Section I, Next Section
Chapter 1
Liz sighed as she looked back at her Wood Green. It wasn't the most impressive of towns and she could barely make out the signs because of the layers of sludge-crusted on top of them, but she knew she would dearly miss this place. She looked back at the memo in her hand and smiled to herself. A pink-lipped Post-It note looked back at her... which reminded her again of her sister. Her heart fell slightly more towards her stomach as she turned back towards the long lane that lead to home and reminded herself what she was letting herself in for. Her sister had cried and hugged her, begging her not to leave - for she was still a child who needed full and undivided attention. Personally, she had to tear herself away from her love for Kimmie, but it could not be helped - there was no way she could take her with her and really regretted leaving her with their tiresome mother. She sighed deeply again as she hauled the bag over her shoulder and headed towards the tube station and towards, she supposed, her new life.
She couldn't really stay in London anymore. Not only could she not afford it, but her name was considerably damaged since her aunts came across her drunk and wearing a very revealing clubbing outfit in the dustbin behind the 'House of Nans' takeaway. She cringed at the embarrassment of it all. It would have been so much better if she weren't Asian, or Muslim. When relatives adopt both those attributes you usually have a very guarded life...where Kameezes must be worn, you keep your mouth permanently shut and you finally get married to some bloke with good prospects who you've known for a full... ooooh, half hour. It was not like all Muslim families were like that though. Most of her Islamic mates (and she didn't have many) were as normal as normal could get and had pretty cool parents... It was just her own that insisted her 'following tradition'. However, being (she supposed) currently an agnostic, she was none too fond of the idea. Her mother was convinced her friends had 'turned' her, but most of them were Christian and quite religious themselves... but Liz didn't even attempt to explain it to her stubborn mule of a parent.
Stepping onto the escalators leading down to the depths of London and its underground transportation, Liz chewed upon her bottom lip as she wondered if she was in over her head. Talking to William Darcy (her new employer) on the phone did not fill her with confidence. He had this 'can't be arsed' tone and expressed his 'can't be arsed' conversation in that posh deep voice of his... and it was the most daunting voice she had ever heard in her vibrant twenty-two years. She could almost imagine him as an old, grey-haired and moustached, rich upper class bore who smoked from a pipe and talked excessively about the good old days. Liz could never really understand why her grandparents insisted on calling it 'the good old days'... you know, they were in a bloody war back then and all. Stepping on the tube of the glorious (snigger) Piccadilly Line, Liz counted down the stops in eager anticipation as she waited for the soon and more than probable stop at Kings Cross. Manor House, Finsbury Park, Arsenal, Holloway Road... God, surely it didn't take half an hour to go about 6 stops?! She could barely sit still from her excitement. She felt like a child and suddenly had an enormous craving for strawberry Bonbons and lemon sherbet. Maybe this will turn out to be the best decision you've ever made... Liz thought optimistically as she stepped confidently onto the Kings Cross platform and made her way to British Rail by clumsily following the arrowed directions. Maybe you'll end up loving it there, make friends with one and all and William Darcy will be forced to triple your pay by wanting your brilliant services so badly... Wait, hmmmm... up arrow? What does that mean? How exactly do they expect me to do that... fly? Wait... it means straight ahead. With an ironic chuckle, she shook her head as she quickened her pace to catch up with business types and office yuppies on their tiny phones hurrying ahead of her. Considering the fact you're supposed to be some great genius, you're not exactly very bright at non-Mathematical stuff, are you? Her stomach rumbled yet again, and she was terribly thankful that the ruckus about her drowned its growling noise out. She didn't dare eat breakfast at her mother's - Liz wouldn't have put it past her to have drugged or/and poisoned every piece of edible material just to stop her daughter from leaving. With another violent somersault, her belly threatened dangerously for food and Liz touched at it slightly, hoping this act would somehow lessen the noise. It didn't.
As the escalator up slowly drew Liz to the wonderfully wide world of the main Kings Cross railway station, her eyes frantically looked at the computerised screens, looking quite dangerously hung from the ceiling:
9:00am - Sheffield Central on time Platform 4
9:03am - Birmingham on time Platform 3...
No, no... those weren't the right one... With another harder glance (so hard it even included squinting eyes), she finally found it nestled between the trips to Royston and Edinburgh.
9:05 - Cheshire via Lyme Park on time Platform 2
Looking back at her watch, Liz groaned. She had precisely six minutes and nine seconds (eight now) to get food before the train departed. With a shuffle type run, she managed to get to the surprisingly short queue for a sandwich bar. Rummaging through her jeans pockets, she found about a fiver... which should have been enough for a hot chocolate and a baguette. Inching forward, Liz sighed in exasperation as she looked across at the glass... then she stopped. The beautifully displayed C'est Croissant Chocolate gazed back at her as it oozed temptation... and glistening liquid chocolate. No, I mustn't. I just mustn't... Liz had already decided she was on a firm diet... and though she knew she wasn't big, she at least wanted to get into that black dress it had taken her six months to save up for. She remembered how extremely pissed off she had been when the only size left the one below hers... but temptation induced her to take it. And she would not let temptation go against her again... even if it only was £1.99 and tasted like heaven. And though she had resolved on it, she couldn't seem to tear her eyes from it...
Eat me... Oh God. Now she was hallucinating. She could have sworn it whispered with those soft warm, crumbling pastry lips. Shaking her head emphatically, she found herself whispering "No" quite out loud, causing people to gradually move further and further away from her. Before she even realised, she was at the head of the queue, and still shaking her head at the wickedness of the sweet enticement.
"Yes?" Her spotty teenage server asked, and then blushed slightly at Liz once she finally turned to face him. Ever since before she could remember, she always had that effect on spotty teenagers... she found it quite sweet. But just then she really didn't care... she was losing the battle against the calorie monster.
"Err..."
"Would you like the C'est Croissant Chocolate?" he seemed to squeak with that unstable and unbroken voice of his as he noticed Liz's eyes widen and her mouth practically drool as she looked upon the display cabinet. Before she could nod in zombie like fashion, an announcement boomed from the speakers.
"This is the final call for passengers wishing to travel to the Cheshire via Lyme Park journey, departing at platform 2, to board the train."
Bugger! Grabbing her bags, Liz burst into a sprint, ever still cursing under her breath, Evil talking chocolate croissant... Running as fast as she could, Liz practically smashed everyone out of her way as she desperately attempted to reach Platform 2. And just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, she heard the title theme of the A-team. It was her cell phone. She tried to ignore it as she saw the inspector closest to her close his train door with a snap.
"No! Wait, please!" she begged, and running faster, caught her foot on her bag strap. With an almost slapstick trip to the polished floor, Liz looked up. Flat-out and lying on her stomach, she had enough time to witness the train slowly and noisily pull out of the station in a burst of steam. She was in trouble.
"Are you ok?" The guy on the next platform inquired with a tilted head.
"I missed my train." She said miserably as he hurried over to help her stand. Pulling her up easily with one hand, then taking her bags, he smiled widely.
"Who wants to go to Manchester anyway?" he said optimistically, with a shrug. "I've heard that they're got cockroaches there as big as cats." Manchester?
"No, err... that was the train to Cheshire."
"No, this is the train to Cheshire," he said, pointing to the train he was about to board. Before she opened her mouth to correct him, she stopped. She glanced to where she had tripped over and looked up to see the giant sign reading 'Platform 1'.
"I-I guess I didn't miss it," she said breathing with relief. He laughed as he extended his hand.
"Rich Fitzwilliam."
"Are telling me you're wealth, or your name?" Liz asked with a smile.
"Both," he returned with a cheeky grin as they stepped onto the train. Her phone was still ringing emphatically and with a sigh, she finally picked it up; knowing full well she knew only one person mad enough to stay on so long.
"Hi, Rek."
"Hi, sis! You on the train?"
"Yep, about to depart. What do you want?" Liz heard her teenage sister exhale loudly from the other end of the line.
"Well, that's rich! First you leave without even waking me up to say goodbye, and now I need a reason to phone?"
"Rek?" Liz said in a more forceful tone.
"Did you take my Marilyn Manson CD?"
"Of course not. And why are you looking for it now anyway?"
"I think Ted and Mary next door would love a wake up call." Rek said mischievously. Liz sighed, though could not help but smile. Rekha had been a little devil ever since she was born, and that was 16 years ago.
"Don't do it, Rek."
"Why not?"
"I don't think Jehovah's witnesses enjoy his style, hon."
"Oh come on, Liz. Mary said herself that I was going to burn in hell for not converting... I'd just like to give her a taste of what I'll encounter there."
"Why don't you just tell her nicely that you won't go to hell for being Muslim? It's just another way of going to the same place."
"It's more fun my way."
"Rek!"
"Fine, fine. I won't play it..."
"Good."
"But that's mainly because I can't find it. Bye!!" She chuckled softly as she snapped shut her phone. Rekha would never change, and though she was the older sister and attempted to be stern, just a bat of her sister's wide eyes always made Liz forgive her.
After easily lifting both his bags and Liz's onto the luggage cabins, Rich slid into the seat opposite her.
"Thanks for that," she smiled appreciatively, as she slipped her phone into her bag. "And thanks for saving me from missing this train, too." He graced her with that infamous and quite cocky smile of his.
"You're very welcome, besides I could tell you were having a bad day."
"You don't know the half of it," she groaned as she rubbed at the bruise on her hand. With a laugh, he crossed his arms.
"Well, why don't you tell me about it over coffee."
"Coffee?" She asked with a bemused smile. Jeez, that was quick. Taking out a flask from his rucksack, he unscrewed the lid until it popped open and an expensively delicious smelling scent enveloped over her. No, don't get tempted. He could be a psycho trying to drug you... why the heck am I so convinced everyone wants to drug me? But it smells so good... Pouring the dark liquid into the attachable lid, he sensed her agitation and gulped it down first to dispel any doubts. After seeing he did not keel over, start gasping for breath or grasp his neck from choking, she sighed into a smile and eagerly caught the plastic mug he slid towards her.
"You're a lifesaver," she grinned as she allowed him to pour it to the very top. With a smile, he watched her drink and she smiled almost alluringly back. Perhaps the benefits of this job are already starting...
Chapter 2
God, this man is gorgeous, funny... and for some reason interested in me. Don't ruin it, Liz. Rich was definitely someone who you would look at twice. He had sandy brown hair and not very extraordinary blue eyes but the man was a natural-born charmer and had a great personality to boot. They talked of many things until they just glanced at each other in a quite comfortable silence. He studied her sparkling eyes for quite a while... and she was quite surprised to see she wasn't looking away or blushing. Liz, this isn't sensible. To come out of a bad relationship to automatically flirt with the first guy who seems mildly interested? Where's that celibacy you promised you'd carry out, girl?! With a raised brow she thought about the deal she had made with herself. God, celibacy? What was I thinking? Then suddenly the unthinkable happened. There she was, trying to impress. Trying to pout her lips slightly, and attempting to push her long dark curls over her shoulder in a tantalising way when...
GROWL.
They both stopped; Rich with an inquisitive expression and Liz in utter mortification. Oh my God... With an inaudible whisper, she finally squeaked.
"That... that was my stomach..." Rich raised an eyebrow as his eyes twinkled.
"Are you sure about that?" He asked. God, kill me. Kill me now... But before she could feel too embarrassed, Rich laughed. "I'm just messing with you...! I guess you haven't eaten today."
"That's part of the reason you caught me lying on the floor," She admitted with a shrug whilst the red refused to leave her face. Rich continued to smile. This girl is just seriously adorable...
