Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam ~ Section I

    By Judy-Lynne

    Section I, Next Section

    Part 1

    Somewhere in New York's Tribeca district:

    "What the...? Who the heck has been in my office?" Charles Bingley heard the shouts from down the hall and quickly told his client that he'd have to call him back. He hung up the phone and headed for the office of Elizabeth Bennet. When he reached the door he was nearly hit by a flying soda can.

    "Just what has been going on here, Charles? I'm away just from the office for just three days--" Charles reached out and took the empty pizza box from the irate woman's hands.

    "I'm sorry, Lizzy. I meant to have this all cleaned up before you got back," he began sheepishly. "What are you doing here anyway? You weren't due back until next week!"

    "So you thought it would be okay to throw a frat party in here while I was out of town?" Lizzy sneered as she waded through the litter of crumpled papers, napkins, small plastic bags and other items apparently discarded on the floor. She reached her desk and sat down in her chair. "Just look at this mess!"

    "We had a major crash the night before last, you know, when that big thunderstorm hit...no, you were away. Well, there was a big thunderstorm Tuesday night. Our entire system crashed. Everything was basically wiped out in one massive power surge. We were totally offline for a day," Charles assayed, but he stopped when his eyes meet Lizzy's. She was staring at him coldly.

    "So since you couldn't get any work done, you decided to host a party?" She said as she picked up a half-eaten slice of pizza and tossed it into her wastebasket, which was already full of soda cans, and other food-related refuse.

    "No, no...it wasn't like that at all. I called in a friend of mine. His company repairs, maintains, and provides security for computer systems. He came in with another friend of mine and we pulled an all-nighter us to get back online." Lizzy didn't respond. "We did kind of use your office...you see, yours was the only computer that didn't crash."

    "How is that possible?" Lizzy asked, crossing her arms and glaring at Charles. Bingley removed a box of computer cables from a chair and sat down.

    "It was possible because, in your wonderfully anal-retentive adherence to the dictates of pessimism, you had the foresight to unplug your computer before you went on vacation. Anything that had been left on or plugged in bought the farm. Yours was the only one we could work from to restore the system." Lizzy sighed.

    "Didn't we invest big time last summer for surge protection?" she asked. Charles nodded.

    "It held for a while, but the system eventually crashed anyway. I have a call in to our insurance agents about it. I think we can get restitution. In the meanwhile, Fitz and his people have reconstructed the network and have installed a new backup system so--."

    "A new backup system? What a concept. I wonder why I didn't think of that?" Lizzy sneered, and Charles reddened, knowing that she had been after him to upgrade their backup system for some time. But the company was just starting out and he had been willing to take some risks in order to get the small Internet-based company off the ground.

    "Look," Charles said, rising. "I'm sorry about the mess. We weren't expecting you back until next week. Everyone was too exhausted to clean up on Wednesday. I told them not to worry about it, but Fitz promised to come back this morning and clean up everything this afternoon. Why don't you just go home and come back next week and everything will be just as you left it?" Charles suggested sweetly.

    "I only came in to pick up something I want to work on over the weekend. I'll just get it and be on my merry way. But you tell your friend Fitz that when I come back next week I want to find my office just as I left it. Not one thing out of place, you understand?" she said threateningly. Charles smiled and quickly left. He had just reached his own office when he heard Lizzy scream once more.

    "My hard drive! That @#$%$# took my hard drive!" Charles ran back to Lizzy's door.

    "Oh, uh, yes...he said it would be easier to copy the network files from your drive into the backup system from the set up at his offices. He'll bring it back today," Charles said warily.

    "You let him take my hard drive to make copies? I have personal things on it, for heaven's sake!" Lizzy was nearly hysterical. The very files she had come to reclaim were now in the hands of a complete stranger. And who knows how many others would have access to them before the day was out?

    "No, no, Lizzy," Charles replied quickly, attempting to calm his frantic associate. "He'll only make copies of relevant network-related files. He promised not to touch anything else." Lizzy threw herself in her chair. She was not completely satisfied. Even if the files weren't published to others, she didn't like the idea of their being in the possession of another. Suppose he read them? The thought made her queasy.

    "Listen, Charles. You tell that pizza-eating, computer geek slob pal of yours that if he so much as touches one thing that doesn't belong to the company, I'll--."

    "Don't worry, Liz. I've known Fitz since college and I can vouch for him. He'll respect your privacy. You have my personal guarantee." With that, he offered to go and call his friend to ascertain what time he would arrive with the hard drive, leaving Lizzy alone to think. After a few minutes spent getting her temper under control, she left word with the receptionist that she was leaving and would be back later in the afternoon. She wandered out into the street and tried to put all thoughts of her office out of her mind. She spent the next two hours gallery hopping in Soho.

    "So she was mad?" asked Fitzwilliam Darcy as he pulled onto the side street that led to Charles's office.

    "Mad? Fitz, if looks could kill, you'd be making your delivery to a mortuary," Charles replied. William laughed at the remark and cast a quick glance at the box on the passenger seat next to him. "So why isn't Fitz with you?

    "I left him back at the office crunching numbers for the quarterly report. Don't worry, Charles, I can reinstall a hard drive without his supervision."

    "I hope so. If you botch the job you'll have Elizabeth Bennet to answer to, and I think I'd rather face a school of starving piranhas before I'd confront her again, as angry as she was this morning."

    "Look, I'm about a block away. I'll be there in a minute," he said before he reached over and shut off the speakerphone. A few minutes later William sat in Charles's office, the box containing Lizzy's hard drive in his lap.

    "I thought you said that she had left the country-Aruba, wasn't it?"

    "Yeah, she and Jane left on Saturday," Charles replied as he sorted through the stack of papers William had handed him upon his arrival.

    "Our Jane?" William asked.

    "Yeah. She and Lizzy are sisters. Didn't you know that?" William shook his head.

    "I knew Jane had a sister named Elizabeth, I knew you had a partner named Elizabeth Bennet, but I guess I never made the connection."

    "How do you think I met Jane? Hey, I wonder why Lizzy's back early?" Charles mused.

    "Could it possibly have something to do with the fact that the same hurricane that wrought havoc on your offices on Tuesday had previously made landfall in the Caribbean on Sunday morning?" William asked as he rose and headed for Lizzy's office. Charles stared into space for a moment.

    "Oh, dear lord," he cried suddenly. "I'd better call Jane!" William slipped into Lizzy's office and quickly reinstalled the hard drive. He switched the computer on and turned his attention to the office as he waited for it to boot up. He spied a picture of Jane on the bookshelf and picked it up.

    "Jane's sister, eh? Too bad...I could never really warm up to a blond...." William returned the picture to its place on the dusty shelf and went back to the computer. After a few minutes, during which he ascertained that everything was in working order, William stared at the screen for a minute. Then he smiled and clicked on the "W" icon and opened a file.

    "Charles, where do you keep your cleaning supplies?" William called from Charles's doorway a bit later.

    "Cleaning supplies?" Charles laughed. "There's no need to disinfect the place, Fitz. It isn't that dirty."

    "Look, do you have anything or not?" Will asked with a hint of exasperation in his voice.

    "I haven't the foggiest! We have someone come in to clean the offices. I have no idea what she uses," Charles responded. William shook his head and strode out of the office. When Lizzy returned to her office an hour later, she was stunned. Her office was cleaner than she could ever remember. She did not pause to wonder at it, however. She went to her computer and switched it on, kissing her fingertips first to give a silent welcome to her restored hard drive. Charles, on his way out, stopped by her door when he noticed that her light was on.

    "I'm on my way to see Jane. Can I give you a lift home?" Liz blushed furiously as she spun around, inexplicably guilty at being caught running her system through a number of utilities programs to make certain that her files were all intact and uncorrupted.

    "If you don't mind waiting a minute, yeah. I just need to download a few files to a disk then I'm out of here." Charles readily agreed to wait and sat down as Lizzy quickly scanned the icons that appeared on the screen. All appeared to be in order. She clicked on a folder and began to download. As the computer began to transfer files from the folder onto her disk, Lizzy noticed a file icon with a name she didn't recognize.

    "What's this? Did you put this here, Charles?" Charles leaned over the desk and squinted.

    "Nope. That's not mine. I haven't used your computer." Liz felt herself grow slightly annoyed once more.

    "What's your friend's e-mail address?" Charles rose and took her place at the desk. As he fired off a quick note to accompany the attached file, Liz looked around the room. She wandered over to Jane's picture.

    "All done!" Charles declared and closed the e-mail program.

    "He dusted!" Liz murmured.

    "Should I shut it down?"

    "He dusted?" She stared at her unsoiled finger. Charles came up behind her.

    "Shall we be off?" Liz showed him her finger.

    "He dusted!" she smiled. Charles chuckled as he reached for the light switch on the way out. Way to go Fitzwilliam! You really know how to make an impression on a lady.

    "Wow!" Liz exclaimed as Charles led her to his car.

