Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam ~ Section XX

    By Judy-Lynne

    Beginning, Previous Section, Section XX, Next Section

    "William," Jane said after a short silence. He glanced up and met her eyes. "Are you and Lizzy thinking about marriage?" William seemed a bit discomfited by the question.

    "We've talked about it," he replied, knowing that the answer would not satisfy Jane. But he allowed her to draw him into a discussion of the topic. She was very good at eliciting the truth from him, and even better at getting him to confront things that he'd tried to suppress. He put down his knitting and waited for Jane's next question.

    "And?" she gently prodded. William sighed before he plunged in, eager to get it off his chest.

    "It happened a few weeks ago. We were Christmas shopping together in Saks and she had picked out something for Charles and taken it to the sales desk. I took out my charge card and she took out hers and reminded me that it was her present to Charles, not mine. I teasingly remarked that at some point in the foreseeable future we might be buying our presents together and she...I don't know if she was surprised or put off by it, but she reacted strangely. We went into a restaurant for a bite afterwards and I brought it up." William paused and stared at the pile in his lap. Jane waited patiently.

    "When I asked if she'd given any thought to our future together she said no." Jane inhaled sharply, as though she was about to speak, but she cut off whatever words came to her tongue. "I started to tell her that by this time next year I'd like for us to be living together full-time, if not married. But she cut me off and said she wasn't ready to think about a long-term commitment." Jane could hear the hurt in his voice.

    "William, you know that Lizzy's crazy about you."

    "I know, but I..."

    "You were disappointed by her reaction."

    "I shouldn't have broached the subject so soon. We've only been together a few months," William said dejectedly. Jane reached out and took his hand.

    "Will, you weren't wrong to make your feelings known. You needed to tell her how you felt even if she wasn't quite ready to hear it. Lizzy's a little gun shy about commitments. On the day our parents died, our dad promised to be home by dinnertime. For months after his death, Lizzy kept harping on the fact that he'd broken his promise to her. I'm not a shrink, but I'm willing to bet that has something to do with her reluctance to make long-term commitments." William raised an eyebrow.

    "I never realized...I mean..."

    "You took her unwillingness to discuss it as some sort of rejection," Jane finished for him. She shook her head reproachfully. "But William, you know how Lizzy feels about you!"

    "I know, I know," he smiled sheepishly. "I kept telling myself that, and her every action tells me that. But it was hard for a while." William fell silent and Jane waited once more. "She still won't discuss it. I believe that if we just went on as we are forever, she might be content with that."

    "But you aren't."

    "I want to marry her and build a life with her here. Ever since Lizzy was here at Thanksgiving I haven't been able to think of anything else. I want to fill this house with the sound of children's laughter and buy a station wagon, and build snowmen on the lawn in the winter and teach the kids to ride and sail in the summer. I want to have Lizzy beside me every morning when I wake up for the rest of my life. I want hers to be the first voice I hear every morning and the last one I hear every night. I--." William laughed. "I sound like a lovesick fool," he said self-deprecatingly.

    "I think you sound like a man who's found the key to his happiness," Jane corrected. "I hope that you and Lizzy find you way to that happiness someday." William's smile faded slightly.

    "Someday."

    Bill Collins wiped his mouth and slowly lifted his cup to his lips. His concentration was on the pair of women in the booth behind him, although to the casual observer, he seemed to be having lunch with a friend from work.

    "So what's she saying?" Collins's companion whispered. Bill lifted a hand and waited a moment. A smile crept over his face.

    "Man I wish I knew how Richard does it!"

    "How he does what?" asked Jason.

    "How he juggles so many women! A few months ago, the word was that he was seeing someone named Lizzy. And then he took up for a hot minute with a minx by the name of Caroline and she was so wild that he ended up in the hospital after a night of "rough play," Bill revealed, bracketing the last two words with his fingers for emphasis. "Now he's seeing some new chick who was all over him at the Christmas party. A little too skinny for my taste--I like my women with a little meat on them, like Lizzy. Rrrowl! Now that was one beautiful woman! Man, Richard Fitzwilliam is a babe magnet! I wonder how he pulls it off?" The public relations assistant rolled his eyes.

    "He's devastatingly handsome, has a pocketful of bucks, drives a Jag and a Mercedes, and when his dad kicks the bucket he'll own a considerable chunk of prime Manhattan and European real estate. I'd chase him myself if I thought I had any real chance!" But Bill wasn't listening. His attention was once again focused on the women behind him. He eagerly gestured for Jason to lean forward across the table. Jason reluctantly complied.

    "They say that the one he's seeing now--Olivia Crenshaw? She's on loan from Mr. Darcy himself! Seems that he must have owed his cousin a favor after he stole Lizzy from him." Jason's jaw dropped.

    "You mean that beautiful woman who was draped on the boss's arm the night of the Christmas party--she was previously involved with Fitzwilliam?" Jason put his hand to his cheek in surprise. "Do you think that Mr. D stole her away or do you think it was some sort of switch?" Bill Collins' eyes lit up.

    "Well, the rich and famous do like to play games!" he sneered. "Apparently, it took some doing to get the little one to cooperate. Mr. Darcy fixed her up with a cushy job with very nice pay, a big title to get her to go along with the trade."

    "You don't say! Wait till my boss hears about this!" Jason smiled. Bill Collins went pale.

    "No, no, you mustn't tell a soul! Richard would have my head if word got out about his private activities," he chuckled. "Seriously, Jason, you have to promise not to breathe a word of this to a soul." Jason crossed his heart with his finger.

    "I'll be as quiet as a Church Mouse," he smiled, evoking the private nickname the head of his office, Lily Church, had given him.

    "Yes, what are you planning to do with it?" Olivia and Lizzy spun around to see Caitlin and Corrine looking over their shoulders at the screen.

    "And how did you ever find this site? What's the URL?" Caitlin asked.

    "It's not a site, nor is it likely to be anytime soon," Lizzy replied. "It's just a little something I made for myself."

    "Why isn't it on the web? It's incredible!"

    "What are you holding back for? Put that thing on the web and I'd devote a half hour a day to bashing that skull." Lizzy was appreciative, but she had to quell the twins' enthusiasm.

    "I can't. Caroline is a real person. You see, she's Charles Bingley's sister and Jane's future sister in law."

    "Remember how sad Jane was on Christmas day until he arrived?" Olivia added. The twins nodded.

    "Oh, yes. Hey, I remember Caroline Bingley!"

    "She's that little wannabe who used to have a pathetic crush on Ricky..."

    "...Until Ricky told her to get lost..."

    "...And she suddenly discovered that she had a pathetic crush on Will."

    "Speaking of pathetic crushes, girls, Caroline Bingley is the woman who put Richard in the hospital," Olivia growled. The twins looked at each other.

    "Wait a minute! Caroline Bingley is the one--?"

    "Dad told us that he'd been in an accident..."

    "...But not exactly how it happened." Corrine put her hands on her hips. Olivia sighed.

    "Well, it was like this: Richard was in a restaurant one night having something to eat. Caroline came in and for some reason or other, she joined him." Lizzy listened with interest. She had never heard the details of the incident and was a bit surprised that Olivia, who had been reticent about the entire issue previously, knew of them. "According to Richard, she got drunk and he took her home."

    "That slimy bas--." Olivia raised a hand.

    "No, Caitlin, it wasn't like that," Olivia quickly explained. "Richard just saw her home. When he got her up to her apartment Caroline asked him to stay. He refused her and in a drunken rage she threw something at him."

    "She threw a brass candlestick at him," Lizzy amended. The twins saw red.

    "And Will actually let this woman into his house after what she did to his own flesh and blood? I can't believe that he'd let that...into his house!" Caitlin cried, her sister neatly inserting the missing word in the appropriate place.

    "Wait a minute," Lizzy spoke up. "In all fairness to William, letting Caroline into the house was Richard's idea, not his. I think he was just trying to avoid a scene."

    "So our parents and our grandmother--not to mention Olivia--had to endure that woman's company because of Richard?" Olivia averted her eyes at Caitlin's scathing remark.

    "And then she had the audacity to force herself on William's generosity for two whole days?" Corrine cried.

    "No one hurts our brother and gets away with it."

    "Except us, Cait. We did throw him out of that tree, remember?"

    "Well, he pulled that giant water bug out of his pocket. We only broke his arm anyway..."

    "...And cracked two ribs. We called him 'Grounded Eagle' all summer, remember?"

    "I remember being grounded all that summer," Corrine snorted. "We didn't get away with anything!" Lizzy and Olivia exchanged an amused glance.

    "That's right! We paid for our sins; why can't we nail Caroline Bingley to the wall?" Olivia went to the bed and made herself comfortable among the pillows at its head as she listened to Lizzy cite chapter and verse about the legality, illegality, and ethics of what the sisters were proposing. Olivia became lost in thought for a moment as she considered that she was lying in the spot where only a few hours ago Richard had laid his head. She came out of her reverie when she heard her name being mentioned.

    "...And anyway, I just wanted to give it to Livy for her own use," Lizzy was saying. Olivia looked up.

    "I'm with the twins," she said. "I think we should put it on the web. It's just a matter of doing it without it being traceable to us."

    "Livy, Caroline has seen it, remember? If I put this on the web, she'd know exactly where it came from."

