Section I, Next Section
William Darcy was an *%&. It did not matter what anyone else said about him, his behaviour at the party last weekend only confirmed a fact Elizabeth Bennett had long suspected. He hadn't changed at all, not since the first day they met two years before.
Pulling on her coat while the library clerk signed out her books, she glanced back to see him heading into the university library's reference room, seemingly unaware that she had seen him enter the building.
"Due back in two weeks, dear."
Lizzie picked up the large stack of weighty volumes and smiled at the middle-aged woman, "Thanks Marcy. I didn't want to wait too long to get started on this one. I have the distinct feeling I'll be pulling a few all-nighters this term."
Marcy laughed, "Well if that's not a student's typical lifestyle, I don't know what is. Amidst all the parties you do have to make time for school work."
"Now when have I ever been anything but the serious studious type?" Lizzie countered with a cheeky grin as she passed through the anti-theft sensors and headed out the door.
A gust of brisk wind greeted Lizzie as she pushed open the oak door with her free arm. The scent of fall was in the air and the leaves were already starting to turn. Midterms were just around the corner and the first snowfall probably wasn't far behind. She drew the collar of her coat tighter around her neck and headed across the courtyard in the general direction of the dorms. It was getting late and she was due to meet the girls in about half an hour.
"Lizzie! Wait up!"
Turning around, she paused to greet Charles Bingley. "Hey Charlie. What are you doing near the library on a Friday night?"
Charlie laughed, " I could ask you the same thing. Aren't you supposed to be at a girls-night or something right now rather than reading up on..." He reached out and grabbed the thick book on the top of her pile, " Colonial Latin America?"
"Yes well some of us got stuck taking Whelan's seminar rather than Finger Painting 101," Lizzie said in a teasing tone as she snatched the book back from Charlie with her free hand.
"Not fair! I'll have you know that art class is not as easy as it sounds. You'd be amazed how many slides I've had to memorize. Western art is a fascinating thing," he replied with mock indignation as he glanced down at his watch.
Lizzie smiled. Charlie was not the only guy she knew who had recently developed an interest in art history. "I'll bet. And I'm sure 'Dr. Great-legs' is an added incentive."
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
"I'm sure Jane already has you figured out," Lizzie replied with a quick laugh. "Was there something specific you wanted Charlie?"
"Actually yes," he glanced at his watch for the second time. "I'm late meeting Will but that doesn't matter. Listen, it's Jane's birthday next weekend."
Lizzie frowned. "Yeah, I know. You're taking her out for dinner or something aren't you?"
"That's what she thinks. I'm actually taking her to Quebec City for the weekend. You know how goofy she gets about old buildings." Charles smiled slightly and continued, " but I need your help to pull off the surprise."
"Charlie, you're amazing! She's going to be crazier about you than she already is." As an architecture student, Jane's fascination with old buildings was a well-documented fact. Lizzie couldn't help but smile at the memory of trudging around London last spring with Jane and her camera. Her enthusiasm for the subject knew no limits. "What's the plan?"
"I need you to pack a few things for her. Anything you think she might need... or not need as the case may be," This earned him a playful swat on the arm. " You can get into her room without her knowing?"
"That shouldn't be a problem, she never locks her door. She's far too trusting but it's not like she has anything worth stealing anyway." Lizzie paused for a moment to consider her options. "She has that Friday afternoon class. I can get the stuff then. What do you want me to do with it?" She asked as she shifted her grip on the books. They were starting to get really heavy.
"I, umm, need you to take the bag to Will's place."
Lizzie met Charlie's forthright gaze and then quickly looked away. "Why?"
"Believe it or not, he's agreed to lend me his car for the weekend."
She shook her head is disbelief. " I don't believe it. Will Darcy is lending you - you - his precious car. Doesn't he remember what you did to it last time?"
Charlie snorted in irritation, " That was a minor fender bender thank you very much and entirely the other driver's fault. Besides, he likes Jane and wants to help me achieve the perfect birthday weekend."
"He didn't always like her," Lizzie said softly.
"Old news, Lizzie, old news. We've all forgotten. Why can't you?" Charlie sighed. "Can I count on you?"
Lizzie shot him a crooked smile, " Have I ever let you down?"
Will glanced down at his watch again. Charlie was late. Charlie was always late. Absentmindedly he flipped through the pages of his marketing textbook. His cousin, David, seated directly across from him, was busy organizing his stack of photocopies.
"When will Bingley ever be on time," David muttered. "Some of us have better things to do on a Friday night than spend endless hours in a library. Rachel's waiting for me to drop by once we're done here."
"Patience, David, was never your strong suit." Will replied as he started to draw circles on the note pad in front of him.
David shot his cousin an amused look, " and it's supposed to be one of yours?"
He smiled. "Point taken." Will shifted uncomfortably in his chair and went back to drawing the circles. He felt disjointed. He felt disjointed whenever he unexpectedly ran into her. Actually, it would probably be more accurate to say that he always felt out of sorts whenever he saw her. The worst part was, of course, the fact that Lizzie Bennett had no idea what kind of effect she had on him.
He had seen her at the circulation desk a few minutes earlier, signing out a few books and chatting amicably with the librarian. True to form, he had pretended not to notice. He certainly hadn't dared to go over and say hello.
That was probably the greatest irony of all. William Darcy, Student Council vice-president, captain of the varsity rugby team, could deliver speeches in front of large crowds and probably have his choice of the girls on campus. Yet the one girl who had occupied his thoughts for years rendered him tongue-tied whenever she was in close proximity. And if his recent behaviour was any indication, there was no end in sight. He snorted with disgust.
"I know, I'm getting really annoyed too," David said. "Do you think he forgot? Maybe we should call it a night and try to meet tomorrow."
"The proposal is due Monday, David. We really should..." Will saw Charlie rush into the reference room, jacket half undone and slightly out of breath. He quickly scanned the room and then headed over to join them. "Glad you decided to make it, Bingley."
"Shut up Will, I'm not that late." He dropped his book bag on the table and pulled out a chair as he quickly removed his coat. " Besides, I ran into Lizzie just outside and had to run a few things by her while I had the chance."
Will raised an eyebrow. Of course, the weekend getaway Charlie had been meticulously planning for ages. "Ah. And is she going to co-operate?"
"God, you make it sound like I had to twist her arm or something. She'll drop Jane's stuff off next Friday afternoon. You'll be around right?"
" Lizzie Bennett casually 'dropping by' our place? I'll have to be there to see that," David quipped.
Will scowled at his cousin and replied, "Yeah, I'll be there."
Charlie sighed as he sat down and dug his binder out of his bag. "Don't you think it's time the two of you buried the hatchet, Will? Kiss and make up. Jane and I are tired of constantly having to tip toe around the two of you."
Kiss and make up? Charlie had not idea how close to the truth that remark actually was. "Believe me, Charlie, no one wants the feud to end more than I." Will caught David's smirk and tossed his eraser at him.
Laughing as the projectile bounced harmlessly off his chest, David replied, "I don't know what you did to the girl, coz, but I think you've got your work cut out for you."
The telephone started to ring as soon as she turned the key in the lock. Figures, she thought as she deftly turned the doorknob with her left hand while pushing the door open with her right knee all the while trying to maintain her grip on the books. Hastily dumping her cargo onto her bed, and started shifting the clutter on her desk in search of the phone. She could hear its ring quite clearly so it had to be buried here somewhere... ah ha! "Hello?"
"Where have you been?" Jane casually inquired while the sound of shrieking giggles could be clearly heard in the background.
"I needed to get a few things from the library first," Lizzie replied as she attempted to straighten the mess on her desk. "What's going on over there?"
Jane's voice was muffled probably from having partially covered the receiver with her hand, "I'm taking to Lizzie, hang on."
"Jane?"
"Sorry! Charlotte just asked me something. Are you coming? I'm afraid we've already started without you. We're about half way through Raiders."
