It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye, then it's just fun you can't see. James Hetfield
Competition brings out the best and the worst in people. It can make time go faster but it can also slow things down and draw them out. It is a curious thing, the very reason that we are designed we are the way we are; competition makes us faster and stronger and better. However it can also make us weak and vicious and cruel.
Of course Elizabeth had nothing to worry about, it was merely a serious of friendly family games. Yet families can fight with far more passion than strangers and those odd passing comments often mean more to us than we would think.
It is these odd moments designed to pass the time that can matter far more than what are seen as 'significant' moments.
"Parlour games?" Sophie questioned.
"Yes, she says we've all been sitting around for too long and need to actually do something before dinner."
"That sounds like Anne."
Georgiana made her way downstairs and Sophie turned to Elizabeth "You're still welcome to stay for dinner but you may want to flee. It can get pretty ugly around here when the games begin."
"It's fine, I'll stay." They had begun to make progress and there was no point in driving all the way back now. She was also rather hungry.
"Good, maybe although I'm not promising anything, they'll behave with a stranger around but at least it will stop world war three that would undoubtedly break out if you weren't here."
"I'm sure it can't be that bad. My brother and I used to get fairly intense with each other."
"Brother?" Sophie's mind was racing as this idea had not occurred to her.
"My adoptive brother, Ben. He pushed me out of a tree house once and I broke my wrist so I think I can handle a few parlour games."
"Well you're certainly brave."
It was a little unnerving for both how well they were getting on.
Sophie walked into the living room first followed by a more nervous Elizabeth.
Sophie began to make the introductions. "This is Elizabeth Gardiner. She's going to be staying for dinner. This is Anne and George Darcy. Their children Georgiana and William. My son Charlie and my niece Caroline."
Elizabeth smiled shyly. She had caught the moment of recognition as her name was said from the older woman that she had met briefly earlier.
"I'm going to get dinner started otherwise who knows what time we'll be eating."
"You're just trying to avoid the games!" Anne Darcy called cheerfully out.
"Well to be honest I think that sounds like the best idea." Sophie said.
George Darcy put down his newspaper and rubbed his hands together with a gleam in his eyes. "You all need to be prepared to bow down to the greatness that I am."
"Sophie you need help, don't you?" Anne asked already standing up. This had not been phrased as a question but more of a plea for help from his wife who was eyeing her husband worriedly.
"Sure."
She followed her into the kitchen.
"Hey," George called after them, "Just because we like to win and frequently do."
Sophie turned and popped her head through the door. "And there have never been any allegations of cheating have their?" she raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Absolutely not. That was a vicious rumour spread my opponents in order to weaken me."
Charlie laughed slightly. "The legendary games tournament of 87."
"You may mock us Bingley but that is only because you are in fact a Bingley and therefore are incapable of winning." William added.
"Bring it on Darcy."
Elizabeth smiled at how by the simple addition of basic competition that had changed into testosterone style teenage boys and really brought out an edge between them.
At this point Sophie came back into the room, "Hey no, scarring the guest. I would like Elizabeth to come away with the vague idea that we are actually semi civilised people."
"Yes, I suppose there is no excusing my behaviour. It's not Christmas and I haven't had eggnog." George nodded. "I suppose I'll join you in the kitchen. Leave the young ones to themselves."
He picked up his newspaper and turned to his two children, "Remember William, Georgiana you are upholding our family name."
He had such a dry straight voice that Elizabeth wasn't entirely convinced that he was joking.
"So," Charlie looked around, "What does everyone want to play?"
"Charlie do we have to?" The very overly made up Caroline who had been pouting in the corner ever since Elizabeth had walked in asked this is a whiny nasally voice.
Looking at her now Elizabeth, who as much as she would like to deny it, did to a degree judge people on appearances realised that Caroline was not making the best one.
It wasn't completely the way she looked; Elizabeth was not totally like that. It was more how put together she was, how her eyebrows seemed perfectly tweezed in a high arch which matching her cold eyes as they looked down her all together two perfect and most likely sculpted nose gave the impression that she thought she was superior to everyone.
