What do I do? What do I do?
"Miss Bennet, are you okay?" The dreaded voice came through the door again. No, I cannot go out and see that obnoxious face. I must do something to change my appearance somehow...
Looking around the room, Elizabeth noticed a small chest tucked neatly beside the wardrobe, hidden out of sight from unobservant eyes. Elizabeth rushed to the chest and fiddled with the intimidating lock. Click! The lock suddenly fell open to the ground and Elizabeth heaved a sigh of relief. Thank god the owner forgot to lock this chest properly! Elizabeth peeled open the heavy cover and covered her mouth with her hand.
There was at least a dozen of gowns in there! Even ribbons and wigs! I know what to do now...
"Give me a moment please!" Elizabeth shouted towards the door as she quickly changed her gown to one with much more lace and put on a blonde, curly wig. There! Now no one will recognise me in this!
After stuffing the rest of the gowns back into the chest and gently locking it back, Elizabeth proceeded to open the door. The wide smile on the man's face glowed for a moment before it was replaced with a confused frown.
"Sorry, there is no Miss Bennet in here. You must have gotten the wrong person." Elizabeth spoke in a slightly higher voice, hoping it would fool him.
"Oh! I see... I am very sorry...I better take my leave now..." Elizabeth watched in half disgust and half amusement as the man stammered out a few words and left hastily. Ugh, I can't believe I had to meet my disgusting ex here. How did he even get in? I'm gonna kill Charlotte for inviting him here.
William Collins was not a slimy man. He did not have perverted thoughts or weird obsessions with inappropriate content. Instead, he was addicted to being overly-righteous, if that can be called an addiction. Being a clergyman, he played the part of upholding all moral values at all times. Watching him crash into a waiter, Elizabeth groaned and recollected flashbacks of the times they actually tried dating.
Our first date was one year ago. At least Mr Darcy had the decency to book a classy restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Guess what William Collins did? The address he sent me was the location of his house. That was a massive disappointment. And a foreboding of what was going to happen for the rest of the 'date'. I guess I should give William some credit for whipping out a reasonably-appetising plate of lasagna for me... But dinner was awkward. He was constantly educating me of church practices and explaining every single damn detail like I was a newborn baby, wishing to join the church already. I tried to change the conversation to something more general like work or hobbies, but no! He simply ignored my question and returned to his topic of interest.
After dinner was even worse. Since we had nothing to occupy us, he sat me down in the living room and read out some Bible verses for me. I wanted to tear my hair out! No way am I going to let this crazy church-worshipping guy ruin my first relationship! I tried to look for other things to do, but of course, he did not own a television or any entertainment of sorts. I suppose he constantly rereads the Bible whenever he is free. After around ten minutes of torture, I feigned a stomachache and excused myself to the bathroom.
"Save me, Charlotte! I am trapped in a madhouse!" In the bathroom, I whipped out my phone and shared my current location with Charlotte. I received an instant reply.
"Coming Liz. Stay alive for ten more minutes." I am saved! I am liberated! I almost entered the living room grinning but I contorted my face into a painful expression and clutched my stomach right before walking in.
"Miss Elizabeth, are you alright? Do you need some painkillers?" William exclaimed as he dropped the Bible in his hands to the ground.
"It's okay... I just to rest for a while... Would I be okay if I go home already? I have some medicine at home..." I whispered as I rested on the couch.
"Oh yes! Of course, it is okay! Do you want me to call a cab? I will call one right now!" William ran to retrieve his phone and came back, his fingers hovering above the screen.
"Um... Do you happen to know what number to dial for a cab?"
Rolling my eyes internally, I smiled good-naturedly at him and explained that my friend was coming to pick me up soon.
"Oh! Oh! Okay! I'm very sorry about this! Was it the lasagna I made? I'm very sorry!" Great, now I have to deal with his apologises. Get me out of here now...
As if on cue, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" William opened the door and supported me over to Charlotte, who was trying very hard to look worried or at least sympathetic. We continued the act until we entered the lift and immediately relaxed as it descended down into the basement carpark.
"I love you, Charlotte! I'll treat you some good food soon!"
"You are utterly hopeless at managing men, Liz."
After that traumatising incident, Elizabeth had explained to her mother that William tried to seduce her by adding drowsy tablets into her food but she managed to escape with the excuse of a stomachache.
"Oh my goodness! Are you serious, Lizzy? I thought that man was everything moral and law-abiding! We must report it to the church!" Mrs Bennet screeched, attracting the attention of her other daughters.
"Shhhh... Mum, it's okay. He already admitted to his wrongdoing and I think we should give him a second chance of forgiveness. I'm sure he would not dare to do the same thing to another girl anymore after I slapped him." Elizabeth babbled with a small amount of fear in her heart. Fortunately, her mother accepted her verdict of William Collins and cancelled the three upcoming dates she had planned for Elizabeth. Elizabeth's only regret was that she did not have any reason to actually slap William during the date. Actually, he is not a bad man. I just cannot stand spending more than a minute with him. Oh well, best of luck to his future wife, I guess.
