Beginning, Previous Section, Section IV, Next Section
Showdown
Elizabeth had returned home five minutes after Charlie called her landlady. While she waited for him to arrive, she decided to write her friend a note and leave it at the cafe. Perhaps, if she said she was sick, or if a family emergency had come up, he would forgive her for not meeting with him this time, and she could delay it a bit longer.
She wrote a hasty note and put it in an envelope. When Charlie arrived, she told him of her plan and the two of them headed to Bleeker's Cafe.
"I can't go in there," Elizabeth said when they arrived at the front door. "I don't think I can face him."
"If you want, Lisa, I'll deliver the note to the waiter," Charlie said. "Or better yet, I can give it to him directly. That way you get to know what he looks like."
"That's not a bad idea...I just don't know whether or not I want to know what he looks like."
"Why?"
"Because if he's unattractive, I've had enough bad news today. And if he's good looking, then what chance would I have had anyway? The likelihood is that he's not all that handsome, for who else would put a personal ad in the paper if he could meet a woman any other way?"
"Perhaps he was shy. Or perhaps he wanted to get to know a woman before getting to look at her. Take Jane and I, for example. To see us together, you might think that we were superficial because we're attractive. You happen to know, however, that we have deep feelings and interests. Or perhaps he's a wealthy man who wanted a woman to fall in love with something other than his bank account."
"Much as that might thrill my mother, wealthy men are few and far between these days. Do me a favor and look inside. See if you can see him. He said he would be wearing a carnation in the lapel of his jacket."
"All right, all right..." Charlie looked inside. He could see quite a few people from the window. "He'll be alone, of course...hey, here's one."
"Is he handsome?"
"Very handsome...but no carnation."
"Then he's not the one."
"Perhaps he threw his flower away as you did. Say, what if you decide to meet this man? How are you going to prove that it's you when you threw away your flower?"
"I told you already, I'm not going to meet him. I can't, not tonight anyway. Not until I've found another job."
"Wait a minute, wait...there's a man in the window...and he's wearing a carnation."
"He is?" Elizabeth's interest was immediately piqued.
"Uh-huh. He's having a cup of coffee and eating a piece of cake...and he's reading...well, I can't see the title from here. But that's definitely a carnation in his jacket lapel."
"Can you see his face?"
"No, not yet. The stupid coat rack's in the way, and it looks like he's a rather tall man or else I might be able to see him."
"Well that's a relief."
"He's taking his cake...Elizabeth, he's dunking."
"Why shouldn't he dunk? There's nothing wrong with that. I do it myself."
"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it...wait! He's leaning over the plate! He's..." Charlie's voice trailed off. Elizabeth looked at Charlie's profile and knew instantly that he was a bit shocked by what he'd seen.
Which was completely confusing. "What is it?" she asked, concerned. "Did you see his face?"
"Yes, I did."
"Is...is he handsome?" Elizabeth feared for the answer either way. Maybe she'd get lucky and he'd be average.
"I'm no judge on a man's attractiveness, but I suppose that if I were a woman, I would consider him a handsome man."
"Would I consider him handsome?"
"I don't know how to answer your question...because I'd have to say he looks a bit like...that he has the coloring of...er, well, of Liam."
"Liam? Liam Darcy, from the shop?" Elizabeth's nose wrinkled in distaste.
Charlie sighed. "Now Lisa, Liam isn't all that bad of a man. He's a fairly decent sort, and for someone who used to have the money he had, he's making the best of his situation. And even you have admitted once or twice to Jane that you thought him to be a little handsome."
"I stopped thinking that a long time ago, and as for his situation, as you call it, it's entirely of his own making and I feel no sympathy." Elizabeth sighed in disgust. "Fine time to be bringing up Mr. Darcy."
"Well, if you don't like Mr. Darcy, you aren't going to like the man in there."
"Why not?"
"Because it is Mr. Darcy."
"What?!" Elizabeth pushed Charlie aside and looked in the window herself. Sure enough, sitting right in front of the window, reading a book, eating cake and drinking coffee...and wearing a carnation...was Fitzwilliam Darcy. "Oh God...this can't be happening, it really can't be."
Charlie looked at the stricken young woman. "Do you want me to give this note to the waiter now?"
"Absolutely not!" Elizabeth ripped the note out of his hands. "I'm not letting him know who I am."
"You mean you're going to let him sit in there and wait for you?"
"Why shouldn't Mr. Darcy wait? He's made my life miserable for the past six months and now he's cost me my job. Caroline Wickham told me everything he did to her, and I can't believe that I didn't see who he was from the first."
"I don't think I would form my opinion of anyone based on the report of Caroline Wickham...and I think you'd better remember something."
"What?"
"That he's the one who's been writing those letters, My dear friend."
Elizabeth again looked in the window. Liam was looking at his watch and then looking at what was likely a clock on the far wall. It was just after eight o'clock. "My misfortune," she said quietly. "Look, Charlie, I know that you don't think I should be alone tonight, but I'll be fine. You should go home and be with Jane and the baby."
"I told Jane that I would bring you home--"
"There are a couple things I have to do first...then I'll be over. Okay?"
Charlie noticed that she was glancing at the lone man sitting in front of the window and smiled. He knew Elizabeth. She was going to go in there. "I understand. If it's too late by the time you get finished with your errands, don't worry about coming to our place. Just come by in the morning."
"Thank you, Charlie. You're a dear friend. I only wish...well, it doesn't matter what I wish now. Good night."
"Good night, Lisa." Charlie left, a small smile on his face. Surely things would work out for the best between Elizabeth and Liam Darcy. He could just sense it.
Liam looked again at his watch. It was just after eight, and already he was fearing that she might not show. From her letters he got the sense that she was a punctual person.
Perhaps something happened at her own job, just as happened at yours. Perhaps she's having to work late. But if that were true, surely she would've left a note for you.
A pretty young woman from a large table close to him walked over and asked, "Would it be possible for us to have this chair?"
"No!" he exclaimed loudly. "I'm sorry, madam, I didn't mean to shout. I'm meeting someone here, and she should be here any moment."
"Oh, I understand." The woman glanced at his lapel. "Carnations?"
"Yeah."
"My husband and I used roses when we first met. It was very romantic, let me tell you, getting to know someone without knowing who they were. It was freeing. Then when we met, it was so wonderful that I couldn't help feeling that God had wanted me to do something out of the ordinary."
Liam smiled. "I hope that's a good omen."
"Well, unfortunately, that doesn't work for everyone. My sister had a friend who did the same thing I did, and they were going to use gardenias...but he never showed. I heard her say later that she'd stayed until close, and what did they find but another gardenia crumbled up under another table. He'd seen her, not liked what he saw, and left."
"I'm not concerned. I'm certain my friend will show up," Liam said with a confidence he no longer felt.
"If she doesn't, I'll have my sister's friend find a carnation and meet you. Good luck." The young woman walked away.
Liam glanced at his watch again and just missed seeing Elizabeth Bennet looking at him through the window. She sighed, then walked into the cafe. She slowly approached his table, wondering how she was going to explain her presence when she had no intention of revealing her identity.
"Good evening, Mr. Darcy," she said politely as she passed his table.
"Miss Bennet," Liam said with a small frown. "What are you doing here this evening?"
"I'm supposed to be meeting Charlie and Jane here. I don't suppose you've seen them anywhere, have you?"
"No."
"Would you mind greatly if I sat here with you? The cafe's getting full, and I don't like the idea of taking a table when someone else might need it."
"As a matter of fact, Miss Bennet, I do mind a great deal. I'm expecting someone, and she should be here any minute."
"Oh, I see." Elizabeth glanced at the book he was reading...The Mayor of Castorbridge. "Thomas Hardy?"
Liam was puzzled until he realized that she was looking at the book he was reading. "Oh...yes."
