Sooooo sorry for taking so long. I'm happy to report we survived the STORM OF THE CENTURY here in Boston. My back is sore from all of that shoveling. Perhaps that will give me some sympathy so that maybe you won't hate me for taking so long. I really hope you enjoy this chapter and don't find it too boring. I tried. :)
BTW, for those who are noticing the re-post of the chapter, something happened in my original posting to screw up the final paragraphs. Try reading the last bit again. Apologies and thanks for pointing out the problems!
Karma. There was no other explanation for how terrible she'd felt for the past day and a half. The combination of her hangover and her monthly visitor, all on the same day, was certain punishment for something she'd done in her life. Lizzy was a firm believer in karma and was certain this was the world coming back at her. She'd begged William to never allow her to consume so much alcohol ever again. The water, regular doses of ibuprofen, and hot water bottles helped to ease the pain in her head and lower back. William vacillated between worrying excessively and slightly amused by her incapacitation. As he assured himself that these issues were not life threatening, he seemed to take perverse enjoyment from her moans. Fortunately they had little to do and William took advantage of the down time to take care of a lot of the email and other Pemberley business which had piled up. During his times out of the house, Lizzy made a good start on the mittens she was planning and had cut out all of the fabric for the stockings she would sew in Maine.
It was noon on Friday before she was able to extract herself from her bed to shower and dress. They were going to the Fitzwilliams for dinner and she needed to make something to bring. It was difficult to determine what might be appropriate, and good enough, for dinner at their home. Perhaps some Christmas cookies would be nice and she could use the new cake and cookie decorating kit they'd gotten as a wedding gift. Lizzy recalled William's reaction when she'd unwrapped the gift. He had been positively bewildered at her excitement and couldn't imagine why one of his classmates had thought of him and cookie decorating when selecting a gift. Of course, most of his friends had given them gifts relating in some form to alcohol - martini glasses, crystal wine glasses, bar tools, coolers, etc. - half of which Lizzy doubted they'd use. At any rate, focusing on mixing the dough and rolling it out was a good way to keep her mind free from her worries about seeing William's sister tonight. The set they'd received included a whole bunch of cookie cutters too and she found a few that would be appropriate: tree, candy cane, reindeer and snowflake. Alternating the shapes she quickly made two trays of cookies. With the first batch in the oven, she re-rolled the dough and was able to get another dozen cookies out of the dough. Lizzy had also whipped up a few different colors of frosting. This was her favorite part. She'd never been a traditionalist when it came to decorating cookies, with orange snowflakes and blue reindeers notably in her past. She was debating making a few cookies to look like the famous Oaxacan wood carvings. Ever since she'd realized she'd been born in Oaxaca she had done more studying of the region and found the painted wood carvings unique and beautiful in their own way. Sophia Fitzwilliam would probably love them given her vibrant personality. Even so, the majority she'd make would be "normal" as she didn't want to shock the rest of the family. Lizzy was in the middle of frosting the cookies when William came into the kitchen
"What's all this?" William asked as he picked up a reindeer and bit it's head off.
"Noooo. Don't touch!" Swatting at this hands, Lizzy tried to protect her painstaking efforts.
"Why not? They look great."
"Well they better after all the time I've spent making them. You can't eat them because they're for your aunt. I'm making them to bring with us tonight." Lizzy protested.
"Why does my aunt get them? Can't we keep some? I really like these colorful ones here." William said as he picked up one of the cookies decorated like the painted wood carvings.
"If you like them so much, then you can help me bake more when we're in Maine. We need to bring something tonight. We can't simply show up empty handed when she's hosting us for dinner," Lizzy exclaimed.
"I'm sure she doesn't expect us to bring anything. I've never brought anything and she's always been happy to have me," William insisted.
"You were a bachelor before. It's different now that we're married. There's an expectation that couples bring something...wine, flowers, dessert, a salad. How do you not know this?"
William shrugged, "I would certainly bring wine or flowers to someone who wasn't family. The truth is I'm sure my aunt would still be thrilled to have us over if we never brought a single thing when we came. She certainly won't miss a few cookies. Can I please have another one?" William reached over attempting to snatch another one.
