Beginning, Section II, Next Section

Chapter 9

illiam leaned back in his chair and peered into the horizon. He could see the islands on his right in the hazy distance and not too far ahead he could see Key West. Almost there, he thought. The captain pulled up to starboard and the White Lady made her way towards its destination. The sky was over cast and threatened to rain any moment. Waves battered the boat as it rocked and tumbled its way to the pier.

Caroline had a death grip on the arms of her chair, her face turning different shades of green. "Ohhh." She never felt so sick in all her life. Why did Charles have to pick today? There's practically a hurricane out there and we have to go gallivanting around just to impress Little Miss Jane Bennet. Another wave crashing onto the bow sent a spray of salt water in her face and interrupted her thoughts. "Ohhh." She glanced at William. He was perfectly at ease. She looked at Jane and Charles. They didn't even notice the impending storm. "Ohhh." She groaned again. She was going to get sick. Caroline wobbled onto her feet and tried to make her way into the cabin. The boat listed to portside and she fell into her brother's lap.

"Caroline! This is a surprise!" Charles was amused. Looking at Caroline's face his smile faded into a look of concern. "How are you feeling? I know you don't travel well in storms."

Caroline just groaned and tried once more to get up. Her knees buckled under her and she slumped in Charles' lap.

"OK, Caroline," Charles told her. "Remember, just look at the horizon and you won't get sea sick." Caroline did as she was told but the horizon seemed to be spinning to her. Caroline got up and ran to the ships railing. Leaning over and holding on for dear life Caroline vomited. Corn. Ugh! I'll never eat corn again, she vowed.

Jane stood up and went to Caroline. She led Caroline into her room and lay her down on the bed. "Let me go see if there's any Dramamine on board." Jane tucked Caroline in and shut the door softly. Jane had a similar experience a few years ago and remembered how awful she felt. "Poor Caroline."

After attending to her patient Jane went back on deck to sit with Charles. They were just pulling up to the pier. The boat's engines screamed as the captain pulled the ship into reverse and lined up with the dock. Sailors jumped onto the pier and ropes were thrown and tied. When the boat was safely moored, Jane went to check on Caroline.

William and Charles stayed on deck discussing the weather and the probabilities of having to stay overnight. Charles was only half listening, he was concerned for his sister and he was also thinking of how selflessly Jane had started to take care of her. Caroline didn't even have to ask for help. Jane just knew right away what to do. If I offered to help Caroline she would have bitten my head off; but she accepted Jane's help with out question.

William was also thinking of Jane. He thought that perhaps her motives were pure at heart. Most of the women he knew would rather die than take care of someone who was throwing up. Or she was just good at hiding her feelings. William was not going to stop keeping watch.

Once Caroline was sleeping soundly, Jane went up on deck and informed Charles on Caroline's condition. Since it was almost lunchtime William suggested that they get something to eat. Jane knew of a restaurant that was in walking distance and they all set off. Before they got halfway down the street there was a great big boom of thunder and it started to rain. It poured down on them and it wasn't long before they were soaked to the bones. Jane quickly led them to a noisy, crowded bar. They squeezed themselves into the crowd and Charles went in search of a table.

William looked around. There were people everywhere. Most of them were just trying to get out of the rain but there were also quite a few customers sitting at the bar and at the tables. A band was playing Jimmy Buffett songs on a stage in the corner. William could see that the owners had a fixation with Earnest Hemmingway for there were pictures of the author everywhere. He could see pictures of Hemmingway fishing, smoking, shooting, writing, and eating. Give me a break, William thought. Where did Jane dig this place up? Someone jostled him from behind and William turned around looking for the culprit. He couldn't find whom it was, however; he did see Charles waving franticly trying to get his and Jane's attention.

William took Jane's hand so they wouldn't get separated and threaded the way through the crowd and they met up with Charles. Charles was sitting on chair and arguing furiously with a burly tattooed man with questionable grooming habits about the possession of the table. Upon William's arrival the tattooed man grunted and left to try and find another table.

Exhausted, Jane slumped into her chair while Charles tried to get a waitress to come over, but the place was so crowded that it took several minutes before he could get anyone's attention. Finally, a harassed looking woman came up, handed them a menu that they all had to share and took their drink order. William saw that the restaurant was called Sloppy Joes. That's appropriate , he thought.

The drinks were long in coming and the food took forever. By the time everyone was done eating the rain had stopped and the restaurant emptied out. Breathing a sigh of relief, Charles leaned back in his chair and asked for the check.

"Achoo!" Jane sneezed violently.

"Oh, no. I hope you aren't coming down with a cold." Charles looked worried.

"No. I'm sure I'll be quite alright." Jane sneezed again. Charles handed her a napkin and she wiped her nose.

"Well, shall we go then?" William was more than ready to leave. Lunch had been an experience to say the least. "Jane, where did you find this place?"

"It's the most famous place in Key West. Hemmingway used to hang out there a lot." Jane sneezed again. "You said you wanted to see the sights."

"So, I did, Jane." Charles put his arm around Jane's shoulder and they walked back to the boat.

Caroline was recovered enough to be out of her cabin when they got back, but not recovered enough to not want attention. She was incensed therefor when she had to make way for Jane who was feeling really bad. Charles tried to get Jane to lay down for a while but she insisted that she only had a mild headache and would be "just fine in a little while." Charles, however, saw how pale she looked and was convinced that Jane was really sick. So, he talked her into lying down on the sofa (as a concession) and proceeded to take care of her.

The first order of business was to call Elizabeth and let her know that Jane was ill and would be staying over with them. Charles had to leave a message on the answering machine since Elizabeth was still at work. That done, Charles gathered up the decongestant and forced Jane to take some.

Jane, by this time felt too weak to protest and started to think that perhaps she really was sicker than she thought. Jane did not want a fuss made and just lay quietly on the couch with a damp towel over her eyes.

Caroline was upset that Jane took all the attention away from herself. She did not want to show her ill humour, however, and disgrace herself in front of William. So, remembering that she did not have lunch yet and that her stomach was empty, Caroline went down to the galley to fix something to eat.

Caroline looked around the cabinets for a while until she found what she was looking for. Caroline hummed to herself while she took a potato out of the bag. Caroline saw the dirt that covered it so she washed it off and popped it in the microwave. Caroline was sure that Jane didn't cook the potatoes last night any longer than fifteen minutes so she pushed the numbers and started the oven. Humming a tune, Caroline located the plates and utensils. Caroline took a plate and a knife and a fork and set them on the counter. She looked over at the microwave. The potato seemed to be swelling. Caroline went to the refrigerator and got out a drink. That went on the counter as well.

BOOM!!

The explosion rocked Caroline. She frantically looked around and saw that her potato was smashed up against the window of the microwave. She couldn't understand what happened. She watched Jane cook last night and she didn't blow anything up.

"Caroline? Are you OK?" Charles came running into the galley with William right behind him. "What happened?"

Caroline couldn't hear Charles very well. The explosion was so loud in the little galley that it affected her hearing. "I tried to cook a potato, Charles." She shouted. "I think they are defective because this one just blew up."

"Oh, thank God." Charles was relieved. "I thought Cuba was attacking." Charles hugged his sister and led her upstairs. William stayed behind them laughing to himself. "Why did it blow up, Caroline?" Charles asked.

"I don't know." Caroline sniffled. "It just did." Caroline couldn't feel any worse. I'm always being out done in some way. First Elizabeth and now Jane. Caroline sniffed again.

"Did you prick holes in it, Caroline?" Jane asked. "You need to prick holes in the skin."

"No. I didn't know you needed to." Caroline felt really stupid now. Will this day ever end?

William was doing his best to keep a straight face on but he was reduced to going outside to let out his pent up laughter. Caroline looked so funny and the fact that she tried to cook was ridiculous. That made up for the lunch that he had earlier. William wiped away a tear and looked out into the now clear sky. I wonder what Elizabeth is doing right now.

Elizabeth woke up just before dawn. She smiled to herself. This feels like it will turn out to be a great day. No William Darcy. No Caroline Bingley. And Jane gets to go on a nice trip with Charles. Elizabeth rolled out of bed. She went into the kitchen for something to drink and saw Jane preparing to leave.

"Going so soon?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, I'm going to have a sunrise breakfast with Charles and then we'll all be going for a nice leisurely cruise to the Keys." Jane smiled happily. Elizabeth thought about what might happen with Jane and Charles as she got ready for her morning run.

Later at work, Charlotte ran up to Elizabeth with the biggest smile on her face. "Oh, Lizzy, you have to come with me. I have the funniest thing to show you!"

Smiling in anticipation, Elizabeth asked what it was.

"No, not here. You have to come in the back room with me." Charlotte dragged Elizabeth away from her work. Closing the door to the breakroom, Charlotte held out a bunch of pictures to Elizabeth. "I got the pictures back from the party yesterday." Charlotte voice trembled with excitement. "You need to take a look."

