A/N: I'm back! Instead of studying like I should have been doing yesterday, I wrote another chapter. As of Monday, I will be one week away from my final exams, so wish me luck! Let me know what you think of this chapter.
Her shoulders tensed as she turned toward the voice. That voice could only be William Darcy's, but still she prayed that it wasn't. She saw him standing there in a pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt. He looked so different than from when he wore his suits. His hair was slightly damp and beginning to curl on his forehead. He had grown his facial hair out a bit, giving him a five o'clock shadow.
"Oh, um." She paused, "You're not supposed to be here! I've got to go." She rushed past him to the stairwell that led to the grounds.
"Lizzie." He caught up with her before she could even make it a few steps away from him. Lizzie didn't know why she thought she could out pace him. There was an awkward pause as both of them attempted to think of something to say. Will broke the silence, "How are you?"
"I'm fine."
"And your family?" Well, this couldn't be anymore awkward.
"They're fine, too. Thank you." Lizzie noticed that her aunt and uncle had joined her and William on the balcony that overlooked the vineyards.
"I'm here with my Aunt and Uncle Gardiner. Mrs. Reynolds was showing them the cellar, but I needed some fresh air. I promise that had I known prior to coming on this trip that you owned Pemberley, I wouldn't have come."
"I'm glad you did." He paused awkwardly, "Gigi will be here tomorrow, how long do you plan to stay?" Her aunt and uncle had planned only a day trip to Pemberley and tomorrow they would be off to Matlock. Without knowing how to answer, her aunt spoke up, "We'll be here for a few more days. I have some old friends that I haven't seen in years."
"Excellent!" She noticed a red blush crawl up his neck when he said this. "Let me finish showing you the estate." He pointed out a lake to her uncle, then proceeded to invite him to fish there at any point in time, "The trout grow in numbers I am not able to decrease. It will take more than just me to decrease it." He turned to Aunt Maddie, "I can't help but notice the time. Would you like to stay for lunch and dinner? Tomorrow, Mr. Gardiner, please do come fishing. In fact, just stay the night; I insist." Aunt Gardiner confirmed that they would be delighted to spend the next two days at Pemberley.
Pemberley was beautiful. Amazing. Inspiring. She could see the original wooden floors running beneath her feet and the wood paneling that was on the walls was no doubt original. "Elizabeth, would you like to see the library?" Library, this house has a library? All she could do was nod.
The library rivalled the rest of the house for beauty. She felt like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and had no doubt of how Belle fell in love with the Beast. "I know you mentioned that you liked to read, so I figured you might enjoy having a large collection to choose from."
"It's perfect, thank you." Her eyes were hungrily taking in the thousands of books that lined his walls, "And all this time I thought you were just an accountant."
"I prefer that people think less of me." What had happened to the proud man that she would never talk with again. Instead he had been replaced by this congenial man that she had met on New Year's Eve. This man she could fall in love with. Shut up, brain!
There was a knock on his door and Mrs. Reynolds entered, "William," She paused catching site of Lizzie, "Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't aware that you had anyone in here."
"That is quite alright, Mrs. Reynolds." The woman seemed to genuinely care for Will, which surprised her because she thought everyone would hate him for his pride. But one look at Mrs. Reynolds and it was impossible to doubt the love that she held for the man standing in front of her. "It seems there was a flood on one part of the vineyard, the men have been taking care of it for the past few days, but they want your opinion on the matter."
"Thank you, Mrs. Reynolds. I trust Matthew and his crew to take care of the vineyards and do just what I would have done. I will be there in a few minutes, I promise." Mrs. Reynolds nodded before exiting the library. He turned back to Lizzie, "I apologize. I was going to ask if your aunt and uncle might be happy to join me for a picnic, but it seems that I am going to be otherwise engaged. I hope you don't mind; the library may offer some solace in the books, please feel at ease to read any that you wish."
