Chapter 14 - announcement / acquaintance
Despite Lizzy's trepidation, their Monday morning had not been as traumatic as she had expected. She had awoken to the harsh sound of her alarm, unhappy at the distinct lack of William in her bed and grumpy at the earliness of the hour. Her mood had improved slightly upon reading the good morning message he had sent in his absence. He had not forgotten, despite getting out of the habit over the weekend. Her heart thrilled at the thought. She fired off a quick and flirtatious reply before hauling herself to the vertical.
She took her time in the shower, dressing in her form-fitting but very much work appropriate pink suit. She was going to need the energy a colourful power suit would give her. She took her time to cover the now-yellow love bite on her neck with concealer and stared back at her groggy reflection when she was finished. She threw the stick of concealer into her bag, just in case she needed to touch up her handiwork later in the day. That was not how they were going to find out, she reasoned.
Her stomach had lurched on arrival at the office, and she took a few steadying breaths, muttering "nothing has changed" under her breath until she half-believed it.
Soon, she was back into the flow of the project, welcomed back with lots of questions about the wedding she had taken Friday off to attend. She had hastily searched for a photo she could share of the bridal party that he wasn't in. Annoyingly, her mother had insisted on the boyfriends being present in almost all of the pictures they had, but Lizzy had managed to save a couple of 'safe' pictures just in case. They were not as dear to her as the "not safe for work" ones with him in them - including a drunken selfie of the two of them just before they had gone to watch the fireworks that she was strongly considering making her lockscreen photo. They both looked so radiant in their happiness, and she loved it.
There were plenty of compliments for the brides and their friends from the few pictures she shared with the room. There was general consensus that Elizabeth scrubbed up well, and that the organisers had excellent taste.
After the gushing calmed down, the morning resumed the usual pace of the project, with requests firing every which way and running between departments to encourage some kind of collaborative spirit.
So she found herself sitting in the lobby over their lunch break, enjoying resting her feet and taking some air on the balcony. Her solitary recuperation was interrupted after around ten minutes of peace.
"Ms Bennet," came the rich baritone at her ear.
"Will," she breathed reverently, before remembering where she was. "William," she cleared her throat. "What did we agree about formalities?" Her tone was teasing, her eyebrow arched, and his interest piqued.
"Sorry, Elizabeth," he leaned into the tease. "Old habits die hard, I guess."
"And so you find me taking fifteen at lunch to clear my head… old habits indeed," she explained. Her smile was mirrored in her companion as he found another piece of Elizabeth Bennet sliding into place.
"Please, I don't want to intrude," he offered reluctantly.
"You are always a welcome intrusion into my calendar, William," she said politely. He noticed the deliberate lack of flirtation in her tone, forced as was the professionalism in its place.
"Is that so?" He replied, his tone of flirtation thick and undisguised.
"Will," she breathed, the mask of professionalism slipping for a moment. She mouthed not here, not now, and he allowed himself one more flirtatious comment before he dutifully cleared his throat and swore to behave himself.
"Perhaps you'll permit an intrusion into somewhere else this evening?" He whispered at the hollow beneath her ear. She swore under her breath and felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She gave him a warning look that told him of the hunger she felt for him.
Upon clearing his throat, he stepped aside and moved deliberately away from her to take in the view.
"This is my favourite part of the office," he said idly, offering her the space next to him at the railing with a gesture of his arm. She took a moment to recover from his charged comment before joining him.
"Not your corner office on the twelfth floor?" She asked.
"No, the view from here with the air on my face… beautiful," he replied. The wistfulness in his tone and the way he was looking at her told her that he wasn't just talking about the skyline.
"I can't comment on your office, but I can agree that it is a lovely spot you've got for yourself here."
"You haven't-" he trailed off, recalling the past few weeks. "I suppose you haven't had reason to…"
"Perhaps for the next SteerCo meeting?" She suggested.
"I'd much rather find an excuse for a 1:1," he said, dancing on the edge of flirtation again. She replied in hushed tones, concerned about anyone overhearing, even though they were totally alone on the balcony.
