Chapter 24 - The Last Day

Eliza felt disappointed all night, and the feeling lingered when she woke the next morning. She cursed Mark Cleaver for coming at the exact moment that Will was going to ask her something. It could have been important! And it had been one of the very few moments they had alone. She sighed as she showered and got dressed for the day. Today wasn't looking any more promising… she wondered what he'd been about to ask her.

The sky was cloudy but didn't seem to threaten rain. She wondered with a chuckle whether they were ever going to get to Yorkshire. She certainly didn't mind not going; not just because she was having such a good time with the Darcys, but because her aunt's family was rather loud, rude, and talked of nothing but sports. With a pang, Eliza thought that she and her aunt were rather alike: stuck in a family with whom they had nothing in common.

After a small breakfast at the hotel, Eliza and the Gardiners drove to Darcy's estate. Mary answered the door and told them that Will was in the library. Aunt Anne and Uncle John suspiciously lingered behind to speak with Mary as Eliza boldly went forward to find Will. Mary had directed her up the stairs to the first door on the left, and Eliza knocked lightly before entering, slightly nervous. Stepping into the room, however, she was struck speechless; the library was an enormous, high-ceilinged room with plush Oriental rugs and pristine white walls. Books stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction, complete with ladders and spiral staircases. Will sat in a leather armchair in the middle of the room, his legs drawn up and resting on the coffee table. She smiled at the sight; it was the most relaxed she had ever seen him.

"Good morning," she ventured. He jumped a little in his seat, losing his grip on the book, which fell to the floor. She couldn't help but chuckle as he scrambled to pick it up.

"Eliza! You startled me," he said.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, afraid he was upset. But then he smiled and stood up, placing the book on the coffee table.

"Don't be," he said. "You like it?" he asked, spreading his arms to gesture around the room. She nodded enthusiastically.

"It's beautiful," she enthused.

"Thank you. Maybe it's a little selfish of me, but I usually don't let Mary show it to visitors on the tours," he said.

"Not at all," she said, her eyes still lingering on the books. When her eyes caught his again, he was gazing at her with a thoughtful look.

"Eliza… there was something I had wanted to ask you yesterday," he said.

Eliza instantly forgot about the books. She walked a little closer to him.

"Right," she managed to say.

"Eliza! There you are!"

Both Will and Eliza audibly groaned as Georgia bounced into the room. Eliza recovered more quickly and turned to Georgia with a smile.

"Hey, Georgia," she said.

Georgia was biting her lip. "Well, I made the mistake of telling Caroline where we were going today, and she insists on coming. Is that alright?" she asked, looking from one to the other.

Eliza shrugged, and Will muttered, "Like it would matter if it wasn't?"

Georgia sighed. "I know, but –"

"There you went, Georgia, I turn around for one second and you're gone."

All three groaned this time as Caroline slunk into the room, wearing an uncomfortably short black dress and sandals, her hair down for a change.

"Ah, Elizabeth, how nice to see you're still here," Caroline went on, slithering up next to Georgia. Eliza put on her best fake smile.

"Yep, still here," she said.

"Well, I've managed to convince Charles to come as well so you shouldn't be too bored, Will," Caroline said to Will, who had left his seat and came to stand next to Eliza.

"Great," he said; Eliza took note that his voice suddenly returned to the slow, haughty one she had known last summer, and marveled at it.

"Well, then… shall we?" Will said, leading them out of the room. After some subtle complaining from his sister, Caroline, Charles and Georgia went in one car, while Will drove Eliza and the Gardiners. The ride was relatively short, and by noon they were parked and walking around the market. It was a fun, open-air market with a huge assortment of quirky shops. The group wandered around together for awhile after a quick lunch, but eventually Eliza's aunt and uncle drifted off on their own. Caroline stuck to Georgia's side so much that Eliza could never quite relax. Finally she just fell out of step with the girls and walked with Will and Charles.

"How's work going?" she asked both of them.

"Good… great," they answered together. She chuckled.

"I bet you both missed home while you were in New York," she went on.

They both shrugged half-heartedly.

"Or maybe not," she said. Charles chortled.

"It's nice to be back in England," he said. "But I, at least, loved New York. Actually I miss it sometimes," he said, smiling sadly at Eliza. She looked at him quizzically. What exactly did he miss about New York?

"I do, too," Will piped up, as they followed Georgia and Caroline into a music shop. They had barely stepped foot in the store before both Georgia and Caroline were excitedly calling to Will. He sighed but went over to them by the left wall. Charles and Eliza wandered through the aisles together in silence for a bit before Charles spoke up.

"So, Jane got promoted?" he asked, his eyes down on the CDs.

"Yeah, a little over a year ago," Eliza replied slowly. "She's been living in Manhattan for about a year."

