Chapter Three: Lost in Translation
Frances had of course been delighted with the turn of events, Lizzy had rarely seen her so pleased to be married to Thomas Bennet. She immediately insisted on taking Jane and Lydia out dress shopping, meeting up with Kitty along the way. Jane looked like she was about to argue for her inclusion, but Lizzy just shook her head. She'd much rather spend the day doing more practical things. Besides, she didn't dress up for anybody. Bid goodbye to Tommo, promising she'd be at the Elevens bar in the West End at around 8. She thought about calling Mark up and asking if he wanted to go to work today, maybe work the Badger or Pigeon down near Trafalgar Square, but in the end, she just couldn't be bothered. Finding the motivation was getting harder and harder when you were only making a few hundred quid a pop, scraping enough to get by. Maybe Tommo was right, maybe tonight was a good opportunity for her. However, she would take a back seat. It was Jane's turn. She owed her best friend the first shot. Didn't let herself get carried away though, the likelihood was that this would be a waste of time. If Bingley was serious he'd be taking a big risk if he recruited her or Jane. They'd never worked the long con before, sure, they knew the basics and Lizzy was confident that they could do it, but they were still amateurs to the rest of the world.
She decided to call Charlotte Lucas to see if she was being dragged along to this thing tonight. It was highly likely. Charlotte's father was a fixer in the industry with his far-reaching contacts making him one of the most well-regarded names in the London grifting scene. He and his wife had hoped desperately that Charlotte would choose a different path in life, encouraging her to go to university, learn a different trade, do anything else other than grift. Of course, as is always the way, these hopes were in vain. Their daughter was now a working short con artist and probably Lizzy's best friend outside of the Bennet clan. She made a living, however, if truth be told she wasn't the most talented grifter working, most of the Bennet siblings put her to shame. She was decent at poker mind and made most of her money in the shady late-night pub backroom card games that you could find across the city if you knew the magic words to mutter to the barmen and barmaids.
The phone was picked up after about three rings.
"Hello … oh God! Hello?" answered a voice Lizzy didn't recognize.
"Um, Charlotte?"
"No, no, I just picked the phone up … um .. Charlotte? Her name is Charlotte! Yeah, um, I'm with Charlotte, she's been run over by a car!"
Lizzy held back a laugh. She'd obviously caught Charlotte in the middle of working 'the Flop'. Charlotte had chipped a bone in her elbow in a fight a few years back and it turned out to be pretty lucrative in insurance money, so she took advantage of this whenever she was short of cash. It was simple really. You waited by a busy main road until you saw a driver who was distracted, eating, on their phone, that sort of thing, then took a tumble over the bonnet. Go down, go to hospital, claim the injury as new, the insurance company pays out.
"You still there?" the voice on the other end was yelling at her.
"Yes, yes," Lizzy responded, faking as much concern as possible. "How is she, is she conscious?"
"Yes, just. The ambulance is on its way. They're taking her to Royal London."
"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can."
Lizzy hung up the phone and let out the laugh she'd been holding in. The Flop. Charlotte kept it old school. She decided she'd take a walk back along the South Bank, see if she could find a spot to work the Three Card Monte on some unsuspecting tourists for a bit. Something to pass the time at least until tonight. She was dreading it.
"Yes, yes, I know, I'm late!" Lizzy apologised breathlessly as she approached the Bennets near the bar at half past 8.
Frances tutted loudly at her causing Lydia and Kitty to giggle. Jane gave her a warm smile and a roll of the eyes, whereas Tommo just smirked at her.
"It's quite alright Lizzy dear. Although you did just interrupt my wife's fascinating analysis of whether the Lucas daughter has put on weight."
"Charlotte's here?" Lizzy looked around, surprised.
"Of course, it's her father who organised this whole thing. Why wouldn't she be?"
"She was working the Flop in Whitechapel this afternoon, didn't think she'd get here in time."
"The Flop, I ask you," Frances sneered, haughtily. "When will that girl grow up? Mind you she's always been average, average intelligence, average looks."
