Chapter 15
On Saturday morning, Will boarded the bus that would take them to Incline Valley at Lake Tahoe.
As usual, a majority of the students glared at Will as he walked down the aisle toward an open seat. He spotted Elizabeth sitting with Jane but she was ignoring him. He spotted Charlie who waved him over and Will took the seat next to his friend and tried to ignore the whispers and hatred funneled his way. He was very glad to find out that Caroline was not going on the ski trip.
At the end of the three hour drive to their hotel, Will breathed a sigh of relief that he was almost off this bus. The teachers and chaperones checked in the students and gave them their room assignments.
Once he had taken his luggage to the room, Will needed a walk to relieve his mind and body. He found a nice trail along the beautiful blue waters of Lake Tahoe and was thoroughly relaxed by the time he arrived back at the hotel. After he changed into his ski clothes, he waited for Elizabeth in the lobby of the hotel and he was happy when she appeared.
"Elizabeth," Will smiled as he approached, "Are you ready for me to teach you how to ski?"
"Darcy, I don't want to fight with you." Elizabeth sighed.
He smiled mildly, "I don't want to fight with you either."
"Well, I guess I could give you a shot," Elizabeth agreed with a chuckle, "I do want to learn how to ski and Georgie highly recommends you as a teacher." She smiled, "Bring on the big bad slope."
Will laughed, "Okay Daredevil, but what do you say we start you out on a gentle slope first."
Elizabeth executed a mocking little curtsy, "Whatever you say, my liege."
Will responded with a gentlemanly bow, "The shuttle is about to leave for Diamond Peak so this way, my lady."
*
Will was laughing as he and Elizabeth exited the shuttle after a day on the slopes. "Skiing with you was so much fun, I have never seen anyone spend as much time on their posterior as you did today."
"Laugh it up, Hyena Boy." Elizabeth smirked in return, "She who gets the last laugh, laughs best and I always get the last laugh." She raised her eyebrows mockingly, "Don't tell you have forgotten your upcoming dance with Caroline Bingley at the winter formal in a couple weeks."
"How cruel of you to taunt me." Will groaned and raised his hand to his head in mocking response, "Oh, the horror!"
"That's a little dramatic, wouldn't you say." Elizabeth quirked.
Will checked his watch, "It's almost time for our sleigh ride and the cab will be here in about fifteen minutes."
"What sleigh ride?"
"I've arranged a sleigh ride through the park for us to enjoy the beautiful scenery, I've heard it is a wonderful way to spend time." Will explained, "I promise to be a perfect gentleman but we have to get changed quickly if we are going to be in time for the cab."
"Okay, that does sound like fun." Elizabeth accepted, "On the condition that your hands remain on your side of the sleigh the whole time."
"Done." Will promised and then the two teenagers went off to their rooms to get changed.
They arrived downstairs moments before the cab arrived to take them to their destination. It was a short drive to the the location where Will had arranged the sleigh ride.
"Will, come feed the horse with me." Elizabeth said with a huge smile on her face.
"I would love to join you." Will said as he helped to feed the beautiful animal. He also reached over to pet and scratch the horse.
Once they had fed and pet the horse, the twosome were bundled into the sleigh and whisked away along the snow laden, well worn track through the snow.
Elizabeth's smile radiated from her as she absorbed the breathtaking sights. They passed through a variety of terrains from forest to the beauty traversing along the lake. "This is incredible." She said with wonder in her voice.
"I have rarely ever see anything as lovely." Will agreed and Elizabeth with her rosy cheeks only enhanced the view. Will couldn't get enough of this awesome adventure. He sighed with contentment as Elizabeth snuggled back into his body and he reveled in the feeling. He wanted to be able to wrap his arms around her but kept to his word and just enjoyed the close comfort of being with her.
At the end of their ride, Will and Elizabeth thanked the staff profusely for their wonderful experience.
When they were in the cab on the way back to the hotel, Elizabeth smiled at him gratefully, "I can't thank you for your thoughtfulness."
"It was my pleasure." Will responded, "Can I ask you for a favor when we get back?"
Elizabeth eyed him warily, "Am I to pay the piper now." She said with a rise of an eyebrow.
"Nothing like that," Will laughed, "I was just hoping that you would sing for me when we get back to the hotel."
