Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam ~ Section III

    By Judy-Lynne

    Beginning, Previous Section, Section III, Next Section

    After mulling it over in the shower, William decided to e-mail Lizzy and ask her out. He toweled off, pulled on a pair of pajama pants, and padded barefoot down to the library. He strode over to the desk and sat down, wiping water out of his eyes. He reached out to the keyboard and typed a message.

    Would you care to join me for lunch on Saturday? He erased it.

    Consider the line dropped... He erased it.

    Let's do lunch sometime soon.

    "Aargh! "

    Would you like to have lunch with me sometime?

    "Why is this so hard?"

    The deep blue Mercedes pulled up in front of Lizzy's house and Richard got out and walked Lizzy to the door. She turned and looked at him. He made a face and reached up to critically adjust her hair, dab at her eyes with a knuckle, and push her lips into a smile.

    "I know we didn't talk, and I know you're disappointed in me," he said, "But--."

    "I'm not disappointed in you," Lizzy replied, her eyes on her feet. "I'm disappointed in myself. I should have been more insistent. I shouldn't have cried," she sniffed, as the tears began to flow once more. "And I shouldn't have thrown myself at you."

    "You didn't 'throw yourself' at me. And if you did, I am very flattered and heartily sorry I missed the opportunity." Richard cupped Lizzy's face in her hands. "But Lizzy, you're too vulnerable right now. That makes me too vulnerable...I meant what I said earlier about not having regrets. I think that we both need to step back and gain a little perspective. We cannot deny that William's presence complicates things. We need to figure out how, and what, if anything, we want to do about it."

    "If?" Lizzy asked, completely miserable. Richard leaned forward to kiss Lizzy's forehead, but she turned her face up to him, and they shared a passionate kiss. Richard finally pulled away and Lizzy let herself into the house. Richard returned to the car and buried his face in his hands. He sighed and started the car.

    "Any more bright ideas, Fitz? So much for allowing Lizzy to take the lead," Richard murmured as he pulled out of the space and turned the car north.

    Lizzy entered the house and stood in the entry for a minute, staggered by the intensity of the kiss she had just shared with Richard, and deeply affected by his last words. Perhaps he was right to back off. I am vulnerable, painfully so. I can't go on feeling like this. I need to figure out how to deal with my ambivalence about Richard and William. No, I can't say that I am ambivalent about Richard...but how do I reconcile my feelings for him with... Lizzy pushed away the thought and headed up the stairs to her room, vaguely aware of the sounds emanating from the kitchen. She really didn't feel like seeing anyone, so she ran up the last few stairs when she heard Jane call her name. Lizzy ignored her and went into her room. Jane went up after her.

    "Lizzy! Where have you been? It's after midnight and I was getting frantic?" Jane said when she reached Lizzy's room.

    "Why? I thought I was beyond the age when I had to adhere to a curfew." Jane ignored Lizzy's curt remark. Lizzy kept her face averted, as she slipped out of her jeans and shirt and into a flannel gown.

    "Lizzy, are you all right?"

    "Yes, Jane. I'm fine," Lizzy said in a gentler tone. "I just went to a movie with Richard."

    "Oh."

    "What's that supposed to mean?" Lizzy asked, turning to confront her sister.

    "Nothing. Good night, Lizzy."

    "I thought as much," Charles nodded when Jane reported Lizzy's whereabouts to him.

    "Why didn't you say anything before?"

    "Because I knew that you'd probably react the way you just did."

    "And how should I react, when Lizzy refuses to give William a chance?"

    "How do you know that she didn't? And why should she, anyway, if she's perfectly happy with Fitz? Lizzy is an adult. Let her make her own choices, Jane."

    "Even if her choice is the wrong one?" Charles eyed Jane.

    "How can you say that? You don't know Fitz as well as I do, and you have a definite bias where Fitz is concerned," Charles spat back.

    "Oh, you and your stupid Fitzes! I wish everyone would stop calling them that. If they just used their real names like two grown men, this whole thing would never have happened," Jane cried.

    "I've already heard that lecture, I think," Charles said, rising. He walked to the door and took his raincoat off the peg. "No need for me to stay. I know how it ends." With that, Charles was out the door. Jane was stunned. She stood staring at the door for some time.

    Above the parlor, Lizzy lay in her bed crying. Not only had she managed to muddle her relationship with Richard, she had come between two men who were not only cousins but close friends as well. And to add to her misery, she had caused Charles and Jane to argue for the first time in three years. Knowing that they were about to become engaged, guilt washed over Lizzy as she tried unsuccessfully, to drown out the sound of Jane's crying with her own.

    Part 3

    After a night during which she slept fitfully, Lizzy awoke Saturday morning with puffy eyes and a stuffed nose. She washed her face, took an antihistamine, and went down to the kitchen. On the counter next to the coffeemaker, she found a note from Jane.

    "William called this morning. He asked me to leave you a message. Here it is, verbatim:

    Home: 212-555-6313 or 212-555-6314
    Office: 212-555-4480 (personal line) or 212-555-4488 (my secretary)
    Cell phone: 917-555-3363
    Connecticut: 203-555-4423
    Vermont: 802-555-6610
    Bahamas: 242-555-8933
    London: 011-44-181-555-4377
    Tokyo: 011-81-3-555-7744

    Please call me.

    William

    Lizzy looked at the note for a moment. She smirked as she put it down to pour out a cup of coffee. She went into the dining room and pulled out her "new" laptop. She booted it up and opened her e-mail.

    Only one cell phone?

    William was at his desk working on some figures when he saw the flashing icon that indicated that he had received an e-mail. He clicked on it and read Lizzy's message.

    I don't like bulky pockets.

    I hadn't thought of that. Tell me, do you often hand out phone lists to women?

    I rarely hand out phone numbers at all.

    I should be flattered, then, but what about the weight of my phone book? William smiled.

    Why didn't you call me?

    How do you know that I didn't? Your phone in Vermont may be ringing as we speak.

    I was hoping that you'd call me here in New York.

    Oh. You should have given more specific instructions. Which number? I see five with New York area codes.

    You're stalling...

    What if I am?

    May I ask why?

    Sure! Go ahead. William shook his head.

    Why? Lizzy didn't have a ready answer. Finally, she stated the obvious.

    Richard's the phone guy. You're the e-mail guy.

    Are we stuck with those arrangements?

    I don't know. I guess I'm just a creature of habit.

    I would like to have a real, live conversation with you.

    We are having a real, live conversation.

    Jane came in from grocery shopping and called out "Lizzy!" on her way to the kitchen.

    "Hi, Jane! I'm in here." Jane popped her head in.

    "William called this morning. Did you get the message?"

    "Yes. I'm online with him right now." Jane nodded and headed back to the kitchen as Lizzy returned her attention to the laptop.

    This is e-mail! It is NOT a live, real-time conversation.

    We could switch to Instant Messenger, but I don't like it. I kind of like anticipating a reply.

    So you crave a little drama.

    That's an interesting conclusion to come to.

    Accurate?

    I've actually got all the drama I need in my life right now.

    A few minutes passed by without a response, and Lizzy got up and went into the kitchen to make breakfast. Jane asked Lizzy to call her when it was ready, and went upstairs. Lizzy put the laptop on the kitchen table and started to make biscuits on the marble counter. When she glanced back at the table she noticed that a new message had arrived. She washed her hands as soon as the biscuits were in the oven and returned to the table to read.

    Will you come out and have lunch with me today?

    Lunch? I haven't eaten breakfast yet.

    Breakfast, then.

    I'm making breakfast as we speak.

    Then I guess it's back to lunch. Would you like to come into the city for the afternoon? Lizzy put her fingers to her lips and thought of Richard's kiss last night.

    I'm sorry, but I am not ready for another face to face meeting. In spite of his discussion with Richard the previous night, William found himself growing impatient. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

    When will you be ready?

    I don't know, but I think Richard was right when he said that I needed a little space.

    When did he tell you that?

    I saw him yesterday.

    He didn't mention seeing you when we spoke. Lizzy became annoyed.

    Is this what I'm going to have to deal with--having to report to one of you whenever I see the other, complete with transcripts of every word exchanged?

    No, no, of course not. I was just making an observation. Besides, you can't blame me for being a little jealous; you let Richard see you and you won't let me.

    May I remind you that I saw you yesterday, as well? And, I might add, if we never saw each other for the first month and a half of our acquaintance, it's your own fault?

    It is my own fault and I've come to regret it. I'd like to make up for lost time.

    We haven't "lost" any time. We simply had what we had. William stared at the screen. He read the words aloud and they troubled him. There was an air of finality to them, and he didn't care to interpret their meaning.

    Maybe we should start over.

