Chapter 22 – Je Comprends
Early the next day, Uncle John headed over to Pemberley to take Will up on his offer to fish on his lake. Eliza and Aunt Anne shopped and toured the town for a bit in the morning and early afternoon.
"You know, Lizzie, I haven't even had the chance to ask. How are you liking the trip?" Aunt Anne asked her as they strolled down the main street.
"I love it!" Eliza exclaimed. "I really can't thank you enough."
"It's our pleasure. You're like a daughter to us, Lizzie, you know that."
They walked in silence for a minute or two, Eliza's arm starting to hurt from her several shopping bags. Rather abruptly, her aunt halted and pulled Eliza toward a window.
"Oh, Lizzie, look at that dress," Aunt Anne said, pointing to a lovely navy blue gown inside the window display.
"I think we've gotten enough to fill another suitcase already, Aunt Anne," Eliza said with a smile. Her aunt clucked her tongue and shook her head.
"Nonsense. And if we have, we'll just buy another suitcase!" She started pulling Eliza into the shop. "Come on, let's buy you something nice for dinner tonight."
Eliza rolled her eyes, but allowed her aunt to lead her into the store. They bid hello to the elderly woman at the counter, as Aunt Anne immediately started pulling dresses out.
"How nice do you think we should look?" Eliza asked, suddenly very anxious. She had been very good about not thinking about dinner all day, but swiftly, a million thoughts and worries flowed over her.
"A nice summer dress should do, I think," her aunt said, draping a silk dress over her arm. "So you know these guests of Will's?"
Her heart rate returning to normal for the moment, Eliza chuckled at the thought that her aunt was calling Darcy 'Will.'
"Yes, a little," she said, avoiding her aunt's eye.
"Are they the ones that Jane was friends with last summer?"
What an understatement, Eliza thought. "Yeah, the Bingleys. They were the people she stayed with when she got her appendix out, remember?"
"Oh, is that them? Oh, it'll be very nice to finally meet them, then."
Her aunt fell silent and continued to look through the myriad of dresses. Eliza, meanwhile, was pondering tonight's dinner. What on Earth should she say to the Bingleys? She had been so preoccupied with Will and her relief that he didn't hate her that she hadn't given much thought to them. All she could hope was that her aunt and uncle, as well as Georgia, would be the center of attention so that she wouldn't have to spend too much time with them.
A few minutes later, Aunt Anne was dragging Eliza to the changing rooms. Eliza slipped behind the curtain with a few dresses while her aunt waited outside next to the mirror.
Just as she was struggling with the zipper on the first dress, she heard her aunt say, "You know, Lizzie, there's been something else I've been meaning to ask you."
Distracted by the bit of fabric caught in the zipper, Eliza absentmindedly said, "What's that?"
"Why did you tell us that Will was a snob? Do you not like him?"
Finally able to zip the dress all the way up, Eliza paused for a moment before coming out of the curtain. She steered clear of her aunt's steady gaze and went straight to the mirror.
"I… I really don't know. When I knew him in Long Island he really was a snob," she said as she fiddled with the hem of the skirt. Her aunt stood and came to stand next to her.
"So you don't like him," Aunt Anne said.
"No, it's not that, he's just… he's just a lot different than the last time I saw him. I don't know how I feel about him anymore," Eliza said truthfully.
"Well, he seems to like you, anyway," Aunt Anne said with a mischievous smile. "Quite a lot."
"I don't think so," Eliza said, unable to keep a hint of sadness out of her voice. Yes, Will had been perfectly civil yesterday, but just because he didn't hate her didn't mean he liked her, let alone loved her, anymore. She just hoped that she'd been able to make him see that she certainly did not hate him at all anymore.
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"Will, do you realize that there is a man out on your lake fishing?"
Will cringed as Caroline's shrill voice rang throughout the hall. He turned from his computer to find her standing in nothing but a bathing suit and towel at the doorway, her black hair sopping wet and dripping on the floor.
"Yes, I do. And try not to get the floor wet," he said, turning back around. He heard her growl and walked toward him.
"Who on Earth is he? He waved to me as I got into the pool," she said with disdain.
Will opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly Charles was also coming into the room, just in from a jog. Will sighed as he, too, started dripping on the rug.
"Will, do you that there's a-?" Charles started to ask, gesturing out the window towards the lake.
"Yes, I do," Will repeated. He took a deep breath and then turned fully around in his chair. Charles was looking at him with arched eyebrows, while Caroline stood huffing with her arms crossed.