"Thank you." She watched him turn and follow in the same manner that Mrs. Reynolds had. As he had retreated out of the library, she perused the stacks, finding a battered copy of Emma sandwiched into the shelves. She debated returning to her room, but remembered that her aunt retired there, having not slept well for the past few nights with her children constantly waking up with nightmares.
Not wishing to disturb her aunt with the creaking of the floorboards or closing of doors, Lizzie made her way outside to the patio that overlooked the vineyards. Lizzie opened the book, but found her eyes were not even looking at the words. Instead she was staring at the table in front of her. How could I have been such a horrible person to him? He's not proud. He's not arrogant. He's quiet. Yes, there are times when he needs to put his hand in his mouth, but don't we all?
Lizzie couldn't get the vision of him so happy out of her mind. Why in the world would he be happy to see me? I practically called him an arrogant ass. Just look at how much Mrs. Reynolds respects him, and how much his employees respect him. He has never been so amiable as when he was on New Year's Eve. That is a lie and you know it! Well, okay, maybe I have changed. Okay, well, yeah I changed. Maybe I have been a bit ridiculous for the past few months. Maybe I have been a little high strung. Maybe I have been a little childish.
"I see you found yourself a book." Mrs. Reynolds said from the doors, "Would you mind if I joined you? The house is a bit stuffy." Lizzie nodded, but did not dare to look up for fear that her guilt would be shown to this woman. She had the feeling that Mrs. Reynolds had become something of a mother to Will and Gigi after their mother had died. Because of this, Lizzie knew that Mrs. Reynolds would be extremely protective over them. Lizzie couldn't help but feel even worse after this revelation. How would she react if she knew how much pain I had caused Will?
"It seems the men are almost finished with their work." At this Lizzie looked up at Mrs. Reynolds. Mrs. Reynolds indicated toward the fields, and Lizzie turned her eyes and watched them riding back to the stables, "Will knows how to ride?"
"Oh yes. He's been riding since he was four or five years old. The poor boy knew how to ride a horse before he knew how to ride a bike!" Lizzie let out a laugh. "So Lizzie, tell me about yourself."
Lizzie blushed; she knew that this was essentially an interview from William's mother-figure, "Well I work as a nurse at a hospital in Seattle. I've been working in the Hematology-Oncology unit for two years now. I worked in the MICU for about four years after graduation."
"A nurse? Very impressive, Lizzie. Have you ever talked to Gigi? She's in her second semester of pre-nursing."
"Yes! I met her a few months ago! How is she? I haven't gotten the chance to meet with her lately."
"Oh you know how it is, she's stressed about grades as per usual. She'll be back tomorrow, though. After today, she'll be finished with exams. And just in time for her surprise, too."
"Surprise?"
"Follow me." Mrs. Reynolds was smiling and Lizzie stood up. The woman wove through a maze of hallways and made her way into one of the rooms Lizzie had been shown earlier. "Her brother knew how much she missed having her piano at school, so when she moved in with Will at his apartment, he moved the piano to his apartment. Now that they'll be here over the summer, Gigi would have been upset to be without a piano. Will upgraded and purchased her a new piano."
Lizzie's jaw went slack. He bought his sister a piano only because he knew it would make Gigi happy. Who is this man? Lizzie's hand glided over the finished wood of the piano. It's dark brown wood beckoning to her. The shiny white and black keys that had never been pressed were calling her name like they had so many years before. It's been so long since I've touched a piano.
Lizzie shook her head. No, this is Gigi's piano. No one should play on it before her. "Do you play piano, Lizzie?"
"I did for about fourteen years. I don't have a piano at home anymore, so I've not been able to practice consistently for about two years now." Lizzie sighed and removed herself from the beautiful piano. She needed to be away from the temptation that this piano was giving her.
"By all means, please try it out."
"Oh, no. I couldn't. I know this is for Gigi. I know that Will would want her to be the first to play on it."
"I insist. It has been sitting in this room untouched for almost three months. No one has played it. It may be out of tune; I'm sure William would like to know that before his sister comes home to play it."
