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Chapter 13 ~ Tenacious

Posted on Wednesday, 27 August 2003

Their best conscience is not to leave't undone, but to keep't unknown.
~ William Shakespeare from "Othello"

Elizabeth tried to focus on the material in front of her. The last two days were a blur to her. When she woke up later that morning, William was gone. He had left a note for Georgiana. William had wrote that she could take her time and that he would be at home. Georgiana stayed long enough to have brunch with Jane, Elizabeth, and Lydia and then went home. Elizabeth did not even get a chance to thank him.

When Elizabeth and Jane brought Lydia home, Catherine met them at the end of the driveway before they could walk up to the porch. She was breathless and told them that the police were talking to their father and wanted to know why. They all walked to the house with Catherine fluttering at their elbows, asking what was going on.

Lydia stopped, turned to her sister, and said, "Kitty, I'll tell you what happened, but I have to talk to dad first."

Elizabeth smiled at the memory of Lydia being so mature. They had proceeded into the house and were interviewed by the police about what happened at the bar. Craig and Peter had called the police after they had rescued Lydia from Wickham. The police were following up on the incident report.

"Elizabeth. Elizabeth!"

She looked up. "I'm sorry, Charlotte. What did you say?"

"How do the handouts look?"

"Uh. . . good."

"Alright. I'm going to have copies made then."

"Wait." She picked three sheets of paper. "Have these copied on different colored paper."

Charlotte raised her eyebrow.

"So it's easier to tell them which handout to look at during the meeting."

"Right." Charlotte left the conference room.

They had both spent all of Monday trying to get ready for the presentation. They had made good progress up until it was lunchtime. Caroline had called and said she was back in town, but would be grabbing lunch before she came back to the office.

Elizabeth and Charlotte worked through lunch to get as much as they could get done before Caroline returned. They made good progress, but decided to come early in the morning to finish up. As good as her word, Caroline showed up after lunch. She actually seemed like she was in a good mood and all she talked about were the fashion shows she attended.

Charlotte thought it would be best that Caroline not know about the presentation. Elizabeth protested, but Charlotte insisted it would be for the best. Their presentation would be the next day and Charlotte did not think that it would be possible to get Caroline up to speed and finish it up at the same time. Elizabeth was reluctant to agree, but she did.

Now, it was Tuesday, the day of the presentation and they were scrambling to get things ready. Charlotte had tried to schedule things in the morning to keep Caroline occupied and then have the presentation after lunch because Caroline usually took extended lunches. Sometimes not even returning at all.

Charlotte returned with stacks of colored paper. "Guess what?"

"I can go home now?"

"No." She put the stacks on the conference table. "Caroline's gone."

"What do you mean she's gone? It's only eleven."

"She said she had lots of unpacking to do and had to finish up some stuff for Emma at home."

"Emma? They're on a first name basis."

Charlotte shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just glad she's gone."

Elizabeth felt like a load was lifted from her shoulders. "So, everything will be okay."

"I hope so."

"With Caroline out of the way, we should be able to get through the presentation with no problems."

"I'm sure you're right."

Elizabeth put her hand on Charlotte's shoulder, stopping her from sorting the presentation handouts. "What are you worried about?"

She took a deep breath. "I don't know. I've done presentations before. . ."

"But, not any as big as this."

Charlotte nodded.

Elizabeth gave her a half hug. "We'll get through it. In fact, I'm sure they'll be very impressed."

"Impressed?"

"Of course. Everything is color coordinated."

Charlotte laughed.

Elizabeth checked her watch. It had been forty-five minutes since Charlotte started the presentation. She was making good time. The handouts that Charlotte had copied earlier helped keep her focused on the presentation and enabled her to move through the topics with ease.

They had managed to organize the presentation into five topics. The first was about the current state of the Children's Department. The figures Charlotte and Elizabeth put together showed that sales were at a stagnant rate with a projected figure showing it would spiral downward. Then Charlotte shared the reasons why sales were suffering. According to the data, the Children's Department lost two of their top authors to competing firms. They did gain a new author, but he has yet to produce a manuscript.

During this time, William joined the meeting. Elizabeth was relieved that Charlotte was leading the meeting. They weren't expecting William to attend. Richard was there and four other people: one each from marketing, sales, accounting, and advertising. If Charlotte was surprised at William's appearance, she did not show it and continued the presentation without missing a step.

The third item in the presentation was the pick-up line that Elizabeth helped Charlotte with. Elizabeth put together a select group of five authors that could be potential clients for the company. Three had submitted promising manuscripts and Elizabeth learned that other publishing companies were also interested in the same authors. Two of the authors were actually already with a publishing firm, but Elizabeth also learned that their contracts were up at the end of the year and Charlotte emphasized the importance of picking up these authors.

The fourth item were figures again, but this time with the projected sales and improvement of the Children's Department if the changes were made. The only thing they needed was funding and approval. The fifth item was left open for the editors and associates to ask questions.

"Charlotte," a lady with black framed glasses and hair pulled back in a tight bun asked, "This looks like a good proposal, but the funding. . . to pick up five authors. . ." The lady eyed the figures on the paper with a dubious expression.

Charlotte said, "The teen market is at its peek right now. Random House closed a movie deal for Holes and the returns Scholastic's getting for the recent release of the latest Harry Potter book is unbelievable." She held up one of the handouts that had been passed out. On it were graphs illustrating Random House's and Scholastic's numbers against DFD's. "Although DFD has many footholds into the publishing arena, we are lacking in the young adult fiction genre."

Elizabeth cleared her throat and said, "The figures we projected to acquire these authors look substantial at the moment, but in the long run, if we invest in them now-"

As the lady with glasses opened her mouth to speak, William spoke up, "I'm sure, Linda is just voicing concerns from the accounting department, but I don't see any problems with funding."

Linda, the lady with glasses, sat up in her seat, "But, Mr. Darcy, the budget for this department isn't-"

"Then we'll increase their budget to acquire those authors."

Linda hesitated before she said, "Of course, Mr. Darcy."

Charlotte grinned. Elizabeth's smile was more subdued. The meeting broke up with the three editors coming over to congratulate Charlotte on an excellent presentation. Elizabeth saw that Richard and William were talking in hushed voices. Seeing that she was no longer needed, Elizabeth walked towards the door. However, before she could reach it, she was stopped by Richard.

He said, "You and Charlotte did an fantastic job today. I was very impressed."

"Thank you." She smiled.

Richard gave her a gentle squeeze on her arm before he went to join Charlotte and the other editors. Elizabeth shifted in her spot when she saw William approach her.

He said, "That was an excellent presentation."

"Thank you."

"No, really." He saw the doubtful look on her face at his words and took a step closer. "Clearly, both of you put tremendous effort into it." He looked as if he was going to say something else, but he did not.

"Well, I have to get back to work. Marie's holding down the fort-"

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Elizabeth and William turned to see Caroline stalk into the room. Her eyes were narrowed on Charlotte. "How dare you."

Charlotte said, "You're back."

"Don't act like-"

Richard said, "Caroline, I'm afraid-"

"And you," Caroline turned on Richard. "I'll bet you encouraged her to do this so that you could have your girlfriend-"

"Let's go back to the office," Charlotte said.

Caroline continued, "You know how I found out? That intern, Ben, let it slip that there was a meeting about the Children's Department. How dare you hold a meeting without me. I'm the editor. I'm the one who leads meetings. Not you. Not some aspiring, wannabe assistant, who-"

"That's enough."

Caroline was about to tell the speaker just who she was when she realized it was William who spoke.

"Wil-Mr. Darcy. I didn't see you-I-I was only-"

He crossed the room and stood next to Charlotte. "You have no reason to speak to Ms. Lucas that way."

"She's trying to steal my job."

"Ms. Lucas has done her job and gone above and beyond what's required of her."

"I'm sure she has."

William spoke in a slow controlled tone. "If anything, you should be grateful to have such an assistant."

"Grateful?!"

"Absolutely. While you were assisting Mrs. Knightley in New York, Ms. Lucas not only took care of her own duties, but made sure that this presentation was complete. Because Ms. Lucas took sole responsibility for this project, you were allowed to give your undivided attention to Mrs. Knightley, which she has reported to me that your services were. . . they knew no bounds."

"Really?" Caroline's expression turned into one of delight. "I enjoyed being there. In fact, I felt like I was in my element."

William raised an eyebrow.

Caroline caught the look on his face. "Oh, but of course, working for you is just as great."

Before Elizabeth could hear any more of Caroline's praises for working at such a prestigious company, Marie walked into the conference room and over to Elizabeth.

She said, "You have a phone call."

"Did you take a message?"

"It's a personal call." She lowered her voice. "It's your dad."

"Oh." Elizabeth followed her out of the conference room.

Marie said, "I put it through to Richard's office for more privacy."

"Thanks, Marie." Elizabeth walked into Richard's office and closed the door.

Elizabeth picked up the phone. "Hello? Dad?"

"Yes, Lizzy. I hope I didn't interrupt your meeting."

