AN: Thanks for reading. Reviews greatly appreciated.
Chapter 7
October 24th
Wednesday
6.10pm
Georgiana Darcy glanced at her older brother beside her, his head resting on the backseat, soundly asleep. It was a good thing she'd decided to have Sebastian drive them to Hertfordshire; though William had been insistent she felt that he wasn't entirely up to it. Even through his enthusiastic welcome – he'd looked tired and drawn when she had arrived earlier that week from Vienna.
She was thankful her instructors had given her a month off – realizing that she'd been training nonstop since beginning at the Konservatorium last May, with William coming to visit her during short breaks. She'd missed him terribly, and this time they had more than a week together; she could personally see to it that her brother got enough rest and perhaps provide him with pleasant diversions. It was a Darcy trait – to worry overmuch about someone they loved.
Since August she'd seen him only once, William maintaining that his back-to-back sojourns to Sweden and Finland had been necessary for business. His calls remained regular, and so did his emails, though they were filled with work-related details. William had always taken work seriously, but her intuition told her it was not that simple; there was something else driving him. Georgiana knew it was one of his ways of coping – to keep a demanding work schedule that left him exhausted at the end of the day, so he would have very little time to think of anything else. Her short holiday had an ulterior motive: to discover the source of his unusual temperament and find a possible resolution.
The buildings outside slowly morphed into wide expanses of green. "Sebastian, are we close?"
"Yes, Miss Georgiana. According to our little friend here," he said, pressing a button on the dashboard, which housed the GPS device, "It's only about ten to fifteen minutes til we reach Mr. Bingley's estate."
"Thank you."
William stirred beside her, and Georgiana gently nudged him awake. "Wills… we're almost there." He did a couple of slow blinks and then straightened himself up.
"I hadn't meant to fall asleep, I'm sorry Georgie," he passed his hand down his face and suppressed a yawn. He was a lot more fatigued than he had thought. His sister looked at him with concern.
"Oh, Wills. You've been working too hard. I think I should have a word with Mrs. Reynolds before I leave, she must not be watching over you like a hawk anymore," she joked, trying to coax a smile out of him. It worked.
"She'll have your head if you suggest anything of the sort. I've… " Darcy looked out his window, watching the blur of trees and fields as they moved down the road. "I've just got a lot on my mind lately."
"Anytime your mind needs a breather, you're more than welcome to share those thoughts in my company." He remained silent, still staring through the glass. "You know I worry about you too," she said, in a much softer tone, reaching for his left hand.
He turned to face her then and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before kissing it lightly. "I know Georgie, I know."
Jane rounded the corner leading towards the facade of Netherfield with Charles, Lizzy following a few paces behind. They had spent the day going over last minute decorating requirements for the reception which was to be held in the back gardens, and taking care of – not much Jane's requirement but their mother's – every tiny detail. Caroline had been pleasantly amiable through all the planning; Lizzy suspected Jane's asking her to be one of the bridesmaids had flattered and driven her to absolute agreeability, even if she was to wear the same dress as Mary, Kitty and Lydia. She was, after all, Charles' sister, and Jane had said she wanted a fresh start with his only sibling.
Lizzy turned to look back at the team of organizers on the grounds, waving their arms about in different directions as other workers set up frames for the reception tents. It was a complete production, and truly a sight to see.
Though not one for planning elaborate parties and fancy social occasions, she felt enormously excited for Jane. With barely two months to prepare for the wedding and accomplishing all she had to for her Advanced Level Certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society, she had had far too much on her plate to think of William Darcy. Oh, she did find her thoughts drifting to their pleasant dinner in London - and that almost-kiss whenever she wasn't busy, but that was easily remedied. When William made no attempts to get in touch with her after their encounter, she refused to feel disappointment for her situation and took it as a sign to put behind her previous feelings of… admiration for him, understanding only that to dwell unnecessarily on it just made things more complicated.
