Beginning, Section II
Posted on Thursday, 3 November 2005
Beth lay awake for hours, her mind refusing to shut down after the long evening she had just had. Her life seemed to be full of confusing men at the moment - she who had always prided herself on being a good judge of character was doing an awful job of figuring out who these people really were. George, who she had thought so wonderful, had turned out to be a sleaze, albeit a helpful, good-at-accounting one; Charles, who appeared so charming and kind, had a harem of ex-girlfriends; and Will, so abrupt and aloof, had spent a whole morning entertaining a four year old. What was going on?
Her thoughts kept circling around the events of the evening. Sure she'd been friendly with George. In her attraction to his gorgeousness she'd mumbled complete rubbish to him when he'd first arrived, but after that she didn't think that she'd treated him so very differently to other people. Charlotte had always laughed at Beth's ability to flirt with anyone, male or female. It was one of the things that made her a wonderful host. She instinctively knew how to charm people, how to coax them into relaxing and enjoying themselves. And that, more or less, was all she had done with George. No, she decided firmly, there was nothing in her behaviour which she regretted. That he chose to take it as an invitation to try and spend the night with her and then refused to take no for an answer said much more about his personality than hers. After all, they'd spoken about her past and her ideals enough, surely he should have been able to tell that she was not going to welcome his advances?
Just how much had George deceived her? Beth no longer knew if she could trust her own judgement. Was he a liar too? He certainly wasn't the person she had thought he was. She rubbed her temples as she felt a headache coming on. Looking at the clock she groaned when she saw that it was already past one in the morning. The down side of running your own business was that you couldn't afford to be late for work, which for her meant getting up at six am. Breathing through her nose, she inhaled air until the bones in her chest were about to burst, then let it out slowly in an attempt to relax her body. It was a technique she'd used for years, allowing her to focus on her body and sending her to sleep within minutes.
All too soon the alarm went off and another day began. Her well established morning routine required little thought. Beth had woken feeling delicate, her emotions still in chaos and her head aching. Pacing in her garden with a cup of tea she mentally shook herself, pulling herself together for the day ahead. So he wanted to kiss me, is that so very bad? Yes, she silently screamed, shuddering as she relived the experience. Yes it was. He touched me!
She needed to speak to Jane and Charlotte. Ever since they were children the three girls had shared everything, counselled each other through everything. She had texted Jane as soon as she had woken up - about three hours before she expected Jane to be awake. That meant another hour or two before she would get an answer. She was hoping that her sister would be free for dinner that evening, in which case she would close early so that they could have a proper girlie night in. It had definitely been too long since they'd done that.
Returning to the house she got Jacob up, dressed and breakfasted, reminded him to be a good boy when he went to his friend's for dinner that evening and kissed him before the walking bus collected him for school.
After waving goodbye to him, she stood alone in the kitchen. The sound of the shop door opening made her jump - for the first time since she'd opened she was nervous about being in the shop by herself. What if it was him? Mentally she scolded herself for being so silly. Charlotte was upstairs and he was hardly likely to try anything in an open shop.
"Hello?" She finally relaxed fully when she heard Charles' voice from inside. Just her usual early bird customers.
"Just coming," she called back in a voice almost her own. As she entered the shop her eyes locked with Will's. She felt a new connection with this strange man, in some way their histories with George, unknown to the other in any detail, forged a bond between the two of them. For his part, he wondered what had caused the fear and sadness that he saw in her usually bright eyes.
"Elizabeth?" It was just one word, but something in the way he said it made her feel comforted.
Charles, noticing only the rumbling of his empty stomach, cut through their silent communication with his breakfast order. At his voice, Beth snapped out of her daydream in which Will Darcy proved to be her knight in shining armour, or preferably a pair of well cut jeans she mused, and forced herself to remember how much she disliked the man, however tantalising he could make her name sound. Will too retreated to his customary silence, asking her for a coffee and some food before taking a seat at his usual table and opening the day's paper. As is often the case with people in love though, he couldn't have told anyone anything about the contents of said paper, given that he spent the next ten minutes gazing unseeingly at the newsprint thinking only of Beth and how she had captivated him so completely.
He had never met anyone like her - she was colourful and vibrant, loving and fun. At first he had found the colours with which she surrounded herself intimidating, now he saw it as an expression of her soul - bright and attractive without being showy or ostentatious. See her favourite red skirt as the embodiment of all that he loved about her - the way it hung low on her hips, the hem falling mid way down her well toned calves, brushing her soft pale skin as she walked, temptingly sexy in a modest, elegant, unusual kind of way. He longed to touch the fabric, to feel its softness, to caress her legs beneath it, warm and inviting against his hand.
People loved Beth. That much was easily clear to him. She was young and beautiful and talented, and she loved them back with a genuineness that was unfamiliar to him. He thought back to that strange evening they had spent at Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's house. Even there, the love that Beth and Jane shared overcame everything else. He smiled as he remembered various aspects of that night, Charles' fierce defence of the family after they had left, Jacob's happiness at being with his Granddad, Mrs. Bennet's ceaseless commentary on everything that was happening. His smile faded as he recalled that same lady's dismissive treatment of his Beth. How anyone, especially her own mother, could treat Beth with such disdain was beyond him. Caroline's treatment of her had been no better, but at least she wasn't family. And what of himself? He had left it to Charles to defend her, and then, when he had come to Gingerbread the next day to make sure she was ok, he had got himself so churned up over her that he couldn't even bring himself to speak. Some romantic hero he was!
He looked up to see her coming over with their food.
"Thanks," he said. It was a start at least. Willing her to stay and talk for a while as he had seen her do with so many other customers, he quickly added, "How's Jacob today?"
"He's fine."
"And Charlotte?" he prompted.
"She's good. If you'll excuse me," she muttered, before fleeing back to the kitchen, leaving Will devastated by his failure. He had no idea what had just happened, nor that Beth was standing in the kitchen fighting back tears. This wasn't turning into a good day for her. As soon as he finished his food, Will left, his pride and his heart in tatters at her haste to get away from him.
Unaware of all that Will was feeling, Beth was just relieved that the text she had been waiting for had finally come. Jane was spending her day with Charles, which meant that she would be free to come over for dinner. Feeling a weight lift from her shoulders, Beth relaxed and began to feel more like herself again. The rest of the day was quiet, with the rain keeping most of her customers away. Beth decided to close at four, treating herself to a long hot bath and baking her favourite cookies for when the girls came over.
When she first opened her shop, she had spent weeks coming up with the perfect cookie recipe - only to find that everyone's idea of what the perfect cookie should be was different. To her mind, they had to be about the same size as the palm of her hand, crispy on the outside but gooey in the middle, and suitably moreish that you could easily eat at least three in one sitting. She varied between favouring a classic double chocolate combination and a white chocolate and almond one. Knowing that Jane was particularly fond of the dense almondy variety, she made those - carefully caramelising the nuts in sugar and a little butter before mixing them in to the dough, carefully reducing the amount of sugar she added to the mixture so that they didn't end up too tooth-achingly sweet.
She baked the biscuits in batches of six for exactly eight minutes each, enjoying her self-therapy immensely. At half past six, she went to collect Jacob from his friend Simon's house, arriving there to find an excitedly exhausted little boy. Walking the short distance home together, she ended up having to piggy-back him most of the way while he rabbited on about everything he had done since she had last seen him. Games lessons, puppets in assembly, Simon's guinea pig, something that his teacher had said that she couldn't quite follow. She listened delightedly to all of his nonsense, rejoicing at the child he was becoming. His premature birth and difficult early months had left everyone unsure about how well he would ever do at school, but so far he was more than keeping pace with the other kids.
