. "What are you doing, spending my inheritance?"
"Your inheritance?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Ha! I'll spend it all before I die--there's no way I'm going to die in Wisconsin and have to pay 'death taxes' here."
"Then move to Tahiti."
He smiled at that. "Hmmm...maybe I'll do that. But where will your mother live?"
Elizabeth shot him a sardonic glance out of the corner of her eyes, and walked out of the den and into the kitchen. She glanced around at the different plates of food set out on the counter. "Mmmmm, not bad. Anything still in the 'fridge?"
"Yes," said Mr. Bennet. "Why don't you take out the vegetables and the fruit plate?"
They worked together getting everything out onto the buffet, and soon Charles and Jane arrived with the submarine sandwich, which they put out on the table. Elizabeth snacked on the Oreos that sat in a dish on the counter as they all waited for the rest of the guests to arrive. In addition to the family friends and relatives, the Hengals had each been invited, along with their dates, and Cathy had invited a number of her friends so she wouldn't be "bored out of her mind." Soon enough, the house was swarming with people, and Elizabeth found herself acting the hostess, as her mother was busy conducting tours of her newly refurbished home. She did have a chance, however, to corner Richard and Kim and demand why she hadn't been told. This rather vague question was met with more than a little confusion. "Been told what?" Kim asked, perplexed.
"That you two were moving in together."
Kim blushed, and Richard smiled embarrassedly. "Well, the decision hadn't been made all that long ago, really."
"Was it longer than two nights ago?"
"Well, yes..." Richard hedged, "but the subject didn't exactly come up at Webbs. We were discussing other things, you know."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Excuses, excuses. So, when is the big move-in date?"
"We're not sure yet," Kim said. "Perhaps some time next week. It's tough to decide, with what each of our schedules look like."
"Ok, I guess I'll forgive you," Elizabeth replied with a smile. A few seconds later, though, the smile faded and she bit her lip and looked at Richard. "Richard? Look, I don't want to sound desperate or anything, but have you heard anything from William? Did you see him or talk to him since Friday?"
Richard looked a bit uncomfortable. "Well, yes, I did talk to him yesterday at the office. Or rather, I talked to his secretary about him. You see, Friday, near the end of the day, he decided he would go for a tour of each of our branches. So he set things up, and was gone by Saturday morning. And then, I got an e-mail from him yesterday around four or so in the afternoon. Seems he's gong to be gone for a while--after the tour of our offices, he's going on vacation for a month or so."
"A month!" Elizabeth asked in surprise. "That's crazy!"
"Yeah, well, tell that to him."
"I would if I could get to him," she muttered
Richard shrugged. "If there were anything I could do, I'd do it, but unfortunately, there isn't. Look at it this way--at least he has to be back before August. He's the best man at Charlie's wedding."
"August," Elizabeth echoed bitterly. "I have to wait until August."
"You'll have a lot of time to write a good speech," Richard said, patting her on the shoulder. "In the meantime, why not just enjoy yourself as an attractive, single female. You know, go out shopping, or bar-hopping, or have a manicure, or whatever it is attractive, single females do."
That got Elizabeth to laugh. "Thanks, Richard. You're such a help."
"I try my best," he responded with a grin.
Elizabeth just rolled her eyes and shared a commiserating smile with Kim before excusing herself and going over to meet Aria, who had just walked in the door. She smiled and gave her a hug before saying, "I'm sorry about Monday, Aria--I know that I got upset, but you were right, as usual. I only made myself even more of an idiot not five minutes after you left. I should've listened."
Aria brushed this aside. "Don't worry about it, Liz. I'm sure everything will work out eventually. Just give it time." She smiled and turned to the woman standing next to her. "Liz, this is Amanda. Mandie, I want you to meet my best friend since I was a little kid, Elizabeth Bennet. She's having man problems," she added as a thoughtful aside.
"Ah," Amanda said, rolling her gorgeous violet eyes. "Men. Need we say more?"
Elizabeth laughed. "I think I'm really going to like you, Mandie. C'mon. You have to meet my father, Aria's godfather."
