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"I fail to see how this is my fault," Darcy argued.
"Of course it's your fault," Aunt Catherine replied, "you're the one who brought Elizabeth Bennet into our lives."
000
Elizabeth looked up from her computer to see Collins standing infront of her.
"Collins, what a surprise," she told him.
"Mrs. de Bourgh sent me," he replied. Ever since the dinner at Mrs. de Bourgh's home two weeks ago Collins had become a frequent visitor at her office.
"Of course," Elizabeth replied, "how may I be of assistance?"
"It's the photographs, Miss Bennet," Collins told her, "they won't do at all."
Elizabeth took back the envelope from him and went through the prints again. "What is wrong with them this time?"
"The spire cannot be seen," Collins replied, "and since it's the main focus of the building you would see how that would be a problem."
"You realise that it's almost impossible to see the spire from the ground," Elizabeth said.
"Which is why Mrs. de Bourgh suggested that you use drones," Collins told her.
"Then I will not be the one taking the photographs," Elizabeth said.
"You would be controlling them," Collins told her, "which could be construed as you taking the photographs."
"I thought she wanted photographs taken using a specific camera," Elizabeth reminded him, wondering she was even listening to Collins. Mrs. de Bourgh didn't need photographs she just wanted to annoy Elizabeth.
"A drone will do the job," Collins told her, "she suggested that you get one and have it done today since the weather is perfect and…" he stopped talking.
"Lizzie," Charlotte Lucas, sat down next to Elizabeth, "Gordon finally approved the work I am officially done with the Houseman project."
Elizabeth smiled at her friend and looked at Collins who was staring at Charlotte; Charlotte had a unique sense of style which shocked many people.
"Charlotte, meet Collins," Elizabeth said, "Collins works with Mrs. de Bourgh, Darcy's aunt."
"Oh," Charlotte was suitably impressed. 'I'm Charlotte Lucas," she told him.
"Derrick Collins," Collins replied, "but everyone calls me Collins."
"Sorry, I didn't know you were having an important meeting," Charlotte said, standing up to leave, "I'll talk to you later."
"Sorry about that," Elizabeth turned to Collins, "you were saying?"
"Does she always dress in such a shocking manner?" Collins asked. Charlotte was wearing short tartan skirt with high boots and about three different tops.
"Yes," Elizabeth replied, and then, "no, sometimes she wears …other things."
"And they let her come into work like that?" Collins seemed shocked.
"They let us come wearing pretty much whatever we want," Elizabeth told him, "unless we're meeting important clients then of course we dress appropriately."
"Aren't the Housemans important clients?" Collins asked.
"They are, of course, all our clients are," Elizabeth replied, "but Chaz didn't actually have to meet with them today, although I fail to see how all that matters."
"Right," Collins recollected himself, "Mrs. de Bourgh would like you to use a drone today at about noon when the building can be captured at its best. The spire is the focal point but she wants the whole building to be seen as well, and of course the quality must be the absolute best. I will be back later to pick them up. Have a good day."
"So that is Collins, eh?" Chaz returned to Elizabeth's desk. "Mrs. de Bourgh's right hand man; what on earth was he wearing?"
"A tweed suit with a bowtie," Elizabeth said, tongue-in-cheek. "Funny, he also asked me about your clothes."
"So he recognises good taste when he sees it," Chaz laughed.
"He was quite shocked that they let into the office dressed like that," Elizabeth told her.
"Do you think he's single?" Chaz asked.
"I've never actually thought about it," Elizabeth said, "but he probably is, working with Mrs. de Bourgh as closely as he does."
"I've heard scary stories about her," Chaz said, "as we all have, but he's probably paid well, isn't he?"
"What is this?" Elizabeth asked. "Are you interested in Collins?"
"No," Chaz, "No, I'm not but I'm just saying that he has a comfortable situation in life, which is a good thing."
Elizabeth shook her head and shut down her computer. "I have to go and see a man about a drone."
"I'll see you lunchtime," Chaz replied, "you're buying."
000
"Why is it weird?" Darcy asked her. "There are people who would find Collins attractive."
"Really?" Elizabeth snorted. "He's annoying, always reminding you how lucky you are that Mrs. de Bourgh noticed you, all that simpering and bootlicking, it's gross."
"Elizabeth, some people like people like that," he said.
"Chaz is not those people," Elizabeth said, "she's too sensible to be taken up by such things or she should be."
"They met today for the first time," Darcy told her, "they're not dating let alone getting married tomorrow."
"You didn't hear how she spoke about him," Elizabeth said, "she could easily persuade herself to like him."
