This is it for a while... The real world is calling me back but I will try to post again in the next two to three weeks. Thank you all for the great feedback and checking out my story... Now lets find out what exactly happened... Short spot of violence described. not long but warning none the less.
Chapter 5:
Elizabeth woke up the next morning with a splitting head ache. She knew it has been from her crying herself to sleep the night before. Thinking back on the evening before, she let out an exasperated groan pulling her pillow over her head trying to block out the light that was pouring from her window. She slowly got up feeling sore and worn out. She looked over at her arm. There it was staring back at her… an ugly black, purple and blue, substantially sized bruise with slight hint of being a hand print from when George had practically dragged her into her room. Elizabeth shuddered thinking at what her face might look like. Standing up, she looked into her mirror and saw another bruise. It was more subtle than the one on her arm but still prominent. Thankfully she could cover that up concealer and maybe dramatic hair style to draw attention away from any marks she could not cover up. But with her head ache and her history with them, she knew there was no way she was going to her office. She would be working from home today. She groaned again and started her morning routine reflecting upon exactly that moment the bruise had been given to her.
'How was it that she could have screwed up that badly?' Lizzy reflected. The first thing George discussed with her was how disappointed he was to come in… to surprise her for the evening… and catch her shamelessly flirting with his best friend… someone whom he considered to be a brother to him.
Lizzy hadn't seen it that way last night and she defended her actions as being friendly. George cut her off and started stating how hurt and betrayed he felt that she could shamelessly flirt with Darcy. Already being annoyed at being treated in a childlike manner, she angrily sputtered that she was trying to befriend Will so future gatherings could be less awkward between them. She wanted this work so they could all be friends at the very least. She was so animated and distracted in her defense, she didn't notice George's eye's blaze with irritation. In mid-sentence, he turned and slapped her, sputtering "Shut up! You are acting like a whore … not a friend! How could you? Do you not give a damn about anyone but yourself? Stop being so selfish and remember your place. Your place is as MY Girlfriend… Mine… or is that not what you want anymore?"
Lizzy just stared at him flabbergasted at his accusations. Accusations similar to the ones she had heard time and time again from her mum. All about her not being good enough, not doing what was expected of her, not being the perfect daughter… She didn't understand; how could it have gone so wrong. She just wanted all of them to be friends. Tears started to form in her eyes as she reflected on every word and George just sneered at her. Her check stung from where he had slapped her. She never expected George to hit her nor for it to be so hard. Suddenly George growled "TELL ME…!"
The tears, though she tried to prevent them from falling silently streamed down her face. She sobbed and choked out her answer, "I want to be with you, that is why I was trying to be his Friend. That is all I was trying to do George… I swear!"
George snarled, "Sure … Friend… not exactly the sort of friendship I was hoping for between the two of you. You are acting like slut! Is this what I am to expect anytime I introduce you to one of my friends? Thank God Jane is dating Bingley or I really might be pissed."
She had just stared at him, tears falling freely now. Speechless… that was where she was… Speechless and not understanding where she went wrong. Slowly Lizzy had found her voice again and questioned, "How do you want me to act around your friends? Explain it to me. I don't want you to be angry or misunderstand my actions."
"First off, don't' call Darcy Will or William… Too personal. Just do as I do… Call him Darcy." George instructed. "Second, don't touch him, and don't let him touch you. Lastly, don't be too close to him. I will let you know if anything else happens that is inappropriate."
Lizzy nodded trying to stop her tears but felt like her world was scrambled. She enjoyed being in Will's company. It was fun just listening to him tell stories and share experiences like cooking with him. If it was with any of her other girlfriends, she would have behaved the same way… What made this so different? But she wanted to continue to be with George… even with this temper, he had never done anything to hurt her before this… She wanted to be with him and just kept nodding her head letting the tears flow.
