Previous Section, Section III, Next Section
Chapter 15
Posted on Friday, 5 October 2007
Week 3, 5 days until showtime
A dance studio in Las Vegas
Will Darcy scowled as he listened to the music. “This is going to require a ruffled shirt, I just know it.”
“Will, some dances require specific costumes. The paso doble is the bullfight dance. You can’t expect to do a paso in white tie and tails. I don’t know that you’ll have to wear ruffles, but you will need a cape.”
“I’ll wear a WHAT? You’re joking!”
“I am not joking. Have you ever seen a bullfight?”
“Certainly not. Disgusting sport, if you can even call it a sport. And I’ve never run with the bulls, either.”
“No, well, then surely you’ve seen Carmen. That’s our music, you know.”
“Yes, I’ve seen Carmen."
“Right, then think about the soldiers, and the proud posture. Think proud, think fierce, think indomitable.”
Will sighed, “How do we get started with this?”
“This is very much a performance. You need to project a lot of attitude. Let’s start with the cape. Once you get the hang of that, you’ll be more in character.”
Will rolled his eyes, thinking, I wonder if there’s any way I could swap dances with someone doing a waltz?
Anne picked up a silk cape and swirled it around. “See, like this!”
Will groaned.
Meanwhile, in another dance studio in Las Vegas
“What? You said we would get a Latin this week. We did a boring dance last week.”
“George,” said Lizzy, “The waltz is not a boring dance. It’s very romantic and graceful.”
“Borrrring. Can’t we switch?”
“No. Switching dances is not allowed. Think about this, George, if you do a good waltz, it will make you look like a good romantic lead. It might make movie producers see you in a different light. Could be a good career move.”
“Maybe. But I’d still rather do the paso. That’s much more my image. All those cool macho moves. Yeah!”
“Sorry, George, you’ll eventually get your shot at the paso. Just not this week. Time to learn to waltz!”
Meanwhile, in a hotel room in Las Vegas
“Wow! Look at the view! I can’t wait to see it at night.”
“I know. It’s very exciting.”
“Except I’d rather have my own room.”
“Lydia,” said Mrs. Bennet, “That’s a waste of money. Besides, the hotel wouldn’t let you have a room to yourself. You’re too young. We’ll be fine like this. It’s good to have a mother-and-daughter trip.”
WhatEVER. thought Lydia. “Can we find out where Lizzy is rehearsing? I want to meet George Wickham. He is so hot! I can’t believe my sister is so lucky.”
“I’m afraid she won’t make the most of it. She never does. All those years dancing with Jack, and then he went off and left her.”
“Mom, Lizzy and Jack were never together. I mean, he’s like… you know.”
“Yes, I know now. Lizzy told me. But she should have found out before she agreed to dance with him. She’ll never get a husband if she can’t even tell which men are gay and which are straight.”
“So can we go see Lizzy now?”
“I spoke to someone, a nice girl named Mary. She said to call when we got in. I have her number somewhere, just let me find it.”
While Mrs. Bennet rummaged in her purse for the slip of paper that had Mary King’s number on it. Lydia examined the toiletries in the bathroom. She sniffed the soap. Lime? How weird!
Meanwhile, in another dance studio in Las Vegas
“Ohhh,” Emma Knightly sighed, “This is one of mah favorite songs! George and Ah danced to this at our weddin’. Remember, darlin?”
“Of course I do! It was the perfect song, seeing as how we got hitched in Nashville.”
“Frank, Ah wish Ah had mah weddin’ album with me so Ah could show it to you. Mah sweet George looked so handsome! And Ah had the prettiest weddin’ gown.”
Frank Churchill looked surprised, and said, “I thought ‘The Tennessee Waltz’ was about losing your girl to a friend.”
“Oh, well, we wrote new lyrics that made her faithful to me,” replied George.
“Always faithful,” said Emma, gazing adoringly at her husband.
“And don’t you forget it!” said George to Frank.
“Come on, now, George,” said Frank, “I’ve gotten to know the two of you pretty well over these past weeks. Do you think I don’t know how completely married you two are? I don’t mess with married women. There are enough single girls to go around. So don’t worry about me, George. I will not make a move on your woman.”
“See you don’t!” laughed George as he left the studio.
Later, in a dance studio in Las Vegas
“Can we take a break?” asked George Wickham. “I need to make a few calls.”
“We need to put in some serious time on the waltz, George.”
“Yeah, I know. One-two-three, one-two-three. It’s easy.”
Before Lizzy could answer, there was a knock at the door, and Mary King walked in with a camera crew.
“Hi Lizzy, George. We’re here to shoot some rehearsal footage.”
“Actually, we were about to take a break,” said Lizzy, not in the mood to have George show off his dislike of the waltz.
“Just dance a little bit, please? We don’t have any background tape for you this week.”
“Sure, Mary, we can do that,” said Lizzy. “George! We need to do some dancing for the camera crew.”
George mumbled something to himself and put down his cell phone.
“Thanks!” said Mary. “What are you going to do?”
“George is getting the basic steps, so we’re walking through, counting it out. We aren’t using the music yet. Will that be okay?”
“That’s fine.”
By this time, the camera crew were in place, so Lizzy and George took up their positions in the center of the room. She whispered, “Smile, George, you don’t want the judges to know you’re unhappy about the dance.”
Lizzy counted aloud and they twirled slowly across the floor. After a few seconds, the door burst open.
“Surprise!” Mrs. Bennet and Lydia ran into the room, the cameras catching every move.
“Omigod this is so cool!” shrieked Lydia. Mrs. Bennet walked over to Lizzy and gave her an uncharacteristically maternal hug.
Aware of the camera, Lizzy smiled and pretended to be delighted to see her mother and sister. She introduced them to George.
“Oh, my, George, you’re even more handsome in person than you are on TV!” gushed Mrs. Bennet. “My Lizzy is very lucky to have you for her partner. I do hope she isn’t working you too hard.”
“She’s a slave driver, all right. But she’s teaching me so much! Mrs. Bennet, she didn’t tell me about this beautiful sister. I can see where these two lovelies get their good looks.”
Lydia was too star-struck to do anything more than giggle. Lizzy had a hard time controlling her facial expression.
“So, Mom, did you just get here? You didn’t tell me you were arriving today.”
“We thought it would be more fun to surprise you. We’re staying in your hotel, so we’ll have lots of time together.”
“Great!” said Lizzy, trying to sound excited. She saw the lights dim and turned to the camera crew. “All done?”
“Yes, thanks,” said Mary as she led the crew out of the studio.
“Well, isn’t this nice?” said Mrs. Bennet. “I knew you’d be thrilled.”
Thrilled doesn’t even come close, Mom.
“Can we go to some shows? Do you think I look old enough to go into the casinos? Do you go out clubbing every night? And can we—”
“Lydia!”
“—go see the Venice place and the Egypt place? Do they have mummies there? And I want—”
“LYDIA!”
“Huh?”
“I can’t take you all around Las Vegas,” said Lizzy. “I’m working. You and Mom can sightsee if you like. However, you will not be allowed in the casinos and you will not be allowed to drink.”
“But when I get all dressed up, I look older.”
“How old you LOOK is not important. It’s how old you ARE,” replied Lizzy.
“Oh, let her have some fun,” huffed Mrs. Bennet.
“Mom! I can’t believe this! You can’t take her into a casino!”
While Lizzy and her mother argued, Lydia overcame her earlier awe of George. “Will you take me clubbing, George?” she asked coyly.
“I’d love to, Lydia, but your sister wouldn’t like it.”
“She’s such an old poop!”
George winked and whispered, “Let’s talk about it later.”
Meanwhile, at a hotel in Las Vegas
Jane Gardiner sighed as she eased into the whirlpool. She rotated her ankles and wiggled her toes. She rolled her shoulders, leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She was alone, and the only sound in the pool area was the bubbling of the whirlpool. She hummed her dance music and stretched her legs.
Splash! Someone had just dived into the pool, and was swimming laps. Jane turned to watch the newcomer. After the dive, he made no splashes at all. She watched him cut smoothly through the water.
After a few laps, the swimmer stopped at the end of the pool near the whirlpool. He lifted his head out of the water, and his eyes met hers.
“Jane!”
“Charles!”
“I haven’t seen you around for a few days. You aren’t rehearsing today?”
“We worked this morning, and I’m taking the afternoon off to rest. How did you get time off during the day?”
“Will doesn’t have a segment to do tonight, and he’s rehearsing. I want to stay out of his way.”
“Is he having a hard time? Oh, sorry, I probably shouldn’t be asking questions about a competitor.”
“I don’t think it’s a state secret. He is not enjoying the pasa double, is that what it’s called?”
“Paso doble.”
“Ah, paso doble. How are you doing with it?”
“I’m not. I have the waltz this week.”
“Oh, you will look lovely waltzing. Not that you didn’t look good doing the mambo. You were really hot—um, that is, I mean, you did it well.” Charles blushed scarlet.
