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Part 27
Friday.
She was in the middle of a dream.
In the dream, she was skating in a filmy white dress to some sort of intrumental music, nothing she'd ever heard before but nice nonetheless. She floated across the ice, barely feeling her feet touching down to guide her. She was alone for a minute or two until suddenly, a dark-haired man came up behind her, his hand on her waist. Suddenly, he was floating beside her, the two of them unbeatable, irresistible, a team that would make history....
The man turned to her and said, "You know what you have to do. You know it's what's right for both our futures."
She said, "Are you certain?"
"Yes, my love. Then we'll be together forever. I promise you. Don't you love me enough to do it?"
"Of course I do. You know that I'll do anything for you...anything..."
Suddenly, there was a loud ringing sound, almost as though they had been overheard. People in black appeared on the ice, cold and impersonal, strangers with familiar faces. They tore her out of his arms and insisted that she didn't belong with him.
"He's mine!" she screamed. "Please, you must tell them! Let me go!"
Her pleas were went unheeded, and in desperation, she shouted out his name, only to find that they'd already taken him away...
"George!" Lydia screamed into her pillow, coming awake suddenly. She did not shoot out of bed as movies portrayed one awakening from nightmares. Instead, she lay there, sweating, panicked. And what the hell was that ringing?
She glanced around the room--what she could see of it, anyway. For a second, she panicked again because she didn't know where she was, but awareness kicked in and she remembered.
She was at the Olympics, in her room, and the alarm clock was the only thing ringing. She slammed her hand into the snooze button, shutting off the annoying sound.
Thank God Lizzy's not around. Who knows what else I said in my sleep? Lydia stretched as best she could without rising from the bed.
All things considered, yesterday had not been a good day. At least, not for George. As far as she was concerned, yesterday was interesting and good for her. Lizzy wasn't going to skate with him anymore, so no more pictures would appear of her in the papers. Plus, Lizzy showed some interest in Fitz Darcy, which infuriated their mother--which meant that it was likely Lizzy and Frances would no longer speak to each other, which meant that Frances would have more time to devote to Lydia's career.
Lydia frowned as the went over everything she'd just thought about. She supposed she should feel guilty for thinking that she wanted Lizzy out of the picture, but she didn't. Perhaps it was because of her performance the other night. Lydia knew, in her deepest heart, that Elizabeth was the superior skater. She may not have the jumps, but like Georgiana Darcy, she was lyrical and elegant and beautiful. The fact that she was all these things with George didn't improve Lydia's feelings.
Lydia was the sort who didn't see everything that went into Lizzy's appearance--the fact that Lizzy actually listened to their father's suggestions rather than saying that her jumps would win out in the end; the fact that Lizzy had taken several years of ballet rather than skip out of classes to run around the mall with her friends; the fact that Lizzy didn't have her mother admiring and defending her. Lydia never thought of things in terms of who was better loved. She saw them in terms of getting everything for herself.
She supposed that made her selfish and controlling. She didn't really care--as long as she got what she wanted in the end.
Lydia slowly rose from the bed. She was supposed to be getting dressed and going to the rink, but the remnants of her dream wouldn't fade away as all her other dreams did. She had a feeling she knew why she'd dreamed of being separated from George. He'd asked to be alone last night, and when she'd tried to stay with him, he'd taken off quickly and she hadn't been able to find him.
So she'd be a little late to practice. Her mother wouldn't be too upset, and she didn't need that much practice anyway.
What she needed was George.
George awakened at about the same time, a bit surprised that his head wasn't pounding and that his mouth didn't taste of stale socks. It was the first time in a while that he hadn't gone out and gotten drunk right after a disappointment.
And that's definitely what yesterday had been. First, the fiasco in the cafe where Lizzy had told him she wasn't going to skate with him anymore. All because he'd dropped her! It wasn't as if he would ever do it again--in fact, he had never done it before, at least not on purpose. And it wasn't as though he'd injured her permanently.
In fact, he wouldn't have don it at all, except that he'd been sure they could win. And he knew winning wasn't enough.
Because who remembered pairs skaters years down the road, unless there was something memorable about them? Gordeeva and Grinkov, sure. Everyone knew them, because they had been so perfect together. But he was sure that if the average American were asked to name any other pairs team besides those two, they would come up empty.
Ask that same average American to name a singles' skater, male or female, and they would have a long list of names.
So he thought that perhaps the coverage they'd receive if Lizzy skated the end of the program hurt would carry over to professional status and money. He'd thought that they could still win.
And they would have...if it hadn't been for Fitzwilliam Darcy.
That man's been given everything to him. He's never had to work for anything.
George knew exactly what Fitz's weakness was, and he had no doubts about what he was going to do.
He didn't even give Georgiana, his former partner, his former hope, a thought. George knew that she'd told her brother they were skating together, despite what she'd said the day he showed up at practice. He knew that she'd wanted out of skating with him. What other reason would she have had for calling her brother to come see them practice? She had been about to abandon him.
Could he be blamed for getting angry? Could he honestly be blamed for dropping her during the lift? So he didn't mean to hurt her as badly as he did. He only intended to hurt her a little bit--compared to how badly she was hurting him, it would've been a trifle.
Of course, she'd been so badly hurt that he'd felt bad for a while. But after a while, the guilt faded and he'd had Lizzy to help him get over it.
Lizzy.
Beautiful, sassy, perfect Lizzy. The one who was supposed to last. The one who had needed him so desperately that she wouldn't do anything to wreck it. The one who had...
Well, okay. So it was his fault that she'd fallen and they hadn't won the gold. But it didn't mean that she could just ditch him whenever she felt like it.
George looked at himself--sober, clearly rational--in the mirror. For a moment, he stepped away from himself, wondering if he had gone mad. How could he even contemplate hurting Georgiana again? Before, he'd had cause.
In fact, if there were anyone he should be hurting, it should be Fitz Darcy. Perhaps he should bust his leg.
But no. That would be too difficult and not nearly satisfying enough. Hurting Georgiana was far simpler and more emotionally damaging.
And he was doing this for Lydia, the girl who looked up to him and made him feel like the greatest skater alive. The girl who had loved him for years.
The girl who was willing to do anything for him. Maybe she wasn't Lizzy, but he didn't want Lizzy anymore, not if Lizzy was going to park herself in Fitz Darcy's camp.
The phone rang, cutting off his thoughts. "Hello?" he said.
"George?" It was Lydia.
"Good morning, Liddy."
"Are you okay?"
"I've never been better, sweet. How about you? Shouldn't you be at practice?"
"Well, I thought maybe I'd see how you were doing--"
"Nah. Get to practice, otherwise there'll be no reason for me to bother taking Georgiana out."
"But--"
"Liddy, come on. You want to make me proud, don't you?"
"Yes, of course. Are you going to come see me practice?"
"Absolutely. Wouldn't miss it. Give me twenty minutes to get dressed and we can go to the rink together."
"Great!" Lydia's enthusiasm spilled over and made him smile. Say nothing else about her, she was an eager little thing. Willing, accepting, daring...
Maybe he felt more for her than he thought.
But only maybe...
Part 28
Author's Note: Laura, this one's for you! Hope you enjoy it!
After his fourth stumble in as many attempts to land the quadruple lutz, Rich was about ready to say the hell with it. His right leg was aching from the last fall, and only his determination that he was going to land one good jump was keeping him from quitting.