    Somewhere in Brooklyn Heights:

    "Something smells really, really good!" Charles murmured as he and Lizzy entered the apartment she shared with her sister.

    "Jane?" Liz called out.

    "Up here," Jane answered from her bedroom. A moment later, Jane Liz poked her head in. Jane was dabbing at her eyes, having just put in her contact lenses.

    "I brought Charles home with me," Liz smiled. "But he's apparently more interested in being reunited with your chicken than in being reunited with you," Lizzy teased. Jane sighed and shook her head.

    "Doesn't it scare you every now and then when you realize that, once in a while, that grandmother was right about men?" Jane said as she headed for the kitchen. Lizzy laughed as she headed for her room.

    "Hey! Do I have time to take a shower before dinner?" she called down to Jane.

    "Not if I have anything to say about it!" Charles called back. Jane put her arms around his neck and drew him close. "Well...you can have five minutes, but not one second more."

    Uptown, 53rd and Broadway:

    The following morning, William Darcy checked his e-mail. He clicked on the message bearing the name "Elizabeth Bennet" as the sender, but the note he found there came from Charles.

    "Charles, what did you do?" he said to himself after he read the note. He clicked on the button marked "Forward," and sent the file back to Lizzy. An hour later, he found a returned mail notification. He picked up the phone and dialed Charles's number.

    "Cherry Blossom Web Design. Charles Bingley speaking."

    "Do you always answer your own phone?" William asked dryly.

    "I do when I am the only one in. No one else is ever here before nine except me or Liz, and she's still on vacation," Charles replied. William was silent for a moment.

    "Charles, I thought you told me you were going to change the name of your company."

    "I was, Fitz. But Caroline won't let me." William winced, knowing that he was going to regret asking, but curiosity outweighed his better judgment.

    "What do you mean she won't 'let' you?"

    "Well, you know she put up nearly half the money to start up the company."

    "Yeah, so?" William prodded.

    "I put up forty percent and Lizzy put up the rest. We jointly own about fifty-five percent of the company but Caroline actually has a controlling interest because at the last minute I couldn't liquidate enough assets to launch the firm. Anyway, Liz and I came up with the name Cherry Web Design--you know, a play on Bingley and 'Bing" cherry--and she created a great cherry logo. It was perfect. She designed the whole corporate image: letterhead, business cards, graphics package--everything. But Caroline nixed it. She insisted that fruit wasn't sophisticated enough for a corporate identity and that cherry blossoms were much classier. We tried to reason with her, but I was too desperate for her cash to put up much of a fight." William groaned.

    "I don't suppose she has ever heard of Apple Computers?"

    "Lizzy brought that up, but she completely discarded that as an aberration. Anyway, the good news is that she has taken a completely hands-off position with the company. Other than insisting on the name, she has left us completely alone."

    "Really? I find that surprising," William said. It wasn't at all like Caroline not to exert any potential influence to her own advantage.

    "Well, there are a few things that can account for it. First of all, Caroline doesn't know the first thing about web page design. And since we have been very successful thus far, she has been content to just stay away and ogle her growing bank account."

    "You've been paying out to her? Don't you think that you should be plowing your early profits back into the company?" William asked.

    "We are, Liz and I. But our goal is to rid ourselves of Caroline as soon as possible. Our plan is to reduce her to minority partnership status by the end of the year. If all goes well we can eventually buy her out."

    "I cannot say that I blame you, Charles," William said.

    "Hey, you interrupted list of my reasons why Caroline is not a problem. Number two: Caroline has a shrewd head for investments, but she thinks that tech companies are too 'nouveau riche' to actually be physically involved in." William groaned again. Just thinking about the machinations of Caroline's mind made his head ache. "And finally, number three, and believe me, I've left the best for last: Caroline is afraid of Lizzy."

    "Afraid?"

    "Yeah! You have got to see it for yourself. I don't know how she did it, but one day, when Liz and I were revising our business plan, Caroline came by and was making a nuisance of herself. I left the two of them alone in Lizzy's office for about ten minutes and when I returned, Caroline was as docile as a lamb. She never gave us a minute of trouble after that."

    "Really! I have to meet this Lizzy Bennet!" She's sounding more interesting by the minute, even if she is a blond. "And did she ever reveal her methods?"

    "You'll have to ask her yourself when you meet her; she won't tell me and I've given up trying to figure it out," Charles sighed.

    "I may just have to do that. Speaking of Bennets, is Jane okay?"

    "Oh, yes. It seems that they arrived in Aruba just in time for the storm warnings. They immediately flew back to the states, but they were forced down in Miami, due to bad weather. They rode out the storm there in a hotel room that they had to share with two other girls, no phone, and no room service. It apparently turned into quite an ordeal. They finally made it back to New York late Wednesday night." Charles shifted the phone to his other ear. "By the way, why did you call?"

    "Oh. I was wondering if your system had gone down again. I sent a file over there yesterday and it came back." Charles turned to his computer and scanned his e-mail.

    "No, everything's been okay around here, but you're right--I didn't get anything from you yesterday."

    "I didn't send you anything. I mailed a file to Lizzy Bennet, the same one you sent to my office the other day. Why did you do that, by the way?" William asked.

    "We thought it was yours. Lizzy didn't recognize it, so we assumed that something of yours was left on her hard drive by mistake."

    "It wasn't a mistake. I just left her a brief apology for messing up her office."

    "You needn't have apologized, Fitz. I already claimed responsibility, and after all, it was Fitz and I who started throwing things back and forth like a pair of schoolboys. By the way, Lizzy was very impressed with your cleaning skills," added smiling at the memory of her reaction.

    "Well, I'm glad someone appreciates them. You and Fitz would drown in your own filth before you noticed anything was out of place," William exclaimed with asperity.

    "I won't even try to argue with you on that one, Fitz," Charles laughed. "Look, I don't know why Lizzy didn't get your e-mail, but why don't you just resend it? She's due back on Monday, but if I know Liz, she'll probably make an appearance during the day."

    "Maybe I'll do that," William said thoughtfully. He hung up and stared at the computer screen.

    No sooner had Charles hung up the phone than the lady under discussion arrived at the office.

    "Hi, Liz. We were just discussing you." Liz stopped in her tracks and turned to him.

    "Who's we?" she asked suspiciously.

    "My friend Fitz and I. I was telling him how impressed you were with his cleaning skills," said Charles.

    "Oh really?" Liz replied indifferently. She headed for her office and turned on her computer as Charles stopped in her doorway.

    "What are you doing here, anyway?" Lizzy turned and eyed Charles.

    "And to think I actually believed you last night when you claimed to have missed me," she smirked. Charles rolled his eyes and left Lizzy to herself. She checked her e-mail and found a file with a suspicious subject line. "Re: Your unpleasant surprise."

    "No thank you. I don't need any viruses today." Liz deleted the file and looked through the rest of the e-mail.

    "Lizzy! What are you doing here? I thought you'd be in Aruba...oh, that's right...the hurricane. Are you and Jane all right?" Liz smiled as Charlotte Lucas came in and gave her a warm hug. Charlotte fetched coffee for both of them and sat down to listen as Lizzy regaled her with the tale of her aborted vacation.

    "Oh, that's so awful. But at least you and Jane are okay."

    "Aren't you glad we didn't succeed in talking you into coming with us? You would have had a miserable time of it as well," Liz concluded. "And then, of course, I came in here yesterday morning and my office looked as though the hurricane had struck here, too..."

    "It did, sort of. Well, we had a flood, and there was a mess everywhere. We managed to clean up everything, but then the system crashed. I lost two days of work on the McAllister web page." Charlotte sighed. "And then out of the blue, these friends of Charles's showed up to help him out and we were back online in about twelve hours. They were even able to recover some of my work."

    "And they used my office for a playpen," Liz said sarcastically.

    "Well, we did kind of use it as a 'war room.'"

    "Don't you mean 'wreck room'?" Lizzy quipped. Charlotte looked a bit guilty.

    "But it's all cleaned up now, isn't it?"

    "Are you kidding, Char? This place never looked so good!" Lizzy laughed." If I had known that he would do such a good job of neatening up, I would have left my file cabinets open for you guys to make a mess in, too." Charlotte and Lizzy shared a brief laugh.

    "Who's 'he'?" Charlotte asked.

    "Fitz, or something like that. Charles's computer-geek friend," Liz replied before she drained her cup. Charlotte leaned forward conspiratorially.

    "Listen Lizzy, Fitz is no geek. In fact, both he and his partner were so gorgeous that even 'Leave-early Lisa' stayed till nine o'clock to help out."

    "Really?" asked Lizzy, somewhat impressed. She adopted Charlotte's conspiratorial tone. "And what time did you leave?" she teased.

    "Ten a.m. the following day. You know how loyal I am to Cherry Blossom," she said expressively.

    "Uh huh," Lizzy smirked. She glanced at her carpet. "So should I assume that the vast majority of those drool stains are yours? Or did these two gorgeous men do any drooling back?"

