Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam ~ Section II

    By Judy-Lynne

    Beginning, Previous Section, Section II, Next Section

    Part 2

    "Hello. May I speak to Jane, please?" William felt awkward hearing Lizzy's voice and not revealing his identity. He wanted to get Jane's view of things before he attempted any sort of personal interaction with her. While he waited, William remembered the first time he had heard her voice. He wished he could return to that day and alter things so that he could avoid the mess and inevitable pain that would ensue when the truth came out.

    "Hello."

    "Hi, Jane. This is William."

    "William? How are you?" she said warmly. Lizzy heard the name and quickly rose and left the room, fearing that Jane would try to fix her up with him again.

    "Have you got a few minutes? I need your advice." William was very fond of Jane. She had been especially helpful to William after Emma's death. Although they barely knew each other at the time, she had reached out to him in his hour of need and--much to the surprise of Charles and Richard--William had let her into his dark world and allowed her to bring him out of it. They'd remained close friends ever since. It was only natural therefore, that Charles should consult with William about the prospect of asking for Jane's hand in marriage. William had given his wholehearted endorsement to the scheme, and even volunteered his house in Vermont as the perfect setting for the proposal.

    William told Jane the entire story of the mix-up between the two Fitzes. Jane was astounded; she confessed that she felt as Richard did and that she had been trying to figure out a way for Lizzy and William to meet for the last several weeks. Jane admitted Lizzy's reluctance.

    "But of course she had no idea," Jane said, trying to bolster William's dejected spirits. "She may very well have responded differently if she knew..."

    "Jane, this is all so...I don't know...what am I supposed to do? I don't even know how to begin to deal with Richard. He refuses to discuss the matter any further. He's determined to step out of the picture, and frankly I don't feel very uncomfortable with that."

    "He's trying to do what he thinks is best, Will."

    "Yes, but for whom? I can't imagine that if Lizzy is half as wonderful as the two of you make her out to be that he really is that eager to give her up. And we have no idea how Lizzy might feel on the subject. I doubt that he stopped to consider her feelings in all this..." Jane could hear William's anguish.

    "I think that you need to think about what you want, Will. Ultimately, that's all you have any control over." William evaded her statement, unsure of how to respond.

    "She has offered to meet me at the airport... Well, she probably thinks she offered to meet Richard."

    "Oh, dear," Jane could feel William's frustration.

    "Do you think I should take her up on it and get this whole thing over with, or should I wait and speak to her at another time?"

    "Why don't you and Richard both sit down with her? I am sure that Lizzy would understand how the whole mess came about."

    "And then what?"

    "I don't know, Will. I don't know. You'd finally have a chance to get really get acquainted. You might find that there is something there that the two of you want to explore," Jane said encouragingly.

    "She may not want to have anything to do with me. She thinks she's been talking to Richard all this time."

    "But she hasn't! At least half of the time she's been talking to you! Surely she won't be able to discount that. No matter who she thought you were, she has developed a real bond with you. I know she won't reject you out of hand."

    "I wish I had your confidence, Jane."

    "Trust me William. Speak to her and clear up the confusion and then ask her out. I know she'll go." Lizzy walked into the kitchen just in time to hear her last words.

    "I will not go out with William Darcy!" she spat angrily before turning on her heels and stalking away. William had heard every word. It took Jane some time to convince him that Lizzy was speaking in ignorance of the truth. Promising to speak with Lizzy, she let William go. Jane walked into the dining room, where she found Lizzy at her laptop.

    "I will not go out with William Darcy," Lizzy repeated with far less vehemence. Jane sat down across from and smiled benignly.

    "Oh, I think you may eat your words when you meet him in person. He has quite an interesting story to tell you." Jane rose and left Lizzy shaking her head. Jane spent the evening worrying about what would happen when Lizzy learned the truth. She wished for the best, but feared that any happy ending that might come out of the impending confrontation would necessarily come at the expense of a great deal of heartache and possibly a loss of friendship.

    Are we still on for tomorrow?

    What time does your flight arrive?

    Are you sure you want to do this? I tend to look like hell after fifteen hours in the air.

    Now that's something I'd like to see!

    So there's no way I can talk you out of this?

    What are you afraid of?

    You might not like what you find when you see me.

    "Are you kidding?"

    I'm willing to risk it. What's the 411?

    411?

    Facts; details. Flight information? William reluctantly gave her the information and shut his computer down. When the screen went black, Richard straightened up from his place at William's shoulder and stretched.

    "Are all your e-mails that exciting?"

    "Yes," was all William said as he slipped the computer into its case and zipped it closed. He took a deep breath and reached for his jacket.

    "Shall we go?" William led the way out the apartment. The cousins rode to the airport in complete silence, each with a lot on his mind. Once they were on the plane, Richard put on his earphones and tuned out the world. William tried to read, but most of the time he just stared at the page.

    Richard hoped that the planned reunion with Lizzy would come off smoothly. William had convinced Richard that they should meet Lizzy together. William insisted that it would be better for Lizzy that way, arguing eloquently on her behalf, although Richard strongly suspected that William wasn't ready to confront her on his own. Richard was reconciled to the plan, but felt that the sooner he got out of the picture the better it would be for the others. How do you tell someone that you've grown to care about that you're turning her over to a stranger who needs her more than you do? Well, not a total stranger. Lizzy probably knows him as well as she knows me, not that I expect her to see it that way. Well, time will tell. Richard opened his eyes and glanced at William, who had abandoned his book to stare out of the window. Richard closed his eyes. He knew he was doing the right thing. Would Lizzy see things as he did? Or would she sever relations with both of them? He couldn't let that happen. Richard valued her friendship and William needed Lizzy, perhaps more than he realized.

    Lizzy was distracted all morning. First she had to deal with Charlotte and Mina's curiosity about how Lizzy intended to welcome Richard, a conversation that included rather vulgar speculation between the two women as to his actual net worth. When she had finally persuaded them to leave her in peace, she overheard Lisa making the comment to parties unknown that Richard's homecoming would probably entail a far more interesting use of her feather duster than its inventor intended.

    As if that wasn't enough, Charles looked in on her frequently. Jane had alerted him to the situation and although he felt strongly that Jane should have told Lizzy the truth as soon as she found out, he went along with Jane's decision to leave it up to the parties involved to resolve the matter. Charles was worried about Lizzy; she had seemed stressed for several days, undoubtedly in anticipation of Richard's return. Jane's call the previous night only served to increase his concern. His attentiveness made Lizzy suspicious. He seemed more nervous about Richard's return than she was. So when he suggested that Lizzy leave early to make it to the airport in plenty of time, she jumped at the chance to get out of the office. Charles was beginning to make her a bit crazy.

    Lizzy arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. The dashboard clack read 3:10 and the flight wasn't due in until 3:30. She sat in her car awhile and thought about Richard's return and what it meant to her. She was beginning to have serious feelings for him, but she could not reconcile them with the mixed messages she had been receiving. His e-mails had become more personal and revealing even as his phone calls remained easygoing and trivial. Was she dealing with a manic-depressive? Lizzy's mind wandered back to Richard's poignant confession about someone he had lost. It still affected her, and it made her wonder what Richard's feelings for her might be. Hadn't he just suggested that she risk a blind date and open herself to the possibility of meeting someone special? Lizzy's head began to ache and she began to wish she had backed out of her own invitation. She sighed and pulled out a mirror. No point in greeting Richard with spinach salad on my teeth, she told herself. I'll be lucky if he doesn't run back to Tokyo when he sees the bags under my eyes. She checked her watch and decided that it was time to go into the terminal.

    William tapped Richard on the shoulder. Richard opened his eyes and William pointed out the window at the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Richard went to freshen up and returned considerably more alert. He sat down and looked at William. They both heaved a big sigh and checked their watches. Neither spoke. Too soon, Richard gripped the armrests and braced himself for the landing.

    Lizzy watched the plane taxi down the runway and forced herself to draw breath. As she made her way to the gate she caught sight of the chauffeur who had driven the limousine on the night of her first date with Richard. Didn't he think I'd show up? Lizzy thought, then realized that the driver was more likely to be waiting for Richard's cousin, since Richard had said that he used the driver during business hours. Lizzy had not known that his cousin had also gone to Japan. The driver recognized Lizzy, and made his way over to her. Lizzy smiled as he reached her.

    "Have you seen him yet?" Lizzy asked the man she knew only as Bates.

    "No, ma'am," he replied in his perfect British accent. "Miss Bennet, may I introduce you to Miss Darcy, Mister Fitzwilliam's young cousin?" Lizzy looked to Bates' right and into the eyes of a beautiful woman who could not be more than twenty years old. She greeted Lizzy warmly.

    "It's Georgiana, Ms. Bennet, and I'm very pleased to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Richard." Lizzy shook hands with her and insisted that she be called Lizzy.

    "I had no idea there'd be such a welcoming committee," Lizzy said uneasily as the name "Darcy" registered in her ears. So, Richard Fitzwilliam and William Darcy were more than friends. William Darcy was the cousin Richard had often spoken so fondly of. She wondered why Richard had never mentioned him by name. No matter, she was finally going to get a glimpse of the famous William Darcy.