George smiled and apologized for coming off as an ass, stating as his excuse that he had other girlfriends in the past who behaved like she had and eventually left him. He kissed her gently and pulled her into an embrace. He kissed her again a little more forcefully… passionately…He told her he wanted her to be his completely and told her he would not hurt her again as long as she listened to him. The last thing he ever wanted was to hurt her but he also didn't want to he hurt again. Lizzy swore she wouldn't ever try to hurt him and left the room. Lizzy took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves and went into her on suit bathroom. It was the same thing she did after a good row with her mum. She would agree to what her mum would say and then have to calm herself down after their rows. These events had been ongoing for her entire teenage years. Staring at reflection in the mirror, she noticed the red hand on her face first, then the mascara streaming down her face as well as her pink puffy eyes. She quickly turned on the cold water and splashed it on her face repeatedly. The chill of the water felt good where she was struck. She found a wash rag and after dousing it with cold water, applied it to her face. She had used the same trick but only to her bum when she was a child. After several moments with the rag on her face and deep breathing, she finally felt refreshed from the encounter. She re-applied her mascara quickly as well as added concealer and powder to her face. Her skin normally never required her to have to wear concealer but the red mark was not disappearing anytime soon, even with the cold compress. She looked again in the mirror and still could see the faint lines of red on her check. She fluffed her hair and tossed it to the side. "There," she affirmed to herself. She looked ok… not great but only time could heal that. She had walked out in time to find out Will was leaving and perhaps for maybe two months. She said goodbye to Darcy and made a concentrated effort to follow what George had deemed appropriate. There was a point where it seemed he wanted to brush her hurt check and he had asked her if she was ok… She stepped back knowing that it would appease George but also because the sting was still fresh on her check. The last thing she wanted was to be touched on the face. Darcy slowly turned and walked out the door, saying goodbye again to Jane and Charles but all Elizabeth wanted was to curl up in her room and stay there. George had other plans though. He wanted to join the festivities. George had remained with her at the apartment, dancing the night away with her for another hour. Jane had looked at Lizzy a few times after a while and kept on signaling to her to maybe call it short for the night, but no matter what Lizzy did to hint to George that they all needed to call it a night George was nowhere near ready to leave. It took several failed attempts on Bingley and Jane's part to get George to take the hint and get out of the apartment. Lizzy by then had already told everyone that she had the beginnings of a head ache and was heading to bed before it turned into one of her migraines.
Elizabeth finished her makeup and her hair, stepped back into her room, wincing again at the bright light. She flopped back onto her bed and she reflected on her actions again. Selfish. The word still hung in the air and stung. It stung more than the slap on the face. Her mother and her younger sisters had always called her selfish. She had heard it for years and ever since she and Jane had moved away from home, she had been fighting the ideas that she was living a selfish lifestyle by being away from her family. Lizzy was always needed to help everyone at home, she was the one that did many of the everyday chores because none of her younger sisters felt that they needed to help out. What was worse was when Lizzy would tell their mum that Catherine and Lydia were skipping out on helping, Lyn Bennett would make excuses for them. Even on the rare occasion, Lyn would ask Liz to take on one of Jane's chores because again their mum felt it was beneath Jane to do such a task. Jane would always help Elizabeth when she was able to but it was never enough. When Lizzy went to college, every break home showed visibly how much she and Jane really did at home. The only other sister who pitched in was Mary when she was able to. When Elizabeth and Jane moved away to be closer to the city and to Charlotte, it took a while for Jane and Charlotte to convince Lizzy to see that it was ok for her to focus on what would make her happiest. But… now that someone else had said the same… That she was selfish… Could it be true?
Lying in bed trying to massage the pulsating pain that was in her head away, she was at a loss as to what to think any more. She knew that she had some work to do still on her new designs but thankfully her hard work during the week allowed her to have a more relaxing day. Lizzy heard a knock on her bedroom door and called out… "Yes?"
"It's me Lizzy… how you feeling this morning?" Jane questioned quietly. Lizzy knew Jane would be worried about her mentioning a headache last night. Jane knew that if Elizabeth's headache did escalate into a migraine, it was going to be a really tough day for her sister for she had seen it many times. Lizzy had been placed on special medication a few years back due to some complications that happened after a concussion she had received playing club lacrosse at university. There was some bad damage done and as a result a minor headache could turn nasty for no reason. It always caused Jane to worry when Lizzy had even a slight headache. Lizzy knew that the only way to beat this now was to get her medication but the last thing she wanted was for Jane to see her face. Even with the makeup on, Jane would be able to notice the difference.
Lizzy groaned loud enough for Jane to hear through the door. "Do you have your medicine in there with you? " She inquired of her sister.
"Yes I do Jane. I am also planning on resting and working from home today," Lizzy whispered. "And Jane… Don't worry… It will pass. You know they always do!"
Lizzy could hear Jane shuffling in in front of the door… She knew her sister wanted to be in there and take care of here;; secretly that was what Lizzy wanted too but could not risk Jane asking further questions. "Trust me Jane… I will be ok… it is not as bad as some of the other ones I have had," Lizzy lied, desperate to not let Jane open the door.
