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Thanks Miriam1 for all your help.
000
Elizabeth was unhappy. It was ridiculous, she knew, and she really had no right to be unhappy. Her life was perfect. Work was great as always and she enjoyed it.
She didn't want to admit it, even to herself, but the truth was that she missed Mr. Darcy. He had only been gone a week but it seemed so much longer. Somehow, the office seemed empty without him, and even work wasn't as enjoyable. Of course, with him being absent, her workload was considerably lighter, which was something she would normally have enjoyed but not now. Now it only made her feel his absence even more.
Get a grip, Lizzie; she told herself, he's just your boss.
000
Darcy sat down to dinner wishing that his aunt would just stop talking. It seemed to him that she had been talking nonstop for two hours, ever since the Morgans had called round for tea. Although Darcy had to admit that some of her anecdotes were funny and appropriate, now he wished for silence.
They had been in Manhattan a week and at first it had been great. It had all been work-related. When Darcy had taken over the Birmingham office, Richard had been posted to the London one. The group was now expanding to New York and the Manhattan office was due to open in a few months. Darcy and Richard and Georgie had been summoned by their aunt for their annual visit and also to work out some last minute details. Darcy and Richard had spent the first three days practically sleeping at the office, sorting out so many different details. Darcy was happy and he'd barely even seen or spent time with Aunt Cat, but now the business part of their visit was over and it was time to socialise.
First up on the list of families with eligible sons, for Georgie and daughters; for him and Richard were the Morgans. The Morgans were nice people and the families had known each other for years.
"Of course you remember my nephews, Richard and Fitzwilliam," Aunt Cat had told the Morgans. "And my niece Georgiana. You'll of course remember the awful skiing accident that killed my sister Anne and her husband George. They are very dutiful children, always checking in on their aunt."
"…Georgiana or Georgie, as she prefers to be called, is at the university now reading Law..."
"…Darcy is heading the Birmingham office now; of course he was quite reluctant to move to a smaller city, and to be away from Anne. They're betrothed, you know, but it's better for him and he's nearer Georgie, and of course that office needed all the help that it could get..."
"…Richard was trying, he's a great guy, but of course he doesn't quite know the business like Darcy does, still he's doing well in London..."
"Where are Marjorie and Daniel?" Marjorie and Daniel were the Morgan children. "They should have come; you know, to even up things for Richard and Georgie. Is Marjorie still with that magazine? I love reading her articles. I like to tell myself that I would have been a great journalist and an even better fashion editor. You know Mrs. Kennedy, the one who owns that little boutique down the street; she always says that I have the best fashion sense of anyone she's ever met. And my dear Anne is just like that, in fact she hadn't decided to become a preschool teacher; she would have made her mark on the world."
Catherine de Bourgh had never forgiven her daughter for not being beautiful and fashionable. Anne loved children and had decided to become a teacher, something which Catherine de Bourgh felt was beneath her, and to add insult to injury Anne had also informed her mother that she had no intention of marrying Darcy. "We're related, mother, first cousins once removed, whatever that means. And besides, I'm not interested in him like that," she had said.
Catherine de Bourgh hadn't spoken to her a daughter for a week after that, but she had no intention of giving up her dream of seeing her daughter and Darcy married.
Finally the seven-course meal came to an end, but not before they had heard all about Catherine de Bourgh's kindnesses to all her neighbours and everyone that crossed her path. She knew the best creams to use, where to shop, which clubs to be a part of, and - of course - what to do, whenever.
000
"I hope you left the office in good hands," Catherine de Bourgh asked Darcy at breakfast the next day.
"We have a great team at the Birmingham office," Darcy replied. "You know that."
"And that girl, Elizabeth Bennet, Richard's PA, is she still there?"
"Yes."
"So you retained her," Catherine de Bourgh nodded and turned to Richard. "You used to swear by her, didn't you? Apparently she can do no wrong. I'm glad to see that you were telling the truth."
Richard and Darcy exchanged looks, both wondering where their Aunt was going with that line of conversation, but apparently she was satisfied, because she dropped it and told them of her plans for them that day.
000
"Catherine de Bourgh is on Line 1 for you."
As Elizabeth punched the number, she wondered why the formidable Catherine de Bourgh was calling her. Everyone knew she was one of the managing partners, Richard and Mr. Darcy's aunt, and a very influential woman in business. Elizabeth had worked in the company for years and had never met or even spoken to the woman.