    "Oh, I don't know. I was so unnerved by their presence that it was all I could do to concentrate on my work."

    "I see. I don't suppose that there is any possibility that these two business partners are life partners as well, is there?"

    "Oh, Lizzy, the gods could never be so cruel! No," Charlotte declared dramatically. I don't want to even consider that possibility."

    "Well, it would be just my luck that two gorgeous, heterosexual, available men--they were available, weren't they?" Charlotte shrugged. "Anyway, it just figures that I'd be stuck in some storm-battered hotel a thousand miles away when they showed up." Charlotte went to her office, but Lizzy remained pensive for some time. She sighed and shook off her funk and turned her attention to catching up on her work. A few hours later she was disturbed by a call of "knock, knock" from the doorway. Lizzy looked up.

    "Oh, Jane. Is it noon already?"

    "No," Jane replied as she came in. "I'm a bit early. Are you really busy?"

    "Nah. I'm just catching up with my correspondence and checking the status of some of my projects. How were things at Bloomingdale's?"

    "It was a very successful outing. I got a great party dress on sale."

    "Good!" cried Lizzy. "All you need now is a party to wear it to. But I suppose Charles will be happy to provide you with an occasion."

    "I'm rather counting on that. He did mention something about a surprise party for an old college buddy of his this weekend, so maybe I'll get to wear it then." At that moment, Charles stopped in.

    "I thought I heard the voice of an angel," he said, bending to kiss Jane. "Are you ladies going to lunch?"

    "Just as soon as I print out this memorandum." Lizzy replied without turning around. "Would you care to join us, as if I needed to ask?" Charles smiled and claimed a seat beside Jane.

    "Well, I was just on my way out to grab a sandwich, but if you two insist..." Lizzy rolled her eyes and turned back to the screen. "Oh, by the way, Lizzy. Did you get an e-mail from Fitz today?"

    "Unh uh," Lizzy replied as she closed the e-mail program, and reached into her desk for her purse.

    "Why should he be e-mailing Lizzy?" Jane asked.

    "He said he left a note for her the other day after he fixed her hard drive but we sent it back, thinking that he'd accidentally left it on her computer. So he sent it back to her this morning," Charles explained.

    "Well, I didn't see anything..." Lizzy briefly thought back to the file she'd deleted earlier, but decided that it could not have been what Charles was speaking of.

    "I didn't know he'd even met her," Jane persisted.

    "He hasn't," Charles explained as the trio headed to a local diner. "But he used her office the other day and left her a note as a simple courtesy."

    "Hmmm...likes to clean, gorgeous, and knows something about etiquette. When do I get to meet this paragon of manhood?" Lizzy teased. Charles held the door open for Lizzy as he exchanged a significant glance with Jane.

    "What are you doing tomorrow night, Lizzy?" the couple asked in unison.

    When the recipient of the surprise party was introduced to Lizzy, the shock of the surprise was still recent enough there was still a sparkle of amusement in his eyes and a rosy bloom in his cheeks. He was tall, well formed, and extremely handsome, and he was possessed of a smile so engaging that it was all Lizzy could do not to lick her lips. Charles made the introduction.

    "So, you're the neat freak?" she said.

    "That's the first time I have ever been called that!" Richard Fitzwilliam laughed delightedly.

    "Well, let's just say I was very impressed with the state in which you left my office," Lizzy smiled. Charles quickly explained.

    "You became intimately acquainted with Lizzy's office this week while you were repairing our system." Both Richard and Lizzy blushed, Lizzy at the use of the words "intimately acquainted" and Richard at the thought of the embarrassing mess he'd left behind. Word had gotten back to him from his cousin about Lizzy's reaction on finding her office in a mess Thursday morning. Richard took comfort in the fact that she seemed to have regained her sense of humor about it, however, eager to distract her from whatever her initial impression of him might be, he quickly changed the subject, and led her to the dance floor.

    "I thought you were trying to set her up with William," Jane commented when they were out of earshot.

    "That was my plan, yes, but he doesn't appear to be here," Charles said with a glance at his watch and a quick scan of the room. "Fitz took Georgiana to the airport this evening. Maybe they got held up by the bad weather."

    "I am beginning to wonder if it will ever stop raining," Jane sighed. "Well, if William doesn't get here soon, Richard will have Lizzy eating out of his hand before he even has a chance with her. She looks like she's having an awfully good time with him."

    "Well, Fitz's loss is Fitz's gain," Charles quipped as he led Jane to the refreshment table.

    "What is that supposed to mean?"

    "Well, one Fitz is as good as another, isn't it? I thought that the main idea was to set Lizzy up with someone..."

    "And I thought the 'someone' you had in mind was Fitzwilliam Darcy," Jane challenged.

    "Well, as long as Lizzy doesn't seem to mind, why should we?"

    "There you are, Richard," William said when the president of the fledgling tech support firm showed up in his office. He had already made himself comfortable in a commodious leather chair, and was reading an article on the company in a computer magazine. His well-tailored suit contrasted sharply with Richard's business casual attire. "I wanted to apologize about missing your party, but Gee's plane didn't take off until 10:58 and then I got stuck in traffic back to the city. By the time I got out of the tunnel I was completely wiped out. I called you yesterday but--."

    "You know my prohibition about returning phone calls on Sunday. I figured you had a good reason for not coming, although I'm glad Charles went with an alternative plan for getting me out of the way or I'd have missed the party, too."

    "Yes, I was a little worried about the weather holding up the flight so I talked him into taking you to a movie instead," William said, as he casually flipped through the magazine. "It would have been awful if the guest of honor missed his own birthday party."

    "Well, you missed out, Fitz. It was awesome. I even met a very interesting lady," Richard said slyly.

    "Don't you always?" William quipped back. Richard stuck out his tongue. William noticed it but refused to take the bait.

    "So, what brings you down to the fifteenth floor?" he asked.

    "Just checking up on my investment. How's business?"

    "Just great. In fact, Mister CEO, we're ahead of our quarterly projections. Danielle's just completed the quarterly; let me go get a copy of it for you." Richard rose and strode out of the office, leaving William to his reading. Richard's phone rang and after a moment, William picked it up.

    "Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam."

    "Hi, Fitz," said a feminine voice that brimmed with laughter.

    "Who is this?" a surprised William asked. No one but Charles or Richard ever called him that at the office, but then he remembered that he was in his cousin's office, not his own.

    "How soon they forget!" Lizzy teased. "I'll refresh your memory: Saturday night, a party. You gave me your card and insisted that I make the first call? I believe your exact words were, 'Call me on Monday and invite me to lunch.' I bet you didn't really expect me to take you up on your suggestion, did you?" William shook his head. Richard came back in and tossed the report on William's lap.

    "Would you hold on a minute?" William handed the telephone receiver to Richard. "Someone you met at the party?" Richard smiled and took the phone as William rose and made for the door. "Why don't I discuss this with Danielle? I'll speak with you later." Richard nodded, then turned his attention to his call.

    "Hello."

    "Now, you sound better."

    "Really? Better than what?" Richard asked sweetly.

    "Better than you did before. Has your memory returned?"

    "Did I lose my memory?" Richard laughed. "Tell me all about it. I forgot." Lizzy laughed at him and offered a formal invitation to lunch. The two chatted briefly before Richard excused himself and joined William in the chief financial officer's office. When they were done, the two men headed back down the hall.

    "So, Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam is, by all accounts, doing quite well," said the satisfied CEO.

    "Don't sound so surprised, Fitz. With my technical knowledge and your business sense, success was a foregone conclusion," Richard countered.

    "Your technical knowledge? Give me a little credit, cousin. Who helped you out last week when Charles's computers went down? And who cleaned up after you?" Richard conceded.

    "Okay, so you've got it over me in the brains department and the cleaning department," he laughed. "But I've got one thing you haven't..."

    "What's that?" William asked.

    "A date for lunch!" Ouch, William winced. The two cousins had been competitive since their childhood, generally coming up even except in one category: Richard always managed to find the prettiest, smartest, most interesting women wherever and wherever he wanted. William was envious of his cousin in that regard. Richard slapped William on the shoulder.

    "You know, that trip downtown last week is beginning to pay off. Not only did I meet a fabulous lady, but I got two referrals from friends of Charles's as well." William rode up in the elevator and tried to figure out which woman in Charles's office had captured Richard's fancy. Charlotte? Moderately attractive, intelligent...but too in awe of Richard or himself to even speak beyond the minimum. Lisa? Fairly pretty, but hadn't Richard declared her to be vacuous? Richard doesn't go out with airheads. William couldn't remember the name of the third woman in the office that night, but he vaguely remembered her saying something about picking up her son from the sitter's. He gave up trying to figure it out as the elevator arrived at the fortieth floor.

