Chapter 1 Posted on Friday, 13 May 2005
Elizabeth Bennet idly looked through the mail, wondering why people never sent letters anymore. It'd be nice get something other than bills. Ooh, this one looks interesting. It was a cream envelope bearing the Yale crest and the words Lux et Veritas. Has it been five years already? "Jane!" Elizabeth yelled up the stairs "Come down here you got some mail."
"What is it Lizzy? I was just about to take a shower." Jane said as she walked towards her sister.
"It's our five year college reunion. Do you want to go?" Elizabeth asked.
"I don't know. I don't think so," Jane said.
"Jaaaane, don't do this. It's been five years. I know you don't want to see him, but think of all the things you'll be missing out on. Charlotte will be there, we haven't seen her in a while. You'll regret it if you don't go because of Charles Bingley."
Jane smiled sadly, "I haven't said no yet Lizzy. I'm just not sure I can handle it."
Elizabeth looked at her sister, who suddenly seemed so small. She knelt before her and said, "Jane, you're stronger than you realize. Of course you can handle it. Just think about it, okay?" Jane nodded. "Now go take your shower. I'll make dinner."
As Elizabeth walked to the kitchen she thought about her sister.
All her life Jane was the beautiful daughter. Their mother fussed over her appearance more than anything else. Whenever they went out Jane had to look perfect. Everything was chosen for her, so that she could impress everyone with how pretty she was. Her hair, her clothes, and when she grew older, her make-up came under their mother's approval. And it never failed to work, because Jane never failed to attract stares when she went outside. Elizabeth might have been jealous of all the attention if not for three things: first, their father took her under his wing. Elizabeth was his favorite daughter, possessing both his wry sense of humor and love of observing people. Second, Elizabeth wasn't that shallow. And third, Jane was impossible to hate. She was the sweetest person in the entire world. Everyone loved her, and with good reason. She'd never had a mean thing about another person in her life.
Jane and Elizabeth were the eldest two of five daughters. Mary the middle child was not as attractive as her elder sisters, but she lived in her own world of books and music. The two youngest Kitty and Lydia had none of Jane's good sense or Elizabeth's quick wit. Instead they took after their mother and concerned themselves almost entirely with frivolities. Despite the fact that they loved they loved their family, both Jane and Elizabeth felt the only people they could really talk to was each other, and occasionally their father.
The two sisters grew up best friends. Jane was a year older, and always calm. Almost nothing upset her. The one time anyone ever remembered her getting mad was when someone in her class tried to pick on Elizabeth. She would have set the kid straight, but Elizabeth kicked the little boy in his shin and ran off before Jane had a chance to say a word. That was Elizabeth, always able to handle herself. Jane depended on Elizabeth's toughness and Elizabeth counted on Jane's serenity. Together, they balanced each other out.
The only real test of their relationship came when Jane went to high school. Elizabeth was supposed to be in the eighth grade, but that didn't happen. Jane was a wonderful student, always got good grades. But, Elizabeth always did poorly. No one could understand because she always seemed so bright. In seventh grade, her parents decided to have her tested. She scored off the charts. Technically, Elizabeth was a genius. The school suggested she be advanced a grade, and her parents agreed. Elizabeth started high school the same year as Jane. Most people assumed Jane would be embarrassed, to have her younger sister be so much smarter than her. Elizabeth was worried as well. She was prepared to stay in the eighth grade if Jane showed the slightest hint of resentment. But when their parents told her about what would be happening, Jane was even happier than Elizabeth.
High school proved to be something of a challenge to Elizabeth, at least socially. Longbourn was a small city, and everyone had heard about the town's resident genius. At first, she was teased often. But Jane, easily the most popular girl in her class, would have none of it. She quickly put a stop to the teasing and refused to hang out with anyone who said mean things to her sister. Jane firmly believed that once Elizabeth got to know everyone she'd have tons of friends. And that might have been true. But, Elizabeth had quickly learned who were the truly nice people at her school, and unfortunately not many of the nice ones belonged to the super-cool crowd that Jane hung out with. Elizabeth decided to wait and make friends with people that she really enjoyed.
They remained close at home, and stayed the best of friends but as they went through high school the two sisters' interests separated. Jane was on the cheerleading squad and in the environmental club, while Elizabeth did student government and played soccer. Additionally, Jane knew a lot of people, while Elizabeth kept a small circle of very tight friends.
When it came time to apply to colleges, Jane and Elizabeth decided they'd go to the same school but would definitely try to attend school out of state; Elizabeth because she wanted to go somewhere new, and Jane because she needed to get away from her mother's attention. Unknowingly, they each wrote their college essay on their sister. Jane wrote about how much she admired her younger, smarter, and tougher sister. While Elizabeth wrote about how much she had been influenced by Jane's kindness to other people. Yale was the first school that they both got into. Jane was interested in environmental science program while Elizabeth's attention lay with the political science program.
College was a great experience for them. They both made friends and found their individual niches on campus. Jane stayed very interested in community service and spent most of her time at Dwight Hall, the center for most community service projects. Elizabeth joined a number of political groups and attended most of the debates held by the Yale Political Union. Despite their different interests, they did manage to make a mutual friend who became their roommate and turned their duo into a trio. Charlotte Lucas was older than Jane and Elizabeth and was the most sensible person that either sister had ever met. She spent most of her time at the Women's Center, and was a serious feminist.