Lizzie still wasn't sure, even after Mrs. Reynolds had given her so much encouragement. One look in the woman's eyes and she could see the conviction with which the words were said. Lizzie sat down and felt immediately at home in front of the keys. Beginning she started with just a warm up on the keys. Scales. Practicing scales was one of the things Lizzie hated the most about piano, so she quickly finished her scales and moved onto Fur Elise. She had memorized the movements during elementary school, and they had stuck with her ever since.
When she had finished, she turned around expecting Mrs. Reynolds to still be there, but she had disappeared. Lizzie turned back around to the piano. Before she could even register the song she would play next, her fingers were back on the keys. Pushing them in a soft, yet rapid succession. Halfway through the song, Lizzie heard the door squeak open, but she didn't dare stop; years of piano practice had taught her not to stop without a proper ending.
Lizzie quickly drew the piece to a close, before she turned around. Of course, who else would it be other than Will Darcy.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Mrs. Reynolds told me that I could play. I know it's for Gigi, I'm sorry I should have asked you first."
"Nonsense. I'm glad it's getting it's use." He paused and she noticed his neck flush red, "You're an amazing pianist and you sound beautiful."
"Thank you." Lizzie didn't know what else to say, so she began rambling, "You know, fourteen years of piano and you'd think I would be better. At least I got something out of those fourteen years, right?"
"Of course. Just don't let Gigi know. She'll make sure she teaches you all of her new pieces." He teased her. Teased.
"And what if I wanted to learn them?" Her confidence was coming back to her and she felt as if she had gained her footing again.
She noticed he looked slightly taken aback at her tone at first, before realizing that she was actually teasing him, "She'll monopolize all of your time. There are other people here that want to spend time with you, Elizabeth, not just my little sister." Lizzie felt her face heat up.
"Anyway, how's the vineyard looking? Will it survive another day?"
"Yes, it will. Thanks to Matthew, he knew what to do as soon as the problem became apparent. I'm very grateful to the man." Lizzie noticed the sweat stains that were obvious from his hard work outside. He must have noticed them as well, because he then excused himself to "freshen up."
When he reappeared, he was cleanly dressed and it looked like he had shaved his face as well. "So, what other talents and hobbies have you not told me about?"
Lizzie shrugged, "I don't know. I don't have many. I grew up with a lot of hobbies that have since been forgotten. Welcome to the real world." Lizzie laughed a little sardonically.
"What about horse riding, guitar, croquet? Or do you just like to stick needles in anything that moves." It took Lizzie a few seconds to realize that he was teasing her again. Who was this man?
"Croquet?" She asked with an arched brow. Lizzie felt as if she was challenging him on this point. Who plays croquet anymore? Oh, right, probably his Aunt Catherine.
"Oh, don't you know? It's all the rage with estates these days." He replied in a haughty tone of voice, throwing his nose into the air in a rather undignified way. Her laughs bubbled out from inside of her.
"Well, I used to ride. My grandparents owned a farm in Virginia. Before we moved to Seattle, they always had us over to ride. I loved riding Princess, she was my favorite horse. I begged my parents to let me start horseback riding, but we couldn't make the commitment because we moved. It's been a while since I've ridden a horse, though." Will stood up and held out his hand to her.
"Come on."
"Where are you going to take me?"
"I have a few horses. Gigi isn't home yet, so hers is very well rested. Come on."
She saw the stables ahead of them. The brick building looked like a miniature of the house in its structure. There was ivy growing on the side of the stables and it looked as if there were about three horses in at the moment.
He walked up to a stall with a beautiful Arabian. "This is Argo." He reached out and stroked the mare's black mane, but Apollo did not seem interested in his master. A few seconds after, Argo turned to look at her expectantly. Unsure of what else to do, Lizzie reached out her hand and stroked his mane. She could have sworn she heard William Darcy mutter under his breath, "Attention stealer."
"He's my horse, but he seems to like you a lot." She could sense the bitterness in his voice.
"He's a very nice horse."
