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"It's that Pratt party all over again, isn't it?" William smirked as Lizzy approached the tree. Lizzy glared up at him. William quickly straightened his face.
"What do you know about that?" she accused.
"I've learned a thing or two about Olivia since we met," William replied benignly, a smile creeping into his expression in spite of his best efforts. Lizzy eyed William for a moment, and then remembered that she herself had been the source of William's knowledge of the incident where all the women at a party were outshone by Olivia, who was dressed very differently.
"What are you so happy about?" she asked as William's smile widened.
"Aren't I allowed to smile in my own house?" William challenged. "Besides, I like the fire in your eyes when you're jealous."
"I'm not--" Lizzy stopped herself. She realized that William was baiting her. "I have to admit, she does look hot."
"Richard seems to think so." Lizzy wasn't fooled.
"So will every man who enters this house tonight." She changed the subject, turning back to the tree. "And don't think that I have forgotten what you did earlier today, Mr. Darcy." William raised an eyebrow, but his smile never wavered.
The three couples chatted for a bit before they rose to mingle with arriving guests. Olivia had her back to the front door when Matt Fitzwilliam entered with his brother David, and Tineke, followed closely by his parents. While David and Tineke and the Fitzwilliams went to greet their hosts, Matt went directly over to Olivia.
"Hello, beautiful." The voice was familiar, but this time Olivia was not fooled. Richard was ten feet away from her, frowning slightly.
"Hello, Matt," Olivia said, turning to meet his eyes, which in turn seemed to be devouring her. Olivia paled a bit and took a step back. "How are you?"
"I'm fine. There's obviously no need to ask how you are. I can see that you're doing very well." Olivia sighed at the clichéd response and noticed that Richard was rapidly closing the distance between them.
"I see that all your family is here. I should go and pay my respects." Olivia slipped away seconds before Richard reached Matt.
"Evening, cousin," Richard said with a hint of menace in his voice. If Matt noticed it, he didn't let it show.
"How's it going, Fitz? Looks like it's going to be a very nice party. He turned in the direction that Olivia had fled. "Very nice." Richard gritted his teeth and followed Olivia while Matt smiled.
"Ah, here's the happy couple," Stewart Fitzwilliam boomed. He enveloped Olivia in a bone-crushing hug and released her to embrace his nephew. "You two look very happy together, very happy. Have you made any wedding plans yet? You ought to book a date as early as possible, especially if you're planning on a June wedding."
"We aren't planning on a June wedding," Olivia answered with a glance at Richard. Matt, a short distance away, looked on at the scene with amusement. As far as he knew, Richard and Olivia were just going through the motions for his father's sake. He was so generous as to admit to himself that the pair made a very attractive couple, but he much preferred the idea of having Olivia to himself. After a brief discussion, during which both William and Lizzy watched Richard and Olivia with a degree of amusement equal to Matt's, the group separated. Richard escorted his Aunt Marjorie to a chair and William went to greet a few business associates, leaving Lizzy, Olivia, Tineke and David to talk. David offered to get Tineke something to drink, and she sent him off in search of a glass of wine.
"I can't get over the resemblance between those two," Lizzy said somewhat dreamily. "David looks like what William must have looked like at that age."
"Lizzy, you're drooling on the carpet," Olivia quipped.
"I can't say I blame her," Tineke admitted. "He is gorgeous." Olivia frowned and looked at Tineke.
"And exactly which 'he' are you speaking of?" Both Tineke and Lizzy looked over at David and William, who were talking to William's business associates at the bar.
"Him!" Tineke pointed vaguely, with a slightly wicked giggle.
"I see!" Olivia teased. "It's as I suspected. You went for the Darcy surrogate, the original being unattainable." Tineke didn't trouble herself to formulate a denial.
"I think I developed a crush on William when I was still in diapers," Tineke said. "When I met David I wanted to brand him with enormous letters across his chest that read, 'Don't even think about it! He's mine!'" Lizzy and Olivia laughed.
"A very wise choice," Lizzy approved. "I wish I knew William ten years ago," she sighed.
"Before he perfected all the charms he uses so effectively on you? I find that hard to believe," Olivia scoffed.
"Who knows? I might have been able to teach him a thing or two," Lizzy smiled.
"From what Jane and I heard this afternoon, William already has a few tricks up his sleeve." Lizzy reddened slightly, as William glanced toward the three women who were apparently staring at him. He had no idea what was being said, but when Lizzy blushed, William blanched. The three women quickly turned around and scattered to different parts of the room. But a few moments later, Lizzy met up with Olivia.
"Just out of curiosity, exactly what did you hear this afternoon?" Olivia waggled her eyebrows and walked away. Lizzy was left standing with her eyes wide, and was still in that state when William handed her a glass of wine.
"You look as though you need this. What's wrong?"
"How thick are the walls of this house?" William's face registered surprise.
"The outer walls? The usual, maybe a foot thick; why?"
"And the interior walls?" Lizzy persisted. William shrugged and repeated his question. "Just wondering," she muttered, resolving to be more discrete in future.
The house quickly filled with guests. Lizzy wondered if she could name as many people as there were in the two rooms and grand hallway. Amazingly, neither room seemed the least bit crowded. Lizzy slipped away from William and went into the hall where it was a bit cooler. She was facing the door when George and Sophia Knightley entered the house. George noticed Lizzy and immediately went to greet her.
"Lizzy, it has been too long. I have been hoping against hope that you would visit with Olivia again, but it seems that you have convinced her to visit you in New York instead," he said smoothly as he took hold of her hand. He seemed reluctant to relinquish it as she responded.
"Actually, I can only take partial credit for bringing Livy to New York. A number of things have conspired to make being in the city very desirable right now," Lizzy replied enigmatically, as she noticed William's approach. She started to pull her hand away, but did so only after she was certain that William had seen her hand in George's. She was rewarded with a tightening of William's finely chiseled jaw. William greeted George somewhat stonily, not that his guest noticed. His eyes rarely left Lizzy's face and she grew uncomfortable under his unceasing admiration. Lizzy noticed that Georgiana had come down the stairs and quickly excused herself to speak with her.
"Where have you been? No one has seen you in nearly an hour."
"I've been on the phone with Garren," Georgiana said dejectedly. "He's stuck in an airport in Boston."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Gee. Does he have any idea when he might arrive here?" Lizzy asked as she attempted to comfort the pouting woman.
"Tomorrow, if he's lucky. He could have walked here by that time. He said he might change his mind about flying entirely and just drive down. But either way, he's going to miss the party," Georgiana pouted. Lizzy walked Georgiana over to Tineke and Sophia while George and William continued to chat.
"I didn't realize that you knew Lizzy Bennet, Will," George said as he watched her cross the room with Georgiana.
"I know her quite intimately, George. In fact, I met her last summer, shortly before she visited Pennsylvania." Never one to tip his hand, William allowed George to speculate on the meaning of his words as he offered George a drink. William looked at Lizzy as he did so, and couldn't help wondering what had transpired between Lizzy and George. Suddenly, the game of teasing he had been playing all afternoon with her left a bitter taste in his mouth. It was amusing to joke about being jealous of Richard or Olivia. George Knightley was another matter entirely.
George had a well-established reputation as a womanizer even before his wife died. Since then, he was rumored to keep mistresses in both Philadelphia and Washington. William considered it a shoddy business; he wouldn't like to see Lizzy involved with the likes of George Knightley even if he wasn't involved with her himself. George entered the room and scanned the scene. His eyes alit on Olivia and he moved in her direction. William scowled distastefully as he greeted her with a hug. Richard was beside her and that seemed to keep George at bay, at least in William's mind. He admired George on many levels, but in his dealings with women, William had little respect for him.
Hugh and Kathleen Fitzwilliam arrived with Bess. William's mood brightened considerably as he went to greet them. Bess gave William a hug and quickly excused herself to have a word with Olivia. She pulled her away from her conversation with Richard and George (which Richard didn't mind; he didn't appreciate the way Knightley was ogling her) and led her to a corner of the room.