She was pretty, but not beautiful like Jane and Elizabeth. Jane possessed a very obvious beauty. Her long blonde hair had a natural curl, and she had lovely green eyes. Upon looking at her most people thought she was the most beautiful person they'd ever seen, and they could easily be right. Elizabeth's looks, on the other hand had a more subtle appeal. Her eyes were her best feature, they were hazel and almond shaped. The color changed according to her mood. When she was angry or happy, they almost sparkled. She had other attractive features as well, she and Jane had the same type of hair, but Elizabeth's was brunette rather than blonde. And, like all her sisters, Elizabeth had almost flawless skin.
Despite the attention they'd raised on campus, neither sister had much time for guys. They went on dates occasionally, but both agreed they shouldn't have a serious boyfriend until they felt they were really in love. All of that changed for Jane at the beginning of their junior year. She met Charles Bingley.
Chapter 2 Posted on Friday, 13 May 2005
It was at a party. Lydia and Kitty were visiting, at that point they were just beginning high school and Elizabeth thought it would be fun to take them to a room party; nothing too raunchy, just something to show them a good time. At the last minute, Jane decided to accompany them. It was there that she met Charles Bingley. He asked her to dance and they were inseparable from that point on. Also, at the party was Caroline Bingley, visiting from NYU and William Darcy, a senior at Yale. Elizabeth could clearly see that both of Charles friends considered themselves above the small party given by one Elizabeth's good friends. Charles she liked almost immediately because he was so nice and outgoing. And because Jane like him so much, Elizabeth decided to hold off on judging William and Caroline until she'd gotten to know them better. Perhaps they're having an off night she thought. This was until Charles came over halfway during the party to try and get William to relax and have a good time. He even suggested William dance with Elizabeth, thinking that she couldn't hear them. William, didn't even look at Elizabeth he'd seen her already and despite the dim light he'd already noticed she wasn't as pretty as her sister. "No thanks," Will had said, "I don't need the consolation prize." Elizabeth realized he was talking about her and promptly moved to talk to Charlotte on the other side of the room. As she passed him, Will noticed her eyes, they were almost sparkling with the effort to hold in her amusement until she reached her friend. Elizabeth's laughter drew his attention once more and he realized just how wrong he'd been about her looks.
That night was the beginning of a change in their cozy little trio. Jane spent almost all of her time with Charles, and rarely slept in her room anymore. But Elizabeth couldn't be mad. She liked Jane's boyfriend, and he made her sister happy. She missed Jane, but she also knew her sister would always be there when Elizabeth needed her. The only drawback was that Charles hung out with William Darcy and it seemed like Caroline Bingley was always in town. Doesn't she ever go to school? Elizabeth thought. So, unfortunately, when Elizabeth wanted to see her sister she usually had to also hang out with Caroline and William. William she could just barely tolerate, despite the fact that he was rude to almost everyone and always seemed to stare at her. But her interactions with Caroline turned into an out and out war. They never got within two feet of each other without sniping at something the other had said. Generally, Elizabeth started out trying to be nice, for Jane's sake, but her irritation with Caroline always got the best of her good intentions. Elizabeth took comfort in er one source of amusement: Caroline's never-ending quest to get William as her boyfriend. Elizabeth considered it one of her favorite soap operas.
For Jane, it was like a dream. She and Charles dated all through the rest of college. He was devoted to her, and she to him. It was obvious to everyone just how much Charles felt for Jane, but to people who didn't know her Jane seemed rather reserved for someone who claimed to be in love. She never kissed or did anything romantic in public, she didn't even hold hands. She laughed at all his jokes but didn't smile all the time. Only Elizabeth could tell, in the way that Jane stood very close to Charles, and the way that she snuck looks at him when no one was looking, that Jane had fallen for him hard.
But it didn't last. When graduation came everyone was so excited about the future. Jane got a job in New York for a non-profit agency while Elizabeth would be working for a city councilman. Charles was going into the family business, a software company. Charlotte had graduated the year before, as had William. She was already working in the city as a paralegal at a prestigious law firm and applying to law schools. William also lived in New York, and worked for his family business. Caroline wasn't graduating on time. It seemed she'd spent too much time in New Haven, and not enough time going to class.
Jane and Charles chose not to break up and decided they would continue dating after graduation. Yet, he stopped calling her almost as soon as the summer began. He stopped returning her phone calls and after a month Jane had no choice but to assume their relationship was over. She was heartbroken and stayed in bed for a long time. She stopped eating and lost twenty pounds. It broke Elizabeth's heart to watch her sister fall apart like that. After three weeks she decided to do something. She forced her sister to start getting out of bed and to start taking care of herself. For example, If Jane didn't eat one day, Elizabeth sat on her bed and fed her soup and did not take no for an answer. There was no way she was going to let Jane fall apart, and Jane did get the point. When the time came to start her job Jane managed to do fine, but it was clear that her spark was gone. She wasn't lively like she used to be, and she didn't smile nearly as much. Elizabeth decided it would be best for them to be closer to home, and Jane agreed.
A year after they graduated they moved back to Southern California and got their own place. They were close enough to their family to hang out, but far enough to have plenty of time on their own. It was the right move. Jane improved dramatically, but was never as happy as she used to be. And, to her mother's dismay, she didn't date. Despite the fact that she was asked out regularly, Jane just never felt interested enough to say yes.
