Chapter 16 – We Meet Again – For the First Time

Saturday began relatively stress-free. Will woke up at 7 AM, as usual, in one of his aunt's five master bedrooms; the knot that had formed in his stomach last night was still there, but had taken a backseat to his voracious hunger for the moment. Leaving the room, he nearly tripped over one of his aunt's precious bichon frises, a white, fluffy thing that barely moved after Will stepped on its tail. Muttering curses to himself, Will walked through the impressive, grand hall and up the even more impressive, grander staircase. The penthouse, he had to admit, was truly spectacular, but it felt a little bit like living in a museum. Although his own home allowed visitors to wander its halls, he and his sister had added enough of their own touches to make it feel like home. His aunt had exquisite taste, but her many stately paintings and dignified busts made one feel like they couldn't speak above a whisper.

His aunt's chef informed Will that Lady Catherine had already begun her day at the spa. Unsurprised, Will ordered scrambled eggs and sausage and then sat down at the breakfast table and opened the paper. Slowly the sun began to trickle in from the enormous windows that lined the walls. Determinedly keeping his mind on the current state of global affairs, Will barely noticed when Rich plopped down next to him and yawned loudly.

"Anything new?" Rich asked.

Will sighed and set down his coffee. "The world is going to hell in a handbasket, as usual."

"I'd be worried if it wasn't," Rich replied. "We'd be out of a job."

Will chuckled and set aside the business section. He was very glad to have Richard's company; his cousin had a way of keeping his mind occupied.

After breakfast, Rich and Will parted ways to shower and dress before going to play tennis.

"We have to be back by four," Rich said as he walked across the hall to his room.

"Why?" Will asked.

"Dinner… with Collins and his guest," Rich said. "Remember?"

"Already? Tonight?" Will said, panic slowly rising.

"Yes, tonight," Rich said, clearly confused by Will's behavior. He started walking away again before doubling back.

"Hey, Will," he called.

"Yes?"

"Did you bring something to wear to Aunt Catherine's New Year's party?" Rich queried.

Will's shoulders fell. He had forgotten all about Aunt Catherine's yearly affair. Apparently it was going to be in New York this year.

"No… I completely forgot," he replied.

Rich sighed. "Good, me too. We'll go shopping then," he said, walking into his room.

"Great," Will said sarcastically, walking into his own room. He detested shopping almost as much as he detested his aunt's New Year's party.

Fifteen minutes later, and the cousins were taking the elevator down to the third floor. The hotel, which had almost every single conceivable amenity, had indoor tennis courts, as well as a spa, a full-blown gym, and a beauty salon.

The elevator door opened on a warm, carpeted lobby. Rich bounced out of the elevator and started walking toward the tennis courts, but Will had frozen. A little further away, at the entrance to the spa, stood Charlotte Lucas and Eliza. They were both wearing slippers and bathrobes, and were laughing about something in Charlotte's hand. Eliza's skin was paler than it had been in the summer, and her hair was grown out a bit longer, but other than that her appearance had the exact same effect on Will as it had in the summer. It was exactly as he had feared.

"Will, come on," Rich said, breaking Will free from his thoughts.

"Oh… you know, I forgot something upstairs. I'll be right back down," he said quickly over Rich's protests, pressing the close button several times until the doors finally shut. As the elevator made its way back upstairs, Will buried his face in his hands.

This was going to be one hell of a week.

"Trust me, Lizzie, you don't want to meet her for the first time at dinner. This will be so much easier."

As Charlotte and Eliza ate breakfast Saturday morning (Tom had been conspicuously absent the past few days) Charlotte's maid, Greta, had come in to inform them that they were invited to spend the day at the spa with Lady Catherine. Eliza wasn't too keen on the idea.

"I don't know, Charlotte. This woman sounds like she's really going to aggravate me… I can't politely get up and walk away when I'm wrapped in seaweed," Eliza argued.

"It's a lot better than dinner. She'll never let you leave during dinner," Charlotte said pointedly, standing up and taking the newspaper to the garbage.

"You're going to recycle that, aren't you?" Eliza cried, changing the subject. Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"I don't know about you, but I happen to like being able to breathe oxygen every day," Eliza began to rant. Perhaps if she got her ranting out now, she could stay calm and collected around Lady Catherine.