On coming home, they found Charlotte and Jane already busy in the kitchen. Jacob was thoroughly kissed and cuddled all round by his aunts - Charlotte having long since been awarded an honorary aunt-hood. They all quickly fell into their long established roles - Charlotte cooking, Jane getting Jacob ready for bed, and Beth simply sitting and being looked after for once. Having eventually got Jacob to bed, a long process involving all of the girls having to read at least one story to him, the three friends seated themselves in Beth's kitchen in front of steaming bowls of Charlotte's vegetable biryani.
"So Jane," asked Charlotte in her best interviewer's voice, "how's the wonderful Charles these days?"
"Oh, you know - wonderful," sighed Jane in a deliberately dreamy voice, the romantic effect ruined somewhat by Beth's puking noises in the background.
"So it's true love and bended knees and time for Mrs. B to go out and buy herself a new hat?" persisted Charlotte.
"Maybe not quite yet," laughed Jane, "but, well, you know. Maybe one day."
"Oh my God!" squealed Charlotte as she realised that her oldest friend was well on her way to falling madly in love with her gorgeous, wealthy boyfriend. "You've got it bad!"
Still unsure about whether or not she should tell Jane what George had said about Charles, Beth decided to hear her sister's take on things first. As it turned out, quiet Jane had a lot to say so that the next hour wasn't enough time for her to articulate all that she wanted to about wonderful Charles. Having finally exhausted all that she could think of to say, by which I mean that she was repeating herself and had to be ordered to stop by her friends, Jane turned to Beth with a smile and asked if the sexy Irish boy had been back lately.
"Just once - and hopefully never again. Man was I was wrong about him!" she sighed. "He was definitely gorgeous, unfortunately he also turned out to a be a complete arsehole."
"Oh Lizzy," cried Jane, "what happened?"
Beth filled them in on all the details of the previous evening, except the parts about Charles which she kept to herself for the moment. Jane and Charlotte, who until now had not heard the whole story, were devastated that anyone would act that way, and furious at the mistreatment that their Beth had suffered.
"What if Charlotte hadn't come home when she did?" Jane wondered aloud.
"I don't even want to think about it. Not that I think he would have done anything truly terrible," she added. She couldn't believe that he would have forced himself upon her, but then, his actions last night proved just how little she really knew him.
"So how do you feel now about all the things he told you?"
"I just don't know. Everything he said seemed so plausible - anyone can see that Darcy is a jerk - and he gave loads of detail to back up his stories, but after last night, he suddenly doesn't seem as trustworthy."
"I'd say," muttered Jane in agreement.
Beth looked at her sister, so happy in her new relationship. Should she tell her? What if she didn't and Charles did break her heart? Thinking that ice cream would help soothe any hurt, she got up and fetched a tub of her own homemade clotted cream chocolate and Baileys ice cream and a plate of the chewy, round cookies she had made earlier. Handing around three spoons, Beth decided to bite the bullet. Remembering that she didn't exactly regard anything that George had told her with any kind of certainty any more, she hesitantly began.
"Jane honey, there was one other thing that George told me." She paused, not wanting to have to say this. "And I'm telling you this because if it is true, I don't want you to get hurt ok? I'm not saying that I believe it or that I have a problem with Charles or that I don't want to see you happy right?" She looked nervously up at Jane's anxious face.
"What is it Beth?" she asked quietly.
"George said, he said that Charles was a playboy. That he had a list of exes a mile long and that he made a habit of breaking their hearts. I'm really sorry to be saying this Jane, and I don't even know if I believe it, I just thought you should know, just in case it is the truth."
Jane couldn't bring herself to look up. She knew that there was more than a hint of truth in what George had told Beth, and she felt foolish in having to say that. She knew that people would think her a fool for falling in love with an acknowledged ladies man, and that if she did get hurt it would be no-one's fault but her own. Yet actually having to admit that to her sister and best friend wasn't easy.
"It is the truth Beth. Well," she added quickly as she realised what she had said, "it's partly true. Charles has dated a lot of women, he told me that himself. But he denied breaking all of their hearts and everything that he told me makes me sure that he's the one telling the truth about that. You remember the night he came to family dinner and you told me to explain everything to him the next night? Well, after I did that he told me about his history, his girlfriends. But he swore that before he came here he hadn't seen anyone for nearly six months.
"What would you have me do Beth? Let go of the one man I have ever loved because he's dated other women in the past? I won't do it. I love him, and I think that he loves me too. He's told me he does - that night we talked, he told me that he'd only ever told one woman that he loved her - his mother - but last night he said it to me. Maybe I am being a fool, but it's a risk I need to take."
Surprised by Jane's forceful speech, Beth and Charlotte had no option but to accept her choice. Neither of them had ever seen her so decided, causing them each to develop a new respect for the woman. But Beth had to just ask,
"You're absolutely sure?"
Jane nodded, smiling through the tears that had gathered unshed in her eyes.
"Then bring on the wedding bells," laughed Beth.
"So where does all of this leave our handsome friend Arsey-Darcy?" cut in Charlotte.
Beth knotted her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"Well, if George lied, or at least exaggerated, what he said about Charles, then how do we know if we can trust what he said about Will? After all, I've never found the guy to be anywhere near as bad as you and this George fellow make him out to be."
"I agree," concurred Jane. "He's been around the last few times I've seen Charles, and I really like him. Oh, I know you think he's a suit, sister-dear, but really, if you got over your bizarre prejudices, then maybe you'd be able to see him for what he is."
"Which is?"
"Oh, handsome, thoughtful, super intelligent, great with kids, reliable, hard working, charming."
Beth couldn't help exclaiming aloud at that one. "Charming? We are talking about the same man here? Will Darcy?"
"Fitzwilliam Anthony Garth Darcy, to be correct. CEO of the Pemberley Group; estimated worth nearly three billion dollars; guardian to his younger sister and America's third most eligible bachelor."
"Charlotte?" Beth laughed in mock-horror, "how do you know all of this?"
"By the power of Google," cried Charlotte in her best He-Man impression.
The girls, fuelled by several bottles of wine, fell about laughing, with Jane and Charlotte going on to have a long discussion of what Will's He-Man style superhero powers would be. Charlotte was voting for the ability to buy anything and everything he wanted, but got vetoed by the others who pointed out that he could do that already. Jane's suggestion was an ability to stop women's hearts beating just by smiling at them.
"What?" she cried in her own defence. "Just because I have a boyfriend doesn't mean I don't have eyes. That man is seriously gorgeous - even you can't deny it Beth!"
Declining to comment, Beth instead proposed her own suggestion - the ability to inflict pain on people by insulting them or making them read the business pages while they were on holiday, but Charlotte and Jane soon shouted her ideas down, leaving Jane as the winner and establishing Darcy as unquestionably the most handsome man they knew.
After toasting his masculine beauty by opening another bottle of wine, Charlotte suddenly sobered up and looked at her two friends with such a serious expression that they were worried.
"What is it Char?" asked Jane.
"I have some news for you, and I've been trying to figure out the best way of telling you, only I don't think there is one, so here goes nothing - I'm moving out."
"What?"
