Beginning, Section II

Jump to new as of January 21, 2003

Chapter Seven

Posted On: Friday, 15 November 2002, at 5:09 p.m.

Stranger things had happened. Her mother, in a moment of brilliant insight, had bought her a beautifully bound copy of Jane Eyre for Christmas one year. She had bumped into someone she had known in grade school one day in the London 'Tube'.

But Will Darcy's seemingly random change in behaviour had her stumped. Lizzie had always prided herself on being an excellent judge of character and for the most part her initial impressions were never far off the mark. Observing people in their elements was something of a hobby. Scenarios where people said one thing but their body language clearly implied something else were especially amusing. Her father liked to call her a 'connoisseur of human folly'.

Lizzie smiled. She and her father were very much alike. His phone conversations and e-mails were often filled with amusing anecdotes about various family members (though usually the topic of conversation was one of her wayward sisters) or political figures in the news.

Curled up on a old couch in the dorm's reading room, Lizzie snuggled deeper into the worn, comfortable cushions. This couch had certainly seen better days. She could hear the television blaring in the common room next door but otherwise she was pretty much alone. She stared pensively out the window, watching the wind pick up piles of brittle orange and red leaves and toss them around in a chaotic dance, letting them come to rest for a moment only to fling them around again. A book on the conquistadors lay open on her lap, long forgotten as she sat there lost in thought and captivated by the colourful display.

How could she have so seriously misjudged him?

She couldn't deny that she had always found him physically attractive. Tall and lean with classic features, he would fit just about anyone's definition of handsome. His movements were fluid and never hurried, as if he had all the time in the world. There had always been a reserved and austere quality to his expressions, betrayed only by occasional flashes of amusement in his gray eyes. He was the kind of person who's approval people instinctively sought and whose wrath no one wanted to raise. If he was ill at ease in the company of others, it certainly had not been obvious to her.

Arrogant, pig-headed, unfeeling - she had accused him of all these things and probably had not been wrong, except for the unfeeling bit. Whatever Will's faults, she could not legitimately say he was callous. However, in light of more recent encounters, she had a few more adjectives to add to her list - generous, charming, even likeable.
And when he smiled, she caught a brief glimpse of the person beneath the grave façade.
Lizzie found the whole situation a little unsettling.

It had been easy to dislike Will when he had been surly, disagreeable and rude, no matter how good looking he was. It was difficult to dismiss this new Will. Jane, predisposed to think well of everyone around her (it was a charming personality trait she shared with Charlie), had actually not been wrong when she had stated there was more to Will than initial impressions might lead one to believe. The shared interest in literature had certainly been a surprise.

Absorbed as she had been in her reading yesterday, Lizzie had failed to see Will approaching until he had been standing right in front of her. That he had been able to quote Milton from memory certainly demonstrated that the books she had seen in his room weren't just for show. She wondered what his thoughts would be on Shakespeare or Orwell. Watching him walk away, she had been forced to take a few deep breaths to calm the mixed feelings of apprehension and delight.

Will Darcy had managed, with a few polite words, engaging smiles and a couple laughs, to call into question opinions she had been clinging to for the better part of two years. His recent actions served only to deepen her embarrassment about her own questionable behaviour. She was quite amazed that he was making any effort to be friendly at all.

Interrupting her reverie, Jane poked her head in the doorway, spotted her and exclaimed "Ah, there you are, Lizzie! I've been looking for you all over. One of your floor-mates mentioned you had gone to find a quiet spot to read."

"Umm, and it's been slow going," Lizzie replied with a smile. "I don't know what I was thinking when I signed up for this elective."

Jane laughed as she sat down on the opposite end of the couch Lizzie was occupying. "I seem to remember you saying you wanted a challenge."

"Yes, well, apparently I'm a glutton for punishment. It's good to see you, Jane. We haven't had a chance to really chat since you got back from your weekend away."

Her friend nodded in acknowledgement. "I know. It's that time of year."

"And?"

Jane positively beamed with delight. "Oh Lizzie, it was amazing! I don't know what I did to deserve it!"

"Jane, you're being too modest. Of course you deserved it!" Lizzie said, feeling a little exasperated with Jane tendency to be self-effacing. "Tell me more."

