Lizzie and William returned to San Francisco, very relaxed after their vacation and extremely happy because of their engagement.
William was dying to tell the world that he was marrying the love of his life, so he and Lizzie used their last free hours to call their families about their engagement.
First of all, they called New York. Luckily for them, Lydia was with Jane and Bing, waiting for her next audition for the musical.
The three of them first asked them about their trip, and when Lizzie proceeded to show her ring, Jane and Lydia yelled with happiness. The sisters wanted to know all the details of the proposal and bombarded the couple with questions.
Bing congratulated his best friend and offered to give him some tips on married life. Jane wished them the best and promised Lizzie that she would help her with the dresses and other wedding related things.
On her part, Lydia thanked William for loving her sister and making her so happy. She had seen how broken Lizzie had been after George, and was very grateful to William for helping her sister.
William deeply appreciated their words, it was good to know that everyone in Lizzie's family liked him, and supported their relationship.
Lizzie and William finally said good-bye and wished Lydia good luck on her upcoming audition.
Then, it was time to call Gigi. Her response to the news was very similar to Lizzie's sisters. She was overly excited for them and actually did some flailing. She asked to see the ring and was very touched when she learnt that Lizzie's father had given it to her brother.
In the middle of their conversation, Lizzie received a call from Charlotte. She was next on the list, so Lizzie excused herself and left her fiancéto talk with her sister.
"William, I am so glad you finally proposed to Lizzie. Fitz and I were ready to start a bet,"Gigi said.
"You were not," William replied, thinking that she was teasing.
"Well, now you'll ever know because you finally did it,"Gigi continued, "I also can't believe that you did not plan your proposal. That is so not you, big brother."
William laughed before answering.
"I seriously don't know. I think I was just waiting for the right moment; and that moment was when we were sitting together on that bench."
"I understand,"Gigi said, "It might be too late but you know you could have asked for mom's ring."
"Yes, I know, Gigi. But the ring is yours, and I would not take it from you," William responded, "However, there is something that I want to give Lizzie and I need your permission first."
"Okay,"Gigi said and listened to his petition. When he finished, she was more than happy to accept.
"Thank you, Gigi."
"You're welcome, big brother. Hey, what do you think of having an engagement party?," she said.
"Oh... Gigi. I don't know. I don't think we need a party…"
"Just think about it, okay? And ask Lizzie since it would be her party too,"Georgiana asked.
"I will,"William responded, "As soon as she finishes talking with Charlotte. I can still hear her laughing in the garden."
He supposed that the best friends needed to talk about a lot of things, including Charlotte's wedding.
"Great. I am coming over next weekend, so we can talk about the party…and other things,"Gigi added.
"Other things?,"William asked with curiosity.
"Well, I want to talk to you about Sidney."
"Is everything all right?,"he asked.
"Yes, William. I want you to meet him, that's all."
"Very well,"he sighed, "See you Saturday then, little sister."
Gigi chuckled and said good-bye, not before congratulating him again.
Since Lizzie was taking long in her phone call, William decided to call Fitz. His best friend also mentioned the bet he was planning with Gigi and was happy to accept being William's best man.
"Sorry that took so long,"Lizzie apologized when she returned to the library, "so much to talk about."
"That's okay. Gigi said good-bye, and Fitz said congratulations,"William said.
"Oh, I did not want to miss them but I am sure Fitz will stop by my office and offer his comments,"she replied.
"How is Charlotte?,"William asked.
"Oh, she is thrilled for us,"Lizzie said, "I think she actually forgot about her wedding for two minutes. But just for two minutes. Her wedding is just a month away, so you can imagine how she's feeling."
During the time that William had been away travelling, Charlotte and Lizzie had planned the former's wedding. Charlotte and Ian were going to get married in LA on the first week of August and since Lizzie was the maid of honor, she had been involved in the planning.
"That's exciting. I guess that we will be us, at some point,"William said and Lizzie laughed, imagining quickly their future.
"Anyway, I was about to call Kate, and my aunt,"William added.
