Gigi and Anne were happily chatting in the Lincoln Navigator when Darcy returned. They had been busy talking, with the words rapidly tumbling out of Gigi's mouth. Gigi explained to Anne, "Elizabeth Bennet is the woman that my brother will marry someday if he can play nice and keep from acting like a pretentious jerk. You know how he can be!"
Anne nodded knowingly, "Darcy is the poster child for foot in mouth syndrome. So how do you know that she is the one for him?"
"Because she won't take any crap. Elizabeth could care less about how important he is. She put him in his place and he was the better for it; he needs that. And she is smart, well read and enjoys learning new things, but isn't full of herself, just has a inward confidence from knowing who she is. She's got a wicked, irreverant sense of humor and a zest for life. She isn't the sort that needs a man. I really like her a lot. It must be fate that she is here, hopefully it will give them a chance to get back on track."
"She sounds awesome," Anne declared. "I've always wanted a chance to matchmake like they do in the movies. Now what can we do to get them together?"
"Later," Gigi hissed, "here he comes."
Darcy opened the driver's side door, climbed in, closed the door and turned the SUV off. "I'm sorry I left you in here; I was kind of distracted."
"No worries," Anne said, then grinned, "Gigi was telling me all about you and Elizabeth."
"There is no me and Elizabeth." Darcy looked sad. He ran his hand through his hair in a gesture that both women knew meant he was distressed.
"But you would like there to be, right?" Gigi asked.
Darcy pinked a bit and stared down at his lap rather than looking at either of them before responded. He tamped down on his thoughts, Oh God, yes! before answering more blandly, "Yes, but that's never going to happen. I had a little bit of hope when we bumped into each other in New York months after I sent that Facebook message that she saw but never answered, but it is pretty clear to me from how she is acting today that she is just tolerating me."
Darcy's eyes got a far away expression as her stared through the windshield to the house. I wonder what she is doing now; is she complaining to her sister about me? Please, no!
He flashed to the memory of seeing Elizabeth in Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan near the building which housed his corporation's headquarters on the top two floors. For once he felt he had come off well when he talked with her and her aunt and uncle. He was just returning from a business lunch and was about to attend a board meeting upstairs, but had invited them up to see the view and amazingly they had accepted.
Darcy was nervous as the elevator zoomed up express to the top floor at the touch of his card key. But Elizabeth's uncle started talking about some of the architectural details of the skyscrappers in NYC and they continued the conversation when they stepped out of the elevator. He took them into his corner office which had an excellent view of both the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. He enjoyed seeing their looks of wonder, most especially Elizabeth's, but then Mrs. Reynolds came in as polite as always and told him, "Mr. Darcy, you have your meeting in ten minutes."
"It has been wonderful seeing you again, Elizabeth, and meeting you both, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, but I must go. I don't want to keep them waiting, and neither should you wait on me, but stay as long as you wish and Mrs. Reynolds can take you down. If you are free later, I would love for you to meet my sister. Perhaps I can take you all out to dinner and to a Broadway show?"
They spoke among themselves and quickly agreed. Darcy left them in his office, arranging for Mrs. Reynolds to use his connections to get him last minute reservations for dinner and the theatre. He called Gigi on his cell, explaining, "Gigi, you'll never believe it, she's here! Please tell me you don't have much homework tonight and can go to dinner and a show."
The next two days had been wonderful. Darcy saw Elizabeth as much as he could, although not all of his appointments could be shuffled around. But then there was that Saturday morning when a meeting canceled at the last minute when he was only a few blocks from her hotel, so he'd asked his driver to take him there instead. He called up to her room from the lobby and she'd told him to come up.
When Darcy knocked on the door, he was met with a pasty looking Elizabeth. She appeared as if all the blood had drained from her face, with her skin paler than the light pink summer pajamas she was wearing. He noticed her p.j.s had little rosebuds on them and her dark curls were tangled. It looked like she had just woken up or was having a lazy morning.
Elizabeth let him in but immediately flew towards her open green carry-on suitcase.
