My many apologies for the delay. I'd written a chapter and decided I didn't like it so I had to start all over again. Hopefully this one is worth reading...

Brown curls trailed down her bare back, splayed against her skin. He enjoyed wrapping a single curl around one finger and then gently pulling the ringlet down as far as he could along her creamy skin. So beautiful. He didn't know how long he'd occupied himself this way. Time passed quickly in her presence. They'd woken early and found themselves quickly divested of their sleeping apparel. Usually he was the one who fell quickly back to sleep after they'd made love but this morning in the early light he'd found himself entranced by her, unable to close his eyes. Lizzy had fallen back to sleep and he was content to simply watch her nestled in the bedclothes.

He wasn't looking forward to the day. Over the past two weeks he'd thought, or rather hoped his sister would see how happy he and Lizzy were together and give up her misgivings about his marriage. All he'd expected was that Georgie would give Lizzy a chance. Maybe she'd spend time with them and understand that it was good he'd married Elizabeth. Yesterday, those hopes were quickly dashed and he'd begun to appreciate what a steep hill he'd need to climb. He was now truly worried Georgie was becoming more reluctant rather than easing. Shaking these thoughts from his head, William reached over and began to place kisses down Lizzy's spine. He simply couldn't stay away from her. It was an almost impossible task to keep his lips from her skin.

Lizzy turned her face to the other side, sensing something or someone nudging her awake. She didn't want to wake however. She'd been having the most delicious dream about William and was afraid she'd wake to find herself with a cat begging for attention and food, rather than her husband. Slowly opening one eye, a smile crept across her face, "Oh, it's you."

"Excuse me?"

Sleepily she rubbed her eyes as she rolled over, "I'm just happy it's you nudging me awake."

"Do you have someone else you've been expecting or dreaming of?" William asked a bit indignantly.

Chuckling she reached her hand up to his cheek, "The only other man permitted in my bed is your cat. I was worried it was him, nudging me awake to get his breakfast."

"I guess I'll permit you to snuggle up with him as long as it's clearly established that I take precedence." William teased.

"Of that there is no doubt." Lizzy pulled William down for a new set of good morning kisses. This was her favorite way to start the day. "Did you sleep?"

"No actually. I've just been thinking I guess."

"What about?" Lizzy was genuinely curious. She'd noticed that William had a tendency towards brooding and thought she knew what he'd been thinking about.

"Mostly very pleasant thoughts but I'll own to some worry about Georgie," William shrugged. "I'm just not sure what to do about her stubborn attitude towards you. Where does it come from?"

Rubbing his back soothingly, Lizzy had no response. She truly had no idea. "Hopefully your aunt and Richard will have some thoughts. Let's get ourselves ready for the day so we can at least get that meeting over with. I'd like to get up to Maine before dark if possible and we need to pass by the Gardiner's as well. I still feel guilty that we didn't make it there yesterday in time to give the kids their gifts."

He agreed. It was going to be a long day. They might as well get it started.

Pulling his boots on he looked up to see Georgiana standing in the doorway still in her pajamas. "Are you leaving without me? Where are you off to?" She was nervous. She knew he was upset with her, and she was upset with him as well, but not so much that she wanted to be left behind or anything.

"Lizzy and I are dashing over to the Gardiner's for breakfast and a post-Christmas gift exchange. We'll be back around noon to gather you. It'd be great it if you could be ready to go with your things for Maine. I want to get straight on the road after our discussion at the Fitzwilliams." William responded as he continued to get dressed for the weather outside.

"Oh, ok. I'll be ready."

"Great. I believe Lizzy left a small frittata for breakfast on top of the stove. It should still be warm."

"She made a frittata this morning?" Would this woman's machinations ever cease? Leave it to her to get up early and bake. Georgiana huffed in her mind.

"Um, yes. She made one to bring to the Gardiners so she made an extra one for you. At any rate, we'll see you in a few hours."

"I'll be ready to go when you get back."

William watched his sister slip back towards her bedroom. He was relieved their exchange felt somewhat normal. He hated to feel like he was walking on eggshells around his little sister. It had been that way ever since the debacle at her first high school.

"Hey babe, can you come help me?" Lizzy's call snapped him out of his brief reverie. William found her with two bags at her feet piled high with presents and the frittata in hand. "I don't think I can manage all this on my own. I was hoping my big strong husband could help out." She teased with a cheeky smile.

"I think I can handle that."