"All right, let's do it,"Lizzie replied and she joined him on the couch.
The next day, at Pemberley, Lizzie's ring did not go unnoticed, and a lot of people stopped her to look at it, in particular, Elaine and Ann. As suspected, Fitz went to her office to congratulate her in person.
Kate had been elated to hear about William and Lizzie's engagement so she had organized a dinner for them and invited Fitz and Brandon as well.
The night of the dinner, Lizzie was sitting on her vanity, putting the last pins on her hair when William stepped behind her. He caressed her shoulders and deposited a soft kiss on her cheek; and she immediately smiled.
"You look beautiful,"he said.
"Thank you,"she replied, blushing. It did not matter how many times he said that to her before, she always reacted like that.
From his pocket, William took a velvet bag and gave it to Lizzie.
"What is this?,"she asked, puzzled.
"Something that I want you to have,"he answered.
Lizzie opened the bag and a small silver locket fell with engraved flowers on her hand.
"I love it, William, it's gorgeous."
"It belonged to my mother,"he said.
"Oh…", Lizzie sighed, "I…I don't know what to say. Are you sure?"
"Yes, Lizzie, I'm sure"he replied, "My mom would have loved you, I know it. And she would have been very pleased if she knew you have this."
Lizzie looked once again at the locket, thinking about its previous owner who she would never meet.
"My dad gave it to my mom when I was born, and she always wore it,"William explained, "she had a picture of Gigi and myself in it."
Lizzie opened it and looked at the picture that was inside and smiled. With the Grand Canyon as background, William was standing behind her, with his arms around her waist. Both of them had the greatest smiles on their faces.
"I chose that picture, I hope you like it,"William finished.
"It's perfect, William. Thank you very much,"Lizzie replied and pulled her fiancéfor a kiss.
When they finally separated, Lizzie had to fix her hair again before they left for Kate's house.
Dinner with Kate had been very fun and delicious. Obviously, Gigi had told Kate about the party she wanted to throw for their engagement, and Kate wanted to participate as well. Lizzie had already agreed to it, and asked Kate if she could make a red velvet cake for them.
That weekend, as promised, Gigi came to San Francisco, and the first thing she did was to discuss the party plans with Lizzie and William. She was so enthusiastic that William felt like he could not deny her anything.
Brandon and Fitz arrived shortly after Gigi, and Fitz started questioning her about Sidney.
"Hey, GGD, your brother tells me that we are finally meeting the famous Sidney Parker."
"William! You can't keep a secret!,"Gigi exclaimed.
"You did not tell me it was a secret. And you tell Fitz everything,"William teased.
"So, Gigi, how did you meet him again?,"Fitz asked.
"Fitz, William, don't be mean,"Lizzie said.
"It's okay, Lizzie, I don't mind,"Gigi responded. She knew that both of them were still very protective of her, and that Fitz had not forgiven her for not telling him sooner about Sidney.
As she had told them before, she had met Sidney because of his relationship with Sanditon's mayor, Tom Parker. Sidney sometimes served as Tom's representative during the meetings with the members of the project and that was how the two of them had met.
After some weeks of working together, Sidney had asked her out. Gigi was not longer afraid because of her past and accepted his invitation. As time went by, he gained her trust and she told him about George and he respected her desire to take things slowly.
"And what exactly does he do?,"William asked.
"He has a degree in Economics, and has done some consulting for different companies. But Tom Parker needed an assistant and he asked Sidney to help him out,"Gigi continued.
"What does he think to do after that?,"Fitz asked then.
"For now, he is helping some small businesses in the Sanditon area, at the same time he's working for Tom. But he is applying for different jobs in LA and San Francisco."
When he heard that, William frowned with suspicion.
"Relax, big brother, he was already doing that before we started dating,"Gigi said.
"And does he treat you the way you deserve?", William asked.
"Of course, William. If he weren't, I wouldn't be with him. But you can judge it by yourself soon," Gigi responded.
"When is he coming here?,"he asked.
"Next weekend, if that's okay with you."
"That is okay, we can definitely make time to meet him,"William responded.
