The car turned off the road into the driveway of the house. It was actually a mansion. A really gigantic one, at that. The long driveway was lined with oaks and elms as well as some smaller shrubs and flowers. As the car curved through the driveway, the occupants of the car could see the sprawling villa at the end of it. It was a pleasant white colour and had plants spilling out of the balconies in a most picturesque manner. The house was next to the sea, and although you could not see it from the driveway, the sound of the rushing waves could be heard and the clean, salty smell of the ocean permeated the air.
Fitzwilliam Darcy rolled down his tinted window to smell the air. "Ah... Pemberley!" He sighed with contentment for he was very attached to his family home and had not been back for a long time. On the other side of the sporty Jag, a blonde head popped out. "Wow... it does smell good Darce... so this is your home eh? It's really... nice!"
Charles Bingley put his head back in. Fitzwilliam (we will call him William from now on... Fitzwilliam being such a long name to type) did the same and looked suspiciously at Charles. "Nice?" William knew that Charles only used the word "nice" when he couldn't think of anything better to say, for usually he delighted in more wordy effusions of delight.
"Well... yes. It is, isn't it?" Charles answered, avoiding William's eyes.
"Charles... is there anything wrong?" William asked, concerned, for this shy person was not the Charles he was used to.
"Well... yes, actually, there is something wrong. I mean, how will your family react? I mean towards... you know..."
"Towards our relationship? They are fine with it... I talked to them already... I thought I told you that. Come on Charles, you'll be fine. I know you've been going through a lot of crap about us, but we'll be fine... cheer up." William put his hand on Charles'.
"Yeah, I suppose, Darce. I don't know...it's just been really hard for me. I know, you've been through a lot too, but you know you always were the strong one..." Charles looked down then up again, meeting William's eyes, and gave him a small smile, which William warmly returned.
" I know, but we are not kids anymore. I mean, we graduated last summer, and if we could bear the looks and jokes and jibes in school, I don't know why we should not be able to bear the ones from the rest of the world, right?" William smiled and stopped the car in front of the house.
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right Darce. Thanks it's just that I suppose I'm still a little shaken about how Caroline and Louisa took it..."
William gave a snort that symbolised his complete disdain for Charles' sisters, and shook his head saying, "C'mon, Charles, they just need time to get used to it, you'll be fine." With that they walked up the driveway, hand in hand.
From the house, Edward Darcy could see his son approaching the house. He had never in his entire life thought that his son might end up a homosexual, a gay, a queer... but he had promised William not to make a fuss and to treat Charles as any other males friend. He remembered the day William had told him about his relationship with Charles Bingley. It was the Saturday before William had graduated. He had come home as he usually did on Saturdays and had pulled his father aside to talk to him.
"Dad, I met this guy in university, his name is Charles and he... well, we are having a relationship and have been for the past year... I know this is a shock to you, but he really means a lot to me, and I've never felt this way about anyone before, much less another man, but Charles... well, he's different from anyone I've ever met, and I hope that you can accept him as he is. We are planning to move in together after we graduate. He's really a wonderful person, dad, and I hope... well I hope that you would not object to this."
Edward's heart had rebelled at the idea of his son living as another man's lover, but he looked up into William's face, and knew that it did not matter to his son whether he agreed to their relationship, for William had that stubborn fierce look on his face that Edward knew meant that he was adamant on his path, and nothing could or would deter him from it. So, Edward sighed and looked deep into his son's eyes. "Whatever you do, and what you feel is right, your mother and I will stand by you, regardless of how we feel, although I must admit I am against the idea. However, if this is really how you feel for this man, we would try our best to treat him as well as we can."
Now, however, as he saw his son walk towards the front door, hand in hand with his lover, Edward knew that he had never really accepted it, not when William had graduated and moved into his flat with Charles, and not when William called to tell them he was bringing Charles home to dinner. Edward knew that his son was young, he was only 23, and young men had to experience life and love the way they wanted to, but he felt that the way that William had chosen was a little hard to swallow. He could not understand how easily his wife and daughter had accepted the idea, and how excited and glad they were to meet the man who had melted William's heart.
Downstairs, Georgiana had flung open the door the minute she saw her brother approaching the doorstep, and she ran into his arms, saying, "Oh William! Welcome back!" She looked at Charles shyly, but with curiosity. She bit her lip and looked at the floor, for she was never good at first meetings.
"Georgie, this is Charles. Charles, my sister, Georgiana." William said to break the ice.
Charles looked down at Georgiana, then he broke into a sunny smile and said "Hi. I've heard a lot about you from your brother. I'm really glad to be meeting you, Georgiana."
"Oh, please, call me Georgie. And I hope that all you've heard has been good?" She smiled up at him.
Charles laughed and murmured, "Wouldn't you like to know?" Wiggling his eyebrows in a most suggestive manner.
Georgiana smiled, and deemed Charles a very nice man in her mind. She shooed the two men through the door, before calling out, "Mom, Richard, Dad... they're here!!!"
Charles turned in sudden alarm to William. "Richard? Who's that?"