Elizabeth took the pictures from Charlotte and went through the pile. She saw pictures of all her friends. There didn't seem anything unusual about them until she got to the last one. Elizabeth looked hard at the picture and burst out laughing. "Oh, Charlotte, this is too good to be true! Can I have a copy of this? I need to get it blown up to poster size." Charlotte laughed with Elizabeth. She knew that Elizabeth of all people would appreciate this particular picture.

Elizabeth looked at it again. She saw Billy Collins sitting on a sofa grinning down at a comatose Caroline Bingley lying on has lap. If you looked closely you could see a thin line of drool coming from Caroline's mouth. Elizabeth laughed until her sides ached. "Oh, Charlotte! Caroline will put a hitman after you if she knew about this." This was turning out to be a great day indeed.

Elizabeth arrived home early. She still had the rest of the afternoon to herself. She opened the door to her apartment and placed the precious picture of Caroline on the counter in the kitchen. Laughing to herself, Elizabeth went to check her messages.

There was only one on the machine. Elizabeth pressed play and changed clothes as she listened.

"Elizabeth, this is Charles. I, uh, don't want to alarm you but I thought you'd like to know that Jane is feeling a bit sick. She says she will feel better in a little while, however, I think it's best that Jane spends the night with us. She really isn't up to being moved around a lot. I just wanted you to know so you won't worry. Um, I'll call you if anything happens. Bye."

Elizabeth stared at the phone. Jane's sick? With what? Oh no. Jane's illnesses are always worse than anyone else's is. Elizabeth thought about what she should do. I'm sure Charles is trying to take good care of her, but if I know Jane, she won't let Charles in her room so he couldn't tend to her if he tried. Caroline won't do a thing for Jane, I'm sure. And neither would William for that matter. So, Jane's probably lying in her room and getting worse. I need to go to her. Right now. Let's see Charlotte can take Sandy for me while I'm down there. It won't be more than a day.

Elizabeth continued with these thoughts as she prepared to leave. She packed enough for herself and for Jane, who didn't expect to be gone overnight. Elizabeth called Charlotte so she could look after Sandy but Charlotte wasn't home. Shoot. I'll have to take her with me. Elizabeth knew that it was extremely rude to show up uninvited and with her dog but there was nothing else she could do about it. Charles will understand. I hope. She did leave a message with her mother to let her know where they would be.

When everything was ready, Elizabeth grabbed her keys, her bag, and her dog and she set out for the four-hour drive to Key West.

Even though it was a holiday weekend, the traffic was not too bad going south. All of the weekend revelers were headed back north to their homes and jobs. Elizabeth was glad for this reprieve from the traffic and kept heading south on I-95.

Two and a half hours later Elizabeth pulled up at a filling station in Islamorada. Elizabeth filled her jeep with gas as Sandy went for a short walk. I wish I remembered to put the top on the jeep, She thought. Oh well, there isn't time now. I'll do it when I get there. Elizabeth finished pumping the gas and called her dog. She pulled out onto A1A and kept heading south. Elizabeth shifted and sped up. Please don't let me get pulled over , She thought.

Elizabeth drove into Key West a half-hour before sunset. Knowing that she would never find parking close to Charles' boat she parked as close as possible which was six blocks away. Grabbing her bag and Sandy's leash, Elizabeth hopped out of the car and started off towards the only spot Charles could dock his boat.

It was crowded at the pier. Everyday people came to watch the sunset from it; and long ago performers of every kind came to make money off the tourists. It was now a Key West tradition to go down to the pier and watch the sun set from a carnival like atmosphere. This is where Charles' boat would be unless it was moored off shore. I hope not.

Elizabeth shoved her way through the crowd. On her left was a fire breather and to her right was a strange man with a lot of knives. Straight-ahead was Charles' boat. Breathing a sigh of relief that she finally made it, Elizabeth wondered how she was going to get on board. They didn't know she was here or that she was even coming at all. Elizabeth was pondering this when she heard someone call out "Elizabeth!" She looked up and saw William Darcy leaning over the edge of the boat staring at her in amazement.

William went out on deck to get away from Caroline's whining. He went to the ship's railing and put his hands on it. There were a ton of people on the pier. What are all these people doing here? Where did they all come from?

William was incensed at the intrusion. But after the performers got started, he relaxed and enjoyed the show. He watched a man locked up in a straightjacket and tied in thick chains free himself in under a minute. William did not envy the man his job and watch another man and his trained house cats. The cats were jumping through hoops of fire. I didn't know cats would do that. Well, you learn something every day.

William looked into the throng of people. They were just as interesting as the performers were. He could see venders peddling everything from sno-cones to fortunes. What a zoo, he thought. His thoughts turned to Elizabeth. Again.

Suddenly, out of no where, there she was, windblown and rumpled from the long drive. Sandy was tugging at the leash trying to get to the firewalking cats. William stared in disbelief. She's here ? Why? Did she drive all the way down here just because her sister is sick? William could not believe it. He thought that there might be another reason why Elizabeth drove the four hours to Key West. And he began to suspect that he was the reason.

"Elizabeth!" William called out. He saw that she had a bag in one hand and the dog's leash in the other. He hurried down to meet her. She looks tired , he thought. I can't believe she's here. William was incredulous. He leaned over and took her bag from her hand. His brushed against Elizabeth's hair. He could smell the fragrance of her shampoo. He closed is eyes and breathed her in before straightening up again. He just stood there looking at her.

Elizabeth's cheeks burned under William's gaze. There , he's staring again. And why did he sniff me? Is he the watchdog? Elizabeth cleared her throat.

"Did you drive all the way here?" William asked. He still couldn't believe it.

"Yes, I did." Elizabeth didn't bother to elaborate. Is he going to let me on board or not? Finally, Elizabeth had to ask William if she could see her sister. William suddenly remembered Jane and quickly showed Elizabeth to the main cabin.

"Elizabeth! I'm so glad you could come." Charles was truly happy to see her.

Elizabeth was relieved at this greeting. She was unsure of her reception when she was driving down, but Charles was such an easy going man that he didn't even think of the suddenness of Elizabeth's arrival. His only thought was about Jane and Elizabeth would help get Jane well again. So, she was more than welcome to be here.

Charles took Sandy's leash from Elizabeth. "Here, let me show you to Jane's room. She'll be so happy to see you." Elizabeth followed him down the passageway. As they walked Charles described Jane's symptoms. They stopped in front of the door. "I'll see that a room is prepared for you." Charles said. "I'd like you to stay with us until Jane gets better." She thanked him and explained why she had to bring her dog. Charles waved aside her apology and said the only thing that mattered was "Jane getting well again." Elizabeth was gratified at Charles' obvious affection for her sister.

Charles knocked on the door. "Jane, I have a surprise for you. Elizabeth is here." When he heard Jane answer he opened the door to the room and Elizabeth went in. Jane was lying on the bed in a large room with the covers pulled up around her chin. She was shivering and looked miserable. Elizabeth went up to her and sat at the edge of the bed. Jane smiled weakly at her sister. Elizabeth felt Jane's forehead; it was hot to the touch. She readjusted the covers around Jane and saw that she'd had to borrow a pair of Charles' pajamas. She looked around for her bag and remembered that William still had it. Elizabeth went to find him.

She found him out in the hall with her dog. Not seeing her bag with him, Elizabeth asked where it was. William showed her into Caroline's room. "Charles insisted that Jane stay in his room." William explained. "He took the other guest cabin next to mine, so that means you will have to share a room with Caroline. She has the only cabin with two beds in it anyway." Elizabeth was not pleased with this idea. She had a feeling that she would be staying in Jane's room as much as possible.

With William and Sandy watching in the doorway, Elizabeth sat on the bed and got out Jane's nightgown, a book to read, and some medicine. As Elizabeth stood up something dropped to the floor. Elizabeth didn't notice it and left the room. William went in to the room and picked up the object. He glanced at it and did a double take. He saw Caroline on the lap of that creepy Billy Collins. William started laughing uncontrollably and he sat on the bed. Sandy's ears perked up.

Elizabeth could hear William's laughter in Jane's room. She noticed the deep resonance of it. What could be so funny? She thought. Caroline heard his laughter from her seat in the living room. I bet he's laughing at Elizabeth's unruly appearance today. So disgusting the way she just throw's herself at William every chance she gets.

Charles entered the Caroline's room. "What on Earth is so funny?" He asked. William could only hand him the picture.

Charles looked at it and grew red from embarrassment for his sister. Chuckling, Charles handed it back. "You'd better hide that. If Caroline knew of its existence she'd be like a psychotic Marine. Fortunately there are no bell towers around and I seriously doubt Caroline knows how to work an AK-47."

That only made William laugh harder. Finally he gave a great sigh and stood up. He walked to Jane's room with Sandy faithfully following at his heels. Knocking at the door, he composed himself as much as possible.

Elizabeth opened the door. What does he want? "Yes?"

William handed her the picture. "You dropped this."

Elizabeth took the picture and looked at it. She snickered. "Ah, I was wondering what was so funny. Did Caroline see it?" William shook his head. "Good. She'd be horrified if she knew. I wouldn't want to upset her any more than possible if I'm going to sleep in the same room with her. She'd strangle me." Elizabeth let Sandy come in the room with her.

