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Chapter 21
Richard had just boarded a taxi to the East End, when Darcy remember that he had forgotten to give Georgiana and Elisa their flowers, which had been put into the passenger seat next to the driver as a precaution in case the respective women were to discover their existence before Darcy was sufficiently prepared to surprise them. Of course, now, that precaution had all gone to waste. Before Davis drove away to the car garage on the next block, Darcy retrieved the bouquet and corsage from their seat.
"Are those for me?" Georgiana asked, as they entered their building together.
Darcy handed her the large bouquet of lilies and nodded. She looked over and saw the plastic florist box in his other hand, but did not say anything. When they reached their apartment, he bid her congratulations and good night, before heading straight to his room.
As he set down the corsage on his bed and took off his coat to hang it in the closet, Darcy could still feel the essence of her in his arms. Indeed, it was something that was hard to shake, and for the moment, he didn't feel like he would ever want to forget how warm and vibrant she had felt. He lifted the collar of his shirt to his nose, inhaling what little scent she had left when her hair had lightly brushed his shoulder: it was something light, and yet exotic and spicy. Ginger, he imagined.
He placed the box on his nightstand, feeling like the gift had gone to a complete waste. For whatever reason, he had wanted her to have it - a corsage of small pale pink roses on a satin ribbon. But now it was pointless.
He turned off the light and fell asleep promptly, not wanting to ponder the gift's implications.
"How are you?"
"Sick." She sniffled into her tissue.
"No wonder, considering what you were wearing Saturday night." He grinned.
"Shut up." Elisa threw the box of Kleenex at Richard, who had stopped by to visit her office.
It wasn't three or four days after the fundraiser before Elisa had caught the virus that had been going around the office building the previous weeks. She had thought herself out of trouble when Maria had come up to her last week, sneezing and coughing, and she didn't catch her bug. But now, it was definite that whatever Maria had had, along with half the staff at Pemberley, Elisa currently had.
"I think it's the flu." She coughed. "You probably should go, or you'll catch it, too."
"Unlike you people, I had the foresight into getting my flu shot this year."
"Fabulous." She mumbled, resting back into her chair. "So what are you doing? Gloating? Because if that's what you're doing, you better get out."
"I wouldn't dream of it, Elisa."
She decided his smile was really getting irritating.
"That's it, out of here now!"
She got up to shoo him away, but he protested childishly.
"Aww, come on... Okay, okay, stop hitting me, will you? I just wanted to give you something."
"And what's that?"
"The week off, until you're better."
She shook her head. "I can't; I'm on deadline. And anyway, you're not my boss so you couldn't give me the week off even if you wanted to."
"You do know Georgiana's home right now, sick?"
She looked up, confused. "What? But I just..." Then she remembered she could not recall she had been doing these past few hours. The cough medication had really taken her out.
"Sleeping. Yeah, I saw you."
"Oh, for goodness sake!" She looked mortified.
"Don't worry, you looked pretty cute... drooling and all." Richard laughed.
And out of nowhere, a few tears began to fall from her face. She had not thought she was going to cry, but there she was, doing it in front of Richard. She didn't mean to, but everything felt horrible: her limbs and joints were sore, her eyes were puffy, her throat hurt, and she was dizzy and disoriented.
"I was only kidding." He looked panicked. "I didn't mean it... I take it back."
She sniffled some more. "Oh, it isn't that."
"Do you want to go home?"
"What time is it?"
"Almost five. Come on, I'll drive you myself."
"Okay."
Janine had come right over when she heard that Elisa was ill. When she knocked upon the door, she was surprised to find it open, and inside Richard was making tea.
"Um... is Elisa here?"
"Oh, yes. She's resting in be right now... You must be Ms. Gardiner. Richard Fitzwilliam, at your service." He wiped his hands on a towel and then extended it towards her.
"Please call me Janine."
"Janine." He repeated. "Oh, forgive my manners. Let me take your coat... Elisa's in there; I think she's been asking for you."
She went into Elisa's bedroom quickly, hoping not to find her friend gravely ill. Elisa was tucked in already, her face a little pale and tired. She immediately perked up when she realized Janine had come to visit her.
"How are you feeling?"
"Dreadful. Oh, you mustn't come to close. I don't want to give it to you."
"It's alright. I got my flu shot before I came to the States. I think they last for about a year, or so."
"You're just like Richard! God, why didn't I go to my doctor beforehand?"
Elisa broke out into a fit of coughing, before settling back looking more wan than ever. She smiled weakly. "So, how are things with Charles?"
Janine sat down nest to her on the bed. "Tsk! What a time to be asking questions." She fretted, much like Elisa imagined her mum must have.
"I have been meaning to ask you..."
"Everything is fine, for the moment."
"Good."
There was a knock on the open door, and Richard came in bearing a tray of two full cups of tea.
"I thought you might be staying." He explained to Janine.
"Yes, thank you."
"How is she doing?"
"I'm not sure." Janine placed a hand over her friend's forehead. "Seems to be running a slight fever. Did she say she was feeling hot?"
"I'm not sure. But she was nauseous on the car ride over. It could be the stomach flu."
"You think?"
"Hey! Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Elisa shouted, although much wearied.
"Sorry." They both apologized at the same time.
"Anyway, I've got to jet over to Ana's to check up on her. You'll be fine, right?" Richard asked.
"I'll be peachy keen." Elisa half-smiled. "Thanks for the ride."
"No problem."
Janine got up to show him out. He moved to clean up the mess he had created in the kitchen, but she stopped him. "Don't worry about it. I'll get it."
He could see instantly see why Charles was so besotted: she was very pretty, a little soft-spoken and shy, but with a gentle heart. She actions were caring, her form graceful, and her smile was genuinely happy.
"She's a little disturbed, too, if you know what I mean." A comical grin spread over his features. He pointed his finger to his head and began rotating it, indicating he thought she was crazy.
"I heard that!" Elisa yelled from her bedroom.
Janine laughed.
Chapter 22
"Are you sure you're okay?" Darcy called from the kitchen.
Georgiana tried to answer her brother in the affirmative, but her throat was so sore her voice was barely above a whisper.
He popped his head into her room. "You lost your voice, didn't you?"
She nodded.
"I knew you weren't getting better. I'll call Hannah and tell her I'm not coming in today."
"No." She protested softly. "Go to work and take care of the business. I'll call someone over to stay with me."
"There is no way I'm leaving you like this."
"Please. I'll be fine." She gave him her look, the one that usually got her what she wanted out of him, and he relented. "I'm not a baby anymore, I'm almost 21 years old."
"Fine. But I want you in bed, period. I'll call home every hour. Plus, I'm calling Dr. Mallucci right when I get to the office." He kissed her forehead before leaving her room to gather his things for work.
"Not him!" Georgiana whined as loud as she could. "William, you wouldn't!"
Darcy laughed to himself as he heard her silent screams of objection; she had always hated doctors and anything related to doctors. Dr. Mallucci meant horrible blood tests and shots, and horrible blood tests and shots meant needles, and if there was anything Georgiana Darcy hated more that spiders, it was needles. He calmly picked up his briefcase and coat, knowing that his sister was going to be absolutely fine.
He got onto the elevator as it reached his floor. He smirked. "I'm sorry, Ana, you were saying something? I couldn't quite hear you..." And then his voice was drowned out by the closing doors.
The silence was actually quite blissful...
Two hundred and thirty-seven... two hundred and thirty-eight...
She had been awake since daybreak, absentmindedly counting the number of tiles that made up her mosaic bathroom floor. The silence was indeed very peaceful, but the tedium was getting to her. She began recounting, starting from the innermost corner of the bathroom; she would have finished ages ago, but she only had a partial view from her sprawled out position on her bed so, not being inclined to get up, there would only be two hundred and thirty-eight tiles. Period.
She sighed.
I need to do something. I can't lie here all day...
And for the first time since six in the morning, when Janine left for work, Elisa forced herself to get out of bed. She groggily pulled herself into the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea. The clock on the stove read 8:37 AM; it was unbelievable how slow time passed when there was nothing to do. She throat still felt a little sore, but her headache and dizziness had cleared up sufficiently for her to move about without falling down.
A large pile of paperwork sat menacingly on her kitchen counter. She had had the sense to bring it home to toil over, but had forgotten a specific file at the office that she needed to complete the order forms. If the forms weren't completed and sent out before the week's end, Añya's new spring line would not make stores in time for the warm weather rush.
I have to go to work, whether Richard or Janine like it or not. Georgiana is depending on me.
She dressed in her warmest clothes, her favorite coat, and headed out into the cold. By the time she hailed a cab and made her way downtown, it was nearly ten. She trooped up to the twenty-fourth floor, sniffling every once in a while, without any more than the usual hassle. The place seemed eerily quiet, with almost the complete design department staff out sick. Elisa walked briskly to her shared office with Georgiana. Intending only to rescue her file and return home as quickly as possible, she was surprised to find another person sitting at her desk, shuffling through her things.