"Oh... that's my cousin. He is the same age as us, and he's a really nice person. Relax, Charles, he's a liberal." William smiled gently to appease Charles' alarm.
Charles nodded weakly, but had no chance to say anything, for a woman who looked about forty and who bore a strong resemblance to the Darcy siblings glided down the stairs with an older, stately looking man on one of her arms, and a young, cheery looking man on the other.
"Mother! Dad! Richard! How nice to see you again!" William went over to embrace his relations before turning to Charles who was once again admiring the pattern on the carpet. "This is Charles. Charles, my father, mother and Richard." Charles looked up and grinned weakly at William's family.
"Come. We will go to the living room. Charles, you may take my arm." Taking his cue, Richard let go of his aunt's arm and smiled invitingly at Charles. It was plain to see who was the true head of the family, for all the men of the family deferred to the gentle commands of Mrs. Darcy, and she seemed used to the treatment afforded to her by her family members.
To Charles' surprise, the night passed quite well, for although Mr. Darcy was a little stiff with him, the other members of the family did their utmost best to get to know him. Charles by nature was a social person, and quickly settled down and his initial shyness dissipated within the first hour. The dinner had been excellent with five courses of extremely good food and Charles had enjoyed it greatly.
"Charles, I understand you met my brother in school?" Georgiana asked him over the dinner table.
"Well, yes, I did. We met at the birthday party of a mutual friend, and we also saw each other often in the school itself as Darce's faculty was next to mine."
"I see. Just a question, but why do you call William Darce?"
At that question, Both William and Charles smiled at each other. "Well, the first time I met your brother, he had just completed a football game at the local field. He was wearing a Liverpool jersey with the name Darcy printed across it. He was standing in a corner alone, so I tried to be friendly and went to him, and said 'hello Darcy' he replied in kind, and so I thought it was his really name, if not, a nickname. It was only two weeks later that I learnt his name was Fitzwilliam, but by that time, we had both become comfortable with my calling him Darce, so I didn't stop."
"Oh I see. Just like William to be antisocial at a party" Richard joked, winking at his cousin, who pretended to look annoyed, then kicked him under the table when he thought that his mother wasn't looking.
None of William's family dared to bring up the subject of their relationship, and they felt that it was unnecessary to talk about it, for it was obvious how the two men felt by the looks they shared, and the smile that Charles put on William's normally stern looking face.
'He is good for William, and I am glad.' Anne Darcy thought as she saw how much happier William seemed with Charles than with anyone else.
Finally, William and Charles left at around midnight for their flat in London. As they drove away, William turned to Charles and said softly, "Now that wasn't so bad was it?"
Charles laughed just as softly as said, "No, it wasn't, Darce. You were right, and I'm glad that I got to meet your family." He leant over and softly kissed William on the cheek then whispered, "Very glad, Darce, very glad."
"You looked so peaceful I didn't have the heart to." Charles responded with a smile on his face. "Anyway, its not like you are late or anything. Come on, have some breakfast." Charles said gesturing towards the dismal meal he had prepared.
"Thanks but no, Charles. Charcoal just does not sit well on my stomach so early in the morning."
"Fine." Charles pretended to be offended.
William laughed and got himself a cup of tea, which he drank in two large gulps. "Well, I'm going now, see you later." William picked up his briefcase and kissed Charles goodbye.
"Bye Darce. Are we going for Kimmy Langley's birthday bash tonight?"
"Yes, I think so. Unless you don't want to?"
"No, I was just making sure. See you." Charles closed the door and threw the breakfast into the dustbin, and then taking his briefcase, he too walked out of the door.
William drove his car into the car park of an impressive looking building and he parked his car in the lot that had C.E.O printed on its floor. He got out of the car and walked briskly to the door of the building. "Good morning Mr. Darcy." Greeted the doorman. William nodded at him and took the elevator to his office on the 20th floor.
As he walked into his office, his secretary, a tall, leggy red head said, "Good morning Mr. Darcy. The latest reports are on your desk as you requested. Don't forget, you have a meeting with your father at 10."
"Thank you Annabelle." William said as he breezed into his office. It was large and tastefully decorated with a big brown table in the middle of the room in front of a comfortable looking chair. It was in this chair that William sat. He stretched his arms and then opened the reports on his desk.
He was the C.E.O of Pemberley, a conglomerate that spanned a wide range of business ventures from publishing to fashion design and even pubs. Edward Darcy had founded it forty years ago, and with some luck and a lot of hard work, he had almost single-handedly made it into one of the most influential companies in the world, much less the country. 'Darcy' became a word synonymous with immense wealth, and for his contributions to the economy, Edward had been knighted in '88.
Promptly at 10, William went to his father's office for their meeting. "William, sit down. I'm just completing a call, I'll be done in a minute." His father told him as he entered his father's office, which was even larger than his. Dutifully, William sat down. Before long, Edward was done with his call.
"What is it, Dad? The market reports are looking good."