"I'm leaving Meryton."
"Why? Things can't be that bad surely?"
"It's not that. It's, well, look at me," she said. "I'm twenty seven, stuck in a job that I hate, no boyfriend - it's time for some things to change. So, I've decided. I'm going travelling. I'm cashing in my savings, and treating myself to a two year trip round the world."
The Bennet sisters were speechless. They'd known Charlotte their whole lives - she didn't do things like this. She did sensible, practical things like accounting and DIY, not throwing away her job and life savings on a whim.
"And I know what you're thinking, but this isn't some sudden whim. I've been thinking about doing it for a while. But I know it's out of character for me, which I guess is why it's been so hard for me to tell anyone about it. Please don't be angry with me Beth."
"Angry with you? Charlotte, darling, I'm shocked, but I couldn't ever be angry with you for wanting to follow a dream." She paused, unable to say more to her best friend who had kept so much to herself.
"Do you have a date yet?" asked Jane.
"Not yet," said Charlotte, happy to be back on practical matters. "I handed in my notice today and booked an appointment at the surgery for my vaccinations, so if I can get everything sorted, maybe in about six weeks or so."
Beth sat in a state of shock. She had been such a bad friend to Charlotte these last few weeks. And now she was leaving! Beth couldn't imagine life without Charlotte around. Jacob would miss her so much. Suddenly feeling that life was about to become very different for her and her son, Beth knew she had to make the most of her friend and sister while they were still around. Throwing herself back into the conversation, she forced herself to be happy for her friend and demanded to know all of Charlotte's plans about where she would go and what she would see, the two sisters insisting that she go to all the places they had always wanted to visit so that she could see them vicariously on their behalf's.
At eleven, and very very tired, Beth had to say goodnight. Leaving the other two to wash up, she crept to her bed, just about finding the energy needed to clean her teeth before collapsing under the duvet. When Jane came to join her twenty minutes later, sharing her bed as she always did when she had too much to drink and couldn't drive home, her younger sister was already fast asleep.
At the end of her long day, she and Jacob were sat in their kitchen upstairs. Having already had his bath, the young boy was dressed in his favourite Spiderman pyjamas, both of them drinking a yoghurty fruit smoothie that Beth had just whizzed up. Sitting on Beth's lap, Jacob slowly read his school book aloud to her, spelling out the difficult words and looking at her proudly whenever he managed a sentence without needing any help. These were some of their best times together, in the warmth of their brightly coloured kitchen, snuggled up together sharing a story.
"Who's that?" said Beth to the little boy when she heard a key in the front door.
"Hello, Beth, Char - it's Jane," came the answer from downstairs.
"Hi - we're up here," called back Beth.
"Are you all decent? Charles is with me."
"We're good - hi Charles."
"Hey Elizabeth, hey Jakey," smiled the handsome American as he followed Jane into the room. Looking about him his eyes grew wide as he took in Elizabeth's interior decorating style. Used as he was to his sister's fashionably minimalist style and fondness for neutrals, the high gloss red, vintage kitchen units and pistachio walls were something of a surprise. "Wow! What an incredible room."
"Thanks - it's not to everyone's taste I guess but we love it. Needless to say my mother hates it."
"Beth, Charles has a favour to ask you," said Jane as she put the kettle on to boil.
"Oh?"
"Well, umm, it's just, you know Caroline has this business venture that Will and I are helping her with. She's got this important meeting lined up for tomorrow, but the chef that we'd hired to cater it has just called to say that he's sick. Caroline needs to get the project moving so she really can't afford to cancel the meeting, and Jane suggested that maybe you could help."
Beth raised her eyes questioningly at her sister. Tomorrow was Sunday, her one, precious day off.
"I know what you're thinking ," Jane burst in quickly, "tomorrow's Sunday and usually I wouldn't even dream of asking, but Caroline really has put so much work into this. I thought that maybe you and I could do it together, and there's a huge table in the kitchen Jacob could sit and draw. I think it sounds like fun!"
"And where would is this particularly large kitchen that I'm expected to cook a meal in?" questioned Beth, rolling her eyes at her sister's attempt to sound all innocent and excited.
"Netherfield," said Charles. "The only thing is, the caterer was bringing all the food. We don't have anything."
"Great!" exclaimed Beth. "Let me get this straight, you want me to cater a high class business lunch for..."
"Eight," supplied Jane.
"For eight people, with twelve hours notice and no food."
"That's pretty much it," said Charles, knowing what an audacious request he was asking.
"Well, you must either be absolutely desperate or overwhelmingly confident in my ability to produce miracles, and either way I'd be a miserable so-and-so if I refused. So I guess you've got yourself a chef."
After escaping from Charles' exuberant, thankful embrace, Beth discovered that neither of her unexpected guests had yet eaten dinner, so, while Jane tucked Jacob up in bed and Charles ran Elizabeth through the particulars of the meeting, she made them some dinner - a simple but fantastic meal of toasted ciabatta with avocado and tomato.
The guests at the meeting were all potential investors in Caroline's hotel scheme. Two of them were relatives of Darcy's, the other three were unknown to them. The original plan had been that the caterer would serve a five course lunch with Caroline making her pitch over coffee at the end.
Beth recoiled at that thought. There was no way she was spending her day off creating a five course meal from scratch. As she artistically arranged slices of tomato in concentric circles on a platter and scattered them with dressing and torn basil leaves, she described to him her idea of what was achievable: a classic English roast, with the tenderest beef dressed in garlic and rosemary, with crispy roast potatoes, stoved parsnips, wilted cabbage and Yorkshire puddings. As far as he was concerned, it all sounded wonderful, his mouth watering as she described the food. At his request, she agreed to make her apple tart for dessert. Since she already had a tub of fabulously creamy homemade vanilla ice cream to serve with that, she also decided to make some florentines to go with coffee.
"And what about alcohol?" she asked.
"Ooh yes please," said Jane as she came into the room. Beth poked her tongue out at her sister, before telling her to help herself.
"I think the caterer was bringing that too," said Charles a little sheepishly.
"I'll add it to my list then," said Beth good humouredly. "Red wine to go with the main course, then you said you wanted an aperitif as well - did you want champagne to begin? Create a good impression."
"That sounds just like the kind of thing Caroline would be into," nodded Charles. "This all sounds great Beth. I don't know how to thank you. Just hand me your bill when you're finished. I expect to have to pay extra for the late notice." Beth couldn't help wondering what a real chef, such as the one they had originally hired, would have charged them under these circumstances. As it was, the thought of charging them hadn't even entered her head, but she was gratified that Charles had thought to mention it.
Mixing mustard, vinegar, oil and seasoning together in a bowl, she carefully drizzled it over the sliced avocado, before bringing the plates to the table along with the warmed bread and a pot of houmous.
"This looks fantastic," said Charles appreciatively as he helped himself to generous portions of everything. "Has anyone ever told you that you're one amazing woman Beth?"
"Oh, you know, once or twice," she dissembled playfully.
Writing herself a comprehensive list of everything she would need to get from the supermarket the next morning, a job which involved much checking of cupboards and freezers, Beth left the two lovers to chat while they ate. Thinking that she would have time to make the biscuit part of the florentines that evening, she began gathering together the ingredients she needed, prompting Jane to realise that it would probably be best for her and Charles to do the washing up and get out of her way. Very soon, they were shutting the door behind them, with Jane promising to come round early in the morning to drive Beth to the supermarket in the next town.