"I believe this belongs to you," Bess said as she pressed the Tiffany box into Olivia's hand. Richard saw the exchange and raised a questioning eyebrow as Olivia involuntarily stole a glance at him. She smiled weakly and chatted briefly with Bess as Richard continued to stare at Olivia. Bess left her and went to speak with her son Stewart. Olivia smiled at Richard and he smiled back, completely oblivious to what George was saying. George, for his part, had taken to staring at Lizzy again so he, too, had lost track of the conversation. Olivia was set to head upstairs with her precious parcel when she heard a small commotion at the door. She turned and saw Charles confront his sister Caroline, who had arrived, uninvited.
"What are you doing here, Caroline?" Charles demanded. Behind him, William shifted his feet uncomfortably. He looked for Richard, who was as yet unaware of the new arrival. He had extricated himself from George and was looking about the room, possibly for Olivia. Hugh and Kathleen, however, had spotted Charles's sister and their displeasure was self-evident. William was thus wedged between a rock and a hard place. He could play the gracious host to a woman who had traveled some distance in lousy weather to crash his party and in the process offend his closest relations, or he could throw her out and feel guilty for the rest of the evening and perhaps, ruin Jane's evening as well. He could see Jane in his peripheral vision, an expression of shock writ upon her beautiful face. Charles had pulled his sister to the side and was speaking with her. William heard nothing, however. His attention was riveted upon the feral gleam in his aunt's eye. At that moment, Hugh signaled Richard, who turned and looked at William. Richard casually strolled over.
"What's up?" he asked before he spotted Caroline. He took a deep breath. "Hello, Caroline," Richard said with forced calm, loudly enough to interrupt whatever Charles was saying to her at the moment. Caroline looked at Richard and blushed slightly, as though Richard's presence at the party had come as a total surprise to her.
"Hello, Richard," she managed. Richard bit his lip for a second.
"Why are you still in your coat?" he said with manufactured charm. "Aren't you staying?" Charles turned and glared at Richard, who looked back at him defiantly. Caroline slowly slipped out of her coat as Jane grabbed Lizzy's hand and pointed out the scene at the door. Richard calmly took Caroline's coat and handed it to a servant. "Why don't you go on in and join the party," Richard smiled. He put one hand on Charles's shoulder as if to convince him that he was indeed, not dreaming. Caroline raised her head and strode into the living room. Charles and Richard exchanged a glance.
"Are you sure about this?" Charles asked before William could ask the same question. Richard shrugged.
"So she's here...what harm could it do?" Richard turned and for the first time noticed Olivia standing on the bottom step on the stairs. She had not moved since she first spotted Caroline at the door. Richard walked over to her. "Do you have a problem with this?" he asked gently. Olivia shook her head.
"Not if you don't," she said, trying to manage a smile. But she didn't have Richard's gift for making light of awkward situations. She began to explain that she was going up to her room for a minute when Hugh and Kathleen came out into the hall with Georgiana.
"What do you mean, inviting that woman in here? Do you want her to finish the job she bungled last time?" Kathleen hissed. Richard sighed.
"Mother...dad, look. What was I supposed to do, make a scene and embarrass Fitz in front of his guests? It's almost Christmas, it's a party, and I doubt seriously that Caroline has any intention of going after my head again. Besides, what about all that 'turn the other cheek' crap you guys filled my head with when I was a kid?"
"Cheeks are one thing," Hugh growled. "Your skull is quite another." Richard pleaded with his parents to bear with Caroline's presence and they gave in, mostly for William's sake. But Kathleen resolved to make an early evening of it.
"Well, I'm not staying," Georgiana cried. "You may be able to forgive her but I never will. I'm having a bad enough evening as it is. I don't have to deal with her." With that, Georgiana ran up the stairs. Richard sighed and looked at Olivia.
"Are you sure you're okay with this? I should probably have consulted you--."
"I'm fine," Olivia said, although she really didn't feel fine. She felt a headache coming on and felt her heart rate begin to quicken; oppressed by all the negative energy around her, Olivia was on the verge of an anxiety attack. "I think I'd like a glass of wine, though," she said.
"At your service, madam," Richard smiled. He bowed and went in search of her beverage. Meanwhile Kathleen took Olivia's hand.
"Honey, you do look pale...are you sure you're all right?" Olivia nodded and Hugh insisted that Olivia come back into the party area and sit down. Olivia wanted nothing more than a few minutes' peace and quiet in her room, but she acquiesced to the ministrations of the doting Fitzwilliams. If nothing else, it kept them from thinking about Caroline.
Olivia allowed the Fitzwilliams to lead her to a small settee. Kathleen sat down beside her while Hugh joined a conversation with a few of his neighbors who were standing nearby. After a minute or two, Kathleen impatiently took off in search of her errant son, leaving Olivia--for the moment, at least--blissfully alone. She tried to push back the anxiety that had gripped her moments earlier. She had periodically experienced anxiety attacks since her adolescence, but it had been a while since she'd had one. Olivia chalked it up to Caroline's unexpected appearance. She watched Caroline circulate the room. Apparently, few among William's guests were aware of her recent run-in with Richard and Caroline seemed fairly popular. Olivia didn't realize that she was staring at Caroline until Matt brought it to her attention.
"Don't tell me that you're jealous of Caroline? If you ask me, she's no competition at all! Of course, Richard may not share my opinion, but he'd be crazy to disagree with me. Especially the way you look tonight," he said smoothly.
"Gee, thanks," Olivia deadpanned. At that moment, Caroline swept by the pair and Matt reached out and caught her by the arm.
"Do you two know each other?" he asked innocently. "You should...you have something in common." Olivia glared menacingly at Matt while Caroline looked at Olivia without a hint of recognition. She had paid no attention to her that day at the hospital. But Caroline's features were permanently etched in Olivia's consciousness.
"Caroline Bingley, Olivia Crenshaw." Caroline extended her hand and gave Olivia a weak handshake.
"Pleased to meet you," Caroline said. "I was admiring your outfit from across the room; I've never had the courage to pass off a casual look at a formal affair," she said smugly.
"Oh, that would explain why you're overdressed; it's not a formal affair. My invitation said, 'dress optional.' Didn't yours?" Olivia countered with a saccharine smile as she rose to her feet. "And don't believe Matt for a minute; we have nothing in common. I have too much self-esteem to show up where I'm not wanted." With that, Olivia walked away, leaving a stunned Caroline and a very impressed Matt Fitzwilliam. Olivia found Jane a short distance away and grabbed hold of her arm. Alarmed, Jane asked what was wrong. Olivia was dizzy and nearly panting. A gentleman rose and offered Olivia a seat, and that is where Kathleen found her a minute later.
Lizzy glared at William, who stood near the entrance to the family room. She was angry, mostly on Richard's behalf, and William was made to feel the brunt of it. He sighed as Lizzy vented her spleen.
"What does she mean, barging in here like that? I can't believe she had the audacity to show her face here after what she did to Richard! Not to mention that she ruined Jane and Charles's holiday plans! If she thinks she's spending the rest of the weekend--." Lizzy hissed.
"Lizzy, please," William protested. "You're absolutely right. She has no business being here, but Richard was gracious enough to invite her to stay and we should respect his decision." In truth, William was as angry as Lizzy was about Caroline's stunt, but he was grateful for Richard's magnanimity in making her welcome, however insincere the gesture. William sighed as he watched Lizzy walk away, her hands balled into fists. For his own part, William was determined to make it through the evening as painlessly and as pleasantly as possible, even if it meant trying to forget that the woman who very nearly killed his cousin was in his home.
William did a turn of the first floor, peeking into the kitchen, where Mrs. Reynolds was supervising the catering and event staff with military precision. He went through to the family room, across the hall, and into the living room, seeing to comfort of his guests as he went. William could not remember the last time the house was so full of life. He looked upon this night as an experiment, a glimpse into the future he intended to share with Lizzy. Someday, perhaps even next Christmas--if William had his way--Lizzy would take her place as mistress of Darcy House. He looked forward to a time when the house would once again be home to a family; not simply brother and sister, but a husband and wife and children. William couldn't wait to share Christmas at Darcy House with his own children. No sooner did William smile at the thought than he was confronted with the sight of George Knightley talking in a corner with Lizzy. William did a slow burn, although he realized that he had no reason to believe that Lizzy would succumb to George's brand of superficial charm. But as he turned away and went back to the other room, the image remained emblazoned on his mind.
