Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam ~ Section XIV

    By Judy-Lynne

    Beginning, Previous Section, Section XIV, Next Section

    Lizzy sat forward and strained to peer into the rear window of the car in front of her. She saw Richard lean over and kiss Olivia. It was the second time he'd done that in six blocks. She sat back frowning.

    "Do you think he's falling for her?" she asked. William hoped the question was rhetorical, but a glance at Lizzy told him it wasn't.

    "I couldn't say," he replied noncommittally. Lizzy looked at him skeptically.

    "Hasn't he said anything to you?"

    "Nope," William volunteered. Richard's behavior spoke for itself, as far as he was concerned, and he meant to abide by Richard's edict to stay out of his love life. Well, insofar as Richard could tell, anyway, and Richard would definitely be able to tell if William did or said anything to encourage Lizzy.

    "Not even a peep? I find that hard to believe." William took the bait in spite of himself.

    "Why? Do you think we men gossip as much as you women do?" Lizzy jabbed William in the ribs.

    "I warned you about that 'we men' and 'you women' stuff, buster." William smiled, but Lizzy grew serious. "Even if Richard hasn't said anything, you should know whether or not he's falling in love."

    "Should I?"

    "You seemed to be very aware of Richard's emotional state when you thought he fell for me," she accused. William shook his head. It was going to be one of those conversations. "He didn't say anything to you then, did he?"

    "No," said William as he watched Richard reach out and stroke Olivia's cheek. They seemed to be laughing at something.

    "William?" He started and glanced at Lizzy, who was eyeing him suspiciously. "You do know, don't you?"

    "Do I detect a note of jealousy in your voice?" William said before he could stop himself. He suddenly wished that he were in his cousin's car, where Richard and Olivia were in a much happier mood.

    "I'm not jealous," Lizzy retorted a bit too hastily as she squirmed in her seat. William noticed the shrill tone of her voice and her body language. It provided much food for thought as he followed Richard onto the highway.

    The highway came way too quickly for Richard. He had to relinquish Olivia's hand and give up his newly discovered interest in stoplights to negotiate the congested lanes of traffic heading north. Olivia sat beside him, holding her bright red Land Rover in her lap like a prized possession. It was going to be a very good Christmas after all, she decided.

    "So how many of these cousins of yours are going to appear on Christmas day?" Olivia asked.

    "Fortunately, none of them. Well, none of the younger ones, anyway. But I do expect that we'll see the older ones at William's party Saturday night and the rest sometime during the weekend," Richard replied cheerfully. "I like to make the rounds of my relatives in the area, bringing bags of goodies like Santa." Olivia saw the twinkle in his eye and wondered if she had fallen in love with a very tall, handsome, twelve-year old. Richard caught her staring and asked what she was thinking.

    "I was just thinking that you probably haven't changed very much over the years...as far as Christmas goes, I mean," Olivia managed, carefully editing her original thought.

    "My mom would probably agree with you. In fact, she generally thinks I haven't changed much since my twelfth birthday, other than growing about a foot and a half." Olivia began to laugh and Richard wondered why he ever thought avoiding rush hour traffic was a good idea.

    "Have you always been such a giggly person?" he asked when Olivia quieted.

    "No. Lizzy will tell you that I'm usually as sober as a judge. You just happen to have this strange effect on me," she smiled.

    "I like it!" Richard cried, and quickly kissed her cheek in spite of the fact that he was moving at 65 miles per hour.

    Lizzy had grown quiet after her little outburst and William took the opportunity to think about what he had observed. He didn't want to make too much of it. After all, Lizzy was very much in love with him; he had no doubt of that. She had chosen him when she had been offered a choice between the cousins. William had never really given much thought to Lizzy's feelings about Richard since she began to date him. He had once spent a great deal of energy trying to convince Richard that Lizzy had feelings for him, and William had initially been jealous of Richard's feelings for her, but when he became involved with Lizzy he had put all that behind him. Now, William began to wonder what there had been between Richard and Lizzy. He had never dared ask Lizzy, and Richard flatly refused to discuss his relationship with her.

    As the car crossed the Connecticut border it occurred to William that Lizzy really hadn't had a choice after all. Richard hadn't really given either of them a choice. He had decided to step out of the competition without any regard for Lizzy's feelings in the matter. Perhaps then, Lizzy had some unresolved feelings about him... William glanced at Lizzy, who had turned slightly toward the passenger side window and was staring out at the approaching dusk. Did she still have feelings for Richard? If so, what were they?

    William looked at the car that was now in the lane to the left of him. He could see Olivia and Richard chatting amiably. He was glad to see them making progress, but he couldn't help thinking what that progress might stir up in Lizzy. Would her enthusiasm for a match between Richard and Olivia pale in the face of reality? If Richard fell in love with Olivia, how would Lizzy feel about it? William felt Lizzy's fingers run down his sideburn and onto his right cheek. If she had meant to make his mind go completely blank, she had succeeded admirably.

    "What are you thinking about?" she asked drowsily. "Whatever it is, stop it. Your knuckles are turning white." William glanced down at his hands and relaxed his grip on the steering wheel. He reached out and took Lizzy's hand.

    "Still love me?" he asked playfully, although he suddenly felt a desperate need to hear her reply.

    "Of course I still love you. What kind of question is that?" Lizzy straightened up in her seat and looked at William more closely. "What were you thinking about that made you ask that?" William smiled and shook his head.

    "I just never tire of hearing it, that's all." Lizzy smiled and stroked his cheek once more.

    "I love you, William, and if it makes you happy, I'll keep saying it until I can no longer speak." William's smile broadened as he followed Richard's car off the highway and turned onto a service road that would lead to Harpy's.

    "Oh! I almost forgot to call Mrs. Reynolds," he remembered. Lizzy pulled the cell phone from her bag and dialed. She put the phone to William"s ear. Mrs. Reynolds assured him that she wouldn't mind if the group ate out.

    "I've been concentrating on baking for the weekend, so I'd made a very simple dinner, anyway. If you don't mind having roast beef for lunch tomorrow I'll put it away and get back to my pies," she said cheerfully.

    "You go ahead then. We'll eat at Harpy's," William replied.

    "Very well, sir. Just don't go raising Mister Richard's expectations for any taste of pie tonight. If he comes into my kitchen I won't answer for his safety." William laughed and promised to deliver the message. William asked Lizzy to dial Richard's number. She hit a code on the phone and held it to her own ear and William frowned at her. She smiled back at him impishly.

    "Hello, Richard."

    "Hello, Bright Eyes," he replied. He seemed to be laughing as he spoke, and Lizzy once again tried to peer into the car, but it was too far ahead. "So are we on for Harpy's or what?" Lizzy put the phone to William's ear.

    "We're a go for Harpy's. Mrs. Reynolds seems to be relieved not to have to feed us tonight."

    "That means she's in baking mode. What's she making?" Richard asked eagerly.

    "I'm not allowed to say, and she expressly asked me to warn you to stay out of her kitchen."

    "Okay," Richard laughed easily. "See you in a few." William nodded to Lizzy and she closed her phone. He must be in love, William thought. He's not usually so willing to forego a chance at Mrs. Reynolds' desserts. Well, well! William smiled and glanced at Lizzy, who was looking at him oddly.

    "Now what?" she asked.

    "Now we go to Harpy's," was all William would say aloud, but the smile on his face widened and he began to think that his plans were about to come to fruition.

    Agnes, Phoebe and the other ladies not only hugged Richard and William, they greeted Olivia like an old friend. Phoebe went so far as to move a young couple out the cousins' usual booth, much to their embarrassment. When they were settled and Richard had his root beer and William his cola, Phoebe asked about the newcomer.

    "Phoebe and Agnes, I'd like you to meet Lizzy Bennet," William said. Lizzy was a bit surprised by the effusive welcome and the inspection she was put to by the ladies, but she took it good-naturedly. Agnes nudged Richard.

    "I see you've stuck with this one," she said in a stage whisper half the restaurant could hear. "Good choice: she's a keeper, I can tell." Agnes winked at the blushing Olivia and went to retrieve the cousins' burgers while Phoebe stayed behind to take the women's orders. Phoebe clucked and shook her head at Lizzy's order, commenting aloud about young girls trying to live on rabbit food. Olivia wisely ordered a burger deluxe and got an approving smile for her decision.

    "You put a little meat on those bones, girl. You're going to need it. Comes in handy for a lot of things," Phoebe winked slyly with a pointed glance at Richard. She scurried off to the kitchen. Lizzy and Olivia exchanged an amused look.

    "Like what?" Lizzy asked. Olivia shrugged. Agnes returned with hot chocolate for Lizzy, who was cold, and water for Olivia.

    "If you ate solid food, you'd have a little fat to keep you warm. William wouldn't mind seeing a bit more of you!" William and Richard knew better than to take Agnes's ribbing seriously and they laughed at Lizzy's shocked expression.

    "Are they always like that?" she asked.

    "No, I think she's beginning to mellow out in her old age," William chuckled. He put his arm around Lizzy's shoulder and she leaned against him, her indignation forgotten. Richard looked at Lizzy and smiled. Lizzy lifted her head and looked back at Richard.