"Excuse me, but what do you think you are doing?"
He stopped moving and looked up at the person that had interrupted his search. When he realized whom it was, his reproachful expression softened a little.
"Elisa. Well, good morning."
"Good morning, Mr. Darcy." She approached her desk with suspicion. "I beg your pardon, but what are you doing at my desk?"
He got up slowly. "I was looking for the Keiser/Blanchard files." He said matter-of-factly. "Georgiana said she left them on your table for you to return to me yesterday, but apparently you forgot. So I went looking for them myself."
"Well, you could have waited until I got here. Looking though a person's desk without permission seems like a rude thing to do... It's like rifling through their underwear drawer!"
"Well..." He countered, with a slight raise of his eyebrow. "If you had gotten here on time, instead of an hour late, then maybe I wouldn't have found it necessary to go through your things."
Her temper flared. "For your information, I was home sick. I wasn't even going to come in today because Richard wanted me to stay home and rest, but I needed to get some things so I could work at home!"
He looked at her hard. Gradually, a miniscule smile alighted his features. "A thousand apologies; I did not know you were ill."
She had bolstered herself for some sort of set-down or condescending sneer, but was amazed to receive neither; he actually sounded concerned. He came out from behind the desk to allow her through. Instead of answering his almost too sincere comment, she focused her eyes on her papers.
The silence that followed led her to believe he had left the room, but she soon felt his soft breath on her neck as he leaned over to watch her work. She involuntarily shuddered, but could not find it in herself to move.
"What do you have in your desk that's so secret, anyhow?" He said in a low, serious voice.
"Nothing; it's the just the principle of the matter, that's all."
"Now come on... money, jewels? No, you wouldn't leave such valuable things lying around..." He continued to guess, his tone now turning to amusement. "Maybe confidential military plans to take over the world? That's it, isn't it? And you're planning to start with the United States!"
She turned around in her chair, a smile upon her face. She had never seen him in an even remotely playful mood. But the humorous inflection in his voice warmed her heart, just a little, and she was able to see for the first time something other than the seriousness that so often clouded his features. He reminded her a little of Richard, in fact, which was a definite improvement.
"I have it all figured out." He declared.
She tentatively joined in his game. "And what would that be, sir?"
"You're a Russian spy sent on a secret mission to infiltrate our country! You start by destroying our economy - affecting our stock market, no less - smart move... While we're all wondering what happened to our money, you've moved on to our military department..."
"And?"
"Completely overtake that as well... You deploy troops into some out of the way African country, so they can't be called back immediately. You probably nuke a few countries, to throw us off your tail - when we've just barely put all the pieces together, that is. And before we know it, our country is in complete shambles, and you've got the President eating out of your hands!"
He finished with a flourish of his arms, his face shining with that certain charm of his. She laughed at his exaggerated tale, completely taken in with the newest facet of William Darcy, CEO, head of the illustrious Pemberley, Inc. How could she have completely missed this side of him?
She decided he looked good when he smiled.
"I take it my apology is accepted?" He asked.
"It is, thank you. And here's what you're looking for."
She handed him a large, slightly worn manila folder full of documents, held together precariously with several rubber bands.
"Your handiwork, I presume?" She smiled.
He paused at the door, his person still in good spirits. He gave her the Darcy smile - one that was said to cause even the most strong-willed and stubborn of women to fall head of heels in love with him. "You presumed right."
Chapter 23
She hadn't planned to stay above a quarter of an hour, but when she began working on a few order forms and merchandise write-ups, the time passed quickly. Before she knew it, she had been in the office for three and a half hours and was determined to stay for the rest of the day. Her more pressing flu-like symptoms on the mend, Elisa decided that she felt well enough to at least finish some other office work she had been neglecting to do, such as clean-up her and Georgiana's workspaces, as well as catalogue the newer design sheets into the large file cabinet that now flanked one wall of the studio.
"Hey, I thought I told you to stay home and rest!"
Elisa jumped suddenly at the voice.
"Richard! For Pete's sake, don't scare me like that!" She scolded.
"Sorry." But he didn't look that sorry; in fact, he looked a little peeved. "Why aren't you in bed resting, like I told you to?"
"Thanks, but I'm feeling better, Mom." She picked up a stack of color-coded files and put them into a drawer.
"You know, you're not going to earn any brownie points for coming to work when you should be home in bed."
"I'm not looking for any 'brownie points', dear misguided Richard." She grinned as she sat back at her desk to start organizing the contents spread upon the surface. "I'm doing what I was hired to do, that's all."
"At what expense, Elisa? Your health? You know that Georgiana doesn't care one straw whether you get things done on time if you're sick. Come now, let me take you home."
"You know what? You're starting to sound like a broken record..." She was surprised to find herself becoming angry with him - he whom she had never thought she would ever receive with bad humor. She looked up at him, and in his eyes she found irritation and exasperation.
"Well, forgive me for caring." He turned to leave, his voice shockingly cold.
She could not bear to have him angry with her. Anyone else, it didn't matter. But with Richard, she trusted everything.
Elisa followed him in the hallway, touching his hand with hers. "I'm sorry."
There was a slight, hesitant pause. He sighed.
"I only wanted you to get better." Richard hugged her, resting his chin upon her head. "You're like a sister to me, Elisa. You know?"
"I know." She smiled. "And you're like the big neurotic brother I never wanted."
He laughed heartily, and she felt that things were all right.
"I can't believe it... He ran after her in the rain."
"I hardly call it running. He just got out of the cab."
"So what? It's romantic."
"It's hardly romantic."
"What's with you and this 'hardly' nonsense? I know you love this, just as much as I do."
"True. But it's not romantic."
"Fine, be that way."
"I will."
"Ooh, 'Moon River'..." Georgiana began singing in her sweet soprano voice.
Elisa smiled into the phone. "Imagine going out in all that rain for a stupid cat!"
Georgiana abruptly stopped singing. "Who you calling stupid?"
"Cat, that's who."
"Amazing. I can't believe you claim this to be your favorite movie of all time."
Elisa shrugged. "What can I say? Audrey Hepburn's got class."
"Why don't you come over tonight?"
"And share your germs? I don't think so."
"Come on. I'm practically germ-free. William's been scrubbing the place with Lysol like a madman, it's that clean."
"Your brother? Cleaning?!" Picturing Darcy in an apron, shower cap, and yellow rubber gloves, Elisa began to giggle.
"What?"
"Nothing... I'll be there in twenty minutes."
Three days had passed since the afternoon when Richard found Elisa in her office working. That day he had forced her to stay indoors, threatening several tortures he had devised especially to torment younger individuals (tortures perfected on Georgiana, who could not stand tickling), and made her promise to stay home at least until the weekend was over. So, to pass time until the set date, Elisa and Georgiana had been watching the Romance Channel non-stop in their respective homes across town, holding long telephone conversations during each movie.
Elisa gathered a few of her things and headed out into the chill air. It was nearing dusk, the part of the day she loved most where it was no longer day but not quite night. She loved that exhilarating feeling she got from walking briskly in the nearly freezing cold, a feeling she never got in the mild temperatures of California. It made her feel invincible, like she could conquer anything and everything. And Elisa, being of that insatiable free spirit, would have probably ran the several mile distance to the Darcy Upper West Side apartment if she had not the common sense to fear for her safety in the evening hours. Instead of putting herself in unnecessary danger, she hailed a taxi and rode her way uptown.
"Good evening Ms. Bennet." The doorman met her taxi and opened the door as it pulled to a stop in front of the apartment building.
"Thank you, Stan."
After she paid the driver, he escorted her into the building. "Ms. Darcy is expecting you. Go right ahead."
Elisa nodded politely as the elevator ascended and he slipped out of view. Within a minute, she reached the Darcy penthouse suite where Georgiana was standing just inside the door, smiling widely, to greet her.
"Great, you made it!" Georgiana chirped, much like a schoolgirl.
"You'd think I'd abandon you to interminable hours of boredom? How horrible a friend do you think I am?" Elisa joked as she set down her treasures in the kitchen. Tonight they were going to bake something she hadn't had reason to make for a long time. But with friends to share in the joy and fun of baking, Elisa was ready to get mussed with flour.
Georgiana hovered around her as she began to take parcels out of her bags. "What did you bring this time?"
"You'll see, just wait a minute..." Elisa scolded, much like a mother would to an impatient child.
"Ooh, are we making something? I love to cook, even though everyone says I can't. I know I'm a terrible cook, but I do like to try!" Georgiana babbled on and on.
Elisa gave her a scrutinizing once-over. "Are you sure you're all right? You're a little jittery."
"Am I? I didn't really notice. Anyway, like I was saying, I tried making the Thanksgiving turkey one year, but it turned out all wrong. And the potatoes somehow exploded..."
