You guys are awesome...and because you are so very awesome, I tried very hard to get back on track this weekend with writing. Here you go!
William slid Lizzy's cell phone out of her hand and powered it down. He then took his own from his pocket and did the same. Resting himself against one end of the couch he pulled Lizzy into his arms and onto his chest. He felt her tears through his shirt and wrapped his arms more tightly around her. Lizzy always showed a brave face to the world and he was glad she'd let down her self-imposed walls around him. And she really had. It was hard for him to believe that only last night she'd told him, showed him, how much she loved and trusted him. Lizzy had opened herself completely to him, given him her whole self, and he'd equally given himself over to her. Making love to Lizzy was unlike any other experience he'd ever had before. Yes, if he was honest with himself, sex always felt good. With Lizzy it was so much more. She was completely open, no pretense, focused solely on sharing her love with him, and his sole focus had been to make her feel good and loved as well.
As he thought about the call from Lizzy's father, he was relieved. He'd been upset she'd never had the chance to say goodbye to her parents. At least now Lizzy knew they cared, were interested in her life, and wanted to maintain a connection. He hoped this call would strengthen her resolve in the coming days to stand up against external pressures. William was determined to find out who had threatened their peace and hoped above anything that it wasn't Georgiana.
Richard had called earlier and was planning a visit to Georgie today to try and find out if she'd played any part in the current media blitz. Her behavior over the weekend had him worried. Not seeing her in the pictures compounded his concern. Would she really have released all of those details to the press and shared those pictures? It was hard to believe she could be so conniving and yet, his baby sister had been through a lot in the past few years. At 15 she was an unpredictable element to him. If anyone could get to the bottom of this mess, it was Richard.
Lizzy's breathing had slowed and he realized she'd fallen asleep. It had been a stressful week, and it was only Wednesday! What a roller coaster they'd been on and it wasn't going to slow down. They needed to take whatever respite they could. Looking down at her peaceful face he placed a light kiss on her head and decided to close his eyes. He felt so warm and content with her body laying on top of his. 'We'll be ok,' he thought.
Sophia Fitzwilliam was attempting to calmly drink her tea but was feeling anything but calm. She hated being trapped in her own home and was worried about William and Elizabeth. She couldn't do anything to help them right now though. Not with the press camped outside her front door. Henry was closeted up in his office with his team drafting a statement he promised she could read before it was issued. She had just resolved to jump on her treadmill when the phone began to ring again. Caller ID informed her it was Jane Bennet. 'Isn't that one of Lizzy's friends?' she wondered and decided to actually answer the phone for the first time this morning.
"Fitzwilliam residence." Sophia answered cautiously.
"Good morning, this is Jane Bennet, Elizabeth and William Darcy's friend. I was hoping to speak with Mrs. Fitzwilliam if she's available."
Having recognized the young girl's voice and sensing her nervousness, Sophia decided to acknowledge her caller. "Good morning dear. This is Sophia Fitzwilliam."
"Oh, hi. I got your number from your son Richard. I hope I'm not disturbing you this morning."
"Of course not dear. If Richard gave you my number then please don't feel concerned about calling. How can I help you?" Sophia sat back down at her kitchen table and took another sip of her now lukewarm tea.
"I've just returned from visiting with Lizzy and William. She mentioned that you and I might help her with shopping for some new clothes with your personal shopper at Saks. Having just navigated the press sitting outside her building myself this morning, I don't see how she's going to be able to go anywhere for awhile without being hounded. I figured I might be able to help. I've lived with and shopped with Lizzy for the past few years. I have a pretty good sense of what she likes, her sizes and what looks good on her. I thought I might be able to go to Saks to meet with your personal shopper to pick out clothes for her. Then we can simply have them delivered."