It was fifteen minutes later when they were happily standing in the Gardiner's home, Lizzy with a little girl in each hand and William was similarly situated with the two boys. Avery was practically bouncing as she told Lizzy all about the new dollhouse she and her sister had received yesterday morning from Santa. Everyone admired Lizzy's new charm bracelet and they quickly exchanged stories about their respective celebrations. Lizzy managed to break away from the girls to help Maddy in the kitchen while the men and children headed to the dining room to get everyone settled.

As the two women were pulling out the various breakfast items, Maddy was surreptitiously observing her young friend, "I hope you're as happy as you look Lizzy."

A smile broke out across her face. "I would say it's all been going very well. Well almost everything is good, with the one glaring exception of my relationship with William's sister. I can't seem to do anything right when it comes to her."

"I take it she didn't enjoy spending the holiday with you?"

"I don't know. I thought she was starting to let her guard down a bit and that our relationship was easing and then, yesterday, at the Fitzwilliam's party, William overheard her complaining loudly about me to her cousin."

"What did she say?"

Lizzy scrunched up her shoulders, "I don't precisely know. William won't tell me but he made it clear that it wasn't good. He was upset much of yesterday and had a terrible headache last night. And I'm not sure what I can do to make it better. Have you ever had someone just decide they don't like you without even taking the time to get to know you?"

"Fortunately no. But you should remember two things. First, she's what, 15? She's very young, and from what little you've told me, has had some life experiences that make it hard to trust new people. Second, she doesn't actually know you so anything she says has nothing to do with who you are as a person. This has nothing to do with you and everything to do with her."

Sighing Lizzy shook her head, "I know. I just worry about William. It's so stressful for him."

"He's not blaming you is he?" Maddy asked tentatively.

Lizzy was startled by the question, "No. Not at all, although I think he worries about how I'll react if things don't improve with his sister. He loves Georgiana and yet is so frustrated with her. I don't know how to help."

Maddy looked thoughtfully at Lizzy. "I'm not sure I can tell you anything other than to support him as best you can and remember not to take anything his sister does personally. Let's change the subject onto a happier thoughts. What do you have planned for the coming days?"

"We're heading up to Maine for a few days. William wants to take me skiing at Sunday River, a big ski resort about 40 minutes from his home. I'll admit to being a little nervous. I'm knew to skiing but I do love being outside so fingers crossed I return to Cambridge with all of my limbs in tact." Lizzy said with a laugh.

"I can't imagine William letting anything happen to you. He seems to dote on you." Maddy returned smiling at Lizzy.

"He's very sweet, except when he's hungry. Speaking of which we should probably get this food to the table before the natives get restless."

Breakfast was eagerly anticipated and quickly consumed. The fact that Lizzy and William had brought along a pile of presents likely encouraged the Gardiner children to hurry the meal. William had selected each of the gifts himself and he too was excited for their reactions to what he'd selected. The exclamations of joy did not disappoint. Isabelle adored her new doctor's kit. Everyone had their blood pressure checked and she checked each of their hearts to ensure they were still beating. The spy kit for Theo was equally well received and Maddy only slightly resented the fingerprint dust which was quickly covering the furniture. With presents unwrapped Lizzy and William said their farewells. It would be several weeks before the semester resumed and Lizzy figured they might not see one another for awhile. Lizzy wanted to thank the Gardiners once again for all of their support these past two months and did so with a beautiful wood carving she'd found in a shop in Lambton. She promised to update them on anything new regarding her green card application before departing, by email if necessary.

Lizzy waited in the car while William ran up to get Georgie and her duffle and backpack. They'd be up in Maine until the evening of the 30th and then she'd be staying at her aunt and uncle's again for several nights while the new couple spent almost a week in New York. She watched brother and sister as they walked towards the car. Aside from their eyes and build they didn't look overly like one another but one could still tell they were siblings. Their mannerisms were strikingly similar, the way they walked, their gestures as they were speaking, the way they cocked their head to the left to show they were listening. It was all of these little things that taken together that gave away the familial link. While the eyes linked them to the Fitzwilliams, the mannerisms were all Darcy.

As they entered the car, Elizabeth asked, "So are you all ready? I'll admit to being a bit nervous about the skiing but I'm looking forward to seeing someplace new."

"Um yea, I guess," Georgiana mumbled.

William rolled his eyes and took Lizzy's hand in his giving it a quick kiss. He selected some music that he thought might cross the generational divide between him, Elizabeth, and his sister and they made their way to Beacon Hill.