    He had a very interesting story to tell, Jane said. "Well, maybe I'll finally get a chance to hear it," Lizzy murmured aloud.

    "Did you say something, Lizzy?" Lizzy started when Georgiana touched her shoulder. She was trying to think of a reply to her query when she heard Bates speak.

    "There they are, miss."

    Lizzy turned and saw Richard come through the gates looking as wonderful as when she'd last seen him. He looked boyishly handsome in his crisp white shirt and khakis, with a navy blazer thrown casually over his shoulder. Lizzy's heart skipped a beat. But it nearly stopped when she saw the man beside him. Equally handsome, dark where Richard was fair, he was impeccably attired in a business suit and absolutely perfect in every aspect. So that's William Darcy? Jane, one picture might have saved you a thousand words! Lizzy watched both men admiringly until she heard Georgiana cry out "Fitzwilliam!" and her brother turned his head in their direction. It was then that Lizzy saw what was tucked under his arm. Lizzy's eyes met William's. He glanced at Richard and they both looked at Lizzy. Confronted with the reality of two Fitzwilliams, Lizzy saw both sides of her struggle in one instant of perfect clarity before she surrendered to the throbbing in her head and fainted dead away into Bates' arms.

    When Lizzy opened her eyes for the second time she was relieved to find that neither man was present. She was lying on a gurney in some sort of facility at the airport and only Georgiana was with her. Lizzy was grateful for the moment, although she knew that she was only postponing the evitable. She sat up and Georgiana handed her a cup of water. Lizzy blushingly accepted it from her, wondering how much she knew of what was going on.

    "Where is everyone?" Lizzy asked at last.

    "You needed to rest, so I sent Bates on ahead with the others and decided to wait with you while you recovered. They left about a half hour ago." Lizzy was at once relieved, angry, and impressed by Georgiana's grasp of the situation. Lizzy checked herself out of the infirmary and the women headed for the parking lot.

    "Maybe I should drive," Georgiana suggested. Lizzy was too tired to argue. She handed her the keys to her Volkswagen Beetle, along with a twenty-dollar bill and the parking receipt, and slumped in the passenger seat. They left Newark Airport in silence.

    "How much do you know?" Lizzy asked dully, when she couldn't bear it any longer.

    "From what little Richard was able to tell me in the midst of all the confusion it seems that you have unwittingly been dating him and simultaneously carrying on a correspondence with my brother." Georgiana glanced at Lizzy for confirmation as she eased onto the highway. Lizzy only shrugged. This was all news to her, although she found the word "unwitting" less than apt. "Apparently, Richard only figured it out a day or two ago." Georgiana glanced at Lizzy again.

    "And what was your brother's story?"

    "He didn't offer one. He was as pale as you were, Lizzy, and for a moment I was afraid that he might faint, too. That's why I sent them on ahead."

    "That was probably very wise, Georgiana. I made a big enough spectacle without his assistance."

    "Since you're obviously a 'close' friend of the family," she said, apparently enjoying the irony of the situation, "You may as well call me 'Gee.' William and Richard do." Lizzy looked at her and then sat up in her seat.

    "You called your brother 'Fitzwilliam' before. I take it that Fitzwilliam is..."

    "That's his proper name. It's an all-too common name on my father's side of the family. I actually have three relatives with that name, if you can believe it! It was purely coincidental that my dad married a Fitzwilliam as well. William's very big on family pride and honor and all, but he thinks the name's stodgy and pretentious sounding, so naturally I use it every chance I get in public," Georgiana grinned.

    "I bet everyone else calls him..."

    "William or Fitz, depending on how they know him," Georgiana completed her thought.

    "He's the other Fitzwilliam!" Lizzy smacked her forehead. "I've been wondering for ages why Richard calls his company 'Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam.'" Her headache began to clear and although she might have asked a hundred questions, she settled for a very basic one.

    "So they're in business together?" Georgiana patiently explained that her brother, whose principle interests were diversified among a number of businesses, including real estate development, technology, and recycling companies, owned half of Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam.

    "His latest project is a computer company. Actually, I should say 'companies.' I think he has controlling interests in two of them now, because he just finalized the purchase of a factory to produce his laptops while he was in Japan," Georgiana said matter-of-factly. Lizzy shut her eyes tightly. Georgiana's description of her brother's interests meshed perfectly with what she had read in her e-mail. That meant that the confession about losing someone...Lizzy recalled that night when Richard had said that his cousin's tale was not a pretty one. Georgiana looked at Lizzy as she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

    William stared out the window, unseeing, as the limousine made its way out of the Lincoln Tunnel. Beside him, Richard felt somewhat numb. The sight of Lizzy collapsing had nearly unmanned him, and he and William had stood by helplessly as Georgiana and Bates calmly and competently took control of the situation. Richard turned to William, who sighed.

    "Speak to me, Fitz."

    "What would you like me to say?" William replied stonily.

    "At this point, anything will suffice," said Richard, frustratedly running a hand through his hair.

    "I could say that you were a fool for letting me talk you into this..."

    "Now wait a minute, Fitz! You can't possibly blame yourself for what happened! What makes you think she fainted at the sight of the two of us? She doesn't even know who you are!" William looked at him angrily.

    "Oh, that's right: I don't exist! How could I forget? I suppose she fainted because she was just so overwhelmed by the prospect of seeing you again! Or did it escape your notice that she was standing beside Gee as we came through the gate?"

    "So what? Even if Gee told her who you were, Gee couldn't possibly..."

    "I bet Lizzy has nice legs," William interrupted, as he closed his eyes and leaned back against the headrest. Richard was completely taken aback by his digression, but he nonetheless responded automatically in a manner typical of red-blooded males everywhere.

    "She's got incredible legs," Richard smiled.

    "I thought so. Well, while you were busy cultivating a relationship with her exterior, I've been engaging her mind." His tone abruptly changed to one of thinly veiled anger. "She's no idiot, Fitz! It probably didn't take her more than a second or two to figure it out!" Richard chastened by the remark, fell silent. William reined in his temper and added softly, "Especially since I went and gave her a bloody big clue." Richard looked at William, silently questioning. William held up his laptop.

    "Feeling any better?" Georgiana asked.

    "Yes," Lizzy lied. There was so much to take in. So much she needed to absorb...about him. And what about Richard? She wondered how he felt about his revelation, much less herself? She wasn't prepared to deal with her own feelings just yet.

    "In that case," Georgiana said, "It's time for you to make a decision. We're about to come out of the tunnel. Are we heading to the East Side or Brooklyn Heights?"

    "Why don't you decide?" Lizzy said, slumping again and closing her eyes.

    "Oh, no! We don't know each other well enough for me to take such advantage of you." Lizzy opened her eyes.

    "Shouldn't that be the other way 'round?"

    "No, I'm very biased here. William and Richard obviously care a great deal for you and I love them just enough to want to make both of them happy." Lizzy thought it highly unlikely that either of them would be happy to see her. In fact, she suspected, they were both probably rather upset with each other and with her.

    "Are they...did they want me to come over?" Lizzy's discomfort was palpable.

    "What's the problem?" Georgiana said with the insouciance of one who had never suffered through a traumatic experience. "Obviously, there's been some sort of misunderstanding, but you haven't made any serious commitments or declarations to either of them have you?" Lizzy shook her head in the negative. "Then it's only a matter of a little embarrassment. If I know those guys, you'll all be laughing about the whole thing before the sun sets." And as simply as that, the decision was taken out of Lizzy's hands. Georgiana turned the car north and way too soon for Lizzy, she found herself standing before a gracious brownstone mansion.

    Somewhere off Fifth Avenue, in the 70's:

    The remainder of the ride to the Darcy townhouse passed in complete silence. Leaving Bates to cope with most of their luggage, William and Richard made their way into the library, a spacious room on the main floor that was formally the back parlor of the Beaux Arts building. William threw himself into a chair and Richard sprawled on the couch. For a minute, neither moved, but William suddenly sat up, pulled a cell phone from his pocket and dialed Jane's number.

    "Hello, William," Jane said when she took the phone from her assistant. "I didn't expect to hear from you so soon. How did it go?" She heard William sigh and immediately feared the worst.

    "It didn't go. In fact, I'd characterize it as a small disaster. " He told her what had happened at the airport, to the best of his understanding: He saw Lizzy standing next to his sister, he turned to look at Richard, and when he turned back, Lizzy was falling to the floor. He quickly assured Jane that Lizzy was okay.

    "Your sister was unconscious for less than a minute. She was taken to the infirmary, where she was checked out by a doctor who found nothing medically wrong with her. He made Lizzy rest until she felt a little better. Bates called the infirmary from the car and he was told that they released her."

    "Then she's not with you now?"

    "No." Jane hesitated.

    "Is she with Richard?"

    "No, he's with me. We left her with Gee and came home. We didn't want to overwhelm her a second time. Gee will either take her back to your place or bring her here--whichever Lizzy prefers."

    "Oh, Will, I'm so sorry. You sound so disappointed. I wanted so much for things to go well for all of you today." Jane's words of empathy touched William so deeply that it almost pained him. For a moment, the line went silent.