These same thoughts had entered her mind but she didn't know Lizzy well enough to pick things out for her. With Jane's help she could finally do something useful in this mess. "An excellent idea dear. When are you available to go? I can call Melanie to let her know to expect you. I'll have to make sure the account is set up." Her mind was whirling with ideas. "I'm going to see if I can figure out a way to meet you there. I'm itching to get out of this house. I love my home all times when I'm permitted to freely leave it and positively detest it when I'm forced to stay indoors," Sophia sighed.
Jane laughed, "I expect Lizzy to feel the exact same way. As to shopping, I'm free all afternoon. It's reading week so I don't have any classes."
"Perfect. Can I call you back on this number in an hour? And, while we're shopping I expect to hear all about how you found Lizzy and Will. Henry spoke to them this morning and I've been trying to leave them in peace for a little while."
Jane liked Lizzy's new aunt already. She was glad she'd gotten up the courage to call. "They seem good for now. I'm worried though. I've been trying to figure out what I can possibly do to help. This was my best idea so far. I guess I'll try to focus on studying for a little while and wait for you call me back." Jane responded.
"Thank you dear. I'm glad to have something to focus my mind." Sophia answered. Ending the call Sophia went to find her address book. She decided a 3:00 appointment would give her husband plenty of time to finish his statement and to clear away the press from their door. It would also give her time to get in some exercise, shower and ready herself in case she was hassled. Knocking on Henry's office door she waited for a few moments before entering. Over the years, she'd learned not to barge in but also not to wait for an invitation. It would never come. She was always welcome but her husband was slow to transition and needed a moment to pull himself out of whatever he was in the middle of before he could focus on the interruption. Her children had learned this lesson early and often.
"Good mornin'. Just checking in on your progress. Can I have some refreshments brought in for you?" She asked with trademark Southern hospitality.
Henry Fitzwilliam looked up at his wife with a broad smile. 'She can work a room even better than I can,' he thought. He knew she'd been storming around the house all morning and yet to his staff she seemed as if she didn't have a care in the world other than for their comfort.
"I believe we're just about done here but I'd like your opinion on our plan, the statement and our collective talking points. Why don't you sit here and read through what's been drafted. I think we can find refreshments for ourselves and we'll come back in a few minutes to hear your thoughts and edits." Henry said as he gave her his seat. It was a dance between them. She played the role of the demure politician's wife and he acknowledged her intelligence and insight by giving her a seat at the table. It had served them well for the past 33 years.
Sophia settled herself in her husband's desk chair and began to read over the prepared statement.
"As recently reported, last Sunday, Sophia and I joyfully celebrated the wedding of our nephew Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Grace Benetez. The entire Fitzwilliam family could not be happier that these two bright and caring individuals found one another and made the decision to build a future together.
On Tuesday of this week, our niece Elizabeth, submitted her application for permanent residency in the US. Like many undocumented children, Elizabeth was brought here by her parents to pursue the American dream. She entered this country before she celebrated her first birthday, having no recollection of her birthplace. At present, the US does not have a path for children like Elizabeth to become US citizens, or even to legally reside in a country that has been home the majority of their lives. This is a challenge our government must tackle. Fortunately for Elizabeth and William, while pursuing answers to correct her legal status, these two young people found love.
We look forward to bearing witness to the many contributions Elizabeth will make to our family and our country in the years to come.
- Henry and Sophia Fitzwilliam"
She couldn't have been more pleased with the statement. The only thing she might add is to leave them in peace! She'd discuss that with Henry but also recognized that anything she had to say on the matter wasn't like to impact the outcome. This was only the beginning of the storm and with this statement, her husband was making himself a champion for all undocumented children living in the US.
She made her way down to the kitchen and found Henry and his team still gathered around the table. "You're a talented group. I like the statement although I wish we could add something to the end like, please leave them alone."
"Thank you Mrs. Fitzwilliam. It's unfortunate this became public so quickly. We thought we'd have more time. At least Congress is in recess right now so we can work locally for the Senator to reinforce his support. I wouldn't be worried about his re-election," one of the Senator's staffers offered.
