Notes:
Huge thank you to my betas booknoser321 and erinwert for their invaluable input into this chapter.
The Q&A has now been posted! Read it at: bit . ly / 1egRwem (remove spaces)
Uncharted - Chapter 14
William and Lizzie rode to his apartment in silence, the weight of everything that had happened at dinner settling around them. William had a million things he wanted to say to Lizzie, but he didn't want to say them in the car. Besides, he wasn't even sure where to begin. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was for his aunt's rudeness that night and how he wished he hadn't put her through that. He wanted to tell her how elated he was to hear that she loved him, to be able to say the words back. He wanted to assure her that regardless of what anyone else said, or thought, it didn't matter - she was the one he wanted to be with… always.
Their gazes locked as he opened the door for her and offered his hand. The emotion he saw reflected in Lizzie's eyes caused his heart to race. He couldn't decide what he wanted to do more, kiss her right then and there, or drag her into the house and show her exactly how much he loved her. Before he could make up his mind, Lizzie's lips were pressing against his, and her arms had snaked their way around his neck, clinging to him as though he were the most important thing in the universe. William kissed her back, letting all of the stress from his day flow out of him as he relaxed into it.
Lizzie's stomach rumbled loudly, causing them both to laugh. "I guess I'm hungry after all."
"Let's get you something to eat then." William slipped his hand into hers and guided her toward his front door.
"Thank you." Her words held a lot more than merely gratitude for food.
"You're welcome."
"I mean it," Lizzie said as they settled themselves in the kitchen, and he started to rummage in the fridge for something edible. "What you said to your aunt… I know that wasn't easy for you, but I appreciate you trying to defend me."
"You were actually doing a pretty decent job of that yourself," William told her as he slipped a container of leftovers into the microwave. "But I felt the need to make it clear that even though she's family, I will not stand for her treating you that way. I am so sorry. She was completely out of line."
"It isn't your fault that she thinks I'm not good enough for you. Besides, she's not entirely wrong." Lizzie spoke the words so softly, with such vulnerability, that it made William pause. Despite everything she'd said to his aunt earlier about him making his own choices, did some part of her actually believe Aunt Catherine?
William made his way to Lizzie, gathering her hands in his and looking her directly in the eye. "Listen to me, Lizzie. I don't care about the differences in how we were raised or whether you know which fork to use for which course. None of that stuff actually matters to me. It's a factor in who we are, yes, but it's not important. What matters is that you are an intelligent, determined, and at times, stubborn woman who has made me a better person. Being around you makes me want to be the best version of myself. You make me laugh, you make me smile, and most of all, you make me happy. I fall in love with you all over again every time I'm around you because you are utterly amazing. If my aunt can't see that, then it's her loss because I love you, Lizzie Bennet, more and more each day, and my life would be bereft without you."
"William." Lizzie's voice shook with emotion and her eyes shone with unshed tears. "How did I get so lucky to have found you?"
"You have got it backwards. I am the lucky one."
Lizzie laughed. "I guess we can be lucky together."
"Together. I like that." William bent down, his lips just inches from hers. "I like that a lot." The kiss was gentle, yet urgent, and by the time the beeping of the microwave caused them to reluctantly part, both of them were breathless. As William turned to retrieve Lizzie's food, she caught his arm.
"I've known for a while, but I was too scared to say it."
William frowned. "Known what?"
Lizzie stood and used her thumb to carefully tilt his head down so he was looking directly at her. "That I love you, William. I'm sorry that the first time I told you ended up being under such stressful circumstances. I wanted it to be romantic and private and well, it was none of that. I'm sorry."
"Lizzie, you have absolutely nothing to apologise for. I don't care about the circumstances. You love me, I love you. That's all that matters."
Lizzie blinked, her eyes watery once more. "You, William Darcy, are amazing, you know that? You are constantly surprising me, it's one of the things that I love about you." She swallowed and took a step closer to him. "I love how loyal you are to your friends and family, and how you will do everything in your power to help people. You have one of the kindest hearts I've ever known, and I'm ashamed at how long it took me to see that. I have never felt as cherished or respected as I do when I'm with you." She had been idly stroking his tie the entire time she'd been speaking when suddenly she grasped it more tightly, tugging him down until their faces were level. Her next words were punctuated with sloppy kisses. "I. Love. You. William."
The huskiness of her voice as she said his name sent shivers down his spine, and he reached for her, pulling her torso against his chest as he returned her kisses, each one more urgent than the last. "I'm not hungry anymore," Lizzie confessed when the persistent beeping of the microwave interrupted them once more.