"No. In fact, we just finished when Marie told me you were on the phone."

"How did the meeting go?"

"Good. Actually, very well. I think we're going to get funded, I mean, Charlotte's going to get funded."

"Excellent! See you had nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, well," Elizabeth shifted in her spot. "I don't mean to sound rude, but why did you call? Is something the matter?"

"Why would anything be wrong?"

"Because you never call me during the day."

"Never?"

"Well, maybe my birthday, but. . . dad. . . please. Is it Lydia?"

He cleared his throat. "I. . . well. . . you know me. I was never one to beat around the bush." There was a short pause before he continued, "Today at Lydia's school, a reporter tried to get in to interview her about what happened Saturday night."

"They let a reporter onto school grounds?"

"No, but the principal notified me when it happened. I was able to take her out of school before it got out of hand."

"Is Lydia alright?"

"She's fine. I think she's a little shaken. More confused."

"Confused?"

"She's not sure if she should be upset or thrilled that a reporter wanted to talk to her."

Elizabeth chuckled. She said, "As long as the school keeps the reporter from seeing Lydia, everything should be fine."

"Well, that's not all."

"What do you mean?" She heard her father let out a deep breath before he continued.

"The reporter. He's coming to dinner tonight."

"What?! He's going to be at the house? How did this happen?"

"Your mother."

Elizabeth slumped down on Richard's leather chair. "Oh no."

"There's more."

"More? How could it possibly get any worse than this?"

"The reporter is Bill Collins."

"Bill-" Elizabeth thought for a second and when she realized who it was, she said, "You're kidding. How?"

"He phoned your mother, telling her he wanted to interview Lydia for a magazine. And you know your mother. . ."

Elizabeth cradled the phone in one hand and her forehead in the other. "Can't you talk to her? Make her see reason. Lydia can't talk about it. She's a minor and there's an ongoing investigation."

"I've already explained that to your mother. We've been going back and forth and. . ."

"Dad, please-"

"Your mother is determined to have him over for dinner. I've spoken to Lydia already and she's promised not to talk about it."

"Great."

"I was also hoping. . ."

"Hoping?"

"That you and Jane would also come over."

Elizabeth thought for a minute. "I'll be there. I'll check if Jane has plans."

"Thank you."

After he told her what time to be there for dinner, Elizabeth hung up the phone, but she did not get up from her seat. She was still shocked by the news and was trying to digest it. She was glad that Lydia was alright, but she was not sure how long her new found maturity would last in the face of fame even though it would be negative. Elizabeth hoped her sister would keep her word, but it was difficult when their mother could be so determined.

She hoped Jane did not have any plans because she would need help deflecting attention away from Lydia and their mother. Elizabeth realized that perhaps she and her sister would not be enough of a diversion for Bill Collins.

Elizabeth started to wonder how he ever found out what happened to Lydia. Craig's bar was certainly not a place Bill would go to. Not many people knew about what happened either.

Her thoughts wandered back to devising a strategy to keep Bill Collins' attention away from Lydia. She knew he was not a very smart man, so it should not be too difficult to distract him. Too much conversation would make her mother impatient and perhaps she would try to steer the conversation back to Lydia.

Jane usually was the one who could keep men distracted with her attractive looks and easy temper, but she knew her sister would not feel comfortable putting up a front with Bill, not only because it was not in her nature, but because she was dating Charles.

That only left one option. Elizabeth closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

There was a soft knock at the door, but Elizabeth didn't hear it. There was another knock and this time the door opened. Marie poked her head in and when she saw that Elizabeth was off the phone, she went back out. A few seconds later, William walked into the office.

He saw Elizabeth sitting behind Richard's desk, staring at the phone.

"Elizabeth?"

She jumped at the sound of her name and looked at William. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Marie checked to see if you were still on the phone before I came in."

"Oh." She stood up. "I'm finished."

"Right." She looked troubled, but she was not forthcoming about what was bothering her. He said, "I. . . I came here because Richard-"

"What does he need?" Elizabeth snapped out of her daze and walked around the desk. "I didn't mean to be on the phone for so long-"

"No. He doesn't need anything. He's fine. It's just. . ." He looked at her for a second before he looked down on the ground. "He sent me to ask if you'd like to join us this evening. Kind of like a celebratory dinner."

Her brow wrinkled. "What are we celebrating?" She thought for a minute and remembered. "Right. I forgot."

"Forgot? How could you forget? You and Charlotte have just saved the Children's Department."

"Well, I think that's a bit of an exaggeration." She shifted in her spot.

"No, it's not." He took a step closer. "I. . . you're good."

She shrugged. "Thanks."

"You're not understanding me." He looked at her with great intent. "You're a good assistant, but you have the potential to be something greater." Understanding her silence as an agreement to his words, he continued, "Will you join us then? Tonight. We. . . I'd like it very much if you could."

Before she could say anything, Richard walked through the open door way. He cheerfully said, "So, are you going to go out with us tonight?"

Elizabeth looked from one man to the other. It took her a moment before she could say, "I can't."

Richard said, "Why not?"

She looked at both of them again. Elizabeth recognized Richard's concerned expression, but could not read the one on William's face.

Richard continued, "You have to come. We're all leaving work early. Charlotte will be there and I just talked to Charles and he's going to join us. Maybe even Jane can-"

"No."

"Elizabeth," Richard's concerned look returned. "What's the matter?"

She snuck a quick glance at William who still wore an unreadable expression on his face. Then she said, "I-I mean we have plans to have dinner with our family tonight."

"Oh. Maybe we could invite your family?"

She shook her head. "No. It's. . ." Elizabeth looked at the open door and saw people milling around the office.

Richard shut the door. Then he turned around and said, "Alright, Elizabeth, what's going on? What happened?"

She looked at both men. They had impassable expressions on their faces. She decided to tell them about her conversation with her father a few minutes ago.

When she finished, Richard wondered, "How the hell did Toady find out about it?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I don't know, but he does and now I have to fix it. I'm hoping Jane will be there too."

"Doesn't your mother understand?"

"My father tried reasoning with her, but my mother seems to be. . . in awe that one of her daughters could be famous."

"It's not for the right reasons."

"I know. That's why I have to be there."

Richard said, "What do you plan to do?"

"I'm not exactly sure. I was hoping me and Jane could deflect some of the attention away from Lydia." She shifted in her spot. "But, most likely it will be up to me."

William finally spoke, asking, "What are you going to do?"

She was caught off guard by his question. William had not said anything up until this point. Elizabeth swallowed hard before she said, "Well, we. . . went on a date once. . . maybe. . . if I paid some attention to him, I could get him to forget about Lydia."

Both men stood in their place with their mouths open.

Elizabeth continued, "He doesn't strike me as a . . . bright man, so I'm sure it'll be easy to convince him-"

"No."

Richard and Elizabeth were stunned at William's remark. He continued, "You can't. There has to be another way."

"I can't think of anything else."

"What exactly are you prepared to do?"

Elizabeth studied William's face for a moment. "Anything to protect my sister."

"Anything?" There was a touch of incredulity in Richard's voice. "Elizabeth, this is Toady we're talking about here. Toady!"

"I know." She hesitated before she said, "Don't you feel the same way towards Georgiana? If she were-" She stopped herself and looked at William.

He said, "We understand."

Richard said, "No. There has to be another way."

Elizabeth let out a short breath. "Well, dinner is at 5:30 which is two and a half hours away, so if you can think of something else, by all means let me know. But, until then. . ." She looked at both men. "Since everyone's leaving early, is it alright if. . ."

Richard said, "Of course."

Elizabeth said, "I'm sorry for ruining everyone's evening. Maybe we could do this another time." She looked at Richard who nodded and William gave her a small, strained smile. "I have to get going then. Richard, will you tell Charlotte that I'll call her later."

He nodded again and then Elizabeth left the office. They watched her gather her things and walk to the elevator.

When she was gone, Richard turned to William and said, "We can't let this happen."

"I know."

"What are we going to do?"

William thought for a moment and said, "I have an idea."

Richard said, "Good."

Elizabeth and Jane sat in their father's study. They were exhausted, but the dinner from hell had not even started. They had spent an hour trying to convince their mother to call Bill Collins and cancel dinner, but it was to no avail. Their mother had said it was already too late in the day to cancel dinner and she had already started roasting the chicken. Also, Richard never called with any other idea to handle this situation.

What they were relieved about was that their father made it absolutely clear that there would be no talk about what happened with Lydia. When their mother began to protest, Mr. Bennet told her not only would he end dinner, he would ask Mr. Collins to leave and bring charges against him for interfering in an ongoing police investigation. When Mrs. Bennet saw the serious expression on his face, she did not speak for a minute. Then she excused herself, saying she had to finish making dinner.

Elizabeth turned to her father. "I didn't know you could charge Bill for interfering with the investigation."

There was twinkle in his eye. "Well, I don't know if I actually can. It's something I heard on Law & Order."

"Dad!"

"Your mother won't know the difference."

