Beginning, Previous Section, Section III
Jump to new as of September 26, 2001
Jump to new as of October 22, 2001
Jump to new as of October 24, 2001
Part 13
William experienced a certain school-boyish nervousness as he pulled up outside the units that housed Liz's apartment, and checked once again that he had the right address and unit number. Feeling almost absurdly overdressed, he walked down the path which passed through the small and informal looking garden which bordered Liz's modest ground floor flat, and knocked lightly at the door.
As he waited outside he had just sufficient time to regret that this evening wasn't a more relaxed affair. His intense desire that this first date with Elizabeth go smoothly was quite enough to have to deal with, without the added pressure of balancing it with the social pleasantries and obligations attached to such an occasion as the ball.
In the back of his mind he hoped that after putting in an appearance for as short a period as socially acceptable, he and Liz might be able to slip away and pursue some time alone... that is if that's what Elizabeth wanted. He was as yet unable to completely shake the idea that she might only be accompanying him because she was unable to say no to Georgia.
He started from his revere as Jane, not Liz, opened the door and smiled a welcome as she stood back to allow him into the friendly and bright living area, which smelled of the roses he'd sent earlier.
"Hi William, Lizzy's almost ready. She shouldn't be more than a few minutes." Jane gave him an approving look. "I must say, you really look the part tonight."
"Thanks..." William gave her a reluctant smile, "...but truthfully I never feel completely comfortable done up like this."
"Oh, but it suits you so well," Jane laughed. "I'm sure Liz will be impressed."
Well, at least that's something. William mused as he leaned against the kitchen bench and continued to chat with Jane whilst he waited. When Liz appeared only moments later William actually stopped mid sentence, and it occurred to him that any discomfort he'd felt he felt in relation to the evening was worth it just for this sight.
Elizabeth was simply beautiful. He continued wordless as he took in the life in her eyes, the soft curls of hair that seemed to have escaped to sit against her slender neck, and the alluring smoothness of the skin of her shoulders and throat left exposed by the strapless wine-red gown which, he could not fail to notice, Liz had no difficulty in holding up. The way she filled the gown, which (though by no means indiscreet) made little secret of the womanly curves concealed beneath, stood in stark contrast to the overly waif-like and unhealthy look pursued by many chasing the fashion of the day. The dress followed the line of her body down to her slim waist, where it fell away in soft folds, giving her an almost ethereal look as she moved.
Liz was momentarily disconcerted by William's silence, but the nervousness she'd been feeling for half the afternoon lifted as she read the obvious approval in his eyes as they came to rest on her own. She felt a wave of gratitude toward Jane who had been with her that week to not only help her choose the gown, but to insist she not compromise on its selection and to encourage her to be more daring in her choice than she could ever have, had she been on her own. It was Jane too, who had pushed her to arrange the hair stylist appointment for that afternoon and who had spent the best part of the last hour helping her dress and expertly applying her make-up.
William was still searching for the right words to express himself when a knock on the door announced the arrival of a fourth party and Chas, who had come to collect Jane, let himself into the flat.
"Woah Lizzy!", he exclaimed in his unguarded manner. "You look incredible!"
William regretted having not spoken first, as Liz turned to Chas with a grateful smile and thanked him for the compliment.
"You didn't happen to pick up one of those dresses for yourself by any chance Janie?" Chas asked with a grin in his fiancée's direction.
"Unfortunately no," Jane replied, as she stood and placed a kiss on his lips, "but I promise to get one if you ever learn how to dance and invite me to an exclusive ball."
"Ouch... now look what you've started, " Chas threw at William with a laugh.
"Sorry Chas," William smiled back, thinking how fortunate he'd been to fall in with this set of people. He turned to look at Elizabeth once more; very fortunate indeed. "Well... I suppose we really should be going," he said almost lamely.
"Yes, I suppose so," Liz answered as she picked up a matching bolero length jacket.