"Well, we were staying at this lovely little inn, right in the lower town near the old port. It was just perfect. We got there quite late on Friday, so we just went straight to bed. We visited the Citadel, the National Assembly and couple museums. And the Basilica was just breathtaking. You should have seen the gilding on the canopy in the apse and the stained-glass windows! We wandered around the old city all afternoon taking pictures. Charlie insisted on asking people to take pictures of us with my camera everywhere we went. After this amazing dinner, we walked up and down the boardwalk with the stars overhead." She smiled contentedly, "And then he told me how much he loves me and how he couldn't imagine being without me."

Lizzie sat up straight so quickly she almost fell out of her seat. "Jane Meryton! Did you get engaged this weekend?"

Jane bushed furiously. "Well, not exactly."

"How does one 'not exactly' get engaged?" Lizzie demanded.

"We talked. We talk all the time, but I mean we really talked, you know, about the future and where we think our relationship is going," Jane babbled as she wrung her hands in her lap. "He's graduating this year and we'll be apart for at least a year and he wanted me to know that his life plans include me and he wanted to be sure I felt the same way."

Squealing with delight, Lizzie threw her arms around her friend and gave her a big hug. Sitting back, she frowned slightly and said, "How could you keep something like that from me for THREE DAYS!"

Jane had the good sense to look embarrassed. "I don't know, the timing was never right and well..." she shrugged and shot Lizzie a quick grin, "if you must know, I liked having a secret for a few days. It felt a little naughty."

Lizzie giggled. 'Naughty' was not a word one could commonly associate with Jane. "Jane, I'm so happy for you!"

Jane blushed again. "It's nothing official yet, Lizzie. He could change his mind."

Lizzie snorted in disbelief, "If you don't have a ring on your finger before the school year is over, I'll be very much surprised. Charlie won't graduate without making his intentions clear to everyone."

"Oh Lizzie, I'm so happy I feel as though I'm going to burst!" Jane exclaimed as she reached out and gave Lizzie another quick hug. "If only you could be as happy!"

Lizzie shot Jane a crooked grin as they sat back, "Jane, even with a hundred guys like Charlie, I could never be as happy as you are. I'm too difficult."

"Oh Lizzie! Don't be silly! Besides, some guys like difficult women." Jane said as she giggled in response. They had covered this ground many times before. Jane's buoyant personality lent itself well to this sort of banter.

Just then, Lizzie's stomach growled. "Oh, geez, has it been that long since lunch?"

"I'm meeting Charlie and the boys for dinner. They took pity on me when I told them it was meatloaf night. We're going to Mao's. You should come."

Lizzie hesitated. She knew the 'boys' meant Will and David. She always got along with David but somehow, even with the truce in effect, the thought of spending a concentrated amount of time in Will's company made her uneasy. And it wasn't so much his actions that had her concerned but her conflicting responses to them. Jane, of course, managed to hit the proverbial nail on the head.

"Don't stay here just because Will is going to be there."

"Oh Jane, that's not it, I swear. He's been exceptionally, umm, nice lately."

"Then come."

"I really should work on this presentation."

"Come," she said emphatically.

"Fine." Lizzie grinned. "I didn't really want meatloaf anyway."

Pulling up in front of Jane's dorm, Will turned off the ignition and leaned back in his seat. David, occupying the front passenger seat, unfastened his seatbelt and turned to continue his discussion with Charlie.

"You don't know what you're talking about. They suck! Almost the entire starting line-up graduated last year."

Charlie, a huge basketball fan, avidly followed the fortunes of the university's team and was always optimistic about their prospects. David, more cynical by nature, attended the games as well but was less inclined to give them glowing reviews. Will, for his part, was not a basketball fan per se, though he did attend the odd game. Rugby and hockey were the only two team sports he had ever really taken an interest in. Still, keeping tabs on the basketball team was amusing if only because David and Charlie spent so much time and energy discussing the subject.

Charlie gave David a pointed look. "Ha! They still have Tyler and Watson. And the rookie forward, what his name? Morrison? He's got moves. They'll make the series this year, I'll bet on it."