Elizabeth giggled, "I guess it would be petty of me to refuse."
When they arrived at the hotel and shed their jackets, Will guided her to the piano. When they both took their seats on the piano bench, Elizabeth asked, "What should I sing?"
He reached into his pack and pulled out a sheet of music which he handed to Elizabeth, "How about this."
She read the title aloud, "Tell me so." She played a few notes and started to hum the tune, "What is this? I've never heard it before."
"It's just a little something I wrote." He played the piano as he started to sing the chorus, "If you love me, tell me so…"
When Elizabeth melded her beautiful voice with his, the song took on a whole new dimension and depth of feeling. Will was amazed at the intensity of their collaboration and delighted in the harmonious feeling until the very last note.
"Will, that was amazing." Elizabeth said appreciatively, "Did you write this for someone special?"
Will laughed, "Yes, a wonderful girl I had a huge crush on when I was a mere child of six."
"Oh." Elizabeth replied, Will thought he detected a note of disappointment in her voice and saw a moment of jealous fire in her eyes.
"Elizabeth, I…" Will started to explain.
"I have to go check on Jane." She said brusquely as she grabbed her things and left him sitting at the piano.
*
The next morning, Will located Elizabeth after breakfast, approached her and asked "Elizabeth, would you take a walk with me?" He took a deep breath as he saw her slight hesitation, "I'm ready to tell you everything and I figured taking a walk in the dead of winter will provide us with a modicum of privacy."
Elizabeth searched his face and saw a vulnerability in his eyes, "Okay, I'll meet you in the lobby in fifteen minutes."
As he waited for Elizabeth, Will tried to quell his nervousness. What he tried to say always came out wrong when he was nervous. It was very important this once that he kept his foot out of his mouth.
When she arrived, he led her to the trail that meandered along the lake. When he was assured of their privacy, he stopped to face Elizabeth, sighed deeply and began, "Let me first address your sister and Charlie," Will looked into her eyes, "You know it isn't Jane I have been concerned about, its Charlie."
Elizabeth looked at him doubtfully and he blew out a breath, "Charlie has always been quick to fall in love. He will declare himself in love with his 'Angel'. A few weeks or a month later he is on to his next girl. That has been his patten for as long as I've known him." He took Elizabeth's hand and walked along the gorgeous lake with spectacular views.
Elizabeth smirked, "He seems to have broke the pattern with Jane."
"You are correct." He smiled at her with sincerity, "I personally think Jane is great for Charlie and I truly believe that they love each other." He was thoughtful as he pondered out loud, "Is this love going to last, I don't know, I'm not a fortune teller. With Charlie's track record, the odds may not be in their favor. The other thing I'm concerned about is that they are still in high school and they are very young to be thinking of marriage." Will took a breath for a moment and was cognizant of the hypocrisy of his words as he had bought Elizabeth an engagement ring. It's not like I planned to propose to her at that moment. I know I briefly thought about proposing after we graduated but I have since realized we are still very young. I am now just looking toward the distant future when we are both ready to be husband and wife if and when that happens for us.
Elizabeth nodded as they walked along, "I agree with you, I feel they are too young to be getting married." She raised her eyes in a mock salute, "Are you surprised that we can agree about anything, given our volatile history."
He laughed as he stopped to look at her, his eyes emotionally charged, "I also owe you an explanation for my words to Charlie about you before we met." Will shrugged as he closed his eyes and shook his head, "I seriously hate blind dates and over years Charlie has set me up on more than his fair share of those. He meets his angel of the week and every girl always has a friend for me. I'm sorry to be crass but usually those are girls with a "good personality" who can't even hold a decent conversation. They are usually unattractive as well as dull." He saw Elizabeth's eyes narrow with anger, "I'm not saying that every girl has to be a great beauty but if I can't have that I would like a date with one who can at least have a stimulating conversation with me…like you." Elizabeth's registered shock and her eyes grew wide and Will tried to backtrack. "I didn't mean to imply that you are unattractive…"
Elizabeth began to laugh, "You are really bad at this."
Will laughed too, "You are not wrong. I can't even express to the girl I love that she is not only the most beautiful girl I have ever met but also has the most brilliant, witty mind and I am completely enthralled by her very body and soul."