Kathleen, meanwhile, sat beside Olivia and took the glass of wine that Richard offered. She glared at her son, offended on Olivia's behalf that he had allowed Caroline onto the premises. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Olivia was affected by it, for all that she insisted that she just had a slight headache. Richard, however, was seemingly clueless as to the true nature of Olivia's distress.
"Olivia, would you like to come back to the house with us? Hugh and I are leaving. Very soon," she emphasized with another glare for her confused son.
"Don't be ridiculous mother! Olivia will be fine in a moment. She said so herself. The night is young and I'm sure she wants to make the most of it."
"I'm sure you think so, Fizz. But have you considered what Olivia has been through tonight? And so close to the anniversary," Kathleen added. Jane had pulled Kathleen aside and told her about Olivia's father, and in a rare lapse of tact, Kathleen had thoughtlessly blurted it out.
"I know exactly what she's been through, mother," Richard said with a tinge of annoyance in his tone. "I can take care of her." Kathleen rolled her eyes but when she spoke, she did not gainsay her son. The arguing pair had completely ignored the subject of their dispute. Olivia began to feel as though she was going to explode.
"Olivia is quite capable of making decisions for herself, Fizz. She's not a baby, or a bimbo, like--." Olivia could stand no more. She abruptly rose to her feet. As she did so she connected with Kathleen's right arm, which sent a goblet full of red wine splashing down the front of her sweater set. Richard leapt to his feet but didn't quite know how to address the problem. Kathleen immediately grabbed the silk square from Richard's jacket pocket and began to dab furiously at the dark red stain. Olivia flailed her arms trying to prevent her but, being too upset to speak, she instead pushed her way past the pair and bolted from the room. Richard took off after her, but his mother caught up with him in the hall and grabbed his arm. He reluctantly watched Olivia reach the stairs and begin to climb before he turned back to the living room. Meanwhile, an alert servant moved in to clean up the wine that had spilled on the carpet. He looked up and saw the Tiffany box on the floor beside the vacated seat. He was about to reach out for it when a shadow fell over him.
"I'll take that." The servant handed over the box without a second thought.
Olivia was nearly at the top of the stairs when she felt someone reach for her hand. Olivia pulled away and turned to confront Matt.
"Oh! I thought you were--."
"Disappointed?" Matt smiled disarmingly.
"Not really," Olivia smirked. "I really don't care to speak to either of you just now." She turned to continue up the steps but Matt barred her path by placing his hand on the railing.
"Oh? Has Golden Boy been bad again ? Tsk, tsk, tsk," he smiled, shaking his head in mock sadness as Olivia glared at him. "I have to say, it was rather poor judgment inviting both of you to the same party, but I think you handled the situation very well." Olivia clenched her jaw.
"Would you excuse me?" she hissed through gritted teeth. She was tired of his games. Olivia wanted to be friendly with Matt; after all he was a member of Richard's family. She was initially flattered by his interest in her, but of late he seemed to be merely taunting her for some unknown purpose. Every time she encountered him, therefore, she liked him less and less.
"That's what I like about you, Livy--may I call you Livy? You have more class in one finger than--."
"If you don't move your hand this instant I'm going to shove one classy finger into your eye and throw you down these stairs!" Olivia looked down at her sweater and despaired of ever getting the stain out. Matt noticed the stain for the first time.
"Oh, you're going up to change," he smiled broadly. "Need any help?" Olivia was about to slap him when Matt suddenly moved his hand and stepped aside. Olivia turned and ran up the steps and into her room. She slammed the door shut behind her and pulled off the cardigan and camisole on her way to the bathroom. She turned on the cold water and plunged the set into the sink. She was seething with anger and fought back tears as she muttered to herself and scrubbed at the stain. She heard a knock at the door and looked up.
"Go away!" she shrieked, but the door opened. Olivia was topless, so she grabbed the bathrobe from behind the bathroom door and quickly put it on before she went to confront her interloper. To her surprise, it was Georgiana.
"Are you all right?" Georgiana said tentatively. She had heard the door slam and came to investigate. Olivia exhaled and flopped onto the bed. An indeterminate sound came from her throat, a mixture to laughter and tears, perhaps.
"No," she finally managed, and Georgiana sat on the bed beside her.
"Did you have a fight with Richard?" she asked gently. Olivia laughed again as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve.
"No," she sniffed. "Nothing like that. It's...oh it was just a combination of things. First, everyone is walking on eggshells around me because of my father, and then Caroline showed up and that bothered me more than I cared to admit, and then I ruined my sweater, and now Matt..."
"What about Matt?" Olivia just shook her head and she lay back on the bed.
"Can I hide up here with you?" she asked Georgiana after a minute.
"No." Olivia lifted her head to peer at the younger woman. "Come on, it wouldn't do you any good. How long do you think my family is going to stay downstairs? I'm surprised no one's knocked yet!" Georgiana smiled. Olivia laughed and pointed out that Georgiana herself was the first of the family to arrive.
"Do you think anyone would notice that I changed my pink sweater set for a fuzzy pink bathrobe? I don't think I have anything else to go with these pants," Olivia smiled. Georgiana rose to her feet.
"I'll tell you what. Come into my room and we'll find something for you to wear. And then we'll both go back down to the party." Olivia climbed off the bed and hugged Georgiana. They linked arms and went down the hall to Georgiana's room. When they emerged minutes later, they found Richard standing outside Olivia's door. Richard walked in her direction and Olivia met him halfway. Olivia stepped into Richard's waiting arms and Georgiana smiled at Richard and went downstairs.
"Are you all right?" Richard whispered as he kissed the top of Olivia's head. Olivia nodded. "I'm really sorry. Mother just pointed out to me what an idiot I am." Richard could feel rather than hear Olivia chuckling as she clung to him tightly. "You didn't have to agree with her, you know."
"I love you, anyway," Olivia consoled him, as she lifted her head and looked into his eyes. Richard beamed and took her face in his hands and kissed her. They stood that way for a few seconds of pure bliss. Suddenly, Olivia pulled away and shouted, "Omigod!" and flung herself down the stairs, leaving Richard--hands still cupped around the now vacant space--staring after her.
"Now I know how Prince Charming felt at 12:01," Richard said to no one in particular before he charged after her.
"I'm glad you decided to come back down," William said as he hugged his sister. "What changed your mind?"
"I realized that--in comparison to some--well, never mind. I just decided to come down," Georgiana replied. William squinted at her for a moment and then kissed her forehead.
"Well, I'm glad you did. You remember, Christopher Brandon, don't you?" Georgiana warmly embraced one of William's dearest friends and one of just a few that hailed from Great Britain, where he had spent his early childhood. William and Christopher had met at Eton, where Christopher was a year or two ahead of William. Christopher had taken the younger boy under his wing and the two had become lifelong friends. Christopher was also William's lifelong business partner and a silent partner in DARCO. He was to spend the holidays with William, who had specifically invited him to meet Olivia. But at the moment, Olivia was nowhere to be seen.
"Have you seen Olivia?" William asked Georgiana, who was engaged in discussion with Christopher.
"She's upstairs at the moment with Richard," Georgiana said with a wry smile. William took that as a positive sign. Just then Olivia came rushing down the stairs.
"Ah, here she is now," William began, but Olivia flew past him with just a glance in acknowledgment. "Well, you'll have all week to become acquainted," William said to Christopher somewhat sheepishly. "Right now, there's someone else I'd very much like you to meet." He steered Christopher into the living room, where Lizzy was speaking with Kathleen. Out of the corner of his eye, William saw Olivia looking about frantically and Richard arrive at her side, questioning.
"What's wrong?" Richard asked Olivia breathlessly. She had fled from him as if the world was coming to an end. Olivia seemed not to hear him. He took hold of her hand as she began to move again and followed her over to Kathleen. But as they neared Kathleen, she saw that she was engaged in conversation. Olivia put a hand to her throbbing head and turned to look for Jane. Richard tugged on her arm.
"Livy? What on earth is the matter?"
"Aunt Kathy, you remember Christopher Brandon."
"Of course! Hello, Christopher, it's so good to see you again," Kathleen said warmly as she took his hand. "I'm so glad you're back with us this Christmas."