Lizzie frowned, "Weren't we supposed to be doing a Colin Firth movie marathon?"
"Yes well, the girls wanted to watch Indy again for some reason. I mean it is Harrison Ford," Jane replied.
Lizzie rolled her eyes. Those poor Indiana Jones tapes would be worn out before long. She then said, "I thought it was just supposed to be the three of us tonight."
"It was, but Charlotte has a friend in town for the weekend who showed up unexpectedly and there were two frosh on my floor with nothing to do. They smelled the popcorn and asked to join the party," Jane said sounding a little overwhelmed. Lizzie imagined that the small dorm room was probably quite crowded by now. " You'd better hurry. Charlotte's eating all the chips."
Grinning, Lizzie replied, "Just give me a chance to get changed. I'll be over in a few." She hung up the phone, rubbed the back of her neck and glanced around the room. She moved another stack of papers on her desk and then promptly gave up. She would really have to do something about this mess. Later.
Rummaging through her bottom dresser looking for her favourite sweatshirt, she was distracted by the shrill ring of her telephone. Reaching over without taking her eyes off what she was doing, she attempted to lift the phone from its cradle and it slipped from her grasp. "Oh crap." Snatching up the phone as it hit the floor she wedged it between her ear and her shoulder and stated, " I said I was coming!"
"And hello to you too, Liz" an amused and obviously male voice replied.
"Daddy? God, I'm sorry." Lizzie giggled. " I though you were Jane."
"Ah. Did you want to call me back then?" Thomas Bennett asked, his voice a cool and soothing reminder of home.
Lizzie sighed. "No, no, I'm late enough as it is. Besides, Jane has her hands full for the moment. I don't think I'm missing much. What's up?" She plopped down onto her unmade bed, belatedly remembering the books she had casually discarded a few minutes earlier. Wincing she pulled the offending tome out from under her, tossed it onto the floor and then absently rubbed the small of her back.
"Oh the usual. Your mother is up to her antics again. Lydia and Kat are having another row. I needed a break from the chaos," Thomas chuckled. "And I wanted to see if you had decided what you were going to do about Thanksgiving this year."
Was it that time already? She glanced over at the calendar pegged to her bulletin board confirming that Thanksgiving was indeed just over two weeks away. Her father continued, "The Gardiners are coming down from Toronto with the kids and I think your mother has also invited her sister and her husband."
"Uncle Edward got time off from work then? He must really have a craving for Mom's turkey stuffing," Lizzie said with a smile. Her mother's stuffing really was quite extraordinary.
"Ummm, it will be quite the full house I dare say." Thomas replied. "I could use you around to as a sane and levelheaded presence."
Lizzie laughed, " I'd love to, Dad, but I really can't this year."
"If you need me to send you some money to take the train that's not a problem."
"No, that's really not it. Midterms start on the Tuesday this year and I really can't afford to lose the studying time." She heaved a heavy sigh as she stretched out on her bed. "And I have a presentation to do for Whelan's seminar on the conquest of Mexico that week. We drew lots yesterday in class and I unfortunately have to go first."
"Well that's two in a row you'll have missed," Thomas said, sounding amused." If I didn't know any better I'd think you were avoiding the family. Not that I'd blame you at times."
"The fact that I wasn't in the country last year made the trip a bit difficult to manage, Dad," Lizzie said dryly.
Thomas chortled quietly, "Indeed. I won't keep you then. Did you want to talk to your mother?"
"Is that a rhetorical question?"
Thomas bit back a laugh, "All right then, I'll tell her you're not coming myself but do expect a call. I'll talk to you in a few days, love."
"Bye Dad." Lizzie smiled as she sat up to locate the base of her phone and placed the receiver back in its cradle.
Will sighed and stretched his arms out above his head. The clock on the far wall read just past ten. The reference room was virtually empty except for the lone librarian reading at his desk and occasionally casting glances in their direction. Will imagined the poor man probably wanted to go home. It had been a long night but definitely a productive one. If they were successful in getting all of the information they needed, Will had every confidence that Dr. Burke would be pleased with their project proposal.
David yawned. "Well that's it for me then. I'll get started on these numbers first thing tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, my lady awaits."
Charlie grinned, "Kind of late for a date don't you think? Who's the lucky girl this week?"
"Rachel Cooper," David stated with a confident smile.
Charlie grunted with surprise. "You have a date with Ms 'I-only-date-members-of the-football-team' Cooper? How did you manage that?"
"I dazzled her with my Fitzwilliam charm, of course," was David's cheeky reply. "Will, I'll see you later."
Will smiled as he watched his cousin leave the room, whistling fragments of a really cheesy 80s tune. David was certainly popular with the ladies and he had no doubt few could resist his cousin's charms. He had an ease with people, an ability to converse with anyone he happened to meet, that Will had always envied. In fact, Will firmly believed that with a little effort his cousin could probably even win over Lizzie Bennett.
"I swear I don't know how he does it," Charlie said, shaking his head. "He goes through girls like he does socks. Is he serious about any of them?"
"Oh I doubt it," Will replied dryly.
"And do they know that?"
Will shrugged, "I'm sure he doesn't intentionally mislead them. David is pretty straightforward. Besides, I imagine that when he finally does fall for a girl, he'll fall hard."
"You're probably right," Charlie conceded. "But still, Rachel Cooper?"
The librarian discretely coughed to get their attention and pointed at the clock, "Closing time, gentlemen."
Will started to collect his things as he shot his friend an amused look, " Charlie, don't tell me you're jealous because David succeeded where you so spectacularly failed in First Year?"
"Nah, I've got Jane remember? And she's more than enough to keep me on my toes." He pulled his coat on and swung his book bag over his shoulder. "It's just that I had always assumed that she was out of his league."
"Apparently not."
They exited the library in companionable silence. It was a nice night if a bit on the cool side. The wind seemed to have died down. Will found it hard to believe that they were already four weeks into the fall term. With graduation less than 8 months away, he was no closer to figuring out exactly what it was he wanted to do. Perhaps the problem simply was that he had too many options to consider. The absence of options could occasionally be a blessing.
Charlie fell into step beside him as they walked down the path that led to the main entrance of the campus. "Speaking of women, aren't you seeing Jane tonight?"
Charlie smiled engagingly, "'fraid not. I've been banned from the dorms for the evening. Jane, Charlotte and Lizzie had a 'chick flick' night planned. There will probably be painting of toenails and Cosmo quizzes involved as well."
Will grunted in acknowledgment. Chick flicks indeed. "And who is it now? Matt Damon? Brad Pitt?"
Charlie laughed, "Oh God no! I have it on good authority that Colin Firth is the man of the hour."
"Ah."
They cut across the main lawn of the campus and headed towards the student ghetto without much further comment. Charlie then paused and said, "It's early yet. Want to stop in the pub for a pint?"
Charlie was right. It did seem too early to call it a night and it wasn't like he had anything particular to run home to either. "Sure, why not?"
Slainte was the most popular of the bars and pubs near the university's campus. In the typical Irish style, it was the usual hang out for upper year students and on Friday nights could be quite crowded, especially if a live band was scheduled to play. However, it was early yet so Will and Charlie had no trouble securing a booth near the back of the pub. The waitress wasted no time in sauntering over to take their order.
"Hello boys. What's your poison this evening?"
Charlie considered for a moment and then said, "a pint of Guinness for me please. Will?"
Will made a face, "I can't believe you drink that stuff, it's nothing like it tastes over there."
"Yes well we can't all afford to travel the world in search of good beer can we?"
Will laughed, "I suppose not." Glancing up at the waitress he said, "Pint of Harp."
"Sure thing," she replied and with a wink she turned and headed back to the bar.
Charlie stretched out along his side of the booth and gave Will a considering look. "Are you going to tell me what's eating at you or am I going to have to drag it out of you?"
