Chapter 5 : A New Day

Cuddled in bed together, Elizabeth and Darcy lay in each other's arms, whispering, talking of their experiences. They spoke so softly, faces so intimately close to each other that they felt almost distanced from the world they discussed. Outside, snow fell softly. Darcy shifted to adjust the covers. It was their second night in New York City.

Elizabeth poked her husband's chest.

"Are you still thinking of those cars?"

Recalling their afternoon, Darcy's eyes became animated. Upon their stepping out of the house, their eyes roamed their immediate surroundings. Townhouses, not so very dissimilar to the London townhouses, stood on both sides of the street. But the trees lining the streets, the seemingly smooth material of the road told them that, indeed, they were not in Grosvenor Square. And then there were the cars—as Alexander had called them—that instantly captivated their attention. But Darcy, more than Elizabeth, was utterly fascinated. He had stopped and stared more than once as he observed them. He instantly asked Alexander if he owned one, to which the other man had replied that he, indeed, owned two there in New York; one inherited, the other he himself acquired. The excitement in Darcy's eyes had made the other man laugh, and also thus produced from him a promise that they would go on a drive.

"Carriages without horses, Lizzy! A hundred and eighty miles in one hour!" Darcy exclaimed.

Laughing, Elizabeth playfully tugged at his ear. "Alexander said his can travel as fast as that, but that he never went that fast, and that it was not usually done! Quite frightening if you ask me."

But Darcy was undaunted, he took Elizabeth's hand. "Imagine, my love, at that speed one can travel from Pemberley to Longbourn in less that two hours! From fifteen hours of travel time cut down to two hours!"

Laughing even louder, Elizabeth kissed him loudly on the mouth. "And what is a hundred and fifty miles of good road and a fast car in this modern world but less than two hours of travel! You shall have a frequent visitor in my mother, how pleased she shall be!"

Feigning a frown, Darcy wrapped his arms around his wife's waist. "Perhaps our time is not quite so ready for these cars as of yet, after all, as you said, they are quite frightening." Then grinning, he nuzzled her neck.

"And what of those mountainous structures. Skyscrapers, buildings, I think Alexander called them." Elizabeth closed her eyes and allowed Darcy better access to her neck for his endeavors. "There are people inside of them!"

"Mmm." Was Darcy's non-commital response, now fully engrossed with his wife's lovely neck.

"Alexander said he would take us to one, climb to the very top!" When no reply came, she laughingly pushed at Darcy. "William! To climb so high in a structure made by man, we might as well be on top of a mountain! How do you think it shall be done?"

Sighing, Darcy released her. "I can not say, through driving? Perhaps there are roads climbing up, but the amount of space needed for that. Or staircases perhaps, but good god, the time and effort that climbing shall take. There must be a contraption that lifts people."

"Yes, perhaps, but imagine the management of it all! Who pulls them up? Oh, William it must be a marvelous world to have such things! I can not even decide which among all that we've seen is the most marvelous! These electric lights," Elizabeth's hands waved towards the ceiling, "that small contraption that Alexander carries around with him, what was it called again?"

"A phone, I think." Darcy answered grumpily. He was still vexed that Alexander had not let him examine it longer.

As they were eating the dinner that Miranda had left them, the mobile phone that Alexander had left on the kitchen counter sounded an alert. Elizabeth had inquired what the object was. Alexander had fetched the phone and held it up for Elizabeth and Darcy to see. He proceeded to tell them its numerous uses and the conveniences it provided.

"Such a small thing!" Elizabeth had exclaimed wide-eyed.

Handing it over to Elizabeth, wife and husband had fiddled with it while their very amused descendant watched on. It was when Darcy had tapped on another app—as Alexander had told them they were called—that it suddenly displayed an image of Alexander, face up close, his eyes shut, his lips pursed as if bestowing an exaggerated kiss. On the upper right corner was a smaller rectangle of an image of Evie laughing. Alexander had quickly grabbed the phone from them, ears turning pink, he had mumbled something that sounded like Evie, old screenshot and blackmail.

"And the mall!" Elizabeth's eyes glowed. "Oh, William, I could not decide what to look at first!"