“Thanks,” Jane smiled. They smiled at each other for a full minute before Jane spoke again, “I should get out before I’m overcooked.”
“Oh. I really should do some more laps. But could we get together later? Maybe have dinner somewhere?”
Jane nodded, “I’d like that.
Jane left the pool area, and Charles returned to his swimming. He smiled so widely that he almost swallowed a mouthful of water. Seeing that Jane was gone, he floated on his back and kicked wildly, splashing water all over the pool deck.
Chapter 16
Week 3, 4 days until showtime
“Come Dance With Me” Ballroom set
Rob Marsden and Thea Harris looked at the assembled cast. Some looked tired, some looked relaxed, and some looked curious.
“Good morning!” said Rob, “We have a special treat in store for you this week. In addition to your individual dances, you’re going to be doing a group dance.”
“And this is a treat because…?” Rich Fitzwilliam muttered to nobody in particular.
Will Darcy groaned. TWO dances? Are they insane? I can’t even learn my first one for this week!
“Is this in the contract?” asked Caroline Blake.
George Wickham rolled his eyes. Am I EVER gonna get some time off?
“Come on, this will be fun and easy!” said Thea. “Your group dance is a line dance. You can learn it in an hour. Garrett Moore has returned to choreograph this, so let’s welcome him back!” Thea clapped her hands and the cast joined in.
“Hi!” said Garrett, “It’s good to see you all again. Line dancing is fun and it’s easy. Why do you think it’s so popular in bars? Even a drunk can do it!”
This joke got the laugh he hoped would erase some of the hostility created by this extra assignment.
“Okay, form a line facing me. Line dancing is not a partner dance, but for this one, we will keep partners together. Men to the left of your ladies, please. All right, that looks pretty good. Rich and Charlotte, can you swap one position to your right, please. Uh-huh, good, that puts the tallest in the middle. Okay, then, let’s begin by playing the music. Please clap along if you feel so inclined. I’ll demonstrate, you just watch and enjoy. Here we go!”
As “Gimme Back My Pickup” played, Garret moved left, right, kicked, stomped, turned, and stomped again.
“See? Nothing to it! Let’s walk through the steps slowly. First we side step to the left, then to the right on four. See? One-two-three-four. Try it.”
And so he took them through the steps of the line dance. Despite the misgivings of some, the cast did learn the steps quickly.
“That’s great!” said Thea. "This afternoon, please visit wardrobe to pick up jeans, western shirts, and, of course, boots. It’s a good idea to wear the boots a bit to break them in. Not too much at a time, we don’t want blisters. Rehearsal tomorrow at 10 AM. And if you have friends and family with you this week, invite them to come along and watch the fun. Thank you, everyone!”
later, in a restaurant in Las Vegas
“This has got to be a low point in my career. It isn’t enough that I have to prance around pretending to be a bullfighter, now I have to stomp around to some song about a pickup truck!” Darcy took a long swallow of his drink.
Georgiana giggled, “That’s showbiz, Will. Do I really get to watch the rehearsal tomorrow?”
“Oh, why not? You might as well have one more laugh before you go home.”
“It won’t be so bad.”
“Wait until you hear the song. I want my pickup back? I’m dancing to a song about a truck?”
“That’s country music, Will. If it isn’t about a broken heart, it’s about a broken-down truck, or the dog ran away, or the dog died. And I believe the title of the song is actually ‘Gimme Back My Pickup.’ It’s a classic.”
“I’m a recognized expert on economics. I have a master’s degree. Four-point-oh average. And I’m playing a bullfighter and a cowboy.”
“You’ll get a better dance next week.”
“If I’m here next week.”
“You’d better be! Charles will be broken-hearted if he has to leave Jane.”
“Georgie, you know Charles. He’ll get over it.”
“I’m not so sure. Did you know he took her to dinner last night?”
“Really? That might not be a good idea. He works with me, and she’s a competitor.”
“So?”
“It might be against a rule.”
“Don’t spoil his fun, Will. At least one of you is happy.”
Week 3, 3 days until showtime
“Come Dance With Me” Ballroom set
Thea Harris clapped her hands and called out, “Coffee hour is over! Dancers, please take your places on the floor. Friends and family, please take a seat.” As the dancers lined up, Thea turned to Garrett Moore and said, “They’re all yours.”
“Good morning,” said Garrett. “I see we all have our boots on. Everyone okay with the fit?” He surveyed the group as they nodded and murmured their approval of the footwear. He noticed that the celebrities all wore their jeans. Only the female pros wore their usual rehearsal clothes.
“All right, then, here we go. I’ll give you a quick refresher and then I’ll watch you dance. May I have the music, please?” The music started, and Garrett stepped, kicked, and stomped. He looked up and down the line and asked, “Questions? No? Okay, cue up the music and let’s do it.”
Garrett called out the steps and watched the dancers. “Smaller steps, Rich. Roll with the beat more, Will. Yeah, Emma, you’ve got it. Anne, dear, I know you’re from the other side of the pond, but try to imagine that you’re a cowgirl.”
Without missing a step, Anne answered back, “If I were a cowgirl, you’d be on the wrong end of my six-shooter!”
“You go, girl!” said Rich.
They made it to the end of the dance without anyone falling down or stepping on another dancer’s feet.
“Not bad,” said Garrett. “But we need more cowboy feel. Who can walk like John Wayne?”
George Wickham began to step forward, but Billy Collins beat him to it. Although he had been eliminated, Billy decided to hang around for the rehearsals, hoping to find a new professional partner. As Billy sashayed across the floor, jaws dropped.
Charlotte whispered to David, “That looks more like Nathan Lane’s version of John Wayne from ‘The Birdcage.’ ”
The dancers applauded and Billy bowed so low that he almost fell over.
“If I may?” said George, stepping forward. “Most people exaggerate Wayne’s swagger, and they look like they’re going to trip over their own feet. See?” George did a caricature of the famous actor’s walk, and then toned it down to be more realistic.
“Thanks, George,” said Garrett. “If you’d step back into line, we have one more move to do. I want to give this a fun ending. So we’re going to do a hip bump, starting at one end and passing it along. After the bump passes you, stand with your weight shifted to that side and keep facing down the line. Let’s try the bump. Harriet, please start.”
Harriet hit B with her hip. B, in turn, hit Caroline, who hit David, who hit Charlotte, and the bump moved down the line.
Anne bumped Will, who bumped Lizzy gingerly.
“You can bump her harder than that, Will,” said Garrett.
Lizzy laughed then bumped George with a solid hip movement. Instead of passing the bump down the line, George bumped her back.
“No! George, you pass the bump down the line.”
“Sorry,” said George in a tone of voice that had no trace of remorse. “My partner is just so damn cute, you know?”
“George, behave yourself,” Lizzy whispered to her partner.
“Let’s try it again,” said Garrett, “and then we’ll take a break.”
During the break, Caroline sought out her assistant.
“Louisa!”
“Can I get you something, Caroline?”
“Yes! Designer jeans. These are so ordinary. I’m an expert in fashion, and here I am wearing Levi’s, for pity’s sake.”
Will stood with Georgiana and watched Charles talk to Jane.
“See?” said Georgiana, “He looks serious. You didn’t see him last week when she did that sexy mambo. He looked like he wanted to throttle Mike Chiara.”
“He does look serious. But I don’t know about her. She’s a beautiful actress. She probably has a string of boyfriends back in Hollywood.”
“I don’t think so. She has had a scandal-free career. No DUIs, no trips to rehab, no fights in public. She is as nice as they say she is.”
Will shrugged. Charles was old enough to manage his own life, but if this was serious, Will worried that his friend could be hurt. Deciding to ignore the situation for the moment, he looked around the room. He saw Lizzy talking to Charlotte and David. They were laughing about something. Country music played softly and Lizzy tapped her toe in time to the music. Until he saw her tap her toe, Will hadn’t noticed the music.
“Howdy, pardner.”
Will laughed as he turned to Anne. “Have you any idea how strange that phrase sounds in your accent?”
“I’m just glad that Mother isn’t here. She would be aghast at the idea of line dancing. So low class, don’t you know. But, actually, it’s rather enjoyable.”
“Easier than the paso, at any rate.”
“We’ll have to go back to working on that after lunch.”
Will sighed, “I know.”
“Break’s over!” called Garrett. “Please take your places. Friends and family, if you want to give it a try, form a second line behind our dancers.”
Charles took Georgiana by the hand and said, “Come on!” George Knightly, Lydia Bennet, Billy Collins, and a few other people joined the second line. The music started and they all went through the steps of the dance.
When it came time to do the hip bump, Will bumped Lizzy and kept his face turned toward her, as instructed. She laughed as she bumped George. Will couldn’t see much of her face, but he could tell she was smiling.
When the dance was over, Lizzy faced forward and noticed that Will continued to look at her.
“Something wrong?”
“No. It’s just, that is, well, you, um, you enjoy it so much.”
“It is supposed to be fun, you know. Why did you agree to do this if you dislike dancing?”