"Is it? I thought you just liked doing things like that."
"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" she asked recovering with a raised eyebrow, and then sipped more of her luscious coffee. With a contented sigh, she leaned back comfortably in her seat. Rich suddenly raised his hands up, as he seemed to implore something.
"Ok, don't cringe with this cheesy one-liner, but I honestly am interested..."
"I'll try not to." She grinned.
"What is a lovely London girl like you doing going to Cheshire?"
"I've got a tutoring job up North."
"Oh really...?" He said leaning forward. "So you're an intellectual?"
"I know I don't seem it," she shrugged. Liz wasn't surprised when people were quite astonished her IQ was well into the 200s, especially with how young she was. Rich protested he thought she was bright, but she was sure she could see through his expert charming. "Well, how about you? What have the delights of Cheshire got for you?" He crinkled his nose slightly.
"Oh, just off to stay with relatives. I know, very lame." Liz smiled as she shook her head and sniffed slightly at her coffee... she would have to ask him where he got it.
"Not at all, I wish I had relatives I would willingly like to visit." He couldn't help but grin with the look of disgust on her pretty face.
"That bad, huh?"
"Oh, you have no idea." With a shrug, he laughed.
"Well, I grew up in the North but went to university in London. So I guess, I'm completely urbanised now."
"Which do you prefer?" She suddenly asked... maybe Derbyshire would be better than her wonderful London...? With a totally baffled look, Rich contemplated.
"I-I don't know... that's a toughie. When I'm in London I can't believe I ever lived in the country, but the country has so many memories and is gorgeous..."
"So you've experienced the best of both worlds?"
"I guess you could say that." He said, returning her grin.
"So, what are studying in Uni?" She asked as she stretched; this long train journey was playing havoc with her back.
"Medicine," He said shrugging as though it were nothing. Liz smiled playfully as her eyes glistened.
"Ah, so you're an intellectual!"
"I know, " he said with a devilish grin. "I don't seem it," They both laughed as Rich gave her another automatic refill, much to her delight. Once screwing the cap back on again, he bit his lip slightly. "Listen, Liz... I know this is going to seem really forward and I don't even do this often but... can I give you my number?"
"I wouldn't say no," she said almost shyly, trying to hide her smile behind her coffee mug. Yesssss...! Yes! Yes! Yes! Did I mention 'Yes'? He's such a gentleman that he didn't even ask for my number! Or maybe that's because he doesn't want it... No, no. I am a top and wonderful temptress... well, one with a noisy stomach and a habit for tripping over... Scrawling his number onto a piece of card, Rich gave her a devastating smile once handing it to her. It seemed to be fate... the train suddenly slowed its pace and a loud voice boomed from the speaker by Liz's ear (it would have to be there, wouldn't it?).
"We are now approaching Lyme Park, Cheshire. This is the end of the line."
Helping her off the train, Liz seriously sighed with satisfaction. Hours on a train with this guy and she had not seen one flaw... and he was also terribly well bred and polite. He seemed to be every mother's dream... except hers of course. Her mother would scream if she saw Liz even consider going out with a white guy. Actually, her mother would scream if Liz thought about going out with an Asian guy... she didn't believe in dates. Only marriage. Liz groaned as she thought of it. As they reached outside the station, he extended his hand in farewell. Shaking it, she didn't feel the tingly sensation she did when she first met Wicks... but Rich was so much better for her. What was it about the wrong sort of man? She seemed to attract to them like flies did to garbage. Smiling at him, she sighed.
"I guess this is goodbye."
"For now anyway... well, I hope," Rich said hopefully, still flashing those perfect teeth. "Will I sound corny by saying 'call me'?"
"Yes, but I won't hold it against you," Liz answered back with a twinkle in her dark eyes. Lifting her hand, he planted a kiss upon it and she couldn't help but blush slightly. If any other guy did it, it would have seemed incredibly conceited or bigheaded, but Rich had such style... you just couldn't help but think it was a compliment. With a small, sad smile he walked away and Liz stared until he got lost with the crowds of people from the train. Damn. A smile approached as she looked upon the card in her hand then Liz trudged on to get a cab and attempt to walk around while carrying her tons of baggage. She easily found one in the almost empty but warmly tranquil village.
"Where do you want to go, love?" The cab driver asked as a breathless Liz finally got into the car after minutes of cramming her belongings into the boot. Surely, she didn't own that much junk?
"Err, the Pemberley estate, please," she said, pushing a damp lock of her black hair behind her ear. "Apparently it's not too far from here...?"
"Jeez, you're going to Pemberley?" Oh no. That doesn't sound promising. She knew it was too perfect to be true.
"Um, yes," she said in a wary voice. "Why, is it haunted?" Laughing, he started the car.
"No, nothing like that! It's just that it's bit of a landmark down here."
"Really?" Liz asked as she leaned as forward as her seatbelt would allow, suddenly interested by the conversation. She was a huge fan to architecture and was especially a sucker for those old Victorian structures. "Is it really old?"
"Oh yeah, centuries. My great, great grandfather used to be an under gardener there." Turning into a small cobbled high street, He darted his eyes from his mirror to the street. "So, are you a friend of the Darcys?" She shrugged with a smile.
"Nope, merely an employee. I'm supposed to be Georgiana Darcy's new tutor." The cabbie's eyes widened with sudden clarity.
"Ah, so you're taking over from Mrs Garret...! She was really quite nice, if not slightly like a dictator." Liz bit her lip to repress a bemused smile.
"Err... she sounds... lovely." He shrugged his shoulders as he grinned again.
"Nah, she's not so bad. I wouldn't have married her if she was." His wide smile only induced Liz to follow in fashion. So far the locals seem friendly enough...!
"Why did she quit?" She asked, interestedly. There was no harm in acquiring some of the neighbouring gossip, was there? After all, she was going to be a resident of this place.
"Well, she thought it was about time she retired... and my view of retiring is driving this cab." Living in London, she never really thought as cabbies driving to relieve stress! But who exactly took a cab here except those sweet old ladies who couldn't walk too far? They weren't exactly the rowdiest bunch around. Glancing out the window, she couldn't help but sigh in pleasure. This place was beautiful... it had to be said. She never really knew little English Hamlets like this truly existed. Of course, she'd always seen pictures of them in her mother's old lady magazines and those ornaments of Tudor houses and cottages made out of clay... but this was truly breathtaking.
"So, where are you from? I can detect a Southern accent..." The cabbie spoke friendlily.
"London," Liz said with utmost pride... how could she describe her love for the place? It almost broke her heart that she had to leave.
"Wow! You must really be having withdrawal symptoms coming up North, and all," he said sympathetically. Liz nodded with a sigh, though continued to bask in the glorious sunshine.
"Yeah. It's just so peaceful and quiet here. I almost expect car honks and police sirens to go off any minute."
"That's what I love about this place," He smiled as he pulled into another small cobbled street with beautifully quaint cottages and colourful flowered gardens. "It's so tranquil and small... I mean, everyone knows everyone."
"Hello Dave!" A voice cried out from the street and both occupants of the car turned to see it belonged to an old woman with a Scottish Terrier. With a wink, Dave laughed with Liz.
"What perfect time, eh? Morning Mrs Lucas!"
Liz and Dave carried on making each other laugh until they were travelling through acres or wood, where Liz stopped to examine her scenery. God, She thought shaking her head. All this greenery... it's just not natural. Dave informed her that all this belonged to the Darcy's and that it actually took a good fifteen minutes of this in a fast car to actually reach them. She suddenly felt ill. I mean, she knew they were rich... but the fact that they were practically as high up as the Queen...? She was beginning to get a feeling there was a butterfly war going on in her stomach and Liz was honestly getting tempted to ask Dave to turn around when she stopped. There was finally a break in the trees and the most magnificent house she ever saw greeted her. God, it was spectacular. There was no other word for its grandeur. Beautiful but not overdone and absolutely bloody breathtaking. Oh yeah, she could live here. Pressing her nose against the glass, she absorbed in the lakes and trees and lush lawn, and Dave merely smiled like a father whose kid got an A on parents evening, as he drove on further. Liz was still staring while the cabbie pressed the intercom button.
"I've got a cab with a Miss Lizbeth Bennedt," He said cheerfully. With a buzz, the colossal gates creaked open and again overwhelmed Liz. It was just like that bit in Jurassic Park. She just hoped William Darcy wouldn't eat her alive. A line of people could be seen as the car halted outside the entrance; who she guessed to be the Darcy staff and her new workmates. Wow, all this just for me...! They were all uniformed smartly and Liz wondered if she also had to walk around in a cool black suit... like in Reservoir Dogs. The oldest woman there greeted her... and she did not look very friendly. Shaking hands, the woman spoke.
"My name is Mrs Reynolds. I am the housekeeper."
"Err... nice to meet you." Liz smiled nervously. The steel look on the old bird didn't budge.
"Victor, Simon... take her bags to her room," She said again in the same hard-arsed tone of voice. My God, she looks as though she has a giant gherkin thrust up her backside. Liz shuddered as she imagined a vivid mental picture and attempted to think of anything else. What she did think of made her giggle, and she could not remove the amused and mischievous expression from her face. The two youngest gents in the well-organised line nodded in obedience and took them eagerly, each sizing Liz up with a small-embarrassed smile. As they scarpered off, Liz opened her mouth to attempt to say something charming but Mrs Reynolds dove in first.
"Miss Bennedt, my family have performed this job for many generations and I will now tell you that I shall not have disarray in my time. Do you understand me, young lady? After 22 years with the Darcys, I have not yet had one that hasn't been tranquil and calm... and I am warning you now that I won't hesitate to fire you if you give me the slightest trouble. Do you understand or would you like me to repeat it again?" After giving the stunned Liz a second to answer, she carried on determinably. "Do you have any other questions, Miss Bennedt?"
Liz couldn't believe it. Was that really her warm welcome? Her 'Hi, welcome to the Darcy staff. We're really quite nice when you get to know us'? The woman was a housekeeper, not her own keeper. She spoke like a damn military sergeant. What was she going to do now... order Liz to drop and give her twenty? And did she really call me young lady?After getting over her initial shock, Liz narrowed her dark eyes.
"Yes, I do actually. I was wondering when we were allowed to eat, if I'm allowed to have visitors and if I would prefer to wear stone shackles or steel ones." The younger luggage carrier snorted in suppressed laughter, though calmed his twitching features after Mrs Reynolds's dangerous glance at him. Turning back to Liz, she spoke softly in warning as her eyes looked menacing.
"I knew you were a trouble maker the minute I set eyes on you. Don't think I'm not watching your every move." With a quick disapproving inspection with her eyes, she coldly spoke again. "Finch will meet you out here in a minute to show you how things are done." And with that last remark, she turned her heel and stormed back into the house. The long line of employees (whom Liz guessed Mrs Reynolds would soon train to become a hit squad to eventually kill her off) followed swiftly after Mrs Gherkin as they each gawped at the impertinent new edition. Watching them disappear into the black doorway, Liz felt suddenly ill. That was not the best of starts. She turned back round to where Dave still stood, leaning against his cab.
"Well, it could have been worse," He called optimistically. Liz walked towards the vehicle with slumped shoulders and leaned beside him. With a groan, she hid her face under her hands, causing the middle-aged cabbie to laugh.
"How could it have possibly, in any way, been any worse?" Liz groaned again. Dave smiled as he responded cheerfully.
"Well, she could have set fire to you."
