The Flight Path Less Traveled

by Leigh Dreyer

  Darcy cleared his throat. Please don’t fight with me about it. Not today. Elizabeth had just come to terms with her weird family situation and did not think she could deal with a fight with William about her staying in the military.

  “Of course, I have Sheila, so I could get you wherever you were and fly you to Pemberley.”

  Elizabeth had forgotten about his Bonanza. It was a fantastic airplane, and she had loved handling the controls when they flew to Rosings for the Base Closure meetings.

  “That would be perfect then. How is Richard?”

  “He said he wished he was here since we have drinks and someone who actually cooks. His parents are having their dinner catered while their regular cook is off, and he hates their menu. I don’t remember all of it, but he made several contrary comments about how portabella mushrooms and goose liver don’t agree with his finely tuned Army palate.”

  Elizabeth laughed and enjoyed the flash of his smile. His angular jaw made his profile distinct. When their eyes met, electricity jolted through her body…especially when he smiled at her like that.

  She cleared her throat and felt the heat of a blush on her chest. “I’m sure he’ll make it through, but his sacrifice should be noted for history. Has Georgiana finished applying for schools?”

  “I’m not sure. She told me she had a few in, but Julliard auditions aren’t until March, so she has a little more time for recording the audition videos she can send in and filling the last few out. She’s completely stressed out, but Mrs. Annesley sent me an email saying there was nothing to be concerned about—just nerves.”

  “I know you’ve told me before, but remind me, who is Mrs. Annesley?”

  “Julia Annesley. She’s Georgiana’s piano teacher.”

  “Right.”

  “She’s pretty phenomenal in the field. Used to be the Met’s practice pianist, as a matter of fact, and had an amazing career before that. She took Georgiana as a special favor.”

  Elizabeth listened to Darcy in awe. She had known Georgiana played the piano but the stunning realization that he had the means to not only send her to an elite private high school but also to hire a piano teacher who likely played in the best concert halls around the world….

  “I’m sure Georgiana will do her best,” she said.

  “Of course she will.” Darcy fiddled with a napkin he was placing on the table, twisting one corner in his fingers. “Elizabeth?”

  “William,” she teased.

  He chuckled softly. “I have something to tell you.” His hand tightened around hers, but instead of letting go, she placed her free hand over his gently.

  “If you’re going to tell me you’ve fallen madly in love with me, I’ve already heard that one.”

  He laughed, a booming laugh that filled the room and caused Elizabeth’s smile to widen.

  “I will if you want me to, but, no, I wasn’t planning on it today. I have some news that Richard told me. I’ve been looking for the right time to tell you, but I don’t know when that right time is going to happen, so I just wanted to share it with you today while I am home, and we’re having a good day.”

  “Is he engaged to some nice girl?”

  “Richard? That would require him to settle down and stop looking through people’s medicine cabinets. No, not about him. It’s—it’s about me.”

  “Okay….”

  “When Wickham ran off with your sister, Richard and I combined forces and talked to some of our contacts and put a plan in motion to get Wickham transferred to the Guard so that he would be moved from Meryton. We were hoping it would kind of let your family have an easier time of…things.”

  “I remember, you told me.”

  “Right. What I didn’t tell you is that we never called it off; we just switched who would be transferred.”

  “I don’t want to go Guard though. I want to stay here and finish up pilot training.”

  Darcy shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. “No, not you. I knew what you wanted, and I would never get in the way of that. It’s for me.”

  “For you?”

  “I want to go back to Pemberley. I miss Georgiana and Mrs. Reynolds and the rest of my family. Richard told me it went through. I should be moving right after Christmas. I thought that if you were a student actively in training here, we couldn’t live together in the same home. We’re playing with fire as it is, and I want you to accomplish your dreams without any questions of whether you earned it or just slept with an instructor.”

  “But we aren’t doing anything at all!”

  “I know that and you know that, but does the wing commander? Or your flight commander? What about your first shirt?”

  Elizabeth’s mind whirred. She tried to imagine a world without Darcy in her life every day and to her surprise, she felt a twinge of pain, not from her back or her legs, but in her heart. She did not want to think about such a serious topic when she needed to support Jane, so she chose to respond lightly.

  “But you said you had Sheila and could bring me to Pemberley any time I wanted.”

  Darcy’s smile lit up the room. “Exactly. I can bring you to Pemberley any time.”

  “Lizzy,” Jane called.

  “Coming.” As she got up and pushed in her chair, she looked once more at Darcy sitting across from her, still fidgeting with the napkin, and said, pointing to the living room door, “You might go save my family from the Bingleys.”

  He gave her a two-fingered salute and winked. “Yes ma’am.”

  Jane had wanted to begin a new family tradition so she had insisted on going around the room with each person saying what they were grateful for that year. Lydia surprisingly expressed her gratitude for the college opportunity that she would leave for after the holidays. Kitty echoed Lydia’s excitement as she would finally get her own room. Mary thanked God for nearly three minutes before her father interrupted with thanks for the more secular books he had added to his office library. Her mother was grateful for Jane and Bingley’s wedding that had taken place that year. The Hursts were grateful for turning their rarely-visited vacation home in the Hamptons into an Airbnb. Caroline appreciated her sorority sisters and new boyfriend that no one at Netherfield had met (and was reasonably sure did not exist). Susan Bingley mentioned her charity boards, and David Bingley talked of his fantasy football team. Then, it was Darcy’s turn.

