Beginning, Next Section
Jump to new as of October 2, 2005
Posted on Tuesday, 10 May 2005
"Lizzy!" Elizabeth Bennet pulled her cell phone away from her ear when she heard the loud exuberance of her sister on the other end. She quickly glanced around the restaurant to see if anyone else had heard it too. All the other patrons of the fine little bakery seemed to be engrossed with their own conversations or their food. "Guess what? You never will! Oh, I'll tell you! I'm getting married!"
"What? Really? Oh Kitty, that's...that's wonderful." She tried to sound as enthusiastic as she could be under the circumstances. But this was her sister's day and her good news. Elizabeth didn't want her mood to spoil it for every one around her, especially Kitty. "Scott is such a great guy. I'm glad you're marrying him. So, when is the wedding going to be? Have you set a date? Did you tell the rest of the family yet?"
"Well, I already told mom and dad. It was so cute! Scott asked for dad's permission and everything, just like every girl dreams of. Just like Will did! I haven't called Mary yet but I already called Jane and Lydia. I tried calling you at home, but Will said you were out and that I should try you on your cell. I'm glad I got through. Oh, yeah, I also told Will before I hung up. I'm just about to burst with excitement, I feel as if I have to tell every one!" Lizzy tried to keep up with her sister's ramblings, but every time she mentioned Will's name her thoughts started to wander. She didn't want to think of her husband in connection with weddings. It reminded her of happier times. And things were not happy at all now days. Deep down she knew she wanted to run back to her home and tell Will that they could work it out. He would sweep her up in one of his great big bear hugs and she would kiss him with all the passions she could muster. And, for that second, things would be right in the world. But she had her pride. She had left. She wasn't sorry for what she had done; she would do the same thing again. She had thought about it long and hard and decided that it was the best thing for both of them. Though, if she really had to do it all over again, she wouldn't have let things get to that point.
"Lizzy? Lizzy, are you still there?" Her sister's voice in her ear pulled her back to reality. "So, what do you think?"
What should she say? Tell her sister that she had zoned out when she was talking about the happiest thing in her life to date. She decided to try and play it cool. "Could...could you repeat part of that? I think my phone went out sometime while you were talking." There, that sounded like a plausible explanation to her absence of mind.
"Sure, which part?"
"Um...why don't you just start from the beginning so I don't miss anything."
"Well, I was saying that mom wants to be super involved in all the wedding plans. I tried to dissuade her a little but you know how she can be. I mean, she did do a really good job with yours and Jane's weddings but I don't know if I can stand having her hover over me like that! Well, anyway, since Scott and Aunt and Uncle Gardiner live near you, Will, Jane, and Charles in D.C. we decided to hold all the pre-wedding festivities down by you, so a majority of the family could attend them"
"Sounds like a good plan, but won't you have to go back and forth between here and your apartment in Baltimore a lot?"
"Yeah, that's why Georgiana and I decided that it would be best if we both closed up the apartment for those two weeks prior to the wedding and went to stay down by you. And of course, now mom had decided that would be the best plan for her and dad as well. So, it seems that all the family will be in the area for those two weeks. Mom and Dad will stay with Jane and Charles, Georgiana, of course, will stay with you and Will, and I will stay with Aunt and Uncle Gardiner so that mom will be a full eight miles away from me after I leave her during the day. I don't think I could stand living with mom for those two weeks. She would be breathing down my neck day and night, pestering me about every little detail." Lizzy laughed at her sisters genuine concern for the situation.
"What about Mary and Lydia?"
"Lydia is going to stay at her own apartment and drive back and forth. It's not that far. I haven't talked to Mary yet but I am hoping that she will stay with me at Aunt Maddie's and Uncle Eddie's. They said that she was more than welcome. And I do want one of my sisters around to chat with and get all my pre-wedding jitters out. And do you think I could keep my wedding dress at your house and then get ready there that morning since you are the closest to the church? So what so you think of my plan? Is that alright with you guys."
Kitty finally took a breath and stopped talking. Then all of what she had said really sank in to Elizabeth's mind. Her whole family would be staying within ten miles of her home. Using her house for dress fittings and family gatherings. Under normal circumstances this would have been fine. But Kitty had just announced her big news to the family before Elizabeth had a chance to give hers. She had been putting it off for a few weeks now. She had told no one, save Charlotte whom she was staying with. Only Will and she knew the horrible details of their situation. Will hadn't even told his sister Georgiana yet. Georgiana! How could she have forgotten! This opened up a whole new dilemma. If Georgie was going to come and stay with them for those two weeks, wouldn't it look a little odd if Elizabeth herself wasn't there. Maybe she should just tell them now. No. She couldn't do that. Kitty needed the full focus and support of her family now with her wedding only...
"When did you say the wedding was?" asked Lizzy
"Oh, it's going to be planned quick. Since Scott has to go on a business trip to France in five weeks, we are going to use that as our honeymoon."
"Five weeks! Your plan on getting married in five weeks?"
"I know it will be tough, but I think we can do it. It's not going to be a big wedding or anything, just big enough to be planned in five weeks. So, what do you think of my plan?"
"Um...I'll have to talk to Will first."
"That's what he said when I told him. Well, hurry and get back to me."
"You already talked to Will about your idea? What did he say?" She wanted a little warning at least of how things were going to go over when she talked to him.
"He really didn't say much other than that he had to talk to you first." Said Kitty.
"All right, well I will...talk...with him and get back to you as soon as possible."
"Great! Thanks! I have to go call everyone else I know. Now I know what you felt like when you were engaged and couldn't stop talking of your man," Kitty giggled, "I can't wait to be married! Love ya, bye!" And with that, she hung up. Elizabeth turned off her phone and put it back in her purse. For a full five minutes, it seemed, she just stared at her plate in front of her. She was going to have to talk to Will eventually; this seemed to be a good enough reason to do so.
Elizabeth got up from her table, headed out to her car and drove back to the apartment she was sharing with Charlotte. She needed to talk to someone; someone who knew her situation. She now knew why everyone always said not to drive when angry or upset. At every red light she was honked at, at least three times, when she didn't go when the light turned green. She pulled up to the apartment and went inside, hauling a load of bags on top of her already bundled self. It seemed like it would snow any day now. She got in the apartment and dropped her things in the foyer in order to peel the layers she was wearing off. Charlotte came out of the kitchen with a cookie in hand when she heard Lizzy come it.
"So, did you have fun trying to beat the Christmas rush?"
"Oh, yeah, I just love elbowing my way through department stores to buy things for people who, if they really wanted it, would have bought it themselves."
"Did you get all of your shopping done?"
"No, I still have a few more people on my list, but that shouldn't be to bad. Maybe I'll cut out of work early some day this week and hit the stores before the rest of the working world does." Lizzy gathered up her purchases and headed in the direction of her room.
"I baked some Christmas cookies, first batch of the year," Charlotte called over her shoulder as she sat down on the couch. "Go, test my cooking ability and tell me what you think."
After a minute or two of rustling papers and bags, a large gasp could be heard from the direction of Lizzy's room. Charlotte rushed in, "What? What's the matter?"
Lizzy was sitting on the edge of her bed, surrounded by sweaters, boxes, bags, tissue paper, toys and a with a book in her hand. Her other hand was hitting her forehead at a rapid pace. When Charlotte came in she looked up. "How could I have forgotten? How could we have forgotten something as big as this; all of us?" Lizzy's head returned to her hand.
