Can't Help It
Chapter 13, coming up! But first I want to thank everyone who wrote reviews (I'm so happy that Can't Help It reached a hundred! (with more to come, I hope!)I know I have an erratic posting habit so I'm really thankful that you're sticking with my story! Well enough said, here goes another installment of Can't Help It! Enjoy!
Chapter 13: Admittance is Free
Mr. Bennet looked at Lizzie to Will. For a few seconds nobody said anything until...
"Mr. Darcy, please come in. You can stare at my daughter inside just as well..." interrupted Mr. Bennet with a sly grin he knew his daughter hardly noticed because she suddenly looked at the floor, red in the face. Meanwhile Will Darcy stirred and averted his eyes away from Lizzie's face. For a moment he felt embarrassed to be caught by Lizzie's father but as he saw Mr. Bennet's retreating form and Lizzie shifting slightly away from the door to give way to him, he figured he had to steel himself as it was evident that he got more than what he bargained for.
As he walked inside, he heard Lizzie shut the door with a click. The sound, with its tone of finality brought a surge to his spirits. He was here and he he came to talk to her...but not in the presence of her father... He saw Mr. Bennet looking at him intently as his thoughts battled on. What should he do?
Ahem.
Mr. Bennet cleared his throat, meanwhile hoping that it would somehow diffuse the tension in the room.
It didn't.
So he tried the next thing when it was clear that Lizzie who was looking anywhere but him and Will, wasn't about to do anything.
"Please do sit down." Mr. Bennet gestured at the pinstriped sofa in the middle of the sitting room. Will walked towards it and sat down. He suddenly felt odd in the midst of the room in between two standing Bennets who were both casually dressed (he noticed that Lizzie was still in her pajamas) while he was in his office clothes- blue button down shirt, unbottoned at the top, slightly revealing his chest with his hand on his lap, clutching his suit jacket. He had planned to go directly to work, that was if he ever managed to come out of this meeting physically and emotionally unscathed. Mr. Bennet was eyeing him carefully. He could not even see Lizzie's face which was turned to the opposite wall.
"Care for some tea, coffee or water perhaps?" inquired Mr. Bennet.
He felt his dry mouth. He opted for tea.
"Well then, Lizzie dear, could you get that please?" Lizzie turned to face her father. Will saw that her cheeks had gone back to their usual color, however, he noticed that she was wringing her fingers distractedly.
Lizzie did not say or do anything that indicated that she understood or even heard her father. Mr. Bennet then thought it prompt to add, "Tea for us and Mr. Darcy. I would do it myself but it would take much longer. The cupboards in your kitchen outnumber the actual china you need to stow in them."
Lizzie must have had gathered her wits. She sneaked a fleeting glance at Will, who was looking back at her and then made her way to the kitchen. From where he sat, Will could see her starting a fresh pot of tea. Then she vanished from his sight, hidden behind the wall that separated the kitchen and sitting room.
Mr. Bennet sat on the chintz armchair beside the sofa. He crossed his legs and then proceeded to stare at his interlaced fingers. He had done his part. It was Will Darcy's turn. The man did not disappoint him. With a weary glance at the kitchen, Will Darcy spoke.
"Excuse me, Mr. Bennet... but I just want to ask, how did you know my name?"
"Surely you must know Mr. Darcy that to anyone who cares about the economy, your name comes at the top of the list. I happen to care about it much, you see."
As the confusion remained etched on Will Darcy's face, Mr. Bennet explained.
"I teach corporate law. Knowing your name is my attempt to remain relevant. It's just that yours when published is usually accompanied by a photograph. Draws the eye to the article I suppose." Mr. Bennet added, his lips twitching.
"I must congratulate you on the American deal by the way…could have ended in fiasco in this economy but you pulled through."
"Well it's not yet over. We still have to implement the deal..." Will shrugged then continued... "it could still potentially be a fiasco."
"Very British of you to say Mr. Darcy. Not the words I would've expected from a corporate bigshot such as yourself." At the word bigshot, Mr. Bennet looked over his shoulder at the kitchen to check on his daughter, when he did not see her, he began to laugh.
Mr. Bennet's sudden outburst took Will by surprise. His first impression of the man was apt. Lizzie's father was proving to be a very odd sort of man.
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Lizzie could hear the conversation between her father and Will Darcy all the way to the kitchen. It was apparent that her father was having fun at her expense but even if he did, she could not hate him for it even if she tried. She knew his humor well enough to dispel grudge. All she could do now was match his wit, like she always did. So after a few deep breaths to compose herself, she carried the tea tray to the sitting room to face Will Darcy and her father.
Upon seeing Lizzie, Will ceased looking at Mr. Bennet and transferred his gaze, careful to focus at the tea tray rather than Lizzie's face. Mr. Bennet had stopped laughing and chose to observe his daughter's movements instead.
Lizzie laid down the tray on the center table then proceeded to sit on the other chintz armchair at the other side of the sofa. She glanced at her father, who was holding his cup with a smug look on his face and then at Will who was fixated on his tea. She knew that it was time for her to act. It felt weird going at it in her flannel pajamas with cartoon bears on them.
"Georgie left her clothes last night. Her wallet as well. I suppose you came for those, right?"
