Summary

A quiet night to enjoy his solitude, that's all what he wanted. All his hopes of remaining in his spacious library, stationed down on his leather recliner with a book vanished the moment the door of the room opened loudly. And with it, his best friend appeared with an amused housekeeper and a timid young lady remained near the entry. "I knew I would find you here."

Disclaimer: As if you didn't know this already, but just as a precaution I'm mentioning it any way. I'm just borrowing these brilliant characters. All credit goes to Jane Austen of course! Without her we wouldn't enjoy of such dashing heros and lovely heroines.

MEMORIES OF AN ANGEL OF MISCHIEF

A quiet night to enjoy his solitude, that's all what he wanted. All his hopes of remaining in his spacious library, stationed down on his leather recliner with a book; vanished the moment the door of the room opened loudly. And with it, his best friend appeared with an amused housekeeper and a timid young lady remained near the entry.

"I knew I would find you here." The newcomer's tone was unusually reprimanding while standing in front of him, his arms crossed.

The quiet man remained on his seat and swiftly masked his surprise to start to pay attention, he kept his Delillo's White Horse on his lap. "Hello Charles. It's nice to see you, though you didn't mention you would come today."

"Don't you Charles me Will!"

"But…"

"No excuses! You promised you would come with me to the annual party of Longbourn Trade Publishers!"

"I said that I would think about it." He was starting to get exasperated, but his friend was not letting the subject go unattended this time.

"You did not mention you wouldn't go either."

"I hardly see a reason for me to go to such a gathering."

"Will, you sound like a boring elderly hermit and you're just thirty years old." A good heartfelt chuckle was heard in the middle of the book sanctuary, and the men remembered they were not alone. On other side of the library, the young Gina Darcy was struggling to not have a laughter attack over her big brother being called an old man. Mrs. Reynolds, their housekeeper and surrogated mother; was showing a full smile.

Charles sported a delighted grin, which alarmed Will and he internally cringed. He only wore that look on his face when he got an idea on how to utterly convince him with his outlandish plans.

"Gina, darling. Don't you think Will needs to get out more often? He's always working and never takes time to enjoy himself. Always the unsocial chap, he needs to expand his friendship circle." He eyed the younger Darcy conspiratorially.

Charles was well aware Will had a soft spot for his sister and that he would do anything the good Gina asked of him.

"Bingley, that's not fair! Besides…"

"No, Will." Bingley emphatically shook his head way ahead of his friend's response. "The gathering with my parents' associates do not count."

The aluded girl looked affectionatedly in turn. "Brother, you have been working non-stop for the last seven years since we lost our parents. I think you should go out more often. How about getting yourself a girlfriend? That way you won't feel very lonely."

Bingley and Darcy gasped with the young woman's speech. Mrs. Reynolds, hugged her as a way of silently supporting her words.

After a tense silence, Charles Bingley beamed and brought the attention back to himself, relieving his ally "Gina, you have gotten wiser these years. Are you sure you are just seventeen?"

The young lady rewarded her friend with a giggle as the housekeeper snickered good naturedly. The three of them began inspecting the quiet and unmoving observer in the sofa. His intense gaze left his audience mystified for a moment. Then he spoke to his baby sister.

"Gina. I'll let you know that I am not lonely. I have you, my little peahead."

Gina Darcy walked in indignant, with her hands on her hips.

"Will, I am not seven! Stop calling me like that. It's childish."

Stopping the confrontation, Mrs. Reynolds put in her two cents of wisdom. "Master Will, stop avoiding Master Charlie's request by distracting Miss Gina." William sulked over his housekeeper's astuteness. But the young woman was not done with her brother.

"Will, I have to insist. You avoid going to social gatherings all the time now. You've never tried to have a girlfriend after our parents passed away. You should go with Charlie to this event. Mr. Bennet was father's best friend."

Charlie continued the attack."That's exactly what I said! You've been hiding behind Pemberley Industries far too long and more so these last four years for no reason. I may be in charge of Netherfield Consultants, but I do have fun from time to time. You'll have time to read when you retire old chap."

His bombarding arguments for disrupting his calm evening were starting to make him wonder if Charles was actually right. His ruminations over the owner of the undenying truth couldn't continue, as the newcomer had bent down in front of the settee and had been animatedly flapping his hands in front of him.

"Earth to William Darcy!" Charles Bingley now seemed agitated and a frustrated sigh escaped him, no matter how hard he tried to contain it. That apparently did the trick, and the blond troubled man realized he was being heard by his taciturn friend.