She was dressed in rather short, tight, revealing designer clothes and just overall looked liked someone who Elizabeth would get on with all that well. Maybe she seemed so miserable because of the lack of nutrition she's had; it seemed clear from the look of her that she'd obviously been starving herself for years.
As a major food lover who had always been taught to be happy with the body she was in Elizabeth just couldn't understand it.
"Well what do you propose we do instead, Caroline?" From the clipped terse voice coming from Charlie it seemed that the comment he had made earlier about the family driving him insane was true.
"I think that we should just sit and make conversation instead of games especially when we have strangers here."
The word strangers had been emphasized instead of the more normal phrasing of 'company here'.
Well fuck you thought Elizabeth; I'm closer family than you are and I've been invited. There was that voice again, vicious and mean spirited.
Yes, but you have rather invaded their family haven't you? And their time together? The politer, more nervous Elizabeth was unsure.
"I don't know I thought that we could talk and play a game. I'm feeling restless." Charlie stood up.
"You don't want to play proper parlous games, do you?" The youngest in the room, Georgiana asked. "You know Will always argues when we play charades and things."
"That's because you never guess who I am!"
"That's because you pick ridiculous people."
"I do not!" William frowned. Elizabeth smiled slightly to herself at witnessing the sibling banter.
"Steve Jobs? Will, Steve jobs?"
"Plenty of people know who Steve Jobs is."
"Right." Georgiana turned. "Elizabeth, do you know who Steve Jobs is?"
"Um," she looked between the two of them wondering what the correct, most diplomatic idea was. "No I'm sorry."
"Well most people know who he is." There was his terse voice again and Elizabeth was aware even if he wasn't that he was trying to suggest the idea that she was a complete simpleton for not knowing.
Charlie had also caught this look and before frowning slightly as his friend he turned to Elizabeth. "He's the head of Apple and most people who aren't technological geeks haven't necessarily heard of him."
"Oh."
"But that doesn't matter because we're not playing charades. I can't remember any of the other so called parlour games so why don't we just play a board game? Elizabeth as our guest why don't you choose? They're in the cupboard here."
He led her over to the cupboard where a variety of board games were stacked up.
"I don't know how about Trivial Pursuit?"
"No, no, no, no!" Georgiana started to complain.
"Sorry?" Elizabeth froze.
"It's just that we've banned my brother from planning. Things can get crazy and he has been known to go round the entire board without anyone else playing."
"Ok, what about scrabble?"
"Well we all know that I'll win at that as well." William added.
Maybe it was friendly competitive banter but to Elizabeth it came across as arrogance. Forty five minutes later it seemed that he had been proven right.
It had been a tough game with the board barely opening up so that people could put letters down.
William Darcy triumphantly laid down the letters l u g under the letter p. "Plug ."
"Not you're best word and dangerously close to the triple word score." Charlie was trying to spook William and this caused a ripple of laughter from those playing which only caused more annoyance to be expressed on his face.
"Only the letter g and no one will be able to make a word of that because the only two words I can think of are goggle and woggle and I don't think there are any w's left or two spare g's."
Elizabeth's eyes widened in alarm that someone had bothered to clock that.
"You see Darcy that right there is the look on someone's face when they realise just how seriously you take this game. It's worrying."
"Elizabeth you're up next. I will love you forever if you can get something on that triple word score." G added.
"Actually I think I can." Carefully and slowly she laid down the words m u g l and e to spell out the word,
"Muggle? Muggle's just a made up word!"
"So was assassination until Shakespeare wrote about it. I mean that's how all words happen."
His face clamed up, jaw tightening.
"She got you there Darcy!" Charlie laughed at him and impossible his face tightened further.
"I still don't think that it's a word, I mean what is muggle?" Caroline who had been doing exceptionally poorly in this game and had needed a lot of 'help' from William asked.
You, thought Elizabeth are the very definition, but luckily for her this secret and rather mean thought for her was vocalized by Georgiana.
"You are aware that by saying that it makes you one?"
Caroline frowned and continued to look confused.
"It's a term used in the Harry Potter series to describe a non magical person," Charlie explained. "And Elizabeth's right it was recently added to the dictionary as a recognized word. I remember because you were so pissed about it." He aimed this last comment towards his friend.
"I was not pissed about it."