"Yes, I know. I came here to talk to you about a new venture I was thinking of undertaking. I just got a letter from the C.E.O of Apple Computers. He asked whether we would be interested in a joint venture to produce a type of computer software that would be totally resistant to any Internet virus. He needed some of our expertise and also help in marketing the software here in Europe. He is offering us half the profit from this software. I have examined his proposal and I think that it is well planned and concise. I have faxed it over to your office and I want you to read it and tell me what you think. If you agree with me, pick out the best team you can find for the job, and brief them. They need their answer in two days, so tell me ASAP, ok?
"Sure thing Dad. I'll read over the stuff, and I'll get the team. Any other business?'
"Oh, I'll be flying off to Washington next week, so you'll be in charge. I know it's the first time, but I'm confident that you'll be fine. If there is any thing, tell me before I leave?"
"Sure." William answered. He was more excited than nervous about being in charge of the whole company in his father's absence.
"Well, I think that covers it, so I hope to get your report by tomorrow?"
"Yep, its my no. 1 priority.'
"Great. Knew I could count on you, son, you make your old man proud." Edward said, smiling at his son, who was blushing at the praise. "You have been doing a wonderful job here, breathing new life into Pemberley, and in such a short time too."
"Yeah, okay dad, thanks." William could never take compliments well, so Edward did not embarrass his son anymore, and shooed him out.
Just before William left, Edward said uncomfortably, "Son, your... friend, he's alright, he is, and I'm glad that we got to meet him"
William smiled as he knew what a struggle it was for his father to say that, and whispered, "Thanks dad, I know.'
Charles had arrived at his office a little after William had arrived at his. The firm that Charles belonged to was a highly prestigious one, and he was considered by the management as potential partner material. Charles however was blissfully unaware of the management's intentions for his future. As he walked into his office, his secretary said "Hi Charles! Ms. Haverford is coming within the hour to discuss her case and need I remind you that you are needed in court by 11:30 for the Princely vs. Doy case."
"Thank you Francesca, and did you do something to you hair? Because it looks really good today!" Charles said cheerfully as he walked into his office. Francesca laughed. Charles said that to her everyday.
Fifteen minutes later, a svelte woman who looked about 25 years old walked into Charles' office. "Charles. How are you?" she drawled. She was very attractive, with long shimmery strawberry blonde hair, full lips, and legs that seemed to go all the way to her considerable bosom.
"Hello Mrs. Haverford." Charles greeted her cheerfully as he did everybody. "Now about your case..."
"Oh come on Charles, I've told you countless times. Call me Lolita." She fluttered her eyelids at him and licked her lips suggestively.
"Er... all right... Lolita, I think that we have a good case and a strong chance of winning here if..."
"Oh, I have no worries about my case. I know that I'm in good hands. Tell me, do you have any plans for tonight?"
"Erm... actually, yes I do. But please, Mrs. Haver... I mean Lolita, we need to discuss how you should answer the defence attorney during your cross-examination. I have here a list of possible questions..." Charles sounded slightly desperate as Lolita stood up and started walking towards him with every word he spoke. He tried to think of what William would have done, but he knew that he didn't have it in him to tell her off, as William surely would have done.
By that time, she was next to him, whispering in a most seductive manner, "So are you attached?" You hunky chunk of meat her eyes seemed to add.
"Actually, yes, I am. And I love HIM very much." Charles answered softly, looking at her through his long lashes. "Now if we would just concentrate on the case at hand..."
Lolita was silenced by his admission and nodded mutely, cursing the universal truth that all nice, gorgeous men were either gay or attached, and in this case, he was both.
Charles arrived back at the penthouse he shared with William at about 6:00. He noticed that William's car was already in the car park and whistling, pressed for the elevator. There was a middle-aged couple in the lift lobby and Charles smiled and gave them a friendly greeting as he recognized them as the couple staying two floors down from him, but they glared back at him disapprovingly. Charles shrugged mentally wondering if there was something wrong with his appearance, and got into the elevator, which had arrived. They followed him in, careful to keep as far away from him as possible in such a confined area. They got off two floors before, him, and as the door closed behind them, Charles heard the woman say to the man, "Totally shameful those two..."
By the time Charles got back to the penthouse, his good humour was slightly soured by the hurtful remark he had overheard, but he had decided not to tell William about it so as not to anger him. He opened the door and called out as cheerfully as he could, "William? I'm home!"
"Hello home!" William responded from the bedroom. He popped his wet and tousled head out of the bedroom door and grinned at Charles who groaned at the weak joke. "Hey I just finished bathing. We are supposed to be at Kimmy's house at 7:00. Hold on a second while I change." Charles wiggled his eyebrows at him the same way Lolita had wiggled hers earlier that day, and went into the bedroom where William was changing.
"Hello gorgeous" he said and smiled at the half naked William who was pulling on a polo Ralph Lauren tee. William laughed and pulling Charles to himself, kissed him full on the lips. Charles smiled gently, kissed him back then, his good humour fully restored, went into the bathroom to bathe.