William was observing carefully at his unsettled partner in crime, but watching his usual happy countance altered into one of extreme unease were tempting enough for him to laugh out loud. He blinked and tried to focus again on stopping himself of mocking his guest. Not that he was in the habit of having fun at the expense of others. The mere fact was that he was the one who did the worrying for both of them. But he kept that thought to himself in order to not offend him. A hint of a smile appeared on his countenance.

"Charlie, why are you so insistent on going?" Bingley studied William carefully, taking in his expression. He was up to no good, he recognized that.

"What do you mean with that? We already established with your lovely sister and the wonderful Renée Reynolds that you could very well be living in the top of a mountain."

Will did not give up and smirked. "Who is going to the party that you wish me to be your wingman this time?"

"My what?!" Charlie's appearance redden in embarrassment, he uncrossed his arms and he shook his head with all the dignity he had left.

"Charlie, you heard me. Who is the mystical goddess you want to see tonight?" William revealed a beatific smile with perfect teeth enjoying the moment.

Bingley gave up and confessed. "Fine! Her name is Jane and she is the most beautiful creature I've ever seen. Happy?"

"Yes, I am." He nodded, but continued in his hunting game. "And how is it that such a magnificent creature will be in Longbourn's party Charlie?"

Charlie gave Gina and Renée a long suffering pout, while glaring at Will. "Because she is one the managers of the company and I met her in my last meeting when they submitted an assessment for their Electronic Publishing Material division."

"So you finally found a smart girl." Will deadpanned.

"Brother!"

"Master William!"

Gina and Mrs. Reynolds had their hands over their mouths trying to control their surprise. Will was a going a tad bit too far. He was really against going, that was no secret to all of them. The more he avoided something, the more defensive he got. But they had no idea as to why he was so adamant about it.

Charles Bingley was a man with the patience of a saint, but he was deciding right now between leaving or taking his friend along... after hitting him with a golf club. He understood he was pushing him away to be left alone. He should know better than that and he was going to make sure he didn't forgetit. They were best friends after all.

"Nice try Fitzwilliam George Alexander Darcy. But I'm not going on my own, you're coming with me. So you'd better stand up and get ready before we get there late. Stop insulting me, that won't make me go away."

By now William had decided to surrender and before receiving a scolding lecture from anyone, he raised his hands to appease them. "Did you have to call me by my full name? Isn't it too much of a mouthful for you?"

"Then don't be a prat with me."

"You really want to see this Jane…whoever she is." He was massaging his temples to alleviate the headache that was surely coming.

"Correction, her name is Jane Bennet. The eldest daughter of Mr. James Bennet, your father's best friend."

Will stared at Charlie with an inscrutable visage that the latter could not decipher. He opted for sarcasm to mask his state of mind. "Oh great, so you want me there to console Mr. Bennet on his ample loss."

Bingley proved to be unfazed. "Don't worry. He has more daughters too. But I think, Elle is more of your type."

William was inexplicably stupefied. After reacting to his friend's words he raised his eyebrows and began to protest. "Oh, no! You will not play matchmaker with me Charles Michael Jean Bingley!"

Charlie ignored the use of his full name. "What? Elle is a lovely woman. She's twenty two… She's intelligent, very independent, confident, with a sharp tongue though. A free spirit and a spitfire. And she's a brunette. I know for a fact that you prefer brunettes. So? What's the problem? She's a photographer and works elaborating the covers of Longbourn Publishers too. She can very well work with you in one of Pemberley Studios or any other of the companies under Pemberley Industries."

William crossed his arms like a child having a tantrum and he shook his head. "I refuse to go that party. I don't need help to date someone."

"Knowing you, tells me otherwise mate."

"You can go and enjoy your time with your goddess aka Jane Bennet. Leave me alone in peace."

Charlie looked deadly serious at his stubborn friend."I'll say your full name to everybody in that party if I go alone, Will."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Then go and get ready. Or do I have to take you to your room and help you get dressed too?"

William put down his White Horse book and left it, he took long strides directly out of the household library.

The women in the room exploded in laughter once more, Charlie had perfected a mocking smirk for the ocassion. They had remained out of the conversation trusting the young animated Charlie to make Will see reason. They both agreed that the firstborn of George and Anna was not his usual self and that there was a hidden sadness he did not speak of for the last couple of years. The younger sister always had tried her best to cheer up her big brother with the piano he had bought her on her birthday. Renée also was not ignorant of it, and had always counted on Gina and Charlie to make William open up and not remain hidden as he always did.