There was a pause where they looked at each other and there was that brief moment of contact that happened between men in a way that Elizabeth had never been able to understand.
Five minutes previously she had stepped out of the game for a moment to go to the toilet at the same time as Georgiana and Caroline had gone to get drinks leaving the two men alone. She had come back slightly earlier and had thought that she had interrupted a conversation.
Maybe she was being incredibly self conscious or maybe rather narcissistic but she had felt that it had been about her.
It had.
Soon Anne Darcy was announcing that dinner was ready and Elizabeth was sat round the table pondering this. She then laughed at the word 'pondering' and wondered just how the game had affected her.
"You've always have been weird about words." Georgiana added aimed towards her brother as she sat opposite him at the table.
Elizabeth hesitated not knowing where to sit as she didn't want to sit in anyone's place. Sophie had been watching this and gestured for her to sit next to her with William on her left and Charlie sitting oppositely her.
"I'm not; I just like the proper English language to be used."
"Oh I don't think it's about the word, it's just that I don't think he likes the idea that anyone could beat him." Charlie whispered to the younger girl.
"I'm not that pathetic. I just don't see why words like that should be added to the dictionary."
"Why not?" Georgiana asked.
"Because there's no point! I mean it's a word designed not to make sense so why add it just because it's become popular."
"Oh whatever Darcy, let it go." Charlie scoffed.
Elizabeth frowned; they were no longer playing a game so why was he still referring to his friend by his surname.
"You just don't like population culture reference. Probably because you don't understand them." Charlie added.
"I do understand them, Charles, I just prefer to read proper literature not something aimed towards eight year old children."
"Oooh Darcy is in a mood." Charlie laughed and Elizabeth couldn't help but smile slightly.
"When isn't he in a mood?" Georgiana asked.
"Exactly, Darcy you did get the nickname at school Darcy the Doldrums. Not the nautical term" he added to any confused member of the table.
Why was Charlie still calling him Darcy? That was bound to get confusing with four different people named Darcy at this table.
Anne Darcy caught the expression on her face. "Oh yes don't bother about my son. He's always had everyone refer to him by his surname, it's a horrible male tradition I think."
"Well maybe if you hadn't given me such a ridiculous Christian name I wouldn't have to resort to it." He scowled at her.
"But there's nothing wrong with the name William," Elizabeth was really quite surprised that anyone could object to such a name so strongly and spoke up despite her resolve not to say too much but to just observe and listen. "Lots of people are called William."
As though she were calling him common he rolled his eyes slightly with a raise of his eyebrows and said, "I'm aware of that. Darcy is merely a nickname that I've had since school."
Elizabeth could have begun to argue that Darcy was a surname and not a nickname but knew that it wouldn't be well received.
"I think," Caroline added, "That a nickname is a nice sign of how well people know someone. I mean it really is a true sign of friendship I think."
"I've never liked it," Anne Darcy added. "Much to masculine for me, especially when we picked a perfectly good name for you."
Caroline nodded along with the woman as though she had been agreeing all along and Elizabeth started to smirk slightly laughing at how much this girl wanted to get in with Darcy's mother in order to catch her man as it seemed Darcy was her aim.
Noticing a pair of brown eyes observing her from the opposite side of the table Elizabeth quickly took a spoonful of soup. Too quickly in fact as it burnt the side of her mouth and caused her eyes to water.
"Have you never had a nickname Elizabeth?" Caroline asked as Elizabeth took another mouthful, "I mean I can think of plenty of shorter versions."
She swallowed. "Yes actually. A lot of people call me Ziz."
"Ziz?" Charlie asked.
"Well everyone used to refer to me as Liz or Lizzie and then a family friend had a baby who I used to look after and he couldn't pronounce my name and then it stuck."
"It's nice, it suits you."
"Thanks. I've always preferred it or Lizzie. Elizabeth is something my grandmother would call me."
"I know what that's like being called Charles. Darce knows it as well what with being called..."
"That enough Charlie." Darcy interrupted her.
There was an awkward pause and the rest of the evening progressed this way.
Pauses can be a great way of showing how close people are; that they don't need endless chatter to connect with people and can just be.