William agreed. "Is there anything that I can get for you?" Elizabeth said that she needed a pitcher of water and some glasses. William went to the galley to get the water. He met Charles there who'd anticipated the request. Charles went to deliver the tray and William went to the living room.

Caroline perked up when William entered the room. "What was so funny, William? I could hear you laughing all the way up here." William put on a straight face and said that he was watching one of the acts on the pier.

"Oh, yes, those stupid clowns out there. How very annoying that they are there. What a dismal place this is if people have nothing better to do than watch a bunch of fools panhandling. I hope they aren't going to be here tomorrow. Of course we should be long gone by then. And hopefully so will the Bennet sisters." Caroline looked sharply at William. " She seemed to come a long way for just a simple thing as a cold. I wonder if she has any other intention in mind." Caroline looked significantly at William.

William knew what Caroline was talking about but he didn't answer her. He'd had the same thoughts himself. Just then Charles came into the room and sat down.

Caroline continued. "It's really rude of her to come here without any warning. I hope I would never be so rude as to just show up without an invitation." Caroline chose to forget her own gatecrashing the day before. William still didn't answer her. "I should think that you wouldn't want >your sister to make such a display as this."

William, thinking that she was referring to her innuendo said, "Certainly not."

Charles was surprised at Caroline's behavior. "I think it's very sweet that she should drive four hours to take care of her sister. You know she probably had to take a day off from work because of it and Jane will certainly miss a day of school tomorrow. Her coming here shows an affection for her sister that is not often met with." Charles looked at Caroline pointedly and turned to his computer.

Caroline looked away and did not answer. William, glad that Charles finally shut Caroline up, picked up a book and started to read. They were occupied this way for about a quarter of an hour when Elizabeth walked in. Sandy trotted along, tail wagging and slamming into either side of the wall. Whump whump whump.

Charles stood up. "I hope you find your sister is not as bad as you'd thought." He asked hoping for a favourable answer.

Elizabeth shook her head. "Thank you, but Jane is still very sick. She doesn't get sick often but when she does it knocks her off her feet for quite a while."

Charles was sorry to her that. He hoped that Jane was well enough to be able to join them for dinner. Elizabeth didn't think that Jane wouldn't be able to eat much. She asked if she could just heat up some soup in the microwave.

William and Charles looked at each other and grinned. William was doing his best not to laugh. Caroline got very red and stormed out of the room. Charles explained to Elizabeth about Caroline and the potato and that they now needed a new microwave. Elizabeth laughed at Caroline's mistake. Elizabeth said that if she could use the stove then that would work just as well.

Charles assured her that Jane's dinner would be brought to the room. Elizabeth thanked him again and not wanting to leave Jane for very long, returned to her sister. Sandy lay down close to Kramer's cage (the bird) and with a little huff closed her eyes.

Caroline, in the meantime, was furious. I can't believe that Charles expects me to share my room with that girl. I have to put up with her in my space. I must have done something terribly wrong in a previous life to be cursed with Elizabeth Bennet. Doesn't anyone see that she is just after William's money? The whole family are bloodsucking leeches. Listen to her laughing up there. Caroline threw herself on her bed and sobbed uncontrollably. She pounded her fist on the bed and bit the pillow until it tore. Feathers flew everywhere. Caroline sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Get a hold of yourself, Caroline. You are acting like a two-year old. Go up there and show William who the better woman is.

Caroline checked her make-up in the mirror (for the tenth time that day). She wanted everything to be just perfect. She prepared herself for her battle with Elizabeth Bennet.

Too bad Elizabeth didn't show up for dinner.

"Lizzy, I'm so glad you came. I didn't expect you at all." Jane gave her sister a weak smile.

Elizabeth smiled. "Well, what else could I do? I can't let you be here all by yourself now, can I"

"That's a very sweet thought but you forget that Charles is here, also." Jane pulled out a tissue as she sneezed. "Achoo!"

"Bless you. Yes, Charles is here and now I am here and so we're all here. One big happy family."

"Lizzy, you're not making any sense." Jane laughed. Having her sister there made her feel a lot better.

"I make perfect sense. You must be delirious." Elizabeth smiled.

"I should be feeling better tomorrow. I hope I didn't cause too much trouble."

"I don't think you did. Charles is very much on his way to falling in love with you, so you know, anything you do is wonderful to him."

"Lizzy. You're starting."

"OK."

Just then someone knocked on the door. Elizabeth opened the door and there stood Charles, tray in hand, and smiling. He came in and set the tray down near the bed. He spoke to Jane about how she was feeling and how much he wished he could stay with her. Jane however, did not want to make him sick as well and sent him out of the room. Charles left with a parting glance at the door.

Elizabeth helped her sister sit up. She tucked a napkin in Jane's collar and held up the cup of hot soup for Jane to drink. When she finished as much as she could, Elizabeth took the cup and helped her to lay back down. Pulling out her book Elizabeth started to read to Jane. Jane paid close attention at first, but after a while her eyes began to close. Finally, after a few pages, Jane was asleep.

Elizabeth got up and stretched. She was cramped from sitting too long in one position. She bent down to touch her toes. Mmmmm. That feels good. Maybe I'll take Sandy for a walk. She could use one by now. Elizabeth glanced at her watch. It was past time for dinner. Well, there's one ordeal out of the way.

Elizabeth found everyone on the deck. Sandy got up as soon as she heard Elizabeth coming and ran to meet her. As Sandy past Caroline, her wagging tail slammed into Caroline's face.

"Oh you stupid mutt!" Caroline was beginning to hate dogs. She tried to spit out the dog hairs with no success. "Thpput thpput."

"Relax, Caroline, Sandy didn't mean any harm." Charles was getting annoyed with his sister. She was a real downer on this trip. He couldn't understand why.

Elizabeth was kneeling down on the deck rubbing Sandy's belly. "Jane's asleep now so I'm going to take Sandy for a walk and grab a bite to eat. I shouldn't be too long."

William was concerned. Going for a walk alone at night. Is she crazy? Who knows what's out there. I know what's out there, a sword swallowing nut and some crazy who teaches his cats to jump through hoops of fire. She can't go alone. "I'd like to come too, if you don't mind." He volunteered. Caroline looked up.

"Well… if you like you can. I wasn't planning on any company." Elizabeth was mystified. Why does he want to come along? Is he on some sort of torture trip? Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders.

"I'd like to come too." Caroline was not going to let William out of her sight. No sirie.

Oh great. William thought. Caroline don't you ever go away?

They managed to make it three blocks without saying a word. Elizabeth was walking as fast as she could without breaking into a jog. Unfortunately, her legs were short so William didn't have any problem keeping up. Fortunately, Caroline liked to eat bon-bons and she was falling behind.

Wheeze wheeze. "William, gasp would you please slow down?" Caroline huffed. He didn't seem to hear her. Wheeze gasp. "William! " He turned around. "You're walking too fast I can't keep up." Everyone stopped walking.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Caroline, I didn't know you weren't keeping up. Elizabeth, do you know where you want to eat?" He looked at Elizabeth. All that walking really made her eyes sparkle. It made her quite beautiful.

Elizabeth looked around her. She noticed a small take out place across the street. "That's fine. I'm not that hungry to begin with." Elizabeth shook her hair out of her eyes. She waited for a break in the cars and ran across the street. William and Caroline had to hurry to catch her.

Elizabeth placed her order at the window and sat down at one of the tables under a street lamp. While she was walking her hair came loose and tumbled down around her shoulders. She ran her fingers through it to untangle some of the knots. She had her back turned to William so she didn't see that he was staring at her.

William watched as Elizabeth tried to fix her hair. The wind blew it in all different directions so it swirled around her face showing the back of her neck. William could see where her jaw met in a curve to her neck and continued in a straight line to her shoulder. He thought about where that particular line went. William immediately began to think about baseball.

He had his back turned to Caroline so he didn't see that she was staring at him staring at Elizabeth.

The food arrived and Elizabeth began to eat. Caroline was disgusted at the amount of food that Elizabeth ordered. "Do you think you can eat all that, Elizabeth?" She asked.

"Well, most of it is for Sandy. I didn't bring any food for her." With that Elizabeth threw a hot dog to Sandy who caught it in mid-flight. She went over to Caroline and gobbled it. Caroline made a face and turned her head away. Elizabeth sipped her iced tea and smiled.

Caroline immediately began talking about how wonderful William was. "I am so impressed by the way you handle your company." William looked away. "I'm surprised that you haven't been put on the cover of Time magazine yet." William put his head in his hands.

"Time magazine? What for?" Elizabeth was very curious to know what Caroline would say. That woman just doesn't know when to give up. He's obviously not interested.

"Well. They could put him on for being a well-respected businessman or even for being faultless. William is practically perfect."

"Is that so? Practically perfect?" Elizabeth looked at William who was rubbing his temples. "If he's as perfect as you say then that would be news." To me at least. "What's your secret, William?"

"I'm not perfect. Nobody's perfect." William was not sure how to respond. "I…I don't forgive as easily as I should. My good opinion once lost, is lost forever."