After debating with Charlotte about the quick decline of natural forest in America, and boasting about how much Charlotte had liked Eliza's organic breakfast, Eliza finally gave in and agreed to go to the spa. Besides, she thought as she pulled on some cotton jersey pants and flip-flops, any excuse to spend a day at the spa was fine with her.

Around ten, the two girls made their way downstairs. Despite being flabbergasted that Charlotte lived in a building that also contained a five-star spa, Eliza eagerly changed into the very soft bathrobe and then waited outside the entrance with Charlotte until Lady Catherine was done with her current service. Apparently, she had already been at the spa since seven, having things done that Eliza would rather not think about, like having certain body parts waxed.

Anxious as they both were, Eliza tried to make the time pass more quickly by making Charlotte laugh with a shtick about their free gift, a loofah in the shape of the hotel. Every once in a while, people walked by, either into the spa or into the massive gym located across the hall. By half past ten, Eliza was getting very antsy, and was half-thinking of just going back up to her room, bundling up, and going for a walk. Just then however, a chic and perfectly coiffed staff member came up to them, and in barely over a whisper, ordered them to follow her.

Inside, the spa was both beautiful and relaxing; the walls were a soothing cerulean blue, and the plush carpet felt soft under Eliza's now-bare feet. After winding through several hallways, they were finally brought into a private room containing several cots. Sitting on the cushy blue sofa in the corner was Lady Catherine herself, and a smaller, much more petite woman whose eyes seemed permanently fixed on the floor.

As Charlotte hurried over to say hello, Eliza assessed Lady Catherine. She certainly wasn't quite as intimidating in her bathrobe as she would have been at dinner, that was for sure. But the woman had a definite authoritative air about her that made Eliza want to try to be polite. Lady Catherine sat perfectly straight, her legs crossed at the ankles. Her hair was a pristine white, short and perfectly curled. Her face was almost entirely devoid of wrinkles, even though she had to be at least sixty years old. Her eyes were hard, like Darcy's, but an icy blue. Other than her strong jaw and chin, though, there was very little familial resemblance.

"Lady Catherine, I'd like you to meet Elizabeth Bennet, a good friend of mine," Charlotte was saying. Eliza jerked herself out of her thoughts and put on her most gracious smile.

"It's an honor to meet you, Lady Catherine," she said, upping the flattery as she extended her hand.

Lady Catherine slightly raised an eyebrow, and took Eliza's hand, but shook it for only a moment.

"This is Anne," she said, gesturing to the timid woman next to her; her voice was strong and noticeably haughty. "She is engaged to a nephew of mine," she went on. Anne looked up quickly at Catherine, almost in surprise, but then nodded slightly to Eliza and immediately returned her eyes to the floor.

Eliza nodded politely, unsure of how to respond. She couldn't quite imagine Darcy being the one who was engaged to this weak little thing, but she felt a certain guilty vengeance in hoping he was.

The ladies settled themselves onto separate cots, and soon four young women came into the room and almost immediately began giving them facials. The room was silent for nearly a half hour, until Eliza could barely move her face from the thick mask laying on it. The four of them were then led into a steam room, where they were supposed to sit until the masks had evaporated off their faces.

Again, the room was quiet for awhile, as no one could speak through the thick masks. But soon, the hot air was steaming them off, and Eliza regained control of her facial functions.

"Elizabeth, do you have any siblings?" Lady Catherine immediately asked, without any pretense of overture.

"Yes, four sisters," Eliza replied.

"Four? No brothers?"

"None, much to my father's chagrin," Eliza said.

Lady Catherine found no amusement in Eliza's statement. Her face remained hard and serious.

"How old are they?" was her next question.

"The youngest is barely fifteen," Eliza said. "My oldest sister is twenty-five."

"And none of you are married?" Lady Catherine asked; she sounded shocked.

"Well, I am only the second oldest, so no, not yet." Already Eliza's nerves were grated.

Lady Catherine paused a moment.

"And where were you all schooled?" was her next question. Eliza felt as if she was on a game show.

"Birch Wathen Lenox."

Lady Catherine nodded, perhaps in approval, perhaps not.

"And you had a nanny all those years, no?"

"No, actually, we never had a nanny."