    "Will you call me if she shows up there? I'll be at the store until six."

    "All right. Look, either way, I'll talk you later tonight, okay?" He closed the phone and met Richard's gaze.

    "Do you think she'll come?" Richard wondered aloud. William shrugged. He sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees, burying his face in his hands.

    "Maybe it would be best if she didn't. It would be really unfair of us to make her deal with us right away. We've had nearly twenty-four hours to digest all this, she's had less than two." He stood and walked over to a cabinet, opened it to reveal a built-in bar, and poured out two brandies. He handed one to Richard and reclaimed his seat.

    "What do we even say to her? About now she might be thinking that we did this to her on purpose, playing her like some toy, pulling her in two directions at once to see where and when she'll break."

    "Come on now, Fitz. You don't really believe she'll think that way. I may be the superficial one in this triangle, but even I have a better appreciation of her mind than that." William was about to answer him when he heard the doorbell ring. He and Richard exchanged a glance and waited to see who would appear at the door.

    Lizzy took a couple of deep breaths before she entered the house. "Now, where are those boys?" Georgiana asked herself aloud as she headed down the hall. Lizzy followed with great trepidation. Georgiana opened the door to the back parlor, where she found her brother and cousin, both looking a bit grim. They leapt up when they saw Georgiana, their eyes full of questions. Georgiana looked behind her. Lizzy took another deep breath and came forward. As she walked into the room on shaky legs, her eyes were immediately drawn to William's. Nonetheless, she went to Richard, who planted a brotherly kiss on her temple.

    "Hi, Lizzy. I'm glad to see that you're feeling better," he said softly. Lizzy nodded. Richard slowly turned Lizzy around to face William. "I believe no formal introductions are necessary. Lizzy...Fitzwilliam, or 'Fitz,' as he's known to most of us." William took a deep breath. Lizzy was afraid to move. Richard pushed her ever so lightly. She glared at him for a second, and then she found her courage. She forced herself to smile as she crossed the room and extended her hand to William, who took it wordlessly. They pondered each other silently for a moment. Georgiana exhaled audibly and was about to sit down, but Richard grabbed her arm and led her out of the room.

    "Please don't leave, Richard." Richard exchanged a glance with William from the doorway and came back into the room. Georgiana excused herself and disappeared. Lizzy took a seat and looked from Richard to William, who wore a pained expression.

    "I believe I am entitled to an explanation."

    Richard and William exchanged another glance and returned to their respective seats.

    "Fitz?" William blinked. He had hoped that Richard would do the talking. He cleared his throat, and Richard took pity on him.

    "It's not what you're probably thinking..." he began.

    "What am I probably thinking?" Lizzy countered with a slight touch of annoyance in her voice.

    "We never meant for this to happen," Richard said, taking Lizzy's hand. William squirmed uncomfortably as Richard explained how the knotty situation came about.

    "After Fitz...William...restored your hard drive, he left you a note. He didn't sign it, but he probably wasn't expecting a reply anyway," he said glancing at his cousin. "A day or two later, you and I met at my party. As far as we can figure out, you assumed that the note that he sent you had come from me. So you responded, and Fitz wrote back, and you two became acquainted online while you and I became acquainted in person. I had no idea that the two of you knew each other, so imagine my surprise when I accidentally caught sight of your name on his e-mail." Lizzy looked at William, but he remained silent. Richard released Lizzy's hand and stood. "I think the two of you should talk," he said, and before Lizzy could protest he was gone. Lizzy looked at William, whose attention seemed to be riveted to the floor.

    "Hi, Fitz," Lizzy said shyly. William looked up.

    "Your sister has always preferred to call me William," he replied, and Lizzy's mouth fell open. "But you may continue to call me that, if it pleases you," he hastily added, fearing he'd said something wrong.

    "You're British!" she exclaimed.

    "Actually, I'm only British on my left side. My right is American," he quipped, trying to lighten the mood, but Lizzy was too consumed with the awkwardness of the situation to catch his meaning. "My father was English and my mother was born here. I've spent my life half in the U.K., half in the U.S."

    "Except while you were living in Japan," Lizzy deadpanned.

    "Of course," William smiled and Lizzy suddenly felt very lightheaded.

    "Are you all right?" William asked. Lizzy just nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak right away. William fetched a glass of water from the bar and she accepted it gratefully, declining his offer of something stronger. William sat down and waited, determined to fight every inclination he had to bombard her with questions. He hoped that she would take the lead, but for several minutes, Lizzy seemed content to alternately survey her surroundings and sneak glances at William. Finally, he could stand her silence no longer. "Look, I know that you must have a few hundred things to say or ask by now. I'm ready to answer them whenever you feel ready to ask them," he said gently. Lizzy smiled impishly.

    "Do you really own the building that Cherry Blossom is in?" William threw back his head and laughed, and Lizzy saw a strong resemblance to Richard.

    "I'm afraid so." A short of silence ensued.

    "Don't you have any questions for me?" she asked softly.

    "Have you already exhausted your list?" William teased. Lizzy wondered how long it would be before she built up sufficient immunity to allow her to withstand the sight of his dimples. She found the intensity of his gaze disconcerting. She found everything about Fitzwilliam Darcy disconcerting. She felt raw and vulnerable. She rose slowly, and making her way to a nearby table, feigned interest in a small bronze statue in order to avoid his eyes.

    "Nothing that cannot wait," she declared. She looked back at William, and found him still gazing at her with a maddening intensity. That gaze was the first sight that greeted her when she regained consciousness at the airport. She vaguely recalled being picked up by someone--Bates, she thought--and hearing Georgiana's voice shouting instructions. Those eyes continued to stare, silently pleading, until she was placed on a chair. After that things became blurry. But those eyes were unforgettable, and Lizzy suddenly wished to be anywhere but in that room with that man.

    "Well, there is something I have been dying to ask you for the longest time, but I think it can wait a bit longer," William smiled, and suddenly self-conscious about staring at Lizzy, he rose and poured himself a glass of water. Lizzy took that opportunity to ask if she might speak with Richard, hoping that she hadn't wounded William's feelings in the process. If she had, William gave no outward sign of it as he led Lizzy to the upstairs game room, Richard's usual haunt when he was at the house. They found Richard playing a solo game of billiards, and as Richard had done for him earlier, William left the two of them alone. Lizzy immediately felt more at ease, although she knew that she had some ground to cover with Richard, too.

    "So, how did it go?" Richard inquired.

    Lizzy shrugged, not having an answer, as she approached the table. "How was your trip?"

    "Very successful. Fitz is really a genius when it comes to business. He made things go very smoothly over there."

    "I suppose it doesn't hurt that he speaks the language," Lizzy said, trying to sound casual and failing in her own ears.

    "He told you about that, huh?"

    "He e-mailed me in Japanese!" Richard swore something under his breath about William's posterior and sank three balls with one shot. Lizzy stood and waited while he reduced the number of balls on the table to two. Suddenly, Lizzy reached out and picked one up.

    "Richard..." she began. Richard threw down the cue and went over to the leather couch. Lizzy sat beside him.

    "Richard, I'm sorry," she began, reaching for his hand. Richard looked up at her.

    "Have you done anything you should be sorry for?" So soon?

    "No...I don't know! I just feel so silly about not knowing that I'd been writing to a complete stranger all that time! I can't imagine what you must think of me!" She lowered her head to hide her blush. Richard lifted her chin and looked her in the eye.

    "First of all, you can't exactly call Fitz a complete stranger, can you? I mean, you were strangers once, but then so were we at one time. Look, you just happened to luck into a great two-for-one deal and befriended both Fitzes with impressive efficiency!" he concluded with a disarming smile that Lizzy's could not resist. She smiled in spite of herself, but she could not be so sanguine about the matter, and she knew that Richard's playful tone was just a façade.

    "How did you really feel when you found out about it?" Richard was intent on deflecting every effort she made to elicit his feelings below the surface of his smooth answers, but when he looked into her eyes he relented.

    "I was stunned," he admitted. "I had no idea that you knew each other. I went out for a while and thought about it. For about a half an hour I couldn't figure out how Fitz and I could be involved with the same woman and not know it. I knew that the two of you weren't seeing each other--you aren't the kind of woman who plays games with men--and William wouldn't have hidden something like that from me. So I knew that whatever was going on was unintentional."

    "But he must have known that you were seeing me. You borrowed his limo to take me out."

    "Unlike those of the opposite sex, we men don't probe each other for the sordid details of our social lives," he said with feigned contempt as Lizzy snorted derisively

    "You know that's a lie, and I am not a 'sordid detail,'" Lizzy retorted. He reached out and put his arm around her and apologized. She stiffened slightly at his touch and he withdrew his arm as Lizzy looked at him apologetically.

    "It's all right," Richard said. "We're all kind of walking of eggshells right now. But Lizzy, please don't take this all upon yourself. The way I figure it, there's absolutely no reason why you should have thought anything was amiss...except that I rarely e-mail people when they're just a phone call away."

    "I definitely know that you like to make phone calls. That's why your--his--e-mails were always such fun. They had nothing to do with what we talked about on the phone. It was fun operating on two levels like that. I think I'm going to miss it..." Richard forced Lizzy to make eye contact with him once more.