Will was surprised. He normally wouldn't have thought Charlie to be so perceptive if it weren't for the fact that he was very good at hiding his emotions. Yet he supposed three years of friendship had to count for something. All evening, when he should have been focusing on their project he had been mulling over what to do about the intolerable situation he found himself in. Actually, it was an intolerable situation he had helped create.
Greeted with silence, Charlie persisted, "Look I'm sorry if it's something I said. I know I should mind my own business about the whole Lizzie situation but it's become something of a farce."
"You don't know the half of it," Will muttered.
"I would have thought with her on exchange last year things would have settled down, but the two of you seem to have picked up right where you left off," Charlie continued, sounding a little exasperated. "I know she gets under your skin but this is ridiculous. We can't take you anywhere anymore."
Will sighed, conceding his point, "I know, Charlie, I know. I'm just not sure what to do about it."
"Well here's a thought. Have you tried just being nice?"
Will gave him a perplexed look. "Nice?"
Charlie smiled, "Yeah, nice. And maybe smile. You're not such an intimidating b$%^#*d when you're smiling."
Will grinned. "It's worth a shot."
Be nice? Could anything be that simple? Could two years of stupidity and misunderstandings be cured with a few friendly words and genuine smiles? Will rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling while stretching and wiggling his toes.
It was Sunday morning and certainly too early to think about getting out of bed. Will relished those few mornings when he could just lie there and listen to the sound of the rain hitting the roof. He glanced over at his alarm clock, confirming that it was only 8:30 and then closed his eyes again.
His dreams were still close to the surface of his mind and by closing his eyes he was treated to brief flashes before they started to fade: Elizabeth smiling; Elizabeth laughing; Elizabeth dancing with him; Elizabeth looking at him, not with contempt or anger in her eyes, but joy. It was a pleasant fiction.
Will sighed. He was, quite simply, besotted.
Admitting it to himself was only half the battle.
Her going off to England for a year had been both a blessing and a curse. He had firmly believed his feelings had simply been a passing phase. He had dated a few girls, both while at school and over the summer breaks, but somehow they always seemed to be lacking something. They didn't have her intelligence, or her wit, or her vivacity. Of course he never acknowledged to himself that he had been comparing them at all. By the time school was set to start again, he had firmly believed that he was over her.
He had been lying to himself. All of his heart wrenching emotions - the guilt, the love, the regrets and the soul deep ache - had come rushing back as soon as he had set eyes on her almost four weeks ago.
He simply couldn't go on this way. He'd go insane.
Will groaned. And to think all of this could have turned out so differently if only their initial meeting had not been such a disaster.
It had been the second week back to class after summer break, the start of his Second Year. Charlie and a few of his floor-mates had decided to throw a welcome back party in their dorm and had invited just about everyone they knew. Included on the guest list were a number of new students who happened to live in the same building. Bingley parties were always well attended so the hallway was already quite crowded. Top 40 hits blared from someone's stereo system. It seemed like everyone was having a good time. Everyone except Will, that is.
"Will! I was beginning to think you weren't coming," Charlie shouted over the noise when he finally met up with Will in the hallway. "Can I get you anything?"
Will frowned. "No, I'm fine. I'm not staying" He was in a foul mood. He had been dumped a few weeks earlier and was still smarting from the rejection. Granted, he hadn't been that attached to Sharon but his ego had taken a beating. Her comments about his personality had been less than complementary. He disliked large parties where he knew only a handful of people and the hallway was so packed he could barely breath. Small talk was not one of his fortes. And to add insult to injury, he thought he was coming down with a cold.
"I've met this great girl, Will." Charlie stated enthusiastically as he took a swig of his beer. "She's sweet and kind and absolutely beautiful."
Will smiled. Charlie said that about almost every girl he met. He was the impressionable type and would probably get taken in by the enterprising sort. "And who is this paragon of virtue and beauty?"
Charlie's animated features practically glowed. "Jane Meryton. First year student living on the 3rd floor. She's also in my sociology class." Charlie glanced around, "She's here somewhere with a few of her friends. I can't wait for you to meet her."
Will sighed. He was going to have to keep a close eye on this situation. Charlie seemed to be a little more infatuated than usual. This did not bode well.
"Oh and you really should meet one of her friends." Charlie continued. "Very pleasant girl, great sense of humour. Not as pretty as Jane but completely your type."
"Yeah right," Will muttered. Charlie meant well but this was bordering on annoying. There was nothing Will hated more than a set up. It was time to start planning that quick getaway.
Charlie was oblivious to Will's darkening mood. He spotted Jane across the room and insisted on pointing her out. "Look Will, that's her. Jane. Isn't she something?" The crowd parted enough for Will to catch a glimpse of the girl. He had to agree, Jane Meryton was quite stunning. Blonde with a serene smile, Will could easily see how Charlie had been taken in. "I don't see Lizzie though. She must be here somewhere..." Charlie's voice tapered off as he continued to scan the hallway.
"Charlie..." Will said, trying to warn his friend. Now was not the time for this. He just wanted to go home. He started to rub his right temple with the tips of his fingers.
"No seriously, I have to introduce you."
That was it. "No." Will snapped.
Charlie finally directed his gaze straight at Will. He seemed confused. "I'm sorry?"
"I said no! You're wasting my time. I don't want to meet this dumb twit, Lizzie-whatever-her-name-is, you're trying to set me up with. Foist her onto some unsuspecting fool, I wouldn't give her the time of day even if you paid me." Will practically barked. Charlie continued to stare at him and then his gaze shifted ever so slightly to a point just past his shoulder.
A sudden realization dawned on him. "Oh God. She's standing right there, isn't she?" Charlie didn't respond though his face said it all. The noise in the hallway faded into the background. All he could hear was the quickening beat of his own heart as he realized what he had done. Open mouth. Insert foot. Slowly, Will turned around.
Standing not two feet away, he was struck first by her cheeky smile. He had just insulted her without even having met her and she had the gall to grin at him? It only deepened his embarrassment.
She extended her right hand in greeting and said " Elizabeth 'dumb twit' Bennett." Her dark eyes twinkled with amusement. "And you are?"
Will stared at the proffered hand. His stomach rolled once and he briefly shut his eyes. He had to get out of this crowded space. He needed air. Without further word or gesture, he turned his back on her and pushed his way to the door, glancing back once to catch the look of hurt surprise appear on her expressive face.
Of course Charlie had given him an earful after the fact.
"You're an idiot, Will. She seemed willing to forgive your stupid remarks but refusing to acknowledge her and walking away like that was just plain rude."
And Charlie had been right. Will had regretted his behaviour the minute he had left the dorm but he was far too embarrassed (and possibly proud?) to admit it. Groveling for forgiveness was not something he did lightly. Nor had he been sure how to get back on the right track with the affronted girl without making an even bigger fool of himself. So, he had chosen to play it cool and this had probably not been the best choice given Lizzie's temperament.
Every meeting resulted in some sort of verbal skirmish. She was quick and clever in her responses to his quips. Gradually, so slowly he could not pinpoint the precise moment, he had ceased to dread and instead secretly looked forward to their next exchange.
He recalled one night in particular when he had taken to hovering nearby, within her line of sight, without contributing to the conversation. He knew this annoyed her. He watched her as she carried on an animated discussion while trying to ignore him though she did occasionally cast him an irritated look. Eventually she had interrupted herself in mid sentence and asked, "Are you deliberately trying to intimidate me, Will Darcy? Because I have to tell you I give as good as I get."
Will had smirked and offered no reply. This, he knew, had annoyed her even more. God, she had been magnificent, her dark eyes flashing with anger, her jaw clenched as she went back to ignoring him.
She wasn't beautiful in the classic sense, nor was she as pretty as her friend Jane. But there was something about her smile, the way she carried herself, and especially her engaging laughter that drew a crowd of admirers. To be at the receiving end of one of her glorious smiles was Will's fondest wish.