"Well, that isn't so bad. Not good. But I've heard of worse." Elizabeth said lightly.

"Everyone has some fault, I believe."

Elizabeth looked at him. "Yours is a tendency to hate everyone."

William looked at her with a smile playing on his lips. "And yours is to willfully misunderstand them."

"Elizabeth, are you done yet? I'm ready to go home now." Caroline did not like any conversation that did not involve her.

They walked back at a slower pace. William was holding onto Sandy's leash and Caroline was holding onto William, talking incessantly. That's how they walked, Caroline babbling to William and William turning every few minutes to look at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was enjoying the show in front of her a great deal. Elizabeth thought about William. Why did he insist on coming with me? It can't be for my company because he barely spoke three words to me. It can't be that he wants to be alone with Caroline. Elizabeth laughed to herself. Caroline is just wasting her precious time anyway. I don't think she's William's type. Oh well, it's none of my business. If she wants to go chasing after William, that's her problem . She looked at William. So, what's his problem? Why does he insult me and my family and then stare at me constantly? Probably just your imagination, Elizabeth. You're getting paranoid.

William turned to look at Elizabeth. Elizabeth gave him a polite little wave. No, he's staring. One of these days I'm going to slap him.

Elizabeth woke up in the middle of the night. For a moment she forgot where she was until she heard Caroline's snoring. Boy, Caroline, you could scare bears away with the sounds your schnoz makes. Elizabeth got up to check on Jane.

Caroline woke up with a snort as she heard the door close. Good, I hope she's going to jump off. She closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

"Hehhehhehhehhehheh."

Something was breathing in her ear. Caroline turned her head to look.

"Hehhehhehhehheh."

Sandy's nose was millimeters away from Caroline's face. Sandy licked Caroline's face. Eeeeeuuuwww. Dog slobber. Caroline scrunched back in her bed as far away from the dog as possible. "Go away. Go. Lay down." Sandy paid no attention to Caroline and kept on.

"Hehhehhehhehhehheh."

Caroline turned around so her back was facing the dog and put her (new) pillow over her head. She had to wait a long time for Elizabeth to come back. I hate dogs! She thought.

The next morning, Jane was feeling a little better. She came to breakfast with a little smile on her face. She was still pale and felt wobbly but she was determined to show up.

Charles was so happy to see Jane. He got up immediately and had Jane sit in his chair. He pulled up a footstool and propped up her feet. Jane protested against this treatment saying that she was quite well now.

Elizabeth told Jane that she would be driving back home in the afternoon if she would like to come with her. Charles insisted that Jane was still much too sick to be going so soon. After much discussion on the matter it was decided that Jane would stay at least until tomorrow morning.

Throughout breakfast, William was working on a laptop. Elizabeth thought that it was rude to do business at the table. Still, he does have a big company to run. You can't really blame him. Much.

Caroline stood in the doorway. She was in some sort of orange strapy wraparound thing that did not seem to cover what clothes were supposed to cover. Caroline looked around to see if Sandy was anywhere near. She didn't see her anywhere. Caroline bravely strode into the room. Sitting down next to William, she leaned over to see what he was working on. William glanced at her outfit. Looks like bungie cords , he thought. He went back to his work.

The day past by slowly, Elizabeth could swear she heard the ticking of the clock in Jane's room except it was digital and they were outside. She looked at Jane and Charles. They were engrossed in a conversation that didn't involve anyone else. She smiled and continued to read her book.

Caroline was trying desperately to get William to notice him. "I need your advice, William." He wearily looked up. "William, would you rather have fish or chicken for dinner tonight?"

William stared at Caroline for a moment before he answered. "Chicken. Please." He went back to his laptop.

"Oh, William?"

"Yes, Caroline?" William looked up irritated.

"How would you like that cooked?"

"However you would like it would be…just fine. Caroline." William bit his lip and turned his back to her.

Caroline smiled.

Elizabeth had put her book aside to listen to this exchange. She quietly laughed to herself at William's reactions and Caroline's inability to accept reality. She scratched Sandy behind the ears.

Finally, at length, dinner came and since Jane was still feeling better, she came to dine with the rest.

Caroline sat at the table on the look out for that Mutt, as she began to call Sandy.

"So, Caroline, what did you decide on for dinner?" Charles asked.

"Oh, I chose chicken ala orange." Caroline was pleased with her choice.

Elizabeth and William looked at each other with a smile. "Chicken! I wonder if it's any relation to Fred." Elizabeth started it off.

"Their mother must be so worried about them." William put on a concerned face.

Caroline did not think that any of this was amusing in the least. "There's also a salad." She said thinly.

"That sounds great, Caroline. It all looks so delicious I don't know where to start." Charles mollified his sister.

William looked deeply into Elizabeth's eyes. "Yes, it does." His voice grew husky as looked at her. There is something about her.

Elizabeth stopped smiling and stared back. She blushed under his gaze. Why did he have to say that? Just when he begins to be likable. Elizabeth didn't forget the look on his face when she walked out of the shower yesterday. He probably thinks I'm some kind of quick fling. With a great effort she pulled her eyes away and looked at her plate. Caroline had dumped a huge piece of chicken on her on it. She cut it in half and gave some to Sandy. Sandy went next to Caroline and ate it, slobbering over her feet. Caroline looked disgusted. Only Charles and Sandy were able to eat much that night.

The next day, much to most everyone's relief, Elizabeth and Jane left early. Charles saw them off and wished them a safe drive. Elizabeth discreetly looked away so if Jane and Charles kissed, she, didn't know.

Caroline finished giving orders to the maid about getting rid of the dog hair in her room. She went to go find William. Now that Elizabeth and her sister were gone with that awful mutt, she knew William would be able to spare more time for her. She found him on the deck watching them drive away.

"I hope you're not pining for the loss of Elizabeth Bennet." Caroline gave a sneaky smile.

William turned away from the railing and walked inside leaving Caroline alone. Am I going to miss her? He thought. I get so confused around her. One minute I think she's sending me signals and the next she looks at me like I have two heads. I'd better start watching myself; I might do something that I'll regret later. I can't get involved now. William sat down at his laptop. Work will get her off my mind. He turned the computer on.

The invitation came three days later. It was delivered from the hands of a beaming Charles Bingley and into the lovely hands of a blushing Jane Bennet. It was for a party, of course. He had decided to rent the ballroom of the Netherfield Country Club for that purpose. Charles sent everyone he knew in South Florida (and barely knew) an invitation. Charles was an easy-going, carefree man and his philosophy was "The more the merrier".

The invitation sent the Bennet household into a flurry of activity. Mrs. Bennet called Jane a record number of times giving advice on what she should wear and how she should do her hair and which perfume would send Charles absolutely mad with passion. The woman was full of "good" ideas and shared them with out a thought.

Jane was almost as excited about Charles' party as her mother was. Jane went out and bought a new evening dress and even went so far as to have a manicure the day before the big event. She walked on air the moment the invitation was delivered on Friday to the moment she stepped into the ballroom two Saturdays following.

Elizabeth took the whole thing in stride. Her mother was just as annoying as ever and her little sisters were rapidly becoming just as irritating. She was pleased to see Jane so happy, for of course Charles was having a party was because of Jane. (Well, that's what her mother said). Elizabeth knew how much Jane liked Charles and was pretty sure of how Charles felt for her sister. And if he should propose to her tomorrow, Elizabeth also knew that Jane wouldn't have to think about it for very long before she said yes.

So, to Elizabeth, who didn't have anything more special to look for than a dressy party with people she'd known all of her life, the whole thing was business as usual.

On the Saturday prior to Charles' party, Elizabeth agreed to take Katie and Lydia to see the Navy ships. She didn't relish spending the whole day with her love-struck sisters and a bunch of sailors who'd been on ship for the past six months but she agreed to it anyway.

Driving through Port Everglades proved to be a challenge. Not only due to the fact that traffic was so heavy but also due to the fact that her sisters (Lydia especially) insisted on sticking their heads out of her jeep and whistling at every man in uniform.

"Oh, look at that one, Katie!" Lydia screeched as she saw a sailor crossing the street. "Oh, he's so cute."

"They're all cute, Lydia. It's so hard to choose." Katie was looking at an officer driving in the other direction. Elizabeth scrunched down in her seat as much as she could without impeding her ability to drive and prayed no one recognized her.

When they finally drove up to the ships Katie and Lydia leaped out of the car and ran to get in line for the aircraft carrier, The USS Independence. Elizabeth circled the parking garage a few times before finding a spot and then jumped out. She hurried to find her sisters before they disappeared.

She found them still standing in line and flirting with some Marines. Great , Elizabeth thought. I can't let them out of my sight for a moment without them picking up men. They are their own U.S.O. Elizabeth walked up to where her sisters were standing and patiently waited.

She looked at the ship they were about to enter. It was a dark steel gray and towered over them like a floating fortress. Which is exactly was it is , Elizabeth thought. It wasn't the first time that she'd been on this ship and she would rather have gone to see the cruiser docked further down the way, but Katie and Lydia wanted to meet pilots and so, now, here they were.