Normally, Beth hated these places with their plastic food and poor ethics, but today she had little choice. Piling her trolley high with vegetables, eggs, wine and, to her surprise, a fairly glorious assortment of foodstuffs, she was disappointed by the range of meat available on the so-called butcher's counter. Pulling out her mobile phone, she was glad to find that she had stored the number of one of her regular suppliers,a local cattle farmer, and rang him straight away. Surprised to get a call from her on a Sunday morning, Tom was nevertheless happy to help, promising her that a joint of his best hung beef would be ready for her to collect in less than an hour's time. Delighted to have procured what she was sure would be an excellent cut of meat, Jane helped Beth to navigate her way round the store and together they completed the rest of the shopping in good time.
By the time the girls arrived at Netherfield, time was against them. Luckily Charles was on hand to help unload the car - no sign of Will when there was work to be done Beth couldn't help but notice - and soon they were all standing in a spotless kitchen with the shopping unpacked before them and the oven already purring.
Assigning Jane to wash and prepare the vegetables, and settling Jacob down with his drawing things, Beth gave herself the far more enjoyable task of dressing the meat. As the centrepiece of the whole meal, it was imperative that she got this just right. The joint Tom had provided her with looked fantastic, a deep red marbled cut of sirloin, which was an excellent start. First, she added a few tablespoons of olive oil to a roasting tray, which she set over the hob to warm. Then she rubbed a handful of salt into the beef, before placing it in the hot pan to seal it on all sides. Once the meat began to take on a light colour, she lifted it out of the oil momentarily, placing three chopped onions and two bulbs of garlic into the bottom of the tray. Setting the beef back on top of the vegetables, she carefully placed the whole tray into the now very hot oven.
Once the meat was on, and checking that Jane was on course with the potatoes, which would need par-boiling before adding to the roasting tray, she turned her attention to other matters. It was already far too hot in the kitchen for her to make pastry in there, so she took her bowl, ingredients and a large bag of ice through to the much cooler utility room. Laying the bag of ice on the counter, she pushed the mixing bowl into the middle of it - the aim being to keep the dough as cold as possible to ensure an especially short pastry. As an extra precaution, she wrapped her hands around the ice bag for a few moments to cool the blood in them before starting. She heard Jane open the over door and the violent sizzling of the hot fat as she poured the potatoes, rosemary stalks, fresh chopped ginger and even more garlic, crushed this time, into the roasting pan. Delicious smells wafted out to fill the whole house. Savouring the aroma, she began expertly rubbing the fat into the flour using the merest touch of her cool fingertips.
Suddenly, breaking into her rhythm, a commotion broke out in the kitchen.
"What do you mean she's in the utility room? What does she want to do - poison my investors? Elizabeth, Elizabeth. Where are you?" screeched Caroline.
"Is there a problem?" asked Elizabeth, wiping her hands on a cloth and standing in the doorway to the kitchen.
"Of course there's a problem. My guests will be here in little over an hour, and you're hiding in the utility room. No-one's laid the table, there is no sign of any food being cooked in here, and I will not stand to be made a fool of. Will and I told Charles that you were not up to the job. I should have found someone myself."
"I'd have liked to see you find anyone else willing to take on this job at the last minute on a Sunday morning, but if you think you could have done better, then I'll get my coat shall I?" Beth felt her anger rising with Caroline's insults.
"No," screamed the woman who was now her employer. "No, just promise me that there is more going on in here than I can see," she added, beginning to sound a little desperate. Beth took pity on the obviously stressed woman and briefed her fully on what she was cooking, how long everything would take and when it would be ready. To everyone's relief, Caroline gradually calmed down. Beth asked her for directions on where she wanted the meal served and if she had any preferences for the table settings. Caroline gasped in horror, evidently not having thought about such things.
"It's alright Caroline, don't worry," Jane comforted her. "Just leave it to us. Honestly, go and read through your presentation again, then get yourself ready, and by the time your guests arrive, everything will be done."
Realising that they had even more work to do than she had originally thought, Beth practically frog-marched Caroline out of the kitchen in her hurry to get rid of her. Quickly finishing off her pastry and putting it into the fridge to chill, Beth mentally re-assessed her plan for the next hour and a half.
"I was thinking that maybe we could serve the meal in the conservatory," suggested Jane, aware of her sister's line of thought. "Charles and I ate in there the other day and it was just beautiful."
"Is the table big enough for eight?"
"I think it extends so it should be fine."
"Fantastic," said Beth, who remembered the dining room at Netherfield as being a bit on the stuffy side. "There's loads of rosemary in the garden - we can cut some of that to do the table settings - which will look even better if people can see the garden while they eat. We could tie the cutlery together with the stalks using ordinary garden twine - there must be some of that about somewhere."
"I'll ask Charles. I'm pretty sure there are some lovely linen napkins in one of these drawers too. I'll do that then shall I, and you can carry on making the food?"
"Good plan, sister," responded Beth, relieved to have such a wonderful sous-chef-cum-kitchen-porter-cum-butler.
Her next job was to chop and melt the chocolate for the florentines as they would probably need two or three coats before they were ready. Then there was still the tart to make, the rest of the vegetables, the Yorkshires. The list wasn't endless, but there was a lot to do if they were going to be ready on time. What she didn't need now, she mused, was any more interruptions.
To her dismay, Charles walked into the kitchen.
"Hello girls," he smiled, blowing a kiss to Jane while taking a seat next to Jacob at the table and getting decidedly in the way. "Anything I can do to help?"
Beth was sorely tempted to tell him that the best thing he could do was disappear, but instead set him on a mission to find the napkins that Jane had mentioned, as well as sorting out glassware for the table. "Water goblets, red wine glasses and champagne flutes," she directed him.
"Red wine glasses? They're different to white wine glasses?" said a clearly confused Charles.
"Yes," Jane answered him quickly, sensing her sister's need for space. "Come on, I'll show you." Like a school boy promised a treat, Charles eagerly followed Jane into the small store room where the landlord had thoughtfully stored enough glass and china ware for about eighty people.
"I want to help too," piped up Jacob, who until that point had been content to sit and sing quietly to himself while he worked his way through the pile of drawing paper that Beth had brought.
"Ok," said Beth, hurriedly trying to think of something he could do while painting chocolate onto the backs of the florentines. "I know, why don't you help me make the batter for the Yorkshire puddings? Do remember how to weigh out the flour?"
With a bit of help, Jacob managed to measure all of the ingredients and add them and an egg into the bowl of the food processor in not too much more time than it would have taken Beth to do it alone. His favourite part though was whizzing all the ingredients together, and Beth had to physically lift the over-excited boy away from the machine so that the batter would get a chance to rest before she needed to use it.
"I hope all this noise means my dinner's nearly ready," came Will's voice. Beth jumped at the sound of her latest, and very unwelcome, interruption.
"Will!" cried Jacob, wriggling out of Beth's arms and running over to his new friend. "We're making York puddings."
"Oh," said Will, bending down to pick Jacob up before walking over to the jug that Jacob had pointed out to him.
Seeing his confusion about what her son was saying, Beth explained, "Yorkshire puddings, well, they will be once they're cooked - I think you call them popovers - crispy, fluffy batter puddings? They're traditionally served with roast beef."