    "Lizzy, you know that people lose things all the time and you also know that some people aren't shy about uploading what they find," Olivia said somewhat bitterly. Corrine sat down beside her.

    "You sound as though you have had personal experience with that," she said. Olivia shook her head, unwilling to talk about it. Corrine turned to Lizzy.

    "A few years ago, Olivia's boyfriend--former boyfriend--found some pictures of women in bikinis that Olivia had been given for a client's web site and published them on his own web page. Needless to say, her client wasn't at all pleased and even threatened to sue her for theft. Stephen's attitude was less than helpful, and--."

    "Long story short," Olivia interjected. "I lost my client and my boyfriend. And I got off easy on both counts." Everyone was quiet for a moment. Caitlin began to pace.

    "Doug had a few friends at MIT who spent all their free time hacking. Whenever he developed a piece of software, they wouldn't rest until they'd cracked its code. I bet they'd be willing to help."

    "Help what?" Corrine asked.

    "Olivia's right. If we do this it has to be totally untraceable to Lizzy."

    "Hello!" Lizzy exclaimed. "We aren't going to do this!"

    "We are," Corrine smiled. "Oh, yes we are. I have a couple of favors I can call in, too. If we hook up Doug's buddies in Cambridge with my friends in Silicon Valley, I bet we could set up a scheme that no one could ever trace! Let's go make a few calls." The twins chattered excitedly as they left the room. Olivia and Lizzy stared at one another. Them Lizzy shrugged.

    "Well, if they can figure out a way..."

    "...Why should we deprive the world of an opportunity to abuse Caroline?" Olivia finished. The women smiled at each other and were laughing quite heartily when Bess entered the room.

    "Now what are you two up to?"

    Richard stepped off the elevator and approached the DARCO receptionist desk. Lydia looked up as he approached, and smiled engagingly.

    "I was expecting you this morning, Mr. Fitzwilliam," she said with a flutter of eyelashes. If Richard Fitzwilliam was a ladies' man, why shouldn't she become one of his conquests? Richard smiled politely.

    "I was unavoidably detained. I believe that Ed Ferrars left a package for me?" Lydia rested her arm on the envelope.

    "Mr. Ferrars left something for Olivia Crenshaw, but nothing for you."

    "That's what I'm here for," Richard replied patiently.

    "Oh? And how do I know that if I give this to you that Ms. Crenshaw will get it?" she asked coyly. Richard indulged her, although he was not in the mood for games.

    "You don't. You'll just have to trust me, won't you?"

    "And how do I know that you can be trusted?" Richard sighed.

    "Ms.--?"

    "Lydia. Call me Lydia," she smiled.

    "May I have Ms. Crenshaw's package, Lydia?" Richard's smile brooked no refusal. She handed over the envelope. "Thank you, Lydia," he said, and turned to the elevator.

    "You're sure Ms. Crenshaw will get that package, now?" Richard turned back but thought better of saying anything as the doors opened. He was surprised when he encountered Bill Collins in the elevator.

    "I was just on my way to Geek Central to see you. How were your holidays?" He said to the man who seemed visibly shaken by Richard's unexpected appearance.

    "Good...I'm good. I'm good. I didn't expect to see you at all this week."

    "I just dropped in to take part in a conference call and to check on a few things. How are things in the 'war room'? Anything going on I should know about?" Bill Collin's throat went dry. He had just left Jason's office, where he had gone in a panic after hearing his own gossip to Jason repeated on the fifteenth floor.

    "There's nothing going on at Geek Central, Richard. You know...uh...quiet week with the holidays and all." Richard nodded, but he knew instinctively that Bill Collins was hiding something. The elevator reached fifteen and the men stepped out. Richard signaled for Bill to follow him to his office.

    "Have a seat, Bill," Richard said, as he considered his options for broaching the topic. But the little man had strong instincts for self-preservation and he volunteered the information before Richard could even begin an interrogation.

    "Actually, Rich...Richard," he quickly corrected. Nearly everyone in the Darcy Corporation was on a first-name basis with the president of Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam, but only a madman would attempt to call him 'Rich.' "I just heard something very disturbing...very disturbing. I went upstairs to try and put a stop to it myself." Richard was intrigued.

    "Put a stop to what?"

    "A vicious rumor, sir. I was at lunch a while ago and I overheard someone say that...well they said that Olivia Crenshaw was..." Richard sat forward in his seat.

    "Olivia Crenshaw was what?"

    When Richard looked into his bedroom an hour later he saw Lizzy, the twins, and Caitlin's husband Doug crowded around his computer. He frowned and crossed the hall to his grandmother's room, where Olivia was working alone. Richard slipped into the room and crept up behind her, but she looked up and saw him in the mirror.

    "I was expecting you an hour ago," Olivia said calmly, as Richard gave up his feeble attempt at surprising her. He bent over and gave her a kiss.

    "Who's holding a convention in my room?" Richard asked as he raised Olivia out of her seat and sat down and pulled her into his lap. "What's going on?" Olivia shrugged. She wasn't sure that Lizzy would want him to know about her project, so she distracted him by showing him the additions to Bess' web page. After about five minutes or so, Richard asked after his grandmother.

    "Your mother and Grandma Bess went out to some sort of function."

    "And left the mice alone to play, hmm?" Richard nibbled on Olivia's ear. "Are you almost done here?" he asked between kisses.

    "I'm done. I'm not sure about Lizzy, though," Olivia replied as she tried to concentrate on closing the file she was working in. Richard stood her up and rose himself.

    "Take your time. I want to run over and talk to Fitz about something. Why don't you wait for Lizzy and join me there?" He kissed Olivia's temple and slipped away from her before she could say anything. Olivia looked after him, slightly perplexed, but she crossed the hall to check on Lizzy.

    "Richard's home," she said as she entered his room. Corrine immediately became alarmed.

    "Where is he? For goodness sake, Livy; keep him out of here! He'd never let us do this!"

    "I think he's already gone."

    "Gone?" Caitlin echoed.

    "Gone where?" Lizzy chimed in.

    "He's gone to see William about something. He told us he'd see us back at the house when we're done."

    Part 18

    William and Christopher were enjoying a cup of tea as they sat in living room discussing business. Garren and Georgiana had gone to Harpy's for a late lunch with Jane and Charles. The remaining men took the opportunity to discuss business.

    "I think it's time we brought Olivia into the picture," William began.

    "It's time you brought me into the picture," Christopher grinned. "I still don't quite understand why she was ever kept in the dark in the first place." William set aside his cup.

    "When I began this, my thinking was that I wanted to bring Olivia on board once I had the whole plan mapped out. I wanted to offer her the career opportunity of a lifetime and bring her to New York."

    "And to Richard?" Christopher wondered aloud. William nodded.

    "Things have progressed between them faster than I hoped. When I talked to him about her back in November, it sounded like Fitz was months away from getting involved again. But something happened--I'm not sure what, but Richard's cold feet seemed to heat up rather quickly," William smiled.

    "So where does that leave our project?"

    "I think it leaves our project in pretty good shape. Olivia will be our creative designer on the Cook's Companion computer and the Cook's Companion web site. That's the part she has yet to be brought in on. She'll develop a site that will be the world's best online resource for food professionals--and others who love to cook--that will give them access to the finest sources for the best ingredients wholesale and retail. It will also include a recipe bank, sample menus, articles on special events planning, and a newsletter. I think that she'll do a phenomenal job of it and take the project even farther than we've envisioned," William said as he thumbed through Olivia's proposal. "I've looked at several sites she's developed for Cherry Blossom and her own clients...she's good."

    "You know I have every confidence in your instincts, William. But I'm curious as to why you just didn't broach this with Olivia in the first place?" Christopher asked. William shrugged.

    "I was afraid that she would refuse," William admitted. "I was afraid that she'd balk if I offered her too much too fast."

    "Why?"

    "I'm not sure exactly. After our first meeting, and in subsequent discussions with her, I got the impression that she was very bright, very talented, and--most importantly--very level-headed. I knew she wouldn't jump at the chance to take on the project without some good reason.

    "Such as?"

    "Yes, Fitz. I'd like to hear your reasoning, too." William turned and saw Richard standing in the doorway. "I'd very much like to know just what's been going on in that devious mind of yours."

    "When did you come in?" William asked calmly.

    "I came in at the point where you were telling Christopher about your plans to bring Olivia to New York that she'd be too smart to accept. What the heck are you up to, Fitz?" William sighed.

    "Have a seat. You may as well hear this." Richard pulled off his coat and took a seat on the sofa opposite William.

    "I admit it--I have been working on a plan to bring Olivia to New York. I figure I owed you that much." Richard flew out of his chair and ran his hands through his hair.

    "Is this about evening the score for Lizzy? Geez, Fitz! I thought you'd gotten past that! I thought you'd all gotten past that! You know, I thought I had just heard a crazy rumor today, and now I come here and find out that at least half of it's true!"

    "Rumor?" William asked. "What rumor?" Richard answered with a forced calm.

    "I went into the office today to take care of a few things and I heard a most interesting bit of gossip. Apparently there's a rumor going around that the only reason you hired Olivia was to pay me back for stealing Lizzy from me." William's mouth fell open.

    "What? Where did you hear that?"

    "Bill Collins told me, and if he's heard it, I'm sure it's already spread half way 'round the building," Richard said disgustedly.