"It looks good going into the air," Frances said. "I just don't know where you're going wrong."
Rich stood to one side, watching Carl go through a flawless routine. When the music ended, Carl skated over to his friend.
"Looks good," Rich said.
"Thanks. You're up next, aren't you?"
"No, Gercourt's next, then me."
Carl nodded. He knew better than to say anything about the difficulty Rich was having with the quad, since it would only seem to be bragging that things going flawlessly for him. Besides, Rich had told him that he wasn't planning to do the quad in the program.
Carl didn't believe that for a minute. Why else would he still be practicing it if he was going to leave it out when it counted?
"You know, I was thinking about last night," Carl said with a smile. "I still can't quite grasp the idea of Lizzy and Fitz Darcy."
"You're not the only one," Rich mumbled, looking at his skates. "I mean, not a week ago she was grumbling that she'd rather die than skate with him, and now she's considering just that."
"You had your chance, I understand from her mother."
"I was always better on my own, Carl. You know that." To my infinite regret, he thought. "I would've been forced to choose one or the other, because the officials wouldn't have let me do both. And it would've broken Liz's heart for me to choose being on my own to being with her, which is probably what I would've done."
"You don't know that." Carl noticed that wistful note in his friend's voice.
"Yes, I do. I never had the confidence to be a pairs skater. I would always fear dropping her like George did the other night. And how could I do that to her?"
Carl's eyebrows shot up. "As you never did anything to her, I wonder that you worry so much about it."
Rich turned away. "I don't worry about it. I'm just saying that I had my fears which kept me away from pairs skating."
Rich watched the Frenchman struggle through his routine. He could not help but feel a bit pleased, even though he knew that Liz was far past her interest in the man.
And why should it matter to you whether or not she had an interest in him, or whether she has an interest in Fitz Darcy now?
Rich frowned. He and Liz were friends, nothing more. Never mind that he had always wanted more. Never mind that she had never seen his quips about running away together as anything more than jokes. Never mind that--
Never mind any of it. She's out of your reach. She always was.
"Rich!"
Rich turned in the direction of her voice, smiling.
Lizzy still walked with the aid of crutches, her ankle still wrapped up. Her mother saw her and deliberately walked away, appearing to be the injured party. She had sworn she wouldn't speak to her daughter until she came to her senses, and she meant it.
"I thought you'd be off those," he said, deciding to steer clear of the subject of her mother.
"One more day. My ankle was still to tender to walk on this morning." Lizzy looked around the rink, noticed who was skating, and wrinkled her nose. "He's not doing well, is he?"
"Who, Marc Gercourt? Your former--"
"Don't remind me of what an idiot I was, please. I never remind you of the fool you made of yourself over Emma Woodhouse when she tried to return to amateur skating two years ago."
"How was I to know she was already engaged? The press didn't hear about it until I did."
"You sound as though you still resent the man."
"I think George Knightley is a good guy, and a great skating promoter. I just think he was a bit old for her."
"Granted, sixteen years is a bit extreme, but I still think that if you love someone...nothing should matter."
Rich looked around to see if she'd arrived with anyone. Fortunately, she was alone.
"You're right, Liz. Nothing should matter." He turned away before she saw something more in his eyes than should be there.
Marc Gercourt's music mercifully came to an end, followed by a volley of French curses from both the skater and his coach.
"I'm up next," Rich said.
"Break both your legs," Lizzy told him as she hobbled away to watch him.
Rich waited for his music to begin, wondering for the millionth time when he'd known for certain that he was in love with Elizabeth Bennet. It had been coming so gradually that he'd been in love with her long before he'd realized it.
He'd known her for over eleven years. They'd grown up in the same rink, trying the same jumps until he advanced to some of the harder triples. She'd confided many of her secrets to him and he'd done the same. They knew practically everything about each other.
They'd even thought about going out together once. He remembered that it was right after Willoughby had left, and Liz had been so depressed that Rich had asked her out on a date. They were supposed to go see a movie and then to go dinner, but they'd ended up scarfing down popcorn and corn dogs while watching Some Like It Hot on the TV in the Bennets' downstairs den.
Liz had kissed him on the cheek and thanked him for cheering her up. He hadn't thought anything of it then.
Later, when she started skating with George and it seemed as though she was finally going to get her chance, he realized what he should've known all along.
Maybe that should tell you something, Beavis. You didn't realize you were crazy about the girl until she was with someone else, if not romantically, then at least careerwise. You were jealous as hell then, but never before. And now you're more jealous than ever, because you know she's probably half-crazy about Fitz Darcy and there's nothing you can do about it.
But how crazy was she about the man? She'd only skated with him once. She had hated him up until the moment she realized that he was Ice King. Well, that wasn't entirely accurate.
His music started, and he somehow managed to keep his concentration on his skating. The last thing I need is to screw up completely in front of Liz.
A third of the way through the program, he decided to turn his triple lutz into a quad. He had a feeling that maybe he'd get it this time.
And he did, landing cleanly, his right leg protesting greatly but making the jump nevertheless. He stopped for a second to pump his fists, and he heard Lizzy applauding with Carl.
Carl. Rich continued to skate, but the memory of finding Lizzy in Carl's hotel room at Nationals one year refused to go away.
He fell on his triple axel. Picking himself up off the ice quickly, he continued to skate. When he finished with a flourish, he heard some of the fans in the stands applauding. He smiled and walked back over to Lizzy.
"That could've been better," Rich said.
"I think my mother would like to speak to you, because she's glaring at us both," Lizzy replied. "I'll catch up to you later."
"Sure," he replied, watching her as she walked away, his heart filled with such emotions that he would never share. If she was in love with Fitz Darcy, then he wasn't going to get in the way.
But if she wasn't, maybe now was his chance.
Forget it. She's one of those not-meant-to-be things, like a gold medal if you don't get your head straight.
"What happened with the axel, Rich?" Frances asked as she walked to where her daughter had been.
"I don't know," he replied. "I just lost my concentration."
"I can't say I blame you, dear. This mess of Lizzy and George's causes me to lose sleep and I swear I saw dozens of gray hairs this morning."
Not that anyone would be able to tell, as Frances dyed her hair the same shade as her younger daughter's.
"I do wish that Lizzy had a bit more sense, like Lydia."
God forbid she ever become that stupid!
"I could accept the fact that she doesn't want to skate with George anymore, because I do know the fall was his fault. It's just...Fitz Darcy! I shall never forgive her for this, never."
Rich didn't say anything.
"I don't see what she sees in him. He's nothing compared to George, or you, for that matter. I don't know why that girl never realized that you..."
"Frances!"
"Oh, please, Richard, you don't think I didn't notice all those glances you were giving her when you thought no one was looking, did you? I knew you were in love with her. Lizzy's too obtuse to notice. I used to think that I should say something to perhaps nudge her in your direction, but I remember when Mr. Bennet was dating me, he wouldn't have appreciated anyone trying to force us together any more than I suspect you would've. And Lizzy probably would've tried to ruin everything once she knew I was behind it. That girl never did listen to me."
"She's made her choice," Rich said quietly.
"Perhaps she has and perhaps she hasn't. I don't think she's completely gone on the idea of skating with Fitz Darcy."