Darcy chuckled, indeed, he had seen how much willpower Elizabeth had to call on to stop herself from running everywhere at once.

"I believe that everything that can be invented has been invented in this century! How easier daily life must be now." Elizabeth said.

"Indeed, convenient and accessible most of all. I wonder if they ever even exert anymore physical effort aside from walking?"

Elizabeth's brow creased in thought. "Alexander seems to be in fine form, he looks quite athletic. In fact, many of the men we saw today looked to be in fine form."

"Oh, you noticed them did you?" Darcy asked, brows raised in mock jealousy.

"It is difficult not to for there were quite a few handsome men! Tall as well!" She giggled as she attempted to move from Darcy's reaching hands.

When she caught her breath after Darcy's tickling, Elizabeth once again rested her cheek on his chest. In a low voice, she spoke pensively.

"We must do all we can for him, William. I can not bear to see two people so clearly in love with each other be apart.

"We shall, my Lizzy. For is that not why we were brought here, fate knows what she is about. We must take care of our family." He frowned suddenly. "You gambled Lizzy, when you took so long in returning, you know very well that I can not converse easily with people I have never met before. It was pure luck that the outcome was an agreeable one."

Smiling tenderly, she kissed her husband on the cheek. "That assertion, my love, belongs to the past, as we both know, you have improved tremendously with practice." Smiling mischievously now, she continued. "Why, the amount of practice you had in Meryton society before our wedding alone was enough to cure you of that failing!"

Shaking his head, Darcy pinched her chin.

More seriously, Elizabeth continued. "If anyone could have convinced Evie to stay—or better, to give Alexander another chance—it was you. For did we not see our past in them? Who else could have spoken the truth of what Alexander wanted? Certainly, Alexander himself was not equal to the task yet." Sitting up, she took her husband's hand. "Do you know that he was hardly himself when we entered the kitchen. He gave me directions very ill indeed, it was fortunate that we did not take tea, for the things brought out looked wrong to me. Oh, how I pitied him."

"How fortunate that I find your explanations so reasonable and that I myself am a reasonable man, I would very much have liked for you to woo me for my forgiveness."

Smiling suggestively, Elizabeth moved nearer. "You need no excuse to seek my attentions, husband, nor I no reason not to readily give them."

Their attentions were on each other for the next few minutes until a knock on the door caused them to stop regretfully.

Knowing it to be Alexander, Darcy called out after a moment. "You may come in."

Alexander poked his head in. "I'm about ready for bed, I just wanted to see if you're all settled?" Then eyeing them he added, "Well, you apparently are."

"Yes, thank you, Alexander." Elizabeth smiled.

"You didn't have any problems with things? The room?"

"No indeed, you have been very helpful in explaining how things work."

"Good, good, splendid."

He stood there for a few seconds. Darcy and Elizabeth waited.

"Erm… Well, well I just wanted to say that I am glad, very glad that you have come."

"As are we." Darcy replied sincerely.

"Well… good night."

"Good night, Alexander." Elizabeth smiled.

After the door closed, Elizabeth turned to Darcy. "The poor dear. I do feel for him so. Do you think this is how it feels to worry for one's child, William?"

Grinning, Darcy replied. "I would not really call him child, but yes I believe the feeling must be similar."

"He is two and thirty, you know. More than three years your senior. I asked him." She added at Darcy's inquiring look. "And Evie turned eight and twenty last October. And Miranda! Alexander says even he does not know her exact age! But he believes her to be in her early fifties." Elizabeth sat up once again. "Imagine that, William, a fifty-year old woman far from looking matronly, a maiden at eight and twenty; independent by way of their own efforts, and a society that does not care a whit! Such inducements for any female!"

Darcy smiled, then looking thoughtfully at her, his fingers brushed her cheek. "You with your independent—nay impertinent—ways would thrive in a life such as this, my love. You may not even wish to go back had you the choice." He said it so simply, in such an offhanded way, that Elizabeth knew it was thought of with gravity.