The line inched forward. Thanks to Lydia's conniving, they were able to be in the tour group that was just forming. They were greeted by a smiling (if a bit weary) man who introduced himself as Petty Officer Denny and he was to be their guide. He informed them of the ship's dimensions, height, weight, how long it had been in commission, which wars its been too and blah blah blah blah. Katie and Lydia didn't even bother to pay attention to him.

The tour moved to the ship's artillery and they all watched a demonstration of the Gattling gun.

Bbbbbrrrrrrrrrtttttttt!!!!!

Elizabeth put her hands over her ears as the gun rotated. Even when not loaded the gun was intimidating and she was glad to get away from it and go into the bridge. More demonstrations and explanations followed. Elizabeth yawned. She moved over to the door and leaned on it trying to look out of the window to get a better view of the cruiser. Suddenly, someone yanked open the door and almost sent Elizabeth sprawling onto the deck. What saved her was the pair of strong arms that caught her around her waist.

Elizabeth blushed furiously and straightened herself out. She looked up at the officer who caught her and wished she hadn't been so hasty getting out of his arms. Oh, my. I didn't know they made them like that anymore.

"Thank you, uh," she glanced at his nametag. "Ensign Wickham, I almost fell into the port." She smiled flirtatiously at him. What am I doing? I'm as bad as Lydia.

"Nonsense, I pulled the door out from under you." Ensign Wickham smiled back. "I hope you're enjoying the tour?"

"Yes, I find it very… educational. I'm fascinated." She looked at his strong arms. Slow down, Elizabeth. Remember they've been on ship six months.

"Are you really? Well, it seems that your tour group has left you. Do you want to catch up or take a personal tour?"

Elizabeth whirled around. They were the only ones in the room. Where did every one go? She turned a very lovely shade of red. Elizabeth looked at Wickham. "I'd better catch up. My sisters are in that group and I'm their ride home."

Wickham nodded and escorted Elizabeth to the flightdeck where the tour would go after seeing the bridge. He said goodbye with a polite smile and left her standing next to Petty Officer Denny. Elizabeth watched him until he was turned a corner. Whew! How do I find him again? Do I just ask around for Mr. Wickham? Denny's voice brought her back to reality. The tour group was allowed some time to look over the aircraft that was lined up on the deck.

Elizabeth found Katie and Lydia standing next to an F-14. Elizabeth knew that the conversation was going to be about Tom Cruise and a certain part of his anatomy; the squeals that emanated from Lydia confirmed it. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and walked over to another plane. The sign said it was a Prowler. She circled the plane, not really thinking about it. Elizabeth glanced over to where she last saw Mr. Wickham. She wondered what his first name was.

"Am I interrupting you, Ma'am?" A voice said behind her.

Elizabeth whirled around (she was getting good at that) and saw Mr. Wickham! "Where did you come from?" She asked.

Wickham pointed to the airplane hanger. "From right over there." He looked down on her and smiled the most bewitching smile she had ever seen. "I just wanted to apologize for being so abrupt earlier, Ma'am.

"Elizabeth." She smiled back.

"Elizabeth." Wickham took her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Are you from Ft. Lauderdale or just visiting like us?"

"I live here, Mr. Wickham…"

"Call me George."

"George." Elizabeth felt very warm all of a sudden. She looked out onto the harbour. She tried desperately to think of something to say when Lydia's voice pummeled her from behind.

"Lizzy! Lizzy! Wake up, we're leaving!" Lydia was shouting all the way across the flightdeck. Elizabeth groaned inwardly, Lydia couldn't have picked a worse time. She said goodbye to George and joined her sisters.

"Hey, Lizzy, you sure can pick 'em. Is he a pilot?" Lydia jabbed her elbow in Elizabeth's ribs. "Are you going to see him again?"

"Ow! Quit it. I don't know what he does. I only know that he's an ensign." Elizabeth hurried to the stairwell. She looked back to see if George was still standing where she'd left him. He was. She waved goodbye to him. He returned the wave and walked back into the airplane hanger. Elizabeth sighed.

He's so different than William is. George was so nice and sweet and polite. And well, just different. I hope I'll see him again.

Elizabeth pulled into a parking spot half an hour after sunrise. She stretched and warmed up before starting her run down the beach. She unhooked Sandy's leash and they started off on the compact wet sand, with Sandy splashing in and out of the surf.

As she ran Elizabeth's thoughts turned to George Wickham. I wonder if I'll ever see him again, she thought. I wish I'd thought to give him my number. Well, they won't be in port for much longer anyway. Still, it's just my luck to meet a handsome, intelligent man only to have him disappear. Elizabeth reached the half way point and turned around. She decided to run on the soft sand for a better work out on her way back. Moving up the beach she concentrated on making it back without having a heart attack.

Elizabeth reached her jeep and slowed down to a fast walk. Stretching her arms over her head to alleviate the burning stitch in her side, she walked around in a circle. When she finally got her breath back, Elizabeth looked around for her dog. She could see Sandy still playing in the water and snapping at all of the birds. Elizabeth looked for a place to sit down and saw the children's playground nearby. Looking around to make sure that no one could see her, Elizabeth ran up to the swings and claimed one. It'd been a long time since she had been on a swing and she let herself go. Higher and higher she flew until she was almost parallel to the bar. Pumping her legs and leaning back Elizabeth relished the wind blowing through her hair. Elizabeth closed her eyes.

"That's quite a feat, Elizabeth." A voice said a few feet away.

Elizabeth's eyes flew open and she turned her head to see who was talking to her. "Mr. Wickham! I mean, George!" Elizabeth slowed down to a less frightening height and jumped off. She landed on her feet (thankfully). "You always seem to come up when I least expect you." She smiled at him.

"I guess I have that knack. You seem to be up rather early for a romp on the swings." George smiled back.

"I could say the same for you. Did you just get shore leave?" Elizabeth asked. The sun was shining down on George casting a radiant glow around him. He's so beautiful , she thought.

George paused for a second. The fact of the matter was, he went on a wonderfully long night of debauchery and was just returning to ship, but she didn't need to know that. "Well, as a matter of fact I did. I couldn't stand the thought of eating another meal on ship so I thought I'd come into town for breakfast." George paused again. "Would you like to join me?"

Elizabeth's heart leapt. "I'd love to. Let me just call my dog." Elizabeth whistled for Sandy and the dog came, tongue hanging out, at a run. As soon as Sandy saw George she came to a screeching halt. Sniffing at his feet, Sandy's hackles went up and she crouched low standing between Elizabeth and George.

"Sandy, relax, it's OK. This is George." Sandy most definitely did not relax. "Sandy! Come!" Elizabeth put Sandy's leash on and walked toward her jeep. Sandy was fighting the leash and collar and tried to get in between her master and this man, so in the end, Elizabeth had to drag Sandy to the car. Sandy jumped in and sat down on the front seat glaring down at George. Elizabeth had to physically pull Sandy into the back so George could sit up front with her.

"I don't know what's gotten into Sandy this morning. She's usually so docile." Elizabeth apologized to George as she wiped the water and dog hair off the seat.

"Well, I am a stranger to her, after all. She's just being protective of you." George reassured her. They got in the jeep. "Where are we headed? When I left ship I didn't know where I was going." That wasn't true, when he left ship he knew exactly where to go, but that was last night and she didn't need to know that.

Elizabeth started the car and turned it around. "I think we'll go to a little place down the street. The have tables outside where we can eat. It's not the Ritz but the food's good."

"After eating at the mess hall on ship for six months, anything would be good." This, at least, was true.

The waitress brought them some coffee and took their order. Elizabeth looked at George. "So, what do you do?"

George looked around to see if anyone was listening. "Actually, I'm a SEAL. I just finished my training." He smiled. The actual truth was that he was one of the many supply officers on ship, but that was hardly as impressive and, heck, she didn't need to know that either.

Elizabeth was amazed. "You mean like in the movies? Covert operations and secret missions?"

"Weeelll, Hollywood glamourizes it a lot, but, yes, something like that." George evaded. Some people are so gullible , he thought.

Elizabeth was impressed. She'd never thought that George would be a SEAL and she asked him many questions about his training and his actual job. George, for his part, deflected most of the questions, claiming either that it was classified and he wasn't allowed to give out that information or just making it up as he went along. This is so easy , he thought.

The conversation eventually got around to Elizabeth and her family. She'd just told George about Jane and Charles Bingley and the fiasco at Key West when he jerked his head up and looked at her. " Who did you say was there?" He asked sharply.

"William Darcy. He's a friend of Charles. Do you know him?" Elizabeth was intrigued by George's reaction. How could he know William?

George recovered himself. "Yes, I know him. I've known him almost all my life." There was a little bitterness in his voice. "We aren't the best of friends." He put on a melancholy face and looked at Elizabeth.

"What happened?" Elizabeth whispered, burning with curiosity.