"Is it any good?"
"It is, but I don't imagine you've ever read it."
"As a matter of fact, I haven't. Perhaps I might, if you think it's a good book."
"Is there a point to this?"
"Not really. I just didn't expect to run into you in a cafe with Hardy, that's all. I thought you had a date."
"I do have a date! It's just that I arrived early and had carried this to work with me anyway. I didn't have time to run home and set it down before coming here."
"Well, in the event that your date doesn't show up--"
"She'll be here, Miss Bennet. You don't have to worry about me."
"All right." Elizabeth started to walk away from his table, but instead she sat in the chair directly behind his.
Liam buried his head in his book, trying not to look at his watch every fifteen seconds.
Elizabeth decided to try again. "Have you read Zola's Madame Bovary?"
Without thinking, Liam said, "Madame Bovary is not by Zola." Then he realized who had spoken. "Miss Bennet, are you still here?"
"Yes, I am. I told you, I'm waiting for Charlie and Jane. Why would that change because you're here waiting for someone?"
"I figured you would want to stay as far away from me as possible, if for no other reason than my being able to tell you who has written the great works of literature."
"For your information, Mr. Darcy, I have read Madame Bovary and know quite well that it was written by Flaubert. I've also read the entire works of Jane Austen, Shakespeare, and I'm currently working my way through Dickens and Tolstoy. Have you read Anna Karenina?"
"No."
"I have. It's a magnificent book, you should read it."
"I hardly think I need your advice as to what I should be reading."
"I suppose you don't. I'll bet you think that I read nothing but those dreadful novels that are churned out all the time, and that I do nothing but sit at home listening to the soap operas on the radio."
"I'm sure you don't do that all the time."
"In fact, I'm willing to bet that there are a lot of things you don't know about me, Mr. Darcy...just as there are things I don't know about you. I've come to the realization that a lot of the time we don't bother to scratch the surface of things to discover what's underneath."
"Miss Bennet, I somehow don't think I'd want to take the time to scratch beneath your surface, because I know exactly what I'd find. Instead of your soul, I'd find a suitcase. Instead of your heart, I'd find a handbag. And instead of intellect, I'd find a cigarette lighter...which doesn't work. So as you can see, it wouldn't be worth my time."
Elizabeth felt her temper rising and managed to squelch it. She reminded herself that Charlie was right, she shouldn't base her opinion on Caroline's word, especially since she'd had her doubts about the story...and that this man had written those lovely letters to her. "An interesting illustration, sir. Comparing my intellect to a broken cigarette lighter. I suppose it's what I should expect from you, a combination of imagination and mean-spiritedness."
"Mean-spiritedness?" Liam exclaimed. "If you want to talk about being mean-spirited--"
Elizabeth moved from her table to the empty chair at his. "Hey, you're the one who started this whole thing by trying to convince Catherine de Bourgh I was a thief--behind my back, I might add."
"Miss Bennet, please! I told you that I was expecting someone." Liam tried to shoo her from the chair with no success.
"Perhaps you are, but there's something I want to tell you first. You see, I know who you are, Fitzwilliam Darcy. You're the one who managed to lose me my job!"
"I realize you're bitter because you've been fired, and I'm trying to take that into account. I had nothing to do with it, because as I told you, I wouldn't have wished this on anyone but the person who..." Liam broke off. He would gladly wish this on George Wickham, and even worse, but he wasn't about to tell this woman about that.
"Bitter? Me? I'm not bitter. I got home and made a few calls, and before I knew it I practically had the owner of Hirsch and Company begging me to join his staff." A bluff, but he didn't need to know that.
"Then I'm happy for you and I wish you every success. I don't think Hirsch and Company is right for you, but--"
"Of course you wouldn't. Would you like to try and ruin my reputation there while you're at it? You did it quite nicely at De Bourghs'."
"I did nothing to ruin your reputation at De Bourghs'. Whatever caused you to be fired is between you and Catherine, and I had nothing to do with it. Now would you please go away?"
Elizabeth would have to reread his letters to decide whether or not she was going to believe him when he said that. He mentioned work quite often, as had she, and she was certain he'd only mentioned her a few times.
Only he hadn't known he was talking about her, and she hadn't known she was talking about him.
What a fine mess this is. Perhaps it's best to leave everything alone. I won't want to talk to him after this anyway.
"There are a few things I want to say to you before I go. First of all, I didn't appreciate the jokes and imitations you gave of me in the locker room. I want you to know that although I might be an unnatural woman, I'm still a woman. I have wants and needs just like any other. How would you like it if I'd made fun of you in the locker room?"
"That's exactly what you did!" Liam hissed. "You called me 'his Highness' behind my back."
"That's because of your attitude. You know, Mr. Darcy, you might have beautiful thoughts in that head of yours, but you certainly hide them well. You're cold and unfeeling, and arrogant. You're going to have a hard time finding a woman who's willing to put up with you, and I feel sorry for you because of it."
Liam laughed. "Cold, unfeeling, and arrogant? You think I'm going to have a hard time finding someone to love? You're very amusing, Miss Bennet. I could show you letters that would prove you so wrong it would embarrass you to realize it."
I should know. I wrote them, and I'm embarrassed enough about that.
"Actually, that probably wouldn't be a good idea. These letters were written by a woman whose mind is so far superior to yours that you wouldn't understand them. I have to laugh when you say you're sorry for me. You...you insignificant, unemployed salesgirl."
Elizabeth froze. So this is who had been writing those wonderful letters to her all along...this cold, sarcastic man. A man who could offend without thinking twice about it, who could say things and not care what the person who heard them felt.
What else could I have expected from this day? I've been fired, humiliated...why was I surprised to discover that the man who was writing to me all this time is this brute? Good thing I didn't tell him who I was, because I don't think I could've borne it.
She stood up slowly, looking at him coldly. "Good-bye, Mr. Darcy."
"Good-bye, Miss Bennet." Liam had clearly forgotten that she'd said she was meeting Charlie and Jane, for he merely looked at his watch again and didn't bother to look up as she left.
Elizabeth made her way home from the cafe, half expecting to be robbed. It would certainly be a fitting end to her day, and she certainly had enough money to make it worth any would-be thief's while.
She reached her apartment building in safety. As she opened the door, she noticed her landlady's door was open and she frowned. "Mrs. Younge?" she called.
"Miss Bennet...is that you?"
"It is."
"I have a telephone message for you. I do wish your callers would be more considerate than to call when I was settling down for the evening, and that you'd come home at a decent hour."
Elizabeth sighed. It couldn't be more than nine o'clock or so, but her landlady went to sleep early so she felt the need to apologize.
Mrs. Younge smiled. "It's all right, dear. You're hardly any bother most of the time, so I suppose I can tolerate it this once."
"Who was my message from?"
"A Billy Collins."
"Billy Collins? How on earth did he get this number?" Elizabeth was furious, for she had a sneaking suspicion that she knew how he'd gotten that number, and the next time she saw her mother she'd shoot her.
"I didn't ask him that, Miss Bennet. But he did say that his message was urgent. He said that a Mrs. De Bourgh had had some sort of collapse and was at Bellvue Hospital...and that she wished to speak to you as soon as you could get there."
Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Mrs. Younge, are you positive that he said it was Mrs. De Bourgh who wanted to speak to me?"
"Yes, dear, it was. Why?"
Elizabeth then thought of the rest of the message. She'd had a collapse...dear Lord, Catherine de Bourgh was too young to have a heart attack, wasn't she?
"Thank you, Mrs. Younge. I appreciate your diligence in this matter. Would it be possible for me to call for a taxi?"
"Of course, dear."
Elizabeth hurriedly called the taxi service, praying they would arrive quickly. If she was right, there was every chance that her day might be salvaged after all.