"Frances, she thinks her alternative is to retire because no one else will partner her."
"Nonsense. Can't you make her see that?"
"Unfortunately, I can't."
"Then I'd rather see her retire than skate with him."
Rich wasn't quite sure what to say to that, because in his deepest of hearts he agreed with her.
Lizzy passed several people she knew as she left rinkside and smiled to all of them. After stopping to talk for a few seconds to Charlotte Lucas, who was getting ready to take the ice, she decided to return to her room and see if Lydia was gone. Lydia had, to her surprise, already been asleep when Lizzy had returned last night, and she'd still been sleeping when she'd left that morning.
It was probably the best thing, since Lydia had decidedly taken up George's cause. The sisters had never mended their bridges from the fight they'd had last week, and Lydia's apparent siding with George over her wasn't likely to change things.
Lizzy didn't see the man come up behind her, but she was too used to having people around to notice. When he stepped in front of her, abruptly causing her to stop awkwardly and nearly trip, he caught her in his arms and led her to a small dark room before she could protest.
"What are you doing?" she gasped.
William Collins smiled as he flipped on a light. "I discovered this room a couple of days ago and I just knew I'd have a chance to talk to you privately in it."
"I have no interest in talking to you privately." Lizzy tried to turn around and leave, but she moved to slowly and he was blocking the door before she could get turned.
"I know the truth, Lizzy. You don't have to pretend with me any more."
"What are you talking about?"
"Catherine told me everything. She said that skating with Fitz Darcy was just a little ruse of yours to upset Caroline and Fitz, and it didn't work."
"It wasn't--"
"Of course, Caroline is a bit unhappy at the moment, but she was a lot more cheerful when I told her that I intended to talk to you. After all, it's pretty well-known that I am mad about you."
"But...but I thought you were interested in Charlotte."
"Charlotte Lucas? She's too old for me, and besides, what is Charlotte when compared to you, my Elizabeth, my perfect little rose? She was merely a diversion until you were ready for me, and now you are."
"You're mad all right--crazy mad. Now let me out of here or I'll scream."
"You wouldn't want to do that, now would you? After all, I'll just say that you lured me in here trying to do more damage to Catherine de Bourgh, and everyone will believe me. You have the reputation of being a bit difficult, whether it be professionally or otherwise."
"I know who's spreading that rumor, and I intend to beat the tar out of her the next time Caroline Bingley shows her pointy nose. And if you think for one minute that anyone would believe I would have the slightest interest in a toad like you, then you're crazier than I thought."
"Surely you must see that we belong together, Lizzy. We always have. Even your mother knew when she invited me to skate with you...and how I have savored that moment until now, when it should be replaced with another, far more precious, memory..."
"If you think I'm going to give you anything more than a swift kick to the groin--"
"You wouldn't do that, would you? I know how you feel about me."
He leaned in to kiss her. Lizzy carried out her threat and let out an ear-splitting screech, which was abruptly cut off when his slimy mouth touched hers, his tongue trying to get past her teeth. She almost gagged.
A moment later, the door was being forced open, and since the Toad had been leaning on the door to keep her out, he was pushed aside. Lizzy screamed again, and before she knew it, William Collins was thrown forcefully out of the room.
Lizzy looked into the hazel eyes of her rescuer and sobbed, "Rich!" She walked slowly into his arms, relieved and grateful.
Rich held her as the press, having heard the scream, came to see what was going on. They were expecting something scandalous, and they got it. Just yesterday, they were reporting that Elizabeth Bennet was parting ways with George Wickham to skate with Fitz Darcy, whom she was also romantically involved with.
Now it seemed as though it were Richard Fitzwilliam she was interested in, and it seemed even more so after he tilted her head up to his and kissed her.
Cameras flashed and questions raged, but Rich didn't notice any of it because at the first taste of her mouth, he lost all intelligent thought.
Part 29
Lizzy was, at first, too startled to completely register what was going on around her. She didn't really see the reporters around her, or anything else for that matter. All that did seem to matter was the fact that Rich was kissing her. This kiss felt so much different than the ones they had shared in the past, whenever they'd thought about taking their friendship to another level. On those occasions, their kisses had felt wrong somehow, almost as though they were immoral.
But not today. The emotions whizzed past her mind too fast to be pinned down, but Lizzy knew that this kiss was something more than any of those had ever been.
When she suddenly remembered where she was, she pulled out of Rich's arms and looked into his eyes. What she saw there confused her, because he was looking at her and he'd kissed her as though he were in love with her.
Which she knew to be impossible, because Rich had never felt like that about her.
The reporters were firing even more questions her way, and Lizzy suddenly realized that something very important had happened...and she couldn't deal with it just then. She knew she didn't want to think about what this might mean, for herself, for Rich, for...
Oh, God. Fitz. How long will it take for this little bit of news to get around? Caroline will be telling him three seconds after she finds out, to be sure.
She needed to get away. She picked up her crutches, which had been dropped in her attempt to get away from the Toad, and shuffled past the reporters as quickly as she could.
They, however, would not leave her alone. They'd already been going bonkers on the tale that was coming from the pairs' world, about her rumored split with her partner, George Wickham, and her apparent interest in skating with gold medalist Fitz Darcy. Now it seemed as though she were interested in her best friend, who had never before been thought a love interest!
And just what do you think about all this, Lizzy?
The reporters followed her as she started to make her way out of the room and out of the arena. They blocked her path and caused her to stumble several times. Just when she thought of smacking one of them with a crutch, she heard a voice shout, "Back off, you vultures! Get out of her way, NOW!"
For possibly the first time in her life, Lizzy was grateful that Lydia had such a loud voice. It stunned the reporters for long enough that Lydia was able to slip her petite frame through the throng and pull her sister from their clutches before any of them could react.
"Come on, Lizzy. We'll get you a cab," she said as the reporters followed. Lydia made most of them get out of her way, yelling insults and more than once threatening to hit one who wouldn't move. She may not have been very tall, but everyone knew that she meant what she said and cleared out of her way.
By the time they had reached the exit to the arena, only a few of the most dogged journalists were still following, still trying to get a quote from her. Most of the others, sensing correctly that Lizzy would have no comment that would be fit to print, had taken off to talk to Rich, who had always been one for a good quote or two and would likely be more than grateful to comment on the incident.
While Lydia waved frantically for a cab, the four remaining reporters snapped questions. Finally, just as the cab was pulling up and one of them asked if she was into playing men off each other since it looked like she was seeing both Rich and Fitz, Lizzy screamed, "Go to hell!"
Lydia shoved her into the cab and slid in beside her, directing the driver to just drive around until they'd had a chance to talk.
"Whatever," he muttered.
"Thanks for rescuing me, Liddy," Lizzy murmured.
"No problem."
"I'm surprised you bothered."
"Hey, I don't care if we're at war against each other. You're still my sister and I don't want to see you getting the rough treatment from anyone, much less reporters." Lydia sighed. "Why the hell were they after you like that? Is this thing with Fitz Darcy getting that bad?"
"No," Lizzy said. "It was something else...God, everything seems so out of whack that I don't know if I remember everything."
"How about starting at the end and working your way back? That should bring everything back to you."
"I don't know that I want to remember."
"Give it a try."
Lizzy sighed. "I went to the rink to watch Rich practice. He did a great quad but then messed up his triple axel combination."