Darcy slipped into the kitchen, catching Elisa within his gaze. "She's had four cans of soda in the past hour." He explained apologetically. "I shouldn't have let her drink so much of that unhealthy stuff, but she begged me and I figured it would be okay."
"I see." Elisa smiled. "You seem to lose your conviction easily when it comes to your sister."
"She has that effect on people." He agreed.
"You're an ideal brother, then?"
Darcy picked up an empty can and dropped it into the trash. "I try to be, yes."
"Are you even listening to me?" Georgiana cut in impatiently.
"No!" Elisa and Darcy answered at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed. Georgiana was not amused.
"Elisa..."
"Hold your horses, my dear Georgiana. What I have brought with me is nothing short of a miracle in a pan. It's my father's secret recipe, and both of you must swear on your life never to reveal it to another soul. Both of you raise your right hand."
Georgiana raised her hand promptly as commanded, but Darcy took a moment to consider it before lifting his hand, amusement written across his face.
"Now repeat after me: I, (insert your name here)..."
"I, Georgiana Darcy..."
"I, William Darcy..."
"Do solemnly swear..."
Darcy began to chuckle lightly.
"I beg your pardon, did I say something funny?" Elisa asked with feigned seriousness.
"Nothing madam, I assure you. Please continue."
"Good... Do solemnly swear never to reveal the recipe I will hereby receive. Nor will I ever reveal to another soul the miracle that I will witness here today. I swear upon my life and the lives of all that I hold dear to me, never to betray this secret and the honor of Benjamin Arnold Bennet, the Third."
They repeated the oath - Darcy as solemnly as he could, for with every word he felt like laughing outright.
"Fantastic!" Elisa spread out the goodies and divided up the jobs to be done. After only a few minutes, due to an uncontrollable bursting bag, everyone was covered head to toe in flour. Elisa coughed and swatted at the falling snow-like dust, Georgiana fell into a fit of hysterical laughter, and Darcy grinned - he couldn't remember the last time he actually made something, let alone bake with the oven he still hadn't even learned to set the time on.
"What are we making, anyway?" Darcy asked, as she ordered him to crack a few eggs into a bowl.
She reached out impulsively to brush back one of his floured locks of hair, but drew back quickly as her fingertips lightly touched his cheek. His eyes held hers for a moment, but she looked away, not able to match the strange intensity that his held. "My father's Butterscotch Brownies." She answered after a few seconds.
"Interesting." He commented, hoping that his voice did not betray any of the excitement he felt at her sudden slight touch.
She nodded, turning away just as she felt a blush come over her.
Chapter 24
"Well, I feel like I'm going to burst." Georgiana gratefully sank into the couch. She was holding a plate with a half-eaten brownie on it - the fourth one she had managed to steal from the pan and consume.
"Serves you right, you pig." Elisa stood in the kitchen doorway, hands on hips. "I don't know how you can eat so much and stay so thin. It's impossible!"
"High metabolism; it runs in the family... Hey, William ate five brownies, and you didn't yell at him!"
"First off, he asked. Secondly, he's a guy. Guys are guys; they can be pigs for all I care. You, my dear, are a poor excuse for a proper woman." She shook her head, laughing.
Georgiana groaned, rubbing her stomach. "I don't want to be a proper female at home. At work I'll be as professional as the next person, but at home I get to be as childish I want. So there." And in a last move to convince Elisa that she refused to be adult, Georgiana stuck out her tongue.
Elisa grinned.
"I have to live with that twenty-four hours a day." Darcy stood behind her, looking over her shoulder at his sister.
"A taxing job, I suppose?"
"Dreadfully, yes. But someone's got to do it."
"Resigned to your fate, then?" Elisa smiled at Georgiana, who was looking at them funny.
"Yes, I am... Anyway, it's impossible to not love Ana, no matter how silly she is."
"Silly, indeed." Elisa agreed, seriously.
Georgiana looked over at the couple, the hideous amounts of sugar in her system slowly wearing away, and realized that they weren't arguing. They weren't angry or even tense in each other's company. When had this happened? She watched them as they watched her; Elisa was leaning against the doorway, arms now crossed against her chest, and Darcy was standing behind her, arm stretched out to rest on the door frame a little above her head. He looked like his hands were just itching to encircle her waist, but Georgiana could not be sure.
"You look just like mom and dad." She said softly, wistfully remembering how her parents stood much the same way when they were hosting dinner parties at the family home in the Hamptons. Her mother the consummate hostess in her glittery gown; her father, the brooding, dark-haired gentleman who hated keeping frivolous company, unless his beloved wife was there to make the time pass quickly.
Darcy self-consciously removed his hand and put it into his pocket. He walked past Elisa into the living room and took a seat next to his sister. "Are you staying the night?" He asked, nonchalantly.
"No, I had not planned to."
Georgiana drifted out of her sullen mood of reflection. "You're welcome to, if you want. William won't mind, right?"
He looked the picture of calmness, his voice steady and composed, if not slightly mechanical. "I won't mind, no."
"I thank you very much, but I do have to go home. It's nearly nine, and I have an early start tomorrow."
"You should at least get cleaned up. You can't go home looking like the Pillsbury Dough Boy attacked you!" Georgiana bounced up and pulled her into the hallway leading to the other side of the apartment. "Your welcome to take a shower or bath before you leave. I'll bring your clothes to Rose downstairs. She can do wonders with dirty laundry."
"Really, Ana, it's no - "
"Nonsense." She pushed Elisa into her room. "Bathroom's to your right. Leave your stuff in a pile outside the door, and I'll take them down to Rose right now. She's always awake and ready to help."
Elisa, realizing that Georgiana was not one to be persuaded in matters concerning the well being of her guests, agreed, though reluctantly, to freshening up before the taxi ride home. It was the least she could do to appease her friend. She stepped into the luxurious bathroom and found several fluffy towels sitting on the rosewood shelves along with rows and rows of every hair, face, and body cleansing, moisturizing, and styling product on the face of the planet. "Oh my god..." She chuckled as she realized that the products were arranged alphabetically.
"I had too much time on my hands." Georgiana explained, as she followed her friend into the bathroom. "Once William started talking about portfolios and mutual funds, I had to find something else to do."
"Why was he talking to you about that?" Elisa was amused.
"He thought it would cheer me up and help pass the time. Imagine that!" Georgiana moved out of the room and closed the door. "Hurry up now. Can't keep Rose waiting."
Elisa quickly drew a steaming bath, adding a few drops of ginger oil that she always kept with her all the time and some bubble bath from Georgiana's collection. Shedding her clothing, Elisa cracked open the boor a few inches and handed Georgiana her dusty shirt and jeans. As her friend retreated out of the bedroom and closed the main door, Elisa slipped into the bath and reveled gloriously in the soothing water.
Meanwhile, Darcy, curiously watching his sister bustle out of the apartment declaring she was going to see Rose on the first floor, was left alone to his own devices. He had, much to his own satisfaction, remained cool and collected throughout the whole night. At first, he had feared greatly that something was going to happen that would disturb his resolve; and indeed something almost had when Elisa had gently brushed his check with her fingertips. But she had recoiled slightly, and he could see something in her eyes that he was sure he had never seen before. It was a mix of emotions so confused and swirling, he did not dare venture into the passionate fray. Was she afraid of him? Disgusted? He, in his heightened state of sensibility, felt himself close to losing control. There was something about her that enticed him, affected him so deeply that he did not realized how in love he was until it was too late. But it wasn't anything particular that she said or did that caused him to feel this way; it was just everything about the complete package that intrigued him: her confidence, her charming personality, her sensuous beauty that knocked him off his feet whenever he thought of her.
He walked towards his bedroom, no longer wanting to think about anything related to this woman that had attracted him so. It was bad enough being in the same room as her, but knowing that she was inside his home, bathing or undressing or doing god knows what, was too much to bear. But as he passed Georgiana's door he stopped, listening to the faint sound of splashing water. He rested against the doorframe, closed his eyes and imagined what it would happen if he just walked in there right now, if he - for once in his life - did something brash, stupid, and yet daring with potentially exciting results...
He walks into the room, unable to help himself. He has dreamt about her since he first saw her, and is helpless when she is around. He watches her peacefully, from a distance, not caring if he is infringing on her privacy. The attraction is too strong to be overpowered. She opens her eyes, acutely feeling his eyes on her. She turns her head and is surprised to see him there, staring at her with such intensity that she cannot seem to reproach him for intruding on her. She is left speechless.
He approaches her, barely aware that his legs are doing the moving. She turns away, thinking the situation over. She would very much like to get up and shut the bathroom door, but then she would have to get up naked. The only security she has is to stay beneath the bubbles in the bath and hope he'll go away. He doesn't of course. But there's nothing sinister in his motives. If anything, he only wants to look into her eyes and he would be content.