Forgiveness
Billy Collins paced back and forth in the hallway outside of Catherine de Bourgh's hospital room. He kept trying to block the terrible images from his mind, kept trying not to think of what might've happened had he not arrived in time.
Mrs. De Bourgh, with the gun drawn to her own head, about to pull the trigger...
Thank God he'd arrived in time! He'd managed to wrestle the gun from her head. When it went off, it did nothing more than hit a picture of her husband which had been hanging on the wall. Billy had taken the gun from her limp hand and set it far away from her, then come back inside to ask her why she'd done it.
Although she undoubtedly would've been mortified to realize it, she'd poured out the entire story of Caroline and Alfred, and her guilt over firing Elizabeth, to Billy. Billy asked her if she thought she would benefit from a stay at the hospital, which she agreed to.
Now he was waiting for the doctor to come out, for the moment he did, Billy intended to pounce.
The door slowly opened, and a man of about sixty walked out, sighed, and looked at Billy.
"Well, doctor? Is she having a nervous breakdown?"
"It appears to me that she's suffering from a great deal of melancholia, triggered by an acute manifestation of fear, insecurity, and doubt."
Billy frowned. "I suppose finding out that your husband was sneaking around with one of your employees would do that to you. Is...all that you mentioned going to cost more than a nervous breakdown and keep her out of the shop for long?"
The doctor frowned. "Tell me, Mr. Collins, what exactly do you do for De Bourghs'?"
Billy flushed red. "Well, sir, I guess you could say I'm a contact man. I keep contact between De Bourghs' and the customers...on a bicycle."
"You mean you're an errand boy?"
The scoffing tone offended Billy. "Doctor, did I call you a pill peddler?"
The doctor supposed that Billy had a point, and said, "You did a great deed today, young man. You should be proud of yourself."
"Thank you," Billy said, flushing again.
The doctor headed down the hall to see another patient, and Billy almost went into Mrs. De Bourgh's room to see how she was for himself when the doors opened and he spied Elizabeth Bennet walking toward him in determined fashion.
"Miss Bennet! Thank goodness you're here." Billy rushed to her.
"I got here as soon as I could, Billy."
"Thank you for your swiftness. I knew you wouldn't let me down."
"Is it serious? Did she have a heart attack?"
"No, it wasn't a heart attack, although what did happen came as a bit of a shock. Well, I'll just have to get over it in my own time."
Elizabeth looked at Billy with a frown. "I'm sure it was fairly traumatic for Mrs. De Bourgh as well. What happened?"
Billy sighed. "She tried to kill herself."
Elizabeth gaped. "No."
"Yes. Turns out that Mr. de Bourgh is having a thing with Caroline Wickham. Mrs. De Bourgh just found out tonight."
Elizabeth's mind figured out the rest without being told--that Mrs. De Bourgh had assumed it was her having an affair with Alfred de Bourgh. The mere thought made her shiver, and she couldn't figure out why she'd thought it at all...but she supposed she'd get a chance to ask.
"Is it all right for me to go in there?" she asked.
"Sure. Mrs. De Bourgh asked to see you specifically."
Elizabeth nodded and said, "Thank you, Billy. For everything." She then went inside the hospital room.
Mrs. De Bourgh was laying on the bed, looking sad. When she saw Elizabeth, her sadness seemed to fade somewhat and she smiled warmly at her. "Hello, Elizabeth."
"Mrs. De Bourgh. I came as soon as I got Billy's message."
"Please...come sit over here." Catherine pointed to the chair next to her bed. "There's a great deal that I have to apologize for, and it might take a while."
Elizabeth smiled as she sat down. "Don't worry about all that, Mrs. De Bourgh. Just concentrate on getting well."
"I won't be able to do that until I apologize to you for everything I did and said today...and in the past several weeks as well. It shames me to think of how much I hated you...how I treated you...dear Lord, Elizabeth, I fired you!"
"Yes, I remember." Elizabeth's eyes were gleaming as though it had been nothing more than a joke, but she did understand the seriousness of what Mrs. De Bourgh was saying. "Mrs. De Bourgh...Billy told me what happened. Why did you think I was having an affair with your husband?"
Catherine sighed. "I was wondering when you'd get to that. I should've guessed it would be your first question."
"I try to be direct whenever possible. If you'd rather not talk about it--"
"No, it needs to be said. I don't remember exactly when the first letter arrived...some time this summer or early fall, I think. It only suggested that my husband was having a secret rendezvous with someone, but didn't say who. The second letter said that the writer knew the woman and she worked in my shop. Elizabeth, you were the only employee, other than Liam, that I'd invited to my home."
"But I never showed any particular kindness to your husband. Come to think of it, I was undoubtedly rude to him."
"He asked about you often. I remembered that as well. Whenever Billy was unavailable to deliver a package, he wanted you to do it. You were always so busy that I would send Caroline...but I didn't remember that part. I only remembered that he would ask for you...and the pieces started adding up. When that poison gets into your mind, it's the only thing you think about...and it affected our working relationship. It got to where I couldn't even stand the sight of you."
The confession would've hurt Elizabeth greatly had it not been for the fact that she knew the cause. "Did you ever find out who was writing the letters?"
"No, I didn't. I figured it had to be a neighbor, or a jealous shop owner...it didn't matter, really. What mattered was that they proved to be right. Alfred was..."
"You don't have to talk about that with me."
"Elizabeth...please tell me that you forgive me, for everything."
"Don't even worry about that, Mrs. De Bourgh. There's nothing to forgive, really. Now that everything's been explained, I'm not upset. Not too much, anyway, and the part I am upset with isn't your fault." Elizabeth hesitated to ask the next question, but it was necessary. "Mrs. De Bourgh, what happens to the shop now?"
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Would you even consider...after everything I did...would you want to come back to work for me?"
Elizabeth beamed. "Of course I would! Where else could I go and have as good a boss as you?"
"I was afraid that you might've been calling around to hear your other options...I know that Mr. Hirsch would love to have you on his staff, for he told me so."
"I wouldn't work for that opinionated man if he paid me twice what you did, but...well, I guess I am going to pry. When I asked about what happens to the store, I didn't mean my future there in particular, but about the store's in general. Are you...er, are you planning to...stay with Mr. de Bourgh?"
Catherine turned her head away from the young woman, thinking for a moment before answering. "I don't think I will. But whether or not I remain with him, nothing will change at the store. I own it outright."
"What? I thought that it was his, and you just ran it."
"No. Shortly after the Depression hit, and I decided I wanted to run the shop, I bought it from Alfred. He didn't think it would make anything, and it made him feel like he was indulging me to let me buy it from him. I insisted on buying it with the money I had received from my great-aunt. So as you see, no matter what happens to me personally, the store remains in my hands."
Elizabeth's admiration for this woman grew, even as she felt sorry for her marital situation.
"The doctor has told me that I need to take some time off. And if I do come back to work, it should only be on a casual basis. Elizabeth, I told you some months back that when I did that, I would let you take over the shop."
Elizabeth was holding her breath for fear of waking from what surely had to be a dream. Although she would not have wished to become manager of the shop for this reason, it was what she'd wanted so badly...
"I would be honored, Mrs. De Bourgh."
"I had a feeling you would say that. Here is the key to my shop." Catherine extended the small key ring, three keys jingling on it. Elizabeth took the gift with trembling hands and said, "Thank you."
Shoving the keys into her coat pocket, Elizabeth extended a hand for Catherine to shake. The two women looked at each other with mutual affection, acknowledging the occasion...and the two promptly started laughing. Catherine felt much better for it.
"You know, Elizabeth, now that you're the manager of the store, if you wanted to give yourself a raise..."
Elizabeth grinned. "I'm going to seriously consider it. If I don't ask myself for too much money, I just might give it to myself. Thank you...and don't worry. You stay here and relax, and leave the store to me. We're going to have the best year in our history."