William immediately moved to help her on with the jacket, sending a slight shiver through Liz as his hands brushed against the bare skin of her shoulders in the process of assisting her.
After a short goodbye William escorted Elizabeth to his car.
"Thanks so much for the flowers William," Elizabeth took the opportunity of saying as soon as they were alone. "They're beautiful."
"You're welcome Liz," William answered in a low tone as he placed a hand lightly on her back to guide her toward the car. "Though, they don't hold a candle to you, you know."
Elizabeth felt the colour rise in her face, and she was unable to immediately formulate a reply.
"You really do look absolutely stunning," William said as he opened the door for her.
"Thank you..." she answered demurely, before adding in a cheekier tone, "...and I must say you look rather tasty yourself."
"Tasty?" William smiled.
Liz coloured a little and laughed. "Yes, tasty..."
I can deal with 'tasty', William smiled to himself as he walked around to let himself in to the driver's seat of the car.
They both felt a little self conscious at the beginning of the journey into the city centre, until William made a comment about the preceding day's competition, and an easy conversation ensued. After arriving at the venue sooner than Elizabeth would have imagined possible, she again felt an increase in nervousness as William left her for a moment to come around to assist her from the vehicle, before handing his key over for valet parking.
The atmosphere at the Ball was very different to any she was used to. As she looked around at the formality of the setting and the women in their exclusive looking gowns and sparking (if somewhat overdone) jewellery, she was uncharacteristically tempted to feel out of place. She was therefore, very glad when William took her hand and drew her possessively to his side as they entered the great hall. There was a real security in his closeness.
William handed over the invitations at the door, and they were directed toward a table in the front right-hand section of the room, but rather than moving immediately in that direction William led Liz over to where a large number of people were gathered talking and enjoying pre-dinner drinks. It was a relief to Liz upon her introduction to a few of William's acquaintances, to find them - on the most part - friendly and personable. She particularly felt drawn to a Maddy Gardiner, the wife of one of William's partners in Derbylinc., and they quite easily slipped into conversation as William fell into business talk with a few of the men.
"So, you're the reason William's been so much happier lately?" Maddy asked after they'd been chatting for some time.
"I doubt it," Liz laughed. "This is actually our first date... and I'm not even sure if this counts, because he was virtually pushed into it by Georgia who wanted me to sub for her, because there was somewhere else she'd rather be."
Maddy laughed. "Well, William doesn't seem too reluctant to me," she observed, as she looked across and found William's gaze on Elizabeth yet again. "...I saw Georgia in the office only the other day. It's so nice to see her coming out of her shell."
"She's a delightful girl," Elizabeth smiled, very happy to talk about Georgia. "It's well worth getting past her reserve. I think you'll find that Georgia's increased confidence is the real reason William's been happier lately."
Maddy thought there might be some truth in Elizabeth's assertion, but sincerely doubted that Georgia's progress was the sole explanation for William's recent lightened outlook.
William smiled across at Liz yet again and made another attempt to extract himself from the conversation with Ted Gardiner and the slightly garrulous Bill Lucas. He chastised himself that he should have known better than to join a circle with Bill in it, as again Bill missed the subtlety of William's attempted escape, and launched into another topic, addressing enough of it particularly to William in such a way that he couldn't leave without appearing rude.
Rescue did come, but not in a form that William would have wished for. Carmen Hurst, a woman he had dated a few times a couple of years preceding, had discerned Darcy in the crowd, and expertly manoeuvred her escort in his direction.
"William darling!" she exclaimed, as though she'd just noticed him. "What a delightful surprise to see you here." She had abandoned her escorts arm in order to give Darcy a familiar hug and kiss. "Do you have little Georgie with you tonight? I would so love to see her again."
The woman was so overt that Liz was unsure of whether to feel threatened, or whether to laugh. She was certainly pretty, but Liz thought she was overdone... and not only in her manner. The gown was just that little too ornate, that bit too low cut, and that tad too tight and her familiarity, in the same way, bordered on appearing forced.
