The catered dinner at the country club was a beautiful affair and went off smoothly. Around eight o’clock, about the time dessert was being served, William and Elizabeth excused themselves to welcome the Vocalteens and the accompanying parents who were waiting in an adjoining room off to the side. Greeting the performers and their guests, William expressed his pleasure in presenting such a talented group of young people at the foundation’s gala. He invited all of them to stay on for dessert once their performance was finished. William proudly watched as Elizabeth lined up her students and led them through a few vocal warm-ups before giving some final instructions about the setup and a few adjustments they might need to make once they were on the stage.
Billy Collins, now knowing he had no chance with Elizabeth, made one valiant attempt to apologize. On the pretext of discussing something about the sound system, he cornered Elizabeth with his prepared speech. “Miss Bennet, I realized earlier today I was mistaken in assuming I would be your … ahem, date this evening. I would never have presumed such a thing on your part had you not asked me to run sound for the choir. Miss Lucas attempted to point out my error, but I did not give her warning credence. Forgive me if I have caused you any undo distress.”
“Billy, I’m so sorry you misunderstood. Please allow me to say how much I truly appreciate all you are doing to assist with our performance tonight.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, causing the man to puff out his chest and smile with great pleasure. “Now, what do you say we get the show on the road?” He politely nodded and went directly to the sound table.
When it was time for the Vocalteens to perform, Elizabeth graciously introduced her students, telling the audience a little about the music academy and the medley they were about to perform. To make things easier, she had prepared pre-recorded instrumental tracts to be used during their performance. As soon as Elizabeth signaled Billy, he cued up the music, and A Holiday to Remember began.
The Vocalteens were very professional and full of energy. At the close the audience rose to a standing ovation in appreciation. After the students left the stage and reassembled in the adjoining room for dessert, Mr. Reynolds, William and several other supporters followed them and offered their congratulations. Elizabeth could not have been prouder of her choir and was pleased they had been able to support the gala with their outstanding talent in this small way.
Once the choir and their parents departed, it was nine-thirty and the party was well underway. Although the band had been playing for some time, Elizabeth’s set wasn’t scheduled for another hour. Just before going on, she turned to William and whispered, “How’s your Spanish?”
“Enough to get by.”
“Good, because the last song I’ll be singing tonight is for you, Mr. Darcy.” Her smile was beguiling and after giving him a quick kiss, she ascended the stairs to the stage and took the mic in hand. The musical set was filled with old romantic standards which were perfectly suited to Elizabeth’s voice. William was seated at a table a little off to the side where he could easily watch Elizabeth while intermittently chatting with a few friends. Every so often, she turned his way and flashed him one of her tempting smiles. By the time Elizabeth got to his song, he was no longer attentive to any conversation whatsoever, as he was completely captivated by the one woman who held his heart. The song was hypnotic and filled with longing. Her silky voice was nearly his undoing when she sang Bésame, Bésame Mucho—Kiss me, Kiss me again, written in 1940 by Consuelo Velázquez.
Once Elizabeth stepped down from the stage, she was enthusiastically besieged by several of the guests who raved about her performance with the band and wanted her attention. William, however, had a very different idea, and all he needed was to see her mischievous smile before setting his plan in motion.
“Miss Bennet, your performance was outstanding. I congratulate you,” he said displaying an engaging smile of his own.
“Thank you, Mr. Darcy. It was my great pleasure to sing in honor of the foundation this evening.”
“Might I have a word?” She nodded. “Please excuse us,” he said to the remaining well-wishers and stepped forward to claim her hand. From there, he discretely led her through the crowd until they were able to exit the ballroom and enter the room previously occupied by her students. The room had since been cleared and the lights were dim. Shutting the door, he immediately pulled her into his arms and whispered the words she had just sung in Spanish. “Kiss me, kiss me as if tonight was the last time.” The longing and desire which they had both been feeling suddenly exploded into a passion of fiery kisses and caresses. For the two lovers, time seemed to stand still, and nothing else mattered but their need for one another.
