Chapter 38
Lizzie was sitting in her office. It was her first day, officially, back at work since Georgiana's accident two months ago, it had been three weeks since the kidnapping, two weeks since Katie had been safely returned home, nine days since she and Jane had moved out of their crime scene apartment, and moved in with their respective partners, and a week since Katie had returned to the city to live with Jane and Charlie. But it was also a week since Darcy had left town and gone to Derbyshire for work, and Lizzie was missing him, especially since it was so soon after they'd moved in together.
It had quickly become apparent to her, that the travelling was going to be a consistent part of their relationship. That Will was often going to have to leave London to visit the other offices around the world. Thankfully, their first test of separation was only Derbyshire. But soon enough, Lizzie knew he'd have to get to New York and Sydney. She wasn't really surprised, after all, she'd worked at Darcy enterprises long enough to know that Will travelled frequently. She would just have to adapt to their new arrangement.
What was surprising her today though, was not how much she missed her boyfriend, it was not how well Lily had managed to hold the fort in her long absence, it was not even Katie's enthusiastic return to the reception desk… no, what was surprising her today, was the unexpected visit she received just after lunch.
She was on the phone with one of the guys in accounting, when unannounced, and without knocking, her office door flew open and in stormed none other than, Catherine De Bough, Darcy's aunt, who neither of them had seen since the benefit.
"Paul, I'm going to have to call you back," Lizzie said as the older woman loomed over her desk. Without waiting for his response, she placed the phone back in its cradle and stood up, levelling herself with the woman who was playing for the power position.
"Ms. De Bough, what a surprise to see you," Lizzie started, "I'm afraid Darcy isn't in the office today, you ought to have phoned,"
"I am not here to see my nephew Miss Bennett!" she interrupted, loudly "I am here to speak with you," glancing over her companions shoulder, she saw that they were gathering attention through the office door from the main room and mercifully, Lily caught her eye and quietly came over to close the door. Not that it stopped anyone from peering in through the glass panels on the walls.
"Very well, what can I do for you Ms. De Bough?" Lizzie asked, ignoring the curious onlookers.
"You can quit this nonsense I've heard about your relationship with my nephew for starters," she said, jumping straight to the point. Lizzie was shocked,
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me Miss Bennett, I've known for some time the designs you have on my nephew and his empire," she accused, literally pointing a finger at her, "You've been nothing but a nuisance to this company since the day you started, and now a report of a most alarming nature has reached me! I've been informed that you and my nephew intend to marry, and I will not stand for it! How could you possibly think yourself, a working woman, to be worthy of a Darcy?"
Lizzie wanted to argue with her, but she was simply too shocked to form the words, too shocked to construct her argument.
"My nephew needs to marry a woman who can make him look good, not some independent, middle class, ladder climbing career woman!"
"That's enough!" Lizzie finally found the words, "Ms. Be Dough, it is absolutely none of your business how I make my living, and in case you haven't noticed, this is the twenty first century, and I am more than entitled to work anywhere I want to, in any position I choose and for whomever I like! It is not a ploy to land a husband, nor do I intent to climb ladders in my career through anything other than my own merits and work ethic. I got this job before I knew your nephew, for those very reasons and I intent to keep it that way. My relationship with William is none of your business, and I will go about it in the way that I see fit, and not because of anything you, or anybody else, will say!"
"Tell me this!" The lady gasped, abhorred by Lizzie's lecturing her, "Are you engaged to my nephew?"
Lizzie halted, as much as she wanted to rub it in this woman's face and make her suffer, she couldn't pretend otherwise.
"No, I am not," she answered truthfully, and the smug look of happiness on the lady's face was almost disturbing.
"And will you promise that you will never enter into an engagement with him?" she continued. It was at this precise moment that Lizzie saw, from the corner of her eye, that her office door was once again open and none other than William Darcy himself stood in the threshold, on the verge of interrupting, until the last question had been spoken and silenced him, as he too wanted to hear Lizzie's answer.
Catherine hadn't noticed that she and Elizabeth were no longer alone, even though Lizzie was no longer making eye contact, perhaps she thought Lizzie incapable of looking at her from the shame, so she didn't discern just what she'd done by asking that question, as Lizzie answered her, her eyes staring into Will's.
"I will make no such promise," she began, "because if the day comes and William asks me to marry him, nothing will make me happier than accepting him,"
His face broke out into a smile, and Lizzie, while turning her steely gaze back at Catherine, felt like she was floating inside.
"Why, you insolent little…"
"That's quite enough Aunt Catherine," Will finally spoke, surprising the woman, who almost jumped out of her skin.
"William!" his aunt said, turning her back on Elizabeth, "I'm glad you're here, I need to have a word with you about some of the people you employ around here,"
"Oh, you can certainly believe that we will be having words," he said, standing aside and gesturing her out of the door. His aunt strode past him and off towards his own office, while Will lingered in the doorway a moment to share a smile with Lizzie before following her.
Lizzie sank back into her office chair and had to take a few moments to collect herself before she could focus her thoughts. The entire encounter had probably been less than five minutes, but Lizzie felt like she'd been on a roller coaster ride in that time. Once she was better composed she managed to stand again and cross the room to grab a bottle of water from her snack drawer in the corner. It was just as she had taken a sip and could feel herself coming back to the ground that her office door opened again. Somebody came in and closed the door behind them, and Lizzie was relieved to see, when she turned around, that it was Will.
"Hi," she said, still a little shaken, but glad to see him.
"Hey," he replied, leaning up against her desk.
"I'm glad you're back, you have impeccable timing," she joked and he let a small smile slip across his serious looking face.
"Tell me about it,"
"How much, exactly, did you hear of that?"
"Oh, somewhere from around the point of 'My relationship with William is none of your business,' which I can't help but agree with,"
"I'm sorry if this had caused a problem with you and your aunt," she said, at which he chuckled, and reached out to draw her closer to him. He softly ran his hand down the side of her face, and she turned to kiss it as he brushed the edge of her lips.
"Lizzie, my aunt has always been somewhat… overbearing, and something will always be a problem for her. In fact, you're one of the few people I've ever known to stand up to her, even before we got onto good terms. She had no right sticking her nose into your life… or mine, despite what she believes. So let me set the record straight. Even though she is my family, her opinions have no influence over me, especially pertaining to you Lizzie. You are smart, more than competent at your job, and in general just a wonderful and giving person and I love you, Catherine's strange worldview isn't going to change any of that. No matter what happens between us…"
Lizzie smiled at him,
"What about… you know…?" she couldn't finish her sentence, nervous to bring it up.
"Ah… yes, the marriage thing"
"Yes, the marriage thing," she blushed,
"Did you mean it? Do you really want to marry me?" He asked, staring into her eyes like he had before.
"One day," she answered with a little nervous shrug.
"Then that's all I need to know," he answered, giving her a light kiss on the lips. It was breaking their former agreement about keeping their personal life out of the office, but after Catherine's interference, that idea was pretty much shot to the wind, at least for today.
"Back to work then?" He asked, after they'd spent a few moments in each other's silence.
"Right away Mr. Darcy," she said, pulling out of his embrace and rounding the desk.
"Excellent, I'll see you at home tonight then," he went to the door and went to open it before pausing.
"I love you, Lizzie," he said, door handle half twisted.
"I love you too, Will" she smiled, phone half way to her ear. Then, with a smile, he left her office and went back to his own.