Right before Jane and Elizabeth moved back home, Jane spent the night with her aunt and uncle in Manhattan. She knew that Caroline was nearby and decided to visit her. They'd kept in touch despite the horrible mess surrounding Jane and Charles. When Jane showed up at her dorm Caroline didn't know what to do. Charles was supposed to come by, and he was an absolute wreck. She couldn't let them run into each other. She met Jane at the door and decided that they should take a walk around the block, rather than hang out in her room. She also told Jane she had a class soon and couldn't hang out. Caroline found it hard to maintain the pretense of a friendship face to face and Jane noticed how cold she was. When Caroline hinted at Charles' new romance with William's sister Anna, Jane knew Caroline was not trying to be her pal and ended the relationship right there. She decided that night; she would do her best to put the entire Bingley family behind her.
And she tried very hard, but was never quite successful. At twenty-six, she'd become an old maid, and felt like all her best years were behind her.
Jane, upstairs showering, was thinking about what Elizabeth said. She realized she needed to face her demons if she ever had any hope of having a happy life. When she came down to eat. She told Elizabeth they'd both be going to the reunion.
Chapter 3 Posted on Friday, 13 May 2005
Things progressed fairly normally after that. The invitation arrived months before the actual event. In fact, the only thing to do was make reservations at the hotel in town and RSVP the school. Everything would take place over a weekend in June. Seeing as to how it was still February, Elizabeth and Jane decided to put off worrying about anything until it was closer to summer.
Jane, was working for a powerful environmental lobby and had a busy couple months trying to fundraise for a major cleanup of the local coast area. Elizabeth also had plenty to do. She worked for a political consulting firm and ended up doing some work with the governor. She traveled to Sacramento for two weeks. While she was there she saw that Charles Bingley was prominent in the local society pages, he apparently lived in the area. He and his sister were in the papers almost everyday. Elizabeth wasn't surprised about that: they were very rich, Charles was always a social person and Caroline craved attention. But, she was surprised about the number of women to whom Charles was supposedly linked. He'd turned into a playboy. So, she thought, he broke up with my sister so he could run around with a bunch of bimbos. What an idiot. He has no idea what he gave up. Elizabeth took some small satisfaction in noting that not one of the women he'd dated was as pretty as Jane.
After work, on the last day of her trip, Elizabeth attended a reception given in honor of the governor. A large campaign contributor, Netherfield Software, was throwing it at one of the nicest hotels in the area. The party's room was dazzling. It had high ceilings with huge and expensive chandeliers and large windows with a view of the bay. A string quartet played in the corner, while rich donors stood around mingling with each other.
Elizabeth never knew all that much about Charles' family business, and she'd entirely forgotten the name of it years ago. So, imagine her surprise, when at the reception she not only saw Charles, but also Caroline. She noticed them before they saw her, and quickly ducked behind a potted plant. "Damn," she thought, and then realized she'd said out loud as several prominent people looked at her strangely. I've got to get out of here she realized while she looked for a quick escape. She saw a door that looked to be an exit and rushed through it. Turns out it was a bathroom. "Damn" Elizabeth thought, and then realized again that'd she'd said it aloud as the other women in the bathroom gave her odd looks. "I've got a run in pantyhose," she explained apologetically. Then looked down to realize she did indeed have a run in her stocking. Oh well, she thought as she entered the stall to take off the nylons I won't be here much longer anyway.
While she was fixing herself, who should enter the bathroom but Caroline Bingley. Elizabeth recognized her laugh - a rather distinctive cackle. Caroline was talking about someone her brother had dated. "She's probably still hung up on him." Poor girl, thought Elizabeth just like Jane "She's so pretty too, it's a shame all that potential went to waste. Last time I saw her, and mind you, this is a year after they broke up she was still panting after him. It was pathetic." Waaaaaait a second thought Elizabeth I don't like where this is going. "That's why I don't want him to go to the reunion. She could see him and relapse. It's for Jane's own good that he stay away, Charles is out of her league." That's it, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind.determined Elizabeth. She fixed her skirt and burst out of the stall with a bang only to find that she'd scared the elderly woman next in line and Caroline had left. Well, I'll just find her and tell her off, then go. With that purpose in mind she strode out of the bathroom and straight into the best looking guy of her acquaintance.
Chapter 4 Posted on Friday, 13 May 2005
"Oof," went Elizabeth. Then she looked up and was staring into very intense blue eyes. "Hi," he said, without smiling. "Sorry," said Elizabeth "It's my fault." Hey, I know this guy it's ... Oh, no, not "William Darcy, where have you been?" came a voice behind them. The woman Elizabeth had been looking for. "Louisa and I have been quite desolate without you." William looked over, and just barely concealed his annoyance. "Caroline, I believe you know Elizabeth. Louisa, I don't think you've met. This is Elizabeth Bennet," he said.
"It's nice to meet you," replied Elizabeth while she glared daggers at Caroline.
"Likewise," said Louisa noticing the strange interaction between her sister and the pretty stranger. Caroline glowered at Elizabeth. She hadn't failed to notice the way that William stared at her. In the midst of all this, Charles Bingley walked up to the little group.
"Elizabeth!" he'd exclaimed, and then grabbed her up in a huge bear hug.
A slightly startled Elizabeth let out a breath after he let her go, and said "Hi, Charles. How are you?"
"I'm good," He replied, "What are you doing here I thought you'd moved to Southern California with..."
