Starts on 17 March 2024 (continuation of chapter 12)

Will Darcy couldn't believe that he had been so explicitly dismissed. After his father had died, no one had ever had the gall to do that. He wouldn't stand for it and would normally have stared the other person down. As he tried that tactic he noticed that she hadn't even looked up. Completely ignoring him. And with how off balance he was feeling, he balled up his fists felt the anger rising in his blood. And he stalked off.

Once he had left, she took a few deep breaths. Her mind going over their conversation if you can even call it that. A few more breaths to regain her equilibrium. She had thick skin being a lawyer but attacking her judgment because of what happened with Lydia was beyond heartless and unpardonable. She reminded herself, the way he had treated G was terrible to, so what could she expect from such a heartless man. He was here now, and she had to give him some props for that. But ultimately, the man needed to be taken down a few pegs. She knew she'd certainly given him something to think about. If he could broaden his perspective then he would no doubt become a better man for his sister. And after all that was the only thing she wanted from the arrogant man, wasn't it? G had enough trouble in her life and if she could help protect her even from her brother's pride and his prejudices about the world then she could help reunite them and help G heal.

His feet carried him out of her office. He couldn't stop thinking about all that she had said. Anger clearly written into his every step. What had she said? What did she mean? Was she implying that he was a bad brother and hadn't done his duty to Georgiana? No, that wasn't possible. He had done everything possible to help his darling Georgie. Who was she to say that he hadn't? She was just a lawyer with a runaway sister. How could she know what it meant to carry on family honour. Although this idea that duty and honour required you to treat people with dignity may not be wholly wrong. But then what about money, social standing, and other things that mattered? Apparently, none of those mattered in her metric of measurement about the world. How could anyone be so naïve? Though, hadn't Richard told him the same thing? Hadn't Georgie and Charles? Was he so wrong? Between all the free time and these conversations he'd started thinking more about what mattered to him, about his perspective of the world. He knew that Georgie mattered. He knew that Pemberley mattered. He knew that the Darcy name mattered. This is what had been ingrained into him since he was a child. He couldn't just forget that. What did she know anyway. She was a lawyer with a different set of rules apparently. But she held the keys to the kingdom – Georgie. Who was she to say that he couldn't meet his sister. She was no one. He wouldn't allow it. He had three weeks before he would involve Richard. For now, he needed to think and plan how to make her listen to him. He spent that day and most of that night pacing in his penthouse. He was always so sure of himself and intrinsically knew the best decision to make when it the time came. But this time he was completely unsure. It wasn't a feeling that he knew how to deal with. His own confusion was so high as he paced up and down the length of his apartment.

That was how Ms. Reynolds found him the next morning. She hadn't heard from him in a few days. Last she'd heard she knew that he was planning to talk to Ms. Bennet. But she didn't know what had happened in the conversation. She opened the door to the study and found him sitting in his favourite chair watching the rain fall outside his window. He looked haggard and older. She noticed immediately the dark rings around his eyes. So, the conversation didn't go well.

"Good morning, Will. You're going to shower while I make some eggs and tea and then we're going to talk. Is that understood?"

He knew that tone in her voice and knew better than to challenge her. He sighed, knowing he probably looked like crap. But what was he supposed to do. He'd spent most of the day and night thinking and he'd come up with nothing. Sure, he had ideas. But none of them seemed to hold any water. What was he supposed to do with this lawyer who refused to see reason, who refused to bend to what he ultimately knew was right. It was infuriating. He couldn't deny to himself that he had been exceedingly impressed by the fact that she hadn't lost her cool even when he made that jab about her sister. Instead, she had given him a dressing down. That was a very ungentlemanly thing to say, and he shouldn't have said it. But he couldn't help it in the moment. She had been furious, that had been written on her face and yet she had not taken the bait. He showered quickly and found himself in his usually impeccably crisp shirt and pants. He wasn't going to work but for most of his adult life this is how he dressed. He watched Harriet plate up the breakfast she made both of them and he silently ate knowing what was coming. Before meeting Elizabeth, he thought that there was only one person who could call him out and she was now sitting in front of him calmly drinking her coffee.

Harriet began, "now that we've eaten why don't you tell me what happened?"

He said morosely, "I don't know what to do or even where to start."