"Anyway," He seemed very stiff and unyielding, "Next is Bella. She was my mother's horse." Lizzie moved a few stalls down to see Bella, a grey appaloosa. Lizzie approached the beautiful horse and the horse whinnied appreciatively at the attention given to her. "She likes you."
"Is that surprising?"
"No. Well, yes. No one has been able to ride her since my mother. In general, Bella has been pretty quiet and out of use for the past four years. Whenever someone would try to take her out, she would refuse. She'd just sit back down in the stall, hoping that you'd leave her alone. For years, we've only been able to let her out in the pastures. My father's crew attempted to get him to put her down, but he refused. He loved Bella like she was my mom." He let out a small chuckle, "I'm glad Bella has someone she likes now." She looked up and saw Will Darcy staring at her. Lizzie felt slightly unnerved by his gaze, but quickly turned back to the horse, "Would you mind if I rode her?"
"Not at all, I'll get her saddle." Will reappeared in a few minutes carrying a large brown saddle, "Wait while I get Argo and Bella saddled up and we'll go for a ride." He sent her that dazzling smile that she had missed for the last few weeks.
She waited patiently as he saddled Bella first, then Argo. Lizzie led Bella outside and her horse did not move at all while waiting for Will to join them. When he had finally joined them, Bella whinnied once more and Lizzie hopped into the saddle. Then they were off, galloping through the vineyards, Lizzie following Will. Lizzie had never felt this amazing on a horse. Princess had been her favorite as a child, but never had she felt so connected with her horse. It was as if Bella knew what Lizzie's next move would be and anticipated it.
After what seemed like thirty minutes, she noticed that Will was slowing his pace down a bit. Bella followed suit in a change of pace. When they stopped, they were at the top of a hill. Will swung out of the saddle and she followed his example. He was leaning up against a tree, looking calm as ever. "I used to ride out here every morning before I moved to Seattle." She turned her eyes to the view and saw that in the distance was Pemberley. The grape vines surrounding the house were idyllic to the scene and lights ran along the vineyard, casting a soft glow on the vineyard. It was beautiful.
Lizzie felt calmer now than she had for the past year. Involuntarily, a smile formed on her face and she had never felt happier, calmer, or full of life. "It's beautiful."
"Thank you. Thank you for taking Bella out of her stall. Thank you for being here." He paused and took a deep breath, "I know you said that you would not be here if you had known that I was here, but I'm glad we were both here." She couldn't tell if he was just being nice. Lizzie knew she had hurt him so terribly when she had last seen him.
When Lizzie had last seen him, he was so uptight and she had been so annoyed with everything he had done for her. She hated herself. She had driven away the only man she had ever truly liked. Lizzie decided at that moment that she would never push him into knowing her feelings. She couldn't do it to him. She could never force him to like her again, that would ruin him completely.
Lizzie could feel the tears welling in her eyes, so she turned away from him and looked back at the view. She looked at her watch and he subconsciously did the same, "We'd better head back if you want to get food." It was just past six at night. The sun was just starting to set in the sky, giving it a beautiful orange, pink backdrop to the picturesque setting.
Lizzie swung herself into her saddle and they raced back to the stables. After brushing down their respective horses, they walked back to the house. She could tell the entire time that he was thinking because he said scarcely a few more than ten sentences to her. Lizzie didn't mind because she was still trying to absorb all that had occurred during the day.
On her way back to the house, Lizzie could hear the distinct barking of a dog. She saw William Darcy smile and shake his head, "That's Bernadette, she must have gotten away from Mrs. Reynolds." A few minutes later, Lizzie finally got the privilege of meeting Bernadette when she saw Lizzie and jumped on her.
"Oh, Lizzie! I am so sorry!" She heard Mrs. Reynolds say, but Lizzie didn't mind one bit. She pushed Bernadette off of her and scratched her ears. Bernadette's tail picked up in speed and started whacking the nearby planters. "Dinner's on the table, William." Lizzie looked up at him waiting for direction, then followed him into the kitchen. Bernadette followed Lizzie while Lizzie followed Darcy.