"I wouldn't miss your Christmas dinner for the world, Kathleen," he replied with a smile. He turned his attention to Lizzy, who was looking at him with interest. She had heard William speak of Christopher, now she was finally about to meet him.
"Christopher, this is Lizzy Bennet. Lizzy, Christopher Brandon--one of my oldest and dearest friends."
"It's a pleasure to meet you at last," Lizzy said archly. "William has talked so much about you I was beginning to doubt that there was a real man behind the legend."
"Legend? There's a challenge!" Christopher cried. "I'll do my best to separate the wheat from the chaff while I'm here, Lizzy. William has been known to spin a yarn or two where I'm concerned," he said with a wary glance at William.
"I bet you have a few yarns to tell about William, yourself," Lizzy replied with a smile at William. He gave her a slightly alarmed look, which Lizzy found quite amusing. She was about to say something to that effect when George Knightley approached.
"Christopher Brandon! It figures that I would find you with the most beautiful woman in the room," he said by way of greeting. Christopher shook his hand.
"I cannot take credit for that. William was kind enough to introduce me to this good lady," he replied diplomatically.
"Yes, Will is always the gracious host, supplying an abundance of beautiful women for the amusement of us bachelors," George responded. All participants in the conversation took offense. Kathleen bristled at the sexist remark as did her nephew, and Lizzy was on the verge of telling George exactly what she thought of him, but it was Christopher who spoke first.
"If you're suggesting that Will invites women to his parties purely for their entertainment value, George, you're greatly mistaken. For example, I believe that Lizzy is here because William finds it impossible to exist without her by his side." He winked at Lizzy surreptitiously and she knew that she and Christopher--never Chris, according to William--were destined to be good friends. William put his arm around Lizzy and drew her close. She smiled lovingly into his eyes as the pair strolled away, leaving George red-faced. He smiled weakly and backed away as Hugh approached his mate and struck up a conversation with Christopher.
Richard finally succeeded in drawing Olivia to a quiet corner of the room. He had grabbed hold of both of her hands, lest she attempt to flee him.
"Now will you tell me what's wrong?" Olivia paled. She bowed her head and took a slow breath.
"I don't know how to say this, Richard, but I...well, when we were sitting in the living room earlier, I..." she felt light-headed, as though she couldn't get enough air. But she forced herself to continue. "You see, I had your ring with me...the box...it was on my lap and when I got up and the wine spilled and..." Richard furrowed his brows. He had an inkling as to where her story was headed and he didn't like it.
"Livy," he began. He let go of one hand and cupped her chin. "Look--."
"No, no, I have to explain this," she said as a tiny tear slid down her cheek. "I lost the..."
"Oh, there you are! I've been looking all over for you," Bess said. She took Olivia's hand and put the box firmly into it. "Kathleen told me that you'd taken ill. I was going to bring this up to your room, but I was told that you'd come back down to the party. Are you feeling better, dear?"
"I'm feeling much better, thank you," Olivia said with a heartfelt hug to the older woman. Richard smiled thinly as he looked on. Bess said a few words in Olivia's ear. She turned and patted Richard on the cheek and then she placed their hands back together as she'd found them and walked away. Olivia sighed in relief.
"I'm going to take this upstairs right now before anything else can happen to it," she said as she turned away. But Richard tightened his grip on her fingers. She stopped and looked back at him.
"I believe you were trying to tell me something," he said sternly.
"I was trying to tell you that when I went upstairs earlier I accidentally dropped the box," Olivia revealed. "Thank goodness Grandma Bess found it. It would have been awful--."
"What were you doing carrying it around the party, anyway?"
"I wasn't 'carrying it around the party,' Richard. Grandma Bess brought it here and gave it to me when she arrived. I was on my way upstairs with it when Caroline came in and your parents dragged me back into the living room."
"Oh. So this isn't the first time you've gone off and left it behind," Richard retorted. Olivia's mouth fell open.
"I told you yesterday that I gave it to her for safekeeping when William came in!" she said in a stage whisper.
"And you didn't think to bring it back here with you?" Richard challenged.
"No...all right, I forgot to get it back from Bess yesterday. She went up to take a nap didn't come back down before we left and I was downstairs with Jane and Lizzy--."
"Drinking...
"What's that supposed to mean?" Olivia spat back.
"Nothing, except that maybe if you hadn't been carousing with your friends--."
"I can't believe we're having this conversation! I didn't want to hold on to the darned thing, anyway! I asked you to keep it, remember?" Olivia cried, standing toe to toe with Richard.
"Well, maybe I should have. You clearly don't want it." Richard spat back.
"Fine!" Olivia threw the box at Richard's chest and stalked off. Before it even fell into his hands, Richard knew he had made a terrible mistake. He looked in the direction that Olivia had disappeared in, took a deep breath and, pounding on his head with one fist, went after her.
As Christopher renewed his acquaintance with the Fitzwilliams, he heard a voice call out his name.
"Why, if it isn't Chris Brandon? It's been a long time, far too long since we've seen each other." Christopher looked up and vaguely recalled the woman who stood before him. He knew that he had met her at some party, perhaps a year ago. She was some relation of some friend of William's, as far as he could recall. He smiled bravely as the woman drew closer and dramatically clutched his arm. He glanced at the Fitzwilliams for assistance and saw that they were openly glaring at the woman. They'd be no help to him at all.
"I don't believe I--."
"Don't you remember me, Chris? I should be very insulted," Caroline purred. "I'm Caroline, Caroline Bingley." It was only then that she noticed the Fitzwilliams. She had only met Richard's parents once or twice previously. In fact, if it weren't for the striking resemblance between them and their son, she would not have remembered them at all. She turned away from them, hoping that they would not recognize her and dragged Christopher slightly away as she did so. Christopher looked back at Hugh, a question in his eyes.
"We met last year at William's party in New York when he launched that new line of DARCO computers," Caroline continued. Christopher gently extricated his arm on the pretense of shifting his drink to his other hand.
"The professional desktop series, yes," he said politely. He turned just enough so that he could see that the Fitzwilliams were still staring. Caroline was chattering on about something or another. Christopher looked around the room as he listened with one ear. He needed some relief and soon. Olivia stormed past Christopher's line of sight and two things immediately registered in his mind: she was strikingly attractive, and she was terribly angry about something. He started to wonder what might anger her in the middle of a Christmas party when he heard Caroline make a snide reference to her.
"What's that all about? First she struts around in an ill-fitting little pink top and now she's in a tight little tee that is so last year. I guess the sweet innocent look didn't get her anywhere." Caroline was miffed that her little remark made Christopher pay closer attention to Olivia rather than to herself. "You know a woman is easily insulted when the man she's with stares at another woman." Christopher blinked and looked at her.
"Do the men you go out with often do that? If so, I'd reconsider my standards, if I were you," he quipped as he made his escape. He went in search of the Fitzwilliams; Christopher's insatiable curiosity was beginning to get the better of him.
Richard made his way through the throng of people who now filled the huge living room. Olivia was nowhere to be seen. He had stopped beating himself, but Richard mentally berated himself for his asinine outburst. Of course, Olivia had been right to allow his grandmother to rest. It was an unspoken rule of the house that she was not to be disturbed when she was resting. And he and his parents had conspired to prevent Olivia from going upstairs earlier. Moreover, in the rush to get out of her wine-soaked sweater, dropping the box and leaving it behind was a perfectly plausible scenario. Why had he behaved so idiotically?
"It's no wonder she rejected me," Richard muttered to himself. "I wouldn't marry me right now!" As he made his way through the crowd, Richard thought he caught a glimpse of the multicolored top that Georgiana had loaned Olivia and headed in that direction. His progress was stopped suddenly by a firm hand upon his shoulder.
"Where's the fire?" Charles shouted to be heard above the din. Richard watched helplessly as Olivia disappeared through a door at the far end of the room.
"I just put my foot in my mouth--big time," Richard said glumly. "Do me a favor...push it all the way down my throat and put me out of my misery, will you?" Charles laughed.
"It can't be that bad, can it?" Richard shook his head. He clapped Charles on the shoulder and headed off again.
William stood in a quiet corner with Lizzy. The party was completely forgotten as he stared into her eyes.
"I love you."
"I know," Lizzy smiled impishly.