“I don’t—”
“Forget it, Lizzy,” George interrupted. “Darcy has no sense of fun.”
Will hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked away. Lizzy watched him, then shrugged and turned back to George, who had been joined by Lydia.
“Wow, George, you’re really good. And you look sooo good in those jeans. Hey, Lizzy, don’t you think George has a cute butt?”
“Lydia!” Lizzy hissed.
“You weren’t standing behind him, Lizzy. Trust me, he’s got a great butt.”
“Lydia, go back over to Mom. George and I have work to do.”
“Wait a minute,” said George, “Why don’t we all go to dinner tonight?”
“Ooh! Cool! George, you are the best!” Lydia shrieked. “Can I pick where we go? Can we go clubbing afterwards?”
Will turned to see where all the noise was coming from. A teenager in a too-short, too-tight t-shirt was jumping up and down and squealing. One of George’s groupies? he wondered.
Later that evening, in a restaurant in Las Vegas
“What are your plans for the rest of your visit?” George asked Mrs. Bennet. Have you tried the spa yet?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Oh, you must try it.
“I wonder how hard it is to get an appointment.”
“No problem at all, Mrs. Bennet,” replied George. “I have a massage scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Please take my appointment.”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t do that.”
“Yes, of course you can. I can’t make it, so I insist you take my appointment.” George turned to Lizzy, “I forgot to tell you, I have to fly back to Indiana to shoot some new scenes tomorrow.”
“When did you find out?” Lizzy asked.
“Just before we left for dinner.”
“George, we have only a few days left to rehearse.”
“I know, but I have to do this now. It’s just one day. We’ll be fine. But I probably should be going.” George motioned for the waiter and handed over his credit card. After he signed for the dinner, he stood and walked around the table to Mrs. Bennet.
“I’ll call the spa and tell them to expect you. It has been a pleasure, Mrs. Bennet.” He took her hand and kissed it.
George turned to Lydia, kissed her hand, and whispered, “Call me tomorrow morning.”
George then kissed Lizzy on the cheek, wished everyone goodnight, and left. While Mrs. Bennet exclaimed to Lizzy how lucky she was to have such a charming and thoughtful partner, Lydia realized that she was holding a slip of paper. She peeked at it and saw that it had a phone number on it. Before anyone could notice, she slipped the paper into her pocket.
Chapter 17
Week 3, 2 days until showtime, A hotel room in Las Vegas
“Are you packed?” Will Darcy asked his sister.
“Yes, Will. And if I forgot anything, you’ll bring it home for me.”
“I’ll miss you, Georgie. But I don’t think it will be for long. I have a feeling I’ll be voted off the island this week.”
“Will, don’t be negative. Think positive.”
“All right, then. I’m positive I’ll be off this week.”
“Will! Don’t say that. I’ll vote for you, and so will Mrs. Reynolds and all of our friends.”
“Sweetie, Mayor Daley’s famous political machine couldn’t generate enough votes to save me.” Will picked up his sister’s suitcase. “Come on, we’d better go.”
As Will and Georgiana crossed the hotel lobby, they met Anne, Charles, and Jane.
“I know you have to get to the airport,” said Charles as he hugged Georgiana, “But we wanted to say goodbye.”
“It was lovely to meet you,” said Jane as she took Georgiana’s hand.
“Safe home, Georgie,” said Anne. She hugged the girl and whispered, “Let’s stay in touch. I think he’s going to need a strong cheering section.”
While Georgiana was saying her goodbyes, Will noticed George Wickham walk through the lobby. He had a young woman with him. At first Will thought it was Lizzy. Then he heard her excited chatter and realized it was the groupie from the previous day’s rehearsal. Is he so ready that he can blow off a day with some girl?
Later that morning, A small casino in Las Vegas
“Stolie on the rocks for me, tequila sunrise for the lady.”
The bartender looked at Lydia doubtfully, but served the drinks.
“Ooh, it’s so pretty!” said Lydia, admiring the red-to-yellow layering of the drink. Realizing that it made her sound like an inexperienced drinker, Lydia added, “I usually drink champagne.”
Yeah, right. thought the bartender. He had been distracted by Lydia and her too-tight T-shirt, but now he looked at her companion.
“Hey, I know you from somewhere. Wait a minute! You’re—”
“Shh! Yes, I am, but I don’t want to draw attention to myself. Just enjoying a day off, you know?” George slid some money across the bar, then turned to Lydia and said, “Let’s see if the tables are as hot as you are.”
Later that day, “Come Dance With Me” wardrobe department
Lizzy stood in front of the mirror and swayed, watching the movement of her skirt.
“Very nice, but it has to be shorter. The judges need to see my feet. I don’t want Pete accusing me of hiding my sins under my skirt.”
The costumer nodded as she took notes. Then she asked, “Hold your arms up, does the dress ride up?”
Lizzy did as she was asked and said, “It’s fine. How about Mr. Wickham’s costume? Is it ready?”
“Yes it is. He said he’d be in first thing in the morning to try it on.”
“Let me just take this out for a spin in the hallway.” Lizzy left the dressing room and waltzed by herself for a few steps. Satisfied with the way the dress moved, she was about to return to her dressing room when a voice stopped her.
“Well, if we don’t look like a cotillion just waitin’ to happen, then Ah don’t know what we look like.”
“Emma! Hello!” Lizzy turned to face the singer. She had to admit, her pale yellow gown and Emma’s pale green did give them the look of debutantes. “We should be brandishing fans and curtseying to each other.”
“So Ah take it y’all are doin’ the waltz.”
Lizzy nodded, “This isn’t exactly a dress for the paso.”
“That dance scares me. It was bad enough prancin’ around in that bitty mambo skirt. Ah don’t know if Ah can be all fierce like that. The waltz is proper dancin’, if you know what Ah mean.”
“Yes, I know. Are you enjoying being on the show?”
“Yes. It’s such hard work, though. It makes tourin’ our show seem like a vacation.”
Lizzy laughed, “Nobody wants to be the one to leave, but there is a feeling of relief when the time comes. You’re good. I think you’ve got a lot of weeks here yet.”
“Thank you so much!” Their conversation was interrupted by a screech.
“Louisa! Did you get that interview set up?”
“Time to hide!” laughed Lizzy.
“Bye for now!” Emma waved and disappeared into her dressing room just as Caroline entered the area.
“Louisa! Don’t you ever listen? I said I wanted Figi water, not this domestic stuff!”
After the storm had passed down the hallway, Lizzy thought she heard giggles coming from Emma’s dressing room.
Meanwhile, in a hotel room in Las Vegas
“Oh, George, you have a great view from your room. You can see all the fancy casinos. I wish we could go to one of them.”
“Lydia, you know we can’t do that. If I get recognized, your sister will know I didn’t go back to Indiana. And remember, you can’t tell you mother or your sister about today.”
“But, George,” she whined,
“Come on, wasn’t it fun sneaking up the service elevator?”
“Yes, but I was hoping we could go clubbing. Maybe tonight?”
“We’ll talk about that later. Didn’t I hear you say you usually drink champagne? I believe there’s a nice bottle in my minibar.”
“Ooh! Champagne!” Lydia looked into the cube refrigerator and spotted the gold box. “Godivas! Yum!”
George grabbed the box and held it over his head, saying, “And what would Miss Lydia do for a nice truffle?”
Week 3, 1 day until showtime, A hotel restaurant in Las Vegas
“Sorry I didn’t see you for dinner last night, Mom,” said Lizzy as she joined her mother and sister for breakfast.”
“That’s all right. I had a nice, healthy spa dinner in my room. After my massage and some time in the sauna, I felt so healthy that it just wasn’t right eating a big dinner. Did you and Lydia have a nice evening?”
Before Lizzy could say anything, Lydia kicked her under the table and said, “We had a nice time.”
“That’s good. What are you doing today, Lizzy?”
“Rehearsing, if George ever gets back from Indiana.”
“Oh, I’m sure he’ll be back, Lizzy,” said Lydia. “He promised you that it would be one day. He may be kind of tired, though.”
“What do you mean?”
If you only knew! “Huh? Well, um, it’s a Western. Doesn’t that mean a lot of riding and like that?”
“It must be so exciting to be a movie star!” said Mrs. Bennet. “Lizzy, you be nice to George, and maybe he’ll give you a part in his next movie. You never make the most of your opportunities.”
“Mom,” Lizzy sighed.
“Don’t you sigh at me! Lydia has more sense than you do. I’m sure she wouldn’t let such an opportunity pass her by.”
Lydia giggled, “I never miss an opportunity to enjoy myself!”
“Hmm, well, I don’t have time to enjoy myself today,” said Lizzy. “I’ve got to rehearse with George and then we have dress rehearsal this afternoon. Enjoy your day. Behave yourself, Lydia.”
Later that day, “Come Dance With Me” Green Room
“Why do we have to do this?”