William took stock of her flushed cheeks and swollen lips. Too besotted to speak anymore words, he nodded, grasped her hand, and after a quick detour to stop the microwave's infernal beeping, led her down the corridor toward his bedroom.
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June 14, 2013 9:34 PM
Text Message: Fitz to Gigi
- I just did something stupid
June 14, 2013 9:35 PM
Text Message: Gigi to Fitz
- Uh oh. Weren't you at dinner with Aunt Catherine?
June 14, 2013 9:36 PM
Text Message: Fitz to Gigi
- Yup
June 14, 2013 9:37 PM
Text Message: Gigi to Fitz
- Oh man, what happened?
June 14, 2013 9:38 PM
Text Message: Fitz to Gigi
- I may have kinda let it slip about Lizzie's videos
June 14, 2013 9:39 PM
Text Message: Gigi to Fitz
- WHAT?!
June 14, 2013 9:40 PM
Text Message: Fitz to Gigi
- It was an accident!
June 14, 2013 9:41 PM
Text Message: Gigi to Fitz
- What the hell were you thinking?
June 14, 2013 9:42 PM
Text Message: Fitz to Gigi
- I don't know. There was yelling and then Darcy and Lizzie left and I was trying to defend Lizzie and it just slipped out.
June 14, 2013 9:43 PM
Text Message: Gigi to Fitz
- There was yelling? WTF?
June 14, 2013 9:44 PM
Text Message: Fitz to Gigi
- It was a mess. Your aunt was pretty awful to Lizzie.
June 14, 2013 9:45 PM
Text Message: Gigi to Fitz
- Oh no!
June 14, 2013 9:46 PM
Text Message: Fitz to Gigi
- Upside - Lizzie finally told your bro she loves him
June 14, 2013 9:47 PM
Text Message: Gigi to Fitz
- AJKLDSFJAKL;SDJAK;L
CALL ME RIGHT NOW
I NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING
June 14, 2013 9:48 PM
Text Message: Fitz to Gigi
- k
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The buzzing of a phone roused Lizzie the next morning. She groaned, not wanting to move from the safe, warm cocoon of William's arms. Her phone lit up again, and this time she watched as it bounced in a slow circle on the bedside table. Planting a kiss on William's bicep, she reluctantly shimmied her way out of his embrace without waking him, and without bothering to check who the caller was, answered the phone.
"Hold on," she whispered, frantically searching for something to put on. She settled for tugging William's shirt from the night before over her head before quickly slipping from the room.
"Lizzie?" the voice was hesitant but familiar.
"Gigi, hi!" Lizzie said in her normal tone. "Sorry about before, I didn't want to wake your brother."
Lizzie smiled as she heard a muffled squeal. Gigi's enthusiasm for her relationship with William was a constant source of amusement. As she waited for the younger girl to compose herself, Lizzie wandered into the kitchen and poured herself a bowl of cereal. She never had managed to eat anything the night before, and she was starving.
"I'm sorry to call so early," Gigi said finally. "I'm going to be out all day, but I wanted to check in with you first and make sure you're okay. Fitz told me what happened."
Lizzie wrinkled her nose as memories of that awful dinner returned. "I've been to better meals."
"You didn't answer the question, Lizzie. Are you okay?"
Lizzie sighed. "Not entirely, but I will be. I just have to get used to the idea that your aunt is never going to approve of me, no matter what I do."
"What a mess. I'm so sorry." Gigi paused. "For what it's worth, I approve. Frankly, I think that's worth more."
Lizzie laughed. "Thank you, and it definitely is."
"I'm glad." There was a long beat and then, "There's something you should know."
A sense of foreboding passed over Lizzie. Somehow she knew this wasn't going to be good news. "What's that?"
Gigi took an audible deep breath on the other end of the phone, and Lizzie braced herself. "Aunt Catherine knows about your videos." She said it all in one breath so it took Lizzie a moment to work out what she was saying.
As the words sank in, Lizzie's knees buckled, and she quickly groped for a stool, easing herself onto it clumsily as she said, "Oh god," and buried her head in her hands. If Catherine watched her videos, she'd see Lizzie's impressions of her, and of Anniekins, and she'd hear all the awful things Lizzie had said about William. A knot started to form in her stomach. This was not good.
"Fitz said it was an accident," Gigi was saying. "He was trying to defend you, and it just slipped out."
