I started writing this story ages back, and it's been through umpteen chops, changes and edits before I finally had the guts to share it with you as the 28 chapters you read (for which, thank you).

As I revisited it for what might well be the last time over the last few months, it felt like I needed to bid my own farewell to Will and Elisabeth now they were "out there". I began writing out their first dinner together as a way to go over their story one more time, checking for consistency and getting more of Will's perspective.

So it you too feel like you've not quite had enough of Elisabeth and Will yet, here's that first dinner date in full. There's one more tiny reveal but after that it might be time to let them go - unless you want to start again from Chapter 1 ;-)

I'll be looking for an agent to represent me and I expect that readership stats can only help in that process, so tell your friends to tell their friends to read it while it's here and it's free.

Meanwhile I've started posting another modern AU homage to JA - Emma this time - so look for A Bee In Her Bonnet, it's live! I'm also on Tumblr under MelLiffragh if you want to check out my bees or find out what it's like on this side of the writing desk.

I've had a few suggestions through comments about potential one-shots. Keep them coming and I might just have a go. But for now good bye and thanks again for reading.

Mel

'It's a really nice place,' Elisabeth said, looking around. The waiter had found them a cosy table. Down in a lovely low-lit basement, with just a few other diners at the opposite end of the room, they were nicely out of the way, free to gaze upon each other in peace. All the staff were French and, but for everything being twice as expensive as it would have been there, she could have been in one of those "cave" places in Paris, where some smoky old pianist lulls you into talking and sipping wine until dawn.

Actually there was a pianist, upstairs, but she didn't need lulling.

'Glad you like it,' Will said, reaching for her hand.

'It's lucky we found it.'

'Luck had nothing to do with it: I've spent the last week memorising the Hardens in case you wanted to go Italian or Thai or Japanese.'

'Ah…'

'Did I just freak you out again? Little bit?'

x

Of course he had, a little bit, but:

'No, not at all, it's… that's a very nice thing for you to have done.'

'I wish you didn't still find it surprising when I'm nice.'

'I don't find it surprising when you're nice anymore! But memorising the Hardens is above and beyond.'

Gosh, wasn't she doing well at keeping it together? His hand on hers helped. Loads. His mouth on hers would have helped even more, but this was a date. Date, date date date date.

Date.

What on earth do people do on dates?

Will smiled and squeezed her hand. It appeared she had said it out loud.

She freaked out a tiny bit again and explained:

'I mean I know you pretty well and you know me better than I do myself, half the time.'

And I'm already dying to kiss you some more, she added with her eyes. He replied to the same effect with his, then with his perfect, delicious mouth he said:

'Maybe we clear up a few… misunderstandings.'

'Is that a Raj-ism?'

'I think he might have called it that in the past, yes. Anyway, this is where I apologise for being such an arse.'

'Oh now that's interesting: go ahead.'

'I'm sorry I was horrible with you.'

'OK. But why?'

'I'm sorry because I love you, obviously.'

Tiny freak out again. In the very best possible way.

x

'No, why were you horrible to me in the first place? I'll freely admit I wasn't exactly super friendly with you to start with either. I'd never… anticipated liking you, but I didn't think I'd done anything to warrant full on hatred.'

'Had too.'

'What?'

'You hung my coat.'

'What? No, Will, that was a reason for me to hate you.'

'Problem is you've never watched yourself hang my coat.'

'Well obviously not but…'

'Did you drop those hangers on purpose?'

She had to laugh:

'What? Definitely not, no. You've noticed by now that I'm clumsy, right?'

'Only when you're flustered.'

'I was.'

'Why?'

''cos you were pretty hot yourself, Will, and bald as a coot, and thankfully not actually wearing my morning coffee, but you still weren't looking half grumpy about it. Anyway, did you really think I was deliberately dropping hangers so you'd check me out?'

'In so far as I was capable of coherent thought, yes, I thought you were a total tease. And a bloody good one too.'

'Wow. Interesting.'

'And for the record: I knew you probably weren't the receptionist. But I thought whoever you were you'd still be the better placed to deal with my coat and interview schedule than I was. Coffee spillage notwithstanding.'

'I know - but you could still have asked nicely.'

'True, but then you've never watched yourself splash coffee all over yourself, and then pat it dry. I swear I had you down as a total French tease.'

'I guess that would come from a lifetime of teasing females vying for your attention, Will.'

He shook his head as if he didn't know what she was talking about.

'And anyway: nice try, but are you sure you weren't just being grumpy?'

He took a moment.

'Grumpy would be another Raj-ism: I was irate. You've figured out by now that I like to stay focused when I'm about to do something important, like spend the day interviewing for my next job?'

'It was a formality, Will, Raj had such a massive bloody crush on you...'

'Well Toad and Sir Phillip didn't and anyway, here I was, 7:30, in the zone, ready, focused. Someone bumps into me and barely acknowledges me.'

