by Teg
He chuckled quietly. “Oh, that will come, my dear. Before another year is
complete I will be calling you my wife.”
Elizabeth drew in a deep breath. “I want that, too, Will. I know I have to put this year behind me, though. I’m going to do that.”
“There’s no hurry.” Their lips met, the rest of his words muffled in the joining.
Jane leaned her back against the closed door. “Thank goodness that’s over
with!”
“Wasn’t that bad,” Charles commented. “No temper tantrums, no fist fights.
Only a few tasteless remarks.”
“Mom’s norm.” Making a face, Jane turned out the lights and they headed
upstairs. “I’m worried about Dad and Lizzy, though.”
“Jane, don’t. They need time to sort out their feelings, just like everyone else.
You worrying about them isn’t going to do anybody any good, least of all you.”
He stopped her as they entered the bedroom. “I’ll have to provide a
distraction.”
“Oh?” she said, a smile betraying her understanding of his intent.
“Your mother expressed a wish.” Charles brushed the hair back from her face.
“Nothing new about that.”
“Shall we oblige her?”
Jane giggled. “The stores are closed now and I don’t think Santa had enough notice.”
His smile broadened. “Some compromise may be reached.”
She appeared thoughtful. “Let’s... discuss it some more.”
Mary Bennet was silent, listening to her parents bicker over the day’s events.
The arguing was nothing out of the ordinary but their topic was one that hadn’t been addressed in a long time. This in itself was enough to encourage her
attention.
“There’s something not right about the whole situation,” her father was saying.
“Can’t you see it in her eyes?”
“Her eyes! You dwell too much on what you think you see in Lizzy’s eyes. I’ll tell you what I see, shall I?” Dolores was in full steam, rolling over his objections without batting an eye. “She’s a little girl again, scared and unhappy.
I wanted to hug her, to make her feel better like I did when she was a toddler and scraped her knees, but the grownup part of her won’t let me. And she won’t let you, either.”
Ted’s expression hardened. “No, but she’ll let him in.”
“Will. Yes, and why not?” She puzzled over that for a minute. “I think you’re wrong, Teddy. Oh, I know what I said about George but this time I really do think you are wrong. Charles would never defend him if he was hurting Lizzy.
He didn’t defend George.”
“He didn’t stop him, though.”
“Neither did you.” Mary immediately wished she could have taken back her
words. They hung in the air between them.
“How dare you speak to me like that!” If he hadn’t been driving, Ted would have turned to face his daughter. He stared ahead, hands gripping the wheel tighter. All three could recognise the truth in her words, though no one felt it more than Ted. “I’m sorry, Mary.” His voice was harsh with emotion. “If I
could have done something, I would have.” A heavy sigh followed. “At least you two can get along with her, make things right between you. I doubt she’ll ever forgive me.”
Mary looked out of her window, unwilling to think further on the subject. She had no idea, really, what Elizabeth would feel. There was no way to broach it without offending her sister, she was sure. There was one thing she was certain of, however. She’d seen the way Will and Elizabeth looked at one another and it was not the same as she’d seen with George Wickham. It even made Mary
consider believing in fairy tales.
Chapter Twenty
Will was a bit disappointed that he didn’t have the pleasure of breakfast prepared by Elizabeth. He was curious, though, to hear what her mother would be making for them all a little later that morning.
“Well, bacon and ham, French toast and biscuits, eggs however you like them; scrambled, fried, omelettes! Nothing exotic. Just plain, old-fashioned fare and plenty of it.”
Their timing was excellent, for they arrived at the Bingleys’ only minutes before the rest of the Bennets. Dolores went directly to the kitchen. Will questioned Elizabeth with a look.
“She’ll call when it’s ready. I’m not doing a thing.”
Jane and Mary set the dishes and cutlery on the table in the dining room,
leaving Charles to entertain the others.
Elizabeth left her chair to sit on the floor by the tree, looking over the many presents stacked underneath. It was something she had always found relaxing and now, with the tension her father’s presence inspired, she felt the need to seek out the familiar activity. The sound of a bag rustling brought Elizabeth’s attention around to see Georgiana sit down beside her.
“I brought some of the gifts from home, but not all of them.” She indicated the bag. It was large and overfilled. Elizabeth wondered how she had failed to notice Georgiana put it into the car. “Is there room, do you think?”
“We’ll find room,” replied Elizabeth with an eager, childlike smile.
Georgiana removed the gifts from the bag, one by one, handing them to
Elizabeth. She was amused to see how much attention the other woman paid to the name tags. Georgiana had carefully selected the parcels. She was certain that nothing too personal was amongst them. At any rate, she thought Will
would know if any were unsafe to open in company. At least, she hoped he did!
“I’m glad you thought of this,” Elizabeth said when the last one was placed. “It makes you and Will more a part of things today.”
Georgiana found a reply was unnecessary when her brother sat down on the
other side of Elizabeth, naturally drawing away her attention.