Finally breaking apart, they continued to stare into each other’s eyes, not wanting the magic of this special time to end. To their great pleasure, the band resumed playing. This time it was a slow Latin dance—perfectly suited to the tango. Without saying a word, William extended his hand. He led Elizabeth to the middle of the room where they began the sensuous dance with an embrace. Mirroring each other, they took the appropriate pose required by the opening of the dance, and following William’s lead, the two began. They stepped, they rocked, and they glided, turning only to begin again. As their steps became bolder and more elaborate, they continued to move as one, never losing sight of each other. Like a drug, the connection building between the two was all consuming. When the dance came to a close, William crushed Elizabeth to his chest and held her tightly within his embrace as he tried to rein in his ardor. “My darling girl,” he whispered into her hair—his voice husky and his breath ragged. “That was exquisite.”
“William….” She looked into his eyes, feeling much as he did.
“After dancing with you I fully understand why my parents loved this particular dance so much.” Again they kissed. “Liz….” He forced himself to release her from his embrace and simply held her hands. “As much as I wish to stay here like this for the rest of the evening, we probably should get back to the party before we’re missed.”
“I know. Can you imagine what your staff would say if one of them caught their CEO and his girlfriend sneaking in here to make out like a couple of teenagers?”
He groaned. “Yes, I can. And if Richard didn’t have Caroline to contend with, we probably would have been found out within minutes of making our escape to this room. Believe me—I would never hear the end of it.”
“Well, then, Mr. Darcy,” she teased, “It seems we owe Miss Bingley a debt of gratitude this evening.”
“I wouldn’t go quite that far, Miss Bennet.” They chuckled. “Let’s return to the party, and if you have no objection, we can come back here to watch the fireworks from the windows and greet the New Year at midnight.”
“Midnight?” She beamed.
“Yes, midnight.”
Walking hand in hand, the couple made their way back into the main ballroom, where apparently they hadn’t been missed by anyone with the exception of Caroline. The woman nearly exploded when she figured out where they had been and speculated about what they had been doing.
“Will you just look at the two of them? I think I might gag.”
“Caroline,” Richard chided. “Jealousy does not become you.”
“She has no right to William. I’ve been working on the man for a solid two years now,” she nearly spat.
“Let it go, Caroline. You’re wasting your time on Darcy.” He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, “You know, Caro, you’re actually a pretty fun date when you’re not obsessing over William. How about we get out of here and head down to the city. The roads are clear. We could be on the expressway in no time and take in one of the late-night clubs on Rush Street.”
She smiled seductively, “Okay, Richard, let’s see if you can show me a good time.”
Shortly before midnight, the guests either gathered at the east windows of the ballroom or braved the cold out on the terrace to watch the fireworks and greet the New Year. William and Elizabe
th quietly slipped back into their hideaway, which was still unoccupied. With his arms wrapped around her waist, the two stood together by the windows, looking out over Lake Michigan as it shimmered beneath the reflection of the moon. Within moments, the first of the fireworks were set off, signaling midnight and the beginning of a New Year. As soon as the band began playing Auld Lang Syne, William turned Elizabeth in his arms and whispered, “Happy New Year, Liz.”
“Happy New Year, William.” Their kiss was not only filled with passion, but with commitment and promise of what was to come.
“Liz,” William tenderly said with his heart full of love. “Liz, I love you so much. I realize we haven’t been together for very long, but I feel with every fiber of my being this is where we belong. In my heart, I know we were meant to be, and I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone but you.” Taking her hands in his, he knelt before her and asked, “Elizabeth Bennet, my darling Liz, will you marry me?”
“Oh, Will….” She dropped in front of him and said with tears forming in her eyes, “I want nothing more than to be your wife. Yes … yes, I will marry you with all of my heart.” Embracing, they sealed their pledge with a tender kiss.