    Richard Fitzwilliam at birth had as much money to his name as Fitzwilliam Darcy earned in his first five years as a venture capitalist. Richard came into his trust fund at the age of twenty-five. At the age of twenty-one, George Darcy handed his son a check for $100,000 and told him to make something of himself, in the tradition of the "self-made" Darcy men. Less than ten years had seen that sum parlayed into a $100 million business empire. Through wise investments, Richard had made nearly half that amount before he ever did an honest day's work. But two years ago, Richard and William had joined forces to enter the world of high-tech business. Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam was the result. It was Richard's pride and joy, but only one of a half dozen companies that William had a controlling interest in. He strolled into his office and had his assistant order lunch. He ate in and regretted own lack of a lunch partner.

    Lizzy returned from lunch with a smile on her face. She couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed so much in her life. Richard was such enjoyable company.

    "So?" Charlotte asked as Lizzy passed her desk.

    "I had a great time."

    "And?"

    "And what?" Lizzy asked, turning back to Charlotte.

    "And when are you going to see him again?" Charlotte asked.

    "We just met three days ago, Charlie! Excuse me if I'm not ready to start planning the rest of our lives together. I mean, he's a really nice guy and all, but I am not about to go rushing into a relationship with him or anyone else," Lizzy cried.

    "Sorry!" Charlotte said, a bit taken back by her tone. "I just feel that when a girl gets a potential 'Mr. Right' in her grasp, she ought to do everything she can to secure him as quickly as she may."

    "Secure him? I don't even know him, yet!"

    "Emphasis on the word 'yet!' Remember, Lizzy, I saw the guy in the flesh. If you have any interest in Richard Fitzwilliam, whatsoever, you'd better grab him before someone else does," Charlotte warned. Lizzy shook her head and went into her office. After wasting nearly half an hour daydreaming, she had to concede that she couldn't get Richard off her mind. On a whim she went to her e-mail program and clicked on "Trash." She surveyed the list of discarded files until she found the one marked "Re: Your unpleasant surprise." She looked for the name of the sender, but there was only a forwarded message notification. She decided to take a risk and click on the message. After all, if her computer was destroyed, she knew exactly whom to call.

    "Re: 'Your unpleasant surprise'

    Dear Miss Bennet,

    I wanted to apologize personally for the unpleasant surprise that greeted you on your return from your vacation. I am sure that Charles explained the nature of the emergency; however, we were somewhat cavalier about tossing things about (especially when we got a little punchy toward dawn and a spontaneous spitball fight broke out). I have done my best to set things right. Should my efforts be found insufficient, please do not hesitate to inform me and I will do my best to make amends."

    "No signature. Somehow, that doesn't seem like you, Richard. You're more the type to take a direct approach --such as demanding that I make the first call--not the sort to play the man of mystery." Lizzy clicked on the reply button.

    I should have responded to this earlier, but I make it a habit never to open e-mail from strangers. Of course, now that I know more of you, I have read your note and am happy to report that my office has gone from "unpleasant surprise" to "wow," thanks to your ministrations. I thank you for being so thoughtful as to come back and clean it up.

    I didn't know about the spitballs. (Yuck!)

    Lizzy briefly considered inviting Fitz to "come back, anytime," but decided that it would be too forward. She signed the missive "Lizzy" and clicked on send after she had captured the e-mail address for her files. Above "fitz@darcy.com" she filled in Richard Fitzwilliam's name. Then she sent the file off and returned to her work.

    William returned from a long and stressful board meeting to find that a message was waiting for him. He clicked on the mail icon and was pleased to find Lizzy's note. Charles must have explained things, he thought to himself. He captured Lizzy's e-mail address and opened a new message.

    I wasn't involved in the battle. Honest!

    He sent the message off and awhile later found Lizzy's reply:

    Chicken? Or just a bad shot?

    I was the one working. Everyone else was busy wrecking your office.

    And you did nothing to prevent them?

    Have you ever been on the receiving end of one of Charles's spitballs?

    Mercifully, no. Our relationship has never sunk to such depths that we felt it necessary to resort to violence. So...you're admitting your cowardice?

    Lizzy laughed out loud when she read her e-mail on Monday morning.

    I admit no such thing! My mind was focused on more noble pursuits

    "What's so funny?" Charles asked as he entered her office. Lizzy just smiled enigmatically. After their meeting was over, she responded.

    Such as stealing my hard drive...

    Yes, and bringing it back safe and sound and earning your notice by cleaning your office.

    You most certainly earned my notice: No man has ever dusted for me before. But I still think I would have been more impressed had you stopped the fight.

    Next time, I promise.

    "Next time?" Lizzy said aloud. She fired off a message.

    Should the head of the company that just repaired our computer systems be saying something like that? She hit "send," and turned to answer her phone.

    "Are we still on for tonight?" asked Richard. He was lounging at his desk, feet up, his mind already on his third date with Lizzy in two weeks. This time it would not be a quick lunch. Tonight it would be a "real" date and he meant to make it special.

    "Hi, Richard," Lizzy laughed. "I was afraid you weren't going to call me today."

    "Lizzy, you wound me! Did you really think I would forget?" he said with mock horror. Lizzy laughed and very nearly repeated her e-mail message aloud, but she rather liked that she and Richard never mentioned their ongoing correspondence when they spoke to each other. It had become a private little online flirtation that Lizzy cherished. Their phone calls had become a daily occurrence since Richard had asked her to dinner. It had to be postponed a week, since Richard had to attend a conference in Chicago. But he had called her the moment he arrived and every day after that to make sure Lizzy didn't forget their date. Ordinarily, Lizzy would have found such frequent calls annoying, or even a bit scary. However, Richard's calls were always brief and entertaining. She actually looked forward to them, even though what they discussed always seemed to be so trivial.

    "So what color are you wearing tonight?" Richard asked, closing his eyes, ready to fantasize about Lizzy's appearance.

    "I don't know yet," was Lizzy's disappointing response. Richard's eyes opened abruptly, too much the gentleman to imagine Lizzy without an outfit. "Where are you taking me?"

    "If I tell you that, it would ruin the surprise, now, wouldn't it?"

    "Okay...how about black?"

    "You are a New Yorker, aren't you? What's up with that, anyway?"

    "Black is very flattering."

    "You don't need any 'flattering,'" Richard said gallantly. Lizzy giggled at his retort.

    "Okay, Mister "Fitz" Fitzwilliam. What color are you wearing?" she countered.

    "Uh...black. But only because I think brown tuxes are déclassé."

    "A tux? Sounds rather formal. Hmmm...black is off limits, eh?" Lizzy mentally inventoried her closet...and Jane's. "How does red sound?"

    "Hot!" Richard recovered himself quickly. "Very fiery. Yes, I think that would do you very nicely. I'll see you at 7:30." He wrote down her address and hung up. He turned to his computer and looked through his bookmark list for a florist.

    "Big date?" asked William as he came in and leaned over Richard's shoulder. Richard answered absently, his mind on the myriad of options before him.

    "What do you send a lady on your first big date?" he muttered.

    "You are asking me?" William was taken aback. "There is something wrong with this picture." Richard turned around.

    "Oh, hi, Fitz."

    "Hi, Fitz. What's going on, as if I didn't know," he smirked, sitting on the edge of Richard's desk.

    "I have a date with a very special lady tonight and I want to make the right impression." Richard returned his attention to the screen before him.

    "Aren't red roses the classic?" William offered.

    "Too classic...a little too staid for Liz. I want something a bit more hip, unexpected." William started at the name. I thought he was seeing someone from Charles's company? Oh well, I'm not one for keeping up with Richard's love life; my own is so much more compelling... William sighed and threw himself into the chair opposite Richard's desk. It's Friday night...how many Friday nights have I been alone these last two years? "What do you think?" William looked up. He had no idea what Richard was talking about. He rose, went around the desk, and peered at the screen.

    "Orchids? Aren't they classic as well?" he said.

    "You got a better idea? I've only got two hours to find something," Richard whined.

    "It's just like you to wait till the last minute. Hey," William said suddenly, "Why don't you use that to your advantage?"

    "Willy boy, what the heck are you talking about?" Richard snarled, as he clicked on a different florist site, only to be confronted with the same choices.

    "What I mean is this: you want to impress the lady, right? The traditional thing is to do the roses, the limo, the fancy restaurant, et cetera. Why not do something a little unexpected?"

    "I believe I already had that idea, cousin," Richard said with more than a little exasperation.

    "So bring her a bunch of daisies," William smiled. That's what I would do. If I had a date tonight.

    "Daisies? Are you daft, man?"

    "Sure, daisies, sunflowers, anything simple or from a local stand; it's just the sort of thing that would impress the right sort of woman."

    "And what sort of woman would that be?" Richard asked, half intrigued, half suspicious.

    "The sort of woman who loves to laugh, the sort of woman who craves spontaneity or who doesn't mind taking a risk every now and again. The sort of woman who'd be equally at home with Beethoven or the Boston Bruins, or who'd loosen her hair and insist that I leave the top down when she rode in my convertible. I'm talking about the sort of woman who makes a man feel...like a man." William stopped, self-consciously, but Richard didn't seem to notice that William had ceased to answer his question and begun to describe his own vision of the perfect woman.