    Why are you suddenly dissatisfied with our relationship? Lizzy frowned at the screen, growing more and more uncomfortable with the direction in which the dialogue was heading.

    Until I met you, I never realized what I was missing.

    Until you met me, you didn't care to know.

    I could say the same of you!

    No, Mr. Darcy, you cannot. I thought I knew who you were and I was mistaken. You, on the other hand, knew exactly who I was, and didn't trouble yourself to seek me out.

    And you resent me for that.

    I do not resent you.

    And, I suppose, you're not prejudiced against me because of Jane's strong recommendation?

    No! I do admit to refusing to be set up on a blind date with William Darcy, Jane's friend. But I have no prejudice against you, William Darcy, my friend.

    Then why do you refuse to see me?

    I am not refusing to see you. I just said I wasn't ready to see you.

    They sound like the same thing to me.

    You're used to getting your own way, aren't you?

    This isn't a matter of getting my own way. I simply would like to have a chance to know you, face to face. Is that too much to ask?

    I told you that I am not ready. Is it too much to ask you to wait? William swore to himself and glared at the screen. He stood up and paced a bit, trying to control his growing frustration.

    You know, if we were having this discussion face to face, we probably would not be misinterpreting each other this way.

    I don't know how you could possibly misinterpret what I just said. Lizzy angrily shut down the computer, put the laptop aside. As she did so, Jane came back into the kitchen. She sat at the table staring into her coffee. Lizzy's heart went out to her.

    "Jane, are you all right? I...I couldn't help overhearing your fight with Charles last night. I'm so sorry to be the cause of trouble between you two." Jane kept her eyes averted as Lizzy took a seat across from her.

    "Don't blame yourself, Lizzy. Charles was right. I have no business interfering in your love life."

    "Right now, I'm far more worried about yours. Have you spoken to Charles since last night?"

    "No. I called him this morning, but he didn't pick up the phone."

    "Maybe he's out..." Lizzy said lamely.

    "Or maybe he doesn't want to talk to me," Jane concluded. She sipped her coffee as Lizzy made scrambled eggs and bacon for the two of them. The phone rang just as they finished breakfast, and Jane darted into the dining room. She returned a moment later and handed the phone to Lizzy.

    "It's for you," she said glumly, and Lizzy took the phone, bracing herself to do verbal battle with William.

    "Hello?"

    "Hello, Bright Eyes!" Lizzy was relieved to hear Richard's voice, but she asked him to hold on, and went into the dining room to spare Jane having to listen to their conversation. "I just called to see if you were feeling better this morning." Lizzy told him that she was feeling a little better but Richard wasn't fooled.

    "What's wrong?"

    "Nothing is wrong."

    "There's no point in trying to lie, Lizzy. I can hear it in your voice. Has something happened?" For a few seconds, Lizzy contemplated hanging up on him. She'd had enough of pushy Fitzes for one day. But she realized that in all likelihood, Richard would find out the truth sooner or later, not to mention that she felt guilty being caught in a lie. Richard had become a very dear friend to her and she had always been able to talk to him about anything.

    "I'm sorry, Richard. I should know better than to try to put anything over on you." Lizzy sighed, trying to figure out where to begin. "It's a number of things. Jane and Charles had a fight last night after I came in. And then this morning I got into a fight with William..."

    "William was there this morning?" Richard asked, glancing at his watch.

    "No. We argued online, if you can believe that. I may as well tell you about it, since you're probably going to hear about it from him, anyway."

    "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

    "I don't mind. William asked me out to lunch today, and I declined the invitation on the grounds you talked about last night." There was silence on the other end, as Richard rolled his eyes and slapped himself on the forehead.

    "Richard? Are you all right?"

    "I'm here," he said. "Can you hold on a minute?" Lizzy waited as Richard spoke with someone. He couldn't hear exactly what was said, but he heard a woman's voice answer him. Lizzy felt a slight thudding in her heart.

    "I'm sorry. My mother wanted me to run an errand for her and she was giving me last minute instructions."

    "Your mother is there?"

    "Yes. I'm in Greenwich. I came up last night after I left you. Now, you were saying?" Richard prompted.

    "I was saying that I told William that I wasn't ready to see him just yet and that I needed a little space," she said. Richard shook his head, realizing that he had probably made things far worse than he thought.

    "He didn't take it well...He admitted to being jealous of you." Richard didn't know what to say to that.

    "Look, when I said that you needed some space, I didn't mean to suggest that you shouldn't spend some time with William--."

    "You aren't going to start that again..." Lizzy spat angrily.

    "Now, hear me out, Lizzy," Richard said calmly. "Has it occurred to you that seeing William might help you feel better about all this?"

    "How can that possibly be so?"

    "You still feel embarrassed about mistaking William for me. You're a lot more comfortable with me, since I'm the person you have had more real contact with. But you're never going to get over your awkwardness with William until you confront him face to face," Richard concluded reasonably, hoping against hope that she'd buy his rationale.

    "But I don't want to see him." Richard cringed.

    "Why not?"

    "Because I'm seeing you, for one thing. I've already done enough double-dipping among the Fitzwilliams, thank you very much," Lizzy cried.

    "That's your embarrassment talking again. Look, do you trust me?"

    "Not if you're going to suggest that I see your cousin again..."

    "Lizzy, be reasonable," Richard pleaded.

    "Why should I? Show me once piece of solid evidence that seeing your cousin will make anything better!" Richard sighed, and Lizzy became even angrier.

    "Look, just go out with him and--."

    "Look, just go to hell!" Lizzy said and slammed the receiver down. Richard sat for a long time staring at the disconnected receiver.

    "Well, that went certainly went over well," he said sarcastically. He put the receiver down and headed for the door, but before he reached it, the phone rang again.

    "Hello?" Richard said into the mouthpiece.

    "Hi, Fitz, it's me."

    "Charlie boy! What are you doing up so early on a Saturday?" Richard asked, guessing that he already knew the answer.

    "I didn't sleep much last night. Jane and I had a fight..."

    "I'm sorry to hear that. You and Jane seem like such a perfectly matched pair, I can hardly imagine the two of you being at cross purposes."

    "Well, we are now."

    "Want to talk about it?"

    "Yeah. What are you doing today?"

    Lizzy, now showered and dressed, headed down to the basement to do some work. Jane called out to her as she passed through the kitchen.

    "Lizzy? William is coming over for lunch." Lizzy stopped in her tracks.

    "What?"

    "I said--."

    "Why that pushy, arrogant, little...I just told him I didn't want to see him. I suppose he talked you into inviting him over."

    "Actually, Lizzy, he's coming to see me. I told him about Charles, you see..." Lizzy was immediately contrite. She reached out and hugged Jane.

    "I'm sorry, Jane. I didn't think. Of course, William should want to come see you today. I'll...maybe I'll put off the packing up and go out for a while." Lizzy turned as if to go back upstairs.

    "Why, Lizzy? Why are you avoiding William?"

    "I just don't want to see him yet," Lizzy replied simply. Her answer rang hollow in her own ears and she cursed Richard's propensity for offering her calmly rational, and invariably apt advice. He had a preternatural ability to see beyond whatever façade she attempted to put up. Now his words echoed in her head and she was forced to confront the truth in them.

    "What are you afraid of?" Jane challenged.

    "I'm not afraid of anything," Lizzy said defensively. "I... Well, Richard said that I'm still embarrassed about mistaking William for him."

    "Maybe he's right," Jane said as she turned to the refrigerator. "Why don't you join us for lunch? I'm going to make William's favorite meal: mac and cheese."

    "William likes macaroni and cheese?" Lizzy said skeptically.

    "Yes, the way they make it in England, he does. Why don't you join us?" Jane pleaded.

    "I'll think about it," Lizzy said, as she headed down to the basement.

    "I thought as much," Richard said, as he watched Charles line up his club with the ball to tee off.

    "What do you mean?" Charles said distractedly.

    "I spoke with Lizzy this morning. She said that the two of you had had a fight after I brought her home last night. I suspected that there was some sort of connection," Richard said as he readied to take his turn at the tee.

    "You have to understand: Jane has been determined to set up William and Lizzy for ages. Her plans all came to naught, however, because Lizzy dodged her every attempt. Jane thought she'd finally be able to get them together at your party, but...well you know what happened," Charles explained as the pair strolled across the green.

    "Lizzy met me instead of Fitz."

    "Yes, and that only made Jane more eager to bring them together," Charles admitted. "It's nothing personal, Fitz; she just happens to believe that William and Lizzy are ideally suited to one another."

    "I'm inclined to agree with her...at least I was," Richard sighed. He shook off the funk that had come over him and addressed the ball.