"Well, Elizabeth, my father and Mr. Darcy, William's father I mean, were the best of friends. My father worked for years in Mr. Darcy's company as the head of accounting, you see. And as a result of their friendship, William and I were always together when we were growing up. We even went to college together." George took a deep breath. "Unfortunately, my father died when I was sixteen. Mr. Darcy, who was my Godfather, promised to take care of me and he brought me up as one of his own." George paused for effect. Elizabeth leaned over the table concerned.

George continued. "While in college, William and I made plans to start our own company. We were heavily into computers then and we came up with all sorts of new ideas for software and programs." George sipped his coffee. "Well, by the time we graduated, William was changed. He was a heavy drinker and partied almost every night. There was even a paternity suit brought up against him once but it was dropped. I think that he paid the girl's family off. The Darcys were always very rich, you know. By then I knew that I could never do business with him. His habits were dissolute and had no morals to speak of."

"But, why didn't Mr. Darcy do something to stop this?" Elizabeth was horrified.

"Mr. Darcy died when we were still in college. And, of course, William got his inheritance. I believe it was this financial freedom that encouraged William in his final degradation."

"What was that?" Elizabeth was almost too scared to ask. She held her breath, waiting.

"He stole my computer ideas. I was the one who thought of the revolutionary software that Pemberley 2000 made, but he refused to acknowledge my work. I didn't receive anything for it at all." George looked at her sadly. "And so you see, I cannot like him. I can only hold him in the utmost contempt."

Elizabeth was close to tears. Her breath came fast and furious. "I had no idea William was so evil. Why haven't you taken him to court? Surely you could have sued him for that!"

The waitress brought their breakfast but Elizabeth didn't feel like eating. She felt noxious from George's narration of William's doings. Theft and bribery. A paternity suit! How disgusting a man! Oh, I wish I'd never seen William Darcy.

"William Darcy should be exposed, George. Why haven't you done anything about it?" Elizabeth asked again.

"Well, at first, I tried to reason with him. But he was beyond reason. He wouldn't give me my fair share of the profits he was raking in." George took a bite of his eggs. "I thought about suing once, but then, with the lawyer's fees and the many years of court battles I didn't think it would be worth it. William would've won in the end anyhow. There wasn't any legal evidence that I invented the software. And it's always been a life long dream of mine to be in the Navy. And now I'm living that dream. So there is something good in this after all." He smiled at Elizabeth reassuringly. Only part of this was true of course, they did go to college together and their fathers were great friends but the rest was, of course, hogwash. George knew this, but she didn't need to. That ought to put a thorn in William's side. George smiled again.

After breakfast Elizabeth offered to give George a ride into town but George claimed that he needed to run some errands and that it would take all day. They said goodbye and parted ways. George went back to the ship. What he actually needed was sleep, but she didn't need to know that.

Elizabeth pulled into her parking spot at an awkward angle. The tires squealed as she slammed on the brakes. Elizabeth jumped out and ran to her apartment. Sandy thought it was a race and scrambled past her on the stairs. Elizabeth fumbled for the keys only to have the door opened for her by a worried Jane.

"Lizzy, what's the matter? I saw you pull up. What happened?" Jane asked worried.

Elizabeth walked to the kitchen and got a glass of water and drank it down before she answered her sister.

"Remember that ensign I told you about yesterday? George Wickham?" Jane nodded and Elizabeth continued. "I ran into him today at the beach and we went to breakfast together." Elizabeth paused to catch her breath. She was still shaken from George's tale of William. "He knows William Darcy and he told me the most awful things about him, Jane. I had no idea he was so bad."

Jane was alive with curiosity and asked if the information could be shared. Elizabeth told her everything. About their dads and their college years and the drinking and the child William fathered and abandoned and about how he stole Wickham's technology. And when Elizabeth finished, Jane could scarcely stand.

"I can't believe it!" Jane exclaimed. "Lizzy, can you be sure that George was telling the truth?"

"Oh puh-lease, Jane, why would he lie? How could he make any of that stuff up? No, it has to be true, George knows full well that William could take him to court for slander if it weren't true." Elizabeth was indignant that Jane would doubt George Wickham.

"Yes, Lizzy, that's true, but consider, you've only known George for two days. That's hardly a basis for knowing whether or not what he said was true. Think about it, Lizzy, before you jump to conclusions. And besides, William could hardly keep any of that a secret from Charles. It's impossible to hide that much from the world." Jane was in earnest.

"Well, apparently he has hidden it from the world and with great success. I'm only glad that I've never liked William in the first place. It makes my despising him now all the more easier." Elizabeth got up and put her glass in the sink. She leaned on the counter and gripped it until her knuckles turned white. "I can't believe the arrogance of that creep. He makes Billy Collins seem like a dream come true."

Jane just stared at Elizabeth in amazement. No matter what Jane could say for moderation and reserving judgement until all the facts were known, Elizabeth would not listen to her. At last, Jane gave up. She knew her sister's disposition. Elizabeth could be very obstinate at times and it looked like this would be one of those times. William Darcy will be guilty until proven innocent. Jane was saddened. She'd noticed that William had noticed Elizabeth and was hoping for some sparks to come between them. Now, it seemed that it would never happen.

The day of Charles' party came and Jane was ready early. She'd splurged and bought a new dress for the occasion. That was the only piece of advice that she listened to from her mother. Luckily, Jane had too much sense to follow that advice so far as to let her mother pick out her dress as Mrs. Bennet had threatened.

Jane went into Elizabeth's room to see if her sister was finished getting ready. She found Elizabeth sloppily dressed and sitting on the bed biting her nails furiously. Jane knew the reason why. It was George Wickham. His ship left port five days ago and headed out for the Mediterranean. Elizabeth had seen George twice since their breakfast together and became more enamored of him each time she saw him. Jane was getting worried. It wasn't like Lizzy to hold a grudge against someone for this long.

Whatever William might have done (and as reprehensible as the charges were) nothing was proven. It was only George's word against William's. And, not to mention, it was quite frankly, none of their business.

Jane got a brush and started to put Elizabeth's hair in her most flattering style. Elizabeth hardly ever wore her hair down because it got in the way of everything she tried to do. It's hard to eat when you get a mouthful of hair with every bite. Tonight Jane let it down and only pulled up a few stands on the sides. She left a few curls around Elizabeth's face and when she was done Jane stood back to see the effect. It didn't seem quite finished so Jane went to the fridge and raided the corsage that Charles sent that morning. Snapping off a few tiny white flowers, Jane went back into Elizabeth's room and wove them into her sister's hair. The effect was perfect. Elizabeth never looked so beautiful before. If only she would lighten up, that is.

"Lizzy, I know you're not looking forward to this party. You've been moping around the house ever since George left port. But, Lizzy, SNAP OUT OF IT! You're becoming impossible. I've never seen you act this childish before. I've kept my mouth shut this long because I knew how you felt about George and William and quite frankly, I didn't want to bring the subject up." Jane took a deep breath and continued.

"Lizzy, as painful as this is for me to say, you leave me no choice. If you can't get over it in the next ten minutes and snap out of your rotten mood, if you feel that you can't possibly make even the slightest bit of effort, even for my sake, to be pleasant and polite and have a good time, then I don't want you there. You'll just spoil it for me and for everyone else. And I don't want to see Charles hurt because my sister couldn't face William Darcy without spitting in his eye." Jane's voice was shaking by the time she finished. When she was done, she walked into the living room to calm down and wait for Elizabeth's decision.

Elizabeth was stunned. Jane didn't see it because she left in such a hurry, but Elizabeth's mouth was hanging open. Never, ever before had Jane talked to anyone that way. It was just not in her nature. I must have been a huge pain in the butt to get Jane that worked up . Elizabeth looked at herself in the mirror. She did such a good job with my hair and the flowers are a nice touch. I would never have thought of that . She looked down at her dress. It was several years old and not very flattering. It will contrast so much with how Jane did my hair. I need to change. Elizabeth went to her closet and got out her garnet-coloured gown and quickly put it on. She glanced at her watch, six minutes left. She changed shoes and grabbed the wrap that went with the dress. Elizabeth ran out of the room just as Jane was getting up to leave.

Jane stopped and looked at her sister. Elizabeth's eyes were apologetic and before she could say a word, Jane said, "I'm glad you wanted to come, Lizzy. It wouldn't have been much of a party without you, you know."

Elizabeth sensed that Jane didn't want to talk about what had just happened and so she lightly replied, "Well, you know me. I'm always the life of the party." They went outside and Jane locked the door. "Oh yeah, and, Jane?"

"Yes, Lizzy?"

"You're it!" Elizabeth ran down the steps followed closely by Jane. One of their neighbors looked out of his window at all the noise they were making only to see two elegantly dressed women running and laughing all the way to their car. He shook his head. These young people just don't know how to behave now a days.

William paced the carpet in the foyer of the clubhouse. Every so often he would glance at his watch but usually he kept his eyes riveted on the doorway. Watching. For her. For Elizabeth. William smiled at the thought of her. He could think of nothing else for two weeks and at first, it'd bothered him, but not any more. He'd been entranced by Elizabeth almost from the start and he knew that soon he would be in some danger of falling in love with her beyond all repair. He no longer thought that Jane was after Charles' money. She just had an overeager mother that was all. And really, can you blame a mother for wanting only the best for her child? William could not. He glanced at his watch and then continued his vigil across the carpet. Pacing. Waiting. Growing impatient and anxious.