Lizzie recalled the time Fitz had accidentally informed her of William's role in Jane and Bing's breakup, and she smiled wryly. That was Fitz. Unintentionally dropping bombshells when trying to help. She could hardly fault him for that. "God, he really is the worst wing man ever."
Gigi laughed. "It's true. He means well though."
"I know. I'm not mad." Lizzie realised the truth of her words as she said them. She was frustrated certainly, but she wasn't mad - at least not at Fitz. Catherine probably would have found out about the videos eventually anyway. It's not like they were difficult to find. "And you know what? I doesn't even matter. She already thinks I'm the gum on the bottom of a shoe; it's not like her opinion of me can really get any worse."
"I'm so sorry. My aunt can be ruthless when she wants to be. I'm sure she'll come around eventually. She loves William, and one day, she'll love you too."
"Ha! I doubt that, but thanks for trying, Gigi."
"She will. Aunt Catherine is stubborn, but she's not stupid." Gigi paused. "Speaking of love… I heard something else happened last night."
Lizzie winced. "What did Fitz tell you?"
"That you declared your love for my brother very loudly in front of everyone and practically rendered my brother speechless."
Lizzie laughed. "That's pretty much what happened. Not quite the romantic moment I'd been hoping for, but what can you do?"
"I'm glad you told him," Gigi's voice was quiet. "Most people don't realise how much William doubts himself. You make him more confident."
"What does that have to do with me telling him I love him?"
"Everything." Lizzie heard Gigi take a deep breath. "William will probably kill me for telling you this, but when we were growing up, our dad, he was hard on William. He loved him, he loved him so much, but he wasn't very good at letting him know. He never said the words. Instead he was always trying to push William to be who my father wanted him to be, and William was always trying to get his approval. Even after -" Gigi's voice cracked a little, but she continued anyway, "they died, I don't think William ever really accepted that Dad had loved him. Dad rarely said it, and William so badly needed to hear the words. So the fact that you told him how you felt, that means a lot."
Lizzie was suddenly overwhelmed by emotion and love for the man who was still sleeping a few yards away. "Thank you for telling me that, Gigi."
"I thought you should know. He'll never admit it, but he needs to hear the words."
"I'll make sure that he does."
"Good." There was shuffling on Gigi's end of the phone. "Look, I need to go, but don't worry about Aunt Catherine, okay?"
"I won't. Thanks for calling Gigi." Lizzie hung up and quickly finished her bowl of cereal, before bustling about the kitchen. She'd make William something to eat and then she'd wake him up with breakfast in bed and as many "I love you's" as she could manage.
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Lizzie and William spent the weekend relaxing and just enjoying each other's company. On Sunday, William suggested they visit Golden Gate Park, and they enjoyed a delightful afternoon meandering together through it's many paths and watching the multitude of cyclists, roller bladers and families who had taken over the park to enjoy the unusually warm afternoon. Lizzie even managed to convince William that they should rent a paddle boat at the lake in the park - an activity that had resulted in both of them ending up soaked. Afterward, they'd stopped for take-out on the way home, both still wet and giddy from their excursion.
By Monday morning, the incident with Catherine on Friday night was the furthest thing from Lizzie's mind. She woke up in a great mood, and after kissing William goodbye as he left for work, Lizzie jovially walked the three and half blocks from his place to Gigi's apartment, which she had dubbed "her office" in her head. She hummed as she let herself into the building and was so lost in her own world that she didn't notice Kevin standing impatiently outside the front door until she walked right into him.
"Oof!" Lizzie was slightly winded from the impact. "Oh. Kevin, I'm so sorry. Did we have a meeting scheduled for this morning?"
Kevin stepped back to allow her to unlock the door before answering. "No. I just wanted to have another look at the footage from last weeks' filming."
Lizzie frowned. He'd seen everything last week multiple times. She'd already started editing the first episode, so she really hoped he didn't want changes. They only had two weeks remaining before they went live, and there was still so much to do. "Uh, sure," Lizzie said uncertainly, gesturing to the second computer she'd purchased for all of the video processing and editing that needed to be done. "Go ahead and have a look, I'm just going to get myself set up."
Instead of going to the computer, Kevin followed Lizzie into the kitchen, his gaze following her every motion. "You had a great night out, I take it?"
Goose pimples formed on Lizzie's arms, and she suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable. Her personal life was none of his business. Deciding the best option was just to ignore the question, Lizzie instead started to make coffee. Much to her relief, Kevin seemed to take the hint, and after a moment he retreated. When Lizzie emerged with a fresh cup of coffee and turned on her personal computer, Kevin had headphones on and was shrewdly examining the raw footage from the shoot.
