Jump to new as of March 23, 2004

Posted on Wednesday, 14 January 2004

“Lizzie?! Lizzie? Are you home?” Jane shouted as she burst through the door to the tiny apartment she shared with her sister. “Where could she be? I have the biggest news of my life, and she’s not here.”

“What’s the biggest news of your life?” Elizabeth rounded the corner into the kitchen.

“Oh Lizzie! I’m so happy! You’re not going to believe it! I can’t believe it myself – it’s all happened so fast!”

“Jane, I’m going to die of suspense if you don’t tell me what you’re talking about,” Elizabeth smiled at her sister, urging her to continue.

“It’s Charles – he’s asked me to marry him! And I said yes! You know how we’re going to Hawaii next week? Well, he’s set it up so we can get married there – right at the hotel! It’s going to be so romantic.”

“Wait a minute. Next week? You’re getting married next week? In Hawaii? Are you crazy? Jane, I can’t let you do this. I can’t let you get married with no one there to celebrate with you. Don’t get me wrong – I’m excited for you and Charles. God only knows how long we’ve all waited for him to ask you; but don’t you want your friends and family to be there?”

“Lizzie, that’s the best part! Charles is going to fly everyone there! He’s buying all our closest friends and family airplane tickets to attend the wedding! He’s so thoughtful and generous.”

“Wow. I don’t know what to say.”

“Say that you’ll be my maid of honor and come to Hawaii next week.”

“Oh Jane, of course I will!” Elizabeth grinned and gave her sister a big hug. When they stepped back, both had tears in their eyes. Just then, Lizzie’s smile faded, “Wait a minute – what are you going to do about a dress? And all the other wedding preparations that usually take months and months to plan?”

“It’s going to be a simple wedding. I’m going to get a simple white bridesmaid dress off the rack and Charles’s tailor will fit it this week. And you need to come shopping with me this afternoon to get your dress. Do you have time?”

“I’m all yours! Oh Jane, I can’t believe it! It’s so exciting! Now, tell me how all this happened.”

And Jane proceeded to describe how Charles proposed and how it came to be that they would be getting married in Hawaii next week. The two sisters spent the rest of the day lost in conversation, trying on dresses, and discussing all the details that they would need to tackle in the upcoming week. Since Elizabeth was only in the beginning stages of writing her dissertation, she would have plenty of time to help Jane pull together her whirlwind wedding.

The next week was spent on the phone with all the family and friends, scheduling flights, booking hotel rooms, planning the wedding and wedding events with the hotel event planner, and packing. As luck would have it, nearly everyone invited was able to attend, and the whole party of 30 would arrive in Kauai on the 5th of February, in time to attend the wedding on the 7th.

February 5

Elizabeth and her father stood in line at the rental car desk while Jane and Charles and the rest of the Bennet family grabbed the luggage from the baggage claim. They were all tired from the flight, and from having to wake up before dawn to arrive at Newark airport on time. Thankfully, they got a flight that went non-stop to Honolulu, and only had a short wait for their flight to Kauai. Thus, they made their final destination by 3pm, Hawaii time.

Elizabeth turned to her father, “So you’re going to rent a minivan, and I’m renting a little economy car to do all my errands before the wedding, and then Jane and Charles will take it after the wedding.”

“Yes, with all the sights that your mother wants to see and all the shopping that Kitty and Lydia want to do, I think you’ll need another car.” Mr. Bennet chuckled. “Now, tell me what’s on the agenda for the rest of today.”

“We’re going to check in at the hotel, get settled, and then meet for dinner at 7pm. It’s going to be our whole family and all the Bingleys.... Oh, and Charles’s best man, Will Darcy.” Elizabeth’s face turned dour.

“Why does that name sound familiar? Have I met him before?”

“I doubt it. I’ve only met him once in the entire time Jane and Charles have been dating. And that’s been, what, five years? He owns some IT outsourcing company, and he lives in India. I guess he and Charles were roommates in college.”

“How did you come to meet him if he lives in India?”

“He comes over occasionally. I met him at a New Years Eve party that Charles had at his place in the Catskills a couple of years ago.”

Mr. Bennet noticed the disdain on his daughter’s face. “Is he that bad?”

Elizabeth chuckled when she realized she’d been caught making a sour face. “Well, let’s just say that he wasn’t my favorite person that night.”

They had finally reached the front of the line, and after signing the requisite paperwork, were handed two car keys.

By the time they stepped outside, the rest of the family could be seen making their way across the parking lot, wheeling two extra suitcases. Elizabeth closed her eyes and tipped her head up towards the warm sun. She removed her heavy wool sweater and tied it around her waist. She wouldn’t need it here.

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia all piled into the minivan, while Jane and Charles hopped into Elizabeth’s little car.

They chatted casually as Elizabeth drove the 10 miles to the hotel overlooking the ocean. Much of the drive was simply through lush trees, but occasionally they would get a glimpse of the wide ocean, and none could believe their fortune. Having just missed a snowstorm that was threatening the New York area, they were blissful in the eighty-degree tropical weather that Hawaii enjoyed year-round.

Jane began going over her checklist, “Okay, so the rest of the Bingleys are arriving in a couple hours, and they have their own cars?”

Charles smiled and replied, “Yes, dear, they will have their own cars.”

Jane continued, “And Will is arriving at the same time? And he has his own car?”

“Yes, dear, he’s arriving on the same flight and he’ll have his own car.”

Elizabeth pretended not to have heard this exchange, all the while trying to figure out how she was going to be civil to this man, let alone dance with him at the wedding reception.

Soon enough they pulled up to the entrance of a beautiful hotel surrounded by lush trees and plants and countless exotic flowers. The valet collected their bags and a driver took the car to be parked. Elizabeth, Jane, and Charles walked into the open-air lobby and were immediately met with the breathtaking view of the ocean.

Charles checked them in while Jane and Elizabeth took in the enchantment of the setting and pinched themselves to make sure they weren’t dreaming.

Jane and Elizabeth settled into the room that they would share until after the wedding, while Charles did the same in the room where he and Jane would begin their marriage.

Charles’s parents and sister, Caroline, and Will Darcy arrived at the hotel with just enough time to freshen up before joining the Bennets and Charles in a private room off the hotel dining room. Both families greeted each other, having met on several previous occasions. Before entering, Will quietly took in the scene from the doorway. Upon seeing Caroline heading his way, he quickly ducked into the room towards the bar.

“Will!” Charles called from across the room.

Red wine in hand, Will walked over and wrapped his free arm around his best friend. He grinned, “How are you, buddy? Congratulations. I’m really happy for you.”

Charles beamed. “I’m so glad you could make it on such short notice. It wouldn’t be the same if you weren’t here.”

“You know I would never miss this. But I am curious – why so quick? You’ve been together for five years. Why now? Why so soon?”

“I don’t know. It just worked out that way. I asked her to marry me, and you know, we both just couldn’t wait. We just wanted to get married right away. We were excited, you know?”

“I can’t say that I do, but that’s great. This is fun.” Will looked down at his glass.

“Don’t sound so enthusiastic, Will.” Charles patted him on the back, never losing his grin. “Come say hello to Jane.”

They walked over to the window where Jane and Elizabeth were examining the flower arrangements.

“Jane, you remember Will Darcy…”

Will leaned over and kissed her cheek, “Congratulations, Jane. Beautiful setting.”

Charles put his hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder, “And her sister Elizabeth...”

Will looked over, caught her eyes, and drew a breath. “Elizabeth.” He extended his hand to shake hers, and just as they connected, he leaned in and brushed her cheek with his face.

Elizabeth, caught off-guard, allowed his greeting. Then she realized who it was and took a step back. “Will.... Long flight?”

“Ah, yes. It was. But I actually just came from New York. I returned from India a day early. To see my sister.”

Charles cut in, “How is Georgiana? She must be in college now.”

“She is. She’s in her first year at NYU. I haven’t seen her much since she moved back to New York.”

Everyone made their way to the table and sat for a pleasant dinner. Elizabeth congratulated herself on having avoided sitting near Will Darcy or Caroline Bingley, and was able to pass the evening in conversation with Charles’s parents and Jane.

Will, on the other hand, was forced to listen to Caroline, who seemed to think that Will felt as she did about the impending nuptials: that Jane was never right for Charles and that there was something entirely fishy about the “quickie” wedding. Will did his best to ignore her, but by the end of the evening he was thoroughly exhausted by the effort and simply wanted to return to his room and get a good night’s sleep. Eventually, the party broke up, and the more sensible guests did return to their rooms.

As he walked down the corridor towards his hotel suite, Will could hear the distinct sound of Elizabeth’s laugh, and turned around to see her and Jane walking towards him in the midst of an engaging conversation.