"It was alright, I suppose. But we are preparing this proposal..." William then proceeded to tell Charles about the new deal DJ Corp had been offered. "How about you?" he asked when he had finished.
"It was great! We won the Princely vs. Doy case today, oh and something really funny happened..." he told William about Lolita's overtures towards himself so animatedly that he had William chuckling with amusement all the way to the house.
Charles parked the car outside the house and they walked in. Charles' eyes were shining for he, as mentioned before was a very social animal, and enjoyed parties and the like. William, on the other hand, was much more reserved, and only attended parties to accompany Charles.
The house was throbbing with music and chatter and there were about two hundred people squeezed into Kimmy's house, which was of a considerable size. As they entered the room, a small, slim woman approached them. "William! Charles! Welcome... make yourself at home." She air-kissed them.
"Hello Kimster. Happy birthday!" Charles said, pumping Kimmy's hand energetically as William handed her their present. She took it and pulled them to the middle of the room, where she left them, surrounded by gyrating bodies.
"Come on Darce, let's dance!!!" Charles shouted enthusiastically as he started waving his arms in the air and swaying his body to the music. William laughed at the ridiculous sight of Charles' attempt at dancing, then joined in, albeit a little less enthusiastically than his partner.
A distance away from the dancing masses, Kimmy stood with another girl. "Hannah, won't you look at them? I've never seen William dance like this before... I've never seen him dance at all! It's amazing isn't it? I would never have thought that Charles Bingley was the man for him...."
"I never thought there would be a man for Fitzwilliam Darcy. He always was purely hetro in school... pity... he's a real looker. And reeking with money..." Hannah sighed melodramatically as she put a hand onto her heart. The girls burst into laughter. "I heard that they moved in together." Hannah remarked.
"Yes, they did. Into some posh penthouse last I heard...I'm not surprised. They are, after all quite well off, you know."
"Heard that Caroline Bingley was absolutely livid when she heard." Hannah said gleefully.
"Oh yes, she couldn't believe that her brother beat her to her prey!" They burst into laughter again. Kimmy and Hannah were not fans of Caroline. "I bet she felt more about the loss of William than the switch in her brother's sexuality..."
"Oh yes! Caroline Bingley only thinks about herself... in a way I'm glad that Charles and William are together now. It removes all danger of seeing Caroline fawn over William. Not a pretty sight." Kimmy nodded in agreement before laughing again.
The two girls weren't the only people watching the unaware couple. "Louisa! Look at them! Absolutely shameful! I cannot believe that Charles is doing this to our family! How are we possibly supposed to show our face in public with a brother like that?" Caroline wailed to her sister who was standing next to her.
"I totally agree with you Caroline. I mean, I would never have believed it of Charles much less William..."
"William..." Caroline hissed angrily. "William was MINE. How could Charles be so hateful as to steal him away from me? How could he?"
"Calm down Caroline. I'm sure we can think of some way to break the apart. I mean, it's probably just a case of experimentation and very confused hormones."
"But they are twenty-three Louisa! How mixed up can their hormone be?" Caroline was almost shrieking into her sister's ear.
Louisa winced and said, "Oh come on, Caroline, Charles will break down the moment he sees a pretty young girl with a great body walk past him."
"I sure hope so, sister. But I wonder... after all, his secretary is quite a good-looking young girl and many of his female friends are not bad looking and..."
"Don't panic Caroline, we'll think of something..."
Back on the dance floor, Charles was still 'shaking his bon bon' while William had stopped a while to admire the aforementioned 'bon bon'. Suddenly, Charles stopped and ashen faced, turned around and pulled William into the nearest quiet corner. (There weren't many) "Darce, my sisters are here. What are they doing here? I think they saw me... what should we do?"
"Charles, I think, no, I know that we should just go back and enjoy ourselves, and just leave them to their gossiping and nonsense. All they want is for you to be affected by their presence, so if we just ignore them, they might go away."
"But what are they doing here? I thought that Kimmy abhorred them?"
"That has never stopped your sister's before, now has it?" William observed wryly.
"That's right, you're right, Darce. Just ignore them, and they will go away." Charles looked up into William's dark eyes and smiled a special smile that made William ache deep down inside. William smiled back and nodded, then he led his lover back onto the dance floor.
"Caroline...it's only 8 in the morning! What do you think I am, a rooster? I need my beauty rest, dear. Call me later" Louisa grumbled sleepily.
"Oh come on, Lou. It's the perfect plan to lure Charles from William!" Caroline whined in an attempt to cajole her sister.
Louisa sighed, as she knew that once Caroline started whining, there would be no end of it. "What is it? And you better make it snappy." She barked into the handset. Louisa was never a morning person.
"Well, it's like this..."
The next morning as Charles and William were just about to leave the house, the phone rang. "I'll get it." Charles called out. "Hello. Charles Bingley here." He sang out cheerily.
"Charles?" A voice said on the other end of the line.
"Caroline? Is that you?" Charles said incredulously.
William, who had been waiting for Charles, moved nearer so as to hear better.