"What on earth is wrong!?!" He exclaimed loudly. "Are you ill? I can call a doctor . . . ." He was already pulling out his phone, desperately hoping to help her.
She paused for a moment and Darcy could see that Elizabeth was trembling. "I must get dressed and go find my aunt and uncle; they are having breakfast nearby."
"Let me go get them, or better yet, call them. You aren't well."
Elizabeth dashed over to her purse on the nightstand and pulled out her phone. Her hands were shaking as she fumbled with the touch screen. After a few moments of struggle she exclaimed, "I accidentally locked it and can't seem to can't to hit the right letters and numbers to unlock it."
"Do you know your uncle's number?" She nodded. "You should sit down, I don't want you to faint." He helped her over to the bed, trying not to enjoy holding her or the look she gave him as she let him help her. He also tried not to notice how thin her pajamas were, or the lovely figure they showed. "I'll call him on my phone."
His finger rapidly dialed the numbers as she said them and he was relieved when Mr. Gardiner answered right away. Not knowing what was the matter, he only said, "This is Darcy, I am with Elizabeth. You need to come back to the hotel ASAP, Elizabeth received some bad news and needs you."
After he got off the phone, he wanted to do anything he could. "Do you want some water? Is there anyone else I can call?"
She shook her head. He pulled the only chair by the bed and sat down. " You are too kind to me, I do not deserve it." Then she burst into tears.
Without a second thought, he got up and as if she knew what he intended, she got up, too, and as he extended his arms, she tucked herself against him hugging him before his arms wrapped around her. Elizabeth trembled and shook in his arms, her head to the side against his chest under his chin. He could smell the fruity scent of her shampoo, green apple, in her curls. He was very aware of the feeling of her, how wonderful it felt to have her in his arms, even though he had never pictured her hugging him while wearing her jammies against him in his dark wool suit, but he focused on soothing her rather than his own selfish romantic feelings, knowing the circumstances of their closeness only meant she needed someone. He rubbed circles on her back, under her curls, as he had done many times for Gigi after their parents died in the plane crash. Gradually her shaking abated and she calmed.
When Elizabeth relaxed in his arms, Darcy became more aware of the feel of her, of wanting her; even though he knew this was not the time, he imagined bending down awkwardly to kiss her. He knew he needed to let her go. When Darcy began to pull back, Elizabeth tightened her grip on him, pulling him closer and then began to cry. He hummed softly a lullaby and continued to hold her with one arm while he fumbled for a tissue in his coat pocket.
After Elizabeth finally settled, Darcy helped her back to sitting on the bed and she pulled him down beside her. They sat in silence, their thighs pressed against each other, her tucked against his side, each one with an arm around the other. Darcy was quiet now, content to sit in silence with her holding vigil for something as yet unknown.
Finally she spoke. "I just got the most horrible text from Jane. Lydia is missing. She and Cathy were supposed to be at a sleepover at Maria Lucas's but only Cathy came home. She confessed they went to a party with drinking and older guys with Harriet instead. Harriet's been sneaking around with a guy who's in the Kentucky National Guard, reserves, and George Wickham was there with his friend, Denny. Cathy didn't see it, but Lydia told Harriet she was leaving with George. She left her phone at the party and no one can find her."
Darcy was shocked and astonished and angry at George, but what was worse was when he heard Elizabeth blame herself.
"When I think that I could have prevented this by telling my family what George Wickham was like, even a portion of what you shared with me, about his binge drinking, his use of drugs and his reckless, dangerous behavior when he is drunk or high! What if they have wrecked some place or he's taking advantage of her while he isn't thinking clearly?"
"Would Lydia let him doing something like that?"
"I'm sure she would. She's young and dumb. She had a crush on George before, but it seemed to fade while he was dating Mary King. We have no idea where they are holed up, but we must find her and the three of us can search more effectively than my parents."
At first Darcy thought she was referring to him in that "three" before realising that she meant herself and her aunt and uncle.
"My mother is in hysterics and Jane is needed to comfort her; my dad barely know who Lydia's friends are, let alone who knows George."