    "What do you mean, 'inclined to agree' with her?" Charles exclaimed as he grabbed Richard's arm. Richard cursed as his ball went skidding into a tree. "I'm sorry, Fitz," he quickly apologized.

    "Do me a favor, will you? Call me Richard," Richard said testily. A second later, he had controlled his temper. "Look, let's go somewhere where we can talk." Richard handed his club to his caddie and headed off the course.

    Two years after their grandmother's death, Lizzy and Jane were still coming to terms with her loss. Eliza Bennet had raised them since they were 8 and 9, respectively, taking them in after the devastating car crash that killed their parents and younger sister, Kate. Over the past few months, the sisters had begun to deal with their grandmother's personal effects. They had carefully gone through them and decided what to keep, what to give away, and what should be donated to a thrift shop. Lizzy sat amid years of artifacts, an afternoon of packing before her. She reached for a box and a handful of tissue paper. She began to wrap the more fragile items to be put into storage. By the end of an hour she had four boxes filled and was starting on the fifth. Her back had become stiff so she stood up and stretched. As she did, she hit a shoulder-high stack of empty boxes. They came tumbling down on Lizzy and she stepped back and tripped backward over a box on the floor. Lizzy lay there stunned for a moment.

    "Are you all right?" Boxes were lifted and tossed aside, and Lizzy found herself looking into the eyes of William Darcy. He reached down and offered his hand. Lizzy got up, blushing.

    "My hero," she managed with a weak smile. She had become so absorbed in her task that she had completely forgotten that he was coming over. Lizzy looked down at her scruffy sweatshirt and well-worn jeans. She tried to wipe the dust from her hands and realized that she'd already touched William with them. "When did you get here?"

    "I just arrived." William seemed as embarrassed as she was.

    "Where's Jane?" Lizzy said, absently reaching up to her hair, which had been carelessly swept up in a ponytail, embarrassed at being found looking so disheveled.

    "I have no idea. She left me alone for a minute, and I heard a crash. I expected to find her down here." William finally blinked.

    "Oh. Well then, she's probably looking for you about now," Lizzy suggested, and William took the hint. He turned to go up the steps.

    "Will you be joining us?" he asked, turning back. Lizzy nodded and William smiled at her before he went up. Lizzy waited for a moment and then scrambled up the stairs. She snuck past the living room, where William was explaining his absence to Jane, and tiptoed up the stairs to her room. She grabbed some clean clothes and headed for the bathroom. In five minutes she reappeared.

    "Lizzy!" Jane's relief at the sight of her sister was palpable. William was equally glad to see her and he rose as she entered the room.

    "I hope you're none the worse for your mishap," he said as Lizzy took a seat far from him. She quickly realized her error when she felt William's gaze upon her. She was soon rescued by Jane, who suggested that they move into the dining room for lunch. Lizzy sat beside William so that he could not easily stare at her. Jane left the room to get lunch and pointedly refused Lizzy's offer of help. Thus, she found herself alone with William.

    "I didn't mean for it to happen, Charles, it just did. I feel a lot more for her than I want to, and I'm afraid that Lizzy feels more for me than I'm prepared to deal with, under the circumstances," Richard confessed as he stirred his tall glass of lemonade with a straw. The two men were lounging on the wide rear terrace of the Fitzwilliam homestead, a graceful Georgian home on a beautifully landscaped parcel of land.

    "Why don't you just admit, Fitz...uh...Richard. You're in love with her! Any fool with eyes can see that!" Richard just shook his head. "Why are you fighting it? All right, so Lizzy might be great for William. So what? What about your own happiness? Lizzy obviously cares for you, and you're crazy to give her away. I've heard of generosity, but this is pure masochism...or stupidity." Richard still didn't speak. Charles shrugged and sipped his lemonade.

    "What are you going to do about Jane? I don't want you two fighting over this," Richard said finally.

    "You're changing the subject."

    "You changed the subject. You came up here to settle your problem, not mine, remember?"

    "Don't you see that the two are linked?"

    "No, I don't. You love Jane. You want to marry her. What do the problems of three other people have to do with that?" Richard asked. "Sounds to me like you've got cold feet and are just using us as an excuse," he accused.

    "You know that isn't the case. I love Jane more than anything. But Lizzy is her sister and my business partner. You're my best friend, and William seems to be Jane's. There's no way that what happens between the three of you won't affect us." Richard sighed. He sat up in the chaise lounge and stared out across the back lawn.

    "All the more reason for us to settle this matter quickly," he stated determinedly.

    "I think you've gone mad!" Charles declared and shook his head. "What if Lizzy has fallen in love with you?" he asked after a minute.

    "If Lizzy and I are meant for each other we'll work things out."

    "You are mad! You're determined to throw away a chance to have something really special with a wonderful girl, and after you break her heart and your own, you think that there's even a glimmer of a possibility that she'll forgive you?" Richard lay back on the lounge.

    "You're giving me a headache, Charlie."

    "You deserve to be given a lot more," Charles snarled in return.

    "I realize that you didn't want to see me today," William said. "I wouldn't have come if Jane hadn't insisted."

    "Who called whom?" Lizzy inquired as she focused her eyes on her water glass.

    "Well, after your last e-mail, I decided to call you. It took me a while to get through. When I did, Jane answered the phone. She sounded depressed and I asked her about it. I admit, I completely forgot about our argument and offered to take her to lunch. She insisted that I come over instead and I wasn't of a mind to argue with her." Lizzy appreciated his gesture of friendship to her sister and told him so. That earned her a smile, and Lizzy quickly averted her eyes.

    "What?" William smiled. Rather than confess that the sight of his dimples made her weak, Lizzy asked about his friendship with Jane. He told her the story of how they met and how they had come to be good friends. Jane came in with the casserole as they talked.

    "William probably knows me as well as you do, Lizzy," Jane smiled at William as she spoke. Lizzy couldn't resist the opportunity.

    "You mean you actually told him about sneaking out of the house to go to--."

    "Lizzy!" Jane cried as Lizzy burst into laughter. "All right, I retract my earlier statement." Nonetheless, she confessed to William about the night she snuck out of the house and lost her virginity. Lizzy told William about some of the tamer adventures the sisters had shared in their grandmother's house, and William spoke fondly of his own childhood. During a dessert of apple tart and vanilla ice cream, Lizzy surprised William by telling Jane tales of his childhood. William swore revenge on Richard, but Lizzy admitted that she'd bribed the information out of Bates.

    "I wondered why you and he seemed so chummy the other day," William smiled.

    "He won't be in any trouble, will he? Talking with him that night did me a world of good," Lizzy said. William promised that Bates was safe. The remainder of the afternoon passed pleasantly, until Jane had a call from the shop and returned to the living room to say that she had to leave to deal with an emergency. William immediately offered her a lift. Jane began to decline, but to Lizzy's relief, William was insistent. He said a brief goodbye and went to fetch the car.

    "That wasn't so bad, was it?" Jane said to Lizzy while she waited.

    "No," Lizzy admitted. The afternoon had been far better than she ever dreamed it could. She attributed its success to Jane, however, and was unwilling to concede that she was wrong about not wanting to see William.

    "Call her."

    "I'll make you a deal. I'll call Jane if you call Lizzy." Richard smirked.

    "I'm not the one in the dog house, Charles."

    "No? I suppose having a woman hang up on you is a sign of undying devotion where you come from?" Charles chided.

    "Look, it's not the same thing. The last thing Lizzy needs right now is me pestering her. I promised to give her some space, and I mean to keep my promise. You, on the other hand, need to speak with Jane. Now!" Richard offered Charles his cell phone, but Charles held up his own.

    "We could have a race..."

    "They have only one line, and it's all yours, pal," Richard said as he lay back on the lounge and pulled his baseball cap over his eyes.

    "Hello," Lizzy answered the phone.

    "Hi, Lizzy. How are you?" Charles asked, as he nudged Richard, who did not acknowledge him.

    "I'm fine, Charles. Is that a lawn mower I hear?"

    "Yes." Charles looked across the lawn where a groundskeeper was, indeed, mowing the lawn.

    "I had no idea that there was any grass to be mowed in your neighborhood," she said suspiciously.

    "I'm not at home. I'm in Connecticut with Richard."

    "Oh," Lizzy replied, but she did not take the bait. "Well, if you're looking for Jane, she isn't here. Something happened at the shop and she just went in."

    "Oh. Maybe I'll call her there. You want to talk to Richard?" Richard raised his cap and shot Charles a dark look. Charles smiled and handed him the phone without waiting for Lizzy's reply. He took the other phone from Richard's lap and dialed the shop while Richard collected himself and said hello.

    "Hello, Richard." There was a brief pause. "I'm sorry I hung up on you this morning."

    "I probably deserved it. I pushed you pretty hard," he admitted, as Charles's words began to haunt him.