"Yes, what are you doing here?" Caroline stepped in to cover her brother's discomfort. "I'm consulting for the governor, and he asked me to come to the reception. I go home tomorrow."
"So soon," said William while Charles asked how her family was.
"I've been here two weeks," she said to William, ignoring Charles question," It's not too soon for me."
"So, how's your family?" Charles asked again.
Persistent, I'll give him that. "They're fine," she gave a short reply. She knew what he was really asking and wasn't sure if she cared to answer the unspoken question.
"I'm going to be in-," William started to say, only to be cut off by Charles overly casual, "So how are your sisters?"
"They're fine." She said, and then realized that he'd probably just come right out and ask how Jane was if she continued to be vague. Still, she wasn't sure what to say. So, to give herself time she started from the youngest and worked her way up. "Lydia's in college close to home, and so is Kitty. They didn't want to go out of state. Mary's just finished her bachelor's degree from Northwestern, and is working for the symphony in Chicago. And Jane..."
Elizabeth looked at the faces around her. Charles eagerness had surprised her at first, but then she realized -of course he's interested, he probably still has feelings. He was crazy about her. Still, it didn't stop him breaking her heart to go sleep around so I probably shouldn't encourage him. Darcy and Louisa looked worried. He never thought Jane was good enough, always scowling at the two of them, she chalked Louisa up to having the same reaction as Darcy. But it was Caroline's smirk that angered her the most. Nobody talks about my sister like that. I'll show her she thought as a slow, satisfied smile crept across her face. Elizabeth's eyes were almost sparkling when she said, very clearly, so there'd be no misunderstanding, "Jane got married."
Chapter 5 Posted on Friday, 13 May 2005
Her announcement did the trick. Caroline's superior look was knocked right off her face. William and Louisa also looked surprised, but not displeased. Charles just looked ... sad. Elizabeth had never seen him like that, he always seemed so jovial. But, now the life had just gone out of him. Elizabeth wondered how someone could deflate that quickly, as Charles asked, more to himself than anyone, "How could I not know? Why didn't I hear anything?"
"Why would you have heard anything?" Elizabeth asked.
Charles looked uncomfortable as he stammered out, "W-w-well I know people who-who work with her, and um, they know I know-knew her, and they would have told me if she'd gotten married."
"Well, it only just happened," said Elizabeth Just a couple minutes ago, in fact. "It was a whirlwind kind of thing they met, they fell in love, they got married. Actually, eloped. It was very romantic."
"Jane's not like that" challenged Charles, "She's not that impulsive."
"She wasn't that impulsive," said Elizabeth quietly, "but she's changed. You hardly know her now."
"Yeah," said Charles, not even bothering to hide his despair.
"Charles, we should go. We're supposed to meet Anna at the restaurant in twenty minutes," Caroline said quickly. "Let's go," she said, a little more forcefully, when Charles showed no inclination to move.
"It was nice seeing you again," said William, "Very nice. What firm is it you work for?"
"Austen Political Consulting. Nice to see you too Will, Caroline, Charles. Nice to meet you Louisa, have a good night," replied Elizabeth as she got herself a champagne flute from one of the roving trays.
As they moved out of sight, she allowed herself a small moment of triumph before she realized just how much trouble she'd gotten her sister into.
Chapter 6 Posted on Sunday, 12 June 2005
As Elizabeth drove down the freeway looking for her exit, she rehearsed, in her mind, what she would say to her sister Jane, I told a little tiny ridiculously small white lie on your behalf to Charles and Caroline Bingley. It's funny actually, ha ha ... I told them you were married. It's no big deal really. Just thought you might want to know. Elizabeth let out a big sigh. There's no way that works. I'm so screwed.
Fifteen minutes later, she pulled up to her townhouse. She exited the car and walked into the house, carrying Chinese take-out and some Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Maybe I can bribe Jane into forgiving me. Elizabeth saw that her sister was in the living room watching old movies on television. "Hey," Elizabeth called out, "I'm home, did you miss me?"
"Of course," said Jane, getting up to help Elizabeth with all the stuff in her hands. "How was your day?" asked Jane.
"Good," replied Elizabeth, preoccupied with keeping her purse, keys, briefcase and ice cream from falling to the floor, and thus missing Jane's strange tone of voice.
"My day was very interesting," Jane continued, "I got into work and started making phone calls about the fundraising drive. I was in the middle of soliciting a huge donation when my boss comes in and asks to see me in his office." Jane walked into the kitchen to put the food away, while Elizabeth followed. "He sits me down and says 'Congratulations!' Of course I'm confused," said Jane as she started to get plates and utensils. Elizabeth just sat at the counter and put her head in her hands. "I have no idea why I'm being congratulated. So, I ask him, 'Why am I being congratulated? Did something happen?' He goes, 'I should say so. You got married and didn't tell anybody. Tsk. Tsk.' Lizzy, I kid you not, I sat there staring at him with my mouth open for a full minute. I just didn't understand. After a while, I got myself together, and asked him, in a very eloquent manner, 'What? ... How? ... I don't ... What?' He got all confused and said, 'A friend of mine heard from your sister that you got married. Elizabeth Bennet is your sister isn't she?' 'Of course,' I said, 'But she would never say anything like that. I don't understand.' Then he got this look on his face, like he understood, and said, 'Oh, I get it now, still trying to keep things a secret. Well, no worries I won't say a word. It'll be like you never got married at all.' And I said, 'But I didn't get married.' but he just winked at me. I tried to insist, but it was clear he thought I was just joking with him.. At that point, I just went back to work. So, Lizzy, my dear sister, I have a couple questions for you."