"I'd be delighted," she replied with a smile, and they all tramped off to find Mr. Bennet.
The following weeks passed quickly--Elizabeth had gotten involved in a number of projects at work, and that, with the addition of trying to find herself a new car and/or apartment kept her busy. It was July before she realized it, and she still hadn't done half of the things she had set out for herself to do before Jane's wedding--she hadn't even gone in to get her bridesmaid gown fitted. Oh, well. One more thing to write down on the list.
An event of note did happen during the interim, though. Elizabeth went out the door to her apartment one morning to get her newspaper and discovered someone across the hall doing the exact same thing. Only, this person, instead of the previous occupant's chocolate brown eyes, dark skin, and darker hair, had white hair, wrinkled skin, and friendly blue eyes. The nice old woman introduced herself as Rosie, and explained that she had just moved in during the second week of June. It seems, she elucidated, that the last renter had moved down to Texas.
Elizabeth was surprised, but by no means saddened by this news. In fact, she was nearly jumping with joy. She had been somewhat leery of still living across the hall from Jorges, now that she knew what he was guilty of. Especially since, if anything did happen, she would feel incredibly guilty knowing that she could have prevented it, knowing what she did about him.
William was still out of the country. Richard was only able to tell her that much, no matter how many times she asked him. It seems that after one e-mail, telling him that his cousin had finished his tour of Pemberley's branch offices, and was now on vacation, there had been no attempt to contact him, and William hadn't even returned the e-mail Richard had sent to him in return. Richard didn't even know when William was coming back to Milwaukee.
While this left Elizabeth somewhat in the lurch, she didn't try to think about it all that much. Or at least, she told herself that she wasn't thinking about it all that much. She just tried to concentrate on other things that she had to do--such as get a new car, or find out where she could live, or the new projects at work. It didn't work all that well, but at least she was trying.
It was mid-July before Elizabeth finally made some progress with her two problems--finding an apartment, and finding a car. Aria's apartment complex switched owners in the middle of June, and the new management suddenly decided not to allow any pets in the buildings. They, of course, had to allow all of the current renters to maintain the terms of their leases, which allowed pets, but Aria's lease came due near the end of August, which meant that she either had to move to a new place which allowed pets, or to get rid of her cat. The second was not even an option. Since Kim had moved out at the end of June, Aria had been living alone anyway, so it was easy simply to plan to bring her belongings and her cat over to Elizabeth's and move in there, where pets were allowed. So that was one problem solved.
The second was a little more difficult, as Elizabeth was still rather unsure of what kind of car she wanted, and exactly how much she was willing to pay for it. She finally let Aria talk her into checking out the Beetle she had always wanted to get at a nearby Volkswagen dealer, and was further persuaded by her dear friend to take a test drive in it.
"I can't believe I'm actually going to be driving in a vapor Bug. This is so cool!" Elizabeth said excitedly as she sat down in the driver's seat, behind the wheel. She played for a little while with the mirrors and moved the seat back and forth, and turned on the windshield wipers and blinker lights before turning the key in the ignition and squealing in surprise when they all suddenly came on at once. Aria grimaced as Elizabeth turned on the heater. "Are you nuts? It's only about 90 degrees outside. In the shade, that is."
"Oh, hush," Elizabeth said with a laugh. "You're just mad because I'm the one driving."
"Oh-kee," Aria replied, rolling her eyes. "You think that, Liz, if it gives you comfort."
Elizabeth ignored her friend and put the car in reverse, backing slowly out of the parking space. When they finally got out on the road, Elizabeth grinned widely and reached for the radio. "Ok, what should we put on?"
"Whatever you want is fine with me," Aria said, shrugging.
It was difficult to find a station that was actually playing decent music, but finally she settled on the oldies station. "Well, at least this stuff is ok," Elizabeth said with a laugh, doing a shoulder move to "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." Her friend simply rolled her eyes and looked out the window, a slight smile on her face.