    "Yes, you did. But as it turns out, you were right, as usual."

    "Was I? How so?"

    "William came to lunch. Jane invited him over, completely oblivious to our disagreement. And I did feel embarrassed." Richard felt a twinge of jealousy as he asked how their meeting went.

    "It was okay, I guess. We spent most of the time talking about our respective childhood memories."

    "Sounds like you had a nice time. And now that you've broken the ice?"

    "You're pushing again."

    "I'm sorry," Richard apologized.

    "Why...please, just stop. It makes me very uncomfortable," Lizzy admitted.

    "I'm sorry. You know that's the last thing I want," he answered softly.

    "I wish you would tell me what you do want," Lizzy asserted.

    "That's another conversation for another time, Bright Eyes. Right now," he said, glancing at Charles, who was engaged on the other phone, "I'm more worried about Charles and Jane."

    "Me, too. Try and talk some sense into him while he's there, will you?"

    "I am trying, but he's nearly as stubborn as you are!" Richard smiled, and Lizzy did, too, in spite of herself. Richard became serious.

    "You do know what they fought about." Lizzy's sigh told him the answer before she spoke.

    "What are we going to do?"

    "We are going to stay out of it. They don't need our problems confusing the issue. Those two belong together and they need to work out their differences without interference from anyone else." Lizzy wanted to ask him what he meant by their "problems," but she held her tongue.

    "Well, I hope they resolve things soon. I can't stand to see Jane suffer."

    "Charles doesn't look so hot himself. Listen, he's on the phone with her right now. Who knows? Their fight may already be a thing of the past. Keep your fingers crossed."

    "I will. Will I see you again soon?" Richard held his breath for a moment.

    "Why don't we try and have lunch some time next week."

    "You're on," Lizzy said. When Richard turned off the phone and looked at Charles. He was just staring out at the lawn.

    "Jane said that she thought we shouldn't see each other for a while," he managed tightly.

    "What?" Richard cried.

    "She said that everything that has happened in the last few days has made her reevaluate our relationship. She said that she wasn't really sure that knows me and needs some time to think before she's willing to commit to the next step." Richard grabbed his head and closed his eyes. Charles rose and went inside the house in search of something stronger than lemonade.

    "But Lizzy! How can you tell me that I'm wrong when you are doing the same thing yourself?"

    "Jane, you can hardly equate my decision with yours. I am caught up in a muddled relationship with two men! You and Charles have no such problem" Lizzy reasoned. "You love each other and should be together!"

    "I know I love him. We've even been talking about building a future together. But now I don't even know if I know Charles at all!" Jane argued, as she paced about the living room.

    "Of course you know him!"

    "Do I? How can you say that when we think so differently about things?"

    "Knowing someone doesn't mean that you have to see eye to eye on everything! Charles and Richard are very close, so it's only natural that he'd take Richard's side!" Jane whirled on her younger sibling.

    "So I'm the one who's wrong?"

    "I'm not saying that," Lizzy stated, trying to remain calm. "You have strong feelings for William and for me and so you favor a relationship between us. But what happens between William and me, or Richard and me, has nothing to do with what you and Charles have. If I fell in love with Richard, would you really break off with Charles because of it?"

    "You're in love with Richard?" Jane managed, shock evident in her voice.

    "I didn't say that...look. Just don't do anything rash, all right? Give it a few days, if you think you need to, but Jane, you and Charles have way too much invested to throw it all away over one minor argument."

    "It's not minor! Your happiness means everything to me," Jane exclaimed.

    "And yours means everything to me," Lizzy countered, near tears. "I don't want to be the cause of a break up between you and Charles. I couldn't bear it." The sisters held each other and cried.

    "Good morning, Charles," Lizzy said from the doorway Monday morning. Charles was at his desk, looking lost and sad. He glanced at Lizzy. She came in and sat down. "I'm so sorry, Charles. I never meant for my problems to--." Charles raised his hand and she fell silent.

    "How is she doing?" Lizzy reported that Jane was equally miserable. "I suppose that's some comfort," he said sarcastically as he shifted in his chair. He picked up a zip disk and handed it to Lizzy. Their conversation turned to things work related, and no more was said on the matter that day.

    "Hello, Richard." Richard looked up from his papers. It was late afternoon and the cousins had not met the entire day.

    "Fitz," he replied softly as William entered his office.

    "You look like hell," William said, "What did you do all weekend?"

    "Nothing I'd care to repeat. How about you?" William sat down.

    "Not much. I did have lunch with Lizzy on Saturday," he began, and he went on to relate what had transpired between them. Richard was barely listening. His eyes remained on the work before him.

    "I suppose you heard about Jane and Charles?" he said when William was done.

    "They had a fight, yes, Jane told me," William said, then paused. "I understand that you saw Lizzy Friday night."

    "She invited me to a movie."

    "Oh." William hesitated and Richard looked up. "I thought you wanted me to see her."

    "I do, and you did see her, didn't you?" Richard was not in the mood to talk, but William persisted.

    "Yes, I did, but every time I see her you seem to have seen her first." William's tone was accusatory. Richard put down his pen.

    "I thought you said that we should respect Lizzy's feelings."

    "What is that supposed to mean?" Before Richard could answer, the phone rang. Richard answered it as William crossed his arms and fumed silently.

    "Danielle's ready for us. Shall we go?" William rose, but he stopped Richard at the door.

    "We are not finished here, Fitz."

    Lizzy came back from lunch with a client and was stopped in the hall by Charlotte. She pulled Lizzy aside.

    "I think you ought to know that there's a surprise in Charles's office," Charlotte warned, with a lift of her brow.

    "Which one?" Lizzy sighed to herself as she went directly to Charles's office to get it over with.

    "Lizzy! How nice to see you again," Caroline Bingley said as Lizzy appeared in the doorway. Lizzy smiled and was genuinely glad to see Charles's sister, perhaps for the first time in their acquaintance. Caroline was the spoiled, shallow, and self-absorbed older sister of Lizzy's business partner. She and Lizzy had never been friendly, due to an early misunderstanding. Caroline had mistakenly assumed at the beginning of their partnership that Charles and Lizzy were romantically involved, and she thought that Charles shouldn't go into business with a girlfriend, especially when Caroline's money was at stake. Lizzy had convinced Caroline that her relationship with Charles was strictly business and had, furthermore, taken pains to convince Caroline to mind her own. Since that time, their meetings had all the appearance of friendliness, but beneath the surface lie an ongoing mutual distrust. Today, however, Lizzy was only too happy to meet anyone not named Fitzwilliam, and she actually stayed to chat with Caroline for a few minutes before returning to work.

    "She looks awful," Caroline said to her brother when Lizzy had gone.

    "She hasn't been herself these last few days," Charles was forced to admit, wondering that his sister failed to notice his own torment. He briefly related the tale of the two Fitzwilliams to his sister, omitting Richard's planned sacrifice, and concluded his story with his own problems with Jane.

    "Well! This is a fine mess," Caroline sighed. "I must say that I'm surprised at Jane, though" she mused. "I didn't think she had it in her."

    "What do you mean?" Charles asked.

    "Don't be so naïve, Charles. Lizzy has got two hot, young, millionaires wrapped around her finger. She has obviously made her choice, and Jane means to capture the other one if she can."

    "What?" Charles was furious.

    "Don't tell me it hasn't occurred to you ...Oh Charles, you can be such an innocent sometimes. I did warn you years ago when she started spending so much time with William," Caroline said.

    "They're just good friends, Caroline! Jane helped William through a very difficult time," Charles began.

    "Oh, really? I wonder whose shoulder she's crying on right now?" Caroline countered.

    "Not everyone is as mercenary as you are, Caroline," her brother asserted, referring to Caroline's brief marriage to a man three times her age. When her husband of six months succumbed to a massive heart attack, Caroline was left a very wealthy widow.

    "Perhaps not, but even your precious Jane would be hard-pressed to pass up a chance at William Darcy," Caroline smiled. Charles glared at his sister and tried to forestall the fears that began to creep into his mind.

    "Gentlemen?" Danielle pleaded. She had been trying to carry on a meeting with the two cousins, but it quickly became apparent that neither man was listening to her. They sat on opposite sides of the table staring at one another. Richard occasionally responded to something Danielle said, but William seemed to be a million miles away. Danielle rose and went to the door. William and Richard broke eye contact and followed Danielle with their eyes. "Perhaps you should come back when you're ready to discuss company business," she said mildly, though her exasperation was evident. Richard and William exchanged an embarrassed glance as their senior vice president threw them out of her office. They rose from their places and sheepishly went to the door.