"They're not going anywhere, Bingley, so I wouldn't bet anything if I were you. Without Burns they'll fall apart under pressure and that Morrison kid has the worse case of butterfingers I've ever seen!" David retorted.

"You're basing that on one game! That's completely unfair! I'm sure he was just having an off day!"

Will glanced over at the clock on the dashboard. Hoping to deflect their attention before it got too ugly, he asked, "What time did you tell her we'd be by?"

Charlie looked at Will for the first time in more than five minutes, then glanced at the clock. His features visibly relaxed as his thoughts obviously drifted in a more pleasant direction. "We're early."

David shot his cousin an amused glance, obviously aware of Will's subtle maneuvering. Will tried not to smile as he said "Do you want to go and get her then?"

As he started to reach for the door, Charlie said, "No need, here she comes." He paused for a second as he squinted and then added, "And Lizzie is with her."

David sat up in his seat and tried to peer around Will, as Will whipped his head around to take a look for himself. The two girls were deep in conversation, their hands animating their speech, as they slowly approached the car. Will turned back around to glare at David.

David threw his hands up in the air. "Don't look at me like that! I didn't know she was coming."

Charlie interjected before Will could turn to face him, "I have nothing to do with this either."

The back door opened and Jane slid in along the back seat to sit next to Charlie. Elizabeth climbed in after her, shut the door and started to fasten her belt. "Hope you don't mind that I'm tagging along. I wasn't particularly crazy about having meatloaf for dinner either."

Will watched her reflected in his rearview mirror. She smiled warmly in greeting at Charlie and David. Then she caught him watching her. She stared for a fraction of a second, her expression shifting ever so slightly as she quickly looked away.

"No trouble. The more the merrier," Will answered as he started the car and turned on the radio.

Arriving at Mao's Kitchen twenty minutes later, the group piled out of Will's car. The ride on the way over had been fairly uneventful. David and Elizabeth had dominated the conversation with amusing anecdotes about their various classes. Jane and Charlie shared stories of their own from their weekend. Will offered the odd comment but for the most part was happy just to be listening to the jumbled conversations of the people around him. Every once and a while, he caught Lizzie watching him in the rearview mirror. He suppressed a knowing smile each time.

As they walked passed the front of the restaurant, Mao Tse-tung, brightly painted on the window, grinned down at them, chopsticks in hand. Will laughed quietly to himself. Somehow he doubted Mao would appreciate having his face used to sell cheap Americanized Chinese food to white-faced foreigners.

Lizzie, following a few steps behind, glanced up to see what had Will so amused. She grinned at him, a full, natural smile, and said, "I'm sure Chairman Mao is rolling in his grave right now." Will responded with a grin of his own.

As Charlie pulled the door open, the delicious aroma of Asian cuisine wafted out to greet them. "Mmmm, MSG." David quipped as they stepped inside.

Mao's Kitchen was a hole, in the way the best Chinese restaurants always are. The lighting was dimmed to disguise the shabbiness of the furniture and the fixtures. The curtains were bright pink. Chinese dragons had been stenciled on the walls. The tables were covered in plastic sheets to allow for quick cleaning. Will watched as the waiter gathered the four corners of the plastic draped over a nearby table, lifted the whole, plates and all, and scurried to the kitchen. And yet, in spite of the obvious warning signs, the place was always packed. It was by far the most popular Chinese buffet in town

Fifteen minutes later, they were ushered to a table in the next room, offered drinks, and then left to fend for themselves. Of course, everyone promptly dashed for the buffet. "Ohhh, I'm absolutely starved!" Lizzie declared as she filled her plate with egg rolls, chow mein and fried rice.

Seated across from him, Elizabeth proved to be a constant distraction. The conversation, disjointed because people kept getting up to go refill their plates, started off centred around the university's sports teams (little surprise that David and Charlie were determined to finish that discussion) and gradually shifted to school work.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Elizabeth interjected when David started to complain about their finance assignment. "No shop talk! I've taken the night off."

David raised an eyebrow. "Okay then, you pick a topic."

Lizzie shrugged. "I don't know, current events?" she offered.

Will laughed, "I don't know about the rest of you but the only events that are current in my life these days are midterms and assignment deadlines."

"Dessert?" Charlie asked as he pushed back his chair. Jane and David followed him without casting glances back at the table.