Sophia laughed, "I'm not worried for Henry. He'll be fine. I just worry for the children. I fear they'll have little peace in the days to come. Now when will you release this and get the press away from my front door. I've got things to do and can't accomplish them with the wolves circling."
"I'll get the statement up on the site right away," this same staffer offered, looking for an excuse to leave the kitchen as quickly as possible.
"One moment please. Henry, I think we should go outside and issue the statement directly. We don't have to take any questions but I don't want you to be seen as hiding from this. Once you've made a public statement, it can go up on the site." Sophia stated.
Henry appreciated this was no mere suggestion and, checking his and his wife's attire, he looked over the statement once more, and put his arm out to escort Sophia to their front door.
Opening the door, Sophia's warm smile greeted the press as if she was genuinely pleased to see them. The senator personally greeted the local reporters he knew well before beginning his statement. Well practiced, the senator delivered the statement, pausing and with emotion in all the right places. He was about to turn inside, when Sophia began to speak, "Excuse me, I have one thing to add to my husband's remarks. I want to speak to you as a mother worried for her children, for both William and Lizzy are as dear to me as my own children. I understand the interest this story has generated. That said, it's finals week for both of them. Please give them the space they and their classmates deserve to complete the semester in peace."
Husband and wife waved good bye to the assembled press and closed the door. The two quickly embraced in a tight hug, Henry placing a kiss on her lips. Pulling back a bit he was so glad this woman was standing by his side in all things, "I love you Sophia," he said his eyes focused on her face.
"I love you too Henry."
The home phone began to ring again, rousing the sleeping pair from their spot on the couch.
"I can't believe I fell asleep. I've got so much work to do." Lizzy fretted.
Looking at the clock, William could see that it was already past 1:00. "I'm sure the nap was exactly what you needed after the morning we've had. I'll warm up some soup while you get set up to study." William soothed as he rubbed her back.
Sighing, she watched him retreat into the kitchen, so happy to be in his care.
William picked up the phone and checked the caller ID. His chief security officer had called. He should call him back while the soup was warming. Picking up the phone he pressed the call back button and waited. "'Ello, Kraus 'ere."
"John, it's William Darcy. Apologies for missing your call."
"Mr. Darcy," He answered formally straightening himself up as if he was actually presenting to the boss. "Apologies sir for disturbing you but we had some findings and wanted to share them with you as soon as we had them."
"I appreciate the quick work John. I'm eager to hear what you've learned. Tell me what you know."
"I'll email through this report as soon as we're finished talking. First, there were no staff common to the wedding and reception except for Mrs. Reynolds. While no one is free from suspicion, she's in the clear I believe. The angle of the photos doesn't fit with where she was sitting through the ceremony or where she was placed at the reception. And there was one photo that's online that I can personally attest she was with me at the time it was taken."
William wasn't surprised. It would be the height of foolishness for a staff member to do anything like this. Especially given the papers they were required to sign prior to joining his staff. "That's helpful to know. So you're reasonably certain that there are no staff responsible for the photos."
"As certain as I can be sir. The greater problem are the guests. We worked with both Mrs. Reynolds and the hotel staff to map out the location of guests, at least where they were seated. We were able to eliminate most people on either their inclusion in the photos or the location of their seats at the wedding. The reception is harder because people could move around more freely." John hedged.
"You seem to be stalling John. Tell me what you found," William demanded.
"Sir, there are three guests we can't clear."
"And they are?"
The first is Matthew Fitzwilliam. He's not in the photos and well, his seat at the wedding doesn't suggest he could be the photographer but, he did leave for a bit as his daughter was fussing, so we can't rule him out."
"And?" William pressed, immediately clearing Matthew in his mind. He had no reason to cause trouble for the family.
"The second is Caroline Bingley. She was sitting at the right angle to take the photos and was seen by the staff we interviewed to have her phone out several times taking photos during the service and the reception."