Lady Catherine audibly gasped. "Five girls, and your mother never hired a nanny!" she cried. "I've never heard of such a thing. She did everything herself?"

"Drove us to basketball practice, dance lessons, debate club… everything," Eliza replied, a bit of a bite coming into her voice. Charlotte glanced warningly at her sideways. Eliza rolled her eyes but nodded. Lady Catherine paused again.

"And you are almost finished with college, is that correct?"

"Yes, I'll graduate from New York University in June."

"And then?"

"And then… most likely graduate school."

"You mean you're not sure?" Lady Catherine intoned, leaning forward to look at Eliza. Eliza felt an odd mixture of defiance and intimidation.

"Not quite yet."

Lady Catherine sat back again, apparently brewing her next batch of questions.

"And your eldest sister… what does she do?" she asked.

"She is a social worker, Lady Catherine," Eliza answered, watching in both satisfaction and irritation as Lady Catherine's brow furrowed a bit.

"And your father?"

"A lawyer here in the city," Eliza replied.

This time Lady Catherine nodded in approval.

"So, Elizabeth, do you play any instruments?"

"I've played the piano on and off since I was six," she replied, chuckling a little at the thought of her rather inept playing skills.

"I have the best piano in the city, Elizabeth. You'll play for us, tonight at dinner."

Eliza's stomach fell. "Ah, Lady Catherine, I don't know…"

"My friends tell me I have the most exquisite ear for music," Lady Catherine went on. "I would have been quite skilled at it, I believe, had I ever learned. I tried to get Anne to play, but her health isn't quite up to it. Music is something that you should carry with you all your life, Elizabeth, remember that."

"Quite so, Lady Catherine."

"And who is your favorite composer, Elizabeth?"

Eliza smiled wide and said, "That would have to be Bob Dylan, Lady Catherine."

All three of them looked at Eliza in surprise. Eliza had the feeling she was the first and only person to have ever dared not give Lady Catherine the answer she was expecting. She stopped smiling and leaned back in her seat.

Lady Catherine made a huffing sound and seemed to have decided to ignore Eliza's last remark.

"So all of your sisters are almost finished with school and yet the eldest isn't even married yet," she said, shaking her head.

"Well I don't know, Lady Catherine," Eliza began, ignoring Charlotte's silent pleas for her to be quiet, "if a girl is very young when her older sister gets married, they would hardly ever get to know her. It would hardly promote sisterly bonding to get married so early."

Again Lady Catherine turned to Eliza, her eyes narrowed as she surveyed Eliza thoroughly.

"You express your opinion very clearly for someone so young," she pronounced.

Eliza smiled and shrugged.

"I have a lot of them," she said.

Lady Catherine seemed almost unsure of what to say next, but just then their four spa guides had come in to tell them it was time for their manicures and pedicures. Luckily, when led into the room full of nail polish and foot tubs, Eliza was situated away from Lady Catherine. Although Charlotte looked exasperated with her, Eliza just shrugged happily to herself and settled in her chair. Dinner should prove quite interesting, she thought.

After three tries, Darcy was finally able to take the elevator down to the third floor and have it open on an empty lobby. Richard was incredulous when Will finally joined him, but Will deflected his questions and focused on beating his cousin match after match. Around three, with Richard completely exhausted, they left the courts and went back upstairs. Tennis had occupied Will's mind quite well, but now dinner was upon him. As he showered, he wondered how he should behave toward Eliza. Should he hint at his feelings? No, you idiot, you haven't even decided if you're going to tell her. Besides, he thought with a sinking stomach, he had a feeling it was already noticeable.

As he stepped out of the shower, he took a moment to examine himself in the mirror before he shaved his considerable stubble. He was certainly not bad-looking; he had been told the contrary all his life. But there was something in his demeanor that made him feel that he and Eliza didn't quite match. Sighing, he took out his razor and began to shave; it must just be the complete inferiority of Eliza that was throwing him off. Perhaps if he just kept telling himself that, he could come to his senses and leave New York without ever telling Eliza anything.