“George, I am out of ideas here. You need to understand the fluid nature of the waltz. It’s about grace and poise. This movie used wonderful classic music and it added to the impact. Didn’t you ever see it? The ‘Zarathustra’ was recognized as the 2001 music, every bit as much as the DA-duh-DA-duh is recognized as the shark music. And the ‘Danube’ compliments the docking scene perfectly.
“This flick is, like, 30 years old. Who cares?”
“Actually, George, it’s more like 40 years old. It’s a classic. I’ve seen this movie many times. It’s one of my father’s favorites. And I just thought watching this scene might help you see that waltz music is not necessarily old-fashioned. Just watch.”
Lizzy clicked the remote and the large-screen monitor in the Green Room came to life. She clicked her way through the DVD menu for 2001: A Space Odyssey and cued up the scene in which a space vehicle docks with a rotating space station while the “Blue Danube Waltz” plays in the background.
Will Darcy headed for the Green Room. He was early for taping his segment, but the thought he might as well get there and read over his notes. He was surprised to hear the Strauss waltz playing. He stood at the doorway and watched the film, wondering why it was playing. Suddenly it stopped, and Lizzy Bennet walked to the doorway and hit the light switch.
“Oh!” she gasped, “What are you doing here?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Darcy?” said George. “Did you come to spy on our secret method of practicing by watching movies?”
“No, actually, I have a taping in here in a little while. They let me use the green room to tape my segment for CNC.”
“Yeah, right. What a lame excuse for checking out the competition. Don’t know why you bother. You’re not in our league. See you in our rehearsal room, Lizzy.”
George left and Will turned to Lizzy, who was in the process of removing her DVD and turning off the player.
“I’m sorry if I disturbed you. I didn’t think anyone would be in here now.”
“I thought once dress rehearsal was over, the room would be available,” said Lizzy. “I’ll be out of here in a minute.”
“No hurry, I’m early. It’s a great movie. Haven’t seen it in years. I’d forgotten the docking scene. You know, it was criticized by some people for being so slow. But I always thought the precision of the docking maneuvers and the tempo of the music were a perfect match.”
Lizzy nodded, but didn’t say anything, so Will continued.
“Someone told me once that the scene where the astronaut hurtles through space was done by filming the lights along Broadway and then speeding it up. It isn’t true, but it makes a nice story.”
“You’re a film buff?”
“Somewhat. Don’t laugh, but for an elective in college, I took a course called ‘Great Films of the Twentieth Century.’ I figured if I didn’t make it as an economics expert, I could fall back on a career as a film critic. As things turned out, I guess I should have taken some courses that would have prepared me for dancing.”
Before Lizzy could answer, Charles and the camera crew arrived. Lizzy excused herself and returned to her dance studio.
Chapter 18
Posted on Thursday, 11 October 2007
Week 3,Showtime, “Come Dance With Me” Ballroom set
As the cast lined up on the set waiting for the lights to come up, Thea stood in front of them and smiled.
“One minute to air! Good luck with your dances, and let’s make it a good show!”
Will looked up and down the line. It was easy to tell which dancers had the waltz and which had the paso doble. He felt a bit less conspicuous in his costume when he saw B, who had opted for the complete matador look, complete with the funny pom-pommed hat. Will had agreed to the cape, but in return had demanded a fairly plain all-black outfit.
Looking the other way, Will caught sight of Lizzy and George. Lizzy had a full-skirted dress and was wearing feathers in her hair. George looked cranky, and tugged at his wing collar. Just as Lizzy was admonishing him to stop fussing, George caught Will watching. He grinned and waved at Will.
“What are you doing?” asked Lizzy.
“Just having some fun. Darcy keeps looking at me, and I know I can throw him off his game just by looking confident.”
“Forget about him, George. Concentrate on our dance. You didn’t rehearse as much as I’d like and I don’t want you distracting yourself. You missed a few steps in yesterday’s rehearsal, so you can’t afford to lose your focus tonight.”
The lights came up and the director counted, “We’re live in five, four, three,” then he held up two fingers, then one, then pointed to the dancers.
“Welcome to Come Dance With Me, week Three!” said Brad. “Our dancers have been working hard all week learning their dances. Some of our celebrities have been learning the waltz. Others have been learning the paso doble. And, on top of that, they’ve been learning a line dance to do in exhibition on tomorrow night’s results show.
“Our first dance will be a waltz. Pete, tell us what you look for in a waltz.”
Pete Smythe smiled into the camera and said, “Well, first, we’re looked for graceful turns and lovely posture. We also should a smooth and continuous flow around the floor.”
“Thanks, Pete,” said Brad. “When we return, we will see Hank Carter and Cindy Witmer do their waltz.”
The lights went down and the rest of the dancers made their way to the green room.
Hank and Cindy moved through their waltz to “If You Don’t Know Me By Now.”
“That’s a waltz?” asked George.
“Anything in three-four time is a waltz,” said Lizzy. She counted to the music, hoping to reinforce George’s understanding of the dance he didn’t want to do.
“They look good,” said Will.
“Yes, pretty good,” said Anne. “But he needs to be up on his toes more. Our dance is heel-toe, but the waltz should look lighter. You wait, one of the judges will comment on his footing.”
The dance ended to long applause. Then Hank and Cindy stood to face the judges.
“Well!” said Mario Firenze, “Very nice, very smooth.”
“Yes, an attractive waltz,” said Pete Smythe. “But you’re too heavy footed. It takes away from the graceful nature of the dance.”
Phyllis Astin smiled and said, “I agree with both of them. Nice job, but you need to get your posture just a bit more up, and your feet a bit lighter.”
When they returned to the green room, Hank and Cindy were met by applause from the other dancers, and scores of sixes across the board.
B and Harriet Martin were next, with a paso doble. They danced to traditional bullfight music. During the trumpet solo fanfare, B took off the black cape lined in red and swirled it around expertly. Then he whipped it around Harriet’s waist and pulled her to him. Somehow, in the midst of this, his cape got attached to her costume and became another layer of her skirt.
Their dance was fierce and fast. She held her arms up as if she were playing castanets. Then he caught her by the wrists and pulled her close again. At the end of the dance, he grabbed her wrists and threw her to the floor. She slid halfway across the dance floor before stopping. She controlled the motion so that the cape that had been around her waist ended up covering her head.
The audience gasped, then applauded wildly. The reaction in the Green Room was positive, too.
“Cool!” said George. “Why can’t we do that?”
“Because there’s no throw in a waltz, George,” answered Lizzy.
“Says who?”
“Says the rules.”
Across the room, Anne said to Will, “Did you see that? See the fierce attitude? You need to project that.”
Will sighed.
B and Harriet joined Stephanie in the Green Room.
“Well done!” said Stephanie.
“We were lucky to get the paso instead of the waltz,” said B. I like this stomping kind of dance. I’m not looking forward to when it’s my turn to waltz.”
“Let’s see what the judges thought,” said Stephanie.
“Seven!”
“Seven!”
“Seven!”
Next to dance were Emma Knightly and Frank Churchill.
“I was waltzing with my darlin' to the Tennessee Waltz
When an old friend I happened to see.
Introduced him to my loved one and while they were waltzing,
My friend stole my sweetheart from me.”
“What a great tune for them! A country music waltz.” said Charlotte. “It’s sweet and sort of sad.”
“Wait a minute,” said George, “Is that fair? I mean, she’s a country singer and they give her a country song to dance to. That gives her an advantage.”
I’ve heard the music from Carmen before, thought Will, But I don’t see it giving me any advantage.
“Oh, come on, George,” said Rich Fitzwilliam. “By the time your rehearsal week is over, you’ve heard your song so many times it might as well be a song you’ve known for years.”
Back in the Green Room, Emma and Frank faced the cameras to get their scores.
Wow!” said Stephanie, “That was so graceful. Let’s see what the judges have to say about this dance.”
“Eight!”
“Eight!”
“Nine!”
The room erupted in applause for the first nine of the season.
Will and Anne were the next dancers to be announced.
He did a fair job of twirling his cape, but he was not as forceful as B had been. They made their way through the dance with a minimum of mistakes, but Anne could tell it wasn’t going over well. Just before he was supposed to throw her to the floor, she whispered, “Pretend I’m George Wickham.”
Will glared and sent her flying across the floor. As she came to a stop, she looked up at him, and he stood, hands on hips, glaring at her.
After the applause died down, Will and Anne stood in front of the judges.
“Anne,” asked Phyllis, “Are you all right? That was some throw!”
“I’m fine,” Anne replied.
“Where did that come from?” asked Mario. “The whole thing was pretty tepid, and then at the end, you got fired up. Please tell me you aren’t angry at your partner.”
Will shrugged, “It’s like a lot of gymnastics moves. You have to go for it. Halfway measures end up in someone getting hurt. And Anne keeps telling me she’s tougher than she looks.”
“You need to go for it through the whole routine,” said Pete. “Remember that in the future. You can’t have a weak minute and a half followed by a few seconds of strength.”