    "What are you smiling at?" she exclaimed. Richard pointed at his own chest.

    "Who me? I was smiling at you! Why?"

    "Uh...nothing." Lizzy laid her head back on William's shoulder. William and Richard exchanged a quick glance, Richard's questioning, and William's shrugging in confusion. Olivia looked at the couple opposite and wished that she could snuggle in Richard's arms, too. She sipped her water and spontaneously began to choke. Richard immediately came to her aid, relieving her of her glass and rubbing her back as she turned bright red and coughed. She quickly regained her composure and sat back. Richard pulled his hand from behind her and took hold of her hand under the table as Phoebe arrived with three deluxe burgers.

    "Hey! You two didn't even place an order!" Lizzy realized as Agnes arrived with her Greek salad. William explained that, as longtime denizens of Harpy's, neither he nor Richard ever bothered to order anymore.

    "If it's morning, it's pancakes with a rasher of bacon for me and scrambled eggs, sausages, and hash browns for Richard. If it's after eleven, it's cheeseburgers deluxe, mine medium-well, Richard's still kicking. Richard's orange juice and I'm grapefruit. He's root beer, I'm cola, and we're both chocolate pudding, unless Betty has baked an apple pie, then we're definitely apple pie ala mode." Lizzy stared at William for a minute. She could never have imagined William in a diner prior to this evening, and now she found out that he not only frequented them, he was proud of his status as a regular. She watched him bite into his burger and shook her head. She turned to Olivia who was hefting her own burger.

    "How can you eat all that?"

    "Just watch!" she said as she took a bite. She had tasted Richard's burger on her first trip to Harpy's and she found her second taste of a Harpy's burger even better. Richard reached out and wiped a bit of ketchup from her chin as she chewed. Lizzy watched the care with which he tended to Olivia. She picked at an olive in her salad as William watched her pensively, wondering what Lizzy was thinking about.

    "Hey Lizzy!" Richard suddenly declared. "We missed our lunch! It's the last Thursday of the month."

    "So it is," Lizzy said. "Maybe we could have...maybe we could have our next lunch a little earlier next month," she suggested after a moment's hesitation. William couldn't help but wonder why she hesitated. What she was she about to say? He looked across the table. Richard was looking at Lizzy as he picked at his French fries.

    William led the way from Harpy's to his house. When the two cars pulled up and began to unload, Mrs. Reynolds came to the door and greeted the new arrivals. Richard led the way into the house carrying Olivia's luggage. He put the bag down and kissed the housekeeper's forehead.

    "Mmm, something smells very good, Mrs. R."

    "It's all in your imagination, Mister Richard," she retorted, immune to his charm. "I've put Miss Crenshaw in the pink guest room. It's the second door to the left of the stairs. Be a dear and take her things up for her, will you?" Richard obediently picked up the suitcase, along with the tote bag from Olivia's shoulder, and bounded up the stairs. Olivia watched him for a moment, and followed him at a more sedate pace.

    "I assume that you and Miss Lizzy are to be together," Mrs. Reynolds continued in a discrete tone.

    "You assumed correctly," William said. He and Lizzy started up the stairs. William stopped a quarter of the way up and asked Mrs. Reynolds to put on some water for tea. When they reached the bedroom, Lizzy opened the door. The first thing she noticed was a pale blue robe at the foot of the bed. It stuck out in her mind because it lay alongside a navy blue robe that Lizzy remembered wearing on their last stay at the house. She walked over to it and touched the softest, most luxurious robe she had ever laid a hand on. She looked up at William questioningly.

    "I thought I'd supply you with a robe of your own. You didn't bring one last month and nearly wore out the hem of the robe that you borrowed, it was so long on you," William said with a lopsided grin.

    "I did no such thing," she said as she held up the cashmere robe to her cheek. "But this is beautiful. Thank you, darling," she said as she planted a kiss on his cheek. William was dissatisfied with that, so she kissed him a second time, and a third, and a fourth. Olivia, meanwhile, had reached her room. When she walked in she saw her luggage on the bench at the foot of the bed, but there was no sign of Richard. She started when he emerged from the bathroom. He'd apparently been taking a tour of the guest suite.

    "What are you doing?" Olivia asked as she pulled off her coat.

    "Security sweep," Richard deadpanned as he continued to look about. Olivia arched a brow, put her hands on her hips, and eyed him doubtingly.

    "Really?"

    "All right," he confessed with an alluring smile. "I may want to do some fantasizing later and I'm establishing background." Olivia couldn't resist a smile as she pointed at the door.

    "What, no tip?" Olivia shook her head and then beckoned him with her finger. When he reached her side she stood on her toes and gave him a brief kiss. Then she pushed him toward the door.

    "I'll be down in a minute," she said. Richard closed the door behind him and went downstairs. He wandered into the living room, where a ten-foot spruce awaited trimming. It was aglow with lights, however, and Richard stared at them as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his sheepskin coat and sat down on a sofa. Mrs. Reynolds passed by a moment later and when she saw the young man sitting there, she paused and called out to him.

    "Mister Richard, what are you about? Take off your coat!" He didn't seem to be listening. His eyes were fixed on the tree as though it had mesmerized him, but his mind was a million miles away. Nonetheless, he slowly rose and peeled off his jacket. He carefully folded it and patted the chest pocket reverently before he handed the coat to the housekeeper, who shook her head and took it to the closet. She had long since ceased to wonder at Richard's occasional odd behavior. He resumed his position on the sofa and continued to stare at the tree. William entered the room and joined him as Mrs. Reynolds brought in a tea tray and set it down.

    "What a beautiful tree," Lizzy said as she led Olivia into the room. "Is it from the property?"

    "It's probably from Uncle Fitz's property. I believe it was cut down this morning," William said as he rose and went over to where a stack of boxes was resting. "They brought down the decorations. Good. Care to do a little tree-trimming tonight or shall we wait until tomorrow?" Olivia rose and joined William, curious about the decorations. William uncovered a box and she saw an assortment of beautiful vintage glass ornaments. Lizzy joined them and began to look through the ornaments. William shrugged and rejoined his cousin on the sofa. They pair drank their tea and watched the two women as they went through the boxes.

    No one could find much enthusiasm for mounting the ladder, so only the lower half of the tree received attention at first. Richard and William helped out but were more involved in an animated discussion of their joint Christmas gift to Grandma Bess. They'd decided it was time she got wired, and she was to receive a complete DARCO computer system, a direct service line, a dizzying array of software, and lessons on how to use it all. Richard would provide the lessons, and he had custom ordered an armoire to house the system in a design that complemented the décor of her room. Lizzy and Olivia chatted about a wide variety of topics as they sipped the wine that William opened. When Tineke and Georgiana appeared, William roped them into joining the group and pressed them into service climbing the tree and placing ornaments under Lizzy's direction. Olivia dug into a box and found the tree topper, an angel with elaborate golden wings. She handed it to Richard, who dutifully climbed the ladder and placed it at the top. He climbed down and everyone paused to admire the finished tree. Mrs. Reynolds came in and turned off the lamps so that the beauty of the tree came into clearer focus. William wrapped his arms around Lizzy and stared at the tree, and Georgiana, overcome by a wave of nostalgia, wiped away a tear. Olivia turned to look at Richard, but he had disappeared. A moment later, "Joy to the World" began to play throughout the first floor, piped through the audio system. Richard reappeared smiling and wrapped an arm around Georgiana and Mrs. Reynolds. But while everyone was admiring the tree, Richard and Olivia only had eyes for each other. Richard slipped away from his companions and joined Olivia, who was standing somewhat apart from the others in a corner of the room. Richard went over and put his arm around her.

    "It's going to be a very Merry Christmas," he whispered, and kissed her temple. Olivia smiled and was about to wrap her arm around him when Lizzy and William separated. Olivia stepped away from Richard, who sighed and announced that he had to get home and grab some shut-eye.

    "Why don't you see him out, Livy?" Lizzy suggested pointedly, "We'll clean up in here." Olivia smiled blandly and went with Richard into the hall to get his coat. She walked Richard outside and he took her hand and led her several paces to the right of the entrance.

    "Where are you taking me? Your car is back that way," Olivia began, but there was a method to Richard's apparent madness.

    "I know, but the living room window is also over there and I'd like to have a few minutes of privacy, if you don't mind."

    "I don't," Olivia smiled. Richard wrapped his arms around her and admonished her for not bringing her coat. "I didn't know I was going to be out here for 'a few minutes of privacy,'" she smiled. "Had I known, I would have dressed appropriately." Richard smirked and pulled Olivia closer to him.

    "Do you have plans for tomorrow?" Olivia shook her head.

    "None that I know of."

