Elizabeth paced the length of the tour bus. She raked her hand through her messy blonde hair then pulled it into a messy bun and held it there with her pencil. She mentally ran through the events of the past 24 hours. It was absolutely unbelievable that she did all that. The way she acted just in Laurent's suite. Where did sensible, calm collected, serious, dedicated Elizabeth Wakefield go? The Elizabeth Wakefield she is or was wouldn't have done the stuff she had.
"You're in love, Lizzie we all get out of character when we are in love." Elizabeth jumped at the sound of Jessica's voice. Elizabeth flew around and faced Jessica who was standing in the doorway of the bus. Elizabeth realized that she must have been talking to herself.
"How long have you been there?"
"Long enough to know that you're completely head over heels in love, but you don't want to admit it."
"What makes you think I'm in love?"
"Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie, I am in love, and I know the signs of true love. Remember eight years ago right after you met Laurent? You slacked off, smiled at the worst time and loved enough to win from that bitch that he was engaged to."
"Yes, but-"
"No buts Liz, you're still in love more now than ever before, because of what happened last night and you know it, if you were being your self you would have never left that bed. Hell, if I were you I would be the princess de Sainte-Marie."
"You would be what?" A deep male voice broke in.
"Hi Nick." Elizabeth greeted her brother in law.
"Hey Liz, now Jessica, what is this talk about being the princess?" Nick turned his soulful green eyes lovingly toward his wife.
"Liz, Prince Laurent de Sainte-Marie, last night, sex, history, he asked her to marry her, she refused for more boring than plain toast Todd Wilkins."
"Oh, ithat/i Laurent. Oh, I see. So what are you going to do about it?"
"I don't know."
"I heard him in his room when I left this morning, he didn't sound very happy to know that I wasn't there, next to him."
"Well duh," Jessica said slyly flopping down next to Elizabeth on the couch. " Men don't like to know that a woman has the energy after that sort of thing, Trust me I know this from i a lot/i personal experience." Jessicaw winked at Elizabeth but her attention was on Nick. Elizabeth watched the lovers share a look only the lovers could comprehend.
i That could be me/i Elizabeth realized with a start. That ishould/i be me. She got up from the chair that she had flopped down into during her conversation with Jessica. She squeezed past the lovers and opened the door of the bus and stepped out into the mist. A cold wind blew through the air makiing her shiver. Too bad she didn't have a handsome black haired blue eyed prince to give her jacket. Well she would have one, if she weren't so...what? Why does she run when the relationship takes a turn towards the future?
"I"m afraid of the future." Elizabeth whispered into the wind. "I'm afraid of could happen. I think I have always been afraid of Laurent and what could happen between us." She left the bus and walked around the perimeter of the hotel. She breathed a deep sigh and watched her breath on the wind.
"You know its not good for authors to be out in the cold with out a jacket."
Laurent! That was the first thought in Elizabeth's head, until she realized that the voice that talked was british. Elizabeth turned around.
"Hello Max." Max Pennington, basically, the English Laurent, but not like him at all.
"I wanted to see you yesterday at Books On The Wall, but my schedule wouldn't allow it, I wanted to be there. It's been a while. "
"Yea, it has. Actually we're leaving in about 15 minutes to start up north."
"Leaving London so quickly heh?" Max chuckled and Elizabeth took in his profile. Brown hair and honey brown eyes that would make any girl go absolutely crazy, well accept her now.
"Yeah, my life is nuts. What are you doing here at Bennet Hotel?"
"I'm here to see my sister-in-law."
"You're WHAT!?!" Elizabeth was taken by surprise, she shouldn't have been, but still it was unexpected,,,
"My sister in law, Jennifer Davis, she taking my daughters for night. I'm married and I have twin daughters Katherine and Kelley, They are 6 months old. Do you want to meet them?"
"I'm happy for you Max, I'm sure your countess is a woman worthy of you."
"Yes, I love her very much."
"Max, we need to hurry up." A woman with long brown hair called from the door.
"Coming, Cynthia." Max turned back to Elizabeth, "that my wife, we need a night together."
"I understand, it was good to see you again, Max." Max drew her back into a hug and whispered into her ear.
"Go back to Laurent, you need him very much, don't let the past repeat itself. Marriage is a wonderful thing."
Elizabeth looked at him as if a third eye appeared in the middle of his head. "How did-"
"You should never talk to yourself, its a bad habit to get into, good bye Elizabeth." Max turned and went in the direction of his wife.
"I always liked him." Jessica came up behind her.