In the Green Room, Anne put Will’s cape on as they waited for their scores.
“Five.”
“Five.”
“Four.”
Will sank down into a chair and reached for his water bottle. Anne held out the cape.
“Keep the damn thing,” he muttered.
George elbowed Lizzy and whispered, “Those were pity scores. He shoulda had all threes. We could do that throw a lot better.”
Caroline Blake walked over to Will and Anne. She smiled at Will and said, “Could I try on your cape? You were so masterful the way you just threw her aside. I’m very impressed.”
“I’m very tired, Caroline,” said Will. “Why don’t you borrow your partner’s cape?”
“Caroline,” David Sanderson called from a nearby chair, “Come with me, we should warm up a bit in the hall.” As they passed Will, David mouthed “Sorry.” Will smiled weakly in return.
The next dance was Jane Gardiner and Mike Chiara doing the waltz.
As their music started, Lizzy said, “Oh, I love this song!”
“Me, too!” said Charlotte, and the two of them sang along.
“Try to remember
The kind of September
When life was slow
And oh, so mellow.
Try to remember
The kind of September
when grass was green and grain was yellow
Try to Remember”
“Sorry,” said Lizzy, “I have no range.”
David joined them and sang along with Charlotte
“Try to remember
And if you remember
Come follow.
Follow, follow, follow, follow,
Follow, follow, follow, follow,
Follow.”
Anne walked over the Lizzy and whispered, “How long have they been together?”
“Couple of years,” Lizzy replied. “Almost as long as Jack and I were together before he went Hollywood on me. Of course, Jack and I were never a couple off the dance floor.”
“So you’re single privately as well as professionally?”
“Alas, yes,” said Lizzy. Sitting nearby, Will was surprised that this information made him happy.
The conversations ended when Jane and Mike returned to the Green Room. The camera was already on when they entered to the applause of the other dancers. Jane curtseyed and Mike bowed. The judges were ready with their scores.
“Eight!”
“Eight!”
“Eight!”
David Sanderson and Caroline Blake were next to dance. Because their music was from Phantom of the Opera, David wore a mask as well as a cape. As they went through their dance, Caroline kept reaching for the mask, but he always evaded her grasp. At the end of the dance, Caroline pulled off the mask, only to reveal another one underneath.
The audience cheered the last move. The judges smiled. David and Caroline walked over to the judges.
“I liked the way you used the cape and mask to carry out the theme of your music,” said Pete. “But why did you smile throughout the whole dance? This is supposed to be fierce. It took away from the effect.”
“I agree, “said Phyllis. “It’s like you missed the point.”
“But the choreography was good, and you did it well.” said Mario.
In the Green Room, Caroline and David waited for their scores. Caroline tapped her toe anxiously.
“Six.”
“Six.”
“Seven.”
After the lights went down, Caroline huffed, “We should have better scores.”
“No, Caroline,” said David. “I kept telling you attitude would be important.”
Rich Fitzwilliam and Charlotte Lucas make their way to the set. Because their music was the theme from the Zorro movie, he wore a black caballero’s hat and a black mask. She wore a tight black dress with a ruffled skirt that was slit up one side. As they took their starting pose, the slit wasn’t evident, but as she moved and kicked her leg, the skirt fell open, revealing a bright red lining. The red accentuated every step, and at the end of the dance, when he threw her to the floor, it was as if she was sitting on a red blanket. Then Rich grabbed her by the hair and dragged her over toward the judges. He let go and pushed her away. As she rolled over, the red was hidden again.
The audience applauded wildly. Rich helped Charlotte to her feet and they took their bows.
“Wow!” said Phyllis. “Rich, you are quite a lady-killer! That was impressive!”
“You stayed in character throughout, and I like the way you held your posture,” said Pete.
“That was quite an ending,” said Mario. “Where did the fierceness come from?”
Rich laughed and said, “I remember Emmit saying that he channeled his feelings about the Redskins into the dance. I did the same with the Yankees.”
When they got to the Green Room, applause and whistles greeted them. Again, they took their bows.
“Great dance!” said Stephanie. “That hair-pulling thing must have hurt.”
“No,” replied Charlotte. “When he grabbed my hair, I grabbed his wrists. I was holding onto him, not the other way around.”
“It didn’t look that way,” said Stephanie. “Let’s find out what your scores are.”
“Eight.”
“Eight.”
“Eight.”
Lizzy and George were last to dance. As they walked to the set, she reminded him about posture and grace.
“Damn, did you see that last move they did?”
“George, concentrate on our dance.”
“I want to do that!”
“George! Think waltz.”
“Yeah, yeah, one-two-three, I know.”
As George and Lizzy danced, he kept his posture very stiff and straight.
“Relax,” she hissed when her back was to the judges and the camera. But George maintained the exaggerated posture.
At the end of the dance, he was supposed to release the hold and spin her away. Instead, he held onto her hand long enough to make her fall to the floor, then he swung her around so that she slid across the floor. He stood, hands on hips, in a pose of triumph.
The audience gasped.
In the control booth, the director, Thea, yelled, “Go to commercial!” Speaking into the earpieces of Brad, Stephanie, and the crew, she said, “Do wrap-up in the green room. Live in 90 seconds. Tell the cast, nobody, I mean NOBODY talks to the press tonight!”
Brad ran to the Green Room as Thea continued to give instructions. She made her way to the set, where Lizzy sat on the floor.
“Don’t get up, Lizzy. We’ve got a doctor coming.”
“I think I’m okay, Thea.”
“Sit!” Thea turned to George, “What did you think you were doing? That wasn’t in the dance you did at Dress! Have you any idea how dangerous this was? Go sit on the stage, I’m not done with you.”
While Thea handled the situation on the set, Brad and Stephanie were in charge of the Green Room.
“Judges, may we have your scores, please,” said Stephanie.
“Four.”
“Four.”
“Four.”
“Thank you,” said Brad. “To recap tonight, our leaders are Emma and Frank with 25 points, followed by Rich and Charlotte and Jane and Mike with 24. Next we have B and Harriet with 21, then Caroline and David with 19, and then Hand and Cindy with 18. And then we have Will and Anne with 14 and George and Lizzy in last place with 12. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for our results show. It’s sure to be exciting.”
“Thank you for watching,” said Stephanie. “Goodnight.”
Chapter 19
Posted on Thursday, 18 October 2007
Week 3, after the show
As soon as the lights dimmed, Brad was peppered with questions from the dancers.
“What happened?”
“Is she all right?”
“I don’t know any more than you do,” said Brad. “Thea asked me to hold you here, and she’ll be in to talk to us as soon as she can.”
On the set, Mrs. Bennet and Lydia had run to where Lizzy sat on the floor. Experienced with a dancer’s injuries, Mrs. Bennet began to run her hands along Lizzy’s legs.
“I’m okay, Mom,” Lizzy protested.
“Let me be the judge of that,” replied her mother in the tone of voice she had used when Lizzy was six.
“Wow! That was a cool move! Too bad you messed it up, Lizzy,” said Lydia.
“Lydia, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Your hero, George, could have hurt me!”
“Oh, stop being a drama queen, Lizzy!” With that, Lydia flounced off in search of her hero, who was sitting on the stage, working on his version of what had happened.
Hannah Jenkins appeared with a doctor.
“Lizzy, this is Doctor Brandon.”
“Hello.”
“Hello, Lizzy. Tell me, does anything hurt?” He ran his hands along Lizzy’s legs as her mother had done. Then he began to move her joints and ask her to move them. Thea kept an eye on the proceedings as she talked to the judges.
Dr. Brandon and Mrs. Bennet helped Lizzy to her feet. She took a few steps and nodded her head.
“I’m okay, really. I’ll have a bruise on my hip, but I’m fine.”
“Ice the hip tonight. Twenty minutes on, twenty off. If it hurts tomorrow, continue to ice it. Day after tomorrow, heat is good. Soak in the tub or your hotel’s whirlpool. What do you usually take for pain?”
“Ibuprophen for headache and cramps, naproxin sodium for muscle aches.”
“Either of those should be sufficient,” said Dr. Brandon. “Here’s my card. Call me if you have too much pain.”
“Thank you so much, doctor,” said Mrs. Bennet.
“You’re welcome. Now, I think the best thing is for you to go back to your room, rest, and ice that hip.”
“All right,” said Lizzy. She looked for her sister and sighed, with George again. Lydia, we have to go.”
“Not now!”
“Now, Lydia,” Lizzy walked toward her sister. “You and Mom have to pack and I have to ice my hip. And George, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I won’t be responsible for what I’d say now.”
After Lizzy, Lydia, and Mrs. Bennet left, Thea approached George.
“So, what do you want to tell me?”
“We decided to improvise. Our choreography was boring.”
“So you’re saying Lizzy decided to make this change?”
“Uh, yeah. I said the waltz was boring, so she said we could throw this in.”