"What do you mean? What did we forget?" Charlotte sat down next to her friend amid the mound of gifts. When Lizzy looked up again she had tears in her eyes. "Oh, honey, what's wrong? What happened?" She put her arm around Lizzy's body, led her out to the living room and sat her on the plush couch. Charlotte came around and sat facing Lizzy. "Will you tell me what's wrong? What can I do to help?"
"Oh, Charlotte! I've had such a hectic day and problems seem to piling up one after the other." Lizzy wiped her eyes with the tissue Charlotte had handed her. "To start it off I get this phone call from my sister Kitty who informs me that she is getting married in five weeks and wants the whole family to come down to DC for the two weeks prior to participate in the festivities. Well, that is all well and good except for the fact that none of my family knows that Will and I are separated and they will expect us to be still living together. On top of that is the fact that Georgiana is coming to stay with Will and myself for those two weeks and she doesn't know either. And how can we tell anyone now! Georgie is Kitty's best friend. I don't want to spoil Kitty's time to be happy by telling the whole family of my messed up marriage. Then, as I was putting Christmas gifts away, I realized that on top of everything else, I volunteered to host Christmas dinner this year. What am I going to do Charlotte?"
"Have you called Will yet?"
"No, of course not! He wouldn't care anyway."
"Oh, I think he would Lizzy. You at least have to talk to him to know what he wants do about this."
"Oh! Yeah, what is there to discuss? The only plausible option would be to go move back in and pretend everything was still the way it was. Yeah, right. You think we should discuss that?"
Lizzy looked up when Charlotte made no comment. "You think we should?! Charlotte, you're crazy! How would that work? I left, how can I go back and pretend everything is all right?"
"Lizzy, if you don't want to tell your family about you and Will now, then I think the only option is going back and trying to convince them everything is still...the way it was."
"But...what are we supposed to do? Just pretend it didn't happen?"
"In front of others, yes. Lizzy, as your friend, I think you should go through with this plan." Lizzy gave her a look that almost made her loose her resolve. "It would give you and Will a second chance. I think you are both good for each other. I've hardly ever seen anyone as compatible as you two. A lot of married couples have trouble the first few years. Try to work it out. Please! Just call him. I know he would want you to."
"I need to think about it."
"You don't have that long, you know."
"I know...I know." Elizabeth got up from the couch and walked back toward her room. She lay on her bed amid the piles of packages staring at the ceiling. Her mind was wondering back to not so long ago.
"Elizabeth!" shouted Will from the front hall.
"Kitchen!" she shouted back from around the corner. Will set down his brief case and headed in to properly greet his wife. He saw her reaching up on top of the refrigerator to put back a vase they kept up there. Quickly, he came up behind her and put his arms around her waist, kissing her cheek. "Hi," he said, before he gave her another kiss. "Have you eaten yet?" She shook her head, no. "Good, let's make something. I'm hungry." Elizabeth laughed; he seemed to always be hungry. "What are you in the mood for? Pasta?"
"Yeah, that sounds good. How about spaghetti?" she suggested as she pulled out of his embrace to retrieve the pasta jar from the pantry.
"Sure, I'll do pasta, you do sauce; you're better at it." William and Elizabeth, as they were known to many of their friends, set out to make a dinner for two. They ate by candlelight, as they always did because Lizzy liked it, and toped off the evening with a glass of wine, snuggling on the couch by the fireplace, Elizabeth lying back against William's chest.
"Will?"
"hmmm," he murmured as he kissed the top of her head.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Liz."
Elizabeth remembered those times. Back when times were happy. When did things fall apart? How did they let it get this far? Elizabeth and William had been married for only three years. Most of the time it was wonderful, but the last few months, close to a year, it had been...different.
William walked into his home at 9:30 that night. He put his bag down by the door and loosened his tie. It had been a long day. He had gone in at 7:00 that morning and was just now getting home. It had been like that for a few weeks now, working long hours, not getting much sleep. It was relatively early, but all he wanted to do was go to bed.
William walked into the living room in search of his wife, but she wasn't there. He tried the study, but that was empty too. Next he tried the kitchen. The light was on, that was a good sign. He walked in, expecting to see his wife, but found in her place a candlelight dinner set for two. The best linen and china was used, the candles blown out, and cold food still in it's bowl. William leaned his head back and sighed; he ran a hand through his hair. Elizabeth had gone through all this trouble for him and he didn't even come home for dinner.
William walked up stairs; he now knew where she was. When he got to the door of their bedroom, it was shut.
"Elizabeth?" He knocked. He knew she would be mad. There was no reply. He tried turning the handle. It was open. William tentatively opened the door. It was dark. From the light in the hall he could make out Elizabeth's form in the bed. She was asleep. He couldn't apologize tonight. William walked over to her side and sat down. He watched his wife sleep for a moment then prepared for bed himself. He got in and inched over toward Elizabeth. He ran a hand down her arm.
"Don't touch me."
The voice came out of the dark. She wasn't asleep after all. She had waited for him to come, had prepared him a nice dinner since he had been working late all week, and he didn't even bother to come home for it.
"You're awake?"
"Yes." William could hear the coldness in her voice.
"I'm sorry I got home so late. I couldn't leave any earlier. There are things at work that needed to be finished by today. I know you made a special dinner; I saw it. I'll make it up to you, I promise."
"You didn't even bother to call." She was still facing away from him.
"I'm sorry, I know you made all this. How about we go out...um...Thursday night. How's that?"
"I have to work."
William didn't seem to be getting anywhere with this approach. She wouldn't even turn around.
"Well, what do you want me to do then?"
"Nothing."
"Elizabeth, I'm sorry that I wasn't here for dinner, but had I known you were going to do something special, I might have been able to leave a little earlier." He was trying to stay calm, but she wouldn't talk to him. At least not in full sentences.
"It was supposed to be a surprise."
"I didn't know. If there's a chance I might be working late you should call me if you want me home by a specific time. I can't read your mind."
"Would it have made a difference?" There was a finality to her tone. William knew that she was done talking. But he wasn't.
"Elizabeth! You can't say that. You know it would have."
Nothing
"Elizabeth!"
Nothing
Posted on Sunday, 22 May 2005
"Hello?"
"Will? It's Georgie."
"Hi, Georgie." Will flopped down on the sofa with his feet up to talk to his sister on the phone.
"Guess what, have you heard? Kitty and Scott are getting married!"
"Oh...yeah...she told me earlier today. That's great. I hope they'll be happy together."
"I hope you didn't tell her congratulations like that. She'll think you don't mean it." Georgiana giggled into the phone.
"Yeah," Will tried to laugh, "I hope it came out better than that."
"So, it's okay if I come to stay with you two for a couple of weeks?" she asked.
"Absolutely. It's still your house too you know. You can stay here any time. How are things up by you by the way?"
"Well, since Kitty is going to move out of the apartment I'll have to find another room mate, but don't worry, I have prospects. I just wish I could be out of school already! Maybe I should have gone into some other profession that didn't require so many years. Kitty gets to be a working girl, soon to be married, and I still have homework. What's that about?" she laughed
Will laughed, "You always wanted to be a lawyer. Just like me. I know you idolize me in that way."