Chapter 3
The instant Liz had opened her mouth to beseech Dave to zoom her back to the station and not look back, an elderly uniformed gentleman unexpectedly stepped out of the entrance and called her name politely. He bestowed Liz with such a friendly smile that it went right up to his friendly wrinkled eyes, and she had to check behind her to make sure it was directed at her. With a chuckle, he extended his hand.
"Hi, I'm Henry Finch; just another Butler-type who works here. I've been assigned to show you around the place." Following a little breath of relief and a close of her eyes, Liz beamed back at him. Thank God, one person here is at least civil!
"Thank you, Mr Finch," She said in genuine gratitude.
"I can already tell I will like you," he said with a nod a warm grin. "You can drop the Mr. Everyone calls me Finch." Liz returned the gesture and soon enough they were both getting on like a house on fire. "I heard about your meeting with Mrs Reynolds," he said with a laugh, and Dave nodded as he contributed to how awful it was. Being the total gentleman he was, Finch set out to put her mind at rest. "She is a bit uptight, but is really quite 'cool' when you get to know her."
"As cool as a cucumber?" Liz asked innocently, and then nearly burst into laughter as she remembered her Gherkin theory. Both Dave and Finch noticed her repressed giggle and looked at her bemusedly. Damn, the only friends I have made think I'm barking mad...! Both men tried their hardest to assure the extremely apprehensive Liz that Pemberley was a pleasant work environment, and she felt quite touched that they went to all the trouble. Eventually (after about half an hour) deciding it was time to actually complete his mission, Finch smiled again and politely gestured to escort her into the house. Turning back to Dave, he mouthed a mute 'Good Luck' and signalled her with a thumbs up and a quick smile, then headed back into his taxi. Come back, Dave... don't leave me with these people...! She screamed within her head, but it was too late. His car sped away just as Liz got engulfed by the darkness of the entrance. Finch gave her a supportive smile as they finally emerged from the black and entered the main hallway, and Liz was damn relieved she had decided not to wear her high stiletto type heels... they would have massacred the beautiful floors. They just talked about something or other as Liz's eyes automatically widened with admiration. She could not help but show her appreciation for Pemberley's beauty. It didn't matter how nervous she was and how much she wished she had gone toilet on the train... she couldn't conceal her true pleasure for the place with the occasional gasps. What could she say? The house and furnishings were utterly gorge and compensated for all the mean eyed and uptight buggers that she had to work with... and the size of the estate! Her mother always told her size didn't matter, but Liz always concluded that it sure helped out...! The giant oak staircases, the Victorian style fixtures and the stunning portraits that hung on the wall made her sigh with satisfaction. She felt like she'd stepped right into the 19th Century, despite the smart knee-length black skirt and white shirt she wore and the obvious electronic connections about the place. And though Finch had shown her around extensively, she still didn't have a clue where anything was... it was just all too enormous and trying for her terrible sense of direction. Liz was surprised enough she figured out where to get off on the train... but she supposed that was mainly due to the fact it was the last stop!. Showing her into her room, she took a step back and a double take. She definitely didn't deserve it, but wasn't about to be daft enough to complain! Beautiful velvet material drapes that pooled magnificently upon the polished dark wooden floor and beautiful bay windows that exposed the room in a bath of sunshine... God, and look at that giant and exquisite bed...! It's a shame there is no one to share it with. No, Liz! Don't think of Wicks... Sitting immediately upon the soft bed, she let out a little 'Whoohoo' and slammed back onto, staring up at the ceiling and smiling even wider then Ronald McDonald. Finch laughed as he observed her.
"Liz, I'm sorry to have to tear you away but, I'm instructed to now take you to the main hall." Liz made a straining noise as she lifted herself up. She really didn't want to face anyone. After seeing her room, she figured that this job wouldn't be too bad if she just made refuge in it and avoided Mrs Reynolds altogether!
"Why's that Finch?" she asked with a faint groan, and a whole lot of anxiety.
"Well, you still have to meet our employer." Ah, yes. The dreaded and old Mr Darcy. With a sigh she rolled off the bed, but graced her friend with her cheeky trademark smile.
"Fine, Finch. I'll allow you to escort me to my doom." Laughing, they headed out the door. Walking down numerous and countless corridors and staircases (which Liz didn't recognise at all but really should have considering they just came from there) Finch suddenly stopped outside a pair of grand, gold handled oak doors. Liz supposed this was it, and wished her hands would stop shaking and that insane bunny rabbit in Bambi would get out of her chest. Liz gave him a nervous smile and reached out for the door handle.
"If in any doubt, stick to two subjects with Mr Darcy. The weather, and everyone's health." Instead of putting her mind at rest in only scared her further... God, was this Mr Darcy such a monster (or bore) that he only stuck to those two topics? Did he lose all control if one spoke of something else...? Opening the door with a swift and bad attempt of a confident approach, Liz chewed upon her bottom lip in the manner you would bubblegum until she couldn't really feel it any more - but no one was there. The giant room was completely empty and deathly silent. Liz supposed he would be there in a minute, though was relieved she didn't have to face the tyrant without further ado. Straightening out her curls with the palms of her hands and ironing her clothes out slightly, she took her few moments alone to fix her appearance... after all; she had to make a good and 'professional' impression. Eeeeeek... Lord help me!
Being the shallow yet lovely character our heroin so clearly was, she instantly noticed the look and expressions of all new acquaintances, and so she proceeded to view in this fashion when it came to first being introduced to her new employer. Liz had turned away from the staircase as she again examined the beauty of the house and finished rearranging her clothing, but soon turned when she head footsteps. She glared at William Darcy as he descended down the stairs with as much scrutiny as one could muster without making it painfully obvious in their facial expressions. Almost automatically she felt like she'd made a mistake. Desperately struggling with the idea of marching back out those grand doors as fast as she possibly could, Liz held her breath. He had an 'I can smell bad fish' look on his face and almost crinkled his nose in disgust at the sight before him. Ok, so he might have been young but he still resembled the old-fashioned dictator Liz feared he'd turn out to be. He had an almost scowl on his face and though he looked just a few years older then her, he dressed in the type of outfit that made him look a heck of a lot older then he actually was.
Did he just snort at me?
Don't overreact - it doesn't matter that he looks like a poncy, rich, 'so far up his own backside that he needs a map to get back out' stuck-up and blue-blooded bore, does it? I'm not teaching him. It's his sister that needs my apparently 'expert' guidance. Make an effort. Quick, say something clever so he can't doubt my skills.
"It's so good to finally meet you, sir. I was in quite some despair when I realised how grand an estate Pemberley was. I was quite worried I'd never find civilisation". She smiled brightly but this statement seemed to push him in further into his mood. Liz tried her hardest not to facially show her impatience with this haughty man, so she attempted to beam even wider. Ok, that's about as witty and charming I can get this early on a weekday. Oh, my cheeks hurt from all these fake pleasantries...
He looked at her with an arched eyebrow and examined her thoroughly with no tact or subtlety. He even started to slowly circle around her in deep inspection... he didn't look too pleased. Liz turned with him as her face displayed her open anger... what was it with the people in this house? They may have been rich, but didn't one of them have any manners or idea how to speak to people (except the lovely Finch of course)? With a temper as she had being tried more and more every passing minute, she finally had to retort. This was getting ridiculous. It had already been four minutes of full and very awkward silence. Was this odious man ever going to speak?
"May I ask what you are examining, Sir? Have I offended you in some way?" He was somewhat taken aback by her forwardness and she bit the inside of her mouth, scolding herself something chronic.
You idiot. That stupid buggery reflex anger... why can't I just stay stum? Oh damn, he looks as though I attempted to kidnap his silverware. I guess I shouldn't bother unpacking...
Instead of demanding her to gather up her things and exit his premises immediately, William Darcy just knotted his forehead in deep contemplation as he observed her again. Finally, he spoke.
"I assure you, you have offended me in no way," he said in almost controlled civility. "At least no way I am aware of."
Lord, my new boss loathes me... and speaks like he's still in the 19th century. Wait, Liz... you must try and keep up by using long words like 'information' and 'lucozade'... 'marathon'...
"Mrs Asby recommended you very highly," he said after an awkward silence and a dry cough.
...dandelion...
"Err, thank you. She's a really nice. But I'm sure she exaggerated my talents." Yes, Mrs Asby was so very nice. Liz was sure she encouragingly lied when she wrote a reference on her skills.
...homoeopathists...
"I'm sure she didn't." Another silence.
...homodynes...
"I, erm... hope I won't disappoint Miss Darcy...?" Liz said as almost a suggestion of topic. She had always imagined the home-schooled Georgiana Darcy to be posh, probably spoilt and possibly arrogant... and Liz truly had enough of that kind of person for a day, let alone lifetime.
...homoerotic...
"I doubt that you will. She is a very blah blah blah... blah blah blah blah..."
...encyclopaedia...
"Oh, erm... I'm sure you're right." What the heck is he babbling about? I should really try and listen but I must concentrate on long words...
...egregious... Not necessarily long but effective....
"And do you believe that blahblahblah, blahblah blah, blah blah blah?"
"Erm, oh, well... yes?" Liz squeaked as she attempted to hazard an answer and tried to share her attention equally. The long word mission was winning by miles.
...onomatopoeia... great word! Now how am I going to get that into a sentence...?
"Do you have any questions, Miss Bennedt?" He looked at her expectantly; his eyes betrayed his last words to be more of an order than a request. With his towering form and piercing dark eyes, he seemed almost a member of the SS trapping her in the corner. What was that first analogy she had used? Jurassic Park? Yes, she had now met the Tyrannosaurus Rex... and Mrs Reynolds was a Velociraptor. Oh, and Finch was probably one of those cute tame dinosaurs... like a pteranidon. No, weren't those were the ones that squirted poison...? Wait. Yes, he was a Triceratops or a Stegosaurus.... Good God, Liz?!?! Do you even hear what you're talking and thinking about? Why do you always get so sidetracked by your peculiarity? She could hear William Darcy sigh a type of groan.
"Miss Bennedt?" He asked again, seeming to be losing his patience. Liz quickly broke out of her reverie and stared at him... he was talking to her right?
Lord, he expects me to speak. Bugger. Bugger. What should I say without offending him, betraying I wasn't listening or sounding as terribly common as I am? However, before she could truly think of anything, she blurted out.
"Lovely weather we've been having." You idiot.
Chapter 4
William Darcy just raised his eyebrow slightly but didn't say anything... which actually intimidated Liz more - I mean, he could tell her what he was thinking or at least give her the damn weather forecast! Before she opened her mouth to say yet another embarrassing sentence, he swiftly turned to the stairs he'd come from.
"This is my sister, Georgiana." He didn't actually glance at Liz, but she supposed he was speaking to her (mainly considering the two facts that she didn't know his teenage sister and that she was sure Georgiana already knew her own name and that she had a fellow sibling). Liz followed her eyes clumsily up the grand staircase. She didn't even notice another person in the room... I guess she was too busy making a fool of herself. When Liz did look to the top of the stairs, she couldn't help but try and suppress a quite terribly hidden smile... why was Georgiana Darcy dressed like a frumpy looking fairy? All she needed was a fake plastic wand and fluffy fairy wings and they could stick her on a float somewhere. But she really was quite stunning to look at. She had gorgeous dead straight blond hair and wide blue eyes, and could definitely have a career in modelling if she ever had the urge to apply... well, not if she wore that hideous outfit. It looked like one of those party dresses your mother forces you to wear when you're about 6 - Dear God; it even had a bow around the waist! The young Georgiana Darcy graced Liz with a small and terribly shy smile once she descended down those infamous stairs, and then quickly looked to the security of her brother. Liz sighed with some relief - Georgiana Darcy looked like a sweetie and appeared (Thank God!) nothing like her brother. William turned almost lovingly to his sister and smiled in that serious way of his.