"Alright, I know this is going to sound odd, but… that is Elizabeth Bennet's uncle," Will said. His pronouncement had the exact effect he thought it would; Caroline turned beet red while Charles became even paler.
"Elizabeth Bennet?" Caroline screeched through clenched teeth.
"Yes. She's in the area with her aunt and uncle and I happened to bump into her yesterday on my way home, so I invited them for dinner tonight," Will explained. Caroline had a vein pulsing in her right temple.
"How… why… why on Earth is she here?" Caroline trilled.
"Her aunt and uncle are taking her on a tour of England, and apparently her aunt used to know my housekeeper."
"Your housekeeper?" Caroline repeated, her brow arched in scorn.
"Yes… anyway, they should be coming for dinner in about two hours," Will said. "You might want to get dressed, Caroline."
Caroline opened her mouth, but then closed it again and marched out of the room. Charles had abandoned his stretching and had sat on the arm of the sofa.
"Eliza…" he mused. "So, it's just her and her aunt and uncle?"
Will sighed and nodded. He had been afraid Charles would react this way. It completely annulled all the things he had been telling himself about how Charles had not really loved Jane and had been over her a long time ago. He felt like he should say something now to Charles, but wasn't sure what. A few seconds later, however, Charles got up and left the room without another word. Will was just about to turn back to the computer when yet another person bounded into the room. This one, however, was an enjoyable distraction.
"Will, are we eating dinner early or late tonight?" Georgia asked as she fell onto the couch. She was still wearing the cotton shorts and oversized T-shirt she had worn on the drive to Pemberley, her brilliant blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail.
"Well, we have guests, so we'll eat around five," he said with a playful smile.
"Charlie and Caroline don't care when we eat," she said, wrinkling her nose. He laughed.
"Not them, we're going to have other guests."
"Already?" she said in a whining voice. "Can't we go one night without guests?"
He shrugged. "Alright, I can always call Elizabeth's hotel and tell her not to come."
His sister sat up straight at this. "Elizabeth? Elizabeth who?"
"Elizabeth Bennet. Remember me telling you about her? But if you don't want to meet her…"
"No! I want to meet her! You doofus, of course I want her to come over!" Georgia immediately said, hopping on the couch. "What is she doing in England?"
"She's on a trip with her aunt and uncle. I ran into them yesterday," Will explained again.
Georgia grinned and clapped her hands. "Oh, this is so exciting! You said she was so fantastic, I can't believe you didn't stay in contact with her."
"Well, you know… things happen," Will said softly, but his sister was paying no attention.
"I have to go shower! What should I wear? What do you think she'll be wearing?"
"I really don't know, Georgia. Why don't you practice the piano for now?" he suggested.
Georgia made a face. "Do I have to? I don't have much time to figure out what to wear!"
Will rolled his eyes. "I guess not, but you will have to practice at some point."
She left the room a few minutes later, still fretting about what to wear. Unable to comprehend the mystifying relationship between women and clothing, Will stood up and left the room as well. He headed outside and made his way down to the lake, where Mr. Gardiner was sitting contentedly, his line resting in the water.
"Will! Sit down," Mr. Gardiner said with a jovial smile.
"Thank you, sir," Will said, joining him on the grass.
Mr. Gardiner laughed. "God, don't call me sir. It makes me feel old."
Will smiled and nodded. "How goes the fishing?"
"Just perfect. I haven't had a chance to go all summer, so I really do thank you."
"My pleasure," Will said. "What do you do for a living, Mr. Gardiner?"
"My wife and I are realtors," Mr. Gardiner replied.
"Well, Manhattan is certainly a good place for that."
"Excellent… of course, now with the internet, our jobs aren't quite what they used to be. We're thinking of just packing it in soon."
"Retiring?"
"Yes… get a beach house somewhere, settle down for once."
"That sounds nice."
"Indeed," Mr. Gardiner said, nodding.
A few moments later, Will said, "It was very kind of you to take Eliza on this trip."
"That girl has been wanting to come to England since she was this high," Mr. Gardiner said, holding his hand up at his shoulders. "My wife and I try to come once every five years, to see her family."
"In Yorkshire," Will said, remembering.
"Yes… of course, Anne and her family don't get along very well, so we haven't been in about nine years by now." He chuckled, making Will feel much more at ease. "And now we've finally been able to take Lizzie along with us."
"She seems to be enjoying it."