Indeed, he was almost looking forward to dinner now, he thought as he got dressed in grey slacks and a button-down shirt. Once he saw how Aunt Catherine acted toward Eliza, surely it would reverse his affection. Aunt Catherine didn't exactly hold back when it came to those beneath her, so she was sure to make Will see Eliza for what she was: a completely unsuitable match. Besides, Anne would be there, and Anne tended to get asthma attacks any time Will showed the slightest interest in another woman.

At exactly four o'clock, Will and Richard joined their aunt and Anne in the parlor, an imposing room with dark, wooded walls and several portraits of his aunt's ancestors. Lady Catherine's precious grand piano sat silently in the corner as the four of them discussed their days. Aunt Catherine had clearly had a few nips and tucks done, while Anne had managed to put on some makeup and looked slightly livelier than usual. At five past, they heard the doorbell ring. Aunt Catherine clucked her tongue.

"Late," she said.

Moments later, the butler was at the door, followed by Collins, Charlotte Lucas, and, in the back, Eliza. Tom was delighted to see Will and Richard; the latter had never had the pleasure of meeting Collins before, and Will was amused to see his cousin rather taken aback by Collins' enthusiasm. Will spoke a few words with Charlotte, saying he admired what she had done with her place, which Will had been forced to tour with his aunt much earlier. Finally, he turned to Eliza, who was looking at him with shock. She was wearing a white sweater with a very distracting neckline, and it was all Will could do just to nod to her.

"Eliza," he said.

"Darcy… I had no idea you were here," she said, and then her eyes batted suspiciously to Anne. Will cringed, imagining what his aunt might have told her. That could present a problem.

"Yes, my cousin and I decided to join my aunt," he said, gesturing to Richard, who was making pleasant conversation, as usual, with Charlotte.

"Oh… that's nice," she said. There was a now-familiar awkward pause.

"How's your family?" he inquired.

"Fine… Jane has moved into the city. Actually, she's not too far from where you are, maybe you've seen her?" she asked.

Will bit his tongue. He hated to lie, but shook his head. "No, I haven't."

She looked a little disappointed, but by this time Lady Catherine was speaking loudly so as to get everyone's attention. Will watched as Eliza was introduced to Richard, who immediately sat down next to her and began speaking with her easily. Will rolled his eyes, but turned away from them slightly. He wasn't quite sure he could watch.

"Now, don't worry yourself, Elizabeth. Just put on whatever you brought. Lady Catherine won't expect much."

Eliza and Charlotte had returned from the spa around three, and Tom was quite beside himself. He was positive they wouldn't make it to dinner on time, and so had set himself to driving them crazy as they attempted to do just that.

"Tom, I will, but I have to insist you leave the room first," Eliza said from her bathroom. Tom had barged into the room while she was in the shower, getting the last of the oil from her massage off, and she had nearly lost it when she opened the door in her towel to find him there.

"Alright, alright," Tom cried, and he scurried from the room. Eliza came out of the bathroom and immediately locked her bedroom door. She then turned to her suitcase, which she had upended. The best she could come up with was her white, cashmere, v-neck sweater and brown wool slacks. She added her diamond solitaire necklace and nice leather boots, but she still felt somewhat underdressed.

Her gut had been right – she didn't like Lady Catherine all that much. But the old lady wasn't too infuriating… indeed, after Tom, she was a snap. Eliza was too excited to see the penthouse to be nervous or anxious about dinner, although Lady Catherine's demand to have her play piano still hung at the back of her mind.

With her hair curled and her makeup set, Eliza left the room at precisely ten to 4. By the sounds of it, Charlotte was not as close to being ready; Eliza could hear Tom yelling at her to hurry up. A minute later, their room door slammed, and Tom came bounding into the kitchen. He looked very relieved to see Eliza was ready, and gave her a shaky smile.

"Lady Catherine despises tardiness," he told her.

"It's very generous of her to have us up for dinner, though," Eliza commented.

"Oh yes, yes… whenever she is here, she invites us to dinner almost every other day. And she did so much in getting this place ready for us… have I shown you the paintings in the gallery?"

Apparently Eliza mentioning Lady Catherine's generosity was just the thing to get Tom's mind off of dinner. He led Eliza into the octagonal gallery, and began to wax on about the artists and Lady Catherine's superb taste in art. Eliza snuck a look at her watch: 4:01. Just then, Charlotte came into the gallery, looking hassled but very chic in a long gown and jacket. Eliza groaned.