"Ok. So do you believe it to be Miss Bingley?," he asked trying to keep his temper in check.
Clearing his throat, John had one final name to mention. With a sigh he began, "There is one additional person who sat next to Miss Bingley and could, theoretically, be suspected but we know how unlikely it is."
"No one is in the clear until I say so John. Who is it?"
"Your sister, Miss Darcy, but I'm sure she's innocent of this. Why would she?"
"Why would she indeed? Thank you John. I look forward to seeing your full report. Can you send it to my cousin, Richard Fitzwilliam also? I think he would benefit from seeing it as well."
"Of course sir." Not knowing what else to say, John Klaus was eager to get off the phone. It was a phone call he wanted to complete as quickly as possible. "I'll await any further instructions sir. Have a good day."
"You too, and thanks for your quick work." William responded. He waited for the report to arrive and read it through while stirring the soup. The analysis seemed sound and he wanted to discuss it with Elizabeth. If Georgiana was potentially the culprit, he'd need her advice. Turning the stove burner off, he poured out the soup into two bowls, grabbed some spoons and and a few bread rolls and carried a tray out to the dining room table.
Grinning up at William, Lizzy was surprised to spy his grim look. "Is making soup so arduous as to make you angry and cross?"
"Eat your soup my love. I don't want to spoil your appetite so I'll save the report from my security team until after lunch."
The smile immediately dropped from her face. "Well, you can't expect me to eat now, can you? Tell me what you've learned."
William sighed and reached over to hold her hand. He shared the findings he'd heard from John Klaus and filled in a few details that had been included in the report he'd read. Rubbing his hands over his face he looked up at Lizzy, "I don't believe it's Matthew. He has absolutely no motive and had his hands filled with a baby."
"Your right William. Matthew's been too supportive, and going to the press? It doesn't fit. It has to be Caroline Bingley. I can't believe I was such a fool to blithely include her in everything. I should've made sure she didn't come."
"No love. I should have done something about it. Charlie's MY friend. At any rate, it may not have been Caroline. What I'm truly worried about is Georgiana. I mean, some of those details in the news articles. Did Caroline really know all that about you? It seems like a stretch. And besides, I haven't heard from Georgie today and she was very difficult this past weekend. I hadn't wanted to burden you but, I've been worried about how she was reacting to our marriage."
Lizzy didn't know William's sister very well so she really didn't have a clue if she could've done something like this or not. How should she respond? What could she possibly do to help here. If it was Georgie, well, they'd have to figure out how to move forward and build a relationship. Standing up from her chair, she walked over to sit next to him. Reaching up to his face, she cupped his cheek, "Look, if it was Georgiana, we'll figure it out. We both love you. With that in common, we have a starting place to build a relationship. Anyway, she's only 15 and has a lot to learn about life still. If it was Caroline, well, she's just earned a one-way ticket out of our lives. Do you have a plan to try and determine which one is responsible?"
He looked intently at her face. She trusted him. 'How did I get so lucky,' he wondered. He took her hand a placed a kiss on her palm before speaking. "Richard's going to visit Georgie this afternoon. He's going to confiscate her phone, check her texts and emails. See what he can learn. If it checks out clean, then I'm going to pay a visit to Charlie. Hopefully Caroline will still be staying at his place. I'm going to take her phone and have it checked. What do you think?"
"I think, well, I think it's the best we can do for right now. I'm glad Richard will be the one talking to Georgie. He's not in the middle of all of this so he can be bit more impartial." Lizzy said thoughtfully.
"We'll see. As long as you know that I love you Lizzy."
Smiling, she looked back up at him, "I love you too William."
I've been thinking about why I love fanfiction so much and why I enjoy hearing from you all so much. I think it's because we have a common language. We all know these characters so well, we can really get into a story quickly. Yes, we surprise each other every once in awhile - like with Georgie in this story - but by and large, we operate with a common understanding.
Comments welcome, encouraged, loved, treasured...