Elizabeth and Jane looked at their father with shock.

He shrugged and said, "It seemed to have the desired effect."

Elizabeth shook her head.

Jane said, "Maybe I should check on mom."

Elizabeth said, "I'll check on Lydia."

Mr. Bennet said, "Girls."

They both stood in the doorway and looked back at their father.

He said, "Thank you for joining us tonight. It. . ."

Elizabeth said, "It's nothing, Dad."

He nodded and they left the study.

In the hall, Elizabeth stopped Jane. She said, "I'm sorry you had to break your plans with Charles."

Jane said, "It's alright. We'll see each other another time."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrow. "Things have been pretty serious between you two."

Jane nodded. "He's everything I want in a. . . man."

Elizabeth smiled. "I'm happy for you. Charles is a great guy."

"I hope mom and dad think so."

"I'm sure they do. You saw the way she was gawking at his house. I think she's ready to move in."

At the reference to their mother, Jane said, "I'd better check on her."

"Right."

Jane went to the kitchen and Elizabeth went upstairs to Lydia's room. She heard voices behind her door, so she knocked. When she did, the voices stopped.

Lydia's voice sounded from behind the door. "Who is it?"

"It's Elizabeth."

Lydia opened the door a crack. When she saw that Elizabeth was alone, she opened the door to allow Elizabeth to walk in.

When Elizabeth entered the room, she saw that Catherine and Mary were also there.

Elizabeth said, "What's going on?"

All three girls looked at each other. It was Catherine who said, "Is everything alright? With mom and dad, I mean."

Elizabeth joined the girls on Lydia's twin bed. "Yeah. As good as it's going to be."

Mary said, "Why doesn't mom understand? Doesn't she realize that this could. . ." She stopped when she realized Lydia was staring at her.

Lydia said, "I promised dad, but I don't see what the big deal is. At least everyone would know what a creep George Wickham is."

Mary and Catherine both talked at the same time, but Elizabeth held up her hand and said, "Is this what you guys were talking about?"

Catherine nodded.

Mary said, "We've been going back and forth and. . . I mean we understand why dad doesn't want to talk about it with the reporter, but I can also see Lydia's point too."

Elizabeth looked at all three of her sisters. Then she said, "Lydia, you do have a good point, but there are other things at stake here."

Lydia said, "Like what?"

"Well, if word got out about what happened that night, not only would George be exposed, but so would Craig and Steve."

"Yeah, but they helped me."

"True, but people would question why they would serve alcohol to a minor."

"But they didn't. It was George-"

"Yes, but people would say security wasn't good enough and also point out that you shouldn't have been there in the first place."

Mary said, "They could lose their bar."

Elizabeth nodded.

Lydia's face fell. "I didn't mean-"

Elizabeth squeezed her arm. "I know."

Catherine said, "Things at school would be horrible."

Elizabeth said, "It could be."

Catherine continued, "I mean, if everyone we knew, knew what happened. . ."

Lydia said, "Do you think they'd still talk to us?"

Mary said, "Probably. They'd probably want to know what happened and might even spread it around your school."

Lydia said, "Our friends wouldn't do that."

Elizabeth said, "But, what if a reporter wanted to talk to them?"

Lydia and Catherine looked at each other. Then Catherine said, "They'd probably think it's cool."

Lydia hugged her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on them. Her voice was choked. "I didn't mean for all this to happen."

All her sisters were quick to comfort her.

Then Elizabeth said, "We'll get through this together."

Lydia lifted her head so that only her eyes were visible. "What happens if this reporter tries to talk to me. What if he-"

Catherine said, "We'll make sure that you're never alone with him."

Mary said, "We'll all try to keep him distracted some how."

Elizabeth could not help giving her sisters a proud smile. Then she said, "Jane, Dad, and I will handle Mom."

Catherine and Mary chuckled and Lydia had a smile on her face. They heard the doorbell ring downstairs.

They all looked at each other with anxious expressions.

Elizabeth said, "I'll go answer the door." She left the room and when she got to the front door, she took in a deep breath before she opened it.

She was surprised to see not one person, but several people standing on her parents' front porch. Several people, all of which, she knew.

Richard stepped forward. "I hope we're on time."

"You're early." Charlotte was standing next to him. Behind her was Charles and next to him were William and Georgiana. "What are you all-"

Charlotte said, "We're here to help. Do you really think we'd let you handle Toady on your own?"

Elizabeth found it difficult to speak. Fortunately, her younger sisters had come downstairs and stood next to her. They were just as surprised as Elizabeth. However, it was Lydia who spoke first.

"Georgiana!" Lydia leaped through the crowd and hugged her. "I didn't know you were coming tonight. Come and meet my other sisters." She pulled Georgiana through the crowd and introduced her to Mary and Catherine.

Elizabeth invited everyone inside. "Are you sure you all want to stay for dinner?"

Charles said, "Absolutely." He looked around the living room.

Elizabeth said, "Jane is helping my mother. I'll have to let them know we have several additions for dinner." Elizabeth first walked to the study to let her father know of the guests.

"Dad-"

"I know. I supposed it's time to face the music."

"Actually. Bill isn't here yet. It's. . . well, some of my friends are here."

"Your friends?" He walked to the doorway. "What are they doing here?"

"I suppose they didn't want us to face Bill Collins on our own."

His forehead was wrinkled. "I'll have to see about this."

"I'm sure they just want to help."

He let out a grunt and walked to the living room. Elizabeth walked to the kitchen. She saw that Jane was helping their mother baste the roasted chicken.

Mrs. Bennet said, "Is he here? He's early."

"Actually. He's not here yet. Uh. . ." Elizabeth looked at Jane.

She said, "Then what was all that noise out there?"

"Well, we have five more guests tonight."

"Five?" Mrs. Bennet looked at her with eyes wide open. "Who would interrupt a private family dinner-"

"Bill Collins is not family."

Mrs. Bennet ignored Elizabeth's comment. "I mean, coming here unannounced, uninvited. It better not be any of your father's colleagues. I'm sure those cronies-"

Standing at the doorway into the kitchen, Charles cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Mrs. Bennet. I'm so sorry if we've inconvenienced you. I should've asked before I presumed-"

"Charles!" Mrs. Bennet walked towards him with open arms. "Of course you're more than welcome to join us for dinner."

After he recovered from her bear hug, he said, "Thank you, Mrs. Bennet, but I'm afraid I may have overstepped my place. You see, I invited a few friends."

"That's alright. Any friends of yours are more than welcome."

"Would you like to meet them? They're in the living room talking with Mr. Bennet at the moment."

"Of course!" She turned to Elizabeth and Jane and said, "Will you girls look over the food. I'll be back in a moment."

They nodded their understanding and before they were gone, Charles snuck a wink at Jane.

Jane and Elizabeth stood in the kitchen with bemused expressions on their face. Mary walked in a few minutes later and saw her sisters expressions.

"Aren't you going to put the chicken back in the oven?"

Jane snapped out of her bemusement. "Right. Oh, I hope this will be enough." Jane slid the chicken back into the oven.

Mary said, "I'm sure it'll be fine. Maybe we should double the portions on the side dishes."

Jane said, "Yeah. That's a good idea."

Elizabeth said, "How are things going out there?"

"Not bad. I think mom is a little overwhelmed that such eligible men are under her roof."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you hiding in here? You should be mingling."

"I offered to get drinks."

Jane said, "That was very good of you."

Mary opened the refrigerator. "It's a bit overwhelming. We were all prepared to meet that meddling reporter and instead three really hot guys show up."

Jane and Elizabeth looked at Mary with surprised looks. Mary put soft drinks on a tray and when she saw how her sisters were looking at her, she said, "What? I have eyes too."

They all laughed at her comment. In a minute, Lydia and Catherine entered the kitchen with Georgiana trailing behind them.

Lydia said, "We were sent in here to help, so that you two could mingle with the men."

Jane said, "Lydia! Mom would never say something like that."

"She didn't have to."

Elizabeth shook her head. "Jane why don't you go ahead. I'm going to fix the table to accommodate more guests."

"Alright." Jane gave a reproachful look at Lydia, but it soon disappeared when Lydia gave her a teasing smile.

Catherine said, "Elizabeth, why don't you take the drinks out and we'll take care of the rest."

"Well, we also have to double the side portions and I was going to try and whip up a cake so we have enough dessert-"

Mary handed Elizabeth the tray with drinks. "We'll take care of it."

Lydia hooked her arm through Georgiana's arm and said, "Besides, she's here to watch over us."

Elizabeth took hold of the tray. "Georgiana, you really should be out there-"

"No!"

Elizabeth was surprised by Lydia and Catherine's outburst. Mary just gave them a curious look.

Lydia said, "She won't have anyone to talk to with all the old people out there."

Catherine said, "And we can use her help."

Mary looked at Elizabeth and then at her younger sisters who gave her a pointed look. "Yeah."

Elizabeth shook her head. "Alright. But, I'll be back to check your progress." She took the tray and went to the living room.