"I look horrible!" she said.

"No you don't, come on, we'll be late," Charlotte said all in one breath, grabbing Eliza's wrist and hurrying them all out of the door. Tom was again beside himself, and muttered under his breath the whole elevator ride.

At 4:05, they rang the doorbell, which was opened by a dignified butler.

"Right this way," he said, and led them inside. Eliza's jaw dropped to the floor as they made their way inside; the penthouse was truly magnificent. Mahogany floors, fireplaces all over, marble ceilings… she trailed behind the others, trying to get in everything. Too soon, they were stopping at a large sitting room, and other things captured Eliza's attention. Like the fact that William Darcy was sitting right next to his aunt… she couldn't decide whether to be shocked or annoyed.

As the three of them made their way into the room, Charlotte and Tom exchanged greetings with everyone by turn. Darcy was the closest to her, so she gave him a small smile in recognition.

"Eliza," he said. He looked exactly the same as the last time she seen him, all those months ago. Reserved, serious, and arrogant.

"Darcy… I had no idea you were here," she said, walking up to him. She looked at Anne… perhaps he was the nephew?

"Yes, my cousin and I decided to join my aunt," he said, gesturing to the tall young man beside him. She nodded… perhaps not.

"Oh… that's nice," she said lamely. As they always did, they settled into an awkward pause.

"How's your family?" he asked politely. She was somewhat shocked by it.

"Fine… Jane has moved into the city. Actually, she's not too far from where you are, maybe you've seen her?" she asked, wondering if he would tell her even if he had. He was shaking his head.

"No, I haven't."

She shrugged a little, but soon Lady Catherine's booming voice took her attention.

"Elizabeth," the lady said as Eliza made her way toward her. "This is one of my other nephews, Richard Fitzwilliam," she said, gesturing, as Darcy did, to the young man sitting next to her. To Eliza's surprise, Richard smiled easily and shook her hand warmly. He wasn't so handsome, per se, but he was the most congenial member of their family she had met yet. Eliza immediately took a liking to him and sat down.

As Tom immediately launched into apologize profusely to Lady Catherine for their tardiness, Eliza began talking with Richard. They spoke of New York, London – where he lived – books, and Eliza's major. They were just getting to the subject of music, when Eliza noticed it was oddly quiet. Lady Catherine had turned her attention to the pair of them, her eyes suddenly beady.

"What are you saying, Richard? What are you speaking about with Elizabeth so long? I must know," she said. Richard blushed a little and turned to his aunt.

"We were just talking of music, Aunt Catherine," he said.

"Ah," Lady Catherine said, casting a knowing eye on Eliza. "We were speaking of music earlier, weren't we Elizabeth?"

Eliza smiled a little and said, "Indeed, we were."

Apparently Lady Catherine had chosen to forget Eliza's cheekiness from before, and went on, "Elizabeth told me she plays the piano. I insisted she play for us tonight… William, how does Georgia play? She was exquisite the last time I heard her."

Darcy nodded, and again Eliza noticed the warmth with which he spoke of his sister. "She's excellent. Practices all the time."

"Yes, well, that's the only way you get good at it, isn't it William?" Lady Catherine said. "Do you play, Charlotte?"

"I haven't for years, Lady Catherine," Charlotte said quietly.

"You should start again, Charlotte. There's nothing like playing an instrument to keep the mind sharp. I have another piano in the staff rooms… you could practice there, when you have some free time. You'll be in no one's way."

Charlotte blushed deeply, and even Darcy looked a little disconcerted by his aunt's behavior. Lady Catherine turned her attention again to Eliza.

"Go on, Elizabeth, play for us before dinner is served," she said.

"Oh, Lady Catherine, honestly, I'm really not that good a player," Eliza said desperately.

"Nonsense. Go play."

Despite hating being told what to do, Eliza noted Charlotte's pleading eyes. She nodded, and went to the piano. To her relief, Richard followed.

"Don't worry, she'll start talking the moment you begin," he said quietly. She chuckled and leafed through the music to find a song she could actually play. As Richard predicted, on her first note, Lady Catherine turned to Darcy and began talking loudly. Eliza played softly and slowly.