"Okay, that's good. You remember the beginning."
"Right...I knew Mom was going to want to talk to him, and if she talked to him while I was around, she'd only start in on me again. I didn't want that, so...I took off. I was just going to wait until his practice was over so we could go to breakfast."
"Uh-huh."
"But as I was walking away, the Toad came up behind me and...and he grabbed me and pulled me into this little room. And he started saying stuff about how we were meant to be together, and how Lady Cat had told him that I wasn't really interested in Fitz, and...and then he kissed me."
"EW!" Lydia shouted in disgust.
"Hey, lady, don't shout in my cab. I happen to like the hearing in my right ear," the driver growled.
"Aah, stuff it out your other ear."
"Liddy!"
"Sorry. You were saying?"
"Well, right before the Toad kissed me, I was able to scream, and Rich came in because he heard me. He threw the Toad out of the room. I was so relieved and so shaken up by what had happened that I needed someone I knew to hold me, so I hugged Rich. And then...before I knew what was happening, he was kissing me."
Lydia let out a loud gasp. The cab driver snapped, "If you start that screaming again, I'll toss you out of the cab and take your sister for this drive."
"I'm the one paying for this cab, so keep your comments to yourself," Lydia hissed. When she turned back to Lizzy, she said, "You kissed Rich?"
"That's what I said."
"Why?"
"I don't know! One minute, we were hugging and the next minute, he was kissing me."
"You know what I think?"
"No."
"I think that the two of you are finally bringing your true feelings to the surface."
"That's ridiculous. Impossible. We've been friends for too long."
"Exactly. You've been friends for so long that in time it's evolved into something more than friendship."
"No, it hasn't. We're just friends. We said a long time ago that we'd never be anything more than that."
"Why did you do that, anyway? I thought the two of you would make a cute couple." Of course, she had thought that because she didn't want Lizzy dating George, but it wasn't prudent to say that right then.
"Because...we were afraid of ruining what we had for the sake of what might turn out to be nothing more than a romantic fling. Love ruins so much between friends who have been friends so long. We didn't want to lose our friendship."
"I see. And so you both left it at that."
"Yes! We both--"
"It sounds like you liked it that way, if Rich was kissing you today."
"But...that can't be right."
"Sure, it can. I see it all now. He's had a torch for you the size of the Olympic flame for years, and you thought you were fine as you were. I doubt you ever really got those thoughts out of your head, either."
"What thoughts?"
"The questions about whether or not you were passing by the best thing in your life by insisting you remain friends. Wondering what dating him would be like...and kissing him...and..."
Lizzy was blushing. "Thank you, I get the idea. And that's not true."
Ah, but is that right? You think about it all the time. Whenever you think about Rich, you wonder why things didn't seem to fit romantically.
"Isn't it? I think if you really think about it, you'll realize that you have thought about it. You just don't want to admit it."
Lizzy sighed. "All right, I've thought about it. So what? I'm in the middle of maybe starting a serious relationship with someone else."
"Tell me this, then. How serious are you about Fitz Darcy?"
"I'd like to think we might be very serious."
"What's attracting him to you? Only a week ago, you were practically using his name as a curse. Now, suddenly, you're crazy about him?"
"I don't need to explain myself to you."
"It doesn't make any sense, Lizzy. Where did this fascination come from? The shine on his gold medal?"
"We knew each other before then. He was Ice King."
"Yeah, I know. But you don't really get to know someone over a computer, and the two of you have only been sort of going out for a day."
"Liddy, I fail to see why you're pointing all this out to me."
"I think that this might be your way of getting back at George for what you think he did to you."
"What he did to me. He deliberately--"
"That's not the issue. But going out with his worst enemy gets him in the worst way, doesn't it? Not to mention that you get to stick it to Mom at the same time."
"Is that what you see this as? A rebellion against everyone I've been working with for the past four years? I happen to like him."
"But why? Just answer me why, and I'll leave it alone."
Lizzy tried to think of why she liked him...and to her horror, she wasn't really sure that there was any completely tangible thing she could name.
"It felt right when we were together," she said simply.
"Oh, please. You don't have one thing you like about him? His sense of humor, adventure, fun, his face, his butt, his--"
"Liddy, you should like someone for more than simply physical attributes."
"Yeah, yeah. So basically you don't really have much to like about him. That's a big zip in the Fitz column. Now, on Rich's side, we have the fact that you've skated in the same rink for years, you're good friends, you love the same stupid movies, you both love bizarre music, you have jokes that are older than me--"
"We do not."
"Pretty damn near it, then. So far, everything I've named is required for--"
"Friendship, and not just love."
"But you care for him and you want the best for him and you've fantasized about him."
"I didn't say I'd been doing that."
"Puh-leeze. You know you have. You blushed when I brought it up." Lydia grinned. "I think you've been in love with him all along!"
Lizzy turned away, thinking. Was Lydia right? Was she in love with her best friend?
Was he really in love with her?
Fitz had hoped that Lizzy would call soon. She'd said that she was going to see Rich's practice and then call him, but the practice should've been over thirty minutes ago and he'd heard nothing.
So when the phone finally rang, he was relieved.
"You know what I thought?" he said without waiting for the caller to identify herself. "I thought maybe we could have a nice long lunch--alone--at this wonderful little French restaurant I found last week."
"Sounds lovely, darling. What time shall I meet you?"
Fitz grimaced as Caroline's deceptively-sweet voice rang through his ears. "Oh, it's you, Caroline. What do you want?"
"I wouldn't mind having that intimate lunch with you. While we're there, I could tell you what I just discovered about your new girlfriend."
"Lizzy?" Fitz frowned. "What about Lizzy?"
"To find out...meet me for lunch."
"Caroline, this is ridiculous. I don't intend to have lunch with you anywhere, so either tell me or get off this connection because I'm waiting for a call from Lizzy."
"I wouldn't be expecting a call from her anytime soon," Caroline cooed. "Last time anyone saw her, she was locking lips with Richard Fitzwilliam...and thoroughly enjoying it."
Without saying goodbye, Caroline broke the connection, smiling as she did so.
Part 30
Fitz frowned at the phone after hanging it up. He'd known that Caroline would be likely to attempt revenge, but even he didn't think she'd sink so low as to insinuate that Lizzy was kissing her best friend.
It was preposterous. Lizzy had told him herself that they were nothing more than friends.
Fitz glanced at the clock, remembering that he'd promised Georgiana he'd be there for her practice. He had about thirty minutes to get there--just enough time for him to snag a cab and get through traffic.
Picking up his room key, he made a mental note to himself to remember to stop by the Olympic village later to see if Lizzy wanted to go somewhere.
"Lizzy and Rich?" George said with a laugh when Lydia told him. "You're joking with me, right?"
"Nope. She told me the whole thing. Seems like she's just figuring out that he's nuts about her."
"Hell, Liddy, you and I didn't know that until today. I love it. Lizzy leaves me for Fitz, and now she's going to end up alone because I know Fitzwilliam Darcy--you have to be loyal to him or he never forgives you. No more than she deserves."
"George...she is my sister."
"Oh? And where has the powerful surge of sisterly love suddenly come from? Just yesterday, you hated her with a vengeance. Far as I know, you still do."