When they were sure Elizabeth was gone, Lydia looked at Georgiana and said, "So, what is this between your brother and our sister?"

Mary said, "What? There's something going on between them?"

Catherine said, "Just listen. You left before you got to hear anything."

Mary waited and all of them looked at Georgiana. She shifted in her spot, unused to having so much attention focused on her. "Well. . . I don't know for sure, but I think my brother . . ."

Everyone sat in the living room after dinner, enjoying pleasant conversation. Mr. Collins was now part of the casual dinner party. To Elizabeth's great relief, her mother and Mr. Collins were so captivated by the presence of Richard Fitzwilliam and William Darcy that Lydia's 'affair' was quickly forgotten.

When Mrs. Bennet also found out, through Mr. Collins' rhapsodizing, that not only were William and Richard the principal figures in DFD Incorporated, but that the third principal partner was Bill's boss, Mrs. Debourgh, then Mrs. Bennet was beside herself. She had no idea that not only did she have two very attractive men under her roof, but that they were also extremely wealthy.

Although Jane was taken by Charles and Richard was apparently taken by Charlotte, that left William for Elizabeth. Mrs. Bennet had conveniently forgotten that she had once set up Elizabeth with Bill. The prospect of having one of her daughters set up with one of the principal figures of a multimillion corporation made it easy to forget about pairing Bill up with Elizabeth. Mrs. Bennet was now determined that Elizabeth should have William.

Mrs. Bennet surveyed the room. Charles, Jane, Richard, and Charlotte were in lively conversation. William, Mr. Bennet, and Bill were pocketed together. Elizabeth was clumped with Georgiana, Catherine, Lydia, and Mary. The groupings were not to her liking. Something had to be done.

Mrs. Bennet approached her daughters first. "Mary, will you and the girls clean up before bedtime."

"Alright." They all stood up to go. Georgiana and Elizabeth followed.

Mrs. Bennet said, "Georgiana, you don't have to go."

She said, "Oh, but it's no trouble. I enjoy their company."

"But, you're our guest."

"I don't mind. Really."

Elizabeth said, "And we can unload some leftovers on her too. Kitty and Lydia over compensated and now we're stuck with an extra chocolate cake and a serving of mashed potatoes. "

Georgiana laughed.

Mrs. Bennet said, "Of course, you'll have some leftovers. If I remember correctly. . ." Another idea crossed her mind. "Elizabeth, will you get my cookbook in the study. I'll throw together some recipes for Georgiana to take home."

Elizabeth's eyebrow curved. "Alright."

"And I'll put together the leftovers for Georgiana and her brother."

Elizabeth and Georgiana left the room, one off to the study and the other off to the kitchen. Mrs. Bennet asked if anyone wanted coffee. Everyone refused politely.

William said, "No, thank you. I need to get some sleep before my flight tomorrow."

Bill said, "That is very good advice. I was thinking of drinking a cup of coffee, but perhaps I shouldn't now. Perhaps instead of staying up late, I should turn in early. Then I could wake up and get to work earlier."

Mr. Bennet said, "That is a significant insight, Mr. Collins. Perhaps we should all consider turning in early."

"Oh, well, I wouldn't want to break up such a delightful party."

"But, Mr. Collins, we wouldn't want to keep Mr. Darcy needlessly awake."

Bill's eyes widened. "Oh, you're right. I'm sure he has several important meetings to attend and he must be at his peak performance." He stood up. "We all should leave now."

Mrs. Bennet was about to disagree, but another idea popped in her head. "You're right, Mr. Collins." She ignored the bemused look on her husband's face. "I'll go check on the girls and William, you can help Elizabeth search for that cookbook in the study." When he did not move right away, she said, "Come on now, you've got that flight in the morning."

Mr. Collins said, "Perhaps I should help Elizabeth-"

"No!" William and Mrs. Bennet said.

Mrs. Bennet said, "Actually, Bill, I was hoping you'd join me in the kitchen. I'll send home some leftovers with you, too."

Mr. Collins obliged, never one to refuse free food.

William excused himself and went to the study. He knocked on the door before he entered. He chuckled to himself at the thought that Elizabeth had barricaded herself in the study to prevent Bill from surprising her. He saw that Elizabeth was sitting in an overstuffed chair, bending over a book.

She looked up and said, "Have I been gone long?"

"No. Your mother sent me to help you look for a cookbook."

"Oh. I would've found it eventually." She stood up from the chair. "But, it seems she's moved it."

William walked into the room. "What does it look like?"

Elizabeth search some shelves. "It has a gold colored spiral spine and has a red cover."

"Spiral spine with red cover." He repeated as he also searched the shelves. Then he said, "Is there a title?"

"Just Cookbook. It was something my grandmother started and my mom continued. My mom keeps it in here to keep it safe. "

William ceased his search and looked over at her. "So, it's a homemade cookbook."

"Yeah."

He looked at her for a few seconds. She was bent over one of the lower shelves. He returned his attention to the shelves. "That's nice."

Elizabeth didn't say anything.

After a moment, he said, "We have a cookbook like that at home."

"Your mom's?"

"Yeah. It was."

She snuck a look at him. His back was facing her. She returned her attention back to the shelf. "Is it Georgiana's now?"

"I suppose it is, but she doesn't use it. Not yet anyway. Our housekeeper does though."

"That's good. It should be used."

He didn't say anything.

After several minutes of searching, Elizabeth said, "I don't understand. It should be here somewhere."

"I'm sure it is."

"She always puts it back when she's done. It's so old, she's afraid something might happen to it in the kitchen."

"We'll find it."

"And it's usually on the first shelf."

"Maybe it got moved."

"But it's always there."

"It's probably misplaced."

"It never is."

"We'll find it."

"Are you always this. . . patient?"

He chuckled and said, "I like the word tenacious better."

"Tenacious is a good word." She chuckled.

He turned around. "What?"

"Nothing."

"I heard you laugh."

"I wasn't laughing."

"I know what laughter is when I hear it."

She turned around. "I just thought of something. . . do you have a nickname?"

He raised an eyebrow. "No."

"Come on. Georgiana, must have a nickname for you."

"No."

"Alright. I'll give you one."

"What?"

"I'll give you a nickname. It'll be. . . Tenacious D*."

"Tenacious D?" He had a repulsed look on his face.

This made Elizabeth laugh even harder. The mirth in her eyes and her smile was contagious. He couldn't help smiling. Then he said, "Don't ever call me that."

"Call you what?"

They had both met in the center of the room.

William said, "That name."

"You don't like Tenacious D?"

He was captivated by her smile and the sound of the words rolling off her tongue was enticing. He let out a, "Uh. . ."

She laughed. "Why don't we keep it just between the two of us then?"

"Alright."

Elizabeth's face sobered when she realized she was close enough that she could smell his cologne. "We haven't found the cookbook."

"I think your mother could live without it for a moment."

"She'll be disappointed."

"She can live with disappointment."

Elizabeth was not sure what was happening. She could not take her eyes off his. They were not touching, but she could feel something like electricity rippling through her body, though it didn't hurt. Instead it felt like light flashes of an exquisite sensation that was channeling from William into her.

"What's happening?" She whispered.

"Maybe. . . it's that tenacity you were talking about earlier."

She looked at him for a moment with disbelief then a slow smile spread across her lips.

"What?"

"I should've known." She laughed.

"Known what?"

"That you're just full-"

"Before you say anything you'll regret-"

"Why would I regret anything I've said?"

He looked at her for a moment before he said, "So you. . . haven't changed-"

"Changed? You say that like something was wrong."

He shook his head. "Never mind." Before he walked out the door, he said, "If it's worth anything, I had a good time this evening."

Elizabeth stood in her spot, utterly confused. When she heard William saying goodnight to her family, she rushed out the room.

She saw that everyone had left and that Georgiana and William were the last to leave. Everyone stood on the wide porch waving goodbye.

When their car disappeared, everyone walked back inside the house. Elizabeth's younger sisters said goodnight, but not before giving Elizabeth knowing looks. When her mother said goodnight, she looked at Elizabeth with a wide grin on her face.

Mr. Bennet said, "I'll walk you two out."

Elizabeth and Jane walked out with their father. He said, "Tonight was quite an evening."

Jane said, "I think everything went very well. Lydia's incident didn't come up at all."

"Yes." Mr. Bennet looked at Elizabeth. "Would you agree?"

"What?" Elizabeth saw that Jane and her father were giving her expectant looks. "Oh. Yeah."

He shook his head. "Promise me one thing, Elizabeth."

"What?"

"Next time chose a different place when you want to be alone with William. I was quite inconvenienced without having my study." He winked and said, "Good night." Then he shut the door behind him.

Elizabeth blinked several times. Jane directed her towards the car. When Elizabeth recovered from the remark, she said, "Everyone knew we were alone?"

Jane opened the passenger side and helped Elizabeth in. Then she went around the driver's side, got in, and started the car. "Well, it wasn't too hard to figure out."

"But nothing happened. We were looking for mom's cookbook."