    "Precisely the sort of woman I have a date with tonight! Fitz, you're a genius! I take back everything I ever said about being your equal in the brains department!" Richard leapt up and hugged his cousin. William shook his head as Richard quickly threw some papers into his briefcase, grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. "Do me a favor, Fitz? Shut down my browser, will you?" He was out of the door before William could answer. Minutes later, William was back in his office. He was about to shut down his own browser when he noticed that he had a message. He laughed aloud at Lizzy's comment and sent a response.

    (Gulp!) You're right! What do I have to do to buy your silence?

    "But Lizzy, you look fabulous!" Jane dragged Lizzy to the full-length mirror to see for herself.

    "You don't think it's too much?" Lizzy felt naked in Jane's dress. She was beginning to regret her making her choice of color known to Richard.

    "Too much what?" Jane asked?

    "Too much me! I had no idea I had so much skin, and I'm not sure that I want Richard to know about it, either." Jane laughed as she pulled a last errant roller out of Lizzy's hair. Lizzy shrieked at the tugging on her scalp.

    "I'm sure Richard will love the dress, Lizzy. It's simple, it's elegant, and it's--."

    "It's not covering enough of me," Lizzy complained. "On you this is elegant. On me, it's so..."

    "Hot?" Lizzy took a deep breath. "Well, if you're going to chicken out, you can always wear the blue one."

    "I don't believe Richard is color blind. I told him I'd be wearing red. Besides, I'm too well endowed for that one, too," Lizzy complained as she futilely tugged the dress upward.

    "You're supposed to have cleavage, Lizzy. You're a grown up woman going out on a big date with a grown up man."

    "That's what I am afraid of." Lizzy took one last look in the mirror. Jane was right; she did look great. She just wasn't very comfortable in Jane's red cocktail dress. It just seemed too red, a bit too sexy. Even her matching strappy heels seemed too revealing. Lizzy didn't want to create the wrong impression on her first serious date with Richard. Although she found him to be everything charming and delightful, the jury was still out on him, as far as Lizzy was concerned. She wasn't quite ready to "secure" him, as Charlotte suggested. She sighed as she went to her room to locate a wrap to go with her ensemble. She paused in front of her own mirror to check her makeup. Satisfied, she went downstairs and into the living room to await Richard.

    "Wow!" Lizzy nearly jumped out of her skin.

    "Charles! I didn't hear you come in," she said. Her hands immediately flew to her chest, afraid that she'd burst out of the dress as she tried to control her heartbeat. "That's it, I'm changing. Forget what I said about--." The sound of the doorbell froze her in her tracks. She slowly turned around as Richard entered the apartment. He greeted Jane and Charles, and then turned his attention to Lizzy.

    "Wow!" Jane gave a thumbs-up sign behind Richard as Charles mouthed the words "I told you so!" Lizzy came forward and accepted an armful of sunflowers. "They were out of daisies," Richard said sheepishly. His infectious smile put her at ease.

    "I absolutely adore daisies...how did you know?" Lizzy caught Richard's look of surprise. Jane took the flowers and offered to put them into water for her and Lizzy allowed Richard to escort her to the waiting limousine.

    "You really know how to impress a girl, don't you?" Lizzy quipped once she had successfully negotiated the awkward task of gracefully entering the car.

    "I have to confess, it's my cousin's car. He almost never uses a driver after business hours, so he lets me use it whenever I want."

    "That's very nice of him. But how does he get around at night?"

    "He drives himself, although he rarely goes out in the evenings." Lizzy became curious.

    "What is he, some sort of recluse?"

    "Oh no, it's nothing like that. He just hasn't gone out much since...never mind. It's not a pretty story and I don't want to start the evening in a somber mood." He offered Lizzy a glass of champagne and started a conversation about the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood in which Lizzy and her sister lived. When they reach the waterfront restaurant on the Manhattan side of the East River, Lizzy took Richard to the terrace and showed him where her neighborhood was across the river and promised him a view of the restaurant from the Brooklyn Promenade later on.

    William pulled up in front of the tidy row of brownstones and squinted at the numbers. Finding number 60, he came to a stop just as a car pulled out ahead of him. William dove into the space and then walked the short distance back to the house.

    "Hi, William," Jane said as she kissed him on the cheek. Charles came up behind her and shook William's hand. William handed Jane a bunch of daisies and accepted a seat on the couch. Jane smiled at Charles, although he pretended not to notice the hint. She still insisted that William was better suited to Lizzy than Richard, while Charles thought that Richard and Lizzy would make a great couple.

    "Are you double-parked?" Charles asked.

    "No, I found a space right out front," William said as he surveyed the room admiringly.

    "Lucky dog! I usually end up parking two blocks away!" Charles pouted. Jane came back with the flowers in a vase as Charles added, "Well, since you have a space, I guess there's no need for us to rush out right away."

    "No," Jane agreed. "Can I offer you something, Will?"

    "No, thank you. I think I'll wait till dinner. I wouldn't mind a tour of the place, though. I've never been in a Brooklyn brownstone."

    "Well, it's nothing compared to your place, I assure you, but come on. I'll give you the grand tour. We rent out half the building, my sister and I, so we have the other two floors to ourselves."

    "I can't believe I've never met your sister after all this time. Are you sure she really exists?"

    "Well, I'd show you her room as proof, but I believe she left it in quite state. It is kind of odd that whenever one of you is around, the other seems to disappear," Jane said. "In fact, you just missed her. She left about ten minutes before you arrived." Jane did not feel equal to mentioning the name of her date. She'd leave that to Richard. Maybe William already knew about their budding relationship.

    "Maybe it's fate," William quipped. "But I would like to meet her one day. There's something I'm dying to ask her." Jane looked at William when he said this, but she made no comment. She showed William the apartment and told him about the history of the house--which had once belonged to their grandparents--and the neighborhood. When they returned to the living room, Charles declared that he was famished, and the trio headed out to dinner at a historic Brooklyn restaurant.

    Lizzy's date with Richard was magical. After dinner they went dancing, and they topped off the evening with a walk along the Promenade. Lizzy showed him Manhattan and he showed her his favorite constellations, most of which, Lizzy was convinced, he had made up on the spot. When he took her home, Lizzy invited Richard in for coffee, but he declined, claiming that he had to get the limo back before midnight, lest it turn into a pumpkin.

    "But it's well past one a.m. now!" Lizzy whispered through her giggle.

    "Where did you say the nearest train station was?" Richard quipped before he gave her a chaste kiss on her lips and said goodnight. The next morning Jane came home from Charles's place and found Lizzy staring into space over a cup of coffee.

    "That good, huh?" Lizzy just smiled and nodded.

    "These daisies are fantastic; where did they come from?" she said a moment later. Jane spun around and looked at her sister.

    Lizzy arrived at the office even earlier than usual on Monday morning. She quickly sought her e-mail and sifted through twenty messages before she found the one she wanted to see.

    (Gulp!) You're right! What do I have to do to buy your silence?

    Another kiss. Slower. Lizzy smiled wickedly and quickly deleted the line. Ten minutes later, William raised an eyebrow.

    What have you got to offer?

    You're in very early today.

    I do believe you're evading my question!

    All right. I offer all I have. Cars, cash, my house in town, my house in Connecticut, my house in Vermont, my house in the Bahamas, my flat in London, my apartment in Tokyo, stock options, various business and real estate holdings...what do you need? Lizzy chuckled at the extensive list and concluded that Mr. Fitzwilliam was quite a spinner of yarns.

    I need serenity, a little space, and, of course, a kick-ass computer system. (Tokyo?)

    In that case, allow me to recommend the house in Vermont. Greenwich is too stuffy, even for me. The Vermont house will take care of the first two items on your list. As for the third: how about your own computer company? (Yes, Tokyo!)

    "Even for me? What do you mean 'even for me'?" Lizzy frowned.

    You're too generous. What's wrong with the house in the Bahamas? (And why Tokyo?)

    The place is serene, but considerably smaller than the other two. Besides, the technology is very shaky down there. (Why not?)

    Yeah, but if you give me your computer company, won't I be able to fix that? And for that matter, if you give me the company, won't the secret become a moot issue? (That's not an answer!)

    I didn't say which computer company I'd give you. (All right; I spend a lot of time there and I hate hotels.)

    "Now, you've gone totally over the top, Mr. Fitzwilliam!" Lizzy laughed.

    How many do you have?

    Only two.

    Only two?.

    William clicked on reply just as Richard came into his office. It had become a habit that each day's correspondence would be a continuous string. He quickly minimized the file and turned around.

    "So? How was your big date?"

    "It was wonderful. We had a great time. The only thing that went wrong is I couldn't find any daisies," Richard said as he slid into a chair. William noted that Richard's demeanor was oddly out of synch with his words, so he chose his own next words carefully.