"Shut up!" she laughed
"Hey, I'm only speaking the truth. Tough it out kid, it's worth it."
"I know, thanks for my weekly pep talk."
"What are big, over bearing, over protective brothers for?"
"You got me on that one; tell me if you ever find out." Will loved it when Georgie called. After their parents died, Will became guardian for his little sister along with his cousin Richard Fitzwilliam. They were all each other had. Will had missed her a lot when she moved out. He especially missed her now, with Elizabeth gone. He wanted someone to talk to, someone to laugh with.
"So, what do you and Lizzy have planned for tonight? Anything special?"
"Ummm..." Oh, great. What was he supposed to tell her now? She was...let's see...busy? No, that's lame. Out? He used that one last time she called and wanted to talk to Elizabeth. Hmmm? Indisposed? Yeah, right. "Well, Georgie...you see...Elizabeth, she...is...asleep." Good going.
"Oh, well could you tell her I called. I need her opinion on something."
"Why don't you just ask me?"
"I want her opinion. A woman's opinion," she said. Female problems, or male problems as the case may be, thought Will.
"I see. Well, I'll let her know. You might be able to catch her on her cell phone sooner, though."
"Okay, great, thanks! Give my love to Mrs. R. I'll talk to you later, Will. Bye"
"Bye." Will hung up the phone but stayed sprawled out on the sofa, starring up at the ceiling
"Hey Liz! Ready? We don't have much time; our reservations are for 7:00." William was gathering his keys and wallet from his dresser. He looked over at Elizabeth to see her sitting in the big, plush chair in their room, staring out a window. "Come on, we need to hurry."
Elizabeth slowly looked over at William. There was no visible emotion on her face. "I'm not going."
William stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "What do you mean? We always go out on Friday night."
"I have to work." Elizabeth got out of the chair and walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, her back facing him.
"But you always review matinees on Fridays, that's why we picked this day. Because you didn't have to work in the evening."
"I took on some extra shows."
"Why? It's not like we need the money, Liz. Our schedule was working out well, I thought." He came around and sat in the chair she had just vacated.
He voice was low. "I didn't do it for the money, William."
"What about our plans? I came home early just to take you out tonight." The edge in his voice was increasing.
"William, when is the last time we went out for a Friday night date?" She looked over at him, anger written on her face. "It was over two months ago. What did you think I did all those weeks here by myself?"
"We've been really busy at work, Elizabeth. I can't just walk out. I have an obligation to my employees and clients to pull my weight. I can't just leave things undone!" He stood up.
"For the first few weeks you didn't even bother to tell me you wouldn't be here! I had to call up your secretary, who informed me with all the smugness that she could, that you were going to be working late."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She stood. "It means that I picked up a few extra shows on Friday nights. I've been doing this for weeks, William. You might have noticed by now. I couldn't just sit home by myself and do nothing all the time."
"Well, I had to work! I'm sorry that you can't see past that."
"I'm your wife, William! I expect to come before your work!" Both were standing in the middle of the room.
"I work because of you! Why do you think I go to work everyday? For the pure enjoyment of stress and briefs and judges? I like what I do, Elizabeth, but it doesn't get done with out some effort. How else do you think we can afford to go to the theater and expensive restaurants all the time?"
"All of that means nothing to me if you aren't here too. What's the fun in doing all that alone? It's not like you need to work at all. You always have that trust fund to live off of. You did happen to be on the list of America's most sought after bachelors." She knew he hated it when she brought that up. "You work because you want too, William, not because you have to. Not everyone has that luxury. I know I don't."
"Even so, if I decide to do something, I'm going to give it my all. And besides, you have everything you ever needed. I've never failed you there." His voice had a sarcastic bite to it. "Why would it matter if you needed to work any way?"
She turned away from him. "Some day I might need my own money. I can't live off of you."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying that I can't stay here! I can't stay here and wait for you to make up your mind as to what is most important in your life!" She turned around again to face him.
"And where do you plan to go?!"
"Anywhere! As long as you aren't there." She turned on her heel and walked toward the door.
"Why do you always do this?!" He shouted from behind her. "Why do you never stay until we work something out?"
Elizabeth stopped and turned around. "This isn't something that can be worked out, William. It's been going on for months and you never even noticed." There was distain in her voice.
"Fine! Leave then! If I'm so inconsiderate, why would I care?"
"That's just it. You don't."
"Char?" Elizabeth ambled across the living room and into the kitchen. "Char, I'm going to do it. If Will agrees to it. It seems to be the only thing to do now. It's only two weeks; I think we'll manage. Besides, we'll both have work during the day, and Will will probably have work in the evening too, as usual. Plus, there will be tons of things to do in order to get ready for Christmas. I miss Mrs. Reynolds as well." Charlotte thought it sounded more like Elizabeth was trying to convince herself than anyone else.
"Good. I'm glad. I really think it's the right thing to do. And Elizabeth...make the most of it, please."
"I will, Charlotte." Charlotte came over and gave Lizzy a hug before they started to devour the Christmas cookies she had just started to put away. After about a dozen cookies each and a cup of hot cider, Elizabeth and Charlotte said good night and each went to their own rooms. Elizabeth curled up in a big, comfy chair next to her bed and stared at the phone. She would have to do it sooner or later. Well, sooner really. As she sat there in a daze, the phone suddenly started ringing. Confusedly, she picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Elizabeth?" She took a deep breath. She had to do now. There was no turning back.
"William."
"How are you?"
"Pretty good, and you?" Well, that was kind of a lie.
"I'm doing okay." He didn't want to tell her that he hated living without her and wanted her to come back.
"Good, I was just about to call you." Elizabeth didn't want to make it sound like she missed him in any way. She still had a lot of pent up anger directed at him.
"You were?" Maybe something good would come out of this phone call after all. He had made it on an impulse. But he tried to sound casual.
"Yes, my sister said she told you she and Scott are getting married in five weeks."
"Yeah, that's...great. I'm really happy for them."
"Well, she told you about her plan right? About everyone coming to stay near here for the festivities?"
"Yes, she told me. I think that's a good plan."
"William, that provides a slight problem for us." When there was no sound coming from the other end of the phone she decided to continue. "How are we going to explain the current situation? We haven't told anyone and now we can't. I can't do that to my sister. And Georgie is going to be staying at the house for that time too. What are we supposed to tell her? People would see through it. And don't forget that we're hosting Christmas dinner too."
"That does prove to be a slight problem." His mind was working fast. He had a plan, but highly doubted that she would agree to it. Yet, this conversation was going pretty well. They hadn't argued yet. Were they ready for this? Errors on both sides had not been resolved or forgotten.
"What would you suggest we do?" She would not be the first to voice the idea in both of their minds.
"Well, we need to prove that everything is the same, right? That nothing has changed?"
"Yes." It seemed that he was on the same track as her.
"Then I think the only thing to do would be to pretend that everything is just as it was. That we're still in love." Will didn't catch the great blunder he just made.
"Pretend to be in love?" Was that what he really thought? That they would have to pretend? Elizabeth was still very angry with him, but not in love? She felt a weight in her heart sink.
"Yes, and you would have to move back in. Unless you want to tell Georgie, but that could be a little risky."
"Two weeks under the same roof with you?" Clearly the sting of his earlier blunder had not subsided.