"It was in the kitchen."

"What? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

She shrugged.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Why does everyone think that something is going on between us?"

"Isn't there?"

"No!"

"Don't tell me you didn't notice how he kept looking at you all night."

"No, he wasn't."

"Oh, yes he was."

"I highly doubt it. He was talking to dad and Mr. Collins all night."

"And also looking your way whenever he had the chance."

"Jane-"

"I think he really likes the fact that you get along with Georgiana so well."

"I. . ."

"I saw him smile when you sat with her and our sisters. I bet it's been hard on both of them."

Elizabeth hesitated before she said, "What do you mean?"

"Well, all that they've been through. Losing their parents. George Wickham. I think for the first time, besides Richard, they feel like they can really be themselves around other people."

Elizabeth thought for a moment. Then she said, "I have noticed that Lydia is better when Georgiana's around. I think Mary and Catherine like her too."

"They adore her."

Elizabeth smiled. "It's hard not to like her."

"And her brother."

Her smile disappeared.

Jane asked, "You can not sit there and tell me you don't like him at all."

"I. . . I don't know what to think of him."

"Well, I'm sure he definitely thinks highly of you."

"I doubt that."

"Well, he feels something or else why did he keep Collins away from you all night."

"What are you talking about?"

"Richard told me what you were prepared to do tonight which I think is incredibly noble, but. . ."

"Gross?"

Jane did not say anything.

Elizabeth said, "What gave you the idea that William was the one keeping Bill away from me? Dad occupied his time just as much."

Jane shook her head. "It was William who did most of the talking."

Elizabeth looked at her sister. "How do you know?"

She pulled into a parking spot. "Didn't you hear any of the conversation?"

"No."

"All they talked about was his aunt."

They got out of the car and walked to their apartment. When they got in, Elizabeth shut the door and followed Jane to her room. "They talked about Catherine Debourgh all evening?"

Jane nodded.

Elizabeth's brow wrinkled. "Are you sure?"

"Richard was able to extricate himself because of Charlotte."

Elizabeth sat on Jane's bed. "Oh my. . ."

"Mm-hm."

"He just sat there. Listening to him?"

"Mm-hm."

Elizabeth let out a deep sigh.

"Can you really say you don't like him?"

"I don't know what to think."

"Elizabeth-"

"Jane, wait. There's something I haven't told you." Elizabeth proceeded to tell Jane about the evening with the mistletoe and then the exchange between her and William later that night.

When she was finished, Jane said, "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"I didn't have time. You called me that night about Lydia."

"That's what was happening?"

"Yes. And then we had to sort things out with the police and I was getting ready with the presentation. I just-"

"Elizabeth, I'm sorry."

She blinked several times. "For what?"

"For not being there for you. I could tell something was wrong, but I just thought you were worried about Lydia and your presentation."

"I was."

"I know, but that night obviously has bothered you too."

She sighed. "I haven't really had time to really process it. Sometimes I think it was just a dream or something. I just don't know what to make of it all."

"He likes you. It's as simple as that."

"No. If anything, he's made that perfectly clear that it's not."

"Alright. So, with him things can't be that simple."

"But the point is that it should be. Shouldn't it? He struggled just to like me. I mean, how am I supposed to feel about that. I don't want anyone to struggle with liking me."

"I'm sure he meant something else."

"I don't think he did. I'm not saying that when you like someone it should be perfect and their should be fireworks and bells, but. . . it just shouldn't be such a struggle."

"Well, maybe. . . it's something both of you can work on."

Elizabeth shook her head.

"You said it yourself. Things can't always be perfect. Granted, both of you got off to a bad start, but things could get better."

"I don't know, Jane. We said a lot of things to each other that night and I can't just forget it ever happened."

"I'm not telling you to forget it."

"I need to think about it."

"Elizabeth-" She saw a confused look on her sister's face. "Alright, but if you want to talk about it-"

"I know. Thanks." Elizabeth said good night and went to her own room. When she was ready to go to sleep, she turned off her light and plopped herself on her bed.

She tried to replay in her mind every conversation they had between Saturday night and this evening. She realized that she could not deny that William liked her because he had even admitted it, but could he still possibly like her even after what she said that night? Even after her sister fell for George Wickham's lies? She also realized that he probably wanted to distance himself and Georgiana away from her and her family after tonight. No doubt he would want to avoid anymore evenings with Bill Collins and tonight was perhaps just the tip of what getting caught up in a scandal is like. It was easy to deter Bill Collins, but next time, Elizabeth knew it would not be so easy. She knew William would not want Georgiana to be a part of a scandal.

She turned on her side, grabbed a pillow, and hugged it. Elizabeth felt as if a heavy weight balanced at the pit of her stomach. She would be sad to lose Georgiana's friendship. She knew her sisters would be too. But, there was nothing she could do. She felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She felt silly getting so worked up about losing Georgiana's friendship. Elizabeth thought for a moment perhaps she was sad about losing something else.

She blinked back her tears and took a deep breath. She did not want to think about the last three days. She was tired of analyzing and evaluating. She just wanted to sleep now. She cleared her mind of her distressing thoughts and tried to think of something soothing, comforting.

Elizabeth never remembered her dreams, but she was able to finally fall asleep when the thought of William sleeping next to her on the couch drifted into her mind.

*Tenacious D is a rock group of two lead by Jack Black who is also an actor.

Chapter 14 ~ Kitty

Posted on Sunday, 14 September 2003

. . . As long as one keeps searching, the answers come.
~ Joan Baez

Elizabeth walked into Richard's office. "I'm leaving for the day. Is there anything else you need before I go?"

Richard was straightening his desk. "No, I don't think so. I'm almost done, too."

Elizabeth sat down in one of the chairs at the front of his desk. "It's been a very long week."

"Yes, it has. I hope you have something exciting planned for the weekend."

"A slumber party."

Richard's eyebrow arched. "Aren't you a little. . . advanced in years to be going to slumber parties?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm playing hostess for my younger sisters and Georgiana."

"Oh, I didn't know Georgiana was joining all of you."

"Last weekend, after. . ."

Richard nodded.

She continued, "Georgiana and Lydia spoke to each other privately. I don't know what they talked about, but afterwards they were suddenly like best friends. Lydia invited Georgiana for a sleep over, but wanted me to host it."

"Sounds like manipulative younger sister behavior." She nodded. Richard hesitated before he continued, "Their new found friendship is probably the result of a common . . . experience."

"I know . . . William told me about what happened with Georgiana."

Richard stared at her for a moment. "He told you? I thought Georgiana might've-"

She shook her head. "No. William was there when Jane called me about Lydia. When I told him what happened, he told me about George Wickham."

He sat back in his chair. "Elizabeth, I'm sorry. We should've-If you had known sooner-"

Elizabeth held up her hand. "I had my suspicions about George and I didn't know Lydia had been sneaking out of the house. But, I also understand why you all wanted to keep that information private. Georgiana is lucky to have two wonderful and caring men in her life."

He gave her a reluctant smile. "It's just . . . so much could've been prevented."

"There's no use mulling over what ifs. It's done and," She took a deep breath and said, "We just have to move on."

"You're right." He studied her face for a moment. Then he said, "So . . . was William with you when Jane called?"

"Yes, Charles was with Jane, and he had William's cell phone number. William actually answered the call."

"If I remember correctly, it was late. Had to be around one in the morning."

"That sounds right."

Richard leaned forward. "So, Jane must've called while you two were. . . talking."

"Yes. Talking."

"Did you have fun talking?" he teased.

His inquiry did not have the desired effect. Richard could see the distress on her face and moved around his desk and sat in the empty chair next to her. He said with a somber tone, "I take it things didn't go so well."

She shook her head. "I had no idea he liked me. If you want to call it that."

"What happened?"

"He tried to ask me out."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

Elizabeth looked at Richard. "Maybe I shouldn't be telling you about it. I don't want to cause any trouble-"

"Elizabeth, I care about you and my cousin very much and nothing you say will change that." He squeezed her arm.

"Thanks, Richard."

He smiled and said, "So, William asked you out?"

She shrugged. "I think so."

"What do you mean, you think so?"

"He said he had a hard time deciding whether or not he should ask me out because he's the boss and I'm an assistant. That he had a lot of things to consider before jumping into a relationship. And . . . well, it wasn't easy for him."

"He said that?"

She nodded.

"I can't believe he would say that. Out loud."

"He felt he needed to be honest, so that I could realize what he was offering me."

He gave her a look of disbelief. "He said that, too?"

She nodded.

Richard rubbed his forehead with his fingers.

After a moment, Elizabeth said, "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything."

"Well, what did you tell him?"

"I told him we shouldn't see each other because he is the boss and I'm an assistant."

He looked at her with his mouth partly open.

"I think that alone could cause problems and," She snuck a glance at him before she said, "that I can't be with someone who doesn't trust or respect me."

"Well. . ." He cleared his throat. "When you two disagree, you both go all out."

"This wasn't just a disagreement. It was a decision."

