Author Note: Sorry for the year long hiatus. Medical school is tough. I thought I could manage studying with writing, but classes are all-consuming. My school has moved to completely online, and a lot of things have been cancelled freeing up my schedule to write. With nothing to do but quarantine, I've been able to start editing this story and finally write another chapter. This chapter is short, but I wanted to get something out there. I made a lot of edits to the story as well. I changed Nia's name to Lizzy and Michael's name back to William Darcy. It just made more sense to me. I also made some edits to the first and second chapter.

This is still a work in progress, so I'll be making edits as I write. I didn't realize how long this story had gotten, and continuity is starting to become an issue. I am determined to finish this book before I graduate in three years. Thank you to all my followers and everyone who has stuck with this story. I truly appreciate you all.

I also started up my blog again. I've moved it to weebly (link in my profile). I'll have excerpts from future chapters of this story and excerpts from some other pieces I'm working on as well as blog posts. I'll have a lot more free time these next three months, and I want to spend this time writing as much as possible.

I hope everyone is doing well during this pandemic. Even though things are bleak right now, we will get through this together. Hope this story brings some joy during these dark days.

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Chapter 10: Lizzy

"So… what did you say?" I watch Janet from our bed as she brushes her hair. I have been hiding out away from mother ever since I got home. Janet covered for me and brought my dinner up earlier. I've been pretending to sleep every time Momma walks past the door.

"I didn't know what to say. And I told him just as much. I needed time to think," Janet puts down the hairbrush and sits down on the edge of the bed. "This isn't a simple decision like which hair bow to buy. This is a career shift. It will require time and dedication. It's alluring, especially since Mary gets a part too, but it seems so rushed and undeserved. I'm not an actress."

I scoot over and lift myself up so that I can braid Janet's hair. "Well if you got hired for a major movie after one accidental screen reading, you must be good at it." I pause to put a hair tie at the bottom of the braid. "Plus, you'll get to spend more time with Charles."

Janet flushes and looks away as she tries to conceal the smile playing out on her lips. "He likes to go by Charlie."

"Of course, he does," I say suggestively as I wiggle my eyebrows.

"Stop it Lizzy. He's just being nice."

I roll my eyes astonished by Janet's lack of awareness. "Being nice would be holding a door open. This man offered you a part in his major motion picture and asked you out to dinner on Friday, if that's not dating, I don't know what is."

"We're going to be practicing lines while eating food. That's not a date."
"Janet, your denial is astonishing."

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I fling myself under the covers and curl up just as the door to our room slides open.

"Is Lizzy still sleeping? I thought I heard her voice."
"Yes, Momma, she's still asleep."

"Hmmph." I hear footsteps coming closer to the bed. "Who helped you with this braid? It looks really neat."

"Oh thank you. I did it myself. I'm surprised I got it to look so nice without help." A few beats pass. "Anything you need Momma?"

"No Janet, dear. If Lizzy wakes up, let her know I want to speak to her."

"Of course, Momma. Goodnight!"
"Goodnight."

The door shuts, but I wait until Janet whispers, "The coast is clear," before I turn over to look at her.

"You can't avoid her forever, Lizzy dear."

"Yeah, but I can avoid her for tonight."

Janet shakes her head but decides to leave the topic alone. "So tell me about this new job."

I sit up again. "It was so crazy, Janet. I'm working the store as usual when this uppity fellow waltzes in like he owns the place. You won't believe who it is. It's that jerk from the club! The one who was super rude and called us whores."

"Oh, my goodness. I met him today." Janet's eyes grow wide. "I forgot that he was at the club with us that night." Janet pauses and looks over my shoulder out the window. "I don't think he likes me very much."

"Ugh. I don't think he likes anything very much. Besides himself," I amend. "He kept going on and on about how he's so well-known and his company is so important. I can't believe Charlie is friends with him. You said Charlie is nice?"

"He is," Janet enthuses. "He is really sweet and charming. I asked him about Darcy. I think his name is William, but everyone calls him Darcy. And he told me that Darcy is a sweetheart, just rough around the edge. I don't know yet Lizzy. Maybe we just have to get to know him." A huge grin breaks out across Janet's face as she continues, "And now you'll have plenty of opportunity to get to know him."