  “I’m grateful for a lot of things this year. I loved seeing my best friend marry a fantastic woman like Jane. I’m glad I could be stationed here at Meryton and meet so many wonderful people. Most of all, I’m grateful that Elizabeth is here with us celebrating Thanksgiving today, because for the longest solo ride of my life, I didn’t know if she would be,” Darcy had said, raising his glass and looking at her. “To Elizabeth.”

  Elizabeth shook her head and held a hand up. She blushed as everyone around the table held up their own glasses and toasted her as well with a murmured chorus of “Elizabeth.”

  Darcy replaced his glass and smiled crookedly at her. Then he reached under the table and gently touched her leg, just above the knee. She felt him squeeze gently and let his hand rest there on her thigh. His hand was warm and Elizabeth bit her lip while eyeing his hand. She felt her own hand cover his before being enveloped perfectly by his.

  Elizabeth stared at their entwined hands for a short moment more before recalling that she was in a room full of friends and relatives waiting for her to speak.

  “Uh, thank you.” Her mouth felt dry and she swallowed. She felt another gentle squeeze of her hand and found her voice. “I guess you all want to know what I’m thankful for this year. It certainly hasn’t been the hospital and the therapy and the doctor’s visits. Those have all been blessings for sure, because as Will mentioned, I am alive, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like much of a life—”

  “Lizzy?”

  “I’m okay, Jane. I have a point, I really do. I guess I’m rambling a bit, but in my own roundabout way, I guess I wanted to say that I’m grateful f
or my friends and family.” Elizabeth felt more than saw her parents stiffen in their seats but continued. “My mom and dad have been with me through everything and there isn’t anybody else I could pick to have raised me better. And after this year, there’s no one I would pick to be a better mother and father.”

  She saw her mother wipe away a tear and while she couldn’t see her dad’s face, she heard a decided sniff from his area of the table.

  “I’m grateful for Jane and Charles for taking me in and offering me their care. And I’m blessed to have William Darcy in my life. I don’t think I could have done the last few months without him. He’s been there through a lot of crazy from me, and I don’t know anyone else who would have stuck with me through all of this. Thank you, Will.” Elizabeth turned to kiss Darcy’s cheek. Darcy’s hand caressed her thigh once more, his thumb tracing lazy circles above her knees, sending a spark straight through her.

  “Charles, will you say grace?” Jane asked.

  “You haven’t said what you’re grateful for yet,” said Mary, the only younger Bennet sister who was still paying attention.

  “Oh yes, my dears, you simply must tell us what you are thankful for,” exclaimed Fanny.

  Charles wrapped his arm around Jane’s shoulders. “Honey?”

  Jane began blushing furiously. “No, you go ahead.”

  “Ugh, just spit it out already so we can eat. I’m starving!”

  “Shut up, Lydia!”

  “Why don’t you cough some more, Kitty?”

  “Girls!” said Thomas forcefully. “Your sister and brother-in-law are trying to share what they are thankful for. Unfortunately for us all, I chose to commemorate books over silence, but now that I have had the opportunity to reconsider it, I would be grateful for silence accompanying the two of you.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Bennet,” said Bingley before clearing his throat. “We have some exciting news this Thanksgiving. Jane and I are going to have a baby.”

  Cheers, gasps, and congratulations of varying degrees round the table. “We’re very happy and we know you are happy for us,” said Bingley, meeting the eyes of each of his family members.

  “Of course, Son,” said David. ”If you are happy, then your mother and I are excited for you and wish you well in all your future endeavors.”

  “Charles, would you say grace?” asked Jane. “I know Lydia has been patient with us, but perhaps it is time to eat, and we can discuss more while we eat?”

  Charles nodded, then the table bowed their heads and he began. Elizabeth relished the continued presence of Darcy’s hand. She peeked at Darcy. He met her gaze, gave her a little wink, then bowed his head.

  Elizabeth had experienced more than twenty Thanksgivings in her life—some memorable and some forgettable—but this one with its snobby, ostentatious company, wild family, step-father, her career in a death spiral, and a certain handsome captain seemed the one she would remember for the rest of her life.

  18

  Elizabeth’s medical evaluation board had been scheduled for December, the twenty-first. Her sisters had been amazing. Jane had spoken to a nurse at the small hospital in town and received access to the hospital’s medical journal search engine. When not engaged in turning rooms at the inn, taking care of guests or cleaning, Mary and Kitty had spent several hours over the last weeks sifting through online articles to find precedents of people with Elizabeth’s injuries making a full recovery. Their father had even joined in the crusade searching through journals and flagging relevant articles for Mary, who then read the article, determined if it applied, and sent it on to Kitty who took detailed notes so that Elizabeth would be able to quickly refer to a specific study when she was able to speak during the board. The entire process had become a well-oiled machine, and Elizabeth was grateful for their efforts.