    "Would you like to help me wrap presents? That's my weak spot in this whole Christmas thing." He fixed his best puppy dog gaze at Olivia and she found him impossible to resist, although she hadn't planned on refusing him to begin with. Richard fixed a time to come over and, pulling Olivia a wee bit closer, kissed her. What began as a simple goodnight kiss quickly escalated into something more. Olivia felt dizzy and knew that had Richard let go of her at that moment, she would have been unable to stand. But he held onto her for a minute, rubbing his cheek against her temple. The wind kicked up and Richard realized that he should not keep Olivia out in the cold. He led her back to the relative shelter of the door and paused to stroke her cheek. He looked deeply into her eyes as though he wanted to capture her features at that precise moment. She stared back at him, breathless and unable to form words. Her pupils were fully dilated, her cheeks suffused with color, her lips slightly parted and yielding. Richard tasted them once more, savoring her with all five of his senses before he reluctantly released her.

    "Sweet dreams, my angel," he breathed into her hair. Then he stepped back and looked at her once again before he turned and went to his car. He looked back before he got in. Olivia hadn't moved. They gazed upon each other for nearly a full minute before Richard got in and drove off. Only then did Olivia stir. She wrapped her arms about her as if she had just become aware of the chill in the crisp night air and turned to go inside.

    Olivia went into the house and headed directly for the stairs without a word to her host or his company. She wasn't being rude; they had simply all ceased to exist for the moment. Olivia wanted only to be alone with her thoughts. She closed the door behind her and curled up in a corner of the huge canopy bed in her room. She lay there for several minutes, her senses reeling. She had completely lost the rational perspective that told her to resist Richard for the time being. She felt completely vulnerable to him; she knew that had he desired her that night she would have been his for the taking. Olivia closed her eyes and felt Richard's arms around her, his lean, muscular frame providing warmth and protection against the wind as he held her close to his rapidly beating heart. Olivia rolled over and lay on her back. She stroked the spot on her cheek where he had last touched her and giggled.

    Richard was right; she had been giggling like a silly schoolgirl of late. It was very unlike Olivia. What was happening to her? She knew she was wildly in love with the irrepressible, irresistible man who had left her dazed and confused on the doorstep. But the thought both frightened and thrilled her. Never before had she felt so exhilaratingly alive, but she had completely lost her legendary self-control. Things were moving too fast and she knew that wasn't good. But for the life of her, acting against what was happening was the last thing Olivia wanted at that moment. She closed her eyes and clutched a pillow to her chest. She heard a knock on her door, and Lizzy peeked in.

    "Are you all right?" her friend asked. "William and I got worried when you ran straight upstairs like that."

    "I'm okay," Olivia managed. She sniffed and discovered that there were tears in her eyes. She hoped that Lizzy couldn't tell. But Lizzy heard it in her voice, sat down on the edge of the bed.

    "What happened?"

    "Nothing," Olivia said, giving up the pretense of hiding her tears. Lizzy sat beside her for a while until her tears subsided. Olivia refused any assistance, but Lizzy wouldn't leave her alone. After a time, Olivia dozed off. Lizzy covered Olivia with the quilt at the foot of the bed and went to join William in his room.

    "She okay?" he asked. Lizzy shook her head in the negative.

    "They seemed to be doing so well earlier. I can't imagine what went wrong." William stared at the wall as though with x-ray vision he could see Olivia in her room down the hall and discern her plight. Lizzy told William what she had seen and William was also completely perplexed by her inexplicable tears. "Maybe you should have a word with Richard in the morning," Lizzy suggested as she began to undress for bed.

    "He doesn't want our interference," William stated firmly.

    "I know, but I'm sure that if he realized he had done something to leave Olivia in that state he would want to know about it. I can't imagine that Richard hurt her intentionally."

    "Maybe he didn't hurt her at all," William suggested, but Lizzy could imagine no other explanation. The couple turned in and, too distracted by the thought of the suffering friend, lay awake in each other's arms for some time. Meanwhile, down the hall, Olivia slept peacefully and dreamt of Richard storming the walls of the Darcy homestead and carrying her off into a world of unimagined bliss.

    Richard strolled into his parents' house with a dazed expression on his face. He headed straight for the stairs but was distracted by the sound of his mother's laughter. He followed the sound to the study and caught his mother and father in a compromising embrace in front of the Christmas tree. Richard leaned in the doorway and smiled as he watched them resume their slow dance to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas."

    "Richard!" Kathleen exclaimed when she caught sight of her son. Richard stirred then and went to kiss and hug each of his parents. "When did you come in? We were expecting you hours ago."

    "I was at Fitz's place," he said simply.

    "And did Olivia come up to Connecticut with them?" Kathleen surmised. Richard nodded, and Kathleen and Hugh shared an expressive glance.

    "Why don't you have her over tomorrow?" Hugh suggested. "Your mother and I would like to get to know her better." Richard nodded absently. He had slipped away as his parents spoke, although he was still physically present in the room. Kathleen looked past her son to her husband and recognized that look. Like his father before him, Richard had been struck by a thunderbolt. She kissed him on the cheek and gently pushed him toward the door. Richard didn't resist. He muttered good night and headed for his room. A moment later, he reappeared.

    "Uh, dad, may I have a word with you?" He glanced at Kathleen. "Man to man?" Hugh and Kathleen exchanged another glance.

    "Sure," Hugh replied, and followed Richard up to his room, leaving his mother to wonder what was afoot.

    Part 13

    Olivia opened her eyes and smiled at the morning. She crawled out from under the quilt and was somewhat surprised to discover that she was still fully dressed. She got up and stretched and the peeled off her clothes as she went to run a bath.

    Olivia was rather Spartan in her beauty regimes. She wore a minimum of makeup, jewelry, and the other trappings of femininity. Her only real indulgence was long, hot baths. She poured a little essential oil into the tub and slid in. It was her habit to meditate as she soaked, but she was already preoccupied with thoughts of Richard. She smiled as she remembered his kisses, his smile, the sound of his voice when he called her "his." Olivia indulged her memories without any of the angst or self-recrimination that had plagued her the previous night. When she stepped out of her bath, Olivia slipped into the thick terrycloth robe William had thoughtfully provided for her. Having chosen a robe for Lizzy, William spontaneously decided to give all his houseguests robes. A pair of matching royal blue monogrammed robes awaited Jane and Charles's arrival later that day. Olivia wouldn't have personally chosen the pale pink robe he had selected for her, but it did match the bedroom and once she pulled it on she was extremely grateful for it. She could live with a pink robe that felt like a velvety hug on a chilly morning.

    Olivia was slathering lotion on her legs when she thought she heard a faint, dull thudding sound. She paused, and then continued to apply lotion to her torso. She heard a second dull thud and turned toward the window. She tied her robe about her waist and went to investigate. The bottom half window in question was covered in snow. Olivia frowned and lifted up the sash. An instant later she was hit squarely in the face with a large soft snowball. Olivia shook off the snow and peered out the window to see Richard standing below the window looking back at her with a sheepish grin.

    "Sorry about that," he shouted with a disarming smile. Olivia turned her back to the window and shook the snow out of her robe. She dried her face on the collar of the robe and holding it closed around her neck, wiped away a bit of snow on the sill and stuck her head out the window.

    "Come out and play with me!" Richard entreated. Olivia put her finger to her lips, fearing he'd wake the entire household. It was not much later than 7:00 in the morning. She pointed to herself and then to Richard and gestured to the left. Somehow, Richard understood that she'd meet him out front. He nodded and trudged through the snow around the corner of the building. Olivia brought her head inside and closed the window, a crooked smile on her face. She quickly dressed in a turtleneck and jeans, and pulled on heavy socks over her tights. As she tied the laces of her hiking boots, she realized that her hands were shaking and her heart pounding, perhaps from nervous excitement but also a bit apprehensive about being vulnerable to Richard's spell again.

    "This can't be good," she feared. She stared at her hands for a moment and willed the trembling to stop. Having mastered control of her fingers, she pulled on a Fair Isle sweater, grabbed her hat, scarf, and gloves and went to the closet for her down jacket. In less than ten minutes, she opened the front door and stepped out into the early morning sun. Richard appeared quite harmless as he awaited her in a bright red scarf and a heavy woolen sweater; none of the smoldering passion that had so overwhelmed her the previous night was evident in his boyish smile. He was leaning against the hood of a cherry red Range Rover. It was a 2001 model, but at a glance it was essentially identical to the model he had presented to Olivia a day earlier. Olivia picked up a handful of snow and began to pack it into a ball as she slowly approached the vehicle.

    "Good morning," Richard smiled, unfazed by the implied threat. He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer. The snowball disappeared. When she opened her eyes again, Olivia gaped at her empty hand and thought that it likely that the snow had melted in the heat generated by Richard's kiss. Richard withdrew his hands from inside Olivia's down jacket and zipped it up.

    "Look what I got for Christmas!" Richard smiled, gesturing at the vehicle at his back.

    "But Christmas is still three days away!" Olivia replied, as Richard opened the door of the Range Rover for her.

    "My parents--bless their hearts--lack imagination. They hid this from me in my own parking space in the garage, if you can believe it. You've been invited to breakfast, by the way," Richard added as he painstakingly fastened Olivia's seatbelt and stole a brief kiss before he walked around to the driver's side and got into the Rover. "Since they never break their fast before eight, we'll take the scenic route to the house." Richard drove down the road a bit then took an overland route into the wooded area of the Darcy/Fitzwilliam property. As they rode along, Richard continued his tale.