"A simple country girl such as myself?" She ran her hand along Darcy's jaw. "I would be dazzled, indeed, I am very dazzled by it all." Her fingers traced the cleft on his chin. "But I find that while I appreciate all that, I am still quite sure I prefer my own little corner of the world, my own place in time." Here she touched her lips gently to his. "I will leave the future to our children's children. To remain Mrs. Darcy, Mistress of Pemberley, is what I most want in this world." Then with a mischievous grin, she added. "Perhaps I might bring all these female ideologies back with me!"

"I believe some of them already reside within you, my Lizzy. Witness how you turned down two advantageous proposals of marriage regardless of expectations and what society dictated."

Elizabeth grinned at him.

"You have always been exceptional, Elizabeth."

Darcy's hands cupped her face. His eyes took in her beauty, so much beloved that sometimes he believed himself dreaming. Pulling her down to him, he claimed her as Mrs. Darcy.

Alexander put down the towel he had just finished using. In front of the mirror, he ran his hand along his newly shaven jaw. A new day had dawned. The window showed a bright morning, blue skies in the middle of winter. He felt better than he had in the past month. Perhaps it was the result of the full, deep sleep that he had the previous night, indeed he had woken up that morning much later than was his usual. He picked up the towel again and hung it. He paused, or more probably, his good feeling was the result of yesterday's happenings.

As he lay in bed the previous night, his mind went back to the unexpected meeting with Evie, then to his surprisingly formidable relatives. Was it coincidence that on the day of their unexplainable arrival, Evie turned up as well? Alexander could not explain it, indeed he had no wish too. He would take what was given him, for he knew now that he still had so much to learn.

Alexander had taken the room next to the master's bedroom. For knowing his guests to be newlyweds, knowing how they had slept sans clothing on that strange night of their arrival, and most importantly, knowing them to be his great-great-great grandparents, the thought of using the same bed—their marriage bed as Elizabeth had said—right after they had was unnerving to him. Thus, he had told Darcy and Elizabeth that he would be occupying the other bedroom instead. The blush on Elizabeth's cheeks and the slight reddening of Darcy's ears, of course, had told him that they knew his real reasons for giving them the use of the room. Young, healthy newlyweds, everyone knew what to expect, he had chuckled. Then as if to add to his personal joke, last night as he had reached to turn off the lamp beside the bed, he heard them. His eyebrows rose at the muffled but unmistakable sounds, he had quickly slipped on his earphones even as he shook his head in amusement.

Going down to the kitchen now, Alexander was pleasantly surprised to hear conversation through the partly open door. Upon entering the room, he smiled when he saw Miranda and his guests sitting around the kitchen table. Miranda was the first to see him.

"Alex! Good morning!" Her huge grin told him that she had been appraised of yesterday's events.

"Good morning." He went directly to the stove where pots and pans emitted delicious smells, removing the cover of one, he smiled. "Something is smelling quite good."

"We started with breakfast, I hope you do not mind." Elizabeth smiled at him.

"Of course not, it's good that you didn't wait, I had overslept."

"You're dressed!"

Alexander knew what Miranda actually meant; thank god you look decent.

"I though I'd pass by the office this morning."

Miranda's eyebrows rose in surprise. "But it's a Sunday."

That it was actually a Sunday was not really what surprised her. The fact that he was going did. After the breakup, Alexander had buried himself in work, he left home early—sometimes even before she arrived—and she had no idea what time he returned home. But from the way the house looked, as if it was hardly lived in, Miranda guessed that he spent very little time there. Before that, he only went to the office twice a week, and even that frequency was not necessary, she knew. Alexander was a majority shareholder in the company that was founded by a Darcy ancestor, her former employer had bequeathed upon Alexander his shares. And although his uncle had taught him, trained him well for the role and the responsibilities it entailed, the company was by now a well-oiled machine. So it was that Miranda knew the extended hours had been more an escape.

He had kept that routine for nearly half a month, until one morning Miranda had arrived to find Alexander asleep on the couch in the library. He would remain there or locked up in the office for the following days. More often than not, she would leave the house with him still there. Some days she found him passed out in the library, alcohol bottles littering the room. That had gone on for close to two weeks and Miranda had felt that this new routine was worse, and in her concern for him had started to speak up. She knew her limits of course, and could only say so much. The arrival of his cousins was, therefore, a tremendous relief to her.