She encouraged him, "try and we can piece it together as we go along. You've kept me abreast with most of it. But what happened this week that's got you like this?"

He started venting, "when Georgie ran away she said some truly horrible things. Even Richard didn't disagree with some of what she said. And yesterday, Elizabeth Bennet said rather similar things to me. And I don't understand how they could be so obtuse. Apparently, money, social standing, and wealth aren't the important things in life. She spoke about treating everyone with dignity. She told me that I'd been patronizing and condescending to Georgie when she ran away rather than talking to her as an adult and having a mature conversation I ordered her to listen to me. She said, 'until I see that you can change your behaviour. Learn from your mistakes, I'll be advising her not to meet with you.' Can you believe the audacity of that lawyer to tell me that?"

Harriet appraised him and saw that there was more to it, "Will, you've had meetings with difficult people. If that was all that happened, you wouldn't be so out of sorts."

He stared, saying nothing for a few minutes, trying hard to collect his thoughts. There was only one question he couldn't figure out. And maybe if he did know how to answer that other pieces would fall into place. "Are they right? Am I losing sight of what's important? I thought I was doing what I should, what I'd been taught, upholding the Darcy name. But then you look at the Bennets and even Charles, despite everything, they're so very…" he stopped unsure what to say.

"Happy," she supplied.

He hung his head, wondering if that even mattered when a small voice in his head asked, when did happiness had passed me by?

She thought about how to put it gently to him, the boy that she had known since he was 4 years old. I've known Will for more than half my life and I'm still uncertain how to tell him this or how he'll react. She decided that she would talk to him, but first she wanted to know more. Ms. Bennet certainly is a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps Will has met his match at last. "She said that you need to change your behaviour. Have you thought about what you'll do?"

"I thought of so many things last night. None of them made sense. I need to see Georgie. That is indisputable. I could have Elizabeth followed, but that turned out badly when I tried that with Georgie. I could try and show her the error of her ways, but that seems an impossible task, stubborn as she is…" His lips twitched upwards as he said that, and Harriet sharp as ever at 50 noticed and smiled to herself.

Will continued his list, "I could ask Charles for help, but that hasn't worked very well so far. I could ask Richard to step in, but who knows what he'll do. I still have a few weeks left before I won't be able to hold him off again."

She raised her hand to stop him, having heard enough. "You realize that this isn't a business deal where you need to find information without the other side knowing what you're up to? You've listed just about everything you would do if it were. Why not take Ms. Bennet up on her offer – approach her directly? Ask her for help instead of telling her what you need from her."

He stared at her dumbfounded, "bu–but, everything is a business deal. That's how the world works. You know that. That's how my father did things. Who am I to change that?"

Ah, she stared at him and his obtuseness, she knew that he had to hear this, "Will, you asked if what Georgie, Richard, or Ms. Bennet said was right."

He nodded unsure what that had to do with anything.

She continued, "your mother was an extremely affectionate and caring woman. She was one of the best people I know and that isn't something I say lightly. When she was alive you were a kind boy. She never thought meanly of anyone. She was so high in social status in this country as part of the peerage that she could've been officious and high handed like her sister. But she wasn't. When she died just after your 15th birthday, you changed. It was as if you decided that you could let no one into your life because you would lose them. Being at Eton didn't help either, but your father insisted. The only people you ever let in were the ones who you already knew. You were betrayed by Wickham in university and built those walls even higher. Deciding to look at the world in a less than generous way. I thought that being friends with someone like Charles would've helped you. But it didn't. He might be your friend, but you still thought of yourself as above him. You even tried to warn him off his wife in a way that would make Lady Catherine proud, but your mother not so much. You were given good principles but left to follow them with an overinflated sense of what mattered in the world and what being a Darcy meant. But you only saw one side of your father in the years before his death. The one that threw himself into his work and forgot to live. You forgot the loving relationship your parents had, the way they cared for everyone around them because your father didn't show that side to you after your mother died."

His mouth hung open at being talked to this way. She was being gentle, but he could hear the reproach in her voice. Had the whole world gone mad?