    "Perhaps we should reschedule; I'm not myself today," William confessed. "I'm sorry, Danielle," he added, as he passed through the door. Richard paused at the door and smiled at Danielle, mischievously.

    "You know, Dan, your eyes do something wonderful when you're angry..."

    "Out."

    "Want to have lunch tomorrow?"

    "Now." Richard continued to stare at her until she broke down and smiled. Victorious, he departed smiling, only to be confronted by William's stony face in the hall. "We owe her an apology, Fitz," Richard said.

    "Yes, but I'm more interested in dealing with another problem just now." The men repaired to Richard's office. Richard sat on the edge of his desk and observed his cousin.

    "All right, Fitz. Let's have it." William took a moment to gather his thoughts before he spoke.

    "I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past few days, Fitz." William sat down. "Back in Tokyo, when you told me about this mix-up with Lizzy, you said that I needed her. I admit that I was doubtful of your motives, initially, but after meeting her and speaking with her, I began to understand what you meant. Of course, I still don't know her as well as you do..."

    "What's your point, Fitz?" Richard asked impatiently. He had been in a surly mood since Saturday. First he had had to listen to Charles's drunken ramblings about Jane, and after driving him home, Richard had spent the remainder of the weekend thinking about Lizzy and the relationship that he had never sought, but nonetheless was very reluctant to relinquish. Thus, he was in no mood to hear what William had to say. For the love of his cousin, Richard had been willing to sacrifice his own chance at love, literally offering it to William on a platter. That William should stand before him now complaining smacked Richard of ingratitude, and Richard was incensed. William threw up his hands.

    "I don't know what to think, Richard. You say one thing and your actions say another. Are you sure that this is what you want? Because if you mean for me to have Lizzy, you're sure not acting as though you do."

    "What am I supposed to do? Never speak to her again?"

    "No, I'm not suggesting that, Fitz. Look--are you really sure about this?"

    "I already told you that I was. We had this discussion at least half a dozen times in Japan," Richard cried, rising and going to stand at the window. "Why are you bringing it up again?"

    "Because I don't believe you." Richard turned around.

    "What do you want me to say?"

    "That's just it; you've been saying all the right things all along." William paused as Richard's personal assistant knocked on the door.

    "Excuse me, Richard, but I'm leaving now. Here is the final draft you wanted."

    "Thanks, Anne. You have a good evening."

    "You, too," Anne replied, but doubted that he would, from the look in his eyes. She turned toward the door and stopped. "Oh, by the way. Lizzy Bennet called a few minutes ago. She didn't leave a message." Richard just nodded in acknowledgment and William smirked.

    "Perhaps I should be having this conversation with Lizzy," William intoned, rising to leave.

    "What is that supposed to mean?" Richard asked warily.

    "Maybe I was mistaken in thinking that you haven't been true to your word. Perhaps Lizzy has already decided that she wants you and this whole discussion is moot." Richard squirmed a moment.

    "Look, Fitz. Lizzy is confused right now. She needs time. Don't try and rush her into anything. She'll come around in her own time."

    "Why are you so insistent? If you and Lizzy want to be together, I'll just step out of the picture."

    "No, don't do anything yet," Richard said. William departed and Richard reached for the phone.

    Lizzy stopped by Charles's office before she left for the day. Charles had buried himself in his work in order to keep from thinking about Jane. Lizzy could see that he was suffering. She knocked on the door and Charles looked up.

    "Charles, I've been doing some thinking," Lizzy began as she took a seat. "The past week has been an unmitigated disaster for all of us. I can't help feeling responsible." Lizzy put her hand over Charles's to prevent his denial. "I've been thinking. I had to postpone half my vacation in August because of the hurricane. I think I should take it now. I know that we have a few things in the works and I'm more than willing to make it a working vacation. But I think that I will feel better if I can get away for a while, and I suspect that other things might improve in my absence as well."

    "You can take some time off if you feel you need to, Liz, but quite frankly I doubt that your absence will change anything," Charles said sadly.

    "Charles, I know how much Jane loves you. It's only a matter of time until you two are back together and I'm the maid of honor at your wedding." She managed to elicit a small smile from Charles.

    "Lizzy, would you care to have a drink before you brave the subway?" Charles asked, rising from his seat and reaching for his jacket. Lizzy, relieved to see Charles looking a bit more optimistic, readily assented and went together her things.

    Richard returned Lizzy's call but did not leave a message on her phone mail. He decided to call her when he got home. He threw the document Anne had left him into his bag and prepared to leave the office. As he was about to head for the door the phone rang.

    "If you're on your way out, why don't you meet me at Freddy's for a drink?"

    "Charles, don't you think you've done enough drinking for this month?"

    "Was I that bad, Richard?"

    "Maybe not. But I'm beat. It hasn't been a good day."

    "All the more reason to come down and have a drink with me. I'm sure you won't regret it." Richard yielded and agreed to meet Charles at the downtown bar in half an hour. But before he left the office, he had a thought. He called information and found a number in Brooklyn.

    "By Hand Gallery. Jane Bennet speaking."

    "Hello, Jane. This is Richard Fitzwilliam." Jane was surprised, to say the least. He had never called her before.

    "If you're looking for Lizzy..." she began somewhat coldly.

    "No, no, as a matter of fact, I was looking for you. Look, Lizzy told me what happened between you and Charles, and I can't tell you how sorry I am. The last thing I would ever want to do is come between you and my best friend."

    "You needn't blame yourself, Richard," Jane said, changing her tone. "I already told Lizzy that what happened between us was no one's fault but our own," she added, and Richard could hear the sadness in her voice.

    "Jane, can I persuade you to meet me for a drink after work?"

    "I don't see what that would accomplish." Richard turned on his charm and in minutes Jane had agreed to meet Richard at Freddy's in an hour. Richard got on the elevator and encountered William, who asked his plans for the evening.

    "Actually, cuz, I'm meeting Jane and Charles for a drink downtown."

    "Jane and Charles? I thought..." Richard smiled.

    "You thought correctly. They don't know that they'll be seeing each other. I intend to get the two them in one room and make them see sense."

    "You're treading on dangerous ground, cousin," William said, resisting the urge to further comment that Richard's matchmaking skills were faulty at best. "Mind if I tag along? Jane might need some moral support." Richard was reluctant, but conceded that William's presence might not be a bad thing. If this evening saw the end of one botched relationship, it would be worth whatever trouble it took. Tomorrow, Richard decided, he would start working on repairing the second.

    "Why don't you grab us a table?" Charles shouted above the din of the happy hour crowd at Freddy's. He took Lizzy's hand and together they made their way through the crowd. Charles used his height advantage to locate a vacant table and he pointed Lizzy in the right direction.

    "I don't think we need a table for just the two of us," Lizzy said, but Charles was insistent. Lizzy made her way to the large table and sat down while Charles went to order drinks. He approached the table a few minutes later with two mugs in one hand and a pitcher of Sam Adams in the other.

    "Are we supposed to consume all that?" Lizzy laughed skeptically as Charles put down his burden. Charles smiled and stepped aside. Lizzy was surprised to see Richard behind him, carrying two more mugs.

    "I found us some help," Charles beamed. Richard's surprise was no less than Lizzy's as their eyes met. "Take a load off, Fitz," Charles said, stepping aside so that Richard could sit beside Lizzy. But Richard didn't move. He spoke in Charles's ear.

    "You might have mentioned that you'd invited her."

    "What's the problem?" Charles asked, and at Richard's nod in the direction of the door, he looked over and saw William coming toward the table. Lizzy had not been privy to the exchange between the two men, however she did see William enter the bar, look around, and then make his way toward the table. Lizzy looked up at Richard with a look of pure contempt. William started when he saw Lizzy at the table. He looked at Richard warily. Richard shrugged and took a seat opposite Lizzy. William sat beside her.

    "Hello, Lizzy. This is a pleasant surprise. Richard didn't tell me you'd be here when he asked me to tag along." Richard shot William a dark look.

    "That's because I didn't know that Lizzy would be here. And I distinctly recall your inviting yourself along, cousin." His words had no effect on Lizzy. She would not acknowledge Richard's presence.

    "Hello William," she said with her eyes on her glass. Charles realized his error and quickly tried to exonerate his friend.

    "Lizzy, I invited Richard and I did fail to mention that you'd be here." Lizzy looked up at Charles.

    "Oh, that's all right, Charles, you needn't apologize for Richard."

    "I'm not apologizing for him. I just want to set the record straight." Lizzy still wouldn't look at Richard, who swore to himself as he filled his mug.

    "Any more bright ideas, Charles?" he sneered at Charles in a low voice. William, who had been carefully observing Lizzy's behavior toward his cousin, looked up.

    "You may as well reveal your own bright idea, Fitz." Richard sighed. Charles looked at Richard expectantly. Even Lizzy looked up at him. Richard sighed again.