"I just need to leave some documents on my desk."

Schooling her features, Miranda nodded her understanding, then turning to Darcy and Elizabeth, she continued. "Will you guys be going out as well?"

"Yes, I thought I'd bring them with me." Looking at the couple, Alexander clarified. "I won't be long, just about an hour or half, you can wait in a cafe—erm, a coffeehouse near the building."

Before Darcy or Elizabeth could react, Miranda clasped her hands together. "That would be great! You'll be taking them around the city after right?"

"Right." Alexander grinned. He looked at the couple with the question in his eyes.

"Shall we be using your car?" Darcy asked, eyes bright.

They walked.

It was not three miles away Alexander said, and Elizabeth thoroughly missing her walks, asked if they could go on foot instead. Darcy knew of course, that she wanted to see more of the city on foot, and so had not insisted on the car ride.

Alexander told them that he also usually walked. "Traffic isn't the best here in New York City. More often than not, it is faster to walk the short distances."

And so Darcy and Elizabeth found themselves seated in a cafe that Alexander said was merely two streets away from his office; they were to wait for him there. After helping them order and pay, he left them as they enjoyed tea and a variety of cakes and pastries too numerous for just two people to consume. Elizabeth had waved him off, telling him not to worry.

The cafe was relatively empty, aside from them, only an elderly man who sat across the room was there. They chose a table beside the window for the specific purpose of watching what went on outside.

Time passed quickly, and no sooner had Alexander left them that half an hour had elapsed. Looking at his borrowed wristwatch, Darcy informed Elizabeth that Alexander should be returning soon. When no response came from his wife, He looked up to see her nose pressed against the glass.

"William!" She said excitedly. Pointing out, she turned to him with grin. "'Tis Evie!"

Darcy followed the direction his wife pointed to and indeed saw Evie walking on the opposite side of the road. Before Darcy could say a word, Elizabeth stood and called out that she would invite her to join them.

Shaking his head, Darcy stood up as well and followed Elizabeth. A waiter called after him to ask if they were finished with their food.

"Keep the table for us, my good man." Darcy replied as he rushed out the door.

"Evie!" Elizabeth called out, "Evie!". When the other woman seemed not to hear her, Elizabeth cautiously crossed the street and followed her.

Evie was enjoying her walk. From her earphones, Stevie Wonder serenaded his cherie amour in a melody that she thought timeless. It was a sunny winter morning, as sunny as winter could get. And although her friend, a fellow teacher, had suddenly cancelled on their meet, she found that she still enjoyed the Sunday morning despite being out of bed earlier than was necessary.

Her family and friends had been keeping her busy, she knew. Her weekends were always engaged, her evenings always full. She was grateful for all their efforts, though they never admitted to their intent and she, in turn, never thanked them out loud for it. But it was when they left, when she closed the door behind her that reality always set in. Thoughts of Alexander would come swooping down on her, his eyes, his smile. She would have, by now, been with him in his childhood home. It would have been her second Christmas with him. Just their second, it seemed funny to her now how, in the grand scheme of things, they had been together only a short time. Funnier still that she still could not imagine spending Christmas with anyone but him.

Funny.

So many times had she asked herself if she did the right thing, wouldn't it have been possible for her to be happy with him? Couldn't she have lived as he had wanted? And though her heart always broke at the answer, it had remained no.

If I have to spend my life convincing you that I am good enough, that I am of value, then my life—our life together—will be unbearable.

She was right. Her mind knew she was right, if only her heart would follow. No, she could not—would not—regret her decision. She must live for herself as well. But seeing him again…

She groaned as she remember how she acted the previous night. She had been a complete idiot! Her steps quickened as she felt her embarrassment again. What a poor first impression she must have made on Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam. Shutting her eyes for a moment, she tried to clear her mind.

Would you listen no longer had he something to say? Would an entreaty from him matter so little?

Fitzwilliam looked so much like Alexander, and he had taken her completely by surprise. She had thought that Alexander had started to move on, hadn't it been close to a month with no word from him? She admitted to herself that there were times she waited; when she received a message on her phone, her heartbeat would quicken as she checked the name. As the weeks went by, she had forced herself to accept that it was probably for the best. If he could not see, could not accept her pleas, then it wasn't worth it.