However when you have a group this large and someone everyone doesn't know presents, if the conversation is mainly made up of pauses then it hits Awkwardsville heading straight on to DisasterLand.
It wasn't until just as she was about to leave that Lizzie remembered that Sophie had told her that she was getting a flat tire. Knowing that it would be better to change it now in a safe place than having to pull over in the dark she began to open up the boot of her car and lug her spare out.
At this moment Charlie came out surprised to see the car still there.
"Lizzie?" He stepped out further from the porch.
"I have a flat tire and I thought that I should change it here."
"Oh you don't need to. I'll change it." He came over to her and started to roll the tire.
"No, it's fine you don't need to, I know how."
"Really?" He looked at her sceptically but she didn't feel that it was sexist merely more aware that he probably didn't know that many women who changed their own tires if his cousin was anyone to go bye, "I'm not sure I know how to."
"Then how were you going to help?" Lizzie smiled at him.
"I'm not sure, probably stand around and lift the slightly heavy things and make unhelpful suggestions."
"Right, well if you can get the toolbox from the back."
"Righty-ho."
At this point they were joined by another two people; William Darcy and his mother.
"Oh Elizabeth, I'm glad you haven't gone yet. Sophie wanted to make sure she had the right number for you."
Lizzie remembered that she hadn't given her a number to reach her but Anne obviously knew who she was so had tried to make sure that it wasn't too obvious that this was the first time Lizzie had met them.
"She's on the phone now but she was just hoping that you can write it down."
"Ok." Lizzie followed her inside and wrote her number and address on a scrap of paper lying there.
She was about to go outside and help Charlie with the tire when she heard the rather miserable Darcy (as she supposed he would want her to call him) ask him what he was doing.
"I was helping Lizzie change her tire. Well I was watching."
"She knows how to?"
Elizabeth wasn't sure why it hadn't bothered her when Charlie had asked it and did now but maybe it was just the infliction William had used.
"Yes."
Charlie's voice was fairly defensive but neither of the pair listening to the conversation picked up on this.
"I just wouldn't have thought that she would."
"I know; you made that abundantly clear."
Elizabeth realised she would either have to go out and have them suspect that she had heard this part of the conversation or wait inside and pretend later that she had lost or left something, coming out later.
Luckily she didn't have to make this decision as she realised that Sophie would also want her address and that she had accidently written down her old mobile number.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Do you ever try to make a good impression?"
"I did."
"Did not."
"Did."
"Not."
Again Lizzie was reminded of squabbling children.
"What's the point it's not like I'm ever going to see her again." Darcy pointed out.
"I don't know, I thought Mum said she wanted to have a meal with her or something before she flies back to France. Besides you have to admit that she is pretty cute. I mean very pretty but also in that friendly cute way."
"I don't have to admit anything of the sort. If you like her so much, you ask her out."
"I might just do that."
Oh please don't Charlie, please don't. Otherwise all those creepy nightmares I get after eating cheese involving Oedipus might come flooding back to me, Lizzie crept closer to the door.
"Pfft."
"I'm sorry, what was that?"
"Well she certainly not you're type, is she? I mean did you see the way that she attacked the food tonight? And that pudding with those calories? She seems clingy enough to want something more than a month so obviously is not meant for you."
"I guess maybe not, I mean I did think she was more your type anyway."
"My type. God you've got to be kidding!"
"What? There's nothing that wrong with her. I mean you barely spoke to her all evening, what could you possibly complain about?"
"Her hands." She was offended that Darcy didn't even have to think about the question.
"Her hands?"
"Yes, her hands did you not see them?"
"No. Besides what does it matter?"
"I care about what a girl's hands look like."
"You do? You are aware that's completely weird and strange. What was even wrong with them?"
"I can't believe you didn't notice. They were completely dry and her nails were cut short and scuffed and there were cuts."
"And this matters because?"
"Look, if she can't even take care of her hands how do you think she's going to take care of the rest of her body and her life? I mean, really?"
"Right." Charlie nodded along as though this was a lucid intelligent thought not the ravings of crazy conspiracy theorist. "because hands prove all this."
"Yes they do but also its hands. You're going to be in contact with them all the time, do you really want to have dry coarse hands on you? I mean we already know she's clingy so she's going to want to hold them and just imagine feeling them."