Once gathered in the small dining room of the Fitzwilliam's home, they settled into lunch. Lizzy felt as though she'd need to be rolled onto the ski mountain with the quantity of food she had been served over the past two days. Sophia's lunch continued the holiday food fest. The conversation largely consisted of sharing stories from the prior day although the tone and energy of the conversation seemed to be a little false. Everyone in the room understood that the lunch conversation was simply the prelude to a more serious conversation about and with Georgiana and her continued and very vocal negativity directed towards Elizabeth. It was some relief that lunch was over and a few guests could depart. Lizzy and William had had their first argument in over a week earlier that morning. It had started when Lizzy told William she'd take no part in the conversation about Georgiana's feelings and behaviors. "Georgiana already resents me. Airing her bad deeds, seeing her be reprimanded, and witnessing her punishment will only make her hate me more. No, I will find some way to amuse myself while you have the conversation with her."

William was not pleased. "We are a team! I'm not willing to let Georgie divide us. If you're not in the room she'll think she's succeeding. She needs to respect you Elizabeth. Please, don't keep yourself away." He was almost pleading with Lizzy but she wouldn't budge. He was beginning to appreciate just how stubborn Elizabeth could be, in this instance, more so then he was. And so, with lunch complete, Lizzy exited with Rachel, Robert and Jessica sequestering herself in the library. With most everyone either dispersed around the house or in the case of Henry Fitzwilliam, heading to his office for a staff meeting, William, Sophia, Richard and Georgiana began their family meeting.

Richard kicked off this family meeting sharing with those in the room the details of recent events and the feelings Georgiana had shared with him. She'd asked him to summarize their discussion figuring it would be better received if Richard shared her perspective. She knew her brother didn't respect or trust her judgment so anything that came out of her mouth would be quickly dismissed. To his credit, Richard related the whole of Georgiana's grievances in a manner which did not belie his frustration with his younger cousin or give any sign of just how outrageous she was being. Apparently, William had accumulated a laundry list of misdeeds. He'd spent little to no time with Georgiana. His decision to marry could have been dealt with much better including how it was communicated, his choice of bride, and how she was treated at the wedding. Not including her in the wedding party was the surest sign of just how much William and Elizabeth disregarded her feelings. The expectation that Georgiana should not voice any opinion about Lizzy was unreasonable and underscored that her thoughts and feelings didn't matter. Finally, she found nothing exceptional about Lizzy except her poverty and inappropriateness to be a Darcy. If Georgiana were to bring home a penniless, illegal immigrant she wouldn't hear the end of it. Richard paused, asking Georgiana, "Did I summarize your thoughts correctly?"

"Yes, thank you. It does cover it but I also want to add that I love you very much William so these are very hard things to say." Georgiana said quietly.

William was dumbfounded by the list of "charges" his baby sister had just laid at his feet. It had taken every ounce of self-restraint to sit patiently in his seat during Richard's summary. He wanted to scream and shake Georgiana. He was just trying to form the words to begin to address his sister when Aunt Sophia stood from her chair, "Excuse my language but, who the hell do you think you are Georgiana Darcy? I've never heard such a horrible attitude from a family member. Why, I don't even know if Catherine is as bad as you are. Your parents must be shuddering in their graves, G-d bless them. Your brother is a saint and you should be worshipping him and yet to fling your self centered accusations at him. I'm upset for William." Sophia was pacing, shaking her head and Georgiana looked stricken. She couldn't believe her aunt had reacted this way.

William simply looked at Richard. He was at a complete loss as to what to say or do and hoped his cousin, who'd been the one to actually hear Georgiana voice this litany of complaints, would have some plan for how to move forward. Fortunately, Richard did have a plan.

"William, do you have any reaction or do you want to hear what I think. I have had multiple days to talk with Georgiana about each of these items so I can appreciate that I might have more to say right now."

"Thank you Richard. I appreciate your saying that. I'm afraid that if you didn't I would react much like my aunt just did. I'm a bit heartbroken right now to be honest."

"Alright then. I have listened carefully, and Georgiana has affirmed that I've understood her point of view. I know we've all tried to act in her best interests always. At the end of the day, I believe Georgiana has at maximum two options. One, she can continue to have you as a guardian. I can't assume that you are willing to serve in the capacity however and you may have some requirements of her if you agree to continue given the fact that you are married to Lizzy and I don't believe you have any intention of changing that. The second is that Aunt Cathy can be her guardian. We can assume that Georgiana would begin living with Aunt Cathy as soon as possible if that is the case."