She continued despite the frown on his face, "Ms. Bennet doesn't know you. All she knows about you is that you are ill tempered and somewhat patronizing, expecting to dictate the outcomes of the world. That isn't how the world works, Will. I'll admit she might be somewhat prejudiced by her ill formed notions about you. Ultimately, all I can say is try to remember your mother and what she would do. Go to Ms. Bennet and ask for her help. Try and see her side, really make an effort to do so. And if she's wrong, what do you have to lose? It's just a few weeks before Richard is back."

Minutes passed as he said nothing trying to absorb all that she had said to him. He didn't even realize when she'd left after about 10 minutes of silence. All he could do was think. Was he really so conceited? Was that how everyone saw him? It couldn't be true. Ms. Reynolds had never lied to him, she had always been honest. She was a kind and caring maternal figure in his life especially these last few years and he couldn't dismiss her as he had Georgie's words as young and immature and Elizabeth's words as that of a ravings of a crazy person. After she left, he decided that maybe he could at least pretend as if his perspective was changing until she told him where Georgie was, he would then get her home, enough of this nonsense of not wanting to see him. He hated disguise, but what could he do? Ms. Reynolds wanted him to actually try broadening his perspective behaving as his mother would. But could he really do that? Once again, he spent most of the day pacing around his apartment, considering the words of three women so different from each other, in age, profession, and demeanour, yet all focused on one part of his personality. They all called him proud. What was so wrong with that. Pride under good regulation isn't a bad thing. There are so many reasons to be proud, I'm a Darcy, one of the world's richest people, apparently one of the most eligible bachelors in England. Why shouldn't I be proud? His mind wouldn't let it be without some sort of a resolution. More than that though, he couldn't deny that he was intrigued by Elizabeth Bennet and wanted to know more about her. But his reserved nature made it difficult to talk to someone like her unless it was in the setting of a meeting. How would he even pull this off? He realized that maybe it would be good to try. If not, there was always Richard's way.

Lizzy had a very full day as it was the first since her niece had been born. She barely had anytime to think. But when she did her thoughts went back to the conversation with Will Darcy. He had no right to say the things he said. Most things rolled off her like water off a duck's back. But talking about Lydia was beyond the pale. But she also knew that it came from a place of great hurt. She knew that she wasn't giving him the one thing he wanted. How could she? G was still in a fragile place. During this last week she'd spent time with G while Mary was home helping around the centre as she could. Lizzy had come up with an ingenious solution for getting G a divorce. Without an address filing was proving difficult. She needed to find Wickham and throw him in jail so that they could serve divorce papers there. She needed to ensure that he was found by police personnel after she filed the assault, sexual assault, grievous injury – everything she could throw at him in her filings. She'd collected enough information over the past few weeks and spoken to Amy, the nurse that had helped G. She had the filing ready in a couple of days. She couldn't interfere with justice as an officer of the court, but she could certainly help move it along.

She asked Lee for his help once again.

"Hi Lee, how are you?"

"Lizzy! Good to hear from you?"

"I'm well. I need some help."

Lee laughed jovially, "I think I've anticipated you. When we couldn't find Wickham in Blackpool we followed a trail. We think he's in London now."

"Perfect, Lee. You're a star. Keep me updated. I've got to go."

She heard the beeping of another call, an unknown number.

She answered chirpily, "hello, you've reached E. Bennet."

"Ms. Bennet, this is Will, Will Darcy."

She was glad at hearing how nervous the man sounded. He should be ashamed of what he said. "Ok, what can I do for you? You understand that badgering me won't help, right?"

"No, Yes, I mean, I understand. It's just … can I see you?"

Why would he want to see her again? This made no sense. But she was tired and assented, only if he came to her office as soon as he could.

She heard the phone click off. He hadn't even said yes, or no, or bye like normal people. This man was truly frustrating, and she had no idea what to make of him. She reminded herself that people were also complex creatures, they weren't unidimensional. There was so much more to them and clearly Darcy was hell bent on demonstrating just that. She sighed, getting back to the research in front of her. Less than 10 minutes later she heard a knock at her office door and he walked in.

He put down a cup of hot chocolate in front of her and then started abruptly pacing around her office.

She rolled her eyes, knowing that she would have to figure this out, "so, how can I help?"

"Ms. Bennet. This isn't easy for me. I wanted to apolo-apologize for what I said about your sister." He stammered out and looked at her hopeful that he would be forgiven.