“No, George. Lizzy is a pro. She knows better. And if she had planned that move, which I know she didn’t, she would have been ready for it and not fallen so badly. Your stupid move may have cost you your spot on the show. The judges said you were headed for sixes, but they had to knock down your scores because of the ending.”
“My fans will save me.”
“Don’t be too sure, George. When this goes out on tape for other time zones, we’ll add the judges comments, which will not be kind. You had better show up in your studio tomorrow prepared with a good apology for Lizzy.”
Thea walked into the Green Room and held up her hand as if to say “stop.”
“Sorry to keep you in here. Lizzy is fine. George tried to improvise and it backfired. I would very much appreciate it if you would not talk to the press tonight.”
“What’s going to happen to George?” asked Charlotte.
“We’re going to look into all possibilities. It would be inappropriate for me to speculate about this. They have the lowest scores. That could solve the problem. Meanwhile, please, I repeat, no talking about this to anyone.”
“Has anyone looked at the web boards?” asked Rich.
“You know about those?” asked David.
“You bet!” Rich grinned. “I always check it out. There’s a thread called ‘Rich Fitzwilliam is SO HOT!’ I have to see what my fans are saying.”
“I’m sure the boards will be buzzing. So the cone of silence extends to posting as well. Got it?” Thea looked at each dancer in turn, and they all nodded.
Meanwhile, in a hotel room in Las Vegas
“I’m bored!” Lydia whined.
“Well, I’m sorry that we can’t go out, but I want to make sure Lizzy will be all right,” said Mrs. Bennet. “We’ll have room service and have a girls’ night in.”
“Mom, you don’t have to do this,” said Lizzy. “I’ll be fine.”
“No, no. You’ve been so busy all week, we’ve had very little time together.”
“I’m going back to our room and watch TV.” Lydia slammed the door behind her.
Mrs. Bennet pulled another ice pack out of the cube fridge for Lizzy and picked up the room service menu.
Five minutes after she had ordered food, Mrs. Bennet heard a knock at the door.
“My, that was fast! I thought the girl said a half hour.” She opened the door and a bellman handed her a large bouquet of roses. Stunned, she carried them into the room and set them on the dresser. She pulled out the card and handed it to Lizzy.
Dear Lizzy,I am so sorry for what happened tonight. After seeing all those stunning pasos, I was afraid that we would lose because the waltz isn’t as showy. I wanted us to win so that we could continue to dance together. So I thought if I added a snazzy move, it would help our scores. I figured you’d be able to go with it, since you’re such an experienced and talented dancer. I never thought you’d get hurt. I’m relieved that it’s only bruises. I could never forgive myself if I hurt you. See you tomorrow morning 10-ish?
Your penitent partner,
George
“Who are they from?” asked Mrs. Bennet.
“George. An apology.” Lizzy handed her mother the note.
“Now, isn’t that nice of him to apologize! I knew he didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“He’s undisciplined, willful. I don’t know if I can trust him, Mom.”
“He seems like such a nice man, Lizzy. And he’s attractive, too.”
“I don’t know what to think,”
“Don’t think about it tonight, Lizzy. Relax, get a good night’s sleep, and hear him out tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, in another hotel room in Las Vegas
“I am so sorry my sister screwed up your dance,” said Lydia, as she snuggled up to George.
“It’s okay. She just forgot that we changed the routine.”
“Too bad, because it coulda been a really cool ending.”
“I know. I wish you were my partner, Lydia. You’re a lot more fun.”
“I wish I didn’t have to go home tomorrow. It’ll be so boring after being in Vegas and spending time with you.”
“Well, we can stay in touch. Text me. But don’t tell anyone, okay?”
“Why not?” Lydia put on her most adorable pouty face.
“Because I’m dancing with your sister. It wouldn’t look right. It’ll be our secret. Won’t that be fun? You’d better go now, Lydia. You should be in your room before your mother gets back.”
“Bye, George. I love you!” Lydia blew him a kiss from the doorway and left.
George sat down in the recliner and ran his hands through his hair. What now? Think! Lowest scores! Damn! I am not gonna lose this!
week 3 results day, a dance studio in Las Vegas
George was running late. He knew that Lizzy was waiting for him. He also knew that she was probably still angry about the previous night’s dance. Before he could face her, he had a few other things to do.
Instead of heading down the hallway to their studio, George walked up the stairs to the second floor studios. Halfway up, he stooped to tug at the edge of the carpet on the stairs. Pocketing the carpet tacks, he continued up the stairs.
“Good morning, Darcy!” he called as he entered the studio.
Darcy scowled. “What are you doing here?”
“Just thought I’d drop by to say buh-baah. You’ll be leaving tonight.”
“We don’t have the lowest scores.”
“Maybe, but I have a lot of fans. How many people even know who you are, Darcy?”
“Nobody knows who’s leaving tonight,” said Anne.
“Ha! That’s what you think. It’s obvious that Willie-Boy here is no dancer. Well, must go, my lovely partner awaits.”
“The partner you almost injured. You don’t give a damn who you hurt, do you?” asked Darcy.
“She’s a trooper, she’ll be fine. See ya, Darcy. Have a nice trip home!” And with a wave, George left the studio.
Will headed for the door, but Anne was faster. She ran out of the room and started down the stairs yelling, “George Wickham, you low-life $%^!” she yelled. “You get into your own studio and stay the hell out of—Aiiieeeeee.”
Anne tumbled down the stairs. Will ran out of the studio when he heard her scream.
“Wickham, you bastard, if you hurt her—”
“No! Will! Stop! The stairs!” Anne pointed at the carpet that was sticking up. Will stopped before he reached that step, and finished going down the stairs carefully. He knelt by Anne.
“Don’t move. We’ll call an ambulance.”
“What happened?” Lizzy had heard the scream and ran down the hall toward the group at the bottom of the stairs.
“She fell,” said Will. “Do you have your cell phone?”
“Not on me. George?”
“Huh?” George hadn’t said a word. He was too stunned at the spectacular failure of his plan to hurt Will.
“Cell phone! Call 9-1-1!” Cried Lizzy.
Slowly George pulled out his phone. Lizzy snatched it and called the emergency number. After she gave the necessary information, she ended the call.
“Office number?”
“What?”
“The producer’s office! We need to call them.” Looking down at Anne, she saw the strange position of her foot. “It looks like your ankle is hurt. George, go back to our room and get some ice out of the fridge.”
“Um…”
“Ice, George. NOW!”
Lizzy knelt by Anne, who was turning pale. Will pulled his sweatshirt off and put it over Anne. He looked at Lizzy and mouthed ‘shock.’ Lizzy nodded and looked at George’s phone. He was always threatening to call the producers, so maybe the office number was stored in his phone. His address book was huge, but she found a familiar name quickly. The call was answered on the first ring.
George! Hi, lover! How are you?”
“Mary?”
“Um, who is this?”
“Mary, it’s Lizzy Bennet. I’m at the rehearsal studio. We need Thea and Rob ASAP. There’s been an accident.”
“Omigod! What happened?”
“Just get them over here, fast as you can.”
Lizzy ended the call and set the phone on the stairs just as George returned with ice wrapped in a towel. Lizzy took it and gently set it on top of Anne’s ankle. Anne winced.
“Hang in there, Anne. I know it hurts. But we want to minimize the swelling.”
Will took Anne’s hand and squeezed it. She squeezed back. Lizzy saw what he was doing, and did the same thing with the other hand. Relieved when Anne returned the squeeze, Lizzy rubbed Anne’s hand and looked at Will. He nodded.
“Anne,” said Will. “Can you wiggle your toes? Don’t move anything else, just your toes.”
“Hurts.”
“I know. But that’s a good thing. It means, well, it means you aren’t injured too badly.”
“No spinal cord injury, you mean.” Seeing his surprise, Anne continued, “Doctor Darcy and Nurse Bennet are not very subtle in their examination.”
“Hey!” said Lizzy, “I don’t have to be the nurse. I could be the doctor. Don’t be so sexist.”
Anne smiled weakly, “I’d like to see Will in a nurse’s cap. Hey, Lizzy, how about you? Are you all right? They didn’t tell us much last night.”
“Just a few bruises. I’ll be fine. Do you hurt anywhere in addition to your ankle?”
“My shoulder hurts. I think it’s just bruised.”
The ambulance arrived at the same time as Thea Harris and Rob Marsden. While the paramedics worked on Anne, Will explained what happened. They turned to George, who had been standing quietly nearby, keeping his face blank while he worked frantically to figure out what to say.
“George? Did you see her fall?” Thea asked.
“What? No.”
“Did you see anything?”
“Huh? I’m sorry, it’s just that I’m in shock. I went down those stairs right before she did. I could have been the one that fell.”
“George!” Mary King burst into the building and seeing George, hurled herself at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed, “Oh, thank God you’re all right! Oh, lover, I was so worried.”
Lizzy stared at Mary, who continued to babble endearments. Thea and Rob looked shocked. Will looked disgusted. All George could think was Oh, #$%^&*!!!!!
The paramedics had Anne on a gurney, and were ready to put her into the ambulance.