"You don't follow current events?" Lizzie asked as she took a sip of water.

"Sure I do," Will replied as he took another bite of his moo shoo chicken. "I've just been a little preoccupied with other things at the moment."

Lizzie remained silent for a moment, a slight frown marring her beautiful face. As if reaching some sort of resolution, her expression became determined. She met his gaze directly and asked, "What about politics?"

He tried not to choke on his food. After taking a large gulp of water to clear his throat, he replied, "You want to talk about politics now? Any particular reason?"

Lizzie leaned back in her chair and gave him a wry smile. Her eyes flashed with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "Simple curiosity. Perhaps I'll learn something about the skeletons in your closet."

"Ah." He paused to consider this. It had to be a good sign. "And you want to do this now?"

She shrugged. "If I don't, I may never get another opportunity."

Will smiled, "Trust me, Elizabeth, I'm sure you'll get lots of opportunities to analyze my quirks."

Whatever Lizzie had been going to say was forestalled by the return of the other three. Chattering away, they were seemingly oblivious to the tension at the table. Charlie, carrying two bowls of ice cream covered with chocolate sauce, set one down in front of David's seat while David distributed the fortune cookies.

"This has to be my favourite part," David said. "I'd love to be employed to write this kind of crap." Gleefully, he rubbed his hands together and then broke open his cookie. Frowning, he read out loud, "Someone will invite you to a Karaoke Party - Oh Lord, I hope not."

Jane giggled. "Oh I don't know, David. I think you could do a stirring rendition of California Dreamin'." Will laughed. If there was anything his cousin avoided like the plague it was a karaoke machine. Jane broke open her own cookie. " Keep your friends close and your enemies closer - is there something going on I should know about?"

Charlie patted her hand reassuringly. "Of course not, sweetie. Mine says - Trust your intuition. The Universe is guiding your life."

"I like yours better," Jane said. "Can we swap?"

Lizzie, watching the whole display with an amused air, broke open her cookie, read her fortune and then plopped the first piece of the cookie into her mouth.

"Well?" David asked.

Lizzie winked. "Silence is golden."

Will was the only one who had yet to read his fortune. Four pairs of eyes watched him expectantly as he broke open his cookie and read the greatest danger could be your stupidity. He rolled his eyes. David, obviously impatient, snatched the fortune from his cousin's hand and read it out loud himself.

As Charlie and David burst out laughing, his cousin managed to gasp, "Bummer, Will."

As David was sitting right next to him, Will was unable to curb the childish urge that compelled him to kick his cousin in the shin. It didn't stop David's laughter though.

Jane exchanged bemused looks with Elizabeth. "Do you get the impression we're being deliberately left out of the joke?"

The weekend was fast approaching and Lizzie was starting to feel a little overwhelmed by sheer amount of work she still had to get done. It had definitely been a good decision on her part to stay on campus for the long weekend.

She turned her computer on as she sat down at her desk, wanting to check her e-mail before heading over to the library. The computer took a few minutes to load and log in. Affectionately nicknamed Fred, the laptop was certainly not the latest model, but it had traveled with her half way around the world and seen her through two years of school. Baring any weird problems it would serve for the next two as well. While she waited she paged through her Milton textbook.

The 'new e-mail' notification ding brought her attention back to the screen. Opening the e-mail programme, she found two messages waiting for her. The first, from her father, she had been expecting. The other was from Will Darcy. She almost fell off her chair.

Will had never contacted her directly before. What could he possibly have to say? Resisting the urge to read his message first, she opened the e-mail from her father.

From: thomas.bennett@sympatica.ca
To: bennette00@uhertford.ca
Subject: $$$

Liz,

I've put some money in your account for the train ticket. See you in a few weeks!

Love Dad.

ps: You should see the size of the turkey.

Lizzie smiled to herself. She imagined things would be pretty chaotic with so many people in the house for Thanksgiving. For a fraction of a second she wished she were going home for the weekend.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the message from Will.

From: darcyw99@uhertford.ca
To: bennete00@uhertford.ca
Subject Favour

Elizabeth,

I need to ask you something. Do you think you could meet me at Dali's at around 4:30? If you can't make it just email me back with a date/time that works for you. Sorry this is kind of last minute.