By the time Lizzie finished responding to emails, checking the company twitters, and looking over her latest expense report, Kevin cleared his throat.
"So I think we need to reshoot the whole thing. I don't like this angle here." He pointed at the screen, and Lizzie reluctantly went over to look.
"What's wrong with it?" she asked. She was actually quite happy with the way the lighting had turned out in the shot he had singled out.
"I just don't like it." Kevin stood up. "Fix it. We have two weeks. If you get the actors back by Friday the whole thing can be reshot, and you'll still have a week for post production."
Without even giving Lizzie a chance to respond, he pulled on his jacket and strode to the door. "You're a go-getter Lizzie, so get it done."
With that he departed, leaving Lizzie to gape after him, her panic and anger levels rising. He seriously wanted her to reshoot EVERYTHING? Not only was that a complete waste of time since what they already had was good, but it was also going to be expensive, and she really couldn't afford expensive. The bulk of her investment money had been spent on things like new cameras (since the one she'd shot her video diary on had actually been one she shared with Charlotte so Lizzie had really needed her own), the new editing computer, lights, and all kinds of other equipment and programs that she required in order to produce something of quality. Also, even though she was a new company, she had insisted on paying her actors a decent wage. So reshooting everything was basically going to drain what was left of her resources which would leave very little for minor things like promotion or rent.
It wasn't even ten o'clock yet, and already her good mood was long gone. Lizzie sighed and picked up the phone. First, she'd call Kevin and see if she couldn't talk him out of this crazy idea, and if not… well, she'd just have to come up with something.
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William couldn't remember the last time he'd had a weekend quite as joyful and relaxing as the one he'd just experienced. He walked into the office with a grin on his face, unable to contain his happiness.
"Good morning, Janet!" He chirped as he passed his assistant's desk. "Any messages?"
She gaped at him, clearly unsettled by his unusually cheerful mood. "Uh yes, actually," she stuttered handing him a pile of pink message slips. "Oh, and Mr. Kallechenko has moved the board meeting to this morning."
At the mention of Brian, William felt his good mood deflate. "What time?" he asked stiffly.
"10:30."
"Did he mention why it's been moved from Thursday?"
"No. He just said that you needed to attend, and that you are to bring 'those reports.'"
"Okay, thank you. Please give me a reminder fifteen minutes before."
"Yes of course, sir."
William strode into his office and sighed heavily. He'd thought he'd sorted this out on Friday, but clearly Brian had a thicker head than William had realised.
He spent the next hour pouring over the company policies and practices his parents had put in place, and by the time Janet came to remind him about the meeting, he was ready for battle.
As William had suspected, Brian was also early for the meeting. He eyed William shrewdly, a smug smile pursed his lips as William sat down at the head of the table.
"Ahh, Mr. Darcy, I trust you are well?"
William bit his tongue, willing himself not to rise to the older man's bait. "Of course. I trust you are well also, Brian?"
"Never better." Brian opened one of the folders that lay on the table in front of him. "I am pleased you are here early actually. I did some research of my own this weekend and discovered something rather interesting about the CEO of that new company, Bowtie Media."
"Oh?" William was pleased by how steady his voice sounded given that inside, he was a wreck.
Brian flashed a gloating smile. "Oh yes. Very interesting indeed. Were you aware that it is run by Elizabeth Bennet?"
"I was, yes."
"Didn't she do an internship here?"
"She did a shadow study for her thesis, but that has no bearing on - " William was interrupted by the door opening and several other board members filing in.
As soon as everyone was seated, Brian called the meeting to order. "Before we get to the items on the agenda, I have a concern that I would like to bring forward."
Several people around the table nodded their agreement for this change in the schedule, but Brian paid them no heed. Instead, he fixed his gaze on William and said evenly, "I believe that Elizabeth Bennet of Bowtie Media is utilising confidential information obtained from her shadow study here at Pemberley Digital in order to make her business a success, and I would like to know, what we are going to do about it."
Something about the way in which Brian looked at William, made him suspect that Brian knew exactly what his relationship to Lizzie was, and that he was deliberately trying to goad him into a reaction. There was no way he was going to give the vile man the satisfaction. Instead, William calmly interlaced his fingers, leaned back in a relaxed manner and said, "That's a pretty serious allegation. What evidence do you have of this?"