"Right," Elizabeth said, looking up, "But before you ask them can I just point out that I got garlic chicken, which you know I hate the smell of, because you love it. And, I also got chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, but I was gonna let you have the whole thing."
"You're lucky I can be so easily bribed," Jane replied, "Now tell me-Why the heck did you say I got married."
"Okay, here's what happened," started Elizabeth, "Last night, I went to a reception held for the governor. It was at the Sheraton. They had these shrimp puffs that were to die for. You should have seen-"
"Lizzy," Jane interrupted, "Stop stalling."
"Sorry. At the party, I ran into William Darcy.'
"William?"
"And a few other people."
"Who else?"
"Charles and Caroline Bingley."
"What? Oh my God."
"And I told them that you were married"
"What? Why would you do that!?!"
"I'm sorry Jane, but Caroline was being such an aggravating witch. She was talking about how you probably weren't over Charles despite the fact that you stopped going out years ago. I just thought if I told them you were married it would set her in her place, and prove just how little you cared about him."
"But, it's not true!"
"I know that, but they didn't have to."
"So, Charles thinks I'm married."
"Yes"
"Oh my god"
"I'm sorry."
"But why did you have to lie? I mean, is my life really so sad that you couldn't tell the truth?"
"No, not at all. I was just trying to get at Caroline. She's just one of those girls who thinks you can't be happy if you don't have a man at your side. It was stupid of me to be so petty. And I'm so sorry I hurt your feelings, please forgive me."
"Of course I forgive you Lizzy. You were just trying to help."
"So you're not mad?"
"Not really. I could be mad, but there's not much point. What's done is done and you were only doing what you did because you care about me. Besides, you did buy me ice cream. Told you I could be easily bribed"
"Jane, you are really too good." Elizabeth was relieved to see that her sister, although obviously affected by the news, was trying to retain her good humor.
"I know. But, Lizzy what are we gonna do? He'll probably be at the reunion and we can't back out because everything's paid for."
"Well, I can't tell him I lied. That would just makes it worse for you. I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay. Don't worry about it. So, should I just pretend I'm married?"
"Well, it's only for the weekend. Maybe we won't run into him. How about this? Just don't say anything unless someone asks."
"What if someone asks?"
"We have a story ready. Name, age, job, etc. We just don't give away more information than is necessary."
"Sounds okay to me." Jane gave Lizzy an odd look.
"What?" Lizzy asked.
"You know Lizzy, despite the fact that you work in politics, you don't lie all that much."
"HA HA. Very funny."
"No, I mean it. You're usually so honest, but you lied to protect me." Jane covered Lizzy's hand with her own. "Thank you."
"Oh, Jane. I love you. I would do anything for you," Lizzy said, hugging her sister.
"I hope you know the feeling's mutual," Jane replied.
"I do. Now, time to eat. The food is getting cold."
Chapter 7 Posted on Sunday, 12 June 2005
As Elizabeth arrived for work the next morning she thought about the previous evening. She and Jane had stayed up all night talking. They'd had fun coming up with a fictitious husband for Jane should anyone ask about him. Elizabeth decided that he was handsome, wealthy, and very amusing. While Jane added that he was kind and generous. Elizabeth talked about his family life on the farm in Iowa, and then Jane described his travels in Europe and Asia. Both sisters agreed that this guy was perfect, and if they ever met him in real life they'd be required to marry him.
One thing was still bothering her though. Jane's boss, John Philips, heard about her nuptials the day after Elizabeth said something. That was fairly quick, considering that Elizabeth had only told four people. She wondered which of those individuals knew John. He was connected with wealthy people, being a fairly successful fundraiser, but she doubted that he worked in the same league as the Bingleys or the Darcys. It's very curious Elizabeth thought as entered her office.
Elizabeth sat at her desk and started work for the day. Elections were coming up for several of Elizabeth's clients, and she really needed to advance their campaigns. Around ten-thirty in the morning, her phone rang. She picked it up absent-mindedly while she looked at some of the polling data for the mayoral race in Meryton. "Elizabeth Bennet," she said into the receiver.
"Elizabeth, Hi. It's William Darcy," came a voice on the phone.
"William," said a startled Elizabeth, "Hi, what can I help you with."
"Um, I had some business I wanted to discuss with you. I was hoping we could get together today."
"Oh, um, let me see. I'm pretty booked for the day. The only time I have free is lunch, um ... how about-"
"Lunch would be fine." Darcy said quickly, "Where would you like to go? I don't really know the area that well."
"Oh, okay. Lunch then, how about Italian. There's a place called Ameci's in downtown Longbourn. It's not hard to find. Twelve-thirty sound good?"
"Sounds perfect. See you then, Elizabeth," said Darcy, right before he hung up.
Elizabeth wondered about William's calling her out of the blue. What business could he possibly have with me. Perhaps he wants to run for office. The thought amused her as the she pictured the rather uptight and stiff Darcy smiling and shaking hands with a large crowd of people. First thing we'd have to do is loosen him up. As if he would ever let that happen. Elizabeth shook her head as she got back to work.
An hour and forty-five minutes later, Elizabeth got ready to go to her lunch meeting. She assumed she'd be meeting Darcy at the restaurant. The phone rang, and as she reached to answer it she knocked over a cup of coffee. "Dang it!" she exclaimed.