She conversed easily with everyone and made a special effort to include the more shy people in the group in her conversations. The advice she offered, when asked, was always sound. She seemed to have a great appreciation for the ironic and laughed frequently.
One morning, about half way through the school year, he had awakened to the startling realization that he was not just fascinated by or infatuated with Lizzie. He was in love.
This conclusion had first caused panic. How in the midst of the arguments and the witticisms had he managed to fall head over heals for the one girl who couldn't stand to have him in the room? And yet, he could not deny the truth of it. Something had to be done.
He had seen her with a few different men over the course of that first year. That rogue Wickham had struck up a friendship of sorts with her until he was forced to leave the university at the end of the first term for failure to make his tuition payments. Rumours had circulated about his fondness for betting on football and hockey games. But as far as he could tell, she hadn't really been serious about any of them.
Will had slowly eased off on the sarcasm and the arguments. He figured there was no point in doing a complete about-face; it would have only raised her suspicions. Gradually they started having civil conversations. He even made her laugh once.
Of course it had all come to nothing thanks to the Bingley/Jane affair. If there was one positive element that came out of that spectacular argument it was the discovery that Lizzie was fiercely loyal to her friends.
Will heard David come out of his room and shut the door to the bathroom. Sitting up in bed, he leaned back against the wall and opened his eyes.
What would his parents think of Elizabeth Bennett if he ever managed to bring her home? His previous girlfriends had all been from his social circle back home, wealthy families from the business world. Lizzie's background was not nearly so refined, from what he had been able to discover, but that didn't seem to matter anymore. She was a breath of fresh air, an enigma and a challenge.
Charlie had been right. She was just his type. It had just taken him a little longer to realize it.
Rain, rain, rain. Lizzie stared out the window next to her usual table in the dinning hall as she pushed her eggs around on her plate. She had been intending to go for a long walk down by the river but the weather just didn't seem to want to cooperate.
She sighed with resignation and took another sip of her orange juice. There was always that presentation she had intended to get started on...
"Ummmmmm, pancakes." Charlotte said as she sat down directly across from Lizzie. Drizzling her food with table syrup she added, "You know, the rest of the food here pretty much sucks but the Sunday brunch? It makes the Tuesday surprise lunch menu bearable."
Lizzie laughed, "Yes well, I certainly didn't choose to come here for the quality of their meals. I tend to think bad food and university go hand in hand." She watched as Charlotte's weekend guest, bearing a heavily laden tray, grabbed the seat next to her friend. "Hey Maria," she said warmly. "How are you feeling this morning?"
Maria grimaced, "Like there's a herd of elephants running around in my head." She turned towards Charlotte, "You should have warned me. Who'd have thought grape Kool-Aid could be so lethal!"
"I think we learned THAT lesson in First Year, didn't we Charlotte?" Lizzie grinned. "When was it? Orientation week? It looked harmless enough at the time."
"Don't remind me!" Charlotte groaned. "I had that icepack glued to my head for 6 hours straight. We lead much tamer lives these days. Eat up, Maria. The pancakes are a magical cure-all."
Lizzie finished off her bacon as she watched Charlotte make short work of her breakfast. She liked Charlotte very much. She was a rather quiet and slightly understated girl who was dreadfully realistic about everything. Maria seemed nice enough but it was difficult to get any real sense of her personality having only spent a few hours in her company. "How much longer are you here for, Maria?" Lizzie inquired casually.
Maria finished chewing and replied, "I'll head home early tomorrow morning. I don't have any Monday classes this term. I've had such a great weekend though. I'll have to come back again sometime before the spring."
Charlotte laughed, "You'd better. It's taken me long enough just to get you to visit this once!"
"Leaving us so soon?" Jane asked as she sat down next to Lizzie. She smiled sweetly at Charlotte's friend as she shook her carton of chocolate milk.
"I'm afraid so," Maria replied. "It's too bad you didn't come out with us last night."
Jane's smile widened. "Sorry. Charlie time."
Lizzie rolled her eyes. The way those two cooed at each other was almost nauseating. And yet she had to admit, Jane was a very lucky girl. The relationship she had with Charlie, while a little saccharin at times, was incredibly solid.
"What's that Jane?" Charlotte asked, drawing attention to the small plastic bag Jane had placed on the table next to her tray.
"Ah, pictures from David's birthday party last weekend. I'm really happy with the way they turned out. There are some especially good ones of Charlie. You know he's not usually the most photogenic person," Jane said.
"Oooooh, pictures." Maria said enthusiastically. "Can we see them?"
Jane quickly removed them from the envelope in the bag and passed them over to Maria. Charlotte pointed out the various people in each of the shots - Charlie, Bill Collins, the birthday boy, Mary King and other assorted members of their social circle.
"Lizzie, you're not in any of these. Weren't you there?" Maria inquired.
Jane cast Lizzie a sympathetic look and replied, "She left early."
Maria's attention, however, had already been drawn back to the photographs. "Oh my! Who is this guy? He's divine!" She turned the photo around so Lizzie and Jane could take a closer look.
It was a great shot of the three boys standing together, arms linked around each other's shoulders. They were all grinning like idiots. Maria's finger identified the individual in question. "That would be William Darcy." Jane replied.
Lizzie snorted. "Who knew Will had so many teeth."
"Oh Lizzie!" Jane admonished. "Be fair. If you didn't spent all your time trading insults with him he might feel a little more compelled to smile at you once in a while!"
"You don't get along with him?" Maria asked, looking a little confused.
"I think 'don't get along' is a bit of an understatement in this case," Charlotte muttered as she finished off the last of her pancakes. "Ummm, I think I might want seconds."
Maria, however, an apparent lover of gossip, would not let the issue drop. "What happened?"
"It's a long story," Jane said, probably hoping that would be enough to deflect Maria's interest.
"I like long stories," Maria replied eagerly.
Charlotte sighed. "I guess it all started in First Year. Will snubbed Lizzie at this party we had all attended."
"He was rude," Lizzie interjected.
Jane, ever the peacemaker, added, "He was in a bad mood. Charlie told me he was upset about something and he's a little on the shy side."
Lizzie laughed, "Will Darcy, shy? Arrogant, annoying and maybe even pig-headed but shy? Let's be realistic. I haven't seen any proof of that."
"Try to see his behaviour in a different light and you'll see that I'm right about this," Jane retorted.
Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Anyway, they seem to bring out the worst in each other. It was actually kind of amusing. They're both really good at thinking on their feet."
"Thanks, I think," Lizzie said, frowning slightly.
"Then what?" Maria prompted.
Charlotte looked up at Jane and smiled slightly. "Well, Charlie ended up falling hard for Jane here."
"I do believe it was mutual," Jane added.
"But things got ugly because of this huge misunderstanding. Will was convinced that Jane really wasn't interested in Charlie and Lizzie got royally ticked off when she found out Will was meddling. You can imagine the argument that followed. The long and short of it is that the two of them have hardly said two words to each other since then," Charlotte concluded.
Maria looked disappointed. "There must be more to it than that." She glanced over at Lizzie and Jane, hoping for more details.
Charlotte abruptly stood up. "Maria, we'd better get going or we'll be late for the matinee. We'll see you two later."
Jane waited until Maria and Charlotte had left before turning to face Lizzie. "You know, we've talked about this before, but I just want to make sure you understand. Neither Charlie nor I hold any hard feelings against anyone for what happened."
Lizzie sighed deeply. This issue kept getting dragged up over and over again. She wished it would just go away. "I know that Jane. He was being a jerk but he didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of my horrible temper."
"It was all just a big misunderstanding. I'm hardly innocent in this either." Jane shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Will is Charlie's best friend. You're mine. The two of you will constantly have to deal with each other. For both our sakes do you think you could try to settle your differences?"