"Please hold for Catherine de Bourgh."
000
"And you have to go now?"
Elizabeth stopped throwing things into her suitcase and looked at her sister. "She wanted me to leave as soon as I got off the phone with her, but I pointed out to her that there were some things I needed to finish first."
"What exactly did she say?"
"Apparently I'm needed in Manhattan as soon as possible."
"Don't take this the wrong way," Jane said. "But you're just a PA, why do they need you at some new offices they're about to open?"
"Believe me I tried to ask," Elizabeth said. "But she pointed out that I have been PA to both Richard and Mr. Darcy, and that means that I have to meet her, or something like that. Actually, I didn't even understand half the things she was saying."
"Too shocked, huh?"
Elizabeth sat down. "Jane, Catherine de Bourgh, THE Catherine de Bourgh called me, and she seemed to know everything about me."
"Of course she did."
"I couldn't say no."
Jane laughed. "Of course, you couldn't. And knowing you, you probably want to meet her face-to-face to find out if everything you've heard about her is true."
"And I get to go to New York."
000
"Mrs. de Bourgh will be expecting you to dine with her this evening," Collins, Catherine de Bourgh's assistant, told Elizabeth as she was checked into the hotel. "I will pick you up 6.30pm. Dinner is 7.00 but you should be at least fifteen minutes early."
Elizabeth smiled and nodded at the man. "It is such a great honour for Mrs. de Bourgh to invite you for dinner like this on your first evening. Normally she meets people in the afternoon, you know, just in case she needs to get away early."
Elizabeth smiled at Collins, hoping he would take the hint and let her enjoy her room with the beautiful views of the water and the skyline. "And remember, you don't need to worry about what to wear for dinner tonight, Mrs. de Bourgh likes the distinction of rank to be preserved."
000
Catherine de Bourgh's house was everything Elizabeth had expected and more. It was a beautiful house set in beautifully manicured grounds. She was barely through the hallway when she heard a voice call out, "Let her to me directly."
Elizabeth entered the grand sitting room and stopped short. There in the room with Mrs. Catherine de Bourgh, a tall, handsome and very well-dressed woman, was Richard and Mr. Darcy, as well as two young women. She had known the Mr. Darcy was away on business, but somehow she hadn't expected to find him at his Aunt's house. Which was, of course, ridiculous, now that she thought about it.
"Miss Bennet," Mrs. de Bourgh said to her, "how nice of you to join us."
"I was honoured to receive the invitation." Elizabeth hoped she didn't sound like a prig.
"My nephews Richard and Fitzwilliam you already know," Mrs. de Bourgh said, "but this is my daughter Anne, and my niece Georgiana."
The five of them exchanged greetings and Elizabeth was invited to sit down near Mrs. de Bourgh.
"So Miss Bennet," Mrs. de Bourgh began, "I understand that you are one of five daughters, aren't you?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"My nephews tell me that you are very good at what you do," Mrs. de Bourgh continued.
"I try."
"Well, it is good for the company and all, but that is all you ever aspired to be? A PA?"
"I like my work." Elizabeth wasn't going to tell her why she was a PA. It wasn't any of her business.
"I mean, with the opportunities available to women nowadays, you could have been anything," Mrs. de Bourgh added. "It is my understanding that all your sisters are unmarried, and three of them are still living at home. And in addition to that that all of you are employed by other people."
"Yes."
"At your age, I had already started this company from scratch and was expanding it, on top of being a wife and mother."
"I'm sure Elizabeth has a great many interests that we know nothing about," Darcy interrupted his aunt. "And I, for one, am very grateful that she chooses to work with us and does not go into business on her own."
"I quite agree," Georgie said. "Besides, Aunt, you can't seriously believe that everyone should have a business of their own, can you?"
"That's beside the point," Mrs. de Bourgh said. "There are five daughters. One should amount to something: a doctor, a barrister, a member of parliament, something."
"I believe that depends on what 'amounting to something' means to one," Elizabeth said. "Our father educated us and let each of us know that we could do what we really wanted. I think parents should let children make their own choices."
Mrs. de Bourgh glared at Elizabeth. "You certainly have a very set opinion about things, don't you?"