“Someone should go with her,” said Will, as he picked up his sweatshirt from where the paramedic had tossed it.
“I’ll go,” said Lizzy.
“I should send someone from our production team,” said Rob. “Under the circumstances, it won’t be Mary. I’ll have Hannah meet you at the hospital.”
Lizzy ran back to her rehearsal room to get her purse. Will followed her and gave her his cell number.
“Call me and let me know how she is.”
Lizzy nodded and ran to the ambulance.
After everyone had left, Will sat on the stairs, wondering what would happen next. George had said ‘I could have been the one that fell.’ Will thought about that. Or it could have been me. Should have been, really. I was going to follow him, but Anne did instead. George wanted me to follow him, and if I had, Anne wouldn’t be hurt now. Stupid carpet!
Will poked at the offending piece of carpet. Something wasn’t quite right. He could see the holes where it had been tacked. But there were no tacks. Not still in the step, not stuck in the carpet, not lying around loose. Could—no, even I’m not that paranoid.
Sighing, Will leaned his elbows on the step behind him and let his head roll back. As he did, he noticed something else.
later that morning, at a Las Vegas hospital
Lizzy stood outside the entrance to the hospital with her cell phone.
Darcy.
“Hello, Will. It’s Lizzy Bennet.”
“How is she?”
“Her ankle’s a mess, and she has some bruises, of course. But it could have been a lot worse. They’re keeping her overnight in case she has a concussion. She should be in her room in a little while.”
“I want to see her. If you wait, I’ll drive you back after I visit. I need to talk to you.”
“What about?”
“Long story. I’ll tell you later.”
Meanwhile, in the production offices of “Come Dance With Me”
Rob Marsden, producer of “Come Dance With Me,” and Thea Harris, the director, sat in Rob’s office waiting for their call to the executive producer and the network executives.
“They are not going to be happy,” said Thea.
“No. But we have to deal with it somehow. Of all our scenarios, I like the shuffle best.”
“If they go along with it. I’m concerned about what the other dancers will say when we vary the way dances are assigned.”
“They can’t do anything about it. So we start scrambling the dances a week earlier than we usually do. Who’s to say we didn’t intend to do so all along? We haven’t assigned next weeks’ dances yet. And it is the best solution. If two couples go out this week, the whole thing ends a week early. You know how the network likes the final week to be during Sweeps.”
meanwhile, at a hospital in Las Vegas
While she waited for Will, Lizzy found out Anne’s room number and got directions. Will caught up with her in the lobby.
“Hi.”
“Hi. You got here quickly.”
“I got lucky with a parking space. Have you seen her yet?”
“No, but we can go up now.”
They found Anne propped up in bed.
“Hi, how are you feeling?” said Will. “Does your ankle hurt?”
“No. They gave me some lovely medicine for it.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
“Lizzy, you didn’t have to stay all this while! Will, she was so kind to me. She stayed with me in the ambulance and we sang ‘What I Did For Love,’ and then the doctor fixed my foot.”
Lizzy laughed, “Anne, your lovely medicine has you a bit loopy. We didn’t actually sing. We just talked about it.”
“We could sing it now.”
“I don’t think so,” said Lizzy. “You need to rest. We should go. We just wanted to make sure you were okay. Do you need anything? Do you want someone to call your mother?”
“Hannah said someone would call her for me. Oh, Will! I just realized, I put you out of the competition! I’m so sorry!”
“Don’t worry about it, Anne. It’s probably for the best. I think my dancing would put me out anyway. You can watch the results show tonight and see the departure.”
“Mmmm.”
Will kissed her cheek and said, “Get some rest. Let me know if they keep you here another day and I’ll come back and visit again.”
As Will and Lizzy waited for the elevator, he asked, “What was all that about singing?”
“To distract her in the ambulance, I mentioned that it was like the scene in A Chorus Line where a dancer falls and is carried out. The other dancers talk about what they would do when they could no longer dance. And that leads into the song.” Seeing Will’s blank look, she said, “Oh, geez, tell me you never saw A Chorus Line?”
“No.”
“But how—I mean, it’s—I don’t know what to say. It’s iconic. I saw a production of it and wished I’d taken tap instead of ballroom. Although it’s just as well I didn’t. I’d never make it as a gypsy. I’d be like the girl who couldn’t sing.”
They entered the elevator, and Lizzy said, “You didn’t get any of that, did you?”
“No, sorry. I’ll have to rent the movie.”
“Oh, God, no! The movie sucked! Don’t see the movie, see the play. It’s coming back to Broadway. See the play. Promise me you’ll see the play.”
“All right, all right. I’ll see it. You’re—” he stopped himself from saying that she was cute when she was passionate about something.
“I’m what?” she asked, hands on hips. The elevator door opened and he walked out, but she just stood there, glaring.
“Coming?”
Lizzy realized that people were getting on the elevator and she had to get off. As she did so, she repeated, “I’m what?”
“You have very definite opinions.”
“Yes, I do. And this is bad because…?”
“It isn’t bad at all.” He opened the car door for her and she got in.
After he exited the hospital parking garage, Lizzy remembered that Will had said they needed to talk about something.
“Oh, right. Rob wants to meet with us and George as soon as we get back. George caused Anne’s fall and they’re trying to figure out how to deal with this.”
“Oh, please! He may have done something stupid last night, but that’s ridiculous! What is wrong with you?”
“Me? What’s wrong with me? Nothing is wrong with me. It’s Wickham that goes through life not caring who he hurts. He loosened the carpet.”
“You’re delusional. Next thing, you’re going to tell me it was supposed to be you that tripped on the carpet.”
“Yes, it was. He came to our rehearsal room, started an argument, and left, expecting me to follow him. But Anne lost her temper and ran after him instead.”
“And she fell on the carpet that George loosened.”
“Yes!”
“That’s unbelievable!”
“How can you defend him after he threw you across the floor last night?”
In the excitement of Anne’s fall, Lizzy had forgotten about the disastrous end to her waltz the previous night. Not sure what to think, Lizzy turned to look out the side window. They had no more to say for the rest of the trip.
later, in the “Come Dance With Me” production offices
Lizzy and Will were still silent as they walked to the production office. When they arrived at Rob Marsden’s office, they heard George’s voice.
“Do I have to meet with him? I can hardly look at him after what he’s done! Poor Anne, he messed with the carpet to hurt her because he wasn’t doing well. He’d rather drop out because his partner was hurt than have to admit that he’s a lousy dancer.”
“George, give it a rest!” said Rob. “We have the security tape from the building. It shows you tampering with the carpet.”
“You don’t know it’s me. From the back, Darcy and I look alike.”
“How do you know that all we saw is your back?” As George spluttered, Rob continued, “We have you on tape, George. The question is, will Anne want to press charges.”
Lizzy couldn’t look at Will. She stared at the door to Rob’s office in disbelief. Rob’s assistant told them to go in. Will held the door open for Lizzy. Dazed, she walked in and sat down. Out of habit, she chose the chair nearest to George.
“Lizzy!” he cried, “I’m so glad you’re here. Tell them I didn’t have anything to do with Anne’s fall.”
“You expect me to lie for you? After you hurt Anne? A nice person whose only sin was dancing with someone you don’t like?”
“But Lizzy, you’re my partner!”
“Not any more.” said Rob. “George, you’re finished. We’d like to keep this quiet. As far as anyone outside this room knows, Anne had an accident. If you go around saying Will caused it, you will force us to go public with what you did, and I will go with Anne to the police to press charges against you.”
“Like I care.”
“George, you may think this will just add luster to your ‘bad boy’ image, but as a producer, I can tell you that the producers of your film won’t be pleased when you’re in jail and their schedule is shot to hell.”
“Plenty of stars get in trouble and it doesn’t hurt their careers. You don’t scare me.”
“You should be scared, George. Big stars get away with a lot. You aren’t that famous and you aren’t that talented. Screw up and you’ll be tossed aside.”
“Says you.” George glared at the producer.
“Says me,” replied Rob calmly. “Here’s what will happen. Tonight we will announce that you had to withdraw because of your filming schedule. You will not take part in tonight’s show. Security will escort you to your rehearsal room so that you can collect your belongings. Lizzy, you will go along to make sure he doesn’t take anything that belongs to you. George, you may wait outside until Lizzy is ready to go.”
After George left, Lizzy said, “What about Mary King? From her reaction to what happened this morning, I’d guess she was infatuated with George.”
“Mary’s involvement with George was highly improper. She is on her way to Yellowknife, where she will be assisting the producer of a nature video for our sister channel the Wildlife Network.”
“Ouch,” said Lizzy.
“We could have fired her,” said Rob, “But she’s young and foolish, and a little time in Siberia will help her learn her lesson. But let’s look ahead.”
“There’s nothing to look at, surely,” said Will. “Anne can’t dance with a broken ankle, and George is gone, so there will be two couples leaving tonight.”
Rob smiled and said, “Not necessarily. What happens next is up to the two of you.”