"I'm sure we will. Elizabeth, there's just one more thing before you go."
"Yes?"
"You may not like this, but I would...I don't think you should fire Billy first thing tomorrow morning, much as you might not like him."
"I might've considered it once, ma'am, but not anymore. As long as he's not bothering me, he's not so bad. Besides, everyone owes him a great deal." Elizabeth got up from her chair and started to leave, but then stopped. "Um, Mrs. De Bourgh? I do have a question."
"Yes?"
"What exactly should I do about Caroline?"
"Well...handle the matter quietly. Don't make a scene and stoop to her level."
"I won't. Thank you again, Mrs. De Bourgh."
"You're quite welcome, and Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth paused to take one last look at her employer.
"Thank you as well."
Elizabeth smiled and opened the door, where she promptly ran into Billy.
"Congratulations, Miss Bennet! Good to have you back!" He shook her hand enthusiastically, then rushed into Mrs. De Bourgh's room.
Elizabeth was in too much of a daze to care that Billy had been listening all along.
I did it! I am now the manager of the store! Elizabeth Bennet, Manager, De Bourghs'. Ooh, this is beyond anything I ever thought would happen!
Elizabeth thought about Liam Darcy, who was undoubtedly still waiting at the cafe for her to arrive, not realizing that she already had. She smiled again. What was it he'd called her? An insignificant, unemployed salesgirl?
Well, the little insignificant salesgirl had just become the manager of the store he worked in.
See how he liked that.
It's In the Mail
Liam returned home at ten-thirty dejected, frustrated, and depressed. He couldn't understand what had happened. He'd waited until the stupid cafe had closed, just to see if maybe there was another carnation crumbled underneath one of the other tables, but the cleaning crew had found nothing. She'd never shown at all.
How could I have been so wrong about her? he wondered. I thought she was so wonderful and right. I thought she would surely show up, at the very least! She never set foot in there, unless she threw the flower in the garbage.
At only one other point in his life had Liam felt so lonely, and that was right after Gina had died and his family had disowned him. Only this ache was worse, because he'd been through that wretched time in his life and had sworn never to open himself up to another person as he had to Gina. Now that he had, and had been rejected again...
Liam looked at his apartment. Perhaps it was just as well that she hadn't shown. After all, what could he possibly offer her? He had no money. He lived in this hovel in a bad part of the city. Many people in his former circle of acquaintances considered him to be partially responsible for the death of his sister, including his parents. All he had was himself, and that wasn't worth much.
But he'd hoped it would be. He'd thought this woman wouldn't care about money or his name or what he'd done. Now it turned out that she hadn't cared at all.
At the very least, she could've left a note.
Liam sighed and sat down at his kitchen table. It was cheap and cheaply put together, but it was his, at least.
It was then that he spied a small envelope laying underneath the table. He reached under and picked it up, frowning.
It was a letter to his so-called Dear Friend. It was lighter than the one he'd sent that morning. Liam was puzzled, because he couldn't figure out when he'd written this one, or why he hadn't sent it. He opened it quickly.
Dear Friend,By the time this letter reaches you, we will have met. I wonder so much how well it will go between us. I have every confidence that things will work out perfectly, and yet as I sit here, in the wee hours of the morning, writing this letter because I cannot sleep, I worry that something will go wrong.
And I wonder what you look like. Are your eyes blue, or are they green or gray? Is your hair brown or red? Does your smile light up a room? I suspect that it might, considering that you have a good sense of humor. Are you tall or short? I rather hope you're tall, because I'm rather tall, but you don't have to be. As long as you are you, and you're at the cafe tonight, I won't care about anything else.
The letter continued on in such a vein. It was the letter he'd written the night before.
Liam frowned. He knew that he'd sent his friend a letter this morning. He knew it, because he'd made sure of the address. He'd been so nervous that he'd written the wrong one on the envelope. But if the letter he'd written last night was here, in his hands, then what had he sent her? A check?
No, the envelope had been too thick for a check.
But if not, then...
Liam felt the blood drain from his face. Dear God, please let it be anything but that! Please don't say that I sent her THAT letter!
Liam immediately began his search through all his bills, papers, old letters, and anything else that might hide a letter. Before he was finished, everything he owned was out of place and he'd gone through it twice. He couldn't find that letter anywhere.
With a low moan, Liam realized what he'd known since the moment the thought had entered his mind. He'd sent that letter to her. He'd poured his horrid secret out to a complete stranger, and clearly one who didn't care. She was only using him for sport, and now she had a lovely little tale to tell her friends about him.
Elizabeth awakened early that morning. She'd hardly slept at all, but it didn't matter much to her. She was too excited at the prospect of seeing everyone at the shop again, except for Caroline and Liam, and at the idea of going into that shop as the manager.
Elizbeth Bennet, Manager, De Bourghs'. It had a lovely ring to it.
The only bad thought was that she would have to work with Liam and have to figure out a way to get rid of Caroline. Still, she could handle it.
Elizabeth decided that since she had extra time, as she'd left her apartment at seven-thirty and the shop didn't open until nine, that she would stop by the post office to turn in her key. She'd only been using that post office box for her correspondence with Liam Darcy, and as she had no intention of ever writing him again, she didn't need the box anymore.
She was about to turn her key over when she noticed that someone was stuffing mail into the boxes, and it looked as though he'd put something in hers. She was a bit curious about what it might be, so she took the key and opened her box. A thick envelope was sitting there, staring at her accusingly.
Elizabeth knew that there was no way it could possibly be from Liam about last night, because the mail didn't run that fast. She wasn't even sure she wanted to hear what he had to say anyway, but she decided that she might as well read it. It would be the last of such letters, since she intended to write him and say that she'd changed her mind about wanting to get to know him in person. Or maybe she'd just stop writing altogether.
Either way, she didn't want him knowing it had been her writing to him all these months.
She opened the letter and read it in the post office as eagerly as she'd read all her others, curious to hear what he had to say.
Dear Friend,The letter you undoubtedly received today told you that I would someday tell you of the monster I faced. I felt guilty about not telling you the truth, since perhaps my experience would be helpful to you. We have exchanged a great deal in the past few weeks, and I feel I can trust you with the truth of what happened to me.
Elizabeth frowned. She hadn't received a letter, other than this one. She then noticed the date--it was dated back in late May, when she'd first discovered the truth about him from Caroline. She read on, curious to hear what he had to tell her.
As she read the letter, her expressions changed from those of disbelief to shock to horror. She had absolutely no reason now to believe that Liam had lied about anything he'd written in the letter. After all, he'd had no idea who she was at the time and still didn't.
And everything he'd written contradicted Caroline's story. The truth, now, about the girl Caroline had called her sister. The girl who had allowed herself to be used by such a man, who remained unnamed but surely had to be Caroline's brother George. The girl who may or may not have killed Liam's poor sister.
Why? Why did Caroline lie to me? What motive did she have when she did it? Elizabeth pondered over this for a while before thinking that the only possible motive was to cause trouble between Elizabeth and Mrs. De Bourgh. If Elizabeth didn't get along with Liam, it would filter up. Or at least, she supposed that had been Caroline's thinking. She had very little experience with truly evil people. Not enough to figure out what the real reason was.
Elizabeth felt guilty when she read the next part of the letter.
One of the young women I work with said I needed a lesson in humility. Perhaps, in some ways, she is right. Old habits are hard to break, even for someone who has gone through as much as I have....
The last part of his letter nearly broke her heart.
I still grieve for my sister, and deep in my heart, I pray that someday she walks into my apartment, looks around, and says, "What are you doing in a dump like this?" I know she would be able to vindicate me in all this. But she is dead. I know that now.I tell you this tale because I have a feeling your monster may be as horrifying as mine, and the only advice I have to give is that eventually there is some form of escape. Your monster won't be there forever, just as mine is no longer a part of my life.