"Georgiana, this is your new tutor, Lizbeth Bennedt." This was the part when Liz felt as though she should have curtsied. Instead, she merely supplied a weak and nervous smile, and to her relief Georgiana couldn't seem to do any better. It was almost like a first date, or a blind one - and William Darcy seemed to be making the introductions. He even left them so they could spend more time together to walk about the park around Pemberley. Liz was actually even hoping that Georgiana would soon enough procure out some roses and chocolates... she was really hungry and was getting cravings (for Turkish Delight, not eating flowers). Liz smiled at the youngster quite brightly as she attempted conversation, after all she was the (slightly) adult.
"You have a lovely home." Damn, my architectural side is coming out again... Georgiana's eyes widened with pleasure and some pride as she smiled softly back; Liz seemed to have hit directly upon a soft spot.
"Thank you. It's been in the family for generations. I've always loved it dearly."
"I would too," Liz said with a laugh as the trees swayed faintly with the afternoon breeze. "I mean, I've only been here for two seconds and am already madly in love with it." It's about the only thing I do like here... Deciding the latter wasn't the most sensible thing to say, she bit her tongue before she exclaimed it out. Suddenly it got quiet again, but not in the awkward 'Scary William Darcy Boss Man' way, but just slightly uncomfortable. Nothing happened for a while until Georgiana's face suddenly went red as she looked down at her outfit.
"I-I don't usually dress this way, Miss Bennedt..."
"Call me, Liz." Georgiana's already gentle eyes softened even more.
"Liz," she said quietly, after all... Liz was already the closest thing to a friend that she had (of course, our heroine was oblivious to that fact). Shaking out of her little trance, she continued. "I-I mean, I don't wear this kind of outfit around the house or..."
"You really don't have to explain anything to me," Liz said with a supportive smile, now feeling quite dreadful she'd laughed about the dress in her head. Georgiana shrugged her shoulders and smiled sadly.
"I'm always made to dress like a wedding cake whenever guests come round." Liz couldn't help but laugh, and Georgiana (to her own surprise) joined in. A wedding cake was a perfect description of the outfit... it beat Liz's fairy one hands down!
"Well, thank you for making me feel more welcome," Liz said warmly, then cheekily added, "The dress really helped. I'm really quite partial to wedding cake." With another giggle, Georgiana's almost upset look dissolved away and Liz, for the first time that day, felt content. She could stay here as long as she was with Georgiana - and wasn't it lucky that she was her tutor? If she had to share her skills with Mrs Reynolds or even Mr William Darcy, she would have packed her bags, running and screaming away from Pemberley (though would make sure that they'd both get trained in acquiring some manners... preferably with a giant stick). Before either of them knew it, the sun was actually beginning to set and with schoolgirl type giggles and sprinting (led by Liz of course!), they made their way breathlessly to the entrance of the house. Finch was holding a glass of orange fizzy liquid (which Liz, with a smile, guessed was Lucozade) and he looked up to see the two flushed young ladies explode into laughter as Liz whispered something into Georgiana's ear. He seemed to look quite paralysed - was this really his mistress? She seemed so alive... so cheeky and happy. With a small smile, he gave Liz a nod. He knew she was a good'un and he that she was exactly the kind of person Georgiana needed to bring her out of her shell. When Georgiana turned to face him, she took one look at the drink and smiled widely.
"Dickie's here...!?" Finch nodded to his mistress's eager question, trying his hardest not to laugh at her sudden excitable (and out of character) nature.
"Yes, he came about a half hour ago, Miss Georgie." Turning to Liz, she indicated that they go into the next room with Finch, but the lady hesitated for a second.
"Listen, Georgie. I just need to make a quick phone call. Go ahead without me... OK?" Georgiana looked quite torn but Liz's touching her hand slightly brightened her up again and she quite happily scarpered off. With a proud smile, Liz sighed deeply as she watched her go. Liz, you've done it again...! You genius! That went so much better than even I could have wished. Well, at least someone's fallen for the Bennedt charm... Taking out her cell phone she searched for Rich's number. She promised him that if any developments in her job occurred, that she should phone him straightaway and tell him all about it. William Darcy, Mrs Reynolds, Finch, Dave, and lastly the lovely Georgiana... heck, she had lots to say! Once finding it she pressed enter and leaned slightly back on the stair banister. While the phone patiently rang, she suddenly thought she heard another noise. Taking the phone off her ear for a second she heard another ring. That was odd. Pressing cancel on her phone she checked she wasn't just hearing things. The ringing (from some distance away) automatically stopped. Liz raised a brow. Hmmmm... Her phone suddenly trembled and lit into life and the words 'RICH' flashed repeatedly. Of course he'd ring back - probably thought she was prank calling him or something! With a little laugh, she picked the phone up. Sometimes she really thought she hallucinated everything. "Hello," she said, again trying an attempt of an alluring voice. She just hoped she didn't sound like a call girl... or a man.
"Hi, it's Rich. Did you just call me?"
"Yes, I just thought I'd update you on my day, but if you're busy...."
"No! Not at all. Just having a late tea with my cousins, but that's all really. How did it go?" Liz laughed.
"Wonderful and awful. The girl I'm tutoring is lovely and her brother is plain scary and snobby." Rich laughed, and then she heard him drinking something afterwards. Maybe more of that lush coffee...
"Sorry about that," he apologised sheepishly after a long slurp. "I'm parched. So how is the place in general? Giant mistake or maybe you might stay?"
"Well, I don't really have much of a choice now, do I?" She said with a dry laugh. Rich seemed to hum in sad agreement.
"I would have put your name forward to the cousin I'm staying with because he actually needed your services for his sister... but apparently they've got one."
"That's a shame," she said sighing, she would have liked to see Rich's friendly face helping her out.
"But Will, my cousin, said they might have to fire her, so maybe it'll work out for you. She's apparently a bit eccentric!" Liz joined in his laughter... then stopped. Did he just say Will?
"Rich, what did you say your cousin's name was?" Her serious tone made Rich's own voice speak with slow apprehension.
"Erm... William. William Darcy. Why?"
"Is your nickname Dickie?"
"Yep... but how do you...?" With a sudden roll then closing of her eyes, she softly finished.
"Are you drinking Lucozade?" Rich stopped... then chuckled in amazement.
"Yeah. Wow! I'm impressed, Liz. You didn't tell me that among your other many talents that you were a psychic." Finch finally exited the door to the room Georgiana had run into. Peering through the doorway the second the room was seen, Liz nearly choked on her deep inhalation. There sat a guy with Rich's hairstyle, his sunglasses and his face who was holding a phone against his ear with one hand and holding a glass of Lucozade with the other. Oh my God. The heavy oak door slammed shut, but Rich's image was still in her head.
"Liz?" She could hear him ask in concern on the other end of the line. "Liz, are you OK?"
"Open the door." She managed to squeak.
"What?"
"Open the door of the room you're in." After a silence, he complied and Liz saw the door handle turn and finally, the door creak open. Rich's didn't see her at first but when he did, his eyes widened with shock and his jaw dropped, which quickly became a wide grin.
"Oh my God! Liz!" He hurried towards her, though (still being the gentleman that he was) didn't attempt to hug her; however Liz did see him reluctantly pull his hands away just before grasping hers. "I can't believe you're here!"
"William Darcy wants to fire me and thinks I'm eccentric?" She groaned softly without even saying hello. Rich smiled as he shook his head.
"Don't worry about him, I'll sort him out," He flashed her another devastating grin. Yes, she was very much falling for Richard Fitzwilliam... With a shrug, he smiled. "Besides, you think he's snobby and scary."
"But I'm not his employer and he doesn't understand how much this job means to me...." Stop making that whining noise, Liz. You must be as appealing to Rich as Alvin from the Chipmunks. Though I did have a crush on him when I was little... Rich gave her an endearing smile.
"Liz, stop stressing. Come inside for a Lucozade..."
"How can I face him when I know he thinks that way about me?" She asked. How could she ever look Mr Darcy in the eye without blurting out, I'm really not mad! ?
"I was kidding about him saying that..." He feebly lied.
"No you weren't." She grumbled. God, just as soon as I was starting to enjoy myself. I hate you William Darcy...! Suddenly taking her hand, Rich looked deeply into her eyes.
"I'll be right here," He whispered tantalisingly close to her. Liz just nodded dreamily as he took her hand... where were they going again? Oh, who cares about all that... just follow Rich! ...Goddamn he looks nice in denim from the back... When they entered the room, William and Georgiana both looked up to greet them. The latter smiled brightly and the former narrowed his eyes in some suspicion as he noticed the holding of hands.
"Isn't it a small world?" Rich asked Georgie with a smile as he ignored the look on William's disapproving face.
"This is the Liz I was telling you about."
"You mean, the one you wanted to ask out?" Georgiana asked innocently, causing both Liz and Rich to go bright red. Liz turned her head away from Georgiana and Rich but met an even more terrifying look. Her gaze locked with William Darcy's and he was fashioning the most judgmental and stern expression she'd ever seen... even worse then her psychotic mother's! His eyes were two slits and his mouth was pursed... and even his nose was raised to the sky! Quick, turn away... turn away before he turns you to stone... Turning back round to her two admirers, Liz again felt like she was on display. Both Georgiana and Rich were proudly staring at her and all she could do is again supply a weak smile. Great. People either love me too much of loathe me intensely... can't I just get a steady medium...? Sneaking a look bravely back at William Darcy, she seemed to answer her own question. I suppose not.
Chapter 5
Though she'd been there for five days now, Liz could not help but look at the great hall and gasp. Surely, no one needed this much space. You could live in completely opposite ends and never meet each other.
I wonder how many toilets they have... and more importantly, how far away they are from each other? God, how can you not get lost? I bet there are rooms in here that they've never even seen before... Sighing, she went on searching for Georgiana. Where could that girl be? They had to finish off geometry and the Pure Mechanics P1 revision for the July exam that was only a couple of months away. And besides, it had been a few hours since Rich had left back for London and Liz was already feeling lonely. Stop getting so nervous! He obviously likes you and he said he'd call. It's a good thing it's not up to William Darcy though, I'm not sure he'd give the match his blessing. Liz pursed her lips as she thought again about her boss. She didn't like him. It was plain and simple; he disliked her and she did him, and Liz realised she could deal with hardly seeing him very cheerfully. Every time he saw her and Rich together, out came the 'I smell bad fish' look again and the crinkle of the nose. But why should she have been surprised? She was Asian, she was poor and she was a mere employee. Poor William... being made to witness his cousin throwing his pride down the loo. Liz thought with a wry grin. She suddenly heard a noise from the library and sighed into a smile. She knew Georgiana wouldn't be wayward enough to skip revision. She walked into the Library, stopped, then rolled her eyes because, surprise surprise, she saw the back of William... sorry, Mr Darcy. Out of all the millions of rooms in this Museum she had to walk into the only one he was occupying. Her attempts of avoiding him were growing weak. William was aware of the sudden intrusion and stood up to turn to face her. Liz sighed as she could see the almost anger on his face - did this mean he was close to sacking her again?
"Sorry, Mr Darcy, just making my tour of the house whilst searching for Georgie. I seemed to have stumbled onto your quiet time - so I'll just be going somewhere... that, erm isn't here..."
"Miss Bennedt?" She cringed. Hating when someone pronounced her name wrong, she bit her tongue before she could correct him and turned to face the discontented expression he was wearing.