Thanks.
Will

Lizzie stared at the screen for a full minute. Endless possibilities circled in her mind. Should she go? Should she just stay away? Who was she kidding - her curiosity would get the better of her every time.

She glanced at her watch - 4:20. Jumping up from her seat, she grabbed the coat she had left earlier on her bed. If she hurried she could make it just in time.

Chapter Eight

Tightening his grip on his coffee mug, Will brooded as he stared into the dark swirling liquid. He slowly rubbed the pad of his thumb up and down the smooth curved edge of the ceramic handle as he desperately tried not to glance at his wristwatch or the clock on the wall behind him. He shook his head in dismay. Not only was he an idiot, but all evidence seemed to indicate he was a coward as well.

Perched on a stool in Dali's coffee shop in the student union building with a clear view of the entrance, Will waited impatiently for Elizabeth to arrive. He feigned an interest in the prints covering the walls, but the art of Salvidore Dali had never managed to appeal to his artistic sensibilities. Still he found that he could relate to it. He felt as twisted and deformed inside as the objects and figures Dali had painted.

He had spent a ridiculous amount of time staring at the phone last night, unable to summon the courage to dial the number he had found in the student directory. By the time he had worked up the nerve it had been too late to make the call. The next morning, in one of the computer labs in the business department, he impulsively decided to e-mail her instead. If she didn't get the message in time or chose not to make an appearance then he would chalk it up to bad luck. Either that or a pretty obvious sign that his attempts to heal the breech were failing miserably.

Of course, he regretted it almost from the second he clicked 'send.' Better to be rejected on the spot via the telephone or in person rather than spend an entire day in a heightened state of anxiety, wondering if she had even received the message. He was certifiably an idiot. This was not one of his finer moments.

Be that as it may, Will happened to be an idiot with a plan. Phase one was complete. With a little co-operation from Elizabeth, he could get started on phase two.

Taking a sip of his coffee, he took a quick peek at his wristwatch to confirm that it was indeed 4:30. He would wait no more than ten minutes for Elizabeth to arrive. Ten minutes was the most anyone could reasonably be expected to wait.

He started playing with the napkin in front of him. He would wait five minutes for Elizabeth to arrive. She was an extremely punctual person. If she were intending to show up she would have been there by now. There was really no point in waiting any more than five minutes.

Will nervously twisted the small ring on his pinky finger. Perhaps she only got the e-mail a few minutes ago and was now hurrying across campus to meet him. It would be unforgivably rude of him not to give her at least fifteen minutes. Any thoughts of progressing with phase two of The Plan would be completely ruined if she arrived and he wasn't there. She'd think he had stood her up. No, he would wait fifteen minutes at the very least. Just to be sure.

He frowned as he took another sip of his coffee. Perhaps he should just run up to the e-mail terminals on the second floor of the SUB and quickly check to see if Elizabeth had responded. He could be back before his fifteen minutes had lapsed. But that wouldn't confirm anything. She could have not seen the e-mail yet or perhaps even chosen to ignore it.

He should have just picked up the bloody phone and called her.

Lizzie rushed up the stairs towards the SUB, taking two steps at a time. What favour could Will possibly need from her? They weren't taking any of the same classes so he couldn't be hoping to get a copy of her notes. Charlie would have asked her himself if he had needed anything. As far as she could tell, Will lacked for nothing. She could only hope that this wasn't some practical joke. No, they had definitely moved beyond that. Whatever it was, the mystery would be solved in a few minutes, provided Will was actually there waiting for her.

She rounded the corner of the building and almost ploughed into Charlotte and Bill Collins.

"Lizzie! Goodness, where are you going in such a hurry?" Charlotte asked as Bill moved up beside her and slid one arm around her waist. He shot Lizzie a smug smile. Lizzie brought one hand up to her mouth and coughed in order to mask her laugh. If Bill believed that Lizzie actually felt even a modicum of jealousy, who was she to disabuse him of the notion? He had failed to understand why Lizzie had rejected him two years ago and no amount of explaining now would make him see reason. For the life of her she could not understand why Charlotte was still so committed to him.

"Sorry, Charlotte, can't stay and chat. I'm late."