"Lizzy, are you really allowed to answer the phone like that?" came the voice of her sister Lydia. "You're lucky it's me," she continued. Otherwise you'd be in trouble."
"Hello , Lydia," said Elizabeth, "What's up?"
"Nothing," her sister answered, "I just wanted to tell you about the wicked time I had last night."
"Hold on," Elizabeth said. "I'm gonna put you on speaker. I need to change my clothes, I just spilled coffee on my suit."
"That was clumsy."
"Well, I didn't do it on purpose. Why did you call again?"
"To tell you about the party I went to last night."
"Wait, last night was a Tuesday. You had school today, why would you be going out?" Elizabeth asked as she took off her skirt. Thank god, I have a spare suit in my office. It wouldn't do to meet William Darcy looking anything less than perfect, she thought.
"Do you want to hear or not."
Elizabeth didn't feel like arguing so she let her sister tell the story. Just as Lydia was describing some of her antics in the backroom of a nightclub with a man named Denny Elizabeth heard a knock at the door. She was in her underwear, just about to put on a clean shirt, and Elizabeth sighed with relief that the door was locked. Or so she thought, until the door handle started to turn. "Wait, don't come in!" she exclaimed, but it was too late. Standing in the doorway was William Darcy.
Chapter 8 Posted on Sunday, 12 June 2005
The ride to the restaurant can be described in one word: Awk-Ward. Darcy, was his usual quiet self while Elizabeth was too embarrassed to say anything. She kept repeating the scene over and over in her head, the shocked look on William's face, her sister's loud voice, the way he'd quickly exited her office. She'd never been so embarrassed in her life. William was a perfect gentleman and didn't say a word about what he'd seen or heard. Still, Elizabeth could sense his disapproval and she deeply resented it. Nor, could she understand why it bothered her so much. Why should I care what he thinks. He's a pompous jerk. I just wish I could have made a better impression.
They arrived at the restaurant and were quickly seated in a corner booth. While they went over the menus, Elizabeth decided to make small talk. "Sooooooo, William, what brings you to Longbourn?"
"Not much really, I'm here to handle a few business deals then I'm done. Although, actually I thought I might take a vacation in the area. I hear the coasts are really beautiful around here," said William.
"Oh, they are," Elizabeth enthused, "You should talk to Jane. The non-profit that she works for is working on doing some clean-up right now so she ends up going to the beach a couple times a week. I'm sure she'd show you the best places."
"Thanks, where does she work?" Darcy asked politely.
"Oh, the CEP, California Environmental Project, it's run by a man named John Phillips, he's big in the charity community," Elizabeth answered.
"I know John Phillips, actually."
"You do?" said Elizabeth, and then things clicked into place. "You must have told him about Jane then." Oh, dang it, I forgot I'm not supposed to bring it up. Oh well, might as well make the best of it. "Can you do me a favor and keep it quiet. I wasn't supposed to say anything. Jane wants it to be a secret, she hasn't even told the family yet."
"Sure," replied Darcy, although it was clear that he was thinking about something else.
"So, when did you leave the Bay Area?" Elizabeth asked.
"Today"
"Oh, wow. You must have left really early. Didn't you call around 10:30? Otherwise that means you contacted me as soon as your plane hit the ground." Elizabeth chuckled at the idea of his being so eager to talk to her. Darcy didn't join in her laughter, but instead looked down at the table. There was an uncomfortable silence, as Elizabeth realized that he probably had called her as soon as he arrived in town. "Well, we might as well get started," Elizabeth said, wanting to change the subject.
"Yes, of course. I want to hire you," Darcy stated.
"You want to run for public office?," Elizabeth asked, doubtfully.
"No, not for me. For my cousin, Richard Fitzwilliam. He lives over in Meryton, and he's thinking of running for city council."
"I see. Then why isn't he talking to me?"
"Because, I haven't convinced him yet. I figured if I was able to get one of the best political minds in the business to work on his campaign he'd be more likely to throw his hat in the ring."
"Well, normally flattery will get you everywhere, but I know nothing about your cousin and my job does not consist of trying to consist of convincing people to enter politics. Besides, I'm not sure I want a client who isn't eager to run. Makes it that much more difficult for me to work with him."
"I understand, but as a favor to me, would you meet with him. Just a meeting, no obligations."
"Weeeeeell, okay. But that's it, just a meeting if I don't like him I don't work for him."
"Got it. So, what's good here?"
Elizabeth suggested the lasagna, so pleased that William considered her intelligent that she was willing to share her favorite dish with him. Surprisingly, the rest of lunch went very well. William was much easier to talk to than in college, and even made a few jokes. While, Elizabeth decided to relax and put the embarrassing instance from earlier out of her mind. The only strange point of the meal came when Elizabeth looked up from her menu to discover William staring at her intensely, while that in itself was not unusual - it happened often enough in college, instead of wondering, for the umpteenth time, why he was looking at her, Elizabeth asked herself why she hadn't been stared back at him before. When she realized that his green eyes had flecks of gold in them, she forced herself to look away. Strange, she thoughtVery strange.
Chapter 9 Posted on Sunday, 12 June 2005
While Elizabeth was having a surprisingly enjoyable afternoon with William Darcy, Jane was having a fun afternoon making a new friend.