"Yes?"
"You, don't need to apologise for intruding. You live here, as do we all." Did she see a hint of a smile? Wow, that looks odd... William started to fiddle with the book in his hand slightly. "Um, err... how do you find the house?"
"Gorgeous, but slightly dauntingly huge," Liz answered simply, smiling cheekily as she glanced over the books brimming over the millions of shelves that worked their way up to the top of the twenty foot room. "Tell me, Mr Darcy, do you even know what books you have stacked there, let alone how many?" He went slightly red and stammered.
"I, erm, well, it's been in the family for generations and has built up...."
"No, I'm not trying to offend you, I seriously envy it," She quickly answered. "The closest thing I have to it is that collection of Sweet Valley High books I used to save up for when I was 15. And most of those volumes were old or falling apart." William smiled slightly.
"I admire your persistence to uphold your collection."
"You do?" she returned with a grin. Well, come on... it wasn't the noblest thing to praise someone on.
"Do you find that so hard?" he asked with a grimace. He honestly looked quite hurt; did he think she was mocking him? Well, she supposed she was slightly...
"Um, no." Ok, I do... With another cough, they were silent once again. She didn't like being in his presence. He was so quiet and scary in a way only a boss could be. I need to get out. I need to get out right now... "I should, um... go find Georgie."
"Err, she should be in the music room." He offered clumsily.
"Thanks." Now, to figure out where the heck the music room is. Liz walked as fast as she could out the door and breathed with relief as she reached the corridor. The less she saw of Mr William Darcy, the better. Just the way he stared at her unnerved her... and what exactly was it about her that offended him so much? Well, I am practically seeing his cousin... Well, at least his sister was lovely. With a shrug, she looked down the hall and sighed as she saw the four doors down it... Well, she had better start looking for that music room.
William Darcy peered slightly passed the library doorframe to silently observe what Liz was up to. She seemed to be opening every door in her presence, then stamping her foot when she found something that didn't please her. His curiosity got the better of him when she smiled faintly at the last room. Wondering why she found such solace in finding the bathroom, he was quite totally intrigued with the girl. At first he was none too happy about her being so young and well, attractive... but just witnessing her teachings caused him to never doubt her skills again. She was truly a quite gifted mathematician. William was the first to admit she was slightly odd, but now he found her peculiarity somewhat endearing and quite spellbinding. But, he reminded himself, that was all.
Well, Liz thought, At least I know where one toilet is. I should really remember that its here just in case of an emergency. That is if I can figure out how to get back here again... William Darcy opened his mouth to tell the very much lost Liz that the music room was in the opposite direction, but suddenly halted himself. Instead of telling her, he bit the inside of his cheek to suppress a dimpled smile then quietly entered his library and closed the door behind him.
***
Oh God. I am seriously and completely lost. She knew it was only a matter of time, and Liz was quite proud of herself that she hadn't gone astray earlier. However, she did remind herself that she was mainly in Rich's company and he had spent his childhood at Pemberley. Yarrrg, Bugger. Not another staircase. Has this place even got a bottom floor? With a heaving sigh, Liz went further down again and just prayed she didn't end up in a cellar... or even back where she came from originally - she really wasn't in the mood to go through a Blair Witch scenario at the present moment. Luckily, she didn't end up in either of those places and found herself in the kitchens. Wow, she hadn't even seen them before. With a light knock, she decided she was instead going to go into Scooby mode and investigate. The room was loud and bustling with people and Liz actually realised they were all eating dinner there. With a creased forehead, she contemplated. This didn't seem right. Why were the loyal staff eating together on a small rickety old table in the boiling kitchen when she got to eat with William and Georgiana on the absolutely gorgeous, and absolutely giant, dinner table... and was actually served by these people? Mrs Reynolds was the first person to notice the puzzled Liz standing the doorway as she brought her fork full of food towards her mouth.
"What do you think you're doing here?" She asked almost as a demand and everyone else (about 20 people) stopped to gawp at Liz. They'd already heard allot about Georgiana's new best friend.
"S-sorry," Liz stuttered, still quite uneasy around the frightening old hag and her cronies. "I seem to have gotten quite lost..." Mrs Reynolds calmly looked at her.
"We're just eating now, Miss Bennedt," She said, almost patronising Liz. "If you would like us to weight upon you hand and foot, at least allow us to feed ourselves to get enough strength to do so."
"Why are you eating here?" Liz asked softly, ignoring her and attempting to be polite. A teenage boy, whom she recognised to be her luggage carrier from the first day, answered back quite chirpily. He liked Liz. She seemed fun, young... and was really quite easy on the eyes.
"This is where we eat."
"But, why do I eat on the table when I am also staff...?"
"Funny, I was just asking myself that very question." Mrs Reynolds said quite bitterly as she swigged down a glass of water as though it were alcohol. Oh God... alcohol would be nice to settle my nerves... Someone scurried over and took Mrs Reynolds's empty glass, giving her look that almost said 'You've had enough'.
"Are you telling me that I get special treatment?" Liz asked, raising her voice slightly. She may have been a bit dizzy and slightly neurotic, but she wasn't about to allow Mrs Reynolds to insult and walk all over her.
"I'm sure you can work that out, Miss Bennedt," Mrs Reynolds said, looking tired as she pushed her chair back. She suddenly looked older, greyer and unhappier. Though Liz wasn't exactly her hugest fan, she felt sympathy for her. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head, and with a huge beam Liz spoke.
"Give me a minute." Then she ran quickly off, stirring curiosity and two of the staff to follow after her; Finch and her luggage carrier, Dennis. Mrs Reynolds didn't follow physically but her eyes did more than any other.
"Liz, what are you up to?" Finch called breathlessly; damn she was a fast sprinter! Liz, though had lost herself originally, actually started taking turns she recognised and soon enough found herself back in the Darcy library. A moment ago she tried her hardest to avoid this place, and it's lone occupant, but now she was confident and eager to enter. Slamming the door open quite melodramatically, she caused William Darcy to jump out of his chair. Her face looked determined and stubborn and Finch and Dennis were too terrified to join her, but not even a parade of wild boars could stop them eavesdropping. William Darcy could not speak, but his eyes opened widely in more shock than anything else.
"I need to speak to you, Mr Darcy," She said simply.
"So desperately that the door deserved to be torn off its hinges?" He asked in his deeply reserved voice, though it still spoke in disbelief. His eyes seemed to sparkle with interest and some slight amusement.
"Yes, actually," Liz said with a nod. Her mind was desperately warning her not to complain, to apologise for trying to kill the door and to creep out of there, just in case William didn't notice her. But, as usual, Lizbeth Bennedt's heart always seemed to have more of a say then her intelligent head.
"Well, please sit," He said with a gesture and that infuriating suppressed smile on his face. Liz sat down to the chair he was pointing to with a plop as she tried not to scowl at him - why did he enjoy teasing her and making her feel so inferior? Both Finch and Dennis groaned inwardly as William closed the poor door and its heavy oak stopped any noise from escaping. Staring at each other in concern and excitement, the two gentlemen slowly walked back to the kitchen, ever still glancing back at the library door just in case it opened. They both desperately hoped Liz didn't do anything too foolish... and they knew how serious and solemn their employer was and that he could easily sack her with no remorse.
When they animatedly reported back to the kitchen, it buzzed with excitement and chattering but then suddenly stopped. Mrs Reynolds had put her hands up to cease the useless prattle, and soon afterwards all the staff had noticed why. Liz had walked back into the kitchen... and behind her was William Darcy. Liz turned to look at William and they both had a knowing look of understanding between them... what the heck was going on?
"Miss Bennedt seems to have drawn an issue to my attention," he said after a light cough. Liz had to give him credit, he seemed pretty good with his servants - just looking at them just then told Liz how much they all worshipped her boss. With wide eyes and open mouths, they listened wholeheartedly to every syllable and nodded. "I had no idea my staff were all eating in this tiny room, and believe me if I knew before this, I would have rectified the situation. From this day forth, everyone is to eat at the main table with myself, Georgiana..." he looked softly at Liz. "And Miss Bennedt. Of course, that is if you wish to."
"You mean, we're allowed to eat with you?" Dennis asked in some excitement and William could not help but smile at the boy.
"No, Dennis. You must eat at my feet. Everyone else, however, can." There was an instant rippled laughter and Liz's mouth opened in some shock. Was William Darcy being amusing... loving... friendly? How odd it seems, but just to me. Everyone else thinks it's the norm. And so the plot thickens... Before she knew it, William was gone with a few of his loyal subjects and Mrs Reynolds slipped beside her. When Liz turned to see her, she got the shock of her life... and then nearly did a double take as she witnessed a look that didn't hint complete repulsion; though some was still present.
"One word from you changed the Darcy seating structure forever," She said, almost like a scold.
"Erm...yeah, sorry about that..."
"Thank you." Liz stopped. Now she was definitely hallucinating. There could be no way in heaven that Mrs Reynolds would look at her with no disgust.
"Excuse me?" She nearly choked in her disbelief. Mrs Reynolds mouthed twitched slightly at Liz's reply, but still had the tough exterior on.
"I know we got off on the wrong foot Miss Bennedt. We seem to both be equipped with clashing personalities and heightened tempers, but I believe and hope we were both too quick to judge."
"Are... are we really signing a truce?" Liz asked, smiling slightly in apprehension and incredulousness.
"If you'll accept it." The elder lady said with a small shrug. Mrs Reynolds has signed off the declaration of war??!?! Taking Liz's hand, she shook it forcefully whilst she spoke. "Now, if you'll excuse me, we have to prepare the most important meal in Darcy history." With a small smile, that actually went to her eyes, Mrs Reynolds turned back around and headed towards the cook. Shaking her head slightly, Liz slowly exited the room. When the whole event's success actually hit her, she couldn't stop grinning. She'd confronted the boss, gained respect and confidence, got the support of all the staff, including Mrs Reynolds and didn't get fired. Well, that's a few problems solved. Now another 48.7 million to go...!
Chapter 6
"...so, it is the given rule that x is parallel to y so, in view of that consideration, y must be...?" Liz looked expectantly at her student, attempting a mock stern look.
"5.7...?" Georgiana hazarded, looking not at all too sure. Actually, she looked as though she was going to cry. Liz slid off her reading glasses and chuckled softly as she shook her head, causing her unruly curls to bounce.
"Why do you always respond as though I'll cane you if you get the answer wrong?"
"But I did get it wrong," Georgiana said softly, looking miserably at her book then pushing it slightly away from her. Bless her heart, that is probably as angry as she can truly get...! Folding her glasses and putting them into the cheap Boots case, Liz put on an indifferent expression.
"No, Miss Smarty Pants. You didn't," She said, breaking out of the look by sticking her tongue out. "So there...!" Georgiana's reaction touched Liz's heart; her utterly beautiful blue eyes widened and her grin actually showed her teeth! Look at that! At least one of the Darcy's own a set...
"Oh, Liz! Really?" She asked in soft excitement. Turning the Maths textbook to face her, she scrutinised over the problem and slowly nodded at it in approval. "I actually understand it."
"You underestimate yourself, Georgie," Liz stated plainly as she stretched her arms and yawned loudly. "You know, you can be capable of anything if you put your mind to it." Georgiana responded that Liz thought too hopefully, but still could not stop smiling. After resting and contemplating for a while, Liz suddenly bit at her lip. This always seemed to happen when she thought of something more complex then she was... and that's bound to cause trouble. With a long look, she glanced at Georgiana with deep inspection, which only unnerved the shy young girl.