"Aren't you supposed to return the compliment?" William frowned.
"Nice shoes," Lizzy replied. William squeezed her waist and she giggled.
"Still ticklish, eh? I thought I got all the giggle out of you earlier." Lizzy's eyes lit up.
"You know, Jane and Livy heard us laughing this afternoon."
"'Us' laughing'? I don't remember doing any laughing," William smirked.
"True. And I suppose that evil leers don't carry, do they? We're going to have to be more careful in future, especially now that there are going to be more people around the house."
"Or we could move into one of the guest houses..." William said thoughtfully. "But then you wouldn't be able to get at your Christmas presents." Lizzy looked up at him curiously.
"What does that mean?" William turned Lizzy around to face the crowd and put his arms around her waist so he could nuzzle his favorite spot on her neck.
"You'll have to wait a couple of days to find out."
Olivia escaped through the second door of the living room back out into the hall. She had no idea where she was headed but she didn't want to see or speak to anyone just then. She considered going outside, but it was snowing. She then thought about heading back upstairs as a pair of servants made their way past her in the narrow section of the hall. It occurred to her that if she went through the kitchen she could make it to the back stairs. As she moved toward the kitchen, however, she ran into several more waiters emerging from the butler's pantry with trays of food and drink. Rather than fight the tide, she backed up until she reached the wider part of the hall, where she bumped into someone.
"We meet again," smiled Matt. Olivia frowned.
"Don't you ever quit?"
"Hey! I was just standing here. You bumped into me, remember?" Olivia was contrite.
"You're right. I apologize," she said sincerely. She started to walk away.
"Leaving so soon?" Olivia froze and sighed. "Why can't we be friends?" She turned around.
"I don't want to be your friend, Matt. I have tried to, you know, but you make it very difficult." Matt protested his innocence.
"What did I do? Can I help it if you lack my sense of humor?"
"Matt, I don't know anyone who has your sense of humor and if such a person does exist, I hope I never meet him!" With that, Olivia started to turn away again. Matt grabbed her arm but dropped it as soon as she turned back.
"Hey! That was harsh! I'm not that bad." Olivia crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "All right, so I have a weird sense of humor. But you'd never hear about me sleeping around behind your back."
"Matt, I couldn't give a flying fig about what you did behind my back."
"Apparently you don't care about what Richard did, either." Olivia felt her blood begin to boil, but she tried not to let it show.
"That's between me and Richard," she said evenly.
"And Caroline. You mustn't forget Caroline!" Matt laughed. "I wonder if Golden Boy is into threesomes?" Before Olivia could even formulate an answer she saw Matt physically lifted off the floor and slammed against a wall. Her mouth fell open when she realized that it was Richard who had roughly manhandled his cousin.
"If you have anything to say on the subject, you say it to me. Leave Olivia alone," Richard growled. Olivia was alarmed. She had never seen Richard so angry. He looked capable of tearing Matt apart with his bare hands. Matt looked frightened, although he answered with a show of bravado.
"This is a private conversation, cousin. Why don't you just go back inside and--." Matt stopped speaking when he felt Richard's hand tighten around his throat.
"One more word," Richard hissed.
"And what? You'll kill him?" Olivia cried. "Let him go, Richard!" Others in the area who had witnessed the scene drew closer, but no one dared interfere with Richard. The buzz quickly spread into both rooms, however, and in seconds William, Stewart, and Hugh were making their way through the crowd and converging on the spot. When they arrived, however, it was all over.
"She's absolutely right, Fizz," Grandma Bess said calmly. "What are you going to do, throttle every man who speaks nonsense to your fiancée? Let him go." Richard immediately released Matt, who slumped to the floor holding his throat. Olivia backed away from him and then slipped into the kitchen to make a fast retreat to her room.
"Now," Bess continued. "Get out of here. Go outside and cool off or something. I'll deal with you in a bit," she dismissed Richard. He strode past his father, uncle and cousin with a tight jaw. William looked at him as he passed and turned to follow.
"As for you," Bess turned her attention to Matt. "Get up!" she demanded, kicking him in the foot for emphasis. Matt scrambled to his feet. The men of the Fitzwilliam house knew better than to question or disobey their grandmother. She led Matt to the narrower part of the hall while Hugh herded the others away from the scene. Stewart eyed his son as Bess dressed him down.
"You are determined to make a complete jackass of yourself over that woman, aren't you? I saw you earlier in the living room. What on earth were you thinking, introducing Olivia to that woman?" Matt reddened. "I asked you a question, young man!"
"I was just having a bit of fun," Matt replied sheepishly. .
"You find the idea of publicly bringing up the memory of an incident that was painful to our entire family amusing, do you?" Matt practically withered under her icy stare. Bess spared a glance for her eldest son who, like Matt, cringed at Bess's stern rebuke. "I did not raise my children to be so insolent and willfully neglectful of the feelings of others and I am certain that Stewart didn't raise you that way, either. Who filled your head with such errant nonsense? We don't treat people badly just for fun and we especially don't abuse members of our own family."
"Olivia isn't family, Grandma Bess, and besides, what about what Richard just--."
"It may not be official yet, but Olivia is family as far the rest of us are concerned. If you can't bring yourself to respect that she's Richard's fiancée, I suggest that you--."
"That was all a mistake, Grandma Bess. Didn't anyone ever straighten you out about that? It was all a big misunderstanding!" Stewart looked at Hugh, who had been standing alongside his brother in law quietly.
"Not anymore it isn't," Hugh growled.
"I cannot tell you how disappointed I am," Bess said, as she turned away and left him. Matt turned white as a sheet and lowered his head as she passed. Hugh stayed to glower at Matt for a moment and then walked away.
"What happened back there?" William asked Richard, who was leaning on a pillar in the entranceway.
"I lost my temper," Richard replied in a monotone.
"That much I figured out for myself." Richard slumped to the floor and sat upon the ice-cold granite step. "We can go inside and talk, if you want," William offered. "I've got a bottle of single malt in my study..." Richard shook his head.
"I don't deserve it. Save it for a worthier human being." William looked down at Richard. He squatted beside him.
"What really happened?" Richard didn't respond. William put a hand on his cousin's shoulder. "Look, you know I'm here for you. If you want to talk...or anything, let me know." Richard nodded. William rose and turned to go inside.
"Fitz?"
"Yeah?"
"Have someone check on Livy, will you?" William nodded and closed the front door. He wasn't sure, but he thought that Richard might have been crying. William looked around for Lizzy. She was engaged in conversation with several other women and he couldn't catch her eye. He spotted Jane, but she was surrounded by people and he didn't want to interfere. William looked around for Kathleen but didn't see her. He sighed and considered going up to Olivia himself, but he didn't think he was the appropriate person to visit her. But he had agreed to Richard's request so he resigned himself to his awkward fate. As he reached the base of the stairs, it occurred to William that he had no idea what he would be walking into.
"Will?" William turned at his grandmother's summons. "Where is Richard?"
"He's outside cooling off, as you suggested. I think he's in a very bad way. He won't talk to me."
"Well, I'd like a word with him," Bess replied tersely and started for the door but William stopped her.
"Grandma Bess, I wonder if I might persuade you to postpone your chat with your grandson to look in on Olivia. Richard wasn't very forthcoming, but he seemed to be worried about her." Bess's expression immediately softened and she nodded. She ordered William to take Richard his coat and headed upstairs. A few moments later, William opened the door and stepped outside. Richard looked up. William dropped Richard's coat on his lap.
"Grandma Bess's orders," William explained with a wry smile. "I think she doesn't want you to freeze to death before she gets to you." Richard smiled as he stood up and shrugged into his coat.
"Did she order you to put on your coat, too?" William shrugged.
"It seemed like a good idea." Richard leaned against the wall.
"So where is the Velvet Dragon?" he asked, evoking the term he and William sometimes used to describe their grandmother.
"She went up to see Olivia. Lizzy was busy, and I thought someone...a woman...should go." Richard nodded.
"Thanks."
"I take it this concerns her." Richard sighed heavily. "What happened?"
"I nearly killed Matt," Richard said simply, as he watched his breath freeze in the chill night air.
"That's nothing unusual...it has been ten years since you last tried it, though," William quipped, trying to lighten the mood.