"And you're both willing to leave it at that?"

"You're talking as if there is a choice."

"Of course there's a choice!" He stood up and began arranging papers on his desk. "Nothing's ever really final."

She shook her head. "Richard-"

"No, Elizabeth. Listen." He sat in his own chair. "You both had a bad start. Maybe even worse than the average couple."

"We are not a couple."

"OK. Two people who are considering the possibility of dating each other."

"We're not-"

He waved his hand. "My cousin said some awful things. I can't explain that, but I do know he's a good person underneath all that boss talk. The fact that he tried to ask you out is . . . well, he rarely dates. And it's not like he hasn't had the opportunity."

"So, you're saying I should be grateful?" There was an edge to her tone.

"No," his tone was calm. "Let me put it this way. For lack of a better word, he's . . . shy."

She looked at him as if he had just spoke in Japanese.

"And I know one thing for certain, he doesn't give up on anything."

Elizabeth sat back in her chair, digesting his words. She remembered calling him tenacious.

Richard resumed looking through the papers on the desk. He came across an envelope addressed to Mr. Fitzwilliam.

He said, "Why is Sarah sending me a card?"

"Oh, you sent her flowers because her cat died."

"Her cat died?" He opened the envelope and read the card.

"I saw her after work the other day and she was really upset," she continued, "Last week I had seen a picture of her cat and she had mentioned she had to take it to the vet. When I last saw her, I asked how her cat was and it turned out that it had to be put to sleep. It was having trouble breathing because it had a tumor in its mouth."

"That's very sad."

"Yeah, and apparently the cat had been a special gift."

He didn't say anything.

She continued, "I don't really know how, but she said she got it as a gift from this farmer's wife and that she was a very sweet lady. She named the cat after her. But, apparently the wife of this farmer passed away several years ago and now that the cat is gone-"

A look of recognition showed on Richard's face. "Was the cat's name Lady Anne?"

Elizabeth thought for a second. "Yeah, I think it was."

"Does William know?"

"I don't know. I thought he's been out traveling on business all week."

"He is." He put the note in his pocket. "I'll have to call him."

"Why would he want to know that his assistant's cat died?"

"That farmer's wife?" She nodded. "That was William's mom."

"Oh."

"Come on. If you're ready, I'll walk you out."

"Let me just get my things."

When they were ready, they waited for the elevator.

Elizabeth said, "She's had that cat for a long time then."

"Aunt Anne had given the kitten to Sarah when she and her mother came to visit her aunt one summer."

"Your Aunt Anne was her aunt too?"

"No." The elevator doors parted and they walked in. "Her aunt is their housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds."

"Oh." She felt like she was saying that a lot lately. "How is he going to take the news?"

He shrugged. "I'm sure he'll be upset, but probably not as much as Georgiana. She had a cat from the same litter, but it died last year."

"I'll make sure she's alright when I see her tomorrow."

"I'm sure William will appreciate it."

"Well, I'm doing it because I want to make sure she's alright."

"Of course you do which he'll like even more."

Elizabeth opened and closed her mouth several times.

Richard slung an arm around her shoulders. "One day you'll see."

"See what?"

"You'll see that I'm right about you and William."

"You don't even understand. Just the thought of him and-" She shuddered.

"How does the saying go? 'The lady does protest too much'. Shakespeare, right?"

She elbowed him in the ribs. "I don't know how Charlotte tolerates you."

"She was resistant once. Kind of like . . . someone I know." He gave her a pointed look.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes on him. She hated it when Richard acted like he knew everything. "That's one thing you and your cousin have in common."

"What?"

"You guys can be so presumptuous and arrogant." When the elevator got to the parking level, Elizabeth rushed out when the doors parted.

Richard went after her and stopped her by holding onto her elbow. "I won't deny that sometimes we do act like that, but that's all it is. An act."

Elizabeth stared at him, contemplating what he said.

He put his hands on her shoulders. "Elizabeth, you know me."

She contemplated him a little more before she said, "Yeah."

"My cousin is the same way." She gave him a look full of doubt. "He just can't pull it off as well as me."

Elizabeth could not help herself and laughed.

Richard put his hand on the small of her back. "I'll walk you to your car and you can clear up the mystery of what really happens at a slumber party."

Elizabeth took out a bag of popcorn from the microwave. When she pulled apart the seams of the bag, a buttery puff of steam rose up, and evaporated onto Elizabeth's face.

"Great. I'm going to smell like popcorn now."

Jane put in a pan with brownie batter into the oven. "It could be worse."

"Hey, is the popcorn ready?" Lydia's voice traveled from the living room.

Elizabeth yelled back, "Yes."

It was a few seconds before Lydia shouted, "Aren't you coming?"

"Why don't you come get it."

Lydia walked into the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

Elizabeth was stirring something in a large pot. "I'm making the Rice Crispy treats you wanted."

She gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

Georgiana walked into the kitchen. "Can I help with anything?"

Jane said, "It's alright. We have everything under control. Both of you should go back and start a movie."

Mary and Catherine joined them all in the kitchen. Catherine said, "We can't agree on anything."

"Nothing?"

Mary said, "Well, so far we've narrowed it down to Ever After, Jane Eyre, and You've Got Mail."

Jane said, "I can see why you're all having a hard time choosing."

Mary said, "I picked Jane Eyre because it's a good Gothic story."

Catherine said, "I'm not into Goth."

Mary said, "Not Goth. Gothic. It's a genre."

She shrugged. "Whatever it is, I don't think I could sit through a movie with English people being proper and repressive."

"We've watched Ever After like a million times." Mary said.

"Not a million." Lydia huffed. Mary and Catherine gave her doubtful looks. "OK. Maybe more like a hundred."

Georgiana said, "Whatever you guys want is fine with me."

Catherine said, "I'm in the mood for You've Got Mail. Something modern."

Mary said, "But, movies are supposed to be an escape from reality."

"There's nothing wrong with reality." Catherine said. "Especially if the guy you're e-mailing is someone like Tom Hanks."

Mary rolled her eyes.

Georgiana laughed.

"Where's the chocolate?" Lydia looked through the grocery bags.

Jane said, "What do you mean?"

"The chocolate. Kit-kats and Hershey's Kisses."

Catherine said, "I thought you got it."

Lydia said, "I thought Mary did."

She said, "I got the Double Stuffed Oreos."

Everyone looked at each other. Then Lydia said, "We don't have any chocolate?"

Elizabeth said, "I thought someone picked some up." She went to have a look in the grocery bags. "We were all in the store for two hours."

Jane opened the pantry. "Maybe we have some already."

"We don't have to have chocolate candy. We've got the brownies." The looks Georgiana received for her comment caused her to shift in her spot.

Lydia shook her head. "A slumber party is not complete if there's no chocolate candy."

Catherine nodded in agreement. "It's like trying to play baseball without the ball."

Mary said, "Or like having apple pie without the vanilla ice cream."

Elizabeth saw the look of confusion on Georgiana's face. She took pity on the girl and walked over to her. "I think what my silly sisters are trying to say is that chocolate insures the success of a slumber party."

"But, I'm already having a good time."

Lydia walked up to Georgiana. "You haven't been to a lot of slumber parties, have you?"

Jane said, "Lydia, that wasn't very-"

"No," Georgiana said, "It's alright. It's true. I haven't."

Lydia said, "That means we have to do this the right way. We have to have chocolate."

Georgiana was about to say something, but Elizabeth said, "Lydia, you're right. I'll go-"

Jane said, "I'll go. Elizabeth, you make sure that these girls decide on a movie. Watch the brownies, too. I want to pick up a few more things for breakfast tomorrow."

Catherine gasped. "Are you going to make apple cinnamon pancakes?"

She gave her an airy, "I might."

Georgiana could not help smiling at the sight of the younger sisters grinning and clapping.

Jane said, "I'll be back in twenty minutes. Have a movie picked." She grabbed her coat and keys and was out the door.

They all walked back to the living room.

Lydia said, "We should watch Ever After. I love Drew Berrymore."

Catherine said, "But, You've Got Mail is good too. Elizabeth, what should we watch?"

"I've seen them all, so I'm good with any of those." She turned to Georgiana. "Do you have a preference?"

"Uh. . . well, I haven't seen any of them."

Mary, Catherine, and Lydia all looked at her with disbelief.

"Well, I've read Jane Eyre."

Mary said, "Well, this one with Samantha Morton is pretty good. But, the black and white version with Orson Welles as Mr. Rochester," Mary sighed. "I think that's my favorite."

Lydia said, "But, Ever After is a retelling of Cinderella except she's not a wishy-washy Cinderella. Drew Berrymore kicks-"

"Lydia."

She smiled at Elizabeth. "I was going to say she rocks."

Elizabeth shook her head.

Catherine said, "But, You've Got Mail is the classic she hates him, he hates her love story."

Georgiana raised an eyebrow. "They hate each other?"