"That's quite enough Frances." Tommo said sternly, obviously catching the rage in both Lizzy and Jane's eyes.
Lizzy looked around as Frances swanned off to find some of her awful friends. It was a fancy bar, no doubt about it. And there were some real players here. How the hell had they gotten into this party Lizzy wondered. She recognized a few faces, Florida Pete (he'd once sold a sucker Disneyland, con men were not known for their creative nicknames), Lisa Hearts, thought she maybe caught a glimpse of the Swiss twins. All experienced, top-tier grifters, but Lizzy got the feeling that it was the people she didn't recognize who were the big-timers. Armani suits and Rolex's. She suddenly felt a little self-conscious. She'd made the least amount of effort that she thought she could get away with. Her hair was tied back into a sloppy ponytail, she'd put on a nice top with her best jeans, but still. Jane, Lydia and Kitty were dressed up like it was the fucking Ambassadeurs Club in Mayfair, as was everyone else around them to be fair. It was a relief then to finally catch sight of Charlotte through the crowd wearing her Doc Martens and usual grunge gear. She caught Lizzy's eye and sent her a mischievous smirk before making her way over to the group.
"Bennet's," she nodded as she approached, still smirking. "Nice to see you all on this fine evening."
"Good evening Charlotte," Tommo greeted warmly, he'd always had a soft spot for her. "You must excuse me, I have to go and thank your father for extending the invitation today."
The four Bennet girls and Charlotte were left alone.
"So, this is exciting." Charlotte said sarcastically, pulling out a hip flask and taking a long pull from it.
"God, you're such a tramp Lucas." Lydia sneered. The two didn't really get along.
"Ah shut up Lyds." Charlotte ruffled the younger girl's hair, much to her annoyance.
"This took me three hours!" she almost shouted at Charlotte, who looked like she was about to bite back before Jane interrupted.
"Now, now, children. Let's not cause a scene."
"No, not when we have such important guests to impress." Charlotte chuckled, putting the 'important' in air quotes.
At least Lizzy wasn't the only one who really didn't want to be here.
"So, come on then Charlotte, you're the one in the know. Is Will Darcy really coming tonight?" Lizzy asked her. If she was here, she might as well make the most of it.
"Indeed he is." Charlotte said disinterested.
"Oh, do me a favour Lucas, stop pretending to be so cool and above this," Jane laughed at her friend. "It's fucking Will Darcy! Every grifter in the country knows who he is, has heard the stories. So no way you are not the least bit curious."
Charlotte smiled a real smile at Jane.
"Okay, okay, you've got me. Of course I'm interested. The man who stole the Mona Lisa, then put it back the next week?"
"I heard he's ex-SAS." Kitty piped up.
"Yeah," Lydia nodded self importantly. "And he took the Pink in the 90s …"
"Don't be stupid, Lydia," Lizzy dismissed. "Of course he didn't, he's not Serbian."
"It's what I heard. And I heard he sold the World Cup!"
"And he pulled off the biggest 'Reverse Big Store' in history in Monaco!"
"Yeah, and he purposefully got locked up for five years, just cos his next mark was in there!" Lydia finished excitedly.
Lizzy laughed at the girl's excitement. She'd heard all of the stories before. She also knew that the majority would be bullshit or at the very least grossly exaggerated. Nevertheless, she felt a twinge of curiosity. The man was a legend, there was no doubt about that. And she was going to meet him.
"Alright, alright girls, that's enough," Jane laughed. "Besides, isn't it all about this Charles Bingley tonight? He's the one putting together the crew, right Charlotte?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "From what I can gather, Darcy's pretty much retired and is just here to help Bingley get set up. The two are best friends apparently, they've worked together for years."
"You know anything about Bingley?" Lizzy asked, before smirking. "Jane's been tasked with seducing him."
Charlotte laughed loudly.
"Frances is a fucking maniac, isn't she? So what's the tactic Janey, gonna play it coy and cool or go straight in for the kill?"
"I thought I'd just walk up to him, say 'hey Mr Bingley, I'm Jane' and then slut drop him." Jane said, dryly.