    "When I got home last night and went to put the Merc in the garage, I found this in my space. For a minute, I thought we had company. I went in and asked my dad about it and he spilled the beans."

    "He obviously didn't mean to keep it a secret if he put it in your parking space," Olivia reasoned. Richard shook his head.

    "Dad drove it home from the dealer yesterday and he meant to have it moved, but he forgot," Richard chuckled. "I think the deal was that dad originally planned on getting himself a new Range Rover and giving me his old one. But he chickened out. I think there's some history to the old girl that he isn't telling," Richard mused. He shot a sideling glance at Olivia before he made a sharp turn. The ground abruptly dropped out from under the Rover. For a few seconds it was airborne and Olivia screamed. The Rover hit the snow solidly and continued down the steep slope. When they reached its base, Olivia stopped screaming and Richard executed a crisp 180-degree turn and stopped. Her eyes grew even wider.

    "You aren't going to drive back up that thing, are you?" Olivia panted, clutching her pounding heart. Richard threw back his head and laughed as he turned off the ignition.

    "Welcome to Suicide Hill." Olivia arched a brow, but Richard's smile was infectious. Richard leaned over and challenged her. "Want to do it again?"

    "Don't push your luck!"

    "It snowed again last night!" William cried enthusiastically as he peered out the window. He turned and looked back at the bed where Lizzy continued to sleep soundly. William smiled wickedly as he carefully opened the window and grabbed a handful of the white powdery ice. He tiptoed over to the bed and froze in his tracks when Lizzy stirred. When she settled again, William continued his stealthy approach. He slowly pulled back the covers and let the melting snow drip onto Lizzy's bare shoulder. But to William's disappointment, Lizzy didn't react. She didn't even flinch. Stunned, William returned to the window for more snow. He scooped up a handful and began forming a snowball in his bare hands. He grinned as he prepared to make his second assault, but when he turned, Lizzy was gone. She had disappeared into the master bath. William heard the door slam to and Lizzy's laughter emanating from behind the door.

    "Hey! Get out here, you coward!" William cried as he hefted the snowball.

    "I know you admire my legs far more than you admire my brains, but give me a little credit," Lizzy retorted. William smirked. He went back to the window for more snow.

    "I think you have me confused with my cousin," William called back. "He's the leg man in the family. I'm the--."

    "You're the what?" Lizzy poked her head out of the bathroom. From the sound of William's voice he had left his position at the door. But William, standing a few feet away, had caught the change in the sound of her voice and he drew back his arm to make his pitch. A snowball smacked into his bare chest before he could throw, however, taking him completely by surprise and totally ruining his aim. His snowball landed a foot to the left of the bathroom door and slid down the wall. William stared at Lizzy openmouthed.

    "What? Didn't you know that your bathroom had windows?" Lizzy smiled archly. She reached back into the bathroom and grabbed a towel. She walked over to where William stood, still gaping at her in disbelief, and wiped the wet spot on his left pectoral. William closed his mouth and took the towel from her. Lizzy shrugged insouciantly and turned her back on William, who took the opportunity to snap the towel at her rear end.

    "Get dressed!" he demanded as he watched her jump. "We're going outside."

    "Now that I have your undivided attention," Richard said, "There's something very important I'd like to discuss with you." Olivia furrowed her brows.

    "Like what?"

    "Like the future. Our future," Richard added, with emphasis. He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a small box. Its robin's egg blue color told Olivia immediately that it came from Tiffany's.

    "Richard--."

    "Open it," he insisted. Olivia took a deep breath and undid the white ribbon. She cautiously pulled back the lid of the box and peeked inside. She saw a black velvet box and caught her breath. Olivia shook her head vigorously and put the box down on the dashboard. Richard was aghast.

    "Before you say anything, Livy, hear me out."

    "No, Richard. I don't think we should even begin this conversation..."

    "I love you..."

    "We've been on exactly one official date..." Olivia couldn't say more. She had heard Richard's declaration even as she tried to prevent it with her own. Her mouth fell open.

    "...And I want to marry you," Richard said simply. Olivia had dreamed of the moment she might hear those words from his lips, but now she felt compelled to silence them.

    "You don't even know me yet, Richard! I'm very flattered and maybe someday I'll be able to accept this, but it's way too early to even think about marriage." Olivia could barely bring herself to meet Richard's eyes. She knew that what she had to say would hurt him. She, too, felt the pain of rejecting his suit. But Richard, although shaken by her reaction, was determined.

    "Why? I already know what I want. I always swore that I would never consider marrying until I could find what my father did: someone who would make me the happiest man alive. You do that for me, Livy."

    "I'm not your mother, Richard," Olivia replied, her head bowed. Richard gently lifted her face.

    "I don't want to marry my mother. I want to marry you. I love you, Olivia."

    "A few months ago, you thought you were in love with Lizzy," Olivia declared, and immediately regretted it. She averted her eyes from his. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." But Richard didn't flinch.

    "It's all right. You have every right to bring that up. I guess I was in love with her, a little. But that's over. It was never meant to be. I never wanted it to be. I don't think I ever knew what I really wanted until I met you." Olivia folded her arms and stared out at the snow. She cursed her luck. How could this have happened? The man of her dreams comes into her life, declares his undying devotion, presents her with a ring, and she's in no way, shape, or form ready to accept. She knew that she was right to refuse, but hurting Richard was the last thing she wanted to do and she feared saying something that might make her rejection something he could not recover from.

    "Does this have anything at all to do with your family?" Richard firmly denied that his family had influenced him at all. "So you just woke up yesterday with a sudden urge to propose marriage. I'm assuming it was yesterday; you couldn't possibly have gone to Tiffany's this morning," she said with a hint of unintended sarcasm.

    "Actually, I came to my decision on Tuesday." Olivia turned to meet his eyes.

    "So this wasn't a spontaneous decision. It's an idea of four day's duration." She bit her tongue to stop herself. She didn't mean to sound so bitter; she felt extremely frustrated and uncomfortable. She wanted to get out of the Rover and run, but she couldn't bring herself to move. Moreover, Olivia didn't want to leave Richard. She wanted to stay and talk to him. She needed to make him understand how she felt, the position he'd put her in. She took a deep breath.

    "You know what you want, and I respect that. I'm even... But did you stop to think about how I'd take this? How did you expect me to react to this?"

    "To be completely honest, I didn't really give much thought to your reaction," Richard admitted guiltily. "I guess I hoped that you would feel the same way I did. I never meant to imply that we'd have to get married right away. I just felt a need to make my commitment to you now. Somehow that suddenly seemed really important to me." He stared at the box on the dashboard as he spoke. Olivia could almost hear his heart breaking.

    "Richard, I can't--." He turned his eyes to her and Olivia had to look away. His pain was palpable. She took his hands in her own and stared at them as she considered her next words with extreme care. Above all else, he had to hear the truth.

    "I have a confession to make," Olivia said with a tiny smile. "I fell in love with you the very first time I saw you. You remember that day," she said wistfully. "I came outside and saw you sitting on my porch. Something happened...I can't explain it, but I've been in love with you ever since." She stole a glance at Richard, whose face had brightened considerably. "But that doesn't mean that I'm ready to rush headlong into something we may not be ready for." Olivia looked up again and saw Richard gazing into her eyes very calmly. He meant it. She knew that he was absolutely convinced of what he was saying. But that gave her only a little comfort at the moment. "If you were to ask me six months from now, or three, or even two weeks from now, I might answer differently. But it's just too soon, and I don't think either of us--," she looked into his eyes again. "I don't think I am ready, as much as I want to be." Olivia heard Richard breathe, as if he'd been holding his breath all that time.

    "Here," she said, taking the box and restoring its lid before carefully placing it in his hands. "Hold onto this for a while. I'll want it back someday." She smiled reassuringly, but Richard didn't want it.

    "You hold onto it, and let me know when you're ready to make it official. All I ask is that you don't say no." Olivia had no intention of saying no to Richard's proposal-eventually, anyway-but she didn't want to accept the box. She gave in, however, not wanting to spoil their new understanding. She held it in her lap and retied the ribbon.

    "Why did you feel that you had to do this right now?" she asked out of curiosity.

    "I woke up on Tuesday knowing that I'd marry you someday. That's when I went out and got the ring. I didn't know exactly when I'd give it to you, but after last night..." Olivia raised an eyebrow and smiled.

    "Then you felt it, too." Olivia smiled crookedly. "I was afraid it was just me." Richard took her hand and pulled her closer. He cupped her cheek with his other hand and kissed her.

    "Was that it?" he asked with a sly grin.

    "Not exactly..." Olivia grinned, and made him try again and again until he got it right. Not surprisingly, they reached the house rather late for breakfast.

    "Where are we going? We haven't even eaten breakfast, yet." Lizzy cried as she followed William into the garage. She headed for the car, but William walked right past it and took a sled off a hook on the wall.

    "You'll thank me for that later, I think," William said cryptically, as he opened a rear door to the garage and led Lizzy out into the wooded landscape. The pair trudged across the freshly fallen snow, William with considerable ease and Lizzy slipping and sliding occasionally. William waited for her impatiently when she fell behind. "Will you stop playing around?" William smirked as she caught up with him.