    "Jane is coming," he said simply, as Lizzy's eyes flashed.

    "How dare you!" she cried. "You think you can simply pull strings and everyone will dance to your tune, don't you! Where do you get off trying to manipulate my sister? It isn't enough that you keep throwing me at William; you have to try to run her life, too?" Lizzy's voice had risen steadily as she spoke. She leapt to her feet and left the bar leaving the stunned men behind. Lizzy had to struggle her way through the crowd to reach the door and it wasn't until she was outside that she realized that she had left without her jacket or bag.

    Lizzy stood on the street for a moment, gulping air and fighting tears. She wrapped her arms around herself and began to regret her hasty departure. She had overreacted; striking out at Richard without thinking, she had been only too ready to condemn him for no good reason. Lizzy had let her own frustration with him get the better of her. But he had called Jane and invited her to come. That much he was guilty of. Hadn't he been the one to insist that Jane and Charles be allowed to solve their problems on their own? Why was Richard always trying to dictate people's lives?

    And how am I supposed to get home without my bag or my jacket? Smart, Lizzy! Out here on a chilly October night, no jacket, no car fare, no house keys...and I'd rather freeze out here than face Richard again. The thought of freezing had no sooner entered her mind than Lizzy felt her jacket being placed around her shoulders. Lizzy turned around and saw William holding out her bag.

    "Thank you," she said with a blush. "I just realized that I wasn't going to get very far without these." She managed a small smile, but William didn't return it.

    "You were pretty hard on Richard back there. He isn't half the villain you made him out to be. A little heavy-handed, perhaps, but it can never be said that his heart isn't in the right place." Lizzy's blush deepened as she realized exactly what she had said in front of William. She turned away from him.

    "On the contrary, I find his heart extremely suspect."

    "That's not fair! Richard has a bigger heart than anyone I've ever met. Why don't you come back inside and--."

    "No, thank you. I think I'll just wait out here until Jane comes," Lizzy said coldly.

    "Would you mind if I waited with you?"

    "It's a public street." That was sufficient invitation for William. He leaned against the brick façade of the bar and watched Lizzy pace back and forth nervously.

    "Why?" Charles looked at Richard strangely.

    "Why? I should be asking you why! What were you thinking, calling Jane?" Charles exclaimed. Richard buried his face in his hands.

    "I was thinking that you and Jane should talk. I thought I would have a beer, say hello to Jane and be on my merry way. I had no idea when I called you that William would decide to tag along, or that you had invited Lizzy." Richard uncovered his eyes. "Why did you invite Lizzy?"

    "I assumed you'd be happy to see each other."

    "You were mistaken," Richard deadpanned. "I rather think she'd be happy never to see me again." Richard stood. "Look, Charlie, I'm sorry about all this mess. If you want me to try and catch Jane and stop this train before it crashes off the bridge..."

    "No, I'd like to see her. She won't like being deceived, but I think she'll be willing...I hope she'll be willing to talk." Richard opened his mouth to reply but instead just nodded. He clapped Charles on the shoulder, wished him luck and left the restaurant. When he got outside he saw Lizzy pacing back and forth. He started to say something, but thinking better of it, he turned and walked down the block before Lizzy had even noticed him. William saw Richard and called after him, but Richard threw up his hands and kept walking. Lizzy looked down the block and saw Richard flag down a cab. She ran a hand over her hair and watched the cab until it was out of sight. At that moment, a cab pulled up from the opposite direction and Jane got out.

    "Lizzy! William! What are you two doing here?" Lizzy turned around at the sound of her sister's voice.

    "Jane! Richard--."

    "Richard had to leave and--," William interjected in an attempt to forestall Lizzy's outburst. But she was not to be denied.

    "Jane, Richard called Charles and tried to set up a meeting between you two," she continued, shooting William a look. "I've been waiting out here to warn you--."

    "Warn me? About what?" asked Jane looking first at Lizzy and then at William.

    "About the set up!" Lizzy cried.

    "I know all about it, Lizzy," Jane said exasperatedly. "Charles is the one being set up, not me. Richard and I spoke earlier and he told me how miserable Charles had been all weekend. Richard actually made him stay up in Greenwich the whole weekend because he feared he might do himself a harm. I agreed with Richard that I should see him and that we should talk even if I'm not ready to make up with him just yet. Is Charles inside?" Lizzy could only nod and Jane walked past her and into the restaurant. Abashed, Lizzy turned to William, whose eye betrayed his reproach.

    "You knew about Charles?" Lizzy said meekly. William shook his head.

    "I had no idea. When Richard told me about Jane, I just assumed as you did, that he had tricked them both."

    "But you still think I was wrong about him," Lizzy replied, her eyes averted from William's piercing gaze.

    "I must confess that I made a similar mistake myself earlier today." Lizzy looked up questioningly.

    "Look, could we go somewhere and talk? I think it's time we cleared the air." Lizzy reluctantly agreed, and she led William to a small restaurant not far from her office.

    "Hello, Charles."

    "Hello, Jane. Sit down," Charles smiled and Jane's heart melted.

    "I hear that you were an awful houseguest this weekend." Charles bowed his head.

    "It may be a while before the Fitzwilliams have me up again."

    "What were you thinking, Charles? You know that you're not a big drinker?"

    "I stopped thinking the moment you said you didn't want to see me anymore..."

    "I never said 'anymore,' Charles," Jane said, taking his hand in her own.

    "It doesn't matter what you said after you said you didn't want to see me. My whole world began to fall apart..."

    Lizzy claimed that she wasn't hungry but William insisted that she order something, so Lizzy toyed with a Caesar salad and waited for William to reveal what he wanted to tell her. William's own appetite faded as he watched Lizzy. He laid his fork on the plate and looked into her eyes.

    "Would you mind if I...may I ask what your feelings are for my cousin?" William assayed. Lizzy could not answer right away.

    "I can't really answer that. There are moments when I'm convinced that he's the most wonderful man alive, and then there are others when he's so infuriatingly...he has this way about him, you know?" William just smiled. "I mean he can be so charming, and sometimes he seems to know me better than myself, and he has this enchanting way of making me feel like I'm the only person in the world...I don't know how to describe it. The sound of his laughter makes my heart sing." Lizzy seemed to be so absorbed in her reverie that William was loath to disturb her.

    "You don't sound like someone who's angry at him." Lizzy's expression hardened.

    "I am angry with him. He keeps trying..."

    "...To throw you at me?" William completed her sentence, much to Lizzy's embarrassment.

    "Every time I think we're getting closer, every time I think we're about to reach a milestone in our relationship, he pulls back and starts talking about you." William nodded. "He seems to think that it's unfair for him to have any advantage over you in our relationship."

    'Is that what he told you?"

    "He hasn't told me anything! Whenever I try to bring up the matter he changes the subject, or else he starts talking about what a great guy you are and how well we'd get along. If I didn't know any better, I'd think..." Lizzy looked into William's eyes as realization dawned. "That's it, isn't it? He's been trying to set us up all along, hasn't he?" For once it was William's turn to shrink from Lizzy's gaze.

    "Why that...how could he?" Lizzy fought back tears and struggled to remain composed. "Why? Did the two of you flip a coin for me and he lost? Or do you always have him procure women for you?" William reached for Lizzy's hand but she snatched it from within his reach. "I thought he really cared about me. I thought we had something special..." Lizzy could no longer speak, and William couldn't bear the sight of her tears.

    "Listen, Lizzy. If it makes you feel any better I believe that Richard is very much in love with you."

    "In love with me?" Lizzy managed, as she accepted a handkerchief from William. "Why would a man who is supposedly in love with me be trying to fix me up with another man?" William sighed and told Lizzy what Richard had told him that night in Tokyo.

    "I can remember the night of your first date with Richard. He was so excited, so eager to make everything perfect. The next day when I saw him he looked so bereft I thought you'd stood him up, or worse. When he confronted me that night in Tokyo and told me about the mix-up, he explained to me that on the night of your first date he realized that he met the perfect woman for me. Richard even tried to get me to meet with you alone when we returned. I think he realized then that he was in danger of falling in love with you and he wanted to give you up as painlessly as possible. But he continued to seek you out, nonetheless... I suppose I cannot blame him."

    "And you went along with this?" Lizzy said in a tight voice. Her mind was in a tumult. She felt angry and betrayed by both men, and something more, in spite of herself. William was uncomfortable under her scrutiny.

    "I admit that I was strongly attracted to you, perhaps even before we met in person. But I have always had serious doubts about Richard's notion of stepping aside in favor of me. I wouldn't be able to give you up, if I was him, and I think that he's been having second thoughts about it as well. In fact, we had words about it in his office today..."