She tries to voice something to tell him to stop bothering her, but does not have the courage to look back at him. Within moments he is beside her, but still doesn't speak. He takes the bottle she has in her hands. "Here, let me do that." He finally says in such a smooth, silky voice that she is caught in its spell. He pours out a little of the shampoo and gently begins to lather her hair in it. She acquiesces to his help, only because her conscience has flown out the window and she is letting her body and heart take control. She is downing in the sensation of his touch, his strong fingers massaging her head in such a way that the only thing she can concentrate on is the way she is feeling at that moment. And that feeling is heavenly.
He never strays farther than the base of her neck. He knows that his being there is quite improper enough. He can't comprehend how he has gotten this far and how she can let him do this. He can only conjecture that she is feeling the way he feels. She attempts to stifle a little moan of pleasure, but he hears it and it is driving him mad with desire. But he knows he shouldn't go farther than they are both ready for. He is grateful that the bubbles are still covering her form, because he wouldn't know what he would do if she showed any more skin that just the bare shoulders she was showing now.
"William." Her voice is sweet and luring. "William." She repeats, a little louder. He realizes he has completely lost himself to her. "William." She says louder, and he falls head first into the bath, the warm and wondrous water floating, kissing his soul with the intimacy he has always wanted and has never known...
"William!" Georgiana was trying to get his attention. Darcy stumbled into the door, awakening from his dream
"What are you doing?" She looked at him curiously.
"Nothing... I was... nothing." He stammered, backing away from her bedroom. He looked like he had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing - but what Georgiana didn't know. From what she observed, he had been leaning against her door in silence, thinking about something. "I'm going to bed now... Please tell Elisa I bid her goodnight." He made a quick move to his own room farther down the hall.
"I will." Georgiana watched him as he disappeared into his room. "How odd."
"What's odd?" Elisa suddenly appeared at the doorway wrapped in a towel.
"Nevermind." Georgiana handed Elisa her clean clothes.
Chapter 25
Darcy leaned against his closed door, breathing hard.
"Get a hold of yourself, man."
He felt like he had just run a marathon; his heart was pumping miles a minute and he could hardly hold himself up. There was something burning within his veins, a dizzying sensation of something akin to lust and passion. Had he wanted her that bad? So bad it hurt? The overwhelming feeling of desire suddenly drifted away until it settled into calm, and Darcy felt him draining away from himself... from his former self: so cold, so austere. He could see himself, as if he were an outside observer, falling endlessly into oblivion.
"Stop it! Stop this foolish nonsense!"
Darcy lifted himself onto the bed, exhausted. There was no satisfaction in letting this part of him run wild, he realized. There was no plausible explanation why he had let himself go for that brief moment, when reason had ruled his faculties his whole life. Would he let emotion cloud his judgment, master him completely? No, it would not be.
"I won't let you do this to me... I won't."
"It's working!" were the first words Richard Fitzwilliam heard early Sunday morning. He had half-expected the morning mailman with the Sunday edition of the New York Times, but was slightly taken aback by the presence of his bubbly younger cousin, who was too cheerful for her own good.
"What in God's name are you doing here, Ana? It's..." He checked the watch on his left wrist, did a double take, and sighed. "6:34 am. Don't tell me, you've run away?"
"Don't joke, Richard. It doesn't suit you this early in the morning." She pushed him aside and walked into his apartment, noticing that white walls were painted a pale blue hue and several pieces of his suave leather furniture were replaced with blonde-wood, white-cushioned counterparts. "What happened?" She made a wide gesture to the room.
"Belle wanted to redecorate." He stated plainly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"She's moving in, I take it."
"I've asked her, if that's what you're implying."
"Oh, good!" Georgiana rushed to give Richard a hug. "Is she here?"
"Sleeping... You didn't come all the way here to talk to her, did you?"
"No. I came here to talk to you." She smiled.
Richard shook his head disapprovingly, closed the door, and went into the kitchen. With Georgiana now in his home, he knew he wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon. He began to prepare a pot of coffee as Georgiana drifted in and out of his living room and study admiring the changes in décor.
"So, what were you saying at the door?" He split a huge Danish into two and handed Georgiana the other half. She took a bite while smiling grandiosely, which was a difficult thing to do without looking ridiculous.
"I said, 'It's working!'"
"I know that. What's working is that I would like to know." He poured a cup of coffee for himself, which Georgiana immediately stole for herself and sipped happily. He shook his head again. "If I knew you were going to eat everything in my kitchen, I wouldn't have let you in."
"You're no fun!"
"At six in the morning, no one is 'fun', myself included... Does William know you're here?"
"No, he was still sleeping." She answered, matter-of-factly.
He grumbled. "Like any decent human being..."
"Did you say something?" Her eyebrows perked up dangerously.
He coughed. "No... you were saying?"
"Our plan is working! William is falling in love with Elisa."
"I know that; it's impossible to not fall in love with her. The problem is does she love him?" He said with an air of someone who had already considered all the foreseeable problems and was going about it in a practical fashion.
"Well... I don't know."
"You see, we still have a lot of work to do."
"But Elisa... surely she will fall in love with him?"
"It won't be easy."
"What makes you say that?" Georgiana asked, surprised that Richard was not as optimistic as before.
"There's something about her... I'm not exactly sure what, though. I've watched her closely and I can just feel that there's something guarded in her; her heart will not be easily touched, I can grant you that."
"How do you know? Did she say something?"
"No."
"Then how?"
"After years of dating Belle, my dear Georgiana, you begin to understand women."
Richard grinned, and Georgiana huffed in frustration.
Another month passed quickly, and Georgiana was becoming more disappointed with her brother and Elisa. Nothing had come of that night weeks ago, where she had caught him lingering around her door, waiting for Elisa to come out. She was so sure things would fall into place and love would overtake their stubborn senses, but things did not turn out as she had hoped. She wanted so dearly for William to find someone to love; during her whole life, she had never seen William even remotely connected to another person. He cared deeply about his family and was devoted to his work, but never much more than that.
Then she realized, that under all this veiled hope for William's happiness, there was something in her that wished the same thing for herself.
"Richard?" She walked into his office, fully expecting that he would be in there like he had been for the past few days. The door was open, but he was not inside. "Are you here?"
"You just missed him." A soft voice answered.
Georgiana turned around and was startled to see a stranger sitting in the lounge chair on the far side of the office. He was holding a large sketchpad with a Caran d'Ache Technograph pencil in his lifted hand. He stopped only momentarily to observe her face before turning back to his drawing.
"Do you work here?" Georgiana approached him.
"Yes, I do." He continued sketching.
"You work for Richard?"
He suddenly stopped drawing and closed his sketchbook.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your work. I'll go - "
"Don't worry about it." He stood up, giving her a shy smile. "My name is Jared Kingston. And you are Ms. Darcy, I presume."
She gasped inwardly and felt her heart flutter a little. He was tall and lithe, walking towards her with the grace of a dancer. He had a shock of blond-streaked brown hair, spiked neatly in the manner of a rebel teenager who didn't know quite what to do. He offered his arm expectantly and she looked at it, the well-toned forearms and beautifully shaped fingers, as if she had never seen a hand before in her life.
"Um... Yes, I am." She managed, mentally kicking herself as she shook his hand.
"It is nice to see you again."
"Have we met?"
He paused, embarrassed. "Oh no, not really. I mean, I did happen upon you in this same office several months ago..."
"Oh yes... I thought I recognized you from somewhere." She smiled a little. "So, you're one of Richard's designers?"
"Yes, I guess you could say that. I mean - " He stopped and gave a laugh. "Forgive me for acting so stupidly... I'm not really good at, well, this..."
"Talking?" She supplied.
He nodded, gathering his sketchbook and pencils. "I'll wait for Mr. Fitzwilliam in my office." He gave her another shy smile before passing by her and out of the door. Georgiana followed him, intrigued.
"Wait, Jared."
He stopped. "Yes?"
She didn't know what came over her - she who had never in her life addressed another man whom she did not know personally. She was the shy one, the one that lived in the spotlight but loved the shadows, the girl that could barely speak a word when handsome men greeted her. "Can I come?"
His pale gray eyes lit up, surprised evident in his face. "You want to come to my office?"
"Sure. Can you show me some of the designs you're working on?"
He shrugged nervously. "I guess... I mean, of course if you really wish to see them."
"I do."
Chapter 26
There was an air about him, an unpretentious beauty in his movements that lured her like a moth to a flame. She studied him as he sat at his desk retrieving scattered papers, basking in the halo effect a momentary midday ray of sunlight pouring through the window had upon his handsome face. He seemed to glow, and as he lifted his head up to smile apologetically for taking a while to find his design pieces, Georgiana again felt her heart flutter.
"Here we are." He pulled out a thin leather portfolio, unzipping it carefully to reveal several large sheets of cream paper and translucent transfer papers. "These are ones Mr. Fitzwilliam has me working on right now."
She tentatively took one of the sheets in her hand, admiring the carefully pencil sketching and meticulous attention to detail in the flowery script and finely drawn pictures. "This is very well done..."