"So did I." Elizabeth sighed, "I'm sick of running from the future."
"Then go and claim what you're afriad of. Besides," Jessica gave her signature smile. "I'll keep George occupied, you better take Ryan though."
"Good idea. Thanks Jessica."
"Remember this when you're the princess." the twins hugged and the love sick one ran to the bus.
"Ryan!" Elizabeth knocked on the wall next to Ryan's bunk.
"Elizabeth! What's wrong?" Ryan put down his copy of Anne Rice's The Queen Of The Damned. Ryan was a huge fan of vampires.
"I need you to come with me to the Four Season's Hotel. I'll explain on the way." Elizabeth turned and started to leave the bus when George blocked her exit.
"You can't leave the bus, we're leaving in a moment. There won't be enough time for you to talk a walk. Jacob is putting the last of the luggage onto the bus, then we are off and out of London."
"You have got to be kidding."
"Elizabeth I do not "kid" about anything."
"Is everyone on the bus?" All of them turned to the bus driver.
"Yes, Jacob." George answered.
"Alright we have a long drive ahead of us."
"Jacob," Elizabeth broke in.
"Yes," he turned and looked at her.
"Can you make a pit stop at the Four Seasons Hotel? I need to speak with a frie- someone." Elizabeth would not call Laurent her friend.
"Sorry, princess we don't have the time."
As Elizabeth made her way her way back to her bunk different thoughts ran through her head. I Maybe it's a good thing that I can't go back to the hotel. I have no clue what I would tell him anyway? /I Elizabeth climbed into her bunk and picked up her hand held mirror and gazed into it.
She hated what she saw. Or what she didn't see. She didn't see the Elizabeth Wakefield who was in the top 3% in her high school and college class, she didn't see the responsible, calm, always rational Elizabeth Wakefield. Who she saw an immature girl who looked like Elizabeth Wakefield, but was obviously not her. The girl in the mirror was afriad of the future, who acted without thinking, without being rational, irresponsible. If the girl in the mirror was responsible, she wouldn't have snuck out of an hotel room at 6:30 am. She wouldn't have been in the hotel room at all.
""I don't know who you are, but you are not Elizabeth Wakefield." She said to the mirror. "You the immature, unrational, irresponsible, not thinking correcting girl, you are gone for good." Elizabeth tucked the mirror back into her backpack and pulled out her copy of " The Phantom Of The Opera" and layed down and started to read. It started raining, but Elizabeth was too wrapped up in the novel to notice.
"You're in love, Lizzie we all get out of character when we are in love." Elizabeth jumped at the sound of Jessica's voice. Elizabeth flew around and faced Jessica who was standing in the doorway of the bus. Elizabeth realized that she must have been talking to herself.
"How long have you been there?"
"Long enough to know that you're completely head over heels in love, but you don't want to admit it."
"What makes you think I'm in love?"
"Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie, I am in love, and I know the signs of true love. Remember eight years ago right after you met Laurent? You slacked off, smiled at the worst time and loved enough to win from that bitch that he was engaged to."
"Yes, but-"
"No buts Liz, you're still in love more now than ever before, because of what happened last night and you know it, if you were being your self you would have never left that bed. Hell, if I were you I would be the princess de Sainte-Marie."
"You would be what?" A deep male voice broke in.
"Hi Nick." Elizabeth greeted her brother in law.
"Hey Liz, now Jessica, what is this talk about being the princess?" Nick turned his soulful green eyes lovingly toward his wife.
"Liz, Prince Laurent de Sainte-Marie, last night, sex, history, he asked her to marry her, she refused for more boring than plain toast Todd Wilkins."
"Oh, ithat/i Laurent. Oh, I see. So what are you going to do about it?"
"I don't know."
"I heard him in his room when I left this morning, he didn't sound very happy to know that I wasn't there, next to him."
"Well duh," Jessica said slyly flopping down next to Elizabeth on the couch. " Men don't like to know that a woman has the energy after that sort of thing, Trust me I know this from i a lot/i personal experience." Jessicaw winked at Elizabeth but her attention was on Nick. Elizabeth watched the lovers share a look only the lovers could comprehend.
i That could be me/i Elizabeth realized with a start. That ishould/i be me. She got up from the chair that she had flopped down into during her conversation with Jessica. She squeezed past the lovers and opened the door of the bus and stepped out into the mist. A cold wind blew through the air makiing her shiver. Too bad she didn't have a handsome black haired blue eyed prince to give her jacket. Well she would have one, if she weren't so...what? Why does she run when the relationship takes a turn towards the future?