Earlier that afternoon she had contacted local eateries asking them to donate food for a benefit being thrown by the CEP, the non-profit that employed her. While most of the businesses had been more than willing to help, she had had trouble getting in touch with the manager at one of her favorite restaurants, The Seacruiser. Hoping to contact someone in charge she decided to have a late lunch there, despite its being 15 minutes from her office. The building was erected just a few years ago and had been designed to look like a yacht complete with a deck and portholes. Inside, it had been decorated with luxury in mind. Jane loved eating there because the entire atmosphere was so relaxing with the jazz music and soft lighting. Normally, it was out of her budget but she decided to splurge because it was for a good cause it she wanted to celebrate her decision to finally move on from Charles Bingley.
As she entered the restaurant she noticed that someone was arguing with the maitre d. From behind she could tell he was a tall man with sandy hair and an athletic build. Also, he wasn't dressed properly for the establishment. He wore a t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. Jane took a moment to admire his behind, before deciding to speak to the maitre d, in hopes of getting him to let the man eat there.
"Look," the underdressed man said, "You're clearly new, so you don't know who I am, but if you do not let me in I guarantee your job is in jeopardy."
The maitre d', looked intimidated, but said, "Sir, I have to uphold the standards of the restaurant. If my boss were to come in and see that I hadn't done what I've been hired to do, my job would be in jeopardy as well."
"Excuse me," she said, as both men looked up, "I'm sorry to interrupt, and I know it's none of my business, but couldn't something be worked out. I mean, it's fairly late in the afternoon so most of the lunch crowd has gone. Perhaps if you seated him in an out of the way place, no one would notice he was isn't dressed appropriately." Then she smiled. At that moment, the maitre d' fell in love, and he wasn't the only one.
Richard Fitzwilliam, while at first, grateful to the blonde woman for intervening on his behalf became enchanted with her the moment she looked at him. Both men, willing to agree with anything she said if she'd just smile again, agreed to her suggestion. Richard, deciding he couldn't just let her walk away she suggested that she have lunch with him.
"It's the least I could do," he said. Jane, not particularly looking forward to the idea of eating alone, agreed once she learned that the manager, Carl, wouldn't be back for another thirty minutes.
"So, what brings you here?" Richard asked, and then cringed for asking such an inane question. Jane saw his embarrassment and decided not to make a sarcastic response.
"Business," she said, "I'm hoping to get the manager to donate food for a benefit my company is having next month."
"Really?" Richard responded, "Do they normally do that here?"
"No, but I'm hoping I can convince the manager. It's such good food and I think the volunteers deserve something nice, but we don't have the money to pay for it."
"So you figured if you came down and gave the restaurant some business today, he might be more inclined."
"Something like that, but also, I love it here. And, I know Carl, he's volunteered with us before, he's such a sweetheart."
"Do you have a crush on Carl?" Richard asked, very casually.
Jane laughed. "And how is that any business of yours?" she asked.
"It's not any business of mine, I ask on behalf of his wife-Laura."
"Oh, you know the family then? That must be why you thought you could get in here without a jacket of some kind. That's too bad. You should have come prepared, just in case. How do you know Carl?"
Richard decided against telling her that he owned the restaurant, not wanting to ruin their playful banter. "We worked together," he said, "You mentioned a benefit before. What is it you do?"
"I help a run a non-profit agency dedicated to cleaning pollution on the beach. We're having our annual fundraising drive. It culminates in a daylong effort to clean up the beach with hundreds of volunteers all up and down the coast picking up trash, and then we have a benefit later in the evening. It's a big deal, and lots of people get involved. Normally, we have a lot of fun. Oh, I know! You should come!!"
It impossible to resist her enthusiasm, and Richard was not one to miss an opportunity when it presented itself. "Of course," he said, "You should give me your number and I'll call and get the information. Perhaps we could discuss it over dinner."
"Sure," Jane said, "let me get yours too and I can put you on our list."
They exchanged information, but Richard was unsure if she saw things as anything more than platonic. Still, lunch progressed nicely. Jane really felt at ease with Richard, he was incredibly nice and very funny. Soon, she was telling him about her upcoming reunion and the trouble waiting for her there.
"I mean," she told him, "I'm not sure what to expect. I have a feeling that things are going to go very badly. He thinks I have a husband, for heaven's sake! And, it's not like I can say, 'Nope, not married, Lizzy lied. Haven't actually dated anyone in five years.' It'd be better to just avoid him all weekend and say as little about it as possible."
"Maybe not," Richard said, and grinned, "I think I can help you out."
"What do you mean?" Jane asked, suspiciously. He was smiling like the cat that ate the canary. It could not be a good thing.
"I'll be your husband," Richard announced as Jane took a sip of her water.
"What?" she sputtered, while spitting out the water.
"I'll be your husband. I'm gonna be in New Haven at the same time, visiting some relatives. My cousin, William Darcy, perhaps you know him, he went to Yale, postponed our annual trip so he could be there the same time as his friend Charles Bingley."
Jane groaned loudly, and put her head in her hands.
"Wait a second," Richard said, "Who's your ex-boyfriend?"
"Charles Bingley," Jane said so quietly, he wasn't sure he heard her.
"You're Jane Bennet The Jane. Oh my god, this is priceless," Richard said as he started to laugh, "Now we can say it's all a joke. This works out perfectly."
"What do you mean?" Jane asked.