"I should say so," Mr. Gardiner said with an enthusiastic nod.
"I told her she would like England, when we met last year," Will ventured.
"What a small world!" Mr. Gardiner said with a laugh. "To think that you met Eliza last year and her aunt turns out to be your housekeeper's old friend!"
"Yes, it is rather incredible," Will mused. Not that I'm complaining, he thought to himself. He then noticed Mr. Gardiner looking at him with an astute eye.
"She's a good girl, Eliza," the elder man said. "Smartest one of the bunch."
"I noticed," Will said, and to his surprise, Mr. Gardiner roared with laughter and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Hard not to, isn't it?"
Will smiled, but chose not to say anything more about Eliza's family. He'd gotten in enough trouble the last time he'd open his mouth on the subject.
A moment later, he made to stand up. "Well, I just thought I'd let you know that your wife and Eliza will be here in two hours."
"Alright," Mr. Gardiner said, standing as well. "I guess I'd better go back to the hotel and change," he said with a smile, dusting off his muddy pants and shoes.
Will nodded and walked Mr. Gardiner back out to the main drive, where his rented car was parked. Saying goodbye for now, he turned to find Caroline staring at him out of a second story window. Striding back into his home, he suddenly hoped that Eliza was not nearly as nervous as he.
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"Are you sure this is okay?"
"Yes, Lizzie, it looks great."
Eliza turned to look in the mirror once more before they left. Her aunt had bought her a knee-length voile dress with a low drape neckline and a pink and navy skirt. Eliza couldn't decide whether she loved it or if it was too much.
"Come on, dear, we really have to get going," Aunt Anne said one more time. Eliza nodded, ran a hand through her blown-out, curled under hair one last time, and then followed her aunt out the door. Uncle John was standing in the hallway, looking rather dapper in nice brown slacks and a sports jacket. Eliza tried to take deep breaths as she trailed a little behind her aunt and uncle as they made their way down to the lobby and then out to the car. Throughout the afternoon, her nerves had been slowly building, and she hated it. All she wanted was to walk into that house tonight with poise and confidence. She diverted her thoughts from Will and the Bingleys and instead focused on her anticipation at meeting Georgia Darcy. To her satisfaction, when the car pulled up at Pemberley, Eliza was feeling much more relaxed. All she had to do was focus on her new acquaintance and she was fine.
They were let into the house by the butler, who then led them to the parlor, which was situated just off of the dining room. Seated around the room on various couches and armchairs were Will, Charles Bingley, Caroline Bingley, and a young woman whom Eliza took to be Georgia. Indeed, they were barely through the door when she let out a shriek and hurried forward to meet them.
"Elizabeth's here!" the young woman said as she hopped over to them. Eliza smiled; her enthusiasm was infectious. She was a beautiful girl, with long, curly blonde hair, ocean blue eyes, and a wide smile. There was a slight family resemblance about the nose, but other than that, the two siblings could not have been more different as Will stood and walked over as well.
"Eliza, I'd like you to meet my sister Georgia," he said. Eliza held out her hand, which Georgia took with both of hers and shook most heartily.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Elizabeth," Georgia said.
"And you, too, Georgia. But please, call me Eliza," Eliza replied, glancing at Will for a second. He smiled for a brief moment, but then turned to greet her aunt and uncle.
"My brother has told me so much about you… I feel like we're friends already," Georgia said.
"Honestly, the way your brother talked about you, I was half-expecting to meet some sort of goddess," Eliza said. Georgia blushed and shook her head.
"I'm sure half of what he said isn't even true," Georgia said.
Eliza chuckled, sure that the girl was being modest. "Is that your piano?" she asked, pointing to the baby grand in the corner of the room.
"Yeah, Will got it for me last Christmas," Georgia replied.
"Your brother says you're an excellent player. Of course, he probably now thinks a monkey is a great player after listening to me play at your aunt's house."
"But he said you played so well!" Georgia said. They both looked over at Will, who suddenly looked cornered. Eliza couldn't but feel a little bit pleased at the thought that he'd said anything about her to his sister.
"I said quite well," Will said with a smile.
"Ah… now see, Georgia, quite well is not as good as so well. But he still gives me far too much credit," Eliza said. Georgia giggled, but then seemed to take notice of Eliza's aunt and uncle, and made to introduce herself. Eliza walked away from the four of them and headed toward Charles and Caroline, who were sitting on the sofa. Caroline was dressed in black, as always, and glowered at her as she approached. Charles, however, leapt up from his seat and went to shake her hand.