Picking up the bag of apples that needed slicing and caramelising for dessert, Beth felt a small pang of guilt at her behaviour as she deliberately turned her back on Will, hoping to forestall any further attempts at conversation on his part. But then, Caroline's assertion that he had not thought her up to preparing this meal came back to her along with all her dislike of the man and her guilt disappeared. Taking her annoyance out on a small red cox, she continued standing with her back to him.
Disappointed not to be able to talk to her more, but seeing that she was busy and wanting to help in whatever small way he could, Will looked at the child in his arms. "You look like you're getting a bit bored kiddo. Why don't we give Elizabeth a bit of a break and you and I go and see if we can see any fish in the pond?"
Jacob nodded so enthusiastically at Will's suggestion that Beth had no choice but to let him go, reluctantly admitting that it would be good to have him out of the way for a bit. Finally, she had her kitchen to herself. Assessing her progress so far, she was horrified to see the parsnips still sitting on the chopping board. Hastily throwing them in to a saucepan, she added a dash of water, a similar amount of olive oil, two crushed cloves of garlic and a good sprinkling of cumin and salt. Ripping some greaseproof paper off the roll, she pushed it over the contents of the saucepan, added the lid and put the whole lot over a low heat, hoping that they would be cooked in time.
Working hard, over the next twenty minutes she rolled out the pastry, made the custard for the tart, took the beef out to rest before she carved it, heated oil in an old muffin tray until it was smoking hot before adding the pudding batter and putting the tray back in the oven, made gravy from the meat juices and prepared the greens for steaming. With just a few minutes to spare, she placed two water jugs, a bowl of ice, three open bottles of wine and a jug of fruit juice in the conservatory, before dashing off to use the toilet and change into some clean clothes.
No-one was present when Caroline walked into the conservatory to see the table fully dressed and ready in time. Despite herself, she had to admit that she was more than impressed by the work of the Bennet sisters. The food smelt amazing, the table was beautifully laid, perhaps everything would be alright after all. Noticing the open wine bottles, she quickly poured herself a glass, emptying it again just as quickly. Wiping a drip from the corner of her mouth, an incredibly nervous Caroline took a deep breath and prepared to host the most important lunch of her life.
Posted on Friday, 11 November 2005
The sun made a surprise appearance as the first of Caroline's guests arrived at the house. Jane, with freshly brushed hair and wearing a pale blue jumper, met him at the front door and showed him through to the drawing room where Caroline was serving drinks. Enjoying her one off job as the prettiest butler anyone had ever seen, Jane introduced Mr. Gardiner to the others and hurried away to answer the door when it rang again.
Opening it, Jane was confronted by two of the most eccentric looking women she had ever seen. The first was tall and bizarrely dressed, like something out of a bad costume drama thought Jane. The second, much younger woman, could barely be glimpsed under several bulky layers of clothing, but looked so pale around her eyes that Jane was sure she would benefit enormously from Beth's delicious meal.
"Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Miss Anne de Bourgh," announced the older woman regally. Jane bit her lip hard to stifle a laugh at the woman's preposterous behaviour - it wouldn't do for her to have put in all this hard work only to offend Caroline's guests before the meal had even begun.
"Won't you come in, Lady Catherine?" said Jane, adopting an equally ridiculous, pseudo-humble persona. Will, who had heard his aunt's rather loud voice at the door and immediately come Jane's rescue, was shocked to see her acting so comically. Did she really just bob a curtsy to his aunt? He grinned, pleased to see some spice in this sometimes slightly too sweet woman. That it came at the expense of his aunt delighted him all the more.
"Aunt Catherine, Anne - it's lovely to see you. Can I take your coats?" said Will, distracting Lady Catherine's attention away from Jane who looked liked she was about to explode with laughter any second.
"Lady Catherine is your aunt Will?" she asked with a smile. "How lovely!" Will caught the teasing note in Jane's voice, and smiled broadly at her as she took away his relatives' coats. It was lucky for Charles at that moment that Jane was already head over heels in love with him - if not, Will's disarming smile might have been enough to make Jane fall for him instead.
Having been excused from looking after the guests, she headed straight for the kitchen to tell her sister that they were only waiting for two more people. She found her surrounded by plates and dishes of various sizes, all full of foods giving off glorious, mouth watering aromas. They both laughed aloud at Jane's report about Lady Catherine, until Beth felt the odd sensation of realising that Will had now done two things that day that she was grateful for.
Jane loitered in the kitchen until the bell rang again a few minutes later. This time there were two gentlemen at the door. The first, a smartly dressed young man, greeted her politely and introduced himself as Simon Denny. Before she had a chance to speak to the other man, Jane sensed rather than caught him leering at her chest. Giving him the benefit of the doubt - after all, he wasn't the first man ever to have trouble looking a woman in the eyes - and remembering how important this meeting was for Caroline, she welcomed him kindly and showed both guests through to the drawing room.
"Caroline, this is Simon Denny and Bill Collins. Gentlemen, may I also introduce William Darcy and Charles Bingley." Her job done, Jane smiled brilliantly at Charles, who beamed proudly back, and quit the room, happy to be away from Bill Collins' suggestive looks.
"Delighted, I'm sure," began Bill, blatantly ignoring Caroline in favour of speaking to her brother. "What charming young ladies you have here Mr. Bingley. A good time promised for all no doubt."
Not sure how to respond to such an inappropriate statement, Charles was saved from replying by Lady Catherine's loudly spoken intervention.
"A good time, Mr. Collins? I was under the impression that we were here to discuss business."
"Well of course, but I always think it's best to mix in a little pleasure," he said, his eyes roaming suggestively over Caroline's body as he did so.
"Hopefully we can manage both over lunch. From what my nose tells me, I think our meal will prove to be a very pleasurable experience," said Charles congenially with a meaningful look at his sister. Caroline agreed with his sense of timing and invited everyone through to the conservatory where Jane was waiting to show people to their seats.
"Now then young lady," cried Lady Catherine when she saw her standing by the table, "my daughter Anne has a very sensitive stomach. There are many things she cannot eat. I hope your chef has borne that in mind while preparing the menu."
Will looked stricken as he remembered too late about Anne's fussy eating habits. He could have hit himself for being so stupid. Quickly he ran through a mental list of all the things his cousin wouldn't eat. Bread, cheese, eggs, fish, tomatoes, nuts, pork, lemons, anything even remotely spicy. He groaned at the length of the list. Why hadn't he remembered in advance? He knew that Beth would be heartbroken to think that any of her guests might go hungry, even if it was just because they were the world's fussiest eater, and it would be all his fault.
"I'm afraid that we weren't made aware that Miss de Bourgh had any special dietary requirements," he heard Jane calmly reply. Praise God for her sweetness, he thought! "But if you would like to tell me what it is that she can't eat, I will see what we can do."
"It might be easier if you just run through the menu and Anne can tell you what she will and won't have," cut in Will, knowing how long it might take the other way round.
"Well, we have a traditional roast with sirloin of beef cooked in garlic, ginger and rosemary, with Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, stoved parsnips and wilted greens, followed by caramelised apple tart and homemade vanilla ice cream."
"Goodness girl, you sound like a talking menu. This isn't some fancy restaurant you know. Why not just say roast dinner and be done?" scolded Lady Catherine. "Anne will have a small portion of well cooked meat, three potatoes, no vegetables. She may have apple pie, but just the filling. Pastry does not agree with her."