    "Well, if not finding daisies was the biggest problem of the evening, I daresay the date went well." Richard shifted uncomfortably.

    "Yeah." William leaned back in his chair, unsure whether or not he should press the matter. Finally, he spoke.

    "Will you see her again?"

    "Oh, yeah. I expect to see a lot more of her in the future," Richard said pensively.

    "Sounds serious." More silence ensued.

    "Fitz, would you..." Richard paused awkwardly before he seemed to gather up his resolve to push on. "Would you have married Emma if she hadn't died?" William paled at the mention of her name. He stared at the pen in his hands as he tried to remember the beautiful, vibrant woman he'd lost to a terrible tragedy. But his memories of her had faded over the last two years. All he held onto was the void that she had left in his life.

    "No...I don't know, really. At the time of her accident things were just beginning to get serious. Marriage wasn't on the immediate horizon. I hadn't even begun to think along those lines."

    "Then why have you...I'm sorry, Fitz. I have no business asking you about this." Richard rose and went to the window and stared out at the traffic below. William stared at him a moment.

    "I don't mind talking about it, Fitz. But I'm curious as to what prompted these questions. You aren't considering.--."

    "Don't even use my name in the same sentence with that word!" Richard said hastily. "No, I am definitely not contemplating any serious lifestyle change. I was just wondering about you."

    "About me? Why?" Why, indeed, cousin?

    "I don't know. When I left here Friday I was all excited about my date and when I got downstairs I realized that I had run out and left you all alone. You've been alone an awful lot since Emma died."

    "I know, Fitz," William sighed. "But I just haven't found anyone I've wanted to go out with."

    "You're sure that's it?" Richard asked warily?

    "What else is there?" William asked, reaching for his mug of coffee.

    "You haven't sworn off women, or determined to never marry, or anything like that?"

    "No."

    "You're positive." William folded his arms and glared at his cousin.

    "I think I can safely assume that I know what I'm talking about, Fitz."

    "Good."

    "I'm so glad you approve."

    "Well, you know," Richard said, easing himself into a chair, "You ought to get out there and find someone. There are a lot of wonderful women on this planet, you know."

    "So I've heard. However, you seem to have an amazing propensity for finding them first," William teased, feeling a wave of relief as Richard began to sound more like his normal self.

    "Would you mind having my leftovers?" Richard asked half-seriously.

    "That would depend on what you left," William smirked and turned his chair back around to his desk, effectively signaling that it was time to go to return to business. Richard fixed a time for them to play a game of squash at midday, and left William to his work. As soon as the door closed behind him, William clicked back to his e-mail. "Sorry, Lizzy. I'm too distracted to pick out anything for you today." He closed his e-mail and turned to the stack of papers on his desk.

    Lizzy was a little disappointed when she didn't receive an e-mail message back that day. She thought to write him, but their established routine seemed to prohibit talking out of turn. Late that afternoon, the phone rang.

    "Hi, Lizzy. What are you up to this lovely afternoon?"

    "Hi, Fitz. Busy day, huh?"

    "Now, how did you know that?"

    "I have spies everywhere!" she whispered. Richard laughed and expressed a fervent hope that her spies could not read minds.

    "You're in an extraordinary mood today," Lizzy remarked. They talked a little while longer, then William poked his head in and told Richard that he was leaving early. Concerned that their earlier conversation had put William into a funk, Richard cut the call short.

    "You needn't have done that, Fitz," William said to Richard as they headed for the car. "I'm just done with my work a little early. I've got to pick Gee up at the airport later."

    "Great, I haven't seen her in ages. Let's do it together," Richard said as the pair stepped into the limo.

    Lizzy felt a bit less disappointed after her phone chat with Richard, but she still wanted to see a reply on her computer. She hoped that he wasn't tiring of their online correspondence. She had come to look forward to it. She opened her laptop on the dining room table. As soon as she was online, she started to check her e-mail.

    "We're back," Jane called out as she and Charles came in laden with bags of groceries. Lizzy got up to help them. "What's for dinner, Lizzy? It's your turn to cook," Jane reminded Lizzy, who had started to return to the dining room.

    "I really don't feel like cooking. How about my treating us all to take out?"

    "But we just bought all this food, Lizzy! It seems silly to order in when we just filled the fridge."

    "All right then: you cook tonight, and I'll take your turn tomorrow." Jane looked at Lizzy oddly.

    "I certainly wouldn't mind if Jane cooked tonight--no offense, Lizzy." Charles concluded what had begun as a loving declaration meekly. Jane was a fabulous cook, but he didn't want to insult his business partner.

    "I completely concur, Charles. It's unanimous, Jane," Lizzy declared, turning back to the computer.

    "It is not unanimous," Jane asserted, hand on her hips, but one pleading look from Charles made her relent and the couple went into the kitchen. A minute later, Charles returned to the dining room, as Jane cried, "Out, Charles! I cannot get anything done in here with you doing that!" Charles took a seat beside Lizzy and they fell into a conversation about the business. Charles mentioned that Jane needed her web site updated and asked Lizzy if she thought Charlotte or Roger, the firm's newest employee, should take it on. An early client of Cherry Blossom, Jane had made an appointment with Lizzy for a consultation on a web site for the small gift shop she operated with a friend. A chance introduction to Lizzy's senior partner had resulted in a three-year love affair that showed no signs of fading. Lizzy already looked upon Charles as a brother in law. She only wondered what the couple was waiting for.

    Although both Charles and Lizzy were both expert and talented designers, they found themselves working less on design and more on the business end of thing as the company began to grow. Charles was the front man, seeking out clients and promoting the firm. Lizzy's forte was in graphic design and she loved developing and pitching concepts. Charlotte or Mina usually executed her ideas, and Roger had joined Cherry Blossom just a few weeks earlier as the firm's fifth full-time designer. He and the remainder of the staff, most part-timers, maintained the pages.

    Charles and Lizzy eventually agreed that Roger should stick with doing minor updates of the sites while he was still learning the ropes. Charlotte would take on the task of redesigning Jane's web page. Jane came out to join the discussion while the pasta was cooking. By the time dinner was ready Lizzy had completely forgotten about her e-mail and shut down her laptop in order to set the table.

    Another day passed, and Lizzy still had received no e-mail from her usually reliable correspondent. She was on the verge of bringing the matter up with Richard when he called, but Richard mentioned that his cousin, Georgiana, had returned from her vacation in Europe and that he had spent most of his free time with her over the past few days. He made a date with Lizzy for Friday and Lizzy insisted on something laid back and casual. Richard readily agreed. Lizzy went home that night and dreamed about e-mail.

    How about if I give you the houses in Vermont and the Bahamas and I keep the computer companies? I need something to keep myself occupied.

    Wouldn't your cars, cash, and various businesses keep you busy? Or better yet, why not give up all that material stuff and just come and work for me!

    Hmmm...I've never worked for anyone before, except my father, and that was only summers during my youth. I'm not sure I could do it.

    Oh, so that's why you built your empire. You always want to be the boss!

    Hmmm! I never considered things from that perspective. All this time I thought I was just out to make myself filthy rich.

    And are you?

    I'm no Bill Gates, but I'm pretty dirty! Lizzy laughed aloud.

    What are you doing corresponding with a poor girl like me?

    Poor? I just offered you millions of dollars worth of real estate!

    Operative word: OFFER. Where are the deeds, Fitzwilliam?

    You have yet to give your assurances.

    Exactly what is it I am supposed to be assuring you of, again?

    Well, if you cannot remember, why should I tell you? I can simply keep my property!

    What about me?

    You can have your office! (I think I own the building it's located in.)

    Hah!

    Lizzy picked up her jacket and bag and went out to lunch with Charlotte. Upon her return, she found a large bubble vase full of roses the color of butter cream. There was no note. The bright pink feather duster lying beside the vase rendered one unnecessary. Lizzy clicked on her screen.

    I would have sent the deed to the office, but transferring property is not the kind of thing one can easily accomplish in one lunch hour.

    The flowers are more beautiful that any old deed. Thank you; you made my day! They make a far better first impression than the remains of a spitball war in my office.

    Ah, the good old days!

    Yes! Your feather duster did make me a bit nostalgic...

    My feather duster? My dear, real men do not use feather dusters!

    So what did you use, your sleeve?

    It was August, remember? I probably used the tail of my shirt.

    I somehow cannot imagine you doing that.

    "How can you imagine me doing anything? You've never seen me!"

    Has Charles ever discussed me with you?

    Not since the day he told me that you took my hard drive. Why?

    Would that be the day you described me as a "pizza eating computer geek slob"?

    "Oops!"

    You have improved considerably in my esteem upon better acquaintance.

    Thank you.