As Carmen proceeded in the assault, Elizabeth found herself amused at being treated to her first glimpse of why Georgia had asserted William needed protection at these affairs, though it was certainly not her last.
Carmen's smile almost became sincere upon William replying that Georgia was not with him for the evening.
"Oh, poor William..." she cut in before he could finish what he was saying, "...so you're here all by yourself. I'm sure Nigel won't begrudge me a few dances with you so you don't have to feel alone."
"That's very kind of you," William answered graciously, as he extended his had to shake Nigel's. "But it's not necessary for you to make such a sacrifice. I'm not alone in the least. May I introduce my good friend Elizabeth Bennet... and my partner's wife, Maddy Gardiner..."
He reached out to take Liz's hand, and drew her to his side. Carmen smiled stonily as William continued with the introductions.
"Liz and Maddy, this is Carmen Hurst and her friend Nigel...?"
"Comington-Smythe," Nigel answered with an impeccable smile. If Liz had not already developed sympathy toward him over his being partnered with Carmen, she may have laughed out loud; his name seemed just so Wodehouse.
"It's very nice to meet you," Liz smiled, noting that William had let go her hand, and instead slipped his arm around her waist in an manner that suggested a more intimate relationship between the two of them than actually existed.
"And lovely to meet you," Carmen answered, her voice dripping with insincerity. "Elizabeth, how long have you been with our William?"
It was the our that got to Elizabeth, and in response she snaked her own arm around Darcy and allowed him to pull her closer still.
"We've been seeing quite a lot of each other over the last four or so months, would you say William?" Liz replied with an impertinent smile up at Darcy.
"I think it would be closer to five," William answered, enjoying the sense of conspiracy at the same time as savouring the pleasure of his physical contact with Liz.
Carmen, obviously a believer in the proverb 'a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush' firmly reattached herself to Nigel at this point, and didn't stay to chat for long before moving away. Maddy just gave the couple an amused look and left to join her husband.
Liz was pleased to find that the release from Carmen did not lead to any kind of a release from William, who continued to keep her very close by his side over the next three quarters of an hour, before they were encouraged by the MC to move to their tables.
William had not been about to make the mistake of allowing himself to be separated from Elizabeth again, and this was certainly not only to shield himself from the attention of some female acquaintances. The candid admiration which had been expressed toward Liz by a few of his male associates, made him feel decidedly protective toward her - but more fundamental still, was his simple desire to just be in her company - to be able to see, hear, and touch her.
Not being of a nature to feel intimidated for long, Elizabeth had soon relaxed to enjoy the evening. The humour she found in a few encounters with some other "Carmens" of the company, had very much appealed to her appreciation of the absurd, and the amused sparkle it added to her countenance only made her appealing in William's eyes.
As directed, William and Elizabeth moved toward their table. The room had warmed significantly since their arrival, and though she felt more comfortable once William had assisted in the removal of her jacket, she had to fight an initial feeling of exposure.
William felt differently though, taking the time to appreciate the beauty and soft femininity of Liz, as she accepted his help and waited as he laid her jacket over the back of her seat. He continued to watch Elizabeth, whist holding the chair for her to be seated, and had to suppress an urge to ask if she'd like to leave the ball with him there and then.
Despite knowing no one in their immediate vicinity at the table, Elizabeth's natural way with those around her soon broke the ice, and pleasant conversation was enjoyed over the dinner...
...Well, 'enjoyed' might not be quite the right word where William was concerned. He never found it easy to converse with strangers, and he knew that he would have really preferred to have Liz to himself... maybe a tasteful little restaurant with a table for two... but then again - it occurred to him - she wouldn't have worn that dress to a quiet dinner out. He smiled at the thought that there were 'swings and roundabouts' in most situations.
