I am sorry that I disappointed so many of you with the long lag between posts. Hopefully this helps make up for it a bit. I'm trying to keep some kind of routine going so here's the next one!

Happy Halloween :)

Despite the confidence William had displayed in front of his Aunt Cathy, he continued to fear another shoe might drop at any moment. It had been satisfying to condemn her actions and then storm out of her home but the lack of reaction to his allegations was...disturbing. There was no other name for it. Did he do the right thing? Accusing his Aunt was fairly bold all things considered. What would his mother have said? Yes, he had the support of his uncle and aunt - his mother's favorite relatives - but it went against all the lessons his parents had tried to instill about respecting one's elders. The encounter, rather than freeing, had riddled him with guilt and he had no idea how to squash that irrational feeling.

He wasn't sleeping and even worse, it was bothering his wife. He had been tossing and turning so much he actually offered to sleep in another room. She hadn't allowed him to - and had employed some very effective techniques to help him fall into a catatonic state. But here she was napping in the mid-afternoon, clearly in need of sleep to support their growing baby. Guilt from that situation wracked him as well and the downward spiral only increased in speed.

He had used his insomnia to good effect completing the first draft of his final project and fully annotating it. The draft had been submitted to his advisor and he was now at loose ends. At last inspiration struck. He would call Anne. This was the only back channel he could think of in order to receive information and yet it was one he had never used before. But really, at his Thanksgiving visit she seemed like an ally. He needed to try.

Of course the best laid plans were not always easily executed. As Anne's voicemail began to play he wondered what he might say once the beep came. A few seconds passed and rather than chicken out he glanced once at Lizzy and for her, committed to start speaking. "Hi, um, Anne. Uhh, sorry to miss you last week. Just thought I'd check in. Give me a call if you can. Thanks. Um. It's your cousin, Will. Thanks. Bye.."

Still at loose ends he began to wander the room. Spying one of Lizzy's pregnancy books he thought to flip through to see if there was anything of interest. He landed on a full color rendering of a fetus inside its mother. He couldn't take his eyes from it and began to study its delicate features: lips, nose, eyelids, fingers and toes. He was immediately sucked in and flipped to the beginning of the book and settled in to read. An hour or more passed without notice when his phone began to buzz. Quickly moving off the bed William answered the phone and exited the bedroom.

"Hello?" He whispered.

"William? Is that you? It's Anne."

Clearing his throat he responded in a normal voice. "Anne thank you so much for returning my call. Lizzy's asleep and I didn't want to wake her."

"At least you're considerate of your wife." Anne quipped.

"What's that supposed to mean?" William asked half in anger and half in shock at the accusation.

"You don't think you could have warned me about the bomb you were planning to drop on my step-monster. Not that I have any real clue as to what bomb you dropped but a warning would have been helpful."

William sighed, rubbing his hand over his eyes. "Sorry Anne. But she really went too far this time. I don't want to drag you in the middle of all of this but I have to keep Lizzy and Georgie safe."

Anne could hear the strain in his voice. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. I can only guess as to what the issues are but I might be able to put your mind at ease." Anne proceeded to share some of the events of the week. For starters, Catherine had declared they were no longer to be on speaking terms with any member of the Darcy-Fitzwilliam family. They would not attend Will's graduation party or Lizzy's baby shower. When Anne asked for a reason she was only told that some people clearly didn't understand how helpful she was and didn't appreciate her resourcefulness. Cathy had refused to elaborate and other than the random statement of being unappreciated by her own family, nothing specific was said. Anne knew to leave well enough alone.

Will stifled a growl before asking, "Has she done anything odd or out of the ordinary?"

"You do realize who you are speaking of. When is she not odd," Anne retorted. The two fell silent for a moment before Anne continued.. "Actually there was one thing. She had a bonfire this week."

The statement startled Will and he couldn't help but ask if she'd given a reason.

Apparently his aunt claimed a long neglected need to clean out her office and thought burning the papers was the best course. "I then received a long lecture about the incompetence of others and the need to safeguard one's name and reputation. Otherwise, it's been the normal haranguing about getting married although I wonder what she'll do if I finally do end up married. Who will she order around especially now that she's no longer on speaking terms with you? Not that I'd ever say that to her."