"He told Olivia that I was sleeping with Caroline." William snorted derisively.
"Olivia wouldn't believe that; I don't think she ever did."
"Maybe not...but Olivia isn't disposed to think very highly of me right now and--." Richard sighed again.
"Look, if you don't want to tell me, I won't pry. But whatever happened between you can't have been that bad. I saw the way the two of you looked at each other Thursday night. Even if you won't admit it, you're in love with her. What's more, I think she's in love with you. She's not going to be scared away so easily by the likes of Matt."
"It's not Matt I'm worried about right now. It's me. I've done enough tonight to scare her plenty. You should have seen the look in her eyes, Fitz! She was scared of me!" Richard gripped William's arms for emphasis as he spoke. He let them go and turned away. He stepped off the tiny porch and walked out into the darkness.
"Where are you going?" William called worriedly.
"I need to think for a bit. Tell Grandma Bess that I'll be back for my spanking shortly." Richard walked off and William stood on the top step of the house and watched him until he disappeared in the darkness. William checked his watch and decided that if he didn't return in fifteen minutes, he was going after him.
Grandma Bess didn't bother to knock. She opened each door along the corridor until she found Olivia. She found her on the third try. She heard a soft sobbing coming from the bed, but there didn't seem to be anyone in the room. Bess quietly closed the door behind her and walked around the bed to its far side, where she found Olivia sitting on the floor, knees drawn to her chest. Olivia sniffed and looked up in surprise.
"I'm an old lady. You'll have to come up here if you want to talk," she said as she patted the bed. Olivia managed a small smile as she scrambled onto the bed and sat beside Bess.
"Oh, my! You look a fright! I always wished that I could be one of those romantic heroines who cried so becomingly in all the movies. But in real life whenever I cry my eyes get puffy and red, my nose runs, and I look a horror. But you look even worse!" she smiled as she took Olivia in her arms. Bess reached across her to pluck a few tissues from the box on the nightstand. "This is just my personal opinion and you don't have to take it, but if I were you, I'd give up crying." Olivia laughed in spite of herself. She blew her nose noisily--Bess suggested that she give that up as well--and went to the bathroom to wash her face. She came back a few minutes later and found Bess lounging on the bed. Olivia slid onto the bed beside her and nestled in her arms.
"Can you speak now?"
"Yes," Olivia said in a very small voice.
"May I ask what you were crying for?" Olivia started to answer immediately, but then paused.
"I...I was just so--." Bess nodded.
"Just as I feared. Too many movies; you were probably crying because you thought you were supposed to," she chided.
"No! I was really very upset. First Richard and I had an awful fight..." Bess's ears perked up.
"Really? May I ask why?" Olivia averted her eyes.
"He was angry because I left the box with you and then I left it behind when I went upstairs..."
"Oh, for goodness' sake," Bess rolled her eyes. "Never underestimate the propensity of the male of the species to make a mountain of a molehill. I could understand if you'd actually lost the box..."
"I thought I had!" Olivia confessed as she sat up. "When I realized that I'd left it I went looking for it. I was afraid that someone picked it up or--."
"Mrs. Reynolds found it and entrusted it to my care. She would have given it to William otherwise, and I don't think that either you or Richard are up to explaining yourselves to him just yet." Olivia's face fell and Bess raised an eyebrow. "Where is it now?"
"I gave it back to Richard," Olivia said, swallowing hard. After the teasing she took she was determined not to cry again. "I didn't want to take it in the first place, but he...he looked at me with those puppy eyes he sometimes makes, you know?" Olivia smiled.
"Oh my, yes, I know those eyes all too well. There ought to be a law against such shameless manipulation," she laughed, but Bess quickly sobered as Olivia continued.
"So I took the box, but I gave it to you when William came, and then I forgot to get it back from you...he made such a fuss over what I did with the darn thing I just threw it back at him." Olivia lost her composure and began to cry again. Bess put her arms around her and held her close.
"Again with that awful face? Aw, there, there..." The two women spent the next half hour chatting, laughing and crying. Even Bess succumbed to tears as she spoke of her late husband's "Fitzwilliam Fits," as she called them. They went to the mirror and compared faces and Bess graciously conceded that Olivia was far more homely when she cried. The bond between the women grew, while Richard sat outside Olivia's window and pondered his fate.
"Where are you going?" Lizzy asked William when he asked a servant for his coat.
"To look for Richard," William replied tersely. Lizzy frowned.
"Where is he?
"If I knew that, I wouldn't be looking for him," William said absently as he looked at the top of the stairs. His grandmother hadn't come down and he wondered if Olivia was in a bad way. The party was beginning to wind down. Those who had traveled great distances were already gone, and now neighborhood people were beginning to leave. William slipped out among them and walked off in the direction he had last seen Richard moving in. He aimed a flashlight at Richard's tracks, which led away from the house for a bit, then circled back and around the building. William's flashlight captured a glimmer of something moving. William quickly closed the distance and came upon Richard, who was pacing back and forth in the cold.
"Isn't this pathetic?" Richard laughed. William looked up in the direction Richard was looking. He saw Olivia walk past the window in her bedroom. William eyed his cousin.
"You aren't going to sing, are you? Because if you are, I'm out of here and into some dry shoes," he laughed. Richard laughed as well. It appeared that he was in far better spirits.
"What are you doing out here, anyway? I know Grandma Bess isn't looking for me. She's with Olivia." William looked up again.
"I thought I might be needed, but I was obviously mistaken." The two stood watching the window for a minute or two.
"It looks as though she's okay," Richard said softly, as though he could see Olivia clearly from where he stood, some twenty feet from the house. "I was worried that I'd really upset her." William shrugged.
"Can we go inside now? You know, maybe if you behave civilly, they might let you join the fun," William said as he heard laughter emanating from the room. Richard bowed his head.
"I doubt it."
"You'll never know until you try."
"I don't think I can stand any more rejection tonight."
"Richard, she loves you. Go and throw yourself at her feet and beg forgiveness. You might just be surprised by what happens." William turned on the flashlight and began to walk. Richard followed behind him, somewhat reluctantly.
"Is that what you do? Behave like a jerk and then beg for forgiveness?" William smiled.
"Yes. Lizzy loves it when I humble myself." Richard looked askance at him.
"Should you be revealing this to me?"
"You mean you don't already know? I thought you knew everything about Lizzy," William smirked. Richard frowned.
"Where did you ever get that idea?" William shook his head and laughed.
"Let's go inside, Fitz. My feet are freezing."
"Just your feet? I've got a list of parts that may take weeks to thaw."
"Well, you're an idiot for standing out here like a stalker," William said as he headed for the garage door and the back entrance to the house.
"I prefer to think of myself as a man in love."
"I prefer to think of you as a bloody idiot," William retorted.
"You're all heart, cousin."
"All heart and frozen feet," William said as he stepped into the kitchen.
"I'm all heart and frozen...hello, Mrs. R," Richard smiled charmingly. "You wouldn't happen to have a hot beverage readily available, would you?"
William and Richard threw their coats over the banister of the stairs and made their way to the family room, where the only remaining people were William's houseguests. Jane, Charles and Georgiana were sitting on one sofa listening to Christopher tell of his turbulent flight out of Heathrow Airport. On another sofa sat Lizzy, who looked up from her hot chocolate as the cousins entered the room bearing large mugs.
"How long will you be in the States?" Charles asked as they walked in.
"Oh, a few weeks. Will and I have some business to take care of while I'm here," Christopher responded as he poked at a log in the fireplace with a long implement.
"Where have you two been?" Lizzy inquired as the cousins entered the room.
"Outside making snow angels," Richard deadpanned as he sat beside her. William went to stand near Christopher.
"Was Olivia with you?"
"Real angels don't need to make wings, Bright Eyes." Lizzy smiled at Richard's remark.
"On the other hand, you two..." Richard looked up and noticed Christopher for the first time. He sprang from his seat to shake hands.
"Christopher! When did you get here?"
"Oh, hours ago," he said blithely. Richard smiled sheepishly. He'd been too caught up in his own melodrama to notice.
"If Olivia isn't with you two, where is she?" Jane asked.