As Elizabeth walked towards the room that she and Jane were sharing for the next two nights, she caught sight of Will standing outside the room opposite hers with his hand on the keycard in the lock. He seemed frozen.

Jane noticed Will’s lack of action and said with a smile, “Hi Will. Is your key not working?”

He pried his eyes off Elizabeth’s and replied, “Oh... No, I think it’s working.” He tried the keycard again and the door unlocked. He opened the door, took a step in, and turned to the sisters, catching Elizabeth’s eyes once again.

“Goodnight, Will. We’ll see you at breakfast.” Jane said.

“Yes, goodnight. What time is breakfast?”

“8am. And it’s just going to be you and Lizzie and Charles and me. The rest of the group is eating at their leisure. But since you and Lizzie are in the wedding party, we need to go over a few things.”

“8 o’clock, then. Goodnight.” Will ducked inside and closed the door.

Elizabeth and Jane entered their room and flopped on their beds.

Jane propped herself up on her elbows and looked at her sister. She began, “Lizzie, I know you don’t like Will very much....”

Elizabeth snorted, “That’s an understatement.”

“What happened between you two, anyway?”

Elizabeth rubbed her face, trying to think of a delicate way to explain her feelings. “Well, you remember the New Years Eve party where we met, right? From the very beginning I found him to be a disagreeable person – never talking, never smiling. He seemed to be looking down his nose at everyone in the room.”

Jane interrupted, “Lizzie, I do remember him acting a certain way that night, but I believe he had just gone through a rough time with his sister and was still recovering from that. He was in a bad way for a while. I don’t know what happened, but whatever it was affected him so much that he then moved out of the country. It was just a month or so later that he and his sister packed up and moved to India.”

“Well, that may be, but I also had the unfortunate circumstance of overhearing a conversation he was having with Caroline Bingley, where they were discussing how you were wrong for Charles. I remember it well. She said, and I quote, ‘Charles will lose all his social standing with Jane. We must find a way to get rid of her.’”

Jane frowned, trying to figure out a logical reason that Caroline might have said that.

Elizabeth continued, “And Will Darcy agreed with her!”

Jane thought for a moment, then shook her head, “Lizzie, I refuse to believe it. Will Darcy has been nothing but kind and sweet to me. And look, I’m still with Charles – and we’re getting married. I’ve always known that Caroline wasn’t my biggest fan, but I’ve learned to deal with it. You can’t please everyone.

“All I ask is that you try to be civil to him over the next few days. You’re going to be in each other’s company a lot, and I’d like it if you could just try to get along with him.”

Elizabeth sighed and smiled, “Oh Jane, of course I’ll try. I’ll do my best to pretend that he’s the nice man that you say he is.”

February 6

Elizabeth and Jane both woke easily, showered and dressed, and made it to breakfast by 7:45am. They were surprised to find Will already there, sipping his coffee.

“Jet lag.” He smiled, answering their unasked question as the women took their seats.

Charles arrived a few minutes later, they ordered breakfast, and Jane began reviewing her checklist.

“Okay, so we’ve got quite a few things to accomplish today. Charles and I need to get our marriage license first thing after breakfast. Then there are several things that need to be done by you two.” Jane looked first to Elizabeth and then to Will, who was looking at Elizabeth. Lizzie frowned when she met his gaze, wondering what rude thoughts he must have about her.

Jane continued, “Lizzie and Will... I need you both to meet with the hotel event planner this morning to go over her list. Since we have so little time, I’m asking you both to act as my proxy in making a few of the reception choices – you know, linens and table settings. I trust your taste.

“Then Charles and I have to meet with the minister who’s performing the service, and with the string quartet. That’s this afternoon. Hopefully you two will be back by then and can help set out the place cards and get ready for dinner tonight.” Jane looked up from her list and smiled at all three, then proceeded to finish her breakfast.

Jane and Charles made their way to the car that Elizabeth had rented, and headed off to the town hall. Elizabeth, without her car, realized that she would be stuck with Will Darcy all day. She fought to keep the grimace that was creeping up inside of her from appearing on her face.

She and Will found the event planner, who immediately began reviewing her to-do list. The first item on the list was to go over seating assignments and table arrangements, and to choose chairs and linen styles for the rehearsal dinner and wedding reception. Both were surprised to find that they agreed on all the selections.

The next task was to try to pick out Jane and Charles’s favorite types of music for the reception. As the event planner was taking out the DJ’s play list, Will cleared his throat and said, “We won’t need the DJ. I’ve taken care of the reception music.”

Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open, “What do you mean you’ve taken care of the music?”

Will grinned and answered, “I’m flying in an orchestra from Honolulu. They come very well recommended, and they play almost anything. But I know that Jane and Charles took swing lessons a few years ago, and, well, no DJ can substitute for the real thing.”

Elizabeth couldn’t contain the smile that spread across her face. “Will, that’s really sweet of you.”

“It’s the least I can do.” He returned her smile, and caught her eyes.

To Elizabeth, Will’s features seemed to change in an instant. One minute he was the ill-tempered man whom she had spent so much energy trying not to hate for Jane’s sake; the next minute he had all the appearance of a good friend, and Elizabeth found herself appreciating the features of his face for the first time. His eyes were dark, but had a kind expression. His jaw was well-formed. His lips had a pleasing shape. His hair was dark and perhaps a bit too long, but it was shaped into an attractive style. Altogether, Elizabeth had to admit that Will Darcy was an attractive man.

The event planner cleared her throat, wishing to continue with her list. Elizabeth dropped her eyes from Darcy’s and tried to focus her thoughts back on the task at hand. Meanwhile, Will tried to figure out if there was any significance to Elizabeth’s lingering look.

The event planner returned to her list, which consisted of several errands that she needed Elizabeth and Will to run for her. The place cards, menus, and ceremony programs were to be picked up from the printer in town; candles needed to be purchased for the reception; and assorted accessories for decorating the reception tent had to be picked out and bought. After handing Elizabeth and Will a list of suggested decorations, the two were dismissed to begin their chores.

Will followed Elizabeth out of the office and out to the lobby, where she stopped and turned to face Will. “Jane and Charles have my car. We have to take yours.”

Will smiled gently, “That’s fine. I’ll have them pull it up.” And he walked over to the front desk to request the car. He returned, paused to smile at Elizabeth, walked over and flopped on the couch nearby to wait for the car.

Elizabeth frowned, brushed some invisible dirt off her shorts, and sat down in an adjacent chair. She glanced at him sideways and found his eyes already engaged with hers. He smiled and looked down at his hands. Elizabeth realized that she had caught him looking at her several times since they both arrived the day before. Wondering if there was something on her face, she quickly brushed her cheeks and nose with her fingers. She looked over at him, and once again, he was watching her. Elizabeth’s face flushed as she asked, “Is there something on my face?”

Will blinked, peered closer, and replied, “No, I don’t see anything.”

Just as she was going to pursue this line of questioning, a clerk came over to let them know that the car was out front. Will tipped the valet and walked to the passenger door and held it open for Elizabeth. She looked at him questioningly, and he pointed towards the seat that she was to occupy. Dumbfounded, Elizabeth obeyed and got in the little convertible. Will got in his side and turned to Elizabeth, “Would you like the top up or down?”

Having her hair already pulled back in a clip, Elizabeth had no objections to having the top down. And so they set off for town with the sun shining and the ocean air surrounding them. Elizabeth was quite content to be able to look out the window and not have to drive the car. As she looked out at the ocean and watched the beautiful scenery go by, she could almost forget the man who was in the car with her – the man who was beginning to get under her skin.

Part II

Posted on Saturday, 17 January 2004

Will pulled into a parking spot out front of the printing shop and he and Elizabeth got out. They entered the shop and told the clerk what they were there to pick up. He retrieved the order, and set out the stacks of menus, programs, and place cards for them to check over. Will picked up a menu and began reading over it, when he heard Elizabeth cry, “Oh no!”

Will looked over at her forlorn face. “What’s wrong?”

“Jane’s name is spelled wrong on the ceremony program!” Elizabeth cried.

The clerk picked up a program and asked, “How is her name spelled?”

Elizabeth, upset, retorted, “Her name is Jane, not Jan. There should be an ‘e’ on the end.”

Will asked, “How quickly can you reprint these?”

The clerk, ashen-faced, replied, “The machine went down this morning. We won’t be able to print again until the part arrives on Monday.”

“What?!” Elizabeth shouted. “We can’t use these! What are we going to do?”

Will interrupted, “Is there another printing shop on the island?”

The clerk whispered, “No.”

Will continued, “Do you have any suggestions for us?”

“I’m sorry, sir. You could use a computer and print them out on nice paper.”

Will looked at Elizabeth, “What do you think about that?”