Darcy thought about how much worse George was than Elizabeth even knew. While he had told her about George taking Gigi out partying (on her dime of course) and George getting pulled over by the cops driving Gigi when his blood alcohol limit was twice the legal limit (George was allowed to get the charges dismissed after he stayed out of trouble for a year), Darcy never told Elizabeth about the other thing George did.
Aunt Catherine never wanted him to talk about Anne's condition to anyone, so Darcy hadn't told Elizabeth about how years ago, George had been found to be a bone marrow match for Anne but refused to help her, without a hefty and illegal cash payout. Darcy figured it wasn't relevant anyway; it was not like anyone in her family needed George's bone marrow.
All of Anne's relatives were tested prior to that time, save for their cousin Richard Fitzwilliam who was serving oversees in Iraq, but no one was a match. Darcy, even more desperate not to lose Anne as his parents had just passed a year earlier, asked all his employees to volunteer to test to see if they might be a match for Anne as it seemed likely she would need a bone marrow transplant sometime in the future. He didn't really think they would find a match, the odds were long, but he hoped a donor might be found for another desperate family.
The testing on the volunteers happened only days before George was fired; his work was abysmal but Darcy kept trying with him, sending him to treatment program after treatment program on Darcy's own dime before finally concluding that George did not want to change. His Aunt Catherine was so excited a match was found but then the potential donor refused to proceed any further.
How George Wickham found out he was a match for Anne and not someone else Darcy never knew, but George came to see him one day with a proposal a couple of years later after Anne sickened once again (this was after the incident with Gigi). The next day Darcy discussed with his aunt whether they should pay the bribe when the time came. George had asked for a million dollars.
Anne surprised them both by declaring, from flat on her back in a hospital bed, "No making decisions for me! I've heard too much about what a snake the son of the former VP is. It is not worth paying him. I don't want that man's marrow in me anyway! What he is trying to do is illegal and what if it turns out he is lying and he isn't a match for me anyway?"
"But Anne," her mother's eyes were bright with as of yet unshed tears (she never cried in front of Anne if she could help it), "don't you know you are worth everything? I don't need Rosings or any of the rest. I only need you. We'll get the doctors to confirm before we pay him."
"It would be one thing if George Wickham was trying to redeem his God-forsaken soul by gifting me with a second chance, but I can't help but feel the taint of him is nothing I want in me."
Darcy was about to offer Elizabeth his help in finding George and Lydia, when the Gardiners' burst in. Elizabeth got up, so he did too, missing the feel and warmth of her against him. He knew it was selfish of him, but he wished he could be the one to find her sister for her, the one to be her hero, but who was he to her but the man who had insulted her, caused unhappiness to her sister, who had disgusted her with his conduct when he had felt she would be honored by his attentions and was expecting them. He might have redeemed himself a bit, but this was a family matter.
After the first flurry of information was exchanged, Darcy excused himself, telling Elizabeth, "I will pass on your regrets to my sister. She was looking forward to seeing you again this evening."
She offered him a mild, "Thank you," then turned immediately back to his relatives. Feeling bereft, he left.
Darcy went to his office and started making calls. He had been keeping track of George in case the situation became desparate enough that Anne changed her mind. Within a day he had several good leads. He texted Edward Gardiner about them (asking that his name be left out of it) and also contacted the police. Edward Gardiner texted back the next day: "We found them. Lydia opened the door when when the police knocked. George was passed out with a needle in his arm. Lydia was high on meth but otherwise unharmed. She confessed she tried to get him to do it, but he was too intoxicated for the equipment to work. George is in jail for possession; they let her parents get Lydia. I want to tell Elizabeth what you did for us."
Darcy responded: "I don't want her gratitude. It was just the right thing to do. For many years my father and then I would help George get out of trouble until he pulled a similar stunt with my sister. Maybe if he had faced the consequences of his actions sooner, he might have changed for the better by now. I didn't treat your niece as she deserved before; I thought we got off on a better foot this time, but Elizabeth's gratitude would just taint things. There us still more I need to fix, before I would ever be worthy of her."