"Late? Surely not for class at this time of day?" she replied with a puzzled look.

Lizzie shrugged. "Er, no. I'm late meeting someone." She tried to brush past, hoping to get away quickly.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "Someone?"

"Yeah," Lizzie replied using a non-committal tone. She squeezed by the couple and hurried to the door. Glancing back at the pair, she added, "Sorry! I really am late."

"I'll talk to you later!" She heard Charlotte shout as the door shut behind her.

Lizzie hurried down the stairs to the lower level, passed the tuck shop and came to a dead stop. The coffee shop was just around the corner. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath to compose herself. She certainly didn't want him to know she had just sprinted across campus to meet him, she acknowledged ruefully. Taking one more deep breath, she strolled into Dali's and spotted Will immediately seated near the entrance.

Will, however, failed to notice her entry, as focused as he was on his watch, a slight frown on his face. It wasn't until she was standing right in front of him that he finally looked up at her. She thought she registered a look of relief before he smiled in welcome.

"Hey. Wasn't sure if you were going to make it," he admitted as he pulled out the stool next to him for her.

Lizzie smiled in response as she removed her coat and slung it over the stool's high back. "What's with the cryptic e-mail, Will?"

"Would you like something to drink?" Will asked evasively as he took a sip from his oversized mug.

``Don't worry about it, I think I'll just get myself a pop.`` She walked over to the fridge, pulled out a can of cola and handed a loonie to the guy working behind the counter. Taking one final deep breath to calm her nerves, though what she had to be nervous about she wasn't sure, she turned around and headed back to sit next to Will. Pulling the tab to open the can, she fixed him with an assessing look and waited for him to start talking.

He sat in silence for another minute or two, then cleared his throat and said ``Rumour has it you're staying here for the long weekend.``

Lizzie frowned. She wasn't surprised that he knew this. Charlie could have easily mentioned it. But she wasn't sure what this had to do with anything. ``Yes. I decided I would get more studying done if I stayed here. My family can be, um, a little exhausting and distracting at times.``

Will nodded as if it only confirmed what he already knew and said, ``I understand. As it happens David and I are sticking around as well.``

Lizzie smiled sympathetically, ``Too busy to make the trip to Toronto?``

`Not exactly.`` He shifted slightly in his seat. ``My father is away in Seattle on a business trip and my mother went with him. David never flies back to Vancouver for such a short break and would normally come home with me. We could go to our Aunt Catherine's but... `` Here he paused and smiled to himself as if amused by the thought.

``What?``

His smile turned into a full grin. ``I suppose you would have to meet her to truly understand. She's a bit of a handful. Even my mother gives her a wide berth and she's no coward.``

Lizzie returned the smile. She could certainly relate as she had a few difficult relatives herself.

``Anyway, we decided to decline our aunt's invitation and celebrate Thanksgiving on our own this year. My sister will take the train up from the city tomorrow afternoon.``

``I see.``

``So I thought,`` he stopped himself and added with emphasis, ``David and I thought, since you were here on your own that you might like to join us for turkey dinner, on Sunday. To avoid having whatever slop the dinning hall decides to serve, ``he then added hurriedly. At this he glanced down at his mug and then forced himself to look back at her, awaiting an answer.

Lizzie was surprised to receive such an invitation, to say the least, but also grateful that they would have thought to include her. Her lips twitched ever so slightly before replying ``Certainly, I'd love to join you and your family for Thanksgiving. Is the favour you were after help in eating all of the leftovers?``

Will burst out laughing. ``Oh no! You see, none of us have any idea of what we're doing. We need your help to pull the meal off!``

Lizzie pretended to look affronted. ``So you just want me around for my potential cooking abilities?``

``No!`` Will exclaimed as he blanched. ``As our guest you don't need to lift a finger! But we will need you to provide direction. Just think, you'll get to order a few guys around a kitchen. That has its possibilities doesn't it?`` he asked as he cast her a hopeful glance.