"You know what? You've just confirmed what I've suspected for a long time. You're nuts. Absolutely stark raving bonkers."
"I'm just saying it's something that would bother a person after awhile. Trust me. And what was with wearing the rings around her neck?"
"What?"
"Didn't you notice, she was wearing a thin gold chain that had two rings on it?"
"Well actually I wasn't looking at her neck and I'm also not the one that was protesting whether or not she was cute."
"What exactly is your point, Charles?"
"Ohh full name. Someone's annoyed. I was just saying if men don't find women attractive they are unlikely to be looking at their necks and noticing certain details about them."
"It is in my job to be observant Bingley."
"Ok ok, still I feel like I'm repeating myself again. Why does it even matter?"
"It's just irritating, don't you think?"
"No, I think that maybe you're just irritable. Maybe she was just wearing them because she wants to keep them safe."
"Well it would be safer surely to wear them on her finger."
"Maybe they don't fit her?"
"Then why wouldn't she get them sized. They obviously can't mean that much to her if she can't be bothered to get them sized."
Elizabeth whose hand had gone immediately to her neck to feel the wrings frowned at the petty man. She wore them round her neck because she couldn't wear them at work on her fingers and liked to have them near her. What on earth was his problem?
"God, I'd forgotten what you're like when you're on holiday. You seriously need a girlfriend or to relax or something."
I couldn't agree more Elizabeth nodded along with Charlie.
"Yeah because you're in a healthy balanced relationship."
"You've been single for much longer than me."
"Maybe that's because I don't settle."
Lizzie honestly thought that the two of them could come to serious blows if she didn't interfere, if she was Charlie she certainly would have been pissed at Darcy. He sounded so childish, she certainly wouldn't have said to him even if he had asked her out. She would even had said no, before over hearing this conversation.
"Hi sorry, your mum wanted me to write my number and address down and I gave her the wrong number. Sorry for not helping." Somehow during this argument they had changed the tire.
"That's fine. I knew you were just hiding in the house, not wanting to help."
"You got me." She shrugged and smiled at him.
"We've tightened up the new one, where do you want the old?"
"I'll put it in the boot."
Darcy had been standing in the shadows during this conversation came out and ignoring Elizabeth who was struggling to roll the tire towards the back of the car picked it up with only the minimalist amount of struggling and put it in there. This time there was a degree of struggle as there was a large box in the back.
Lizzie picked it up and put it on the backseat, strapping it in.
"What's that?"
She thought for a moment before answering honestly. "Knives."
"Knives?" Darcy asked disapprovingly.
"Yes, they're for work."
"Oh what do you do?" Charlie asked.
"Oh, I'm a trained assassin," she smiled mischievously at him.
He smiled.
"Really? Can I hire you to get someone for me?" He pointed at Darcy and then looked away and whistled as if pretending to be innocent.
"I'm actually a chef. There's a specialised shop where we normally get these and I said that I'd pick them up."
"Oh right. I can't believe we didn't even get round to what we do at dinner."
"It's not necessarily something that people have to talk about Charlie." Darcy added.
"Oh like you ever shut up about your job."
Lizzie was curious now.
"Darcy's a journalist. His family own a Newspaper."
"Oh, which one?" She asked but all she could think of was nepotism, nepotism, nepotism.
"The Times."
"Oh. I suppose all those words at scrabble makes sense now." She smiled at him but he didn't return it. "What about you Charlie, is that how you know each other?"
"Me, no I'm awful at spelling. I run a computer software company."
"I'll nod and pretend I know all about that."
He laughed softly. "That's most people's reaction. I'll explain it better some time. I think mum mentioned that we were coming for dinner."
"Yes. Next Wednesday I think, well that's when I'm next not working."
"Sounds good."
At the point Darcy very obviously looked at his watched. "Look it's getting cold and dark and Elizabeth has a long drive back. She'll have to drive slower as it is with the spare."
This could have been taken out of concern for her but Elizabeth just had the feeling he was trying to get rid of her.
It was in fact Darcy's intention because he had the deep feeling that for some reason, whether it was to protective Charlie and his family or to protect himself, he needed to get rid of her.