"William, if you are going to use everything I say as an excuse to come on to me, I will have to avoid you during office hours." Her voice dropped until he heard the deep musky voice she knew drove him crazy. "And you know how much I want to avoid avoiding you… Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal," he choked out. It was maddening. She was so tempting… too tempting for work…
She changed the subject.
"Did you manage to break the news?" She asked tentatively.
"Yes," he replied, remembering. "Less difficult than expected, actually. I'm surprised at how many people seemed genuinely happy for me - for us - actually."
"I'm not surprised," she said honestly. "People like you, Will. It's only natural they'd be happy for you, when you look so happy."
It was true, his demeanour was unrecognisable from the mopey gentleman of four days' prior. He looked well rested for the first time in weeks, and he had re-found his confidence and vigour in the assurance of her affections.
"I think it's quite obvious that you are good for me," he replied easily. She smiled to hear the truth of it.
"Yeah, well that's a two way street, mister," she said, her smile broadening into a wide grin. He longed to kiss it from her face, but stopped himself. It was one thing letting people know of his new relationship status, but it was something else entirely to provide their workplace audience with evidence of it.
"I love you," he opted for instead. Simple, understated, barely audible above the light wind on the balcony. And definitely not loud enough to be heard through the glass. But she read it on his lips well enough, glad for their solitary interlude that had reassured her of the constancy of his intentions.
She returned his confession with the same, and lightly squeezed his hand. He knew that she would have been snogging him senseless if their location had been slightly more private. He felt her love all the same. They remained still for a few moments longer, just enjoying being alone and in each other's space and looking out at the wonderful view. It was Lizzy who broke the perfect silence when her phone alarm rang, reminding her that there was only five minutes to get a coffee and take a comfort break before they were to start up the afternoon session. She shut if off immediately and turned to face him.
"Well then, I should let you get back to your busy schedule," she offered reluctantly.
"Indeed," he replied, equally reluctant to yield this perfect moment into the past. "Mustn't keep you from the excellent job you are doing…"
She quirked her eyebrow at him as they re-entered the building, standing a fraction closer to each other than their professional relationship dictated and moving through each others' space with an ease that was entirely too familiar to be less than friends. It was noted by a few bystanders, but Lizzy did not notice, for her entire focus was on the charming man at her side.
"But first, can I get you a coffee?" He continued, gesturing to the coffee machine in the lobby.
"You don't need to do that, William," she said politely. "I have been using your wonderful amenities for a few weeks now, I think I've just about figured out - even if it is unnecessarily complicated."
"Unnecessarily complicated?" He feigned hurt. "Well, you best show me directly your complaints then, that I might rectify the situation."
She caught herself before she laughed too loudly. Instead, he heard a light chuckle emanating from her and responded by placing a firm hand at her back and steering her to the kitchenette.
"I see there is no way to refuse your chivalry, sir - and instead I find I must begrudgingly accept your kindness."
It was his turn to chuckle at her playfulness, which in turn earned open stares from the bystanders who had previously just given them a passing glance. It was not often that the formidable Mr Darcy was seen enjoying himself at work. Heads were turned towards the pretty brunette at his side who had coaxed the young CEO out of his shell.
If he noticed a few more eyes on him than usual, he was happy to distract himself from the knowledge by drowning in her expressive eyes instead. Yep, definitely doing a good job of staying neutral, he thought sarcastically to himself.
~.~
Despite all of the back and forth teasing, she did manage to receive a steaming latte from him, and returned his kindness with a large americano, one sugar… just the way he liked it.
Warmth steeping in her hands, she turned to see the head of MarComms waiting behind them to use the machine. The smartly dressed gentleman was giving his boss's boss a curious look and Elizabeth smiled openly at him.
"Sorry, Oliver," she stepped out of the way of the machine and continued smiling at him. William bristled slightly before regaining his composure against the irrational jealousy that he recalled all too well from the lunch date he had overseen before the wedding. Pull yourself together, he warned himself as Oliver replied.
"No worries, Elizabeth. It is good to see two young people so cheerful on a Monday," he said jovially.
"Yes, well I was just insulting your hardware, and William here was humouring me very politely," she explained. It was William who replied, barely disguised affection in his tone.
"Well, if I hadn't heard such marvellous things at the last SteerCo, perhaps we'd have to worry about the ease with which you insult your clients, Elizabeth."