On the table was a bowl of spaghetti waiting to be eaten. She noticed her aunt and uncle were sitting at the table, already eating some of the pasta, "Oh, Lizzie! I'm so sorry that I was so tired. Little Gina has been keeping me awake with her nightmares for the past two weeks." Lizzie knew her aunt was attempting to discern the connection that Lizzie had with William Darcy, "What did you get up to while I was asleep?"
"I played some piano, read, and I was able to ride one of the horses." Her aunt was very grateful for William to let her use the piano and to ride, "I suspect that is where you will find Lizzie in the morning. When she was in Virginia, she would be in the stables every morning before going to breakfast. Her mother would get so upset because she couldn't find her." Lizzie blushed at the memory of her mother squawking at her from the window of her grandparent's house. Her mother had always been so easily unnerved by Lizzie's habits.
Later that night as Lizzie slept in her bed, her brain just wouldn't turn off. She looked at the clock, which read 12:04am. She groaned and forced her eyes closed again. Little did she know that William Darcy was having the same problem that she was having.
When Lizzie finally awoke in the morning, her clock read 7:49am. She groaned knowing that she wouldn't get more sleep after that point. Lizzie pulled herself out of bed and pulled on a pair of blue jeans and a flannel. When Lizzie got to the bottom step, she heard a squeal of delight, "Lizzie! What are you doing here?" She saw a flash of golden blonde hair and felt a pair of strong arms encircle Lizzie, "Gigi! I'm great, how are you?"
"Same old, same old. Will told me he had a surprise for me. Do you have anything to do with that?"
"Oh me? No! I'm not your surprise. If you want, I can take you to it." Gigi nodded and Lizzie told her, "It's in the room with navy blue paint." Gigi gasped and clung to Lizzie's hand.
When they reached the room, Gigi threw open the door and gasped in shock, "He got me a new piano! Will is the best of brothers! I love William so much! Isn't he just the best, Lizzie?"
Lizzie blushed, "I'm sure he is." She responded diplomatically. Much of the rest of the day was spent in the same fashion. Gigi would attempt to teach Lizzie a new duet, but it seemed that Lizzie's abilities fell easily behind those of Georgiana Darcy. Eventually, Gigi relented and allowed Lizzie to just listen.
Her aunt had gone into a nearby vineyard to visit with some friends, while her uncle was outside for the most of the day fishing. She did get the chance to see him briefly around noon when he stopped in for a bite to eat.
Mrs. Reynolds was one of the sweetest ladies she had ever met and helped make Pemberley feel like home. Lizzie never wanted to leave this beautiful place, but she knew her days at Pemberley were numbered. She knew that she really shouldn't even be at Pemberley, it was too tempting for her to show Will how much her feelings toward him had changed.
By four in the afternoon, Lizzie was feeling antsy and asked Gigi if she would mind letting her go for a ride, "You ride, too? You two are perfect for each other!" Lizzie blushed. "Which horse do you ride?"
"Bella." Lizzie just couldn't get a break with either of the Darcy's. They both were making her blush so much that pink was becoming her normal facial color! "I'm sorry, did you say Bella? As in my mother's horse that no one could possibly ride for the past four years? Is that the Bella you're referring to?" Lizzie nodded in response.
Gigi began muttering unintelligibly under her breath and looked resigned to whatever fate had been dealt. "Go ahead." She finally said.
Lizzie walked out of the house, and was briefly assaulted by the saliva of Bernadette as she made her way toward the stables. She took no heed of the darkening sky above her, but did note that the air had cooled considerably. Lizzie didn't mind, though. She really needed this ride. It would help her work through some of her thoughts. At the stables Lizzie had noticed Will Darcy's horse was out of his stall and wondered what area he was working on. So I can avoid it, of course.
Lizzie saddled Bella and swung into the saddle.