    "Playing? I nearly went down that embankment head over heels!" William shook his head and took Lizzy by the hand. "Am I allowed to ask where we're going?"

    "Of course you are, dearest. I am not, however, required to answer you." Lizzy frowned.

    "Why not? And does your answer have anything to do with that sled?" William was ahead of Lizzy, but she caught a glimpse of the smile that spread across his features and felt a pang of dread. "How far are we going?" she asked presently.

    "We're here," William announced. Lizzy looked around. There was nothing "here" that she could identify. Just trees and bushes, lots of snow and tire tracks.

    "What is this place?" she asked as William pointed the sled in a particular direction and told Lizzy to get on. He mumbled something, but she didn't catch it. William repeated his order to get on the sled. "You know, you've been very bossy this morning, Will. What are you up to?"

    William physically placed Lizzy on the sled and began to drag it along the ground. Lizzy had to hold on, but she quickly decided that she preferred riding to walking. William stopped suddenly and stepped behind the sled. Lizzy felt a wave of panic rise in her belly and she understood what William meant about her being glad not to have eaten breakfast. She was afraid that William would push her down some hill (which she could not see) and let her go. But after pushing the sled a few yards, William threw himself onto the sled behind her just as it began to build momentum. Lizzy screamed and shut her eyes as the sled flew down the hill at breakneck speed. The ride was over before Lizzy had the heart attack she was expecting to take her life. She turned to see William, who had rolled off the sled as it hit bottom, grinning like a schoolboy. She glared at him.

    "Wasn't that fun?" he asked innocently.

    "If I had known the alternative I would have let you hit me with the snowball," Lizzy deadpanned. William stood and helped Lizzy to her feet.

    "Admit it-you had fun."

    "If I do, will you promise never to do that to me again?" William's face fell.

    "But you have to do it once a year! It's a Darcy-Fitzwilliam rite of winter," he reasoned.

    "My name is Bennet. B-E-N-N-E-T. Got it?" William pouted his disappointment. "All right. One more time, but that's it," Lizzy relented. William expressed his joy with a very warm kiss. He took Lizzy by the hand and led her back up the hill.

    "William, why are there tire tracks on this hill?" William looked down at the tracks that went about four-fifths of the way up the hill and then stopped abruptly. He looked around the area. There was no sign of a vehicle anywhere, where it had come from or where it had gone.

    Richard showed Olivia into the morning room, where his grandmother and parents were well into their breakfast. They smiled and rose when they saw Olivia.

    "Why hello, there!" Bess said as she opened her arms to embrace the new arrivals. "When did you get home, Richard?"

    "Very late last night, Grandma," he said as he bent to receive her kiss. "I looked in on you, but you were fast asleep."

    "And you didn't tell me that you were bringing your friend home with you," Bess continued, as she hugged Olivia.

    "Hello, Grandma Bess. I'm not staying here. I'm staying at William's house."

    "Whatever for? You should be here with Richard. He needs you close by." Olivia raised an eyebrow at Richard, who enthusiastically nodded in agreement. Kathleen and Hugh each gave Olivia a hug and Kathleen gave her son a warm hug and a look that told him that she'd spoken with his father. Richard smiled weakly, causing a look of alarm to momentarily cross Kathleen's face.

    "How have you been, Olivia? We had been hoping that Richard would bring you back for another visit sooner," Hugh smiled as he poured a cup of coffee for her.

    "Yes, and you should stay with us this visit. William has already had you as a houseguest. We only have the girls with us this time-and their families, of course-so there's plenty of room. Or Richard could have you over at one of the guest houses, if you prefer," Kathleen chimed in before Olivia could answer Hugh's query. Both Richard and Olivia blushed crimson at Kathleen's unintended gaffe. Richard took the seat between Olivia and his grandmother and tried to change the subject.

    "Livy has come over to help me wrap Christmas presents."

    "Oh, good. Fizz is all thumbs at wrapping," Kathleen revealed. "He could use a good woman's influence." Richard glared at his mother and tried to remember the last time he found her so embarrassing. She was being as subtle as a freight train. Richard turned his glare on his father, who shrugged guiltily.

    "You'll spend the day with us, won't you? You haven't seen much of the house; Fizz will give you a tour. And I understand from William that you're an accomplished chef. Perhaps you can help me finalize the menu for Christmas dinner," Kathleen continued.

    "When did you discuss her with Fitz?" Richard asked warily. He glanced at his father again.

    "I'd be delighted to help with the menu, Mrs. Fitzwilliam," Olivia said shyly, feeling a bit overwhelmed. It was apparent that she was being treated as a future relation. She fingered the box she still held in her lap. She nearly jumped when it was joined by Richard's hand.

    "Call me, Kathleen, dear. After all--."

    "Thanks for the Range Rover, mother," Richard declared to prevent his mother's next words. "It handles like a dream!" Kathleen paused mid-sentence and looked at her husband with displeasure.

    "You left it in the garage? Hugh!" she cried reproachfully. Hugh looked back at her a bit sheepishly. Satisfied, Richard smiled to himself as a servant placed a serving of Eggs Benedict before him. He squeezed Olivia's hand and released it so he could dig into his meal.

    The second trip down the hill was less pleasurable for Lizzy. She was ejected from the sled halfway down the hill and she rolled in the powdery fluff for several yards before she came to a stop. It took her a moment to get her bearings and catch her breath.

    "Lizzy!" William cried. He leapt from the sled and scrambled up the hill towards the still form of the woman he loved. William swore to himself as he slid back down several feet. He was out of breath, near panic as he attempted a second assault of the steep hill. He couldn't help remembering the time Matt had been thrown from a sled and suffered a broken arm. William kept his eyes trained on Lizzy. He saw no movement, no signs of consciousness.

    "Dear God!" William panted. "Please let her be all right. Please! Lizzy!" Lizzy wanted to roll over onto her back, but as she started to move she considered that this might be her chance to guarantee that she'd never be made to ride down Suicide Hill again. The ground beneath her was freezing, but she lay still and waited for William. He was drawing near. Lizzy was certain that William would be furious at her for deceiving him, but if she played her cards right... "Lizzy!" William whispered. He carefully turned her over and brushed the snow from her face. William bent over and checked her carotid artery for a pulse before he began to feel each of her legs and arms for signs of injury. Lizzy couldn't stand it; William's examination tickled. She smiled briefly, but William noticed. He abruptly dropped her leg and Lizzy began to laugh. William glared at her indignantly for only a second. In truth he was so relieved to find Lizzy unharmed that he fell beside her in the snow, laughing in relief. Lizzy rolled over on top of him.

    "Mmm. That's so much better. It was cold on the ground," she smiled before she kissed him. William was not so absorbed in kissing her that he was incognizant of the cold. He soon got up and helped Lizzy to her feet. He bent over and brushed snow from Lizzy's clothing.

    "Are you sure you're not hurt? You gave me quite a fright." William asked, still concerned as he continued to fuss over her.

    Lizzy smiled archly.

    "In that case, we're even," Lizzy retorted. "Oh, and William?"

    "Yes, my love?" William asked absently as he glanced up at her. Lizzy gave William a quick, firm shove that sent him head over heels. She took off running. William was after her like a shot, wondering as he ran how exactly how many times Lizzy had managed to trick him that morning. He wanted to plot a fitting revenge.

    "Come on in and sit down," Richard said as he showed Olivia into the huge family room before he went off to get his presents. Olivia looked around before she took a seat. On her previous visit the room had been filled with people. Now she could see it unobstructed by Fitzwilliams. It was a huge room with a fireplace at one end. A fire was blazing in the hearth, in front of which two high-backed chairs were clustered. At the other end of the room, where Olivia sat, there were two sofas facing one another around an enormous coffee table. Richard reentered the room with a shopping bag and placed it on the table.

    "Do you think your folks would mind if I took off my boots and put my feet up in here?" Olivia asked.

    "I think my folks would be deliriously happy if you treated this place like your own home," Richard quipped. Olivia tugged at the laces of one boot and removed it. Richard lifted her other foot and did the honors.

    "So do you discuss everything with your family, or only major, life-altering events?" Olivia teased as she crossed her legs on the sofa. Richard rolled his eyes and sat down beside her.

    "I didn't discuss this with the family. I only mentioned it to my dad. Apparently, he told my mother. And Grandma Bess has been talking about our marrying since about three minutes after she met you, if you recall."

    "But you did discuss it with your dad," Olivia repeated, as she snuggled next to Richard. He had picked up the Tiffany box from her lap and was looking at it bemusedly.

    "Yeah. My dad had a similar experience, you see. He proposed marriage to my mom after three months of staring at her from afar and exactly one week of dating."

    "So it's a family trait, spontaneous proposals" Olivia smiled as she took the box from his hand and laid it on the table. The both stared at it as they talked. "What did you tell him?"

    "That I was contemplating asking you to marry me and wasn't sure when I should pop the question."

    "What did he advise?" Olivia questioned, slightly amused.