    "Hey! You aren't planning on walking out on us, are you? We both have come to rely on you to brighten our humdrum existence, you know." Lizzy smiled and sighed. She honestly didn't know what would happen next and she didn't want to think about it. All Lizzy needed to know at the moment was that neither man had been badly hurt and she had gotten signs from both of them that such was the case. Lizzy only wondered how long she could prevent the inevitable.

    William returned to the back parlor and dialed Jane at the shop, but eventually located her in a cab on her way to Charles's office. He related what happened and how things stood, insofar as he could tell, between the three of them. Jane volunteered to come up and William eagerly extended an invitation to both Jane and Charles for dinner. When he left the parlor he encountered Lizzy, who was looking for a bathroom. William showed her to one, and when she came out Georgiana took her on a tour of the house.

    Jane and Charles arrived by the time everyone had reassembled in the parlor. Lizzy was taken aback by their unexpected arrival; she felt extremely awkward in the presence of both men and Jane's presence only seemed to make things worse. All Jane's efforts on behalf of William came flooding back into Lizzy's mind, and she suddenly felt confused and inexplicably angry. She grew very pale, declined dinner, and declared her intention to go home. Jane offered to drive Lizzy home in her car, but Lizzy wanted to be alone for a while and no one would hear of Lizzy driving by herself in her condition. In the end, William insisted that Lizzy be taken home in his limousine and Lizzy beat a hasty retreat to the solitude afforded by the rear compartment of the sleek vehicle.

    The next twenty minutes passed in blissful silence. Lizzy stared out at the traffic and tried not to think. She caught a glimpse of Bates in the rearview mirror and smiled at him. The chauffeur's face brightened, and he seemed to be apologizing for the heavy evening traffic. Lizzy sat back and closed her eyes. The traffic was the least of her problems.

    Once the limousine was gone, William, Richard, and Jane seemed to breathe a collective sigh. The housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds, came in and announced that dinner was ready and they went to the dining room, along with Georgiana and Charles, and ate in relative silence. Everyone was concerned about Lizzy and her state of mind. Moreover, it was evident that both Richard and William were faring little better. The stress of the day's events showed in both their faces. Jane, for her part, wished that she hadn't allowed Lizzy to go home alone. She had sensed Lizzy's anger and knew that there would be some sort of confrontation later; she wanted it over with. The quicker all the cards were on the table, the sooner the game would be over.

    Lizzy couldn't remember the last time she was so glad to be home. Her return home after her vacation fiasco paled by comparison. She didn't wait until she reached her bedroom; she dropped her bag and kicked off her shoes before she ascended the stairs. She went directly to the bathroom and turned on the taps before entering her bedroom and shrugging out of her clothes. After a restorative fifteen-minute soak, Lizzy wrapped herself in a thick terrycloth robe and padded downstairs. She put on some Chopin, put the kettle on for tea and began puttering about, picking up after herself, feeding the cats, and watering the plants. It was while she stood before the front window tending to her fern that she noticed that the limousine was still in front of her house.

    After dinner, Richard, knowing that William wanted some time to speak with Jane, challenged Charles to a game of pool. Georgiana discreetly excused herself and disappeared as the two men went upstairs, leaving Jane and William alone in the dining room. They lingered over coffee and enjoyed a few minutes of companionable silence. William spoke first.

    "What do you think is going through her mind right now?"

    "I hardly know," Jane said tiredly. "What did she say to you?"

    "Barely anything," William confessed, his head bowed. "She seemed far more interested in speaking with Richard. It makes sense I guess...she knows him." Jane placed a hand over William's.

    "She knows you, too. It will just take her a while to realize it. Lizzy just feels awkward right now. Give her some time." William nodded dully. Jane observed him in silence for a few minutes as William gave himself over to the memory of his first glimpse of Lizzy at the airport. He had heard Georgiana call his name, and it surprised him. He had completely forgotten to call the house and cancel the arrangements that had been made prior to his departure for the Pacific Rim. William turned toward the sound of his sister's voice and saw Lizzy. He wasn't quite sure how he knew it was her...she looked nothing like Jane, at first glance, but there wasn't a doubt in his mind. Perhaps it was the way she looked at him... But she wasn't looking at me. She was looking at Fitz. William had looked to Richard to confirm his fear. When he looked back, he saw Lizzy falling... William stirred and Jane smiled encouragingly.

    "She doesn't look at all like I expected," William said with a wry smile.

    "What did you expect?" Jane smiled back.

    "A blond, for one thing. I guess my image of her was based upon you."

    "I hope you weren't disappointed!" William shot a queer look at her.

    "Now how am I supposed to answer that? If I say that I wasn't disappointed, you'll probably be insulted!"

    "If you said you were disappointed, I'd say you were lying!" Jane retorted and for the first time since he got off the plane, William felt genuinely better. Talking with Jane always had that effect on him. But a nagging voice in the back of his mind continued to haunt him.

    "Why do I feel as though I've somehow betrayed all my friends: Richard, certainly; Lizzy; and even you? All I did was write a note. How was I to know where it would lead? How could I have foreseen this?" William exclaimed, his voice escalating slightly as he spoke. Jane tightened her grip on his wrist.

    "William, don't blame yourself..." William nodded and placed his free hand on top of Jane's.

    "I don't want to lose her, Jane."

    Of all the people in the Darcy townhouse that evening, only Charles dared to broach the dreaded topic. He asked Richard the question that had plagued him all day. It was undoubtedly a mistake. The usually affable Richard Fitzwilliam was in an uncharacteristically foul mood. Concern for Lizzy and lingering doubts about his chosen course of action had conspired to reduce his boyish charm to only a thin veneer. Charles--blind to the warning signs--plodded ahead in his quest for answers, breaking the silence that had heretofore been disturbed only by the sounds that signified Richard's methodical elimination of every billiard ball remaining after Charles's break.

    "But what I don't understand," he said out of the blue, "Is how this whole thing happened, anyway."

    "Well, I've been thinking about it, and I believe--and I think Fitz will back me up on this--that it's all your fault, Charles." Richard sank a ball and raised his eyes to Charles, who couldn't fathom what he was talking about. "My cousin and I have both been called 'Fitz' individually since we were kids, but while we were in grad school you had the brilliant idea of calling us both 'Fitz' at the same time. Not 'Fitz and Willy,' not 'Fitz and Richie--thank God--not 'Fitz and Darcy,' or--."

    "Point taken...but what has that got to do with Lizzy's problem?"

    "It has everything to do with Lizzy's problem! Man goes to Lizzy's office. You identify him as Fitz. Man is introduced at party. You say, 'Lizzy, say hello to my pal, Fitz.' Care to play Six Degrees of Separation, Charles?" Richard said darkly, and paused in his shot at the billiard table to glare at Charles, who blanched.

    "Are you...you're serious!" Richard glared at Charles.

    "Of course I'm serious," he said mildly, with a smile that did nothing to ease the tension. "Had you discussed 'William' and introduced 'Richard,' things would be very different right now, wouldn't they?" With that revelation, Richard returned his attention to the game

    Bates started when Lizzy knocked on the glass. Lizzy had changed into sweats prior to going out to the car, but her hair was still piled on top of her head in a sloppy bun. Bates rolled down the window.

    "Tea's ready. Would you care to join me for a cup?" Minutes later, the pair was sitting at the kitchen table, a tea cozy covered pot between them. Bates looked around at the circa 1920's décor, a bit discomfited.

    "You aren't used to being invited in by the target of your stakeout, are you?" Lizzy teased, as she offered Bates a tin of Scottish shortbread. Bates smiled as he took a cookie.

    "I'm not used to stakeouts at all, ma'am," he said with a small flush of his cheeks.

    "Then exactly why have you been sitting outside my house for the better part of an hour?" Bates considered carefully before he answered and decided that the unvarnished truth was best. Miss Bennet had already had a rough day, and didn't appear to be one who would brook any dissembling.

    "Mr. Darcy asked me to stay with you until your sister returned home, ma'am. He was a bit concerned for your welfare." Lizzy digested the information for a moment.

    "Bates," she said proffering the tin, "If I give you another cookie, will you promise to call me Lizzy from now on?" They shook hands on the deal and spent the next hour chatting like old friends.

    "I suppose I should tell you what's going on." Lizzy said, after Bates (who insisted that Lizzy should call him only that) inquired as to the state of her health. He had heard Richard's quick synopsis of the situation, at the airport earlier, but long years of discipline had curbed his curiosity. Now he sat and listened with compassion as Lizzy tried to explain her dilemma.

    "I was somehow persuaded that the two men were one and the same, and as you witnessed, I was disabused of that notion this afternoon when I saw both men together." Lizzy concluded. She suddenly began to crack, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh, Bates, I feel so stupid! For the past month I have been seeing Richard and writing to William. What must they think of me?" Bates reached out and took Lizzy's hand.

    "There, there, miss! It was an honest mistake. They cannot hold it against you." Bates broke into a smile. "It is kind of a funny story when you think about it, like something out of a movie, isn't it?"