"I'm always playing jokes like this on William and Charlie, we can just say your sister said you were married to me so that we can pull one over on my cousin. In fact he's in town right now, meeting with your sister, Elizabeth"
"So the lie doesn't have to be about me at all really?" Jane asked, sighing with relief, "I'm so happy I could kiss you right now."
And Richard wanted to kiss her at that moment, but he resisted temptation. She was just joking, and as much as he hated to admit it, Charles was still very much in love with her. Playing her pretend husband was Richard's chance to have a little fun at Will's expense, and spur Charlie into action.
"Now, I owe you one," Richard said
"How do you mean?" Jane asked.
"Well, this I'll be the biggest trick I've ever played on Will. To pay you back, not only will I volunteer next month. I'll let you host your benefit here, free of charge."
"That's very kind of you," she said, thinking that he was being facetious, "But I'll settle for letting you pay for lunch."
"I'll do that too," he replied, magnanimously
"I was just kidding, I can pay for my own lunch."
"I wasn't. Besides, how can you pay, if there isn't a bill."
When he said that, Jane looked around and realized they'd been talking at the restaurant for hours, well past the time it closed to get ready for dinner. But nobody had tried to kick them out. And the bill had yet to appear. She thought for a moment and asked Richard, "How do you know Carl again?"
"I own the restaurant," he replied, looking sheepish.
"Well," she said, archly, "Then I will let you pay for lunch."
Chapter 10 Posted on Sunday, 12 June 2005
Later that evening, Jane arrived home to find Elizabeth curled up in bed thinking about William Darcy. Jane had stayed late to catch up on some of the work she missed out on, having been so long at lunch. When she entered Elizabeth's room, her sister had a dreamy look on her face, and Jane could tell Elizabeth had a new crush even if her sister did not realize it yet. "Jane, you'll never guess who I had lunch with today!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
"William Darcy," Jane replied, and laughed at the look on her sister's face.
"You know one of these days, I'll be able to tell you about something that occurred without you already knowing," Elizabeth said, smiling.
"That'll never happen," Jane replied. "What did he want," she asked.
"He wanted to hire me, for his cousin's campaign."
"Richard's campaign?"
"You know Richard Fitzwilliam?"
"Yep, absolutely. He's a godsend. In fact, let me change out of my work clothes and I'll tell you about my lunch."
Once again, Jane and Elizabeth stayed up all night talking. Jane filled in Elizabeth about Richard's plan; they then discussed the man himself. It seemed Jane, finally, as if Jane had a crush on someone as well. Elizabeth then talked about her lunch with William Darcy, and Jane smiled to herself while her sister went on and on about how annoying he was. While Elizabeth talked, Jane wondered how much time it would take them to get together.
Also that evening, William Darcy placed a call to an old friend. The phone rang, after what seemed like an eternity someone finally answered. "Hello," came a voice on the phone.
"Charles, what in the hell are you doing talking to John Philips. In fact, how the hell do you know John Philips?" Darcy asked.
There was no reply. "Seriously, Charles, you better answer me. Have you been keeping tabs on Jane Bennet through her boss?"
"Yes" came the reply, "But it isn't what you think."
"Then what is it?"
"A couple years ago I ran into Philips at some party. I mentioned going to Yale, he mentioned having someone from the school in his office. When I asked who it was, he said it was Jane. I just kept in touch with him after that."
"How, 'in touch' did you keep?"
Once again, there was no reply. "Charles, just answer the question"
"I'm their biggest benefactor."
"Why?"
"He tells me about her. Every time I speak to him, he gives me news about her."
"Does Jane know?"
"God no! I asked Philips not to say anything, said she'd be upset if she knew I was the one giving them the money."
"Charles, it's been five years. Perhaps it's time to forget about her."
"I've tried. I really have, but every time that I'm with another woman she's all I can think about."
William sighed with relief, that Jane was married and thus out of Charles' reach for good.
"Is that why you called Philips, to ask about her getting married?"
"Yes, but he didn't know anything about it. He assumed she was keeping things under wraps. Which kind of makes sense. She is kind of secretive about stuff like that. She didn't tell her parents we were going out until our six-month anniversary. But that makes it all the more difficult to believe she would get married on the spur of the moment like that"
"Well she did, and she is keeping it quiet," William confirmed, "Her family doesn't even know. Just Elizabeth."
"I'm gonna go now Darcy. I'll talk to you later." Charles replaced the receiver, feeling like he wanted to cry.
After he hung up the phone with William, Charles walked into his room and opened the top drawer of his dresser. In it was a small velvet box from Tiffany's. Within the box lay a ring, an emerald engagement ring with a platinum band. Emerald had been Jane's favorite jewel. He wondered if it still was. He often found himself looking at the ring and thinking about her. He remembered the day he bought it, the worst day of his life.
It had been in the middle of June. Jane was still in California, she and Elizabeth were visiting with their family before moving into their new apartment in New York. Charles had never seen it; Jane said she wanted it to be a surprise. He saw her visit home as the perfect opportunity to do something he'd been thinking about for quite some time. He would have asked Elizabeth to accompany him, but she wasn't in town so he brought the next best thing, his sister-Caroline. He asked her to meet him at Tiffany's. He said he had something important to buy. She thought he was getting her an early birthday present, but when he walked straight to the section with the engagement rings she understood just what he meant to do and was horrified. She realized at that moment she would need to take drastic action if she had any hope of permanently separating Charles and Jane.