    "Well, you know it's not true, Fitz!" William said, defensively.

    "Do I? What I just heard all but confirms that. But that's not the most worst part: according to Bill, the story is that it was a one for one trade."

    "Lizzy for Olivia?" Christopher wondered aloud. Richard nodded.

    "Allegedly, Olivia is some discarded plaything of William's who was palmed off on me in return for Lizzy, and she got a cushy no-show job with a big salary into the bargain. The Cook's Companion project is nothing more than a sham you created to justify hiring her," Richard recited bitterly. William leapt to his feet.

    "That's absurd! Who fabricated such nonsense?"

    "Is there any chance that this Collins is the culprit?" Christopher asked coolly. His calculating mind had already leapt past emotional reaction to contingencies and damage control.

    "Bill Collins doesn't have that much imagination. He's a font of gossip and not beyond embellishing a tale, but he couldn't have made it all up."

    "Why would anyone make it up?" Christopher asked. Both Richard and William looked at him, but neither of the cousins could offer an answer.

    "I'll put a stop to this nonsense," William growled. He rose to his feet and was about to storm out of the room when Richard grabbed his arm.

    "No you won't!" The cousin's eyes met, Richard's angry and William's confused.

    "He's right, Will. Don't go off half-cocked. Anything you do could easily be perceived as a cover-up," Christopher advised.

    "Well, I'm not going to stand by idly while my cousin and friend are implicated in some sordid scandal!" William declared. "Whoever is behind this is going to pay and pay dearly, I assure you."

    "Don't you see? There's just enough truth to all this to make the whole thing very believable. And it's not me I'm worried about. Olivia's credibility is going to be severely compromised by this. What the heck did you have to go sticking your nose into our lives for?" Richard growled.

    "Listen," William said as he resumed his seat. "Maybe I was wrong to interfere, but I didn't just do this for you. The Cook's Companion isn't some sham project created to hire Olivia. When the Companion was first conceived, we looked at lot of potential applications. We thought that we might find a niche market for special purpose computers. We talked about the Traveler's Companion, an Investor's Companion, and a few others. The idea for the Cook's Companion didn't occur to me until after I met Olivia when I was down in Pennsylvania. I was so impressed with her cookies that I was half-ready to market them. On the flight back to New York, I played with the idea of selling them on the web, since she was a web designer. That's what got me to the idea of selling food on the web, and eventually to the possibility of a Companion for people who wanted to buy food on the web. I spoke with a few restaurateurs and they all said that they'd be willing to purchase food and supplies for their restaurants online and that they might use a special computer for it, especially those who have difficulty getting certain products in their area. But when I asked any of them if they'd be interested in consulting on such a project to a man they said that they lacked both the time and the computer expertise to really do a good job of it. The more I thought about the project, the more I liked it and suddenly the answer came to me. I was looking at the issue backwards. I didn't need a chef or restaurateur with the vision of a computer expert; I needed a computer expert with the perspective of a chef. When I saw Olivia at Thanksgiving I knew I had found the right person."

    "How convenient," Richard said sarcastically.

    "I readily admit that I also was aware of your growing interest in her. But I also knew that the project made good business sense, and even if things weren't meant to happen between you two, I'd still have a viable product to bring to the market," William continued. "I was willing to gamble on both Olivia and the Cook's Companion.

    "Gamble?" Richard asked warily.

    "Well, perhaps that's a poor choice of words," William confessed. "I knew that you and Olivia were interested in one another and I knew that her being in town would make it easier for you to develop a relationship. I also knew that Olivia wasn't about to jump into anything with both feet and that she was already being pressured into seeing you by Lizzy--."

    "...And just about everyone else on the eastern seaboard," Richard interjected. He began to perambulate around the room. "So you justified your interference in our lives, even after I asked you to butt out, by having a legitimate and extremely fortuitous business venture to hide behind."

    "Fitz--."

    "Look, this isn't getting us anywhere," Christopher interrupted. "William's motives aside, we have a more immediate concern to worry about." Both cousins looked up. "Tell me something: does Olivia have any enemies?" Richard and William exchanged a glance.

    "Well, she didn't exactly endear herself to Caroline the other day, but Caroline has nothing to do with either DARCO or the Darcy Corporation," Richard considered aloud.

    "Olivia's only met the design team," William added, "And maybe a few others at the Christmas parties."

    "And how was she received?" Christopher continued his calm interrogation.

    "Quite well, I think. Why?"

    "Well, obviously someone is out to get her!" Richard spat. "They can't really hurt you, Fitz, can they? I don't work at DARCO, so what else could be the motive for this?" He threw himself into his seat helplessly.

    "If I may, I'd like to try and crack this nut," Christopher offered. "I'm not a known quantity at the Darcy Corporation or DARCO. Why don't I come into the office with you next week and see what I can find out?"

    "And what is Olivia supposed to do in the meantime?" Richard asked pointedly.

    "Her job," William said bluntly. "Her making the project a success is the best means of silencing her critics."

    "But--." William cut off Richard's protest.

    "Ed Ferrars and the rest of the team think highly of her. I doubt that they're going to be swayed by any rumors."

    "Yeah, but how do you expect her to do anything with everyone looking over her shoulder just waiting for her to foul up?"

    "I obviously have more faith in Olivia's capabilities than you do, Fitz," William said with a hint of challenge in his voice. Richard glared back at his cousin.

    "I don't want to see her hurt," he warned.

    "None of us do," Christopher said with a hand on Richard's shoulder. Richard shook his head. He was about to say something more on the subject but he heard a sound at the door. A moment later, Lizzy appeared with Siena in her arms. The twins followed, along with Olivia.

    "Look who's here," Lizzy smiled at the small child. "It's your handsome cousin, William!" The baby didn't seem to be very impressed, but William gazed upon the sight of Lizzy and the baby somewhat wistfully. Lizzy looked up at him with a confused expression.

    "Will, are you all right?" William nodded. He tried to smile, but for some reason he couldn't. Lizzy extended her arms and offered the child to him. William took hold of his youngest cousin and held her in his arms. The smile came to him then, as he sat down and began to unwrap the blanket and remove the baby's snowsuit. Olivia nudged Lizzy and jokingly remarked that William had the look of good father material.

    "He'd make such pretty children, too!" Caitlin added. Both Lizzy and William reddened slightly, much to Olivia's amusement, but her smile faded when she noticed Richard's dark expression. She took a seat beside him.

    "What's up?" she asked. Richard's demeanor instantly changed. He repressed his residual anger and masked it with a pleasant and engaging smile.

    "Hi, Angel," he whispered as he kissed her cheek. Olivia peered at him oddly.

    "What's wrong?" she persisted.

    "Not a thing," Richard replied. He put an arm around her shoulders and glanced at William, who threw himself into visiting with his relations. But Olivia wasn't fooled. She knew that something was troubling Richard, but she wouldn't pry.

    After the twins went home, William and Lizzy curled up together on the sofa. Christopher had conveniently disappeared to rest before dinner. For a while the pair sat in silence, content to be in each other's arms.

    "Did you get your work done?" William broke the silence finally. Lizzy nodded. "Well, you'll be happy to know that Fitz brought me a zip drive from the office. Of course," William acknowledged with a wry smirk, "He's probably too angry with me to install it." Lizzy looked up.

    "Why is he angry with you?" William thought it best not to elaborate, so he chose to be evasive.

    "He's not very happy with a business decision I made."

    "Well, he won't be happy with either or us, then. I stole something from his room." William turned a shocked expression on Lizzy.

    "What?" Lizzy reached for her bag and pulled out the photograph she had fallen in love with in Richard's bedroom. William took one look at the picture and shook his head.

    "Oh, lord! You mean to tell me that he had that on display?" William said with an odd combination of embarrassment, surprise, and humility. Will gazed at the image before him and confronted the past.

    "I'm glad he did! This is an amazing photograph, Will. When was it taken?" William averted his gaze from the picture.

    "About a year and a half ago."

    "That's all? Olivia said that it must have been relatively recent, but I was sure that she was mistaken."

    "How on earth did she know that?" William exclaimed, surprised away from the thoughts conjured up by the photograph.

    "I don't know...she said something about the building in the background and the dock being new. Apparently, she's spent some time in the playhouse," Lizzy said with a grin.

    "She's absolutely right," William admitted. Lizzy continued to smile as she snuggled deeper into his arms.

    "So you had long hair eighteen months ago? Why did you cut it? You looked rather hot," Lizzy observed.

    "Do you think so? You like me in long hair, eh? And here I thought you were focusing on my legs," William smiled.

    "So why did you cut it?" Lizzy persisted.

    "I went back to work," he said simply. Lizzy lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him. "I told you about Emma," he said quietly.

    "Yes," Lizzy nodded. She was gripped by a sudden sense of dread. She regretted showing William the photograph and bringing up a painful memory for him. "I'm sorry William, I didn't mean...you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I didn't mean to pry. I had no idea--."

    "I don't mind. It doesn't hurt to talk about it anymore and I don't have anything to hide. Emma and I...we never had what you and I have now. We had been dating for a few months when she was killed. But we barely spent any time together. I was always on one continent and she was on another. The times we were together...it seemed that we spent more time worrying about the minutes we had left together than we spent enjoying each other's company." William paused and Lizzy clung to him, afraid to look into his eyes. But William was merely thinking, trying to put together the right words to explain what had happened to him after Emma's death.