"Thanks." Jared colored slightly. "It's only the rough draft, though. You see that transfer? If you overlay it over the design, you can see the graphic elements I'm going to incorporate by computer into the complete project." He took the transfer and placed it over the sheet; suddenly the seemingly unrelated sketches blended into a beautiful picture.
"And this is only a rough draft?" Georgiana questioned in wonder.
"Do you like it?"
"Yes, I like it a lot. I had thought these ad campaigns were done through the computer graphic design program, but I see you're going to hand draw these right over here - " She pointed to a light penciling of a woman's face. "Is that by choice?"
"Oh yes." He brightened, becoming more enthusiastic as he spoke. "Keiser/Blanchard wanted something visually stunning and yet with a human touch. I suggested that we blend both medias together, and Mr. Fitzwilliam thought it a fabulous idea and assigned me to the project."
"Congratulations." Georgiana said with feeling.
"I don't deserve it, really. There are far more talented designers here that have been in the business much longer than I have."
"Oh, don't say that!" She looked slightly shocked. "Of course you deserve it!"
"It's only my first real project, and it's such an important firm. Do you think it silly of me to be nervous?"
Georgiana looked at him, a smile playing on her lips. "No. I think it would be perfectly natural to be apprehensive."
He handed her another sheet. "This is from a smaller project. We were supposed to create a distinctive design style for Heyer & Co."
She took the paper, and after studying it for a while, grinned.
"What?"
"It's so cute." There was a small plump peasant man - dressed much like one of the seven dwarves - grinning with an apple in hand positioned near the head of the tall, box-like text bearing the name of the company.
Jared smiled. "That's what Mr. Fitzwilliam said, too."
"It didn't get chosen?" She asked, much disappointed.
"No. They went with Pascal's more elegantly depicted logo. But Mr. Fitzwilliam did say that I had a great deal of potential." He blushed a little, and Georgiana decided that he looked adorable when he did.
"Do you want to go out to dinner sometime?" Georgiana asked, before she had time to stop the words coming from her mouth.
"Dinner?" He repeated, looking at her curiously. "With you?"
"Oh..." She looked mortified. "You probably have a girlfriend, don't you? I should have asked you that before... Forget I said anything."
She turned to leave, aware of the impropriety of her question and her uncharacteristic conduct. Why was everything so complicated? Why was everything to new, so foreign? She felt herself flush hot with embarrassment. How was she one moment be free from any romantic feeling, and the next emotionally attached to a stranger she barely knew? It was madness.
"Wait." Jared held her back by lightly touching her shoulder. "I would love to go to dinner with you." His voice was very soft, like a beautiful hushed melody.
"Then you don't - "
He shook his head in a shy manner. "No girlfriend, Ms. Darcy."
She felt herself release a sigh of relief, and a glorious feeling of happiness swept over her. "Call me Georgiana."
Elisa sat at her desk, patiently on hold with the travel agent who was taking a bloody long time. She sighed restlessly, listening with amused contempt at the muzak playing while she waited. She would have loved to hang up and call back later, but Georgiana needed the flight plans by the end of the day. They had been invited last week to a Fashion Week in Los Angeles, to be held the week before Easter, benefiting research in Multiple Sclerosis. And Georgiana, never one to turn down opportunities to contribute to the betterment of all society, also looked forward to the chance to show the Angelinos that there was much more to the basic black on black style of New York.
"Ms. Bennet?" A person finally answered.
Elisa perked up after nearing falling asleep with the phone in her hands. "Yes? I'm here."
"Randy Greer speaking. I am confirming your thirteen First Class seats on United Airline Flight 555 to LAX for April 14th. I take it you wish to want it billed to Pemberley's checking account."
"Yes."
"Okay. I'm going to need your 5-digit verification code, and we can proceed..."
She looked at the bit of post-it she had stuck to her desk. "62516"
"Alrighty... tickets are confirmed. They will be waiting for you at the counter at La Guardia."
"Thank you."
Elisa hung up the phone and pushed the hair out of her face. Slightly relieved that that task had been accomplished, she searched for the steno pad that had the listed numbers for Ford, Wilhelmina, and other similar model agencies. Having garnered the proper knowledge in conducting serious yet flattering conversations with the agency heads and the models subsequent managers, with much practice on Janine who said she had excellent debating techniques, Elisa was satisfied that after only forty-five minutes she was able to contract several well-known models and a fleet of other less known waifs to work the runway in Los Angeles. The most tiresome part was over - that part being the multitude of times she had to repeat cliché phrases extolling the beauty of the models and Añya's desire to only use the finest people in her showcases; if she had to tell another agency head that she thought Ms. Such-and-Such was the epitome of the Añya look, Elisa thought she might throw-up.
"Georgiana?" Darcy barged into the office without knocking.
"She went to see Richard." Elisa paused in her note taking to acknowledge his presence.
"Oh... How long has she down there?"
She checked the watch on her left wrist. "Almost an hour and a half. Wow, I didn't realize she was gone for so long... Did you want to leave her a message? That is, after all, what I'm here for."
"I guess." He gave her a doubtful look, and she raised her eyebrows in challenge. "Could you tell her to let whoever is arranging the LA trip know that we need an additional ticket?"
"Sure. That's me."
He looked at her stupidly. "What's you?"
"The person booking the flight. Who's name do you want the ticked to be under?"
"Me. I mean, William Darcy."
Elisa gave him a slight look of surprise. "You're coming with us?"
"Yes."
"Forgive me if I am being too intrusive, but why are you coming?"
Darcy paused, for a moment unable to come up with a reasonable answer to her question. He had long been deciding to venture to the Golden State for a much needed business trip, to consult with several investors in the Silicon Valley among other things, but he had never had the time to do so. So when Georgiana came to him yesterday expressing her delight in participating in Fashion Week, he took it as a sign that he was suppose to accompany her to the City of Angels. But, as he told himself these reasons, there seemed a part of him retorting back that it was just silly; he could have flown to Los Angeles anytime he wanted it if he really desired. Maybe it was the incentive of a certain female companion that he hoped to spend as much time as possible with that piqued his interest in the trip?
"For business matters. Also, I wanted to keep an eye on and be there for my sister." Darcy fumbled.
"Oh yes, her panic attacks." She nodded, taking his reasons as truth without any hesitation. "You're a good brother, Mr. Darcy."
He blushed, but she did not see as her eyes were momentarily averted to the stack of papers before her.
"Thank you, Elisa."
She gave him a grand smile. "Have you ever been to Los Angeles, Mr. Darcy?"
"Only a few times, but purely for business purposes."
"Then you have not been able to take in the sights?"
"No, unfortunately I was not able to."
She first looked affronted, appalled, and then settled into an innocent offer. "Maybe if I'm not too busy with Georgiana, I'll take you around a bit. I lived in L.A. before I moved out here, you know."
He tried not to weigh her words in his mind as anything else than a friendly gesture, but something in him - albeit suppressed and maimed by forced arguments that their could be no reality to these desires - hoped that there was a secret meaning behind them. "I would be honored."
Chapter 27
Elisa stopped typing momentarily as Georgiana returned from her apparent extended visit with her cousin. When Georgiana didn't say anything, Elisa went back to her computer where she had just begun a department memo reminding employees to submit their specialty cloth requests by the end of the week if they wanted the bolts delivered by Monday. She lifted her eyes briefly and found Georgiana staring at her intently, who when caught, laughed nervously.
"What is it?" Elisa finally said.
Georgiana hesitated slightly. "Are you doing anything Friday night?"
"No, I don't think so... Why, do you want to go somewhere?"
"Sort of..."
"Well?"
In a sudden burst of girlish excitement, Georgiana rushed over to embrace her friend. "Oh, something wonderful just happened! You won't believe it."
"Maybe I would... if I could breathe..."
Georgiana stopped hugging her. "Sorry. I'm just so happy."
"What happened?" Elisa asked while fixing her scrunched up cardigan.
"I asked someone on a date!" Georgiana exclaimed in one breath. "Can you believe it?"
"What are you talking about? Sit down and explain everything." Elisa said soothingly and gently pushed Georgiana into a chair. "Now, what's this business about a date?"
"Well, I went downstairs to talk to Richard, you know."
Elisa nodded.
"And he wasn't in his office, but there was another man in there - one of Richard's designers. His name is Jared Kingston and he's only 22, the youngest member of his department. Anyway, we got to talking and before I knew what was coming out of my mouth, I asked him to dinner..."
"You asked him to dinner?"
Georgiana frowned slightly, hoping she hadn't made some type of mistake. "Do you think it was stupid of me? I mean, he is a complete stranger."
"No, I think it's wonderful. Jared, hmm? The tall blondish one that looks like he jumped out of a fashion magazine?"
"Yeah, that's him! How did you know?"
Elisa smiled. "It's hard not to notice him when you're down there. I'm surprised you haven't met him before. I've only talked to him a few times... and now that I think about it, he suits you perfectly. I wonder why I had never thought of introducing him to you..."