The next day Darcy called Charles Bingley and explained all. Charles was mad but forgave him once he got Jane back.
Darcy hoped to see Elizabeth at the wedding, but Anne sickened and they thought it might be the end. Richard was even able to get emergency leave. But the third antibiotic finally did the trick and cured the nasty hospital acquired infection Anne had gotten after the last round of chemo.
Richard was tested and turned out to be her long awaited match, but the transplantation had to wait until Anne was strong enough and still had not taken place and Richard was back overseas again. Finally there was real hope, though, where there had been little before. But Aunt Catherine was terrified to let Anne live her life.
"I knew you cared about Elizabeth Bennet," Gigi declared, snapping Darcy out of his remembering. "You really like her, even after all these months. You like her, like her. I knew when you defended her to Aunt Catherine this morning." At Anne's confused look, "You missed most of it, Anne."
The morning's event was before Darcy in an instant, in vivid detail. They were all up and dressed, having a lazy breakfast while his aunt's chef and assistants worked tirelessly in the gourmet kitchen she never cooked in; Darcy felt sorry for them, to be working on Thanksgiving day!
After taking a few bites of a fluffy crape drenched in whipped cream, strawberries and strawberry sauce, with a sweetened ricotta filling, Anne told her mother, "I am finally feeling well enough to plan a trip to visit Darcy and Gigi in New York City! It will be so much fun."
"That sounds great!" Gigi enthused, taking a bite of her crepe. "Can we take Anne out to fancy restaurants and to Broadway shows like we did when Elizabeth Bennet was in town? You work too much, brother, and we ought to show Anne everything." She gestured with her fork. "Oh, we can ride on one of those silly Lndon style double decker buses and take the whole tour, and visit the Statue of Liberty, Staten Island, Chinatown, the works! Subways are stinky, but maybe you'll want to experience that, too. Oh, and Times Square, the Apollo, a comedy club (I can't go, not old enough for those two drink minimums but Darcy can take you), Shakespeare in the park. I've always wanted to skate at Rockerfeller Center and the Christmas decorated windows in New York are the best!"
Aunt Catherine was vehemently shaking her head, "no," but politely waited for Gigi to pause and take another bite, this time it was a strawberry swiped through a mound of whipped cream, before saying, "No, no Anne. You are much too sick. You must try to keep well to get your transplant."
"I will too go if I want to!" Anne ran off to her room in a huff. Anne could be rather childlike in both good ways and bad. Darcy attributed it to have never really getting to grow up and be independent since she got sick and was homeschooled (or more like home tutored by a series of teachers).
Then turning to Darcy, Catherine de Bourgh said, "Surely you won't encourage her silly ideas. Anne sometimes doesn't know what is best for her."
"Anne's a grown woman," Darcy responded. "I will encourage her to talk with her doctors about it. But then it is up to her." In remembering, he could almost taste the crepe from this morning, still slightly warm, tender, almost melting in his mouth with the burst of flavor when he chewed the strawberry which must have been imported from somewhere where it had been freshly picked in season.
Catherine narrowed her eyes suspiciously and asked, "Elizabeth Bennet . . . wasn't she the Kentucky hick that was dating Will Collins? I wonder if her parents are cousins; come to think of it, Collins was her cousin, too, and if he isn't inbred, I don't know who is. One of five daughters . . . Did her parents have no self control or are they against birth control? Are they Catholics or Mormons? Surely they're not Muslims! She's too white. That's not the sort of woman you should be associating with. Why, you can get a heiress like that Caro Bingley; she's a self respecting Episcopalian and contributes to all the right causes."
"Aunt, you will not insult my friends!"
"Yeah, Elizabeth was a friend all right." Her words dripped with sarcasm. "I saw how she was dressed the night of the charity ball. You men; only thinking about one thing! She is a gold digger for sure. She had Collins but thought she could trade up."