"Evidence? What more evidence do we need. She was here in this building for over a month, and now she's in San Francisco running her own company. I think it's pretty clear what's going on." Brian stuttered slightly as he spoke, and William that the older man was shaken. Good. That was what he'd wanted.
"I agree." William stated evenly. "It is clear that you are wasting everyone's precious time with an unfounded allegation. Not to mention the fact that you are completely disregarding our company policy on helping the industry to grow by encouraging future entrepreneurs. We consult with other companies all the time and Elizabeth is certainly not the first person to visit us and go on to build her own business." Around the table, several other board members were nodding in agreement. Brian was scowling. "Now, if you don't mind, I think it is time we began with the items that are actually on today's agenda so that everyone here can get on with their day."
Brian looked as though he were going to protest, but at the last second he gave in, picked up the agenda in front of him, and read the first item aloud.
As discussion regarding the Domino project broke out around him, William felt himself relax. He could tell from the expression on Brian's face that this wasn't over, but he had won that battle and for now, he would allow himself to revel in his victory.
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From: kevinstevenson at stevensondigital . com
To: thelizziebennet at gmail . com
Date: 18 June 2013 9:04 AM
Subject: Refilming
Dear Lizzie,
I have given consideration to your notes on using the footage we already have, but I still feel that in the interests of generating the best product possible, it would be better for us to film everything again, and this time I request to be present. Thursday is the only day that I have available so please make the necessary arrangements for it to happen on that day.
As you may recall, I have considerable experience running a business, and since this is all new to you, I trust you will value the advice I'm able to give you.
I shall see you on Thursday.
Sincerely,
Kevin Stevenson
Digital Media Expert
Stevenson Digital
From: thelizziebennet at gmail . com
To: kevinstevenson at stevensondigital . com
Date: 18 June 2013 2:30 PM
Subject: Re: Refilming
Kevin,
Alexis and Kate are both available Thursday but only for the morning so we will need to shoot everything between 8 am and noon.
See you on Thursday.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Bennet
CEO
Bowtie Media
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On Thursday morning, Lizzie made sure she was up early, since she needed everything to be perfect for the shoot. She hadn't been entirely honest with Kevin when she'd told him Alexis and Kate were only available to film in the morning, but she needed to save some money, and the whole reshoot was ridiculous anyway. Lizzie didn't want to do it, but since Kevin was providing the bulk of her financial backing, she didn't really know how to say no to him. She'd considered asking William for advice, but he'd been quieter and more distant than usual since Monday evening, and she didn't want to burden him with her problems. Besides, it was her company and these were things she needed to figure out on her own.
She'd ranted to both Charlotte and Lydia at length about Kevin, however and she'd decided the best approach was to do what he asked, but ultimately, when it came to editing, she would be making the final calls. It was her production after all, and if she was going to survive in this business she had to draw the line somewhere.
At precisely five to eight, her buzzer rang signalling the arrival of her actors, and from that moment on, Lizzie was busy bustling about, prepping scripts, manning the camera, giving Kate and Alexis notes. True to his word, Kevin was present for the entire shoot and gave his own notes to the actresses, most of them in direct contradiction to Lizzie's, and in every take that they did with his notes, Lizzie noticed a drop in the quality. By noon, when everyone packed up, Lizzie was exhausted from continually butting heads with Kevin, and she was relieved when he left before Kate and Alexis so she was able to speak to them alone.
"Are we still premiering on July first?" Alexis asked.
Lizzie nodded. "That's the plan. I already have the first episode mostly pieced together. I'll add what I need to from today's shoot, and then it should be ready."
Kate grinned. "Great. I can't wait for people to see it."
"Me either." Lizzie smiled at both women. She really liked them and was pleased that they were both so excited about the project. "Do you want to see a preview?"
"Definitely!"Alexis was first to answer, though Kate was nodding energetically.
As the final few moments footage from the rough cut of episode one played, someone behind them cleared their throat, causing Lizzie, Alexis, and Kate to startle and turn towards the unexpected newcomer.
Lizzie's eyes widened as she recognised Catherine, but she quickly recovered and made introductions.
"We should go," Kate said, quickly gathering her things and eyeing Catherine nervously.
"Yeah," Alexis agreed. "Thank you so much for everything, Lizzie, and let us know if you need anything else."
"I will. Thank you both for coming in on such short notice." Lizzie closed the door behind them and turned back to Catherine who was still standing in the middle of the room looking entirely out of place. "Would you like some coffee? Tea?" She asked, not sure she was ready to know why William's aunt had just shown up at her apartment, not to mention how she'd gotten into the building.