She had gone back to his house to retrieve some personal items. Knowing that he had left for the UK, she had expected Miranda to open the door to her. So it was with complete surprise—if she was honest it was more than just surprise—that she found herself face to face with a stranger, an attractive woman all aglow, wearing her clothes.

Elizabeth, it seemed to Evie, had been very quick to inform her that Alexander was her husband's cousin. Then she had spoken to her with such warmth, her eyes shining with friendliness, that Evie could not begrudge her the use of her clothes. The story behind that she may never know, but suffice it to say that the knowledge of Alexander being there had rendered her purpose forgotten.

When the song finished, Evie became aware that someone was calling out to her. Taking off one earphone, she turned. Surprise was Evie's first reaction, followed immediately by shyness. She stopped and waved back uncertainty at Elizabeth. Her heart leaped as she saw a man walk to Elizabeth, only to slow down again as she realized it was Fitzwilliam. Breathing deeply, she told herself it was relief she felt, certainly not disappointment.

When the couple neared her, Evie smiled timidly at them.

"Good morning, Evie." Elizabeth curtsied and smiled warmly.

"Good morning, Elizabeth, Fitzwilliam." She returned, puzzled at the other woman's gesture.

Darcy bowed directly after, and Evie was the more puzzled for it. Then recalling yesterday's events, she realized that he had bowed to her then too. Mentally shrugging her shoulders, she returned Elizabeth's smile, albeit a bit more reservedly.

"Would you care to join us? We are having tea at that establishment." Elizabeth started to point only to realize that they had gone farther in following Evie than she thought. "Oh!"

Turning to Darcy, Elizabeth raised her brows. "What street was it in, William?"

"I believe it was on the Thirty First Street."

"Oh, yes." Elizabeth smiled at Evie. "How very convenient that your streets are named so. But as I was saying, would you care to join us? The cafe is not very far from here, it is just that way."

"You are mistaken, my love, it is in that direction, as you mentioned the names on the streets imply."

"But I am quite certain it was through there that we walked from, William." Turning to Evie, she continued. "Will you not join us? Or at the very least, might you be so kind as to walk with us there? We seem to have become lost."

Frowning, Darcy spoke again. "I am quite sure, Elizabeth, that it is that way."

The secret glare that Elizabeth threw his way alerted him as to what she was thinking. Darcy sighed inwardly, it was now easy to see that she was her mother's daughter.

"I can not agree with you on that, William." Elizabeth turned to Evie. "I am dreadfully sorry, we seem to be lost."

Looking from husband to wife, Evie blinked. "I-I guess I can walk you to your cafe. Which one is it?"

"Actually I just came from school. I was supposed to meet with a fellow teacher, but she called at the last minute to tell me that her daughter isn't feeling well."

"Oh, how unfortunate, I hope her daughter is not very ill."

Evie assured Elizabeth that she was not. The two ladies walked together, the gentleman directly behind them. This relieved Evie somewhat for the memory of her conversation with him before she left Alexander's house, still embarrassed her.

"Your school is within a short distance from here?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, five blocks from here."

"Blocks?" Darcy inquired, surprising Evie with the realization that he was listening to their conversation.

"Streets, five streets away."

"Ah, there is the cafe." Elizabeth beamed at the other woman as they approached their destination.

"Well, since your engagement has been unfortunately cancelled, might I repeat my wife's offer for you to join us?" Darcy said, smiling his charming smile—as Elizabeth called it.

Uncertainty was etched on Evie's face, but before she could turn down the invitation, Elizabeth spoke.

"Alexander left us a while ago, it is just William and I for the moment. Such an intimidating city!"

Evie bit her lip to prevent a smile at Elizabeth's sentence. Why not? She thought, just half an hour. They were new to the city, and they were such a likable couple. Surely she could do that.

A/N:

Starting from this chapter, we will get to see Evie's point of view as well. Please let me know your reactions. Sorry no car ride for Darcy yet, soon though. ;D

Keeping it short for now. Thank you!