She hoped she knew William well enough by now to know he was not serious, but she was pleasantly surprised when Oliver jumped in to defend her.
"I would argue that in the case of the coffee machine, Elizabeth is the client in question, Mr Darcy," he said nervously. He had a good relationship with the man, but it was not often that Mr Darcy was directly challenged. Will was not perturbed by the argument, but he was decidedly not pleased to hear that Oliver's flirtatious undercurrent was back, perhaps a little exaggerated in a manner that William could only assume was for his sake.
"Right you are, Oliver," he replied - almost genially, doing his best impression of a non-jealous person… mostly successfully. "Though it seems to have served its purpose in supplying each of us with the necessary caffeine to persevere through the afternoon."
"Yes," came Elizabeth's cheery tone. "I hope yours is a pleasant one, William."
He was touched at the care in her voice. Oliver clearly less so.
"The same to you, Elizabeth… Oliver," he picked up his hot coffee, nodded in their general direction and walked briskly to his office, feeling more invigorated than any lunch break that had not involved Elizabeth in some way, shape or form, but a little perturbed by his head of MarComms and how unnecessarily close he had stood to Elizabeth the whole time.
"So, you know Mr Darcy's coffee order?" Oliver said suspiciously after the gentleman in question had retreated, on their way back to the conference room.
"It is one of the first things I try to memorise when I start with a client. You'd be amazed how observant it makes you appear when you know how they like their coffee." She paused, hoping she hadn't sounded manipulative. "He was there on my first day, which made it easier to remember," she explained.
He briefly quizzed her on the project team's orders, and was astonished to find her 'safe for work' party trick to be no exaggeration.
Dodged a bullet, she thought to herself. Won't be long now until he puts two and two together.
"You two looked friendly, though," he pressed, and she could hear an edge to his voice that she couldn't quite place. "Didn't he say you'd worked together before?"
She remembered clearly his words on their first workplace meeting, and he had been deliberately vague in his admission that they were known to each other.
"No, this is the first time I've worked for him. But I was on a project ages ago at Pemberley, as you know." She stilled, trying to muster the courage to let her closest ally in the Pemberley team know her secret. "But we have met before outside of work," she settled on.
"Interesting, how so?" Oliver replied.
"Well, my sister has been dating his best friend for about two months now," she cringed at the partial omission of truth. "So we met about three weeks before I joined the project."
"And you are friends?" He asked, genuinely curious.
"Yes," she replied, too quickly. "Well, we are friendly."
He scrunched his nose at that. She smiled, relieved that she had not said too much.
Oliver didn't seem satisfied at the blandness of her omission, pressing for more details in his usual charismatic manner.
"There have got to be more beans to spill, Elizabeth. I don't think I've ever seen William so…" he gestured wildly, struggling to find the right word "… so energised."
She blushed, and moved them to a quiet corner with a hand on his back. Shit, she hadn't intended for him to get mixed signals from her.
"Oliver," she started, her voice soft and nervous as she decided to put the poor man out of his misery. "What I am about to say, I say in confidence, ok?"
"My lips are sealed," he mimed, curiosity burning.
"So I met William on a double date with my sister a couple of months ago," she began. She made to caveat her words. "It was before I even knew about this project, and there was no ulterior motive. It was a blind date."
The shock on his face was a picture.
"And so we've been exploring each other's company since then."
"Wow," Oliver said, excitement clear. "That explains a lot, honestly," he said. He sounded relieved, before his lips twitched into a smirk. "Like how you didn't find me irresistible…"
She let out a snort.
"Anyway, Elizabeth," he continued excitedly. "I'm happy for you." He said reluctantly. "This is big… like big big."
"I know," she blushed. "I am working up the courage to tell everyone," she justified.
"I think after coaxing that Mr Darcy from the CEO shell at lunch it won't be long before it's common knowledge that you're together."
"I don't want there to be any rumours or anything. It's all above board. You just can't turn it off when you know." She hated this, feeling like a lovesick teenager who couldn't control her own emotions.
"Oh dear, you have it bad," Oliver replied wryly. "Perhaps you should just tell the team straight when we start back after lunch?" He asked. "Rip the band-aid off right away and quash any rumours before they can take hold. Own it?"
