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"Mr. Brandon, how nice to see you again," Mrs. Reynolds declared when she answered the door.
"And it is always a pleasure to see you again, good lady," Christopher replied as he shed his coat. "I was wondering if the master of the house had a moment to spare," he said archly, eliciting a chuckle from the venerable housekeeper. She offered him a seat in the library and went in search of William. Christopher helped himself to a glass of brandy and flipped through a magazine while he waited. After about five minutes, William entered the library, shrugging into a black robe that matched the black pajama pants he was wearing. His wet hair indicated that he'd been caught in the midst of a shower.
"I hope I didn't interrupt anything important," Christopher said, rising to greet his host. William shook his head and went to pour himself a brandy.
"I take it that you have something of import to tell me, otherwise you would not have appeared unexpectedly."
"Am I that predictable?" Christopher asked, his face screwed up in concentration.
"Yes, now out with it. I want answers. When I called Matt a little while ago, he suggested that you two were on the verge of a breakthrough." Christopher laid aside his glass deliberately, and William slid into a large armchair to hear his report.
"I've just had a most surprising dinner conversation," Christopher began. William arched an eyebrow at him as he dabbed at a dripping earlobe with the collar of his robe.
"And?"
"And I have an answer for you. I ran into Caroline Bingley at a restaurant and we had dinner together." William furrowed his brows.
"She supplied this 'surprising' conversation?" he snorted derisively. "I thought that this had to do with the rumors." William lifted his glass to his lips, disappointed about being led on.
"That's precisely what our conversation was about. Caroline told me exactly what I needed to know to convince me that my assumptions about the culprit are correct. I thought I knew who it was, but until today I lacked a motive. Matt had the same problem, essentially."
"Can we cut through the psychological profiling crap and get down to business? Whom are we speaking of?" Christopher picked up his glass and took a sip.
"Lily Church is responsible for the rumors at Darcy Corporation." William blinked. Then he leaned back in his chair and raised his eyes to the ceiling. Christopher watched William's jaw tighten and saw silent oaths form on his lips. After about a minute, William sat forward and met Christopher's gaze.
"And Caroline told you this?" Christopher nodded solemnly. "And why should we take her word for it?" William said as he drained his glass and went to refill it. He brought the decanter back to the seating area and refilled Christopher's glass. Christopher waited for William to settle, as William knew that he would, but he was suddenly furious and seething; nervous energy welled up inside him as he tried to control his emotions.
"I trust Caroline implicitly. She confessed to starting the rumor herself." William pounced like a tiger.
"You just said that Lily Church started the rumors," he nearly shouted.
"I said that Lily Church was responsible for the rumors at Darcy Corporation. It was Caroline who started the rumor in the first place. It wasn't exactly the rumor that's been circulating in the Darcy Building, but it was the genesis." Christopher briefly explained how Caroline created the story to mask her lie about being invited to spend the holidays in Connecticut.
"That infuriating woman!" William roared. He leapt to his feet and paced the room like a caged animal, the cord of his robe flapping behind him. "Is there no end to the problems she's caused?"
"Caroline is not the problem, Will," Christopher said calmly. "Lily Church is. As wrong as Caroline was for starting the rumor, Lily Church apparently had her own axe to grind and thought nothing of embellishing what she heard and disseminating it all over the building. She's a neighbor of Caroline's and they ran into each other recently. Caroline was horrified to find out how her small lie had taken on a life of its own."
"And she revealed all this to you of her own volition," William said dubiously. Christopher nodded.
"She freely admits that she could care less about Olivia, personally," Christopher said, "But she did feel remorse for having started this whole mess." William rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "As I said, Will. The issue isn't Caroline, it's Lily Church; what are you going to do about this?" William stopped pacing and stood, hands on hips.
"Well, first thing in the morning, after I've had a discussion with my legal counsel, I intend to call her in and ask her to account for herself. And then I intend to fire her ass."
After Christopher departed, William spent the next fifteen minutes considering his options. He realized that he'd spoken hastily and would have to meet with his legal advisors to discuss all his options for dealing with Lily Church before he took any action. He also realized that he would need hard evidence; Caroline's testimony would be vital to bringing Lily to account. That placed William in the uncomfortable position of having to rely on someone he had never really trusted, and was even less inclined to do so now. If what Christopher said was true, William would have to rely on Caroline's malicious lie about Olivia to clear her reputation and lay the rumors to rest. William put the decanter away as he thought about the second task he had to undertake: informing Richard and Olivia of what had transpired. Olivia had every right to know the identity of her accuser, but he did not relish the idea of dealing with Richard's anger. William sat at his desk, hand poised over the phone, for several minutes as he pondered the right way to broach the subject with his potentially-volatile cousin. Finally, William rose to his feet and turned off the lamp. He left the library and headed up to his room.
"I can't move. I think I ate too much."
"I think it's all the butterfat in the mashed potatoes and ice cream. If you sit still for too long, it congeals in your arteries. Get up."
"I can't," Olivia whined. Richard rolled his eyes and reached down. Olivia reluctantly allowed Richard to pull her to her feet.
"I know just the thing to work off a few calories," Richard winked. Olivia raised her eyebrows as he fiddled with the CD player. He turned back to her and took her in his arms as Sarah Vaughn began to croon a slow ballad. The couple began to dance...
William had just entered his bedroom when the phone began to ring. He dove across the bed to answer the call.
"Hello, gorgeous."
"Hello, beautiful. How was your ladies' night out?" he asked as he rolled over onto his back and made himself comfortable.
"It was a lot of fun. I have to warn you, though: when Jane and I arrived at the salon we both agreed that we were in a rut. So..." Lizzy teased.
"So..."
"Well, let's just say that Jane's no longer the only blond in the family and she'll be living her life as a redhead for a while." William's breath caught for a moment and then he decided that she had to be joking. He played along.
"I suppose Olivia is totally bald now."
"She wasn't with us, but Jane and I picked out a lovely shade of magenta for her next trip to the salon."
"I'm sure Richard would love that. So how will I recognize you the next time we meet?" William smiled.
"Well, I'm not really a blond. I did get a haircut, though," Lizzy said with enough hesitation in her voice that William really began to worry.
"How much of a haircut?"
"Oh, you won't confuse me with Livy, or anything. It's just a few inches."
"How many inches?"
"About...well, you know how you love to stand behind me and run your lips along my neck and shoulders?"
"Mmmm..."
"Let's just say that they're a little easier for you to find now,' Lizzy said in a rush. William was silent as he imagined Lizzy in a series of short haircuts. "Are you still there?" Lizzy asked.
"How short, exactly?" he asked.
"Just below my chin, in a sort of pageboy. Charles liked it a lot when he saw it."
"Charles's opinion doesn't count," William said with mock haughtiness, but he decided that he could live with a chin-length pageboy. And if he couldn't it would grow out eventually.
"So what are you up to?"
"Nothing much, just laying here talking to a beautiful woman-at least she was the last time I saw her...."
"You're very bad, Mr. Darcy! What are you wearing?"
"A black silk robe, matching pajama bottoms, and a very wicked smile."
"Why the robe?" Lizzy lamented. "A wicked smile is more convincing without one."
"You think? Well, I was about to take it off anyway. I have to go out for a little while."
"At this hour? It's nearly nine!"