"Last I heard," William said with a glance for Richard, "She was upstairs bonding with Grandma Bess." Jane smiled.
"I think your family has really taken to her, Richard." He smiled back impishly.
"And so has yours! What a coincidence!" Jane and Lizzy exchanged an amused glance. Christopher looked at Richard; he enjoyed a good mystery and what he'd seen and heard regarding Richard and the elusive Olivia was very interesting. He wondered at the nature of their relationship. Whatever it was supposed to be, it was experiencing duress. That much Christopher had figured out. Everyone, it seemed, was looking at Richard. Was his relationship with Olivia was a mystery to them as well?
"My darned car won't start," Caroline declared as she burst into the room. Everyone turned to look at her. Charles immediately began to rise, but it wasn't his assistance Caroline wanted. "Chris, darling, do you know anything about cars?" He grimaced at the abuse of his name, but he was too much of a gentleman to correct her.
"I know the number of an excellent mechanic, but I believe he's spending his holidays in Brighton," he replied dryly, causing Caroline to pout. Lizzy couldn't suppress a smile. Charles rose again and William sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Don't bother, Charles. Caroline can spend the night and I'll arrange for her to get a ride home first thing in the morning." William strode from the room to consult Mrs. Reynolds. Georgiana huffed and rose to her feet. She crossed her arms and stormed out of the room without a word to anyone. Caroline turned to look at her as she passed.
"What's got into her?" she asked.
"Maybe she's had enough for one evening," Charles said with thinly veiled annoyance. Richard raised an eyebrow at him. William returned to the room and sat beside Lizzy. She took hold of his hand and Caroline turned away from the pair distastefully, but she quickly recovered and headed for the fireplace where Christopher was standing. As she approached, Richard moved away as if repulsed by her presence. Christopher noticed this and thought it curious.
"So what were you two really up to out there?" Lizzy asked William. William looked at his cousin for help. Richard claimed the seat that Georgiana had vacated.
"You know, the usual boy stuff: spitting, cussing, throwing rocks, looking in at girls' windows; how do you think we know where Olivia is right now?"
"Olivia Crenshaw?" Caroline asked. "Is she still here, too?"
"She's William's houseguest, Caroline. She was invited for the holidays," Charles said as Jane squeezed his arm, but he was in no mood to be polite. His sister had embarrassed and angered him, forcing his friends into being kind to her when she was undeserving of their consideration.
"I think Grandma is interviewing her as a potential replacement grandchild. She's going to have a few vacancies in her will after tonight," Richard said self-deprecatingly. "Livy could be a very rich woman by New Year's."
"Oh, I haven't quite given up on you boys yet," Bess said from the doorway. All the men rose to greet her. "Have my daughter and son in law abandoned me?"
"I'm afraid so, Grandma Bess," Lizzy said.
"Good! I've been wanting a ride in the Range Rover. Are you ready to go, Fizz?" Richard glanced at William, who nodded imperceptibly. Richard rose as several in the room repeated his nickname. Richard looked at his grandmother reproachfully. She smiled back innocently as William went to fetch her coat. Richard and Grandma Bess said goodnight to the others and went into the hall.
"Goodnight, Fizz," Lizzy teased.
"Remind me to embarrass you in front of your friends sometime," Richard muttered to Bess.
"I'll thank you to keep a civil tongue in your head, young man," but her smile told him that she was clearly enjoying his distress.
"Does that offer still stand?" Richard asked William as they made their way to the door. William nodded. "I'll be back very shortly, then," he said quietly and escorted his grandmother to the Rover while William returned to his remaining company.
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm with Georgiana. I've had enough for one night and I'm going to bed," Charles said, rising. "Are you coming?" Jane rose as well and the couple made their goodbyes. Lizzy, too, expressed a desire to turn in.
"I'll join you in a little while," William said. "I want to see that everything is in order and visit with Christopher for a while before I turn in." Lizzy said goodnight to the others and with a brief kiss for William, headed upstairs. Christopher noticed that Caroline pouted as she looked on. Mrs. Reynolds entered and had a quiet word with William.
"Caroline, if you're ready, Mrs. Reynolds will show you to your room." Caroline hesitated, but having no real excuse to stay, she smiled and excused herself. She didn't say goodnight, however, leading both William and Christopher to suspect that she intended to return. William therefore suggested that the pair retire to his study.
"Is Olivia all right?" Richard asked as he pulled out of William's driveway.
"Of course she's all right," Bess said somewhat impatiently. "She's a woman, not a paper doll who falls apart at the first sign of trouble in a relationship." Richard snorted.
"Do we still have a relationship?" He meant it as a rhetorical remark, but Bess didn't hesitate, or mince words.
"Probably, no thanks to you. Things were kind of different in my day, but modern women don't like it when the man they hope to marry behaves like a Neanderthal." Richard laughed briefly, but the look on his grandmother's face silenced him. "For goodness sake, Fizz, I wanted to throttle Matt myself after that stupid stunt he pulled with Caroline, but--."
"What stunt with Caroline?"
"Never you mind." She held her tongue for a moment, carefully considering her next words. "You know, when Olivia first told me that she had refused your proposal, I thought she had made a mistake. But now I see that she did the right thing. She wants to marry a man, not some testosterone-crazed lummox who thinks a brawl is the way to deal with life's little problems."
"I..."
"I'm not interested is your explanations. There is no explanation or excuse for what you did. It was disgraceful, and you owe William as well as Olivia an apology." Richard was quiet as he pulled up in front of his house. He turned off the ignition and sat quietly for a second.
"Does Olivia hate me?"
"Of course not. No woman cries that much over a man she hates, Fizz."
"I hate to think that I made her cry."
"Good. Maybe that will prevent you from being such an idiot in future." Richard rested his head against the headrest and stared out into the dark.
"Grandma Bess, what should I do?" he sighed plaintively. She shrugged.
"If I were you I'd start over, and try to be a better man next time. Oh, and give her her ring back," she said as she opened the door. Richard quickly got out and ran around the other side of the vehicle to help her down and escort her to the door.
"She doesn't want the ring," he said as he opened the front door for her. Bess turned and looked Richard straight in the eye. She caressed his cheek and kissed it when he bent so she could reach it.
"You are an idiot. Go on back over there. Maybe Will can talk some sense into you." Richard smiled as he watched his grandmother head up to her temporary quarters.
"I love you, Grandma Bess." She stopped and turned around.
"Very nice. Now go tell Olivia the same thing."
"If it wouldn't be telling tales out of school, may I know why Caroline is such a persona non grata?" William shook his head.
"It's a long story. Richard will be back shortly so I think we'd better save it for another time," he said as he reached for three glasses and the bottle of liquor.
"A quick business summary then: have you come to any decision yet on whether we're staying totally online or going with retail stores? Last time I spoke with your charming Danielle, she said that you were still considering your options." William handed Christopher a glass and sat behind his desk. He pulled out a folder and slid it across the mahogany surface to his business partner.
"This has to be dealt with before Richard returns also," William said. Christopher raised an eyebrow.
"Tell me: is Olivia still in the dark?" William nodded. Christopher was about to ask why, but William added, "Trust me." Christopher sat back and began to leaf through the folder's contents.
"Perhaps you can answer another question then. I take it that there is some sort of relationship between Richard and Olivia and that there's something...amiss." William nodded. "In that case, how big a risk are we taking? I mean, will this entire project hinge on the security of that pairing, because if that's the case--."
"You needn't worry. Olivia is not that flighty. She's too smart and too much of a professional to let her personal life get in the way of business. And," he paused, hoping that he was speaking truth, "They will work things out. They seem to be in love, in spite of what you may have seen or heard tonight."
"Pardon me for asking, but are you certain that Richard isn't just rebounding from Lizzy?" William shook his head.
"He's quite over that. He and Olivia are the real thing. He didn't spend a half hour in a snow storm staring at Olivia's window over some tenuous infatuation." Christopher laughed.
"How'd you talk him back in?"
"I think common sense finally prevailed. It was cold as heck out there!" Christopher closed the folder when he thought he heard voices in the hall. Both men went quiet and they heard Caroline asking someone for an extra blanket. Her voice faded and both men relaxed.
"Does whatever happened with Caroline explain Charles's behavior? I wouldn't have thought him capable of surliness before tonight." William nodded.