Pulling Elizabeth to her feet, William brushed aside the tears which had moistened her cheeks saying, “When I bought your necklace, I couldn’t help but make a second purchase.” Her eyes grew wide as he reached into his pocket and took out a small box. Opening it, he presented Elizabeth with the most elegant marquise-cut two-carat solitaire engagement ring and lovingly placed it on her finger.
“William, I’m … oh my gosh,” she said, with tears slipping once more from the corners of her eyes. “It’s … it’s beautiful. Oh, William, I love you so.”
Again he wiped her tears, and after gently kissing her hand, pulled her into his embrace. “Sweetheart, this ring is merely a reflection of the treasure I’m holding right here in my arms. Elizabeth Bennet, you are more beautiful and more precious to me than any jewel I could ever hope to buy.”
~ ♫ ~
New Year’s Day
When William and Elizabeth finally left the party, it was long past two in the morning. There were farewells and words of appreciation to be shared with those who were in attendance, not to mention the interaction with dozens of guests who offered up their congratulations after seeing Elizabeth’s beautiful engagement ring. Jane was beside herself with joy, and Bingley confided to William his thoughts had been going along those same lines, though perhaps not quite as impetuously.
With all of the excitement surrounding their engagement, neither William nor Elizabeth felt the least bit tired. Instead of taking Elizabeth straight to her apartment, William decided to take the long way back to the city with a detour along Lake Shore Drive so they could enjoy the grandeur of the city lights as they talked about their future together. Neither wanted a long engagement nor a particularly big wedding, so perhaps the greatest challenge would be informing the Bennets on New Year’s Day of their plans.
William didn’t leave Elizabeth’s apartment until they had watched the sunrise together and greeted the day as a newly engaged couple. Even though they had little sleep to sustain them, the happy pair arrived at the Bennet residence promptly at one in the afternoon. There, a full day of football, good food and happy fellowship awaited them.
“How long do you think it will take our sisters to notice your ring?” William asked as they traversed the walkway to the Bennets’ front door.
“I’d say no more than thirty seconds once I take off my coat and gloves. “Sisters are very observant about that kind of thing, you know.”
“Not really, but I guess I’m about to find out.”
“It’s my mother you really have to worry about. She probably will be speechless for a full minute or so and then she’ll head straight for the cooking sherry to calm her nerves. You might want to hang out with my dad for a while and avoid her exuberance once the reality of our engagement actually takes hold.”
“I’ll definitely keep that bit of advice in mind.” He smiled.
~ ♫ ~
“Hey, everyone, Lizzy and William are here!” Lydia called out when the happy couple walked through the front door and began taking off their coats.
“William,” Georgie called hurrying over and giving him and Elizabeth each a hug. “Wait until you see how much food we’ve cooked. You’ll never believe it. The Bennets have two refrigerators, and they are both full!
All at once Lydia grabbed Georgiana’s arm and started screaming, “Georgie, Kitty! Oh, my gosh, my gosh! Lizzy and William are engaged!”
Before William and Elizabeth even made it out of the foyer, the volume in the house suddenly went up dramatically. The sisters all crowded around Elizabeth, asking a multitude of question simultaneously while admiring her engagement ring. As predicted, Mrs. Bennet headed straight for the kitchen cupboard and poured herself an ample glass of her favorite sherry. Mr. Bennet came into the front room to see what all the commotion was about. After shaking William’s hand and welcoming him into the family, he kissed Elizabeth on the cheek and then conveniently retreated back to the television room, lest he miss any of the important pre-game highlights for the day.
Emerging from the kitchen, Mrs. Bennet finally found her voice and exclaimed, “Elizabeth Bennet! You are going to be the death of me!” Everyone had a good laugh, and Elizabeth gave a very abridged overview of their evening at the Country Club and how William had romantically proposed to her at midnight. Georgie was beside herself knowing she was going to have a new sister and would be an official part of the Bennet family from now on. During the next hour, the Gardiners, Mary, and Jane and Charles arrived, prompting the fuss to begin all over again.