"I know. I'll be back soon. Will you still be up?"
"Will you still have that wicked smile?" Lizzy countered. William allowed his mind to wander at the task that lay ahead.
"Probably not, but if anyone can restore it, you can."
"Well, I am much better at doing such things in person. I don't suppose..."
"I'll be there as soon as I can."
Richard was about to turn off the living room light when he heard the telephone. Perplexed, he gave in to his curiosity and went to find out who was calling at that hour, though he was sorely tempted to let it ring.
"Hi, Fitz. Sorry for the short notice, but I ought to be at your place in about three minutes if I can find a place to park. I have to speak with you about something."
"Fitz..." Richard replied reluctantly, his eyes on the closed door at the end of the hall.
"It has to do with rumors. Christopher has unearthed the culprit."
"Who is it?" Richard demanded, all else forgotten.
"I've just lucked into a space. I'll be up in a second." William switched off before Richard could say another word. Richard sighed and went to the intercom and told the doorman to send his cousin up as soon as he arrived. Then Richard went to the bathroom and knocked on the door before he opened it.
"I think I'll have to postpone joining you for a bit. William is here."
"What?" Olivia asked from the shower.
"It's something to do with the rumors; he says he knows who the guilty party is. Stay put...this shouldn't take long."
"You have got to be kidding!" Olivia cried. Richard started to form a reply, but he heard sounds that indicated that William had entered the apartment. Richard closed the door to the master bedroom and went into the living room to greet William.
"What's this all about?" Richard asked as the cousins sat down. "What have you found out?"
"Wait! I don't want to miss this!" Olivia called from the bedroom. William blanched.
"I'm sorry, Fitz. I should have realized--." Richard shrugged. "You'd only have to repeat the whole discussion for her later anyway," he replied pragmatically. Olivia bolted into the living room and nearly skidded to a halt beside Richard's chair. She was fully dressed save for her bare feet, but her hair was damp. William reddened slightly.
"I apologize for the intrusion, Olivia," he said. "I should have called before I left my house rather than when I reached York Avenue." Olivia waved him off.
"Richard said that you had some news about the rumors."
"Yes," William said. "Christopher and Matt have been doing a little investigating and they've found the guilty party."
"Well, that didn't take long."
"Who is it?" Richard demanded.
"Lily Church," William said grimly.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Olivia said as she sat on the arm of Richard's chair. Richard put a protective arm around her.
"Who's Lily Church?" he asked.
"She's the Director of Public Relations at Darcy Corporation and her office also handles publicity for DARCO. You must have met her on some occasion or another," William said. "She's been with the company for almost two years."
"She was at the Christmas party. I met her that afternoon when William introduced me to the senior staff and the project team," Olivia added.
"Well, why the heck is she going after Livy? I thought the whole point of public relations was to portray the company and its employees in a positive light. What's wrong with her?" Richard said bitterly. Olivia grabbed his hand.
"Lily and I never quite hit it off," she explained.
"'Hit it off'?" Richard cried. "If she this is what she did because you two didn't 'hit it off' I'd hate to think what she would do to someone she really didn't like!" Richard snorted exasperatedly. William gave Richard a moment to calm himself before he continued.
"There's more." Richard and Olivia looked up warily.
"Christopher spoke with Caroline this evening," William began, but Richard jumped on his words.
"What has she got to do with this?" Olivia squeezed Richard's arm to silence him.
"It appears that Caroline is the original source of the rumors. From what Christopher tells me I gather that she had told people that she was spending Christmas in Connecticut with us. Of course, that became impossible after you and she...well, needless to say, after your run-in with her she didn't receive an invitation. But she had already told several people she was going and so--."
"She went. She showed up on your doorstep and I invited her in," Richard said darkly.
"Yes," William replied, his eyes focused on his cousin's expression. "Anyway, when Charles brought her back to New York and left her, she was angry. When she ran into her neighbor, Lily Church, she gave her the first plausible excuse she could think of for returning home early." "That @&^%!"" Both Richard and William turned to Olivia in surprise and she blushed averted her eyes.
"Yes, she did blame you. She made up some story about having left because you insulted her, Olivia. Then she beefed up the story by describing you as a former girlfriend of mine who was now involved with Fitz. She had no idea that you were coming to work for me, or that Lily Church had ever heard of you. She soon found out that Lily had just met you. From that point on, the ball was in Lily's court. She brought the story to work, embellished it quite a bit, and started a full-blown character assassination campaign."
"But why?" Olivia asked. William shrugged.
"She's a difficult person to begin with, but from what Christopher tells me, Lily has had a few run-ins with people that resulted in nasty rumors being spread. I'll have to speak with Marina about why those incidents weren't brought to my attention earlier."
"What are you going to do with her?" Richard demanded.
"I already have a call in to the legal people. I want them to review the evidence before I do anything, but I expect that if we build the case properly, I can terminate her."
"You can terminate her? I can terminate her!" Richard growled. Olivia wrapped her arms tightly around Richard.
"You are going to let William handle this his way. It's his company, Richard, and I am his employee." Richard looked up into her eyes and Olivia stared him down, much to William's amusement.
"I've taken up enough of your time," he said rising to his feet. "I'll let you know as soon as I get an answer from the legal team."
"Hey, Olivia's employer!" Richard called down the hall as William made to leave. William turned. "Can your employee have the day off tomorrow? We were thinking about sneaking off to Pennsylvania for the weekend."
"He was thinking about sneaking off for the weekend," Olivia amended.
"I don't see any problem with it, although I'm not the one who should clear her leave. She works for Ed Ferrars," William smiled. He turned back toward the door. "But I'll give Ed a call in the morning."
"Hey!" Richard called again as William pushed the button for the elevator. "Promise me you won't take any action until Monday. I want to be there when @#$% hits the fan." William smiled as the elevator door opened.
"Fitz, I'll even let you turn the fan on."
Richard returned to the living room where Olivia was standing at the window staring out over the East River. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in the nape of her neck. Olivia sighed and put her hands over Richard's.
"It isn't worth thinking about anymore, Angel," Richard whispered in her ear. Olivia nodded and Richard pulled Olivia away from the window.
"But..." Richard sat down in the chair he'd recently vacated and pulled Olivia into his lap.
"What is it?" Olivia sighed again.
"It's kind of disappointing, you know?" Olivia said in a small voice. "I mean it's one thing to hear something bad said about you. It's another thing entirely to know that there's someone out there intentionally trying to ruin you. And for no apparent reason," she said glumly.
"She's obviously jealous of the fact that you're beautiful, intelligent, poised, confident, and multi-talented," Richard said with an affectionate squeeze. "And she's an old cow." Olivia couldn't resist a giggle.
"Hey! Aren't you the man I once heard insist that there was beauty to be found in every woman?" Olivia teased, her spirits quickly reviving.
