This chapter takes place when Lizzie and Jane go to Netherfield. There was one conversation between Darcy and Caroline not seen in The LBD that I WANTED to see, badly. So here we go.
Lizzie couldn't believe that she and Jane encountered rain on the hour-long drive from their house to Netherfield. The roads leading to Netherfield were muddy enough that the car stopped about three miles from Bing Lee's house.
"What are we gonna do?" Jane asked.
"Don't worry," Lizzie said. "I printed out directions from Google Maps. We can walk to Bing and tell him about our car problems. The mud should be easily remedied with a good hose."
"Okay. But let's bring an overnight bag until then."
Lizzie and Jane walked the three miles to Netherfield from their car. It was an easy feat for Lizzie, given the number of times she walked around her own large campus in her undergrad years. Jane, on the other hand, felt thirsty by the time they got to the door of Bing Lee's house.
Lizzie rang the doorbell while Jane leaned onto her for support.
Bing answered the door with a smile on his face. "Jane! Lizzie! It's great that you're here."
"Hey Bing," Lizzie said. Jane said Hi with a tired smile. "Jane's a bit thirsty. We walked three miles from our car…it kind of got stuck in a muddy ditch."
"Come in! I'll get some water from the kitchen for you," Bing said.
Lizzie and Jane walked in and wiped their shoes onto the welcome mat. Caroline came into the foyer from the living room.
"Lizzie! Jane! I'm sorry to ask so quickly, but please take off your shoes. I just had the floors done."
Lizzie and Jane nodded as they walked to the kitchen. Bing stood at the kitchen island, holding a glass of water. Jane took the water and smiled at Bing.
"Thanks," she said.
Lizzie sighed. "Thanks again for letting us stay here."
"It's no problem," Bing said. "I kind of feel lost in this house sometimes. Having guests helps make it feel a lot smaller. By the way, dinner will be served in about an hour or so, so hang out with Caroline in the lounge."
"Thanks!" Lizzie and Jane both said.
Lizzie and Jane walked to the lounge, where Caroline was sitting, watching a movie on TV. Darcy sat at the far corner of the room, typing away on his laptop. Lizzie put down her backpack onto the floor and took out her copy of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Jane decided to look through the pile of fashion magazines laid out on a side table, but after perusing a few, she got up and sat down next to Caroline.
"What movie are you watching?" Jane asked.
"Casablanca," Caroline said.
Lizzie put down her book. "I love that movie!"
Caroline looked at her, one eyebrow raised.
"I remember watching it in my media studies class," Lizzie said. "Dr. Gardiner said it's one of her favorite movies. And I can see why."
"I remember you getting a copy as soon as you saw it in the secondhand bookstore's DVD section," Jane said. "You made me, Lydia, and Charlotte watch it with you. Lydia fell asleep by the time Rick went into his Paris flashbacks."
"Lydia's more of an action movie type anyway," Lizzie said. "But Charlotte liked it, given how we both watched it in class."
Caroline nodded and then turned to Darcy, "Hey Darcy! Why don't you watch it with us?"
"I'm finishing up a business report," Darcy said. "And Casablanca isn't my type of movie."
"What kind of movies do you like then?" Lizzie asked. "Indie?"
"Actually, I prefer documentaries."
The conversation was cut short as Bing called everyone to the dinner table. During dinner, Jane started sneezing and coughing. Then, after she went to the bathroom, Bing checked her temperature and saw that she was warmer than usual.
"I think you might have a cold," Bing said.
Jane sighed.
"I'll go help Jane get ready for bed," Lizzie said. "Thanks for the sushi."
"Anytime!" Bing said.
Caroline volunteered to help Bing clean the table and wash the dishes. Darcy decided to sit at the breakfast bar and finish his business report.
"I hope we don't all get colds by the end of this week," Caroline asked. "But I'm glad that we don't have to deal with that rowdy sister."
"It's probably because of the sudden rainstorm," Darcy said. "Santa Cruz doesn't usually get rain in the summer."
"People do not get colds because it rains," Bing said. "How many times do I have to tell you that?" Bing laughed and continued putting dishes into the dishwasher. "She'll be fine. I have a stash of cold medicine in my room that she should take before she goes to sleep."
"Ever the helpful one," Darcy said.
"I still can't believe that both of them decided to walk three miles to our house from their car," Caroline said. "They could've just called us."
"It shows that they have hearty dispositions, I guess."
"But Lizzie and Jane looked so damp from the incoming fog," Caroline said. "I hope you told Gigi about what to do if her car ever broke down. They could've been run over or kidnapped."
"Believe me, Gigi knows how to deal with dangerous people," Darcy said.
"You should've seen how disheveled Lizzie looked in particular. I think it's safe to say that you wouldn't admire those beautiful eyes of hers as much as you used to."
Darcy thought about her eyes as she read The Picture of Dorian Gray and how her eyes brightened as she talked about Casablanca.
"Actually, it seems as though her eyes were brighter than usual because of her walking." Darcy closed his laptop and put on his headphones. He turned on his iPod and played a Peter Gabriel song. Caroline glanced at it and her lips thinned as she saw the title of the song: "In Your Eyes."