    On a cool, clear Friday evening, Richard showed up at Lizzy's house in jeans, hiking boots, a blue Oxford button-down, and a baseball cap bearing the Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam logo. A cashmere sweater thrown casually over his shoulders belied his "boy next door" look. Indeed, he looked very much like the scion of an old money family. Lizzy promptly appropriated the baseball cap and allowed him to escort her to a vintage Range Rover.

    "It's my dad's," Richard explained as pulled away from the curb. "My cousins are using the limo tonight, the Mercedes is in the shop, and I have this thing about parking my Jag on the street." Lizzy stared at him for a moment. Had he been telling the truth about his wealth all along?

    She took Richard to a tiny restaurant near her office in Tribeca. The food was excellent and they laughed though the appetizer and main course. After the meal she suggested that they go to Little Italy for dessert. Richard went along with Lizzy's idea of a "real New York City date," neglecting to mention that he, too, had grown up in the city. He continued to talk about New Yorkers as a separate breed, and Lizzy persisted in trying to win him over. He found himself provoking her for the sheer pleasure of watching the reaction in her eyes. As they strolled across town hand in hand, they stopped in odd little shops and bookstores. Lizzy bought Richard an "I Love New York" button and made him wear it. Finally, they went for a ride on the Staten Island ferry. Lizzy stared out at the Statue of Liberty, as the ferry crossed its path mid-harbor. Richard leaned on the rail and stared at Lizzy. She caught him staring and looked at him quizzically.

    "I'm very tempted to kiss you right now," he said simply, straightening up.

    "What's keeping you?" Lizzy asked with an arched brow.

    "I didn't want to spoil your view of the statue," Richard whispered in her ear.

    "What statue?" Richard didn't waste another second.

    I have to go away next week.

    Where to?

    Tokyo. I'm attending some meetings there.

    Give my best to your apartment!

    I'll miss you.

    Me, too. You will bring a laptop along, won't you?

    Of course!

    Say, does either of your companies make laptops?

    One of them does, yes, but it hasn't been launched yet. In fact, it'll have its first public showing in Tokyo at a trade conference.

    "Richard Fitzwilliam, I have grossly underestimated you."

    Well, I look forward to seeing it here sometime.

    "Lizzy! Jane is here. Would you like to sit in on our discussion about her redesign?"

    "I'll be there in a moment, Charlotte." Lizzy stared at the screen for a few seconds. Then she snapped out of her reverie and joined the meeting. When it was over, the three women went to lunch. When Charlotte and Lizzy returned, Charles stopped Lizzy on her way to her office.

    "What's your favorite color, Lizzy?"

    "What?" Charles sighed.

    "It was a simple enough question. What is your favorite color?"

    "Yellow." Charles nodded and walked away. Lizzy looked at Charlotte, who shrugged her shoulders and walked away as well. The following morning a box with a huge yellow ribbon was waiting for Lizzy when she arrived.

    Omigod! I wasn't expecting a private showing!

    It's not a showing. It's a gift. I want to be sure I can reach you when I'm in Tokyo, or you're in the Caribbean, if you ever get up enough nerve to fly south again. Notice that it's wireless technology. You'll be able to e-mail me from inside the eye of a hurricane. Lizzy got a small thrill when the sleek laptop came to life and the opening screen showed that the computer had been licensed to Elizabeth Bennet and that it was number 10 of a limited edition of 1000.

    It's beautiful. So small and lightweight! And the specs are awesome. Are you sure you want to give this to me? Lizzy was certain that the computer was worth not a penny under $4,000, and probably much more.

    Don't worry; I have 990 more where that came from.

    I don't what to say!

    I bet your grandmother taught you to say "Thank You."

    Thank you. (How did you know that my grandmother raised me?)

    I have my sources.

    This isn't the same source who chooses ribbon colors for you, is it?

    No, actually, it's his fiancée.

    Fiancée?

    Oops! You didn't hear it from me, okay?

    What didn't I hear?

    That a certain mutual acquaintance of ours is planning to become engaged to the sister of one of my favorite people on the planet.

    "That sounded harmless enough," William said as he sent the message.

    "Fitz?"

    "Yes, Fitz," William replied as he quickly closed his Internet browser. Richard eyed him suspiciously. Lately, whenever Richard came into William's office his cousin tried to hide something on his computer screen.

    "Fitz, are you getting into cybersex, or something?"

    "No! What on earth would make you think so?" William asked, stunned by the question. Richard shook it off and showed William the press kits for Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam that would accompany them to their meetings with their investors in Japan. When he returned to his office, Richard found a message on his desk from Lizzy.

    "Hello, Lizzy, what's up?"

    "I just wanted to thank you again. And I wanted to tell you that you're one of my favorite people on the planet, too."

    "Why, thank you!" By the time he got off the phone, Richard was totally confused. He had no idea what Lizzy was talking about. "Maybe two weeks in Japan give me a chance to straighten all that out," he laughed to himself.

    Lizzy stared at the screen. Richard had sent her a message in Japanese! She didn't know exactly how to respond. Roger poked his head in and asked Lizzy if she wanted to join Mina, Charlotte and him for lunch. Lizzy asked where they were going as she stared blankly at the screen.

    "For Japanese." Lizzy gave out a happy yelp and hit the print button.

    I'm very impressed. How did you translate my message so quickly?

    No need to be so smug, sir. You're wondering how I translated it at all!

    All right. Give.

    I'll tell you how I translated it if you tell me how you did. Deal?

    I speak Japanese fluently.

    I frequent restaurants where others do.

    I admire your resourcefulness.

    I covet your education.

    I hope you're reading this on your new laptop.

    Of course I am. What else would I be using in bed at four in the morning? Lizzy squealed when she read William's reply.

    You're in bed with your laptop? (Say no more!)

    You aren't about to get kinky on me, are you?

    I'll try and behave myself. It's so bloody boring here; I have nothing else to do but let my mind wander.

    Why not go out and sightsee?

    I'm not exactly a tourist on a busman's holiday! I've been spending at least two months out of the year here for the last five years, you know!

    We're testy this morning aren't we?

    It's late afternoon.

    Oh.

    ...So what are you wearing? Elizabeth giggled well after she turned the lights out. Down the hall, Jane and Charles looked at each other and wondered what had possessed the poor girl.

    Richard was extremely busy in Japan. Although William was working in established territory, Richard still had to hustle his young business. The Darcy connection opened many doors, and Richard meant to take advantage of as many as he could. As a result, he was only able to speak to Lizzy occasionally. Between the time difference, business and social obligations, and plain fatigue, Richard had trouble reaching Lizzy by phone. She understood, and found great comfort in his e-mail. She began to feel a tugging at her heartstrings. Jane noticed it, and decided to ask her about it. Although she had nothing against Richard, she felt very strongly that Lizzy and William were better suited to one another. She wanted Lizzy to give him a chance before she got too involved with Richard, so she decided to promote his cause.

    "Lizzy...would you consent to going on a date with a friend of mine?"

    "A blind date? You're trying to set me up on a blind date? But why? You know I've been seeing Richard."

    "I know, but you two aren't serious, are you?" Lizzy thought for a moment. She had begun to feel the rumblings of a serious attachment over the past few weeks, mainly as the result of the now frequent correspondence they shared. Somehow, in their e-mails, they had achieved a degree of intimacy they had not begun to approach in their face-to-face contact though Lizzy admitted, with a wry smile, that kiss was one heck of a start. But Lizzy didn't know if Richard felt as she did.

    Jane told Lizzy about a great guy she knew named William Darcy who was smart, handsome and extremely wealthy. Lizzy was not overly impressed by that description--after all, she already had found that in Richard, hadn't she? Over the next several days, Jane told Lizzy more about William, who, as it turned out, had also attended college with Richard and Charles.

    "In that case, I really can't, Jane. What would Richard think if he found out?" Jane sighed. She would have to try another approach to bringing them together.

    My sister is trying to set me up on a blind date!

    What are sisters for? Are you going? William hit "Send," dreading Lizzy's reply.

    Do you think I should go?

    I cannot decide for you. I can only tell you that I once met someone very special on a blind date.

    "Great! Just what I don't want to hear."

    What happened?

    "Please don't tell me."

    She died in a plane crash before we really had a chance to know each other.

    "Omigod!"

    I'm so sorry, Fitz. The ensuing twenty-four hours without a word from William nearly drove Lizzy insane.

    I'm coming home two days early! Lizzy felt her heart lurch.

    Perhaps I can meet you at the airport?

    How would you recognize me?

    If my eyes fail me, you can always brandish your laptop. William chuckled as he closed his e-mail. He was about to shut down the computer when Richard rushed in.

    "Don't shut that down. I need to get some figures from New York. Can I use the phone?"

    "Of course." William went into the bathroom and took a shower. When he returned fifteen minutes later, Richard was staring out the window.

    "Did you get those figures?"

    "Yeah. I already called them over to Mr. Oka's office. Look, I need to get some air." Richard picked up his jacket and headed for the door.

    "If you wait a few minutes I'll go with you."