"Because you thought of keeping him to yourself?" Georgiana asked, only half-joking.
Elisa laughed at the idea. "Goodness no, Ana. Me and Jared? No; he's sweet and all, but not my type."
"Good." Georgiana said, relieved not only for herself but also for William, who she still believed belonged with Elisa. Thinking about it for a moment, she continued this vein of conversation hoping to glean a little knowledge into the workings of Elisa's mind. "What is you type, then? If not devastatingly handsome and vastly intelligent, then what?"
Elisa smiled again, acknowledging Georgiana's not-too-subtle attempt to change the subject. "Your cousin Richard once asked me the same question, and I will answer you the same as I did him: tall, dark, and handsome."
"And that's all?"
"Is that all?" Elisa repeated. "What more can I ask for?"
"But isn't that a little vague? Aren't there any specific attributes you look for in a man?"
"Being specific limits my choices..."
Georgiana pushed a little more. "Come on, humor me."
"Well, let me think." Elisa sat and tried to picture her ideal man, not for once giving a second thought to as the reasons why her friend was so interested in her love life. "He would have a sense of humor, be able to make me laugh..."
"Yeah." Georgiana began a mental tally.
"Be smart, but not smarter than me..."
She laughed. "And?"
"He would have the most amazing smile... He would love me for me, never try to change me into something I'm not." Elisa's voice faded as she concluded. "And promise never to leave me, no matter what..."
Georgiana noticed the subtle change in Elisa's countenance; there was sadness in her features. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to upset you."
"Oh, I'm fine." Elisa shrugged it off. "Anyway, you asked Jared out. Now what?"
Not wanting to push her friend any farther, Georgiana accepted the shift in conversation. "Right. I wanted to ask you if you would come with us."
"Wouldn't I be a third wheel?"
"Oh, no. We could double, so you could bring a date and then it would be fine."
Elisa looked doubtful.
"Please... I would be so grateful if you came. You know I can get awfully nervous and tongue-tied, and Jared is already so shy that I just couldn't bear enduring the whole date in uncomfortable silence. But if you were there, it would make me feel so much more at ease. Please."
"Well, what were you planning on doing?"
"Have dinner some place, and I was going to call my friend Benny at the Nederlander and see if he could get a hold of some tickets for RENT that night..."
Elisa hesitated in answering right away. However, she was touched by Georgiana's genuine anxiety about making a favorable impression and felt it imperative in herself to grant her this miniscule request. "Well... I don't know where I'll be able to find a date this last minute..."
Georgiana lit up. "Does that mean you'll come?"
"Yes, depending on whether or not I get a date by Friday, that is."
Georgiana's eyes instantly flitted towards the door as she saw the coat end of a dark Armani suit pass out of view. She could have swore someone had been there just a few seconds ago, listening in on their conversation. A sudden thought hit her and she smiled secretly to herself.
"You will. I'm sure of it."
Chapter 28
"Is something wrong with your hair?" Richard asked, amused.
Darcy stopped pacing and looked at his cousin, confused at his question. "What?"
"Your hair." He repeated. "You keep running your fingers through it. Do you feel the urge to brush it or something? Because it's sort of distracting."
Darcy looked up, and lo and behold his hand was mid-run-through; he placed it into his pocket and gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry. I was just thinking."
"And walking around the room. And talking to yourself. And not listening to one word I've said since I've been in here... We can do this another time if you have other things on your mind."
"No, we can talk now. I apologize for being inattentive. Please, continue with what you were saying."
Richard cleared his throat and resumed his one-sided discussion on the trade show coming up in April where one of his most prominent clients was making his debut on the West Coast. It wasn't until at least five minutes later that he realized Darcy had zoned out again and he was essentially talking to himself. He shook his head, ruefully smiled, and quietly disappeared out of the office before his cousin noticed that he was quite alone.
"You know, I've been th - Richard? Richard, where did you go?"
Darcy got up and looked around the office, but he was nowhere to be found. Once he comprehended that mysterious space aliens had not abducted Richard and that his cousin had only left discretely when he was for the second time not paying attention, Darcy chuckled to himself and promised that he would seek Richard out later and sincerely apologize; he was too preoccupied with his thoughts to do anything at the moment. Rising and stretching his limbs, he faced the east window and watched with interest as a flock of birds passed, elegantly stirring the cool air. The snow had begun to slowly lessen, falling in light flurries of powder once in a while. And though he generally loved the winter season with all his heart, these past few months had been especially burdensome and trying, even for his nerves of steel.
How many times had he gone through this same conversation with himself? A hundred? A thousand? A million? Yes, a million times, he thought. I've tried a million times to convince myself these feelings are foolish, that there is nothing to base them on but physical attraction, that I don't care one whit about her beautiful eyes, her silky hair, her gorgeous smile and musical laughter... The thing is, I do care. Damn... Just forget her, okay? It isn't that difficult.
Except that it was that difficult. How could he make himself forget her when he didn't have the conviction to refrain from talking to her, seeing her, wishing that if he could just overcome his senseless need to hold himself back from feeling anything, maybe he would be able to find the kind of joy he had always wanted, but never knew how to find.
With the world at his fingertips, everything that he could possible want, a part of him longed for that kind of joy. That feeling of exhilaration Charles's described when he talked about Janine. That sense of completeness he saw in Richard and Cybelle's eyes when they were together.
"Don't think about her that way... She's just another person, Georgiana's assistant for god's sake! She's not special; she's not unique. She's average. She's nothing... Don't let her do this to you... Forget her."
But he was sure that he couldn't, even if he truly wanted to.
"I don't know why I'm doing this..." Elisa grumbled as she searched her drawers for something suitable to wear. She picked up a close-knit top and inspected it in the lamplight before throwing it back in with the jumbled mess. "It is beyond me why she needs me to chaperone her."
Janine nodded good-humouredly, taking each crumpled blouse out of the pile and meticulously folding and placing them in orderly stacks on the bed. "How about this?" She held out a dark gray 3/4 sleeve knit turtleneck. "It would look great with your slim-leg evening pants and heels."
"I don't know... Whatever... Oh, I give up." She fell back onto her bed, messing up Janine's organization of her clothes.
It was Thursday evening and Elisa was still nowhere close to being able to produce a suitable companion to escort her to "the date" - as Georgiana referred to it constantly. And though her chances of ever finding that person were slim-to-none, Elisa invited Janine to help her pick out an outfit for Friday night so that she could be prepared beforehand.
"Come one now, what's really distressing you?" Janine sat down beside her.
Elisa normally found it easy to converse in a friendly manner with men of all sizes and shapes, but when it came down to asking them to have dinner with her, she immediately tensed and froze so badly that she more than one time had to excuse herself before embarrassing herself any further. It had never been like this when she was younger, but after having more than her fair share of a bad relationship, a part of her shut off in order to protect herself from that sort of pain ever again.
"Georgiana, of course."
"Now you know that's not true. You love her."
"So what? It doesn't mean I can't be annoyed with her." Elisa pouted.
Janine shook her head. "Be reasonable, Elisa. Georgiana may be twenty-something, but she still has that childlike innocence - that we adore about her, mind you. She's led a sheltered life; Elisa, you know this... And, anyway, I think it's sweet she wants you there." She plucked out a mislaid tube top and considered it before putting it back. "Nope, too cold..."
"You're right." Elisa reluctantly agreed. "It's just the anxiety of finding a date that's getting to me, that's all."
"You're a beautiful woman, Elisa. I can't ever believe you'd have a hard time finding someone willing to have dinner with you."
"It isn't that..."
Janine stroked Elisa's long hair in a sisterly fashion, seriously considering the situation. "How long has it been since you've been out on a date?"
"A date date?"
"Yes, a real date with someone you like."
Elisa thought about it for a while. "Going on four years, at least."
"Four years?!" Janine responded incredulously.
"With someone I had thought had potential." Elisa quickly added. "I've been asked to dinners before by other men since then, but I guess I wouldn't call them 'dates'."
"Why not?"
She sighed. "Well, I mean... they were only random men I met through either school or work. They never really had any lasting appeal... There was always something missing..."
"Like what?" Janine asked, interested.
"I don't know, I can't explain it... You know that feeling you get whenever Charles looks at you and smiles?"
Janine blushed and nodded.
"It's something like that... When your heart races at a mere provocative glance, your palms sweat in anticipation, and all you can think about is how wonderful that person is and how much you love them and how beautiful it is to be loved back - that's sort of what was missing, that completeness..."
"Oh."
Elisa sighed again and heaved herself up into a sitting position. "But I've learned that all this 'true love' nonsense is exactly that: nonsense. I've given up, don't you know."
Janine was surprised at her friend. "But Elisa, why?"
She didn't answer right away; instead, she stood up and stared at her reflection in the mirror above the bureau. It seemed for a moment she was lost in some deep reverie, caught in a memory she couldn't quite let go of. She shook her head to rid the feelings. "For so many reasons, Janine."