"She was dressed in a ball gown, just like all the other women! She showed less skin than most." Darcy was getting angrier. "She is smart and was not impressed by my money."
"Elizabeth's great." Gigi commented. "I liked her a lot. We all went out with her and her relatives and my brother finally relaxed and allowed himself to have fun."
Catherine ignored them. "She is a hussy for sure! She's probably hoping you will knock her up, then your child would be her meal ticket."
"That's it," Darcy declared angrily, "I wanted to have a pleasant visit with you and Anne but I give up. I can't stand another minute with you. I'm going to spend my Thankgiving weekend with people who are kind. Let's go pack up, Gigi, and then say goodbye to Anne."
Ignoring him, Aunt Catherine turned to his sister. "Gigi, please stay. Anne has been counting on your visit. We can go on an online shopping spree, my treat."
From the stubborn set of Gigi's mouth, Darcy knew he had his sister's support. "I don't need your money, Aunt. Elizabeth is my friend and when you insulted her, you insulted me, and my judgment, too. I will happily go; I am only sorry to be leaving Anne."
When they saw Anne, Darcy only said he'd had a fight with his aunt and couldn't stay. But Anne had surprised them by asking to go too.
"You had a fight about her?" Anne asked from the front passenger seat. "This gets better and better. This is the point in the romantic comedy when the leading man comes to understand he loves the leading lady! I must hear the whole story."
While Gigi filled Anne in, Darcy couldn't keep his mind on the story. Instead he was thinking about Elizabeth and trying to imagine Elizabeth talking with Jane in the house. Are they talking about me? Surely by now Elizabeth knows I am sorry about what I did to Charles and Jane. But all is well that ends well, isn't it?Darcy pictured sitting next to Elizabeth at the Thanksgiving table, hearing her warm laugh, having her smile when he passed her the potatoes, being lost in her coffee brown eyes.
Maybe they would play board games in the evening. If they played Ticket to Ride, he would do his best not to block her train routes. If they played Monopoly, he would sell her the property she needed at the original price; he might even sneak a deep yellow five hundred dollar bill into her money stash when she wasn't looking. But if she challenged him to cribbage or chess, he would play his best.
Darcy imagined taking Elizabeth, Gigi and Anne in the SUV to go black Friday shopping, even going Thanksgiving evening. He hated crowds, traffic, long lines, the whole thing. There was nothing he needed to buy that way; he would rather pay the full price or more to avoid that chaos. But he rather thought that Anne would find the novelity appealing and he would do anything to spend time with Elizabeth.
Darcy didn't know if Elizabeth liked Black Friday shopping, but maybe she did. He pictured holding her bags, even her red and black polka-dotted purse. He would do it for her. While he might run to the Lincoln to deposit the presents in its cavernous back, he would not hang out in the vehicle, not unless she joined him, burned out while Gigi tried this thing and that. But if Anne had enough, he would stay in the SUV with her, so Gigi and Elizabeth didn't need to miss out. It would all be worth it if Elizabeth paid him back with just one beautiful smile.
But perhaps she would be the sort of person who would stay home. The Bingleys, his sister and cousin might all go, leaving him to take a walk with Elizabeth to explore the property. Afterwards, they have a heart-to-heart in front of a roaring fire while drinking hot chocolate with plenty of marshmallows that he prepared, stirred with the candy canes he bought at their last stop. Gigi loved his cocoa and maybe Elizabeth would, too. He pictured her getting a drip of melted marshmallow on her lip and kissing that fluff away.
But then Darcy had an awful thought. What if Caro Bingley was there? She would hound him, follow him around like they were connected by an invisible cord, no longer than the shortest of dog leashes, was that four feet?
Darcy remembered an annoying white Pomeranian his aunt kept when he was a child. Any time he visited, she peed by his feet. Then she would circle around him, often nearly tripping him, yapping, yapping forever yapping at a pitch that hurt his ears. Then, too, she seemer to take a special perverse joy in depositing poop pellets by him.
But as awful as that dog was, if he comlained enough, his aunt put her up. If only Caro could be contained so easily!