    "But it isn't a movie. It's all too real. And I'm afraid that I've spoiled two friendships because of it, possibly three." Lizzy laid her head on the table forlornly, her bun sitting up at a ludicrous angle.

    "If I may say so, ma'am...Lizzy," he quickly amended as Lizzy raised her head and shot him a look, "If you're worried about coming between the two of those boys you can rest easy. It'll take more than you and all the queen's army to divide them." Lizzy sat up and looked at Bates.

    "I wish I could believe that."

    "Oh, you can believe it, my girl. I've known those boys since they were wee babes--as different as night and day, the pair of them, but inseparable nonetheless. I've seen them come to blows over something as insignificant as a torn page in a book, and I've seen them cry together over the death of Mr. Darcy's parents. Through thick and thin, the two of them stand as one. Believe me, Lizzy, you'll not change that."

    Lizzy looked at Bates expectantly, but he divulged no more, and she realized that he was not in the habit of gossiping about his employers. Lizzy plied him with cookies and asked him about William and Richard's friendship, and the pair spent the next hour laughing over the Fitzes' youthful shenanigans. The sound of the door being unlocked told Lizzy that Jane had come home. Bates left almost immediately, leaving Jane and Lizzy in an uncomfortable silence. Lizzy cleared the table as Jane went up to change. Minutes later, as Lizzy was finishing the dishes, Jane came into the kitchen.

    "Do you want to talk, Lizzy?" Jane asked, tentatively.

    "No. I just want to go to bed," she said, before the words were out of Jane's mouth. She strode down the hall towards the stairs, Jane behind her. Suddenly, Lizzy spun around.

    "You put him up to it, didn't you?" she spat accusingly. "You knew I wouldn't have anything to do with William Darcy so you put him up to carrying on this deception!" Jane's mouth fell open.

    "I did nothing of the sort! I didn't even know that you and William knew each other until he told me so yesterday! You heard me talking to him on the phone!"

    "And you expect me to believe that? You have been pushing William Darcy down my throat for weeks! You used him and me to get your way didn't you?" With that, Lizzy ran up to her room and slammed the door. Throwing herself on the bed, she eventually cried herself to sleep. Stunned, Jane sat on the stairs for some time. She expected Lizzy to be upset with her, but she hadn't expected this.

    William awoke the next morning with a headache. He lay abed for sometime thinking. He decided that, since he wasn't expected back in the office until Monday anyway, he'd take Friday off and relax. He was already suffering from the effects of jet lag, and the situation with Richard and Lizzy weighed heavily on his mind. He sat up and reached for the phone to dial Richard's number. Richard was already awake and halfway through his workout when William called. He had paused to towel off, and found himself staring out the window of his high-rise apartment overlooking the East River. His mind was on Lizzy as he looked south toward Brooklyn. He started when the phone rang.

    "Hello?" he said, turning back toward the window.

    "Did I wake you?" William asked.

    "I'm still on Tokyo time. Want to have dinner in an hour?" William's response to his joke was a loud yawn.

    "I don't think I'm going into the office today, Fitz. I'm kind of...drained," he said. Richard picked up his water bottle and took a sip.

    "Yeah, I know the feeling."

    "Are you going to go in?" William asked as he rolled out of bed, and stood up.

    "I think so, for a little while, anyway. I want to make some follow-up calls to Oka, and then I think I'll split for Connecticut. Are you coming up this weekend?"

    "I hadn't given the matter any thought," William replied. He wondered if Lizzy had Richard's number in Connecticut in case she needed to reach out to him, but William couldn't bring himself to ask.

    "By the way," Richard said, as he walked over to the weight machine and began a set of leg extensions. "Last night as I was leaving, I noticed a ladies' tote bag by my luggage. It must belong to either Lizzy or Jane, because Gee didn't recognize it."

    "Okay, I'll give Jane a call," William said before he hung up. Richard threw himself into his workout, trying to purge his mind of thoughts of Lizzy and William. Unsuccessful, he headed for the shower in an effort to drown them.

    Lizzy awoke after a night of fitful sleep and decided to work from home. She went down to the kitchen to put on the water for tea, recalling her ugly scene with Jane the previous night. As soon as the water boiled, Lizzy made a cup of peppermint tea and returned to her room. She wanted to avoid Jane, if possible, until she got her thoughts in order. Lizzy called the office and left a message for Charles, then crawled back into bed with her tea. After a while, she dozed off again. When she woke an hour later, she was relieved to find that Jane had already left the house. Lizzy went down to the kitchen and made herself a light breakfast. When she had finished eating, she went into the dining room and set up her "old" laptop, which really was not old at all, but she had come to think of her business computer as the old one. She used the new one-the gift from William--exclusively for communications with him.

    Lizzy worked for a couple of hours on a number of things, mostly related to project management. She didn't have a head for creating this morning. Eventually, she gave up when she realized that she was missing some vital information for a client presentation, and focusing on even the simple tasks became impossible. Lizzy turned off her computer, went up to her room and changed into a pair of jeans, a shirt, and a pair of boots. When she had combed her hair and put on some makeup, she grabbed a blazer out of her closet and went downstairs in search of her car keys. It was then that she remembered that she had left her car in Manhattan. She thought that Jane had driven it home, but the keys were not in their usual place. Lizzy sighed.

    "Well, I wanted to speak with Jane anyway...if she doesn't have my car keys, at least I can apologize to her." Lizzy walked six or so blocks over to Jane's shop, a crafts gallery that specialized in folk art. The cool air felt good in Lizzy's face as she walked and by the time she reached Montague Street, she was in fairly good spirits. She entered the store and looked about for Jane but saw no sign of her.

    "Hi, Lizzy! I haven't seen you in here for a while," said Maria, Jane's business partner.

    "Hi, Maria. No, I'm afraid I've been so busy at work that I haven't been here in nearly a month," Lizzy replied. "Is Jane in the back?"

    "No. She went out for lunch but she should be back any minute. Why don't you wait for her? You can look around and see our new stuff." Lizzy agreed, and wandered about the shop looking at the new pieces and leafing through a few books. About ten minutes later, the door opened and Lizzy heard the sound of a man and woman laughing. She turned around expecting to see a pair of customers and found herself looking into the eyes of William Darcy.

    Richard and Charles passed through the doors of Cherry Blossom and headed for Charles's office, stirring interest and speculation as they went. Charlotte and Mina mugged at each other and Lisa pointedly attempted to draw Richard's notice as he passed.

    "Now we know why Lizzy 'slept in,'" Charlotte said slyly. Mina nodded and wondered aloud why Lizzy let Richard get away from her. Ignorant of the remarks, Charles and Richard settled comfortably in Charles's office.

    "You really don't have to look at these today," Charles said as he pulled out a file and handed it to Richard. The two friends, along with William, had attended Harvard Business School together. They each had subsequently carved out a niche for themselves in the computer field, Charles in web page design and hosting, and Richard in the slightly less glamorous but essential tech support area. They often consulted with one another on matters regarding their respective businesses and were even considering a future joint venture.

    "I know, but I'm down here anyway, and I still feel guilty about my behavior last night. You may as well take advantage of my generous mood. I may not be so easily manipulated next time you need my advice. "

    "And the fact that you hoped to catch a glimpse of Lizzy if you came by here after lunch played no part in your thinking?" Charles added.

    "Well, I was kind of worried about her." Richard delivered a quick jab to Charles's shoulder. "And you might have told me on the phone that she wouldn't be in today. How was she when you spoke to her?"

    "I didn't talk to her. She left me a message and I thought I'd just give her some space." Richard nodded.

    "I had planned on doing that, too. But I can't stop thinking about her."

    "Sounds serious!" Charles asserted. Richard lowered his eyes to the papers before him.

    "No, Charles. It's just friendly concern."

    "Yeah. And what about your calling her nearly every day for the past five weeks? Was that 'friendly concern,' too?" he asked dubiously.

    "Look, pal, you made me come all the way down here and buy you lunch under false pretenses. Since I've got to deal with your ugly face instead of hers, let's just focus on this, shall we?" Charles sat down to business, convinced that Richard had fallen in love.

    "Hi, Lizzy. What are you doing here?" a surprised Jane managed through her laughter. That broke the spell and Lizzy tore her eyes from William's. William continued to observe her, and she blushed as she answered.

    "I...well, you may as well hear this, because you undoubtedly know about it already," she said to William, although she did not look in his direction. "I want to apologize to you, Jane...and to you, too, William," Lizzy continued, as her blush deepened. "I was wrong to say what I did last night. I don't even know why I said it. I guess I was just frustrated and I struck out at you because you were there. I'm so sorry..." she stopped talking when Jane took her in her arms and immediately forgave her. William turned away discreetly and waited while the sisters talked. When they seemed to be done, he turned back awkwardly. Lizzy looked at him and smiled weakly. He smiled back, and Lizzy quickly turned back to Jane.

    "Well, I don't want to take up any more of your time," she said. "I know you have things to do so I'll be on my way. William?" she said by way of acknowledgment, and quickly headed for the door, her car keys completely forgotten. Not ten seconds later, she heard his voice behind her.

    "Lizzy?" Lizzy stopped and turned around. She had half expected, half dreaded that he'd follow. She tried to suppress the attack of nerves that descended upon her when their eyes met.