    "When she was killed I was bereaved, but I was also angry. I was so full of conflicted emotions I couldn't think straight. I dealt with it by ignoring it and throwing myself into my work. Emma and I both always thought that if we worked very hard at some point in the future we'd have more time for each other. After she died, I realized just how perverse a notion that was. But I had nothing else to do! After she was gone I didn't want time anymore. Having time meant being alone and confronting the void that she left in my life. So I got caught up in a vicious cycle. I worked harder and harder and that just made me more isolated and lonely. So things just got worse.

    "Finally, Fitz talked me into taking a vacation. I took six months off while he and Christopher looked after things. I was scared to death. I didn't know what to do with myself! It was the first real vacation I'd ever taken since I started working full-time. I came up to the house and just sat here and stared at the walls for a week. It took a while, but I came to realize that the loneliness and the emptiness I felt had less to do with Emma's death than they had to do with my own choices. I had never taken the time...correction: I never allowed myself the time to do what I wanted in my life. I had never even taken the time to consider what I really wanted out of life.

    "My father gave me $100,000 when I turned twenty-one. I was told to go out and make something of myself and from that day forward I became obsessed with not disappointing him. I did what I could to be a success in his eyes. I never touched the money from the trust fund my mother left me; I wanted to make it on my own. Anyway, it wasn't until after Emma's death that I realized what success really meant to me. I finally made myself take the time to think about it." There was silence for a minute and Lizzy found her voice.

    "And you spent it in the trees?" she joked timidly. William laughed, and Lizzy felt the tension flee her body. He kissed her forehead.

    "I guess that picture makes it look as though I did," he said, holding it up for inspection. "I spend most of the time on solid ground. That picture was taken one weekend when Fitz came up and we went down to the pond for a swim. He took that picture from another branch. I think we had just decided to relive our childhood. We used to climb up that tree and plunge into the pond from that limb when we were kids. That weekend I discovered that climbing trees wasn't as easy as it was ten years ago."

    "Not the hard way, I hope," Lizzy smiled.

    "No. Only Richard has ever fallen from that tree."

    "The way I heard it, he was pushed." William laughed, but he grew serious after a moment.

    "The six months I spent away from work were probably the most important in my life. I learned a lot about myself." William smiled suddenly. "I went up to Vermont and bought a house. I hiked every day, rain or shine, and spent a lot of time coming to terms with myself. Did you know that I am a wonderful human being?" Lizzy looked into William's eyes and tried to keep a solemn expression as she nodded. "I didn't know that. No one ever told me. And no one ever told me that I was an elitist snob, either...well, Fitz actually said it constantly but I never paid much attention to him."

    "I'm sure people told you that you were wonderful, too," Lizzy said encouragingly. "Everyone in your family thinks the world of you."

    "Maybe so, but I was so absorbed in doing what I thought I was supposed to be doing and being the man I was expected to be that I never bothered to really notice. I never had the courage to listen to my heart, to my lasting regret. I learned that I was fairly pathetic." William concluded.

    "No you aren't!" Lizzy cried. William laughed.

    "You didn't know me then, Lizzy."

    "I know you now. You couldn't be the man I fell in love with if you were the person you just described."

    "I've changed since then. While I was up in Vermont I took a good look at the lives of the successful men in my life: my father, my grandfathers, Uncle Hugh, and Uncle Stewart. They all were men who found both professional and personal success. I compared my life with theirs and finally realized what was missing. I stopped going through the motions and found the courage to live a real life. But until I met you, I never really wanted one. I think that's why Fitz was so insistent about us meeting. He knew that you'd make all the difference in the world to me." Lizzy didn't say anything and William forced himself to speak. "I know that you're not comfortable with this, so I won't say any more on the subject for now." Lizzy took a deep breath.

    "William, I overreacted that day at Saks. You caught me completely off guard and I hadn't had time to think about it. I...I'm still not sure I'm ready to think about it yet, but I..." Lizzy pulled away from William and ran her hands through her hair as she grappled with words. "I know that we are meant to be together. I knew it that night when you gave me that little chest with all those keys. After that brief discussion we had at the restaurant I was afraid that you might back away." William laughed and pulled Lizzy into an embrace.

    "I'd been afraid that I might scare you away," he confessed. "I gave you the keys to send you a message, but quite frankly I've been second guessing myself ever since then." Lizzy looked William in the eye.

    "You couldn't scare me away if you tried," Lizzy declared.

    "Even if I shaved my head completely bald?" Lizzy frowned, but she shook her head in the negative. "How about if I painted my face bright blue, wore a sinister-looking black cloak and took to carrying a axe?" Lizzy smiled.

    "Would you be wearing those shorts in the picture?"

    "If it made you happy I would."

    "Obviously, you don't have much experience in scaring people away," Lizzy laughed. "You'd never be able to get rid of me in those shorts!"

    "I said I was pathetic; I didn't say I was crazy! Scaring you away is the last thing in the world I want to do." Lizzy threw her arms around William's neck and kissed him. He pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Every time I look at you I see someone who challenges my every preconceived notion of what it means to love a woman, for I have grown to love you in ways I never imagined possible. I am absolutely, positively, irrevocably, hopelessly, passionately in love with you, Lizzy Bennet. And I can do naught else but love you until the day I die." The seriousness of William's tone was a bit overwhelming to Lizzy. She tried to keep things somewhat light.

    "That's quite a declaration, Mr. Darcy. Such talk is likely to go straight to my head," she teased. But William continued to gaze at her earnestly.

    "If I did manage to succeed in scaring you away, you realize that I'd have no choice but to stalk you to the end of my existence. I'm not prepared to live without you as part of my life." Lizzy averted her eyes and tried to stifle the tears that she felt coming to the surface. She heard a noise out in the hall and jumped out of her seat as Richard entered. He had left earlier with the twins and was back to pick up Olivia for the dinner date they'd had to cancel earlier in the week. Richard walked in and smiled at Lizzy.

    "What's the matter, Bright Eyes?" He glanced at William. "Am I interrupting something?" Lizzy quickly assured him that there was nothing wrong and asked him to sit down. Richard wasn't immediately convinced, but he didn't pry.

    "So where are you two going tonight?" Lizzy asked, trying to divert attention from herself.

    "We're going to the Inn at Litchfield for dinner," Richard replied. He said nothing more, which surprised Lizzy. Richard was usually the one to initiate and if necessary forward conversation.

    "Is it far?" she asked, groping for something to say.

    "It's in Litchfield," was Richard's curt reply. Lizzy glanced at William, but he seemed as uninterested in making conversation as Richard. She turned back to him. Richard's eyes were fixed on the photograph that lay before him on the coffee table. Lizzy blushed as she picked up the photograph and handed it to Richard.

    "I stole this from your room today. I wanted to ask William about it, and..." Richard raised an amused eyebrow. Lizzy reddened again. He handed it back to her.

    "It's yours...or would you rather have the negative so you can blow it up to poster size?" Lizzy smiled wickedly and looked at William, who rolled his eyes. Just then, Olivia walked into the room. Richard rose to his feet and greeted her.

    "You look amazing, Angel," he said softly as he kissed her cheek. Olivia smiled back at him radiantly, completely unaware that anyone else was in the room until William stirred. Olivia blushed slightly.

    "You do look lovely," William smiled. "Have a nice evening, you two." Olivia thanked him, but Richard remained silent as he helped Olivia into her coat. A few seconds later they were gone and Lizzy and William had the room to themselves again.

    "They make a very handsome couple, don't you think?" Lizzy opined. William put his arm around her should and grunted in agreement. "I'm glad they found each other. Olivia had been alone for a while and it's pretty hard to meet interesting men in the boonies where she lives."

    "I shouldn't think she'd have any trouble luring men to the 'boonies,' as you call them," William replied.

    "She never bothered to try. She was always very choosy about men, and after her last relationship she became even pickier." William took in this information and was pensive for a minute.

    "You know, I've been wondering for some time why you were available when Fitz and I found you. I should have thought that there was a waiting list of men just eager to take you out."

    "No, I think I can safely say that I've never inspired such a devoted following," Lizzy laughed. "Why do you think Jane spent a year trying to fix us up?" William smiled at the memory of the many times Jane had spoken to him about her sister.

    "You know, I can still remember a time when I was half-convinced that you were a figment of Jane's imagination. She'd speak of you, but could never seem to make you materialize, as though you were her secret invisible friend," he grinned.

    "The Phantom, that's me. I'd disappear whenever Jane even thought about trying to fix me up with anyone. Of course, had I known what I was missing..."Lizzy shook her head reproachfully. "She might have told me you were drop-dead gorgeous!"

    "So you're only interested in my looks?" William pouted.

    "That surprises you? William Darcy, any woman who claims to be interested in you for your money is nothing less than a bold-faced liar!" With that Lizzy rose and headed for the kitchen. William followed, laughing.

    Olivia slid into the seat Richard held for her and observed Richard as he took the seat opposite. He had been unaccountably quiet for most of the drive to the Inn. He readily answered her questions and was very attentive, but he seemed preoccupied and distracted. Olivia recalled her first real date with Richard where he was tongue-tied and somewhat awkward for an hour or two, but this was different. Richard ordered a bottle of wine and as they waited for it to arrive, Richard took Olivia's hand and toyed with the strand of hematite beads that circled her wrist.