Lizzy grabbed his hands, pulled them up to her lips for a kiss and then led him out of the kitchen. "If you can't help, then please stop distracting me and trying to eat what I'm making. We're bringing cookies with us tonight. If you're good, I may save you one or two for the ride up to Maine. If you continue to pester me then I'll make sure that Aunt Sophia doesn't give you any. Do you understand?"
"Yes mom," William sighed playfully. "Seriously though, you didn't have to do this. I'm sure Aunt Sophia will appreciate the effort but please don't plan to bake every time we go there or you'll be baking a lot."
"Alright, we'll see. You could help me though. There are a lot of dishes to be done," Lizzy looked up at William doe-eyed hoping he'd take over clean up tasks.
"At your service madam but I may require another cookie at the end."
"Only if you do a good job," she teased.
Georgiana had been looking forward to going home despite the tension between herself and her brother. The reception from her aunt and uncle was surprisingly cool but they appeared to be glad to see one another nonetheless. "You'll be staying in your usual room although don't get too unpacked. William and Lizzy will be coming to get you in morning of the 24th."
"We won't be spending Christmas Eve here?"
"No I don't believe so. It's always been a tradition for Lizzy's family to attend midnight mass. I believe you'll be going to the church she was raised in for Mass."
"If I'd prefer to spend Christmas Eve here, may I?" Georgiana asked tentatively.
"No, I don't believe that's a good idea. They are very much looking forward to sharing Christmas with you." Sophia delivered this sentiment with a pointed look ensuring that Georgiana knew that the conversation was not going to continue.
Georgie was silently fuming. This woman, her brother's wife, was turning her entire life, all of her traditions upside down. It was bad enough that she needed to tolerate Elizabeth in her family but now she had to spend Christmas mass in her church?Georgie's thoughts were disrupted when she realized her aunt was speaking to her again."You may want to run upstairs now to change and freshen up. I expect William and Elizabeth here any moment and we'll start dinner shortly after they've arrived." She looked down at her jeans and school fleece, realizing that her aunt would not find these clothes acceptable for a family dinner in the dining room. Her aunt had grown up in the south, in a prominent politician's family and had fixed ideas on etiquette and proper dress for all occasions. Georgie snickered at the thought that Lizzy would likely show up dressed casually, proving how inappropriate she was for their family. With this thought cheering her, she hopped up the stairs to quickly change and prepare for dinner.
Sophia Fitzwilliam had been carefully watching her niece. It had been fascinating to observe the range of emotions as they played across her face. Georgie was not adept at hiding her feelings and it was clear to her that they still had an uphill road to travel with Georgie and her new sister-in-law. Only time with Lizzy and encouragement from the family was going to help this battle and Sophia was ready to do her part.
William was watching Lizzy repeatedly smooth the skirt of her dress. He'd never seen her so jittery before and wondered if she was still feeling the effects of her birthday celebration and her affliction, as he thought of it. Reaching out to take her hand in his, he placed a kiss on the top of her head, "Are you feeling alright? If you're still too ill we can simply pop in to say hello and then continue on up to Maine."
"I'm feeling perfectly fine. Why do you ask?"
"You seem rather jumpy. Are you sure you're fine?"
Sighing, Lizzy agreed, "I'll admit to a high degree of nervousness. Not to see your aunt and uncle. They've been wonderful. It's just the first time we're seeing Georgie since the wedding and your other cousins as well. I think I'll be better once we simply get there."
Chagrined, William understood her nervousness. He was too but was also angry that his little sister had the ability to unsettle them both so much. She was exercising too much power over them and their happiness and it felt wrong to give her that privilege. "I'm sorry. You've got nothing to worry about from the Fitzwilliams. They all adore you and my cousins will follow their parent's lead in any case. I wish I could say the same for Georgie. Please know that I won't let her be disrespectful in any way. I simply won't tolerate it."
"I appreciate the sentiment but I realize that you can't simply command her to like or respect me. People don't work that way. I'll be fine, don't worry about me."