"Wow!" Elizabeth breathed as she looked at him with incredulity, "I think you nailed it that time." She looked at him quizzically, Do you really love me?"
"Yes," Will admitted, "I have for a very long time and that is why I've tried for so long to protect you from the truth."
Elizabeth's expression changed as she noticed that Will grew solemn. He motioned her toward a bench with a beautiful view of the lake.
"Elizabeth, I promised to tell you everything you want to know but in the spirit of honesty can you let me know what Wickham told you about me and my family." Will asked and she saw the vulnerability in his eyes.
Elizabeth sighed, "He told me that his father was a servant in your family home and since he lived on your estate that you and your mother treated him like a servant too. He said through your formative years, you always treated him with contempt and disdain as though he were beneath you. He also explained that your father loved him like a son and you always resented the relationship he had with your father." She took a break to gather her thoughts, "He told me that you denied him his rightful inheritance after your father died and withheld the first class education your father wished for him. You know he said to me that you had him fired from your country club because you were jealous of him but he also contended that you are the reason for all the trouble that has befallen him through out his life."
"There was a grain of truth in what he told you." Will's laugh was devoid of humor, "Leave it to Wickham to be the victimized hero in his own life."
He sat down next to Elizabeth on the bench and took her hand in his. He stared out at the beautiful scenery but he was so caught up in his memories that he didn't notice his surroundings.
"It is time to tell you about my family's history with George Wickham." Will said quietly, "I'm sorry but this story will not be pleasant." He gulped back his emotions, "I never wanted to burden you with this but I think this is the only way for you to understand."
"George Wickham's father had been my family's butler since before I was born. He was the best and most kind of all gentlemen and my family loved him. George's mother died when he was young. Mr. Wickham and George lived in a small cottage on my family estate. George was a year older than I am and was a boisterous outgoing child who could charm anyone. In the early years, I followed George around in hero worship but I was a shy music geek and he was a charming talented athlete so he made it plain he didn't want me around. He began to resent me as I had the life, he felt should have been his. George was ambitious but he didn't want to work hard to achieve his goals. He was always looking for the easy path to fame, money and status. In front of my family, he was charm personified but he would taunt me relentlessly and say horrible things to me when he thought no one was looking."
Will felt Elizabeth squeeze his hand and sighed as he proceeded with the story, "When George's father died unexpectedly, my father stepped in as his godparent and sent him to school to get a quality education. My father kept the cottage for George to use during his holidays so he would always have a home. My father had planned to send me to the same boarding school the following year when I was of age. Instead, I received an invitation to a prestigious music academy and I was allowed to attend. My mother was a gifted musician and she nurtured those qualities in her children."
His voice faltered and cracked with the force of his emotions, "The last time George and I were home at the same time was when my mother died last year." Will's grief was still so raw it radiated from his body, "We both came home for the services." His voice cracked as he remembered, "While I was standing at my mother's graveside watching them lower my beloved mother into the ground, George whispered to me that it was a blessing my mother had died before she had to see what a disappointing son I had become."
"Oh, Will." Elizabeth said softly. "How awful."
Will tried to reign in his emotions, "My father was devastated at the loss of my mother and sent Georgie away to boarding school when the winter semester started." Will wiped the tears from his eyes and Elizabeth saw the pain etched on his features.
Will closed his eyes and focused, "My father died in a car accident last spring. Georgie and I had lost our beloved parents less than 6 months apart." Will took a deep breath, "I inherited my father's estate and all of his business holdings. Georgie's inheritance was a large sum of money kept in trust for her."
He looked up to see Elizabeth's sympathetic face and got back to the point, "As I was still in school and not yet eighteen, I left the running of the day to day operations of the estate to my fathers trusted attorney and advisor. My father's attorney advised me of other bequests that my father made which included the education through college for George Wickham and enough money to pay for Wickham's rent, food and essentials until he was able to graduate from college and begin earning a living. The attorney sent me progress reports on matters concerning George Wickham, his education and the bequest. I found out that George had been expelled from many boarding schools over the years for misconduct and that he was requesting more and more money each month from the attorney. At the end of the school year after he had turned eighteen and was legally an adult, Wickham petitioned the estate to liquidate his inheritance into cash as he would be attending public school and would not be attending college. At this point, I just wanted to wash my hands of Wickham and I agreed for the attorney to negotiate a payoff to George Wickham. I thought that would be the last I would see of Wickham but he is like a bad penny and he kept turning up."