At last he heard her voice, mingled with Jane's, through the doorway. William stopped and turned toward the doorway. He felt something whiz by him and saw that Charles came out to greet Jane and Elizabeth. William just stayed rooted to the carpet. He couldn't move. How could he when Elizabeth was standing there looking so beautiful that it took his breath away? William just stood there staring dumbly at this vision that had stepped through the door. He stayed where he was through Charles' greetings and he stayed there, staring, as they breezed by him. Elizabeth didn't even give him one glance. Not one glance. William turned around to see the trio go through the giant double door of the ballroom. He caught the scent of Elizabeth's perfume. Roses. William got his feet moving and he followed them inside.

William was wrong, Elizabeth had seen him when she walked into the foyer. She looked only for a moment and looked away almost as fast. I can do this for Jane's sake, she thought. No matter how much William provokes you, Elizabeth, just grit your teeth and be polite. Smile. And if you can manage it, just avoid him altogether. Elizabeth was fortified. She took Charles' offered arm and walked by William and into the ballroom. But as the evening progressed Elizabeth couldn't help but notice that William was never very far from her.

She found the room much as it had always looked. The only difference being that Caroline saw fit to over see the decorating for the party. Elizabeth didn't think of burnt orange as a very festive colour, but everybody has their own favorites. Caroline in particular.

Elizabeth looked around. There were all the people she'd expected to see. Elizabeth disengaged herself from Charles' arm and looked for Charlotte. She found her cornered by Billy Collins.

Not one to mope about forever, Billy was on the prowl again. After Elizabeth's public rejection of him, Billy had licked his wounded pride and set his beady eyes on Charlotte Lucas. Tonight would be the culmination of all his efforts.

"Charlotte!" Elizabeth cried out. "I need your help with my dress. Would you come with me to the bathroom?" Elizabeth felt that Charlotte needed a rescue. So she was surprised when Charlotte said that she was busy for the moment. Elizabeth all of a sudden knew that Charlotte was encouraging Billy Collins' attentions to herself. Elizabeth went to a secluded corner where she could shiver uncontrollably without being noticed.

The party progressed smoothly for a while until the entrance of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and their daughters. Mrs. Bennet had persuaded her husband to come to the party and that was why they were so late. Mr. Bennet had resisted her nagging to the bitter end but his wife prevailed at last. He gave in and his wife triumphed. She positioned herself next to Mrs. Lucas where she could command a full view of the festivities around her. Mary found a quiet corner where she could read the book that she brought. Mr. Bennet just got a glass of wine from the bar and sat down to enjoy the spectacle that would inevitably come.

And it came sooner than Mr. Bennet supposed. Katie and Lydia were soon swept up into the dancing and were flirting uncontrollably before ten minutes had past. Elizabeth saw how wild were becoming and was ashamed of their behavior. Lydia had secured a dance with a much older man and had hiked up her already too short skirt to do some sort of grind with him.The fact that the band was playing a Benny Goodman song did not seen to register with Lydia. Neither did the fact that she was making a complete idiot of herself and her family. Katie at least was behaving better than her sister was. For now.

Elizabeth turned her back on the spectacle that was her sister and saw William looking at her. Again. Elizabeth walked away hurriedly. She was soon asked to dance by an old acquaintance. As she was led to the dance floor, Elizabeth looked back to see if William was still standing there. He was. Elizabeth quickly looked away and concentrated on ignoring him. She and her partner whirled away around the dance floor.

William saw Elizabeth glance at him as she went to dance with someone. He felt that she was reproaching him for not asking her to dance himself. William wanted to dance with her but he hadn't gotten the courage up yet. So far he was content to watch from the outskirts of the party. He'd already spent half the evening stalking Elizabeth and avoiding Caroline whenever he could. William gathered up his courage and waited for the song to end. He would ask her at he earliest opportunity.

William had noticed the entrance of Mrs. Bennet and her daughters. Indeed who could miss the rattling of The Voice and the giggling of her daughters? William certainly noticed. He watched with disgust the antics of Lydia Bennet and moved farther away from her to the other side of the room. Such behavior would undoubtedly go unchecked by her parents. He knew that by now. William heard the song come to a close. He looked for Elizabeth and saw that she was talking to Charlotte Lucas. He took a deep breath and walked up.

Caroline was fuming. She waited around for William to ask her to dance but so far he hadn't. He was over there standing in the corner watching. Caroline didn't need three guesses to figure out whom he was watching. It was Elizabeth Bennet. That girl had a hold on him that Caroline had never been able to achieve in her whole life. Which is exactly how long Caroline had been trying to get William to marry her. At least it seemed that long. Caroline felt sick. All of her hard work was being thrown down the drain by some upstart puny dog-loving chit.

Caroline stepped over to the bathroom and shoved the door open. She needed to look at herself in the mirror one more time to see if she looked as perfect as she thought she did. The mirror was too short on top so she opened a stall door and stood on the toilet. Caroline looked at herself. Her hair was done perfectly. Her dress was perfect. A bit on the short side, but why not show off her legs? They were perfect too. Caroline looked at her make-up. Perfect. She was perfect. Why can't William see that?! Caroline tried to look at the back of her dress. As she turned she lost her balance and her leg went ankle deep into the toilet. Caroline gasped. Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Why do these things happen to me? She got her foot out of the toilet bowl and went over to the sink. Caroline took off her shoe holding it with the tips of two fingers and poured the water out. Caroline broke down and cried.

Elizabeth was talking with great animation as William approached. William couldn't hear what exactly, but when he approached, Charlotte gave Elizabeth a warning that made William think that they were discussing him. Elizabeth looked at him with a red face, which only confirmed his thoughts. He immediately asked her for the next dance and after a little bluster on Elizabeth's part, he was accepted. William gave a little nod and quickly walked away again not wanting to show the delight in his eyes too much. She was talking about me to Charlotte. What was she saying? William wanted to know. It seems that I am in her thoughts as much as she is in mine. William felt gratified at this return of affection.

William was right about one thing, he was in Elizabeth's thoughts but, if he could hear those thoughts spoken out loud, his blood would run cold.

Elizabeth was angry with herself. How could she betray George like this? It was very underhanded of William to sneak up behind her without any warning and ask her to dance like that. Elizabeth was so flustered that she couldn't think of a refusal. Just let me get it over with , she thought. Let this song be fast and short.

William came back and claimed her hand. He led her to the middle of the floor and stood opposite her not knowing what to say. He'd felt a tingle in his hand when he held hers and he remembered that he got the same feeling when they held hands during the Lucas' party when he helped her with Billy Collins. He smiled at Elizabeth.

The music started. Elizabeth closed her eyes and cursed silently. It was a slow love song.

Some day, when I'm awfully low,

When the world is cold,

I will feel a glow just thinking of you...

And the way you look tonight.

William put left hand on the small of Elizabeth's back. His other hand took hers and he pulled Elizabeth gently, closely to him. Looking into her eyes and stepping off into the dance, William hoped that Elizabeth couldn't hear how fast his heart was beating. They swayed and twirled and William was oblivious to everyone except her. Elizabeth.

Before he knew what he was doing William was softly whispering the words to the song under his breath. He couldn't help himself.

Oh but you're lovely, with your smile so warm

And your cheeks so soft,

There is nothing for me but to love you,

And the way you look tonight.

With each word your tenderness grows,

Tearing my fear apart...

And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,

It touches my foolish heart.

Lovely ... Never, ever change.

Keep that breathless charm.

Won't you please arrange it?

'Cause I love you

Just the way you look tonight.

Elizabeth could just barely hear what William was saying. Crooning love songs to me now? What does he think is going to happen? Does he want another love child to add to his collection? Well, he's got another thing coming if he thinks that he can pull that one over on me.

The song ended and Elizabeth would have gotten away if it weren't for Jane. Jane walked onto the dance floor with Charles and gave Elizabeth such a grateful look that Elizabeth felt truly guilty and so she stayed in William's arms for another song. She looked up at him. He was gazing intently at her.

Elizabeth decided to wipe that self-contented look off William's face once and for all. "Did you see the Navy ships before they left port?" She innocently asked.

William was surprised at the question but answered, "No, I didn't get a chance to. Have you?"

"Yes, we went to see the Independence. I met someone there who said that he knew you." She paused. "George Wickham." Elizabeth had her hand on William's shoulder and could feel him tense at George's name.

"George Wickham was in town?" William was glad that he had not run into him. Why is Elizabeth bringing him up? "When did you see him?" William succeeded in making his voice stay calm.

"Oh, I saw him several times when he was here. He's such a nice person. I was impressed very much." Elizabeth glanced up at William's face. It grew dark and his jaw was set. Bing , Elizabeth thought, hit the nail right on the head .

"George Wickham has a talent for easy manners that lets him make friends, but whether he may be capable of keeping them is up to you to decide." Why is she saying this to me? Can't she see how much it hurts to hear George's name?