It seemed like a terrifying but reasonable suggestion, which she followed through on shortly after commencing their afternoon working group.
It was in fact terrifying, but her nerves evaporated the instant that the room responded with well-meaning congratulations and barely disguised curiosity. She asked for their discretion in their well-wishes, and then that they might proceed as if no news had been shared. The group of professionals acted with credit to their titles, and the afternoon was rather relaxed in comparison to the morning because of it. She caught her reflection on more than one occasion and was surprised but happy to see her deep joy reflected there. She was a different person to who she had been the prior week, and it thrilled her to see the change.
~.~
Elizabeth was wrested from the conference room at around six o'clock in the evening. She was in the middle of a somewhat heated debate with Pemberley's head of Brand when William's PA came to find her.
"Ms Bennet," she announced when there was a natural pause to do so. "Sorry, Elizabeth," she corrected.
"What can I do for you, Marge," she asked kindly, grateful for the interruption.
"Ms Georgiana is waiting for you in the lobby, she said you would be expecting her?" The uncertainty was thick in the older woman's voice. It was matched by the small glimpse of surprise that broke through Lizzy's expression. She should have known he'd have made the plans with his sister.
"Ah, correct you are, Marge," she recovered quickly. "Sorry," she addressed her counterpart with genuine discomfort at leaving before her client. She softened her departure. "I think we have made some great progress on this matter. I will have a careful review taking on board your excellent points before we next speak, perhaps tomorrow afternoon? I'm afraid this is a personal matter, which can't be avoided."
"No bother, Elizabeth. I think I have made my preferences clear and would welcome progress on the matter tomorrow. Thank you for your challenges, they are well made."
"In that case, have a lovely evening," she offered with her outstretched palm open for a parting handshake.
"Enjoy your time with your friend," she responded, though it was framed as a question. Elizabeth could hear the burning curiosity in her tone, and realised with a pang how uncommon of a name Georgiana was. So much for discreet.
She was glad to find, when she reached the lobby a few minutes later, that Georgiana alone was waiting for her. The usually bustling room was quiet, save for the enthusiastic greeting that the young girl gave her.
"Elizabeth!" She exclaimed cheerfully, and pulled her into a tight hug. "I am so glad to meet you at long last."
"The feeling is so mutual," Lizzy smiled back, glad for the easy introduction to the other woman. Her smile only grew to notice the chic style and grace that Georgiana carried herself with. It was so Darcy that she felt at home immediately. She gave her a quick once over before stepping back to reply.
Georgiana was stunning, it had to be said. Her air and manner were slightly more warm and enthusiastic than her brother's, to Lizzy's surprise and delight. There was a maturity that belied her age, and she was so engaging it was as though she had her own sense of gravity - much like the older Darcy sibling. "Your brother has told me so much about you, I feel this meeting is long overdue."
"Yes, definitely overdue! All good things I hope?" She replied cheekily.
"Naturally - I don't think he has a bad word to say about his darling Georgiana."
"Well, I must work to dispel the myth of my heroism. That would paint me a frightful bore. But I can have fun and misbehave with the worst of them, when the opportunity presents itself."
"Is that right?" Lizzy joked, enjoying the easy back and forth. "In that case, I think perhaps we should head off before we cause your brother too much trouble here."
"Ah yes, the building where fun comes to die," she chuckled, and Lizzy couldn't help but laugh with her.
"I think I am contractually obliged to disagree with you on that one," she joked.
"You're not on the clock - anything goes, Elizabeth."
"Please, you can call me Lizzy," she said kindly. They had reached the ground floor exit, and Lizzy was looking around for the brother, assuming he would meet them both when they had left the office proper.
"Alright, Lizzy," Georgiana smiled, noticing her distraction. "Will told me to come and occupy you for an hour whilst he finishes up at work and gets things sorted at home. So we best head out for a walk if staying in the office is off the cards."
"Oh, he did, did he?" She trailed off, before collecting herself. "Wonder what he's got planned."
"Your guess is as good as mine. He never does stuff like this," Georgiana gave herself an internal pat on the back for exposing her brother's affections to their owner. There would be time later to tell Lizzy just how much she had changed her brother already, but for now drip-feeding the evidence of his feelings felt like an excellent first step.