"That was before I encountered a woman with absolutely no redeeming qualities. I stand corrected," Richard declared. Olivia smiled at him and rested her head on his shoulder. Richard kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair. "You know, in a few days this will all be behind us and we'll be able to turn our attention to other things. I can stop being the idiot Neanderthal and go back to just being my usual irresistible self, you can continue to be the most wonderful woman in the world, and we can start looking ahead to whatever the future has in store for us. By the way, when I was flying down from Greenwich today I saw the perfect spot on which to build our dream house. Of course, we haven't dreamed about a dream house yet, but there's no time like the present. I mean, you've already agreed in principle to marry me, so it wouldn't hurt to start thinking long term. We could start thinking about the kind of home we'd like to have...maybe we can do a little scouting on our way to Elverson. There are some beautiful houses there. The parcel of land I picked out would be perfect for any kind of home. Of course, I'd have to speak to my folks about it; dad told me that when I settled down I could have a few acres to build a house on. He'd have to approve my choice--and I want your approval, too. It's on the southern end of the property, not too far from Fitz's place, so you could visit Lizzy, if she ever comes to her senses and marries him. I trust she will. You Elverson girls can't resist a Fitz," Richard laughed, but Olivia didn't respond. "Hey!" Richard looked down and saw that Olivia had fallen fast asleep in his arms. He cradled Olivia in his arms, gingerly lifted her, and carried her into the bedroom. He laid her out on the bed and began to undress her.
"Are you trying to take advantage of me, Mr. Fitzwilliam?" Olivia mumbled softly, her eyes tightly shut.
"I wouldn't be putting ideas into my head right now, if I were you," Richard smirked. "Tee shirt or flannel jammies?"
"Jammies," Olivia replied as she stretched cat-like and rolled over onto her side. Richard went to his bureau to search for a pair of pajamas and returned to the bedside. He rolled Olivia back over and sat her up so he could remove her sweater and pants before he buttoned her into the voluminous pajama top. Richard reached for the pajama pants, but when he turned back to Olivia, she had already crawled under the covers and curled up in the center of the large bed. Richard shrugged and pulled off his own clothes. He pulled on the pajama pants and went back out into the living room to turn off the lights. He returned to the bedroom and crawled into bed beside Olivia, and wrapped his arms around the one he loved. He fell asleep almost instantly.
William found a parking space across the street from Lizzy's house and reached for the small bag on the seat beside him. He crossed the street and rang the bell. In seconds, Lizzy opened the door and let him in. William stared at her hair as she led him into the living room.
"That took less time than I expected. Did you accomplish what you planned?" William nodded, still staring at her head. "What?" Lizzy asked.
"I like it, I think."
"Oh! My hair; I'd almost forgotten about it already. Can I get you anything?" William made himself comfortable on the sofa.
"A cup of tea would be lovely." Lizzy smiled and disappeared into the kitchen to put the water on. "You may as well know," he said a few minutes after Lizzy returned and snuggled under his arm. "I was at Richard's apartment just now, telling him and Olivia what I've found out about those rumors that have been swirling about the company."
"Have you found out who's responsible?"
"Christopher and Matt did the legwork and according to Christopher, they've narrowed their suspects to one: Lily Church.'
"That name sounds familiar," Lizzy said as she rose to go back to the kitchen. William followed her.
"You were introduced to her at the Christmas party. Anyway, she and Olivia met earlier that day and took an instant dislike to one another."
"And she made up those rumors just for that?" Lizzy asked as she pulled mugs from the cupboard. William reached for a cookie jar and smiled when he saw it was full of oatmeal cookies.
"No, the story is even stranger than that." He explained the whole story over tea. When he was done, Lizzy was nearly as angry as Richard had been.
"She doesn't care who she destroys, does she? Just because Olivia showed her up at one meeting she spreads a rumor that not only goes after Livy, she brings you and Richard into it. That @&^%!" William looked up at her.
"That's what Olivia called Caroline," he said with amusement.
"She taught me a few things on those long summer visits," Lizzy said. "Oh, if I could get my hands on that woman! And Caroline! To think that I was beginning to feel--." She cut off her words and turned back to William. "Sorry, I shouldn't be carrying on like this."
"I am just as angry as you are, I assure you," William said as he pulled Lizzy into an embrace and held her close. "Your hair smells different," William said frowning.
"That's because they use different stuff on my hair at the salon. I'll smell like the old me again as soon as I wash it," Lizzy smiled. "You know, it's quite late and we both have to work in the morning," she added, as she led William towards the stairs. William dragged Lizzy into the living room so that he could pick up his bag. "What's in the bag?" Lizzy wondered aloud. "No, don't tell me. I want to guess." William smiled as he followed Lizzy upstairs. After a half dozen incorrect guesses, William turned out the light and pulled Lizzy close. But he couldn't relax. The whole scandal scenario played and replayed in his head. His mind was calculating contingencies as he sought to build an ironclad case against Lily Church. Lizzy sensed his discomfort and rested her head on his chest.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly. William shook his head and ran a hand over his tired eyes.
"Maybe I shouldn't have come tonight. I don't think I'm very good company." Lizzy lifted her head and looked in his eyes.
"Do you think that I only want to be around you when everything is perfect and pleasant? I want to be with you always, William, good days and bad." William lifted his head and regarded her for a moment. Then he pulled her head back to his chest and laid back. He held Lizzy tightly until he fell into a sound sleep.
The following morning saw Lizzy rise early to make William an especially nice breakfast. William came downstairs and cautiously took a whiff of Lizzy's damp hair before he kissed it.
"That's much better. Now I know it's really you."
"I thought that's what you used my legs for," Lizzy teased. "Want veggie bacon or veggie sausages?" William squinted back at her. "Livy did the shopping; said something about testing products," Lizzy shrugged.
"Surprise me," William said as he sipped his coffee. He sat back in his chair and took in the domestic scene. As much as he liked having Lizzy at his place, he really liked spending time in her home. Somehow it was cozier, more comfortable. His eyes scanned the room. Perhaps, he thought, he ought to consider redecorating his kitchen. He said as much aloud and Lizzy laughed.
"Your kitchen is perfect! It's got a commercial stove, two dishwashers, more than enough cabinet space, and a housekeeper to run it!" William laughed.
"And you know it's yours for the asking." Lizzy ignored the remark.
"Why would you want to change it?"
"I don't know...I just like your kitchen better. It reminds me of a real home. Not a place where there's a housekeeper preparing meals, or an actual butler in the butler's pantry; this is a real home you have here," William said wistfully as he regarded the veggie bacon with suspicion. He bit into a strip of 'bacon' and chewed it thoughtfully. He missed the fat and texture, although the flavor was not bad.
"How about a trade? You can have my townhouse and I'll take yours." Lizzy said as dug into her eggs. William snorted at the suggestion.
"So what kind of day do you have planned?" he asked, changing the subject before the suggestion of marriage reared its head again. Millions of people dated for years before the subject of marriage ever came up. Why did it figure so prominently in every conversation he had with Lizzy lately? He had promised to be patient.
"Nothing special planned," Lizzy said evasively. William noted the look in her eyes, but didn't ponder its significance. "Your day is pretty loaded, I take it." William looked at his watch.
"Yes. I've got to leave here shortly. Bates will meet me at the office with a suit, then I have a meeting with Christopher before I meet with my legal advisors at 10:00." William took Lizzy's hand. "Want to eat at Aureole tonight? You said you'd like to go there again." Lizzy nodded.
"You know I saw something about an antique show at the armory this weekend..." Lizzy began.
"I already have tickets for the opening," William smiled. "I never miss it. Wear comfortable shoes tonight." Lizzy shook her head.
"I should have known better than to try and surprise you with an idea."
"On the contrary, some of your ideas are very surprising." William looked at his watch again. "I really have to go. Can I give you a ride to work?"