Elizabeth turned and looked out towards the street. “I’m sure that would be fine, but I don’t know – I just want everything to be perfect for Jane.” She held up the program, which was printed on thick card stock with a silver border on the edge, and was engraved with their ceremony highlights. “It won’t look like this. And this is what Jane wanted.”

Will thought for a minute, then turned to the clerk, “Is there a printing shop on one of the other islands that might be able to reprint these quickly?”

The clerk brightened up immediately, “There’s a place in Honolulu that we sometimes get supplies from if we run out before our next shipment. They’re your best bet.” He rifled through his rolodex and wrote the number down on a piece of paper. “Ask for Gary.”

Will pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number. He stepped outside the shop to get a stronger signal, and returned a minute later. He looked at the clerk, “He can do it. If you can just fax him the specs and the text – with the proper spelling – he’ll print them this afternoon and FedEx will deliver the package to the hotel first thing in the morning.”

Elizabeth visibly relaxed and looked up at Will, “Thank you.”

Will smiled back at her, “Let’s just go through the rest of these to make sure there aren’t any other mistakes.”

A half an hour later they were back in the car on their way to pick out decorations for the tent at the only party supply store on the island. Elizabeth looked over at Will and examined the soft expression on his face. He felt her eyes on him and glanced over at her. Catching her eyes, he smiled, and looked back at the road. Elizabeth began, “I want to thank you again for fixing everything back there. I just want everything to be perfect for Jane and Charles.”

Will looked back over at Elizabeth. “I do too.”

Elizabeth smiled at him then turned her attention to her purse and looked for list that the event planner had given them that morning. “Okay, so it says here that we need to find pink streamers, purple balloons, and a piñata…. No, wait, that was the list for my little cousin’s birthday party last month.”

Will chuckled.

“Here we go. 20 yards of white ribbon; 50 yards of ivory tulle; 10 mock silver vases; 15 white candles; and 30 gift bags for the favors that Jane brought.” She thought for a moment. “I hope they have the fabric.”

An hour later they had completed their shopping. Surprisingly, the party store had all the items on their list. With the shopping bags stowed away in the trunk, Will and Elizabeth set off for the hotel.

Will steered the car along the winding highway, as Elizabeth once again enjoyed looking out the window, taking in the foreign landscape. Will remembered from the drive that morning that there was a turnoff for a scenic lookout coming up ahead. As he came upon it, he slowed and turned the car into the little parking area. Elizabeth looked over at him.

Will explained, “I saw this turnoff this morning and figured that since we have time, we could stop and take a look.” He shut off the car.

Elizabeth got out and walked over to the clearing between the trees and exclaimed, “Oh!”

The view was not what she had expected. To the right, the land dropped off sharply with trees and foliage growing right down to the water. And to the left was a large cove with a beautiful sandy beach. The water was crystal clear and sparkling blue. There wasn’t a single person in sight.

Elizabeth exclaimed, “I can’t believe I’m here. This is amazing.”

From over her left shoulder came Will’s reply. “I know.”

She looked up at him and smiled. As she turned her head, the breeze unhooked a lock of hair from her clip and it fell against her cheek. Will took a step towards her and gently scooped it aside and wrapped it behind her ear. Elizabeth felt a small shiver go through her body as he touched her, but quickly suppressed it and turned back to the view.

Will stepped back and noticed a path off to the left. “I bet that path goes down to the beach.” He pointed to the opening in the bushes. Looking at his watch, he continued, “We have time to go down and take a look.” Seeing Elizabeth smile and nod in agreement, he headed for the path.

Elizabeth followed him down the somewhat steep path to the beach. She untied her sneakers and put them at the mouth of the path. Will did the same and followed Elizabeth towards the water.

Will plopped down on the sand and watched Elizabeth wade in. When the water was nearly at her knees she leaned down and swished her hands in the warm ocean. She realized she was alone, and turned to look for Will.

"Aren't you going to stick your toes in?" She asked, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"I don't think so," he replied, simply enjoying the sight of Elizabeth enjoying a taste of paradise.

"Are you kidding? Look at this place! Look at this beautiful water! You have to at least feel the temperature of this water."

Will was unmoved. "If I get my feet wet, then the sand will stick all over and it'll be a big mess getting my socks and shoes back on."

"You're kidding, right?" Elizabeth laughed in disbelief. She watched him brush some sand off his legs, and realized that he was serious.

She waded out of the water and stretched a hand out to Will. "Come on."

He hesitated briefly, then took her hand and stood up. He let her lead him into the water. He could barely contain the smile on his face. She was flirting with him!

Elizabeth led him a few steps into the water and dropped his hand. She noticed the smile on his face and said, "See? It's not so bad! Here, put your hands in – feel how soft the water is."

He chuckled, "I think the less salt water I get on myself the better." And he started to turn back towards the beach.

Elizabeth laughed, "Oh, no. I'm not letting you get away that easily." She caught his arm and challenged his eyes with an arch look. He met them with his own expression of mirth. He stood still as Elizabeth held his arm. He turned to face her.

Elizabeth held his gaze for a moment until she began to feel unnerved by his look. In an effort to cool the mood, she reached down, cupped her hands under the water, and flung the contents on Will.

Taken completely by surprise, Will yelped as the water splashed his front. Elizabeth was laughing so hard she didn't notice as Will reached down and grabbed his own supply of seawater, in his much larger hands, and dumped it on Elizabeth's head.

Wiping the water from her eyes, she saw him still standing there with a big grin on his face. This was war! She started by splashing him again, but round two ended with Will much drier than she was. She was not to be beaten at her own game! She launched her whole body at him, attempting to push him over. But Elizabeth miscalculated their relative sizes, and as she crashed into him, all he did was grab her and take a step back to steady himself. This was not what she had in mind. And to make matters worse, he didn't let go.

Elizabeth began to struggle against his grasp, to no avail. "Okay, okay – you win." She looked up at him and found an unreadable expression on his face. She cocked an eyebrow and said, "You can let go now."

Will didn't move. "I don't think I can."

Elizabeth furrowed her brow, "What—what do you mean?"

Will leaned down and firmly planted his lips on hers.

Elizabeth didn't quite know what was happening – but she had lost all her resolve. She felt Will move his hands from her waist and place them behind her jaw as he tilted her head back for better access to her lips. His kiss grew deeper, and just as she began to contribute to the embrace, she realized what she was doing.

Elizabeth pulled back and pushed on his chest with her hand. The fire crept up inside of her. "What are you doing?" she spat.

Will was confounded by the sudden change of mood and simply blinked at her.

He watched her march out of the water, dripping wet, pick up her shoes and disappear up the path to the car.

Elizabeth was nearly out of breath by the time she reached the car. She sat down in her seat with the door open and began dusting off her feet and putting her socks on. Did Will Darcy really just kiss her? How could she have let him? Did she do anything to encourage him?

She sat back in the seat and took the clip out of her hair so she could redo it. She put the clip on the dashboard and raked her fingers through her hair. She couldn’t forget the feeling of his lips – she had to admit that it was a very nice kiss. A smile crept onto her face as she recalled the feeling of his hands on her neck and his body pressed up against hers. But how could she be attracted to someone she hates? And just then, the object of her thoughts appeared out of the bushes.

His clothes were soaked and Elizabeth could see right through his light blue button-down shirt to his lean, muscular chest. He stopped and looked at her. She lowered her eyes, as she realized that she was the reason he was dripping with seawater. Elizabeth was glad that she had chosen an opaque, dark blue shirt for herself today. She grabbed her clip and pulled her hair back. Her cheeks flushed as she re-enacted the events in her head and realized that her playfulness could have been misconstrued as flirting. Why had she let herself act that way to Will?

Will walked around to his side of the car and got in. He put the key in the ignition but let go without starting it. He turned to Elizabeth, “Listen, I’m sorry about what just happened. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He turned back to the steering wheel and started the car.

As Will shifted into gear, Elizabeth said lamely, “I’m sorry I got you all wet.”

Will replied, as he pulled out onto the road, “Don’t worry about it.”

They drove the remaining distance to the hotel in silence. Will pulled up at the entrance and handed the car key to the valet. He retrieved the shopping bags from the trunk and handed a couple to Elizabeth. Never looking in his eyes, she took the bags and set off for her room.

Elizabeth entered her room and found a note from Jane saying that she and Charles would be eating lunch at the poolside café, and she could join them if she wished.

After having showered and dressed in clean, dry clothes, Elizabeth found Jane and Charles finishing their lunch.

“Lizzie!” Jane exclaimed. “How did the errands go? Did you get everything?”

Elizabeth smiled back at her sister, “We did. However, the ceremony programs had to be reprinted, so they’ll be here tomorrow morning.”

Elizabeth ordered lunch and began filling the couple in on the morning’s errands.

Charles interrupted her when he saw his friend walk over. “Hi Will!”