"Eliza, it's so good to see you again," he said with a broad smile. Eliza stopped herself from scrutinizing his look and graciously returned his smile.
"You, too, Charles. You look good," she said, sitting down across from them.
"Yeah?" he asked, as if surprised.
"What a surprise it is to run into you again, Eliza," Caroline suddenly interjected, her voice cold as ice.
"Indeed… it's quite a small world, isn't it?" Eliza said.
"That it is," Charles said. "Are liking your trip?"
"Loving it, thanks," Eliza replied.
"How's your family?" Caroline said with a raised eyebrow. Charles suddenly looked distinctly uncomfortable, and shifted in his seat.
"They're all very well, thank you," Eliza said.
"God, being at Netherfield Beach seems so long ago now, doesn't it Charles?" Caroline said, looking sideways at her brother. Eliza thought she saw a hint of sadness in his eyes as Charles nodded.
"Yes, it does," he said.
"How did school end up going, Charles?" Eliza asked.
"Very well," he said, his smile returning. "How about you?"
By this time, Georgia, Darcy, and Eliza's aunt and uncle were joining them. Eliza nodded.
"Well for me, too," she said to Charles.
"Eliza is going back to school in September for graduate study," Darcy cut in. Eliza smiled at him, surprised he had remembered.
"Really? What for?" Caroline asked with an icy stare.
"Art conservation," Eliza said.
"What an odd choice of study," Caroline said. Eliza took a deep breath.
"And you, Caroline? How are you filling up all your time?" she asked seriously. Caroline flushed; sneaking a glance at Darcy, Eliza saw him chortling into his glass of wine. She felt oddly triumphant.
"I should be very busy very soon," Caroline answered, looking significantly at Will. He stopped smiling immediately, looking slightly mortified.
Charles laughed shakily and started talking with Mr. Gardiner; Caroline, gratefully, fell silent, and the room's thick tension eased a bit.
"Eliza, you must tell me all about your sisters," Georgia said a moment later. She was seated next to Eliza in a large armchair. The others chatted on as Eliza turned to Georgia, who looked fresh and lovely in a sage green silk dress.
"Well, there's four of them, so there's a lot to tell," Eliza said.
"I want to hear all of it," Georgia said with an eager smile. "I've only ever had Will."
Eliza couldn't help but be taken with Georgia's earnest, humble nature, and soon found herself telling the girl all about growing up with four sisters. Georgia was equally delighted, shocked, and awed while Eliza spoke, and once Eliza was done, she asked Georgia to tell her about living with only brother.
"Oh, well he's completely overprotective, you know," Georgia began. "He's more like a parent, really… I mean, I never knew Mum, and then when Daddy died…"
She trailed off, her face clouding over. Eliza's heart sank, but she pretended not to notice anything. A moment later, though, Georgia brightened and started telling her a story about her only date, when Will burst into the restaurant and poured lobster bisque onto a poor boy name Jack. Eliza glanced over at their subject, and was surprised to find him looking over at her and Georgia with a light smile on his face. He noticed her looking and raised his eyebrows; she grinned and flashed a quick thumbs up.
After dinner, they all reconvened in the sitting room. Eliza felt somewhat exhausted, as dinner had mostly consisted of everyone politely nodding as Caroline droned on and on. Eliza had not retained a word the overgrown bat had said, and was relieved to notice that everyone else seemed just as shell-shocked as she was.
Georgia was quickly implored by everyone to go to the piano, and Eliza followed along to turn the pages for her. She would have liked to stay with the others in order to talk to Will, but she didn't think she could stomach Caroline for another moment.
"Have I mentioned how happy I am to finally meet you?" Georgia said as she began playing.
Eliza laughed. "Yes. And you'd better stop, before my head swells so big I can't stand upright."
Georgia chuckled. "It's just… usually my brother doesn't really connect with anyone when he goes places, it was just nice to hear him talking about you so much."
Eliza felt her face grow hot, and rather clumsily turned Georgia's music sheet. She sneaked a glance at Will, who was laughing and talking with her uncle. Georgia thankfully turned her full attention to her music, and Eliza enjoyed a few minutes listening to her superior playing. Unfortunately, her pleasure was cut short by Caroline, who started loudly calling her name and beckoning her.
"Eliza, how's your family?" she said with a smirk. Eliza rested on the arm of the sofa, and turned to Caroline with a smile.
"Just as well as the last time you asked, Caroline," she replied.