"Yes, its me, Caroline. I just called to say that I know that we have had our differences in the past, but that was then, and I find myself regretting our estrangement. Louisa stands with me on this, so we are asking you if you want to go for lunch with us tomorrow as a way of burying the hatchet?" Caroline said sweetly and suitability repentantly.
"Really? Oh, I've been feeling the exact same way, and I'd love to have lunch with you. When will I meet you? And where?" Charles said ecstatically, for despite his not always liking his sisters, his family was very important to him.
"Is one all right with you? At the Le Jardin?"
"I'll be there! Oh and is William invited too?" at this, William made an awful face and started swing his arms like those men on runways in the universal sign for NO WAY! "Err... maybe not... he can't make it." Charles covered up quickly.
"Well, I wasn't going to invite him anyway. This is supposed to be a family lunch, Charles." Caroline said hoity toitily.
"Well, whatever, Caroline, I'll see you then, bye!" Charles said before putting the phone down.
The next day, Charles stood outside the Le Jardin, looking in the window and adjusting his already immaculate hair before rubbing his hands on his trousers nervously. Then, he took a deep breath and walked into the restaurant.
"Charles!" Caroline cried out when she saw him. She stood up and spread open her arms. Charles grinned and embraced her before turning to Louisa, who he hugged fiercely as well. In fact, Charles was so caught up with meeting his family again that he didn't notice the slightly forced smiles on his sisters' faces or the look they exchanged that screamed 'mission accomplished!' Also, he failed to notice the slim blonde beauty that was sitting at their table looking very uncomfortable and out of place.
He could not fail to miss her, however, when he finished greeting his siblings and was just about to sit down, to find himself face to face with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. "Err... who is this, Caroline?" He blurted out in surprise.
"Oh? This is Jane. Jane Bennet. She is a very good friend of mine, and I hope I didn't take too much liberty in inviting her to join us" Caroline said glibly. Jane looked slightly confused at this; for she hardly even knew Caroline other than that she was the rather loud woman whose office was next door to her own. However, she chose to keep her peace for Jane was by nature a peace loving person.
"Caroline? I thought..." Charles was about to say more, and then he took in the confused and slightly distressed look on Jane's face, and pulled his sister to one side where he hissed, "I thought this was supposed to be a family lunch? That's why you didn't want to invite Darce, wasn't it?"
"Well, Charles, it was, but then I saw Jane going for lunch all by her poor self today, and when she asked me if I could go for lunch with her, I didn't have the heart to say no, so I brought her along. Come on Charles. She's really the sweetest girl I've ever met." Caroline cooed in a coaxing manner, for she had never seen her brother so agitated before.
"Well...then I suppose that we should let her join us after all.' Charles said, his feelings calmed by Caroline's words.
"Of course we should, Charles." Caroline stated. She had never intended to let her brother chase Jane out anyway.
When they went back to the table, Jane stood up, embarrassed. "Caroline, if my presence is causing any trouble, I think I should leave." She picked up her bag and was about to go when Caroline stopped her.
"No, Jane! Of course you are no trouble at all! Sit, come on." She coaxed as she nudged Jane back into her seat. "You are no trouble at all. Right Charles?" she smiled at her brother, her smile more forced than ever.
"Err... no... of course...not." Charles found himself saying as he thought about how nice Jane's figure was and how sweet her voice sounded.
Caroline shot Louisa a triumphant glance, one that Louisa returned. Jane caught this exchange, although Charles didn't, and it left her very confused. Other than her confusion, she also felt very shy in the presence of this handsome man who seemed most charming.
Contrary to what Jane had thought, the lunch had gone rather well, as Charles was by far the friendliest man she had ever met, and Caroline and Louisa were much more entertaining then they had first appeared. That day, Jane went back to her office in a buoyant mood, Charles' infectious laughter ringing in her ears.
Charles also considered the lunch rather a success and as he went back to his office, smiling, thinking not only of his reconciliation with his sisters' but also of a certain sweet smile on a certain sweet face.
When he got home, Charles was whistling as he opened the door. William was not home yet, so he opened two packs of microwavable pizzas and popped them into the oven. While he waited for the pizzas, Charles opened their wine cabinet, picked out a bottle of fine red wine and took out two glasses. Then he looked at the clock and decided to take a shower before William returned.
Fifteen minutes later, Charles emerged from the bathroom to find the pizzas taken out from the microwave, the wine poured out and William, waiting for him on the sofa. "Come on Charles! The game's about to start." Charles dried his hands and walked over. He collapsed on the sofa, kissed the waiting William then the two men turned their full attention onto the telly. The night's game was Liverpool versus Leeds. William was a staunch Liverpudian, and Charles was a Manchester united man, but as his team weren't playing, he took the side of Leeds for the night.
The game preview was on, and William said, "We are going to win tonight. I just feel it in my bones"
"Who are you kidding, Darce, you say that before every game Pool plays. Leeds will win. After all, they are presently unbeaten in the premiership you know. And Viduka is currently on form."
"Oh yeah? So what? Owen is back and Fowler is on form too."