    "Have either of you stopped to consider how I might feel about this?" Lizzy hissed. William sighed.

    "Richard insisted that once you got to know me...he refused to listen when I told him that you might feel differently." Lizzy closed her eyes and refused to hear anymore. William sensed that she had had enough and called for the check. When it had been paid, William paged Bates and had the car brought around. He took Lizzy back to Brooklyn in silence. When Bates opened the door outside her house, Lizzy got out and turned back to William.

    "Please tell Richard goodbye for me." William started to ask what she meant, but Lizzy walked away. William scrambled out of the car and followed her to the door.

    "You can't leave things like this. At least speak to him yourself--." Lizzy spun around.

    "At this moment, William, I have no intention of speaking to either one of you ever again." She turned back around and with very shaky fingers, unlocked the door and disappeared into her house.

    "I've missed this place," Lizzy said as she looked around the cozy guest room. "And thank you for letting me come on such short notice. I don't know what I would have done otherwise." Olivia Crenshaw led Lizzy into the kitchen, where fresh coffee and homemade muffins awaited.

    "You know you're always welcome here, Lizzy," Olivia replied as she offered Lizzy a tray of cranberry orange muffins and a selection of jams and preserves. "Perhaps now you'll tell me what happened that was so awful that you had to run away from New York." Lizzy broke open a muffin and slathered it with butter and strawberry jam.

    "Well, it all began when I met this wonderful guy at a party by the name of Richard Fitzwilliam."

    "I used to know a Richard Fitzwilliam once. He was short, fat, wore glasses, usually with tape..."

    "Not the same one, I assure you," Lizzy smiled wistfully. "Richard--or Fitz, as he was introduced to me--and I hit it off immediately and soon we were having lunch fairly regularly and we even went on a couple of dates."

    "Just a couple?" Olivia commented.

    "Richard is the president of Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam, a tech support company that's just beginning to take off, so he's always fairly busy. Besides, I really didn't mind--we spoke on the phone nearly every day and we constantly exchanged e-mails."

    "So why are you here, if Mr. Wonderful is in New York and undoubtedly trying to reach you as we speak?"

    "That's only half the story. You see, I found out just a few days ago that Richard isn't exactly the man I thought he was." Olivia shook her head.

    "No Richard ever is," she sighed. In consolation, she popped a piece of muffin into her mouth.

    "Will you stop interrupting? What I mean is the guy I thought I was falling for turned out to be someone else."

    "Too true," Olivia quipped, and Lizzy flipped a drop of jam onto her nose.

    "Do you want to hear this or not?" Olivia dabbed at her nose with a napkin and promptly quieted. "The man I was exchanging e-mails with turned out to be someone other than Richard Fitzwilliam. I thought I was e-mailing Richard, but in reality I was actually e-mailing Fitzwilliam Darcy, also known as Fitz."

    "Fitzwilliam Darcy? The Fitzwilliam Darcy, as in the Darcy Corporation, as in DARCO Computers, as in number 3 on the list of the world's most eligible bachelors? That Fitzwilliam Darcy?" Lizzy just stared at her.

    "Number 3? William? Exactly whose list is this?" Lizzy asked curiously.

    "You remember Zena, from our CAD class. She has a World's Best website and it's a real hoot. Anyway, I was checking it out the other night and I remember seeing his ranking in the world's most eligible bachelor list. He is a certified hottie!"

    "And Richard didn't make the list? I don't mean to brag, but I must say, from personal experience, that any list that doesn't rank them 1-2, if not a tie for number 1, isn't worth giving credence to." She smiled enigmatically, and Olivia smiled back.

    "Do tell! But first, tell me how you managed to confuse one man for the other." Lizzy sighed and explained the mix-up and the events that led to her flight from New York.

    "Whew! That's quite a story! Now I understand the reason for your midnight phone call!" Olivia remarked as she poured out more coffee. Olivia looked at Lizzy carefully. "So, which one do you want?"

    "I don't want either of them!" Lizzy answered a bit too hastily. "Where do they get off deciding for me who I should be with?"

    "Sounds pretty civilized, if you ask me," Olivia baited.

    "Civilized? In medieval times, perhaps, but this is the twenty-first century! I'd like a say in my own life, if you don't mind."

    "If Richard was willing to back off in favor of William, and William was likewise disposed to step aside in favor of his cousin, it sounds like you're dealing with two emotionally mature, level-headed men."

    "How can you defend them? What they did was wrong and unfair!"

    "So, if you felt that way, why didn't you speak up?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "I mean that instead of running away," Olivia persisted in spite of Lizzy's sputtering, "You might simply have confronted them both and declared your choice. That would have resolved the problem right then and there. So I repeat my question: which one do you want?"

    "I have already answered you. I don't want either one!" Olivia smiled slyly.

    "So why are you here? You could have stayed in New York and told them both where to go. But instead you slip out of New York at dawn and come down here without telling a living soul. I'm sorry, Lizzy, but your answer doesn't cut it." Lizzy was forced to accept the truth of Olivia's words. She was pensive as she consumed another muffin. "Tell me about them," Olivia demanded as she pulled the plate of muffins out of Lizzy's reach.

    "Well...they're both gorgeous. William is dark, brooding, urbane, and intellectual, with a sense of humor that always catches me off guard. Very GQ--you know, the type who looks better brushing his teeth in the morning than most men look on their best day. Richard, on the other hand, is blondish, athletic, All-American looks, devastating smile--a real charmer. He has an interesting talent for leaving a woman breathless."

    "Mmmm. Any brains in that package, or is that too much to hope for?"

    "Oh yes! They're both Harvard men. And Richard's even worse than you are when it comes to reading my mind."

    "Competition, eh?" Olivia thought for a second. "Dogs?" Lizzy laughed.

    "I'd say that William is a Great Dane, or one of those giant wolfhounds: very elegant, graceful, aristocratic bearing, and oh, did I mention that he has a killer British accent?" Lizzy fanned herself while Olivia laughed.

    "And Richard?"

    "No doubt about it, he's definitely a Golden Retriever: adorable, ebullient, fun, loyal," Lizzy sighed. "And he leaves a little bit of himself everywhere he goes." The women collapsed in laughter again.

    "Well, it sounds like you have it real bad, considering that you never want to see either one of them again."

    "Well...each of them is very special in his own right. It's hard to believe I ever thought they were one person. At least half of what I thought I felt for Richard was based on William's e-mails. Oh Livy, they can both be so sweet, and so...maddening!"

    "Really! It looks to me like you're working very hard to stay mad," Olivia said. Lizzy shot her a look. She picked up her mug and went out onto the porch.

    "Let me see," Olivia continued as she followed Lizzy to the porch. "You have two young, hot, wealthy--wait a minute. Does Richard have any money?" Lizzy nodded.

    "According to Charlotte, Richard comes from one of the wealthiest families in America and his personal net worth is probably even more than William's."

    "So, as I was saying: you have two young, hot, multi-millionaires in love with you--."

    "Richard is in love with me, according to William. He only admitted to a strong attraction," Lizzy corrected. Olivia sipped her coffee.

    "I don't suppose there is any possibility of your being cloned? What am I talking about? Get me to a plastic surgeon; my love life could use a serious boost!"

    "Trust me, Livy. You don't want to be in my shoes."

    "Honey, Mother Teresa would pay to be in your shoes. But seriously, Lizzy; you're not just going to walk away from them."

    "Why shouldn't I?"

    "Because my best friend is no idiot. She may be confused, and she may be mad, but she's not about to let those men get away."

    "But I can't have both of them, Livy," Lizzy cried. "And the thought of choosing between the two of them is too painful..."

    "Let me speak with Mr. Bingley, then."

    "Hold on, please," said Lisa, Cherry Blossom's receptionist.

    "Fitz, how are you?" smiled Charles.

    "I'm well, Charles." William hesitated a moment, but he really wasn't in the mood for small talk. "Your secretary says that Lizzy is on vacation."

    "Yes. Lizzy and I spoke last night, before we all met up. She said that needed some time away and I agreed with her, William. This whole thing has been very hard on her."

    "I know. That's why I called this morning. I wanted to see how she's holding up after last night."

    "Do you think she's still mad at Fitz?"

    "I think she's very likely to be mad at both of us for some time."

    "Why?" Charles asked, and then he remembered Richard's confession over the weekend.

    "It's a long story, Charles. Look, do you know where she's gone?"

    "I wish I did, Fitz. She hasn't even told Jane where she went."

    "How did your meeting with Jane go, last night, by the way?" William wondered.

    "I think we're back on track. In fact, I may be needing the house in Vermont fairly soon." William smiled for the first time that morning.