Across the room the scene was observed by two men with rather different
views. Charles didn’t know what to make of his father-in-law. He had appeared alternately confrontational and sympathetic, understanding and obtuse. There might be a happy medium somewhere but it wasn’t very clear to him if it could ever be achieved. The man had said nothing beyond his initial greetings.
“Come and eat,” called Jane from the doorway.
Will felt his stomach grumble in anticipation of the feast. The smells wafting from the kitchen were enticing. He held out a hand to assist Elizabeth to stand.
She chose that moment to lean in for a kiss, refusing to move on until the others had already left.
“What is it, Elizabeth?” he asked, brushing her cheek with his fingers. “Is it the tension between you and your father?”
“No,” she said, offering him a smile. “I just wanted a little private time with you before my mother starts in again.”
“I’m not afraid of her,” he grinned. “I’d like to tell her my plans, to see her reaction.”
Elizabeth’s brows drew together in mock disapproval. “Six daughters, Mr.
Darcy? You cannot know the trouble so many girls would cause. And just think of the cost of all those weddings! Oh, never mind. You have more than enough money to spare.”
Will laughed at the accuracy of her impersonation. “Alright, my dear. I shall settle for one or two daughters and a few sons. Merely to spare your mother’s nerves of the trial in finding them all husbands, of course.”
“Of course.” She looked up as they passed through the doorway. “Mistletoe.
You know what that means.”
“I’ll never get my breakfast,” Will moaned. “I’m about to expire, you know.”
“Just one kiss.” Elizabeth put on her best wide-eyed look, completely
unnecessarily as he was more than willing to oblige.
“Oh,” said a voice behind them. “I came to see what was taking you so long but I should have known.” Mary appeared amuse
d and a bit pensive. “Mom was
getting frantic about the eggs going cold.”
“Can’t have that.” Will wrapped Elizabeth’s arm under his own, meeting her puzzled gaze. “I don’t like my eggs cold.”
“You’ll like my mother frantic even less!”
Despite the appearance of chaos and harried nerves, the Bennets performed a rather strict adherence to routine. Following a quick tidying up after breakfast, it was time to open the gifts. Mary displayed the same childish enthusiasm that she had shown the previous evening, promptly sitting down beside the tree and awaiting the signal to begin distributing the presents.
Elizabeth was more excited than anyone else. She found herself realising how much she had missed the atmosphere such a family Christmas brought and that it might never have occurred again. They all owed Will so much and Elizabeth knew the rest of her family couldn’t comprehend the scope of it. Jane and
Charles were the exception, of course. They had always been her support, at times unknowingly.
Tension seemed to dissipate once the opening of the gifts began. Various cries of delight, laughter and thanks filled the room. Will observed more than once that Dolores had to wipe her eyes. It was Elizabeth’s reactions that brought him the most satisfaction, however. The shock and surprise when she saw what he
had given her, the clothes she had tried on and loved but not bought at the time, gave Will more pleasure than anything else that day. Elizabeth immediately wanted to go upstairs and change into one of her new outfits and Georgiana offered to help her. When they returned, the effect was stunning.
Even Ted could not resist a compliment. “You look beautiful, Lizzy. Just
beautiful.”
Will crossed the room to take Elizabeth’s hand, kissing her cheek and then leading her to a chair. He spoke low enough that only she could hear.
“Beautiful only begins to describe you.”
Jane and Charles began cleaning up the paper and boxes that were strewn about the floor while Mary tidied the piles of opened gifts. The phone rang as Charles walked past on his way to the basement with his hands full. “Would you mind answering that?” he asked with a nod toward his friend.
Will left the noisy room and quickly picked up the phone in the hallway.
Before he could say anything a female voice shrieked “Merry Christmas” so
loudly that he nearly threw the receiver away. Tentatively, he put it to his other ear. “Uh... Merry Christmas to you.”
“Oh, my! You don’t sound like..... Did I dial the wrong number?” The words were somewhat slurred and punctuated with giggling.
“That rather depends on who you are trying to reach.”
“My sister but you don’t sound like her husband. Oh, never mind. Have a very merry one anyway!”
“Wait!” Will suddenly suspected that if she hung up they might well be
repeating this conversation in a few minutes and he preferred to spare his ears another assault. “Are you looking for Jane?”
Another squeal of laughter caused him to wince. “Yes! You aren’t Charles,
though. I can tell.”
Will thought it was hardly a laudable feat and refrained from commenting. “Of course, you’ll want to speak with your sister. Just a moment.”
“Oh, any of them will do. I suppose everybody is there now.”
Will had the distinct impression that this young woman took after her mother more than the rest of her sisters. “I’ll find one,” he said, returning to the living room. He handed the phone to Elizabeth, his expression confused as he
shrugged his shoulders and silently mouthed the name “Cathy?”
Elizabeth eagerly said, “Cathy! Why didn’t you come home for the holidays?”
There was a brief silence before Will heard that painful noise again. “Lizzy?
Lizzy! Is that really you?”
“Yes,” was all Elizabeth managed before Cathy rattled on.