"Thank you, William,"his sister said smiling. William hugged her and kissed her on the temple.
"Brandon and I will happy to meet him as well," Fitz added.
"I know you will, and you know you will like him,"Gigi commented.
William could tell how important it was for Georgiana that he would meet her boyfriend. He liked that now she did not feel like she needed to hide her relationship from him.
"Are you guys done terrorizing Gigi?," Brandon asked as he returned from the kitchen.
"I hope so," Gigi answered.
"Yeah, no more interrogatory for today," Fitz said and putting an arm around Gigi's shoulder, he led the way to the kitchen to eat lunch, and enjoy their rest of the weekend.
"William, would you stop pacing?,"Lizzie sighed, "you are making me dizzy."
He smiled for a second, for the hidden meaning of her words, but he continued to walk around his office. Gigi was fifteen minutes late. He wanted to call her, but Lizzie had convinced him to wait.
That was the day William was going to meet Sidney.
"You are not the one who's supposed to be nervous,"Lizzie said and walked to his side.
"I know, but she is my baby sister and…maybe they had issues on the road."
"William, stop obsessing. It's an order,"Lizzie said firmly and dragged him to the couch to sit with her.
They had barely sat down when there was a knock on the door. William immediately stood up and opened the door.
"Hi, William!,"Gigi said and hugged her brother.
"Georgiana,"he replied.
"I'm sorry we are late, but we hit some traffic entering the city,"his sister apologized.
"It's okay,"he said, and decided to ignore the roll in Lizzie's eyes.
"Hi Lizzie,"Gigi greeted.
"Hello Gigi. Your brother was very impatient to see you and Sidney."
"Oh, I can imagine…He should be here in a second. Fitz intercepted us, so...,"Gigi said and turned to the door.
"William, promise me that you are going to be nice,"she added when she heard voices outside.
"I'm always nice,"he defended himself.
"Of course you are," she said and a big smile appeared on her face when Sidney entered the office followed by Fitz.
With olive skin, dark eyes and dark hair, Lizzie saw that they made a nice couple.
"Sidney, this is my brother. William, this is Sidney Parker," Gigi said.
"Very nice to meet you," Sidney said and shook William's hand.
"Hello, Sidney. I'm glad we finally met. This is my fiancéLizzie."
"Of course, Gigi has talked about the two of you a lot," Sidney replied and smiled at Lizzie.
"Nice to meet you too," she answered.
"Are we all ready for lunch?," Fitz finally spoke.
"Yes, let's go," Gigi said and led the way with Lizzie.
"Are you sure you want to leave Sidney with the 'wolves'?, Lizzie asked, looking behind her shoulder.
"Not really, but it was his idea. I guess he wants to be done with the all questioning."
Lizzie smiled, and stole some glances at the three men behind her. William was obviously asking questions but Sidney looked very confident.
They had a fun and also very informative lunch at Gigi's favorite restaurant. William and company learnt about Sidney's family and background. It also became obvious to Lizzie that Sidney was really into Gigi and that she felt the same way about him.
He was very smart and funny; and he was also interested in Pemberley and in getting to know Georgiana's family.
After lunch, Gigi and Sidney left as she was going to show him the city and they made plans to all have dinner with James and Kate the next day.
William wanted to talk with Lizzie about Gigi, however, they did not have time until they returned home that night.
Gigi and Sidney were not back yet, so William took the opportunity to talk with his fiancé. He knew his sister was a grown woman, but sometimes it was hard to accept that, especially when there was a man in her life, again. He had liked what he had seen of Sidney and was really happy for his sister, but he still did not know how to behave.
Trying to help, Lizzie shared her experiences with Jane and Lydia, and all the funny stories she had of when Lydia has started going out with boys. She had been protective as well of her little sister and understood how he was feeling. She was successful in distracting him as he started laughing.
At some point, Lizzie looked down at her ring, and started thinking again of their wedding and engagement wedding.
She and William had agreed with Gigi to have the party a couple of days after Charlotte's wedding.