"W-what is it, Liz?" Should you really tell her? After all, you've only known her for a couple of weeks... but we're so close now... Liz did actually think before she spoke, but everything she said came out almost as though it was spur of the moment.
"I don't want to offend you but I was wondering..." Liz stopped. She'd always wondered it. Ever since Mrs Asby told her about the job Liz had thought it was irregular. Georgiana's look prompted her on, and with a sigh she continued. "Georgie, why don't you go to a normal school? You know, instead of being home taught by me?" The instant she asked it, Liz wished she hadn't. The two seconds Georgiana Darcy was ecstatic were up and now a not-so-healthy grey look overtook it. Oh Dammit Liz! Why do you always manage to say the wrong thing in any situation? Quick, take it back...! "I-I'm sorry Georgie. I mean, you don't have to tell me..."
"No!" Georgiana suddenly yelped and Liz moved back a little. Wow, the girl has bite... and more spirit then I gave her credit for. With an embarrassed and weak smile, Georgie dropped her focus down to her lap. "I do want to tell you Liz. I mean, I know it'll sound ridiculous but you're practically a sister to me now..." Oh, she's so sweet...! Don't cry, don't cry... "...and I, I want to share it with someone."
"I'm always here for you, Georgie," Liz said, placing a hand over the younger girl's hand. Trying to look as comforting as she could (she wasn't too sure how she managed in that area), Liz smiled and softly pushed her on. With a small sigh, Georgiana began, and Liz listened intently... Man, she was intrigued!
"I guess, it all started when I went to secondary school*. I mean, it was a private boarding school further up North and all the students were from good families but I suppose... well, I was the richest girl there." Liz nodded supportively as Georgiana looked even greyer and she squeezed her hand tighter. "One night, when the teachers were all at a night meeting, three girls snuck into my room, and... they, they tied my hands behind my back, stuffed a rag down my throat and they... threw all my belongings out the window. I mean, except my money. T-they all shared that between them..."
"Georgie, you must have done something...!" Liz interrupted. She couldn't stand to see anyone go through such an ordeal, let alone someone as lovely and innocent as Georgiana Darcy. Georgiana had tears in her eyes as she shook her head.
"What could I have done, Liz?" She whimpered softly. "They came in every night and did it all over again. I spent all night trying to break out of the restraints and then retrieving my things from the trees and bushes they got caught in. I cried every night and I seriously think if it went on any longer I... I would've gone mad... Then one night a teacher caught them in the act, and had them all expelled." With a wistful look, she continued. "My parents were alive back then and they were called into the school to come and collect me."
"And after that they wouldn't let you go back into school with others...?" Liz hazarded lightly. Georgiana nodded forlornly as she wiped at a fallen tear.
"And I didn't want to go back. It scared me out of my wits, Liz... I mean, just thinking about going back to school..."
"But you have no friends your own age..." Liz protested, to which Georgiana supplied a weak and watery smile.
"I have you, don't I?"
"You'll always have me, even when I'm not here," Liz said sternly, though lovingly. "But haven't you ever wanted to be with others your age? I mean, I know the world is scary... but you have to face it..."
"I don't want to be in a world like that, Liz," Georgiana said faintly, and Liz bit her lip to stop herself retorting further. Instead, she went through a different method.
"What about when your parents died?"
"Well, my parents hired Mrs Garret, and Will continued with her." Mrs Garret...? Oh yeah, Dave's wife! "And when she retired we hired..."
"Me?" Georgie nodded almost proudly.
"Yes. You." Wiping her eyes again, Georgie self-consciously glanced at Liz then dropped her gaze back to her book. "You must think I'm such a cry-baby."
"That's one thing I don't think you are, Georgie," Liz provided her infectious and dazzling smile and Georgiana could not prevent from returning it, especially when Liz's eyes glittered like that. Brightly, Liz decided it was time to change the subject. "Well, I don't know about you, but I really need some juice after all that!" She said with an easy laugh. Georgiana relaxed completely once she noticed how wonderfully supportive Liz was. Standing to her feet, she smiled.
"I'll get it." Liz wanted to laugh... just because she couldn't bear to have the servants do anything for her, Georgiana decided that she'd suddenly also attempt a stab of everything by herself. Bless her heart, she probably hasn't done anything like this in her entire life! Georgiana hurried out the door and Liz could hear her scarper excitedly outside. She was still sitting in some shock from Georgie's story. Yes, an awful thing did happen to her but she couldn't keep trying to hide from her fears... Couldn't William see it wasn't healthy? Should you tell him what you feel? But if you do, you won't have a job! But what is truly more important...? My livelihood or Georgiana's whole outtake on life? Oh, it's such a toughie...! It had only been a minute of Liz waiting patiently with her thoughts when Georgiana suddenly came thundering back in with no drinks but a breathless disposition and a gleam in her usually innocent eye.
"Georgie... you're not the very best of maids, are you...?" Liz laughed, but Georgiana shook her head to signal that the drinks and her story were no longer important.
"Liz! You have to come with me! You have to see who has come!" Holding out her hand, Liz smiled and took it as she allowed Georgie to lead her to where she'd seen this apparent 'wonder'. Well, at least she seems to have cheered up considerably! The two of them looked from the stairs to steal a secret glance at the floaty model whom was wearing a man-suit, which was unbuttoned enough to let everyone know she was just wearing skin underneath. Liz did not need to be introduced to who it was. Everyone knew Caz Bingley as one of the many 'it' girls of London, along with Tara Palmer Tomkinson and other friends of the Prince's. My God! Liz was tempted to ask for her autograph, but she didn't. Mainly for the fact that she thought Caz Bingley was conceited, smug, arrogant, up-herself and, as Liz's favourite magazine described her, 'A Rich Bitch'. She had a reputation for never being satisfied and always viciously insulting anything that came her way... and she seemed at present draped all over William!
"Why is she here Georgie?" Liz whispered, though her wide eyes were completely engaged with the spectacle. Bugger her! How can someone look so glamorous in just a suit!? Look at her hair... not one is out of place! I just look frumpy, frizzy-haired, chubby and short...! Georgiana was also absorbed, but turned to Liz for about two seconds to answer before she focused back again... what exactly was Caz doing to her brother?
"She's one of William's business partners and she runs his company's PR department." Why am I not surprised? Liz couldn't help but suppress a smile. So many men would give the back teeth to have Caz Bingley's arms around them but William just looked, well... very uncomfortable and ready to make a quick escape. Thinking about it, they did make a pretty good couple. For one thing, William was one of the few men tall enough for Caz. He was also obscenely rich, young and (though Liz didn't want to admit it herself) truly very attractive. Georgiana even proudly announced he was ranked and printed in The Times as one of the most sought after bachelors in all of England. Liz always wondered what sad woman made a list of the richest men she would aspire to catch... Hmmm... her mother probably. Liz craned her neck almost dangerously further to listen closely.
"So, any developments here while I was away?" Caz purred into his lapel as her arms encircled his neck. He had a 'Leave-me-alone-to-read-my-book' look on his face at present, and Liz could guess Caz didn't notice it. William, who was sitting in that armchair of his, moved forward slightly to escape her grasp, which only seemed to tighten with every attempt of fleeing. I know you want him, Caz... but he won't be any use if you strangle him to death...!
"Erm, not really. You went away?" He said indifferently, almost choking from her hold. With a flick of her perfect hair, she smiled alluringly.
"You do make me laugh, Wills! You are such a man... so unobservant...! Can't you tell by my tan?" Will eyed her for a moment and shrugged back to his book.
"I didn't notice you had one." Liz nearly snorted with laughter... she wished she hadn't inherited that trait from her sister Rekha! Caz didn't look happy by this, so decided to change the subject and (to William's relief!) her position onto the footstool in front of him. Even there she still couldn't seem to gain his attention, so with a puff of breath, she asked anything.
"So, erm... have you had any visitors here?" William didn't even look at her as he answered and turned a page swiftly.
"Richard came for a few days."
"Oh," her tone hinted her disapprovement. Liz could almost imagine Rich insulting Caz in that charming and sarcastic way he has. She would pay good money to see those two spar! "So, how is that little..." William looked up from his book and gave Caz a look that told her to behave. "...Dick?" Liz nearly snorted again.
"He's very well. He's finishing off his medical course." William returned to his book.
"I still can't believe he's training to be a doctor...!" Caz hooted as she threw her hands in the air dramatically. "Who in their right mind would trust him enough?!"
"Georgie and I have already booked him," William looked at her in some annoyance. In the few days Rich had stayed, Liz could not deny how well him and William got on. It was almost odd... they seemed to have clashing personalities!
"I do like a man with a loyalty to their family..." Caz said with a demure grin. Did Liz just see William roll his eyes? Poor Caz! She was just throwing herself at him and he really didn't care! "...And a sense of humour...!"
"We've also got a tutor for Georgiana." Liz's ears pricked when she heard herself being mentioned. Georgie glanced at her with a smile. Caz looked taken back, but soon recovered back to her false little self.
"Oh, dear Georgiana! Yes, she seems such a charming and sweet girl! And so pretty..."
"Too pretty..." Darcy muttered. Liz dropped her mouth open; did she really hear that? Apparently neither Caz and Georgie did.
"So is he any good as a tutor then?" Caz asked disinterestedly.
"She," Darcy corrected, and Caz looked seriously displeased. "And yes, she's very good indeed." Liz was quite shocked... he thought she was good? Well, even she had to admit she was academically sound. Go on, Caz; just ask about my sanity. He'll have loads to say about that... or about the lack of it. Caz was still pouting slightly as William continued to try and ignore her... God, Liz almost felt sorry for her. But it was her own undoing... after all, he really didn't lead her on!
"So, does she live here then?" Caz asked, she suddenly seemed interested when she heard of Liz's sex. Neither of the eavesdroppers had to wonder very hard why.
"Yes."
"Is that necessary?"
"Yes."
"Why are you being so boring today?" She suddenly whined. With a groan, William closed his book. What was the point trying to read it when Caz spoke every two seconds?
"I'm really tired, Caz. I was up all night doing paperwork for this new merger," With a pause, an idea came into his head. "I'm off to bed." Standing up, William picked his jacket from his chair and loosened his tie. Liz could not help but smile as she noticed he was taking his book with him. Caz looked shocked.
"What, right now?!"
"No time like the present," He said, without glancing at her.
"Do you need company?" Caz abruptly asked, and both Liz and Georgie gasped. William was knackered, but was still conscious enough to give her a disgusted look. She merely supplied that ingratiating smile. "Only kidding." William raked his hand sleepily through his hair as he walked off and left Caz mooning like a puppy after him. Only kidding? Liz thought with a smile. If he said yes, Miss Bingley, I'm sure you'd have more than jumped at the chance!
Suddenly, Liz felt her jeans pocket vibrate... Thank God I put it on silent! Caz would have probably caught us eavesdropping. Giggling slightly at the tickling sensation, Georgiana looked at her in some bewilderment. Scanning through the phone, she excitedly realised she had a text message and she actually stood up and squealed when she saw whom it was from. Before Georgiana could inquire, Liz grabbed her shoulders and happily screeched.
"Jack! It's from Jack! He's back in London!"
* For all my American readers, Secondary School is our British equivilant to High School!
Chapter 7
"Jack?" William Darcy asked after Liz told him all she'd wished to. "You want to go to London to visit a man called Jack, and are asking for my permission?" Liz nodded at his words of disbelief. What's so difficult to understand about that?