"I'm sorry if my presence is so revolting to you. I'm doing this as a favor to you and your family. You could at least be appreciative!" he spat back at her.
"It isn't like either of us have any choice! You don't want your sister to find out either."
"Look, Elizabeth, I have to go. I'm not going to stand here and argue about this with you. Call me at work tomorrow and tell me what you want to do."
"Oh, that ought to be interesting! All your secretaries always have a bit a trouble forwarding my messages."
"So that's what this is about! You just don't trust me!"
"Not anymore!"
"Fine," his voice was cold and hard. "Then leave a message at the house. Bye."
With that he hung up. William didn't want to test the limits of his temper. The conversation was rapidly spiraling out of control. Sometimes that woman could drive him insane.
Elizabeth stared at the phone in her hands. How she could have married such an arrogant jerk was beyond her imagination. It was going to be a long two weeks.
The next three weeks went by fast. Elizabeth had her job as a theater critic to keep her busy, as well as plenty of packing to do, and William was working long hours in order to get ahead for the Christmas season. Honestly, he didn't want what Elizabeth had said of him to be true. Work was not the most important thing in his life and he wanted to prove it to her, whether she wanted to see it or not. As the day of the impending move came closer, both parties involved began to feel a little nervous. They hadn't seen each other in almost two months. They had talked on the phone only twice since their heated argument which ended abruptly. Once, when Elizabeth called William's office to give him a definite answer. She left her name as only Elizabeth. And again to confirm the date she would arrive and to work out some last minute details.
On that Friday afternoon, she and Charlotte loaded up Elizabeth's car with all the stuff she had brought with her. Some of her belongings were still at the house from before she had left. She couldn't take everything with her, and at the time, she didn't care.
Elizabeth kissed Charlotte goodbye and thanked her repeatedly for taking her in.
"I'm going to miss you, Char," said Elizabeth, "Thank you so much for everything you've done. For being there for me." She gave Charlotte a hug.
"I loved having you here," said Charlotte as she pulled out of Lizzy's embrace, "but I think you made the right decision. Remember what I said. Give him a chance."
"I know. I will."
"You had better get going. Call me if you need anything."
"Thank you, Charlotte. Bye." Elizabeth climbed into her car and set off. She was going back. Back to the world she had left, to a world full of fancy parties and evening gowns. She didn't mind the atmosphere really, but rather the people in it. It was full of stuffed shirts and scheming mothers that had only one goal in life, to marry their daughters off to a well-bred, rich man. But, not everyone was like that. William, for example, had grown up like that, but was a down to earth man for the most part, so it didn't faze him. Elizabeth had made friends among the wives of William's business associates. But the 'wife' was never the co-worker. Elizabeth, for one, was glad of that. And now, here she was reentering that life. She missed it a little; she had to admit. Ball gowns and tiaras were never her thing, but she loved dancing in huge ballrooms, going to the theater at night, walking along the river under the stars in that night's dinner dress. And William always looked devastatingly handsome in a tuxedo. No, she wouldn't let her mind wander down that road. Not now. She had two weeks with him to get through. It was vital to stay impartial to the situation. If she began to doubt her resolve, where would that put her? Heartbroken and alone.
Elizabeth drove up toward the house. She looked at all the houses that lined the street, her neighbor's houses. All of them were rather well off, that was the type of neighborhood it was. She turned down the driveway. Their house was set apart from the others on the street. It was older than the rest. There, at the end of the street, standing impenetrable behind the trees that lined the drive, was her home. She had always loved the warmth and charm of the large, old house. But now, as she drove up, it looked cold. It didn't help any that the trees surrounding it were leafless and bare.
She looked at her watch. It was 4:30. Mrs. Reynolds would be having her tea and planning the meal for dinner, it was a Friday after all, her day to cook. But, Elizabeth supposed, now that she was gone, every day was Mrs. Reynolds day to cook. Hmmm?
Elizabeth entered the house through the side door and immediately made her way to the Kitchen in search of the old lady. Sure enough, there she was. Sitting at the table with her tea in hand. She looked up when she heard the intruder. Elizabeth smiled warmly at her. She had grown to really love Mrs. Reynolds, just as William always had. Mrs. Reynolds had been with the Darcy family since William was four years old. He grew up calling her Mrs. Reynolds and it stuck. After the death of William's parents, she stayed with the two siblings. Elizabeth liked her the first time she met her. She was, in fact, more of a mother to Elizabeth than her own.
"Oh, bless me! You're back! We didn't expect to see you for another hour yet." Exclaimed Mrs. Reynolds as she ran to give Elizabeth a hug.
"Mrs. Reynolds! I missed you so much! Well, I missed your apple pie mostly." Elizabeth teased.
"Don't worry, dear, I have one in the oven for you," she smiled, "How have you been? Have you been eating right? Well you always did have a good appetite. I'm so happy your back!" Elizabeth smiled down at the old lady. It felt good to be here. "It has been quiet and lonely here without you Mrs. Dar- Oh! Hmmm? What will you have me call you now?"
"You had better keep with Mrs. Darcy; it's the only way we're going to pull this off."
"Don't worry dear," said Mrs. Reynolds with a twinkle in her eye, "I have a feeling everything will turn out exactly as it should. Go! Get on with you! Go freshen up before dinner. I made everything you like."
"What would I do without you Mrs. Reynolds?" Elizabeth bent down to give the beloved housekeeper a kiss on the cheek. With that, she trotted off toward the stairs.
Mrs. Reynolds looked after her as she left. She loved that girl like a daughter. Elizabeth was always doing nice things for her, giving her little gifts, taking her to lunch. But, when it came to William, there was no one else on earth that could get Elizabeth fired up so quickly. William and Elizabeth had a very passionate relationship, but that also meant that both of them had a temper that the other could whip out at a moments notice.
Mrs. Reynolds sighed and settled back in with her tea. She was just waiting to see what those two would be like by the end of these next two weeks. They would either kill each other, or fall in love all over again. The old lady smiled. She had a feeling she knew which it would be.
Elizabeth grabbed the bag she had dropped by the door and headed upstairs. She paused before she reached the staircase. A wave of emotions washed over her. This was her house. She remembered the many times that Will had carried her up the stairs when she had fallen asleep in his arms in front of the fire. Will had proposed to her on those stairs. She had come over for dinner with two rings on her hands and left with three. All those family dinners they had hosted. The best part of which was when everyone left and she could have her husband back to herself again. That was it. That was what she would have to do for the next two weeks, just pretend like they were back in those times.
A sudden movement out of the corner of her eye caught her interest.
Posted on Sunday, 29 May 2005
A sudden movement out of the corner of her eye caught her interest. The door to the study was open. Elizabeth peered in. There, on the floor, amid mounds of wrapping paper, tape, and bows, was William. His eyes glued to the package in front of him. That crease between his eyes when he was concentrating hard was very visible. He was still in his work clothes, but his tie was missing and the first two buttons of his shirt were open. At the sound of her entrance he looked up, lips pursed, expecting to see Mrs. Reynolds. At the sight of Elizabeth, Will fumbled with the tape dispenser, and shot his eyebrows upward.
Elizabeth took another step into the room, confusion written on her face. "What are you doing here?"
Will looked around him as if searching for someone else in the room. "I live here." He stated, thinking that maybe the stress was starting to get to her.