Will, too, had showered and put on fresh clothes. “Am I too late?” he asked as he took a seat next to Elizabeth.

Charles replied cheerfully, “Not at all – Elizabeth just ordered, and Jane and I will sit with you.”

Will began looking over the menu as Jane commented, “You both look like you’ve just showered…” Smiling, she looked at Elizabeth and then at Will. “And weren’t you both wearing different outfits this morning?”

Elizabeth felt her cheeks pink up. Reflexively, she cast a sideways glance towards Will, who looked over at her a moment later. Elizabeth turned back to Jane and replied, “Uh... yes, I guess we both did change clothes....” Pausing, she tried to figure out how she was going to explain the circumstances without raising eyebrows. But she was too late. Jane was already smiling broadly, with a knowing look. Charles looked over at Will for confirmation, but didn’t receive it – his friend was absently staring at the table.

Elizabeth continued, “We stopped at a scenic lookout on our way back from town, and it turned out there was a beautiful beach. So we went down to put our feet in, and we got a little wet in the process.” She tried to look as casual as possible.

Catching the cue to drop the subject, Jane turned to the agenda for the afternoon. “We are all free until 3pm, when I’d like us to meet in the dining room to get ready for the dinner. Then the rehearsal is at 4, and we’ll go to dinner from there.”

Elizabeth’s and Will’s lunches arrived and they both ate quietly while Jane and Charles discussed the rest of the wedding guests who were arriving that afternoon and special attention that needed to be paid to a few of them.

Charles paid the bill and he and Will set off for his room. Jane looked over at Elizabeth and suggested, “Lizzie, why don’t we go for a little walk down by the beach?”

Elizabeth agreed and they set off at a leisurely pace.

“Lizzie, do you want to tell me what really happened with you and Will?” Jane looked over at her sister.

“Oh Jane, you know me too well,” Elizabeth sighed.

“It’s not a matter of knowing you that well – aside from the change in clothes and the wet hair, I could tell something was going on from the looks you two were making. So what happened?"

"He kissed me," Elizabeth said as she looked out at the ocean.

Jane grinned widely, "Really?"

Elizabeth smoothed her hair, thought for a moment, and proceeded to tell her sister what happened.

When she had finished, Jane asked, "So how did you leave things?"

"We didn't," Elizabeth replied simply.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know, Jane. I mean, I've only spent a collective three days with this man – and two of them were three years ago! And I hated him! He was so unpleasant to be around – like nobody was good enough for him. Not to mention the comment I overheard!"

"But Lizzie, look how he's changed. Even if he did make that comment about Charles and me, he certainly doesn't still feel that way. He's been perfectly amiable."

"No, you're right, he doesn't still feel that way about you and Charles. That's for sure. And he has been quite gentlemanly." Elizabeth shook her head, "But I just don't feel right about it. I mean, we had spent all of three hours together. And who's to say that he won't revert back to his stuck-up self of three years ago? He might be that way tomorrow for all I know."

Jane nodded. "You're right. It was clearly too soon for him to make any sort of move. He hasn't earned your trust yet." Jane smiled and looked at her sister, "But it does sound extremely romantic. I've never seen this side of Will before."

Elizabeth smiled as she stared at the pavement.

Jane continued, "Lizzie, I know you." Elizabeth looked up at her. "Just don't rush to judge him on that one encounter with him three years ago. At least give him a chance to explain himself. This, of course, assumes that you're attracted to him."

Jane watched her sister's expression as she tried to suppress a smile. "I guess that answers my question."

Part III

Posted on Tuesday, 20 January 2004

Jane and Elizabeth spent the next couple hours preparing the favors and finalizing the seating arrangements. When they were finished, they both freshened up and dressed for the rehearsal. Jane wore a beige cotton pencil skirt with a short-sleeved pink cotton sweater. Elizabeth dressed in a white linen strapless dress with a fitted bodice and a flared skirt that extended just below her knees. Her hair was pulled back from her face with a barrette.

As they walked across the courtyard to the rehearsal Jane commented, "I don't think Will's going to be able to keep his eyes off you."

Elizabeth glared at her sister.

"What, are you going to ignore him?"

Elizabeth took a breath and replied, "No, I'm not going to ignore him."

When they reached the dining room, Charles was already there, reading over the menu for that night's dinner. Jane greeted Charles with a kiss before handing Elizabeth the seating chart and charging her with setting out the place cards. Jane led Charles over to a table and the couple began reviewing choices that needed to be made regarding the ceremony, and making a list of questions for the minister.

Elizabeth had just begun her task when she noticed Will Darcy walking down the hall to the dining room. He was dressed in khaki pants, a light blue linen button-down shirt, and had a finger holding on to a brown blazer that was draped over his shoulder. He smiled when he saw her, then deposited his jacket on a chair inside the door, and greeted Jane and Charles. Elizabeth heard Jane suggest that Will should help with the place cards.

Elizabeth watched as Will walked towards her, his eyes momentarily leaving her face to take in the rest of her. He stopped on the opposite side of the table from her and said, "Hi."

Elizabeth gave him a small smile in greeting, and, handing him a stack of place cards, said, "Here, you can do these." Will took the cards from her and began setting them out.

The task didn't take them very long, so Jane suggested that they could go ahead down to the rehearsal site to await the minister.

Will grabbed his jacket and looked back at Elizabeth. She conceded, and joined him. They walked outside in silence until Will asked, "How old are the rest of your sisters?"

Elizabeth answered, "Mary is 25, Kitty is 22, and Lydia is 20."

"Are Kitty and Lydia in college?"

"They are. And Mary is still in school, too. She's getting her masters in philosophy."

Will replied, "Mercenary…" He looked over at Elizabeth and smiled.

Elizabeth chuckled. "How about your sister? She's at NYU?"

"She is," he replied.

"Did I meet her at Charles's place three years ago?"

"You did. She came with me that weekend."

"And your parents are in New York, too?" Elizabeth asked.

"Ah, no." He paused. "They were… I mean, that's where we grew up, but… my parents died a few years ago."

Elizabeth looked over at him with visible concern. "I'm sorry, Will. I didn't know."

He smiled at her, "It's okay."

"How long have you lived in India?"

"About three years," Will replied. "I started the company about four years ago, but my cousin Richard ran the office in India while I worked on business development in the States. Georgiana and I moved there after my parents died. I just thought we'd start afresh."

He continued, "But now that Georgiana is back in New York, I've been thinking about moving back, too."

Elizabeth asked, "Do you have a place in the city already?"

"Yeah, I never sold my parents' house. I've rented it out in the past, but the latest tenants just moved out. So that got me thinking. But… I haven't really thought it all out yet."

They reached the rehearsal site and only had to wait a couple minutes before everyone arrived. Jane and Charles met with the minister for a few minutes before the rehearsal began. The mood was jovial, and everyone had a good laugh when Elizabeth produced a big, frilly, 80's style headpiece and veil and pinned it to Jane's hair before they began their mock processional. The whole ceremony was practiced, including readings by Caroline Bingley and Mary Bennet, and the kiss that Jane and Charles would share before recessing back down the aisle. Will and Elizabeth followed, and the foursome led their families off to dinner.

All the wedding guests who had arrived already were invited to attend the rehearsal dinner, and it was the first opportunity that most of them had had to greet the families and the other guests. Charles's other sister Louisa and her husband had arrived that day, as had Elizabeth's aunt and uncle Gardiner and their three children. Also in attendance were several of Jane's and Charles's friends from college, and a few other extended family members. All chatted happily while sipping drinks.

Eventually it became apparent to Mr. Bennet that they would never eat unless he got things started. He clinked his glass several times until the room became quiet. "I want to thank you all for coming tonight, and for making the little trip over to this beautiful island." The group chuckled and smiled. He continued, "Frank Bingley has a few words he would like to say on this occasion."

Mr. Bingley cleared his throat and, holding a glass of wine, began, "I would just like to say how honored I feel to have each of you present for the marriage of my son, Charles, and his beautiful bride, Jane. And I want to thank you for clearing your schedules to spend a few days with us here in what just might be the closest I've ever been to paradise. And before we begin our feast, the last thing I would like to say is to Charles and Jane: Although we all knew that this day would come, you took your time to make sure it was going to be forever. I respect that. I also respect the fact that once you made that decision, you wanted to make it a reality as fast as possible!" The room laughed and clapped as Mr. Bingley continued, "We're all very proud of you – both." He raised his glass, "To Jane and Charles!"

The room answered, "To Jane and Charles!"

The happy couple kissed and gave their parents hugs before making their way to the table they would share with Elizabeth and Will.

Elizabeth took her place at the small round table across from her sister and between Charles and Will.

