My children have been worried about all of you and have been staying on me about updating. So to their credit - here you go. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who are in the United States.
Lizzy approached the large stone home and before even her finger touched the doorbell was quickly swept inside by William's aunt. She must have been looking out the window as Lizzy had barely stepped on the front steps before the door was open. Divested of her coat, Grace Fitzwilliam stepped back to examine her niece. "Oh Lizzy. Look at you and that growing belly. I'm so glad you could join us for dinner tonight. How fortunate for us you were free."
"Aunt Grace," Lizzy sighed, "You don't have to pretend with me. I know Will called you when he got stuck in New York. I don't know what he's going to do when he has to start traveling to Europe and Asia regularly and is gone for weeks at a time."
"You need to let him coddle you Lizzy. He enjoys taking care of the ones he loves and he certainly loves you." The look on Lizzy's face was enough to show she was properly chastened. She loved that William cared so much and yet she still wasn't accustomed to it. At times it showed. Lizzy could acknowledge that she would be quite lonely when William was traveling next year, and she was at home with a newborn. These impromptu dinners wouldn't be happening once Will graduated. "We're going to miss you next year when we are down in New York. Will you come to visit?"
Henry Fitzwilliam looked up from his papers as his wife and niece entered the dining room. "I think I'm going to be the lonely one come next fall," he joked. "Can you imagine my wife staying away from that baby once he or she arrives? I hope you have a bedroom prepared for Grace. She's got big plans to come help you whenever William has to travel." Henry stood up to give Lizzy a welcome hug and kiss. Looking her over he smiled, "You are glowing my dear...just beautiful. Now let's sit, eat and catch up. I've been wondering how things have gone for you lately."
Lizzy filled them in on William's conversation with his cousin. For their part, Henry had received a letter from Cathy announcing her decision to cut off all ties with them. She also requested, to put it nicely, they refrain from visiting or communicating with her at all. To say they were happy to comply with his sister's wishes may have been an understatement. Neither side had ever been particularly pleased by their relationship and this break had been a long time in coming. "Well let's hope that is the last we have to think about my sister and her schemes," Henry said his voice filled with no small amount of relief.
"Yes. It seems to have worked out for just about everyone," Lizzy sighed.
"You're not feeling some pity for my sister are you?" Henry asked, a bit surprised by Lizzy's sanguine tone.
She shook her head. "Goodness no. This situation has just had some unexpected consequences for a friend."
At their questioning looks, Lizzy shared what had happened to Billy Collins and the resulting implications for her dear friend Charlotte. "Not that I really think Billy was the right guy for Charlotte but...who am I to judge?" Lizzy shrugged and took another bite of her dinner. She was always hungry and found herself needing to eat quite frequently to keep her sugar levels at an even keel.
"That is certainly a small world situation if I've ever heard of one. Charlotte's right that he'll be able to find another job but it must be unsettling to find yourself so close to graduation with no work. I'll ask around to see if I can help him. Demand for trusts and estates attorneys is booming so we can certainly find him something."
Lizzy looked up with some surprise. She wasn't used to having useful connections in the legal and business world. It gave her insight on how the world really worked. "Wow. That's really kind of you." Lizzy hesitated. It was awkward to dislike your friend's boyfriend but at least she'd not voiced those feelings aloud to anyone aside from William. But now she felt like some kind of warning was warranted before Uncle Henry used his own reputation to help Billy get a job. "One thing, you, um, you might want to meet Billy before you start recommending him to your contacts. Your sister and my friend both see something in him that I seem to be missing."
Henry laughed, "You should be in politics my dear. Message received."
His trip to New York had been more successful than he had hoped but it was too long. How was he going to tolerate longer trips away? Even with the restructuring plans he had for PE he was still going to need to travel. He'd have to find a way to come to terms with the separations but it wouldn't be easy. The one solace was that Lizzy had assured him she'd be home when he got there. A quiet night, just the two of them. It was all he wanted.
Opening the door he was greeted by the smells of peppers, cinnamon and cloves. It was Lizzy's chili, a recipe she had taken from her father and made her own. Wrapping his arms around her belly, he hummed into her ear. "Yummm. You made my favorite. Thank you."
Lizzy spun around in his arms, a happy smile gracing her face. "Welcome home. I missed you." They kissed for a minute or two, maybe three, before Lizzy pulled away. "Get out of those work clothes and come back to help me set the table. Dinner should be ready in about fifteen minutes."
"Yes ma'am," he answered, a slight smirk gracing his lips before giving her one more kiss and then following her directions.
Shaking her head Lizzy smiled at his playful attitude. It must have been a good trip if he was in such a relaxed mood. She couldn't wait to hear about it. It was wonderful that he was so open about everything he was planning for Pemberley Enterprises. She was no business expert but it helped her understand his life by getting an insight to the strategic and mundane issues of his business. She'd taken to reading his copies of the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times as it was clear business and investment issues would be a permanent fixture in their day-to-day conversations. It had always been a part of the paper she had eschewed when reading the Times or the Globe. Now she was periodically impressed with herself when she managed an intelligent question about some business issue she'd read about.