"Well you don't usually start living here," Elizabeth looked at her watch, "until about at least eight o'clock. Did you get fired today or something?" She turned and walked out of the room. So that's how things were going to be. Well, William wouldn't let her get off so easily. He dropped the tape dispenser and headed out after her.
"I can't get fired, I'm the boss." Elizabeth rolled her eyes at him and continued walking.
"So what are you really doing home so early? Even for my sake you wouldn't have needed to be home for at least another hour. And don't worry. I didn't expect you to."
William chose to ignore her last comment. "I had some stuff to do. Besides, I thought you might want someone to help you unpack." Elizabeth bit her bottom lip contritely. She had let her mouth get the best of her that time. This house was just bringing up all sorts of memories, both good and bad.
"Thanks. My stuff is in the car but I brought in one bag. I'll go put it in the room before we get the others." Elizabeth walked down the hall and headed for the last door on the left. She turned around when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Where are you going?" asked Will.
Elizabeth blinked several times before answering slowly, "To put my bag down."
"In there?" he asked; eyebrows raised.
"Of course in here, William! What's the matter with you?" she dropped her bag on the floor.
"You can't stay in there, Elizabeth! Then everyone will know we aren't sleeping in the same room."
Elizabeth bristled. "Just where do you intend for me to sleep then?" she challenged.
"In our room." He answered her levelly.
"Excuse me!? I am not sleeping with you!"
Will rolled his eyes, picked up her bag and headed across the hall. "I never said anything about sex, Elizabeth. What would Georgie think if she saw you asleep in another room for two weeks? How's that going to look?" Elizabeth sulked in the doorway for a minute then followed him in. He was right. She would have to sleep in here. But she was determined not to like it.
"Mrs. Reynolds? Can I help with anything?" Elizabeth made her way to the Kitchen to find the old lady puttering about around the stove.
"Oh, no dear. Not a thing. Dinner will be ready in about half an hour."
"Mrs. Reynolds, I can't just do nothing during the day. I need something to do that will tell people I live here."
The old lady looked at the girl for a moment, and then spoke. "We could always go back to the original plan. I still have the schedule on the inside of the pantry door. We could split the household chores up as they were before. I have my duties and you have yours." Mrs. Reynolds went over to the closet and pulled out a wall calendar. She set it on the table in front of Elizabeth.
"All of them?" Elizabeth looked rather uncomfortable. "You think we should keep the division as it was before?
"Of course dear! The system worked out fine. Now-...unless you have any objections."
"Oh, no. Of course not. Why would I?" Elizabeth felt like this could not be any more awkward. So many of those chores would put her in more frequent contact with William during the day. She had hoped they would have to see as little as possible of each other.
"Good! Well, I'll leave the rest of the dinner to you, dear. Unless you want to start tomorrow?"
Elizabeth looked at the old lady squarely. She had a feeling that Mrs. Reynolds knew what she was about. "No," she stated, "now would be fine."
Mrs. Reynolds left the room with a sly smile playing about her lips.
Once the last bag was brought up from the car, Elizabeth went to find Mrs. Reynolds to help with dinner. William, on the other hand, went back to his gift-wrapping. He was never very skilled at it but it had to be done. He got back down on the floor and picked up the discarded tape dispenser. After a few attempts to wrap a very oddly shaped gift for someone he barely even knew, William sighed and leaned back against the front of his desk. This was useless. He ran his hand through his hair. How was he supposed to concentrate on anything but Elizabeth at the moment? She was only a few yards away in the kitchen. Their initial meeting hadn't gone as smoothly as he would have liked, but everything seemed to have turned out all right. Neither was at each other's throat...for the moment. William sat there staring out the large window on the opposite wall. It looked like it would start snowing any day now.
"Will! Will, wake up!" Elizabeth pounced back on the bed and shook him until he opened his eyes, her hair messy and her eyes bright. William had a feeling he knew what had happened. It had snowed. Elizabeth loved snow, especially the first snow of the season. They looked like they were in for a white Christmas after all.
"Will, get up! It snowed last night! There's like two feet out there!" William chuckled to himself. He knew it. Elizabeth crawled over him to the other side of the bed and hopped off. She made her way to the closet to find her boots. William just watched her from his lounging position on the bed, a smile on his lips. Elizabeth looked over her shoulder at him. "Aren't you coming?" she asked.
"I happen to be very comfortable where I am," he replied with a teasing grin.
"Fine," she stood at the foot of the bed, "I'll just have to bring the snowballs in to you. Go back to sleep, honey."
William saw that wicked gleam in her eye. "You wouldn't dare," he spoke slowly, the smile never leaving his face. Elizabeth replied with a raise of her left eyebrow and smirk on her mouth before she ran out of the room and down the hall. William didn't dawdle much in bed that morning.
William had developed a thorough appreciation for snow over the five years he had known Elizabeth. He continued to gaze out the window until he noticed Elizabeth standing in the doorway. She was looking at him oddly, as if she was recalling a similar moment. When William turned to look in her direction she shook her head out of her daze.
"Dinner's ready," she said.
"Great, thanks. Give me five more minutes here and I'll be in. I have to finish wrapping this stupid package." He looked down at the offending gift before him and took a deep breath. "Maybe we should just give it to her in a gift bag." he muttered.
"Here, let me try." She walked over and sat down next to William. Both were still in their work clothes. "Who did you buy this for anyway?" she asked as she struggled to cover the misshapen gift.
"For one of my secretaries at work. Good thing I didn't buy this for all of them, I would never have had them wrapped before Christmas." He chuckled.
"What are you getting Georgie for Christmas?" she asked as he handed her a piece of tape.
"Wouldn't you like to know!" he laughed. She opened her mouth and began to protest, but he cut her off. "You know I never tell you what I get her. And the same goes for her. I never tell her what I get you. Come on, I thought you said dinner was ready." He laughed at the look on her face before striding out of the room.
Elizabeth stared after him. 'What I get...you.' The phrase repeated in her head. Did he get her a Christmas present? Did that mean she should get him one too? Of course! It would look strange if they didn't exchange gifts. She needed to get her act together before Georgie got home. Elizabeth got up and followed him out to the kitchen. He was already sitting at the table waiting for her.
"Come on, I'm starved!" he exclaimed eying the food on the table hungrily. She let out a small laugh. That hadn't changed.
Diner progressed well for the couple. Each talked of work, plans for the upcoming weeks, Kitty's wedding, but both steered clear of any talk involving their own relationship. It wasn't the time for it now. The situation was too new and they still had two weeks to get through.
"So when will Georgie be getting here?" asked Elizabeth as she finished up her dinner.
"She told me to expect her here Sunday evening." He replied.
Elizabeth looked up at him from her plate but William was focusing on his food. That meant they had a whole day together tomorrow, alone. Elizabeth had a lot of unpacking to do. At least she would keep busy. She continued with her meal. If only she had looked up then, she would have seen the small upturn at the corners of William's mouth as he looked at her, just waiting for her to retaliate to his last statement. When she didn't, William took it as a good sign.
After dinner was rather awkward for the couple. They had begun unpacking some of Elizabeth's things. Every item had to be put back in its proper place so nothing looked out of the ordinary. Actually, Elizabeth purposely left some things out, on her nightstand and vanity, so that the room would look a little more 'lived in'. William was a bit of a neat freak. He had enjoyed having the room to him self, the way he wanted it, for a time...sort of. He didn't really mind his two-month holiday from clutter. But, he had to admit, he liked having a little of Elizabeth's mess around him.