Since the people that they wanted to invite to the party were also attending the wedding, it made sense to have it around the same time. Charlotte was also on board with the idea, and since she and Ian were not going on their honeymoon until a week after their ceremony, she did not mind having another party. After her own, of course.
"William, there are some things that I want to discuss with you about our wedding," Lizzie suddenly said.
"Of course,"William said and sat straight on the bed.
"Mmm... I guess the first thing we should talk about is when. Do you have a date in mind?," she asked.
"Lizzie, I could have married you yesterday," William stated.
"Me too, except...," she started.
"You want all your family present," William finished for her.
"Yes, and yours too. I don't want a big wedding, but I want everyone we care and love at our wedding."
"I totally agree," William replied, "So I gather you have thought about a possible date…"
"Yes, I have but it will depend on the venue. And on you, as well,"Lizzie said.
William gave her a look, telling her to go on.
"I was thinking of Lake Tahoe."
"Really?,"he asked excited.
"Yes, I love that place, and you love it too. It's beautiful and it's special for us," Lizzie continued but could already read the answer in his eyes.
"It's perfect," William replied.
Lizzie beamed, happy that he liked her idea, and could not resist kissing him.
"And the date?," he asked when they pulled apart.
"Oh yeah! Sorry,"she breathed, "you know I don't like the cold. So, sometime on April?," Lizzie replied.
"April…,"William repeated and looked away, thinking.
"What about the beginning of March? We can have the wedding between our birthdays, and it won't be that cold,"he said.
Lizzie laughed as it was obvious that he could not wait to marry her.
"That is a great idea,"she said, excited, "Lake Tahoe on March."
"We have a date,"he stated.
"We have a date,"she repeated and leaned to kiss him.
But before things escalated between the two of them, there was one more thing that Lizzie needed to discuss with her fiancé.
"William…,"she mumbled and he stopped.
"Yes?"
Lizzie moved away from him and took a deep breath.
"You have always said that I can tell you everything, but I'm not quite sure how are you going to take this,"she said.
"Try me,"he replied and looked at her with all his attention.
"I don't want to hurt you, but I don't want to change my name,"she said in just one breath.
William stayed silent for a second, before he spoke.
"I understand, Lizzie."
"You do?," she asked.
"Yes, I do. You have made a name for yourself and it carries a reputation,"William said, "If you don't change your name, that does not mean that you love me less."
Lizzie sighed, relieved that he had accepted her decision.
"Thank you for understanding, William. I took that decision a while ago…long before you came along, and I…"
"You don't have to explain more, love. I understand you completely,"William stated, "I love you because of who you are, not because of your name."
"And I love you too,"Lizzie replied, "with that mouthful name of yours, William Fitzwilliam Darcy."
"Oh…I am a mouthful, all right,"William teased and made Lizzie laugh.
"Is there something else you want to discuss?,"he asked.
"No…for now. I think we can move on,"she said quietly, setting herself on his lap.
William smiled and kissed her.
They were quite busy with each other when they heard noises in the house and they stopped.
"It must be Gigi," William murmured, "and Sidney."
"Oh…was I loud?,"she asked.
"Love,"William said, looking directly at her eyes, "you always are."
Lizzie blushed and punched him on the arm.
"Ouch! I was just stating the truth."
"But you don't have to sound so…"
"'Cocky'?"
Lizzie put her hand over her mouth to muffle her laugh and punched him again.
They remained silenced as they heard Gigi and Sidney's steps and voices getting near until they died behind their doors.
"Sweetheart,"William said to Lizzie in a reassuring voice, and his fiancé slowly turned to him, still fearing that Gigi had heard her.
"Come on,"he said and took her in his arms.
"Where are we going?,"she asked confused.
"We are going to finish what we started. Just in a different location "he answered, carrying her to their bathroom.
The next morning, Lizzie was nervous to face Gigi and it took some convincing before she went down for breakfast.
"Good morning, Lizzie,"Sidney greeted, already at the table, sitting next to Gigi.
"Hi, Lizzie,"Gigi said before taking a bite of the bagel.