He had to work at keeping his mind on the conversation, as certain little things such as Elizabeth's light laugh, or a hint of her scent, were proving themselves to be rather distracting.
Curiously enough, keeping up with the flow of talk was not coming as readily to Elizabeth either. To the casual observer Elizabeth may have seemed completely at ease, when in fact her whole body was experiencing a heightened awareness of the man beside her. Part of her however, was a still a little tentative toward him. It was in no way that she was unsure of her own feelings regarding William. The last few weeks had confirmed in her an attraction stronger than she had ever felt for a man. She admired his mind, his person, and his character... but in a way, this was the problem. There was a personal and emotional risk to be taken in beginning something with William, her fear being that he might not be considering her with the same seriousness with which she was considering him.
An involuntary glance in his direction caught him looking at her, and she realised just how far gone she was, when the slight smile he gave her caused her to instantly forget her fears, and made her instead wonder when the dancing might begin so she'd again have an excuse to be in his arms.
She didn't actually have very long to wait, and a knowledge that if he didn't ask Liz to dance, that someone else certainly would, induced Darcy lead Elizabeth to the floor soon after the dancing began.
"You're very good at this," Darcy told her as they gracefully moved together to the strains of an old swing tune. "Where did you learn?"
"When we were teenagers," Liz replied, "Janie and I used to spend almost every other Saturday afternoon at a dance centre in the local community hall." She smiled at the reminiscence. "At first we had a ratio of about six girls to ever guy, but after a couple of years things became a little more even. More guys started to realise that it wasn't a bad place to meet the opposite sex."
"I dare say the opportunities for physical contact, rather than the chance to meet, were the real draw," Darcy laughed. "I can imagine that girls such as yourself and Janie might have attracted males from miles around... If I'd known I'd have come. Tonight you've met some of he women I had to practice dancing with and - take my word for it - I viewed dance lessons as pure torture."
"Well, you haven't stepped on my toes once - so from my point of view the torture was worth it." Liz smiled up at him. William, appreciating the feel of Liz's hand in his own, and the opportunity to have his arm around her slender waist once more, was inclined to agree.
The couple remained on the floor until the band took it's first break, and William, a little reluctantly, left Liz for a moment in order to fetch some drinks. He wasn't particularly pleased upon his return, to find Carmen and others from her social set, talking to Liz, and he hoped he was not, for the sake of politeness, going to be forced into taking someone else's hand for any dances. He shouldn't have worried though, because any idea of politeness went out the window as he overheard some of the conversation.
"...I must say..." one of Carmen's friends was purring, "...it is nice to see poor William here with you tonight." Here she dropped her voice. "I'd heard only this afternoon, from Mrs de Bourgh of Rosings, that lately he'd been slumming it with some young upstart, public school teacher, from Longbourn High."
William felt an indignation rising in him immediately, along with a real concern for Elizabeth's feelings. She had faced her head away slightly, and he was afraid she might have done so in order to hide some hurt. Liz however, looked up on his approach, and a huge relief washed over him, as he realised that it was amusement that she had been trying to conceal, not tears.
Carmen's group at least had the decency to appear a little uncomfortable upon Darcy's return, wondering exactly what he might have overheard. Elizabeth looked at him with laughter in her eyes as she accepted the long cold drink from his hand.
Nigel, who was still beside Carmen, tried to ease the awkwardness with a polite question to Liz about what she did with herself.
"Oh, I'm a young upstart public school teacher," Liz replied without even the smallest hint of embarrassment. "...and I just love my profession. I can't imagine many jobs more rewarding than mine, it gives such an opportunity to invest in the lives of our youth."
Nigel gave Liz a genuine smile, whilst to others in the circle stood in an embarrassed silence.
"A nice sentiment," Carmen finally said in a snide tone, "but I can't believe there'd be much reward in trying to teach the type of students you'd be likely to find at Longbourn."