Easier said then done, William thought. They still were learning about one another and even though she teased him about his worrying tendencies, he didn't think she appreciated how much it was truly a part of him. Seeing her incapacitated these past two days had him chastising himself continuously. He should have watched over her more carefully at her party. How could he have let her get so drunk as to become so ill? She'd asked for his promise that he'd never let her get that drunk ever again and he wouldn't let her down. Over the past two days, while she'd slept and recovered, he'd had a lot of time to reflect on how quickly their entire relationship had progressed. He'd been a reticent person his whole life, worrying about every implication of his decisions. His marriage to Elizabeth had been the complete opposite of that in every way. He realized that if he hadn't been forced to contemplate marriage, he likely would still be a long way from realizing that he did in fact, love Elizabeth. That she had come to be so important to him so quickly, made him wonder what else he may have missed out on by being so reticent in the past. She was already forcing him to enjoy his life a bit more and not to simply bury himself in work and responsibilities. What else might she teach him?
They pulled around to the back of the Fitzwilliam's townhouse and parked in front of their garage, a true luxury in Beacon Hill. William was glad to see that Lizzy was waiting for him to open the door for her. He liked doing that little task and while she'd teased him about it, she relented and allowed him to do so. "My lady," he said as he offered his hand to help her out.
"Why thank you sir. With the ice around here I'll admit its nice to have you to steady me. I love these boots but they're not great on the ice."
"Then why ever would you wear them?"
Laughing she squeezed his arm, "Oh Will. Women's fashion is not always practical and I'm sure your aunt wouldn't appreciate me tramping through her lovely home in my snow boots. I'll be fine as long as I have you to hold onto."
He was glad to see her laughing. He hadn't seen that spark in two days and he now appreciated how much he needed it. Her laugh earned her a kiss. Realizing they were approaching the door, Lizzy straightened herself and they rang the bell.
"Lizzy, William. I'm glad you're here. I'm starving and my mother won't let me touch anything until you arrived. " Calling through the house, "Mom, they're here."
"Rachel Agatha Fitzwilliam! Who taught you to bellow through the house? Of course I knew they're here. I can hear the bell as well as the rest of the house. And why haven't you seen to their coats? I'm telling you. When I went to college my house mother would never have allowed such terrible manners." This diatribe was delivered as she embraced both William and Lizzy. Rachel took their coats rolling her eyes as her mother's lecture continued. Lizzy stifled a laugh as she divested herself of her coat and reached down to remove the tin of cookies she had in her bag.
"Rachel go see what's taking Georgiana so long and meet us in the living room once you've retrieved her."
"Aunt Sophia, Lizzy baked these for you." said as he handed her the tin.
"Please don't feel obligated to serve them tonight. I wanted to bring something but realized I wasn't sure of the menu so I thought these might just as well be something to snack on in the coming days." Lizzy added.
Sophia Fitzwilliam took the tin and leaned over to give Lizzy a quick kiss on the cheek, "You really didn't need to bring anything but I truly appreciate the gift." Carefully she opened the tin to reveal the delicately decorated cookies within, "How lovely! Oh they're wonderful. Lizzy did you truly make these yourself?" Mrs. Fitzwilliam looked up in surprise.
"Yes. I know they're a bit, um, bright, but I was having fun with my decorating kit and got a bit carried away."
"I almost hate to put them out to be eaten they're so beautiful. You certainly have a talent Elizabeth. I've never seen the like." Picking a few of the cookies up to look through the tin, Sophia Fitzwilliam sighed. "I guess I should share them shouldn't I? Martha can put them on a tray to serve with coffee this evening." She gave Lizzy another hug before hurrying off to the kitchen, tin in hand.
William smiled at his wife. She had made a good impression, once again, and he appreciated how thoughtful Lizzy was of others sharing a bit of herself in the process. They walked into the room, fire blazing, and found the family gathered, save Sophia. Georgiana was sitting by the fire speaking with Rachel when the couple walked in and she stood to give her brother a hug hello. It was stiff and awkward, on both their parts, each uncertain of how the other would receive them. "It's good to see you Georgie. I'm glad you made it safely." William offered.