"Good morning all,"Lizzie said back and glanced a William, who was walking in her direction with a cup of coffee.
"How was the tour yesterday?,"Lizzie asked and sat at the table, still a little weary.
"It was very good. Gigi showed me all these hidden places that are not very famous,"Sidney replied.
Gigi expanded his answer and continued the conversation. Lizzie was happy to hear the details, but was also relieved to realize that Gigi had not heard her with her brother. If she had, Gigi would have not let that go.
After breakfast, they decided to go for a walk near the marina before meeting Catherine for an early lunch. Ms. De Bourgh was travelling to New York to overlook another of her investments, and she had to make sure to meet her niece's 'companion'.
William had offered to give her an excuse, but Gigi had refused his offer. She had been the one to call Catherine, as she also wanted her to meet Sidney.
That mere action told William that her sister truly cared for Sidney and the relationship was more serious than he had imagined.
Catherine had definitely had been less 'nice'than William, and was blunt with her questions. But Sidney did not get flustered and answered all her concerns with certainty.
Lizzie and William did not escape his aunt's scrutiny as they were also questioned about their wedding and Pemberley.
Luckily for them, lunch only lasted a couple of hours. However, before she left for the airport, Catherine had a couple of minutes alone with Sidney.
"Is everything okay?,"Gigi asked when he came back.
"Yes, don't worry,"he replied, and warmly intertwined his hand with hers.
William looked at him, with a frown in his face, as he could only imagined what her aunt had said to him.
"Mmm, does anyone want to go to Ghirardelli? I definitely need some chocolate,"Gigi asked.
"I'll go with you,"Sidney answered.
"Ok, let's go,"William said and drove them there.
Once they were inside the store, Lizzie wandered off with Gigi and William took the chance to speak with Sidney.
"I'm sorry if my aunt made you uncomfortable. She is not the most tactful person,"William said.
"Gigi warned me about her, but I know she's only looking after her family,"Sidney answered.
"What did she say?"
Sidney sighed before speaking again.
"She said that, even though she was satisfied with me, she was going to keep an eye on me as long as I am dating Georgiana."
"That does sound like Catherine. I'm sorry."
"It's fine, William. If I had a sister, I'd be as protective as you are." Sidney said, "after everything Gigi's been through, I understand that you want to know everything about her boyfriend, and make sure that she has all she deserves."
William nodded in response.
"I told your aunt, and I tell you now: Georgiana is very important to me, and I only want to make her happy."
"Thank you, Sidney, I appreciate your words."
"Does that mean I passed your test?"
"Yes," William chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.
His eyes found Lizzie, who had witnessed the exchange and had a smile on her face.
"Come on. Let's join them before Gigi buys the entire store," William added and Sidney followed him.
After Ghirardelli's, they returned to William and Lizzie's house to get ready for dinner with Kate.
She and James were obviously very happy to meet Sidney, but they were probably more relaxed than William or Fitz.
"What are you thinking?," Lizzie asked William.
He had separated from the main group but he was looking at them. They were all in the living room and Fitz must have told a joke because they were all laughing.
"I am just delighted to see my sister so happy," he answered, "not that she wasn't before, but she has that sparkle again on her eyes."
"That's love," Lizzie replied.
"Yes?"
"Yes, I know that look. I see it on your eyes all the time."
William smiled and looked at her. Her eyes were also bright when she looked at him.
"Well… I think I just have to get used to having a brother-in-law," William said.
"And two sisters-in-law," Lizzie added.
"Of course," he replied.
"William, come, dinner's ready!," Gigi called and William obeyed, feeling grateful for everything in his life.
Thank you for waiting for an update and reading this!
I wrote more this past weekend than in the past month.
I was teaching this semester, which took a lot of time and energy. But I am done and so I will have more time to write.
I'll try to update very soon.
PS. I have uploaded a new version of Chapter 58. :)
Lizzie's locket
conijito dot tumblr dot com/post/84943184916/love-me-tender-love-me-true-chapter-66-ann