"Just because I'm mad at her doesn't mean I don't love her. And I don't hate her. I just wish everyone would quit thinking she was Little Miss Everything."
George looked at her, knowing what she wanted him to say.
What the hell. Might as well make her happy.
"I don't think she's everything," he said. "I think you're pretty important, too."
"Really?" Lydia smiled.
"Yes," he said. My, how easily you can lie, George. Well, nothing to be helped, I guess.
"I almost feel sorry for Rich, because I know Lizzy. She's not going to give up the chance to skate with Fitz Darcy just for him."
"Last time we heard anything, she was thinking of retiring because the press was labelling her a jinx."
"You honestly think my sister would retire because of what the press would say? That's not Lizzy's style and you know it. She would do anything to get a shot at a gold medal, and skating with Fitz Darcy wouldn't do her any damage."
"So you think he's going to forget this very public lapse of judgment? After he ditched Caroline for her? No. He's got too much pride, that one. He won't stay with her if he thinks she lied to him. He'll leave her in a second, which will end his career too."
"You're kidding about that part, because you and I both know Caroline Bingley would snatch him up in a second if he decides not to pursue a skating career with Lizzy."
"I guess she would. Maybe I should handicap her instead of Georgiana."
"No, Georgiana's your best bet. She means more to him."
"And you have no personal interest in the state of Georgiana's health at all, right?" he said with a grin.
"No. Not at all. I'm looking forward to skating against that cupcake, because I'm going to blow her out of the water."
"Don't go saying things to that effect unless you're asked about them, Liddy. If you start mouthing off about how you can't wait to face Georgiana, when she's not considered much competition to you to begin with, people will get suspicious when she's injured. The last thing we need is to have fingers in our direction."
"Fitz will probably suspect you first thing," Lydia said.
"We've taken care of that, remember? He won't be able to suspect me, because I'll have the most solid alibi in the world."
Lydia smiled. "You certainly will."
George kissed her, feeling her eagerness and excitement. "You know, Liddy, when this is all over we won't be able to tell people we're dating for a while. We'll have to meet in secret."
"George, how hard is that going to be when we have the same coach? No one will know we're together, except my mom."
"Does Frances know about us?" he asked.
"I think she does, but she doesn't disapprove, except that she wishes you were with Lizzy." Lydia's mouth tightened into a thin line when she said that. "Everyone should be with Lizzy."
"Now, Lydia, you know that when it comes to you and your sister, your mother favors you."
"Doesn't mean I have to like the fact that she would prefer Lizzy were the one here with you."
"That doesn't matter. What does matter is that I'm here with you."
Lydia smiled. "You're right. I guess that's all that really should matter. Now, about tomorrow..."
"Yes?"
"What time are we going to do this?"
"The wonderful thing about Georgiana is that she practices at the same time every day, so it'll be in the morning around eleven or so. It's so nice to have someone who can be counted on, don't you think?"
"I think so."
"It makes those who become unpredictable--like our Rich--seem boring in comparison."
"But those like Rich are much more interesting when they finally do something spontaneous."
"The problem is, they don't do it often."
Lydia laughed. "What about us? Would you consider us predictable or spontaneous?"
"I'd say we're predictably spontaneous. How about that?"
"Sounds good to me."
Rich was shoving his practice outfit into a duffel bag. He couldn't believe what he'd done! He hadn't been able to resist, though.
He'd been facing reporters for the better part of twenty minutes before being saved by Frances, who snapped that there were far more interesting things than one little kiss.
Alone, she had hugged him.
"Oh, you wonderful, wonderful boy! I should've known that you would try to set things right!"
"Excuse me?"
"Why, with Lizzy, of course! Once she realized that you were in love with her, I knew she would give up this idea she has for going along with Fitz Darcy."
"Frances, I didn't kiss her to--"
"Oh, no need to explain to me, of course. I know that it was an accident." She winked at him. "However, I begin to suspect that maybe Lizzy was right about that Collins boy. He is something of a toad. But he seemed like such a nice young man..."
"Thank God she was able to scream," Rich said quietly. "I'd hate to think of what might've happened if she hadn't."
"So do I." Frances smiled. "Now, all you have to do is convince her to skate with George again and--"
"Frances, hell will freeze over before I allow Liz to skate with that monster again. I may not be the man she's in love with. For all I know, what just happened is going to end our friendship. But I'll do everything in my power to prevent her from ever skating with George Wickham again."
"So you think he deliberately dropped her as well?"
"I do. And he didn't just hurt Liz, he's hurt Georgiana Darcy before."
Frances frowned at the name he brought up. "I don't remember ever hearing anything about her being injured."
"Then you've got a selective memory. Georgiana had a cracked kneecap which kept her from skating for several months. Lady Cat's camp covered it up by saying that skating had caused it, but I found out that it was George's fault. Liz knows this, too."
"No one can prove that the girl didn't get that injury from skating, and I don't see--"
"You don't see too much, do you? Outside of your hatred of Lady Cat and your determination to push your daughters to do things they don't want."
"You know, Rich, you sound like a young man who is losing his appreciation for his coach and everything she's done for you."
"Right now, Frances, I'm a little frustrated--with you, with skating, with the world and the press."
"And Lizzy?"
He sighed. "No. Right now I'm scared for her."
"Scared? Why?"
"Because I've just been through hell with these reporters, and it'll only be worse with her. She's the one who publicly ditched George and who's been taking the brunt of the gossip about her rumored connection with Fitz Darcy. Now they're going to think she's..." He sighed. "And she's not."
"Just remember this, young man--there were two people kissing in that room, and she was the other one." Frances walked away from him.
Rich stood there, not even trying to comprehend the woman's motives for anything. Slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder, he started to leave the arena.
Fitz was a bit startled at the number of reporters who, upon noticing that he had arrived, shuffled his way.
"Fitz, do you have any comment on--"
"Fitz, have you heard about Elizabeth Bennet and Richard Fitzwilliam this morning?"
"Fitz, is it true that you were planning to split with Caroline to take up with Lizzy Bennet?"
"Fitz--"
"Fitz! Over here!"
Cameras went off all around him.
Dear God, Caroline, when I get my hands on you...
"Let me through! Damn all of you, let me through to him!" The authoritative voice of Catherine de Bourgh rang true, and Fitz was saved. "Mr. Darcy has no comment at this time; however, he will make a statement once he's had time to reflect on the situation."
"What situation? Catherine!" Fitz hissed as his coach dragged him around the reporters, who followed them eagerly.
Once inside, they hurriedly wandered to a private place to talk before the reporters could find where they were. Ironically, Catherine dragged him to the same room where the whole mess had started.
"I take it no one's bothered to call you for a comment," Catherine said.
"I take it Caroline's been spreading another one of her lies," Fitz snapped. "Or was this your idea?"
"I had absolutely nothing to do with this. You brought this whole mess upon yourself, Fitzwilliam, and I am not going to say otherwise."
"What mess?"
"You mean you haven't heard anything?"
"No! I mean, Caroline called with some silly tale about how Lizzy was kissing Rich, but that's ridiculous. They're just friends."
"I guess that's what she told you, but it wasn't what it appeared earlier today. The reporters found them here, kissing. What Caroline told you was the truth, Fitz."