William looked between Georgie and Richard. "Is that what you want Georgiana? To live with Aunt Cathy?"

"No! No, not at all. I want things the way they used to be. Just you and me, spending time together. There's got to be a way. I love you Will. I just want things to be the way they were before Elizabeth was in the picture." Georgie looked up at him pleading evident in her eyes.

William shook his head. He looked over at his sister, seriously and quietly he said, "It doesn't work that way Georgiana. You don't get to chose who I marry and who I love. I love Elizabeth and I love you. It's not one or the other. You haven't given Lizzy a chance. I think we've definitely missed some lessons on personal character and morals because your scorecard for judging people is way off."

Taking a deep breath, anger beginning to seep into his voice, William continued louder and more forcefully, "Your reality is that I'm the adult here and you're still a child. You don't get a say about most of the things Richard rattled off. Hell I don't even get a say about your guardianship. That was determined by our father! If my staying with Elizabeth makes you miserable, then I suggest you chose Aunt Cathy. If you can't be pleasant and kind around Elizabeth, please chose our Aunt because it will only make it more difficult for us all to be together. I'm not willing to discuss this any longer. I'm going to get Elizabeth and we are going to get in the car and drive to Maine. If you want me to be your guardian, and live under my rules, then I expect you to be quietly and respectfully sitting in my car in ten minutes. If you're not in the car, then I'm sure Richard and Aunt Sophia can arrange for you to get a ride to Aunt Cathy's."

William couldn't even look at her. He was actually disgusted with his sister and wasn't sure how he'd feel if she was sitting in his car ten minutes from now. "Excuse me, I think I need to refresh myself." William walked out of the room to find somewhere to splash cold water on his face. As he closed the door he heard Richard and Aunt Sophia's voices.

Three minutes later, Richard came and found William leaning against the wall in the hallway. "I'm very sorry William. I repeatedly pressed her but she insisted these were her thoughts and opinions. I tried to help her understand that her reasoning made no sense but she's so stubborn. I'd hoped that overnight she'd changed her mind but instead, she when I asked her again on your arrival she more insistent."

Sighing William asked, "I heard you guys talking to her. What did you say just now?"

"Mom and I reiterated to her that if she gets in your car, she is fully expected to be civil and pleasant to Elizabeth. She already knows she won't be going to New York with you two and mom has a series of volunteer activities planned for her at the women's shelter in Boston, preparing and serving meals. We agree that her value system is all wrong and we need to help her understand that. We haven't enumerated any other potential consequences but she does seem to now understand that going to live with Aunt Cathy is something you'd seriously follow through on."

Shaking his head again, William stared up at the ceiling. "Where did I go so wrong? How did I screw up with Georgie so badly? What makes her think like this? If I'd ever spoken to my dad this way, or even thought the things she'd said, he'd have killed me."

Richard chuckled, "I think my mom almost did that for you in there. I've actually never seen my mom so angry. Let's talk again tomorrow, just you, me and my mom. We can come up with more of a plan once we've all had some time to process and you'll get to see how Georgiana reacts to having her complaints thrown back at her. I really think it comes down to being jealous. She wants your attention and focus and resents that Lizzy gets a lot of it. Hopefully this will ease after spending more time with you and Lizzy."

"Thanks Richard. Let's definitely talk tomorrow. For now, I'm going to find my wife, give her a very heartfelt kiss, and get in the car."

"Are you going to share this with her? Let her know how Georgie feels?" Richard asked.

"I've got no secrets from Elizabeth. She's very wise and I only hope she trusts that Georgiana can be sweet and kind." William sighed. He was not looking forward to the next few days but was determined to make the best of them.

So I said it would get worse before it gets better and here we are. I'm sure you want to all strangle Georgiana. I know I want to. Unfortunately it will get a bit worse. Just some forewarning for those of you who are Georgie fans. I've read two stories where it only gets better but its too late in both of those to have a good relationship. That's not what I want for G&E here so hopefully you'll stay on this journey with me.

Thanks to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed. You can't imagine how very happy I am when I get an email alert letting me know someone has left a review, has newly followed or more exceptionally has favorited the story. I have another story rolling around in my mind which is also distracting me but I have not allowed myself to start writing it until I've finished this one. I don't want to get caught in a trap so hopefully I'll remember all the little plot twists that pop into my mind while I finish this one. If you favorite me as an author you'll get to see the new story as soon as I've got 20 or so chapters written. I don't like to start publishing before I get to that point.

Thanks again! Please review and share your thoughts. It really does help me!