    "Which way are you heading?" William said.

    "I was going to take a walk on the Promenade...would you care to join me?"

    "I'd love to," William smiled. The pair fell into step and in minutes they were on the Promenade, a narrow sliver of a park that overlooks the East River that offers breathtaking views of lower Manhattan and the New York harbor. Lizzy walked directly to the railing and let the wind hit her in the face. A sudden gust of wind whipped her hair into a frenzy. Lizzy laughed for a moment at the pleasure of the sensation, but remembering her company, she turned around and attempted to capture the flying tendrils and put them into some semblance of order.

    "Here," William said, and handed her a red hair elastic. She took it from him and pulled her hair into a ponytail, eyeing him with one arched eyebrow.

    "It's Gee's!" William cried defensively. "She handed it to me one day and it's been in my pocket ever since." Lizzy looked down at the pocket he indicated and saw that William was wearing a pair of snug-fitting jeans, a black polo shirt and a tweed blazer. She looked up him suspiciously.

    "Shouldn't you be over there," she said with a nod toward Manhattan, "Running your empire?"

    "It can manage fairly well without my physical presence," he answering in the same tone. Lizzy had to look away again. She turned back to the river and was quiet for a moment. William leaned on the railing and pretended to be interested on the barges making their way into the harbor.

    "So what was it you were dying to ask me, yesterday?"

    "It can wait a bit longer," William replied. Lizzy looked at him and watched the as the wind bounced a curl up and down on his forehead for a moment. He returned her gaze, and Lizzy decided that she had to stop feeling so vulnerable in his presence. She smiled wickedly.

    "If you don't tell me what your question is, I'll..."

    "You'll what?" William returned, accepting her challenge.

    "I'll...I'll hold my breath until you tell me!" she threatened playfully. William looked his surprise. Lizzy lifted her watch dramatically and checked the time. With her eyes on William, she took a deep breath and held it. William watched with amusement, and then increasing alarm as Lizzy held her breath for over two and a half minutes. Finally, she started to laugh at the expression on William's face. She grabbed his sleeve and dragged him to a bench, where she sat down and continued to laugh for some time, while William watched her, extremely amused.

    "How on earth did you do that?" He asked when she had quieted and regained her breath.

    "I'll tell you my secret when you tell me yours!" Lizzy shot back and William smiled and shook his head. Lizzy looked out over the water for a minute, and William took advantage of the opportunity.

    "May I ask what you were apologizing for, back at the shop? Whatever it was, Jane has not told me about it." Lizzy looked at him a moment, slightly disbelieving, but William gazed at her earnestly and she knew he was telling the truth. "...And please don't hold your breath again," he quipped, putting his hand over his heart. But to Lizzy it was no laughing matter.

    "Jane and I had words last night. Well...that is not exactly true; I had words with Jane." Lizzy stole a glance at William.

    "I assume that this had something to do with me?" Lizzy nodded.

    "Yes," she admitted. "I don't know what came over me," she began. "She came home and asked me if I wanted to talk. She was only trying to be helpful, I know, but I lashed out at her. It was so..." Lizzy broke off and swallowed hard.

    "What did you say to her?" William asked softly.

    "I accused her of duplicity. I accused her of knowing the truth and deliberately keeping it from me; the truth about us...the three of us."

    "Why would she want to do such a thing?"

    "I...you must know that Jane has been trying to set us up for some time now. She actually tried to fix us up last spring, but I had to go out of town on business and it never came off. I thought she had given up on the whole idea until she suddenly started talking you up again. In fact, she started just about the time I met your cousin," Lizzy said, finding it difficult to bring up Richard's name in William's presence. "After everything that happened yesterday, I...suffice to say my thinking was less than sound." Lizzy paused and took a deep breath. The rest of her tale came out in a rush. "I accused Jane of knowing about the situation and deliberately keeping it from me. I thought...I accused her of encouraging you to keep up the deception until she could manage to get us together." William was surprised and it showed clearly on his face.

    "I hardly think Jane capable of such guile. For one thing, she was completely unaware of our relationship," he paused at the word, as it sounded odd to his own ears, "Until I called her two days ago. Had she known, she probably would have done something about it immediately. The only reason why she didn't tell you about it when she found out was Fitz and I decided to speak with you ourselves." William paused again. "Furthermore, I had no idea she was trying to set us up. If I had, I would have refused to go along with her scheme," he said, his eyes focused across the water. Lizzy was stung by his admission and couldn't prevent it from showing in her voice.

    "Why?" she said shrilly. William looked to her and smiled smugly.

    "Why did you refuse to go out with me?" He retorted, and Lizzy blushed. William's smile faded when it occurred to him that Lizzy's adamant refusal a few days earlier might have had something to do with her feelings for Richard.

    "Jane has been setting me up on blind dates with friends of hers for years. Each and every one of them has been an unqualified disaster," she replied. "I love her dearly, but other than Charles, her taste in men is somewhat--." Lizzy let the comment go unfinished and tried to hide her embarrassment by turning the tables on William. "What is your excuse?"

    "I haven't dated in a while," he replied simply, and Lizzy suddenly remembered his e-mail.

    "I'm sorry, I should have thought..."

    "No, no, it's not that. I had put a lot of energy into building a relationship with Emma. It was difficult, because she lived in London and one of us always had to travel some distance to see the other. Ironically, she died not crossing the Atlantic, but on a relatively short trip from Heathrow to Dublin. Anyway, after Emma's death, I began to reorder my priorities and my social life took a backseat. Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam was just taking off and I threw all my energy into that for a while. Now, I'm absorbed in launching my new computer enterprise..."

    "But..." Lizzy reconsidered and decided to change the topic. "I thought that the two of you were one and the same but, William, you knew who I was all along. Why did you never seek me out in person?" Lizzy wanted to ask why he corresponded with her at all if he wasn't interested, but lacked the courage to hear his answer. "And why didn't you ever tell Jane about us?" William shrugged and leaned back. Lizzy felt an involuntary rush as he extended his arm across the back of the bench, although he didn't touch her.

    "I can't say, really. I guess at first, it seemed too trivial a matter to bring up. I've been very busy the last six months. I've been back and forth to Japan three times, in London, busy with things at my office. I hadn't seen or spoken to Jane since late July, so there was no opportunity to mention the matter when it first came up. Reading your e-mails made me think of her, so I called her and made a date to go out to dinner with her and Charles. I started to include you in the invitation, but Jane had already had the same idea and said that you had some big date planned for that evening." William didn't need to tell Lizzy that it was her first night out with Richard. "I arrived at your house minutes after you left, and when your name came up we just fell into our old routine."

    "What 'old routine?'"

    "I have heard Jane talk about you for two years, but I somehow never managed to meet you, or even see a picture of you, for that matter. So it became a standing joke between us that you were a figment of her imagination. Look, what was there to tell her?" he said a bit defensively. "That I had written you a note and that we'd e-mailed back and forth a few times? There didn't seem to be any real reason to bring it up at first."

    "And later?" William smiled.

    "Later, I rather came to enjoy our private conversations. I began to think of them as a guilty pleasure that I could indulge in whenever I wanted to. No one but us knew about our correspondence until a few days ago, unless you told others." Lizzy shook her head in silent denial. "Fitz must have walked into my office a dozen times and nearly caught me writing to you. I wrote notes during boring meetings, in the car, even on a flight to Ohio..." William stopped when he caught sight of Lizzy's expression. She hadn't heard much past the words "guilty pleasure." William's cell phone rang, and he excused himself to answer it. Lizzy looked at her watch, while he spoke and realized that she ought to be getting home, figuring that the office could fax her the information she needed. When he was through with his call, she told William that she had to go.

    "Can I drop you off?" he asked. Lizzy was about to decline and explain that she lived within walking distance, when she had a thought.

    "If you are going back into Manhattan, I think I will accept a ride. I want to pick up some things from my office." William readily agreed to deliver her to Tribeca and led her to his limousine, where Bates greeted her with "Good afternoon, Lizzy." William was surprised by Bates' informality, but as the car sped off towards the city, he concluded that Lizzy Bennet had the power to charm just about anyone she met.

    Bates pulled the limousine to the curb in front of a renovated industrial building not far from Canal Street. Lizzy got out and thanked both him and William for the ride. William offered to wait for Lizzy and take her back home, but she said it wasn't necessary.

    "Now that I'm here I may as well put in a couple of hours," she explained.

    "When will I see you again?" Lizzy had no immediate answer.

    "Drop me a line and we'll set up something," she grinned and entered the building. William smiled and asked Bates to take him home.

    When Lizzy entered the office, Mina cryptically commented in passing, "If you're looking for what I would certainly be looking for, if I were you--he's in there." Lizzy stared blankly after her a moment, then turned toward the direction that Mina had been pointing to. She approached Charles's office and peered in. She saw Richard and Charles engaged in an animated discussion. Richard was standing with his back to her, attempting to describe something and using his arms to indicate the object's size. Lizzy's heart began to pound wildly. She felt queasy, as she backed away from the door and almost ran to her office. She sat down and took a few deep breaths, hands clutched into fists, her eyes fighting back tears. Lizzy told herself over and over she was being ridiculous. Even if Richard was the last person she expected to see, especially so soon after leaving William, what on earth should she be afraid of? Lizzy's heart had just about recovered when she heard Charles's voice coming from down the hall.