'Hey, I apologised!'

'Yes, after you'd made sure your paper was OK. And then I swear you stand there, you had coffee on your boob, for god's sake.'

'Did not!'

'It was right there,' Will said, pointing at his chest

'No way, Will, nuh-uh, it was on my neck and anyway, my shirts don't open that low.'

'They do when you're leaning over the reception counter mopping up your bloody paper, Elisabeth. Trust me on this. So yes, that rather ruined my interview Mojo. By the time you'd finally mopped up your precious equations and then patted yourself dry, half of me wanted to back you against that wardrobe door and stop that French mouth of yours,'

'Wow...'

And also, yes please.

'Meanwhile the other half wanted to break your glasses and make you notice something other than my cue-balled head.'

'And bad attitude. I noticed your good looks first, then your cue ball and then the bad attitude.'

'Well, my point exactly. And then cherry on top, you turn out to be Raj's pet quant, a woman I'd pictured with halitosis and a personality bypass...'

'See, why do people make those assumptions about us quants?'

'Empirical observation: have you met your old team?'

'Sample size of what, five?'

'Whatever, I was pissed off with you, Elisabeth. You had no right to do those things to me and then barely give me the time of day.'

'Hey, you barely gave me the time of day first.'

'I know, I'm sorry. If it's any consolation I hated myself for it at the time. But I swear the more Raj told me to play nice with you the more it made me want to break your glasses. Dean told me to play nice too, I almost wanted to break his glasses.'

'Poor Dean, he's such a nice guy. I'm glad he made you see sense.'

'He didn't, Toad did.'

'What?'

'Yep, old Toad. Thought he was going to have you in tears in that meeting,'

'I wasn't... OK yes, it was pretty close, actually.'

Will smiled:

'Which made me realise that, one, I was insanely possessive about the pet quant and no one else got to have a go at her because she was my pet quant. And two, being nice to my new pet quant gave me even more of a kick than being nasty to her. In short Dean was right, as usual.'

'Good old Dean, I'm afraid I wasn't very nice to him when I first met him. He took it so well...'

'He was under strict instructions to make a good impression.'

'Does he ever not? Seriously, how is that guy still single?'

x

Will's face darkened, fleetingly but noticeably.

'What?'

'Nothing.'

'What? Oh come on, Will…'

'You're going to make fun of me again.'

'And that would be the end of the world because…?'

'Fair cop. OK, well if you must know there was a time last February when I got seriously worried you were going to ask me for Dean's number.'

'Really? Was there?'

'Were you?'

'I did think about it, yes, a couple of times…'

His face darkened again, and he looked almost as mad as he had, briefly, outside the club. Now that she understood how that worked, it was almost fun.

Almost.

Well, only because she knew she'd get to make it go away again by saying:

'I considered asking for his number so I could get him to apologise for me, over that character assassination I dealt you on my way out of the office, you know, the week we went live?'

There, gone again. Like magic:

'I've created a monster,' he said. 'Can't believe you're bluffing me now.'

'I'm not… well I am, but only because I'm trying to apologise. I don't often take advice graciously, Will, I realise that, and I appreciate you sticking your neck out, you know, making the effort to tell me when my butt needs a kick.'

'And I appreciate you making the effort to kick mine when I'm a grumpy bastard. Thank you.'

'You're welcome.'

'Apologies over?'

'Oh no, I don't think so.'

'Really? I mean…'

She laughed.

'Looking at a twenty-year horizon, Will, and speaking as a quant it's statistically certain that we'll have more bust ups.'

'OK fair enough but for now?'

''course.'

'What are you going to eat?'

'Hmm, I really don't care provided I eat it with you. We'll just point at something on the menu whenever the waiter shows up and I'm sure it'll be delicious. Do they have a wine you're going to like?'

'I really don't care either provided I drink it with you.'

'What, don't you want to have a fine vintage to remember twenty years hence?'

He smiled:

'Quirky red from Burgundy, then, like you?'

Her heart melted a little bit and she nodded:

'It's so unfair that I can't kiss you right now, Will.'

'Life's a bitch,' he smiled, changing the intertwine on their fingers.

x

The French waiter, with the genetically engineered nostrils of a prize truffle pig, smelt a pause in the conversation and wafted by. They'd still not so much as glanced at the menus, but Elisabeth smiled at him and fluently asked him for le canard, then Will said he'd have the same before ordering wine. There was a brief debate over the pairing merits of a 1995 premier cru vs. a 1992 Cotes de Nuits, then the waiter disappeared and Will said:

'How did that work? Have you been here before, or can you also read menus in upside down French through the cover?'

Elisabeth was about to give him a sensible answer when she was seized by another attack of the heebie-jeebies, this time over the idea of having to live up to either of the fine bottles just discussed. Out came the comedy French:

'Oh, Duck, they always have canard and it's always delicieux!'