There was an air of finality to her last statement, and Janine let the subject drop even though she hadn't wanted to. The look in her friend's eyes stopped her from asking any further; there was something there, she was sure, and perhaps only time would tell before Elisa would open up to her. Janine hated seeing people she cared about in pain, especially when she herself was in a state of eternal bliss with her new boyfriend; she felt almost guilty.
"So, who were you planning on asking to this double date?"
"It's not a date." Elisa corrected her. "It's only dinner and a show, and I don't know."
"Did you ask Richard?"
"No, of course not. I spend enough time with him as it is, and I'm afraid the elusive Belle will think I'm trying to steal him away - which is totally untrue."
"How about Gregory from Accounting?" She suggested.
Elisa shuddered. "I'm not that desperate."
"Did you ask William?" Janine asked innocently. The mention of his name caught Elisa slightly off guard, but she replied with no audible change in her voice.
"You mean, William Darcy?"
"Yes, Georgiana's brother."
She looked baffled. "Why would I ask him, of all people?"
Janine shrugged. "I don't know; I was just throwing out ideas. Anyway, it could work out perfectly because you need a date - er, dinner companion - and he would probably like to keep an eye on his sister."
"Wouldn't it be weird?"
"I don't see why."
Elisa picked up a silk scarf and threw it playfully at her friend. "Believe me, Mr. Darcy is that last person I would ever think to date."
Chapter 29
The hours passed quickly, and before she knew what had happened, late afternoon descended upon Elisa in an unwelcome gloom. She hadn't had but a moment to greet Georgiana in the morning - before Ana was whisked away somewhere for the remainder of the work day - let alone talk to her about her difficulties in getting another person to complete the foursome. Elisa looked anxiously at her watch, which read 4:25 pm, and sat at her desk hoping for Ana's inevitable return. When she did eventually come back, her arms laden in several heavy-looking bags, it was nearing five o'clock.
"Oh, thank goodness you're back." Elisa breathed as she relieved her friend of some of her packages. "I've been wanting to talk to you all day."
"Really? I'm dreadfully sorry I skipped out on you, but first William wanted to talk to me, then I ran into Justine from Manolo Blahnik and she invited me to lunch and back to the shop to meet him - I could have died just then, I swear - and we talked for hours it seemed. He's the sweetest man, and that accent... He wants to do the shoes for our showcase in Los Angeles! Can you believe it?"
"That's great Ana... but I wanted to talk to you about something else."
"Oh?" She dropped the rest of her bags on her desk.
"About tonight -"
"You are coming, right?" She snapped out of her elated mood, worried. "You promised you would; you wouldn't back out on me now..."
"Ana, please just hear me out."
"Fine."
Elisa sat an indignant Georgiana into a chair and paced the room to formulate a conceivable explanation that would free her from any guilty feelings and spare her the torture of watching two young persons make lovey-dovey faces throughout the night; it would only remind her that she didn't have anyone to make the said lovey-dovey faces to.
"You haven't found anyone, right?" Georgiana asked, almost accusingly.
"No." Elisa answered truthfully.
"Why not?"
"It's complicated, Ana."
"Well, I'm listening."
Elisa paced some more, now feeling angry with herself for being selfish when her friend needed her.
"I'm scared." She said quietly.
Georgiana wasn't sure she had heard her correctly. "You're what?"
"Scared." Elisa repeated, a little louder.
Georgiana wasn't quite sure how to respond to this revelation. She had always thought Elisa the epitome of the woman she wanted to be, so strong and confident, beautiful and charming, able to make everyone love her. But her self-assured friend now looked at her with a faint fear in her eyes, pleading with her not to make her do this. "Of what?"
"You wouldn't understand, Ana." Elisa replied shortly.
"Maybe I would, if you would talk to me." Georgiana retorted, feeling slightly annoyed that Elisa thought her too incompetent to understand adult matters. "I'm not a child."
"I never said you were a child. You misunderstood my meaning."
"Then please explain." Ana said, matter-of-factly.
Elisa looked for a way out of this, but reminded herself that it would be a childish thing to run and hide, no matter how much she wanted to at the moment. Resolved on the idea that she would have to explain herself before the day was through, anyway, Elisa studied an intricate paperweight on Georgiana's desk, willing herself the courage to be strong.
"I'm scared of men, truth be told." Elisa started.
"Of all men?" Georgiana interrupted, confused.
"No... just ones that pose a threat to me."
"What - "
Elisa continued. "There was a time when I was in love... Long story short, I was hurt very badly, and for a time, I thought I would never be able survive. But then I moved out here to New York, and the city breathed a new life into me that one day I hoped that I would be able to get over my fear. But, after all this time, I've just come to realize that this fear isn't going to go anywhere soon. It's just the way I am... Does that make sense?"
Georgiana nodded. "But there is always a time and place that you will have to face your demons... Why can't that time be now?"
"It's more complicated than that." Elisa said. "I can't tell you any more."
She assented, but was hurt that her friend felt the need to close herself off. "You know, not every date leads to marriage... It's not like you're making a life long commitment." She said, softly.
"I'm terrified that the person I'm with will be 'The One', and I'll be too caught up in finding fault in him or planning how things could go awry that I'll complete miss it. And I'll let him go and regret it for the rest of my life..." Elisa completed in a rush.
"That's absurd." Georgiana finally commented, for a moment forgetting that she might hurt her friend in return.
"It is, isn't it?" Elisa said after a long spell of silence. She smiled weakly.
"It is." Georgiana agreed, her smile widening as she realized Elisa was not angry with her. "Come on, now. Don't live your life as if everyone is threatening to inflict pain on you; it doesn't suit you at all. Now, where is that sassy, confident girl I know is under that gloomy countenance?"
She managed to get Elisa to laugh a little, and took this as a great improvement.
"Cheer up, Elisa. Forget your troubles for one night and come with Jared and me to dinner. Look, it's perfectly fine if we go, just us three. You deserve a nice night out as it is."
Elisa looked about ready to refuse the kind offer. "Ana - "
"I'm not doing anything tonight." A voice interrupted.
Both women looked up to find Darcy stepping into the room. How long had he been there? How much had he heard?
"What?" Elisa squeaked.
"I said, I'm free tonight. If you want, I could come."
"You?" Elisa looked at him strangely.
"Don't look so surprised. Did you think I would be heartless enough to not offer my services to a friend of my sister's?"
"I would never presume... that is, I had not even considered... Don't you have better things to do than spend an evening with me, your sister, and her date? Wouldn't it be a terrible waste of your time?"
"Not at all. There would be nothing else I would like more... I would be truly honored, Elisa, if you would allow me the pleasure of accompanying you tonight."
She looked over at Georgiana, who was beaming and not looking at all affronted that her brother wanted to barge in on her date, for some sort of answer. When she got none, she turned to Darcy who was waiting for her reply. "I guess... I mean, if you really want to."
Darcy smiled in return. "Oh, I do." He whispered to himself. "I really do."
Chapter 30
He cursed himself for not being able to keep his mouth shut. He cursed himself for being weak, stupid, and letting the emotional, feeling side of himself take control. He cursed himself for being in love - although he wouldn't admit it to anyone, especially himself.
"I can't believe you just did that." He knocked his head against the wall a few times in remonstration. "What were you thinking? Were you even thinking at all?"
A few stifled giggles came from employees in the halls, and he realized that the door had been left open.
"Would you like me to close this, sir?" Hannah popped her head in, much amused.
"If you would, please."
She made a move to leave when he signaled her back. "Yes?"
"Could you please call Charles and tell him I can't go to the Knicks game with him tonight."
She looked surprised. "Yes, of course. But what shall I tell him if he asks where you have gone instead?"
"Tell him I have a date."
Hannah started. "A date, sir?"
"Yes... Is it that hard to believe?" He considered her bewildered expression.
She immediately corrected herself. "No sir. I'm sorry if you took offence at my question."
"I did not, Hannah; don't worry yourself. Just please remember to tell Charles."
"Of course." She excused herself from the office, closing the door behind her.
Darcy stared at the wall for a few minutes more, pondering his precarious situation. Half of him wanted to feign illness and lock himself up in a room and swallow the key to prevent him from ever leaving it again. The other, slightly more rational half, wanted to see how everything would pan out, how the "date" would go, decide whether or not he was an idiot for letting himself believe that their amicable relationship, at best, had any chance for long-term success. She had only accepted his offer because she was caught between a rock and a hard place, so to speak; a willful Georgiana was hard to sway, he mused. She had only accepted because she had no other choice. But Darcy couldn't help imagining that Elisa secretly wanted him to go.
"You're a fool, William Darcy." He scolded himself loudly. But a damn lucky fool.