As they waited for their appetizers to arrive, Charles caught up with the friend he hadn't seen in a year, "So Will, how is business?"

"It's going really well. We just got two new clients, and I think it's going to be a good year," Will replied casually.

"And are they both Fortune 500 companies?" Charles asked cheekily.

Will chuckled, "No, just one of them."

"Well, I'm glad everything's going so well. Is Richard still over there?"

"He is. He loves it there. I keep telling him that he can move back to the States if he wants to, but so far, he hasn't taken me up on it." Will smiled.

Charles picked up on that topic, "What about you? Do you think you might move back now that Georgiana is in New York?"

"Well, I can't say I haven't thought of it. I do miss seeing her, and I also feel like I should be around for her. But, as I told Elizabeth earlier today, I just haven't made any decisions yet."

Charles looked at Elizabeth, “How about you? How’s your dissertation coming along?”

“I’ve only just begun, so I guess it’s going well,” she replied with a smile.

Will asked, “What are you studying?”

“I won’t bore you with specifics, but I’m working towards a Ph.D. in animal psychology.”

He raised his eyebrows, “Really? I didn’t know there was such a thing as that.”

Elizabeth tried to control her irritation at what she perceived to be Will’s dismissal of her chosen field, and replied, “Actually, it’s a well-respected field; and we’re in demand because there are relatively few of us.”

Jane continued for her sister, “Elizabeth’s already received several job offers.” She looked at her sister, “Haven’t you?”

Elizabeth smiled, “I have. But of course I’m a long way off from accepting any of them.”

Will asked, “Would you practice in New York?”

“I would. I hope to get a position with the ASPCA,” she replied.

Their waiter came with their appetizers and refilled their wine glasses.

Will picked the topic up again, “My cousin Anne is on their Board of Directors. I’ll give you her phone number – she’d enjoy meeting you.”

Elizabeth just stared at Will.

Jane jumped in, “That would be great, wouldn’t it, Lizzie?”

She recovered and replied, “Oh, yes, thank you. That’s really very kind.”

“It’s no problem at all. I’m glad to help.” He smiled.

Elizabeth gave him a small smile and returned to her plate.

They all ate very well that night, enjoying the tropical flair given to each dish. When dinner was over, many of the newly-arrived guests were so tired from the long flight and the change in time zones that they went directly to their rooms to go to bed. But Elizabeth and Jane thought they would go have another quiet drink by the pool, and Charles and Will gladly joined them.

They got drinks from the bar and walked out to the pool. It was warm out but a light breeze off the ocean had Elizabeth wishing she had thought to bring her cardigan tonight. They each took a lounge chair by the pool, facing the ocean. When Will saw Elizabeth rub her arms, he stood up, removed his jacket and held it out for her.

Elizabeth looked up at him, smiled, and said, “Oh, thanks…. But I’ll be fine.”

Will replied, “I can see that you’re cold…. Just take it. I don’t need it.”

She hesitated and seeing that he wasn’t going to back down, acquiesced. She leaned forward and allowed him to place the jacket around her shoulders.

As he sat back down again, Elizabeth murmured, “Thank you.”

Jane commented that she wanted to take a walk down by the water, and Charles immediately agreed. They took off so quickly that Will and Elizabeth were both left wondering if something was up.

Elizabeth sipped on her wine and let her head rest against the back of the chair. She felt so relaxed, enjoying the sensations around her – the warm ocean breeze rustling the leaves of the palm trees lining the beach; the light scent of Will’s cologne emanating from his jacket; and the music that she could just overhear coming from a party on one of the restaurant decks across the courtyard.

They sat there in silence for a while before Elizabeth commented with a smile, “I don’t think Jane and Charles are coming back.”

Will replied, “I think you’re right.”

A couple minutes later, Will sat up, put his feet on the ground and faced Elizabeth. He began, “Elizabeth, I wanted to apologize again for this morning.”

She glanced over at him, saw him looking at her, and turned her eyes back to the ocean. She replied, “Oh. Forget it.”

He kept his eyes on her, “Well, you’ve been acting cool towards me, and I wanted to make sure that incident was settled before asking you why.”

She looked over at him again, wishing she had returned to her room when Jane and Charles had left for their walk. She sighed.

Will continued, “I’m not imagining things, am I?”

Elizabeth replied, confidently, “No, you’re not.”

Will was a bit taken aback by her candid reply and took a few seconds to gather his thoughts before asking, “Aside from kissing you this morning, was there something I did to upset you?”

Elizabeth took a sip of her wine and turned to him, “You remember the New Years party when we met?”

He replied, “Of course…”

She pondered how to say her next thought, and began, “I found you a little tough to take.”

He blinked at her, “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

Elizabeth took another sip of wine, “I don’t know Will…. You’re so different now – I can hardly believe that you’re the same person. But that weekend at Charles’s place, you were incredibly disagreeable. You always seemed to be looking down on everyone, and everything.” She paused to take another sip. “You were really haughty.”

Elizabeth looked over and saw Will staring at her with his mouth hanging open.

He raked his fingers through his hair. “And this is your opinion of me?”

She suddenly felt like maybe she had misjudged him in that respect, but continued, “Not only that, but I heard you talking to Caroline Bingley about wanting to separate Charles and Jane – that she wasn’t good enough for him.” She squinted at him, daring him to defend himself.

Will furrowed his brow in thought and then let out a laugh. Seeing the angry and confused look on Elizabeth’s face, he began, “Did you actually hear me say that I wanted to help Caroline?”

Elizabeth thought for a moment and replied, “Um, I guess not exactly… But I heard you agree with her!”

Will smiled, “Because it’s impossible to reason with the woman. She’s nuts! She’s always coming up with crazy ideas, and I’ve just learned to nod and smile – to pretend like I’m agreeing with her just to get her off my back.”*

Elizabeth stared into her wine glass. She stuck her finger in to retrieve a stray bit of cork. Looking back up at Will, she asked, “So you never wanted to do anything about Jane and Charles?”

Will chuckled, “Other than expedite their path to marriage? No.”

Her expression softened, but she continued, “That doesn’t explain the rest of your behavior, though.”

Elizabeth watched as an expression of pain washed over his face and disappeared. He picked up his wine glass from the table and swirled it around. “I’m sorry I acted that way around you. I was trying to enjoy myself, and I particularly enjoyed meeting you.” He looked into Elizabeth’s eyes as he continued, “But I had a lot going on….”

Elizabeth kept her eyes on his, silently encouraging him to continue.

He took a sip of his wine and absently stared at Elizabeth’s small hand that was resting on her lap. “It was just a month after my parents had been killed in a car crash, and…”

Elizabeth let out a gasp, “Oh!”

He continued, “And my sister was having a tough time with it – she was fifteen at the time – and she somehow ended up in a bad situation with one of her teachers at school. And I was still adjusting to being her guardian. Suffice it to say, it was a trying time. I think I had just found out about the incident at school and was just beginning to talk to my lawyer about it. I think I was actually on the phone with him several times that weekend discussing how to handle it.”

Elizabeth placed her hand on Will’s and said, “I’m so sorry. I was so wrong to think those things about you.”

Will smiled at her, “No you weren’t. I’m sure you were right – I’m sure I was acting like an ass. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was showing through so much.”

“I feel like such an idiot…. I should have given you the benefit of the doubt. Especially since you’ve been so different here. I mean, I’ve really enjoyed your company here. And I should have taken that at face value and not allowed our meeting from three years ago to influence my attitude towards you.”

He replied, “Really, it’s okay.”

They sat in silence for a minute until Elizabeth took Will’s hand and manipulated it so she could see his watch. It was midnight.

She finished the last sip of wine and placed the glass on the table. Standing up, she pulled Will’s jacket tighter around her arms. “It’s pretty late. And we have to be up early tomorrow.” Will nodded and Elizabeth continued, “Walk me to my room?”

“Sure. It just so happens that my room is just across the hall from yours.“ He smiled as he stood up.

She replied, smiling, “Convenient.”

*Thanks to Kate F. for her scene in "Museums & Misunderstandings," which was the inspiration for the Will Darcy-Caroline Bingley interaction here.

Part 4

Posted on Monday, 9 February 2004

Will and Elizabeth walked leisurely back to their rooms, chatting about the next day's events. As they reached their destination, Elizabeth shrugged out of Will's jacket and handed it to him. "Thank you," she said with a smile.

Will took the jacket and replied, "I'll see you at breakfast."

"Sleep well."

"You too."

And they each turned and entered their rooms.

Elizabeth entered to find Jane organizing her things and beginning to repack one of her bags. She smiled at Elizabeth, "Hi."

"You and Charles took off in a hurry," Elizabeth accused with a raised eyebrow.

Jane tried to hide her sheepish grin. "I just wanted to spend a little time with Charles before all the craziness tomorrow."