Gina stopped her brother in his tracks with another comment that made Will end up crimson from head to toe.

"Brother, wear your new Armani suit. Women won't know what to do with themselves when they see you… And if you want to impress this divine Elle too."

Bingley theatrically coughed. "That is unless he decides on not hiding in the first place from the rest of the female population in this planet. I swear, someone would think that you probably are secretly in love with a woman we don't know about."

William was already near the stairs and his step faltered for a moment, and fortunately nobody saw how the color had drained from his façade. In the end, Charlie knew him very well. He continued swiftly to the master bedroom and ruminated over thoughts he had carefully buried deep within him.

"I don't want to remember." He mumbled.

It had been four years since he had met her in one of Pemberley Resorts and life was scoffing now at him by bringing her back. Avoiding James was not an option any longer. He'll have to make ammends and rekindle the man's acquaintance. Not that he knew the rest of his family…except for his second daughter, Elizabeth.

Him being twenty six and her only eighteen by the time they met, the young woman had left him heartbroken. She was a fascinating vixen and a very immature young lady then. Brown rebellious locks adorned her face. She had always been unyielding in trying to tame her hair when she didn't need to. She looked perfect to him just like that.

William had been hopelessly captured by her lively nature and her forward, strong opinions. She always seized the attention of everyone around her without meaning to. Her strength and kindness made it even more difficult not fall in love with her. How easy it was for Elle to express her feelings when he had problems in accepting or understanding his. She was the first to treat him as a regular man, for the real him and not his family name. His parents now gone would have cherished her too. He was suddenly smiling and laughing again, because of her. Only her memory made him feel happy those days.

It had all started by bumping into each other near a water fountain. She had slipped and he had been able to catch her before she ended in the cool water. She was his lovely angel of mischief, so bold and enchanting. He adored how different she was from the rest. He had been stunned to utter silence with her questions a lot of times. He still remembered when she had asked him one day if he found her attractive or if he liked her as a woman. How he had been a mumbling idiot confessing his feelings to her and how patient and reasurring she had been when he did. Words had failed him that day and his shock had escalated when she kissed him on impulse, but he had frozen in place. He had seen doubt in her eyes in that moment and decided to kiss her back. Then she had held him close, burying her head next to him, speaking softly to his ear to release the tension and the uncertainty he felt. How she admitted she had fallen in love with him. How she had consoled him over his hidden pain of losing his parents in a car accident all those years ago. How she had constantly managed to persuade him to do everything she wanted. Her caring nature wanting nothing in return, made him lose his heart to her.

How both of them had started to see each other very often. How he would send her a message or call her to let her know he was thinking of her. How he missed her when he didn't see her. How he had invited her to come along with him to London for a while. How he could read her like a book. How he had enjoyed pampering her like if she were a princess. Money was not an issue for him, so he hadn't minded spending it on her. How the both of them had been guffawing so carefree after being soaked to the bone in the city ending up in his now abandoned flat. Their first time together that same night… He had never imagined he could love someone that way. But she had taken the decision of chosing to stay with his rival instead. And that had put an end to all of it, she haad stayed in his memory.

More than ever he still had the image of her chocolate expressive eyes and her soft red lips every time he closed his eyes and thought of her…

Time seemed to pass slowly for William as he got ready to leave. His actions were entirely mechanical and as he fixed his tie, the likeness that stared back at him in the mirror surprised him. He saw the reflection of a tall athletic man with well trimmed brown hair, piercing blue eyes in a charcoal Armani suit. What others might have called perfection, was only marred by the wetness he suddenly felt in his cheeks. He picked his handkerchief and dried his cheekbones. Unknown to everyone, William had swallowed his entire pain and suffering. After he grew apart from Elle, he did not wish to pursue another relationship. He thought that it would have been unfair to any woman to try to win a battle that was already lost or to be repetitively compared with Elle. He turned back to reality as he heard Bingley calling him from downstairs.

He saw himself truly smiling when he did. It was showtime and not a moment to relive the past. That should stay safely closed behind. This evening was meant to dazzle the lovely Jane as Charlie's best friend and to approach James Bennet.

If he saw his Elle that night next to George Wickham, he would not do anything to interfere between them. He was not a sore loser, and he owed her that. He loved his angel of mischief that much, even if that meant that he was not part of his life any longer.

Author's note: There you have it! Another Pride & Prejudice one-shot. Please review after you're done reading and let me know your thoughts. I really appreciate feedback as I enjoy giving it every time I go through a story.

Happy reading and writing to all of you :)

—Noukinav018—