"Thanks" she answered simply, nodded towards her new sister-in-law, and then retook her seat by the fire.
Lizzy raised her brows at these actions and looked at William. Shrugging, he had no idea how to respond and so proceeded to say hellos to the rest of the family. They soon made their way to the dining room. William and his cousin Robert caught up on some legal matters regarding Pemberley they'd been emailing about over the past two days. Lizzy found herself chatting with Robert's fiancé Jessica and was pleased to find they shared a passion for English and French literature. Jessica hadn't explored any Spanish literature, so Lizzy promised to bring a few of her favorites when they returned for Christmas dinner. Throughout the meal, Georgie closely watched Lizzy and her brother. She was completely taken aback when Lizzy started to tease William about his skill at ice skating. How dare she! He was perfectly good at ice skating. She felt vindicated when he teased Lizzy about their forays into cross country skiing. The entire table was chuckling when he told the story about the bunnies they'd encountered. Robert joined in with stories of his little sister learning to skate and she quickly retaliated with a story of when William, Richard and Robert had gotten in trouble for a snow ball fight which resulted in one broken window and snow in the formal living room. Sophia admitted she'd found it rather funny at the time. Overall it was a relaxed and enjoyable family dinner. Georgiana offered little in the way of comment and no one seemed anxious to engage her. Yes, she was certainly being punished. Ordinarily, they'd have asked her about her term, her horse, and attempted to engage her in their story telling. It was made all the more obvious with the active way they tried to engage Lizzy in their conversation. Georgie couldn't wait for dinner to end.
Back in the living room following dinner, Lizzy saw her cookies beautifully arranged on a delicate crystal and silver tray. "Mom, where did you find these cookies?" Rachel picked up one of the Oaxacan-style decorated reindeers. "I love them. They're so artistic." She took a bite. "Mmmm, buttery. Well these won't last in this house. I hope you can show us where to get more."
Georgiana reached over to take one. "This one is beautiful. It's almost a shame to eat it."
"Trust me, you'll want to eat it. It's so good." Rachel assured her as she attempted to catch the crumbs falling from her lips.
"Well, you'll just have to be very, very nice to the baker and maybe she'll make you some more." Sophia said smugly.
"Really mom? You have many talents but I've never seen you make anything like this. No offense. While you've got an excellent eye for color, you're not the most artistic person," Rachel teased.
"I'm not saying that I made them. I would never take credit for these. The credit all goes to Elizabeth."
All eyes diverted to Lizzy and she blushed brightly. Georgie's cookie crumbled in her hand as she realized she'd complimented the woman she'd vowed to hate.
"Will, your wife's a keeper. Did you know she was this talented when you convinced her to marry you?" Robert asked.
"She keeps surprising me. I already knew she was an excellent cook but had no idea of her baking and artistic talents." William answered wrapping Lizzy in his arms.
"I can't reveal all of my secrets at once," Lizzy grinned, relieved that the cookies were such a hit.
"Aunt I hate to break up the party early but we're headed up to Maine tonight and I want to leave before it gets too late." William suggested once they'd finished their coffee and cookies.
"If you must. I'm thankful you're at least leaving Georgiana with us for a few days. What time do you suspect you'll be here on Tuesday?"
"We hope by 11 but we'll call you from the road. Lizzy's sister is meeting us at home around 1 and we want to have the tree picked out by then." Turning his attention to Georgie, William said, "We're very much looking forward to spending some quality time together. Enjoy this time with the Fitzwilliams and we'll see you in a few days." He placed a kiss on her cheek and drew her into a hug goodbye. He was glad she wasn't quite as stiff as she'd been when he and Elizabeth had first arrived.
Quickly they departed and began the trip to Pemberley. "The cookies were certainly a hit. Everyone was so impressed with my talented wife, not that I'm surprised."
"I'm glad they liked them but to be honest, the only person's opinion that matters to me is yours."