"Good for her… I confess, Eliza, I've always felt bad about the way we left Netherfield," he said softly, looking quickly over his shoulder at Caroline, as if making sure she couldn't hear.

"Well… it was rather unexpected," Eliza said.

"I know, I know… I've felt guilty about it ever since." His affable face fell; Eliza snuck a glance over at the left wall, too, but she concentrated on Will. It was so obvious that Charles was still hung up on Jane; sure he had changed in most ways, but had Will realized how completely wrong and presumptuous he had been about Jane? Did he even notice had heartbroken his friend still was? And if he were given the chance to make it right, would he? She found herself desperately hoping he would… she wanted to believe that he had had a change of heart there, too.

"Don't worry about it," Eliza finally responded. "I'll tell Jane you said hi."

His big blue eyes lit up a little. "Would you?"

"Sure… she'll be happy to hear it."

What are they talking about over there? Will narrowed his eyes as he watched Charlie and Eliza talking quietly to each other by the Jazz section. Caroline and Georgia were thrusting an antique copy of an opera record that Will had been searching for years for, but he couldn't concentrate. Charles' shoulders were slumped, and Eliza was smiling at him in a sad, pitying sort of way. Were they talking about Jane? He did not want Jane to come up in any conversation. It was too painful for him, and he was quickly losing hope of ever being able to tell Eliza just how much he regretted what he had done. Besides, he was already formulating a plan to get Charles to go back to New York, who had been avoiding the city for a year now. If all succeeded, and Charles and Jane got together, hopefully he could redeem himself somewhat in Eliza's eyes.

"Will, why aren't you excited? You've been looking for this forever!" Georgia screeched into his ear. He tore his eyes away from Eliza and looked down.

"Of course I am!" he affected his voice into excitement.

"Remember when we saw that opera together, Will?" Caroline purred, placing her hand on his wrist. He shook her claw away and turned to Georgia.

"Good eye, Georgia," he said. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she said, but then leaned in close to him. "Please get me away from her," she whispered, jerking her head toward Caroline. He took pity on his sister; the whole point of the day was so that she could spend time with Eliza, and she had barely spoken two words to her all day. He nodded and winked.

"OK," he whispered back, and then turned to Caroline.

"I remember that like it was yesterday," he said, dropping his voice a little. "La Boheme. It was raining, wasn't it?"

"Yes! It was!" Caroline said, her eyes growing huge and excited. Will gritted his teeth as he heard Georgia scamper away.

"It's one of the most romantic operas in the world you know," he said. Caroline's mouth fell open and she didn't respond for several moments.

"Yes, I know," she finally breathed. He heard the distant sounds of Georgia and Eliza's mixed laughter.

"When Rodolfo cries out Mimi's name at the end…" he mused; Caroline was practically groping him by now.

"Yes! When she's… leaving on the train," she said. Will groaned inwardly.

"Well, I was thinking of the part where she dies, but alright," he said through clenched teeth.

"Oh! Right," Caroline said breathily, and then suddenly he felt it: her tongue in his ear.

"Erm, are we interrupting something?"

Will gasped and leapt away from Caroline. Georgia, Charles, and Eliza were staring at the two of them, each with a different expression: Eliza's was one of mild confusion and major disgust.

"No! Not at all," he said quickly, feeling his face burn. Georgia looked amused, Charles looked alarmed, and Caroline was still eyeing Will with animalistic lust. He coughed awkwardly and looked straight at Georgia.

"I'll just go buy this," he said and then walked quickly away from all of them. He purchased the record quickly and then met them outside the store. The awkward atmosphere seemed to pass as Georgia showed him what she had bought with Eliza.

"The Joshua Tree, Aladdin Sane, Led Zeppelin Two, and Paranoid," Georgia recited.

"Contrary to popular belief, Black Sabbath is not just for Satanic nutjobs. I just discovered this last year, so I'm imparting my wisdom onto your sister," Eliza followed up.

Will laughed. "Zeppelin Two? Why not Four?" he asked.

Eliza groaned in faux-exasperation. "I know everyone's obsessed with Four, but I happen to prefer Two. It's really underrated." She paused. "What did you buy, Will?"

"La Boheme. I've been looking for this version for ages," he replied.

"It's the most romantic opera in the world, you know," Caroline suddenly interjected, slithering in between him and Eliza. "And Will and I saw it together."

"Is that so?" Eliza said with a noticeable edge to her voice.

"Yes," Will said, unable to keep the mirth out of his voice. "You were with Matt Seymour at the time, remember? Anne and I went with you two."

Caroline's face immediately fell. He could see Eliza laughing silently over Caroline's shoulder; he had made her laugh! He felt a small sense of accomplishment.