"Yep," She said with a nod. With a little pause and a press of her lips, she continued. "Am I allowed out then?" William fashioned that frown type grimace he was getting quite infamous for; if Liz saw him do anything else she would probably have died of shock...!
"Lizbeth, I hope you know that Pemberley isn't a prison. You're allowed out anytime you like." I am?
"So, it's like an open cell...? No wait, I forget. Not a prison, right?" Liz corrected herself immediately. William smiled softly.
"Right." Georgiana's sudden enquiry broke William's gaze.
"Who is Jack anyway, Liz?" She asked in soft interest, though her innocent blue eyes seemed more suspicious then anything else. With a shrug, Liz just smiled nonsensically to herself.
"Oh, just a friend..." She said, smiling wistfully. Both Darcys produced curious looks, though the elder seemed more irritated as the younger wondered if Liz liked this Jack more than her wonderful cousin Rich. But why should she have been shocked that Liz had a guy back home? Someone with her looks and lovable personality probably had to beat them down with a stick... though knowing Liz, she would have just politely asked them to leave her alone. With a last smile to them both, Liz ran excitedly upstairs to her room to pack straight away and also, whilst trying to find matching underwear, used one hand to write out a text. Dammit, why could she never spell on these things? With a purse of her lips, she realised she'd have to stop doing millions of things at once as she sat down on her duffel bag. With two hands and a knotted brow, she slowly premeditated every glowing letter on her phone.
J-a-c-k-,-m-e-e-t--m-e--o-u-t-s-i-d-e--T-O-P-S-H-O-P--at--O-x-f-o-r-d--S-t-r-e-e-t--a-t--2-p-m---Lxx
***
Looking down at her watch, she sighed. On the train to Charing Cross she pondered how late he would be, and gave herself an extra half an hour to dry her hair and apply her makeup. 45 minutes had gone by and still no sign of Jack - but she wasn't at all put off. The guy may have had a box full of Armani watches, but did he ever wear them to know the actual time? His punctuality was infamous for being atrocious and Liz actually found herself smiling nostalgically as she closed her eyes and let the busyness of London wrap around her. God, she missed all the hustle and bustle, screeching cars, screaming babies and beeping traffic lights. In fact, she was so caught up in the moment that she shrieked like a mad woman when a pair of hands suddenly grabbed her waist.
"Still ticklish, I see," A familiar voice growled in her ear and she spun around and threw her arms around him.
"You bastard!!" She scolded, though smiled from ear to ear and she sniffed in the scent on the curve of his neck. Ah... He was soaked in the newest Jean-Paul Gautier. Kissing him quickly and lightly on the lips, she pulled back slightly to gaze upon him. Yep; he was still absolutely stunning. Liz looked at the shirt in some inspection. With a knotted brow and a bite of her lip, she slowly spoke.
"£50?" Jack dropped his mouth open and widened his eyes in a melodramatically shocked approach.
"What do you take me for? It was £80, thank you very much." She laughed, as she knew that this shirt was probably one of the cheapest clothes in his vast collection. Damn, he had so much that she borrowed most of his stuff on a regular basis! But she had stopped when he'd moved to New York for a couple of months... but now he was back and glowing with a bronze, shimmering tan... which she was quite convinced was probably even all over. Taking her hand, he spun her around in a salsa type dance, which only caused her to giggle like a schoolgirl. She tousled his straight dark hair in a motherly way before taking his arm.
"So how was the states, hon? Was it as magic as you hoped?" She asked excitedly as Jack laughed and led her into Topshop.
"Oh yes; wands, top hats and rabbits everywhere," He grinned, his green eyes crinkling in teasing amusement. "But it just couldn't deal with me."
"And London can?" She said with a cheeky smile as she flicked her long tresses and they slapped across his face. He immaturely pinched at her cheek.
"Well, this is where all the freaks of the world unite," He said poetically as he gestured his hand around the air to the flashing disco lights and 80s-era dressed mannequins.
"Spoken like a true PR manager." Liz smiled as she let her eyes drink in the rails and reams of clothes. She had died and gone to heaven. Turning to Jack, she could see him gazing at one of the mannequins in an impressed fashion. "Want to try the outfit on?" She teased, to which Jack just shrugged.
"It's a size too big. Actually, I was thinking that you'd look a dream in it." Liz turned to the outfit and did gasp at it. It was a tight cream and gold embroidered corset with lace trimmings and the most gorgeous criss-cross back she'd ever seen. And the mannequin looked even more stunning (in that skinny plastic way she had) with the satin short and tight black skirt and knee length boots. How can it be so revealing but look so chic and sophisticated?
"I couldn't pull it off," She breathed in lust as her eyes worshipped its beauty. "I'll make it look like a nightdress." Jack huffed and hit her arm as he tried to rid her of her insecurities. He never could understand why she couldn't see how utterly gorgeous she was.
"Liz, if you wear it, every guy around you will want to pull it off you and make sure you don't ever have it on at night." She pointed her tongue out at him, though her face glowed with his flattery.
"Stop being so vulgar," She tried to sound stern, but she only managed a whimper.
"You know you've missed my crudeness," He said, wiggling his eyebrows.
"You have no idea how much," she said with almost tears in her eyes as he squeezed her hand. Non-verbally, they had both communicated in their eyes how much they truly felt for one another. With a sigh, letting his hand go and a turn back to the outfit, Liz finally got enough courage to peek at the price.
"Holy Shit!" She cried out so loud that the old woman beside her shook her head in shocked disapproval and moaned to her associate about the youth of today.
"Liz, why are you trying to scare the elderly?" Jack bellowed from the lingerie department. How the heck did he manage to get there so fast?
"Have you seen the price?!" She asked overanxiously as he glided back by her side, a suspender set in his hand. With a small smile, she didn't have to guess who it was for. Jack manoeuvred the underwear to his other hand as he turned over the tag on the mannequin's arm. He didn't look at all fazed by it and just shrugged.
"What about it?"
"That's practically my life savings...!" She couldn't believe Jack sometimes. He was so rich that he didn't even think it was that much money...!
"Stop exaggerating," he said maturely and smoothly. "It's not your life savings and it is nowhere near mine. I'll buy it for you."
"Jack, I don't want your charity...!" She cried out - she hated it when this sort of thing happened.
"Tough, you're going to get it," He said again, growing distracted as he played with the lace on the suspenders.
"There's no point," she argued again as he searched out a shop assistant. She clung onto Jack's arm with a dangerous look on her face. He ignored it as he picked on the very nice looking till employee.
"Can I have that entire outfit in a size 10* please," He asked coolly and the employee nodded with a smile as he noted Liz's protests.
"Size feet, Sir?" The worker asked.
"I'm a 6," Liz said hotly as they both seemed to ignore her. "And I don't need this outfit, really. Where would I wear it to?"
"We're going out tonight." Jack said, still facing the assistant as he handed his gold card over the counter. We're going out? Thanks for telling me, Jack!
"When did we decide this?"
"I decided it just a second ago."
"And where are we going?"
"Monsoon."
"MONSOON?!?" Jack turned to her with a small smile as he turned back again to the till.
"What is the problem Miss Bennedt?" He said with a grin. Liz bumbled over her words... why did Jack's quickness always do this to her? Come on, Liz. You can answer back with the best of them!
"That place is so... expensive and well, posh," She managed to splutter out. Jack nodded to himself.
"I know," he said as the assistant scarpered off to get the correct outfit. He turned back and smiled at her wickedly. "And you can hardly go in the outfit you're wearing." Oh, teasing, teasing man!
"You need reservations," She quipped back, a determined look on her face.
"My Uncle owns it." Damn! Handing the neatly folded and packaged outfit in the bag, the worker smiled at Liz sympathetically then hurried back to his desk. She looked down at her hand and her mind actually tingled with excitement and anticipation. However, trying to be the cool and disinterested creature she wasn't, she turned to him with a yawn.
"You didn't even check if this outfit fits me," She said in feigned boredom whilst actually crossing her fingers and hoping that it did fit. Jack slipped his lean arm around her shoulders and leaned into her face with that demure grin of his.
"I have a feeling that it'll fit perfectly."
***
"Stop trying to get me drunk, Jack..." Liz slurred. After two hours of drinking heavily at Monsoon, she was beginning to get fuzzy. Yes, the outfit fitted like a dream. Yes, they got seats automatically and yes, it was extremely and almost frighteningly posh. Jack merely smiled.
"Too late. Besides, you're so much more fun when you're sloshed."
Why has this coat suddenly got three sleeves? Bugger it... I have to tell Jack to stop mutating my things... Jack glanced at her and smirked as he poured himself another drink.
"You've got your arm through the pocket, hon. Here, let me help you..." He attempted to get up, but was also way too drunk and dropped back to his seat after a few seconds of standing on his unstable legs.
"I can do it myself, anyway..." Liz muttered in her drunken state. After five more minutes of trying, she finally gave up and swung it over her shoulder, then buckled slightly.
"I told myself I'd never drink again," she groaned as she noticed everything blur and double around her.
"You say that every time you've got a Vodka and Coke in front of you." Grabbing at her spinning head, she looked at him from the corner of her eye and then scowled.
"And you always seem to be the one who puts it there." Throwing his hands up in the air clumsily, Jack sulked childishly.
"Fine. Blame me for your drink problem."
"It's not a problem... it's forced upon me." Standing on her legs again, she was quite surprised she was balanced. Wow, sometimes I even surprise myself. That's it, Liz. One foot in front of the other... and don't look down! Jack actually ceased drinking to watch Liz parade clumsily about the restaurant. He looked at her as proudly as a father would when their child took its first steps and she turned to smile back. Then Liz suddenly felt it all slip away. Her heels twisted, causing her legs to swerve to her side and her head jerk the opposite direction. Uh-oh. Before she knew it, she fell straight through the nearest table. The only noise she could hear was Jack shrieking with laughter. Oh God; she could feel oozing cold spinach in her hair. Opening her hazy eyes she saw the occupants of the table glaring at her... well, the occupants and their twins. Wow, it seems that everyone has a twin but me... I didn't know Jack had a brother...? Squinting slightly, the double effect went away and when she finally focused, she saw William Darcy looking down at her.
"Shit, I've been working too hard. I'm actually hallucinating about my boss..."
"Lizbeth?" Darcy asked as a woman joined beside him. It was Caz Bingley, and due to Liz's untimely fall, her white dress was covered in spinach. She didn't look happy as her face glowed red. Oh double bugger.
"You know her?" Caz spat out at William, but he ignored her and seemed more dazed by Liz and her quite revealing outfit.
"Lizbeth, are you alright?" He asked in concern, though had some spinach clinging onto his suit and curls. What the hell is he doing here?!!? Just looking at the entire restaurant glaring at her caused Liz stomach to suddenly lurch. She had to get out.
"...I have to go throw up now..." She squeaked as she tried rolling off the table. Toilet. I must find a toilet... Taking her arm, William gently lifted her up and Liz really couldn't understand what was happening. Opening her eyes again she saw the toilet door. Sprinting into it, she jumped to the sink.
"Lizbeth wait...!" She could hear William yell but she was too busy throwing up. She could barely make out his entering the toilets and felt his hand on her back, stroking at it comfortingly. After that gross ordeal, she washed her mouth and turned back groggily to face him. He looked like he'd been caught in a vicious food fight.
"What are you doing in the ladies toilets?" She asked torpidly, still sounding awfully hammered and still was!
"We're in the gents."
"No we're not," She said in a matter-of-fact voice (well, as matter-of-fact she could manage in her condition).
"Yes, we are," William retorted softly.
"No we're not," She drawled back self-righteously.
