Okay so here is my next chapter...i love the reviews and i plan on making some changes to keep the readers happy...for example, jane and charlie will kinda have their thing but i won't make it that big a deal and don't worry, Darcy will have his jealousy issues and no not with Wickham but with someone else. I think i might have mentioned a name in the beginning but that's all I'm saying, no more spoilers!
If you like my story, you have my betas to thank as well, LADYAMADAUN and MAB35 for their help and awesome advice!
Chapter 10
Jane stood in front the full-length mirror in her room surveying her reflection. She wore a sleeveless gold shimmery, low cut V-neck dress that ended right above her knee. Her long blond hair hung loose in soft curls and her makeup was light and tasteful as usual. Strappy muted gold sandals and a purple clutch completed her outfit for the night. Today was the day of Charlie's party and she wanted to wow him and get on his sister's good side. Her bedroom door opened and Lizzy walked in.
"Ready?" She asked with a grin.
"I think so. What? Why are you smiling like that?" Jane asked her.
"Jane, you're gonna knock his socks off. Charlie isn't going to know what hit him!"
Jane blushed at her friend's compliments. "And what about you? You look gorgeous. Dressing up for anyone in particular?" She raised an eyebrow. Lizzy was wearing a strapless jersey dress with a gray V-neck top and a black sash that accentuated her narrow waist and ruched navy blue skirt that went to her mid-thigh. Her hair was done up in a low bun and she wore a flowers and chain necklace that hung around her neck in a cluster and a chunky bracelet. On her feet, she wore peep toe black pumps and carried a silver clutch and a gray pea coat. Her smoky eye shadow brought attention to her beautiful eyes and she wore a light color lip-gloss.
"Oh yeah, I plan on getting up close and personal with the bartender tonight." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly at her friend. "Bundle up, its cold outside." She raised her arm to show Jane the jacket she carried. Jane grabbed her pale gold trench coat on her way out of her room and followed Lizzy down the stairs. "Is it always this cold in November?" She asked.
Lizzy shrugged, "How would I know, I haven't been here in 8 years. But from what I remember, it gets worse in December. Lots of snow!" She put her clutch down on a side table and put her jacket on, making sure to button it. Jane grabbed her friend's hand, "Lizzy I'm nervous." She whispered.
Lizzy smiled at her reassuringly, "Relax. Caroline would have to be an idiot not to like you. And even if she doesn't, who cares? Charlie is crazy about you. That's what counts."
"You really think he's crazy about me?" She asked quietly. Lizzy raised her eyebrows, "Honey anyone with eyes can see how nuts he is about you. Now, let's go, we're late enough already." Together the women walked out of the house and into the car that was awaiting them.
Charlie's penthouse apartment was bursting at the seams. There were people everywhere, standing around with drinks in their hands. Lizzy whistled softly.
"Charlie has a lot of friends." Jane commented, looking around.
"I dunno. I mean as friendly as he is, somehow I doubt these are all Charlie's guests." Lizzy scanned the crowd, "Maybe these are his sister's friends."
They walked into the room, going around the clusters of guests, until they ran into Charlie. He beamed when he saw them, "Hey you're here!" He put his arm around Jane's waist giving her a quick kiss.
"Nice turn out Charlie" Lizzy smiled at him. He grinned sheepishly.
"Oh, most of these are Caroline's guests. I'd introduce you guys but, well to be honest, I don't know many of them. Do you?" He asked Lizzy.
"Umm, I recognize some faces yeah but I'm not particularly close to any of them."
Charlie shrugged, "Oh well, Come on." He grabbed Jane's hand and motioned for Lizzy to follow.
"Where are we going?" Lizzy asked as she trailed behind them, navigating between the other guests.
"I want to introduce you to my sister." He turned abruptly to face Lizzy, "Oh and I apologize in advance." He smiled weakly at her.
Lizzy frowned, "Apologize for what? I don't understand."
"You will" He answered her cryptically. Lizzy and Jane looked at each other in confusion before continuing on. They saw Charlie approach a tall, thin young woman with straight brown hair and green eyes. She would have been pretty if she had a nicer expression on her face and perhaps a different outfit. Caroline tended to dress for fashion more than anything else. As long as it was haute couture, it was enough. She didn't stop to see if the dress suited her complexion or her body which it didn't. She wore a bright orange silk dress with a plunging neckline that went down almost to her naval and fitted long sleeves. The dress trailed slightly behind her and there seemed to be excess material folded over her left shoulder. She frowned at Charlie when she saw him walk up.
"Charles, where have you been hiding? You're the host. You're supposed to be greeting people," She hissed at him.
"I was. Jane, this is Caroline. Caroline, this is my girlfriend Jane LaFountaine." Caroline shifted her eyes towards the blonde woman, narrowing as she saw her holding Charlie's hand.
"LaFountaine? As in LaFountaine Aviation from Paris?" She asked eagerly. Jane smiled at her.
"No, same last name but we aren't part of that family."
Caroline's smile faded and she looked Jane up and down slowly.
"Ahh…that's too bad. So tell me Jane, what is it that you do?"