I hope this helps a little.
This, then, was the man she'd rejected last night. Granted, he'd been mean to her and she doubted that the revelation of her identity would've changed that. But now that she looked over her own behavior of the past six months, she felt greatly ashamed by it. She hadn't been nice to him. Even though he'd started most of it, including the imitations of her, she hadn't needed to do the same just to get even.
That smacked of childishness, and here she'd just been made manager of the shop.
But the man she knew from his letters, the man whose sister had been murdered out of another man's spite, because his greed hadn't been satisfied...was the same man who had said all those terrible things.
It was so confusing that Elizabeth didn't think she wanted to work through it all, yet she knew at some point she would have to.
"Miss? Would you still like to return your key?" the man behind the desk asked.
Elizabeth looked up from her letter and sighed. "No," she said quietly. "I've changed my mind, but thanks anyway."
She left the post office, rereading her letter on her way to work for the day.
Justice
Elizabeth was the first to arrive, which greatly relieved her as she took the time alone to reread her letter. She was reading it for the fifth time when she heard a familiar voice exclaim, "Lisa!"
Elizabeth looked up to see Charlie rushing up the street. "Good morning, Charlie," she said with a smile, remembering that she hadn't bothered to tell him she'd gotten her job back.
"What are you doing here? I thought you said that you weren't going to beg for your job back."
"I'm not here to beg for my job back. That turned out to be unnecessary."
Charlie frowned. "Then what..." Elizabeth dangled the keys to the store in front of his nose, and his eyes widened to the size of saucers. "She gave you your job back and made you the manager?"
"That she did, Charlie! Isn't it wonderful! I think I'll give you a raise, just a little something so that you and Jane are able to spoil Jamie rotten."
"But--but yesterday--"
"That is all forgot! I...talked to Mrs. De Bourgh last night. We worked things out, and she hired me back and made me the manager."
"Why?"
Elizabeth hesitated. Charlie was one of her closest friends, but she doubted that Mrs. De Bourgh would wish for her to go blabbing to the rest of the employees, even Charlie, that she'd attempted to kill herself last night because her husband was having an affair. But it explained the treatment she'd received over the past several weeks, and why she'd been rehired so quickly.
"Well..." She might as well tell him this part at least, for there would be no hiding it. "She's in the hospital, Charlie. She hasn't been feeling well for the past couple of months, and the doctors are ordering her to take it slow. She asked me to see her last night and asked if I would take over for her."
"Is this a permanent thing, or just until she's better?"
"It's permanent."
"But--"
Elizabeth was saved from more probing questions by the arrival of Charlotte and Susan, who were giggling as usual over some such nonsense. Charlotte was saying, "He wants to go out again, but I don't think I shall! My mother would die of shame were I to marry a delivery boy while being a clerk myself!"
"I think she would more likely be furious by the fact that you would no longer be supporting her and your father were you to marry. Still, Charlotte, I don't think you would want to marry Billy. I mean, could you truly picture yourself with him for the rest of your life?"
"Good morning, ladies," Charlie said, tipping his hat to them.
"Good morning, Mr. Bingley," Charlotte said politely. The conversation she was having with Susan ended abruptly when she noticed Elizabeth standing there, still holding the keys in her hand. Elizabeth again explained to them that Mrs. De Bourgh wasn't well and that she'd asked her to take over the store. Charlie again tried to ask about why Mrs. De Bourgh had been so furious with Elizabeth, but she put him off again. She talked business with Charlotte, asking what the day before's sales were, asking whether or not they'd finished the window after she'd left, and hearing a couple of suggestions on what they could possibly do with all those silly cigarette boxes left over from May.
Elizabeth was beginning to wonder where Liam was when a taxi approached the store and stopped. No one leaped to open the door, and thus a rather disgruntled Caroline Wickham had to open her own door and get out of the car. She paid the driver with a nice tip and rather deliberately wrung her hands at the total, making sure that everyone in the group standing by the store's doors saw the gaudy diamond on her hand. She looked up expecting to see envy in their eyes at the money she had and the jewelry she was flashing, but no one had taken note and her good mood vanished when she saw the tallest member of the group.
Elizabeth had known it was Caroline in the cab before it had stopped, and her eyes, which had been warm and cheerful as she'd accepted everyone's happiness at her return and congratulations on her promotion, turned cold. The smile did not fade from her face, and she didn't by any word or gesture indicate her true feelings, but anyone looking into her dark eyes could see her fury and dislike of the young woman who had just arrived.
"Why...Miss Bennet! It's so good to see you here," she said with a false smile. She didn't notice the keys sitting in Elizabeth's hand. "I take it you're here to ask for your old job back."
"No, Miss Wickham, I'm not here for my old job."
"Just as well, since I've heard talk that Liam Darcy is likely to be made manager soon. Of course, it's more than likely that he's to take your place for now, since you're gone, then be promoted." Caroline smiled cattily. "And I doubt you would be willing to work for him, even if Catherine de Bourgh were to be foolish enough to allow you to get your job back. I dare say you lost it because you were too outspoken. If you'd been like me, you'd still have a job."
"As it turns out, Miss Wickham, I have a job. And I didn't have to resort to any of your tactics to get it."
"Oh? Where are you working now, if I may ask? Not that I really care, I'm just curious."
"I think you'll be interested to hear the answer. I work for De Bourghs'."
There were a few laughs from the small group circling Elizabeth. They were enjoying Caroline being taken down a peg, since she'd said several times after Elizabeth's departure the night before that she'd never liked Miss Bennet and knew that her firing was an eventuality.
Caroline blinked. "Y-you do?"
"Yes. In fact, I not only work for De Bourghs', I'm the manager now. And my first official act as the manager is to...open the doors for business." Elizabeth unlocked the gate, and then the door. Charlie opened it up for her amid the laughter and talk of the other excited employees. Caroline was left behind, and she quickly walked into the store before Charlie got up the gumption to shut it in her face.
Elizabeth Bennet, back at De Bourghs'? Elizabeth Bennet, now the manager and in charge of everything? Something was seriously wrong with this matter. Yesterday Catherine de Bourgh had hated Elizabeth enough that she'd fired her, for whatever peculiar reason she'd had. Now, suddenly, she'd changed her mind?
Alfred had called that morning, saying that Catherine hadn't come home last night and he was a bit concerned. She'd been hostile to him lately, he'd said, and he wondered if Caroline had accidentally mentioned their relationship to her.
Now Caroline wondered if maybe Elizabeth Bennet wasn't behind Catherine's disappearance. Wasn't her father connected to the mob in some way? She seemed to think that Charlie had said something once.
Caroline decided that when she went to Alfred during her lunch break, she'd mention the possibility to him.
Billy Collins had gotten up nearly as early as his new boss, because he needed a new suit. His other suit had been designed with comfort in mind, because he'd needed as much comfort as he could get on that stupid bicycle. But thank God, the bicycle and his delivery days were behind him!
He was now a clerk.
True, he'd had to badger Catherine de Bourgh with pleas before she'd agreed, not to mention that he'd had to use the gratitude she should naturally feel because he'd saved her life. And true, she'd immediately growled at him to get out of her hospital room as soon as she'd agreed that he could be a clerk. But by God, he was now a clerk!
Perhaps, now that he was a clerk, he could convince Charlotte Lucas that he was serious in his intentions toward her. Soon after he'd given up trying to woo Elizabeth Bennet, he'd fixed on the plain, hard-working young woman and believed that she would be grateful to receive his attentions. Although she'd been a bit flattered, he wasn't sure that gratitude was the word to describe her state of mind during their date.
Billy walked into the store and smiled. No longer would he have to battle the elements, the traffic, the rude customers who grumbled about how slow he was--even when he knew he was the fastest delivery boy in town. And who knew? Elizabeth Bennet had started out as an apprentice. Now she was the manager of the shop. Perhaps he could own the place someday.