"Jane..." Lizzie said hesitantly.
"Just try," Jane interrupted. "That's all I'm asking. I'm not expecting miracles here."
Lizzie smiled, "For you, darling Jane, I'd be willing to try almost anything."
How was she supposed to start mending fences with that idiot, Lizzie wondered later that afternoon, if he never let his guard down long enough to reach an understanding.
She glanced around at the glorious foliage as trudged along the muddy path heading down towards the water. Fall was definitely her favourite season, if only because of the colours of the leaves. She was glad it had stopped raining in time for her to get some fresh air before it got too late.
What was she going to do about Will Darcy? She hadn't lied to Jane earlier. Every time she thought back to that horrible day in March when David had inadvertently revealed Will's interference in Jane's love life, she was embarrassed. It had definitely not been one of her finer moments.
She liked David. He had an open, friendly personality she could relate to. They always stopped to talk to each other when their paths crossed on campus but they had never really developed a friendship beyond that. She speculated it might be because Will was his cousin.
On the day in question, Will had paused to share some interesting information.
Lizzie trudged through the snow drifts as she made her way towards the student centre after class. It was mid-march and a late winter storm had brought down tons of the thick sticky variety of snow. Exiting the social science building, she saw David walking towards her.
"Good afternoon, Miss Bennett." David said as he approached. "I hear I missed quite the Faculty wine and cheese last night."
Lizzie laughed, "Indeed. Professor Morris was in good form. And you can probably guess that the wine didn't last too long."
"I'd imagine not. Especially the boxed kind. I hear Collins made a fool of himself." David replied, grinning.
"Yeah, he spent half the night brown nosing with the faculty. I'm not sure what Charlotte sees in him." Lizzie said, shaking her head.
"I also heard something strange about Jane."
Lizzie frowned, "What?"
"It's all locker room talk, so for all I know the guy was making it up. You know Spencer Davis?" David waited for her nod of affirmation. "Well, a few days ago he was going on about how he was going to get some 'action' with her. Charlie was there so we all thought he was just saying it to tick him off. I mean it's obvious to me that Charlie likes Jane even if he hasn't done anything about it yet. She hasn't been single for that long."
Lizzie felt the blood rush from her face. She could see where this was going.
"Anyway, I overheard Will talking to Charlie on the phone this morning. Apparently he saw Jane leave the wine and cheese with Spencer. He had his arm around her or something and she was laughing. It looked a little too cozy to be completely innocent from Will's perspective and he doesn't think Jane's that interested in Charlie anyway," David continued. "Of course, you would know more than anyone else." Suddenly, he looked at her with concern. "Liz, are you okay? You're looking a little pale."
She had to get to Jane. She had been supposed to meet Charlie for lunch. "I'm sorry, David. I need to go."
She turned and left him standing in the snow.
Lizzie leaned back against the low stone wall. She could hear the sounds of the river nearby, but this was her favourite spot along the trail. If she were lucky, she might even see a few deer. Her thoughts however turned back to the problem at hand.
Jane had been understandably upset. Her serene personality had somehow conveyed the impression that she had not been that attached to Charlie, which of course was far from the truth. Lizzie had not wasted a moment in revealing everything she knew once she had found out Charlie had canceled their lunch plans.
"That jerk, Will Darcy! Who does he think he is, interfering like that! Why should he be the one to determine your happiness? Or Charlie's for that matter!"
Spencer had asked Jane for help down the stairs at the end of the party since his wine consumption had been a bit excessive, and he had tried to make a pass at her which Jane had had no trouble deflecting. She had left him weaving outside the building to find his own way back to the dorms and instead had walked home with Lizzie who had followed her out a few minutes later. The pair had laughed about Spencer's idiocy but thought nothing else of the matter.
She had spent the better part of twenty minutes that afternoon consoling and reassuring Jane when Charlotte arrived to offer her opinions. Standing by the window, it wasn't long before she remarked, "Well! If it isn't the devil himself?"
Lizzie had rushed to the window, had seen Will walking by, and had then promptly dashed out of the room in hot pursuit.
She hadn't stopped to really think about what she was doing. All she knew was that she was spitting mad that Jane was so upset and the apparent cause was conveniently to be found nearby.
Needless to say, Will Darcy had been rather surprised to see her bearing down on him. His look of shocked surprise hadn't lasted for long. It had quickly been replaced with one of anger.
Insults and thinly veiled accusations had been flung back and forth, though they had managed to keep their voices cool and level. At one point Lizzie had even said "You are an arrogant, mean spirited @&% with absolutely no regard for other people's feelings. I hadn't spent more than five minutes with you before I had figured out what kind of person you are!"
Lizzie closed her eyes and mentally cringed at the memory of the look on his face. For a brief moment something had flared in his eyes and then they had gone stone cold. He had stared at her for a full minute in silence and then said, "I see. Well, there's no hope for me then, is there?" And with that cryptic remark, he had stalked off.
Charlie had phoned later that day, apologizing to Jane for the misunderstanding. Lizzie had spent the rest of the term avoiding Will Darcy.
Things had been awkward since she had gotten back from England. For the most part, he had kept his distance. It was almost as if he was as embarrassed by his behaviour as she was of hers. No, that couldn't be right, that would be completely out of character. Still, Jane spoke fondly of him. Perhaps he did have some redeeming qualities after all.
Lizzie stood up and headed back along the path towards the university campus. She would be civil. That much she had promised.
Posted On: Tuesday, 22 October 2002, at 10:18 p.m.
Chapter 5
Will caught himself glancing over at the clock for the fifth time in as many minutes as he straightened the cushions on the couch. He smiled ruefully. His mother had frequently made remarks about watched pots whenever he had impatiently been waiting or watching for something. His staring at the clock was not going to make Elizabeth arrive any sooner. He actually hoped she'd be a little late. The place needed to be straightened up first.
He and David had decided to rent a small townhouse together after their first year in residence. Although the dorms had provided certain advantages (waking up five minutes before class and still getting there on time was certainly one), the novelty had quickly worn off. The noise and the food had driven them to seek refuge in town. Living with David was not really a hardship. His one annoying habit was a tendency towards sloppiness.
Case in point: the state of the living room. A hamper full of laundry sat next to the stairs. Economics text books were piled all over the coffee table along with plates from last night. The remote control for the television was nowhere to be found.
Will sighed as he got down on his hands and knees and looked under the couch. Finding only dust bunnies, he started to get back up when he heard someone on the front porch. Oh God, she was here. He jumped up abruptly and collided with the edge of the coffee table.
His cousin's laughter pierced the fog of pain that had descended upon him as Will fell back onto the sofa clutching his leg. "What on Earth are you doing?" David asked, as he shut the door behind him.
"What does it bloody well look like I'm doing?" Will retorted through grit teeth as he rubbed the side of his throbbing leg. "Have you seen the remote?"
David's eyes were still shining with mirth as he dropped his book bag by the door, walked over and picked the remote off the end table beside the couch. He waved it before Will as he said, "What? This remote?"
Will snatched it from his cousin and placed it down on the coffee table. No wonder he hadn't been able to find it. The damn thing had been left behind quite the collection of dirty glasses. He had started to gather them up when David surveyed the room and then shot him an amused look. "Geez, Will," he said. "She's dropping off a bag not stopping for tea."
He glared at his cousin as he stalked past him and headed for the kitchen. David was more perceptive than people gave him credit for. He also had an annoying tendency to show up just at the wrong moment.
Will placed the glasses next to the pots on the counter and started filled the sink with soapy water, wishing not for the first time that they had rented a place with a dishwasher. He heard David rummaging around in the refrigerator. Another glance at the clock confirmed that it wasn't yet two.
"What time is Bingley coming by for the car?" David asked, his head still deep inside the fridge.