Elizabeth replied, "Well, alright."

"Did you talk to Will?" Jane ventured.

"See? I knew you had a secret agenda!"

Jane laughed, "Okay! I confess." She paused, watching her sister's face. "So did you talk to him?"

Elizabeth began changing into her pajamas. She filled a plastic cup with water and took a sip. She felt her sister's eyes still on her, imploring her to answer.

"Yeah, we talked." Elizabeth tried to hide the smile that crept up on her face. "You were right, Jane. It was all a misunderstanding."

Jane sat cross-legged on her bed across from Elizabeth, and listened as her sister related the events of that evening.

"I can't believe I didn't know about all that. I mean, I knew that his parents had died a few years ago, but I didn't know about his sister or that that was the reason he moved to India. That must have been so hard for him to go through."

"I'm sure it was." Elizabeth was momentarily lost in thought.

"So, did anything else happen?"

"Hmm? Anything else?"

Jane smiled at her sister.

"Oh Jane, I think you're getting ahead of yourself." Elizabeth went to the bathroom and began squeezing toothpaste onto her toothbrush. "Let's not forget the last time you played matchmaker…"

"Are you still blaming me for that? How could I have known?" Jane laughed.

"Jane, I think you should have known that Bill Collins was a seasoned cross-dresser."

Jane giggled, "I swear I didn't know! He never dressed that way at work!"

"Well anyway, I don't need any help with my love life."

"I just want to see you happy, Lizzie. And Will's like a brother to Charles." Jane saw the look on her sister's face. "Okay, I'll stay out of it."

February 7

The women slept well and woke before 8 to prepare for the day ahead of them. Jane and Charles decided to keep to tradition and not see each other that day before the ceremony. It would be just Elizabeth and Jane at breakfast together, while Will kept Charles company at a different restaurant at the resort.

After a relaxing and filling breakfast, Elizabeth parted from Jane to check the front desk for the ceremony programs that were due to arrive sometime before 10am.

Elizabeth was relieved when the clerk returned with a package and handed it over to her. She signed for it and began to pull open the box when she noticed someone walk up beside her. She looked up into the eyes of Will Darcy.

"Hi!" Elizabeth blurted, not expecting to see him until later that day.

"I wanted to make sure the programs arrived okay," Will replied.

"They arrived okay, but I haven't checked them yet." She smiled at him and continued, "Shall we check them over?" And she led him to a couch nearby where she pulled out the stack of programs. She handed one to Will and kept one for herself to look over.

They carefully pored over each word in the program and found nothing amiss, to both their relief.

"Well, I feel much better now that these are all set," Elizabeth relaxed back into her seat on the couch and smiled at Will. "I guess I'd better get going. Jane and I are off to get massages before getting our hair and makeup done."

Will smiled back, "Rough life."

They both stood up to leave. Elizabeth looked at Will, trying to think of something to say. Will seemed to be doing the same thing as he alternately looked at Elizabeth and raked his hair with his fingers.

"Well, I'd better get going," Elizabeth said finally.

"Yes…" Will replied absently. "Hey – do you know what time I'm supposed to get to the ceremony site?"

"I think you are supposed to escort Charles there, and both of you should be in place by 3:45," Elizabeth replied. She grabbed a pen and pad of paper from the table nearby and wrote down her phone number. She handed it to Will. "If you need anything, here's my cell phone number. Though I'll probably turn it off during my massage," She smiled.

"Thanks." Will folded the piece of paper and put it in his pocket. "Oh… I guess I should give you mine, too." He scribbled on another piece of notepaper, folded it, and gave it to Elizabeth.

She took it from him and smiled. "Thank you."

She turned and walked away with a small smile playing at her lips. She unfolded the piece of paper Will had just given her and blinked with surprise at the contents:

Mobile: (917) 555-1542

And just in case…

Home in New York: (212) 555-2987
Email: wdarcy@darcytech.com

She smiled and turned around to find Will walking off towards the pool. She stood and watched him for a moment. “Don’t even think about it, Elizabeth,” she muttered to herself.

She thought back to the last long-distance relationship that she had endured. It was with her college boyfriend. After graduation he went to California for a great job that he was offered. They kept up a semblance of a relationship for almost a year. She flew out there once and then he came to see her, and they talked a few times a week. And then it was once a week. And then it was longer. He was the first man that she thought she had loved. Once it was over, she wasn't so sure. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't had a serious relationship since then. She'd dated off and on, but few of those had led to second dates. She was content with her situation, though. The last thing she needed was the complication of a relationship – and least of all, with a man who lives halfway around the world, Elizabeth thought as she turned and began walking towards her room.

Jane and Elizabeth hit the spa just before lunch, and after their massages were treated to a lovely assortment of fruits and cheeses and a light but filling cold cucumber soup. The women showered and dressed in shorts and button-down shirts that they could easily remove later to change into their wedding clothes. Jane had her long, blonde hair pulled back into a bun with her headpiece and veil draped over it. Elizabeth's dark wavy hair was brought back into a simple up-do, with small, fragrant orchid blossoms pinned to the back.

Jane's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh Lizzie! Your hair is so beautiful!" she exclaimed.

"Oh Jane, it's nothing to yours! I can't wait for you to put your dress on!"

The women were patient as they had their makeup done, and by 2pm, they were on their way back to the room.

"I can't believe you're getting married today, Jane. In, what, two hours? I just can't believe it," Elizabeth remarked as they walked down the hallway to their room.

"I know. I'm so happy, though. I can't wait! And I can't wait to go through the same thing when you get married."

"I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself," Elizabeth chuckled.

"I just want everyone to be as happy as I am," Jane gushed.

"Janie, I don’t think it’s possible to be as happy as you are!"

"But you are happy, right? I mean, you've got a career that you'll be starting soon, and you know where you're going and all that…"

"Yes, I am happy – I didn't mean to imply that I wasn't. I just see you as having the complete happiness package – you know, career, husband… and maybe a family soon…" Elizabeth played with the keycard in her hand.

"You'll have that, too. Just give it some time." Jane tried to read her sister's face, but quickly remembered how hard it was – Elizabeth rarely let her emotions show.

They reached their room and entered. Thankfully, Jane had had the sense to pack up her clothes and toiletries before their spa appointment. She assessed the remaining items and threw them in a bag. She assembled the bags by the door, walked out into the hall and knocked on Will's door. He emerged a moment later with a question clearly showing on his face.

"Hi Jane," he said.

"Hi Will," Jane smiled. "Would you do me a big favor?"

"Sure, what do you need?" he replied.

"Would you mind taking my bags over to Charles's room? There's just my rolling suitcase and a couple of light shopping bags."

"No problem," Will smiled at Jane before noticing Elizabeth lurking in the room across the hall from his.

Jane saw his distraction and followed his gaze. She smiled at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth looked up at both of them. "What?" she accused.

Jane merely smiled at her and turned back to Will. "Thank you."

He took her bags, and left Jane and Elizabeth to finish preparing.

The only thing left to do before the wedding was to get into their dresses and possibly touch up their lipstick.

At 3:30, a knock on the door alerted the sisters to their parents' arrival. When Elizabeth answered the door, her mother was already crying.

"Oh Elizabeth, do you have a tissue? My make-up is running! I'll have to do it all over again!" Mrs. Bennet cried.

Elizabeth grabbed a tissue and shoved it into her mother's open hand. "Hi dad," she smiled at her unflappable father.

"I'm glad it's not you today, Lizzie. I'm not ready for that." He gave his younger daughter a kiss on the cheek and went to greet his eldest.

Mr. Bennet paused a moment to take in the sight of Jane in her wedding dress, looking as perfect as every bride should. Her dress was a simple design in ivory satin. "Jane, you look beautiful." He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so proud of you." He took a step back and admired the sight of her.

Mrs. Bennet, now finished with three tissues, swept her husband aside. She grabbed Jane's hands and held them out to either side so she could take a good look at her. "Jane! I knew you could not be so beautiful for nothing! You are going to be so happy! And so wealthy!"

"Mom!" Jane scolded.

"What? Can't I be grateful that one of my daughters is marrying well?"

Jane rolled her eyes. "Mom, Charles doesn't make that much money – and in New York it doesn't go as far as it might elsewhere."

"Well I know that Lizzie will marry one of her hippie animal shelter volunteer friends, so it will be nice to know that you can help her out if she needs it."

"Mom!?" Elizabeth cried. "I can't believe you just said that! I'm not going to marry any of the shelter volunteers. And when I finish my degree, I'll be making enough money to support myself, thank you very much."

Mr. Bennet looked at his watch. "Okay Ladies, I think it's time we get this show on the road."

Mrs. Bennet squealed, "Oh my! Yes, Jane, it's time to go. We can't be late!"