"Ah, yes… how is Anne, anyway?" Caroline said, recovering quickly. "When are you two announcing your engagement?" she asked, raising her eyebrow coldly. Eliza had stopped laughing, and Will couldn't help but feel a surging anger as Caroline smiled.

"Anne and I aren't together," he said quietly, feeling the urge to push Caroline in the way of an oncoming delivery truck.

"Really? That's what everybody says… especially your aunt. And we all know you always do whatever your aunt says!" Caroline continued in her sickeningly false sweet voice.

"Oh, look at those adorable puppies!" Georgia suddenly said loudly, and, clasping Caroline's wrist, dragged her away to a store across the lane. Charles coughed awkwardly and then quickly went over to join his sister. Eliza had walked a little away from Will and was gazing into the window of a nearby store. He went and stood at her side, but wasn't sure what to say.

"God, that Caroline will say anything, won't she?" Eliza finally said, turning to him with a smile.

"What? Oh, yeah… she's pretty unflappable," he responded dejectedly.

"I mean, let's be honest… you'd never marry her or Anne… would you?" she said, throwing him off guard. What did she mean by it? Of course he would never marry Anne… if he thought there was any chance with Eliza. But she couldn't… she couldn't possibly be… she couldn't be saying there might be a chance… was she?

He was still staring at her with mouth agape when the other re-joined them, including the Gardiners. His heart fell as Eliza looked away from him with a frown.

"Look who we found!" Georgia said with a smile. She seemed to take note of Will's unhappy temper and apologized with her bright eyes. He shrugged and shook his head, and soon the group was heading back toward the parking lot. He and Georgia fell behind as the rest of the group chatted.

"I'm sorry, Will, I didn't think you two were…" Georgia whispered.

"No, it was nothing," he whispered back. "Forget it."

Again they split between the two cars, although Georgia did not put up a fight this time about having to go with the Bingleys. She and Eliza hugged as they parted, and she waved enthusiastically as they drove away. As the Gardiners, Eliza, and Will set off toward their hotel, he couldn't help but feel something he hadn't in a long time: an eagerness to see Eliza gone.

As Will drove them to the hotel, Eliza found herself hoping that they would finally leave for Yorkshire tomorrow. She'd had fun here in Derby with Georgia, and even with Will, but she realized that no matter how much fun they had, there was still the fact that she didn't know whether Will had forgiven her or not. Moreover, she still wasn't sure whether she had forgiven him for what he had done to Jane. And seeing as neither of them could buck up the courage to talk about it, they could never really have any sort of friendship. She did feel sorry, for she felt like if she could just be sure that he didn't hate her and that he was sorry for what he had done, they really could be friends.

The hotel finally came into sight, and Will parked the car and walked them inside. The Gardiners, oblivious to any sort of tensions between Will and Eliza, invited him for a drink. He accepted, of course; curse his perfect manners, Eliza thought. As she dropped her purse and purchases onto the front table, though, she noticed that their phone was blinking.

"I think there's a message on our phone," Eliza said, throwing off her shoes.

"Well, check it then," Aunt Anne said.

Eliza picked up the phone and pushed the blinking read button. After a long-winded automated message, it finally said,

"You have a message from" – beep – "Jane Bennet" said her sister's voice. Was her voice wavering or was that just the connection?

"Hi, Lizzie, it's me. I hope you're still in Derby and that you haven't gone to Yorkshire yet. I… I have some bad news."

Eliza's heart stopped.

"Lydia never came home last night. Daddy was about to call the police, but then she called – she's run away. With that George Wickham."

Eliza gasped; her eyes suddenly felt hot with tears. Her aunt and uncle took notice and hurried over.

"Daddy got her to tell us that she's in LA, but she won't tell us where or-" her sister's voice broke. "I'm sorry, Lizzie, I know you're having fun on your vacation but… Dad's gone to LA to find her, but… he's afraid she might be sick and that if he calls the police they'll only arrest her or…" Jane was sobbing. "I'm sorry, Lizzie, but if you could just come home… Mom's a wreck, and Dad could really use Uncle John's help, and…" She paused again, and Eliza found herself sobbing along with her sister. "She sounded really sick on the phone, Lizzie. I'm… I'm worried. Please come as fast as you can." Click.

Eliza dropped the receiver, tears coming hot and fast now. Stupid Lydia, she thought furiously. How could she?

"Lizzie, darling, what's wrong?" Aunt Anne asked, wrapping an arm around Eliza's shoulders. Eliza turned to her aunt and buried her face in her neck. Aunt Anne stroked her back soothingly, and in a minute or so she had regained enough composure to stand up.

"It was Jane," she began. "Lydia has run away." Aunt Anne and Will gasped; Uncle John just sighed and buried his face in his hands. "With George Wickham," Eliza went on, looking at Will. His eyes widened, but they didn't betray any emotion.