    "No...uh...why don't I come back in about twenty minutes and pick you up? Then we can go straight to dinner."

    "Okay," said William. He watched Richard go, and wondered what had come over him.

    Richard left the apartment and walked aimlessly for about five minutes. He stopped in a tiny park and sat on a bench. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. How long have they been writing to each other? Richard tried to remember all the times he had seen William furtively close his e-mail when he entered his office. It was nearly October now. How long had it been going on? How did they meet? How long had they been seeing each other? No, that was impossible, Richard knew. William would never have been able to hide that from him. He wouldn't even have tried; William was too up-front to do anything behind his cousin's back. Richard quickly concluded that William and Lizzy's relationship was very likely online and platonic. But why had he kept it secret? And why had Lizzy? Such behavior seemed totally out of character for either of them.

    Richard had not intended to pry. While he waited for Danielle to send him the data he needed he had glanced at the screen and couldn't help seeing the string of messages before him. He would have ignored it entirely had he not noticed the reference to picking up William at the airport. That made Richard look at the message's sender and he saw Lizzy's e-mail address. Richard couldn't resist scrolling through William's message list. He didn't read any of them, but he was astounded to learn that his cousin had received more than thirty messages from Lizzy over the past week and a half. Richard calculated that William must have returned at least that many...they were communicating on the order of five times a day!

    Richard stood and began to walk again, his hands shoved into his pockets. It wasn't so much that he was upset; he had always thought that William and Lizzy would like each other. He had even planned on introducing them when he got back to town. But the discovery of a preexisting relationship threw him for a loop. He finally admitted to himself that he felt a bit betrayed. What was he going to do about it?

    Richard took a deep breath and returned to the apartment to collect William. They walked to a nearby restaurant a short time later and found a relatively quiet table. William observed Richard's preoccupation and was on the verge of asking about it when Richard spoke up.

    "You know how life gets complicated sometimes? I mean something starts out so simple and straightforward and then all of a sudden..." Richard fiddled with his chopsticks as he sought his next words.

    "What is this about, Fitz?" Richard looked up suddenly and stared at William.

    "Fitz?" A smile of understanding began to spread across Richard's handsome features, as William's concern magnified. "Fitz!"

    "What!" William replied anxiously. Richard laughed out loud.

    "I think I am beginning to understand something," he said.

    "Well that makes a grand total of one of us. Would you care to let me in on this fascinating revelation of yours?" Richard took a minute to decide how to begin.

    "I know about Lizzy. I didn't mean to pry, but I saw your e-mail to her when I went to retrieve the file Danielle sent to me."

    "So?"

    "So tell me about her," Richard suggested, trying to appear calmer than he felt. "Where did you meet?"

    "Well...we haven't actually met face to face. That is..." William suddenly felt a bit defensive.

    "So it is cybersex?" Richard prodded, knowing full well that it wasn't. William glared at Richard and cleared his throat. Richard sensed his discomfort but did not relent. He needed to confirm his suspicions. He fixed his deep blue eyes on William's brown ones.

    "Well, remember that night we spent at Charles's office? The office where you and Charles reenacted World War II was hers. When I returned the next day I left her a note of apology for the mess. She wrote me back and we've been corresponding ever since." Richard just nodded. William added, "I hope to meet with her in person when we get back to New York."

    "Before you start clearing your calendar, I think there are a few things you ought to know, Fitz." Richard paused as a waiter appeared with their dinner. Richard immediately began to eat, but William just pushed his food around the plate until he could no longer stand the suspense.

    "Well? What is it you need to tell me?" He practically pleaded.

    "Oh," Richard said, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "Why don't we finish here and go back to the apartment and talk." Only the fact that he had not eaten since breakfast compelled William to touch his meal. The cousins ate quickly and headed back to the apartment in silence. William grabbed a couple of beers out of the refrigerator and handed one to Richard before he claimed a spot on the couch. He stared at Richard expectantly.

    "Before you get upset I want you to hear me out completely. Then we'll decide how to resolve the matter."

    "Resolve what matter?" William asked, pouncing on his words. Richard took a deep breath.

    "Remember I told you a while ago that I had met someone in Charles's office?" William's heart sank. He nodded slowly, but could not meet Richard's eyes.

    "I guess you were right when you said that I had a propensity for finding the good ones before you," Richard said with a sheepish smile. William stood up. "You promised to hear me out, Fitz."

    "I'm listening." He strode over to the window and leaned against the frame. He stared out over the night sky as Richard continued.

    "Lizzy and I have gone to lunch a few times, gone on two "real" dates; we mostly talk on the phone a lot. She's a great girl, Fitz."

    "I know. You said you planned to see a lot more of her," William recalled. He wasn't quite sure why he felt so awful. It wasn't as though he and Lizzy were cheating on Richard. His online relationship with Lizzy was completely platonic. But William knew that it would never be the same again. He realized that he relished his private correspondence with Lizzy. It was not the clandestine nature of their e-mails that intrigued him. Rather it was the way she invariably made him laugh and her uncanny ability to take him out of himself. He hadn't laughed much since he lost Emma. Jane's friendship has sustained him, but Lizzy's had brought him back to life. The change in William had been so gradual and subtle that he hadn't even acknowledged it to himself until that moment. He turned back to his cousin.

    "Now here's the difficult bit," Richard continued. He empathized with William, but he wanted to lay everything out before they began to talk. He had William's undivided attention. "I believe...that is, I'm fairly certain that Lizzy doesn't know you exist."

    "What?" William practically shouted. "Lizzy thinks that we are the same person. I'm sure of it" Richard said. He sprang from the seat and began to pace like a caged tiger. "Every once in a while Lizzy will say something to me that makes absolutely no sense, but she acts as though I know what she's talking about. She's probably referring to something you two had discussed online. It seems so clear, now!"

    "How is that possible?" William asked, squirming uncomfortably.

    "You write Lizzy on your personal e-mail account, correct?"

    "So?" Richard made a motion with his hands to prompt William to think. William just stared back at him. Richard sighed.

    "Your e-mail is address is fitz@darcy.com, right?"

    "So?" Richard fought the urge to go over and slap William, who seemed unable, or unwilling to grasp what to Richard was patently obvious.

    "Look Fitz, if you got an e-mail from a stranger with that particular e-mail address and then shortly thereafter met a man named 'Fitzwilliam' whose business is located in the Darcy building..." The light finally dawned in William's eyes.

    "She automatically assumed that that my e-mail came from you, not another Fitzwilliam." William took a large gulp of his beer.

    "Sorry, Fitz." William nodded glumly. Lizzy had written all those things to Richard, not him. Her jokes were meant for his eyes, her confessions for Richard alone.

    "The two of you must have quite a correspondence going. What do you talk about?" Richard asked as he went to the kitchen for another beer.

    "This and that, nothing in particular," William replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "What do you two talk about?" William looked across the room at his cousin.

    "The same, mostly." Richard took a deep breath. "William..." William looked up. He couldn't remember the last time Richard had called him that. Since prep school the inseparable pair had been known to most of their friends and each other simply as "Fitz."

    "I'm not sure how Lizzy will take this...when she finds out."

    "I know what you mean." William swallowed another gulp of beer.

    "I think you ought to be the one to tell her..."

    "Me?" William was surprised; he would have thought that that would be the last thing Richard would want. In fact, William thought, Lizzy need not even know the truth. He could simply give his e-mail account to Fitz... He knew he was lying to himself. He wasn't ready to give her up. But the matter might be out of his hands...

    "She doesn't even know I exist, remember?" William put down his glass and ran his hands over his face.

    "I think she'll be pleasantly surprised to learn that you do," Richard said mildly. William squinted at his cousin. They stared at each other for some time.

    "Why are you doing this?" William asked finally.

    "Don't get me wrong, Fitz. Lizzy is very special and with sufficient provocation, I could probably fall hopelessly in love with her." William still eyed him warily.

    "So why don't you just go to her and clear things up?" Richard rose and went to the window. He looked out over the cityscape for a full minute before he answered.

    "Remember that afternoon in your office when you described the sort of woman who would love to receive a bunch of daisies from a guy in a tux?"

    "Yeah?" William said, as he refilled his glass.

    "You described Lizzy to a 'T.' And you know what? I spent that entire evening with her trying to imagine you in my place. By the time I got home I realized that I was in your place. You need her, Will."

    "Suppose she wants you instead?" he said, joining Richard at the window.

    "You grossly underestimate your appeal. Why don't we let Lizzy decide?" William looked Richard in the eyes. A slow smile spread over Richard's face.

    "What now?" William asked suspiciously.

    "It's been a long time since we got into a conflict over a woman."

    "Would you care to settle it in our usual way?" William said as a wicked smile came to his face to match his cousin's. Richard quickly shook his head.

    "I wouldn't mind the part where I get to steal her from you even after you won the fight, but these old bones don't heal as fast as they used to, Fitz." They laughed, but neither William nor Richard rested easily that night.

    Continued In Next Section

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