Chapter 20
Posted on Thursday, 25 October 2007
Still results day, Green Room
Thea looked around the Green Room nervously. She didn’t like not knowing what was going to happen, but then it occurred to her that the dancers had to deal with this on every results day. The level of nervous energy in the room told her that word of Anne’s accident had circulated, and everyone was curious about tonight’s show.
“Okay, people, let me have your attention!” she called out. “We’re going to run through this one time, and then you’re free to relax, have a snack, whatever. Before we start, I have an announcement to make. Many of you probably know that Anne deBourgh fell today. She broke her ankle and is out for the rest of the competition. George Wickham had a personal emergency and will not be performing tonight. Fortunately, you’re doing a line dance, so we will just close up the spaces and do the dance as choreographed.
“Your involvement will be standing on stage for the opening of the show, then your line dance. Then, during the singer, you will change into last night’s costumes. That will be followed by the safe announcements, and then the last item is who is going home. So let’s get started, places on stage, please.”
As they ambled out of the Green Room, Charlotte Lucas asked Lizzy about Anne.
“Someone said you went with her to the hospital?”
“Yes, I was in my rehearsal room when she fell, and I thought, you know, another dancer should go with her.”
“Right, like the thing in Chorus Line, when the guy gets hurt,” said David Sanderson.
‘I love that song,” sighed Charlotte. The three of them began to sing
“Kiss today goodbye,
And point me toward tomorrow.
Wish me luck,
The same to you.
And I can’t forget
What I did for love,
What I did for love.” *
As they moved toward their positions on the stage, Will asked Lizzy, “Does every dancer know that song? Is it some sort of anthem?”
“It’s a famous song. But not an anthem. Funny, I never thought about it, but another song from the show is more of an anthem. To me, at least.”
Thea called out “Places, please!” and Will and Lizzy moved to their positions.
Without taking time out for commercial breaks, the dress rehearsal went quickly. Dancers dispersed to dressing rooms to relax. Will and Lizzy remained on the dance floor with Thea.
“Well,” said Thea, “Have you made a decision?”
“Actually, we’re going to talk about it now,” said Lizzy. “I thought we—”
“There you are!” Thea, Lizzy, and Will turned in the direction of the strident voice. “You scheming hussy! You knew you and that actor were going out this week. You hurt my daughter so that you could steal her partner. Anne is a true proficient. She would have won this competition if not for the injury you inflicted on her just to further your career. Selfish girl! I will speak to the producers and see that you never work on this show again!”
“Excuse me—” Thea began.
“Hush! I am not speaking to you!” The woman turned to Will and said, “And you! How can you be so ungrateful? Anne put in all that effort training you and the minute she has a problem, you just walk away from her!”
“Excuse me—” Thea tried again.
“Are you still here? Go away!”
“No, I will not go away. I assume you are Anne’s mother?”
“I am. And who are you?”
“Thea Harris, the director.”
“Hmph! Where is the producer? I want to know that this scheming baggage will be sent home!”
“Mummy!” Anne stood, propped up on crutches, at the doorway to the ballroom.
“Anne, you were supposed to wait in the car. You mustn’t exert yourself. The doctor released you from the hospital on the condition that you would stay off your feet.”
“Mummy, I asked you not to do this. Now I’m telling you. I want to leave and I want you to come with me. NOW.”
“You two had better go,” said Thea softly to Lizzy and Will. “Get out while she’s distracted.”
“Your rehearsal room or mine?” asked Will as they made their way toward the stage exit.
“Mine. It’s on the first floor. Sorry, that wasn’t funny, was it?”
“It’s fine. I want to call my sister, and then I’ll meet you. Say, ten minutes?”
After Will and Lizzy left, Mrs. deBourgh continued to berate Thea.
“Mummy!” Anne had to shout to be heard, “You have said quite enough. We are going back to the hotel now. Thea, please apologize to Lizzy and Will on our behalf. And tell them they have my blessing if they decide to dance together.”
later, in a rehearsal room in Las Vegas
Lizzy had removed her jeans and boots and put on leggings and soft dance shoes. She needed to move, to expend her nervous energy. She sang softly to herself as she danced around the room.
“Give me somebody to dance for.
Give me somebody to show.
Let me wake up in the morning to find
I have somewhere exciting to go.
To have something that I can believe in.
To have someone to be.
Use me, choose me!
God, I’m a dancer,
A dancer dances!” **
She stopped her spin facing the mirror and saw Will standing in the door. He smiled.
“Your anthem?”
Blushing, she nodded, “Sort of. I hadn’t thought about it until you asked me if the other song was a dancer’s anthem.”
“What’s this one about?”
“You really need to see this play! This is Cassie’s song in which she asks to be given a job as a dancer. ‘All I ever needed was the music and the mirror and the chance to dance.’ I guess that does sound like an anthem.”
“Did you ever have Broadway aspirations?”
“No. As I said earlier, I can’t sing.”
“You sounded fine just now.”
“That part of the song has a narrow range, but it gets away from me after that part. I always go flat. And I don’t project well. But never mind that, we have other things to talk about. So pull up a chair or a piece of floor and let’s talk about this.”
Lizzy dropped gracefully to the floor. Although he would have preferred a chair, Will sat on the floor facing her.
“Ladies first.”
Lizzy raised one eyebrow and asked, “Is that chivalry or cowardice?”
“A little of both. Plus, I didn’t want to be sexist and try to assume control of the situation.”
“Well, to start with, I think they really want us to do this.”
“I know. If we leave, they are a week short. They want this to end in a sweeps week. I’ve been in broadcasting for a number of years, and, sad to say, even in the news business, sweeps week is a big deal.”
Lizzy nodded, “And I guess the pairing of two former competitors gets attention and helps ratings.”
“Yes. And if we agree to this, don’t be surprised if we’re on the redeye out of here tonight so that we can be on a morning talk show tomorrow.”
“Are you okay with that, Will? I mean, you’re used to doing television, but is this hype going to be too embarrassing for a serious journalist?”
“After my paso last night, I may never be taken seriously again.”
“It wasn’t that bad.”
“You’re being kind. Be honest, it was bad.”
“Okay, it was bad. But the paso is the hardest dance for a lot of men. If you don’t like to be flamboyant and dramatic, you feel silly. You felt silly and it showed.”
“That brings us to the next point. All of this discussion may be moot. I’m pretty bad at this, and may be the next one to go anyhow.”
“Stop!” Lizzy held up her hand. “No negativity. However bad you may be, if you’re going to dance with me, you can never say that you’re bad.”
“I don’t have the freedom you have. You danced like nobody is watching.”
“I didn’t think anyone was.”
“Not just now, no. But no matter what, you dance without self-consciousness.”
“I get caught up in the music and the dancing, and I don’t think about who’s watching. It’s about focus. Concentrate on enjoying the music.”
“I’m too busy worrying about the steps.”
“Well, yes, there is that, of course.” Lizzy smiled. “Thea did tell me that if we do this, we get the foxtrot for our dance. Otherwise, we would have been doing a tango. She and Rob felt that to put together something that intense as our first dance would have been too difficult.”
“Is the foxtrot easy?”
“The steps are fairly easy. But it’s the man’s dance in that you are expected to lead.”
“But we follow our choreography. I don’t have to lead.”
“True, but done properly, even in this situation, you should lead. Let’s try something. Stand up.”
They stood facing each other. She walked toward him and said, “Dance position, please. Very good. By the way, you stayed in the hold nicely in your quickstep, so that bodes well for the foxtrot. Now, we are going to walk on a count of four. You start on your left and I start on my right. You walk forward. I will close my eyes, so it’s up to you to guide me.”
“What?”
“It’s a basic trust exercise. I’m putting you in charge.”
“What about the steps?”
“Just walk me around the room. I’ll count off the first four, and then we’ll count together as we walk. Ready? One, two, three, AND.”
They walked across the room. Will abruptly stopped and Lizzy opened her eyes.
“What happened? We were doing fine.”
“I ran out of room.”
“So turn! What do you do on the highway when the road bends? Steer! Come on! One, two, three, AND.”
They walked for about a minute, and then Lizzy said, “Stop.”
“What did I do wrong?” asked Will, wishing they could continue.
“Nothing.”
“Then why did you stop us?”
“Because I know what I need to know. I can dance with you. Our strides match nicely, you can keep your position, and you can lead, which is a plus.”
“But I can’t dance.”
“Will!! What did I say earlier? You will not say ‘bad.’ You will not say ‘can’t.’ No negativity. I’ll work you hard, Will, but I’m a good teacher. You may find that I teach differently than Anne, but I think my method will help you find your way through the music.”
“You’ll really do this?”
“If you want to continue, I’m willing to dance with you.”
“Then, yes, I want to continue.”
* “What I Did For Love” from A Chorus Line (by Marvin Hamlish and Edward Kleban)
** “The Music and the Mirror” from A Chorus Line (by Marvin Hamlish and Edward Kleban)