They drove for quite a while, and Elizabeth was finally heading back toward the dealership when they were stopped at a red light and, at the same moment, a new song came on the radio:
I should have known you'd bid me farewell
There's a lesson to be learned from this and I learned it very well
Now I know you're not the only starfish in the sea
If I never hear your name again, it's all the same to me
Sniffle.
And I think it's gonna be all right
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' like a red rubber ball
Sniffle. "Aria?"
You never care for secrets I confide
For you I'm just an ornament, somethin' for your pride
Sigh. "Yes, Liz?"
Always runnin', never carin', that's the life you live
Stolen minutes of your time were all ya had to give
Oh, oh, oh
I think it's gonna be all right
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' like a red rubber ball
"Was I just a starfish?"
The story's in the past with nothin' to recall
I've got my life to live and I don't need you at all
The roller-coaster ride we took is nearly at an end
I bought my ticket with my tears, that's all I'm gonna spend
"Uh...what?"
Oh, oh, oh
I think it's gonna be all right
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' like a red rubber ball. *
"Was I just a starfish?"
"Yeah--no--I mean, yes, I heard you. But what the heck are you talking about? Why would you be a starfish?"
"Like in the song. Was I just a starfish in the sea to William? Or am I supposed to be a red rubber ball?"
"Liz, you've lost me completely."
Elizabeth was silent for a while, thinking. "I think I've lost myself," she finally said.
Aria rolled her eyes. "I'm not surprised. You know, you haven't talked about him in quite a while. What made you think of that?"
"I don't know."
"Jane's wedding is coming up pretty soon. He'll be back for that."
Elizabeth gasped. "Oh, that's right. Three more weeks until the actual wedding. And we have the rehearsal dinner the Saturday before."
"So it's only two weeks until you'll see him again, if not before then."
"Yeah." Elizabeth was thoughtful for a moment, then cursed. "What the hell am I going to say to him?"
It was a few moments before Aria responded. "There's a phrase I like to use in times like this Liz--Lo que será, será. I wouldn't worry. When the time comes, you'll know what to say."
"I guess you're right," Elizabeth replied with a sigh. "There's not much I can do until I see him; after all, even if I plan what I'll say ahead of time, I'll inevitably forget every word of it the moment I open my mouth."
"Yup."
Elizabeth smiled as she pulled the car over to the side of the road, right in front of the dealership. "Ok, now that we've solved one problem, Aria, let's put our minds to the other--what'll I do about this car?"
*"Red Rubber Ball" by The Cyrkle
Posted on Tuesday, 11 December 2001
Elizabeth stood in front of the full-length mirror in her room and turned from side to side, trying to get a good idea of how she looked in her maid-of-honor dress. Aria lay on her back on the bed, pulling apart a daisy that had been sitting in a vase on Elizabeth's nightstand. "So, what do you think of it?"
Aria lifted her head just enough to see her friend, who twirled around to give her a better view. "Very nice, Liz. You look much better in yours than I do in mine."
"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth asked. "You look gorgeous in it."
"Thanks, but I happen to know that burgundy has never been my color."
Elizabeth ignored her, since she couldn't lie.
"You, on the other hand, will be knockin' 'em dead, left and right. Especially the best man."
Elizabeth ignored her, since she couldn't lie.
"Speaking of best man, have you found anyone to take with you, so that you can make a certain best man extremely jealous and regretful that he stayed away from you for practically two and a half months?"
Elizabeth stopped ignoring her friend and cursed--fluently. "Why do I never think of these things? No, I don't have a date. And I don't know where I'll find one on such short notice. I mean, the rehearsal is tomorrow, which means that I have barely a week."
Aria thought for a moment. "We could go out cruising on the Strip. Pick up some guys."
Elizabeth snorted. "Yeah, maybe that worked when we were--what, 16? C'mon. I need a little better suggestion than that."
"How about calling one of your ex's?"
"I said 'better suggestion'."
"Ok, ok." Aria laid her head back on the bed and continued to pull the petals from the flower she was holding. Suddenly, she grabbed a whole handful and yanked them out in excitement. "I've got it!" She grinned mischievously. "You've never met Stephen, have you? Oooooooh, girl, you are going to love this!"