"Oh yes you are," A guy at a urinal said. Turning to face the voice, Liz stopped. And that was the moment she passed out.
* Again, for my American readers, UK Size 10 is probably your US Size 6.
Chapter 8
Liz groaned again as she pulled the covers over her head and delved deeper into her bed, really wishing she would find a secret Narnia-type land to disappear into and dance around in whilst eating truckloads of Turkish Delight. Unfortunately, she only found a sock she'd kicked off in her sleep and groaned again as she gingerly touched her aching head and tried to swallow down the horribly sour taste in her mouth. Liz had been drunk before, she had puked from it before and she'd had mammoth hangovers before... but she'd never done or had any of these to the extent she had from last night. Oh, just thinking of it made her want to die of shame...! Not just because she'd made a giant prat of herself in front of all the coolest London peeps and her boss just before the vomit attack, but the drive back to William Darcy's town house was also absolutely awful. She could really only remember it in bits and pieces and every one of those parts made her face burn bright red. She remembered being carried out of Monsoon with a hiccupping Jack on one side and William on the other...
"Wills... where are you going?!" She recalled hearing Caz cry out furiously. Groggily, Liz had turned back and saw the almost obscenely waif like model-wannabee with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.
"Caz, I'll talk to you about the Anderson Co. partnership tomorrow," He had replied desperately without turning back as his arm almost clumsily encircled Liz's waist in an attempt to keep her standing upright. Caz forced herself to smile at him as they exited and Liz couldn't help but drunkenly giggle as she saw the spinach embedded unattractively in her teeth. Oblivious to why Liz was giving her an impertinent look, Caz sneered at her as she remembered how this drunkard had ruined her date with William. Ok, so he might have entitled it more as a 'business meeting'... but men were so tiresome and unromantic! After all, Monsoon wasn't exactly the kind of place where people discussed commerce! Well sure, she had been the one to fiercely insist that they eat there ("For God sake, Wills, you have to eat sometime...!") and William only really complied because a) he was starving; b) Monsoon was very close, and c) If Caz didn't shut up, and she wouldn't unless she got her way, he would have actually throttled her in front of a street full of witnesses.
Liz rolled onto her stomach and squished her face into her pillow as it somewhat muted out her whimper. Last night kept on coming hauntingly back to her and she curled her toes in cringing frustration and shook her head in denial as she suddenly remembered what happened afterwards. She remembered falling against William's chest and his having to actually carry her some of the way back to his limo. She may have been hammered, but was still lucid enough to appreciate it. Ooooh, nice long shiny car... Jack, who if Liz could correctly remember, had been hobbling behind, finally managed to sidle up next to Will and raised a drunken eyebrow at him as he also fashioned an impressed expression.
"Nice long shiny car, man."
"Man...?" Liz had heard William grumble under his breath as his uniformed chauffer had hurriedly opened the door and extended his arms out to his boss to impose himself with Liz. Jack raised that same brow again as William refused and still held her tightly in his arms as he gently placed his hand on her head to lower her into the back seat. She landed with a nice thump against the tan leather and neither gentleman realised it was her cheek that made that noise as it made hard contact with the seat. Ouuuuuuuch...
Liz touched her stinging cheek now and winced as her fingers met her nerve-ridden and very red face. Oh, she'd probably have a giant bruise there tomorrow. It was God's way of telling her to stop drinking so much. Then again, when she looked back on her past, God should've hit her with lightning bolts on each and every one of her recent birthdays.
Hmmmm.... she vaguely remembered driving back to William's house as he had his arm around her, trying to prop Liz up as her head kept dropping down like a person nodding off whilst sitting at a lecture. Even now the thought mortified her. God! William Darcy, her scary, unapproachable and 'posh-man' boss was holding her tightly around the waist and was stroking her back while she was throwing up! Oh... how could she ever look him in the eye again? Squinting her eyes now, she thought about where exactly Jack was in the car... Hmmmm... For some odd reason, she had an image of him lying his head upon her lap and nuzzling in his slumber against her satin skirt. Oh no... what did William think of Jack? They would be the kinds to clash immediately. Jack was confident, funny, eccentric and playful whilst William was... well, scary, reserved, daunting, disapproving of everything and seemed to have the propensity to hate everyone. Oh, she could even now see them arguing. She had to get out of bed... she had to save Jack from the infamous Darcy Wrath before its power got unleashed. As she woozily swung her legs to the side of the bed and placed her feet upon the ground there was suddenly a light knock on her door. Trying to stand slowly as a rush of blood suddenly gushed at her aching head, Liz unconsciously consented for the person outside to enter as she simultaneously caught a glimpse of her reflection in the full-length mirror on the wardrobe. Oh my God. She was just wearing the very short silk slip type-nightie she had packed in her overnight bag. Had she ever realised it was so indecent? Well, it was comfortable enough wearing it at home but to... Liz's thoughts suddenly stopped as the handle creaked to dislodge the mechanism on the door and it creaked slowly open.
"NO!" She screamed fanatically and then froze on the spot when William Darcy stepped casually in... then froze himself. Their eyes instantly met, and the cheeks of each were overspread with the deepest blush. He absolutely started, and for a moment seemed immoveable from surprise; but shortly recovering himself, turned hastily back around to face the door as Liz jumped back under the covers of the bed. It's no use hiding now, Liz... he got an eyeful! William Darcy was completely thrown and felt an absolute idiot for staring at her for so long; jeez, what was wrong with him? She probably thought he was some sick pervert... and for that moment, to his own mortification, it seemed as though he was. Trying to find some of the composure he always seemed supplied to the full with, he opened his mouth and only found that he could manage to stammer.
"Miss Bennedt, I-I am, I am really sorry I came in so abruptly..."
"No, no," Liz squeaked barely above an ashamed whisper whilst cowering under the covers. She covered her burning face with her hands with the hope that he would suddenly find she had disappeared and would just go away; but of course, that was thinking too hopefully and pretty unrealistically! William, still stuttering like mad, tried to cover the uncomfortably awkward silence with a light cough.
"I, err... just, um... wanted to inform you that breakfast was erm... ready."
"Thank you," Liz squeaked as unsteadily as a teenage boy during puberty as she continued hide her face. "I'll be there in a moment..." Now please go away! She could hear William mumble disconcertedly that that was fine, and Liz let out a soft breath of relief as his footsteps hurried towards the door and it slammed shut. After a few minutes of continuing to die with shame, she finally plucked up enough courage to peek in suspicious fear passed the rim of her cover. Making sure that William had exited (though she was checking behind that giant palm tree next to the door very distrustfully...) she eventually decided he was indeed gone. But not forever... damn my luck! Slowly getting to her feet, Liz tugged at her slip so it would at least cover half of her thigh and groaned when it wouldn't. Twisting round, craning her neck to check the mirror, she eyed herself from the back and felt even worse when she saw the material slink across her bottom in a very unflattering manner... Oh God! I have the biggest arse in the world! Dropping back to the unmade bed, she sat there for awhile until she let out another exasperating cry and fell back completely and stared at the ceiling. Why was he in London anyway? Georgie had said him and Caz were due to go to a meeting sometime this week... but why yesterday and why at Monsoon of all places!? Then she suddenly froze. Wait a minute...! Liz would never wear this nightie in public, drunk or not drunk... and besides, she was a bit too far-gone to even put it on. But then who did? A maid? No, no... she remembered Georgie telling her that William only had three members of staff at his London house, and they were all male. Looking at the chair in the middle of the room, she saw the outfit she had packed in her overnight bag neatly folded atop its upholstered cushion. In curiosity she picked up the letter on top of the pile. Opening it, her eyes skimmed eagerly over the words. She blushed slightly but could not help but giggle as she continued reading:
Dear Liz,
Feeling like you've been through hell and worse? Ha! Serves you right for stealing my drink last night! Anyway babes, I do hope you're OK. Your scary boss-man let me ready your clothes and stuff and I hope you don't mind that I changed you into your nightclothes last night... I mean, you hardly could manage to take your clip-on earrings off!
Well at least she now knew who it was. Thank God it was Jack...! Well, I'm sure he's seen me more naked than this anyway... but that little bugger! He knows how much I hate showing that slip to people!
I've picked you out a fabulous outfit to wear today. I personally washed it, ironed it and dried it... well, I supervised.
See you at breakfast... hopefully if you get up by then!
Your Jack xxxx
With a chuckle, she folded the letter and set is aside. She then smiled even wider when she saw what exactly Jack had quite instructed her to wear; His £80 shirt was at the top of the pile.
***
As soon as Liz walked into the breakfast room, William stood from his chair and gave her a small, flustered smile as a welcome whilst Jack seemed too busy stuffing scrambled eggs into his gob. The latter gentleman, however, gave her a look that acknowledged he noted her presence and gave her a satisfactory smile as he looked at the shirt. She looks better in it than I do. Humph! He thought with a wry grin as she slid into the seat beside him and opposite William. Liz eventually raised her embarrassed gaze at William whilst she reached out for a slice of toast and felt oddly content to see he was smiling across at her with genuine warmth.
"How are you this morning, Miss Bennedt?" He prompted gently.
"Very hungover?" Jack smirked as he gulped down another glass of orange juice, which only made the other two occupants of the table wince with remembrance.
"Not at all, actually," she lied somewhat hoity toitily as she focused on spreading her margarine and jam on her bread; she knew catching Jack's eye would only tempt her to say something naughty. Jack made a snort type noise, which finally caused the disapproving Liz to look upon him with narrowed eyes. She hated it when he was like this.
"Huh, I very much doubt that! If you could've seen yourself yesterday..."
"Miss Bennedt, Georgiana rang me last night was telling me how much she was missing you," William suddenly cut in, and Liz was grateful he did. Turning to him, she smiled as she thought of the young Miss Darcy.
"Oh, if you talk to her again, could you please tell her I'm also missing her... though it's only been a day!"
"I will." He paused, then added as an afterthought. "She's very attached to you." Did he disapprove...? No, he's smiling. But can't he see how bad an influence I am?! Surely I should be sacked...! Not that I'm complaining or anything... Liz turned to look at the suddenly quiet Jack and on seeing him, felt nervous. He was giving William a subtle scowl; what Liz liked to refer to as a 'Jack face'. He really didn't appreciate it when people interrupted him. William had initially reached for a spoon when he looked up to see the look written plainly on Jack's face. Taking the spoon somewhat possessively, William drew away and equalled Jack's scowl with his own very perfected one. Liz merely looked desperately from them both and silently groaned. Oh God, this is going to be a long breakfast.
Jack, after devouring every crumb on his plate, pushed it slightly away and leaned forward in false curiosity towards William.
"So, Will..." Yaaaaaaaargg! He called him Will?!? "This is a pretty nifty little place you've got here. I've always thought about getting a house down near Mayfair, myself."
"Really," Will said with a complete lack of interest as he continued to focus on drinking his tea. Jack grinned widely and turned to Liz.
"Yeah...! My mother absolutely insists that only this part of London will do." Focusing back to William, he twisted his lips. "Are the houses here big enough for a family to settle?" William seemed to tighten his jaw as he appeared to compose himself. It was quite insulting, the house was big enough for an army!
"I think over twenty rooms will be adequate enough for even the most vast of families," He said with cool civility as he lifted his teacup to his lips again. Jack smiled at him, then turned to Liz as he clasped her hand tightly. Giving her a dreamy stare, he spoke softly.
"Oh, but we plan on having at least twelve children." The look on William's face was quite priceless as he choked very loudly on his drink.
© 2001 Copyright held by the author.