The banter continued until the preview was over, and the game started, after which the civilised banter escalated into a passionate shouting fest. At half time, the two teams were tied at one all, and William got up to refill their glasses. Their weekly football game was a highlight of both their weeks, as both men were football fans, and it was a way for them to relax. "Hurry Darce, the half's starting!" Charles called out. William rushed back, handed Charles a glass and slumped into the sofa, his tie loosened and his hair ruffled and so messy that had his secretary seen him in his present state, she would have wondered greatly about his mental health.
45 minutes later, the game was over, the result, 3-2 to Liverpool. "Haha. I told you that we would win, Charles after all, we are the best team in England, and one of the best in Europe." William gloated as they cleaned up after the game.
"Yeah, yeah...you just got lucky. And if you are going to sleep without bathing like you did last week, Mister Fitzwilliam Darcy, You can jolly well sleep somewhere else!"
"Make me" William sneered before dashing for the room. Charles scrambled after him, and when the two finally fell asleep two hours later, William was scrubbed clean from head to toe.
"Charles... I know that what I am going to say will shock you, and I know that you may mock at me, but I cannot hold it back any longer, and I just want you to know that you re the best thing that has ever happened in my life and that I find myself in a situation I had never in my entire life fathomed, that of finding myself in love with a man-you." He paused for a breath, his dark eyes cast downwards and his head throbbing. The silence seemed to fill the air, and finally he looked up into Charles' startled eyes. "I... I'msorrytohavecausedyouanydistress, goodbye" William said at breakneck speed before turning around, his heart in shatters and his mind in a whirl.
"Wait! Darce... don't go" Charles said softly, and William had turned around, and from then on, the two had been inseparable.
As he jogged, Charles smiled at the memory. He had never told William how he too had been struggling with his feelings towards the other man, and how relieved he had been that William had been the first to admit his feelings. Charles had never felt such a sense of fulfilment from any of his previous relationships with women, and the whole time he was with William, his thoughts and desires had never strayed to any feminine form. Never? The voice inside his head asked. Never. He said firmly back to it. Suddenly, the image of Jane Bennet with her eyes downcast and her golden hair framing her perfectly formed face filled his head, and Charles completed his run, confused and angry with himself for thinking of her like that.
When he got back to their apartment two hours later, William had just woken up. "Hello Charles! How was the run? I'll be out in a minute," he said as he popped his head out of the toilet, a toothbrush stuck in a corner of his mouth.
Charles didn't answer as his thoughts preoccupied him. He put some water out to boil then sat on the sofa, his perspiration soaked shirt stuck onto the curve of his back and onto his well formed chest. He was in a dazed state of mind when William emerged from the bathroom in his pyjamas. "Charles? Hey, you can go in now" he said as he waved his hand before Charles' face.
"Oh?" Charles looked up absent-mindedly. "Oh. All right then." He said as he got of the sofa and walked to the bathroom. William pulled a puzzled face, thought that Charles was just tired from his run, so he did not take his stunned expression too seriously.
In the bathroom, as he showered, Charles let the cold water pound him. It's nothing. He decided. She's nothing. He emerged from the bath revitalized and laughing at his own foolishness in letting a pretty face trick him into even considering that William wasn't the one for him.
Francesca looked up rather absentmindedly and said, "Eh? Charles Bingley? Oh, yes, this is his office. He's meeting with a client at the present moment. He won't be long. Do you have an appointment?"
"Err... I'm afraid not, but I just want a few words. I can wait."
"Well, I'll ask him once he's done with his meeting. Take a seat, Miss..."
"Bennet. Ms. Elizabeth Bennet."
"All right, Ms. Bennet, but I can't guarantee he'll be able to meet with you. Mr. Bingley is a very busy man, but I can guarantee that I will try." Francesca smiled and Elizabeth took a seat. She rubbed a corner of her sweater between her fingers, the only sign of her inward nervousness. She did not know this man, and had only come to him on the recommendation of her sister, Jane. she noticed the finery of his office, and was slightly worried, for she was not a rich woman. Finally, after what seemed like a century, an elderly man walked out of the office.
"Mr. Bingley? My name is Elizabeth Bennet. I believe that you met my sister recently..."
"Eh? What? Who is this?" the man looked bewilderedly at the earnest Elizabeth.
"Err... Ms. Bennet? That is not Mr. Bingley. He is a client, Mr. Doyle. Mr. Bingley is inside." Francesca motioned to the closed door of the office, a smile on her face.
"Oh? I'm so sorry, Mr. Doyle, err... I suppose I can just walk in?" Elizabeth said, her face red. She was not usually this scatterbrained, but her worries had scrambled her brains a little.
"Sure. Mr. Bingley doesn't have another client coming until half past." Francesca said kindly even as she gently escorted the still puzzled Mr. Doyle out of the door. Still blushing, Elizabeth knocked on the closed door and when she heard a come in, she opened the door and walked into the room.