"Come on, Elizabeth," he said as she piled things in her side of the closet and on the dressing table, "it doesn't need to look that lived in. We really would have cleaned up a bit for company, you know."
"I'll do it tomorrow. I have all day to- oh, wait; I have to finish writing a review for my editor. I'll do that, get it in by 1:00 tomorrow afternoon, and then finish this. Don't worry William. I have everything under control." She continued her unpacking.
"I had thought that we might go and pick out a tree tomorrow. There won't be much time after that with all the wedding plans and Christmas."
Elizabeth stopped what she was doing and stared at him. "Why didn't you tell me that before? I made plans with Jane for tomorrow evening. I thought I would have the afternoon to get stuff done."
"Well, we'll go and pick it out really quick. You'll have plenty of time. I'll help you put more stuff away if you like"
"All my underwear will be folded and my socks color coordinated." She mumbled. "Don't touch my underwear." She added almost as an after thought.
"You needn't worry, I have no interest in touching your underwear." He grumbled as he continued to clean up the mess she was making of the closet.
"Stop fixing things, will you!" she shouted. Elizabeth grabbed her clothes out of William's hands and went back to the other side of the bed. Neither of them really thought this argument was rational or logical but tempers were high and emotions unleashed. "You always do this! You always did! You have no consideration for the lives of other people. You expect them to revolve around you. The world does not revolve around you Fitzwilliam Darcy!"
Ouch! The use of the full first name. He knew she was serious, but so was he. He couldn't help it that she had left work to do when they would be busy. Hadn't he put in tons of extra hours at work in order that he might be able to be here?
"I never said that it does! If you don't have any interest in picking out the Christmas tree, then fine, I'll pick it out myself. Just don't complain when you don't like it."
"It has nothing to do with the tree! You never take into consideration other peoples' plans. That is what started this in the first place! You started working late. You started to never call when you would be working late. Then it got to the point that I didn't expect you home on time any way! I had plans William. I had things to do that didn't include waiting to see when you would be home."
"What about the times that I could get off work! You were working too! You weren't even here on those occasions that I could get home early. So what would be the purpose of coming home early to an empty house?" He spat back.
"I have absolutely no idea! Why do you think I took on all those extra shows? I got tired of staying here by myself! The least I could do was get some work done."
The two of them stood there staring at each other, anger in their eyes; the bed between them serving as their only line of defense. Neither was willing to give in. With a heavy, frustrated, sigh, Elizabeth quickly stormed out of the room. William looked on after her as she left. She had always done that! Always left in the middle of a 'discussion', not waiting until it was resolved. It infuriated him. Granted, he wasn't one to talk much in the social arena, especially among people he didn't know well, but he would always be willing to talk to his wife, to work out their differences. She would just never stay still long enough to do so!
William gave up on unpacking for the night and decided to turn in. He cleared the boxes off the bed and got ready to go to sleep. It was strange, yet familiar, to see Elizabeth's toothbrush next to his, see her cosmetics and toiletries taking up more that her share of space in the medicine cabinet next to the mirror. He liked the look of them there. It made his home look complete. After he was dressed and ready for bed, William climbed in on his side and picked up the book he had been reading. He didn't get very far in it. He read a page, couldn't remember what had happened on that page, and had to re-read it again. William knew that Elizabeth would be coming to bed soon. He had seen her stifle a few yawns during dinner. So, he read and waited.
William looked up when she entered the room. Her countenance looked less hostile now than it had been when she left. A few minutes to herself always did her good. It did him good as well, but at least he was willing to talk about the subject again after that cooling off period. William put his book down and lay back under the comfiture. To tell the truth, she didn't look angry anymore, but rather a little uncomfortable. It was awkward for both of them. They hadn't seen each other in two months and now they were expected to sleep together. Things could be worse, though. It could be Caroline that he had to sleep with! Nothing would ever induce him! Caroline had an abnormal obsession with William before he married and it didn't stop when he did. It was an ongoing joke with Elizabeth and him. Elizabeth, admittedly, received more pleasure out of it that he did but it was the subject of any car ride home from a family gathering at the Bingley's. Caroline and Elizabeth did not get along. He didn't know why they were such enemies apart from the obvious, but they had never liked each other from the beginning. But that, in the long run, was a good thing. William shuddered at the thought of sleeping anywhere near his brother-in law's sister. He glanced over at Elizabeth to see her standing next to the bed with her hands on her hips and an incredulous expression on her face. He had obviously made that noise at the wrong moment.
"Oh, no I didn't mean you. I was thinking about..." What would he say? What could he say? 'I was thinking about sleeping with Caroline?' No, that didn't seem to be the best answer at the moment. "Never mind." He finished lamely.
Elizabeth scooted in next to him in bed, trying her hardest to keep as far away from him as possible. The bed felt too small for her liking. An awkward silence engulfed the couple. William gave up. All he wanted to do was sleep, not pretend he was a newlywed. With an air of indifference, William turned over in bed, facing away from her. "Night, Elizabeth." He said as he settled down into the bed. With a flick of his wrist, he turned off the light and attempted to sleep.
Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes when the light from the window hit her face. She quickly shut them again. It was entirely too bright. It was cold too! She buried down deeper into the bed and scooted closer to the source of warmth radiating from her right side. It was much warmer here. After a few minutes she fell back to sleep.
William awoke groggily when he felt Elizabeth snuggle up against him. He instinctively wrapped an arm around her and drifted back off into dreamland. There was peace in the Darcy house.
Posted on Monday, 6 June 2005
William opened his eyes a few hours later. He looked over his sleeping wife to see the clock. It read 8:10. William snuggled back into the bed for a few more minutes. It was Saturday; there was no reason he needed to get up when it was so warm here in his bed. His hold on Elizabeth tightened when she began to stir. He placed a placid kiss on her head, trying to get her to go back to sleep.
"Will, what time is it?" she mumbled from the pillow
"A little after eight." His voice raspy with sleep
"Oh" she said
After a few seconds, William felt a distinct change in the body language of his wife in his arms. She stiffened all over. William opened his eyes in query only to see a large suitcase on the floor. Then he remembered. She had obviously remembered as well. In a flash, she jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. William sat up in the middle of the large bed and scratched his head. This was not a very good start to their day.
He rolled out of bed and shuffled down the hall, down stairs, to the kitchen. He needed coffee. Elizabeth didn't like coffee, she preferred tea in the morning, so he put some water on the stove. He grabbed a coat and shoes and went outside to retrieve the morning paper. While he drank his coffee he read the paper and waited for Elizabeth to come downstairs. It's not like he was really looking forward to this next meeting of theirs, but it was inevitable. He had to face it. And face it, he would.
William was almost done with his first cup of coffee when he heard Elizabeth come into the room. She paused in the doorway for a moment then headed straight to the stove for a cup of tea. William watched her the entire time with an expression of amusement mixed with disbelief that she hadn't said anything. Finally he took a deep breath.
"Elizabeth, about this morning-"
"It's fine. Just drop it, William." She said. She left him to himself in the kitchen after that. Well, that was easier than he thought.