"Well of that you should be of no doubt. I'm still disappointed we had to leave them with all of the cookies." William pouted. She started laughing at the silly look on his face and reached down into her bag. Unwrapping two cookies, one for each of them, she handed one to him.
Taking the cookie, he smiled. "See, further proof of how amazing you are."
It was early Saturday morning. Lizzy had jumped awake with the realization that Maria would be at their home on Christmas morning and she hadn't thought to make her a stocking. Hopefully Mrs. Reynolds could help her locate some additional fabric to complete an additional stocking.
She was up early Saturday morning. Lizzy had jumped awake with the realization that Maria would be at their home on Christmas morning and she hadn't thought to make her a stocking. Hopefully Mrs. Reynolds could help her locate some additional fabric to complete an additional stocking.
"Where are you off to so early this morning Mrs. Darcy?" A low voice asked.
"Well good morning. I was heading downstairs for some coffee. Can I bring you a cup?"
"That would be wonderful. Thank you love."
Once downstairs she found Mrs. Reynolds already working hard in the kitchen. "I'm so glad you got in ok last night. It was quite late when you finally arrived."
"I actually fell asleep in the car but thankfully William got us safely here. Is everything all set for me to use your sewing machine today?"
"Yes, I've got it all arranged. Mr. Reynolds is going to take William out to some of the farther reaches of the property to examine the fencing and drainage. They'll be gone all day. You should have plenty of time for your project. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"I'm so glad you asked. I woke this morning and realized that I hadn't planned on a stocking for my sister Maria. I don't now what I was thinking. I have some fabric scraps but not enough to make a proper stocking. Do you have any fabric that I might use?"
"I'm sure we have do. When you come over, you can show me the three you've already got planned to give me a guide. I've got a stack of fabric that you can look through.
"Thank you! I don't want her to feel left out and I'm certain she would if I didn't make her one."
"I'm happy to assist. Now take this tray with some coffee and warm quiche and let William know that Mr. Reynolds is ready to go whenever he is."
Lizzy found their room empty when she returned upstairs but heard the shower running. Setting the tray down, she grabbed her coffee and began to reflect on the prior evening at the Fitzwilliams. They had all been welcoming and the evening had been very relaxed overall. Well, all except Georgiana. She was quiet, watchful, and certainly not remorseful. Lizzy hadn't actually expected an apology from Georgie yet, but she eventually did expect one. William wouldn't tell her all of the terrible things his sister had said about her. They were in agreement that eventually, Georgiana would need to apologize if they were ever going to have an honest relationship.
William walked out of the bathroom, towel drying his hair, and was happy to see Lizzy nestled comfortably in a large armchair, toes tucked under her, as she sipped her coffee. "Now that is a beautiful sight."
"Aren't you the flatterer this morning."
"I like seeing you comfortably settled here. I want you to feel like this is home, more than anyplace else actually."
"I can't imagine how anyone would be uncomfortable here. Anyway, I was to tell you that Mr. Reynolds is ready when you are."
Sitting down across from her, William asked, "Are you sure you'll be ok if I leave you all day? We just got here and now I'm taking off."
"You don't need to worry about me. I've brought lots of little projects to do and and I are going to spend some time together. I'm looking forward to it. Besides, didn't you say last weekend that it's been far too long since you toured the property. I'm glad you're getting it out of the way now so we don't have to worry about it after Christmas."
"You're always so rational. Can't you be irrational every once in awhile?" William teased.
"I'll have to work on that. Now eat some breakfast while it's still warm so you can leave and get back to me."
The two dug in to their food, briefly reviewing plans for Sunday and Monday as well. They both had some last minute shopping to complete and they'd spend Sunday afternoon hopefully accomplishing their errands.
The cottage Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds occupied was constructed of the same stone and cedar shingles as the main house. She gave Elizabeth a quick tour of the home: sitting room, study, eat in kitchen on the first floor and two snug bedrooms and another small study upstairs. The home was filled with pictures of William and Georgiana, giving Lizzy a fuller appreciation for the close relationship between the caregiver and the family. Indulging her own curiosity, and perhaps Mrs. Reynolds interests as well, Lizzy asked question after question about each photograph and memento in the cottage. The Darcy children were in fact her favorite topic and so Mrs. Reynolds happily spent her first hour with Lizzy sharing anecdotes about her "children".