He immediately walked over to the telephone and dialed a number he'd memorized after the first six months he'd worked at De Bourghs'. He spoke quite clearly, so everyone in the store could hear him. "Operator? Please connect me with number 2682, please. Thank you...Good morning! This is Mr. William Collins of De Bourghs'. We're currently looking for a young man to fill the position of errand boy."
The other employees heard him indeed, and turned to look at him with puzzled looks on their faces. Billy smiled.
"Now see here," he said into the phone. "What we're looking for is a clean young man with a solid background, from a good family...Can you find me someone dependable? Yes...Just send three or four over and I'll look them over...Just have them ask for Mr. Collins of the sales department. Thank you." Billy hung up the phone and looked at Charlie, Susan, and Charlotte, who had been staring at him. "What's the matter?" he asked innocently. "Haven't you ever seen a clerk before in your life?"
Puzzlement turned to shock and horror. "You're a clerk?" Susan gasped.
"Who did this dreadful thing? Does Mrs. De Bourgh or Elizabeth know about this?" Charlie demanded to know.
"Well, now, who do you think promoted me? I don't know if Miss Bennet knows yet, but Mrs. De Bourgh personally said that I was now a clerk in her shop. Don't look at me that way," Billy said, frowning at Charlie. "You should all be grateful. If it weren't for me, you'd all be out of a job today."
"What do you mean by that?" Charlotte asked.
"Well, I can't give you any of the particulars, but if I hadn't shown up at the right time, this place would've been closed forever on account of suicide."
Charlie gasped. No wonder Elizabeth hadn't wanted to tell him why Mrs. De Bourgh was in the hospital! But that still didn't answer his other question.
The telephone rang, and Charlotte picked it up. "Good morning, De Bourghs'. No, Mr. de Bourgh, she's not here--"
Billy ripped the phone out of Charlotte's hand and smiled. "I'll take this call. Hello, Mr. de Bourgh. This is Billy speaking."
"Billy! I thought you were to come by last night with my bottle of cologne!"
"That's right. But I'm here to tell you that you're never going to get it! What do you think of that?"
A rather irritated Mr. de Bourgh snapped, "Is this really Billy?"
"Yes! This is Billy speaking! And your cologne days are likely over, Mr. de Bourgh."
"Billy, I know my wife must be there. Put her on the telephone this instant, and see how fast I get you fired."
"You want to speak to Mrs. De Bourgh, sir? That's too bad. Right at the moment, she's off to London with two tall, handsome, young men and can't be disturbed." At the gasps from his co-workers, who were still crowded around him, Billy put his hand over the mouthpiece of the telephone and said, "Don't miss this, folks." Turning back to his caller, he added, "You wouldn't like by any chance to speak with Miss Wickham!" With an almost maniacal laugh, Billy hung up the phone.
"There," he said. "That got him. Draw your own conclusions." And he went to tell Elizabeth about Mrs. De Bourgh's decision to promote him.
The conclusion was swift and almost accurate on the part of all three people left behind. The only thing they couldn't figure out was why Mrs. De Bourgh had thought Elizabeth was having an affair with Mr. de Bourgh, and how she'd found out it was Caroline.
Elizabeth spent a delicious morning going over the inventory and doing other acts that she figured the manager would do. She was wondering whether or not this new power was going to her head when she made a note in the ledger to increase Charlie's salary, then decided that she was thinking nonsense. Charlie had gone over a year and a half without a raise, and the store could certainly afford it. Business, she noted with a smile, was up so much from last year, even up from over this summer, and next year promised to be even better.
Elizabeth was looking forward to next year, even though it meant enduring Billy Collins as a clerk. Well, she supposed that Mrs. De Bourgh had owed him something because of what he'd done.
It was nearly eleven when Caroline tapped on the door to the office and walked in before Elizabeth could invite her in. She looked a bit bedraggled, and the sight made Elizabeth smile. The moment they'd reached the inside of the store, Elizabeth had set Caroline to moving heavy bags from place to place. After that had come dusting the back room shelves, and the next job Elizabeth had for her was hopefully the one that would drive Caroline to leave the shop without having to be fired.
"What do you want, Miss Wickham?" Elizabeth asked.
"I believe you said you wished to see me once I finished dusting."
"Indeed I did. I have another task for you."
"Forgive me for intruding, Miss Bennet, but it's rather busy out there. I think I'm needed out front with customers far more than I'm needed dusting shelves."
"I think the others can handle the front quite well, thanks. After all, Billy has to sink or swim on his own, and a day such as today will do well to determine which will happen."
"But--"
"You have a problem with my decision, Miss Wickham?"
"No...not at all."
"Good." Elizabeth's eyes gleamed, as clearly Caroline did have a problem and wouldn't say anything. "The next thing I want you to do is to go through all those leftover boxes of miscellaneous items that didn't sell this summer and inventory them, so I'll know what we'll have for next summer's sales. Then I want you to--"
"Forgive me for asking, Miss Bennet, but what would be the point? Nothing ever sells if it doesn't go in the first summer. We should just throw those things away or give them out as complimentary gifts."
Elizabeth sighed. "I can see that this isn't going to work at all. You can't tolerate the fact that I'm giving the orders around here, can you?"
"I--I don't know what you mean, Miss Bennet."
"Yes you do, Caroline. You never liked me."
"I like you quite well."
"You don't have to lie because I'm your boss."
"I'm not lying. I'm just not going to be one of those people who always agrees with the boss, so I'm disagreeing with you. I like you quite well."
"There's just one problem, then."
"What's that?"
"I don't like you!"
Caroline didn't seem too surprised to hear that. "Well, then, now that I know the problem, I'll try my best to work on it. I don't think it'll be too difficult a task, and since I always did like you--"
"Caroline, let's be honest here. You've never liked me, I've never liked you. I don't want you agreeing with me, or disagreeing with me."
"In other words, you don't want me here at all."
"I think we understand each other perfectly." Elizabeth's eyes turned cold and her expression changed with it. "I know you for what you are, Miss Wickham. You're a liar and a cheat."
Caroline's mouth opened and closed before she found her voice. "I would like to know what grounds you have for calling me those things."
The telephone rang and Elizabeth picked it up. "Good morning, De Bourghs'."
An unfamiliar female voice said, "I'm calling for Liam Darcy, ma'am. I'm his next-door neighbor. He asked me to tell you that he's not feeling well at all and won't be in to work today."
It felt as though a stone had dropped heavily in her stomach. Liam was undoubtedly depressed over last night, and she was to blame. In spite of everything, her guilt increased and she wished desperately that she'd at least told him who she was, so he would've had the opportunity to end the relationship.
"Well...of course, if he's unwell, we don't want him to overdo anything. Is Mr. Darcy sick?"
"No...I don't think he is. But he looks so sad that it almost broke my heart, ma'am. I think something went wrong on his date last night."
Elizabeth turned pale. "Tell him not to worry about things here. He should just concentrate on feeling better, and come back when he feels able. He'll still have a job here, of course."
"I'll be sure to tell him, ma'am. Thank you."
"Oh, wait! Ma'am, if you please! Could you pass a message along to him for me?"
"Certainly, Mrs. De Bourgh."
"No, I'm not Mrs. De Bourgh. That was the message I wanted to pass along. She's his aunt, you know, and she's in the hospital at the moment, at Bellevue."
"Oh, dear! I hope it's not anything serious."
"I'm sure she'll be fine. I just thought he might want to visit her."
"Thank you for telling me, ma'am. I'll pass that along directly."
"Thank you...and don't forget to tell him what I said, about not coming back until he felt able." Elizabeth hung up the phone and looked at Caroline.
"You're being awfully kind to a man who--" Caroline started to say, but was cut off.