My mouth turns down in disgust. "This is just a job to me. Nothing more. I don't want to get to know him. I want to do a good job and make enough money to pay for my course. Besides, I know everything I need to know about that pompous jerk."

Janet doesn't say anything more, but I can still see the smirk on her lips as she gets up to turn off the lights before crawling under the covers next to me. As much as I love my sister, she's too much of an optimist. Always seeing the best in people. I trust my gut feeling, and my gut is telling me that William Darcy is an entitled jerk that cannot be trusted.

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"So, Elizabeth," my mother begins with a sly look on her face. "Why haven't you invited your beau to family dinner yet? I'm sure everybody would love to meet this fellow."

My father puts down his paper and glances up at me intrigued. He doesn't say anything, but his eyes convey a sense of hurt.

I let out a heavy sigh as I continue to push my eggs around my plate. I tried to skip breakfast by claiming a continuation of my illness from last night, but Momma insisted on my eating something before I wasted away of hunger. She threatened to drag me down herself, and Momma doesn't make idle threats.

"He's not my beau," I finally reply. "May I go now? I'm still not feeling well."

"Nonsense! You cannot leave until you eat at least half your plate. Now if he isn't your beau why were you holding his arm in such a strong embrace?"

Lianna looks at me with wide, excited eyes. "Nia? A suitor? I thought I'd never see the day! Is it someone we know?"

"No!" Mother declares giddily. She is practically leaping out of her chair with enthusiasm. "It was a white man. Lizzy's gone and got herself engaged to a white man."

I choke on my orange juice as Papa's cup slams forcefully down on the table.

"What?" We both exclaim. I look to Papa trying to show him that I am just as shocked and confused as he is.

"I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes."

"No! No! No! You didn't see anything. That was the first time I had ever met that man. He was offering me a job."

"What," Lianna laughs, "as his prostitute?"

"No!" I shout agitated. My fist furls tightly around my fork and knife. "A legitimate job that pays way more than anything I could have found around here. So please don't mess this up for me by snooping around and trying to create drama like you always do." I point my words directly at Momma and Lianna.

Papa, who seems to have calmed down, asks, "How much does the job pay?"

"Eight dollars an hour and I'll be working about five hours a week."

Momma's hand fly to her heart and her eyes flutter as if she is about to faint. "Eight dollars! No way on God's green earth will a man pay a woman eight dollars for any moral, upstanding work. I know money is tight, but no daughter of mine will be pimped out. What if the neighbors find out? It would ruin any chances you girls have of making reputable matches."

"Who cares what the neighbors think? Prostitution is dangerous and potentially deadly." Amanda holds up her hands, "Now, I'm all for free expression, but –"

"Everybody, I'm not working as a prostitute! I'm working as a tour guide." There Momma goes again. Making drama where there is none. One minute he's my fiancé the next I'm his prostitute. Good grief.

"Heavens me! He has you scouting for other girls." Momma shakes her head in disappointment, "I should've known it was too good to be true. I could see Janet pulling a man like that, but you, not in a million years." Momma begins rapidly fanning herself as she dramatically continues. "Lizzy, darling, how can you be so naive and stupid! Men like that don't marry girls like you. He's way too rich and way too handsome to seriously consider making an honest woman out of you. You gotta be careful dealing with these white men. They'll use you and ruin you. They are not to be trusted. They'll get you pregnant and claim the baby isn't there's. You can't trap them."

I push away from the table and forcefully stand up. "Oh my God! He's not a pimp. I'm not a prostitute. There's absolutely nothing romantic going on between us. He hired me as a tour guide for the documentary he's filming. He wants help with his film. And before you throw out another wild accusation, no, it's not an illicit documentary. It's just a documentary about our town history. Also, no I will not invite him over for dinner or breakfast or any meal because this is strictly a business partnership where I provide a legal service and he pays me so that I can finally sign up for the creative writing program that I've been wanting to go to for the past two years. God, why do you all have to be so overly dramatic all of the time!" Once I am done my speech, I clear my place at the table, grab my coat and bag, and fly out the door in a haze of fury. Leaving behind an affronted mother and youngest sister, two bewildered sisters, and an amused father.