"I might like him too," Darcy said, "if only so that I might get a bit of your attention tonight."
"Sorry," Elizabeth apologised, "It's just that I can't… whatever, let's enjoy our evening."
"We're going to enjoy some of Georgie's latest concoctions," Darcy told her. "She even left a questionnaire for us to fill."
Elizabeth took the questionnaire from Darcy and looked at it, "is she serious? This is ten pages of questions."
"I told her that it was a bit much," Darcy shrugged, "but she wouldn't listen to me, I apparently know nothing about these things."
"I'm really tired," Elizabeth said, "in fact I shouldn't have come over, but I need to vent about Chaz to someone and Jane's on a date. I think Charles is going to propose."
"Is he?" Darcy knew for a fact that his friend was going to formally propose tonight, they had spent many an evening going over Charles' proposal.
"Yes, he is," Elizabeth smiled, "he asked me whether she would want an audience for the occasion, you know maybe in a restaurant or at a game, but I assured him that privately was the surest way to go although Jane wouldn't say no to him anyway."
"I've always wondered at those people who propose in public, it's a bit gross, isn't it? Having all those strangers staring at you, you couldn't say no even if you wanted to because you don't want to embarrass the person who asked you."
"What? So you won't propose to me in the middle of a football game?" Elizabeth teased him, "and here I was thinking at the next game you drag me to I was going to see my name flash across the big screen with the big question at halftime."
"You hate football," he reminded her.
"But you love it," she retorted, "so out of love for you, I would go and your proposing to me in public would be my consolation prize."
"I'm never taking you to another game," Darcy assured her.
"So, I got excited and got into a fight," Elizabeth shrugged, "the guy was just asking for it."
"We were on the same side," Darcy reminded her.
"He was shouting at the goalie," Elizabeth said, "the poor guy was trying his best."
"He let three goals through," Darcy said.
"We won though, didn't we?"
"Yes," he leaned back in the sofa and pulled her to him, "yes we did."
"So, we'll go together on the weekend?"
'No," Darcy replied, "I'm going with Charles."
"Fine," Elizabeth pouted. "Be like that."
"I am like that," he told her.
"Fine," Elizabeth sat up, "where is this fine thing we have to eat? Let's do it so I can get this questionnaire over and done with." Knowing Georgie as she did, Elizabeth was sure she wouldn't get a moment's rest until the questionnaire had been filled down to the last question.
Darcy went to the kitchen and came out with two covered plates which he put on the dining table. Elizabeth sat across from him and they began to eat while filling in the questionnaire.
Elizabeth had long finished the food; in fact they both had and Darcy had cleared away the plates; he was still on the second page while Elizabeth was on the fifth page, she shook her head, the questions were quite bizarre. She could feel his gaze on her and she looked up at him.
"Marry me, Elizabeth," he said.
"What?" she hadn't been expecting that, not tonight at least.
"Marry, me," he repeated.
"Yes," she replied, "Yes, I will."
He reached out for her hand and was about to put it to his mouth when he said instead, "Georgie is going to kill me, she made promise that I would let her plan my proposal, that it would be perfect, although of course we know that we want to get married, the proposal would be a thing of beauty."
"We'll not tell her," Elizabeth said, "it's not like you have a ring on you or anything like that."
"Actually," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring, an amethyst stone set on a platinum band, "it was my mother's."
"It's beautiful," she breathed.
"We debated, Georgie and I, whether I should give you the official Darcy, a blue diamond, or this but we decided that this would suit much better."
"I like it," Elizabeth said, "it's not in your face but I love it."
"I knew you would," Darcy said. "I love you."
She studied the ring for a while, lost in happiness, and then she asked, "what about Georgie?"
"I'm her older brother," Darcy said, "and it's my proposal not hers, she'll just deal with it."
"Really?"
"She'll be disappointed," he said, "but she'll get over it, personally I think my proposal was perfect."
"It could have used some work," she teased him, "I mean getting down on one knee wouldn't have been bad, buying me at least one flower or even serenading me wouldn't have gone amiss."
"You know I don't sing."
"If I'm going to miss being on TV and seen by all and sundry saying yes to you," she continued, "a glass of champagne would have make me get over the disappointment easier and much faster too."
000
"Let me see the ring." Jane had just entered the flat when Elizabeth spoke.
"Of course he told you, didn't he?" Jane asked, "here," she put out her hand.
"It's beautiful," Elizabeth said, and it was. It was a ruby with three round diamonds on a silver band. "Tell me everything."
"We went to his house, and when he opened the door, there was a trail of candles – electric – leading to a circle positioned around the ring."