Elizabeth smiled politely, at least she hoped it was polite, at her host and decided to hold her tongue. She hadn't traveled all the way to New York to be fired from her job.
000
"I don't know Jane; I think she's going to have me fired."
Elizabeth had called her sister as soon as she got back to the hotel. "She definitely wasn't happy with me."
"But you're not her PA; she doesn't have to work with you."
"She likes to be in charge," Elizabeth told her, "and I hate to admit this but she's the scariest person I ever met and… maybe she's right."
"So you basically think we're losers now?"
"Of course not."
"Aside from those pearls of wisdom," Jane said. "Any other interesting things about Mrs. de Bourgh de Bourgh?"
"She's the best dressed person I have ever seen, and she has this air about her, like she's a force of nature, and if you're not careful or strong enough, you'll be carried away by it."
Elizabeth told Jane about Richard, Georgiana, Mr. Darcy and Anne de Bourgh, and even sent her pictures of the house and grounds.
000
"Please don't think that you have to entertain me," Elizabeth told Georgie when she received a call from her early the next morning.
"Of course not." Georgie assured her. "I know it sounds a bit strange, but I do feel like we could be very great friends."
"Really?"
"My brother says the nicest things about you."
"Really? What exactly does he say?"
"That you're a great dancer and that you are funny," Georgie began. "He also told me about the lazy eye incident. He was mortified that you'd heard him say that."
"Then why did he say it?"
"I asked him the same thing," Georgie replied, "but he couldn't even give a sensible answer."
Elizabeth and Georgie both laughed and a few minutes later, Elizabeth found herself agreeing to spend the day with Georgie.
000
In the end, Elizabeth spent the day with Georgie, Mr. Darcy and Richard; at first she had been quite apprehensive when she discovered that Richard and Mr. Darcy had insisted on joining them, but after a while she was having too much fun to worry about it.
"Karaoke, no way," Darcy said.
"Don't tell me you're scared," Elizabeth told him.
"That won't work on me," Darcy said. "And I'm not scared of embarrassing myself trying to sing."
"Prove it," Elizabeth said. They had had a picnic earlier, when Anne de Bourgh joined their party. They enjoyed the ferry around the Statue of Liberty. Now Georgie and Richard wanted to go to a karaoke bar.
Darcy was about to refuse, to say no absolutely not, when he had an idea. "Okay, I'll go willingly to the karaoke bar and sing whatever song you want if you call me by my name."
"That's ridiculous," Elizabeth said promptly.
"That's my deal, take it or leave it."
"Fitz, that's rid -" Georgie began but Richard stopped her.
"Let them sort it out themselves," he whispered to her.
"Fine, Fitzwilliam," Elizabeth told him. "We're singing Making Love Out Of Nothing At All first."
That evening, as Elizabeth prepared for bed, she thought to herself that she couldn't remember a day she'd enjoyed more; she couldn't wait for tomorrow, as they had made plans for the next two days.
000
"I don't like Elizabeth Bennet."
"Of course you don't," Grace Linden-Kent, Mrs. de Bourgh's friend replied. "She didn't cower in your presence."
Mrs. de Bourgh smiled at her friend. "I know, I'm always saying how much I hate those idiots who fawn over my every word, how I like women to stand up for what they believe in. But somehow I cannot stand the sight of that young woman."
"She's leaving in a few days"
"Leaving New York maybe, but she'll still be in my life so to speak."
"She works with Fitzwilliam; you don't have to even hear about her." Grace reminded her.
"Why do you think I summoned her here in the first place?" Mrs. de Bourgh asked. "My nephews are always going on about how good she is at her job; I needed to see her for myself."
"And?"
"Now I really need to get rid of her."
"Why?"
Mrs. de Bourgh didn't answer her friend, but then Grace wouldn't understand - no one could. She needed to get Fitzwilliam as far away from Elizabeth Bennet as she could, otherwise Anne really didn't stand a chance. She had seen the way her nephew stared at Elizabeth, how Georgie had warmed up to her, and even Anne had liked her. No, she needed to get Elizabeth out of the way. Whether Fitzwilliam or Anne liked it or not, they were going to get married to each other, and no one, especially, not a nobody like Elizabeth Bennet, for all her fine PA skills, was going to get in their way.
000