Will held back a laugh. Anne was never anything but painfully honest and direct. He decided to ask the question which had been plaguing him all week. "Do you think I should be worried about any backlash from Aunt Cathy?"

"No. I think you've actually guaranteed yourself some quiet time where she's concerned. I'm guessing this has something to do with Georgiana and having custody. I think she realized a few months ago that its not going to happen and she's letting the idea go.. Last fall she'd regularly mention your sister but she's had little to say on the topic for the past few months. If this is all about Georgie then I think you're in the clear."

Relief flooded through William. "Thank you so much Anne. You can't know how you've put my mind at ease."

"I'm sorry she has given you so much to stress about. I know she has a strange way of showing it but she really does care about family and is doing what she believes is the right thing."

"Her sense of right and wrong are a bit off center," William responded dryly.

"There's never been any doubt about that." Anne said with a laugh.

Ending the call, William turned back towards the bedroom only to find Lizzy sitting in a nearby chair waiting patiently for him to end his call. She'd guessed who he was speaking to and was relieved to see he was more relaxed then he'd been in days.

"Good call?"

"Yes. Thanks. I decided to call Anne. I couldn't stand waiting and wondering and hoped she could reassure me. She really did."

"I'm glad to hear it. Now I'm starving. Let's get some food."

Lizzy was full of energy at dinner and began chatting away about the strange dream she'd had while napping. Her dreams were often quite odd, especially now that she was pregnant, and she loved to talk through them. William listened to her quietly while she rambled enjoying the distraction.. He reflected on how quiet and empty his nights had been before Elizabeth. It was hard to imagine that he'd been satisfied with the time before they were married, eating take-out and watching television with only a cat to keep him company. Despite the stress of the past year his life was imminently better and for that he owed a great deal of thanks to his Aunt Cathy.. Once the thought was lodged in his head he couldn't rid himself of it. Laughing a bit to himself he caught Lizzy staring at him.

"Are you laughing at me?" Lizzy asked.

"No. Seriously. I had the most ridiculous thought that I should thank my Aunt Cathy for creating a situation where I had to get married."

"So you don't regret all of this? Even though your sister was so unhappy with our marriage and now we have the added stress of the baby and everything?"

William reached over and wrapped his hands around hers. "Absolutely not. You and our baby are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you and could never regret having you into my life. I can be happy about you and still resent my aunt for her interference. Can't I?"

Kissing him, she smiled, "Yes. You can be happy with the "what" and still be upset by the "how." That's fair."

Two days had passed and Lizzy was still contemplating the assurances she'd given Will. She was happy with many aspects of her life. Far happier then she'd really ever been and yet the how of her situation still nagged at her. The decisions made by her parents and even Georgiana had big consequences on the path her life had taken. She'd forgiven Georgie but that was easy. The actions of a troubled and impulsive 15 year old had to be judged differently than those of her parents - grown adults who ran a business and had children. Moreover, Georgie could never have foreseen the ultimate result of her actions whereas the results of her parents decisions were far more predictable.

These thoughts were coming more frequently as she waited for a phone call from her own papa. He tended to call every three or four weeks and she knew she'd have to tell him about the baby the next time he called. She dreaded his reaction. As girls had fallen pregnant in their neighborhood he would always rant and rave about how stupid they were to get knocked up before finishing their education. It wasn't just about being married, although her Catholic father would no doubt find that a necessary condition, it was about being settled in your life first. But seriously, who was he to judge her? Didn't he lose that right with the choices he'd made? Round and round, this silent debate would run. At this point she simply wanted to get it over with. But until then, she simply had to distract herself until he called. Fortunately, she'd taken up running again and was glad for the opportunity to clear her head with a long run along the river. William had a board meeting in New York and Lizzy was actually enjoying a bit of peace and quiet. She'd be meeting Jane and Charlotte for dinner later and wanted to get any gloomy thoughts out of her system before she saw them. Dinner was certain to be fun. Jane had gotten an internship at one of the fashion design houses in New York. Lizzy was especially happy to know that Jane would be close by all summer. She was also looking forward to seeing Charlotte. She'd gotten a strange message from Charlotte last week but a confluence of projects, William's situation with his aunt and bad timing had them missing one another repeatedly.