"Did Mrs de Bourgh also happen to tell you of Rosings defeat at the hands of Longbourn in the Challenge, only yesterday in fact," William inquired coolly. "Now if you'll excuse us ..."
"It was very nice meeting you again Nigel," Liz smiled at him before allowing William to lead her away. Nigel suppressed a grin, as the others were left to try and ignore the, not so subtle, implication that meeting them again had not provided equal pleasure.
"If you'd like to wait here I can get your purse and our coats..." William said shortly, his feelings about what had just past clearly evident in his tone.
"Oh, we can't leave..." Liz protested, causing William to stop in his tracks. "... They haven't played a waltz yet..."
An trace of incredulity began to sneak through the hardened expression on William's face.
"Please..?" She added meekly.
The beginnings of a reluctant smile began to appear at the corners of Darcy's mouth, and he shook his head as he gave a short laugh.
"I gather we're not about to have our evening upset by a few ignorant cows."
"You gather correctly Mr Darcy," she smiled up at him, thinking how attractively dangerous he could look when angry. "Come on... they're not worth the effort of animosity."
"You, my love, are a remarkably wise woman," Darcy whispered to her as he led her back to the dance floor as the band began it's second bracket with a waltz.
Elizabeth leaned her head against Darcy's shoulder and felt a wave of satisfaction as her partner drew her closer still. They gave themselves over to the seduction of the music, shutting out everything but the rhythm and sensations created by the physical intimacy of the dance. The couple remained on the floor until the band slipped into a more up-tempo number. It was a though an unspoken covenant had been made, stating nothing be allowed to undermine the somewhat enchanted mood which had settled around them during the slow dances they had just shared.
William collected their coats and belongings and they waited almost in silence, for the car to be brought up to them. There was a distinct chill in the late night air, but instead of picking up Liz's jacket from the stand where he'd laid it, he stood behind her, ran his hands down the length of her bare arms, and enfolded her in a warm embrace. Elizabeth shivered at the sensation created by his touch, and leaned back into the strength of his body.
William definitely felt the car arrived too soon, and he experienced a not insignificant, sense of loss as he had to release his hold on her. He remained acutely aware of her as they began the drive home, and the few topics they tried to speak on soon petered out, as their minds were on things of more serious purport. The sense of emptiness William had felt upon letting go of Elizabeth was actually growing, and a suggestion of insecurity crept into his head. The night had been delight itself, but he needed a reassurance that this had been more than a 'date'. He needed to know that it had personal significance for Elizabeth as well as himself.
He thought of Chas's words only the day before "If she doesn't want someone, and they make a move, I can tell you right now that they're left in no doubt as to exactly where they stand!" William felt better as he recalled the Chas's information, because Liz had given no indication at all that she found his attention distasteful in any way. Still he needed to know without any doubt, and he pulled his car into a rest bay at the side of the road.
"Is everything alright?" Liz asked, looking across at him.
"I'll tell you in a moment, " William replied as unclipped his seat belt, and her own. Elizabeth didn't realise that she'd forgotten to breath as he slid a hand over her shoulder and across the nakedness of her back, bringing it to rest between her shoulder blades. With a gentle pressure he drew her toward him, reaching up his other hand to almost cautiously touch her face, then run a finger over her slightly parted lips.
Elizabeth released some of the breath she was holding in a light sigh, just as his lips brushed her own. His desire increased as he felt Liz shiver, and he took her lips fully in a sensual kiss which deepened even further as he answered Elizabeth's response.
"Well...?" Elizabeth asked quietly, when they finally drew apart.
"Everything seems just fine," William whispered before surrendering himself to the temptation of her lips once more.
Part 14
Two months later.
Elizabeth pulled up at the Darcy home and strolled around to let herself in by the back door.
Georgia and Richard, who were both at the kitchen table, looked up on her entry.
"Hi Liz," Georgia smiled, getting to her feet. "He's in the top sitting room."
"Thanks," Liz smiled in return at Georgia's expedient reply to her unasked question. "Are you two heading out?"