William made breakfast that Saturday morning as he had always done, but Elizabeth didn't eat much and instead worked on her article. She was still working furiously when he came back into the living room after cleaning up the breakfast dishes. She had her laptop up and papers of notes lying all around her on the floor.
"Hey, I'm going to go pick up the tree and then stop by Charles' for a little bit. Okay? I'll be back about 2:00." He spoke while pulling on his coat and gloves.
"Wait a few minutes and I'll go with you. I just have a little bit left to write." William stopped wrapping the scarf around his neck. Did she actually volunteer to come? After all that yelling and harping about plans and schedules last night? Well, he wasn't going to be the first to discourage her. William calmly sat down on the sofa and waited for her to finish.
"What play are you reviewing?" he asked.
"It's a little known musical that no one has ever heard of, but it was pretty good. The costumes and sound could have been better though." After she finished writing she sent it in to her editor. "Okay, let's go." She hopped up from the floor and grabbed her coat. William followed her out the door. They got into William's big black SUV and drove toward the Christmas tree farm. Christmas carols were playing in the car when he turned it on. William moved his hand to turn them off but Elizabeth stopped him. She wanted to listen to them. It was tradition to listen to carols when they went to pick out a tree.
The two of them had always had a tough time coming to a consensus about which tree to buy. They would walk all over half of the property looking for the 'perfect' tree, only to pick one of the first ones that they had seen.
"What about this one?" Elizabeth asked him. William turned around from the trees he was looking at and came to stand behind Elizabeth. He knit his brows and looked from the tree in front of him to the one behind him.
"No, that one's all bushy at the top. What about this one?" He gestured to a tree on his left. Elizabeth walked over to inspect the new tree. She circled it, looking it up and down.
"It's kind of scraggly in the middle." She replied. Each then went to view more trees. William was comparing the fullness of the four trees surrounding him when he heard Elizabeth shout his name. He looked around him but she was not in the immediate vicinity.
"Where are you?" he shouted back
"Two stars to the left of the really tall ugly tree." Her voice had come from his right. William wove his way through the forest of pine trees to find her. When he did, she pointed at the tree in front of her.
"It's perfect!" she exclaimed. William watched her watch the tree. She was so excited.
"All right, we'll get this one." He said.
"Good!" She was still staring at the tree, rubbing her hands together for warmth.
"Come on, let's pay for this and go. It's getting cold." William guided her out of the tree maze, over to the cashier.
Once they had paid for the tree, strapped it to the roof of the car and were back on the road, Elizabeth asked, "Are we still going to stop by Jane and Charles' before we get home?"
"I was going to, but if you are going over there tonight do you want me to drop you off at home before I go?"
"No, I'll just go now and tell Jane I can't come back later. I have more unpacking to do and we should get the tree up tonight." William nodded. Elizabeth and he hadn't argued all day, yet she hadn't said much to him above what was necessary. But, she did volunteer to come and pick out the tree and was willing to change her plans to accommodate him. It was hard to determine what she was feeling. He was rather confused, actually. Pick a side, Woman!
William pulled up in front of the Bingley's home. Charles and Jane lived close by, and so the couples would often do things together. Now, as they sat in the car, looking at the house, both were aware that this would be the test run, their first performance, so to speak. Neither Jane nor Charles knew about their separation. The four of them hadn't been together for a while. As they got out of the car and walked up to the door, Elizabeth looked over to William.
"Let's just stay a few minutes. We need to get home and get ready for Georgie's arrival tomorrow." She knew they were already prepared; she just didn't want to try to fool her sister. Jane and Charles had the perfect marriage. It was kind of sad, she thought, that she couldn't make her marriage work.
"That's fine. We can go home when you what." He replied
Will took hold of Elizabeth's hand as they reached the door. She didn't pull away; she knew what it would take to convince her own sister that everything was fine.
"Hi!" Jane opened the door and invited the two in. "Come on in, it's freezing out here. I thought you were coming over later, Lizzy."
"Yeah, I know, but I don't think I'll be able to come later, so Will and I dropped by now on our way home to see you two. I hope that's all right?"
"Of course, you're welcome any time, it's fine. The boys are down for a nap. Let me go find-"
"Will! What are you doing here?" Charles came down stairs when he heard the doorbell ring. He went over to greet his brother-in-law and friend.
"We decided to stop by and say hello on our way home. We got our tree today. I love yours, by the way. You always do a great job."
"Thanks. We finished all our Christmas decorations last night. Now we're working on guestrooms." Charles slightly grimaced. This brought a smile to William's face that he tried desperately to hide.
"When do Mom and Dad get here?" Elizabeth asked her sister, knowing that both males in the room were trying to keep their smirk under control. She was trying to as well.
"Monday. Dad wanted to keep mom at home for as long as possible. At least he has some compassion for us. I love our parents dearly, Lizzy, but two weeks! What was I thinking when I agreed to this?" she laughed
"You were thinking that you wanted to spare me and would now be able to get out of getting you little engaged sister an expensive wedding present."
"Lizzy!" All four laughed at Elizabeth's exclamation
"So when does Georgiana get home?" Jane asked
"Tomorrow, that's one of the reasons why we can't stay. We weren't as efficient as you. We still have work to do." Elizabeth looked at William.
"What time does Kitty's bridal shower start on Tuesday, Lizzy. I can come over earlier to help you get ready." Jane volunteered.
"Thanks, that would be good. 4:00 would be fine. Will, here, will be off gallivanting with the boys and I have to host a party, where's the fun in that?" she laughed
"You didn't have to, you know. I would have done it." Jane told her.
"You already have to deal with Mom and Dad. Let me deal with a little party."
"Will and I will show Scott what it's really like to be a married man!" Laughed Charles. "I think we can come up with a few horror stories to talk him out of it. He's so young after all." He teased Jane. William and Elizabeth didn't dare look at each other and neither wanted to look at the disgustingly happy couple in front to them, so they both looked at the floor.
"I think we should get going." said William after a moment of awkwardness. "We have to decorate our tree still. Don't want yours to win. We'll see you later."
William put his hand on the small of Elizabeth's back and led her toward the door. "Call me later, Lizzy, if you need any help for Tuesday," said Jane.
"Thanks, I will. I'll talk to you later Jane, bye."
"Bye." The couple watched them leave from the door. Charles came up behind Jane and rested his head on her shoulder. "Do you think everything's all right with them? They were acting a little strange, don't you think?"
"I'm sure they're fine. Will and Lizzy have the happiest marriage I know, next to ours of course." The two then shut the door and went back in the house.
"Do you think they bought it?" Elizabeth asked when they were back on the road.
"Yeah, I think so." William didn't say anything more, but kept on driving. The rest of the ride home was in silence.
When they reached the house, William and Elizabeth got the tree down from the roof of the car and dragged it inside the house. They set it up in the corner of the living room. William lay on the floor, under the tree, trying to screw it into its stand and get it straight, while Elizabeth stood back and told him which direction to twist it and how far to lean it.
"Tilt it a little bit to the left." She directed
"My left or yours?" came William's voice from under the tree.
"Um...mine."
"How's that?" he asked
"Could you twist it to your left a little more?"
"Is that better?"
"Well...now it needs to be tilted to the right."
"Elizabeth!" William's voice was dangerously low.
"I just want our tree to look good."