Elizabeth ignored her, since she wasn't really sure she wanted to know.
"Liz, this is Stephen Ruetters. Steve, this is Elizabeth Bennet, the friend who needs a date for a wedding."
Elizabeth managed to put her tongue back in her mouth and close her jaw before she made a huge puddle of drool at the feet of the man who had just approached their table and now stood before her, holding out his hand. Hel-looo, gorgeous! "Uh, hi ... hi. Nice to meet you, uh, Stephen."
"Please," he replied, giving her hand a firm shake, "call me Steve. And can I call you Liz?"
"You can call me anything you want," she replied somewhat dazedly as she barely kept herself from swooning at the sight of his gorgeous smile.
Aria chuckled. "Would you like to have a seat, Steve? We haven't ordered yet."
Shortly after, the waiter approached and asked for everyone's order. As soon as he had left, Aria began the conversation. "I understand that this may seem a little awkward--after all, I doubt you have ever been asked to escort someone you hardly know to a wedding, Steve, or am I wrong about that? And I am fairly sure that you have never propositioned someone you hardly knew to take you to a wedding, right, Liz? So, why don't I break the ice and declare that the two of you will make a charming couple, and I think that to test the waters, you should go together to the rehearsal dinner tonight."
There was a short pause before Elizabeth remarked wryly, "I don't think you broke the ice at all, Aria, but thanks for trying."
"Actually," said Stephen, "I think Aria may have a good idea. After all, you want to have all bases covered, am I right? Now, what happens if this William fellow shows up with a date--when you show up with a date whom no one else has met before at the actual wedding, it will appear that you desperately sought for someone just to make it seem as if you weren't pining away for him, which you actually are." He shot a shrewd glance at Elizabeth and grinned. "In other words, everyone will figure out the truth. On the other hand, if you bring me to the dinner tonight, you will have a chance to find out whether William, is in fact, still affected by you. If he doesn't have a date tonight, he will bring one to the wedding, trying to show that he is not affected by the fact that you're oh-so-obviously over him. If he does have a date, he'll try to one-up you on everything you do with me."
"Plus," added Aria, waving a breadstick in the air dramatically, "my date cancelled on me yesterday, and I would rather not tell poor Jane that her dinner for forty is now down to thirty-nine."
"That's a poor excuse, Aria," Elizabeth said with a laugh. "I like Steve's better. But in any case, I think I'll agree to do this. So I suppose our first course of action is to learn a little more about ourselves, and figure out exactly when, where, and how we first met. Ok, let's brainstorm, people! I'm thinking, office party, lots of people, love at first sight ..."
After the rehearsal at the church was over, everyone gathered again at the restaurant for the dinner. Mr. Bennet was the first to come up to his daughter and demand to be introduced to the man on her arm. "Wait - don't tell me; this is the William you were talking about." He cocked an eyebrow and looked narrowly at Stephen. "You caused my daughter a deal of heartache, you know. And if you aren't worthy of her, I'll be sure to have a group of thugs cut off your big toe. So watch out."
"Dad!" Elizabeth gasped in embarrassment, glancing over to where William stood, looking at her with a curious gaze. She turned a deeper shade of red as she broke eye contact and returned her attention to her father as she introduced him to Stephen, whose shoulders were shaking in silent laughter. "This is Stephen Ruetters, Dad. And William did not affect my heart whatsoever," she added, silently adding a prayer of forgiveness for that little white lie.
"Hmmm ... and where did you meet this gent?" her father asked her.
"He's a coworker of Aria's. We met about two weeks after I talked with you at Cathy's graduation. He - uh, he ..."
"We met at one of Aria's concerts," Stephen said smoothly. "I had owed Aria a favor, and she exacted it in demanding my attendance. And the way it turned out, I ended up being again in Aria's debt. Without her, of course, Liz and I would never have met." He hugged Elizabeth's shoulder and grinned engagingly at the older man.
"Hm. Well, I suppose you'll do," replied Mr. Bennet. He leaned closer, though, and muttered, "You're lucky that I'm probably the only one that can spot you immediately in a lie, Lizzie. I'm not certain I know what you're up to, but I think I have a good idea. I wish you all the luck in the world." He kissed her on the cheek and then went off to deter his youngest daughter from making a complete fool of herself over one of the waiters.