Jane sighed, "We won't be late, mom."

Elizabeth slipped into her shoes that matched her light pink organza bridesmaid dress. Jane took a final look in the mirror while her mother smoothed her veil. It was time.

Mr. Bennet escorted his daughter down the hallway and out to the edge of the courtyard where they were met by the event planner. The string quartet could be heard playing the pre-wedding music. Elizabeth and her mother joined them a moment later. They only had to wait a couple of minutes before it was time to begin the processional.

The musicians segued into the processional, and the event planner sent Mrs. Bennet out into the courtyard to begin the march down the aisle. Elizabeth followed a moment later.

As Elizabeth stepped out into the courtyard she was taken with the sight before her: the tent was overflowing with flowers, and all the chairs were filled with Jane and Charles's friends and family, smiling. As she made her way toward the front of the tent she saw the minister, and just to the right, Charles and Will. Elizabeth took her place at the front, opposite the men. Charles looked as good as ever in his khaki suit, and Will… he was looking very handsome in a navy blue suit with a light blue linen shirt with the top button undone. On her way to examine his hair she caught his eyes. He was already looking at her. She felt a blush creep up into her cheeks and looked away towards her sister, already halfway down the aisle with her father.

Mr. Bennet kissed Jane on the cheek and left her to take Charles's hand. The minister began the ceremony with a few words about the couple, continued with remarks about marriage, and called upon Caroline Bingley and Mary Bennet to read selections from the Bible.

Elizabeth found her mind wandering during Mary's reading. She looked at Jane, glowing with happiness, as she should on her wedding day. Charles looked over at his bride, his own face reflecting the emotions that Jane was exhibiting. Next to Charles was Will, who seemed to be in his own silent reverie. Was he staring at her chest?! She looked down to see if anything out of the ordinary was catching his eye, and realized that he must be looking at her bouquet, as she was holding it up directly in front of her chest. She sighed in relief and looked back up at Will, who was now focused on her eyes. He gave her a small smile and turned away to look at Mary, who was finishing her reading.

Elizabeth wasn't sure what to think about Will. She wasn't used to having men like him – successful, handsome, nice businessmen – paying attention to her. The last man who fancied her was one of the animal shelter volunteers, much to her mother's dismay. He was a little overweight, not terribly tall, and most importantly, Elizabeth wasn't the only woman at the shelter with whom he flirted excessively.

Elizabeth didn’t usually go for the high-powered businessmen that her mom was always pushing her towards. The ones that she had met were into cars and fancy dinners and society parties at their Upper East Side apartments. Elizabeth was a simple gal. She didn't need roses or champagne or elaborate date activities. She was happiest when she could simply rent a movie and cook dinner with someone. Though the last time she had found a man who wanted to do that, she couldn't remember, and that made it more difficult to imagine herself finding a man she would want to marry.

She never thought that it would be necessary to her life's happiness to get married, so dating was never a high priority for her. And she worked too hard to spend much time going out and meeting people. But now that she was in this setting, watching her sister pledge her love for her intended, she was beginning to think about herself in that role. Was it important to get married? Would she ever find someone who would make her as happy as Charles made Jane? She knew she would never marry someone unless she loved him deeply and completely. Would her life feel incomplete if she never found the man who filled that description?

Her thoughts were interrupted when Jane turned around to hand Elizabeth her bouquet – it was time for the exchange of rings. The ceremony was almost over. She watched Will carefully hand over the rings to his best friend. After the rings had been slipped on, the minister declared them husband and wife, and the whole tent burst into applause and laughter as the happy couple kissed and ran down the aisle hand in hand.

Will turned to Elizabeth and offered his arm for her to take. She wrapped her hand around the crook of his arm and allowed him to escort her down the aisle. She felt Will place his hand over hers and a little shiver went up her spine.

Will tipped his head towards Elizabeth and whispered, "You look beautiful."

Elizabeth blushed deeply. Oh my, Elizabeth thought.

Chapter 5

Posted on Wednesday, 10 March 2004

Will escorted Elizabeth into the adjacent tent where cocktails would be served. "Would you like a drink?" he asked.

"Yes, very good idea," Elizabeth replied. As she let go of his arm she felt him place it about her waist.

The bartender handed them their drinks, and Elizabeth was surprised to find that she missed the feel of Will's hand after he removed it.

"The wedding went really smoothly, I thought," Will said.

"Oh, yes, I agree. It was beautiful, wasn't it?" Elizabeth replied.

"It was," Will said absently as he looked around. "Where is the happy couple, anyway?"

"I think the photographer absconded with them to take pictures by the beach," Elizabeth smiled.

"Want to take a walk down there?" Will asked.

Elizabeth thought for a moment before replying, "Okay."

As they exited the tent Elizabeth once again felt Will's hand on the small of her back, guiding her forward. They walked down to the beach in silence. Sure enough, the photographer had set Jane atop Charles's lap on the side of a rowboat by the water's edge.

"What a pretty picture that'll be," Elizabeth gushed.

The two watched for a couple minutes before the photographer noticed them there and called them over. Elizabeth waved him off and started to turn back to the tent.

Jane called to her reluctant sister, "Lizzie! We're going to get you in a picture eventually – you might as well get it over with."

That logic worked for Elizabeth, and she gave in. She began walking towards the couple with Will close behind her.

The photographer placed Jane and Charles in the front seat in the boat and called for Will and Elizabeth to occupy the back seat. When he was finished giving direction and moving various body parts to capture the perfect photograph, Elizabeth found herself seated on the bench but between Will's legs, and with Will's arms about her shoulders. Jane and Charles were in a similar position.

Elizabeth had to admit to herself that she liked the feel of Will’s arms around her. But she hated that she felt that way. She didn’t want to get too close to him only to have him disappear from her life. It wasn’t worth the emotional roller coaster, she thought. Still, as she sat there in Will’s arms, she couldn’t help but enjoy the sensation of being held by him and wished that Jane and Charles were elsewhere. After a series of group shots, the photographer came closer to take a picture of just Will and Elizabeth. He took a few shots and then asked them to get out of the boat. Trying to capture a few unplanned moments, he took Will aside and whispered something to him. Elizabeth saw a smile creep onto his face as he received his instruction. She braced herself as he walked over to her.

“What are you going to do?” She asked.

He didn’t answer, but bent down and deftly swept her off her feet and into his arms. Elizabeth squealed in a mixture of delight and trepidation, and clasped her arms around Will’s neck for fear that he couldn’t hold her weight.

“I’ve got you,” Will whispered.

Elizabeth looked him in the eyes, feeling like he really did have her.

The photographer called out, “Don’t look so serious – this is a wedding! Fun! You’re at the beach – be happy!”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and looked at Will, and laughed heartily when she saw him do the same. “Jane and Charles are enjoying this,” she commented, pointing her chin towards the giggling couple.

“Well, that’s all right. I’m sure they’re glad to have the attention off them for a moment or two,” Will replied.

Elizabeth looked at him and back over to her sister and her new husband, who were taking their break from posing by chatting quietly. She watched Charles take Jane’s hand and give her a light kiss on the lips. “I bet you’re right.” She was taken with the thoughtfulness of his comment.

They posed for a few more photos before the photographer allowed Will to put Elizabeth down and return to the reception. They joined Charles and Jane for the walk back to the tent, and spent the time discussing the newlyweds' plans to fly to Maui the next day to complete their honeymoon.

Charles turned to Will, "How long are you staying?"

Will replied, "Unfortunately, I have to leave tomorrow afternoon."

"Are you returning to India immediately, or will you spend any time in New York?"

"I have a meeting Monday afternoon in New York, but have to get back to Mumbai by mid-week." Will took a sideways glance at Elizabeth.

"You're going to have to make an effort to spend more time in New York, Will," Charles admonished his friend.

"I know," he replied.

Charles addressed his new sister-in-law, "Elizabeth, how long are you staying?"

"Oh, I have to leave tomorrow, too. Grad students don't have much vacation money," she laughed.

The foursome rejoined the reception, where they were treated to hors d'oeuvres before the band called for the first dance from the bride and groom. Jane and Charles danced to "What a Wonderful World," before inviting their parents and the Maid of Honor and Best Man to the floor for "It Had to be You." Will took Elizabeth's hand and led her to the dance floor. He wrapped his right hand around her waist and pulled her body close to his. After several silent turns around the dance floor, Elizabeth began to feel uncomfortable.

"We should be able to find something to talk about, don't you think?" Elizabeth commented.

Expecting a response, she was surprised when none came. A couple more turns around the floor had Elizabeth completely perplexed about what Will could be thinking. She decided to try again.

"Don't Jane and Charles look great?" She asked.

When he didn't reply, she pulled away enough so she could look at his face. She found him seemingly staring at her, but with a faraway look.