"How interesting your family made our stay in Long Island last summer, Eliza," Caroline went on. Aunt Ann and Uncle John looked puzzled, and both Will and Charles shifted in their seats. Eliza narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Yes, well, we do try our best to make everyone welcome. Of course, you really upset quite a few people when you left so abruptly," she said, pointedly looking at Caroline and no one else. Caroline matched her narrowed eyes and added a smirk.
"How's your sister, Jane?" Caroline asked.
Eliza saw Charles picked up his wine glass and down it. She crossed her legs and smiled lightly.
"Just fine, thanks. She's been living in Manhattan for several months now," she said.
"She has?" Charles suddenly said. Eliza looked at him, startled to see him look so distressed. Or was it just her imagination?
"Yes, she was living with us, actually, for some time. She was promoted, you know," Aunt Ann cut in.
"Really?" Charles said. "How wonderful."
There was an awkward pause where Eliza determinedly kept her eyes away from Will. She couldn't help but wonder in that moment: if his letter had so affected her, had what she said that night made him change his mind, too?
"And what about that friend of yours, George Wickham?" Caroline asked.
There was a loud, off-key clang from the piano. Will looked sharply at his sister, clearly upset. Eliza couldn't help herself; she openly glared at Caroline.
"How horrible of me," she said loudly. "I've left you alone at the piano, Georgia," she said, standing and marching to stand by Georgia's side, who had hesitantly kept playing. Her aunt had uneasily struck up a new conversation, and after a few seconds, the uncomfortable moment passed. Eliza risked a glance at Will; he was staring at her with a look of wonder on his face. She smiled and nodded and felt like, in that moment, they understood each other perfectly.
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I am in such trouble.
That was what Will was thinking as he looked at Eliza, standing next to his sister at the piano. He had just had the overwhelming feeling that, perhaps, Eliza had not only read his letter but believed it. She was looking at him as she'd never had before: with warmth and friendliness. He hadn't let himself believe it before now, but he was starting to hope that maybe, just maybe, she didn't hate him.
Caroline was, as usual, a headache and mood-killer. When she excused herself to go to the restroom, everyone breathed an audible sigh of relief. Charles even apologized to Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner for Caroline taking up all of the conversation. They good-naturedly denied that she was a horror, but Will could tell they were disappointed when she returned a scant five minutes later. Another reason Will was suddenly passionately hating Caroline was the fact that Eliza used any excuse to stay away from her, and hence, away from the entire party. She and Georgia stayed safely by the piano, exchanging pleasant conversation, while Will and the others endured Caroline's neverending sermons. Will contributed when he had to, but otherwise contented himself with sneaking glances at Eliza and Georgia, who seemed to be getting on very well. He could not have been happier. Well, perhaps he could…
The night ended shortly after the sun went down. Charles and Caroline stayed inside as Will and Georgia walked Eliza and the Gardiners out.
"We had such a lovely time," Mrs. Gardiner said as they stepped out into the brisk summer night.
"Well, thank you so much for coming," Will said, shaking Mr. Gardiner's hand.
"It was so nice to meet you," Georgia piped in. She and Eliza exchanged a grin.
"And you. We really do wish we could stay in Derbyshire a little longer," Mr. Gardiner said wistfully.
"Then why don't you?" Georgia said excitedly. Will laid a hand on her arm, as a silent 'calm down,' but she jumped and turned to him with an eager look on her face.
"Will! Why don't we take them to the opera tomorrow?"
"Georgia, they have plans…" he said, but Georgia wasn't listening.
"We're flying to London for the matinee… we have our own box, there's plenty of room. Then we could go out for dinner, or shopping…" she said, clapping her hands.
"Well, I certainly wouldn't mind delaying our trip to Yorkshire…" Mrs. Gardiner said with a sly smile. "But only if your brother agrees. We wouldn't want to intrude."
Will took one look at Eliza; she smiled, and he gave in.
"We would love to have you join us."
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A/N: Woo! Sorry for the wait. School is crazy, as usual, but I have a fiction writing course that I really think is going to improve my writing tremendously.
We're over 300! That's very exciting. Just a quick note, though, to nothingmatters: I'm sincerely hoping that you were drunk, high, or some combination of the two when you wrote that review, because it is one of the silliest and pettiest insults I've ever received. I pity you, my friend.
So everyone review, and tomorrow: we go to the opera!
Love, luck, and flying Ringwraiths,
Emma the NazgulQueen