Dinner was a picture of domestic simplicity. Seated at one end of their dining room table, Lizzy listened thoughtfully as William talked about the presentations he'd shared with his management team and the subsequent conversations with members of the board. He wanted to decentralize decision making, pushing it down to the local levels with more autonomy for each of the regional leaders. It had been steadily happening over the past four years, since his father's passing. Given the demands of school and his responsibility to Georgie it was really the only way. The board had been allowing this to take place with the understanding that it would change when William joined full time. Instead, William wanted to increase local responsibility, giving him more time in New York with Lizzy and their child. His management team was thrilled with the direction he wanted to take but it had only been in the past few weeks that he'd discovered a compelling reason for the board to get behind his ideas. They'd been reticent until he explained the very valuable tax considerations that came with his plans if they did formalize this arrangement. The governance and tax pieces were the subject of his final research project for school and having the access to Harvard law and business school faculty to work on these issues, along with the time this semester to dedicate to the research had been incredibly valuable. There was so much still to work out but at least the board had stopped saying no. The extra day in New York had been required in order to plan with his management team how they'd address the issues raised by the board if they moved forward. It was a tremendous amount of work, but it was work they were all excited to do.
As she listened to William describe his plans and the ways he was planning to implement them, Lizzy realized it was another evening where she sat in some disbelief at the influence and access to resources the wealthy and connected had. She thought about her own family and their predicament. If she hadn't been at Harvard, what would she have done? If her parents were wealthy or had any connections, would they have become citizens years ago? While in many ways, she herself represented how America truly could be a land of opportunity for those who had talent and worked hard. It was also very clear that money and privilege could smooth one's path and increase the number and types of opportunities available. This dichotomy was troubling to her but it was not something she was ready to discuss out loud. It was a conundrum. A realization that her childlike ideals and belief in the goodness of her country, the land of opportunity and Lady Liberty welcoming the huddling masses, were now juxtaposed against the harsher realities of privilege, wealth and access. She was now sitting with one foot firmly planted in each world. It would take her some time to reconcile.
William insisted Lizzy relax while he cleaned up from dinner. They would have a quiet evening cuddled up on the couch "watching" a movie. These days he always gave the movie pick to Lizzy, knowing full well that twenty minutes into the show she would fall into a deep sleep. The remote control nearby he could then easily switch to a movie he wanted to see.
He found her waiting for him in the living room, already settled onto the couch with a movie ready to go; some rom-com he would normally despise but which he knew he could withstand for the required time. Thirty minutes passed and she was softly snoring, resting comfortably against his chest. It was really all he needed. Holding Lizzy and their child against him filled him with a sense of peace and fulfillment he couldn't have imagined even six months ago. He was the most relaxed he'd been all week and it didn't take long for sleep to overtake him as well. He couldn't have been asleep for more than an hour when he heard a phone ringing. Reaching over to the coffee table nearby he blindly pulled the phone to his head as he pressed the red button.
"William Darcy speaking," His voice was a bit gravelly from sleeping.
"William? This is Tomas Benitez. How's my Lizzy."
Looking down at his wife, deeply asleep, the response was delivered barely above a whisper. "Very, very good. She's doing very well."
He could hear the sigh across the line. Their shared love for this woman was palpable. William's emotions were full, almost overflowing, "She's going to be the most wonderful mother to our baby."
"Excuse me?" The question was voiced sharply, the intensity behind it could not be missed.
William was still waking but quickly realized he spoke out of turn. "How are you and the rest of the family. I know Lizzy has been anxious for news."
"Did you just say something about a baby? Did you dare to get my daughter pregnant?" Tomas demanded.
If William hadn't still been in the process of waking, or perhaps if Tomas hadn't responded in such an accusatory manner, he might have responded with more thought and care. But William still held onto some guilt about the disruption a baby would cause to Lizzy's senior year and that only fueled the other two preconditions operating in the background as he responded with matched heat. "We are having a baby. I will take care of my family. Your daughter is an amazing woman and will accomplish motherhood, her academic and work careers and anything else she attempts with me by her side as her biggest support and cheerleader. I won't take away opportunities from her. I will always do everything in my power to ensure she has access to every opportunity her talents warrant." William's face was flushed with anger and Lizzy was beginning to stir.
"How dare you throw accusations at me. I am her father. I made her who she is today."
"No sir. You might have had a part but Lizzy made who she is today."
The other end was silence and the call dropped a moment later. Will looked at the phone and then at Elizabeth. Her eyes were open, brow furrowed, with a questioning look. "Will? Was that papa? Why were you arguing?"
Guilt swept over him. What had he just done? He needed a minute to clear his mind. "I'm going to get a glass of water. Can I get you one?" He was moving before she even responded.
Lizzy picked up her phone. According to the call log William had been on the line with her papa for less than five minutes. What happened? Why were they yelling at one another? She was confused and could only wait for William to explain it all to her.
He returned quickly. It wasn't worthwhile to avoid the situation. William knew he'd screwed up and had to lay the whole of it at her feet. He hoped she would forgive him.
Lizzy listened patiently as he relayed the conversation. Her consternation with him was understandable. The words of apology and explanation did not soothe her or make her feel any better about the situation. "Why did you argue with him? What if he doesn't call back?" Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She'd been preparing herself for the conversation with her papa for weeks and now she couldn't imagine what would happen. She wanted to leave. To go for a walk and cool down. "I need to leave. I will be back but I don't trust myself right now. I will call you."
Will watched helplessly as Lizzy put on her shoes and coat, grabbed her keys, phone and wallet and walked out the door.
I'm so happy that some new readers have found this story. More to come! Dylangrace :)