"Alright… but please let me know if you need anything during the day. I will be leaving for work shortly and I am planning on going out with Charles this evening for dinner. Let me know if you want me to bring you back anything." Jane stated in that mother like manner she had perfected over the years.
"I will Jane. Thanks for checking in on me. Love you." Lizzy said calmly.
A few minutes later after Lizzy worked up the strength to get back up and put on some comfy sweats, she wandered her room few a few. Lizzy didn't have her medicine in her bathroom or bedroom but she needed Jane to leave so she could avoid all issues. Lizzy fell back to her bed pleading with her head to stop hurting so badly and waited to hear her sister leave the apartment. Laying there on the bed with her eyes closed she wondered briefly if Darcy was able to tell that anything was off last night before he left and if he knew how his best friend felt. That was the last thing she wanted, for anyone to suspect that she had been upset and crying. She truly wanted to be his friend. He was charming and great to be around. She felt relaxed and like she could be herself. Reflecting further, she felt like there were times that she had to be the perfect person around her mum and now… George. She knew she needed to be more relaxed with George but she never knew what could get him upset. There had been other times that he had been upset with her but never like what she experienced last night. She knew tht they needed to work on communicating more so she could avoid making him upset and so she could be in the sort of relationship she had always dreamed of being. 'This was going to take some work…' she thought to herself.
She heard the door open and quietly close signaling her sister's departure and she slowly got up from her bed and wandered into the kitchen, grabbed the medicine from the cabinet along with a warm bottle of water. Liz swallowed her pills and slowly meandered back to her bed. Closing the blinds, she laid back down in her bed and slowly drifted back to sleep. She would not wake back up till the next morning when Jane came back in to check on her. With her bruises faded and her headache gone, Lizzy was able to finally feel like normal self and get back to her normal life.
She checked her phone and saw two missed text messages and a voicemail all from George. The messages were both apologies and expressions of concern because she had not responded to him. The voicemail was different. He was gentle and again apologized and told her to call him when she felt better. He explained that he called Charles that evening wondering if Jane was there as well and asked what was going on. Jane had explained to George Lizzy's headache and some of the issues that often happened with them. George finished the voicemail telling Lizzy how much she meant to her and that he cared and wanted the best for her.
Lizzy called George and the spent the next hour talking about some of the concerns Lizzy had. George talked about some of his triggers that could make him upset and mad and Lizzy explained in more details about her head and the condition that was there. They ended the phone call agreeing to go out that night to celebrate George being hired by the Vet clinic there in London. He finally cold stop pulling pints unless they called an emergency and needed him badly. They went to a movie and out to dinner.
During dinner, as Lizzy enjoyed her large chicken Cesar salad George praised Lizzy on many things. "Thank you for being so open today during our conversation today. I am glad to know that we are on the same page. I finally feel that I don't have to worry about you just leaving me. I never mentioned this before but I had a gal in college. She was amazing, very much like you, but she left me for another guy in the Blues. It hurt… I know that I was in the group because of Darcy and his family but… I was a member all the same. She claimed I was not good enough for her and well let's say that was not the only time that happened. Even after leaving school, the last 5 years have left me feeling inadequate… He may be my mate and like a brother to me but Darcy brings out a jealous side of me. I have always been compared to him and well His mum before she died wanted to set up a trust from me so I could have the same benefits as Darcy but she died before that could happen. Darcy's Father eventually set up the trust for me but not to the amount Anne Darcy wanted for me. I asked about it the last time I saw George Darcy and he threw me off the Pemberley property. This was 6 months ago. I don't think Will knows this… It would devastate him to know that his mum's wishes were not carried out like she wished or that his Father treated me cruelly."
Lizzy probed slowly, "Do you think that things can be repaired between the two of you? Do you worry about Darcy finding out and that affecting your close friendship?"
"No Darcy and I are pretty solid. Not much can tear us apart. But that doesn't mean I won't watch my back." George confessed. "I am so glad I feel like I can now fully trust you with this. I know you won't leave me and betray me like everyone else. I just know you're the gal for me. Thank you for working with me and being sure to ask about my needs. It means everything."
Lizzy blushed and returned, "I would like to be there for you and support you George. That is why I asked you those questions this morning. I care… I truly do."
"I know. I care about us and wanting this to work between us." George grinned. Lizzy knew that she didn't want to screw up this relationship and that she did want things to work. She would do whatever she could to make George happy and to make this work.