"Yes, please." Lizzy dashed upstairs to get her jacket and came downstairs carrying William's small black bag.
"You never did tell me what you've got in here," she said when she met William at the car.
"Look," William suggested. "You can ignore the kit on top. Look below." Lizzy plunged her hand into the bag and pulled out a plastic bag. Curious, she opened it to see William's knitting project, more than half finished.
"When did you get all this done?" William shrugged as he pulled the Mercedes into traffic.
"A little here, a little there. I've spent more time this week waiting than I care to think about. Knitting is a healthy alternative to chewing my nails."
"But you're nearly done! I thought we were going to do this together!" William flashed a smile.
"Then you'd better get a move on!" William laughed as he drove onto the Brooklyn Bridge.
By the time William reached his office, Bates had delivered his suit and was waiting to take the Mercedes home. William went into his private bathroom and changed while he spoke on the speakerphone with his secretary to schedule a number of meetings. William came back out into his office just as Christopher arrived.
"Good morning, Will," Christopher said as he poured a cup of coffee. He raised a mug to William, who nodded. Christopher poured out a second cup. William joined him at the credenza as Christopher laced his coffee with milk and sugar. "I called you when I got home last night."
"I went over to see Richard. I thought I should break the news to him in person. Olivia was with him so they both know everything." Christopher smiled knowingly.
"How did they take it?" William shook his head.
"Well, Richard behaved predictably, but Olivia was rather stoic about it. Neither of them is going to be here today and I promised them that I wouldn't take any action until their return. That's no problem, however, I plan to spend today considering all my options."
"Have you spoken with the legal people?" Christopher asked as he took a seat.
"I have a call in to them. They should be here in a little while. In the mean time, I have a few questions I'd like to put to you."
"Fire away." William took a seat opposite Christopher.
"I'm still concerned about Caroline. Do you really think she can be trusted?"
"I believe so, yes," Christopher replied with a frown. "What are your concerns?"
"What are my concerns?" William chuckled. "Let's see if I can narrow them down to just a few..." William set aside his cup and stood. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked to his desk. "Let's see: she's got even more reasons than Lily to dislike Olivia. And Caroline and Lily are apparently friends." William picked up Lily Church's personnel file.
"What have you got there?" Christopher asked. William walked back over to the couch and dropped the file in Christopher's lap.
"Did you know that when Lily came here she listed Caroline as a reference? Furthermore, Caroline is woman whose development was arrested on the day her father's bank account acquired a sixth zero. I think she was in high school at the time. Richard met her then, and from what he's told me of her, she's just as immature, willful, and spoiled as she was at the age of sixteen."
"Does that automatically mean that what she said about Lily isn't true?" Christopher challenged.
"It means that she's not the most reliable witness in my book," William replied testily. Christopher regarded him coolly.
"You're prejudicing her, Will. And without any valid reason; if she despises Olivia, why isn't she protecting Lily rather than outing her? Why come to me at all?"
"Caroline doesn't do anything without an ulterior motive."
"Such as? What could she possibly hope to gain from this? It's probably the one thing she could do to further ostracize herself from her friends."
"But youare inclined to think better of her for it, are you not?" William countered.
"If you think that--no, William. Caroline and I are not a possibility." Christopher said with an air of finality. "Besides, how could she have known that she would see me yesterday?" William remained unconvinced.
"Caroline is irresistibly attracted to rich men," he grumbled. "You'd represent a handsome prize." Christopher smirked.
"She told me about her manic hunt for a wealthy husband," Christopher smiled. "So you believe that the only reason she came forward was that she saw me in a restaurant and spontaneously concluded that she could instantly earn my admiration, if not my undying love, if she confessed to something that she had absolutely no idea I was even aware of." William sighed and conceded the point.
"But I still don't trust her."
"You don't have to, William. Lily Church is the one who has to prove herself here, not Caroline." There was a knock on the door. William rose and went to the door to admit Matt.
"Fill him in, Christopher. I want to call Marina." William went to his desk as Matt sat down with Christopher.
"Nothing has really happened since we spoke last night," Christopher informed the newcomer.
"What's he doing about it?" Matt asked with a nod to his cousin.
"He's calling in the troops and circling the wagons," Christopher replied with an amused gleam in his eye. "By the way, I understand that you're leaving us."
"Yes. School starts for me in two weeks. I was going to leave town next week, but I have some things to take care of at home before I leave, so today will be my last day."
"Well, we should have lunch, then. I have a few ideas I'd like to discuss with you." Matt agreed to join Christopher for lunch, and when William finished his call he decided to join Christopher in taking Matt out to give him a proper send-off.
"But before then, we have work to do. I just got off the phone with Charles Jennings, the head of my legal department. He thinks that the first thing we should do is get depositions from Caroline and this Jason Keller person. I understand that he's given notice to Marina, so Jennings has already sent someone down to his office to speak with him. Now we just have to locate Caroline," William informed the others. Christopher smiled and reached for his attaché case.
"No need," Christopher said. He opened the case and pulled out a sheet of paper. "I took the liberty of deposing her last night." Matt emitted a low whistle.
"How?" William asked.
"Caroline offered to do whatever I asked of her," Christopher replied, ignoring William's smirk. "I put in a call to one of my own legal people."
Lizzy stared at her telephone for a minute as she gathered her courage. Just as she reached for the phone it rang and she started before she answered it.
"Good morning, Lizzy," Olivia said cheerfully. Lizzy smiled in relief.
"And where have you been all night, young lady?" she asked in mock sternness.
"Three guesses."
"Kidnapped by gypsies?"
"Uh...no," Olivia replied.
"Joined the circus?" Olivia laughed.
"You know I hate the circus!"
"Don't let Richard hear you say that! He loves the circus," Lizzy admonished.
"Why does that not surprise me?" Olivia smiled.
"So I take it you spent the night in the arms of circus boy?" Lizzy surmised.
"Yes, I was with the would-be clown," Olivia acknowledged.
"Hey!" Lizzy heard Richard call out in the background.
"What's he doing in your office? I don't think I'd ever be able to work if I knew that William was just a few flights away," Lizzy sighed.
"I'm not in my office. I'm at Richard's apartment. We've decided to take the day off and are going home--to my home--for the weekend. That's why I called. I am getting ready to run by the house and pick up some stuff before we leave."
"You are coming back, aren't you?"
"Yes, I'll be back on Sunday night. I'm going to have to be in town at least two more weeks," Olivia said.
"I'll bet Richard's thrilled to hear that."
"Yes, but I'm afraid my cat won't recognize me when he sees me. I have to seriously consider giving him up to Marisa permanently. If I have to spend two weeks out of each of the next four months here it wouldn't be fair to Squeaks," Olivia admitted sadly.
"Oh, poor Squeaks," Lizzy said.
"Poor Squeaks? Marisa spoils him rotten every chance she gets. Anyway, I just wanted you to know not to expect me home. Can I bring anything back from Pennsylvania?"
"You know my poison," Lizzy laughed.
"All right. I'll make a stop at the Amish market on the way back to the city."
"Have a great weekend, you two."
"Thanks, Lizzy," Olivia said. "Livy," Lizzy said impulsively. "William told me about Lily Church last night. And he told me that he'd spoken to you about it. Are you okay?" she asked gently.