He shook his head. "No. Caroline was lying. She's just--"
"Why do you deny this? If you don't believe me or Caroline, ask William Collins. He was here. Rich threw him out of the room when he discovered them together. Or ask any one of the photographers who has a picture of the two of them together. It happened, Fitz. Elizabeth Bennet is a liar, just like her mother. And I think the best thing for you to do is to give a statement about how the rumors of your break-up with Caroline are only rumors, you have never been involved with that little tart, and that you have nothing more to do with the situation. If not for yourself or Caroline or me, then for Georgiana. Think of how this reflects on her, and how nervous she'll be. The media will probably be after her next."
Fitz threw open the door to the room. The reporters still hadn't found them, but a shadowy figure was walking by. He turned when the door opened, and Fitz saw that it was Rich.
Neither man spoke. If Fitz had doubted what he'd been told before, the guilt that flashed in Rich's eyes erased it all.
With a furious cry, he lunged at Rich, landing a hard punch to his jaw.
Part 31
Rich reeled from the blow, stumbling backwards and landing against the wall. Before he could recollect himself, a pair of furious hands were grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket and throwing him to the other side of the hall. He landed hard against that wall as well.
"Fitzwilliam Darcy! What are you doing?" Catherine shrieked as her skater made another lunge toward Rich.
But Rich had wised up. He ducked out of the way and said, "I don't want to fight you, Fitz!"
"The hell you don't. If you hadn't wanted this, you would never have gone after Lizzy."
"Listen to me, man! It was a moment of impulse, all right?"
"Ha! Then explain what you did to William Collins! That poor boy is going to have bruises--" Catherine interjected.
"And it would've served him right if I'd broken his neck!"
"Why, because he saw you and Lizzy together?!" Fitz's rage was directed at Rich at the moment, and he flew at him again.
Rich again moved out of the way, but this time he wasn't going to let Fitz go untouched. He waited until Fitz had turned around before punching him.
While Fitz was recovering from that, Rich said, "William Collins trapped Liz in that room and was attacking her when I stepped in. I got her away from him and...and in a moment of gratitude, Liz and I kissed, and that's what the press saw."
Rich saw no need to bring his feelings into the picture, since they would only anger the other man.
"I'm sure that's what he would like you to believe," Catherine said coldly.
"Shut up!" Rich and Fitz yelled at the same time.
"You're going after the wrong person, Fitz. Rich is innocent in this. The person you should be furious with is Elizabeth--"
"You leave her out of this!" Rich hollered. "If anyone's to blame for this situation, it's you. I'll bet you were more than eager to feed Collins' ego when it came to Liz, encouraging him to make advances at her and get her alone."
"I did nothing," Catherine said coldly. "William is a young man with a mind of his own."
"William's mind is permanently blank, and you know it."
Rich took his sight and attention off of Fitz long enough for Fitz to try to attack him again. He'd been turned away from Fitz to shout at Catherine, and when he heard Fitz coming up behind him, he moved out of the way and the punch Fitz had been intending to land on the back of Rich's head wound up knocking his own coach unconscious.
"That takes care of that irritant," Rich said calmly. "Fitz, you have to understand--"
"I don't have to understand anything. You think I don't know that you're in love with Lizzy?"
Rich had nothing to say, for it was the truth.
"She doesn't love you. I know because she told me herself."
"I know she doesn't love me," Rich said quietly.
"Then why--"
"What I told you was the truth, in part. Anything Liz did was out of gratitude. What I did...was because I wanted to kiss her. I'm not going to deny what you know and insult us both."
Fitz, who had calmed down a bit by the accidental punching of his coach, sighed. "I suppose I should thank you for that, but I'll be damned if I do. I don't want you near her."
"She's my best friend."
"I don't care. She's the woman I'm in love with, and I--"
Rich frowned. Up until now he'd thought that falling in love with Liz had caused Fitz Darcy to change his act. The man he was facing now certainly didn't resemble the charming, friendly, concerned young man of the night before, the one who had taken extremely good care of her.
So he interrupted, "Liz has a mind of her own. She'll choose her friends without advice from you or anyone else. Maybe I did step over the line today, but I am not going to throw away an eleven-year friendship just because her boyfriend tells me to. If Liz tells me she doesn't want me to see her again, fine. Until I hear it from her, I'll do what I want."
Fitz turned red and again tried to take a swing at Rich, but Rich, now fully prepared to face any attack, darted out of the way and punched Fitz again, sending him careening to the floor near the spot where a motionless Catherine de Bourgh lay. Stepping over them both, Rich walked away.
Lizzy spent most of the afternoon in her room, grateful that Lydia was out doing God-knew-what, grateful that the reporters weren't allowed near her now. She had tried to concentrate on reading one of the books Fitz had sent as part of the care package, but just holding one of them reminded her that he'd sent them to her, and she would become guilty all over again.
She dug through her CD's until she found the one she was looking for. Sticking it in the CD player, she pressed the button until she got to the song she wanted to hear and then sat back on the bed, doing nothing but listening to the words of Fiona Apple.
I've been a bad bad girl
I've been careless with a delicate man
And it's a sad sad world
When a girl will break a boy
Just because she canDon't you tell me to deny it
I've done wrong and I want to suffer for my sins
I've come to you 'cause I need guidance to be true
And I just don't know where I can beginWhat I need is a good defense
'Cause I'm feeling like a criminal
And I need to be redeemed
To the one I've sinned against
Because he's all I ever knew of love...
Lizzy's thoughts wandered. Was Fitz all she'd ever known of love? Of course not. She'd been in love...hadn't she?
What does Fitz have going for him? Lydia's voice was surprisingly little and quiet here. But it was there, and it wouldn't go away.
Let me know the way
Before there's hell to pay
Give me room to lay the law and let me go
I've got to make a play
To make my lover stay
So what would an angel say
The devil wants to know...
Lizzy remembered the feeling she'd had when she'd skated with him, even before she'd known he was Ice King. And how she'd felt when he'd kissed her. And how sweet he had been with her sprained ankle, how he'd made sure she didn't slip on wet floors and opened doors for her and carried trays and...
But that doesn't mean you love him. Liddy's right. Just three days ago, he was your worst enemy. Maybe things have gone a little too fast for you to be in love with him. And why is he attracted to you, anyway? Pretty you are, but not in Caroline's class. Not in his class, for that matter. He's got money, he's jetsetted around at times. So what's his interest in you?
There was a knock at the door. Lizzy groaned, wishing she'd thought to put on her earphones so no one would know someone was in the room. "Who is it?" she asked.
"Charlotte," a voice answered.
"Oh, no," Lizzy murmured, finally remembering the other person involved in all this. She got up from the bed and limped over to the door, reluctantly opening it. She was afraid that Charlotte would be furious, but when she saw her friend, Charlotte looked sad but composed.
"Hi, Lizzy," Charlotte said. "Mind if I come in?"
"Sure," Lizzy said quietly, moving aside so her friend could come in.
Charlotte Lucas was the eldest of the females who were representing the U.S. figure skating team, and she was probably the plainest of them as well. She'd had modest success years earlier but didn't medal. She'd left the sport, content to coach in her hometown in Washington, but eventually she'd realized that she wanted one final chance to prove herself to the world. She'd competed and gotten the final spot on the Olympic team after Georgiana and Lydia.