Charles office reflected his character. The walls were the standard white, and he had a big window behind his chair. But he had two large comfy looking armchairs instead of the normal hard backed chairs for his clients. The walls were adorned with bright paintings and degrees as well as one or two photographs, one of William and himself and one of his family. All this combined to give the office a rather homey look, but the large table that Charles sat behind looked very distinguished and expensive, and his chair was one of the new fangled massage types. These gave Elizabeth the impression of wealth and comfort. At the moment, Charles was holding his coffee cup, looking at her questioningly. "Forgive me for asking, but who are you? I don't normally forget my clients names, but..."
"Oh, I'm not one of your clients." -yet she added mentally. "My name is Elizabeth Bennet, and I believe that you are acquainted with my sister Jane?"
"Oh. Oh yes. Jane. I remember. Blonde with blue eyes. The sister of any of my friends is a friend of mine. Sit. Would you like a cuppa?" Charles said affably after quickly recovering from his shock.
"No, thank you." Elizabeth took an armchair and sank into it.
"Well then, how may I help you?"
"I'm sorry to be coming here like this, without an appointment, but I'm desperate, and..."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Charles beamed.
"Exactly. Anyway, you see, I actually am the co founder of a dot COM Company, and I put in a lot of my own money into the company. We had been doing well when suddenly my partner disappeared. What's worse, he took almost all the profits that we had made in the past year, leaving me with nothing, and employees who need wages. I have managed to trace my partner, and I would like to press charges against him. I need the money back as soon as possible, for we already have debts accumulating, and..." By this time, Elizabeth was practically in tears.
"Yes, yes. I think I get the picture. The name of this man, your partner?"
"His name is George Wickham... and I' sorry, but I can't pay you right now, I'm sure that you charge a lot, as all the best lawyers do, but when I get my money back, I will try..."
"Now, now. That's quite all right. This case interests me, and anyway, my fees are not quite that high yet, you know." Here he smiled kindly and then he continued. "Now normally, I charge $200 an hour, but for you, we'll wait until the case is won before deciding the cost shall we?"
"Oh, thank you so much Mr. Bingley. Jane was right when she said that you are a very nice man." She pronounced this emphatatically, causing Charles to blush.
"Well, thank you. If you would bring all your documents, you can make an appointment for tomorrow with Francesca, my secretary, and then we can start on your case."
"Oh, and another thing. When I told George about my taking action against him, he told me that he had the backing of the chairman of Pemberley, Mr. Edward Darcy. Do you think that would hamper our case at all? I mean, the Darcy's have a large amount of power, and..."
Charles choked on his coffee at that. "What? Pemberley? Darcy? Are you quite sure?" his incredulous question put back the pucker in Elizabeth's eyebrows.
"Oh, is that bad? I mean, it doesn't matter how rich and powerful they are is it? After all, justice prevails and all, right?" Elizabeth asked worriedly.
Charles stopped coughing, as he looked at William's picture. "Yes, justice... prevails. Who they are does not matter." He said softly.
After a much-relieved Elizabeth left his office, Charles sat at his table, stunned by the news. Somehow he could not put the dignified Mr. Darcy in partnership with the picture of George Wickham that Elizabeth had painted. He must have lied to her, for it cannot be true. Charles thought, and as this thought pleased him, he stuck to it, and decided to ask William about it that night.
It was thus that later that night, when they were at home, William on his computer typing out some business proposals for a planned venture and Charles was reading up for a case the next day, when Charles remember the woman that he had met earlier that day. "Hey Darce, remember I was telling you about Jane Bennet? The one that I met when I was having lunch with Caroline?"
"Yes, I remember" William said somewhat darkly, for he was a man prone to jealousy, especially when it came to the ones he held most dear.
"Well, her sister came to find me today, and she asked me to help her on a case. It interested me so much that I was willing to take her on reduced fees as she mentioned that your father backed the man she was suing. I wonder... have you ever heard of George Wickham?"
William paled at the mention of the name. "George Wickham? Yes. I know him. He is the godson of my father; his father was my father's no. 2 before he died about six years ago."
"Really?" Charles mulled over William's words. It was sometimes harder to win a case if the person you were fighting against had the help of someone with as much power and influence as Edward Darcy. "Tell me, Darce. What do you think of him personally?"
"I think that his father was one of the nicest men I have ever met, and that he is nothing like his father. And that's all I have to say." William said curtly before turning back to his monitor with a look that told Charles it would be useless to try and squeeze any more information from him.
The next day, at the appointed time, Elizabeth returned to Charles' office. "Here are all the documents and details that I could found about George. There's quite a lot... is it enough?" Elizabeth asked as she pulled a large stack of paper onto Charles' desk. Charles looked askance at the huge amount of paperwork he would have to go through, and told her quite firmly that no more would be needed thank you very much.
"So where is this rouge residing at the present moment? Charles asked her.
"He is staying in a service apartment on --- road. He rented it with our- no my money."
"Give me the address, he'll get my letter by tomorrow." Charles said looking up at her with a smile. "There is no need to look so tense, Miss Bennet, everything is going smoothly. I'll go through all the evidence, and I'll meet with you again next week?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Thank you so much Mr. Bingley. I really owe it all to you."