"Interesting…" Lizzy reflected. "And I'll bet he didn't tell you to tell me that?"
"Ding!" Georgie joked, mimicking the sound of a game show bell. "Smart, as well as beautiful… It's all coming clear to me now."
Lizzy had the good grace to blush.
"So he has a type?"
"Had-," she said slowly. "I reckon… honestly it's been so long since anyone's turned his head I was starting to worry if it would ever happen again."
Lizzy laughed to dispel the awkwardness, and before long Georgiana was chuckling along with her.
"Don't worry, Lizzy - I am just teasing. He seems really happy."
"That's a relief," Lizzy replied. "I might just enjoy having a mole on the inside," she joked.
"It's about time he was kept on his toes," came Georgie's response.
"Speaking of-" Lizzy began, breaking off as they reached the Serpentine and with it, a cafe on the lake. She gestured towards it, question in her eyes.
"Oh, lovely suggestion," Georgie replied enthusiastically.
"It's on me," Lizzy said decisively and led the way in.
"I was saying," Lizzy continued when they had gained a spot in the short queue. "About keeping Will on his toes… I've got an idea for his birthday - it's not far off, right?"
Georgiana squealed in excitement, and the serious looking man in front of them turned, quirking his eyebrow reflexively.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly, turning back to her friend. "Count me in," she said cheerily.
"You don't know what I'm suggesting yet…"
"Yeah, well it's got to be much better than sitting on the couch watching another Blue Planet series with an ungodly amount of snack foods…"
Lizzy blushed to think of quite how much she had enjoyed getting lost in their sofa over the weekend, and she nearly let a chuckle slip when she considered all of the snacks he had procured for her.
"You make a compelling point," Lizzy replied instead of revealing how she had spent her weekend. She wasn't sure how open the siblings were with each other just yet. "Seriously, was he that tragic?"
"I am convinced you are here to save him from his middle aged self!"
"Well, who's the hero now?" Lizzy joked.
The barista informed them it was their turn to order, and iced drinks were soon in hand, sitting in the sun on the rooftop seating area.
"So what is the plan instead of lounging in the cinema room then, Lizzy?" Georgiana's curiosity was palpable.
"I was thinking we could start with a smaller group of his close friends, go for a nice lunch at Gaucho - might be a nice chance to meet the famous cousin Richard? And then I was going to ask you to help me with a list of wider 'fun' friends who might be up for mini golf and a bit of a pub crawl? Nothing too rowdy, but get us all out and about a bit."
"Lizzy that sounds excellent, he will love it," she replied, eyes sparkling with the prospect of seeing her brother getting out there and being allowed to be youthful again. "And of course, I can do some meddling with Charles to come up with a list of fun friends."
"Brilliant!" Lizzy exclaimed. "What do you think the chances are of getting him to dress in golf gear?"
She was lost for a moment imagining him in golf clothing. She imagined it would be as impeccably tailored as the rest of his wardrobe, and something about the idea of leather gloves and tight pale trousers had her gaze losing focus slightly. Yeah, maybe not.
"I'd say slim to none. He doesn't like the idea of 'incriminating photographs' in public places," Georgie replied sheepishly.
"Yeah, fair enough," came Lizzy's begrudging agreement. "One of these days we'll have to host a party at the townhouse so he can let go properly."
"What I wouldn't pay to see that," Georgie replied wistfully.
Lizzy chuckled, then her face softened. "Only if he wants to, of course," she sobered herself.
"If you asked, I think he'd convince himself he wanted just about anything," Georgie said quietly. Lizzy blushed. Yeah, that tracks, she thought - although she didn't voice as much to the meddling younger sister.
"Ok, so I can leave the guest list to you, and I'll plan and book the rest when we know how many people can make it?"
"Absolutely," Georgie replied with a mock salute.
"If you were planning a party for your interests, what would you have chosen, Georgie?" Lizzy asked good-naturedly.
"Excellent question, Lizzy," she replied. "It would definitely involve cocktails and dancing. Maybe a trip to the theatre beforehand?"
Their conversation migrated to Georgiana's interests easily and they spent a pleasant half hour becoming better acquainted in the golden light of the still evening.