Hey again! If you've continued so
far, well done!! Lizzy and Will action next chapter at Will and
Georgie's welcome party! Reviews are welcome!
Thanks to Jed52
and Queen of Punk for their reviews on chapter two! Cheers!
Desireedarcy
PS: Jed52- is this what you meant about the spaces? Hope it's easier to read!
Lizzy woke up with the most dreadful feeling which singers' experience- a sore throat. Clearly cheering at the footy match in the cold Melbourne weather had not agreed with her, especially with the drama production already underway.
"Stupid, stupid me." Lizzy muttered, snapping two lozenges into her mouth. Drama rehearsal was going to be dreadful today, she just knew it.
"Hey can I use the car again today? I have heaps of places to go." Jane came strolling into Lizzy's room.
"Uh.. sure, drop me off at school?" Liz whispered hoarsely. Jane looked up in amusement.
"Well, you should probably take the hint. Going out with Johnny doesn't seem to agree with you does it?" Jane asked dryly. Jane had openly showed her dislike in Lizzy's relationship with Johnny since they both graduated from school. She believed that Lizzy needed someone more stable in her life. Although Jane was usually a quiet girl, she never kept her mouth shut around her family and close friends.
Lizzy grunted and fell back onto her bed. Jane chuckled and went to prepare for her hectic day.
At practise, Lizzy did her best to keep up with Poole and the other cast members, but it really was an off day for her. Charlie waggled his eyebrows at her as Claudia Poole shrieked and ranted about Lizzy's sore throat before stepping in.
"Uh, Claudia, maybe Elizabeth and I could finish up here anyway? I mean, practising could be even more harmful for her, don't you reckon?" Charlie asked innocently. Lizzy's eyes widened as Claudia fussed and eventually gave in.
"Oh all right then, I suppose the chorus need more work anyway. But I want both of my leads to be sick-free at practise next week, understood? No excuses!" Poole whirled around and marched off to the orchestra pit, no doubt to terrorise the first year brass section.
"Thanks Charlie," Lizzy managed to utter before Charlie waved his hand.
"No worries Liz, you really don't look the best. Besides I have to go to the airport in an hour, might as well get a head start! Listen, go home and rest, okay? I don't any excuses for missing my party this weekend!" Charlie grinned and got into his car.
After reassuring him that she didn't need a lift, Liz watched Charlie drive off before hopping on the tram. Truth was, she had completely forgotten about Charlie's party this weekend. Now that she thought about it, she was pretty excited. She hadn't been to a party in a while although she did commonly frequent the city clubs and bars.
I have nothing to wear! Lizzy thought suddenly. She knew Charlie's parents were loaded, no doubt the party would have some fancy-pants, formal dress code. Pushing her sore throat to the back of her mind, Lizzy jumped off the tram at the next stop and headed off to one of the side streets packed with fancy stores. After wasting some time at a couple of boutiques that were nowhere near her price range, Lizzy settled down at La Pierre to do some serious shopping.
"Hi there." A cute shop assistant came up to her, grinning. Lizzy smiled widely before returning the greeting.
"So, what are we looking for today?" Clearly this man intended on helping her out, Lizzy thought. Usually she preferred shopping by herself, without any pressure. But, he was a looker...
"Um... not really sure, something for a swanky dinner party, any ideas?" Lizzy said lightly. The young man looked thoughtful before pulling her to the back of the women's section and taking out items of clothing.
"So, shouldn't your boyfriend be helping you out with this?" The boy, SAM, from his nametag, said slyly.
Lizzy blushed furiously before responding, "Uh... don't have one actually." The boy waggled his eyebrow and they both laughed. "Ha, okay then, try these on. Cubicle three, love."
Lizzy was already in a good mood despite her headache; the flirting only made her more so. She tried on a couple of dressy tops without even bothering to show Sam, and turned instead to a lovely satin dress. It was a deep red colour with black flowers, gathered at the waist and knee length. After she slipped into it and deemed herself passable, she opened the door to find Sam arranging boxes while waiting. He took one look at her and nodded while wolf whistling. "We have a winner!"
Feeling a bit guilty for ditching rehearsal and shopping without resting like Charlie had suggested, Lizzy decided to buy something for Jane too. After all, Jane was the one who had a chance of meeting someone special at Charlie's party. With Johnny there, Lizzy figured it would be difficult to find any potential while introducing the star footballer.
Lizzy settled for a dark green halter neck dress that would go perfectly with Jane's complexion. She flirted a bit more with Sam before paying for the dresses and exiting the store.
Lizzy made it home to find no one there, saving her the pain of explaining her guilt. She laid Jane's new dress carefully on Jane's bed before retreating to her own room. Even with a sore throat and the beginnings of a throbbing head, the week was starting to look up for Lizzy Bennet.
--
"Welcome to Australia, Mr and Ms Darcy." The flight attendant, Grace, said to the young man and woman who were collecting their scattered belongings.
Will, who had been busy stuffing his Blackberry into his pocket, turned to look at an apprehensive Georgie. She gave him a swift nod and returned to wrapping her headphones around her ipod.