Will started placing the glasses in the sink to let them soak for a minute. Dried orange juice was going to be a pain to scrub off the bottoms. Without looking back at David he responded, "Some time before three. He wants to get everything ready so they can leave as soon as Jane gets out of class. Didn't you have a study group this afternoon?"
"Cancelled," was his reply. David pulled a piece of pizza from its plastic wrap as he nudged the fridge door closed with his right hip. He propped himself up on the counter and took a huge bite. For some inane reason, he liked his pizza cold. Mouth half full, David said, "Rather inspired idea, taking her to Quebec. I may have to try that one myself someday. French food, French wine..."
Will laughed. "A weekend get-away would be a bit much for a first date don't you think? Serial dater that you are, you might want to actually try keeping a girl for a bit before taking expensive trips. Otherwise your wallet will be perpetually light"
"Sure." David munched contentedly for a few minutes before continuing. "I can tell you though, Rachel Cooper isn't a keeper."
"Why am I not surprised? What was the problem this time?"
"Pretty face, not much going on upstairs," David replied mournfully, shaking his head. "I'm still hunting for the perfect girl."
"Perfection is an illusion, David," Will muttered as he examined the bottom of another glass and reached for the scrub pad.
"You know who I was thinking of asking out?" David asked, a pensive look on his face.
Will dunked the scrub pad back into the soapy water and examined the glass again. There were still bits of something caught to the sides. "Astonish me."
"Lizzie Bennett."
The glass slipped from Will's grasp, hit the edge of the counter and shattered.
Both boys started at the shards scattered on the tiled floor for a full thirty seconds in stunned silence. Then Will slowly lifted his gaze to meet David's. He watched as comprehension dawned in his cousin's eyes.
"Oh my God," David breathed. "I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me?"
Will ignored him and bent down to pick up the larger pieces of broken glass. David slid off the counter and crouched down to help. "How long, Will."
"How long what?" He tried playing dumb, hoping David would just leave it alone.
"How long have you been in love with her?"
Trust David to get right to the point. He stood up and went to the storage closet in search of the broom and the dustpan.
"Will..." David prodded. With no answer forthcoming, he tried again, more forcefully, "How long, Will."
"Long enough," was his weary and vague reply.
David shook his head and took the broom from him. "I can't believe you didn't tell me." Will pulled a chair away from the kitchen table and slowly sat down. There would be no escaping this interrogation. "You should have told me," David insisted.
"What would that have changed?"
David let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, I don't know. Nothing. Everything. I'm the nearest thing you have to a brother. You've been such an idiot about this whole situation, I could have maybe knocked some sense into you."
Will rolled his eyes. He very much doubted that either David or Charlie could have prevented him from burning his bridges the way he had. He was the first person to recognize that his stubborn streak was more than a mile wide. And yet, he couldn't help but appreciate David's sudden discovery of his secret. The knowledge that someone else was aware of his feelings lifted a weight from his spirit that he had been finding particularly oppressive lately. "David, I appreciate the sentiment. Really. But this is my problem and I'm going to have to solve it myself."
David swept up the last of the shards and dumped them into the garbage can. "Suit yourself," he replied. "But let me offer this once piece of advice. Grovel. A lot. Then maybe she'll give you the time of day." He shot his cousin a mischievous grin.
"Right, like it's going to be that simple. Bingley suggested being nice."
"That too."
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. The cousins stared at each other for a few seconds until David said, "No time like the present." Pointing the broomstick in the direction of the door he added, "Go to it!"
Wearily, Will stood up and headed into the front hallway. Be nice, be nice, be nice - he reminded himself with a slight smile as he held his breath and turned the doorknob.
The first thing he noticed was that it was pouring rain. The second thing he noticed was that Elizabeth Bennett was soaked through. Clutching a gym bag in front of her, she stood there looking at him expectantly, her long dark hair plastered to her head, her coat waterlogged, and rain drops clinging to her incredibly long eyelashes. In that moment there was nothing he wanted more than to reach out and brush the drops away. Instead, he stood there staring like an idiot as she raised an eyebrow and tried to hand him the bag. "Umm, hi." Wow, that was eloquent.
"Hello," Lizzie replied. She stood there for another few seconds, waiting, and then said, "Here," as she put the bag down at his feet and turned to leave.
David appeared in the doorway behind Will. "Liz, don't be silly. Come in and dry off. Charlie should be here soon and I'm sure he'll drop you off before he picks Jane up."
Lizzie smiled at David and said, "Thanks. I wasn't expecting to get caught in a squall like that, or I would have brought my umbrella." Will stepped out of the way as she brushed past, leaving him to pick up the bag containing Jane's things. She hung up her coat and her purse, carefully removed her shoes and followed David into the kitchen. His cousin looked back over his shoulder at Will and mouthed "towel."
Shutting the door behind him, Will placed Jane's bag next to the couch and headed over to the laundry basket. He berated himself as he rummaged in the hamper of clean laundry for a towel. Would serve him right if Lizzie fell for the likes of his charming cousin, as he couldn't seem to string even two nice words together.
Peals of laughter emanating from the kitchen infused him with new resolve, and perhaps even a touch of jealousy. Will grabbed a towel from the basket and hurried into the kitchen.
He found Elizabeth seated at the table, combing through her wet hair with her fingers while David put the broom and dustpan back into the storage closet. What they had been laughing about he had no idea, but both had stopped when he had entered the room. Silently, Will handed Lizzie the towel.
She smiled slightly at him for the first time since she had arrived, said, "Thank you," and started drying her hair.
"Would you like something warm to drink - Coffee? Tea?" Will offered as he filled the kettle that had been sitting out on the counter and plugged it in.
David burst out laughing. Will glared at him.
Lizzie glanced over at David for a moment and then replied with a slight frown, "Ummm, tea would be lovely."
"David?"
His cousin winked at him "No thanks, too many things to do. I'll get out of your way," and with a smile he left them alone in the room.
Be civil. So far so good. That was especially easy to do when your nemesis had his back to you and wasn't saying a word. Lizzie continued to dry her hair and watched as Will finishing washing the dishes that had been left on the counter. He had just unplugged the sink to let the water drain when the kettle started to whistle.
"Milk or sugar?" he asked without turning around as he reached over to pull the plug.
"Neither, thank you."
She draped the towel around her shoulders, lifting her damp hair off the back of her neck. There was something strangely domestic about this scene. Here she was, sitting in Will Darcy's kitchen, while he made tea. Who'd have thought?
There was a nervous energy in the room that made her squirm in her seat. Though she knew she was uncomfortable, she doubted that Will was at ease either. There was a jerkiness to his usually fluid movements. His normally cool gray eyes betrayed a certain uneasiness. They were both out of their elements.
He handed her a cup and saucer and sat down in the opposite chair, taking an appreciative sip of his hot tea.
She cocked her head slightly to one side and said, "Cups and saucers? They seem a little out of place in a bachelor's pad."
Will laughed a full, honest laugh and grinned at her. That was a first. "My mom's a huge tea drinker. I get it from her. She's always buying new tea sets. When I moved into this place she gave me one of her old ones. Claimed I would need it. I'm more of a mug guy myself but with company here..." He shrugged his shoulders.
They fell into silence again. After spending so much time arguing and trading insults, it was hard to think of a neutral topic for discussion while they waited for Charlie to arrive. The bottom line was that she really didn't know Will that well. And if her friends were to be believed, what little she did know was a façade.
Mercifully, he spoke again first. "Charlie shouldn't be too late. He wanted to leave pretty much right away."
"That's okay. I can wait."
The only other noise in the room was the gentle hum of the refrigerator and the ticking of the wall clock. Will started to drum his fingers on the table. Lizzie spent an inordinate amount of time examining her teacup. Seconds crawled by.
This was ridiculous. "Jane has no idea," Lizzie offered. "She still thinks he's taking her to that little Indian place in the city."