"I'm a model." Jane was still smiling.
"Oh. Any big clients? Chanel? Louis Vuitton?"
"Just Victoria Secret for now. I just started. With any luck, I'll get more clients soon." Jane turned to smile at Charlie who had squeezed her hand kissed her on the cheek. Caroline didn't seem impressed.
"You're a lingerie model. How…nice" She gave Jane a tight smile and Charlie decided to jump in.
"Oh, I'm sorry, and this is my friend Lizzy." He turned to introduce Lizzy who had managed to stay out of Caroline's sight while observing the conversation. Caroline's eyes lit up as she recognized the heiress in front of her.
"Oh! Elizabeth Bennet! It is such a pleasure to finally meet you!" She beamed at her. "I heard through the grapevine that you were back in New York and have been dying for an introduction, but Charlie here seemed to think you were too busy at the time." She looked reproachfully at her brother who rolled his eyes. Lizzy didn't know whether to be angry and Caroline's dismissal of Jane or amused at her fawning over herself.
"Nice to meet you too, Caroline. That's a very…interesting dress." She looked Caroline up and down.
"Oh, it is beautiful" She ran her hands up and down the sides of her dress. "It's a Stephanie Rolland original from Paris."
Lizzy was at a loss for words but luckily Jane saved her.
"It's a wonderful dress Caroline. You look great." She said politely. Caroline barely glanced at her before turning back to Lizzy.
"You missed fashion week. We were so sure you were coming, we saved you a seat in the front row." She gushed.
"Umm… yeah I was busy settling in at the time." She answered with a weak smile. Caroline looked perplexed.
"Why didn't you just leave that to your maids?"
Before Lizzy could answer, Charlie interrupted her.
"I thought you couldn't get into the front row Caro. Weren't you somewhere in the middle?"
Caroline turned to glare at her brother while Lizzy fought to hide her smile. However, even this failed to deter Caroline or even dampen her enthusiasm.
"So you must be thrilled to be back and take your place in society. You know, there are some excellent parties I can take you to, so you can meet up with everyone."
"Well actually-" Lizzy broke off when she saw Richard making his way towards her. She sighed inwardly in relief before calling out, "Richie! You're finally here!"
He grinned at her, "Yep I'm here, now you can start having fun," he swung his arm around Lizzy's neck and pulled her close to him and kissed the top of her head. Lizzy smiled at him,
"What took you so long? Are you trying to take fashionably late to another level?" She pulled away a bit to be able to look up at him.
"I had a hard time finding the right shirt. Couldn't decide which one brought out my eyes more." He explained seriously. Charlie rolled his eyes as Jane and Lizzy laughed aloud. Caroline smiled absently. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she flashed a big toothy smile at someone behind Richard.
"William, darling!" Caroline rushed over to give him a lingering kiss on the cheek. Darcy managed to keep the grimace off his face, but only just. He struggled to keep from looking at Lizzy. He didn't want to give Richard anymore ammunition to use against him and from what he had seen of Lizzy when he was making his way to the group, he knew he would have a hard time to keep from staring at her. It seemed that every time he saw her, she was even more beautiful. He exercised every bit of his iron will to keep his eyes trained on anything else until he felt in control of his reaction or himself. Caroline wound her arm around his before turning back to the rest of the group. "Elizabeth, you must meet William, he's a dear friend of mine-".
Her brother cut her off, "Caro, Lizzy grew up with Will. They've known each other for years." Caroline's smile faded a little.
"Oh, I thought seeing as how you lived in Paris…"
"Lizzy moved when she was 13. By that time Will and I were already permanent fixtures in her life." Richard explained with a secretive smile on his face. Caroline nodded her head a little absently.
"Oh, I see. Well, never mind than. How have you been William? I feel as if it's been ages since I've seen you. You really need to work less." Caroline clung to Darcy's arm and looked up at him with wide eyes and what she thought was an adorable pout. Darcy repressed a sigh and answered her with the usual stern expression he kept for use while in public.
"I'm fine Caroline. Busy as usual." He turned towards Jane, "Nice to see you again, Jane. You look lovely as always." Jane blushed and smiled at him.
"Thank you Will, you're looking very handsome yourself." Darcy steeled himself and was about to turn to Lizzy when he heard his friend's voice.
"What about me, Will? Don't I look lovely too?" Charlie grinned at him. Darcy rolled his eyes as Lizzy and Richard laughed together.
"Charlie is there something you're not telling us?" Lizzy teased him.
"Yeah are you just using Jane as your beard while you secretly yearn for Will?" Richard joined in. They all chuckled together until Caroline interrupted with a tight smile on her face,
"Don't be silly, Richard, Everyone knows William is straight and Jane and Charles are just friends. She would hardly be his beard, even if he needed one." Jane's face turned red her smile faded into an embarrassed expression. Lizzy frowned and was about to speak up when Charlie beat her to it,
"Jane is my girlfriend Caroline. We've been dating for over 2 months now." His expression was fierce as he stared at his sister. Noticing the frown on both Charlie and Lizzy's face Richard decided to interfere.