After making sure that William had walked far enough, Elizabeth decided to search for Charlotte. What was that feeling? Turning around, Elizabeth panicked at the sight of Charlotte stomping towards her. Damnit, was Charlotte about to introduce me to Bingley just now?
"Heh heh heh... hey Charlotte... I was going to get-" Elizabeth managed a weak smile and scratched her head once Charlotte was standing right in front of her.
"Follow me. Now." Charlotte's dark face warranted no excuses and Elizabeth trailed behind her friend to meet the highly-anticipated Mr Bingley.
Elizabeth was not disappointed. Mr Bingley not only has a handsome face, he is also awfully sweet to Jane. Elizabeth watched in pleasure at how the simple act of receiving a glass of wine from Mr Bingley could bring Jane so much happiness.
"I am really happy to meet you, Mr Bingley. I do hope we can be more acquainted in the near future." Elizabeth winked cheekily at Jane, who blushed at her sister's insinuation.
"Of course, Miss Elizabeth! I would be very happy to do so. May I also introduce my friend to you as well?" With Elizabeth's nod of approval, Mr Bingley waved a tall man sulking at the back of the room over. Despite the crowdedness of the room, it was still obvious that he was taking his time to walk over. Wow, such a great first impression!
As the man slowly extracted himself from the crowd, Elizabeth's jaw dropped.
NO.
This is not happening to me.
As the man finally came close enough, Elizabeth averted her gaze and pretended to be interested in the magic show happening on stage.
"Hey Charlotte, you didn't tell me you-" Elizabeth turned to her side for rescue but her friend had already left her stranded.
"Miss Bennet, your sister and Miss Lucas just left to get some snacks from the buffet line." Mr Bingley said kindly. If the man looked nothing but greatly irritated from being disturbed of his favourite pastime before, he now fixed his gaze on Elizabeth at the mention of her name. Elizabeth gulped. Um... Maybe he has already forgotten my face? There was an awkward silence between the three parties as neither Elizabeth nor the man was willing to break eye contact.
Mr Bingley coughed and gestured to the man, "This is Mr Darcy, my trusted friend since childhood. Darcy, this-"
"Miss Bennet right? I do not need an introduction for this lady. We have met before." The infuriating smirk on Mr Darcy's face made Elizabeth crack her fingers and clench her fists involuntarily. Unfortunately, we have.
"Oh? Where, if I may inquire?" Um, no you may not, Mr Bingley. Elizabeth glared at Mr Darcy even harder, who was contemplating whether to spill the news or not. I swear, if you dare tell Mr Bingley about our stupid blind date, I am going to rip your throat out. Go on, tell him. I dare you. Elizabeth braced herself for the worst.
"It was nothing special, Bingley. Just another one of these balls. I just did not introduce her to you then." The way Mr Darcy could lie so nonchalantly drove Elizabeth mad. Nope, I am getting out of here. Can't stand this smug, proud peacock anymore.
"I think I'll go get some food myself. Excuse me, Mr Bingley."
Elizabeth could not find Charlotte or Jane at the buffet line. Guess I have no choice but to drown my woes in food then. Grabbing a plate, Elizabeth strolled down the line to view all her selections. Yang Chow fried rice. Sze Chuan fish. Wakame salad. Xiao Bai Chye with Oyster sauce. Sweet and sour chicken. Steamed mini Char Siew Pau. Curry samosa. Elizabeth filled her plate with a bit of every dish and was retrieving her utensils when a low voice sounded behind her.
"Enjoying the food, Miss Bennet?" Elizabeth spun around, nearly toppling the contents of her plate onto Mr Darcy. Elizabeth nodded stiffly and was about to leave before Mr Darcy continued.
"Are you still embarrassed?" That damn smirk.
"What do I have to be embarrassed for? You are the one who lied about your identity from the start." Eyes flashing in indignance, Elizabeth faced him again.
"What would have happened if I did not? Would you have the courage to continue eating in my presence?" Mr Darcy responded in a somewhat mocking tone. Oh, he does not deny it! How childish can one get!
"Why do you even care anymore? Forget about the damn date, we are never going to meet each other again okay?" Elizabeth was fed up arguing with this pompous man, who acted like she owed him everything just because he was so kind to her at the Greenwood Fish Market. Wanting to have the last say, Elizabeth was prepared to leave quickly before she heard familiar bursts of laughter. Slowly turning her head, Elizabeth saw that Jane and Mr Bingley were having a really fun time swinging and twirling around each other on the dance floor.
"Only time will tell if we shall meet again, Miss Bennet." Mr Darcy followed Elizabeth's line of sight and whispered in her ear before striding off, leaving her gazing helplessly at the couple. Oh, Jane... I really love you but... Ugh, this is all Mr Darcy's fault! I hate him so much!
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