It took an empty tea pot for Abigail Reynolds to realize that she'd probably distracted them long enough from their task. "I should have warned you that I'm apt to go on if you get me talking out the Darcy's. I'll go put another pot on while you lay out your project. I can't wait to see what you've planned."
Lizzy looked at the clock and was surprised so much time had already passed. She'd done a lot of pre-work but it always took longer than it should and she needed to come up with some ideas for Maria's stocking as well. Laying out the pieces, she began to play around with some ideas for the fourth stocking. Mrs. Reynolds returned with a pile of fabric including some felt pieces she'd picked up after speaking to Lizzy on Wednesday morning. Mrs. Reynolds was the master of back-up planning and had thought to pick up some excess felt just in case Lizzy needed some.
Eyeing the stack of felt and fabric, Lizzy began to laugh. "I should've known not to worry this morning. I certainly won't have a problem coming up with something for my sister."
"I'm glad to hear it. Now let me see what you've planned for the first three stockings."
Talking through her ideas while looking through the fabric, Lizzy found some felt that would match the colors of Georgiana's horse. She decided to move the snowflakes to Maria's stocking - along with a bright gold North Star set against a midnight blue background. Trees and a rough cut of a horse, set in between the trees, would work for Georgie. She actually liked the stockings better with these changes. After seeing all of the pictures of Georgiana riding, it was increasingly made clear that horses were a true passion. Maria truly loved the snow and the celebration of the Epiphany. Winter had always been Maria's favorite season and Christmas her favorite holiday. There was no way Lizzy would attempt a nativity scene but felt the bright star would symbolize the imagery she was attempting.
"Will you allow me to help you get these going? I don't want to impose my help but you have a fair amount of work to get done now that you're trying to complete four of these."
Lizzy was uneasy. She didn't want to offend Mrs. Reynolds, but she really wanted these to be a gift from her. That said, there was a lot of work to complete and she was uncertain she could get it all done before William came back. After a few moments of silence, Mrs. Reynolds tried again. "Why don't you focus your energies on William and Georgiana's stockings. I can focus on yours and Maria's. I'd like to give you a gift and making yours will be mine to you. Besides, the ideas are all yours and I won't be able to embroider Maria's name in the same manner you have. You'll still need to get that done. Will that work?"
Lizzy sighed and appreciated the practicality of the suggestion. "Thank you. I've probably tried to do too much. I'd love it if you put mine together, and possibly Maria's, if I run out of time."
The two women got to work, sipping tea and later snacking on sandwiches while they diligently applied themselves. It was 4:00 before they'd finished. Lizzy's eyes were tired, her shoulders were sore and her fingers felt like pin cushions from the number of times she'd poked herself. The experience served as a very good reminder of why she hadn't enjoyed sewing as a child. Her saving grace was that the stockings actually come out even better then she'd imagined and she'd managed to do a good bit of Maria's herself. "Elizabeth, they are beautiful. You've created something special for your new family and I'm sure they'll love them. Leave the stockings here with me. I'll iron them and return them to your bags before you depart Tuesday morning."
"I'd love to argue with you but I'm too tired. I should probably get back up to the house before William returns. I only hope he wants a quiet night tonight." Lizzy said as she pulled her coat and boots on. "Thank you so very much for your help and company today. I couldn't have done it without you."
"The pleasure was mine. It's been too quiet around here for too long. I just wish I could see their faces when they see their stockings."
Heading up towards the house she spotted a truck coming down the drive. William was back. Oh well, so much for resting, she thought. Pausing for the truck to pull up to the front of the house she smiled in greeting.
"Lizzy, I'm surprised to see you outside!"
"I'm just coming back from visiting with Mrs. Reynolds. Did you accomplish your tasks?"
"Yes. I'm all yours now. Let's head inside."