Will was temporarily stunned but then recovered well enough to catch Lizzie's drift. She was tring to make up a story to rationalize his presence in her flat on a Tuesday morning when he should be in his office running an empire.
"Uh... yeah. She had to come early to her cooking class so she asked me to fetch her things for her."
"You were here last night with your sister?" Mr. Bennet asked with an accusing glance directed at Lizzie. He had no idea that Will was close enough to be invited to Jane's party, let alone bring his sister. He knew of course that he was Bingley's best mate but with Lizzie's apparent dislike and Jane's tendency to appease her sister working against him, he definitely would not be part of an intimate dinner party with friends.
Will nodded then explained further. "Charlie introduced us," he said glancing back at Lizzie, "and my sister met Lizzie on a meeting with Charlie to go over the plans of Jane's party. Georgie, my sister, offered to make your daughter's birthday cake."
"Really? Please compliment her for me then."
Will slightly bowed his head in acknowledgment.
Lizzie took the momentary lull in conversation to excuse herself. She hurriedly left the two men and proceeded to her room "to fetch Georgie's things." Once in her room she frantically gathered a couple of her own shirts from her dresser and placed them in a paper bag then picked out a pair of jeans and a freshly laundered shirt from a pile and changed her clothes. She gathered her hair into a ponytail, took a deep breath and then grabbed the bag of clothes on her bed and made her way back to the sitting room.
When she got there, she saw her father putting on his jacket while Larry waited by the open door. Will was standing, looking on. He must have stood up to greet Larry or he was on his way out, she thought hopefully.
"Hi there Liz," greeted Larry.
"You're leaving already?" she asked.
"Got to beat the lunch crowd, I'm afraid." Larry replied.
Mr. Bennet checked his pockets, upon ensuring that he had everything he needed with him, he spoke. "Well we'll leave you two then. It was a pleasure, Mr. Darcy."
"Same, Mr. Bennet" Will said with a curt nod.
"Bye Will! Lizzie," said Larry before he left. Mr. Bennet however, remained standing by the door. "I'll be back for dinner dear. I want to see Janey before I go back home."
Lizzie nodded and with a last glance at Will whom he noticed was looking at Lizzie, Mr. Bennet stepped out of the flat and shut the door behind him.
Lizzie dropped her arms on her sides dejectedly. Will watched her, waited for her to speak but she didn't, so he began.
"Listen, Lizzie... I'm so-"
"What are you doing here?" Lizzie interrupted, eyeing him with annoyance.
Will did not reply, he just took out Lizzie's planner from his suit pocket and handed it to her.
"You've had it all this time?" Lizzie asked as she stared at the planner in her hand.
"Yes. I was just waiting for the right time to return it."
"And you chose the day that my father was here?"
"I didn't know that." Will's face hardened as he said it. She could not blame him for something he had no control of.
Of course Lizzie knew that he had no way of knowing but venting her frustration on him lessened it in a way- like aiming at a punching bag. She was thinking of her retort when Will spoke.
"Georgie knows." He said, his eyes staring straight at hers.
"What?"
"She knows... about us." His tone was apologetic.
"What?" Lizzie exclaimed aghast.
"She found your planner in my coat pocket last night and Eunice, my housekeeper remembered that I had it on the day I missed my flight to New York- the morning you answered my phone."
"You told her everything?"
"Well, Georgie put it together and -" seeing the look of alarm in Lizzie's face, he hastened to add, "I did skip over some...uh... details."
"Oh God! How humiliating!" Lizzie turned around and covered her eyes with the planner, hitting it lightly against her forehead repeatedly.
"She was rather amused."
Lizzie faced Will and glared at him. Remembering the time she left him with her father she immediately launched to interrogating him.
"Did you tell my father anything when I was gone?"
"No!"
"Charlie?"
"I haven't told anyone except Georgie, and that was only because she found out herself. I needed to explain it to her so that she didn't form any ideas."
"What, that you are some lowly bloke who sleeps with any woman you meet at dinner?"
"No!"
"What then?"
Will hesitated, but as he looked at Lizzie with her green eyes blazing with anger... with life, he felt that he needed to explain himself properly to her.
"I didn't want to get her hopes up..." Lizzie's eyebrow raised skeptically, he added, "she was thinking that we would get together."
Lizzie was momentarily speechless. "Get together? What made her think that?" she exclaimed, incredulous.
"Well we slept together..."
"Don't remind me... It's hard enough to forget as it is." she slipped.
Lizzie looked alarmed at her words. Will was fighting an urge to smile and was silent but soon found the urge to say something.
"I never meant to offend you that day, it's just that I'm very guarded with my private life and when you answered my phone…."
"Which I thought was mine," Lizzie added. Will moved towards her, getting closer and closer.
"Yes, but I didn't think of that… well, anyway, when you did, I immediately thought you violated my privacy…"
Will was standing a foot away. Lizzie crossed her arms and faced him defiantly. "I'm not sorry for the things that I said," Will said and Lizzie scoffed, "but I deeply regret that they offended you."
They stared at each other. Will was nervous. Lizzie was confused. The Almighty Will Darcy was apologizing to her…looking at her tenderly with those blue eyes she was afraid she could easily get lost in.
Both of them did not notice that someone was coming in.
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I may not be able to post in a few weeks, but i promise chapter 14 will come around Christmas! Your reviews would be my gifts. :