"Thank you for the offer, Elizabeth, but I have just come from a luncheon, so I am already satiated."
"Okay. Would you like to have a seat?" Lizzie gestured to the living room.
Catherine nodded curtly and perched herself on the edge of a fabric covered arm chair. "Thank you."
"Of course." Lizzie carefully settled onto the end of the sofa closest to the chair. "What can I do for you today, Ms. De Burgh?"
"Call me Catherine, for starters. We're practically family. There is no need for such formality between us."
Lizzie blinked at the older woman, unable to reconcile the words she was hearing with the woman she'd previously met, let alone with the woman who had treated her so poorly at dinner the week before. "Well, Catherine," the name felt foreign on her tongue, but Lizzie continued anyway, "I have to say, I'm rather surprised to see you. I thought you had returned to Huntsford."
"You are correct, I had, but I was in town this morning for a charity luncheon, and I wanted to pay you a visit before I returned home." Catherine met Lizzie's gaze over the tops of her glasses and Lizzie was stunned to see the corners of her lips turn upward. Was Catherine de Burgh, the woman who had made her feel like a tiny bug less than seven days earlier, smiling at her? What was going on?
"Forgive me, but I'm still a little confused," Lizzie admitted.
"I am here, because I owe you an apology, Elizabeth."
Lizzie blinked. She remembered William telling his aunt that she needed to apologise to her, but never in a million years had Lizzie actually thought that she would.
"My behaviour at dinner last weekend was completely unacceptable," Catherine continued, seemingly unaware of Lizzie's current state of utter shock. "But that is not the only reason I need to apologise."
"It's not?"
"No, it is not. You see, it seems, my dear, that I completely underestimated and misjudged you."
Lizzie didn't know how to respond to that, so instead she merely waited politely, sensing that Catherine had more to say.
"I am not sure if you are aware, but following your rather abrupt departure from dinner, Mr. Williams informed me of your thesis project."
"Gigi told me."
Catherine smiled at the mention of her niece. "That sounds like Georgiana. She has a talent for knowing things."
"Yes, she does."
"Well, I watched your videos Miss Bennet, and though parts of them were uncomfortable and unconventional, they were revealing."
Lizzie swallowed, trying not to think about what Catherine must have thought of her impressions of her.
"You see, Elizabeth, I was under the impression that you were interested in my nephew for his wealth, but it is clear to me now that I misjudged you. I can see now, both from your videos and from the way that you interacted at my home, that you love him for the man that he is." Catherine paused, and Lizzie was amazed to see that her eyes were watery. "I have always had rather high standards, and I have been hard on William over the years, but I love my nephew, and I have only ever wanted what's best for him."
"I want that too," Lizzie told her.
"I believe you." Once again, Catherine caught Lizzie off-guard. This time by reach out, grasping her hand, and squeezing it firmly. "I am not perfect, Elizabeth. I have not always been a good aunt to my niece and my nephew. When my sister and her husband passed away, instead of coming forward to offer William and Georgiana the emotional support that they needed, I merely offered financial support and a strong opinion. I was too caught up in my own grief to help them with theirs."
An unexpected wave of compassion passed over Lizzie, and she found herself returning the elder woman's grasp in a show of support.
Catherine clung to Lizzie's hand more tightly as she continued. "I have felt guilty about that ever since, and I fear that I have overcompensated by trying to ensure that William marry well. I thought that meant helping him to find someone with a proper upbringing, but I realise now that I was wrong. What William needs in his life is a woman who loves him and who is able to be his equal, and I suspect you are that woman."
"Thank you," Lizzie whispered, emotion seeping into her voice. "Not only for your apology, but for your honesty."
Catherine patted Lizzie's hand and then pulled away, easing herself to her feet. "Thank you for allowing me to say my piece. I shall leave you now to get on with your work." She gestured to the computer. "What I saw of it when I came in was good. With a bit more editing, I think you will have something special on your hands."
"Thank you. I am excited to see it completed."
"I am glad. That sort of passion will get you far in life." Catherine opened the door. "Good day, Elizabeth."
To be continued…
End Notes:
Wanna be featured in Uncharted?
In an upcoming chapter there is a section where various fictional fan tweets are featured and I would love to use some real fan user names for that, so if you'd like to be in this fic as a fan of Bowtie Media in a future chapter, please respond in a comment with the username you'd like me to use. (or tweet me lorelaisquared) It doesn't need to be an actual twitter handle. It could be your screenname from here or tumblr or elsewhere instead, just specify what you'd like me to use.