"Yes, were going over to the Fitzwilliam's to study for the end of year exams. Can you tell William I'll be back around nine?"
"No problem," Liz replied before leaving to find him.
As Georgia had foretold, she found him in the sitting room. She paused for a moment at the door, and looked across at William as he relaxed against the cushions of the lounge, his head bowed slightly over the book he was reading, a loose lock of hair falling casually over his brow. It seemed almost a shame to disturb the serenity of such a picture... almost a shame.
Liz said nothing as she quietly entered the room and, ignoring the fact that every other seat was free, slipped her self lightly onto his lap. She received no complaint from William, who simply laid aside his book, and pulled her closer to him.
"I was hoping that you'd make it over this evening," he smiled. "I gather that you've managed to finish marking?"
"Yeah, all done," she sighed contentedly as William's hand moved up to play with her hair and his lips began to graze on her neck, causing her to squirm slightly at the delightful tingling sensations he was creating on her skin. "Once I got into it, it didn't take nearly as long as I thought it might."
"You could have always brought it over here to do... I would have helped." William murmured, causing her to shiver as he moved his lips up to behind her ear.
"Something tells me that that option might just have been a little too distracting," she whispered as she turned her head to get a taste of his lips.
The sound of a deliberate clearing of the throat recalled William and Liz to the real world only a few minutes later, and they looked up to find Richard regarding them with an amused expression on his face, and Georgia looking rather more blasé.
The presence of the young couple caused William to loosen his hold of Elizabeth, but only a little.
"Don't you know that there are under-aged people in the house?" Richard asked with a grin.
"Don't worry about me Richard," Georgia deadpanned. "I've just had to get used to it."
Richard laughed, but with William in the room he repressed a flippant comment that had jumped to his mind, about Elizabeth's commitment to teaching... and the rather broad nature of the education that she was providing to Georgia.
"I thought you two had left," William replied dryly.
"We had," Georgia replied, over top of the amused 'obviously' that Richard muttered under his breath. "... but I'd forgotten my history text." She picked it up from the coffee table, and with a short, "..see you around nine," dragged Richard from the room before he could give any more voice to his amusement.
"Well, that rather ruined the moment," Elizabeth laughed as she heard the back door close.
"Not to worry," William answered with a wry smile in return. "There was something that I wanted to show you anyway, before I became so pleasantly diverted."
He gently dislodged Liz from his lap, and took her hand to lead her to his study. Elizabeth followed him with a interested anticipation.
She stood by as he reached into the wide top drawer of his desk, and withdrew a large rolled sheet of paper and spread it open on the desk. Elizabeth's curiosity was left to increase as he took the time to weight the top corners with a pen holder and stapler in order to stop them curling up. He looked around momentarily for some stays for the bottom corners before pulling a street directory and a compact road atlas out of another drawer to perform this function.
He was about to speak when he was interrupted by Elizabeth, who had pulled out the substantial stack of private school brochures, she had noticed sitting at the bottom of the open drawer.
"What, may I ask ..." she queried in an arch manner, "... are these?"
"I'd completely forgotten about them," William laughed. "They're from another world. One in which I thought that the only appropriate education for Georgia could be given by an exclusive private school. I sent away for them the week after I pulled her from Rosings, but oddly enough," here he gave her a quick kiss, "I never followed through."
"Woah!" Liz exclaimed as she looked through the fee scales for one of the schools.
"I think I've decided to abandon all my long held principles regarding equality in education..." she said jokingly, "...and might start a school of my own. How do you think 'Bennet Grammar' sounds?"
"If I were you, I'd prefer 'Darcy Grammar'," William grinned, suddenly gaining Liz's full attention. "Or if you want to keep your maiden name, at least 'Bennet-Darcy Grammar'."
"Is there something you're trying to say William Darcy," she queried.