Jane was appalled at Lady Catherine's manner - no wonder her daughter looked so pale and ill. And not to even let her answer for herself! It was hard to tell but Jane was sure that Anne must be about the same age as herself. She was certainly not a child any more, yet Lady Catherine spoke on her behalf as though she were still at primary school.
Will's eyes communicated a silent apology to her, not that she thought he had anything to be sorry for. He was not responsible for his unmannerly aunt.
Across the table, Mr. Gardiner looked up and sniffed the air appreciatively. "Your descriptions were absolutely mouth watering, Miss Bennet. I love it when people are passionate about their food, and if it tastes anywhere near as good as it smells, then I think we shall all be in for a treat!"
Thankful for his cheering words which broke the tension around the table, Simon and Charles enthusiastically seconded his sentiment. Will poured drinks for everyone, just water for Anne obviously, and Jane helped Beth bring the food through.
After the most well cooked piece of meat had been selected for Anne, everyone else happily received portions of tender, medium rare beef, along with generous helpings of crispy potatoes and fragrant vegetables. Loud exclamations from the British diners greeted the heaped bowl of Yorkshire puddings that Beth brought out, each one gloriously golden and glistening. Jane was sure that she saw Anne look longingly towards the delicious puddings, and again felt her heart go out to the downtrodden young woman.
Once everyone had been served, Beth looked at Caroline to check that she was happy with everything and was surprised to receive a small smile in reply. Glancing round, she saw that most of the people at the table were just waiting for their hostess to start eating before they did, so Beth simply smiled back at Caroline and left the room with Jane behind her.
"Thank you again for coming everyone, I hope you all enjoy your lunch," said Caroline without a hint of the nerves that were bubbling away underneath her façade of composure. "Bon appetit," she smiled, raising her glass to her prospective investors and silently thanking Jane and Beth for all their hard work.
Charles soon fell into an easy conversation with Thom Gardiner and Simon. He and Thom had met once before when the Bingleys were investigating business opportunities in the area - he was a business man with a growing reputation who was keen to invest in other medium sized ventures and given his interest in the local economy, Charles thought he was a sure bet for Caroline's project. Simon was a former stock market trader who had been invited at the recommendation of a friend. A few years before, he had turned a small inheritance into a tidy fortune on the markets and was now living comfortably off his investments. Charles chattered away with the two men, enjoying their company and doing Caroline's interests a world of good purely by being his amiable, intelligent self.
His sister meanwhile was left with the much harder task of engaging Lady Catherine, her daughter and Bill in conversation, and soon found herself floundering for things to say. Catherine, it seemed, was impossible to please, while her daughter simply did not speak. Already however, Caroline's biggest regret was in inviting Bill Collins to the lunch. Bill was a retail manager who had won a rollover jackpot on the lottery, found someone to invest it wisely for him and made a lot more money in the process. Now he had money to invest where he chose, and on paper looked like an ideal prospective partner for her business. But now, having seen the way he had leered over Jane Bennet, and not liking the way he was now looking at her, she felt that she couldn't get the man out of her house fast enough. No matter that he might have a million pounds to invest, or that her business plan might fail without him. There was no way that she, Caroline Bingley, New York socialite turned serious business woman, was going to have that revolting little man as her business partner.
Turning on the charm with Lady Catherine instead, Caroline attempted to engage the older woman in conversation. Her heart sank as she was forced to listen to her expressions of disapproval on everything from the food to the table settings to the summarised business plan that had been sent to each of the investors in advance.
"I had been led to believe that we were to be served five courses," she exclaimed. "I see now that there are only two."
"Unfortunately we were forced to change our plans at the last minute, your Ladyship," apologised Caroline. "The chef who was to be with us today was taken ill. We were very lucky that Miss Bennet was able to step in at the last moment."
"Nonsense," decreed Will's aunt. "Any good business person should have contingency plans in place. Luck does not come into it. You should have let William organise everything. He would not have let this happen."
Caroline was appalled at Catherine's remarks. Sitting next to his aunt, Will was little less furious, although he at least should have known what to expect.
"Actually aunt, I believe that luck plays an enormous part in any successful business venture. Ten years ago, the Pemberley Group gambled on the future growth in mobile technology and fortunately that paid off. It was part foresight, part luck. You can never know how things will work out, and certainly can't predict that your caterer is going to come down with a virus."
"And who is this Miss Bennet who is such a good chef that she had no job to go to today?" demanded Catherine, ignoring her nephew's opinion.
"Beth runs the local tea shop," said Caroline, before realising how unsatisfactory that would sound to the woman sitting next to her.
"A tea shop?"
"Aunt please," broke in Will. "Gingerbread is a wonderful establishment. Beth serves excellent food and has won a number of awards. She really is one of the most talented business people and chefs that I have met in a long time. Her cakes are among the best I have ever tasted."
Surprised by Will's praise for this woman, Catherine was silent for a moment.
It was then that Jane walked back in. Aware of the sudden tension in the room, she endeavoured to break it by enquiring after everyone's meal and refilling any empty glasses. The three gentlemen greeted her happily, having just been listening to Charles' extravagant praise of his beautiful girlfriend. She listened delightedly to their compliments on the food, the tenderness of the meat, the flavour of the gravy, the lightness of the Yorkshires. Promising to convey all of their comments to her sister, she gracefully withdrew from being the focus of their conversation and moved on to see to the other guests.
Caroline was astonished at how easily Jane made people feel at ease, even winning a hard earned smile from Anne de Bourgh and a nod of thanks from Lady Catherine. As she moved round the table to pour another glass of wine for an already slightly inebriated Bill Collins however, Caroline was appalled to see the same man reach out his hand towards Jane's thigh.
"Mr. Collins, may I have a word please?" she cried abruptly."Excuse us a moment everyone." Placing her knife and fork by the side of her plate and signally to Charles that everything was under control, Caroline stood and walked out of the conservatory, confident in her anger that Bill would follow her. She waited for him in the hallway, well away from the conservatory, her hands on her hips, indignation on her face.
Still swallowing a last mouthful of food and hastily wiping his mouth with his arm, Bill finally joined her.
"Mr. Collins," she began somewhat imperiously, "I do not know what kind of company you usually choose to keep, but I assure you that I do not make a habit of spending time with lecherous, slimy men who cannot keep their eyes and hands to themselves." Seeing him opening his mouth to interrupt, Caroline raised her voice and continued without a pause. "Since arriving at this house, you have visually violated myself and my friends, and then I catch you attempting to touch Jane's leg. You are lucky that she moved when she did, otherwise you might well have found yourself facing charges for sexual assault. I will not have such behaviour in my house," she continued, sounding more and more like Lady Catherine with each sentence. "You will kindly gather your coat and leave."
Bill looked affronted. Ever since winning the lottery, all of his dreams had come true - money had bought him happiness. He had discovered the joys of private members clubs, where everything and everyone was available at the right price. His poor social skills and misogynistic attitudes had been indulged in this fantasy world of riches and beauty, and he had all but forgotten what life in the real word was like.
He had assumed that this lunch would bring more of the same. An opportunity to increase his wealth and the privileges that it bought him. The business lunches he had attended before had been hosted in private homes and clubs, where the waitresses were paid to be indulgent of his wayward hands. These lunches often continued well into the evening, with entertainment and attention lavished on the guests by those who were employed to provide them.