"You're not that bad," Richard commented, sitting down next to her to turn the page.

She shrugged. "I was never too committed to it," she admitted. At the end of the second page, she looked up to find Darcy standing by the piano, too. Although slightly startled, she bristled.

Trying not to take her eyes away from the page, she said, "Are you trying to intimidate me, Darcy, by coming over closer to hear me play? Because I won't be, you know, even if your sister does play well. I always rise to a challenge, Darcy, you should know that." He continued to look coolly reserved, although the faintest hint of a smile had appeared.

"And you should know that I am not trying to alarm you, Eliza. But I've known you long enough to know that sometimes you express opinions that are not fully your own."

Eliza laughed – is that what he thought of her? "Such as?"

"You do well at the piano, and are not nearly as bad as you made yourself out to be. I thought as much."

"Compared to others…"

"Compared to others, you are quite good," Darcy said.

"Your cousin," she said, addressing Richard, "will tell you to not believe a thing I say. You know, Darcy, that's not very nice. I had hoped to give off a better impression here among strangers, but not now with you exposing my real character. That's really very impolite of you, Darcy, and I may just have to tell your cousin here some very shocking things I know about you."

Darcy smiled slightly. "I'm not afraid of you, Eliza."

She raised her eyebrow.

"So, you two have met before?" Richard asked incredulously. "Please, Eliza, I'd love to hear what Will is like among complete strangers," he said, smiling at his cousin.

"Well, prepare yourself, because it isn't pretty," Eliza said, barely concentrating on the piano by now. "The first time I ever met him was at a party where everyone danced the entire time. Do you know your cousin only danced for maybe five minutes, even though men were in quite a short supply? Don't deny it, Darcy."

Darcy was looking at her with an odd expression on his face, as if he were contemplating what she was saying.

"I didn't know anyone but my friends at the time," he said.

"Right, because no one could be introduced during a party," she said sarcastically.

Just then, Richard was claimed by Lady Catherine, who was summoning him over to join her. He smiled in amusement at Eliza, and patted Will on the back as he walked away. Eliza returned her attention to the piano, but Darcy had moved closer.

"I'm not very good at talking with strangers… chitchat, you know," he said quietly. She looked up at him in puzzlement. He was a lawyer – wasn't talking his job?

"But why should that be?" she asked. "You're smart, you've traveled the world… surely you can talk about anything."

"I just can't make myself seem interested in other people, like I always see others can," he said. Despite the overwhelming arrogance of this statement, Eliza couldn't help but realize that she had often felt the same way.

"I see other people play the piano much better than I do… they can play faster, more precisely, and with more expression. But that's my own fault… I never practiced enough. Catch my drift?"

He was looking at her as if she were a small revelation.

"You're absolutely right."

Eliza could see Lady Catherine gesturing to both of them to rejoin her.

"Besides, your problem isn't the way you speak," she said, standing and closing the music book.

"Then what is it?" Darcy asked.

"You don't smile enough," she said, smiling herself.

"I've never been good at that, either," he said.

"Well, then perhaps you ought to practice."

A/N: Woo! Long chapter! (And also note that I threw in a visual of Darcy in various states of undress – yes, you can thank me now).

So not too bad with the update time – exactly two weeks. I was tempted to keep going with this chapter, but then it would be too long and the next one would be too short, so I ended it during dinner. Next chapter may or may not have the proposal, I haven't decided. It will have lots of Darcy-Eliza-ness, though, so huzzah!

Hopefully I can get around to starting the next chapter this week… my parents are out of town all week, so I'll be running around doing the dishes, cleaning, and taking the dog out and whatnot, but I'm hoping to squeeze in some writing.

So PLEASE review! Whatever I said last time must have worked, because I got 19 reviews! Woo! Can we make 20 this time? That would send me into a tizzy of happiness that would surely set my fingers ablaze with writing the next chapter. I'd really love to get to 200 reviews soon!

Also… not sure how many of you this applies to, but I'm really really hoping to edit/rewrite my fairy tale Goodbye, Hello this summer, so if my updating for this story slows down a wee bit, that's why. If you read that story, keep on the lookout! I'll probably add a few new chapters and basically just spruce it up.

Love, luck, and flying Ringwraiths,

Emma the NazgulQueen