    "I missed you today," he confessed.

    "I think you had better get used to those hours of separation, Richard. We have to go back to work in a few days," Olivia said teasingly. But she suddenly felt the oppressive inevitability of the separation that loomed before them.

    "How long will you be staying in New York?" Richard asked quietly, with a squeeze of her fingers. Olivia sighed.

    "I don't know. Not long...I have a house to look after, a cat who probably won't recognize me between all the time he's spent between the boarder and my neighbor's house lately." Olivia sighed once more and felt that with very little provocation, she could cry. The sommelier appeared with their wine, temporarily breaking the tension between the sullen pair.

    "My work with the design team ...I only have to be in New York a few days a month," Olivia began.

    "But you could be in New York if you chose to," Richard challenged.

    "I can't really justify it, Richard."

    "Justify it?" Richard frowned, not liking at all the sound or connotation of that word.

    "William has allowed me to retain a few of my clients and they're all in the Philadelphia area. I have to spend some time working with them, and as I said earlier, I have my own obligations..." Olivia placed her free hand on top of Richard's. "I can't believe that we hadn't thought about this before."

    "I haven't been able to think about much else all day," Richard admitted. "Reality is about to come crashing down upon us with a vengeance," he said softly. Olivia sighed deeply, but she tried to put up a brave front.

    "So what are your plans for the next few dozen weekends?" Richard smiled gamely. The couple ordered dinner and tried, with only modest success, to lift the pall that had fallen over them. Richard was assiduously charming and upbeat all evening, but Olivia had the sense that he was only doing it for her benefit. She also had the sense that there was something more to Richard's mood that what they'd discussed. Olivia waited patiently for Richard to confide in her, but he was determined to forget his problems for the rest of the evening. Olivia grew frustrated, but resolved to give him some time to open up.

    Christopher joined Lizzy and William in the kitchen, where he found William looking through the pantry and Lizzy at the stove.

    "What are you two up to?" he asked as he gratefully accepted the cup of tea Lizzy offered him.

    "I gave Mrs. Reynolds the night off," William's disembodied voice explained from inside the pantry. "I was wondering--." William emerged with a box of pasta in his hand. "Should we fend for ourselves, or would you rather go out to dinner?"

    "I wouldn't mind getting out of the house, as long as it's to somewhere other than Harpy's," Lizzy said. William frowned at her.

    "You have the wrong attitude about Harpy's, Liz. You really ought to just relax and enjoy the place. And anyway, we've already been there today."

    "When?" William took a seat at the counter beside Christopher and took a sip of tea.

    "This morning. Christopher needed to go to the post office, so Jane and I took him into town. We stopped at Harpy's for a slice of pie on the way back. Phoebe asked for you," William added with a smile.

    "I'll bet she asked for me!" Lizzy laughed. "She probably took one look at Jane and congratulated you on your improved luck."

    "No, she did not. The girls all know Charles. He's been a fairly regular visitor to Harpy's since Fitz first brought him up to Connecticut. I introduced Jane as his fiancée and everyone was quite pleased at his luck," William grinned. "Then I introduced them to Christopher and they all fell in love with him. I was quite forgotten between the questions about the wedding and questions about how long Christopher would be in Greenwich."

    "And if you believe that for one instant, I'll lose all respect for your intelligence, Lizzy," Christopher quipped. "They all quite doted on Will--as always, I suspect."

    "But Christopher was the one given a second piece of pie," William retorted.

    "That wasn't my fault! I just happened to mention that I'd never tasted coconut cream pie. I had no idea they'd force it on me!" Christopher said in his own defense. William shook his head.

    "At any rate, Phoebe did ask for you. I assured her that you were still in the state, just busy this morning."

    "She did offer a lovely compliment to you, Lizzy," Christopher added. Lizzy looked at William expectantly.

    "She said that in the two times she'd seen us together I looked happier than I had since I was in prep school. She also said that you must be taking very good care of me." Lizzy and William exchanged a look that made Christopher want to leave them alone once more, but before he could move, the door to the kitchen flew open and Garren and Charles entered, arms laden with grocery bags. Jane and Georgiana followed.

    "You haven't begun cooking anything, have you?" Georgiana asked. "We brought home stuff to make pizza."

    "I thought you'd just had lunch!" William exclaimed as Jane unpacked an array of cheeses, tomato sauce, sausages, olives, and other condiments.

    "We ate lunch hours ago! We went to a movie afterwards and came out famished!" Jane explained. "We bought pizza dough, so all we have to do is roll it out and begin assembling pies." Georgiana suggested that everyone create his or her own pie, however, William made a pie for two, distinctly heart shaped, and Lizzy piled on the toppings. Charles and Jane made twin pizzas, and while Christopher tossed a salad, Lizzy made a pizza for him. Everyone sat down to a hearty meal that was enlivened by good conversation and lots of laughter.

    "This was a brilliant idea, Gee," Charles concluded. "I'm stuffed." Jane patted his stomach and agreed. Everyone headed into the den, where William challenged Christopher to a game of chess while Georgiana, Garren and Charles sat down to work on a puzzle. Lizzy and Jane went back to the kitchen, ostensibly to get something to drink, but they sat down at the table immersed in conversation after Lizzy surprised Jane with a completely unexpected question.

    "Did you know Emma?" Lizzy asked as she handed Jane a glass of cold water. Jane was taken aback by the question.

    "Yes, we met a couple of times. I barely knew William before she died. You could say that her death was what brought about our friendship. But I had met him and Emma, and Richard as well on a couple of occasions before her accident. Why do you ask?" Lizzy hesitated and Jane thought that perhaps it might not be a good idea to pursue the topic. "Lizzy, if you're trying to make some sort of comparison--."

    "No, not at all. William talked about her today. I was just wondering what she was like." It was Jane's turn to hesitate. There wasn't much she could tell.

    "She was Welsh, I think: tall, fairly attractive, smart, kind of bookish. She was a redhead, and I recall her being somewhat quiet and serious."

    "Were they happy together?" Jane shrugged.

    "They seemed to enjoy each other's company. But I never spent much time with them, so I couldn't really say. Lizzy, why are you asking about this?"

    "I was just wondering." She repeated. "I know it's idle speculation, but I wonder what would have happened had Emma not died. Do you think their relationship would have grown into something serious? Would they have married by now? Would William and I even have met each other?"

    "Lizzy, this is idle speculation. The fact is that Emma did die and you and William did meet," Jane assured her.

    "I know," Lizzy said wistfully. "But don't you ever wonder about what might have happened if things had been different? Suppose Emma hadn't been killed in that plane crash. Would you and Charles have fixed me up with Richard? Would I be out to dinner with him tonight instead of Livy? And if you had, what would have happened if Will and I were to meet?"

    "Lizzy!" Jane exclaimed. "This is dangerous and silly! Stick with reality, it's much safer." Lizzy laughed at Jane's squeamishness. "Lizzy," Jane asked tentatively. "Is this speculation about William or is it about Richard?"

    "Neither one, really...maybe it's just about me. If I had become involved with Richard I know that we would have been very happy together...at least I think so--we never really got far enough to tell for certain how we would fare as a couple. But if we had stayed together and become serious, and then I met William..." Lizzy shook her head disparagingly. "I think Richard answered that question for me. He knew that no matter what happened between us that we could never have what William and I have. Being with Richard would be like sleeping with my best friend and being with Will is..."

    "Not?" Jane smiled.

    "So 'not'!" Lizzy exclaimed, fanning herself. "So if Emma had lived things might have been very complicated..."

    "Who knows? If she hadn't died, everything else might have been different. Maybe you would have met someone else, or maybe things wouldn't have worked out between Emma and Will and he would have been yours anyway. Either way, it doesn't really bear thinking about." Lizzy's eyes lit up and Jane asked what was on her mind.

    "I just thought of something! What would have happened if I had stayed in my office that day? I would have been there when this tall, dark, and handsome man--."

    "With a broom and a bucket," Jane added laughingly.

    "So much the better! A gorgeous man ready and eager to please; I think I would have swooned!" Lizzy laughed. Jane joined her.

    "So did you get your work done today?" Jane asked when the laughter had subsided. Lizzy bit her lip.

    "Kind of...I did accomplish something, although I'm beginning to have second thoughts about it."

    "What did you do?"

    "A couple of years ago I made an "I Hate Caroline" web page." Jane's mouth fell open. "It was just something I made for myself," Lizzy quickly amended. "I didn't have any intention of ever sharing it with anyone--except Caroline. You see Caroline has always had this way of getting on my nerves. I didn't pay much attention to her until Charles and I decided to incorporate Cherry Blossom into a real business and she came on board as a partner. She wanted no part of actually running the business but she nonetheless came to every meeting and nitpicked and second-guessed every decision we made. It got to the point where I wanted to throttle her. Of course, I didn't want to anger her or Charles, or do anything that might hurt your relationship with him. So I made the site to vent my frustrations on."

    "And you showed it to Caroline."

    "Yes. Once. After that she backed off and we pretended to get along, until she tried to kill Richard."

    "Lizzy! I understood that it was an accident," Jane said generously. Lizzy glared at her.