"Yeah. Actually. Tom Hanks' character, Joe Fox doesn't hate Meg Ryan's character, Kathleen Kelly. He secretly likes her, but they're business competitors."

Georgiana looked around the room. Lydia was sitting to her left on the couch. Mary and Catherine were in front of her, sitting crossed legged on the floor. Elizabeth was on her right in an armchair. They all gave her expectant looks except for Elizabeth. Her brow had a gentle wrinkle.

Georgiana said, "I want to watch You've Got Mail."

Catherine grinned. Lydia and Mary were resigned and Elizabeth gave her a small smile. She said, "I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

Lydia said, "Maybe we can watch Ever After afterwards?"

Georgiana said, "Sure."

Catherine hopped up from her spot to put the DVD in the player. "This movie makes me want to go to New York. Autumn seems like it would be the best time to visit."

"It's nice in November." Georgiana said, "The weather is really nice then."

Catherine returned to her spot on the floor. "You've been to New York?"

Lydia said, "Duh."

Catherine rolled her eyes at Lydia, but when she looked at Georgiana, she gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I forgot that you're like rich and stuff."

Georgiana laughed and said, "It's alright."

Catherine clicked the play button on the remote and the movie started. They had only watched the movie for five minutes when a cell phone started ringing.

Elizabeth said, "Is that mine?"

Georgiana said, "I think it's mine." She searched her bag next to her and took out her phone that was ringing. Georgiana looked at the display screen. "Oh, it's 8 o'clock." Then she answered it. "Hi, Will."

Elizabeth motioned for Catherine to turn down the volume, but Georgiana waved her off. Elizabeth sank a little deeper into her chair, trying to concentrate on the movie.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I'm having a lot of fun. . . We're watching a movie . . . No, I'm not making any trouble. . . Really. If you don't believe me you can ask Elizabeth." Georgiana held out her phone to Elizabeth. "Please tell my brother that I'm being good and we're not participating in any illegal activities."

Elizabeth chuckled. She hesitated before she took the phone. Then she said, "I don't know what kind of slumber parties you go to, but I run respectable ones."

There was a pause before she heard William say, "That doesn't sound like a lot of fun."

"I'm having them read passages from my college Literature book. Your sister does an excellent Lady Macbeth." A corner of her mouth pulled up.

"I thought you were all watching a movie."

"Right now we are, but maybe we'll read together later."

"Reading Macbeth doesn't sound like a very slumber party thing to do."

"Well, I'm sure we'll squeeze in a pillow fight somewhere."

William laughed which caused the corners of Elizabeth's mouth to spread into a smile. When she looked up, she saw that her sisters and Georgiana were watching her instead of the movie. Elizabeth cleared her throat and said, "Uh . . . Georgiana has been very good. We enjoy having her here with us."

William noticed the change in her voice. He hesitated before he said, "I'm glad you all enjoy having her. She doesn't get many chances to be just a . . . girl."

"Well, I'm sure you want to speak to her-"

"Actually, I was wondering . . . I spoke to Richard earlier. . ."

"Hold on." She turned to Georgiana. "Is it all right if I go into another room?"

Georgiana nodded.

Elizabeth got up. "Keep watching the movie. I'll be back." Then she walked towards her bedroom.

When Elizabeth disappeared, Lydia said, "Is she talking to your brother?"

"Yes." Georgiana grinned.

Mary said, "Let's hope they don't end up arguing or something."

When Elizabeth got to her room, she left the door ajar, wanting to make sure she could still hear the girls in the living room.

Elizabeth said, "Sorry. I thought it would be better if I came to my bedroom."

"You're in your bedroom now?"

"Yeah. I didn't think it would be a good idea to talk about this in front of everyone."

"Oh."

"I told Richard that I'd talk to Georgiana about this tonight, but I haven't had a moment yet."

"To talk to Georgiana about. . ."

"About Sarah's cat."

The silence on the other end was drawn out. Elizabeth thought the line was disconnected. "Hello?"

"Yeah. I'm here." He cleared his throat. "Richard did mention that."

"She seems fine so far, but I'll make sure to talk to her about it."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem. I like her and want to make sure she's alright."

"Thanks."

"Have you had a chance to talk to Sarah?"

"No, not yet. I'm going to call her tomorrow morning. It's getting late."

"It's only past 8."

"West coast time." He sighed. "It's past 11 here."

"Oh." She hesitated before she said, "Where are you?"

"New York. I had to . . . clean up a few things."

"Is it because-"

"Don't worry about it. Everything's fine."

"But-"

"It's taken care of."

She hesitated. Elizabeth said the next with great care. "Thanks for giving me and Charlotte a chance to do the presentation. It was a lot of hard work, but we enjoyed it."

"Both of you were good." He said, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were ready for another challenge."

"Oh, no. I think I've had my share of major projects for a while. Caroline can deal with it." Elizabeth regretted saying the last part. They both knew that Caroline was not fit to handle anything. She cleared her throat. "Are you sure there isn't anything I can do to help?"

There was a brief pause before he said, "Just make sure to keep Georgiana out of trouble."

"That won't be very difficult."

There was an awkward pause.

William cleared his throat. "So. . ."

"Uh . . . are you . . . doing anything right now?"

"No-Yes. I mean, I just walked in."

"Oh. But, didn't you say it's eleven o'clock there?"

"Yes, but last time I checked, I didn't have a curfew."

"Of course, you don't. I just-I wasn't prying." She realized that he might not be alone.

"I don't mind if you pry."

"I . . . well . . . I'm sure you're keeping someone waiting."

"Would you be surprised if I said no one was waiting."

"So, you're alone."

"Quite." When she didn't say anything, he continued, "I had dinner at a friend's house. I had not seen her and her husband for a long time and we spent the entire evening catching up."

"You don't have to explain-"

"I'm not."

"Then why are you telling me that you're alone."

"Is that hard to believe?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You're single, rich, and handsome." Elizabeth bit her lip. She didn't mean for that to slip out.

There was an agonizing pause before he said, "You think I'm handsome?"

Elizabeth cleared her throat. "I'm expressing opinions from a general audience."

"A general audience? I don't care about a general audience."

"You already know you are."

"Yes, but it's validating when a strikingly attractive woman thinks so as well."

"Well, I'm sure Caroline will have no trouble validating your handsomeness."

"I wasn't talking about Caroline."

"You don't strike me as the type to enjoy flattery."

"Neither do you. You seem to be impervious at my attempts at them."

She hesitated. "You're not serious."

"Elizabeth, when have you known me not to be."

She saw Georgiana standing at the doorway. "I have to get going. I'm sure the girls are taking advantage of my absence. I'll have Georgiana call you in the morning." They said good night and Elizabeth clicked off the phone.

"The brownies are cooling." She stepped into the room. "Why do I have to call my brother in the morning?"

"I promised him and Richard that I'd talk to you about something."

Georgiana sat on Elizabeth's bed. "Is everything alright?"

She nodded. "Have you talked to Richard today?"

"He left a message on my voice mail earlier. I figured I'd just call him tomorrow after the slumber party."

Elizabeth took a seat next to Georgiana. "I'm not sure if I should be the one to tell you this."

Her eyes widened. "Tell me what?"

Elizabeth proceeded to tell Georgiana about Sarah's cat. When she finished, Elizabeth waited for Georgiana's reaction.

Her expression struggled between sadness and hurt. "I. . ." Georgiana took a deep breath. "I'd forgotten that Sarah had one of mom's . . . There aren't any left now. . ."

Elizabeth wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry to have to break the news to you. I'm sure Richard and William wanted to be the ones to tell you."

Georgiana shook her head. "I'm glad you told me." She swiped the back of her hand across her face. "They hate it when I cry."

Elizabeth took her into her arms. "They don't hate it. I'm sure they don't."

She talked into Elizabeth's shoulder. "They never said they hated it, but I can tell. They have these looks and. . . I try to be strong, but I miss her so much sometimes. . ."

Elizabeth held her closer. "They don't hate it. They . . . they're boys. They just don't know what to do when girls cry."

She let out a muffled laugh.

Elizabeth continued, "It's like what you said before. Guys are different. They have to do something to feel like they're helping, but there's not much you can do when someone is crying."

Georgiana steadied her breathing before she pulled herself away from Elizabeth. "You're right." She closed her eyes and brushed her fingers across them. "I suppose they do try their best. When my cat died last year," she sniffed, "Richard hid all of Patches' toys and Will bought a pint of Cookies and Cream everyday for a month."

"What's with your brother and ice-cream?"

"Ice-cream always makes things better."

Georgiana looked at her with such a solemn look that Elizabeth stifled the laugh that threatened to come out. "Is that what your brother thinks?"

She shook her head. "My . . . mom."

Elizabeth hugged her. "Obviously, your mother was a very wise woman."

Georgiana let out a small laugh.

She pulled back and looked at Georgiana. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Yes." She sniffed again. "You probably think I'm-"

"No, I don't. Your mother sounds like she was a wonderful person. It's no surprise you and your brother adored her."