Looking at the face of Netherfield, Darcy could not believe he had been gone for a month. While he did not mind traveling or being the United States but living out of a suitcase and in a hotel for a month complete was exhausting. He felt instantly relaxed just looking at the columns that were at the front of the large home. The building itself was a nice size, nothing to Pemberley but well Pemberley was about 400 years old. When Bingley first mentioned taking on Netherifeld, Will had done some digging about the home. It was about 100 years old so it had some history but nothing compared to what he had growing up. The large white columns gave a nice large front porch and reached all three levels of the house. The light brown brick and brown shingles gave the home a nice face that was warm and welcoming. Walking into Netherfield was almost as good as being back home at Pemberley... Almost! Bingley must have seen his car approach from the long drive and was there at the door waiting to great his friend back into his home. Jane was standing there with him looking lovingly at Charles. "Welcome back my friend!" Charles exclaimed taking his hand and shaking it warmly.
"It is good to be back finally on English soil and even better to be somewhere knowing it at least feels normal… like a home. I hate living out of a suitcase. Jane how lovely to see you again. I hope I didn't interrupt anything by just walking in here?" Darcy stammered still being affected by the time change and travel.
"Oh!" Jane exclaimed… "Did Charles not tell you? He asked me to move in with him a few days ago and well … here I am! I am still getting things adjusted and getting my items here but it feels right! I know it has not been long that we started seeing each other… I mean it has only been a month! But …. I guess when you know… you know. I hope that it does not make you uncomfortable me being here?"
"Jane… we talked about this… you live here and if Darcy does not like it… "Charles continued pointedly, "he can leave to go to another hotel or back to his home!"
"Jane, before this rascal makes a more dramatic scene than needed, I am not bothered in the slightest and am truly happy for you both" Darcy beamed. He knew exactly what Jane meant when she referenced just knowing. He felt like he and Lizzy had connected when they first met. He felt like he just knew… that she was someone special. But even a month away from England had not tempered his feelings for the brunette goddess that was Ms. Elizabeth Bennett. He was getting better and remembering that she was unavailable. He was able during his travels to exchange a few phone calls and emails with both Charles and George but neither really mentioned Lizzy all that much. Any information he was able to garner was from Charles. George seemed to be sensitive when he asked anything so he had just let it go. Secretly he was hoping that they had a falling out.
Jane smiled and giggled which pulled Will from his woolgathering. She walked back towards the kitchen to help finish dinner and Darcy regarded at Bingley and effused teasingly "You are a lucky man if you have won her heart so quickly! When should I expect an announcement?"
"Joke all you want but I am head over heels for this one and you could possibly expect one towards Guy Fawkes Night!" Charles beamed.
"Truly?" This news shocked Darcy but he was elated for his friend. Charles had several angels from years past but if he knew and felt that this one was the one, he had William's full support. "I am so happy for you both. Let me know what I can do to help support you in your endeavors especially if Caroline gets all pissy with it!"
Charles just smiled and shoved Darcy towards the wing with his room, "Go and clean up… Jane is making an amazing dinner… at least is smells that way. Her mother used to make this for the girls all the time when they were little. Nice southern barbeque I believe she said it was."
Darcy grabbed his luggage and made his way towards the room that he had occupied before he had to leave. Reflecting on the last month, he could not believe how busy he had been. Every hour seemed to be consumed with business of some sort. Sure he was able to take some down time but after dealing with business in the States, he was also managing certain items still here in England. He was ready to just breathe and have a holiday. Thankfully the summer bank holiday was quickly approaching and this meant that he would have a three week long break from work. It was tradition for the Darcy Corporation to shut down for not just the bank holiday but for a full three weeks. It allowed the families he employed to try and get some family time before school started up again on September 1st. 'Just 5 more weeks…' he chanting to himself… '5 more weeks!'
Darcy quickly showered and changed into some black jeans and a casual button down shirt. He descended the stairs rolling up the sleeves of his shirt and his nose was assaulted with this amazing smell. "Jane?" Darcy called… "If this is what Americans call barbeque then I think I am moving permanently!"
He wandered into the kitchen and was shocked to see Charles holding Jane in a passionate embrace. "Ahem" Darcy exhaled.
Jane turned into Charles to try and hide her blush. "Hey Darcy… Nice timing!" Charles stated sarcastically.
"Hey… I just walked in expecting to be fed... You two are the ones that need to remember that there is an additional person in the house now!"
"Yea yea… dinner is almost ready." Charles drawled on after taking a deep breath. "Want a beer?"