"I"m afraid of the future." Elizabeth whispered into the wind. "I'm afraid of could happen. I think I have always been afraid of Laurent and what could happen between us." She left the bus and walked around the perimeter of the hotel. She breathed a deep sigh and watched her breath on the wind.
"You know its not good for authors to be out in the cold with out a jacket."
Laurent! That was the first thought in Elizabeth's head, until she realized that the voice that talked was british. Elizabeth turned around.
"Hello Max." Max Pennington, basically, the English Laurent, but not like him at all.
"I wanted to see you yesterday at Books On The Wall, but my schedule wouldn't allow it, I wanted to be there. It's been a while. "
"Yea, it has. Actually we're leaving in about 15 minutes to start up north."
"Leaving London so quickly heh?" Max chuckled and Elizabeth took in his profile. Brown hair and honey brown eyes that would make any girl go absolutely crazy, well accept her now.
"Yeah, my life is nuts. What are you doing here at Bennet Hotel?"
"I'm here to see my sister-in-law."
"You're WHAT!?!" Elizabeth was taken by surprise, she shouldn't have been, but still it was unexpected,,,
"My sister in law, Jennifer Davis, she taking my daughters for night. I'm married and I have twin daughters Katherine and Kelley, They are 6 months old. Do you want to meet them?"
"I'm happy for you Max, I'm sure your countess is a woman worthy of you."
"Yes, I love her very much."
"Max, we need to hurry up." A woman with long brown hair called from the door.
"Coming, Cynthia." Max turned back to Elizabeth, "that my wife, we need a night together."
"I understand, it was good to see you again, Max." Max drew her back into a hug and whispered into her ear.
"Go back to Laurent, you need him very much, don't let the past repeat itself. Marriage is a wonderful thing."
Elizabeth looked at him as if a third eye appeared in the middle of his head. "How did-"
"You should never talk to yourself, its a bad habit to get into, good bye Elizabeth." Max turned and went in the direction of his wife.
"I always liked him." Jessica came up behind her.
"So did I." Elizabeth sighed, "I'm sick of running from the future."
"Then go and claim what you're afriad of. Besides," Jessica gave her signature smile. "I'll keep George occupied, you better take Ryan though."
"Good idea. Thanks Jessica."
"Remember this when you're the princess." the twins hugged and the love sick one ran to the bus.
"Ryan!" Elizabeth knocked on the wall next to Ryan's bunk.
"Elizabeth! What's wrong?" Ryan put down his copy of Anne Rice's The Queen Of The Damned. Ryan was a huge fan of vampires.
"I need you to come with me to the Four Season's Hotel. I'll explain on the way." Elizabeth turned and started to leave the bus when George blocked her exit.
"You can't leave the bus, we're leaving in a moment. There won't be enough time for you to talk a walk. Jacob is putting the last of the luggage onto the bus, then we are off and out of London."
"You have got to be kidding."
"Elizabeth I do not "kid" about anything."
"Is everyone on the bus?" All of them turned to the bus driver.
"Yes, Jacob." George answered.
"Alright we have a long drive ahead of us."
"Jacob," Elizabeth broke in.
"Yes," he turned and looked at her.
"Can you make a pit stop at the Four Seasons Hotel? I need to speak with a frie- someone." Elizabeth would not call Laurent her friend.
"Sorry, princess we don't have the time."
As Elizabeth made her way her way back to her bunk different thoughts ran through her head. I Maybe it's a good thing that I can't go back to the hotel. I have no clue what I would tell him anyway? /I Elizabeth climbed into her bunk and picked up her hand held mirror and gazed into it.
She hated what she saw. Or what she didn't see. She didn't see the Elizabeth Wakefield who was in the top 3% in her high school and college class, she didn't see the responsible, calm, always rational Elizabeth Wakefield. Who she saw an immature girl who looked like Elizabeth Wakefield, but was obviously not her. The girl in the mirror was afriad of the future, who acted without thinking, without being rational, irresponsible. If the girl in the mirror was responsible, she wouldn't have snuck out of an hotel room at 6:30 am. She wouldn't have been in the hotel room at all.
""I don't know who you are, but you are not Elizabeth Wakefield." She said to the mirror. "You the immature, unrational, irresponsible, not thinking correcting girl, you are gone for good." Elizabeth tucked the mirror back into her backpack and pulled out her copy of " The Phantom Of The Opera" and layed down and started to read. It started raining, but Elizabeth was too wrapped up in the novel to notice.