    "I could have sworn that was Lizzy I just saw." In seconds both Charles and Richard were at her door. Lizzy took another breath and Charles entered the office, Richard behind him.

    "Look who's here, Lizzy," Charles said pleasantly.

    "Hello, Bright Eyes," Richard smiled. Lizzy managed to smile back and Charles quickly made up some excuse to leave the two alone. Lizzy offered Richard a seat and as he took the chair across from her he surveyed the room. "It's a lot neater than I remember," he said innocently, and winked at her. His infectious smile had the desired effect, and Lizzy began to relax.

    This is Richard. This is the man I have been dating for weeks. This is the man I've shared a half-dozen lunches with. This is the man I've spoken with nearly every day for over a month. Why am I having an anxiety attack? There is no reason the sight of him should make me nervous...is there?

    "What are you doing here?" Lizzy asked. "I should have thought that you would be at home today sleeping off jet lag."

    "I have never had jet lag in my life, much to the envy of every traveling companion I've ever had."

    "Really! What's your secret?" asked Lizzy, propping her chin on the palm of her hand and leaning toward him. Richard echoed her gesture and his nearness started Lizzy's heart pounding again.

    "The Fitzwilliam constitution, to the best of my knowledge. Gee never gets it, either, but then she doesn't travel nearly as much as Fitz or me," Richard revealed. "Poor Fitz changes time zones so often, it's a wonder he ever recovers." Lizzy wondered whether or not she should tell him that she had seen William. She feared causing dissension between the cousins, but again, her instincts told her that there was no reason for her to expect the cousins to come to blows over her. Hadn't William just told her he was very busy with his new project? Hadn't he called his online relationship with Lizzy a "guilty pleasure," words that implied that there was nothing serious about their friendship? Didn't he just confess to being uninterested in Jane's efforts to set them up? Had Lizzy seen any indication that William was interested in anything more than a casual friendship? No! So why do I feel this sense of impending doom? Lizzy was brought out of her reverie by the light tapping of Richard's index finger on her forehead. Lizzy blinked. "What's going on in there?" Richard asked softly. He was cognizant of her discomfort, although he was unaware of its specific origin.

    Richard had become very attuned to Lizzy in the brief span of their courtship. In spite of what he had let on to William, Richard and Lizzy had grown quite close, although their relationship could scarcely be called serious. Since deciding that she was the perfect woman for his cousin, Richard had taken pains to avoid getting involved with Lizzy. But their relationship had blossomed in spite of itself. Richard had intentionally minimized the nature of their relationship to his cousin. While they had not been intimate, the pair was as intimate as any two people in a long-term relationship. Richard chose to define that intimacy as friendship, and he had worked at keeping it that way, especially since that night on the ferry, when he had nearly lost both his resolve and his heart. Now he was genuinely concerned for Lizzy. Richard had no idea what she was thinking, but he knew that she was in the throes of a dilemma. She appeared to be confused, and he began to wonder if William had been as dishonest as he had been in discussing his relationship with the woman before him. Richard wanted to reach out and hold Lizzy and reassure her that things were going to turn out well. But he wasn't at all convinced that he could give Lizzy such assurances as yet. Moreover, he couldn't trust himself to give them.

    "I saw your cousin a little while ago, and he seemed wide awake to me," Lizzy said.

    "Really? Where?" he asked with obvious interest. Lizzy described her encounter with William in Brooklyn and their brief walk on the Promenade.

    "So you take all your dates there, eh? And here I thought I was special," he teased, but Lizzy felt uncomfortable with his humor.

    "It was not a date. And you are special...very special. You happen to be the only date I've ever taken to the Promenade," Lizzy disclosed, taking his free hand in her own.

    "And how many have taken you there?" Richard countered and laughed aloud at Lizzy's blush. "You know," he said, "I am glad to see that you and William are making an effort to get better acquainted. He's a great guy and I know that you two will get on very well." Lizzy looked at him oddly.

    "We have always gotten on very well," she said.

    "I'm not suggesting that you didn't. But now that the two of you have actually met," Richard said, carefully withdrawing his hand and busying himself with fussing with a toy on her desk, "I expect that you'll want to spend some time together." Richard kept his eyes on the wind-up toy as it shuffled across the desk. He could feel Lizzy's stare, but did not respond to it.

    "You aren't suggesting that I go out with him?" Lizzy said skeptically.

    "Has he asked you out?"

    "No!" Lizzy said with an emphasis that surprised both of them. Richard looked up then, and saw the hurt in her eyes. He couldn't look away, but he refused to back down.

    "I gave him credit for better sense than that," Richard said, mostly to himself. Lizzy glared at him.

    "You do want me to go out with him?!?"

    "I didn't say that. I just thought that he would ask you out. I would have, if I were in his position," Richard admitted. Of course, if Fitz were in my position and I tried to date Lizzy, he'd probably throttle me. Now why did Hugh and Kathleen Fitzwilliam have to go and raise their baby boy to be such a nice guy? Lizzy turned away from Richard and turned on her computer. She felt hurt and slightly angry. Was he actually trying to encourage Lizzy to pursue his cousin? She tried to make sense of what she had just heard. Perhaps he had meant nothing by it, Lizzy thought, as she turned back toward Richard and began looking through a stack of papers on her desk for the ones she needed. Richard just sat and watched her. Finally, Lizzy got up her courage.

    "So, what are your plans for the weekend?" Lizzy asked, trying to modulate the tone of her voice so that her anger didn't show.

    "I'm leaving for Connecticut later this afternoon to spend the weekend with my folks," Richard replied easily.

    "Oh," Lizzy's disappointment was evident.

    "What are your plans?"

    "I have none, really...I was thinking of seeing a movie tonight. Had you been available, I would have treated you to all the popcorn you can eat," Lizzy replied, trying to match Richard's easy tone.

    "Too bad. But maybe it's for the best." Lizzy looked up abruptly and Richard smiled disarmingly. "I can put away quite a bit of popcorn, you know." Lizzy found her papers and turned away fuming. Now he's toying with me! "Look, I'd better go and let you get your work done." Richard came around the desk and turned Lizzy's chair to face him. He took her face in his hands and raised it so that he could plant a kiss on her forehead. "I'll call you from Greenwich tomorrow. Enjoy your movie." He looked deeply into Lizzy's eyes and was made wretched by what he saw there and left the office hating himself.

    Richard returned to his apartment and threw himself on the couch. He stared at the ceiling, but all he saw was Lizzy's disappointed face haunting him. When the telephone rang he had half a mind to let the machine pick it up, but he reconsidered when it occurred to him that it might be Lizzy. If she wanted to speak to him he wasn't about to disappoint her a second time. The call was not from Lizzy, however, and Richard mentally berated himself for thinking that she would call him after he'd treated her so badly.

    "Hi, Fitz." Richard threw his head back and swore softly. He didn't want to speak with William almost as much as he wanted to speak with Lizzy. "I just wanted to let you know that I've decided against going up to Greenwich." William said. "I'm still pretty tired and probably wouldn't be very useful company this weekend."

    "So you're just going to sleep away the next two days?" Richard asked aloud.

    "Sounds like a plan to me," William rejoined.

    "You might want to reassess the situation, bud. This might be an excellent time to try and see Lizzy. She's into Impressionism. Why don't you take her to that gallery up on Madison? You know, the one that had the opening while we were in Japan," Richard suggested.

    "I happened to see Lizzy today. I had lunch with Jane and ran into her out in Brooklyn."

    "Yeah? How did it go?" Richard asked, interested in hearing William's take on the meeting.

    "All right, I guess. A bit awkward at first, but it became easier once we were able to get past that point."

    "Good. So why don't you follow up with an invitation to the gallery, maybe a little dinner--."

    "Don't you think you're pushing it, Fitz?"

    "What do you mean?" Richard said, going into the kitchen for a beer and returning to the couch.

    "You're practically forcing the woman down my throat!"

    "I thought you were interested in her!"

    "I am...sort of..."

    "Sort of?" Richard cried.

    "Lizzy and I don't even know each other yet..." William exclaimed.

    "You do know each other; you just haven't had much face time, that's all. Just take her out, pour on the Darcy charm," Richard interjected.

    "...Nor have we had an opportunity to decide whether or not we want to see each other," William concluded.

    "Well, there's no better way to find out than by trying," Richard reasoned.

    "Has it occurred to you at all that she may not want to see me?"

    "Don't start that again," Richard growled.

    "Why not? And why are you so determined that I should see her, anyway? I thought that you two were--."

    "This is old news, cuz. We've already covered this ground. Look, I've got to throw some things in my bag and get out of here if I don't want to sit in traffic half the night," Richard said dismissively.

    "Fitz...Richard...look. The last thing I want to do is to come between you and Lizzy. You may not think that there's anything there, but if she disagrees with you, we're going to have a very big problem on our hands. Regardless of how you feel about her, regardless of how I feel about her, let's keep some perspective on this, okay? We have to respect Lizzy's feelings and let her be our guide." Richard was quiet for a moment as he digested William's words.