"Miss Bingley," he finally responded, "I don't know who you think you are, but I am the investor. I am the one you are meant to be seducing into parting with my sweet, hard earned money so that you may set yourself up in business. You are nothing without me. But I am willing to overlook your outburst if only you apologise and bring that delicious little waitress of yours out here so that I might get to know her a little better."
If he was going to say any more, he was soon stopped from doing so by the back of Caroline's hand. Holding his face, he glared up at the outraged woman in front of him.
"You stupid little bitch," he cried, moving towards the now quite frightened woman. "How dare you! I should sue you for assault."
"I wouldn't if I were you Bill," came Will's calm, commanding voice. "That 'delicious little waitress' has just qualified as a lawyer, and I'm sure she'd be more than happy to gain some court experience at your expense any time you like. And trust me, she really wouldn't have a hard time convincing a judge that you're an odious little pervert."
"Perhaps I should make a play for the brunette then. Not usually my type I'll grant you, but I wouldn't mind a taste of her tart for dessert if you know what I mean. Unless she's already taken? Wouldn't want to spoil another man's enjoyment, hey Will?"
Standing beside her friend, Caroline could actually feel his anger at Bill's outrageous innuendo. Placing a restraining hand on Will's arm, she threw a disgusted last glance at Bill. "Good day Mr. Collins. We won't see you out," she called dismissively, not waiting for a response before turning to Will. Giving him a few moments to calm down, she watched his expression with interest.
"I'm sorry Will," she began once he seemed to be in control of himself again. "I know you think I should find my own finance for this venture - but nothing on earth would convince me to take that man's money. Who knows what he might expect in return?"
"I couldn't agree more. You did exactly the right thing." Caroline beamed at his praise, and held her head high as they returned to their remaining guests.
"Caroline?" asked Charles as his sister re-entered the room alone. Six faces looked at them, a mix of concern and curiosity on their faces.
"I am afraid that Mr. Collins has been called away. He won't be rejoining us," she said definitively, silencing any further questions with a smile. "Are we all ready for dessert?"
Chapter Ten - Florentines
The meal progressed easily after that. Charles kept the conversation flowing, and even Lady Catherine could find no fault with Beth's delicious apple tart and ice cream. Jane attended them skilfully, giving Charles yet more reasons to adore her and cementing her friendship with Caroline. Beth mainly remained in the kitchen, finally adding the third layer of chocolate to the florentines just as Jane was serving the dessert, the sensual smell of the molten chocolate almost overwhelming her senses. Popping them into the fridge to set, not something she would usually do but time was getting short, she finally began to relax. While she had enjoyed most of her day in the kitchen, working for someone as highly strung as Caroline had not been easy.
From her respect the dinner had been a huge success, although she was puzzled about why there were only seven diners left when they had gone in to clear the plates after the first course. No doubt she would find out later if it was important. Right now all she wanted to do was sit down and relax. Serving up the portions of food that she had reserved for herself, Jane and Jake she took them to the table with her and sat down to enjoy her own cooking. As they ate, Jane filled them in on events in the conservatory, outlining the characters and the absurdities she had witnessed.
Beth was suitably horrified at the idea of Anne de Bourgh's restricted diet.
"That can't be a medical condition though can it? Banning all those random foods. I mean, I've heard of wheat intolerance and nut allergies, but what's wrong with my parsnips?"
"I don't think it's your parsnips honey. I guess she's just fussy."
"But how could she not like stoved parsnips Jane? Try one," she demanded, waving a forkful of said vegetable in her sister's face. "They're delicious. All garlic-y and cumin-y soft."
"I know Beth! Look - eating them. Mmmmm," laughed Jane, used to her sister's obsessiveness around food. "Again, it's not your parsnips that she has a problem with."
"Well she could have at least tried some that's all I'm saying."
"Call off the food police and eat your lunch."
"Yes mum," muttered her sister.
They soon heard movement from the conservatory, so Jane popped out to see what was happening. Catching Caroline's eye, she spoke briefly to the hostess, who informed her that the group were moving to the drawing room. She wanted to begin her presentation in a few minutes, so asked Jane if coffee could be served straight away. After doing a quick circuit to find out what everyone would like - including the daring choice of a weak chamomile tea for Anne and a whispered request for 'a bottle of wine, a sofa, just you and me' from Charles - Jane went back to the kitchen to find the kettle already on and Beth steaming milk using the machine in the kitchen.
"No wonder people don't drink cappuccino at home. Have you seen this machine? No pressure at all," complained Beth, giving up on getting the milk to foam using the nozzle. "I guess it's back to the low tech option." So saying, she placed the now warmed milk into an empty water bottle and shook it furiously until it became frothy and light.
"Do you think now would be a good time to tell her that everyone's having tea?" Jane asked Jacob seriously.
"Charles doesn't drink tea," her sister shot back.
"Too true," conceded Jane with a sigh. "But I'll forgive him. Three cappuccinos, one black coffee, two teas and a weak chamomile tea."
"Ooh, guess who that's for?"
"Don't be mean. You like chamomile tea."
"I know, I shouldn't have said it. Do you think she'll be allowed anywhere near the florentines?"
"Not if they've got anything even remotely nice or nutritious in them," replied Will from the doorway.
"Will!" cried Beth in horror. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be nasty. I know she's your cousin and all."
"It's ok. Don't panic. I know what she and my aunt can be like. Trust me, she ate more today than I've seen in a long time. You should be pleased."
Beth smiled briefly, unable to be truly pleased by anything Will had to say, and carried on placing cups on a tray.
"How's it going in there?" she asked to be polite.
"It's hard to tell. The two guys seem happy, you can never quite tell with Aunt Catherine, but Caroline's holding it together better than I expected. I just popped out to say that you did a great job."
"Better than you expected?" Beth couldn't help throwing back, cutting off Jane's more pleasant reply.
"Yes and no. I mean," he added quickly, sensing that he had somehow upset her, "I knew the food would be excellent, but I didn't realise that you and Jane would do everything else so well."
"Everything else?" Will couldn't miss the note of danger in her voice but walked right on into her trap.
"Beth," warned Jane.
"The table settings, the serving, the choice of wine. All the little things that make a real difference."
"And because we're not exclusive London caterers who charge exorbitant rates for fashionably small meals with unnecessary numbers of courses you thought we wouldn't be able to cope with cooking for your rich list buddies."
"If you're going to put it like that then yes, I thought you might struggle," he replied angrily, his button pushed by her accusatory tone. "This isn't exactly coffee and cake territory. I did wonder how you'd cope with cooking and serving a full meal to people who are used to the very best. But you did it - really well. That's what I'm saying."
"Really? Only it sounded to me like you were saying you didn't think I was up to the job."
Not able to figure out why she was intent on twisting his words - he had started by saying how great he thought the food was right? - Will chose not to reply rather than risk making the situation worse. Instead he sat himself at the table and chatted briefly with Jake, looking through all the pictures he'd been drawing before getting up to help Beth carry the large tray through to the drawing room.
"It's ok, I can manage," she said ungraciously.
"Well I'll just get the doors for you then shall I? Or is that too much of an insult to your feminist sensibilities?" he snapped back.
Swallowing a retort when she realised that Jacob was listening to them argue, Beth lowered and voice and said simply, "Thanks", following Will through the corridor and into the drawing room where Jane had already cleared a space for the tray. The two sisters handed the drinks and florentines around the room and were about to leave when Lady Catherine called them back.