    "You still believe in the tooth fairy, don't you?" Lizzy said sarcastically. "Anyway, the final straw was this threat of hers to start throwing her weight around in the firm. I am officially through with pretending," Lizzy declared.

    "What does this have to do with your site?" Jane asked warily.

    "Well, I had worked on the site, from time to time, since I created it. When I got new software I tried out different things. I became quite proficient in computer animation thanks to Caroline Bingley. Anyway, I thought I'd bring the disk up and share it with Livy, who's got even more reason to hate her than I do."

    "That was the disk you got from the house?" Lizzy nodded.

    "I took it over to Richard's to show it to her and the twins saw it. They somehow managed to convince me to put it up on the web. I'm not so sure I should have let them talk me into it."

    "You shouldn't have! Lizzy, I'm shocked at you! If Caroline finds out about this--."

    "That's not likely. She can barely work a microwave. I doubt that she'll be surfing the net anytime soon."

    "But what if she does? Or what if someone sees it and tells her about it? Can't she sue?"

    "She'd have to be able to prove that I am responsible for it," Lizzy sighed. "And Doug and the twins, along with some of their shadier friends, assure me that she'll never be able to manage it."

    "Lizzy, the FBI tracked down a hacker all the way to the Philippines last year! What makes you think that you can't be tracked?" Lizzy rose and put her glass in the sink.

    "The fact that Caroline hasn't got friends in the FBI, not to mention the fact that her own mother would be hard-pressed to recognize her from my site. There is an image or two that is a composite of her face, but you'd have to know her to recognize her. And her full name isn't anywhere on the site. At best, she'd only be able to bring a civil suit and Doug, in his capacity as a copyright attorney, assured me that litigation was highly unlikely."

    "He's a lawyer and he let you do this?"

    "He's Richard's brother in law first! Once the twins figured out how to do it, the matter was out of my hands. Whatever you do, Jane, do not under any circumstances ever wrong a Fitzwilliam!"

    "Good advice," William said from the door, startling both women. "I don't know what you two are plotting, but Lizzy's right--you attack one of us and you've attacked the whole clan," he said as she took a seat on the stool beside Jane. "So what are you two up to?" Jane and Lizzy exchanged a glance. Lizzy shook her head slightly.

    "I was just telling Jane how the twins reacted when they found out about Caroline putting Richard into the hospital." William smiled.

    "Odd as it may sound, they've always been very protective of their baby brother. They've even threatened me when I came down on him too hard a time or two," William said, grinning at the memory.

    "See what I mean?" Lizzy said to Jane.

    Richard drove slowly through Litchfield and pointed out the house where Bess had grown up as well as the estate she had moved to when she married Richard Fitzwilliam nearly sixty years earlier.

    "Uncle Stewart lives there now, of course, with his family." There wasn't really anything to see in the dark of night. The homestead was some distance back from the road and all Olivia could really admire was the old stone walls that surrounded the estate. Richard headed the car back toward Greenwich and the couple rode in silence. Olivia rested her head against the leather support and tried not to think about a time, perhaps no more than a week hence, when she and Richard would have to part. She turned to look at his profile. He took one hand from the wheel and she grasped it eagerly. After a while, Richard put on some music and Olivia was glad because it made it easier to mask the sound of the tears that began to flow down her face.

    She had stopped crying by the time the landscape became familiar. Richard brought the car to a stop in front of the house. Olivia asked Richard if he would come inside. He nodded wordlessly. Given the late hour, the invitation implied that he would be spending the night. The house was still and quiet as they made their way up to Olivia's room. Olivia kicked off her shoes as soon as she entered the room and went into the bathroom to wash her face. Richard kicked off his shoes as well and lay back on the bed. He stared at the ceiling and remembered how he felt the last time she left him, that day when he lay in the hospital. He had missed her more than he thought possible then. How would he cope this time?

    Olivia came out of the bathroom and climbed onto the bed and tucked herself into Richard's arms. She had slipped out of her dress, so that she was only wearing a slip.

    "Started without me, eh?" Richard smiled when his hand touched her bare shoulder. He turned his head so that he could kiss the Olivia's brow. For a long time, neither one moved nor spoke. Olivia thought Richard had fallen asleep. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes, which were wide open. He smiled back at her.

    "What are you so happy about?" Olivia asked as she started to undo his tie.

    "I love you," Richard said simply.

    "Oh." She smiled as sat him up and pulled off his jacket and began to undo his shirt. Richard lay back docilely as she removed his pants and socks. Olivia rose from the bed to lay his suit and shirt on the chair and when she returned Richard was snuggled under the down comforter. She crawled under the covers and snuggled into his arms.

    "It's only temporary, Richard. I mean, I don't know how temporary yet, but--." Richard pulled his left arm out from under the covers and removed his watch. He removed the hematite bracelet from her wrist and laid it on the nightstand as well.

    "No more talk about time tonight, okay? In fact, would you indulge me and just stick with the here and now for the next few days?" Olivia nodded and Richard turned toward her and kissed her. All thoughts of Pennsylvania, work, her house, and anything else flew out of her head.

    She awoke hours later to find herself alone. There was no sign that Richard had even been there, except for his watch, which was still laying where he had left it on the nightstand. She could find no sign of her bracelet either, as she slid out of bed. She found that odd as she went to run her bath. She wrapped herself in her robe and did a quick search of her room before she gave up and succumbed to the lure of the hot water. She dressed and went down to breakfast. Richard appeared a while later and joined her, along with Charles and Jane for pancakes. When they went out for a walk a bit later, Richard admitted that he had taken the bracelet as a souvenir.

    "I thought I'd take a page from Lizzy's book," he smiled. "Of course, I'll give it back if you really want me to. But I do want something of yours to hold onto." Olivia laughed at him and told him he could keep the bracelet and carry it like a strand of worry beads.

    "That's fitting," Richard remarked. "I'll be worrying every moment that you're out of my sight, henceforth." Olivia eyed him for a moment, but shrugged off his comment and wrapped her arms around his.

    Over the next few days, Richard and Olivia were virtually inseparable. Neither broke the promise they'd made that night. Each determinedly focused on the present. Olivia was troubled, however, by Richard's continuing silence. He was animated and attentive as any situation required, but when left to himself he seemed to crawl into some sort of impenetrable shell. He and Olivia joined Charles and Jane for a morning of cross-country skiing and was very much his normal self. But later that same day, Richard barely said a word when everyone assembled to play a game of pool.

    A day of observation told Olivia that Richard's behavior was not completely related to her. She became aware of a heretofore-unseen tension between Richard and his cousin. Although everything apparently seemed to be all right on the surface there was a distinct unease between Richard and William. Richard seemed somewhat resentful and William almost apologetic, although no words were ever uttered that might explain the situation between them. Each of the cousins was decidedly mute on the subject, and Christopher, who took it upon himself to serve as mediator, seemed intent on smoothing any feathers even before they were ruffled.

    When Olivia questioned Lizzy about the matter, she expressed surprise. Lizzy had noticed Richard's reticence but saw no evidence of dissension between the two men. Indeed, they had joined forces against Charles and Christopher in a spirited snowball fight on the front lawn on Sunday morning. To the casual observer, things were quite normal. Olivia pressed Lizzy, however, and Lizzy eventually did recall that William had said that Richard was displeased with a business decision William had made.

    Olivia retired to the kitchen, where Mrs. Reynolds was packing away things that would no longer be needed. Later that day, Bates would drive up from New York to take her back to the city, where she would celebrate New Year's Eve with friends and be home to prepare for her employer's return on the following day. Olivia offered to lend Mrs. Reynolds a hand and the two women worked side by side for a while in silence. After a while, Richard wandered into the kitchen in search of Olivia, and Mrs. Reynolds discretely retired to her room. Richard wrapped his arms around Olivia's waist and nuzzled her neck.

    "The mittens you made us are wonderful. Fitz and I pummeled the opposition into the ground with our superior equipment."

    "I'm glad you like them," Olivia smiled as Richard kissed her neck. Richard grew serious and held her tightly to him.

    "How are you doing? Still okay?" Olivia nodded. It was the third time he'd asked that day. He was aware that New Year's Eve marked the first anniversary of Olivia's father's death and he wanted to be there for her. Olivia had tried not to think about it, but Lizzy, Richard, and Jane had been hovering worriedly over all day, unwittingly making it more difficult to put the event out of her mind.

    "So what are your folks planning tonight?" Olivia inquired, abruptly changing the topic. Kathleen and Hugh had asked everyone to join them in a quiet New Year's celebration. Georgiana and Garren would not be there; they'd left to spend the holiday with his family in Massachusetts. Christopher was encouraged to invite a date to the small affair and he'd an imported an old flame from New York, with whom he'd had an on-again off-again relationship for the past year or so. She was expected to join the group that afternoon and stay at William's house for the night.

    "I expect that we'll have a lavish spread, some good music, plenty of lively conversation, and several judiciously placed kisses at midnight," Richard quipped as he stole a handful of nuts from the jar that Olivia was filling.

    "Will it be the entire Fitzwilliam clan, or just us?"

    "Just us; my folks are into lying low on New Year's Eve. I think that's because they get very mushy at midnight and don't want a lot of guests keeping them from...I can't believe I'm discussing my parents' love life like this. While I'm eating, for goodness' sake!" Olivia shoved Richard away to stop him from consuming all the nuts.