Fifteen minutes later William strode into the family room and was surprised to find Lizzy dozing on the couch. He was concerned that after a relaxing day she could fall asleep so quickly and easily. Sitting next to her on the couch he reached over to shake her shoulder, "Lizzy. Lizzy. Are you feeling ok sweetheart?"
She slowly opened her eyes to find William anxiously looking at her. "I can't believe I dozed off. Thanks for waking me."
"Are you sure you're ok? What did you do today to wear yourself out so much?"
"I actually spent the entire day with Mrs. Reynolds. I guess I'm still recovering form all of the activity over the past two weeks."
His concern was not eased. "Well maybe we should stay close to home tomorrow then. Do you think its the new medicine you're taking? Should we call the doctor? I don't like to see you so tired."
"William, I am perfectly fine. Let's lay low tonight and I'll get another good night sleep tonight. I'll be in good shape tomorrow. Promise." She smiled brightly but William's look of concern wasn't eased.
"We'll see," was all he said. He grabbed an afghan and wrapped her in it before heading off to the kitchen to conference with Mrs. Reynolds about dinner and probing about Lizzy's day. It was clear that he was worried about Lizzy and she gave William every assurance that his wife had been energetic and feeling well the entire day. Dinner and a movie at home provided the low key evening they both needed.
They were both awake early and Lizzy was pressing to go ice skating with her new skates. "I don't want you to wear yourself out like yesterday."
"I feel fine. Better than fine actually and I love to skate. Let's grab a quick breakfast and then head out to the pond. I've never skated on a real pond before and I want to try it." She was bursting with enthusiasm with the idea and finally won William over.
As they headed out on their snow shoes towards the Pond, William began to wonder why Lizzy, who seemed to adore skating, ever gave it up. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
"Why did you stop skating and playing ice hockey?"
A cloud crossed Lizzy's face and William almost retracted his question. Instead he waited. He wanted to know everything and couldn't avoid the sad thoughts.
"Mama never liked that I played ice hockey. Figure skating was alright. That was a girl's sport but ice hockey was for boys. My papa never listened to her. He supported my interest in the game both at my level and my love of watching the very un-girly professional games. We loved watching the Bruins together although we never made it to a real game. Only on television. Anyway, Papa would always be up early to take me to the rink for practices. Afterwards we'd go out for hot chocolate before returning home. When I was 12 my team made it to regionals. Papa had been working long hours but he never missed a game. We were playing our final game when Papa had his heart attack. It was the last game I played. There was no one to take me to practice after that and mama certainly wasn't interested in coordinating rides so I switched to track and long-distance running. I didn't need to arrange any special transportation and could practice anywhere." She told her story like it was something she'd read about. William decided it was something to file away and think more about in the future.
They'd made good time and were almost at the pond. Sure enough Mr. Reynolds had cleared a large swath of the ice and had also set out a bench for the two of them to use while they put their skates on. 'That man is invaluable,' William thought to himself.
"I don't remember this bench here last weekend. Did I miss it?"
"No. I suppose Mr. Reynolds put it out here for us when I asked him to clear the pond."
"They are both wonderful. I really enjoyed my day with Mrs. Reynolds yesterday. She had so many wonderful anecdotes about you and Georgiana. To hear her tell it, you were the perfect boy, always following directions, listening to his mama and eating all his vegetables."
William laughed, "Time does have a way of smoothing the rough patches. I think my Aunt Sophia could give you a more representative account of my childhood."
"I'm sure you're right. Let's get out on the ice. I'm starting to get cold sitting here." Before William could finish lacing up his skates she was cruising around the ice trying it out. Pond ice was different than what she grew up skating on. The natural variations fascinated her and she could easily see her preference for this version over the manufactured rinks of her childhood. It made her appreciate all the more how many different experiences she'd gotten to try in these first weeks of their marriage.