    "He asked me when I wanted to ask. I said immediately and he said, 'Then I think you'd answered your own question, lad.' He's not very big on expansive discourse when a simple answer works," Richard concluded. Olivia smiled, but then she thought of something.

    "Should I be insulted that you took so long to propose to me?" she asked, lifting her head from his shoulder to look him in the eye.

    "You wouldn't let me ask you out when I tried to, remember? You told me to go off and date well-endowed bimbos or something," Richard replied defensively. Olivia thought he looked adorable with a pout.

    "How did that go, by the way?"

    "It didn't. I spent the entire month at home, pining for you." Olivia's smile faded and she averted her eyes. Richard knew that she was thinking about the incident with Caroline.

    "Livy, about that night; I should explain."

    "You don't have to, Richard," Olivia began, still not meeting his eyes. Richard gently turned her face toward his own.

    "But I want to. I need for you to know the truth." Olivia sighed and Richard took the gesture as a sign that he should continue. "On the day of the incident, I went to see a client whose neighborhood network had been sabotaged by a disgruntled employee. The client was an old prep school buddy, so I went myself and took our head of tech support along. We got the system back online, but by the time we were done, I was beat. Instead of going home, I went to a place in my neighborhood for something to eat. Caroline--she's Charles's sister, by the way--found me at the restaurant. She had been upset that day. She had just learned about Jane and Charles's engagement--."

    "What? She didn't approve?" Richard shrugged.

    "I think what really bothered her about it was that in talking to Charles it came out that Lizzy and Fitz might be accompanying them to the altar. That sent Caroline into a tailspin. She's had a thing for Fitz for as long as I can remember." Richard shifted a bit uncomfortably. "Actually, I can remember. Caroline used to have a thing for me several years back. She was cured of it when I finally convinced her that I was patently uninterested. She subsequently found some old guy, married him for his money and became a very rich widow when he kicked the bucket six months later. After that, she set her sights on my dear cousin and he's been something of an obsession with her ever since. Anyway, after she talked to Charles, she got extremely depressed and went out on a long walk. She saw me sitting in the restaurant and came in. I ate, we talked, and she drank-a lot. I thought I should take her home. Caroline lives about three blocks away from me, so it was not a hassle." Richard paused momentarily. "I've only just begun to remember the details of what happened that night. I also confronted Caroline about it and she corroborated my story." Olivia sighed once more and Richard plunged on.

    "I got her up to her place. She asked me to spend the night with her and I refused. She blamed it on Lizzy...began saying things about Lizzy getting all the men she wanted, or something like that. I just wanted to get home, so I turned to leave. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital with Doctor Fields looking into my eyes...I wonder if she got my Christmas card?" Richard questioned suddenly. Olivia looked at him and he remembered himself and continued his tale. "According to Caroline, she picked up the first thing that came to her hand and threw it at me. She claims she didn't mean to hit me." Olivia turned toward Richard again and ran her finger lightly over the tiny scar that could barely be seen beneath a strand of blond hair.

    "How is your head, lately?" Olivia said softly. Richard claimed her fingers in his hand and kissed them.

    "Never better," he smiled.

    William had lost sight of Lizzy and he grew worried. It occurred to him that in the thousand-plus contiguous acres of the Darcy-Fitzwilliam compound, Lizzy could get quite lost. He looked about frantically as Lizzy snuck up behind him. William was genuinely concerned. He had not seen her for several minutes. He called her name out loud. Lizzy let out a "whoop" and ran at him. William turned in time to be tackled head on.

    "You called?" Lizzy said breathlessly. William smiled back at Lizzy. She looked so beautiful, so...wicked. As William smiled back at her, he added yet another trick to his rapidly lengthening list. He figured it would take the whole weekend to get his revenge. Nonetheless, he took advantage of the opportunity to kiss Lizzy, who abruptly pulled away.

    "Omigod! I forgot about Olivia!" she cried as she quickly clambered to her feet. "Will, we've got to get back to the house."

    "Why?"

    "I meant to check on her this morning. She'll probably wake up still feeling poorly after last night. I think I should be there for her." William promptly got up and they started back towards the house, which wasn't very far, since Lizzy had been running in that direction.

    "William, maybe you should have a word with Richard."

    "About what?" William asked ingenuously.

    "About Olivia! What do you think happened between them? Do you think they argued?" William didn't think it likely.

    "I doubt it." Lizzy frowned.

    "He must have done something."

    "Or maybe she did something..." William assayed bravely. For his trouble, he got a dirty look from his partner.

    "Livy was the one who was crying," William," Lizzy said exasperatedly.

    "How do you know that Richard didn't spend the night crying his eyes out?" William retorted. He knew it was a perverse notion, but he couldn't help himself. He had seen the look that Richard and Olivia had shared before she walked him out to get his coat. William could not be convinced that something bad had transpired between the pair. But he was genuinely mystified as to what had caused Olivia's tears.

    "Well, why don't you go hold Richard's hand while I see to Livy?" Lizzy snapped. She turned toward the garage and William stopped for a moment to think before he followed her. But instead of continuing into the house, he got into his Mercedes and headed to the Fitzwilliams' house.

    "Is that all you have to wrap?" Olivia asked. Richard shrugged.

    "All right, so I didn't need that much help. I just wanted some company, okay?" Richard admitted. "My grandmother's present is too big to wrap and so is my dad's. I bought my mom's present on a trip to Europe last summer and Grandma Bess helped me to wrap it ages ago. And to the extent possible, I try to get my presents wrapped where I buy them. That pretty much leaves your present and these." Richard emptied the contents of the bag onto the table: eight cellular phones of various hues.

    "Who are all those for?" Olivia asked out of curiosity. She picked up a box and pulled out a phone to examine.

    "These are for my family and there's one for you, too. They're the new type of phone that has text messaging and e-mail capability. I bought a selection; pick the one you want." Olivia opened each box and examined the color and features of each phone. She settled on a blue one and handed it to Richard.

    "Here. You wrap it for me," she said. Richard laid her phone aside and picked up two others. They were both red and he designated them for his twin siblings. He pulled out the paper and watched as Olivia began to unroll a length of paper with which to wrap them. "What about mine?" Olivia asked.

    "I want yours activated and programmed for immediate use," Richard said as he looked around for a pair of scissors, but could not find one. He left Olivia and went in search of a pair. Olivia stood up and stretched in the interim. She looked toward the far end of the room and headed toward the beckoning warmth of the fireplace. She reached the hearth and bent to feel its warmth. When she turned away she was shocked to find that Grandma Bess occupied one of the two chairs in front of the fire.

    "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't realize that there was anyone else in here," Olivia blushed, remembering what she and Richard had been speaking of earlier.

    "Why don't you join me for a few minutes, dear?" Olivia sat in the nearby seat. "I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but the acoustics in this house are excellent. Did I understand correctly? Has Richard proposed to you?" Olivia nodded mutely. Bess eyed her suspiciously. "You aren't exactly leaping for joy over it, are you?"

    "I haven't accepted him. It's too soon."

    "Too soon for what? I thought people your age jumped into relationships, jumped into bed, and jumped into and out of marriage in a heartbeat!" Bess laughed.

    "Not me; I'm kind of an old-fashioned girl. I believe in taking things one step at a time," Olivia said.

    "How refreshing, and how ridiculous!" Olivia's mouth fell open. "I could understand if you were afraid of commitment, but you and Richard already have a commitment. You were meant for each other and you know it. I saw you two holding hands at the table. What was in that box?" Olivia shook her head and smiled. Bess was as sharp as a tack.

    "Richard gave me a ring this morning."

    "May I see it?" Olivia hesitated.

    "I haven't seen it myself yet." Bess looked at Olivia as though she had sprouted a third eye.

    "Good lord, child! Why ever not?" Bess exclaimed. Olivia shrugged.

    "I...I guess I was afraid. I thought that if I saw it, I might not be able to refuse," she explained, aware that her excuse was very weak, even to herself. She rose and went to retrieve the box. She sat down again, holding the box in her hands.

    "Shall we take a peek at it before he comes back? I don't know about you, but I'm dying of curiosity," Bess said conspiratorially. Olivia gave her a wry smile and nodded. She undid the ribbon and opened the box with trembling fingers. She pulled out the black velvet box and was about to open it when she heard Richard's voice outside the room. It died away, as though Richard had been about to enter and then was called away. Olivia glanced at Bess, who nodded. Olivia took a deep breath and lifted the lid. She caught a glimpse of the ring and snapped the box shut with another deep breath. Bess raised her eyebrows.

    "It can't be that bad! Richard has excellent taste." Olivia had covered her mouth with one hand, too moved to speak. She simply handed the box to Bess, who opened it eagerly. Inside she saw a delicate band of tiny diamonds set in platinum.

    "I wouldn't call that a traditional engagement ring," Bess frowned.

    "It's beautiful," Olivia managed. "And it's not a traditional ring, but it's perfect," she whispered, tears in her eyes.

    "There, there child. Don't go all weepy on me. Richard will be back in a moment and I can't have you blubbering all over the place." Bess closed the box and resealed it while Olivia attempted to compose herself. She wiped at her eyes when she heard voices in the hall again.