Will glanced over at her. "Think she'll be excited? Charlie's been spending a lot of time planning this."
"Sure," she replied. "Jane is a fairly easy soul to please, but this is definitely a stroke of genius. She'll drag him to every church and monument in the city."
He chuckled as he shifted in his seat. "Sounds like fun."
"Oh, Jane is an awesome traveling partner."
"You speak from experience, I imagine. Didn't she visit you while you were in London?" He asked as he lifted his teacup to his lips.
Lizzie smiled at the memory of Jane's enthusiasm for the city and its architecture. "Yes, she did. We must have visited the British Museum three times in the two weeks she was with me."
"So you think she'll like Quebec then?"
"I don't see why not. I've never been but I've heard great things about the city."
"As close as it is and you've never been? That's a shame." Will replied. He stood up and went to refill his cup. "Would you like more?"
"Uh, no, thank you," Lizzie replied, fidgeting with her own empty cup. The conversation was strangely stilted and neutral. Truth be told, it was also the longest conversation they had ever had.
Will resumed his seat but said nothing more. They sat in silence again, Will watching her over the rim of his cup as he sipped his tea. The weight of the silence and the directness of his gaze slowly eroded Lizzie's nerves. She needed to get out of the room. Now.
Standing up abruptly, she removed the towel from her shoulders and hung it over the back of the chair. "Umm, your washroom is..."
Will smiled slightly, probably aware that he was making her uncomfortable - smug jerk, and said "Top of the stairs."
Seeking refuge in the bathroom, she sat on the edge of the tub to collect her thoughts and regroup. Something strange was definitely going on. She had come expecting him to be difficult and surly. His behaviour wasn't warm and fuzzy but it certainly was... pleasant. How ironic that he managed to get under her skin even when he wasn't trying. Quite simply, she was confused.
Emerging from the bathroom, she could hear faint music coming from the door to her right. That must be David's room. The door to her left was partially ajar.
Lizzie had a theory about people's personal space. A bedroom could reveal a lot about an individual's personality. She also had to concede she was simply curious. What would she find in Will Darcy's bedroom? Rugby paraphernalia? Posters of female pop stars with massive cleavage? Surely one quick peek would be okay.
Easing the door open, she glanced around quickly. The room was cluttered. The bed was unmade, that was to be expected. The desk was covered with paper and textbooks. A laptop computer had been left on. Some clothes had been left in a pile by the door. The walls were covered with posters of sailboats and ocean scenes. And then there were the books, hundreds of books.
William Darcy was a bookworm.
"Surprising, isn't it?"
Lizzie felt her heart leap as she turned to find David standing a few feet away. Shooting him a guilty smile, she tried to retreat but he was blocking her path. "I'm sorry?"
"The books. For as long as I can remember he's devoured books. I was always surprised that he didn't choose to major in English, like you, instead of business. I asked him once about that and you know what he told me?" David asked as he stepped aside to let her pass.
"No but I'm sure you're going to tell me," Lizzie replied dryly.
"He said literature was a hobby, not homework." David grinned, "and since he's expected to take over his father's company someday accounting was more practical."
"Will Darcy, the epitome of pragmatism." Lizzie said with a laugh as she headed down the stairs. She paused, however, and fixed David with a serious look, "You won't say anything will you?"
Whatever David had been going to say was interrupted by Charlie's prompt arrival. He was waiting for her on the front step, Jane's bag in hand. "Lizzie, I'm sorry you got caught in the rain. Will said you were waiting for a lift back to campus. It's still pouring."
"If it's no trouble. I know you were going to run errands before picking Jane up." Lizzie said as she grabbed her coat and purse from the coat rack and slipped into her soggy shoes. She glanced over at Will, who was leaning casually against the kitchen's doorframe and watching her getting ready to leave. "Thanks again, Will."
"No problem. If I don't see you, have a good weekend." And with that he disappeared back into the kitchen.
As Charlie shut the door behind him, Lizzie, heading down the front stairs, paused to ask, "Is Will feeling okay? He's, umm, not quite himself today."
Charlie laughed. "I'm sure he's just fine. C'mon. I'll take you home."
Lizzie remained unconvinced as she dashed to the car. Will Darcy was up to something. She just couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Chapter Six
Posted On: Friday, 1 November 2002, at 3:49 p.m.
"You're kidding," Charlie said as he took a large sip of his coffee and glanced over at the door. He and David were seated in a corner booth in one of the campus's many coffee shops. It was a rather trendy looking place with 1970s style lamps hanging from the ceiling and burnt orange and tope décor. Prints of Salvador Dali's work covered the walls. The girl behind the counter had bright pink hair.
"Stop fidgeting, Bingley. I'm sure Jane won't be long." David replied as he added milk to his own steaming cup. He couldn't imagine making it though a day without a good strong dose of caffeine. "And no, I'm not kidding. You should have seen the look on his face when I finally figured it out."
Charlie grunted in amusement, " I'm sure it was a Kodak moment. He tends to be a little too closed off about some of these things." He paused for a moment and then added, "I mean, he's always looking out for me but won't ever let me return the favour. Did he really break a glass?"
David nodded. "Out of character, I know. That's what ultimately tipped me off." He sighed with resignation. Will, for all his faults, really was the staunchest of allies in any situation. His affection for his close friends and his family had never been questioned. But when it came to his own personal life, he was notoriously closed lipped. Even as kids, David recalled that his cousin had always withdrawn and handled his problems himself.
"Well, if he didn't say anything to you about it, it's not a surprise that I wasn't told either. How long has this been going on? We've only been back in class for 5 weeks and she was away..." Charlie's voice trailed off. "Oh my."
"Exactly."
"Two years and we never knew? What the hell does that say about us?"
David sorted. "Nothing terribly flattering, I assure you." He slowly smothered his bagel with cream cheese.
"And to think I've been encouraging him lately to try and find some way to end the feud." Charlie stared pensively into his coffee for a moment and then said, "Are we going to do anything about this?"
"Oh I don't think he'd appreciate our meddling at all. He was quite adamant that this is his problem to solve."
"Typical."
Jane chose that moment to breeze into the coffee shop. Flashing a smile at David, she slid into the booth next to Charlie and whispered in his ear, "Bonjour, mon amour." Charlie smiled beatifically.
"Hey Janie. How was Quebec?" David inquired.
" Magnifique! Ah, Québec, quelle ville!" She replied with a wave of her hand.
Charlie laughed as he gently poked her in the ribs. "She's been speaking French ever since we left the city last night. The locals were quite impressed with her accent. The only thing I can say creditably well is où sont les toilettes"
David grinned. "Well if there's one phrase you should have memorized it would be that one."
"We had a great time, David. That was probably one of the best birthday presents I've ever received. And Charlie was so good about humouring me. We spent a lot of time just wandering around the upper town and along the boardwalk. It was very romantic," Jane said as she shrugged out of her coat. "Just let me get a coffee and I'll be right back." She stood up and walked over to the counter, chatting amicably with the waitress while her drink was being poured.
David watched her thoughtfully as he took another bite of his bagel. "Charlie, do you think we should ask Jane what she thinks?"
"What about?"
David returned his gaze to his friend. "About Lizzie and Will, you dolt. What else?"
"Ah, back to that are we?" Charlie replied. "Well, I'm not sure she'll have much to share. Jane and I have talked about it before in the hope that we'd be able to convince those two to at least be civil but this definitely throws an unknown quantity into the equation."
"What does?" Jane asked as she resumed her seat, mug in hand, and glanced expectantly back and forth between the two boys.
David hesitated, not sure how much to disclose. Jane was after all Lizzie's best friend. Whatever his reservations, Charlie managed to throw everything out into the open by bluntly stating, "Will's in love with Lizzie."
Jane's jaw dropped. "No. You can't be serious." When neither David or Charlie offered anything else, she added, "You are serious. Oh, well, this is... interesting."