Chapter 9
Be My Love
Briar Ridge Country Club
14 February
“Lizzy,” called Lydia as she, Kitty and Georgiana hurried into the anteroom where Elizabeth, Jane and Mary were almost finished getting dressed. “Mom says everything is ready to go in the ballroom, and she’ll be here as soon as she has a few last words with the minister. You should see all the guests! This place is packed, and here I thought you said it would be a small wedding.”
“Very funny, Lydia! With our mother being the ultimate wedding planner, it’s amazing we were able to keep the guest list down to two hundred. Believe it or not, William and I were sure we would have a small, intimate wedding when we only gave Mom a month’s notice to plan everything.” The girls chuckled knowing Mrs. Bennet’s propensity for planning a party. She and her friends from the woman’s circle had been working around the clock making preparations for Elizabeth and William’s special day. After all, Elizabeth was the first daughter to get married in the Bennet family and Franny was determined to make it the wedding of every woman’s dreams.
“Georgie, did you see William? I was wondering how he’s holding up out there.”
“My brother always puts on a good face, but secretly, I think he’s probably more nervous than you are. He must have been up half the night pacing around the condo. Even I had trouble sleeping with all of the racket he was making.”
“Well, let’s hope he’ll start to relax once we get through the ceremony. By the way, the music from the string quartet sounds wonderful. The kids are doing a great job. I only wish I was in the hall listening instead of fussing over how I look. I can hardly wait to hear what the Vocalteens have planned for the reception.”
Rising from the dressing table, Elizabeth turned and faced her newest sister. “What do you think, Georgie? Will William like the way I look?” Elizabeth had on an A-line skirt, empire waist, sheer back, sleeveless dress with floor-length flowing chiffon and French lace applique on the bodice. Her hair was pulled up on the sides and a mass of chocolate curls trailed down her back.
“Oh, Lizzy,” Georgiana gushed. “You look like a princess!”
“Not quite.” She beamed. “I still need help with your mother’s pearls.” William and Georgiana h
ad presented Elizabeth with the same pearl necklace and earrings that Anne Darcy wore when she married their father, James.
Georgiana had tears in her eyes as Elizabeth held her hair to the side so she could fasten the clasp at the back of her neck. “Lizzy, my mother would have loved you, and I’m so glad you are wearing these in her honor.”
Elizabeth turned around and hugged Georgiana before gently wiping her moist cheeks. “These pearls are very precious, and I promise to take good care of them. Someday you will wear them at your wedding.” Again they hugged.
Moments later, Mrs. Bennet came bustling through the door intent on taking one final look at all of the girls. “Beautiful, beautiful,” she repeated over and over until she finally stood in front of Elizabeth. “Absolutely stunning!” she said in praise of her second eldest. “The pearls are exquisite, my dear. Between my lace handkerchief, the pearls and your dress, we have covered something old, new and borrowed. All that remains is to give you these.” Mrs. Bennet proudly held up a blue garter and a silver sixpence causing everyone to laugh as she said, “I’m not taking any chances.” 1
Jane helped Elizabeth with the added accessories while Mrs. Bennet said her last piece. “Well, Lizzy, despite you trying my poor nerves for the past month, everything is ready, and your young man is anxiously waiting for you to walk down the aisle with your father. I’m very proud of you.”
“Thanks, Mom. You have no idea how much William and I appreciate all of the work you and the circle ladies have done to make our day so special. I love you.” She kissed her mother on the cheek causing Mrs. Bennet to tear up.
“I love you too, Lizzy.” Mrs. Bennet nervously patted her chest in an effort to control her emotions. Taking a deep breath she was finally able to say, “Girls, I believe it is time for all of you to take your places.” The bridesmaids gave their sister one last hug and then proceeded to the ballroom where Elizabeth Anne Bennet and William James Darcy were joined as man and wife on Valentine’s Day, one of the most romantic holidays of the year.
A Holiday to Remember Page 8