    "What are you doing here so early?" Richard asked William when he encountered him in the hall.

    "I stopped by to see if...I wanted to know what your plans are for today," William adjusted his original thought. He had been sent on a fool's errand. Richard was obviously fine and there was no point of William making a complete idiot of himself.

    "Oh, well, Livy and I are going to wrap presents, and then I think we'll probably spend some time playing with the trains, if she's interested. If not, I guess we're up for anything, though I think mom wants her to hang out here today," Richard replied easily. William didn't quite know how to proceed. He wasn't sure if he should tell Richard about what he and Lizzy had seen last night.

    "Have you spoken to Olivia this morning?" William asked as he unzipped his jacket.

    "Yes, quite a bit," Richard smiled. "She's been here over an hour." William raised his eyebrows. "Not a very observant host, are you? Maybe I should have left a ransom note when I kidnapped her right from under your nose this morning," Richard chuckled as he headed back toward the family room. William pulled off his jacket and followed, wondering whether or not he should call Lizzy with this news. As the cousins reached the door, Kathleen came downstairs and greeted William.

    "Fitz, you get more gorgeous every time I see you," she laughed as she gave him a hug and kiss.

    "I could say the same thing about you, Aunt Kath," William replied gallantly. The pair made small talk and Richard stood by and listened. In the family room, meanwhile, Bess was telling Olivia the story of her daughter's engagement to Hugh Fitzwilliam.

    "Richard's correct. His father did propose prematurely. But Fitzwilliam men are quite decisive; Hugh knew what he wanted and he wasn't shy about speaking up about it."

    "You told me at Thanksgiving that they weren't allowed to marry right away."

    "No. My husband wasn't about to have some penniless nobody run off with one of his daughters. He made them wait until Hugh had made something of himself. You and Richard won't have that problem."

    "No, in this case I'm the penniless nobody," Olivia laughed. Bess reached out and took Olivia's hand.

    "No, dear. You mean the world to him. I've watched him with you. I've discussed him with you since we met. You aren't a nobody; I couldn't agree with you less, on that point." The door opened at that point and Richard entered the room.

    "Look who I found," he said, as William followed him. "Livy?" he looked around. Olivia and Bess rose from their places at the far end of the room.

    "Good morning, William," Olivia smiled. Bess went forward to hug her grandson. "What are you doing here so early? Is Lizzy with you?" William reddened slightly as he sought a plausible answer.

    "I was out doing a few things this morning and Lizzy suggested that I check in with Fitz as to his plans today," he dissembled. "Since I was in the neighborhood, I thought I'd stop by."

    "Why don't I give Lizzy a call and have her join us here?" Richard suggested. "Then we can all figure out how to pass the day." Richard stepped out of the room and William took a seat on one of the sofas. Olivia quietly slipped the box--which she had been holding behind her back--into Bess's hand. Bess looked at her questioningly, but took it, and excused herself from the room. Olivia went to join William. As she sat down opposite him, Richard came back. He tossed a cell phone at William.

    "Heads up. This was ringing when I passed the closet," he explained. "It's probably Lizzy looking for you." William opened the phone and, as Richard expected, Lizzy was on the other end of the call.

    "William, Olivia's not here. She must have gotten up early. She took a bath; I can tell from looking around, but she's not here. She's probably off somewhere wandering around like she did on her last visit. But there wasn't any snow last time. She might lose her bearings and get lost--."

    "Lizzy? Lizzy!" William tried to get a word in edgewise as Lizzy raved on, worried about her friend. "Lizzy? I know where Olivia is right this minute." He smiled at Olivia. "She's right in front of me. I'm at Richard's. Yes; apparently she was kidnapped by a suspicious character, but she seems to be none the worse for wear." William listened for a few seconds and then handed the phone to Olivia.

    "Hello, Lizzy," Olivia began.

    "Are you all right?"

    "Of course, I'm all right. Why shouldn't I be?" Olivia asked innocently.

    "You were very upset last time I saw you. I thought that maybe you and Richard had fought, or something." Olivia laughed at Lizzy's confusion.

    "Fought? Nothing could be further from the truth. Richard and William want you to come over and join us...I suppose the Fitzwilliams would be able to feed you," she glanced at Richard who nodded. William heard his stomach growl and remembered that he, too, had been out exercising on an empty tank. "Oh, of course." Olivia put her hand over the receiver. "William, Lizzy needs a ride."

    "I'm on it," William said as he rose. "Have her ready when I get there." He looked at Richard. "And have breakfast ready when we get back."

    By the time William returned to the house with Lizzy, Olivia and Richard had managed to wrap nearly all of the phones. William was fairly starving, so the four immediately repaired to the morning room. Lizzy grabbed hold of Olivia's sweater, however, and held her back as she approached the door.

    "What's up?"

    "Are you all right?" Lizzy asked, peering into Olivia's eyes for signs of distress. Olivia smiled.

    "I'm fine, Lizzy. Why should you think otherwise? And whatever made you think that Richard and I had a fight?"

    "You ran into the house last night and hid in your bedroom crying! What else was I supposed to think?" Olivia eyed Lizzy incredulously. She had to admit, however, that to outward appearances, Lizzy's read of the situation was plausible.

    "We didn't fight. I was just a bit...emotional last night," Olivia struggled for the right words. Lizzy's eyes grew wide.

    "Really!" She moved in closer and lowered her voice. Behind her she could hear Richard and William engaged in a lively discussion about Suicide Hill. "Has something happened between you and Richard that I should know about?"

    "Operative words: 'That I should know about'." Olivia paused for emphasis: "No!" Lizzy gave her a pleading look.

    "You've never kept secrets from me until now. I'm only interested in my best friend's happiness. You and Richard must be making some sort of progress." Silence. "Are you at the hand-holding stage yet? Has he even kissed you?" Lizzy persisted. Olivia's smile gave her away.

    "Oh, yes. He has kissed me--he's rather good at it--but I suppose I don't have to tell you that," Olivia said impishly. She turned and started to enter the morning room, but Lizzy pleaded one last time.

    "That's it? You were 'emotional,' you cried yourself to sleep and...?"

    "And I want another cup of coffee," Olivia replied mildly as she turned toward the morning room. But instead of moving on, she paused. "You know, Lizzy, I never thought of you as nosy until I went out with Richard Fitzwilliam," Olivia teased.

    "I just want to see the two of you happy," Lizzy said.

    "Oh? Does that mean that you're finally over your guilt about Richard? Tell me something, Lizzy," Olivia said, deftly turning the tables on her lifelong friend, "If you could go back in time, say to early October, before you and William got involved. If Richard hadn't backed out of the picture-- if he had wanted you--might you have chosen differently?" She left her question hanging in midair, like a feather wafting its way toward the ground. It landed squarely on Lizzy's conscience and it weighed on her mind as she followed Olivia into the room.

    The men had not stood on ceremony; William had already dived into his steaming bowl of Irish oatmeal topped with stewed apples. Richard was pouring coffee. The cousins were once again involved in a discussion of their grandmother's Christmas gift.

    "I set up an e-mail account for her," William said with his mouth half-full. "It's bfitzwilliam@darco.com." Richard frowned as he poured cream into his cereal. He apparently had no qualms about having a second breakfast.

    "I was thinking of something more exciting, like groovygranny@fitzfitz.com."

    "She hates being called granny and you know it," William sneered. Olivia chimed in on the discussion.

    "Fitzwilliam? How can Grandma Bess be a Fitzwilliam?" Olivia asked.

    "Fitz's family is Fitzwilliam on both sides," William explained. "But his mother's side is Irish and his father's is Scottish. The Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam name of our company describes his family as well as it does the two of us."

    "Oh? " Olivia took in this information for a moment before she continued. " How about grandmabess@fitzfitz.com. She can't object to that. In fact, if you give her both addresses, she can use one for her grandchildren and great grandchildren and the other for more businesslike applications."

    "I love this woman; she's brilliant!" Richard cried. "Let's do as she says, Fitz." William, who thought nothing of Richard's exclamation, readily agreed. Olivia started at Richard's outburst and hid her blush behind her cup of coffee. Lizzy, however, looked at Richard with great interest.

    Lizzy couldn't help pondering Olivia's question. William was definitely her soul mate, and she wouldn't give him up for anything. Richard hadn't given her any choice between the two Fitzes, anyway. But there was a time when she was completely unwilling to give William a chance. Had Richard made his move then...

    "I wonder where Lizzy is right now," Richard said with a nudge to William. Lizzy was staring at the two men, who sat side by side at the end of the table, Richard in his father's customary place and his cousin beside him. But Lizzy's mind was obviously a million miles away. William glanced at Lizzy and then exchanged a glance with his cousin and shrugged. He was more interested in his oatmeal than plunging Lizzy's depths at the moment. Olivia, however, had a fairly good idea where Lizzy's mind had gone, and she smiled to herself. There's no point even thinking about it, Lizzy. He's all mine! The thought rather pleased her, and she looked over at Richard, who was animatedly describing the features of his Christmas present. It was decided that they'd all go for a ride in the Range Rover after breakfast. William prodded Lizzy back into consciousness and she ate her oatmeal quickly. The party then went out into the hall to gather coats, hats and scarves. Richard went over to Olivia and carefully wrapped her scarf around her neck.