"It's all of a piece, and Caroline is quite a piece of work," William chuckled.
"Last year she was quite fixated on you, as I recall." William's eyes went wide.
"Don't remind me!" The pair heard voices again. This time one was Richard's. He was distinctly heard saying goodnight to Mrs. Reynolds. Next, Caroline's voice was heard making some inquiry of Richard, but he obviously ignored it as he opened the door to the study and shut it behind him with a resounding thud. Caroline banged on the door angrily.
"Answer me, Richard!"
"Gentlemen?" Richard smiled as he turned the lock and dropped his coat on the floor. "I need some advice."
At 3:14, there was a second knock at the door. This time, Richard got up to open it.
"Uh, oh," he said, as Lizzy entered the room. She was wearing her cashmere bathrobe, holding it closed at her neck. Her hair was becomingly disheveled. William took one look at her and rose to his feet.
"Gentlemen, I'm obviously overdue for an appointment with my pillow."
"That's some pi--." Lizzy's look froze the words on Richard's tongue. Christopher rose and stretched.
"I think we could all use some shut eye. I've been up for an ungodly length of time."
"Goodnight Christopher. Goodnight, Fizz," Lizzy smiled. Richard stuck his tongue out at her.
"You can see yourself out, Fitz," William said and followed Lizzy to the stairs. Richard picked up his coat and went into the hall.
"Will you be over tomorrow?" Christopher managed through an ungraceful yawn. Richard nodded absently. He watched Christopher go upstairs and listened until he heard the door close. Then, impulsively, he went up the stairs and went to Olivia's door. He carefully opened it and peeked in. There was a soft glow emanating from the bathroom, perhaps from a nightlight, but it provided sufficient illumination for Richard to make out Olivia's form on the huge bed. Richard dropped his coat, slipped out of his shoes, and painstakingly made his way over to it. When his eyes had completely adjusted to the dark, he sat down on the edge and looked at Olivia.
She was sleeping peacefully. Richard watched the rise and fall of her chest against the blanket. He wanted to kiss her, but he didn't dare to disturb her. Richard carefully leaned toward her and stroked an errant wisp of hair back into place before he succumbed to the urge to ever so lightly run his finger along her cheek. He half sat, half lay there for a while, singing to himself the lullaby that his mother used to sing to him every night when he was a small child.
Richard wondered how she might react if she awakened. Would she be glad to see him? Would she throw him out and never want to see him again? Richard carefully slid off the bed and went back to his coat. He reached into the pocket and pulled out the now somewhat worn box. He carried it over to the bed and placed it on the pillow next to the one where Olivia's head lay. Not satisfied, he picked it up and slid over toward her. He put the box down in front of him and propped his head on his hand and stared at Olivia until he nodded off. Some hours later, he reached out and put his arm around Olivia and pulled himself closer to her, the box wedged between them. They stayed spooned together in that way until early the next morning.
William snugged the knot in his pajama bottoms as he emerged from the dressing room and slid into bed beside Lizzy.
"What was Richard talking about earlier when he said that Grandma Bess was interviewing replacement grandchildren and making Olivia very rich?" William turned off the lamp and put his arm around Lizzy.
"He was just joking, Liz." William murmured into her hair, as he got comfortable.
"Does it have anything to do with that commotion out in the hall? I heard he got into some sort of fight." William sighed.
"No fight, but he very nearly came to blows with Matt over something that he said to Olivia."
"Oh dear."
"I think that Richard and Olivia will have a few bumps to smooth out in the morning. And you aren't to lift one finger to help them," William added hastily.
"I won't," Lizzy promised.
"And I also wouldn't try calling him 'Fizz' again, if I were you," William warned.
"Why not? I think it's kind of cute."
"He doesn't. Only his mother and Grandma Bess can get away with calling him 'Fizz.' He usually tolerates it once or twice, but the third time he usually snaps." Lizzy looked at William to see whether or not he was joking, but she couldn't tell in the dark. But she was more concerned about Richard's love life than his nickname.
"It is unfortunate, though; the two of them seemed to be getting on so well at the start of the party. I think it's safe to conclude that Richard is in love with her."
"You think so?" William asked, lifting his head to look at her. "How do you think Olivia feels about him?" he asked, giving in to his curiosity. Lizzy shrugged.
"She hasn't said anything outright...Livy has never been one to openly display her emotions, but she'd be a fool to let Richard get away."
"You let Richard get away," William impertinently reminded her. Lizzy snuggled closer to William and closed her eyes.
"But I got you as a consolation prize. Ow!" she yelped when William pinched her. After several minutes of retaliatory pinching and tickles, the pair finally settled and fell asleep.
When Olivia opened her eyes the first thing she saw was the Tiffany box. The ribbon was slightly askew and the box a bit careworn, but it was a sight to gladden her heart. Olivia reached out and tentatively touched it. Satisfied that it was not merely a figment of her imagination, she picked it up and rolled over onto her back and stared at it for a moment. Its presence meant one thing: Richard had been there. Olivia was at once charmed and apprehensive. Memories of the previous night's events flooded into her mind, and she fought to push them away. Olivia sat up and looked around the room. She noticed right away that her Companion had been placed on her dresser. It had been plugged in and opened to a file. Olivia scrambled out of bed and went to the computer.
Do not be alarmed by this evidence of my intrusion. I couldn't leave without looking in on you last night. I was worried that--in spite of Grandma Bess's assurances--I had left you quite upset and angry. Your anger is justifiable. My behavior last night was abominable and I can't tell you how sorry I am for everything that happened. I am hoping against hope that if you still love me when I am an idiot you won't give up on me when I'm abominable. I know I will have to work at regaining your trust after last night. I only await a sign from you so that I can begin.
Can we meet some time today and talk?
"Richard," Olivia sighed aloud and ran a finger over the screen. She looked down at the box she held in her other hand. She tugged on the ribbon and in seconds she held the velvet box in her hand. She held her breath as she slowly opened the box. The circle of diamonds--some 21 in all--glittered back at her. Olivia did not attempt to suppress the smile or the tears that quickly appeared; the ring was beautiful. An eternity ring, she'd heard them called. Her mother had always wanted one, although anything her father could have afforded would not have been half so dear. The ring of gems was meant to signify eternal love. Olivia couldn't bring herself to remove the ring from the box, but she was determined to take better care of it in future. She had decided that she did, indeed, want the ring and was very pleased that Richard had returned it to her.
Olivia had saved the file and gone into the bathroom when she heard a soft knock on her door. She flew back into her room and grabbed the ring box, which had been left open on the dresser next to her laptop. She stuffed into a drawer and shut it just as Lizzy poked her head in.
"I wasn't sure that you were up yet, Lizzy began apologetically. "William told me what happened last night. Are you okay?" Olivia nodded.
"I'm fine, although I was kind of shaken last night." Lizzy sat on the edge of the bed.
"What happened, exactly?" Olivia sat beside her.
"Richard kind of overreacted to something Matt said, not that I didn't want to slap him myself."
"What's up with Matt? I saw him hanging around you at every party this week. Doesn't he realize that you're seeing Richard?" Olivia snorted her annoyance.
"He seems to think he can change that by throwing the incident with Caroline in my face. You know, he actually introduced us?"
"He introduced you to Caroline?" Lizzy was shocked. "No wonder Richard was angry."
"That isn't what upset Richard. He overheard Matt trying to suggest to me that he had slept with Caroline." Lizzy made a face. Then she looked at Olivia seriously.
"You didn't believe that, did you?" Olivia quickly shook her head.
"I already know what really happened. And even if I didn't, Richard was free to do whatever he pleased then," she said.
"And now?" Lizzy asked with an inquisitive arch of her brow. Olivia rose and pulled Lizzy to her feet.
"And now, I think, my bath is ready," she laughed as she nudged her friend toward the door. Lizzy stopped at the door and turned back.
"Livy, I won't pry, but if you need anything, you know I'm here for you." Olivia nodded. "And Richard is..."
"I know. We're going to talk and we'll work things out. Don't worry," Olivia assured her before she closed the door. Olivia ran to the bathroom and turned off the water. She then returned to the computer and opened her e-mail. She typed a quick message and sent it off before she went to her bath.