“I can’t believe I’m talking to you! Jane said you would be home, when was that? Oh! Months ago now! I’ve been so busy with classes and exams and ...
well, you know.” She finally had to take a breath and Elizabeth squeezed in a question.
“Where are you?”
“Florida! I came down with a few friends. Well, my boyfriend and his family but don’t tell dad! You know how he is.” Cathy’s voice rose even higher in pitch with her excitement. “Lizzy, you have got to come to Florida with us next time! I’ve missed you and now that jerko George is gone you can do whatever you want.”
Elizabeth fought the urge to reach through the phone and strangle her younger sister. “It sounds like a fun time, Cathy. I’ll think about it, okay?”
“Great!”
“Do you want to talk to mom now?” She didn’t want to wait for confirmation and was already making her way to her mother’s seat to get rid of the phone as soon as she could. “Bye, Cath.”
Dolores pressed the phone to her ear and imitated her youngest daughter.
“Merry Christmas, Cathy! Oh, sweetheart, where are you? Are you having a
good time? Did you get your presents that I sent?”
Not wanting to hear any of the ridiculous conversation that was sure to follow, Elizabeth grabbed Will’s hand and led him out of the room. They stood in the hallway for a moment, Will waiting for her to speak. Finally, Elizabeth let out a long chuckle. He smiled.
“Is she always like that?”
“Flighty? Foolish? Self-centred?” Elizabeth pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Yes.
I honestly don’t know what she expects to accomplish at university other than partying. I’m surprised she qualified for her second year.”
“She might surprise you further and actually graduate. Stranger things have happened,” he gently suggested.
“I’m not going to think about it, though.” Elizabeth moved closer, placing her hands on his chest and looking up into his face. “I prefer to think about what you said last night.”
His eyebrow twitched upward. “What did I say?”
“You want to marry me.”
“I don’t recall saying that.” His arms tightened about her waist.
“Not in those words, no. You said it much better,” she whispered seductively.
“How so?” Will touched his lips to hers.
“Just like this.....”
“Close your eyes.”
She laughed nervously, never quite sure what he was planning.
“Are they closed?”
“Yes.” They were. She waited for the touch she knew would come. There it was; a brush against her shoulder.
“Ahh, no peeking!”
Such a tease! He did it on purpose, the touch to startle her into opening her eyes. She almost scolded him for it.
“Alright, you can look now.”
She blinked. The light had been turned off, only the table lamp behind her providing illumination. It was barely enough to see the objects displayed before her.
“Oh, George!” she cried, realising just what they were. “How did you know I wanted them?” Gingerly, she touched one of the delicate ornaments.
“I could read your mind,” he said, so seriously that for a moment she could really believe him. “Actually, I saw you looking at them when we were out. I waited until you moved on and then I bought them. Afterward I met up with you in the coffee shop.”
“So that’s what was in the bag! I never suspected a thing.”
He watched her for a moment as she fingered each decoration in turn. “You like them, I take it.”
“Oh, yes.”
“How much?”
His question made her smile. “How much do you want me to like them?”
He allowed his lips to quiver with anticipation. “Show me.”
Elizabeth’s eyes flew open. She breathed rapidly, relieved to have awakened before the dream had progressed any further, yet disturbed to have George
Wickham continue to invade her thou
ghts, awake and asleep. She was
determined to find a way to banish him once and for all.
There had to be a way.
The clock beside the bed taunted her with the hour. Elizabeth burrowed further under the blanket, drawing it up to the tip of her nose.
Chapter Twenty-One
Elizabeth had no desire to spend another day in her family’s company,
especially when the alternative was to spend it quietly in Will’s. She called
Jane early in the morning to express her regrets about missing a round of shopping with their mother. Jane was neither fooled nor surprised. In fact, had she been able to think up an excuse to avoid taking Dolores around the stores then she would have chosen to stay home, too.
Upon learning of Elizabeth’s plans, Will was equally pleased at the prospect of an afternoon curled up with her... and perhaps a good book.
Thus the day was spent. Georgiana made them some lunch and while they ate, chatting amiably, she observed how much the break had relaxed her brother
and their guest. Although she had at first wondered at the wisdom, it had
certainly turned out to be one of Jane’s better ideas to remove her sister from the centre of the storm. Georgiana thought Will and Elizabeth made an ideal pair, particularly when she had occasionally glanced over to see him absently stroking Elizabeth’s arm as he read.
The afternoon quickly passed, then Elizabeth persuaded Will to help her make dinner. Georgiana could hear them from where she sat reading her own book; soft voices as they decided what to make and gathered the necessary
ingredients, Elizabeth scolding Will for being careless and making a mess, followed by a moment or two when nothing seemed to be said or done.
Georgiana chuckled and kept reading.
Eventually, Elizabeth peered out of the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready,” she
announced.
They ate in the dining room, the twinkling lights of the tree providing a
soothing ambience.
“It’s been a very nice holiday,” said Georgiana. “I’m going to find it hard to go back to Vancouver.”
“When do you have to leave?” Elizabeth felt the disappointment as well.
Although their time together had been short, she had easily grown attached to Will’s sister.