"He's been unlucky enough to lose your friendship, and in a manner in which he is likely to suffer from all his life." Elizabeth watched William squirm.

At that moment Mrs. Bennet's voice could be heard over the music. She was laughing at something Lydia had said and each piercing cackle went straight to William's heart, enveloping it with ice.

William looked again at Elizabeth. She seemed pleased with herself. She couldn't know what happened between George and my family. It's impossible. What did he do to make her like him so much? William couldn't get that thought out of his head, so he tried to talk it out by changing the subject. Elizabeth beat him to it.

"I believe I heard you say that you hardly ever forgave. That your good opinion once lost was lost forever. Am I right?"

"Yes."

"You must be very careful, then in being sure that your resentment is created." She replied.

"I am." William spun her around.

"And never allow yourself to be blinded by prejudice?"

"I hope not." William was confused. Why these questions? Why not ask about his sister or cousins? "May I ask what all these questions pertain to?"

"Hmmm. I'm just trying to understand your character. I heard so many different reports of you that they confuse me." Elizabeth smiled up at him.

Reports? Whose reports? Wickham's ? Did Elizabeth actually take him for real? William didn't know what to think. The song ended and William led Elizabeth off the dance floor. "I would wish, Elizabeth, that you would not judge my character at the present moment and by such idle reports." There, that should do it.

Elizabeth just walked away from him without even a look back leaving William standing close to Mrs. Bennet.

Mrs. Bennet was carrying on a conversation almost all by herself for she left no room for Mrs. Lucas to respond, which was fine for that lady because she'd stopped listening a long time ago.

"I told Jane that she will never get Charles to marry her unless she gives him more encouragement. I can't find out from her if they even kissed yet. Can you believe that?" Mrs. Bennet didn't wait for a reply. "Now, normally, I would never suggest such a thing but in this case it seemed absolutely necessary. I told Jane last night that if she thinks Charles is not going to ask her to marry him then the best thing for her to do is get pregnant. Charles would have to marry her then and she would be taken care of forever. And I do so want to see her finally settled."

Mrs. Bennet jabbered away to Mrs. Lucas but William did not hear past the word "pregnant". How can a mother suggest that to her own child? He looked at Charles and Jane. Is that what she's going to do? Get herself pregnant just so Charles would marry her? Would Jane risk that? William didn't think she would but, he felt that the sooner Charles knew what he was up against the better. In fact it's better if we all got away from here as soon as possible. Elizabeth has been occupying my time for way too long. It's time I went away and forgot I ever met her.

William went to find Caroline but she was nowhere to be seen.

William switched the windshield wipers onto full speed and slowed down to a crawl. The rain came down in buckets and impeded his ability to see. He thought about pulling over to the side of the road but decided to risk the drive. He'd just had the most emotional month ever since his parent's deaths and he just wanted to get home and relax. His sister would be waiting for him by now and if he delayed any further she would worry about him. So he kept on.

William rethought about what had happened in Florida. He'd just separated his best friend from a scheming woman. But, that was just it. Was she plotting to get pregnant? Certainly her mother was conniving to get Jane married at all costs, but was Jane ? William wasn't sure about the role he played in separating Charles from Jane but he felt he had no choice. And if Jane went along with her mother's plans Charles would be trapped. William justified it this way, whatever was done was done for the best and someday when Charles found the right woman to marry, he would thank him for this.

William felt better until he thought about Elizabeth. He missed her, it was that simple. She kept popping up in his thoughts at the most improbable times. Like when he was taking a shower or when he was eating or right before he went to sleep at night and just as he woke up in the morning, there she was. William wondered if he should see a doctor.

Suddenly something dashed out in front of his car. William swerved to miss it and was thankful that he was already going so slowly. William stomped on the brakes and stopped the car. He looked around to see what ran in front of the car. He couldn't see anything so he put the car back in gear and started out.

Whub whub whub whub whub

Damn!!Must have run over a nail. William was irritated. He got out of the car and pulled his coat tightly around him. The rain was freezing and the coat didn't keep the water out for long but it was a start. William set down to work. It was slippery business what with the rain and all and by the time he was finished, William's knuckles were bruised and his temper shot.

He got up and stretched his back. The rain still hadn't let up and his clothes were soaked. It was useless to try to stay dry now. William put the flat and the jack in the trunk and slammed it shut. He sloshed his way to the front of the car.

As he opened the car door he heard a pitiful noise. "Meeeyyow" He turned around. "Meeyyow." William looked around the car. Nothing there. "Meeeyyow!" He looked under the car. There it was under the engine. A tiny shivering black and white kitten crouching down and looking like something, well, like something a cat would drag in. Is that what ran me off the road? Figures. William knew he couldn't move the car without running the cat over so he tried to coax it out.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty." William called. It didn't move. William made kissing noises. The kitten didn't budge an inch. He tried meowing. The kitten meowed back and before he knew it William was having a conversation with a cat. "Meow, kitty, kitty. Meow." The cat slowly crept up to William and rubbed its face on his wet leg. William stood up, the rain was still coming down and he was late and now he must get going before something else happened. He put a foot into the car.

"Meeoowwrr." William looked down at the cat. It looked pathetic. Its hair was plastered down around its body and it was shivering with the cold. William could see that it was starving. Georgiana has been asking me for a pet . He sighed and picked it up. He unbuttoned his shirt and put the little kitten next to his skin to keep it warm. What the heck, it's close enough to Christmas anyway. William got in the car and started it up. He turned the heat on full blast and pulled away from the side of the road.

"Ow!" The kitten was settling down in William's shirt and was digging its claws on his chest. "Ow! Quit it!"

"Meow." The kitten started purring.

William looked down at the kitten. "Did I do the right thing with Charles?"

Elizabeth ran down the beach alone. She needed to run to get the past two weeks out of her system. She needed to run away from the past two weeks, really and that was what she was doing. Running and running as far and as fast as she could trying to forget what happened. Her muscles screamed from pain. She felt her lungs burn as she sucked in air. Elizabeth paid no attention to them. She only kept running.

Finally, Elizabeth slipped and fell onto the sand. She sat there, chest heaving and gasping for air as the water lapped at her feet.

How could he? How could Charles just go and leave Jane? She meant more to him than that, I know she did. Elizabeth took a shell and threw it into the water. Her breathing became more controllable and she stood up. Brushing the sand off her shorts, Elizabeth limped back to her jeep.

How can anyone be so fickle? Did Caroline and William have something to do with it? Probably. They are the snootiest people I've ever met. Elizabeth picked up another shell and hurled it at the ocean. If Charles let them talk him into leaving Jane then he's a spineless wimp and Jane's doesn't need him.

Elizabeth continued her tirade against William Darcy and Charles Bingley and that sister of his, Caroline (but mostly William Darcy) all the way to her jeep. She climbed in and sat down. I haven't heard from George either. I didn't expect to, really. He was just an infatuation anyway. I am grateful for one thing though. He opened my eyes to William's true character. If it weren't for George I would never have found out about him. "That sleezeball." I would never have found out about his child. "William's a gutless worm." I would have never found out that William's company was a sham, based on stolen property. "Pirate!" Elizabeth started her jeep and muttered to herself all the way home.

She found Jane sitting on the couch grading papers. Jane did not look well. It had been two weeks since Charles left town and she hadn't heard from him since. Elizabeth knew Jane was heart-broken. Jane was not one to bounce back from these types of things and it would be a good while until she will get over it. Elizabeth sighed and sat on the couch with her sister.

A lot can happen in two weeks , Elizabeth thought. Charles left and now Charlotte is going to marry Billy Collins. What is she thinking? She wasn't thinking, that explains it. This all happened so fast. Elizabeth got up and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. Now Billy expects Charlotte to just leave her friends and family and move to California "boom" just like that. She's nuts. Nothing makes any sense. Elizabeth wandered to the bathroom and started the shower. I hope Charles calls soon.

Charles never did.

Elizabeth enjoyed the Christmas break as much as she could. There wasn't much to enjoy when your sister was down in the dumps and your best friend was marrying a moron, but Elizabeth couldn't help either of those things. All she could do was give her congratulations to Charlotte and cheer Jane up as much as possible without becoming a constant irritation. Both Jane and Charlotte kept up a brave front.

Things went on as they always did. Christmas came and went. The New Year arrived and past. Charlotte got married. Now that was different , Elizabeth thought. Why would she marry Billy ? Elizabeth tried to bring up the subject to Charlotte but was just given vague answers. Stuff like "Oh, I know I'll be happy" and "He's really not so bad once you get to know him". Charlotte it seems would be content living her life with a boorish overstuffed clown. Am I being too harsh on him ? Elizabeth thought about it. Naaaahhh!!

Elizabeth couldn't think of the marriage without getting the willies but she was used to that. Billy Collins and the willies go hand in hand. Elizabeth laughed to herself. Sounds like a band. Billy Collins and The Willies. Elizabeth smiled. She went to go find Jane. Now that Charlotte was gone and married to Billy, Jane was the only one who would find that funny.

Continued in Next Section