Elizabeth released the breath she had been holding and looked over at Stephen. "Well, that was the hardest one, I think. At least he approves."
Stephen only grunted in amusement and turned to smile at the new approachers, who had only been waiting for Mr. Bennet to quit the field before pouncing. Elizabeth turned to find herself confronted by a very suspicious Kim and a grinning Richard. Thinking fast, she quickly steered them both farther away from where William was standing, so that they could talk with impunity. "Look, I know -"
"Richard is betting me that you hardly know this guy, and this is all a ruse to make William jealous. So, tell me: do I lose my five dollars or not?"
Elizabeth fumed silently for a moment, then took a deep breath, reminding herself that they were her friends, and that she shouldn't be upset with them for stating the obvious. Not that she wanted to admit it. "Obviously, Richard, you have so little faith in me. No, this is not all a ruse. In fact, it wasn't my idea. And besides, I have no reason to make William jealous; there is nothing between us. Perhaps at one time there may have been, but it's over and done with. He doesn't care for me anymore, and I don't care for him."
Richard and Kim shared a glance, and then both turned simultaneously back towards Elizabeth. Richard spoke first. "Liz, we didn't mean to upset you. What we're trying to tell you is that this could all blow up in your face. You know that, don't you? Look, I know that you think you want revenge - or something like that. And, granted, revenge is very nice and all, but are you absolutely certain that is what you want? You're only going to be putting further distance between you."
"Unless we're completely out of the ballpark on this one," Kim hissed at Richard.
Richard scoffed at that. "No. I think Elizabeth knows exactly what she's doing; and whether or not this was Aria's suggestion, you went along with it, didn't you?"
Elizabeth sighed. "Yes, it was Aria's suggestion, and yes, I did go along with it. But it's for a good cause."
"I think that's sufficient," Richard said with a grin. "Kim, my five dollars."
She pouted. "I don't think that was a real bet."
"What!" Richard laughed. "You can't be reneging! Where is your honor?"
"In believing in my friend. That's my honor."
"Hmph."
Kim grinned smugly, and looked around the room. Suddenly, she began to giggle softly. "Uh, Liz? Don't look now, but I think we're about to have a slight emergency. Pretty Boy is about to mingle in the wrong group."
"His name is Stephen," Elizabeth muttered as she looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever Kim was talking about. Suddenly, her eyes widened, as she saw Stephen grin and respond to something William had said. "Oh, no. I have to get over there."
She started in that direction, but Richard put a hand on her arm and held her back. "Maybe you should let it be. Your man can handle it himself. In fact, it may be better this way. Think about it; Darcy gets an idea of how perfect this guy is. That's the first step. Then, the two of you interact, and he sees that you two appear to be perfect for each other - second step. Third step, he approaches you, trying to a) figure out exactly why the two of you are together, b) determine if you still care for him, and c) if there's any way that he can break it up."
Elizabeth looked at Richard in admiration. "Wow; that is very cunning of you, Richard. Do you think it would actually work like that?"
Richard grinned. "Of course. If not, I can put a little pressure on him. After all, I'm the trusted cousin, am I not?" He looked over at William. "Oh, perfect - Darce just looked over here at you, with a very odd expression on his face. He's already starting to think, right according to plan. Now, all you have to do is mingle a little bit; go give your sister a hug, or something. In about five minutes, find your guy. Act the couple, but remember: don't overdo it. The name of the game is subtlety."
"Right," Kim chimed in. "Now, shoo. We'll go over and talk to William and Pretty Boy."
"His name is Stephen," Elizabeth repeated.
"Whatever. He'll have to introduce himself to us, anyway."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and watched them walk away in the direction of William and Stephen. She then searched the crowd for a glimpse of her sister. She at last spotted Jane and Charles standing together, with Mrs. Bennet in front of them, gesturing grandly and punctuating her speech with loud laughter. Elizabeth sighed and walked towards them.