"I'm fine. Richard's angry about it, but as far as I'm concerned, she can't hurt me anymore and I have more important things to worry about."
"I should have guessed you'd cope with the news rationally," Lizzy smiled.
"And that Richard would do his 'idiot Neanderthal' routine," Olivia added.
"Huh?"
"No matter. Look, we've got to get going," Olivia said.
"Yeah, I've got things to do as well. Have a great time."
"You, too. I'll drop you a line later."
"Deal," Lizzy replied. She hung up the phone smiling at the thought of Richard and Olivia's relationship developing well. But she sobered and picked up the receiver and swallowed hard. Then she dialed Caroline's number.
"Why was none of this brought to my attention earlier, Marina? I mean I knew that Lily Church had a way of ruffling people's feathers...heck, I've butted heads with her myself. But this is entirely another matter." The Director of Personnel squirmed slightly under William's intense stare.
"Well, for one thing, the evidence was largely circumstantial. No one really ever wanted to make a major issue of it. In fact, I only found out about other cases after it happened to me. People came to me and told me that Lily Church had low-balled them or bad-mouthed them after some seemingly innocuous run-in with her. No one wanted to pursue it, however, and since my problem with her disappeared nearly as quickly as it had begun, I didn't pursue the matter, either." William frowned.
"Marina, the next time you hear of anyone, and I mean anyone, defaming a member of my staff I want it brought to my attention immediately, you hear? I don't like the idea of my employees being terrorized by someone with a bad attitude, and I don't like the fact that this whole thing only came to my attention because it involved me."
"I am sorry, William," Marina said, coloring slightly.
"After all of this is over I want to speak with you about building a component into our sensitivity training that will address the issue of a worker making life difficult for others." Marina nodded.
"But for now..."
"For now I want to concentrate on getting that back-stabbing @&^% out of my company."
"William!" Christopher blurted out as Marina blanched.
"I'm sorry, Marina," William smiled. "I shouldn't have--."
"I think you ought to attend that sensitivity training, William," Marina smiled. William blushed as the door opened and Charles Jennings entered the room.
"Good. Let's get down to business," William said, quickly regaining his composure.
Caroline was unaccustomed to rising early and so the sound of a phone ringing before noon jarred her out of a deep sleep.
"Who is this?" she answered testily.
"Is that the way you always answer your phone?" Lizzy asked.
"What? Who is this?" she repeated, and Lizzy recognized the telltale signs of grogginess.
"I'm sorry if I awakened you," Lizzy began.
"Look, who the bloody--."
"It's Lizzy Bennet." There was silence on Caroline's end for several seconds.
"Why on earth are you calling me?" she asked finally.
"That's precisely what I wanted to ask you? I have two messages from you on my phone mail," Lizzy retorted. Caroline sat up.
"Oh! Well, you certainly took your sweet time getting back to me," she sneered.
"Caroline, why did you call me?" Lizzy asked impatiently.
"I have a proposition for you."
"Really?" This ought to be rich. "What is it?"
"Well, I'd rather not discuss it over the phone. Can we meet somewhere?" Lizzy rolled her eyes.
"All right, Caroline, name a place." Caroline named a restaurant some distance from Cherry Blossom.
"But that's way uptown! Can't we meet somewhere closer to the office?"
"I'd rather not run into Charles." Lizzy sighed, and reluctantly agreed to the time and place Caroline named. She hung up the phone wishing she'd thought to ask Richard about the website project before he'd left town.
"I have a deposition here from Jason Keller," Jennings began, "And I read the one you sent me from one Caroline Bingley. Based upon that and the other affidavit from Matt Fitzwilliam, as well as what Marina and I have been able to glean from informal chats with a few selected staff, I think you have a solid case here."
"A solid case for what?" William demanded as he massaged a temple. Christopher shot a look at him and William was immediately contrite. "Can we fire her?"
"Yes, she has violated a number of company policies, including privacy agreements, ethics violations, and let's see..."
"Privacy agreements?" Matt asked. He'd been sitting at the back of the room quietly, but his curiosity got the better of him.
"Yes," Marina explained. "When Lily was hired, she signed an agreement to observe certain rules, one of them being to never discuss company business outside these walls. She clearly told Ms. Bingley and a number of others in other businesses in this building privileged information about the Companion project. She also showed Olivia Crenshaw's portfolio to Ms. Bingley, which should not have been disseminated publicly without William's approval." A small smile rose on Matt's lips.
"That's the strongest part of your case. The defamation part is shakier, and largely a personal matter between Ms. Church and Mr. Crenshaw. Is she going to be here today?" Jennings asked.
"No," William sighed. "I gave her the day off. She needed a break from this. Just tell me this: what is the likelihood that Lily Church can contest the termination and win? Because I want her out of my company and the last thing I need is a protracted civil action."
"Oh, she can sue," Marina began.
"But if she has any sense she won't," Jennings concluded. "I'd advise you to use the severance clause to get her to go quietly. If she doesn't contest the dismissal, offer her the full severance package. If she wants to play hardball, she risks losing two month's pay."
"Of course," Christopher suggested, as his keen mind digested the information, "You are probably going to have to concede something to get her to go quietly. I gather that Olivia...Ms. Crenshaw has a right to take legal action and that might be an impediment to a settlement." Jennings nodded.
"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," William decided. "Thank you, Jennings. I'd like you and Marina to look everything over once more and work out all the possible angles. I don't want any surprises when we confront Lily Church on Monday."
"Monday?" Marina and Jennings said in unison.
"Yes, Monday. I promised Olivia and Richard I wouldn't take any action until Monday, and I want to see all those angles before I call Ms. Church to account," William said. The meeting broke up and William sat back in his chair again rubbing his temples. Jo appeared, almost instinctively, with a glass of water and two tablets. William thanked her before he took them. He closed his eyes for a moment while Matt and Christopher stared at each other. A minute later, William opened his eyes and sprang to his feet.
"Gentlemen, let's go to lunch."
Lizzy stepped into the vestibule of the posh little restaurant and took a peek inside to see if Caroline was inside. Swell! I would arrive first, she thought as the maitre d' came toward her.
"Do you have a reservation?" he asked with just a hint of hauteur in his voice. Lizzy didn't have the slightest idea whether or not Caroline had called ahead, but she was spared an answer when Caroline came bustling in behind her arms laden with shopping bags.
"Oh, Leo, Ms. Bennet is with me. We'll have my usual table," she said breathlessly. She was walked past Lizzy without so much as an acknowledgment and dropped her bags on the banquette. The maitre d' took her coat and bags and waited while Lizzy reluctantly removed her coat and handed it to him.
"Well, sit down!" Caroline snapped. Lizzy took the seat opposite her and opened her menu, thinking all the while of things she might be enjoying instead of her present company. "I strongly recommend that you order the roast chicken salad. It's light, fabulous, and leaves room for dessert. And you have got to have the chocolate sorbet if that's available for dessert. It's to die for!" Lizzy put her menu down abruptly. "What?" Caroline asked innocently.
"Caroline, why did you invite me here? One minute you're barking at me like a marine sergeant, the next you're chatting me up like I'm an old friend. What are you up to?" Lizzy demanded. Caroline stared back at her, genuinely surprised.
"I thought we were old friends...well, old acquaintances at least. How long have we known each other...three years?"