"You'd have to be living under a rock to not know about their relationship, Caroline. Charlie's been gaga over Jane since Lizzy introduced them. Poor thing couldn't shake him even if she wanted to. Jane, you've got him wrapped around your finger. If I were you, I'd start having fun with that. Ask him for a car." He winked at the blonde woman. Jane smiled gratefully at Richard before answering.
"All I need from Charlie is for him to be himself." Charlie finally tore his attention away from Caroline and gave Jane a kiss on the cheek. She turned to look at him with shining eyes.
"Yeah, okay, get a room." Richard made a face at the couple. Lizzy laughed aloud and Caroline frowned.
"William darling, could you get me a drink please." She spoke up, trying to get the attention away from her sappy brother and his nonentity of a girlfriend. Darcy had stood silently through the entire exchange, just taking it all in. He didn't like how Caroline belittled her brother all the time. Darcy didn't think Charlie and Jane's relationship was that serious but it was none of Caroline's business either way. Lost in his own thoughts, he almost missed Caroline's request. Almost, but not quite. Luckily Charlie saved him.
"I'll get you your drink Caroline." His sister frowned at him.
"Nonsense Charles, I'm sure William won't mind." She smiled up at Darcy. Charlie sighed,
"Caroline, he's not your date and besides, I'm heading over there anyways." Charlie walked off with Jane. Caroline stared after them angrily before turning back to the others with a smile once again plastered to her face.
"So Elizabeth. We should do lunch sometime soon." She looked expectantly at Lizzy. Unable to formulate a quick but polite rejection, Lizzy hesitated when Darcy stepped in.
"Caroline, I believe there are some guests waiting for your attention. As hostess, shouldn't you be mingling a little more?"
Caroline looked away from Lizzy and around the room, "Oh how careless of me. Thank you William for pointing that out. I'll catch up with you all later tonight." She walked away to greet a group of women dressed in a similar fashion to her. She understood Darcy's hint loud and clear. He expected her to know how to be the perfect hostess for their future together and she would not disappoint him.
Darcy turned to Lizzy,
"You owe me one."
Lizzy frowned at him, "And why do you think that I needed saving?" Darcy raised an eyebrow at her.
"Oh, in that case I'll just go tell Caroline that you're free for lunch tomorrow." He turned to walk away but Lizzy reached out and grabbed him by the forearm with both hands.
"No! Okay fine, I owe you one. Just…don't say anything to her." Darcy grinned at Lizzy.
"Nice to see some things haven't changed." Lizzy looked at him with a confused expression.
"What do you mean?"
"You always had a knack for picking out the phony ones right off the bat." He reminded her. Richard laughed, "Tell me about it, it's like some kind of radar, like dogs and those special whistles."
Lizzy made a face at him, "Are you calling me a dog?" she asked with a hint of venom in her voice. Richard pretended not to notice. "No, not a dog…more like a cute puppy." Lizzy glared as Darcy chuckled.
"And on that note, I'm going to the ladies room."
"Do you want me to come along?" Richard asked innocently.
"What? Why would I want that?" Lizzy asked. Richard shrugged,
"I don't know, don't women always need company when they go?" Darcy shook his head with a wry smile as Lizzy glowered at his cousin.
"I'll be back in a few minutes. Try to stay out of trouble Rich" And she walked off, leaving the two men behind staring after her.
"Get your mind out of the gutter." Richard spoke up after Lizzy disappeared from view. Darcy turned to his cousin with a puzzled expression on his face.
"What?"
"Oh come on, you know exactly what I'm talking about."
"No actually I don't, my mind was nowhere near the gutter. In fact, the gutter isn't even a blip on my mind." Darcy protested.
"Dude, your mind is the gutter." Richard countered.
"Uhh, that's you man." Darcy reminded him. Richard paused for a second, "Yeah that's true. Okay so how long are you planning on staying tonight?"
Darcy shrugged, "I don't know, a while." Richard stared at his cousin in disbelief. "You mean you're not going to try and make a run for it now that Charlie is busy? Wow, Lizzy sure did a number on you! What, are you scared she's going to fall for one of Caroline's pretty boy friends?"
Darcy glared at his friend and opened his mouth to retort but before he could say anything, he heard someone cry out behind him.
"William Darcy? Is that you?" Darcy and Richard both turned to see who was speaking. Behind them stood five women, all dressed very loudly and looking very much like Caroline. They were her closest friends and they each seemed to be out to get Darcy. Richard grinned and stepped away a little, making room for anyone else to stand next to his cousin.
"Don't you dare leave me with them!" Darcy hissed quietly so that only Richard could hear him. The girls rushed forward, each trying to claim a spot right beside the eligible bachelor.
"What was that Will?" Richard scanned the room, "Oh look, there's someone I have to check in with. Talk to you later!" And he rushed off after grinning at his cousin one last time, saying a silent prayer of thanks that he had Jessi in his life. Darcy glared after him as the women chattered all around him and vied for his attention. He sighed to himself. This was going to be yet another long night.