Will found it difficult to finish the story and he took a minute or two to take in the beautiful tranquility of the location. He let the peace wash over him and he felt Elizabeth's comforting presence. He closed his eyes in concentration and finally began to speak, "I went to see Georgie on the last night of term to pick her up and bring her home for the summer. When I arrived on campus, I learned Georgie had gone to a party at one of the other dormitories."
"When I arrived at that dorm, I searched the house from top to bottom and I finally found Georgie passed out in one of the bedrooms practically naked." He took a few breaths to steady himself, "I was shocked to see George Wickham there with my sister. He was naked from the waist up and buttoning his pants getting ready to leave." Will clenched his fists, "He just smirked at me and said gleefully, 'Your sister wasn't a good lay but here's hoping she's pregnant. It'll be a hardship but I will have to marry her and all her gorgeous money.'"
Elizabeth gasped in shock and Will's jaw quivered as emotion overtook him, "I wished I could have chased him down and pummeled the life out of him but the more pressing concern was Georgie, as she hadn't woken up. I called an ambulance and they rushed her to the hospital. They pumped her stomach at the hospital as they thought she might have overdosed."
Elizabeth leaned forward to support Will as she saw him wrestling with his pain, grief and guilt.
She watched as Will's jaw clenched in mute testimony to his grim determination. "As I saw my sister in that hospital, she was small and helpless as she fought for her life. I was overwhelmed with guilt," His hands clenched, "I should have been there, I should have protected my little sister from that monster."
Tears flowed down his cheeks, "I vowed then and there that I would not be separated from my sister any longer. I would protect her no matter what it took and I would never let Wickham have power over either of us again." He looked over at Elizabeth and her quiet support helped him regain his composure, "While I was at the hospital waiting for Georgie to awaken, I immediately e-mailed my school and resigned from my place at the Academy. When we had the opportunity to come here to live, I was happy we could both enroll in the same school so I could look after her."
His face reflected the worry he felt that long night as he waited with his sister and prayed she would come through that nightmare. "When Georgie woke the next day, she was disoriented and didn't remember what had happened earlier in the night. Georgie told me that although George had been expelled from the boarding school, he had lots of friends there and they would sneak him onto campus for parties." Will shook his head in disgust.
"Georgie admitted that Wickham had been flirting with her and she was flattered by his attention as she and all the lower class girls had a huge crush on the misunderstood bad boy. He treated her like a grown up and told her about all of the hardships in his life." He glanced at Elizabeth and saw a frown line crease her forehead as she took in his words.
"Wickham had advised her not to tell anyone about their relationship, especially me. Georgie was uncomfortable about keeping the secret from me and had planned on telling me about her romance when she came home for the summer." He shook his head, "He convinced my young, naïve sister they were in love. A modern day Romeo and Juliet was the way he phrased it to her romantic nature. He promised they would marry one day in the near future."
"She believed herself to be in love with him but wouldn't contemplate marriage until much later." He was proud that Georgie knew her own mind even at her young age. He knew this next part would be difficult for Elizabeth to hear and treaded lightly as he spoke. "The next part is my conjecture because of his statements to me that night. I think that he got tired of waiting for her and believed that her trust would be available to her upon their marriage. He bought GHB illegally from one of his connections, spiked her drink and sexually assaulted her in an attempt to get her pregnant and force a marriage so he would have access to her inheritance. He was obviously not aware that the trust specified she would not receive the full use of her trust until her eighteenth birthday."
"Georgie didn't want to file charges as she just wanted to forget about George Wickham." He concluded.
"She needs to talk to someone." Elizabeth said kindly, "That kind of trauma doesn't go away by itself."
"I know," Will agreed, "but my sister can be very stubborn when she makes up her mind."
Will sighed as he had to address the next part of the story, "As you know, last summer Wickham was fired from our country club."
Elizabeth looked embarrassed,"Yes, I remember, you said he got one of the members daughter's pregnant."