"Pick a spot and keep it there." His voice came out muffled from under the tree.
"Okay. It's good right there." She stood back to look at the tree. William clamped the tree in place and came out to look. He stood back and examined the tree for a moment.
"Don't you think it's leaning a bit to the right?" He asked. Elizabeth threw up her hand and rolled her eyes. She then left the room and headed for the attic to get the ornaments down. William smiled. He knew he would get that exact reaction. He followed her out.
William watched her navigate her way through mounds of boxes in the attic. She knew exactly what she was looking for and where to find it. It was her home too after all. William looked around at the boxes by his feet. One was labeled 'wedding gifts'. He bent down to open it up. Inside were all those gifts that you never use but keep just in case. Just in case of what? He remembered packing up those boxes after they returned from their honeymoon...
"William?"
"Hmmm?" He looked up, closed the box and pushed it aside.
"It's these three boxes that need to go down."
"Okay." He grabbed one box and Elizabeth grabbed another.
"What were you looking at?" she asked.
"Nothing."
On her way out she stopped to peer into the box that William had been inspecting. She furrowed her brow. It was just kitchen appliances that they had received...oh.
Once all the boxes were down stairs the two started to sort out the ornaments that would go on the tree. She remembered so many of the ornaments that they had collected over the years. Elizabeth was a firm believer in a personalized Christmas tree. She thought that all newly married couples should make a conscience effort to have their own tree with their own ornaments. So, wherever they went, Elizabeth was always buying unique little ornaments for their tree. She remembered the year that she, Will, and Georgie had tried to string popcorn for their tree and discovered that it was a skill they lacked. But it made a wonderful snack in the process.
Elizabeth set to work on the tree while William put on some Christmas music. He turned on that same station they had been listening to in the car.
"I sent all your mail over to Charlotte's apartment. I hope you got it."
"Yeah, she gave it to me. Thanks." That was just what she needed to pull her back into reality. This was just pretend. It's just pretend.
"I'm glad the church situation worked out well. I knew you liked the evening service better so I made sure to go to the morning one. I hope it wasn't too noticeable that we never went together." He said.
"Don't worry. Your reputation is safe. I came up with some excuse for your not being there. Something they would believe. Work probably." Her comment was a little on the bitter side.
"Thanks." His reply had a sarcastic tinge to it.
They worked in silence for a long time, neither wanting to start a conversation for fear of it escalating out of control.
After a while neither of them felt very much in the Christmas spirit and decided to give up decorating the tree for today.
The next morning Elizabeth and William set off for church. They could pull this off. Hopefully.
The sermon that morning was from Proverbs 31:10-31. A Wife of Noble Character. What a week to come to church together. William and Elizabeth sat and listened to the sermon thoughtfully. Neither would look at the other and both maintained a very respectable distance from each other in the pew. More so than necessary maybe. After the service ended the two wanted to leave as soon as possible to avoid questions from any gossipy old ladies. They made their way down the isle toward the door where their pastor was greeting people on the way out.
"William!" spoke Reverend Carmichael when it was their turn to greet the minister. "Good morning! Elizabeth! I haven't seen you at the morning service in quite awhile, it's good to have you back."
"Yes, Georgiana is coming home this afternoon so we came in the morning instead." She said.
"That's wonderful. I hope we'll see her here soon. I miss that little sister of yours, William."
William smiled. "We'll all be here on Christmas Eve and Elizabeth and Georgie will be here on Thursday night for the choir rehearsal."
"Good. I'm glad. Have a good day. Oh, I do hope your feeling better now, William."
William waited for him to continue but he did not. "Pardon?"
"I was so sorry to hear about your illness."
"Illness?" William spoke again. Elizabeth took a step behind Rev. Carmichael, trying to conceal a growing grin. Although, her grin had a guilty flare to it.
"Yes, last week when you missed the service I asked your wife if you were alright. She said that you were ill."
William threw Elizabeth a dark look over the pastor's shoulder before continuing. "Oh, yes! That...illness. Yes, I was...ill." William searched Elizabeth's face for any clue as to what else she had told their pastor that might surprise him.
"I hope it was nothing too serious."
William looked at Elizabeth. She was shaking her head 'no'. "Oh, no...it was kind of...um...it was more...just...confusing, really. Every time I think about it now I'm completely...baffled." Will let out a nervous laugh.
"Oh!" Reverend Carmichael laughed nervously along with him and looked at him rather strangely. "Well, I do hope every thing is...clearer now." He looked at William like he still might be sick.
"Yes, it's becoming clearer by the minute." William and Elizabeth began to make their way out toward the door when Elizabeth felt someone pull her back. It was Rev. Carmichael. He looked concerned.
"Elizabeth. I think you may want to take William home. He doesn't seem like himself. He looked rather confused, really. Maybe he's working too hard."
"Thank you," she smiled at the pastor, "I think he'll be fine in a day or two. But I'll keep my eye on him." Elizabeth hurried to catch up with her husband.
When they were getting back in the car William asked, "So, does Rev. Carmichael think I'm officially insane now?"
"Nope." Was her only reply, her lips quivering, trying to hold in a smile.
"Well, what did he say?"
Her smile was full blown now. "He thinks you work too much. You should really listen to what he says, William. He's a very perceptive man."
William rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks to you."
"Mrs. Reynolds, we're out of laundry detergent. When you go to the store tomorrow could you pick some up?" Elizabeth toddled out of the bedroom holding a huge basket of laundry. She had run into the lady on her way to the laundry room.
"I'm going out later today. I'll pick some up then, dear."
"Thanks." Elizabeth made her way down stairs. She poked her head into the library where William was reading. "Do you have anymore laundry that wasn't with the others before I do this last load?"
"No, but Elizabeth, you don't have to do that. You're only going to be here for two weeks. Why not enjoy yourself."
Humph. Was he that eager to see her go? William really needed to work on a little skill called 'tact' when it came to talking to his wife. He always seemed to word things wrong. "Well, we want people to believe I really live here, don't we? They may start to suspect that I'm just an unwelcome guest." Her words had a bite to them; that was for sure. Elizabeth turned on her heel and left the room.
Elizabeth piled the clothes in the washer. She remembered the smell of Will as it engulfed her sensed. It was one of his best qualities. It was like spice and soap mixed together. When she finished loading the washer she went upstairs.
William wandered into the kitchen. Mrs. Reynolds was stirring something in a large yellow bowl.
"What are you making?" he asked.
"Peanut butter cookies." She replied. Lizzy probably asked for them. He walked over to the refrigerator and peered inside. His brow furrowed. There was a large jug of cranberry juice in there. William didn't like cranberry juice; Georgiana didn't like cranberry juice.
"Who's the juice for? Is it for the bridal shower?"
"Mrs. Darcy bought it. She likes it, remember. For heaven's sake, Mr. Darcy, she has only been gone two months. I'd think you remember things like that."
Did Elizabeth like cranberry juice? He couldn't remember. Maybe he had just never noticed. William sighed. He should know what his wife likes and dislikes. She knew his tastes. Maybe that was part of the reason why she left? He hadn't bothered to really pay attention to those seemingly unimportant details. If only he had spent more time with her last year and less time searching for that detestable creature that he was almost forced to call a brother-in-law, maybe his wife would have stayed. Wickham had won a victory over him yet again.