  As Mary worked, she often waxed rhapsodic about how God had given Elizabeth trials. “Your trials are for you to give glory to God, Elizabeth,” Mary said, followed by quotes from scriptures and famous sermons. Elizabeth had decided that the real trial of her injuries was listening to Mary. However irritating she found her sister, Elizabeth decided not to upset the peace that currently hovered over Longbourn, so instead of telling Mary to shut up, she listened politely and responded patiently.

  Her mother had also quieted. Whether it was due to her favorite daughter finally growing up enough to attend college or if it was due to her own personal growth, no one knew. She continued to bustle in and out of the various rooms, fulfilling the needs of the inn’s guests and creating culinary masterpieces. Fanny Bennet, being who she was, continued to advise Elizabeth on her possible future life with the illustrious and incomparable Captain Darcy.

  “You should cook for him, Lizzy. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

  “Mom, Jane cooks for us all, and it’s still hard for me to stand long enough without my back killing me.”

  “Well, no wonder he’s been gone so long, honey.”

  “He’s been on cross-countries; he hasn’t been gone.”

  “He’s been gone two and a half out of three weeks, Lizzy. You need to make a happier home for him so he wants to stay.”

  “It’s not his choice, Mom.”

  “Of course it is! Look at your father, bless him. He never wants to travel because I make such a comfortable home for him here! He knows he will have the best food and be at his ease here. No one bothers him. I keep his office decanter stocked, and he buys his books, and he is content. Besides, he always has guests to impress with his reading.”

  Elizabeth pursed her lips. If there was one thing she did not want, it was a relationship like her parents. It was better than some of her friends with divorced parents she supposed, but she had always wanted to be furiously in love rather than just tolerate her spouse.

  She wanted her husband’s tear as she walked down the aisle, marveling at her beauty, to be carried romantically across the threshold, the passionate, love-filled honeymoon. She wanted a man who was willing to fight and die for her. She wanted to spend their entire life together through happiness and trial until they were little old people, sitting happily in recliners, watching Jeopardy every day while their grandchildren cared for children of their own.

  She wanted to look at her husband the same way at eighty as she did at twenty-two, completely full of love, devotion, and a passion that would not die with them, but live on in all that had ever known them. She was still not sure whether that dream included Darcy, but after speaking to Madeline Gardiner a couple weeks before, she was positive that it absolutely might. Even as she allowed herself to picture a future, a flashing moment of them together, walking through the garden at Pemberley, sprung into her mind. She missed Darcy. She loved the way he looked at her, full of passion and longing. And, she had to admit to herself, she looked at him the same way. In a tiny place at the back of her mind, she feared going back to training, because if she went back, their entire relationship, however it was poorly defined, would have to stop for more than two years without putting their Air Force and future careers in jeopardy. She was not sure how she would live without his daily kisses or the phone calls when they were separated.

  “Honey, I just think if you tried a little harder—maybe did your makeup and dressed a little more feminine—he would stay home with you rather than gallivant all across the country.”

  Elizabeth blinked and came back to the conversation at hand. “Thanks for the advice, Mom. I’ll keep it in mind.”

  Typically, Elizabeth visited Longbourn only for Friday night dinners. Charles, Jane, and Elizabeth stayed long enough to eat, visit over dessert and coffee, and leave. However, with the medical board date looming, Elizabeth visited more frequently for Mary and Kitty’s help organizing her thoughts and research. While Kitty would clean a room, Elizabeth practiced her speech that she hoped to address the board members. Jane would join them after work and soon Elizabeth was spending whole days at Longbourn poring over the notes.

  On one of thes
e occasions, her dad invited her into his office. The desk was riddled with piles of papers which to the unknown person might have appeared to be scattered bits of trash, unorganized, and absolutely littered with rubbish. To Elizabeth, familiar with her father’s ways, the desk was a perfect example of orderly chaos. Each pile had a specific place, each stack a divined reason. Elizabeth had been the most frequent visitor to her father’s office throughout the years and knew the purposes of the dispersed papers. During middle school, she had even spent a summer as his file-clerk and had them all organized in her twelve-year old muscle memory.

  “Well? Do you feel ready?” he asked after she sat in her favorite spot in the office.

  “Yes, and at the same time, a resounding no.”

  He laughed. “Why do you say that?”

  “I don’t know, Dad. I just—well, I feel like I have all this research and data, and I know what I can do, you know, but then I also see what the Air Force wants and needs, and I want the two to match up, but I’m not so sure that they do.”

  Elizabeth felt defeated.

  “My dear,” he sighed, “you know that you can accomplish everything you set your mind to. Georgia O’Keefe said the same thing: ‘You get whatever accomplishment you are willing to declare.’ The real question, I believe, is what accomplishment do you really want? Are you ready to give up your comfort, your time to commit to all the therapy it will take to get you up and running? Are you willing to give up relationships with your family because you are deployed or move to Korea or some such place? I know you were a year ago, but the question remains, are you now?”

  Elizabeth met her father’s gray eyes.

  “I don’t know anything else.”