'OK, if you're doing that French thing to turn me on it's working.'

'Crap: so it turns you on when I freak out?'

That explained ever such a lot.

In hindsight.

'Are you freaking out? Still?' he said, re-establishing his dominion on her hand.

'Not anymore, no, I think I'm fine now, sorry.'

'Don't be, I kind of like it that I can get you to freak out.'

'I know, I get that.'

She liked it that she could get him to freak out too, and now that they'd each had their apologies, and their freak outs, maybe it was time they tried having a normal date.

'So tell me about your family, Will. Do you have any siblings?'

'I have a younger sister, Georgie, she's lovely.'

x

Crap.

'Does she live in London?'

'She does – well, she travels a lot.'

Oh crap crap crap.

'Why, what does she do?'

'Concert pianist.'

Oh for crying out loud! Not another effing Croft-winning puppy!

'You OK, Elisabeth?'

'Fine, fine, so… uh… when she's in London she doesn't live with you, does she?'

'What? No! Who does that?'

'Never mind.'

'Look, Georgie's gonna love you, OK? Don't worry about it for a second. She already loves you, says you've improved me.'

'Isn't that a bit of a backhanded compliment?'

'It's a statement of fact. You have improved me.'

'You've improved me too, Will.'

'Well, then let's carry on improving each other and she's going to love you even more.'

She smiled.

x

Two plates of duck arrived, expertly timed by the no-doubt French kitchen staff to coincide perfectly with this brief, self-satisfied pause in their conversation. On his way back the waiter adjusted Will's jacket on the back of his chair and Elisabeth said:

'Is that the one from the Christmas party?'

He nodded.

'You were really, but really nice then too, I'm not sure I ever got to thank you properly for that, I was so… out of body. I can't even remember anything properly about that evening. All I know is there was water, a cigar, and your jacket smelt really nice.'

'Funny, I thought it smelt nicer after you handed it back.'

'I'm sorry, it must have reeked of smoke. I should have offered to have it dry cleaned, I didn't think…'

'Hey don't worry, I didn't want it dry cleaned. I mean I did take it, eventually, but I wished I could have hung on to that bit of you.'

He smiled, she smiled back. No one freaked out.

'What happened, what did we do?'

'You, not an awful lot: if you don't count smoking your cigar in that hot French tease manner of yours.'

'I don't.'

'I know, but you haven't watched yourself doing that either. Anyway, meanwhile, I pounced on the opportunity of having you to myself outside and pretending that you wanted to be spending time with me. It was nice, actually, while it lasted. I got to stare at you a lot and you didn't stop me. When you spoke you made it sound as if we could be friends. I didn't want to be friends, of course, but that was the best I could play for at that point and I knew even that wouldn't last. It made it even more precious, you know, that sweet feeling of not being completely unwanted.'

'Sorry, is that how I made you feel?'

'Only every time you spoke to me, no biggie.'

'Aw…'

'Hey, look, we'd had a bad start, I knew that. I knew I had a lot of back-pedalling to do before I could get anywhere near your good books, and it was nice that clearly that night there was someone or something that had pissed you off more than I still did. So I say we raise a glass to Toad, shall we?'

They did, and the wine was delicious, well worth remembering twenty years hence.

'You know, Will, by then you already hadn't pissed me off in quite a while. Not since I'd met Dean, basically. No one could be an asshole and have him for a bestie.'

'True, let's raise a glass to a top wingman too.'

They did.

x

'But seriously, how is he still single?'

'Oh, daddy issues. He's a complete tosser – his Dad, obviously. Dean's a good guy with a thing for bad girls.'

'Well, that certainly explains Lily.'

He nodded, and they tried the canard and joked that it was delicieux. Though in truth Elisabeth did not feel remotely hungry she dutifully set about eating it because that, too, would be worth remembering, in twenty years' time.

'So I know Jane Bingley and she's great. What about your brother, what's he like?' Will asked, and took another mouthful.

'I …'

'What?'

She set her cutlery down:

'I've never thought of this before but… Will, do you like cricket?'

''course, yes, who doesn't?'

'Well, me, for a start, though… I mean cricket's fine, obviously, up to a point. Would you say for instance that you'd enjoy watching cricket over and above taking your kids to the park?'

'I'm sensing the correct answer to this question is no.'

'OK but what's your answer?'

'No, 'course not.'

'Oh good. Maybe you're not completely like him then.'

'Like who, your brother?'

She picked her knife and fork up, then set them down again. The canard may be delicieux but this was – well, this was another of the evening's revelations:

'Will, do you have any idea what it's like to grow up with a brother who's six years older than you, who will always be taller than you, more effortlessly handsome, way better at sports, infinitely more popular at school, who swans from the top football team in high school and into the top business school, and then straight into investment banking, not forgetting to pass "produce gorgeous offspring" via "marry sister's best friend"? A guy who's already done everything you're about to do, only better? That's my brother for you, Will: now does he remind you of anyone, by any chance?'