It was Lizzie`s turn to laugh. ``You're right, that idea is rather appealing. What will your sister do while I'm ordering you around?``

``Georgiana is fairly clueless in the kitchen as well. Consider her one of your lackeys too.``

Whatever Lizzie had been expecting, this strange invitation certainly wasn't it. Yet she could hardly pass up a brilliant opportunity for a home cooked meal and the chance to observe Will with his family. ``Sure, why not, though you can't blame me if it turns out horribly. I've never had to co-ordinate the whole thing on my own.``

``Don't worry. As far as I'm concerned, regardless of how it all turns out you've just saved the day. ``

Will walked up the stairs to the townhouse's front door and let himself in. That had certainly gone better than expected. He continued to whistle a tune as he removed his shoes and tossed his coat onto the coat rack. David lounged on their sofa, remote control in hand, flipping channels.

``Sixty-five channels and not a dang thing on, unless you want to watch another bloody episode of a makeover story,`` David muttered as he glared at the television. Not bothering to look over at his cousin he inquired ``What's got you in such a fabulous mood? You were Mr. Doom-and-Gloom this morning.``

Will plunked down on the free end of the sofa, unable to hide his goofy-happy grin, and replied, ``Elizabeth is coming over for Thanksgiving dinner.`` He watched with pleasure as his cousin's mouth fell open in surprise.

``Well, I'll never.`` Sitting up straight and turning to face him, David added, ``How did you screw up the courage to invite her?``

``We invited her actually.`` Will said with a sheepish grin.

David raised an eyebrow. ``Oh we did, did we? Good to know we're such hospitable types. And how exactly are we going to prepare this Thanksgiving dinner and not look like total morons? You and I both know that George is as big a dunce in the kitchen as we are.``

Will smirked. He had known David would mention their lack of culinary skills. ``Elizabeth is going to provide direction. We should be able to manage. You'll come shopping with Georgiana and me tomorrow for the stuff we'll need?``

David rolled his eyes as he stood up and headed for the kitchen. Will frowned, ``Hey! What are you doing?``

David turned around and continued to slowly walk backwards as the corners of his mouth turned up into a crooked smile. ``I'm going to see if we need to add frozen dinners to the shopping list. We'll need them after we ruin the turkey.``

Lizzie looked up from her computer screen as Charlotte Lucas knocked once on her open door and walked into her dorm room. Perching herself on the edge of Lizzie's bed, she shot her a knowing look and asked ``So, who were you in such a hurry to meet this afternoon. You didn't drop any hints at dinner.``

Lizzie smiled and turned her chair around to face her friend. Charlotte could be counted on to be discreet but her curiosity was a force to be reckoned with. ``You wouldn't believe me if I told you.``

``Try me.``

``Will Darcy.``

``No!``

``I'm afraid so.`` Lizzie replied wistfully.

Charlotte looked pensive for a moment and then said, ``Well, that's certainly promising. I didn't realize you were on better terms. I must have missed that memo.``

Lizzie laughed, ``I think I missed it too. I was already in the middle of this new situation before I realized what was going on.``

``So what did he want?``

Lizzie stared down at her hands. ``He and David have invited me to have Thanksgiving dinner with them.``

Charlotte smiled slightly. ``With those two cooking I'm surprised you accepted.``

Lizzie giggled as she replied, ``Apparently I'm supposed to orchestrate this thing, they're going to do all the work.``

``Bring a camera, I need to see a picture to prove that it happened!`` Charlotte replied with a smirk. She then added, ``So you don't think there's an ulterior motive?``

Lizzie stared at her friend blankly for a second. What did she mean by that?

``Oh come on, Lizzie. Two boys invite you over for dinner and you don't get suspicious for a second?``

She shrugged her shoulders and said, ``I don't want to read too deep into this, Charlotte. Will and I have only been really friendly for about a week.``

Charlotte snorted disdainfully. ``Don't give me that. You should definitely play this situation for all it's worth.``

``Why?`` Lizzie asked, a puzzled expression forming on her face.

``Two attractive, rich and presentable guys? I wouldn't pass up the chance to make my interest known.``

``But Charlotte, I'm not interested.`` Lizzie replied, crossing her arms on her chest and narrowing her eyes at her friend. Charlotte really could get the most Machiavellian ideas from time to time.

``Whatever.`` Charlotte said dismissively as she breezed out of the room.

Lizzie turned back to her computer screen but found that it took a while to refocus her thoughts.