"You hear that, Darcy?" a voice spoke up from behind them, full of mirth. "Sounds like I'm in for quite the treat."
Jane screwed up her eyes in painful embarrassment. Lizzy winced, Charlotte laughed into her fist and Lydia and Kitty ran away. Lizzy was the first to grit her teeth and turn round.
"Charles Bingley, I presume?"
To be fair to Charles Bingley, or Charlie as he was now insisting they call him, he dealt with it all very well. Jane launched straight into a rambling explanation, refusing to look the new arrival in the eye, digging further and further into the ground. Lizzy knew she should step in but it was just too funny. Jane now appeared to be offering a free lap dance for him. Charlotte was in pieces next to her. Luckily, Charles stepped in here, chuckling loudly.
"There will be no need for that, not that I'm sure it wouldn't be delightful." he grinned at her and she finally looked him in the eye.
Lizzy thought she felt the spark between the two herself. Charlie's grin faltered a little as he looked at Jane, and Jane blushed furiously. They looked like one of those awfully happy couples in a photo frame already. Lizzy had to admit he was good-looking, in an earnest sort of way. He had a kind face, light brown skin, and a tamed afro nestling on his crown. He was a little scruffier than most around with his suit and trainer combo, but he held himself with utter confidence. And Jane was the most beautiful woman she knew.
Oh God, Lizzy thought.
1 - 0 Frances.
After a few seconds of them just staring at each other, there was a light cough from behind them and Lizzy looked up to see a smirking woman with a similar complexion to Charlie take his arm.
"And what do we have here then Charlie?" the woman asked, mockingly.
Lizzy didn't like her. She knew that straight away. Firstly, she was ridiculously beautiful, but unlike Jane, it was clear that she was well aware of it. Secondly, the tone was patronising, she was already looking down on them. People like Lizzy could spot that a mile off, they'd had it all their lives.
"I .. um .. Um …" Charles faltered.
"What we have here is a car crash." a bored-sounding deep voice spoke up.
Lizzy sought the interruption and met his grey eyes briefly before he looked away, pulling his phone out of his inside pocket and staring down at it. So, this was Will Darcy. He was a different prospect to Bingley entirely. Whereas Charles gave off an approachable air and was handsome in an inviting way, Darcy was the complete opposite. Handsome, yes, but cold. All angles and jawline. If Charles was summer, then he was winter. He was tall, well over six foot, and wore a navy suit as well as any man alive she would wager.
She thought he was a twat straight away.
"Very funny Darcy," Bingley recovered, going slightly less dark. "Right, yes, of course, where were we? Introductions! I'm Charles Bingley, but please call me Charlie, this is my sister Caroline Bingley and the looming presence behind us is Will Darcy."
"I'm Jane," Jane said shyly. "Jane Morgan."
"And I'm Lizzy Walker and this is Charlotte Lucas." Lizzy finished off when it became clear Jane wasn't going to.
"Walker and Morgan?" Caroline Bingley spoke up with narrowed eyes. "I don't remember those names being on the guest list."
Lizzy was sure to notice the way Will Darcy suddenly graced them with his attention. His eyes snapped up immediately to them at Caroline's words, expressionless, but Lizzy could tell an awful lot was going on in there.
"We'll be under Bennet. Jane and Lizzy Bennet. That's the name we go by usually." Lizzy cut in.
"Ah I remember," Caroline nodded before smiling at them. Lizzy didn't trust it, there was no warmth in it. She saw Darcy relax out of the corner of her eye and continue ignoring them. "Well, it's lovely to meet you both."
"You too," Lizzy said in a friendly tone, deciding to play nice. "And you Mr Darcy."
Stone cold silence. He wasn't even paying attention to them, just awkwardly standing at the back of his group, looking around with what Lizzy could only describe as a sneer. This was the legendary Will Darcy? The con man extraordinaire?
"Darcy!" Charles hissed, elbowing him in the ribs.
"What?" Darcy snapped at his friend.
"Lizzy was just saying how nice it was to meet you."
