A/N: Thank you for the positive response! And - I promise I won't abandon this, NYT. Proofreading and editing what I already have down. All errors are mine; as I have no beta reader. Please click on that review button... it keeps me inspired! -DCM

Chapter 2

He looked good, she thought, annoyingly so. Had it really been four years since she had last seen him? That wasn't entirely true… it had been that long since they had been in each other's company, but she had, for the last two years, seen enough photos of him – branded by Tatler as "one of Britain's most eligible bachelors" – to know that he had grown out his hair, now wore the occasional pair of glasses and sometimes sported a light beard.

Seeing him in the flesh, however, was an entirely different matter. No beard right now, and no glasses either, and in a blue shirt and dark trousers – the papers rarely caught him this informally-attired – he did not look much like one of Britain's big catches, but more an older version of the William Darcy she remembered from years back. Lizzy briefly lamented her own disheveled appearance as he came nearer. The flight had been mostly turbulent; and seated next to a mother with a baby that wailed through most of it, she had not gotten much rest.

She scolded herself for not taking the time to refresh herself in the airport bathrooms – but she had been expecting her sister's family, not him– and her pride cried out for at least some justice.

"Oh. I thought Jane said—"

"I just spoke to her and Charles," he interrupted, stepping forward to take her suitcase and stifling a sigh when she moved it out of his reach.

"I can handle it," Lizzy positioned the piece of luggage between the two of them.

He nodded briefly, his eyes passing casually over her face as he turned and started walking. William heard the rapid clicking of her heels behind him and he slowed down his pace so she could catch up. She looked well, he thought, but then she always had. Had he expected her to look old, or dull, or completely different? Highly unlikely. She might look a little less… soft; but if he was to be honest with himself, she looked as lovely as she had that first time he had met her. William shook the thought out of his head, taking a deep breath as he recalled the mantra he had devised upon learning they were to be in each other's company for the next few days.

Be polite, be pleasant, be friendly. It's just for a few days… what have you got to be worried about?

Lizzy walked silently beside him William til they reached his car. He lifted the trunk and gave her a questioning look as he reached for her suitcase, making quick work of closing the compartment and then moving to open the door for her. She barely got a "thank you" out before he pushed it closed, and she watched him walk to the other side and get into the driver's seat. There was a long line of cars waiting to leave the garage, and when he remained resolutely silent she let her mind wander.

Had Jane tried to tell her of the modified plans? It would make sense: Charles and Jane calling William as he had mentioned at the airport earlier; Jane's reassurance that she had made 'arrangements'.

Maybe William had offered to take her to her hotel when they could not find any other staff to pick her up; she could not see Jane imposing on anyone for anything.

If that was the case, then it was very considerate of William to have done so. Their parting years ago had not been amicable, and had their situation been reversed she knew she would have balked at the idea of playing chauffeur to him, even for barely an hour, even if he had no other way to get to where he was supposed to without her help. Callous as it may sound... it was the truth. She did not know what to feel at present, now that she was once again thrown into his company.

She sneaked a sideways glance at him and noted his vague expression. If he had offered to pick her up, then she should thank him.

She would save her gratitude for later and thank him when he dropped her off at the hotel, maybe try and smooth over the moment's awkwardness when they had to say their goodbyes; maybe even give him a brief hug of appreciation. Not everyone would gladly brave the traffic the weekend before Christmas to pick up someone just because a friend had asked them to.

William pulled his car smoothly into the hotel's driveway, the awaiting valet already moving to his side of the sedan before they had come to a complete stop. A doorman stood by Lizzy's door and opened it for her, offering his other hand to assist her as she stepped out of the car. He watched as she thanked the man, a smile gracing her features as she did. The smile stayed on her face as she turned to him, and William stilled for a moment. That sincere, pleasant look she wore was one he had etched in his memory from long before; and its sudden appearance was bittersweet. He preferred her cold indifference or even her hostility, instead of this smiling, complaisant woman in front of him.

"Thank you, Mr. Darcy, sir," the valet said. William walked around the car to join Elizabeth at the hotel's front entrance, her suitcase already in the bellhop's cart, and with one nod from him, the bellhop began to move through the main entrance.

Lizzy had not anticipated his decision to stay behind and, it seemed, to see her safely into the hotel. When the valet pulled away with William's car, he walked over to the hotel's main entrance, giving her an expectant look. Would he check her into her room, she wondered, resisting the urge to roll her eyes when he advanced towards the front desk. He had always been every bit the gentleman, and though it was rare to find someone so courtly these days, William had the tendency to go overboard.