Charlotte had gotten to know Lizzy three years earlier, when they'd met at the Nationals when her mother had taken ill. Charlotte had been Lizzy's chaperone, but had believed her to be old enough and mature enough to do what she wished.
"I take it you've heard about William," Lizzy said, walking over to turn off her CD player.
"Yes. I don't think the press is going to buy what you and Rich say, since he's already telling everyone the only reason Rich hurled him out of the room was because he'd caught the two of you together, but I knew."
"If that's what everyone thinks, how did you find out?"
"I asked Rich," Charlotte said simply.
"Of, Charlotte, I'm so sorry. I was afraid if you heard the real story you'd think I'd done something to--"
Charlotte shook her head. "No. I've known for quite some time that William's had a crush on you. I'd hoped that when we started seeing each other he'd forget about you, but..."
"He didn't."
"I don't blame you, Lizzy, so don't worry. But..." Charlotte sighed. "I worry about everything."
"Well, at least you were able to see through him," Lizzy said. "Now you know that he's a hopeless nut case."
Charlotte didn't answer, and Lizzy frowned. "You do know that, don't you?"
"That was what I came to tell you. See, William asked me something before he told me his version of events, before everyone told me different stories of what happened..."
"What?" Lizzy got a sick feeling that she knew what it was.
"He asked me to be his coach. He said that he knew I had good instincts, and that Lady Cat had told him I would do a good job of guiding him once the Olympics are over."
"You didn't tell him yes, did you?"
Charlotte nodded. "Lizzy, it's a good opportunity for me. I have about as good a chance of medaling here as I do of winning the lottery back home. When these Olympics are over, what do I have to make me impressive to ice show promoters? A good skater, a fourth-place finish at an Olympic games which took place years ago. I've only won a single Nationals, and never placed better than third at Worlds."
"A lot of skaters have those kind of credentials, and they make money."
Charlotte shook her head. "Not very many of them, Lizzy, and I'm not the type most people think of when they do. I accept my limitations."
"What is he offering you to be his coach? From what I heard, the Collins family has about as much money as mine does."
Which was to say, barely enough to cover skating costs.
"Catherine is covering his coaching expenses. She's taken an avid interest in him, you know. I'm moving to be closer to him once the games are over, and I'll be his primary coach in an effort to get him ready for the next Olympic games."
"Do you think you can do that?"
Charlotte smiled. "Most likely not, but I'll give it my best. I get paid either way. You must understand, the chance to coach an Olympic-caliber skater isn't going to be handed to me this easily again. If I can make some sort of success out of William, then perhaps I can build up my reputation that way. It's worth a shot."
"What happens if you medal here? You might want to--"
"Oh, Lizzy, you were ever the optimist. I'm not going to medal here. If your sister and Georgiana don't walk away with medals, then there's Marie Roi and Louisa Thurston, and I hear that there's a girl by the name of Helena who's got a lot of talent."
"Helena who?"
"I don't know. I've only seen her once, and that was at a distance. That isn't the point. I'm saying that I'm not likely to medal, so I might as well take the opportunity that's within my reach."
Lizzy sighed, thinking of her own lacking choices now that she'd decided to leave rather than skate with George. And even if he still wanted her, she couldn't skate with Fitz.
There was another tap at the door, and Lizzy groaned. "That better not be a reporter," she said. "Who is it?"
"It's Katt," the person said, and before Lizzy could answer her, a tall, slim, brown-haired girl walked into the room.
Katt was an ice dancer, one of Charlotte's pupils, and a friend of Lizzy's even though she was closer to Lydia in age. She took a place on the bed beside Charlotte.
"Lizzy, I think you might want to hear what's going on since you left the arena," she said. "I was just there a while ago and everyone's talking about it."
"What?"
"Someone said they saw Rich and Fitz fighting...and Rich won."
"Naturally enough," Charlotte said. "Rich always seems to win in fights."
"But now the press is saying that you're caught between them and William Collins, Rich refused to say anything, and I just heard a reporter say that Fitz is going to make a statement about everything that's been going on in the past few days."
Lizzy didn't speak for a minute, trying to digest everything she'd just been told. "They fought?" she asked.
"Mm-hmm. Want to hear the best part? Lady Cat was seen sporting a lovely black eye, and someone said she got it when she came between them and Fitz hit her trying to get to Rich." Katt smiled. "Now I realize that wishing violence on anyone is wrong, but I must say that Lady Cat deserved it."
"My mother would agree with you, only she would wish she'd hit her," Lizzy said.
Katt stood up. "Well, I have to get going. I just thought I'd drop by and tell you the latest news."
"What's so important that you have to rush off?" Charlotte asked.
"I've got...uh...Business to get to," the younger woman said with a mysterious smile as she walked out the door.
"Business," Charlotte muttered. "I thought only men could use that excuse."
Lizzy wasn't paying attention. "Charlotte...I have to find Fitz, and I'm going to need your help."
"Why?"
"I have to explain to him what really happened...because what if he believes William and Lady Cat?"
"I'm sure he doesn't. He cares about you."
"I need to see him...we have things to talk about."
"All right. I'll drive you to his hotel, how about that?"
"Good," Lizzy said, standing up and getting her crutches.
She opened the door to find Rich standing there.
"We need to talk," he said. With a pointed look at Charlotte, he added, "Alone."
Part 32
Lizzy stood in the doorway, motionless. Rich was looking to be invited in and she didn't know if she was up to it just yet.
Charlotte, however, decided to take the hint and said, "I'll talk to you later, Lizzy, okay?"
Lizzy only nodded as she moved out of the doorway to let Charlotte out--which brought Rich in. Reluctantly, Lizzy shut the door behind him.
They stood facing each other for minutes--Lizzy terrified of what had happened and what it might mean, Rich nervous and uncertain about whether or not he should tell her the truth about himself, about his feelings, about Fitz and his ultimatum. Finally, he said, "This is a hell of a mess, isn't it?"
"Yeah," she said quietly.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
"No, Liz, it isn't. Things can't be okay, not now, not anymore. Today...today changed things between us. I..." Rich sighed. "I love you, Liz. I think you've always known that."
"No, I didn't," she replied. "I thought we were fine as friends."
"We were! We just...I always wanted things to go on from there, more of a boyfriend-girlfriend thing."
"We've thought about it before. We always decided that our friendship was more important--and besides, we never had great chemistry."
"Did our kiss mean anything to you?"
Lizzy looked away. What had it meant? Had she been swept away by it? Had she wanted to jump into bed with him based on one little kiss?
Or was there still something in the back of her mind, like there'd always been, saying that it wouldn't work, that she wanted him as her friend and nothing more?
"I...I don't know." Lizzy groaned. "Why did you have to do this to me?"
"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I know that it's a terrible thing to do to anyone, much less your closest friend. And if I could've avoided it happening, I would've, but it's too late for regrets." He looked at her. "And I don't have any regrets, anyway. I don't regret kissing you. It was nice, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love you."
"Rich, please, I can't handle--"
"I love you," he repeated. "Please, Liz, hear me out on this. It may be the only chance I ever have to tell you my feelings. Please...as a friend."
"You're not asking a friend to listen to you."
"I know. I've been so unfair to you, but I need you to listen to me now."
Lizzy felt an unexpected tear slip down her cheek as she nodded slowly, sitting on the edge of her bed. Rich sat on Lydia's bed and said, "I hardly know where to begin."