Before she got there, however, a tall, willowy blond stepped in front of her and looked her up and down before saying, "Look. I heard your discussion with your little friends over there, and let me just tell you now: it's not going to work. Don't even try to hook my William. You're just wasting your time at a contest you just can't win."
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at the woman. "I don't know what you're talking about, Caroline. First of all, I haven't been trying to 'hook' anyone; secondly, I wouldn't consider it a waste of my time to put someone like you back in her place; and last of all, I didn't know you owned any Williams. Certainly not the William Darcy I knew."
Caroline stepped closer to her, her eyes narrowed. "Cut line, Bennet." She spit out the name as if it had some foul taste. "William Darcy is mine - always has been, always will be." Her face softened with false sympathy. "Ohhh...he lied to you, didn't he? Said he and I weren't together, right? Well, sorry to break your heart, but you know how William was on vacation these past two months? Did you want to know where he was? Try a little place called 'Bermuda'." She smirked. "By the way, how do you like my tan?"
"Lovely," Elizabeth oozed with a false smile. "Tan-in-a-can works wonders, doesn't it? The orange streaks make you look even more like the cat you are."
Caroline pursed her lips, tilted up her nose, and stalked elegantly past, tossing her blond hair over her shoulder and hitting Elizabeth full in the face. Elizabeth only rubbed her nose and chuckled to herself before continuing her walk towards Jane and Charles. She didn't quite get there before she was accosted again.
"Very nice, Liz. I was quite impressed."
Elizabeth turned to see Aria striding towards her. "Thanks."
"Don't let her get to you," Aria said, shaking her head as she watched Caroline approach William and put her arm through his. From this vantage point, it was impossible to read William's expression, though his back did stiffen noticeably. "She's one of those people that give women a bad name. Too bad we can't just get rid of them. You know, send 'em to Antarctica or something. Live with the penguins."
That made Elizabeth smile. "And subject those poor, innocent penguins to such a cruel fate? Nevah! By the way, Stephen is great."
"Thank you; I'll take that as a compliment on my excellent powers of discernment. He's a wonderful person--rich and good-looking too, which, of course, a man ought to be if he possibly can. You see, your old friend Aria knows how to pick 'em." She grinned. "And he's very intelligent--something that might appeal to you. If you weren't in love with that William character, I'd say you should try to pick up Steve; you could do a lot worse."
Elizabeth shook her head. "Aria, you are impossible. But I thank you anyway for the suggestion." She looked over to where Steve was standing, still talking to William, and caught the eye of Richard, who raised one eyebrow in question. "Oh!" She looked back at Aria. "You're going to have to excuse me; I have to go join my date. Would you mind doing me a favor and rescuing my sister from Mother?"
Aria sighed. "I suppose I could. But you owe me, Liz."
"Yes, yes. Of course," Elizabeth laughed, waving her hand over her shoulder, as she made her way over to where Stephen stood in a group with Kim and Richard, as well as William and Caroline. She slipped her arm through Stephen's as she slid up beside him, and he paused in his speaking and looked over in surprise.
"Oh! I had wondered where you had gone," he said with a smile as he leaned over and pecked her on the cheek. "I've just been talking to - Mr. Darcy, was it? - About human cloning."
William nodded. "Quite a controversial topic. What's your stance, Elizabeth? Do you agree with your boyfriend here?"
There was silence in the group as every eye turned towards her. Elizabeth met Stephen's eye, but couldn't read what he was trying to say to her. So instead she smiled calmly at William, despite the pounding of her heart as she realized how close she was to getting caught out in The Lie, as she was starting to call it in her head. "Actually, despite the fact that we've discussed this many times since the controversy became such a mainstream affair, I haven't really been able to make a solid decision as to which side I'm on. I do believe in the value of such research - stem cell research, and things like that - though I can see how it's difficult to regulate the limits of the research and application, once you've opened 'Pandora's Box'. I do believe that I disagree with the idea that humans themselves, in their entirety, ought to be cloned. I, myself, cannot see a purpose, and in my opinion, that's a little too much 'playing God'. But it's possible that there is a decent, rational purpose - I simply haven't been presented with it yet."
