Lizzy arrived late back at Clapham so it was only the following day that Madeleine could ask her about her Scottish trip.
They decided to go for a walk to the Common. The Common in winter is stark with trees stripped of their leaves. However, being England, the lawns were green and though not luscious, the pleasant land was frosty.
As they walked past Edvard Grieg's house, Lizzy wondered if the darkness of London inspired him to compose the Peer Gynt Suite.
"Alors cherie," her sweet Tante Maddy asked, "how was Scotland and the Scottish?"
"It was a very productive trip," and Lizzy proceeded to tell her the sites she had visited and the people she met throughout the course of her travels.
Maddy was thoughtful. She was with a man, throughout out the entire trip, and not just any man but Will Darcy. Anyone in London knew or had heard of Will Darcy and the Darcy name.
"And you say Will Darcy arranged all of this?" She enquired.
Lizzy nodded. "Yes, apparently he knows half of Scotland, and his friend the other half."
Lizzy's rolled her eyes at Maddy when she this with an amused smile.
Maddy thought how naive her niece can be at times.
"Lizzy, do you know who Will Darcy is?"
Lizzy glared at her aunt. Yes, she knew who he was! She's just spent the entire Scottish trip with him! And Elgin - OMG Elgin she was nearly going to kill him there if he weren't so muscly.
"Yes, rich as Croesus - he showed that off very early on." And she told her of the chopper rides to the South Coast and in Scotland.
"Lizzy, he likes you." Maddy said slowly.
She hesitated at this and said quietly. "Impossible".
Then she told Maddy of her first encounter with him, his body language and his attitude towards people in Sydney - the fencing club, Faheem's...
"But in Scotland, did he display any of that behaviour?"
Lizzy paused and admitted, "No. He was very gentlemanly."
He gave her space and became her personal chauffeur. He was literally at her beck and call - the served being the servant...to her. Apart from Elgin, he had behaved... with perfect civility she now realised.
"Tante, he enjoys my conversations and we have some shared hobbies - that's all. He told me so," she shared thoughtfully.
And she told her of what happened at Newtown.
Maddy just laughed. It was getting worse and worse for Lizzy. For someone who is normally self-aware, Lizzy was oblivious to the attentions of a man...a million women would swoon for, for a glance.
"And what has he asked from you in return?", she asked.
"My company", Lizzy simply said. And it was true. He said so on the trip back yesterday.
"From the talking comes the loving cherie." Maddy pointed out.
Lizzy nodded. Her aunt and uncle were great talkers - they loved talking about everything and anything, but most all, she noticed they loved talking to each other.
Maddy thought Darcy had spent an enormous amount of resources to be by Lizzy's side. Surely Lizzy understood that - or didn't she?
Her aunt changed the subject. "How do you feel about dating again?"
Lizzy gave her another glare, "Been there, done that."
She shivered as she remembered all the awful dates she's had. And boy, were there plenty. The rebounders, the root rats, the sexually confused or undecided, the Oedipals...
She added, "There are so many men with unresolved issues in Sydney!Tante how many dates can I go on where a man uses me as his therapy bitching session because his exes don't understand him AND they're trying to convince me why they shouldn't give them child support?"
She was happy to remain single than trapped with any of them. The Sydney singles scene was brutal.
Maddy laughed. She remembered how awful it was for her when she was younger.
Maddy carefully asked her, "And does Will have unresolved issues?"
Lizzy looked at Maddy in wonder. She hesitated.
"I...I do not know. I've never asked him. We've been civil with each other, we've never really talked about that."
Maddy nodded.
And she looked at her, "And you Lizzy... do you have unresolved issues over George?"
Lizzy was silent at this. Did she? Was she?
"Have you let go of him? And his ghost?" Maddy asked carefully.
Lizzy stared in the distance.
"Tante, I loved him so much and it was a difficult few years for me as you know. Have I moved on from him?" She wondered loudly.
And she continued "I think I have. James is a reminder of him and our love but I know he is no longer here and I have to continue with life, and the cards life has dealt me."
Maddy thought about her response and pointed out something, "What if life has given you another chance, and you're not aware of it yet?"
Maddy thought that Darcy held the aces in Lizzy's pack of cards in life but she didn't want to point that out to her, not yet anyway. Clearly the two people were still uncertain of each other, maybe one more than the other.
"Tante, if that is the case, it will be a very busy game at life indeed."
Maddy looked at her thoughtfully, "Next time you see, Will Darcy, give him a chance. Or, how you say, 'a fair go'."
Lizzy laughed at her aunt's use of an Aussie phrase.
"I will, tante, I will."
And they continued their wintry walk around the Common.