Will stepped out of the plane and offered his hand to Georgie, who rolled her eyes and accepted.
"Come then, brother dear," she said, English accent even more pronounced.
"WILL! GEORGIE!" Came an excited shout from far below. The siblings looked down the stairs to see an excited Charlie Bingley waving his hands frantically in the air.
"Haha, someone's excited." Georgie muttered. Will smirked at Charlie's enthusiasm.
"Welcome to Australia." Charlie said dramatically, enveloping each Darcy in an enormous bear hug.
On the ride 'home', Charlie filled Will in on the changes Mr Bingley was making to the Darcy business. "Yeah, your Aunt Catherine sure is a character. Wouldn't give dad any of the information he was after. Kept saying it was 'family business' and he had no right to pry. Anyway, dad got through to Mrs Reynolds so it's all good."
"Seriously Will, can't this wait?" Said Georgie, wrapping a scarf around her neck.
However Will refused so the business talks continued until Charlie stopped at the new apartment complex.
"Welcome home." Charlie said in a hesitant manner. Will glanced sadly at him while Georgie shrugged dejectedly and dragged her handbag out of the car.
"How's she coping?" Charlie asked, as Georgie trudged to the lift. The Darcy apartment was on Level 8. Will appreciated the note of concern in Charlie's voice. It reminded Will very much of his cousin, Richard. Suddenly his burden of being a single parent eased... ever so slightly.
"Oh you know Charlie, up and down. As well as can be expected on both counts." To make everything easier, Will had told of all the dealings with Wickham to Charlie. Having someone else aware of the situation just made everything a little clearer to Will. Charlie had offered his advice and support, and had even proposed he come to England to lend a hand to Will.
Once on Level 8, Charlie handed Georgie the apartment key. She opened up the door to a very trendy, self- contained 3-bedroom apartment. Posted all over the front walls were 'Welcome!' signs.
"Yeahhh," Charlie said running his hand through his hair as the siblings looked questioningly to their friend. "We were going to have a surprise party for you but I changed my mind last minute and kicked everyone out. Figured you guys could use the rest." Will could only show his appreciation to Charlie with a pat on the back as the three entered.
"Wow, it's nice." Georgie said simply, roaming around the house.
Will immediately went to the cupboards and thankfully found them full. Yet again, he couldn't even express his thanks to Charlie, who grinned and shrugged.
"Okay kids, you get settled in. I'll swing by tomorrow morning. Georgie, I know it's annoying but we have some school stuff for you to do." Georgie pulled a face.
"Yeah, I know kiddo. Hey, and to add to the fun, Caroline's taking you!" Charlie chuckled. It had long been known to him that the two Darcy kids did not appreciate his younger sister's company. While Caroline had set her goals on marrying Will, she tried desperately to befriend Georgie. This was a pathetic attempt by the trainee hairdresser to recruit Georgie to aid her attempt in scoring Will.
"Sorry about that," Charlie said with an apologetic look to Georgie, before ripping a piece off Will's blueberry muffin and chomped hastily as Will glared at him. "Will and I are swinging by A.U. Gotta sign some stuff. Then we can relax!"
Charlie bid his goodbyes, stole a bit more off Will's muffin and then ran full pelt out of the apartment, Will right behind him.
Upon returning to the apartment, Will found Georgie had already claimed the biggest room. She had dragged one of her suitcases into the room and was already pulling possessions out. Will entered and flopped down on her bed, groaning in delight as he felt himself sinking into the warm covers.
"Aw, Will, look. How thoughtful of Charlie" Georgie sighed. Picking up a photo frame on her bedside table, she glanced at it for a few moments before handing it to Will. Looking down, he saw the photo of the four Darcys; William Darcy Snr, Anne Darcy, Will Jnr and Georgie all smiling and waving from the Kangaroo garden in the wildlife sanctuary.
Will smiled sadly, his hands roaming around the photo and resting on where his parents were beaming up at him. He wished more than anything else in the world to go back to that day. The Darcys and the Bingleys had all gone to the sanctuary on the rare occasion that all of the members of each family were in one country at the same time. Charlie had just received a new camera phone and insisted on taking family photos.
"We were so happy." He sighed. Georgie came to sit next to him on the double bed and grunted softly in shock as she sank into the covers. Will smiled as she recovered herself quite ungracefully.
"And we will be happy again, Will. At least we have each other, right? And the Bingleys are here for us." Georgie hugged Will awkwardly and then flopped down on the bed next to him.
Will carefully studied his younger sister. She was a petite and usually graceful young woman. She had a beautiful head of light brown ringlets unlike Will's dark mop of curls. She also had her mother's expressive hazel eyes, as did Will. But it was her strength and hope that continued to amaze Will. After everything she had been through, Georgie was as tough as nails. Stubborn too. Just like mum, Will thought.
"You know Georgie, you're turning into a remarkable lady." Will said quickly and kissing the top of her head, proceeded into the kitchen to concentrate on dinner.
There it is! Tell me what you think!
Lizzy and Will meet next chapter at the Welcome party! Yay!