    "What's wrong with your parents having a love life? I think it's wonderful that they've continued to keep the romance in their marriage," Olivia replied. Richard pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her again.

    "You've got a point there. I fully intend to be as crazy for you at sixty as I am now," Richard smiled. He pulled her even closer and kissed her. They were still kissing a few minutes later when Lizzy and Jane entered the kitchen.

    "I guess she doesn't want to go shopping," Jane deadpanned. Lizzy shook her head and the sisters turned and left the couple to themselves.

    "I'm never taking a bath with you again!"

    "Oh, come on! I didn't mean it!"

    "Didn't mean it? Fitzwilliam Darcy, do you expect me to believe that you put that rubber bug in the tub for me to find by accident? I might have broken my neck!" Lizzy cried as William applied ice to her throbbing ankle.

    "How was I supposed to know that you'd jump like that?" Lizzy glared at William, not at all amused by the wry smile he wore.

    "You cannot have forgotten how I reacted the last time you approached me with a bug!" Lizzy exclaimed. William massaged her ankle and it began to feel better, but she wasn't about to let him know that.

    "That was a spider, not a bug. I thought you were merely an arachnaphobe," he said reasonably. In response Lizzy grabbed a nearby pillow and clocked him one. "Feel better now?" William asked calmly. He smiled at her endearingly and Lizzy couldn't feign anger any longer, although her ankle still throbbed. He leaned forward and was about to kiss her when he heard voices at the door.

    "How's the patient doing?" Olivia asked as she and Jane entered with a second ice pack. "I found this in the first aid chest downstairs. It should keep the swelling to a minimum." Charles wandered into the room behind Olivia and went into the bathroom. He emerged a minute later carrying the culprit--the three-inch long rubber insect that had caused Lizzy to leap from the tub and tumble to the ground--between his thumb and forefinger. Charles spared a disparaging look for William and headed for the door. Christopher knocked on the doorframe after allowing Charles, Jane, and Olivia to slip by.

    "So what's the verdict? Is she fit to travel? Or should we all stay here and keep her company?" Lizzy assured Christopher that she had no intention of missing the evening's festivities in spite of her injury. Christopher expressed his pleasure at her decision and closed the door, leaving the couple alone.

    "I am truly sorry," William said sincerely. He ran a finger along Lizzy's cheek and across her lips as they broke into a smile.

    "You have been very naughty, William," Lizzy began, taking his face in her hands. He leaned forward and kissed her. "No, I'm afraid that won't do, Mr. Darcy." William pouted for a second.

    "Well, you could punish me by not going to the party and making me stay home to wait on you hand and foot," he smiled hopefully.

    "Or I could punish you by making you go to the party and not allowing you to wait on me hand and foot," she countered archly. William's face fell.

    "Madam, that would be too cruel! I mean, you really shouldn't be up and walking around on that ankle. It'd be risking further injury. I'm sorry but I couldn't conscience that. You'd better stay here and let me take care of you."

    "Oh, I'm sure Jane and Charles would be willing to forego the party to stay with me. I wouldn't want to deprive you of your family on such an important occasion," Lizzy teased.

    "But I wouldn't ask Jane and Charles to make such a sacrifice. After all, they've already suffered great adversity during their stay here--."

    "Oh, and the rest of us didn't? You know, you're right, Mr. Darcy, we all deserve a night out. I insist that we all go to the party."

    "But there's chocolate frosting left," William said plaintively. Lizzy burst into laughter.

    "Is that a Fitzwilliam remedy for sprained ankles? You know what? I think you don't deserve any chocolate tonight." William looked horrified.

    "But..."

    "None. End of discussion."

    "But..."

    "If you would be so kind as to help me up, I'd like to get out of this robe and into my dress. Thank you." Lizzy half hopped, half limped back into the bathroom. William looked after her and sighed.

    Jade Ng arrived at William's house shortly after Lizzy's accident. Bates drove her up to Connecticut and got her settled into a guest room while everyone else tended to Lizzy. In all the fuss, Jade's arrival went virtually unnoticed by the others. Jade received a brief explanation of the situation from Mrs. Reynolds and decided to go into the living room and wait for things to settle down. Richard slipped into the house and walked into the living room a few moments later and was surprised to find a new face.

    "Jade?" The elegant former fashion model turned publicist looked up and smiled.

    "Richard! How are you? Last time I heard your name spoken you had just gotten out of hospital," she said as she kissed his cheek. Richard shook his head.

    "A lot has happened since then. A lot!" he blushed slightly. "What are you doing here, if I may ask?" Jade resumed her seat and crossed her legs.

    "I'm Christopher's date tonight."

    "Christopher's?" Richard swallowed. He hoped that nothing in his past would come back to haunt him as he heard footsteps approaching the living room. He turned just as Olivia entered the room.

    "Hello, sweetness," she cooed as she applied a brief kiss to his lips. She looked up and saw that she was being observed with interest. "Oh, hello. You must be Jade." Olivia closed the distance between herself and woman o the couch. Jade rose to her feet and extended her hand. "I'm Olivia. Christopher told us you'd be here any minute. I'm afraid we had a small disaster upstairs and got distracted, but Christopher and the others should be down at any moment. Maybe I should let him know that you're here." Before Jade could form a reply, Olivia was off again, with an affectionate touch on Richard's arm as she left.

    Jade looked at Richard and smiled. "She's very pretty. New?" Richard shrugged.

    "Is it serious?" Richard nodded.

    "Really! I must say I'm a bit surprised to hear it," Jade said in a tone that was slightly mocking.

    "So was I when it happened. But she's--." Richard cut his speech short as Olivia, followed closely by Christopher entered the room.

    "Look who I found in the hall," Olivia smiled. She immediately turned her attention to Richard and took a seat beside him on the sofa. Christopher crossed the room to properly greet Jade in a manner that was more friendly than romantic. He kissed both cheeks and sat down beside her to talk. Richard, meanwhile, was curious about the disaster upstairs.

    "Lizzy sprained her ankle getting out of the tub," Olivia explained.

    "Is she all right?" Olivia nodded and told him what had happened and that Lizzy was upstairs dressing for the party with Jane's assistance. William entered the room and was introduced to Jade. Jane and Charles followed, and introductions were made. Jane tapped William on the shoulder and told him that Lizzy was ready. William excused himself and returned upstairs, where he immediately renewed his appeal to Lizzy.

    "Are you sure that you want to go out? Suppose you were to slip on a piece of ice? I would never be able to forgive myself if anything more were to happen to you," William pleaded. Lizzy giggled as he attempted to keep a straight face.

    "You mean you'd feel worse than you do now?"

    "I'd be devastated. We should just stay here and listen to Marc Anthony and I'll make us dinner and some of my fondue..." He stopped when Lizzy began to shake her head and pouted.

    "I already told you, sir, no chocolate, no dessert. You've been a bad boy." William sighed and knelt beside her and wrapped his arms around her.

    "You know, we could skip dessert and..."

    "Why am I getting the distinct impression that this whole thing was planned?" Lizzy asked archly. William shook his head and scooped Lizzy up into his arms. He carried her down the stairs and sat her on the sofa beside Richard while he went to fetch her coat.

    "What has that brute done to you?" Richard teased. "Would you like me to put one of his eyes out?"

    "You harm one of those beautiful eyes of his, and I'll have to knock out one of Livy's in retribution," Lizzy challenged.

    "Thanks a lot, pal," Olivia deadpanned as she rose to get her coat.

    "All's fair in love and war," Lizzy replied. "And if Richard tries to hurt my Will, it'd definitely be war!" Everyone laughed at Lizzy's declaration as the group prepared to leave. In a few minutes, everyone was off to Fitzwilliam House in good spirits. The group had barely entered the living room and sat down than Lizzy was accosted by the twins.

    "Lizzy! You must come upstairs!"

    "Yes, you must! We have something to show you!" Caitlin tugged on Lizzy's arm as Corrine, spotting Olivia, sought her company as well.

    "What are you two up to?" Richard asked, holding onto to Olivia's free hand.

    "Never you mind, Ricky. Come on, Livy! We have something you must see!" Olivia and Lizzy exchanged glances.

    "Perhaps we should indulge them?" Olivia excused herself and offered her arm to Lizzy. The two slowly made their way upstairs as William and Richard exchanged a confused glance. When they reached Richard's room, the twins turned on his computer. Lizzy watched the screen blare to life with no small amount of trepidation. She glanced at Olivia as Caitlin located the page.

    "We made a few changes, the sort of thing someone who stole your page and used it as his own might do," Caitlin began.

    "We changed the colors a bit, changed the name to "Karoline's Korner," and lowered the quality of the graphics a bit. Our bud out in California said that they were too good for your average home-made web site." Olivia nudged Lizzy and smiled at her proudly.

    "Aww, I kind of liked the lime green sky," Olivia said as she drew closer to examine the changes. Lizzy put her hand over her heart and tried to convince herself that she hadn't made a terrible mistake in sharing the site with the twins. A touch on her shoulder made her jump.

    "Will!" she said shrilly. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" Corrine and Olivia immediately blocked the screen from William's view as Caitlin frantically typed in the URL of another site.