Mary's team of three turned into a team of four on days they had to work on the orchard; the rest of the time was spent with Jane attending to wedding preparations, a role she took on gladly as the maid of honour.
During lunch, Charles mentioned that William would be arriving in time for the rehearsal dinner on Friday. Though Caroline visibly perked up at that piece of information – Lizzy had only felt a strange sense of relief. That meant they would see each other only once before the wedding itself, and the less contact she had with him, the better. She had no doubt that he would be proper and well-mannered, just as he'd always been. It was her behavior that concerned her; though she believed that she'd gotten William Darcy out of her system, she had done so with him miles away, and she was not completely certain that she could remain indifferent once the man was back in her company.
William held his sister's hand absentmindedly for the remainder of the drive, once again lost in thought. He wondered how in the next few days he would successfully attempt to come into as little contact with Elizabeth as possible. He knew she was to be Jane's maid of honour, and as Charles' best man that meant they would come into close contact, at least while in the chapel. He wondered how he would endure that; then determined it would be the perfect test for him - finally, some sort of closure.
The pain he felt when she had rejected and thoroughly mocked him in Rosings was nothing compared to the despair he suffered after that night they had spent in London. He had plunged headfirst into work once more, scheduling trips out of the country for most of August and September, needing a complete change of scenery. He received a call from Charles the first week he was gone with news of his engagement, and through his own misery felt true happiness for his friend. Charles rightly deserved it.
Time passed, and as he focused on his responsibilities, he spent less and less time thinking of her. After two months of attending to company commitments and in his off hours, and being wined and dined by clients who were only too happy to see him again, William realized that while getting her out of his system had been a difficult task – it was one he felt confidently accomplished.
Georgiana's voice broke into his reverie.
"I think Charles has visitors, Will. That must be Jane!"
He smiled as she tried to get a better view, craning her neck. He moved his head as well, and caught sight of a familiar figure behind Charles and Jane. Darcy's hand unconsciously tensed and Georgiana startled, glancing over to see his gaze rest on the person walking behind the couple.
"That doesn't look like Caroline," she observed.
William stifled a smirk even as his heart leapt at the sight of her. 'Hardly.' "No, I believe that's Elizabeth, Jane's sister," he corrected, affixing a neutral expression on his face. He had believed knowing she was in a relationship would leave him indifferent; that he had rid himself of his obsession with her. Yet the very sight of her – more than 40 feet away – left him completely off-balance.
Georgiana snuck a sideways glance at her brother. Though his face was passive, his eyes never wavered from Elizabeth. Perhaps her brother's secret had just been revealed to her. There was only one way to find out.
She turned to him and smiled. "I hope they're staying for dinner."
Lizzy replayed the moment of his arrival as she lay in bed that night. A sleek black car had pulled up the driveway just as they reached the garage, and it had barely stopped when a young blonde girl, looking about Kitty's age, stepped out to greet them, followed by William himself. Charles had exclaimed his delight at their earlier-than-anticipated arrival; and once they had exchanged pleasantries, William introduced his sister, whom she and Jane found graciously friendly.
Georgiana had hoped they could stay for dinner, but as the Gardiners were expected to arrive at Longbourn that night it was settled that they would see each other the next day. The gowns were scheduled to be delivered to Netherfield, and all the Bennet sisters were coming as well. There wasn't a dressing room in Longbourn large enough for all of them, and Caroline had assured Jane that she would make the necessary arrangements to have dressing screens placed in one of the large sitting rooms.
Then they had left, Charles and Georgiana waving them off. William stood there, still and silent as he watched them moved down the driveway. He'd barely said another word after introducing his sister, preferring to stay in the background as she conversed with them. Lizzy, feeling his discomfort - and her own apprehension - left most of the conversation up to Jane. The longer they lingered outside, the more uncomfortable she grew, and she hoped no one else noticed how quiet they had both become.
She rolled over to her side. She hoped their next encounter would be easier to manage.