"Caroline..." She looked up at Lizzy and sighed.
"All right, have it your way. I was just trying to make conversation," Caroline said, throwing down her menu. Lizzy frowned in confusion. The waiter came to take their orders and Caroline ordered white wine and the chicken salad for both women. Lizzy started at her presumptuousness. "What's the matter?" she asked.
"What makes you think I wanted a salad?" Lizzy glared at her.
"Well, I just assumed..."
"That I'd take your word for it that the salad was good? Well, it may be delicious, but I'll have the crab cakes, please," Lizzy said perversely. Normally, she would have opted for the roast chicken salad, but she was not about to let Caroline dictate what she ate.
"There are a lot of calories in those crab cakes, you know," Caroline observed.
"So?" Lizzy challenged darkly.
"I should think you'd want to watch what you eat. A man like William wouldn't appreciate a woman with fat hips," Caroline said. Lizzy looked at her; Caroline had spoken in deadly earnest, such things being of primary importance in her mind. But Lizzy couldn't resist the temptation to take advantage of her comment.
"Oh, I know. That's probably why he comes over regularly to help me burn off excess calories. In fact, I'm having crab cakes because after last night, I'm in danger of becoming underweight," Lizzy said with a malicious glint in her eye. Caroline's mouth fell open. The waiter appeared and Caroline snapped her mouth shut as he placed the glasses of wine before them.
"You were about to say something?" Lizzy smiled benignly, but Caroline wisely chose to change the subject.
"You asked before why I invited you here," Caroline began after taking a sip of her wine for courage. "I have a proposition for you Lizzy."
"So you said."
"I want to buy your share of Cherry Blossom. I am prepared to pay you one million dollars for it." It was Lizzy's turn to stare open-mouthed, but it only took a second for her to regain her senses.
"Are you completely out of your mind?"
"It's a very generous offer," Caroline stated evenly, trying to control the trembling in her hands. She hadn't expected Lizzy to greet her offer with open arms, but she thought she could forestall an argument by bidding high.
"It's an insane offer, Caroline! We didn't even bill that much last year, and you want to pay that much for 15% of the business?" Lizzy cried. "My share isn't worth even half that!"
"I have seen your business plan, and the Wall Street Journal said that web design companies are a safe investment," Caroline reasoned.
"The Wall Street Journal probably wasn't talking about a tiny company like ours that caters to small businesses and isn't traded publicly. Furthermore, Caroline, our business plan calls for only modest growth as we find our niche. It's true that we've exceeded our target earnings the last two quarters--. I don't even know why I'm explaining this to you. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about," Lizzy said as the waiter placed her lunch in front of her.
"I'm willing to learn," Caroline replied, as she tucked into her salad.
William and Christopher selected a steak house for Matt's send off lunch. Once they were seated the trio spent several minutes perusing a large chalkboard listing the various brews available on tap, many of which had been made on site. Each man made his selection and placed his order. When the beers arrived, the three men sat back to enjoy the taste of fine microbrews.
"This takes me back to my Cambridge days, sitting in a darkened pub and sipping a pint among good friends," William smiled. Christopher raised his glass and winked at him.
"Except that this beer is cold instead of lukewarm, the place isn't so smoky you can barely breathe and no one here is going to try and talk me into eating kidneys," Matt quipped.
"Ah, now you're really making me homesick," Christopher chuckled. "So what are your plans after graduation, Matt? William tells me this is your last semester at Wharton. Have you any plan in mind other than nepotism?"
"Well, I certainly wouldn't mind coming back to Darcy Corporation..." Matt began with a glance at William.
"You've earned a place here if you want it," William ventured without hesitation.
"Wait a minute!" Christopher cried. "I believe I have an offer to place on the table."
"You do?" Matt asked warily. Over the past week he'd labored under the impression that Christopher had been indulging him, agreeing to work with him only as a favor to William. So Christopher's offer of a job came as a complete surprise.
"I am going to be opening an office in the Darcy Building. I'd like to reserve a place for you in our management team. Or, if you'd prefer, I can place you in one of our London or Edinburgh offices."
"The beer's better in the U.S., thank you," Matt smiled. "But I'd be honored...that is, if you wouldn't mind, William." His cousin shrugged.
"Maybe you'd have an easier time of it in his company. No one could accuse you of being in the boss's pocket."
"Being in the boss's pocket in your case means being in your back pocket and getting sat on a good deal of the time," Matt laughed. William and Christopher exchanged an amused glance.
"Are you sure you want this impertinent whelp?" William asked. Christopher smiled.
"Maybe I can make a decent business man out of him. Lord knows you failed in that regard."
"Well, I really didn't have much to work with. That's the trouble with nepotism...breeds contempt."
"Oh, aye," Christopher concurred. "I've turned a deaf ear on all my relations looking for work. Say, maybe you'd be willing--."
"A trade?" William shrugged. "Are they any better than this one?" Christopher looked at Matt appraisingly. Matt endured the teasing good-naturedly.
"I can't say that they are. But at least they've had a decent upbringing," Christopher said condescendingly.
"Does that mean that they'd eat kidneys under anything less than fear of absolute starvation?" Matt quipped. The three men laughed as their steaks were brought to the table. William raised his glass in a toast to his cousin and he and Christopher drank to Matt's bright and certain future.
The women ate in silence, each lost in thought. The only relief from the silence was an occasional comment on the food or the restaurant's decor, as though some prohibition against discussing Caroline's offer had been instituted for the duration of the meal. But as soon as the waiter cleared their plates and Lizzy refused dessert, the conversation resumed over cups of coffee.
"Caroline," Lizzy began calmly, "Why are you doing this? You haven't any desire whatsoever to run a web design business."
"Yes I do. I want something to do," Caroline argued, sounding ridiculous even to herself.
"Why don't you get a pet? Or do charity work? Or get a job doing something you know how to do, whatever that is? Why do you want to buy me out of Cherry Blossom?" Lizzy asked out of curiosity. She had a good idea why, but she wanted to hear the answer from Caroline's lips.
"I thought that I would acquire a business, and since I was already a part owner of Cherry Blossom...""
"Bull!" Lizzy blurted out. "I'm sorry, Caroline, but I don't buy it. Why are you really doing this? I know you probably hate my guts and would be happy to erase any association you may have with me, but what would you do with my share of Cherry Blossom? You obviously have no intention of taking an active role in the company and if you did you'd only ruin it. Is that what you're after? Are you out to ruin your brother's business? Is that what you're hoping for, to destroy Charles's dream?"
"It would serve him right if I did!" Caroline spat angrily as she stirred artificial sweetener into her coffee. "He hates me! He abandoned me on the street on Christmas day. He suddenly, completely out of the blue, digs up enough money to pay back a loan I had no intention of having him repay. Charles hates me," Caroline repeated as she lost momentum and averted her eyes. Lizzy was stunned.
"I probably shouldn't say this, Caroline, but..."
"But what?" Caroline looked up hopefully.
"Charles borrowed money and paid back that loan because he thought youhated him!"
"I love my big brother!" Caroline declared. "It's just that he...he just..."
"Just what?" Lizzy demanded, crossing her arms. Caroline lowered her eyes sheepishly.
"He took her side," she pouted. "He defended that scrawny...he took her side against me!"