"Wow," Elizabeth said.
"He asked me to walk over and pick the ring, and found a little note – it was like a vow, telling me all the reasons why he wanted to marry me."
"So he didn't actually say the words?"
"When I finished reading the note he took my hand in his and asked me if I would do him the honour of becoming his wife."
"And of course you said yes," Elizabeth concluded.
"Yes, I did," Jane replied, "I was expecting him to propose, obviously, but I was blown away by the simplicity and romance of the proposal."
"He didn't cook?" Elizabeth was quite surprised.
"Of course he did, and it was perfect as well."
"Candles?" Elizabeth asked. "Isn't that a bit -."
"Perfect," Jane interrupted, "and the candles were electric."
"I was going to say absolutely perfect, I'll have you know," Elizabeth said, hugging her. "I'm so happy for you."
"Darcy is going to propose soon," Jane said, "then I'll be the one asking for details and criticising his every move."
"I can't wait," Elizabeth had fully intended to tell Jane that she'd also gotten engaged that evening but she decided that tomorrow would be soon enough.
"It'll be perfect," Jane told her, "just you wait."
000
As Elizabeth walked back to her desk she was surprised to see Collins standing in the corridor.
"Are you waiting for me?" she asked him. "I don't have any work for Mrs. de Bourgh that I've forgotten about, do I?"
"No, Miss Bennet," Collins replied stiffly. "I am not here to see you."
"Okay."
She was at her desk when Chaz came by, "Lizzie, can we talk?" she led Elizabeth to an empty office.
"What is it?" Elizabeth asked her friend.
"Collins asked me out and I said yes."
"Collins asked you out and you said yes?" Elizabeth repeated.
"Yes."
"Collins asked you out?" Elizabeth asked her again.
"I just told you that he did," Chaz told her.
"And you said yes?"
"Lizzie, why are you repeating everything I just told you?" Chaz asked her.
"Chaz, please tell me that this is a joke," Elizabeth begged her. "That you're pulling my leg or something."
"You think it's a bad idea, don't you?"
"I do," Elizabeth agreed, "what I am wondering about is why you don't think so too."
"Lizzie, he has a weird fashion sense and says the silliest things, I actually think he's not too bright but he has a job, a real proper job and he can afford to look after me," where Elizabeth would have interrupted Chaz held up her hand to stop her, "let me finish, let's face it Lizzie, I am not like you and at my age it's a miracle that anyone is actually interested in dating me, I'm not romantic I just want to get want a husband who can afford to look after me, you know my expensive habits, and I also want my parents and my younger brothers to stop worrying that I will die an old maid."
Elizabeth nodded; she didn't agree with Chaz, most of her reasoning was severely flawed but her mind was made up.
"So you're going to marry him then?" Elizabeth asked her.
"I'm certainly going to try my best to plant the idea in his head," she shrugged, "I'm sure it won't take him long to figure it out."
000
"I was so angry," Elizabeth said, "what am I saying? I'm still angry."
"Lizzie," Jane told her, "Chaz told you, she just wants to get married and Collins seems to want the same thing too."
"He doesn't want the same thing," Elizabeth ranted, "he doesn't know what he wants unless Mrs. de Bourgh tells him what it is."
"How do you know that she hasn't encouraged him to find a wife?" Jane asked her.
"I don't know what Mrs. de Bourgh has told him," Elizabeth conceded, "but Chaz doesn't have to be the one who marries him."
"She doesn't seem to have a problem with it," Jane pointed out. "Why do you?"
"I don't know."
000
"I didn't introduce Collins to Charlotte Lucas," Darcy told his aunt, "And I certainly didn't encourage them to start dating."
"You could have discouraged Collins, I'm sure Elizabeth told you about it."
"Why should I care who Collins dates?" Darcy asked him. "Aren't you the one who encouraged him to find a wife? That a man in his position – as your assistant – needs a wife; a woman who isn't too highly brought up, who has some useful occupation or something along those lines?"
Mrs. de Bourgh didn't bother to answer; she had said words to that effect to Collins on numerous occasions she just hadn't known that Collins had ever repeated them to Darcy; although truth be told she was very happy to know that Collins intended to follow her advice to the letter. It was good to know that there was someone in her life who did exactly what she told him to.
"But why Charlotte Lucas?" she asked her nephew instead. She had hoped to find Collins his bride, although truth be told she hadn't put much effort into it. Not yet, at least.
"Why not Charlotte Lucas?" Darcy retorted. "From all accounts she fits the bill perfectly."
"Like I said," Mrs. de Bourgh made her way to the door, "it's all your fault."
000