"Will?" Elizabeth prompted.

He blinked a couple times and shifted his eyes to look in hers. "I'm sorry… Did you say something?"

Elizabeth furrowed her brow as she tried to read the expression on his face. "Are you okay?"

The song ended and the band segued into the next. Will led Elizabeth off the dance floor and they sat down at their table. Before Elizabeth could get an answer to her question, Jane and Charles joined them, and dinner was served.

The wedding was a festive affair, and Elizabeth found herself out of Will's company for much of the night. She spent time catching up with her relatives whom she rarely had the opportunity to see, and with several of Jane's friends who Elizabeth knew well. She danced until her feet hurt, then tossed her shoes aside so she could keep dancing. She laughed until her cheeks hurt, and then laughed some more, all the while enjoying her glass of white wine. She was having so much fun that she didn't bother to keep track of how many glasses she’d consumed.

It wasn't until after the bouquet toss and the departure of Jane and Charles that Elizabeth, in her somewhat foggy state, realized that she never found out what was wrong with Will earlier in the evening. She looked around the tent at the remaining guests, some stumbling on the dance floor, some quietly talking at the tables, and a few engaged in some behavior that Elizabeth thought should probably be taken to a private room. But she didn't see Will.

Elizabeth took a last sip of her wine and picked up her shoes and her little purse. She said a quick goodbye to her few remaining acquaintances and left the waning reception. She reached her room and pulled out her keycard. As she opened the door she paused and looked around at Will's door across the hall. She wondered if he was in there, and if not, where would he be? Might he have gone to someone else's room?

She stared at his door another few moments before stepping back and pulling her door closed. She dropped the keycard back into her purse and stepped over to Will's door. As she raised her fist to knock on the door, she stopped – What if he's not there? What if he is there?

After a few revisions of her decision, she expelled a breath, raised her fist and knocked lightly on his door. She waited nervously for a few moments – when he didn't appear, she thought of the possibility that he was in there, but with someone else. Maybe that's why he hadn't been paying attention to her while they were dancing – maybe there was another woman at the reception whom he liked more than her. But wait – did it matter? She answered herself: no, it didn't matter. She was just checking up on him.

She decided to knock again. This time she used a little more authority and knocked louder.

Just as she was rethinking her decision, she heard the lock being opened. Slowly, Will opened the door and poked his face out, blinking from the light. "Elizabeth?"

She bit her lip as she realized that he had probably been asleep. She looked down at his body that had been revealed from behind the door. He was wearing a white tee shirt that was hanging just low enough to cover most of his gray boxer briefs.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep. I'll see you in the morning," Elizabeth blurted. She turned and opened her purse to retrieve her keycard.

"Elizabeth…" Will watched her fumble with her purse. "Elizabeth?"

She turned around and looked up at him.

"Do you want to come in for a minute?" Will asked.

Elizabeth sighed, "I don't know. I just wanted to find out what happened to you tonight."

Will looked down at the carpet and back up at Elizabeth. "Nothing happened. I was tired, so I came back a little early."

Elizabeth wasn't fooled. "Will, I'm not ready to go to bed yet. Are you up for sitting with me for a few minutes?"

"Sure. Come on in." Will held the door open as Elizabeth entered his room.

"Wow! Your room is huge!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she looked around the sitting room and noticed a couple rooms leading off in either direction.

"Do you want something to drink?" Will asked.

Elizabeth was already well on her way to having a hangover the next morning. "Actually, I think a glass of water would be just the thing for me right now."

"I'll be right back," Will said, and disappeared into an adjoining room. Elizabeth made herself comfortable in an oversized chair with matching ottoman. Will emerged a minute later with a pair of khaki shorts on, and headed for the small wet bar to fill a glass for Elizabeth. He handed her the glass and took a seat on the sofa.

"When did Jane and Charles end up leaving?" Will asked.

"They only left about 45 minutes ago. The party dwindled after that." Elizabeth replied. She took a sip of water and looked back at Will. "When did you leave?"

"Oh I don't know." Will sighed and stretched his legs out on the coffee table. "After the cake?"

"Were you there when Jane threw her bouquet?"

He paused before replying quietly, "I don't think so."

"You traveled all this way for the wedding, and you leave before the bouquet toss?" Elizabeth prompted before adding, "The orchestra was wonderful, by the way."

Will replied, "I'm glad you enjoyed them."

"Didn't you?" Elizabeth challenged.

"Oh yes, they were very good. I didn't dance as much as you did, though."

Elizabeth thought for a moment before replying, "No, I don't think I saw you dance at all – aside from when you had to dance with me."

Will studied Elizabeth's face. "I didn't think of it as an obligation."

"That's nice of you to say, but you didn't seem to be enjoying yourself while we danced."

Will furrowed his brow. "What gave you that impression?"

"You ignored me the whole time," Elizabeth said gently, not meaning to accuse him, but rather to draw out the reason for his behavior.

Will blinked away his surprise. "I'm sorry – I didn't mean to… It was…" He trailed off and shifted in his seat. "I enjoyed dancing with you very much. I'm sorry you thought otherwise."

"It's just that I tried talking to you and you didn't respond."

Will rubbed his face with his hands and replied, "I'm sorry."

"Will, I don't want your apology…. I just want to know what was going through your head. I'm just puzzled by your behavior." Elizabeth took a long draw on her water. "I mean, you just haven't seemed like the same person tonight that you did earlier today and yesterday…. Now, I know that I haven't spent much time with you, but I guess I'm trying to figure out who you are – which one is really you: tonight, or earlier today?" Elizabeth smiled at Will to lighten the mood a little.

Will smiled back before getting up to pour himself a glass of water. He returned and flopped on the couch again. "I've just been thinking about a lot of things."

"Do you want to talk about any of it?"

Will smiled. "Uh, well… I don't know that you want to hear it."

"I asked…"

Will looked at his glass of water. "Maybe I need something stronger."

Elizabeth just watched him, waiting for him to begin.

He looked up at her. "Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?"

Elizabeth laughed, "I was wondering when you'd call me on that…. Will, I'm really sorry that there was a time when I didn't find you as charming as I do now."

"There was a time??"

"Okay, I'm really sorry that I didn't like you yesterday. How about that?"

"Go on…"

"Anyway, I've really enjoyed spending time with you, despite my earlier misgivings. And tonight I noticed a change in you. So I want to find out about that."

Will smiled and nodded in acceptance.

Elizabeth waited for him to begin. When he didn't, she said, gently, "Will? What were you thinking about while we were dancing tonight?"

He groaned and raked his hands through his hair.

Elizabeth said, "Did something happen? What happened?"

Will smiled, "I realized I was having too much fun."

Elizabeth laughed, "Excuse me? Come on… Tell me the truth."

"That's the truth."

"Will, that doesn't make any sense!" Elizabeth laughed.

Will was silent for a while, but Elizabeth knew she would hear from him eventually so remained quiet while she waited. Several minutes later, Will sat forward and rubbed his face.

He looked at Elizabeth. "I've had the best time here, and it's made me think about things."

Elizabeth nodded.

"And I've really enjoyed the time that I've spent with you. Especially."

Elizabeth felt her cheeks flush. "I've enjoyed getting to know you better, too."

"Anyway, when we were dancing, I suddenly realized all this. It's been a long time since I've had so much fun." He picked up his glass and swirled the water before taking a sip. "I don't want to leave tomorrow."

"I know. I don't either," she answered. "Well, what about moving back to New York?"

"Yeah. I just have to think things through," he replied. "What time are you leaving tomorrow?"

"My plane is at four. You?"

"Four, as well – are you on the Continental flight to Newark?"

“I am – I take it you are, too?”

“Yeah – maybe we can get our seats moved so we can sit together.” Will suggested.

“Good idea! Though I have to warn you – I’m not much fun on airplanes,” Elizabeth laughed.

“Somehow I doubt that,” Will smiled.

Elizabeth looked at her watch. It was 2am. "I guess I'd better let you get to sleep." She smiled meekly as she stood up.

Will looked at his watch to confirm. "What time are you having breakfast?" He walked with her to the door.

"What time do you want to meet?"

Will smiled. "Nine?"

"Knock on my door when you’re ready." She raised herself up on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Just as her heels touched the carpet again, Will took Elizabeth's hand as he opened the door.

"Thanks for stopping by."

"I'm sorry I woke you."

"I'm glad you did."

Elizabeth was just about to turn around when she felt Will give her hand a gentle squeeze. She looked up at him and cocked an eyebrow. Before she knew it, Will's lips were on hers in a soft kiss. Just as her senses had caught up, he pulled away. She took a moment before looking back up into his eyes.

He grinned, "Goodnight, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth dug into her bag for her keycard and walked the few steps to her door. She turned and smiled at Will before slipping into her room.