    "Hey, where's your box?" he asked softly.

    "I gave it to Grandma Bess for safekeeping. I didn't want to have to explain..."

    "That's probably wise," Richard whispered as he led her to the door. "But I kind of liked the image of you carrying it everywhere you go. It means you have to think about me." Olivia laughed.

    "What an ego!" But the truth was that Richard was rarely out of her thoughts lately. Of course, she wasn't going to tell him that, not with Lizzy eagerly attending to her every word and gesture. As the cousins examined the exterior of the Rover, Lizzy and Olivia waited impatiently. Finally, Olivia opened the door and got into the front seat. Impulsively, she slid over to the driver's side and beckoned Lizzy to get in. Lizzy grinned and hopped in. Olivia started the vehicle and drove off, leaving Richard and William behind in a flurry of slush.

    "Hey!" Richard sputtered. Olivia stopped the Rover about twenty yards down the driveway. Richard and William immediately ran to catch it. Olivia and Lizzy exchanged a glance and Olivia gunned the engine and drove fifty yards further.

    "That's Lizzy! I know it!" William panted as he ran down the road. "She's been in a funny mood all day."

    "Really?" Richard replied. "What do you think brought it on?"

    "Haven't the foggiest," William panted as the car took off and rounded a curve so that it was just out of sight. William grabbed Richard's sleeve and gestured for him to follow him off the road. They cut across the lawn area, hidden from view by a stand of evergreens. William spied the Rover and signaled for Richard to approach from one side, while he took the other. They snuck up on either side of the vehicle and opened the doors. To their amazement, the vehicle was empty. Richard and William stared at each other across the front seat. Richard heard laughter behind him and he gestured with his head for William to come around to his side of the Range Rover. Together the cousins crept into the bush on Richard's side of the road. They followed their ears to a small clearing. As soon as they stepped into it, they were bombarded by a flurry of well-aimed snowballs. The cousins wasted no time in ducking for cover and beginning their retaliation.

    "You do..." William was forced to pause when a snowball broadsided his left jaw. "You do realize that we're at a distinct disadvantage." He picked up a handful of snow and packed it.

    "We don't have proper snowball mittens, yet?" Richard asked, as he aimed and fired.

    "What? No. I was thinking that the problem," he was hit again, this time in the chest. "The problem is that we have no idea where the ladies are throwing from. I can't see them, can you?" Richard lifted his head and peered over the bush. His position afforded him greater protection than William's.

    "Ah. There." Richard didn't point to his target; instead, he lofted a large, firm snowball in a neat arc across the clearing. A second later he heard a female voice.

    "Hey!"

    "Hey, yourself, Bright Eyes!" Richard laughed as he tossed another. William raised his head and aimed. He spied Lizzy kneeling behind a bush at the edge of a clearing and fired. He was very satisfied with his results.

    "That'll cost you, Mr. Darcy!"

    "Oh, yeah?" Mr. Darcy took a third snowball, this time to his chin. He turned to his cousin. "Why aren't you being hit?"

    "I blend in better with the background, being fair of coloring," Richard said as he ducked and a snowball missed him by inches. "And your butt is half exposed." As if to prove Richard's point, a snowball promptly slammed into William's back. He heard Lizzy laughing, her voice carried on the wind. William fumed and made a super hard snowball.

    "Ow!!!" William laughed loudly.

    "Personal grudge?" Richard asked. William nodded. Richard, satisfied with that explanation, turned around and crawled away.

    "Where are you going?" William called in a stage whisper.

    "I've got a personal matter of my own to take care of." He snuck out of the bush and circled the clearing. He stealthily crept up on Olivia's position a few feet behind Lizzy. She was busy making snowballs. Apparently, Lizzy was doing all the throwing. Olivia lifted her head and saw Richard. She started to say something but Richard put a hand over her mouth and smiled. He gestured for her to follow him, and the pair crawled away, leaving Lizzy and William to their personal battle. They stopped at a point just to one side of the clearing, from which they had a fairly good view of the fray.

    "Hello, Angel," Richard said as he sat down and watched the volley of snowballs flying.

    "Hello, yourself." Olivia settled next to him and admired Lizzy's counterstrike.

    "Why'd you steal my car?" Richard asked nonchalantly.

    "Seemed like a good idea at the time," Olivia shrugged. "Am I in trouble?" Richard turned and looked at her.

    "Well, it's like this. On the one hand, what's mine is yours." He lifted her left hand in his right and kissed the back of her mitten. "But on the other..." He finished his sentence by lifting his left hand and throwing a handful of snow directly into Olivia's face. She let out a cry and toppled over backwards, trying to clear the stuff out of her eyes. When she opened them, Richard had disappeared. Richard crawled back into his spot beside William, who turned and noted his arrival.

    "How'd it go?"

    "Not bad," Richard said calmly. "How's it going here?" William growled.

    "I think my lady friend over there has some past life as an athlete."

    "Didn't you know? Lizzy pitched softball in high school and college." William turned to stare at his cousin. A snowball slammed into his cheek.

    "You seem to know a lot about her," William said somewhat suspiciously.

    "We spent our time together talking, Fitz," Richard explained simply. William averted his eyes and nodded.

    "Anything else I should know?" he asked.

    "She was apparently very good." William smiled ruefully.

    The fight went on for a few minutes longer until William stood up (and took another snowball in the chest) and declared a ceasefire. Lizzy came out from her hiding spot hefting a snowball.

    "Had enough?" she said sweetly. William smiled disarmingly.

    "My feet are cold," he lied. He took Lizzy by the hand, waiting for her to drop the snowball first, and led her back to the Range Rover. Olivia came out from behind the bush eyeing Richard warily. He smugly held up the keys to the car that he had pulled from her pocket. Olivia kept a slight distance from him as the four made their way back to the vehicle.

    "Want to drive it, Fitz?" William eagerly took the keys and the men claimed the front seats. Lizzy and Olivia got in quickly, lest the men repeated their stunt, and within minutes they were all back in the family room sitting in front of the fire with Grandma Bess.

    "I had no idea you were leaving today! When are you coming back?" Charles rolled his eyes and turned around to face his sister.

    "I'll be back in New York Sunday night to spend Christmas with you, Caroline. I promise." But she wasn't so easily satisfied. She folded her arms and pouted.

    "I know you; you'll go up there and start to have fun and forget all about coming back."

    "I will not! Look, Jane and I agreed on this. I'm spending Christmas in town with you," Charles said firmly. Caroline always seemed to be emotionally needy around the holidays. He understood that and was willing to make concessions for her comfort. Had it not been for her stupid stunt with Richard, she might have been welcomed among his friends in Connecticut. As it was, however, he could not even contemplate bringing her north, and so Charles was forced to split his holiday between his friends and his sister. It meant spending Christmas apart from his fiancée, a fact that angered him. He tried not to let it show as he finished his packing.

    "You've got a lot of clothes there for a two-day trip," his sister observed.

    "Caroline," Charles snapped. "Look. Jane is waiting for me in the car. Just let me get this done, will you?" Caroline backed away so that Charles could reach for his suit. He carefully laid it in the carry-on bag.

    "What do you need a dress suit for?"

    "It's for William's party tomorrow night," Charles said impatiently. He stowed the last of his items in the bag and zipped it shut. He turned to Caroline. "I have to go. You have my cell phone number if you need me; I'll call you later to check on you." He kissed Caroline on the cheek and picked up his bag.

    "You will call," she repeated, as they walked out to his car, where Jane sat behind the wheel. Charles hugged his sister reassuringly and put his bag into the trunk. A few minutes later the car was speeding along the highway on the road to Greenwich. Charles had been quiet since they left the city. Jane had left him to his thoughts, but now her curiosity got the better of her.

    "How is she?"

    "Still a little depressed. Not that I blame her. It's tough being alone during the holidays; you don't feel like you're a part of anything." Charles sighed. "It's her own doing, though. She's managed to alienate several people of late, and now she has to suffer for it. I hope things improve soon."

    "Me, too," Jane said. She reached out and took Charles's hand. He brightened and changed the subject.

    "Have you ever been to William's place in Connecticut?"

    "Yes, once...when you were visiting your folks in Europe, William had me up for a weekend of riding along with Gee and a few other friends."

    "Funny; I've spent a lot of time at Richard's parents' house, but I've never seen William's."

    "Well, I've never been to Richard's parents' house, but Gee told me that it was a fabulous place," Jane smiled. Charles's cell phone rang and he opened it to answer the call.

    "Hi, Richard. Jane and I were just mentioning you name."

    "I hope you weren't saying anything too awful," Richard chuckled.

    "Not at all. We're on our way up. At our current pace, we ought to be there in a half hour or so," Charles said as he consulted his watch.

    "Well, head for my place. Everyone is over here. We'll wait till you get here before we eat, so don't lollygag." Charles smiled as he put away his phone.

    "It looks like you're going to get your chance to see the Fitzwilliam estate. We've just been invited for lunch."

    Continued In Next Section

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