Elisa showered and dressed with care, taking more time than usual to prepare for a night out. Putting on the finishing touch of her ensemble - the light blue topaz earrings Charles had given her for Christmas - she smoothed her hands over her unruly hair which had refused to be put up in a proper ponytail and was left to hang freely in thick, unmanageable waves. I hope I look okay, she caught herself thinking as she checked her reflection for the hundredth time. Checking the clock mounted on her bedroom wall, she decided to wait downstairs for whoever was to pick her up. Before they had parted, Georgiana said that someone would be sent down to take her to the restaurant where they were to dine before the show. Who or where, Elisa had not remembered to ask. Maybe they'll forget, she hoped. Then I can stop all this worrying.
A few minutes passed before a dark sedan stopped in front of her building. The passenger window rolled down and she recognized the driver.
"Good evening, Ms. Bennet."
"Good evening, Davis. Are you driving me tonight?"
"Yes, I am. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here." He cracked a smile; she laughed merrily and got into the backseat of the car. The traffic was unusually light, and they arrived at the restaurant a little early. Davis waited with her in the car until another similar sedan pulled up beside them and he waved at the other driver in recognition. "Your party awaits." He politely opened the door for her as she stepped onto the pavement, pulling her coat around her tightly.
Elisa turned to greet her companions, who had just gotten out of their car as well. She was delighted at the sight of Georgiana and Jared shyly holding hands and talking softly to one another. But when she searched for her own date, he was nowhere to be found.
"I like your hair." Someone said.
Elisa let out a small gasp of shock as she realized Darcy was standing beside her. How had he reached her so fast? It was a little disconcerting. "Thank you." She replied timidly. "You look nice tonight."
"Only tonight? Do I look like an ogre the rest of the time?" He joked.
She felt herself blush. "You know what I mean... Can't you just take a compliment?"
"Of course I can." He took her arm and placed it in his, sending a sudden tingling warmth throughout her body. "Shall we go in?"
She nodded, not trusting her ability to form coherent sentences at the moment. She looked furtively at his reflection in the mirrors lining the walls, unable to believe what she was seeing. Hadn't he always been in suit and ties when she had seen him? Excepting the time she had made brownies at his apartment where he had deserted the jacket but was dressed in his long-sleeve business shirt, Elisa had never seen him in anything that looked remotely comfortable; she had begun to believe he was born dressed that way, tie and all. But tonight, Elisa couldn't help but appreciate his appearance. He wore dark gray dress pants tailored to hit his polished calfskin oxfords at the perfect height, a ribbed navy cashmere turtleneck, and to complete the effect of stylish nonchalance, one of the most beautiful leather jackets she had ever seen in her life.
Georgiana and Jared followed behind them, whispering happily.
"Welcome to Payard Patisserie & Bistro, Monsieur Darcy. I am delighted you have decided to dine with us. Your usual table?" A friendly looking gentleman greeted them.
"Thank you, Matthew, but we will be needing a table for four tonight."
"Of course, come right this way." A couple of uniformed men took off their coats before they were able to follow their host. They soon reached their table, situated in a slightly elevated corner to allow themselves a spectacular view of the whole room. "You waiter will be with you shortly." Matthew said and then left the couples to seat themselves accordingly.
Darcy pulled out Elisa's chair gallantly, admiring to himself the outfit she had chosen, and immediately claimed the seat to the left of her at the rounded table. He wouldn't be able to stare at her from the table liked he planned, but he consoled himself with the fact that at least he was in close proximity to her most startling figure. She shifted nervously under his gaze, perceiving that he had barely said a word to her since they had entered the restaurant.
"This place is beautiful." She ventured a comment.
"Isn't it wonderful?" Georgiana replied, breathlessly.
Elisa nodded and took in the exquisite elegance of the establishment. The floor was of wide planked wood bordered in Roman mosaic with embedded illustrations of dainty coffee cups. Mirrors in Belle Époque style guilder frames and dramatic, overblown glass lighting fixtures adorned the walls. The high ceilings, warm, creamy color palate, and rich mahogany woodwork accentuated the open quality of the place, evoking a sense of warmth and familiarity in Elisa's heart. She noticed the whimsical, over-scaled plaster frieze with pastry motifs and suppressed the urge to laugh; everything was so adorable.
Darcy, meanwhile, was taking in the exquisite elegance of his date. She was beautiful in her classic black ensemble: a shirred silk halter with suede drawstring ties that looped once around her delicate neck, a fluid silk mid-length skirt with a beaded hem, and sexy sandals with peau-de-soie crisscross straps that made her legs look even more tantalizing. He had never considered himself a leg-man, but was beginning to think he wouldn't mind being one now if he got to stare at those all day. Feeling his rationality drain away after each moment in her presence, he looked away suddenly to gain some composure.
"You look nice tonight, Ms. Bennet." Jared complimented her.
"Thank you, but please call me Elisa."
"Elisa." He repeated, and gave her a shy smile.
"William, you haven't said a word about how well Elisa looks tonight." Georgiana declared.
He looked startled. "Yes... um, that's right Ana."
Elisa looked over at him, wondering what he would say. "Well?" She asked, expectantly. He couldn't miss the flirtatious teasing in her eyes, and tempered his reaction that was sure to leave him dumbfounded if he hadn't realized she was joking.
"You look stunning, Elisa. Simply ravishing." He said, with a sort of earnestness that made her nervous. Was he sincere, or was this all play? Elisa wasn't sure what to think. The arrival of their waiter luckily saved her from the need to make a reply.
"Monsieur Darcy, Mademoiselle Darcy, what a pleasure!"
"Eliot!" Darcy got up and gave him a hearty handshake. "How are you?"
"Excellent. Ma chérie épouse thanks you for your extraordinary kindness. I don't know what we would have done without you."
"Think nothing of it, my dear man. I was more than happy to help."
Eliot bowed politely. "What can I get for you tonight?"
"The bouillabaisse for me, roasted chicken for Georgiana, and I think the braised lamb and roasted venison for our guests here." Darcy answered confidently.
"Excellent choices. Would you like to order wine with your entrées?"
Darcy, looking at his sister and her date carefully and then at Elisa, decided it would be best if everything happened with a clear head. He didn't want to accidentally say or do something he wasn't supposed to, although how sorely he wished he could. "Not tonight. Water will be fine."
Eliot bowed again and was soon out of their sight.
Elisa had watched the scene with interest. Darcy being friendly to a waiter? Now that was an odd, though not unpleasant, occurrence. And although she would have at any other time taken offence at his presumption to order for her, Elisa knew that he probably knew the menu better than she could possibly ever know.
"The juniper berries and stuffed Lady apples are to die for." He whispered into her ear, conspiratorially. "But wait until dessert." She jumped back a little.
"How did you know what to order?" Jared asked, to Elisa's relief for it pulled Darcy's attention in another direction.
"I've known Philippe Bertineau since he was a Sous Chef at Park Bistro. It helps to know the chef at the restaurants you eat at, because he always knows what tastes the best and shows his talent in the best light... Oh look, here he comes!"
A good-looking man of thirty-four approached their table with a grand smile, wearing an impeccably clean chef's coat. "My favorite patrons." He greeted in a light, French accent. "How are you all tonight?"
"Wonderful, Philippe."
"And who are these two lovely people dining with you?"
Georgiana placed her hand over Jared's in a possessive manner. "This is Jared Kingston, my date. And over there Elisabeth Bennet, one of my dearest friends."
"A pleasure to meet you both. I wanted to stop by and pay my courtesies at the earliest convenient time, for I will be locked away in the kitchen for the remainder of the night and perhaps not be able to see you all later."
"A fine idea." Darcy laughed at Philippe's impression of an overburdened, overworked laborer. "But shouldn't you be in the kitchen right now, making our dinner?"
"Touché." He acknowledged the friendly hit and bid them farewell as he left.
They were left to themselves to make conversation until their food arrived, and Elisa was beginning to dread the evening. Georgiana and Jared sounded suddenly easy and free in their speech, making blithe comments here and there, and keeping the flow of conversation steady. And she? Elisa was sure she looked like a rock just sitting there, barely saying a word. Wasn't this supposed to happen to Georgiana? Where was the chatty, carefree Elisa when you needed her? And what was Darcy smiling about so gaily?
She had a sinking feeling. What were his motives? To break up the fragile start of his sister's new relationship? No, he wouldn't do that, she countered herself. He loves her too much to destroy her happiness. Then why?
"Are you all right, Elisa? You look pale." Georgiana's voice brought her back to reality.
"Oh, I'm fine. Sorry, you were saying something?"
"I was just explaining to Jared the plot of the show we're going to see tonight... Have you ever seen RENT before, Elisa?"
"No, I am afraid I haven't had that pleasure."
"You will love it." Darcy said, looking directly at her as though his words had some secret meaning other than praising the Tony-winning musical. Those eyes... they had this unexplainable tendency to rest on hers, hold her in a prolonged stare, make her feel... well, she wasn't quite sure what she was feeling. Being around him had the strangest effect on her, and Elisa was beginning to think this date was a very bad idea, indeed.