"I think the substance of my message was clear enough," William answered, holding her eye for a moment before drawing her attention to the house plan which now lay unfurled on the desk.
"This is only an concept of course," he went on, as though the last short exchange between them hadn't occurred. "I really need to talk to you in detail about what you want, but as you so unkindly left me all alone his afternoon, I used my time to get a few ideas down in draft form."
"You're determined to be enigmatic, aren't you?" Liz commented, still feeling a little unsteady from what he was intimating only moments earlier. "Would you like to spell out to me what I'm looking at."
William stepped behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. "What you're looking at," he explained, his voice heavy with an amused patience, "is an idea for our home."
Liz leaned against him and willed herself to remain composed as she tried to keep her mind on the things he was pointing out to her in the draft... the retreat off the main bedroom for when they needed privacy... the substantial study so they could both bring work home and Elizabeth wouldn't have to spent so many after school hours at the school itself... the extra bedrooms for when they decided to start a family... two bathrooms in addition to the en-suite, in anticipation of the same event... the generous living area close to Georgia's room to allow her some of her own space as she continued in her journey toward adulthood...
"The beauty of this," William was saying, "is that this section of the house can become a guest quarters when the inevitable happens and Georgia leaves home. It means that she can come back at anytime she wants, knowing that there's a place that's hers... Well... what do you think? You've hardly said a word."
Elizabeth pulled away a little from his grasp and turned to face him.
She made herself breathe slowly as she regarded him seriously whist she leaned back on the desk for some support.
"It's truly wonderful William," she replied, knowing that she was actually talking about more than the house plan, "but have you really considered this? I know how special the home you have now is. It holds so many memories..., so much history..."
"That's true," William answered, "but I think that it's time to move forward. Besides, it wouldn't be abandoning the house altogether. It's just as much Georgia's as it is mine, so I'd just sign it fully over to her name. We can always let it out until she decides what she wants to do with it."
Liz remained silent, still trying to take in all that was happening.
"...and speaking of moving forward, I got some more news today," William continued with a smile, pausing just for moment to place his hands on the desk either side of Elizabeth, and leaning forward for another light kiss. " Edward Gardiner received approval for finance today, and has definitely decided to exercise his first option to buy out the Darcy share of Derbylinc."
"Oh William..." Liz breathed, trying to take in the moment of such an event. William had spoken to her a number of times about how his parent's death had in some ways, left circumstances in control of his life, where as before he'd been able to have his own direction.
"...and to top it all off," Williams smile had become even broader, "I got a phone call from a friend I went to University with, I'm sure I've mentioned James to you... and he's offered me a position as an associate in his architectural practice, with the option of full partnership in two years time."
A wave of thankfulness and excitement washed through Liz, and her arms were immediately around his neck, the tears in her eyes and her tight embrace an expression her absolute delight on his account.
"William," she sighed, when she'd calmed down sufficiently. "It's this is just too marvellous... too good to take in. You really deserve to have a vocation you can be happy in, one that can give you those occasional moments of joy..."
"Frankly, I find it hard to imagine anything giving me a happiness and fulfilment greater that that which I've had over the last few months," William said, holding her by the shoulders, a little away from him so he could look directly in her eyes. "There's one thing that immediately comes to mind though... Lizzy, will you marry me?"
Elizabeth regarded him seriously. "There's one thing I need to know before I answer that question," she said in a lowered tone. "Will this house of ours have a spa?"
"Why you little minx," William muttered, as he slipped one hand from her shoulder and ran it down to rest on the small of her back, and moved his other hand up behind her neck to pull her forward to take her mouth in a kiss.
"That's not a very nice thing to call your future wife..." Liz murmured against his lips, before surrendering herself to the ardour of his passion... plans, brochures, schools, businesses... all forgotten, as they lost themselves in the overwhelming assurance of total commitment and love, and in a knowledge that they were moving forward together, that they were making a future of their own choosing, and that their future would be complete, and abundantly satisfying.
The End!