"Good evening, sir, madam," the woman behind the front desk greeted them with a welcoming smile, moving towards them after pushing a few keys on the computer's keyboard. Lizzy stepped forward, placing her purse on the counter as she rifled through for her wallet.

William stilled her movements with a hand on her arm, and she swung her head to him, surprised at the gesture.

"I've sent up a welcome tray of our housemade chocolates and a bottle of Bollinger, Mr. Darcy. I hope you both find your stay pleasurable. Your luggage will follow in a few minutes," she said, nodding to them both as she pushed a white envelope containing the room key towards her.

Lizzy's eyes widened as she realized what she and William must look like, arriving together – leading the concierge to mistakenly assume their situation domestic. "Oh, you've got it—"

"Thank you," William interrupted, nodding back as he took her by the elbow, guiding her out of the lobby.

A bit shocked at his boldness, she let herself be led away, and was thankful the lift was empty when they boarded it. He quickly pressed the button for the 8th floor – the top floor – and her anxious mind noticed that he knew exactly where her room was. She felt a slight pressure in her ears as the elevator ascended, and Lizzy knew she was going to panic if he did not explain himself right now.

"Either you are too much the gentleman and have arranged all these delights for me, taking your duties too seriously by ensuring my safety as you escort me to my room," she said hotly, turning to him and feeling a flash of triumph when she saw his look of surprise, "Or you have actually made these preparations with some other woman in mind because Jane never mentioned anything about having chocolates, or champagne, or you in my room for the next few days."

His eyes narrowed and fixed on her in a hard stare. "Would you rather have explained our entire history to the concierge?" he said bitingly, his voice low. "Jane and Charles asked me to get you a room anywhere I could as they were unable to on such short notice. This was the only place with space," he finished, holding the lift's doors open as they exited.

He stalked down the hallway, and Lizzy was left with no choice to follow. He pushed the card key into the slot and thrust the door open, revealing a huge sitting area complete with sofas, chairs, and richly-decorated rugs. In the center was a large dining table for six where a large ornate silver pail sat holding chilled champagne, beside it two white boxes tied in silver ribbon – boxes she assumed contained the sweets the concierge had mentioned. He stepped into the room and looked at her, a dark frown on his face.

"Those," he said bitingly, gesturing to the table, "were meant for Georgiana. I checked in yesterday so we could spend the night here after I picked her up from the airport. She was supposed to fly in just after you, but her flight was cancelled due to bad weather. You don't have to share a room with me as this suite has two. This is my room, that's yours, and we will never even have to spend time in this… receiving area together, even for meals, if you wish to keep to yourself."

Lizzy could only look at him, speechless, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment.

"The forecast says that the storm will pass through in two days. It will be safe to drive up the mountains by then. If, before that, there is a vacancy in this hotel, I will gladly help you transfer to it. If you choose to stay behind to wait for your sister's family before driving up, then, again, I will gladly make sure you have a place to stay until they arrive," he finished, his eyes dark as he glared at her.

"I see," Lizzy breathed, careful to sound as neutral as possible. She had not meant to sound ungrateful or argumentative, yet – there it was; while he had gone out of his way to guarantee her a place to stay in for the next few days with little persuasion, she had been petty and spiteful. She cringed and bit her lower lip, ready to apologize for setting him off, but he began to speak once more.

"I didn't mean for this to happen. Believe me, I tried to get you your own room," he said, his steely voice softening, as if meaning to apologize for the scarcity of accommodations and the circumstances they both found themselves in. Her color deepened at his words.

"I'm sorry. My mistake," she said, casting him a look full of remorse. "You've been very thoughtful. Thank you, William." He stared her down, his expression blank, and Lizzy, overwhelmed by embarrassment, could only bow her head down as she went to her room.

She lay in the tub til the water grew cool, reflecting quietly on her childish behaviour as she soaked. Standing up, she reached for the bathrobe hanging nearby, thankful it was there. Her suitcase was most likely in the sitting room, having arrived after she had gone into her bedroom, unable to wait for it – feeling too overly-filled with shame. Lizzy brushed her teeth and combed her hair, thankful, again, for the hotel's luxury amenities, then put her ear to the door to listen for any sounds coming from the shared living room. There was nothing but silence, so she gingerly opened the door to peek out. The room was very dim: only a small table lamp in a corner of the room remained lit. William's door, straight across from hers, was closed.

Lizzy looked to her right and saw her suitcase standing there, and dragged it into her room, making quick work of changing into a soft cotton shirt and her favourite striped pyjamas. She plugged the adapter for charging her mobile into the socket and left it to charge overnight.

She was exhausted, and with the last of her energy sapped away by that last heated exchange with William, she was asleep in no time.