"Why don't you start at the end and work your way back?" she suggested, remembering Lydia's earlier words.
"It's easier to begin at the start of all this. It's when George came into town looking for a partner," he said. "I didn't like him, but it was clear that he was the perfect partner for you, I decided to put my distaste aside and try to befriend him."
"You were right not to like him."
"Yeah, but I had not reason not to at the time. I didn't realize what was keeping me from liking him until I realized that I was jealous. You kept telling me that you didn't have any sort of feelings for him, even if he did for you, but I didn't like the idea of the two of you together, being so close and looking as though you were in love. I hated it.
"So at first, I thought it was nothing more than jealousy because it was crowding our friendship because George was demanding at first. I started to realize, though, that nothing had changed--we were still spending the same amount of time together, still having the same jokes, still interested in the same movies and music.
"And then came that Nationals...and Carl. I wanted to kill him when I saw the two of you together, with his hand under your blouse. I know I seemed calm and controlled, but I wanted to rage. I wanted to explode. I wanted...I wanted to be the one with you. And that's when I realized that what I was feeling wasn't simply jealousy because of a threat to our friendship. I loved you...and I still do.
"I know you can't possibly feel the same way I do right now. I know that you...you probably think this is a complete betrayal of our frienship. Maybe it is, but Liz, I couldn't let you go to Fitz Darcy without knowing that you had an alternative."
He bit his lip and thought of how to continue. "You don't have to love me right this minute. I was hoping that maybe over time you would come to love me as more than a friend. If you decide you can't, then...then at least tell me I haven't completely destroyed our friendship. I still want to be your friend and confidante, that still means too much to me to lose, no matter what..."
Rich almost told her about Fitz's command that he stay away from her, but he decided to let this be a fair decision.
"But Liz, answer me one thing. Do you think that there's any chance that you might love me?"
Lizzy took a deep breath, not sure how to answer him, because she knew deep inside that there was a part of her that loved him, just as there was a part of her that was coming to love Fitz Darcy.
She was about to say something when another knock came at the door. Lizzy wanted to groan, because there was only one person who would knock, and it was going to be Fitz. Her mother would've barged in unannounced, and Lydia was her roommate.
She stood up and, on quaking legs, opened the door.
She was right. It was him.
"Lizzy," he said. "We have to talk. It's important that we talk now...about us."
"Uh..."
Whatever Lizzy might've said went without saying, as Fitz noticed Rich sitting on Lydia's bed. Rich stood up and glared at the other man.
"What the hell is he doing here?" Fitz looked at Lizzy.
"We were talking," she said. "Friends talk."
"Not you and this friend," Fitz snarled, taking a step toward Rich.
"It's like I told you, Darcy--the girl has a mind of her own. She'll talk to whomever she wants...and she'll remain friends with whomever she wants."
The sentence was barely out of Rich's mouth when Fitz lunged for him again, knocking him hard into the wall above Lydia's bed. Lizzy screamed, "Fitz, no!"
But Fitz ignored her, and soon Rich was fighting as well. They knocked over Lydia's alarm clock and broke it (which, when she found it, would delight her to no end), along with the lamp that was standing beside it. Lizzy continued screaming at the two of them to stop, but neither seemed interested in ending the fight without there being a winner.
Lizzy was furious. They were acting like a pair of two-year-olds fighting over a prize, and she was no prize to be won. When they contniued to ignore her, she finally got fed up and, grabbing her crutches (and resisting the urge to smack them both in the head with them), walked out. Neither took note, too interested in hurling insults and punches at each other.
Lizzy was barely outside of her room before the tears began to fall. She couldn't think of anywhere she could go, so she just started wandering. She left the rooming facilities and went past the cafeteria, thinking about how just last night things had seemed to be going...well, all right, not perfectly, but at least better than this.
She hobbled past the Surf Shack, remembering how simple things had been last week, when she had been excited to be at the Olympics and her chances at winning gold hadn't been sullied by her partner's underhanded trick. When Ice King had likely been Marc Gercourt. When Rich was just her friend and not her would-be lover. When Fitz Darcy was her enemy and her mother was only slightly annoyed with her. Now the only thing she wanted was to go home.
But she couldn't. She had to stay for Rich's sake, because even if they couldn't remain friends she would still want to support him.
Lizzy thought about going inside the Surf Shack, but the memories, she decided, would be too great, and so she avoided it.
It seemed as though there were nowhere she could go. She glanced at her watch and realized that the ice dancing competition would be starting soon...which meant that there might be an empty ice rink somewhere. She did her best thinking at the rink, when she was alone.
And even though the doctors had told her she shouldn't skate, she knew she had to...even if she only went around the ice a few times.
She went inside the cafeteria to call a cab and headed for her mother's hotel. Luckily, her mother was with Lydia for a rather late practice since she'd overslept her practice time and then was further delayed by her cab ride with Lizzy. Thomas Bennet opened the door to let his daughter in.
"I hear you've gotten yourself into a bit of trouble, Elizabeth," he said in that soft voice of his. He was the only one to call her Elizabeth, except for Fitz.
"I guess I have," she admitted. "But none of this was my fault, Dad."
"I know."
"Did you know...about Rich?"
"No, I didn't, but you know how I'm sometimes blind to things that have nothing much to do with skating."
"I think I inherited the problem."
Thomas smiled. "So why have you come here now, risking your mother's wrath?"
"I would've thought this latest scandal would've delighted her."
"Only to an extent. She's still holding out hope that you'll skate with George again, and I continue to maintain that I'll shoot the man if he even blinks in your direction."
Lizzy thought about telling him that she'd seen George around Lydia, but decided not to. Lydia had a crush on George, who would never be so foolish as to act on it.
"I needed to get out...away from my room." She told him what had happened in her room, the talk with Rich, the fight that had broken out and her sudden flight from the room. "I was wondering if I could have that extra pair of skates you and Mom brought here."
"Elizabeth, you're not supposed to be doing anything on that foot."
"It doesn't hurt anymore." That was the truth. The pain in her heart and confusion in her mind had taken all thoughts away from her ankle. "Please, Dad, you know that I sometimes do my best thinking out on the ice."
He sighed. "I really shouldn't."
Lizzy looked at him until he went into his room and returned a minute later, carrying the spare pair of skates that Frances always insisted they have. She constantly feared that someone would do something to ruin her skaters' blades, so she had them pack two pairs of skates for all major competitions.
"Thanks," she said.
"You know, the other day, I saw you skate to that rock song, that really depressing one."
Lizzy smiled, her father's opinion of fine music and her own having clashed on several occasions.
"You looked quite lovely. Must have a bit more of me in you than I thought, to be able to come up with that on your own."
"Thank you."
"And I saw you skating with Fitz. The two of you looked wonderful together. I almost wish..."
"What?"
"I almost wish the two of you could skate together. I understand your reserve, and I hate to say it, but you could very well ruin his career, especially if Caroline Bingley has her way."
"You've been thinking of programs for us, haven't you?"
Thomas smiled. "Of course."
Giving him a kiss on the forehead, she said, "I love you."
"Love you too, Elizabeth."
Lizzy left her father soon after that, leaving him to his world of rhythm and grace. Thomas thought about her problem only momentarily before he continued to choreograph what he hoped would be the first on many programs with Fitz Darcy.