Bella must have had her own ideas of where today's ride would take her, because as soon as she spurred Bella on, she found herself on one of the many paths accessible by horses. Lizzie had absolutely no idea where the path lead, but was happy to follow the horse's lead. It had to have been a pretty long path, because Lizzie was debating turning around and heading back, but then Bella began to slow and Lizzie realized that they were approaching a small lake.
Off to the side of the lake rested a swinging bench under a beautiful tree. Lizzie let go of Bella's reigns so that she could graze, while Lizzie went to lounge on the bench. Everything was so overwhelming for her. First, William Darcy is completely different. He teased me! Well, to be honest, I've changed so much that I can't believe I didn't see how amazing of a man William Darcy is. He didn't even shun me when I showed up unexpectedly, which I feel as though he should have done. Secondly, he keeps complimented me on my awful piano playing. I know he's heard better; Gigi is his sister after all. Next, he got annoyed with his horse for showing attention to me, which makes absolutely no sense.
William Darcy is such a complex man. For him not to hate me right now is a miracle. After all the pain and hatred I've dealt him, I'm surprised he can stand to be in the same room as me.
But he's so kind and gentle. Like Gigi said, "He's the best," of men, that is. Not brother, that would just be weird for me to think. Although, I can't deny, he is an amazing brother. What brother just thinks, "Oh, I think I'll buy my sister a new Baby Grand Piano because she wants one!" It's unheard of!
Lizzie shivered as the wind picked up some water off of the lake and splattered it against her already cool skin. The rustling of the trees was becoming deafening, and Lizzie knew it was time to head back in; she did not want to be caught in the middle of a storm. Lizzie swung back into her saddle just as she saw another horse appear on the opposite edge of the field. The horse was black. It was likely Argo and Darcy heading towards her. She spurred Bella back into a gallop to meet Will half way.
"Elizabeth," He swung out of his saddle. Half of her mind thought he was going to hug her, the other half argued that that was a stupid thought. Just as her mind argued that it was a stupid thought, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her. Lizzie had never felt so happy in her life. His warmth felt like a new beginning, although she knew it wasn't. Lizzie knew it was because she was shivering and cold. She knew it was to warm her up, but that didn't stop her from liking it.
After a few more seconds Darcy let go of her, "Gigi informed me that you were out for a ride and had left almost an hour ago. Are you alright?"
"I'm perfect, thank you. I had no idea how far away from the house I was. I'm sorry."
"What were you doing out here? It's mostly just grassland."
"Bella led the way. She brought me over there. Honestly, you probably think I'm stupid for thinking that a horse had a mind of her own and brought me out here." Lizzie gestured toward the swinging bench that was well behind her now. He probably doesn't even know what I'm point to.
"We should head back in, before the storm starts."
When they arrived back at the house, her aunt and uncle were waiting outside for her, "Lizzie, are you alright? You were gone for so long!"
"I'm fine, thank you."
"William, thank you again for checking up on her."
"It's the least I could have done. It didn't take too long to check all the other spots off from my list." Lizzie felt immediately guilty. She had him searching for her because of her own stupidity.
When Lizzie made it to the top step, she was waiting for Bernadette's assault, but it didn't come. Instead the dog just followed her happily back into the kitchen for their dinner.
Over dinner Lizzie noticed that her aunt and uncle were in deep conversation and not paying attention to Will or her. Will leaned over, "By the way, I don't think you're stupid for saying that Bella brought you out to the lake." He paused to take a sip of wine. "My mother often rode out there. It was one of her favorite places to ride to. My father had the swinging bench built for her, so that she would stop sitting on the ground and ruining her pants."
"Was she being too impertinent by ruining her pants?" Oh my gosh, did I really just say that? I'm an idiot.
"My father may have said that on occasion, but he always told her that's what he loved most about her."
"I'm sorry-"
"Elizabeth, it's okay. You weren't trying to be rude, and it was true. Did my father tell you that?" Now Lizzie blushed again and nodded.
"I'm not trying to embarrass you, but I learned a lot about your family from your father."
"Oh yeah, how much damage control will I have to do?"