"Don't start that nonsense, Caroline, for I know you lied about your dear, dear sister Christie. She was no sister to you or your brother at all."
Caroline's eyes looked startled to hear the words.
"I know that your brother used that poor girl." She didn't add what Liam suspected, that her brother had killed the girl and his sister. "I know what happened to Gina Darcy, and how your brother used that to gain revenge on Liam."
Caroline, who didn't know anything about someone named Gina, appeared confused. Elizabeth believed it was an act.
"I know only what my brother has told me. I have no reason to doubt it."
"Why, I wonder, did you repeat it to me? I've never been able to figure that out, Caroline. You do everything for a purpose."
"I had no purpose, except to warn you away from him. And I dare say that I cannot be blamed for believing my brother, and you have no right to call me what you did."
"Then how about sleeping with another woman's husband?"
Caroline's complexion turned chalky. "I--I don't understand your meaning."
"I'm sure you'll understand this, though...you're fired, Miss Wickham."
"You can't do that!" she exclaimed.
"Yes I can. I'm the manager, and you don't work here anymore. Now get your things and get out before I have you thrown out."
"How do I know you're the manager? How do I know that you didn't do something with Mrs. De Bourgh that forced her to make you the manager? Prove to me that you're the manager!"
"You want proof? I'll give you proof!" Elizabeth stood up and looked rather menacing. Caroline rushed out of the office and flung herself into the small stand which held the "Voi che sapete" cigarette boxes, knocking them to the floor and starting a noise that startled the three customers present out of the store.
"Did you all see that? I have a nice case for assault and battery," Caroline wailed. "She pushed me into those boxes! I'll be calling all of you as witnesses!"
"All right. You've been fired, so go on and get out of here," Elizabeth said.
"I'm entitled to a months' salary and a letter of reference!"
Billy rushed forward with Caroline's belongings. He held them up, but before she could take hold of them, he dropped them on the floor. Charlotte handed Elizabeth the money Caroline would've received, which Elizabeth tossed in Caroline's face. The money also drifted to the floor.
"What about my letter?" she snapped.
"I forgot about that," Elizabeth said. "Susan, could you please take a letter? 'To whom it may concern, Miss Caroline Wickham has been in the employee of De Bourghs' for approximately three years, in which time she's proven herself to be a liar, cheat, and outright rat! And she's going to actually have reason to charge me with assault and battery if she doesn't get out of this store now! Yours very truly, Elizabeth Bennet, Manager, De Bourghs'."
Caroline grasped her belongings and her money, making sure to put the money in a safe place. "You just wait, Elizabeth Bennet, and see who has the last laugh," she said coldly. "I'll get my revenge, see if I don't!"
Elizabeth didn't put much faith in her vows as she shut the door behind the furious, retreating figure. She was relieved to have her gone, and from the looks on the faces of the other employees, they were just as relieved.
Believe
Liam was startled to hear from his next-door neighbor that Mrs. De Bourgh was in the hospital. He was wondering who was running the shop. When he asked Mrs. Dashwood, all she could say was that she'd spoken to a lady, and a young-sounding one, over the telephone, and that she hadn't given her name.
Liam had a sinking feeling that he knew exactly who the young lady was, and although he was glad she had her job back, the prospect of working for Elizabeth Bennet didn't appeal to him in the slightest. He knew it was time to look for another job.
But first, he had to look in on his aunt. Mrs. Dashwood had said she was in Bellevue, and so that was where he went as soon as he heard the message.
Catherine smiled to see him when he walked into the room. "Liam," she said. "Why are you not at work?"
"I...I'm not doing so well myself," he said. "I didn't have a good night last night, so I felt it best not to show up to work and frighten away what customers we might have."
"What happened?"
"Well..." Liam sighed. He'd told Catherine about the young woman he was writing to, and she'd encouraged him. He'd mentioned a couple of weeks ago that they were finally going to meet, but she'd seemed less than enthusiastic.
He looked at her now. "Don't worry about me, Catherine. I'll be fine."
"How did you know I was here if you didn't go to work?"
"I had my neighbor call me in sick. She told me that the person she talked to mentioned you were here. I'm presuming Mrs. Dashwood talked to Elizabeth Bennet."
"She did," Catherine confirmed. "She's the manager now. That isn't going to bother you, is it?"
"I...well, we'll see. Catherine, what happened? Was it your heart?"
"No." Catherine turned somber, and then she told him the whole of her story, ending with Billy talking her into coming to the hospital. "I still feel awful, knowing the doubts I had about Elizabeth, but I'm glad she was able to forgive me and come back to work."
"Everything seemed to fit, though. She couldn't really blame you for thinking what you did."
"And so she didn't. I'm guessing that she ignores my request to not make a scene with Caroline, but...quite honestly, I hope she punches her in the nose."
Liam smiled, but his was a sad smile and it reminded Catherine that he was having trouble as well. "Liam," she said, "you never did tell me what was wrong with you. Is it..." Catherine knew that next week would've been Gina's birthday...her twenty-first. "Is it Gina?"
"No. Oddly enough, in the excitement of meeting with my friend, I forgot about that."
"That's a good thing...isn't it?"
"No," Liam said. "We were supposed to meet last night, and she never showed up. I waited until the cafe closed, but I never saw a sign that she was there."
"Oh, Liam...you poor dear. It doesn't seem like anything can go right in this family these days, can it?"
"Worse than that, I may find myself out of a job when I finally do return to work anyway. Miss Bennet arrived and we had words. I'm afraid that I was a bit rude to her, but I was so nervous because I was expecting my friend, and then she went and sat at my table. What if my friend saw her and thought I was already spoken for?"
"Then you should write her a letter, explaining that the young lady was a co-worker and not one you get along with."
"I don't think it would help. You see, I accidentally sent her a letter which explained the truth about Gina. I don't think any woman who would be frightened away by seeing me with another woman would be strong enough to withstand the fact that I'm guilty--"
"Young man, if you say you're guilty of your sister's death, I shall rise up from here and smack you. I thought we'd talked about this."
"We have, but you can't erase six years of guilt with a few talks." Liam cleared his throat. "I doubt I'll ever hear from her again, and perhaps it's just as well. I must've been mad to think that I could meet someone so wonderful through the personals."
The words triggered something in Catherine's mind, something she'd heard months earlier and had found mildly amusing, but hadn't thought to connect until now.
"Call me crazy, Charlie, but this man is so wonderful, I'm amazed I met him through a personal ad."
"I do wonder at your sanity sometimes, Lisa, but from his letters he sounds like a nice man."
"He is. He wrote me just the other day, telling me about his aunt. He says he's closer to his aunt than he is to the rest of his family, and I think he once said that his parents are still alive. The way he speaks of her...well, he almost credits her with saving his life when she gave him a job."
"You never know until you try," Catherine said slowly, trying to form a question in her mind. "I hope you told this woman about me."
Liam thought that a rather odd comment. "I did talk about you. I told her that you practically saved me by giving me a job. We were as open and honest as we could be, about everything but our names. Well, I won't do that again."
Liam was so lost in his frustration and hurt at last night that he didn't notice the look on Catherine's face. She was relieved when he looked up again and thought nothing strange, for she knew it would never do for her to tell him the truth.
But it would make things rather interesting indeed...if she were right.
She had to be right. Elizabeth and Liam had had one thing in common yesterday--they'd both needed the night off for something important. And both had done their best to block the other from going.
Catherine almost laughed. How strange things worked out sometimes! How wonderful--if they could get past their dislike of each other!
"I won't advise you one way or another...as I am having difficulties of my own. But I will say this...I truly thought it a good thing to get to know each other before meeting. Beauty has a way of making you think better of a person, when in reality that person can be quite ugly." Catherine's voice tightened, and Liam knew she was thinking of her husband, and Caroline. "Would you have accepted this woman were she plain?"