"Very neat answer," William said, his eyebrow raised and a small smile lurking at the edges of his mouth.
Stephen hugged her arm closer to his, and she grinned up at him. "I can think of a good purpose," he said, laughter apparent in his voice. "Who could disagree with the fact that the world would be a whole lot better off with more than one Lizzy?"
"Who, indeed?" William murmured. Elizabeth shot him a questioning glance, but he had already turned his gaze towards where Charles and Jane were standing. Charles was striking a crystal glass with a fork, trying to get everyone's attention. When the room finally grew quiet, and all eyes had turned towards him, he began: "I thank you all for arranging your schedules to come to the rehearsal. We're just hoping that weddings are like showbiz; a bad rehearsal means a good opening day, and all that stuff." There was a smattering of laughter, and Charles grinned. "Now, since I've been told that the waiters have been waiting for the past ten minutes to take our orders, I'm going to have to ask you all to take your seat--or someone else's, if you want - and tell 'em what you want!"
When he had finished his speech, everyone began to laugh and clap, and so he bowed to the group before pulling out the chair for his soon-to-be-wife, and then sitting down himself. Everyone soon followed suit, ribbing each other good-naturedly as they "stole" each other's seats. Elizabeth finally found a seat for herself and Stephen, and it was only after she had sat down that she realized it was directly across the table from William. This wasn't completely bad, of course--after all, it gave her time to impress William with Stephen's and her "perfect" relationship, and gauge the effect it was actually having on him.
And, honestly, in her opinion, it wasn't going too badly. After all, by Stephen's side, she appeared to have it all. The only pity was that it was all an illusion. But it's a necessary evil, she insisted to that ugly voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like her conscience. As soon as the wedding was over, as soon as she got William out of her mind, as soon as her life stopped plunging downward on this seemingly never-ending rollercoaster ride, she could stop playing these games and get back to her normal life ... whatever normal was.
How had this all started, even? She wondered grumpily. When had the coaster car hit the top of the hill and start its dive? Ah, she remembered now. Derrick--it all had really started the day that she dumped Derrick, and her gift for Cathy was smashed in the mall, and her car was totaled. She had been on top of the world before then, before the vortex started her in this nasty spiral. When was that, anyway? April? She counted the months mentally in her head. Five months or so. Was that all? Geez ... it felt like -
"Elizabeth?"
She snapped her gaze up from her plate and looked around her. Stephen was turned slightly in his chair, looking at her oddly. She grimaced. "Did I miss something?"
He gestured to the man standing next to the table. "Our waiter asked if you wanted more wine."
Elizabeth blushed. "I'm so sorry. I guess I was daydreaming. Sure, I'll have more. Thank you."
When the waiter had left, she turned again to Stephen. "I'm really so sorry. Was I out of it for that long?"
He grinned. "I haven't heard you say anything since the food came. And that was practically twenty minutes ago. What were you dreaming about for that long? Me, I hope?"
She smiled distractedly and looked back at the food on her plate, and at the newly-filled glass of wine, and realized she couldn't remember eating or drinking any of it. "Steve, I think I'll be right back. I'm going to find the ladies' room."
He looked at her concernedly. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," she murmured as she stood and picked up her purse. She moved to go around Stephen, but he caught her arm. She met his eyes, and the concern she read there, but she shook her head, and so he nodded and released her arm, and she continued on.
When she emerged from the restroom, it was to find someone waiting there, leaning against the wall, his head down, his gaze on his shoes. She stopped and looked questioningly at him for a moment; he must have sensed her belatedly, for his head shot up suddenly to see her standing across from him, and he smiled sheepishly. He pushed away from the wall, and took half a step towards her, but thought better of it, and put his hands behind his back awkwardly. There was a moment of silence between them, before Elizabeth broke it: "Were you waiting for the women's room, or was there something you wanted to say to me?"
A muscle in his jaw spasmed slightly, and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Look, I just wanted to ... apologize." He grimaced as he uttered the last word.