    "I'm glad to hear it Charles. The keys are yours any time you want them." There was a brief pause.

    "Have you spoken with Fitz today? I called him last night and got no answer," Charles said. Richard had just supported him through a difficult weekend and helped to put things right between him and Jane. Now Charles wanted to return the favor.

    "I haven't seen or spoken to him, but Gee said that she ran into him last night up in his neighborhood. He was out walking and seemed pretty depressed. She convinced him to come up to the house and have an ice cream sundae. By the time I got home, he had already left and wouldn't answer the phone all evening."

    "Ice cream sundae?" Charles repeated.

    "It's an old trick Richard used to use to get Gee to lighten up when she was down in the dumps. Gee turned the ploy on him last night. She said that he put away two pints of ice cream but never said a word."

    "I can only imagine what must be going through his mind. Lizzy's outburst cut him to the quick last night. I guess he's kind of relieved, though."

    "What do you mean?" William asked.

    "I think he was having a hard time letting go of her. Lizzy's anger might have made it a little easier."

    "He told you about his plan, eh?" William rolled his eyes. "Well, after speaking with Lizzy last night I'm not convinced he should give up on her just yet."

    "Why? What did she say?"

    "She said that she had no intention of ever speaking to either of us again. But before she said that, she spent a good deal of time crying over Richard. Look, if you hear from her, will you let me know?"

    "Fitz, I don't think she wants to speak with anyone just now."

    "I know, but I can't let her just walk away and leave things like this. She has to try to work things out," William insisted.

    "For whom?"

    After Lizzy took a short nap, she decided to set up her office in the space Olivia had cleared for her. Olivia came in as Lizzy was pulling items out of her briefcase.

    "What is this?" she asked as she ran her hands over the smaller of the two laptops on the desk.

    "That is the DARCO Companion," Lizzy answered, as she dug into the bag for her zip drive.

    "Really? I thought it wasn't going to be launched until January," Olivia said enviously, "But I guess if you're a close personal friend of the CEO..."

    "Yes." Lizzy said curtly. "I should have returned it to him." She picked up the laptop and put it aside, some distance away from her workspace.

    "May I?" Olivia picked it up and slid it out of its case. "Sleek, huh?"

    "All right. If you must know," Lizzy turned around to face Olivia. "It weighs three pounds, it uses wireless technology, has a built-in videocam, operates at 900mhz, and the disk drive can be swapped out for a DVD..." Lizzy went on to describe the computer's capabilities to an interested Olivia. Lizzy was quite proud of her computer, mainly for William's sake. But she had become quite attached to the computer in its own right because it held fond memories of her correspondence with William.

    "It's one of the prototypes. William had 1,000 made up and 250 were designated for testing and reviews and the like. The other 750 were part of a special collector's edition that is going to be sold in some very exclusive stores and those were fitted out with this special metallic casing.

    "May I turn it on?"

    "Sure, go ahead." Lizzy busied herself on her other laptop, checking in with Charles via e-mail and making adjustments to her calendar to compensate for her absence from the office. She started when Olivia called her name.

    "Lizzy? You have an e-mail." Lizzy turned back to the laptop before her and saw that, indeed, a new e-mail had come in. It was from William. Lizzy held her breath a moment.

    "Aren't you going to read it?" Olivia rose and handed the laptop to Lizzy and left the room. Lizzy put the Companion down next to her other computer. She did a few more tasks on her old laptop and then shut it down. She took a deep breath and turned to the other computer. She clicked on the message and read its contents.

    I know that you don't want anything to do with either of us right now, and frankly I cannot say that I blame you. But likewise, you cannot blame us for worrying about you. Just send back a note to let us know that you're well and safe. We promise--well, I promise on behalf of both Richard and myself, to leave you in peace.

    William was in a meeting with his head legal advisor when he glanced at his laptop and noticed that he had a message from Lizzy. William passed the next twenty minutes in agony, as his attorney droned on and on about some esoteric point William could not have cared less about. Finally, the meeting ended and William was free to read his e-mail. He reached for the button, but was prevented by the sound of his phone.

    "Mr. Darcy, there's a Miss Bingley here to see you." William groaned to himself.

    "Ask her to wait, will you?" William said. He had no sooner put the phone down than the door opened.

    "I've already waited a half an hour," Caroline declared as she strolled into William's office.

    "If you didn't want to wait you should have made an appointment, Caroline. I'm running a corporation here, you know." William rose nonetheless and offered Caroline a seat.

    "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked with just a touch of irony.

    "I just got home from my summer in Europe and I thought I would drop in and see you." She leaned forward suggestively. "You might at least pretend to be glad to see me." William sighed.

    "Caroline, I would be glad to see you if you didn't show up unexpectedly in the middle of an extremely busy day when I've got a million things to do," William said impatiently. He drummed his fingers on his desk, his eyes irresistibly drawn to the laptop on his right. Caroline was oblivious to the hint. She leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs.

    "Charles tells me that interesting things have been happening in my absence." William looked up. "I saw Lizzy yesterday. She didn't say anything about it, but apparently trying to burn the candle at both ends is wearing her pretty thin." William's jaw tightened just a bit. "I came to tell you...to ask you, really...I need a favor. I know that you and Jane have grown very close, and although Charles does quite well, he couldn't begin to compete with you financially." Caroline paused dramatically and William wondered what she was getting at.

    "I just hope that you aren't going to try and avenge yourself on Lizzy by going after her sister. Charles would be devastated if Jane left him," Caroline exclaimed. William's eyes opened wide.

    "What on earth are you talking about?" He wasn't really interested in Caroline's answer; the words simply fell from his shocked mouth.

    "I know about your little love triangle, and rumor has it that Lizzy prefers Richard," Caroline drawled, grabbing one of William's hands and watching William carefully for a reaction. He rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak just as the office door opened and Richard walked in. He took in the scene.

    "I was going to suggest that we try again with Danielle, but I can see that you and the Black Widow here need some privacy," he smirked and turned to leave. Richard had never liked Caroline, who had constantly thrown herself at him when he and Charles were college roommates. She had temporarily turned her attention to William when Richard showed no interest in her, until a more willing millionaire came along. William pulled his hand from Caroline's and rose.

    "I was just about to explain to Caroline that I had a meeting to attend, Richard," he said, as he made his way around the desk and approached his cousin, who wouldn't look William in the eye.

    "But I'm not finished!" Caroline cried. She rose and went to William and looked into his eyes pleadingly. Richard looked at her with a mixture of amusement and disgust.

    "What is it, Caroline?" William said with uncharacteristic curtness. He wanted her out of his office so that he could speak with Richard and he was anxious to read Lizzy's message.

    "I'd prefer to say it in private," Caroline replied with a pointed look at Richard, who shrugged his shoulders and promptly walked out. William was even more annoyed with Caroline.

    "All right," he said, closing the door. "What is it?"

    "I'm asking you, William, don't become involved with Jane. It would kill Charles." William was almost apoplectic.

    "Are you out of your mind? Jane is a friend, nothing more. She and Charles--."

    "I heard about their fight. I know that Jane turned to you..."

    "Well, whatever you may have heard is ancient history. Jane and Charles have reconciled. In fact, I expect that they'll become engaged before very long. And I don't know what made you think..." William abandoned the thought. And he started for the door again.

    "Well," Caroline said, her hand on her chest. "I must say I'm relieved. I was afraid that the two of you might, well, you know. Two people in your circumstances--."

    "Circumstances?" William's curiosity got the better of him one more and he turned back to his unwanted visitor.

    "Yes, you know what I mean...Jane and Charles divided by their quarrel, and you getting over losing Lizzy to your cousin..." William had heard enough.

    "Look, Caroline, I'd love to stay and hear your fascinating explanation, but I need to see Richard right away. Now, if you don't mind..." He ushered Caroline out of his office and ran for an elevator, jumping in before Caroline could follow him. When William reached Richard's office, he found it empty. William glanced at Anne, his assistant, who shrugged her shoulders. William strolled down to Danielle's office and met her heading out.

    "Danielle, just the person I was looking for. Has Richard spoken to you about rescheduling our meeting?"

    "No. In fact, I haven't seen him all day, and that's very unusual. We usually run into each other in the hall at least a two or three times a day, and he usually drops by my office at least once a day to steal my CD's. Is he okay?" William assured Danielle that Richard was fine, just dealing with a personal matter.

    "If you don't mind my saying so, Boss Man, you're both dealing with personal matters." William's cheeks colored slightly, much to Danielle's amusement. She put a hand on his shoulder as they walked down the hall together. "If there is anything I can do for either of you, let me know." William smiled and said goodbye at the elevator. As he rode back up to his office, he wondered if there was anything anyone could do about the cousin's situation.

    Continued In Next Section

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