    "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to sneak up on you," he said apologetically, but he grew suspicious at the furtive activity before him. "What are you ladies up to? Does Richard know you're in here?"

    "What we're doing is none of your business, Will," Corrine replied defensively. Caitlin quickly joined her and in seconds, William had retreated from the room in defeat. Lizzy and Olivia exchanged a glance.

    "They're good," Lizzy observed. Olivia concurred, as they headed back into the hall. "Now, how am I going to get back downstairs without breaking my neck? Maybe I should have let Will stay." As she spoke, she saw William at the base of the stairs smiling up at her.

    "Come on down. I'll catch you if you fall," he teased.

    "No dessert for a week!" Lizzy called back. William took two steps up. Lizzy frowned as Olivia laughed and left her to deal with William on her own.

    "Would you mind giving me a hand?" Lizzy asked.

    "You know, if you had agreed to stay home you wouldn't be in this mess," William chided. "How did you manage to get up there?"

    "With great difficulty."

    "I see. You'll probably find the trip down much easier, if that's of any help to you," William said smugly. Lizzy put her hands on her hips. Then she thought better of it, and gingerly sat down on the top step.

    "Are you waiting for a bus?" William smirked.

    "No. I'm learning to be self-sufficient," Lizzy replied as she began to slide down the stairs step by step. William watched her progress with amusement. When she drew close to where he was standing, she slid to the opposite side of the steps and slid to the bottom and grabbed the newel post to pull herself up.

    "You could get a nasty carpet burn doing that," William remarked. "Not to mention a whole lot of pale green carpet fibers on the back of your pants." Lizzy quickly brushed off her derriere and limped back into the living room, leaving William laughing on the steps.

    "So what's going on upstairs?" Richard asked Olivia when she rejoined him.

    "Oh, the twins wanted to show us something on your computer. We were talking about a site the other day and they just found the URL," Olivia replied easily.

    "You know, those two are eleven short of a coven. I wouldn't spend too much time in their midst if I were you," Richard teased. Olivia smiled at him, and noticed that her actions were being observed by Jade, who was sitting opposite them, albeit some distance away.

    "Did you know Jade before?" Olivia asked out of curiosity.

    "Yes," Richard said as he played with the fingers of Olivia's hand.

    "She's gorgeous. I thought I had long legs!"

    "You have long and fantastic legs. And a cuter navel to boot!" Olivia's eyebrows rose questioningly. Richard shrugged. "I met her at a beach party in the Hamptons. She was wearing a bikini at the time."

    "Oh," Olivia teased, "So she's a former conquest?"

    "We dated," Richard replied uncomfortably.

    "Oh."

    "No, 'oh.' We dated briefly. End of story; I wasn't the man she wanted me to be."

    "I beg your pardon?" Olivia was even more curious now, where she had only been playing earlier.

    "After three and a half dates, she decided that she didn't want to see me again."

    "Three and a half?"

    "I the middle of our fourth date I got a call that Uncle Stewart had had a heart attack. I had to go and take care of getting Grandma Bess to the hospital," Richard explained.

    "And she wouldn't forgive you for that?"

    "No, that wasn't it. See, she and Christopher were a hot item some time ago when she was living in Europe. But he wasn't ready for a long-term commitment and she was impatient, so she came back to the states looking for Mr. Right. Jade wants a husband and a child or two before she reaches the big three-O. She told me that I lacked the maturity to have a serious relationship with a woman." Olivia laughed. "I'm serious!"

    "What was your response to that?" Olivia asked.

    "I told her that I was perfectly capable of being serious with the right woman. A week later I met Lizzy and I never looked back." Olivia looked down at the hand that Richard held in his lap.

    "Could you have gotten serious with Lizzy, do you think?" Richard looked at her warily. "Don't look at me like that, I'm just curious."

    "Yes, probably. Definitely. But as long as William breathed, there was no way that it was going to work."

    "I'm glad," Olivia smiled.

    "Me, too." Richard returned her smile with one that made her heart leap. He put his arm around her shoulder and drew her closer and Olivia snuggled in his arms. Kathleen and Christopher launched into a conversation about the previous year's millennial celebrations around the world. Jade joined in and told of the sights she had witnessed in Sydney, where she was doing some work for the Olympics. After a few minutes, Olivia suddenly began to cry. Bess, who was standing a short distance away, noticed it at about the same time as Richard. The two of them escorted Olivia from the room and took her up to Richard's room. Lizzy and Jane saw the scene and exchanged a worried glance. Kathleen also observed Olivia's departure.

    "Oh dear, I wonder what happened?" Lizzy quietly explained the significance of the date. It was a somber day for all three of the woman; one had lost her father, and the other two had lost a man they had come to be love as a father figure. Charles squeezed both Jane's hand and Lizzy's. He had shared in their loss a year earlier. Richard returned alone a few minutes later.

    "She's okay. She just wants to be alone for a while," he said soberly. William and Hugh, who had been showing Christopher the train room, returned just then.

    "Why all the sad faces?" Hugh asked the quiet group.

    "What ever is the matter, child?" Bess asked gently once she had sent Richard away. "You aren't jealous over that woman, are you? Richard only went out with a few of times. She was all wrong for him..." Olivia looked up, surprised. "Oh, Richard and I have no secrets. We talk about all manner of things. By the way, I'd like to see that chain around your waist, sometime. But right now, I'm more concerned about other things. Why the tears?"

    "It has nothing to do with Jade. Today marks the first anniversary of my father's death. I've been trying not to think about it all day but when everyone started talking about the millennium, it all came flooding back," Olivia sniffed.

    "Oh, dear. I'm so sorry." She held Olivia tightly to her chest. "Does he know?" Olivia nodded.

    "Richard and I have talked about it and he's been very sweet and supportive. But..." Olivia began to cry again and Bess waited for her to compose herself. "I'm sorry, Bess. I've been spontaneously bursting into tears all week. Richard has been there for me, but there's something in the way that he holds me and calls me his angel that reminds me of my dad. It almost makes it worse...you won't tell him that, will you?" Bess shook her head.

    "Would you like to be alone with your thoughts?" Bess asked after a minute or two.

    "Would you mind?" Bess assured Olivia that she understood, and after throwing Richard's plaid throw over the younger woman, Bess retreated. Some time later, Richard entered the room with a bottle of champagne in one hand and two glasses in the other. He walked over to the side of the bed where Olivia lay fast asleep. He put the glasses down and opened the champagne. When he had poured some into each glass, Richard sat on the edge of the bed and gently woke Olivia with a kiss.

    "Did I fall asleep? What time is it?" she asked groggily.

    "Yes, you did fall asleep and it's 11:59 p.m.," Richard said with a check of his watch. "Just in time for you to wish me a Happy New Year."

    "Happy New Year," Olivia managed to smile. She put her arms around Richard's neck and hugged him. "I love you."

    "I love you, too..." He stopped himself from calling her "Angel," since Bess had been insistent that he not use that word for the remainder of the evening. She never did tell him why, but he trusted her implicitly. He pulled away and offered Olivia a glass. "Happy New Year, my love," he said. They touched glasses just as cheers were heard from below. The couple kissed before they sipped their champagne. Olivia slid over a bit so that Richard could cuddle up with her on the bed. They didn't say very much. After the champagne had been drunk, the couple settled comfortably in each other's arms. Soon after, they fell asleep.

    It was well after 1:00 a.m. when three of the couples returned to the house. Hugh lent Charles his old Range Rover for the trip back rather than trying to stuff six people into William's car. No one had seen Olivia for hours and after Richard disappeared (ostensibly to look in on her) it was assumed that they would be staying at Fitzwilliam House. William carried Lizzy into the bedroom and placed her on the bed. Thus, the first thing Lizzy saw was that a lovely nightgown had been laid out for her on the bed.

    "Where did this come from?" she asked. William shrugged.

    "It's a get well present from an admirer."

    "Anyone I know?" Lizzy asked as she held up the ethereal silk garment. William shook his head.

    "All I know is that it's some guy with a fondness for chocolate," he said as he wandered into the dressing room to change.

    "Pity that there's no gift tag," Lizzy teased.

    "Well, I explained to him that you were kind of squeamish about surprises, so he took it out of the box," William called over the sound of running water.

    "That was very thoughtful of you," Lizzy smiled.

    "Happy New Year, Lizzy," William said as he crawled into bed beside Lizzy a short while later.

    "Happy New Year, Will."

    "Have any New Year's resolutions?" Lizzy thought about his question as William buried his face in the pool of hair that lay across the pillow. He inhaled the scent and smiled as he snuggled closer to her.

    "I can't think of anything," Lizzy concluded as William's kisses tickled her throat.

    "Would you consider resolving not to steal my clothes in retribution every time I misbehave?" he whispered in her ear.

    "Would you consider resolving not to misbehave? Wait a minute...I do not steal your clothing every time you misbehave!" Lizzy exclaimed. "Geez, if I did...you know what? Forget my suggestion for a resolution. I'm rather fond of your misbehavior when it doesn't involve bugs." William grinned and kissed her.

    "What about my resolution suggestion?" he asked when he was able to refocus on the issue under discussion.

    "I resolve not to steal your clothes in retribution every time you misbehave," Lizzy vowed solemnly, but she erupted into giggles when William began to tickle her.

    Continued In Next Section

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