It had seemed like only yesterday that the three girls had gone out to dinner at Fire and Ice to celebrate a different internship. Months had passed and their lives had changed in unimaginable ways from that October evening.. Lizzy quickly spotted Charlotte and Jane in line and she quickly joined them. "Hola chicas! Long time no see." Lizzy was so happy for a night out with friends and quickly pulled the girls into a group hug.

Charlotte pulled away quickly keeping her eyes fixed ahead of her while Jane bounced up and down with happiness at her good news. "I'm so glad this worked out. Char is making a good effort at being happy but is really down in the dumps. Tonight is about cheering her up as much as it is about celebrating."

Lizzy's eyes quickly shot to Charlotte. "What's going on Char? Now I feel doubly bad that we haven't been able to connect."

"It's nothing. Billy and I broke up. It wasn't meant to be. I don't want to talk about it." Charlotte propelled herself forward in line, quickly ordering and dashing off to the table they'd chosen.

Lizzy's eyes followed her quick retreat before turning back to her Jane looking for explanation. "I don't know what happened Lizzy. She refuses to talk about it. I think it happened on Wednesday night. They talked again over the weekend but it sounds pretty final."

"Poor Char. We'll get her to talk to us before the night it out. I know she won't be able to resist our combined pressure."

Lizzy and Jane did their best to keep up the conversation. Charlotte also made an effort, asking questions about Jane's internship. Collectively, they avoided all mention of the men in and out of their lives. This ban on discussion topics did not exclude a conversation about Lizzy's approaching baby shower. Jane had paired up with Grace Fitzwilliam to make plans for one before they the semester finished up. With Lizzy safely in her second semester, they decided it was "ok" to have one. Jane had wisely advised William's aunt that a surprise shower would not be well received and for that, at least, Lizzy was grateful.

It took until dessert and a generous helping of whipped cream on top of the delectable hot chocolate served at Burdick's before Lizzy took Charlotte to task. How Charlotte actually withstood Lizzy's inquisition for as long as she did was beyond Jane's understanding. For all there sakes, Jane was relieved when Charlotte finally broke under the persistent pressure of Lizzy's inveigeling, "Fine. I'll tell you. He lost his job. The offer was rescinded on Wednesday and rather than actually take charge of the situation all Billy will do is moan and whine and blame others for his predicament. So he won't work for the illustrious Mrs. DeBourgh. He's graduating from Harvard Law School. Move on. Find a different job. I don't want to hear his "woe is me story." All he does is look to assign blame and I won't listen to it." The vehemence of her tone took them back. Charlotte wasn't generally so hard hearted.

Jane, ever the sympathetic ear frowned at Charlotte's words. "He must be very disappointed. I'm sure that's all it is. Once his surprise passes he'll be able to move on. Maybe he just needs some time."

But Charlotte was in no mood for sympathy and quickly retorted. "Oh he'll have all the time he needs from me. I won't let him badmouth my friends or blame them for his situation. My first loyalty is to you guys and he can't tell me who my friends can and can't be."

Lizzy and Jane were clearly confused by this turn of events. "What are you talking about? I thought this was about a lost job? What does your friendship with us have anything to do with Billy's job situation," Jane asked.

Charlotte sighed. In her frustration she had said more than she had intended. "He blames my friendship with Lizzy for losing his job. I don't totally get it but Mrs. DeBourgh said something about Billy talking too much and not keeping his mouth shut around certain people - those people being William and Lizzy. I really couldn't understand what he was blathering about but he told me I had to choose, him or Lizzy. There was really no choice. I mean the sex was decent but I could never give up one of my best friends for a guy."

Lizzy tried to pretend she hadn't hear the bit about the sex as she tried to comfort Charlotte. For Lizzy the pieces were beginning to fall into place. It was true, some of Billy's comments had tipped them off that Aunt Cathy had plans for Georgie and her dowry but really he wasn't a primary source. It was unfortunate that he'd been a victim in all of this. Perhaps William could help him find something else at least. Although that wasn't the critical point right now. Charlotte was very upset and that had to take precedence. A trip to the pharmacy for new nail polish was in order. It was really the only cure for a broken heart.

Can I be forgiven? Comments really do help!