"Defended who?" Lizzy frowned. Caroline blushed, much to Lizzy's surprise.
"Olivia Crenshaw. She picked a fight with me and--."
"She picked a fight with you? Caroline, let's face it, anything that happened to you that day was your own fault. You were a royal pain in the butt that weekend. What were you thinking, showing up there on Fitzwilliam turf? Did you think they'd all forgotten that you'd put Richard in the hospital? His own family was furious with him for inviting you in! Your presence was a constant reminder to everyone of what you did and you couldn't be bothered to show one iota of contrition! No, you waltzed around like you owned the place!" Caroline blanched as Lizzy warmed to her tirade, but Lizzy plowed on. "Your presence--which you inexplicably extended even though no one wanted you around--was especially hard on Olivia. That beaning incident occurred just as she and Richard were beginning to find each other. It cast a pall over their budding relationship for a time. And still, in spite of the embarrassment and humiliation you brought upon Charles every moment you were in William's home, the brother you claim to love insisted upon keeping his promise to spend Christmas with you, even if it meant leaving Jane behind. And how did you thank him? First you get into a fight with Olivia, then you get into a fight with Charles himself and threaten to take over his business entirely! Failing that, you slandered my best friend and you now think you can simply buy my share Cherry Blossom to complete your little plan to rearrange the world so that it orbits around you. No, Caroline, I want no part of your money, even if it is four times what my share of Cherry Blossom is worth! I'd rather sell it to the first stranger I meet on the street! In fact," Lizzy said, trying to keep her voice low, "Why don't you sell me yourshare of Cherry Blossom? If you truly love your brother as you claim to, you might do him a favor and get the heck out of his life!" Lizzy gasped and covered her mouth. "I'm sorry. I had no right--," she said, near tears. Caroline had gone completely still as Lizzy spoke; she bowed her head and put a hand to her brow.
"Thank you for putting things into their proper perspective." Lizzy looked up.
"Caroline, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..."
"No, don't apologize. You know," Caroline said with a sigh, "There is nothing like the cold hard truth to make someone feel completely worthless." Caroline abruptly reached for her purse and waved over the waiter. She handed him a charge card without even waiting for the bill. Lizzy, who had intended to pay for her own lunch was too stunned by her own behavior to speak. "I withdraw my offer. If you are serious about yours, I will take it under advisement and let you know," Caroline said calmly as she rose to her feet.
"Caroline," Lizzy said as she grabbed at Caroline's wrist. "Wait a minute. Please." Caroline dropped her handbag and sat down. She glared at Lizzy.
"Look, I have no right to speak for Charles. I can only speak for myself, and I haven't exactly been an innocent, either," Lizzy admitted.
"Really," Caroline sneered. "Whose life have you ruined?"
"No one's, I hope. Not that I didn't try to gain a measure of revenge," Lizzy began, her face reddening. "Do you remember that web site I showed a while back?"
"The one you threatened me with?" Caroline laughed. "Surely--."
"I published it," Lizzy confessed. But Caroline continued to laugh.
"And that was supposed to accomplish what, exactly?" Lizzy shrugged.
"It made me feel better at the time. It's not the same one I showed you, by the way. It's vastly improved."
"It's still amateurish ploy, don't you think? I mean, if you really want to make someone's life miserable, you should at least let her in on it. I can't remember the last time I looked at a computer screen. What were you thinking?" Lizzy scratched the back of her neck and smiled.
"It seemed like a good idea when the twins suggested it."
"Richard's sisters? Then I'm really surprised. Those two are real schemers and they've never liked me. You'd think they'd come up with something better," Caroline teased.
"You aren't angry?" Lizzy assayed. Caroline shrugged.
"Somehow it seems fitting that someone should strike back. I deserve far worse," she said reproachfully.
Both women were silent for a moment. Lizzy tried to imagine what was going through the mind of the confusing person who sat opposite her staring at her hands.
"What are you going to do?" Lizzy asked finally.
"I'm going to go to Santa Monica for a while, if William doesn't need me here."
"William?" Lizzy blurted.
"I suppose he told you all about Lily Church. His lawyers may need me to be in town if Lily wants to sue for wrongful termination. Isn't it ironic?" Caroline smiled and shook her head. "I can help nail Olivia Crenshaw's tormenter by publicly swearing that Lily stole my own attempt to slander her." Caroline squinted at Lizzy. "I guess you couldn't appreciate the humor in that." The silence returned for a minute.
"Are things better for them now?" Lizzy looked up, confused. "For Olivia and Richard; is everything all right between them? From what Lily said, her relationship with Richard was on very shaky ground. I'd hate to think..."
"No, Caroline. They did argue, but only over the fact that Richard was being overprotective. I think they're very much in love." Caroline smiled wistfully.
"Good," she whispered, averting her eyes.
"Caroline," Lizzy said softly. "Why don't you come back to the office with me and speak to Charles?" Caroline shook her head.
"Your brother loves you--although he's still a bit resentful--and you love him. Why not make peace with him before you go visit your sister?" Caroline wouldn't meet Lizzy's eyes and Lizzy dug into her purse and produced a tissue.
"Thank you."
"Let's go," Lizzy urged, rising to her feet. Caroline sighed and as if preparing herself to face a death squad she put on a game face and agreed to accompany Lizzy to Cherry Blossom.
"May I see the web site?" Caroline asked in the cab a few minutes later. Lizzy chuckled at the question and promised Caroline she could see it.
"But you won't like it," she warned.
"Isn't that the whole point?" Caroline argued reasonably.
"I suppose. I have already asked Richard to take it down, by the way. I've been uncomfortable with myself ever since it went online."
"Lizzy Bennet you have a lot to learn about being vindictive," Caroline said earnestly, much to Lizzy's amusement.
"No!" Richard cried playfully.
"Richard..." Olivia pouted.
"No!" Richard repeated as he guided the Range Rover north on the New Jersey Turnpike.
"Look, if you're going to the Holland Tunnel anyway, you can just as easily go south as east."
"But I don't want to go south. I've already been to Brooklyn this weekend," Richard smiled.
"That's not the point. Why won't you take me back to Brooklyn?" Olivia demanded.
"Why won't you come to my place?" Richard countered.
"We've been together all weekend!" Olivia reasoned.
"And it was fabulous. I'd like to continue being together for a few...lifetimes," Richard said with a smile that made Olivia's heart trill with happiness.
"What about all that stuff we bought for Lizzy?"
"We can give it to her tomorrow," Richard relied easily.
"But the whole point of buying fresh baked goods is to eat them the same day!" Olivia cried.
"She can't possibly eat all that stuff you bought her in one day."
"You mean she can't possibly eat everything you bought in one day. I picked out a reasonable amount of stuff."
"Hardly worth a ten-mile detour," Richard scoffed.
"Oh, so Lizzy is getting a dozen soft pretzels, a dozen cinnamon rolls, and a shoofly pie just because you needed to justify the detour." Olivia shook her head in confusion. "I would have gladly made the trip to the market on my own, you know, but you insisted on driving."
"I wasn't sure you'd ever make it back in that...what was that in your driveway, anyway?"
"It's an Impala, and it was my dad's."
"An Impala? When did he buy it, during the Ford administration?" Olivia cast him a withering look. "I imagine it has sentimental value, love, but we have got to get you better wheels. We can donate it to a museum in your dad's memory...ouch!"