"Yes of course," he said distractedly, his eyes going back to his phone. "Excuse me for a moment will you."
And with that he swept away, leaving Bingley apologising for his friend's rudeness. Lizzy raised an eyebrow at Charlotte, who just mouthed the word 'wanker' at Darcy's retreating back.
Will Darcy. What an anticlimax that was.
Lizzy kind of enjoyed it all after that. Charlie turned out to be good company, friendly and interesting, even if he did constantly glance at Jane when he was talking to anyone else. Even Caroline improved slightly, actually making Lizzy laugh with some put-downs directed towards her brother who just laughed loudly at them. She managed to have a good catch-up with Charlotte, kept Lydia and Kitty reasonably in line, and stayed away from Frances. Success.
The one downside, however, was the looming presence of Will Darcy. He just seemed to be always there. Standing at the edges, looking down on everyone, not making any form of effort. The only people he talked to were Caroline and Charlie. And of course, no one dared approach him. This was Will Darcy. The whispers began to spread around the room, what a disappointment he was, what an up himself so and so, what a rude man. But the question that no one else was asking that Lizzy was, was how could this man possibly be one of the greatest living grifters? You had to be likeable to be a grifter, you had to have the gift of the gab, the ability to totally own a room. Charlie, yes, you could see it, see why people would trust him, like him, and give them their money, but Darcy? It didn't fit. And it annoyed Lizzy that she was so curious.
After a couple of hours, she escaped onto the balcony of the bar for a bit, lying down on a trendy sofa tucked away in a corner. She took a sip of her beer before shutting her eyes. She knew she should be back in there networking and making connections, the opportunity to be in a room full of this quality of grifter did not come along every day. But there was just the slight feeling inside that this wasn't right, this wasn't her scene, and these were not her people. She wanted it all, yes, but she wanted it all her way with her people. So she found herself just waiting a moment to herself. Her peace didn't last long however as she heard the door open and footsteps echo out. Whoever it was was hidden from her view, but she heard the unmistakable click of a lighter before the deep inhale and exhale. It was a man, she deduced as she heard him sigh.
The door opened again.
"Come on Darcy, at least try to have some fun this evening!" Charles Bingley's voice echoed out into the night, causing Lizzy to hold back a groan. Bloody Darcy again. Well, she wasn't moving, didn't want any more interaction with him. She decided to just wait it out.
"And since when did you start smoking again?" Bingley was saying.
"Well, they are rather addictive." Darcy sighed.
"Trust me, my friend, it gets easier. Two years for me now, and I don't miss it at all."
"You know what the problem is?" Darcy said with a slight sneer. "People who give up smoking take up telling people they've given up smoking."
Charles laughed loudly at his words. Even Lizzy thought it was a little amusing.
"Alright, alright," Charles was saying. "But come on mate, this is supposed to be a party! We're supposed to be having a good time!"
"No Charles, you are supposed to be building contacts and recruiting a new crew." Darcy said, seriously.
"You know how you make new friends Darcy?" Charles waved his arms. "You have fun with them!"
Darcy sighed and flicked his cigarette off the balcony.
"Besides," Charles carried on "Everyone's talking about you, you know. Seems you are quite the mythical figure. I heard someone claim that you were a member of the Pink Panthers for God's sake!"
"Do I look Serbian?"
"Well, in this light ….."
"Look, Charles," Darcy interrupted firmly. "You know my opinions on this. I tried to talk you out of this party, you're just drawing attention to yourself. We are con men Charlie. We shouldn't be being talked about, being discussed by everyone. We shouldn't be known. We shouldn't be throwing parties and parading around town!"
"Everyone here was thoroughly vetted by Caroline, and you know she doesn't make mistakes," Charles argued back, impressing Lizzy a bit. "Besides, it's a bit late for your name not to be known. You're probably the most famous grifter around these days."
"Rules need exceptions. And anyway, I'm retired." Darcy stated snootily.
"Just lighten up, brother, and stop being such a bloody drag!" Charles punched him in the arm. "Anyway, I think I've made a few promising connections already."