"Yes… Please." Darcy exclaimed. "How have things been since I was away?"
As Charles and Will set the table, Jane finished dishing out many different traditional southern foods that had Will's mouth watering. They all sat down to eat and both Charles and Jane talked about the different adventures that had been going on while Will had been away. Darcy was surprised that they had gone on a few double dates with Elizabeth and George. Jane mentioned that it was something she and Lizzy did when they started dating someone new as a way to be sure that the guy was not some jerk only looking for one thing! Charles shared that George was in London now working for the Veterinary clinic down the road from Jane's old apartment and was pretty much now living with Elizabeth. Darcy's only comment on that was on how surprising it was considering the few times he talked with George he barely mentioned Elizabeth and when he did George was unpredictable about the subject at best. Some days Will listened to George prattle on and on about Lizzy's virtues and then other days it was like she was the last person on earth he even wanted to hear or discuss. Will was glad for better news though on his friends and had to let go of the little twinge of sadness he felt as his hopes for things going south for George faded away. Darcy remembered that George was a bit of a player at university but for him to start living with someone… things had to be pretty serious for George to make that leap with a woman. He remembered George being badly burned once before by a gal who was used George to try and get to Will but that left a bitter taste in George and Will's mouths when that settled. Will felt like they had come out of the experience stronger friends but now he felt why did he have to settle and why did it have to be her…? Why Elizabeth? Darcy had thought that he was doing better towards dealing with his attraction. He was just going to have to try harder…
As Darcy continued to listen to Charles and Jane talk about their double date adventures and the close connection that Jane perceived in her sister's relationship, the more his heart pinched with jealousy and pain. It amazed him how was it that someone he only had been around twice in social settings have such an impact on him? He knew that there was growing pressure on him to try and settle down. While the company was sound and could be easily willed to anyone in the Darcy family, Pemberley was a completely different matter. This had to be passed along to one of his offspring. At 29 years of age, he knew that there was plenty of time still to be looking for someone to marry and have that marriage be one of deep and abiding love. Part of what had been on his mind while overseas was a visit from his Aunt. Aunt Catherine who was really not blood related but had been close enough to the Darcy family had earned the honorary title of Aunt had been pushing Darcy to start dating her daughter. Anne DeBourgh was just three years older than Gigi and Darcy was not interested in marrying a 20 year old who was still in many ways a child. Not only that, but Anne was always ill. Something to do with her immune system Aunt Catherine had claimed. Anne was pleasant but not who Will envisioned in his life as his partner in everything. Add to the fact that one visit he had but two years ago, Anne had just come home from one of her extensive treatments for her illness and Darcy found her crying at the piano. She confided in him that her Doctor had discovered she would never be able to have children. She didn't know how to tell her mother this news and as far as Darcy knew, she still had not because Aunt Catherine had just bragged that Anne would be able to give him many children to carry on the Darcy legacy.
Suddenly, Darcy was pulled from his thoughts as Charles asked if things had been resolved with the Company. He had replied in a positive enough manner that lead Charles to believe that his friend would finally be able to have a break. Charles new that Darcy had been dealing with a great deal of challenges in the last year and was hoping to offer his friend some time to relax. As dinner wrapped up, Jane shooed Darcy away from helping clean the table telling him to just go and get some sleep. He thanked her and quickly gave her a friendly kiss on the check. He affirmed to her that he was exhausted and to not feel insulted if he was distracted that evening. Will also apologized to them both knowing that he might not come out of his room till early afternoon the next day! Charles just gave an understanding nod and shoved his friend out of the room. As Will walked up the stairs he called out his thanks to Charles and Jane again for the hospitality and the wonderful meal and wandered to his rooms. He barely had time to change into his flannel lounge pants before he fell into bed and before drifting off to sleep, he kept on thinking about how he was going to deal with this pang of jealousy. But he wanted to be true to his friend which meant being friends with Lizzy. He slipped into sleep thinking of Lizzy's wonderful smile.
The next day late in the morning, Darcy awoke feeling like he had slept for the whole day. He checked his phone and saw that is was not time for lunch yet and he had enough time for a run if the weather was promising outside. He wandered to the window and pulled back the blackout curtains and saw before him a late bright and sunny morning. He quickly pulled out his running gear from the drawers and quickly donned them on. Quickly took to his favorite path that he found the last time he was able to run here. It was shear bliss to be running in this stunning area of the country again. He felt the tension that had built up from his travels and business concerns slowly disappear as he pushed himself.