"Excuse me. Girl! Yes, you," she cried when Beth turned around. "What do you call this?"
"Coffee?" she replied insolently. She'd had enough of Will and his family today.
"Is there a problem your Ladyship?" enquired Jane more politely.
"It's too strong,"
"Let me get you another," offered Jane consolingly, overlooking the lady's rude tone in her determination to help Caroline.
Beth went to retrieve the offending coffee from Lady Catherine. Just as she reached out to take the cup, Anne de Bourgh picked a florentine off the plate Jane was carrying. Alarmed that her daughter might be about to eat something which she shouldn't, her mother whirled around to grab the biscuit out of her hand, throwing the cup of coffee she was holding over Beth in her haste to see to her daughter. Crying out in pain as the hot liquid splashed over her skin, Beth immediately found herself whisked into a nearby bathroom where a pair of gentle hands held her hot arm under a very cold tap.
Recovering her senses as the throbbing in her arm subsided, Beth looked round to thank her first aider. Seeing Will, his eyes fixed on her now chilled arm, she tensed.
"Does it hurt?" he asked, still looking at her arm.
"Not too much," she shrugged. "It happens when you work in kitchens."
"My aunt," he began, finally finding the courage to look her in the eye as he made his apology.
"It was an accident. Is your cousin alright?"
"I'm sure she's fine. Anyway, I don't think she even has a nut allergy, it's all in her mother's head." Suddenly realising that he was still holding her arm, Will hastily dropped it, splashing water over them both as he did so.
"Sorry. Here," he said passing her a towel. Gently drying her arm, Beth flashed a smile at him.
"You know, even if your cousin isn't eating those florentines, you'd better get back in there pretty quick if you want to try any."
Will laughed, delighted to see that her playfulness had returned. "Do they have cherries in?"
"Bright red ones."
"And nuts?"
"Hazelnuts and almonds. And candied peel and yummy gooey caramel."
"I'd better rejoin the others then," he said, making no effort at all to move.
Unnerved by their good humoured conversation, Beth decided the best thing to do would be to leave. Whoever Will Darcy was, he wasn't for her, and being stood here with him only made her anxious. What did he mean by being all nice to her all of a sudden? Maybe he had thought she would throw a wobbly at Lady Catherine, ruining Caroline's meeting, and had whisked her out of the room before she had a chance to do so. Business always came first with Will after all.
What was it George had said - Darcy would do anything to secure a good deal. Maybe he hadn't put it quite like that but that was the implication. Not even his father's last wishes had been enough to stop Will from stealing Wickham's livelihood. But then, George hadn't exactly shown himself to be the most trustworthy of souls.
"Beth," came Jane's voice from outside. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine Jane," said Beth, emerging from the bathroom and holding her arm out for inspection. "A bit red but it won't blister."
"I rescued a couple of florentines for you Will, they're on a plate by the window - but you'll have to be quick if you want to get to them before Charles does."
"Thanks Jane. You two really have done a great job today."
This time, Beth acknowledged his words with a small smile, still feeling too discomforted by his friendly manners to be able to speak to him.
"Good luck with your meeting, we'll be in the kitchen when you're done," called Jane quietly as he turned to leave.
Steadily working through the pile of washing up, much of which the girls found easier to do by hand while putting the chinaware through the dishwasher, Beth found herself aching to escape the confines of the kitchen and get outside. Noting her sister's agitation and guessing the cause of it, Jane was happy to send her outside for a stroll while she finished the tidying and read Jacob a story.
Outside, Beth let her hair down and breathed in the cold autumnal air. Looking about to make sure she was alone, she happily ran about the lawn, delighting in stretching her legs after a long hot morning in the kitchen. Weighed down by a roast dinner, it wasn't long before a stitch caught at her lungs, and she threw herself down on a bench to rest.
Voices drifted out of the window beside where she now sat. Curiosity took over and Beth listened in to what she could hear of the conversation. Caroline had apparently finished the main presentation, and was now answering questions from the investors. Every so often, Caroline would defer to Will for an answer, mainly when the topic involved legal matters or accounting. Caroline was definitely the style consultant in the team. Beth had seen her designs and ideas for the hotels and they looked fantastic, but when in came to business acumen she was heavily reliant on her brother and their friend.
Will's knowledge and ability to answer every question put to him astonished her. All that time reading the business papers wasn't wasted after all. This man was a business machine. He even knew British and European business law inside out, or so it seemed to her. She knew something of the difficulties that faced a new business, the regulations and guidelines that had to be adhered to, but then, she and Jane had spent weeks identifying and interpreting them. But here was a man who seemed to just know it all.
Impressed as she was, it only served to reinforce her image of him as a suit. A business man through and through. Making money was his life, and that just didn't do it for her. Never in any of his answers did he talk about the benefits that would be offered to staff, or mention any environmental measures that the business would put in place. Those were the questions she would ask, but then she didn't have a spare million pounds to invest!
Feeling her fingers beginning to seize in the afternoon cold, a more relaxed Beth slowly returned to the kitchen just as the other guests were leaving. She was surprised when Mr. Gardiner leaned to kiss her cheek as he thanked her for the wonderful food. After praising her beef - 'so tender and delicious' - and rhapsodising over the Yorkshire puddings, he finally left, promising to bring his wife to Gingerbread the following week specifically to try her florentines. Laughing, Beth faithfully vowed to have the biscuits waiting and fondly wished farewell to her new fan who walked out to his car accompanied by Simon.
The goodbyes she shared with Lady Catherine and her daughter were somewhat less enthusiastic. Not having received any kind of apology for the coffee incident, Beth felt less than inclined to flatter that woman's ego, but, for Caroline's sake, she managed to be polite.
"I assume that you will visit us at Rosings before leaving for America again?" Will's aunt asked him.
"I'm afraid there won't be enough time Aunt. But Georgie will be studying in Oxford from next year, so I am sure we will both see more of you then."
"No sense of family duty," muttered Lady Catherine disapprovingly as she struggled into her ankle length fur coat. "I suppose next year will have to do then. Tell Georgie to work hard. Even with her intelligence she must study with diligence."
"She always does aunt, but I will let her know your advice."
"Make sure that you do. Very well, you may kiss your cousin and me before we leave."
How Lady Catherine could doubt Will's sense of duty and still expect him to kiss her and her daughter Beth couldn't fathom. But kiss them both he did, and soon enough they were out of the house and on their way home.
A collective sigh of relief went up from the group in the hallway. Slow smiles spread over Caroline and Charles' faces.
"Congratulations, big sis! Looks like you're in business!" Caroline screamed with delight as Charles picked her up and swung her round.
Jane came hurrying out of the kitchen at the sound, smiling as she saw the signs of a successful meeting.
"You did it!" she beamed, grasping Caroline by the hands.
"Oh Jane, they loved it. Thom said he thought it was a wonderful idea and a great investment. Simon doubled the amount he had originally said he wanted to invest, and even Lady Catherine couldn't find too much to disagree with - sorry Will - once she heard the whole pitch. It was fantastic. I can't believe I've done it!" Everyone smiled wryly at her shameless self-praise.
"Anything you'd like to say to us all Caroline?" asked Charles leadingly.
"Yes - where's the champagne?" she answered, prompting several people to roll their eyes good humouredly at her typical obtuseness. "Oh sillies, I'm joking! I know I couldn't have done it without all of you. Thank you so much! But really, where is that champagne? I think a toast is in order."