'No, who?'

'Jesus, Will! This is why I had it in for you! From the start, I'm so sorry! I love Vincent, very much, he's a top guy. But I've spent my entire life fighting him for attention, living on my wits, desperately trying to beat him at just the one thing, once, even though it's hopeless, and I'm afraid the moment Raj gave me your CV, I mean even if you hadn't been drop dead gorgeous in a Yul Brynner kind of a way, I'd still have resented you. I'd still have had to make you pay for making me hang your coat.'

'By dropping hangers?'

'That's right, and smoking cigars. I still can't believe you thought that.'

'Elisabeth, I've no idea just how good looking that brother of yours might be, but I do know that any hot-blooded man would be yours at the drop of a hanger.'

'Thanks I'll remember that.'

'Besides, I'm sure he envies you too.'

'I… really don't think so.'

'It's overrated, being the eldest, trust me. It's expected for us to do the right thing. It gets taken for granted. Georgie's eight years younger and I always felt she got to be so much more interesting.'

'I what way?'

'I come from a long boring line of bankers, Elisabeth. Georgie's the only one with talent, with her magic fingers and big blue eyes and fine blonde curls. Did they make your brother sit through your concerts when you were a kid and all dressed up in frills? I swear there's nothing scarier than a cute six-year-old in frills racing through Mozart.'

'I think your sister's concerts were probably far better than mine. And anyway how did you know I…'

'You blabbed to Dean.'

'Of course. Top wingman Dean. Dean Fitzwilliam, right? Did you two bond over your unusual names in college?'

'We did, actually. First week of term, he tracked me down to return some misdirected mail. Very considerate guy, even then.'

'And he never…?'

'What?'

'Well, seeing as your sister's by all accounts very nice, and he's very nice too, and on the logic that Jane was my friend before she was Vincent's wife, did they never…'

'Hmm, no. Georgie's not into guys.'

'Oh. Does she have a girlfriend then?'

'No, that's… not a happy subject at the moment.'

'Why, what happened?'

'She did meet a girl she really liked. About a year ago, at some party, a painter, and sculptor I think. It was pretty obvious she wasn't relationship material but Georgie was swept off her feet. We knew it wasn't serious but we all thought it was sweet at first. It'd taken Georgie such a long time to come out, she'd worked so hard her whole life, practising and performing. That woman, Sara, she was a taste of freedom. Took Georgie out to gigs instead concerts...'

'She was called Sara?'

'I know, poncey or what? She couldn't just be a Sarah like everyone else... Anyway, Sara moved to Oxford last summer while Georgie was on tour. She was making stuff for a new gallery or something. So Georgie makes a surprise return trip, all the way from Vienna, to go and see her mid tour, and she finds her in bed with some guy.'

'Oh dear, I wish I'd known… well I guess I did… sorry, ignore me, I'm not making any sense. Poor Georgie though, I know exactly how that feels.'

'Seriously: what is it with you girls and cheating morons? Can't you tell them a mile off? Because I can tell you, Sara definitely did not have a shred of a stable relationship vibe about her.'

'I know, nor did Tom, really, he never made a mystery of it. I can't speak for Georgie of course but with me I think... well you wouldn't know about that of course, but when you're not 100% sure about some of the life choices you've just made it's awfully easy to fall for the guy who tells you everything you want to hear. Or girl.'

Will nodded. He had his mouth full and his 'OK let me think about this' face on.

'Whereas conversely, with the guy who tells you what you need to hear – and thank you, again, Will, for doing that - with that guy it can be a little difficult to believe that he might actually like you.'

'Hey, things would have been a lot easier if I'd just liked you.'

'Aw.'

'Same with kissing you on your doorstep by the way. The plan was to keep it light, you know, classy, leave you wanting more. Guess I messed that up too, spooked you right up...'

'Oh no no, you did leave me wanting more, Will, that was the truly scary part. That and you playing it cool in 3.11 on the Tuesday. Jesus that was mean, you definitely had me bluffed.'

'You giving me the cold shoulder all Monday had me bluffed too, believe it or not.'

'Sorry, well, like you said, I guess things would have been simpler if I'd just liked you.'

Will stopped eating and grabbed both her hands, beaming his beautiful, his gorgeous true smile.

'A toast to Rheinland, then, for giving us another chance?'

'Sure.'

They clinked and took another sip. The wine, having breathed, was getting even better.

'This is amazing, Will, thank you,' she said as she set her glass back down, 'and it's been a great date, but I make it less than 36 hours before I have to share you with everyone at the office again so would you mind awfully if we…?'

He didn't.