He came across a small path that intersected with the Netherfield path. He was not here long enough last time to see where this little partition of gravel could take him so he decided to try this path and see where it would lead him. As his feet struck the gravel, felt himself giving into the serenity of the area. It was a beautiful and peaceful little path filled with flowers, Dogwood, Ash and juniper trees with a well maintained path. As he rounded the corner he saw that it went past the estate of Longbourn. He paused and looked at how settled the estate looked amongst nature when he heard crunching of gravel approaching him. He looked around and saw a familiar head of curly dark brown hair. Elizabeth! She was all he dreamed about these days. Her intelligence and her lively wit were infectious and inspiring. The night they all had dinner she was wonderful to talk with and be around before he had to leave suddenly. These were the new dreams he started having after he left mixed in with the one about them in the club. She rounded the corner that would lead to him and she stopped suddenly when she noticed him.
"Darcy!" she gasped, "When did you come back to Netherfield?"
"Last evening just in time for a good dinner curtesy of your sister. How is George? He running too?" Darcy curiously asked.
"No. He is in London at present. They have been keeping him very busy at the clinic which is good. He missed that sort of work and has been happy despite the long hours he has been keeping. I came up here last night as well to celebrate the 4th holidays with my mum and dad." Lizzy replied.
"The 4th? Isn't that only an American Holiday? I know they were preparing for it when I left the States."
"Yes, while it is American and all, my mum is an American who feels that while she is now a proud citizen of England, she wanted her children to always know about their full background. So we celebrate American holidays as well as British ones. She also made sure that we all knew how to cook traditional dishes that were her favorites when she was young." Lizzy explained.
"Ahh…" Darcy exclaimed, "Now last night's dinner makes more sense. We had barbeque and well it was pretty good!"
Lizzy smiled. She seemed distant from the last time he was here but it had been a month. He really wanted to be her friend since he had George back in his life. Talking with him the few times while overseas as well as before he left had been refreshing. Will casually stated to Lizzy that he had been communicating off and on while he was away and that it was nice to stay in touch. "He mentioned that he was feeling overworked as of late but I agree with his being happier than when he was pulling pints. I am glad for him to have finally landed something and I am glad you are there for him as well. Jane mentioned that he has moved to your apartment?"
Lizzy opened her mouth to respond but hesitated… She looked at William like she had no idea how to try and answer. Slowly she stammered, "Yea. George moved in unofficially. He has been around so much that it just sort of happened. He is a great guy and I am lucky to have him."
Darcy questioned, "Is George going to be coming up to celebrate with everyone?"
When Lizzy nodded the affirmation, Will then asked her if she was staying at Netherfield or are you staying with your folks?
"I am to remain at my parent's home. George should be coming up in the next few days if he is able and mum is enamored with him. He loves to be spoiled by her," Lizzy replied.
Darcy pondered this for a moment and was ready to ask another question but Lizzy cut him off saying tentatively, "I need to get back to my run."
"Yea… Same here. Hopefully see you around?" Darcy wondered.
"Yes… I plan on being at Netherfield today if George is able to be up. He is hoping for an early day but if not I won't be to Netherfield till the 4th." Lizzy responded.
"Wonderful! I look forward to it. I missed being around everyone and am looking forward to some normalcy before I return to London in a few days. I'll see you this evening hopefully!" He beamed.
"Yup… This evening…" Lizzy stammered and started to run off in the opposite direction.
Will started back towards his pace and started to think about how Lizzy looked and how she sounded. She looked amazing. Thinner than the last time she saw him but beautiful none the less. Her spark seemed off though… the spirit that he experienced when they were at dinner seemed to be gone. Maybe she was under the weather or something was going wrong at work. 'Who knows?' Will thought to himself, 'But something just seems off about her today but I did possibly catch her off guard and I know how I can be if I am in the groove running… but still…' Will pondered. He made it back to the house in time to meet Jane and Charles for lunch out on the back patio. He wanted to ask Jane about her sister but thought again. If she was under the weather or I interrupted her run, Jane will just think I am interfering or jealous and that is the last thing I need or want her to think. Will thought he would observe Lizzy over the next few times he was able to see her and observe if there was anything else to support his gut feeling of something being wrong. It was a hunch and it could be because he wished he was with her and not George but there was just something in Elizabeth's eyes that seemed wrong. "Until tonight… hopefully" Will whispered quietly to himself… "Until tonight."