    "Yeah, you're right. Look, I've got to go. I'll see you on Monday." William said goodbye, and Richard fell onto the couch again, wallowing in torment. After about five minutes, he lifted the phone from his chest and dialed.

    Charlotte walked into Lizzy's office and sat down expectantly. Lizzy looked up and stared at her.

    "What?"

    "What do you mean 'what'? What happened? How was the reunion?" Lizzy spun around to the computer.

    "Oh, it was a reunion, all right," she sighed sarcastically.

    "I want to hear all about it," Charlotte cried, as she drew up a chair and sat down. Lizzy turned to face her and Charlotte saw the strain in Lizzy's face. "Good God, Lizzy! What happened? Did something go wrong?" Lizzy was unsure how to begin; she wasn't even sure she wanted to discuss the matter. She disliked being the subject of gossip and speculation, and she had heard plenty of that since she had begun seeing Richard. But Charlotte, as much as she liked gossip, was a good friend to Lizzy and she knew where to draw the line. Lizzy confided to her the entire story of the "reunion," from the shock she received at the airport to her accusations of Jane last night. Charlotte was genuinely sympathetic.

    "You have been through it, haven't you? What are you going to do?" Lizzy looked at Charlotte.

    "What am I going to do about what?"

    "About William! You're not going to just leave him out there flapping in the wind, are you?"

    "He chose to be out there, Char! If he wanted to see me, all he had to do was call. He's the one who decided to be my pen pal," Lizzy said testily.

    "Maybe he had his reasons," Charlotte said. Lizzy thought back to the conversation she'd had with William earlier that afternoon. Indeed, he had given her several. "Are you going to continue to see Richard?" Lizzy gaped at Charlotte.

    "Why shouldn't I? Nothing has changed between us! Lizzy averted her eyes; she feared that something had indeed been altered in her relationship with Richard. He had behaved oddly this afternoon, attentive and yet distant. And he seemed to be pushing Lizzy toward William. Lizzy's head began to hurt. She gave up the idea of going to a movie, and began putting materials into her bag to take home.

    "If there is anything I can do, don't hesitate to ask. I don't have any answers, mind. But I can offer you a shoulder to cry on, and I'd gladly sacrifice myself by eating all the Haagen Daazs in Brooklyn to protect you from yourself." Lizzy hugged Charlotte tightly for a moment, then, insisting that she was okay, sent Charlotte on her way. Lizzy finished tidying up her desk and was about to leave when the phone rang.

    "Hello?"

    "Does that offer for popcorn still stand?"

    "I thought you were going to Connecticut," Lizzy said with a smile. Hearing Richard's voice again made her unaccountably happy. She dropped her bag and sat down.

    "What can I say? I was about to leave town, when in a moment of weakness, I remembered that popcorn is my favorite food of all time," Richard lied endearingly.

    "What about your family?" Lizzy giggled.

    "They can get their own popcorn!"

    "Richard, you're incorrigible!"

    "Is that good?"

    "I thought you were a Harvard graduate," Lizzy teased.

    "I am, but we don't use words like 'incorrigible' in the Ivy League, my dear. So what are we going to see, and don't name some chick flick or I'm outta here and stopping at a K-Mart for a corn popper on the way to the family compound," Richard threatened.

    "I wanted to see 'Sunshine,' but we can decide on a movie jointly, if you want."

    "That's playing near me. Why don't I call the theatre and reserve a couple of seats?" The pair stayed on the phone and arranged a time and meeting place. Lizzy left the office in considerably better spirits.

    William pulled out his laptop and turned it on. As it booted up, he put it aside.

    "This is silly. Why don't I just call her?" William picked up the phone and dialed Jane's number. It rang four times before he heard Jane's voice asking the caller to leave a message. He declined to do so and hung up the phone. William returned to the laptop. But instead of writing, he just sat and stared at it for some time.

    Lizzy and Richard enjoyed the movie, but Richard was unusually quiet when they came out. Lizzy hoped that they would be able to talk; she wanted to know what was going on in his head, but Richard kept feinting and dodging any attempt to discuss anything serious.

    "Where should we eat?" Richard asked Lizzy as he carefully buttoned her jacket and turned up her collar against the wind.

    "You want to eat after all that popcorn?"

    "Not all that popcorn, madam: you ate a decent share!" Richard countered.

    "You're right. I did eat a decent share. You ate an obscene amount! How can you eat like that and stay so slim? Or is this yet another facet of the vaunted Fitzwilliam constitution?"

    "You are jealous, aren't you?" Richard taunted, nose to nose with Lizzy.

    "And you are destined to have love handles by the time you're forty," Lizzy retorted. They argued playfully as Richard led her over to Second Avenue, an East Side strip renowned for its surfeit of restaurants. Richard decided on Indian food, since Lizzy couldn't deal with so many choices. The couple dined on an array of appetizers and then gorged themselves on chicken vindaloo. For a blissful hour, it was as though Thursday had never happened, and Lizzy and Richard were as comfortable as they ever were. The waiter brought over the dessert menu, and Richard insisted that Lizzy try the ginger ice cream. As she sampled its sweet spiciness, Richard regaled her with tales of a summer he had spent in India with Charles and William. The mention of his name cast a pall over the pair. They left the restaurant in silence.

    "This way," Richard said, taking her hand. The couple strolled down to 72nd Street, and turned east.

    "What's down here?" Lizzy asked, as she looked about the wide boulevard of grand pre-World War II buildings, stylish row houses, and sleek high-rises.

    "My apartment, for one thing," Richard said. He felt Lizzy hesitate and he quickly added, "That's where my car is parked. Besides, there's something I want to show you."

    "Etchings?" Lizzy quipped, but in a tight voice. Richard chuckled.

    "I should probably be offended by that remark. However, what I want to show you is not in my apartment," Richard being deliberately vague. Lizzy started to apologize, but Richard squeezed her hand and put an arm around her. She put an arm around his waist and together they walked to the end of the street.

    Seventy-second Street has a tiny promenade of its own--just an overlook, actually--and Richard led Lizzy to the railing that overlooked the river. To the south, the Queensborough Bridge (also known at the 59th Street Bridge, as memorialized by Paul Simon) was stretched across the river lit up like a string of diamonds. In the distance, Lizzy could discern the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. To the north lay the Triborough Bridge, another of the seven bridges that connect Manhattan to its outer boroughs and New Jersey. And beyond that, glittering in the clear night sky was the Throg's Neck Bridge that links the Bronx with Queens. The view was breathtaking, if one could ignore the constant hum of traffic on the FDR Drive that lay at the foot of the overlook. Directly across the river lay Roosevelt Island, where a tiny lighthouse stood ever vigilant at its northern tip. Lizzy was enchanted. She looked out at the view for several minutes while Richard studied her face. Finally, conscious of his stare, she turned to him.

    "It's lovely. Not as pretty as the Promenade in Brooklyn, with its garden borders and lovely old brownstones at its back, but the view is breathtaking." Richard nodded in agreement, but at a different view.

    "So where do you live?" Lizzy asked, turning her back to the railing. On the right stood a row of old low-rise apartment buildings. To the left stood a comparatively new building, far taller than anything in Brooklyn, with floor to ceiling windows that opened onto spectacular views of the river and city.

    "Take a guess," Richard said. Lizzy pointed at the skyscraper.

    "Top floor?"

    "High floor."

    "River view?"

    "Southerly view, plenty of river."

    "May I see it?"

    "No." Richard's answer was clear and non-negotiable.

    "I'm sorry." Lizzy blushed and looked away.

    "You haven't done anything you should apologize for. And I don't want to, either," Richard said, looking into her eyes.

    "Even if I want you to?" Suddenly, it seemed very important to Lizzy to know that Richard desired her.

    "That would make it even worse."

    "Richard, we really need to talk," Lizzy said. She went to a bench and sat down. Richard sighed and followed her. "Are you angry at me? About William, I mean?" Lizzy began.

    "No. Why should I be angry with you?" Lizzy tucked her arm through Richard's and leaned into him.

    "You seem...not yourself. This afternoon you seemed so..."

    "I'm just trying to give you some space, Lizzy. I don't want to make things difficult for you," Richard said feeling helpless. Lizzy sat up and withdrew her arm. She lowered her head and stared at the pavement. He knew that Lizzy was about to cry.

    "Why do I need space, Richard," she whispered, and he could hear her tears. "I don't understand why you seem to think that just because I've met William that I don't need you or want to be with you anymore." Richard put his arm around Lizzy and held her close. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words to tell the lie he wanted to tell her. He couldn't tell Lizzy that, yes, he'd decided to pull away and give his cousin a chance at happiness. He couldn't tell her that he thought she should see William, that maybe if things didn't work out between them, he'd be here for her. He couldn't even lie to himself any longer that he and Lizzy were "just" friends. So he just held her until her tears were gone. Then he led her to the parking lot and retrieved his car. They rode to Brooklyn in silence, Richard holding her hand the entire time. Lizzy held it tightly, though for most of the time, she stared out of the passenger side window.

    Continued In Next Section

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