"To say the least," Charlie muttered. "Have you talked to Lizzie about him recently?"
Jane considered this for a moment and then said, "Actually yes. She promised to try and behave from now on, though she's still not inclined to think too highly of him. He hasn't exactly been on his best behaviour either."
David grinned, "Well that's a start, at least. You won't say anything to her will you? I'm sure Will wouldn't want this to get back to Lizzie just now."
"Of course I won't say anything and neither should the two of you," Jane replied with a smile. "Lizzie should hear it from Will herself when he's good and ready to tell her. The less we interfere the better."
"Well, I guess that settles that," David said.
***
The telephone rang again, for the third time in five minutes. Lizzie groaned as she pushed her thick hair out of her face and glared at the alarm clock on her bedside table. It was a quarter past seven. Only one person on earth would dare to phone her that early in the morning.
"Hello Mother."
"Lizzie, darling. Why haven't you been answering your phone?" Fanny Bennett's unmistakable voice inquired.
Lizzie sighed. "Maybe because I was sleeping?"
"Oh shush, don't be silly. It's already past seven. You should be up by now."
Not if one didn't have class until nine thirty on Tuesdays, Lizzie thought darkly. Still, she had long ago learned there was simply no arguing with the likes of her mother. "Did you need something, Mom, or is this just a friendly hello?"
"Well now, let me see..." she paused for a moment. " I seem to have forgotten exactly what it was I wanted to ask you, ah, yes. Are you coming home this weekend?"
"Umm, no. I told you that last week." Lizzie replied, a little exasperated. She could already see where this line of questioning was headed.
"Well, I just wanted to make sure you hadn't changed your mind is all, dearest. Oh, and did you know, your father has invited one of his nice young assistants to come for Thanksgiving dinner this year. Apparently the poor boy has no family close by..." Lizzie partially tuned out as her mother listed all of the young man's numerous attributes. She sat up in bed, stretched for a minute, and started to hunt for her slippers. "So you see, Lizzie, you really should make an effort to come home and meet the boy. I think you'd do very well together."
No doubt her mother had already started planning the wedding. Her enthusiasm for playing matchmaker knew no limits. Not that the sort who worked for her father were all that bad, they just never seemed to have much in common. Thomas Bennett, a civil engineer by training, over the years had hired a number of students on co-operative education work terms. Every once in a while, Fanny, who had a tendency to randomly drop by her husband's office, took a liking to one of them. "Mother, I'm sure Kat or Lydia would be more than willing to help you make him feel at home. I have midterms to study for."
Fanny let out an exaggerated sigh. "Oh no, but you see both of the girls already have boys they're bringing to dinner, members of the hockey team. And that means that poor Robert will be the odd man out and we simply can't have that."
"I'm sorry I can't help you, Mom. I'm sure one of the cousins will be able to keep poor Robert entertained if Kat and Lydia can't."
"You know, I worry about you, Lizzie. Sometimes I think you work too hard. This is the second year in a row you won't be here and that just doesn't seem right."
Lizzie smiled slightly as she slipped into her bathrobe. Her mother might be prone to bouts of melodrama and silliness but her heart was always in the right place. "I know, Mom, I know. But I'll be home for your anniversary party before you know it."
"Very well then, since I can't convince you otherwise, I will let you go and get ready for class. Bye bye." A loud kissing sound followed.
"I'll call you this weekend. Bye." And with that Lizzie hung up the phone. Sighing in resignation, she grabbed a towel from her closet and headed down the hall towards the washrooms. Since she was already up, she might as well make the most of it.
"You told Charlie," Will stated as he flipped through the textbook in front of him.
David, arms full of bound periodicals he had just brought down from the stacks, placed them down on the worktable they had been sharing. "Did he just leave?"
Will glanced up at his cousin. The three boys had spent much of the afternoon pent up in the library working on their project for Burke's finance class. The first draft was due in two weeks. "Ummm, and while you were gone, he felt compelled to offer some not-so-subtle advice about women."
David shrugged as he sat down in the opposite chair. "Well that's Charlie for you, about as subtle as an elephant. He means well."
Will smiled slightly. Charlie was certainly always well intentioned. His enthusiasm was quite often contagious. His only reservation about having Charlie in the loop was whether or not Jane, to whom Charlie probably confessed everything, would take it upon herself to inform her best friend of the status quo. No, he had to believe that his friends would not be so indiscreet.
Grabbing the first volume off the top of the pile, David asked, "So, was any of it of any help?"
"Not particularly. You know, I'd rather you and Bingley not try and 'help the situation along', if you don't mind."
"Right. So we're not to offer advice?"
"No, thank you."
"No spying on the lady in question?"
"Please don't."
"No relaying of interesting tidbits of information?"
"Uh, that would depend on how pertinent the information was, I guess." Where was David going with this?
David smirked. "So you would maybe be interested to know that she's in the stacks right now, studying?"
"No," Will replied with a slight glare.
"Whatever."
The pair worked in silence for five minutes. It wasn't a particularly productive five minutes. David kept shooting him amused looks, as if he knew exactly what Will was thinking. He hadn't seen Elizabeth since last Friday and since they rarely crossed paths these days, it seemed like a waste to pass up such a perfect opportunity. Since deciding on this new course of action, Will had become rather impatient and was no longer content to simply let things happen. It certainly hadn't helped his case the last time he had tried that particular strategy. Of course, he also didn't want to give his smug cousin anything else to grin about.
Will flipped to the back of his textbook, checking a reference in the annotated bibliography. He made a show of pulling out a piece of paper and scribbling down the author's name and the book title. "We'll need this source, I think. I'll go and get it."
David didn't even look up. "The cubicles near the P section."
"Cheeky bugger," Will muttered to himself as he left the reference room and headed up the stairs to the stacks. There was simply no convincing David otherwise.
He located the text he needed in a matter of minutes and was about to head back down, determined to prove David wrong, when he turned a corner and noticed her seated exactly where his cousin said she would be.
Bathed in the late afternoon sunlight, her dark hair, unbound and flowing down her back, reflected deep red highlights. She tucked it behind her ears with her free hand as she turned the pages of her book, chewing on the end of a pen. Absorbed as she was in her reading, she remained oblivious to his presence. Resigning himself to the inevitable, he approached quietly.
"Studying for a midterm?" he whispered.
Elizabeth's head jerked up from her reading. She blinked at him twice, as if not registering his question, and then smiled ever so slightly. "Yeah, for Tuesday."
Casually, he sat down in the next chair and asked, "and how's it going so far?"
"Not bad," Lizzie replied as she placed the sheet of loose-leaf she had been writing on in the book as a marker and shut it. "Milton is fascinating reading but a little dense at times. I have to have book five and six of Paradise Lost read for the exam."
Will paused for a moment, thinking, and then quoted: " the mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heav'n of hell, and a hell of heav'n"
Lizzie's musical laughter filled the air around them, causing a few pairs of eyes to glare at them over the tops of nearby cubicles. "Very good! Speaking from experience?" she asked with a mischevious smile.
"Perhaps," Will replied with a smile of his own.
"You've read the entire epic then?"
"Oh yes, though it took a while to get through it. It certainly made me sympathize with Samuel Johnson. I believe he said 'Paradise Lost is a book, that, once put down, is very hard to pick up again.' Still, it is a masterpiece," Will stated.
"On that subject, Will, we're in complete agreement."
Will couldn't resist grinning. "Well, there's a first time for everything, isn't there?" He watched as she blushed becomingly, fidgeting with her pen but offering no reply. Tapping the cover of the book he held, he stood up and remarked, "Well, I won't keep you. David's waiting for me downstairs. Good luck with Milton," and with a parting smile, he left.
He resisted the urge to look back though he could sense her watching him as he walked away. His step felt lighter already, as if a great weight was slowly lifting itself from his shoulders.