She nodded but said nothing. Again, he had surprised her. She wondered if this man in front of her would ever stop doing that. She waited for him to continue knowing that it wasn't simply what he was here for. She figured he'd try to work her over once more for G's address.

He looked at her penetratingly, wondering what it was about her that threw him off balance. In that moment he knew that Harriet was right. He didn't want to pretend to change, he wanted to change. It wasn't just wanting to know about Georgie that spurred him on but simply the woman in front of him. Everything about her was intriguing and he desperately wanted to know how she saw the world. What her sister had referred to as her 'secret to life'. If there was a better way to live, he was certain it was Elizabeth who'd help him find it. In that moment he knew that with more conviction than he knew his own name. Instead of the pretense he wanted to put on, he found himself being earnest. He squirmed feeling like anything he would say wasn't adequate in the face of the piercing glare she had on. That look burrowed into him and he sat down less gracefully than he normally would have. And he sat there dumbly for a few minutes drinking his tea. "Yesterday morning you admonished me for not listening to Georgie's concerns and treating her like a child, putting too much stock in my family name and a whole host of other things."

She arched her eyebrow, wondering why he wanted to rehash a conversation that they had less than a day ago. She looked at the cup of hot chocolate in front of her, belatedly realizing that was meant for her as he had something in his own cup. A peace offering, she thought.

She took a breath, "Mr. Darcy, I'm back at work after taking time off work. I've got a ton of work to do. Will you get to your point?"

"Yes, of course. I apologize again. Maybe I could come again tomorrow and tell you about that time four years ago from my perspective. I'm sure Georgie told you some of that from hers. But I honestly don't understand what I did wrong."

She saw him sitting there rather vulnerably. Confused, why would this man want to know what he did wrong. Was he just trying to prove that he wasn't in the wrong? There was no other reason that he would want to spend time with her. She had the key to where G was and that was what he wanted, and he would go to great lengths to try and prove that. "I don't understand. What would be the point of that?" She took a sip of the hot chocolate placed in front of her, thick and creamy, pretending to be less confused than she actually was.

He wanted to beg her that he'd do anything if she would help him. He decided to appeal to the lawyer in her at that moment, "you're a lawyer, you've worked with judges. Don't you need to know both sides of the story to make a decision?" he didn't mean for it to come out as pleadingly as it had.

She was dumbfounded. That he would try and use her profession as a reason to get her on his side was abominable. "Mr. Darcy, I am indeed a lawyer. And so, I know that my first duty is to my client. I don't need to hear your version of things. I'm not a judge, I'm simply protecting the needs and wants of my client." She said it with more poise than she thought she could muster.

He sighed realizing that was the wrong thing to say. I don't understand why this woman makes me constantly say the wrong things. Why can't I be the calm, cool, Will Darcy in front of her, why am I forever behaving like a bumbling idiot when it comes to this woman? "Ms. Bennet, I understand that you think you're protecting her. I want the same thing. Wouldn't it be better to work together?"

Her eyes narrowed at his response, he seemed to be talking sensibly. But something about him made her weary. She wasn't sure what it was. For the first time in her life, she couldn't figure out if the person in front of her was telling her the truth or not. It was as if this man was made to push all her buttons at once and she wouldn't have it. "I will give you one hour of my time tomorrow morning. If I don't like what I hear from you, even a word, I will throw you out of my office myself. And then I will make sure you don't find your sister for as long as she wants it, whether that is one week or one year or one decade. Have I made myself clear?"

He almost laughed at the idea that this tiny woman could throw him out of her office, then he remembered her self-defence training. She was a fierce woman and of course she wouldn't give in this easily. But maybe if he could show her that he was genuine in his desire then she would forgive him. He wasn't sure why he so desperately wanted this. But he did.

She was surprised at her own inclination to hear him. He was trying to butter her up, she could see that. And knew she wouldn't fall for it. But for G's sake if this stalled him for some time it would be a good use of an hour. Or if he genuinely wanted to help protect her then she would let him try. But she had the control in the situation and that was the only way that this could go. "Come by at 12, bring lunch. I have work in Kent but should be back by then."

Hi all I hope you're enjoying the story. What dyu think of Harriet? I like her so much :) Someone clearly needed to give Darcy a push and Lizzy can only do so much on her own!

We still have a bit more than half the story to go. Do leave review if you are enjoying this story - it helps keep me going.