"Yes," he said without hesitation. "I fell in love with her mind and soul, not her looks. As I have no idea what she looks like, it was all I could fall in love with." Liam sighed. "I was afraid, though, of what she might think of me. I'm not exactly Valentino, you know."
"I'm sure she would've liked you."
"But she didn't bother to show up. That should say something."
"Did you ever consider that she might've had a problem at work, just like you did?"
"Then why did she not leave a note?"
"Perhaps she had no chance to do so. Perhaps the problem came up after her lunch hour, when she would've been able to get word to you."
"Why are you so determined to prop my spirits?"
"I'm just saying that you should wait and see if she writes again. If she does, it is likely that I'm right, and you'll only be delayed in meeting. If not..." If not, then I'm going to be greatly disappointed in her. "If not, then you did the best you could and you have to move on."
"Right." Liam tried to keep the hope from entering his mind, without success. Catherine had given a legitimate reason for his friend not appearing. "Did the doctors say how long you had to be here?"
"No. Probably for a couple of weeks. I should be out by Christmas. If I am, would you have objections to my spending the holiday with you?"
"Not at all," Liam said with a smile.
Liam was leaving Catherine's room when he heard a gasp. He would've ignored it, but as he walked down the hall and toward the stairs he heard a woman's voice call out, "Sir, wait! Please, wait!"
Liam realized that the woman was talking to him, so he stopped and turned to face a slim, petite brunette in her mid-fifties who was staring at him with surprise.
"Can I help you, ma'am?" he asked.
"I think you might be able to. This might seem a bit hard to believe, sir, but...you look a great deal like someone I know."
Suddenly, Liam understood the woman's problem. He looked like someone she'd known, who was likely dead. He'd been there. Every teen-aged girl with coppery hair and big green eyes had been Gina to him. Occasionally today, whenever he saw a young woman who resembled her, he would stop and stare. The pain, he knew, would never fade. Especially in his case.
"I wish I could help you, ma'am, but--"
"I'm Madeleine Gardiner. Please, don't think just because you saw me here that I'm a resident of the halls. I do volunteer work with the sick children in another wing and was here to talk to a friend of mine when I saw you."
"I don't understand how I can help you, except to empathize, because I know how it feels to lose someone and see them in another person."
Mrs. Gardiner frowned. "I haven't lost anyone, as far as I know. And you wouldn't exactly be helping me, you'd be helping my daughter-in-law. She's the one you look like."
"Your...your daughter-in-law? How could I help her? I do apologize if I seem rude, ma'am, but I don't know you."
"Yes, I realize that. I'm being a dreadful nuisance, bothering you like this, but I wouldn't bother you if the resemblance weren't astonishing. I haven't approached every man with red hair and green eyes just because she's of similar coloring."
"Mrs. Gardiner, there's only one person I've ever had a close resemblance to, and she died several years ago. We inherited it from our mother, who was the last of her line, so it isn't likely that I would look like anyone young."
Mrs. Gardiner's face fell. "I apologize for taking your time, then. I was hoping that you could help Danielle, but--"
"What?" Liam went cold.
"Excuse me?"
"Your daughter-in-law's name. What was it?"
"Danielle. Her name is Danielle."
It had to be a coincidence. Surely there was some sort of explanation for how this woman's daughter-in-law's name was Gina's middle name--Georgiana Danielle Darcy.
"Mrs. Gardiner, how exactly could I help her?"
"You just said..."
"Please...just tell me how you thought I could help you."
"I think we need to sit down, for the tale of how Danielle came to us is quite complicated." Mrs. Gardiner led him to a small waiting room and sat him down. "I've been volunteering at hospitals for several years. A little over six years ago, I was working when I heard talk of a young woman who had been found in the river, nearly dead from a gunshot wound to the head. She hadn't regained consciousness and hadn't babbled any names which might lead to an identification. Everyone marveled that she was alive, but she was a fighter, and it soon became clear that she was going to make it."
That could've described Gina perfectly. She'd been a bit shy, but a tigress when pushed to it.
"I went to see her. She looked like a child of eleven, although the doctors told me she was in her mid-teens. My heart went out to this poor girl, and I made arrangements for her medical bills to be paid until her family could be found. Only when she finally woke up, she remembered little. Only a few hazy memories and no idea as to how she'd ended up near death. The only name she could remember was 'Danielle.' We put ads in the newspapers, but no one ever answered. In the end, my husband and I agreed that we couldn't just leave her on her own, so we brought her to our home. We encouraged her to let the memories come in time and not force anything."
Mrs. Gardiner paused to gauge his reaction. "You look a bit shocked. I suppose you think that what we did was horrifying. A number of our friends did, until they got to know Danielle...unless it's something else? Was Danielle the name of your sister?"
"Danielle was her middle name."
"I see."
"Has she started to remember anything?"
"Not exactly. Danielle soon became a fixture in my family. Brandon fell in love with her almost immediately. I suspect it's because he's my youngest child, and in Danielle he saw someone he could protect from the world. Danielle soon came to feel the same about him, and they were married a year and a half ago. The day after their first anniversary, Danielle awoke screaming. She never called any names, and when she would awaken, she could remember nothing. Now hardly a day goes by when she doesn't have that nightmare, and it's causing no small amount of trouble with my son. He's in so much agony because he doesn't know what's troubling her, and therefore he can't help her."
"Forgive me, ma'am, but where would I come in?"
"I was hoping that if Danielle knew you, and saw you, that she might remember something. As I said, I don't normally approach men who look a bit like you, but you greatly resemble her. If...if I may ask...er, I'm sorry. I didn't get your name."
"It's Fitzwilliam Darcy."
"If I may ask, Mr. Darcy, what happened to your sister?"
"I don't exactly know. She disappeared over six years ago and we presumed she was dead because...well, it's a long story. You can probably guess what I am thinking, Mrs. Gardiner, and I wish it were true. But it couldn't be. My sister's disappearance was in the front page of the papers, along with her picture. Surely one of the doctors would've seen it and known who she was."
"It isn't likely. She was found in Pennsylvania. That's where we were living at the time."
"But...but...the reason we presumed Gina was dead was because the body of the girl she was with was found in New York."
"I know it isn't likely, Mr. Darcy, but when she was first gone, if I had come to you and said this, you would've followed me. Right?"
Liam nodded. "But I can't believe the unbelievable. It's been six years."
"Most of which Danielle has spent in Pennsylvania. We moved here only recently, to see if we could find a doctor who could help her. Please...it's not likely to be right, but there's a chance that you could help her. Would you...please...come to see her?"
Liam could only nod, fearing for what could happen if he spoke. His head was still racing from the hope that perhaps it was true, that Gina was alive, but the overwhelming thought was that he couldn't let his hopes rise. She was dead. And it was in this muddle that he allowed Mrs. Gardiner to direct him to her home in a fashionable part of the city.
He entered the house hesitantly. The home resembled that of his parents', but at the same time, it seemed far more inviting than his parents' had ever been.
"Brandon? Danielle?"
A tall, handsome young man who resembled his mother appeared first. He smiled at his mother before freezing when he saw Liam. "Mother?" he asked hesitantly.
"Is Danielle here?"
Before he could answer, a soft voice called from another room, "I'm here, Mother Gardiner." And before Liam was ready, a tall young woman walked into the hallway and stopped when she saw him.
Liam blinked several times, trying to tell himself that he was only doing what he'd done years ago, thinking that a pretty young woman with red hair and green eyes was his sister. Only this time was different. This time, the hair was the exact shade Gina's had been. Her eyes were identical to his. She'd been smiling when she'd entered the room, and although the smile was gone it had been there long enough for him to know that it was just like his, a shy but pleasant one.
The young woman looked at him for the longest time before she finally said something.
"Liam?" she whispered, before crumpling into a dead faint.