"Do they know anything? Have they called the police?" Uncle John asked sharply.

"She's in Los Angeles," Eliza replied, unable to look away from Will. "Dad's gone to look for her… he's afraid she might be doing something illegal."

Uncle John stamped his foot. "That girl… I'll go to LA at once. You two will go home."

"This is my fault," Will suddenly said, walking forward. "I should have exposed Wickham ages ago."

"No, this is my fault… I should have at least been honest with my sisters about him," she said. He looked at the floor while backing away. She imagined a trace of disgust on his face.

"I should leave, I'm intruding," he said.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Aunt Anne said.

"It was my pleasure. I am sorry," he replied, staring straight into Eliza's eyes. This only made her cry more.

"I am, too," she whispered, drinking in his image one last time, from his thick curly hair to his beautiful green eyes, to his impossibly shiny shoes. She was quite certain that this would be the last time she would ever see him, and she knew that she would regret it terribly someday. He nodded, and then swept from the room, the door closing with a bang behind him.

The Gardiners sprang into action; Uncle John got on the phone immediately to find flights back to the US while Eliza and Aunt Anne furiously packed. It took nearly an hour to pack up their five suitcases, including all their new purchases. Uncle John finally hung up after forty-five minutes of yelling into the phone; he announced that he had booked himself a flight to Los Angeles that left in two hours, and that they would be heading back to New York in three.

The wait at the airport was excruciating. After an exhausting security check, Eliza and Aunt Anne had hovered close to their flight's gate until their seats were called. Eliza squirmed and fidgeted the entire flight, and for once she was thankful for the time difference: when they touched down, it was only six in the evening. She and Aunt Anne urged the cabbie to drive as fast as possible, so that by the time they reached the Bennet house, they were both nauseous and dizzy. Aunt Anne assured Eliza that she would get the suitcases, so Eliza pelted into the house.

It was worse than she could have imagined. The living room was upended; dishes and drinking glasses were everywhere, pillows were scattered all over the floor, and her mother, the queen of appearances, was laid sprawled over the couch.

"Lizzie!"

Jane jumped at the sight of Lizzie and rushed over; the two sisters hugged for minutes on end. Jane looked worse for the wear: there were dark circles under her eyes, which were bloodshot and watery. Her hair was tangled and messy, and her smile was shaky.

"Oh, Lizzie, thank God you're here," she said.

"Of course. Uncle John's gone to LA already," she said.

"Oh thank heavens," Jane said, grasping onto Eliza's elbows as she sagged in relief. "It's a nightmare, Lizzie. Mom's gone off the deep end, I don't know what to do."

"I do… you go eat something and take a nap. I'll take over," Lizzie said. Jane bit her lip and looked around at their mother, whose eyes were closed. Mary and Cate were curled up in the armchairs, napping lightly. Eliza prodded her sister toward the kitchen, who went reluctantly. She then tiptoed toward her mother and sat on the edge of the sofa. Sighing, she brushed a lock of hair off her mother's forehead. Her heart felt heavy as she surveyed the disastrous room. She had always known her little sister to be flighty, but had never thought she would do anything like this. She should've straightened Lydia out years ago; then this never would have happened. It she hadn't written Lydia off as just a ditz, she could have turned her into a responsible young woman who didn't run off with musicians and become a drug addict. Her head fell to her knees as the tears threatened to return.

How on Earth were they going to get out of this in one piece?

The second the door closed behind him, Will made a run for it. He bypassed the elevator and took the stairs, leaping down them two at a time. The image of Eliza's crying face was indelibly burned into his mind; he had to get to LA.

This was all his fault, no matter what she said. It was only his own selfishness that had prevented him from exposing George in the first place. He should have had George arrested years ago, placed behind bars for the rest of his miserable life. As he got in the car, he called to the house to get Mary to get the plane ready. She promised to call John, the pilot, and have him there in twenty minutes, ready to fly to Los Angeles. Will raced to the airport, racking his brain. Where would George go in LA? Who could he call to help him find George?

With a heavy heart, he realized that he had nearly ten long hours to figure all that out.

A/N: I am really sorry for the long wait. I know it's a tired excuse, but school has been ridiculously crazy. Every time I thought I had time to write this chapter – bam! I'd have a bazillion assignments to do. But I finally said enough is enough, and took a break from studying to write it.

Now we come to the sad, bittersweet part, where Eliza thinks she'll never see Will again and Will realizes he has to make amends. There are approximately five chapters left (I know I said there were more, but I lied. Oops!)

Ok, well please review! Please, please, please!

Love, luck, and flying Ringwraiths,

Emma the NazgulQueen