"No need, no need. Call me Charles." Charles said, blushing at her praise. Elizabeth stood up, said her adieu and left, leaving Charles with a humongous stack of paper on his desk. He sighed at got down to work.
That night, when William saw the amount of paper that Charles bought back, he asked, "What is this Charles? You are going to clutter up the whole place with this. A big job?"
"No, actually this is the evidence for the case I was telling you about last night. The one with George Wickham?"
"Ah. All right then. Just make sure you don't leave them lying around like you always do." William said fussily.
"Yes my little housewife" Charles said laughingly as he kissed William lovingly, forcing William to smile along with him.
"Oh, Charles, I've managed to get two tickets for the Arsenal vs. Man U match. I know that it may be cancelled, but if it isn't, would you like to go with me?" William asked, his good humour fully restored.
"Of course! How did you get the tickets? I tried, but was told that they were all gone already." Charles said eagerly, as William knew he would.
"I've got connections, my dear, connections." He scrunched up his face and wiggled his eyebrows. Charles moved nearer to him and took his face gently between his hands.
"You are so adorable and I love you so much Fitzwilliam Darcy." He said softly, kissing William between each word. William responded, and needless to say, the day ended very well for the two of them.
"The match starts at 1. It just turned 10, so I don't see why I should eat any faster." William said, wiping his mouth. "You are acting like a child, Charles." He added with a smile.
"Yeah yeah. I don't get many chances to watch MUFC play you know." Charles answered back good-humouredly.
"Oh, did I tell you that Richard would be joining us?" Charles shook his head. "Well he is, and he is a huge Arsenal fan, so this should be interesting." William said. "What? He's an Arsenal fan? I didn't think he was a man with such bad taste." Charles said, shaking his head in mock sorrow.
William laughed and added, "He said that he would be coming over at about 11 and we can go and eat lunch together before going to the stadium."
Promptly at 11, Richard knocked on their door, also dressed in red, but with the Arsenal emblem. He walked into the apartment, and when he saw Charles, he said, "Oh no! How could you? A Man U fan? Horror of horrors!"
Charles answered him in a similar manner, and their friendly banter continued as William herded the two of them out of the door. The men had lunch at a small restaurant near to the stadium, and about half an hour before the game started, they were sitting in their seats, which were right in front, next to the field. "Oh man, Darce! How did you manage to get these seats? They are the best ones!" Charles said excitedly.
"That's for me to know and for you to find out, my dear." William said laughingly, putting his arm around Charles.
Richard, who was on the other side of William felt a little like a lamppost, but he wisely chose to concentrate on the game instead of his cousin and his boyfriend. He had never dared to tell William, but in his heart of hearts, he was not really comfortable with the relationship between William and Charles. After all, he had grown up with his cousin, and had seen him dating women all his life, and this was a new situation to him. Suddenly, a gentle voice next to him said, "Charles?"
Charles looked over, to see Elizabeth, with Jane in tow. He quickly shook William's arm off, and said, "Elizabeth! Hi! And Jane! How are you?" he grinned at the two of them. "What brings you here?" He asked.
"What, women are not allowed to follow football?" Elizabeth said archly.
"No, I didn't mean that, of course they are. I just meant, which team are you supporting?"
"Oh, we just got these tickets from an old family friend who had some last minute thing and couldn't make it. Actually, I support Liverpool, and Jane doesn't support anything."
"I see, I see." Charles said. "Why don't you two come and sit down?" He patted the seat next to him.
"I think we will." Elizabeth flashed him a smile and moved down the row. As Jane was behind her, Jane ended up next to Charles.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Elizabeth, Jane, this is my friend Fitzwilliam and his cousin Richard. And these," Charles turned to face the men "are Elizabeth and Jane Bennet"
"Hey." Richard said, cheerfully. William just grunted.
Charles turned back and continued talking to the two ladies until the game started. He was so busy talking to them that he did not notice William's jealous and hurt expression. Richard, however, did, but he did not know how to right the situation, so he very wisely kept quiet.
Finally the game started. The attention of all 5 of them was turned to the pitch, and all conversation was suspended. Occasionally, Charles or Richard would join in the chants and cheers for their respective teams, but otherwise, they were quiet. The game was a tense one as both teams were as good as each other. However, 14 minutes after the start of the game, a goal from Paul Scholes sent Charles jumping from his seat in happiness and Richard tensing up even further. Their roles were reversed, however, shortly after the break when Freddie Ljungberg equalised for the London club. And 80 minutes after the start of the game, Charles head was in his hands as Thierry Henry took advantage of a Gary Neville blunder to score the second goal for Arsenal. By his second goal shortly after, even Charles knew that Manchester were without any more hope. The final whistle blew, the score, 3-1 to Arsenal.
Richard was ecstatic, grinning from ear to ear, and Charles was the picture of dejection as his club lost yet again. William's mind had not really been on the game, for he was too busy thinking about the unhappy effect the Bennet sisters had on his lover.