"Oh I don't know. It depends on how many people you want to know about the frog in your pants scheme of 1993 and 1996." Lizzie said with a tight-lipped smile and a feeling of pure silliness running through her body.
"You wouldn't." He responded seriously. His voice had lowered a full pitch and he was leaned into her.
"Want to bet on that?" Lizzie challenged back. Her head was held high and she arched a brow a statement of her challenge.
"I don't bet if I know I'm going to lose." He teased back. "That was a classic, though."
"What was?" Gigi asked.
"Care to make a guess, Gigi? It's one of his ill-fated pranks that he pulled with his cousin."
"Oh my gosh, this wasn't the frog in your pants scheme was it, Will?" Will turned bright red, "Oh my gosh, it was? Lizzie how do you know about that?"
Following dinner, Will offered to show Lizzie, her aunt and uncle his personal cellar. Her aunt and uncle were happy to agree.
When they entered the cellar, he turned to her, "What would you like to taste?"
"Please, you're talking to the Zinfandel queen. I have no taste in fancy wines."
"So something sweet?" In this tight of a room, Lizzie could smell his cologne. He smells so nice. I've always liked a man that can smell nice. Shut up, brain.
"Give me a moment." He turned and began searching a particular shelf, "Here we are. Chardonnay, Domaine Ramonet Montrachet Grand Cru from 1999. It has some hints of lemon and other citrus flavors."
"Sounds good to me. You're the vineyard owner, I don't know anything." Just as he began to pour four glasses of the chardonnay, Lizzie felt her phone buzz in her back pocket.
"Do you mind if I take it? It's Jane."
"Please do."
"Lizzie! Where have you been? I've been trying to call you for the past two hours!" Jane never sounded this panicked.
"It's bad reception out here. What happened, Jane?"
"It's Lydia. She overdosed on something. Lizzie, I'm so scared. They brought her into the hospital and I thought she was going to die. They just kept pushing all of these drugs and Lizzie I thought she was dead. They coded her for at least ten minutes!" Lizzie's stomach plummeted just at the image of her sister lying in a hospital bed, pale and dead. Lizzie's head was spinning and she felt sick to her stomach.
"What happened?"
"Her and Kat were at a party with George Wickham. Supposedly, he's gotten desperate enough that he started selling Lydia drugs." If Lizzie thought it couldn't get worse, she was wrong because it just did.
"What did the tox screen show?"
"They just ran one and they think it was heroin, Lizzie." Lizzie's head automatically began to ache.
"Alright, I'm leaving right now. I'll see you as soon as possible, Jane." Lizzie hung up the phone and stood there without moving.
"Elizabeth, are you alright?"
"I need to go, I'm sorry. Thank you for everything." Lizzie started pacing back and forth thinking what she needed to pack.
"What happened?" When Lizzie didn't respond the first time or the second time, he reached out and turned her to face him, "Elizabeth, what happened?"
"Lydia overdosed on heroin because George Wickham was dealing it to her!" Lizzie wiped the tears from her eyes and pushed her hair out of her face, "I could have stopped this. I could have told my family the type of man he was, but I didn't. I was so selfish."
"You aren't selfish, Lizzie."
"Really? Because of my selfishness I put my sixteen-year-old sister in the intensive care unit for a heroin overdose! I told no one about how horrible George Wickham was to me! I never once told them about the debts or the hitting! What kind of person doesn't tell their family about that kind of stuff?"
"Elizabeth Bennet, you are not selfish. What do you need me to do?"
"Nothing, I can do it myself. I have to pack and get on an airplane. I have to go." For some reason, that's what really struck her. The fact that she would have to leave Pemberley; leave Will Darcy. She didn't want to leave, she loved this man.
"I'll get you a flight and I'll send you your luggage. I believe your car is parked on the property?"
"Yes, I'll get my aunt and uncle and we'll leave." She looked up at him, "Thank you for everything, Will." He only nodded back at her as acknowledgement of her sentiments. Lizzie suddenly felt very cold.