Lizzy was surprised by the loud chuckle that Darcy let out into the night. It was a nice sound, nicer than she thought he was capable of making.
"Ah, are we by chance referring to the pretty blonde you've been staring at the whole night?"
Lizzy's ears perked up as the two men got onto the subject of Jane. She was interested to hear Bingley's thoughts, although she was pretty sure he was already halfway in love with her. This wasn't anything new, everyone fell in love with Jane. What was new was that Jane had the exact same expression on her face when talking to Charles that he did. She liked him. Like, maybe a lot. That was rare.
"Isn't she just a vision!" Charles swooned.
"I cannot disagree with you there," Darcy replied, reluctantly. "She is exceptionally beautiful. Just be careful Charlie, I don't think those are the kind of people you should be associating with."
"Why?" Charlie asked confused.
"You didn't read any of the background information Caro supplied about your guests did you?" Darcy admonished. "This is the problem, Bingley! I'm here to help you, but I won't do everything for you. You have to pay attention to everything in this game. You're not my roper anymore, you are about to become the leader of your own crew, and with that comes more responsibility than you can imagine. You are responsible for their safety, their livelihoods, their entire lives! You need to start looking at all of it, not just the bits that excite you!"
God he was patronising, Lizzy thought.
"Okay Darcy, okay," Charles raised his hands in surrender. "You're right, of course you are, you're always right. It's a bit annoying."
"I am not always right Charles, I'm just more consistent with it than most." Darcy bragged, arrogantly.
"So, fill me in. Why shouldn't I be hanging out with Jane Bennet."
This should be good, Lizzy thought, clenching her fists.
"Well, first off the bat the Bennets are nowhere near the quality level you are looking for. Secondly, the 'family' thing is bloody creepy, some weird old man adopting street kids? Sinister. Thirdly, they've all got criminal records and are known to the police. Therefore you can't touch them."
"Oh, come off it Darcy, nearly everyone we know is known to the police! Don't you remember Monaco? We had an entire taskforce dedicated to bringing us down at one point!"
"Yes, but we have never been charged with anything. To be so shows a carelessness that you should not be looking for in potential recruits." Darcy dismissed.
"Everyone makes mistakes when they're starting out," Charles defended. "I know I certainly did, and I'm sure you did too. And I don't think their setup is creepy at all, it sounds like Thomas Bennet has saved a lot of lives. Also, how the hell do you know their ability level?"
"They're small-time Charlie," Darcy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Short con players and burglars, just a group of chancers and thieves."
"That description could aptly be used to describe us you know." Charles shot back.
"No, we play the long con and the true con artist is not a thief. We are miners, mining peoples greed."
"Oh good, another quotable," Charles mocked. "Look, I was a thief, Darcy, Caroline was a thief, George was a thief….."
"He is still a thief. Do not mention that man's name in my company again." Darcy interrupted with a real menace in his voice. Lizzy felt a shudder for this George, whoever he may be.
"Sorry," Charles apologised. "But the point is we all come from somewhere. You found us and took us in, taught us how to play the game. So, why all this shit now about them being too small time?"
Darcy sighed and muttered something inaudible.
"I understand your concerns, Will," Charles soothed, using his first name for the first time, Lizzy noted. "But let me play this one out ok? There's something about this girl. What about her sister, Lizzy? From what Jane's been telling me you'd like her. If you apologise for being so bloody rude earlier that is….."
Lizzy nearly threw up in her mouth.
"Rude?" Darcy questioned, confused.
"Earlier, when she introduced herself? You just walked straight off. It was awful."
"Well then, she probably won't want to talk to me," Darcy dismissed. "Look, fine, if you want to spend your time with some bottom-of-the-rung, weirdo family then, by all means, go ahead. Just excuse me for trying to look out for you."
With that, Darcy turned on his heel and exited the balcony. Bingley called after him but was ignored. She heard him sigh and whisper something that could well have been 'prick' before going back to join the party. Lizzy sat up on the sofa, hands slightly shaking with fury.
Will Darcy.
What a fucking prick indeed.