Georgiana gave her a watery smile. "I was very young when my mother died. I don't have as many memories as Will has of her, but the ones I have . . . they were good. I remember when she gave me Patches. . ." Her breathing became labored. "This will sound stupid, but . . . I never really thought that Patches would die, too."

"It's alright." Elizabeth squeezed her hand and saw tears roll down her cheeks. She looked around for tissue. "I don't have any tissues in here." She looked at Georgiana. "Will you be alright if I run to the bathroom real quick to get some tissue?"

Georgiana nodded and Elizabeth gave her another squeeze before she went to the bathroom. When she was alone, Georgiana took a deep cleansing breath and stood up. She looked around the room for a distraction. She hated breaking down like this, but Elizabeth was so understanding that Georgiana was not too troubled by her outburst.

Her attention was captured by Elizabeth's sleek laptop on a desk across the room. She walked over and admired the titanium cover and the compact screen. Her eyes followed a cable which connected to a printer and she had to do a double take at what she saw printed.

Life After College: The Dreaded Career Interview

Although the title of the article intrigued her, it was what was underneath it that had her mouth gaping.

By E.M. Bennet

She knew that name only on the internet, but when understanding hit her, Georgiana could have kicked herself for not making the connection sooner.

"Here are some-" Elizabeth stopped in mid-stride when she saw Georgiana looking at the papers in her printer.

Georgiana looked up at her. "I'm sorry. I was just looking at your laptop. I didn't mean-"

"No, it's alright." She handed Georgiana some tissues. "So. . ."

She took the tissues, but did not use them. "You're E.M. Bennet."

Elizabeth nodded.

"But, that means . . . you write those articles I like to read . . . you-"

"Wait, before you say anything-"

"This is great. I'm so happy."

"Georgiana, no one else knows."

She blinked several times. "What do you mean?"

"You're the only one, actually you and your brother are the only people who know about this."

"You told my brother?"

"I didn't tell him. It was an accident."

"Oh." Georgiana gave her a curious look. "Why don't you tell anyone?"

"Because it's just something I'm trying out. I don't know if I'll keep writing."

"Why not?"

She shrugged. "I'm learning it's hard to establish yourself and make a good living from it."

"Of course it takes work, but I think you'd be good at it."

Elizabeth smiled. "Thanks, but I don't want to get my hopes up."

"There's so much I want to ask, to talk about." Georgiana said, "Would you be willing to look at something I wrote?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You write, too?"

A soft blush spread on her cheeks. "Not anything compared to what you write."

Elizabeth shook her head. "You're giving me too much credit, but I'd be happy to look over anything you've written."

Jane knocked on the doorframe. "I got back a while ago and was wondering if everything's alright."

"Everything's fine." Elizabeth led Georgiana out the room. "I was just talking to William."

Jane followed them to the living room. "You talked to William?"

Georgiana said, "He called. He always calls at eight whenever he's away."

Jane said, "That's very thoughtful."

They joined the rest of the girls in the living room. Elizabeth took the armchair and Georgiana returned to her seat next to Lydia. Jane sat on the floor with Catherine and Mary.

Mary asked, "What's very thoughtful?"

Jane said, "Georgiana's brother always calls at eight whenever he's away."

Mary smiled. "That's nice."

Lydia said, "What's wrong? You look like you've been crying."

Elizabeth said, "Lydia-"

"No, it's OK." Georgiana said. "I was crying."

They all looked at her. Elizabeth said, "But, she's fine now."

Lydia said, "What did you say to her?"

Elizabeth was about to tell Lydia it was none of her business, when Georgiana said, "A friend of mine. Her cat died last week."

Lydia moved closer to her. Mary, Catherine, and Jane let out a collective gasp.

Catherine said, "Is your friend alright?"

Georgiana nodded.

Lydia said, "Is that all?" When her elder sisters gave her a warning look, she continued, "I mean, you look really upset."

Elizabeth said, "You don't have to talk about it, if you don't feel comfortable."

"Thanks, but I'd like to. If no one else minds."

Everyone said they didn't mind and Catherine stopped the movie at the part where Joe Fox was scrapping off all the caviar garnish while Kathleen Kelly asked him what he was doing.

Georgiana proceeded to tell them how her mother, who passed away, had a cat who had kittens. Her mother had given all of them to a shelter except two. Her mother had given one to her and the other to Sarah.

Georgiana said, "I'd forgotten that Sarah had a kitten." Before she could continue, Lydia, Mary, Catherine, and Jane surrounded Georgiana, all trying to comfort her.

Elizabeth saw the surprised look on Georgiana's face. "Uh . . . girls, I don't think Georgiana's used to so much . . . comforting."

They all laughed and backed away to give Georgiana some breathing room.

Georgiana said, "If I were at home, Richard would probably be talking about getting a new cat and William would be raiding all the ice-cream out of the freezer section at the grocery store."

A tremulous laugh escaped from the group. Then Catherine looked at Georgiana with alarm.

Georgiana asked, "What's the matter?"

"Uh . . . well, my nickname. It might upset you."

"What is it?"

She hesitated before she said, "It's Kitty."

"I think I can handle that." She smiled.

It was past four in the morning when they finished watching movies and went to sleep, but even then some of the girls stayed up talking. Elizabeth fell asleep listening to Mary talk about the finer qualities of Mr. Rochester.

It was only a few hours later that Elizabeth woke up to more talking. She looked around, but everyone was asleep. Then she saw that Georgiana was gone. She listened again and realized that Georgiana was in the kitchen talking on her cell phone.

"I'm sorry that I called during a meeting, but I think this is more important." Her voice was low, but because it was quiet, it carried through the apartment.

"You're supposed to be in charge. End the meeting . . . because I want you to tell me why you haven't asked Elizabeth out yet."

Elizabeth was fully awakened by the last statement. She looked around to see if anyone else heard Georgiana, but they were all still sound asleep.

"What do you mean you can't talk about this right now . . . Then make all those people leave. . . Why am I being so demanding? Because this is important to me and it should be important to you, too."

Elizabeth shifted in the armchair. It didn't matter because she could still hear Georgiana.

"I'm sorry if it seems like I'm being pushy, but I . . . really like her. I like her and her sisters, too . . . And I know you like Elizabeth . . . Don't try to deny it . . . Oh, I wasn't expecting you to say that. Then why haven't you . . . You did? No, tell me now . . . When you get back? I can't wait until then. . . How about when I get home later tonight? Don't laugh. . . Tonight. OK? OK."

A few seconds later, Elizabeth heard Georgiana approach the living room. Elizabeth shut her eyes, feigning sleep. She waited several minutes before she snuck a look at Georgiana. She had settled back onto the couch, her eyes closed. Elizabeth was unsure if she had fallen back asleep, but was not inclined to wake her up.

Elizabeth liked Georgiana. She believed they both could be good friends. In fact, Elizabeth knew Georgiana was also becoming friends with her sisters.

She realized she was naive to think that she and Georgiana could be friends and not have to worry about her brother. She let out a soft sigh. Elizabeth was still sorting out her feelings towards him. It had been a whole week since the night of William's awkward confession of his feelings for her. It felt like that happened so long ago. She was still confused about him.

Elizabeth had been determined not to see him as more than the CEO who owned the company she worked for. It was easier to distance herself from him that way. When she thought about why she wanted to do that, her immediate thought was because he was her boss. There had to be that distinction between them. However, Elizabeth knew that couldn't be true. The work relationship she had with Richard was blurred with a friendship she enjoyed.

When she dug deeper into her feelings, Elizabeth did not like what she discovered. She had been hurt. Elizabeth remembered the day when she had overheard Richard and William talking about her. William had pointed out that she wasn't good enough to date Richard. Elizabeth did not know why this had bothered her so much especially since she and Richard were not interested in each other in that way. Yet, it did hurt her.

Elizabeth was always quick to shrug off criticism and negativity, but for some reason she was unable to do it this time. Although she had never admitted it to herself, Elizabeth now realized that if William thought she was not good enough for Richard, it meant that Elizabeth was not also good enough for William. It was an assumption her mind had made and it ran with it. Elizabeth realized that she had convinced herself that nothing could possibly happen between her and William because of his initial comment.

However, in her attempt to distance herself from William, it only drew him to her.

Elizabeth was not sure whether or not to cry or to scream. It would've been easier if William had continue to disapprove of her. But, now she was not sure if he had always felt that way.

And if he had not always felt that way, then. . . it was quite possible that his feelings were not of a recent infatuation. Perhaps he had liked for some time.

Elizabeth let out a heavy sigh and rested her forehead on her hand. She could finally believe it. She replayed moments with him and realized he was interested in her. It was so obvious now.

But, what could she do about it? Elizabeth had made it quite clear she was not interested in anything more than just a work relationship.

Wait.

Was she admitting that she would be interested in something more? She was still on the fence about it. Part of her was curious, but another part was sure it was too late.

Elizabeth looked over at Georgiana who had fallen back asleep. If anything, she decided she would be at least civil towards William for Georgiana's sake.

Continued In Next Section