"Lizzy hates shoofly pie, by the way. Anyone with teeth would," Olivia said calmly after she had poked Richard in the ribs.
"Well, I've never had it. I thought I'd give it a try," Richard explained.
"You can afford to have all your teeth replaced. Have at it. Actually, I have been trying to concoct a less sweet version--."
"Would you like a sedan or a small SUV?" Richard interrupted.
"Huh?"
"You said that thought the Range Rover was a little too big for you to drive, so I assume you'd want something smaller...a mini-SUV, like a Forrester or Jeep Cherokee."
"What are you talking about, Silly Man?"
"Cars! What are you talking about?"
"Well, I was talking about shoofly pie. I thought you were, too. Hey! The traffic to the tunnel looks fairly light."
"I see you in a sedan, though, if you're driving in the city."
"What city?" Olivia asked.
"New York," Richard said with an impish glance.
"Why should I be driving in New York? And why are we discussing cars?"
"Well, you are driving a vehicle that has got to be older than you..."
"It is not!"
"...And you said that it was the reason why you never drove to New York," Richard concluded as he sped through the EZ Pass lane and into the tunnel.
"So?"
"So you need a new car. How about one of the new smaller Mercs? The M3 is very cool."
"Why not a Rolls?" Olivia smirked.
"Rolls are pretentious. And you never want to be seen driving your own, anyway. It's just not done. Besides, what would you do with a Rolls Royce in Elverson? And anyway, the mileage is lousy, although the service is impeccable, which is a good thing because they constantly need servicing. They're even worse than the Jag!"
"I was only kidding, Richard." He stole a glance at her.
"Well, what kind of car do you want?"
"I don't know! I have no immediate plans to buy a new car. I don't even know what's out there to choose from," Olivia cried. "But," she smiled slyly, "I'd be happy to get on the net and look at the latest models when we get back to Brooklyn..." Richard gave her a sidelong glance and smiled.
"I do have a computer at home, you know. Three, actually."
"I didn't see any computers in your apartment!"
"That's because you weren't there long enough."
"Where are they?"
"In the dining room. I'm a geek, but I'm a geek with a mother whose best friend is an interior decorator. If you open the doors of those built-ins along the back wall, you'll find two desktops and a bay for my laptop. So why don't you come to my place and check out my hard drives?"
"Richard!"
"All right," he sighed. He turned left on Broadway and headed south toward the Brooklyn Bridge.
At that moment, Lizzy was also considering the desktop computer in her dining room.
"It looks perfectly awful." William rolled his eyes.
"It was your idea to go to Ikea and buy a computer table," he said as he plopped into the chair he'd bought to accompany the desk.
"Well, if we had gone to the place you suggested, I wouldn't have anywhere to put this baby for twelve weeks," Lizzy countered.
"Perhaps, but in the end you'd have gotten a desk that better fits the décor."
"Somehow I doubt that there is a way to make a computer desk fit seamlessly into a mahogany-paneled dining room in a Victorian brownstone, William," Lizzy sighed. "I should have carried out my original plan."
"What was that?" William asked as he sorted cables for the new computer that sat in several pieces on the dining table.
"Well, I had planned to clean out the basement and set up an office down there. But it's still full of my grandmother's stuff, and anyway, I don't know what my plans are, long term, that is."
"Because of Charles and Jane, you mean?" Lizzy nodded. "Have the three of you discussed what will happen after their marriage?"
"Well," Lizzy replied, as she handed William the keyboard and he installed it, "There are several options: Jane can move in with Charles, or he can give up the loft and move in here, in which case, I can either opt to not renew our tenant's lease and take over the top floor apartment or move out entirely."
"Where to?" William asked nonchalantly. Lizzy shrugged, more concerned with assembling William's gift than she was paying attention to William's subtle hint. "I can't imagine Charles giving up his loft," William said conversationally, when he saw that Lizzy hadn't taken the bait.
"He's in love!" Lizzy smiled. She handed William the monitor and he made the final connections to the system.
"You're in love," William said cautiously. Lizzy looked up.
"Yes?" she beamed at him.
"How do you feel about leaving this place?" he assayed.
"Are you talking about my being in love with you, or are you talking about my being in love with this house?" Lizzy asked evasively. William gave up his mild attempt to lead Lizzy into a discussion about the future. He was well aware that she had understood his meaning and he let it go at that. Perhaps if he could prod her into just thinking about possibilities, it would eventually lead to a serious discussion. Lizzy looked at William's pensive expression and decided she had been a little hard on him, so she sat on his lap and kissed his forehead. But that didn't satisfy William, who responded with a far more passionate kiss. Eventually, Lizzy pulled away, fearing that if she allowed him to continue she'd lose all track of what she was doing. She turned around in his lap to face the computer.
"Let's crank this baby up and start loading software," Lizzy said. She rubbed her hands together dramatically and pushed the button.
"I thought that the computer I spec'd for you was supposed to be pre-loaded," William said, frowning at the manifest that had come with the computer.
"Let's see...word processor, business apps...nice...e-mail, fax software, spreadsheets... Hey! I didn't know DARCO was an ISP?"
"A what?" Lizzy twisted around and lightly knocked on William's head.
"An Internet Service Provider, you know as in darco.com?" William grabbed her hand and lightly bit her fingers, then held it away from her body so she could not retaliate.
"Oh, we've been doing that since DARCO's inception. As you may know, more than 70% of DARCO's products are currently sold to corporate clients, and we offer our ISP to them, as well as use it for all the Darcy companies and subsidiaries, and Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam, of course."
"Oh. So I can have a DARCO addie? Cool!" William shrugged. "You have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about do you," Lizzy laughed. She ruffled William's hair and went back to surveying the specs. "Very nice package, Mr. DARCO, but I am not a secretary or an account exec. Hand me that box please," Lizzy said pointing to a box on the floor.
"What's this?" William asked.
"This, my darling, is the software that no self-respecting web designer, graphic artist, or just plain geek can do without." She took out the first CD-ROM and inserted into the drive. She hit the button, just as William turned her around on his lap so that she faced him.
"I may not know much about software worthy of self-respecting web designers, graphic artists, or geeks, but I do know that it takes time to load all that stuff. Let's use it wisely, shall we?"
Richard was delighted to find a parking space right in front of Lizzy and Jane's house. He applied the parking brake and opened his seatbelt.
"Pop the trunk, would you, hon?" Olivia said as she slid out of her seat and hopped out of the vehicle.
"No," Richard replied.
"Why not?"
"Because you're not staying."
"Richard!"
"Please?" Olivia rolled her eyes and tried not to look at Richard's beseeching expression. She suddenly brightened.
"Lizzy's basket is in the trunk." Richard hesitated a moment, then he hit the button that unlocked the rear door of the Rover. Olivia smiled and walked around to the door and pulled it open. She looked at the large suitcase next to the overflowing basket of goodies she had packed for Lizzy and reached for the basket. She handed it to Richard, who was standing on the curb, hands in his pockets. Olivia smiled at him and closed the door. Richard beamed at her, but he put the basket down and unlocked the door with his key. Olivia was confused, until she saw Richard remove the shoofly pie from the top of the basket and put it back in the vehicle. Then he closed the door and Olivia shook her head and smiled. She linked arms with Richard and together they walked to the front door of the house.