Will nodded, "Wickham left town after he was fired but that is not the end of this story." Will admitted as he had to tell Elizabeth about the worst day of his life. "Toward the end of summer, I came home and searched for Georgie, she wasn't there but I found blood in her bathroom and…"
"Oh no, Will." Elizabeth's eyes began to flood with tears.
"I thought the worst and didn't lose a minute before I began searching for her," Will's voice cracked, "When I finally found her she was at our parents graves. She had her hands raised and I saw they were covered in blood. Georgie's face was streaked with tears, I was terrified of what she had done. I ran to her, picked her up and began searching for any wounds. I was so relieved that there was no cuts on her wrists and to realize that she hadn't tried to kill herself." Will took in a deep breath as he had to finish, "She had on a white sundress and I noticed the the dress was matted with blood around her pelvis and blood had dripped down her legs. I once again rushed her to the hospital and the hospital reported she had a miscarriage and nothing could be done for the baby." Will's face was twisted in pain, "In the end, Wickham had gotten his wish but it wasn't exactly how he had planned." Will trembled with sorrow, "Georgie was devastated by the loss. She withdrew from the world and became a shell of her former self. The only time she came to life was when she played the piano. She would lose herself in the music." Tears slipped down Will's face unnoticed, "When you appeared in our lives, it was like the sun had finally reappeared." He held Elizabeth's hand to his heart, "No matter what happens, I will always be grateful for your appearance in our lives."
When Will looked up, Elizabeth was crying but there was more she needed to know, "There are a couple of other things I need to tell you." He looked her in the eye "Do you remember the night of the party at our house? I took the beer away from you that Wickham had given you. You appeared intoxicated so I carried you upstairs to sleep it off." Elizabeth nodded and he knew he had to tell her the thing she didn't want to hear, "I had a lab analyze the contents of bottle and they found a large quantity of the date rape drug GHB." He withdrew a set of papers from his backpack, "Here is a copy of the results, I took this report to the principal and that is the reason Wickham was expelled from school."
Elizabeth put her hand to her lips and Will heard her stifled sob. She closed her eyes and a few tears escaped, "He was planning on doing to me what he had done to Georgie." Her eyes were wild with emotion, "How could I have been so blind?"
"Wickham has always used his good looks and charm to hide the darkness that lies beneath, he's fooled a lot of people." Will tried to comfort her.
"I pride myself on being a good judge of character." Elizabeth explained to him, "How could I have been so wrong about Wickham… and you."
Will's answered with a wry smile, "I have a theory on why you didn't notice the signs you normally would have seen clearly. You were so focused on your hatred of me and your conviction that I was always in the wrong so you pushed away all the signs from Wickham that might have pointed to my being right."
"You could be correct." She was still visibly upset, "Just thinking about it briefly now, there were obvious signs I should seen and all pointed to him dirtbag." She looked Will in the eye, "You tried to tell me but I stubbornly refused to listen."
"Elizabeth, there is plenty of blame to go around. I didn't make things easy on you because when I am around you I tend to say exactly the wrong thing." He raised his eyebrow to entice a smile and upon her slight smile, he informed her, "There is one more thing you need to know."
She nodded her head in acquiescence.
"I know Richard talked to you about the time you met Billy at the hospital when you were five." Will told her, "What he didn't tell you was that I am Billy." He pulled the stack of drawings from his backpack, "I've never forgotten you as you can plainly see."
She scanned through the drawings and was awed by the talent displayed as each one was better than the previous, "These are exquisite."
"Thank you, I had the perfect subject."
"Richard said that you thought Beth died."
"He's correct," Will admitted, "but that didn't stop me from keeping her in my heart for all these years. I think my heart recognized 'Beth' in you long before I did." He looked her deep in the eyes, "I wrote Tell me so for you Elizabeth, for Beth from my past and Elizabeth in my present."
"I don't know what to say," Elizabeth mused, "I've kept my memories of my friend Billy for all these years and now to discover he was you all the time, it's unbelievable."
"Elizabeth," Will was concerned, "I've thrown a great deal of information at you. How do you feel?"
"A little overwhelmed." She admitted, "I feel as though I never knew myself until now." She looked at him with an unexpected intensity, "It's going to to take some time process everything you have told me."