She looked at him in confusion. "What for?"
"For the last time we met - I was just as judgmental as I accused you of being. It was my fault. You had asked me to explain, and I ignored this simple request. It was unwarrantable, and completely wrong of me. I'm sorry."
Her eyes narrowed. "What do you want from me?"
He looked puzzled by that unexpected response. "Uh ... your forgiveness, I suppose."
"No. There's something more. A man rarely apologizes to a woman unless he's looking for something."
His cheeks suffused with color. "Well, perhaps this is one of those few cases that disprove that theory."
"Is it?"
"Yes!" he said heatedly, then looked embarrassed when a woman, walking between them to get to the restroom, looked at him oddly. He lowered his voice. "Besides, what could I be looking for? Obviously, you've moved on in the meantime, since I've been gone."
"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked defensively.
"What the hell do you think it's supposed to mean? Before I left, I thought we might have had something going. And no sooner do I leave, then you find someone -"
"So you're making this my fault?"
He held up his hands. "I didn't say that."
She put her hands on her hips. "Well, that's what it sounded like. Let me remind you that you were the one who left in the first place to go on your little vacation to the Bahamas -"
"Bermuda."
"- And you were the one who apologized not two minutes ago. You were in the wrong! You admitted it freely. And now you want to place the blame on me - that I was the one who moved on because obviously, you couldn't care enough to apologize. You had to wait a whole two and a half months, and only now that you think I've gotten over you, you try and hook me again with your poor 'I'm so sorry, Lizzy.'" She took an angry, hissing breath. "Well, guess what? That just isn't going to cut it with me ..." She stopped abruptly and blinked at him. "Wait. Did you say, Bermuda?" She gaped. "You dare to blame me for finding someone else, when you've had Caroline with you the whole time you were on vacation? How dare you?"
"Caroline?" he repeated in shocked disbelief. "Where does she come into this?"
Elizabeth cursed herself for a fool, even as she responded to his question: "She told me that the two of you were together in Bermuda these past two months."
Anger swept across his face, and then disappeared, replaced by a look of resignation. "I should have expected this. Why does everything have to be so difficult?" He passed a hand over his eyes and sighed. "Yes, Caroline was in Bermuda. I ran into her a few times, since we just happened to be staying at the same hotel. But I was not with her--not in the sense that you're speaking of."
"Oh."
There was silence between them for a few minutes, and the woman again passed between them, shooting a funny look in William's direction before going back down the hall towards the dining area. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before looking up at Elizabeth. "Look, this may not be the right time, but...I know you're with this guy--Stephen. And he seems all right, and all, but ... I guess I'm just--I thought, before I left, before we had that ... misunderstanding, that we might have ... hit it off. Was I mistaken?"
Elizabeth didn't answer at first, just looked back at him with expressionless eyes. At last, she dropped her gaze and said, "No. You weren't mistaken."
"I'm sorry," he said again.
She shook her head. "No. It's not your fault. In fact ..." She pushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes and sighed, shifting her weight slightly. "Geez ... this is hard," she muttered to herself before looking up at him with a guilty expression on her face. "William, I have something to confess. You see ... Stephen and I--"
"Elizabeth?"
She looked over to see Stephen standing in the archway, one hand on the wall. "Yes?"
"You've been gone for a while ... and we were worried. The dessert is about to be served. Were you coming back soon?"
She looked over at William, whose expression was now guarded. Stephen noticed him finally, and tried to apologize. "If you needed some time, I -"
William interrupted him. "No. That's all right. We were just on our way back." His gaze met hers, and she couldn't help but let him see the hurt expression in her eyes, before he looked away, a slight tinge of red beneath his tanned cheeks.
Stephen waited until William had passed by him, before looking up at Elizabeth. "Should I have just left?"
Elizabeth looked at him for a moment, silently, then shook her head. "No." She closed her eyes and sighed. "No. I thought, at first ... but I was wrong. You came in at the perfect time." And with a sad smile, she held out her hand to him. He took it in both of his, smiled reassuringly, and then tucked it in the crook of his elbow and led the way back to the party.