Georgiana was not enjoying her holiday break. No one had been mean it was rather more of a case of benign neglect. The perfunctory greetings were made but there was no attempt to engage or include her specifically in anything, let along seek her input. If that wasn't bad enough, her aunt seemed determined to speak on no subject other than her brother and his wife. Lizzy's cookies were amazing. Lizzy's letter to the editor was posted on the refrigerator and handed to any guest who stopped by. Lizzy was humble, kind and brilliant, all rolled into one package. It was enough to make anyone ill and Georgie needed some space. She'd been hiding up in her room when she heard a knock on her door.
"Come in," she called.
"What are you doing in here all alone?" Rachel asked.
"I figured if everyone wanted to ignore me I might as well be by myself. I know where I'm not wanted." Georgiana answered, a bit defiantly.
"Ohhhh, you're having a pity party. All right I'll bite. How've you been so slighted?" Rachel asked as she sat down on the end of Georgiana's bed.
"Ugh. Not you too. I don't need your condescending attitude or pity. Everyone's mad at me because I said some stuff about Lizzy. Why do her feelings matter more than mine? I don't trust her and I don't like her and I can't figure out why I'm the only who sees it. But I'm the idiot 15-year old and I'm the one who's wrong and needs to suck it up. Well I'm not going to sit around listening to how amazing she is and I'm certainly not going to trust her or like her just because I'm told to." Georgie was nearly shouting. Her face was getting red and her arms were crossed. Rachel had to stifle a laugh given the amazing resemblance Georgie was providing to a three-year old.
"Are you willing to hear what I have to say on this or would you rather I leave so you can stew in your own little tantrum here?" Rachel asked meeting her cousin's eyes. She really had no intention of leaving. In fact, her mother had sent her up to Georgie's room to try and break through her attitude. She hoped this tack would work.
"Suit yourself. But if you want to sing the praises of my brother's wife, I'm happy to leave my room." Georgie started to get up before Rachel called out.
"Georgie. Stay. Let's be clear here. I've got no skin in the Lizzy game. I could care less if you like Lizzy or not. Heck more cookies for me if you don't like her. The family's pissed at you for sure. But they're mad because you talked badly about a family member to an outsider. And whether you like it or not, Lizzy is now a member of this family. So you can bitch and moan all you want to any of us, but if you ever talk badly about her - or really anyone else in our family - to an outsider, then you've broken the Fitzwilliam family rules. We stick together."
Georgiana stopped to consider what her cousin had to say. It wasn't likely any different to what she'd heard before from Richard but at least she wasn't also telling her to accept the marriage and move on. "So what do I need to do? How do I get people to start talking to me again?" she asked.
""You're going to need to apologize to my dad, my mom, your brother and Elizabeth. Your blabbing literally diverted my dad's entire political agenda for a week. My mom couldn't leave the house and neither could your brother or you new sister-in-law. The Boston, Cambridge and Harvard police had to get involved to control the press and keep the roads open. It was a big deal Georgie. Next time you want to bitch about someone in the family, call me or Richard. Don't call Robert though, he's too much like your brother, serious and all that."
Georgie had seen the newspapers and internet stories but hadn't really processed the impact on their daily lives, or the city for that matter. She decided they really did have a good reason to be mad at her. It wasn't just about whether she liked Lizzy or not, it was how she'd gone about expressing her dislike that was the problem. That, she could accept. "Ok. You have a point. I'll apologize and I won't make the same mistake. I really never thought it would go beyond Caroline. I had no idea she'd sell what I said to the press."
"I'm sure you didn't. But it was a very costly lesson for you to learn. Now that you know, don't ever make that mistake again and you'll be fine." Rachel decided to leave the conversation there. She didn't think she could convince her younger cousin to change her opinion about Lizzy and would let her mom know. At least she'd keep her feelings about the situation out of the public realm. That was worth something. Like the new Cole Haan boots she'd been asking her mom for. They were only $550 and this was worth way more than that.
Again many apologies for taking so long on this chapter. Writers block - particularly on the Georgiana bits, a fear of being boring, and craziness in life kept me from you all. Your reviews - and thanks to Susan for checking in on where I'd gone - keep me writing so please, please leave a review. I love your thoughts, comments, questions and reactions :)