"I understand." Will said kindly, "Elizabeth, you can tell Jane but please don't discuss this with anyone else, not even Charlie knows what I just told you."
"Will, I want to talk to Georgie about this." Elizabeth saw the shift in Will's demeanor, "I'm not questioning your truthfulness, I believe you implicitly." She explained, "Georgie has spent a lot of time just wishing this would go away but something like this doesn't go away, it stays with you forever. She needs to talk to someone about this and so do I. Do you understand?"
Will nodded, stood and offered his hand to Elizabeth, "Are you ready to complete our walk?"
Elizabeth accepted his hand and the two set off toward the hotel, both lost in their thoughts.
Will walked Elizabeth to her room, "I am going to hit the slopes one last time before we leave. Would you care to join me?"
"No, thanks." She replied, "I need some time to think."
Will felt guilty, "I am sorry to have burdened you with this."
"This is not you fault, I wanted to know the truth and even insisted you tell me the truth. You gave me exactly what I wanted." Elizabeth's voice quavered, "Now I just have to come to terms with everything you told me and that will take time."
Will was still reluctant to leave her in this vulnerable state but finally agreed, "Okay, but if you need to talk, I will be there for you."
Elizabeth nodded and slowly closed the door, "Bye Will."
After Will left Elizabeth, he took the shuttle to the peak and skied the hardest run available to release the emotional tension.
When he arrived back at the hotel, he had gone to Elizabeth's room to check on her when he met Jane coming out of the room.
"How is she?" Will asked.
"I won't lie to you, she is very emotional." Jane told him, "You turned her world upside down and she is having a hard time adjusting to the new reality. She's also worried about our sister Lydia, who is romantically involved with Wickham."
Jane watched as Will's face went pale with concern. "Can I see her?"
Jane shook her head negatively,"I know you just want to protect her but you couldn't shield her from the truth." She tried to comfort him, "Elizabeth is strong and will find a way to come to terms with this but you need to give her time."
"Okay." Will said dejectedly.
"Thanks, Will." Jane said as hugged him.
Will was astounded as knew Jane was not usually demonstrative. When he pulled back, he asked, "What was that for?"
"Elizabeth told me what you said about me and Charlie." Jane smiled, "I wanted to thank you for trying to protect us both from ourselves." Jane sighed, "Charlie has been honest with me about his past with his girlfriends. I worried initially that I would be another number in his long list but it wasn't long before we both gave each other our hearts."
"Will you ever forgive Charlie?"
Jane raised her eyebrow mischievously just like her sister, "Yes, I'm just going to torture him a while longer so that he learns from the error of his ways."
"I wish I would never have let myself question you motives." Will admitted.
"I know," Jane said, "I don't blame you. That fault lies squarely on Charlie's shoulders because he had the information that you didn't have and he still questioned our love." Jane shook her head, "Don't tell Charlie but I will be accepting an invitation to go to the Winter Formal with Michael Perry. Just for a little payback, you understand."
"Your secret is safe with me." Will crossed his heart.
"I know, Will Darcy, you are a good and trustworthy man."
"Come on," She tugged on his sleeve, "Let's go down to the café and have some hot chocolate."
*
Will didn't see Elizabeth again until she boarded the bus to go home. Will noted that she looked as though she had been crying.
That was the last moment of peace Will had on the bus for a while, as Charlie boarded and took the seat next to him and pestered him relentlessly, "I saw Jane in the café with you. What did she say? Does she forgive me? What did you two talk about?"
"Charlie, if you want to know what Jane has to say, talk to Jane." Will told him, "What Jane and I discussed is none of you business."
Charlie persisted in his line of questioning until Will lost his patience, "Charlie, just go sit next to Jane and see if she will talk to you."
Charlie finally worked up the nerve and went to the seat that Elizabeth and Jane were sharing. A few minutes later, Elizabeth came and sat next to Will. "I've been replaced, do you mind me sitting with you."
"You are a huge upgrade from Charlie." Will quipped.
"Thanks." Elizabeth sighed.
"Elizabeth, are we okay?" He asked seriously.
"Yes, we are good." Elizabeth agreed, sighed and closed her eyes as she settled against the head rest.
Will felt the aura of sadness radiating from Elizabeth in waves and wished he could be of more help to her.
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