Beginning, Section II, Next Section
Part 8
At about 2pm Darcy stood up and stretched, before moving to the sink to make himself another coffee. On his only break that day he'd taken a friend (who happened to be the uni.'s Legal Aid advisor) up to the hospital, as he'd thought Sarah might need some advice about retrieving her belongings from the unit she'd shared with Travis. The idea that he might possibly see Liz , had not even entered his head (no, really!) so I'm not sure how to explain his disappointment when she wasn't there. Apart from this he'd spent all the rest of his day inside catching up on paperwork.
That was the trouble with government funded initiatives. They always required reams and reams of paperwork. Darcy was unsure of what the Department did with the reports once it received them - probably filed and archived them - he was reasonably sure that no-one ever read them. Every now and then he resisted the urge to sprinkle the reports with inane or unrelated phrases like 'eat that sausage' or 'Bo Peep did it for the insurance', just to see if he'd get any reaction from head office.
There was no question that he'd been influenced in his choice to stay indoors by the thought that Liz might possibly call past to say hi, but unfortunately he'd been disappointed in this hope.
His best friend could have told him why. Bingley had swapped with a fellow worker for lifeguard duty that day. Janie had let it drop the preceding evening, not long after Bingley had received his good night kiss (or should I say kisses?) that she planned to spend some of the following day at the beach, so Bingley planned to be there too.
The morning dragged somewhat as he waited for Janie to put in an appearance. It didn't help that there was virtually no work to keep his mind from her. The waters were relatively calm and a milder than usual day meant that less people were on the beach. The most he'd done was hand out a couple of Band-Aids and squirt a little 'Stingoes' a few sandfly bites.
It was almost lunchtime when he spotted the figure he'd been waiting for, walking down to the sand. He was so caught up in his pre-occupation with her that he barely discerned that she was accompanied by two pretty young ladies he had yet to meet.
He stood up and greeted her with a warm smile, which she readily returned while asking how he coped with having to get to work early, after such a late night.
"We all slept in", she told him, after he assured her that he'd coped fine. "Liz was only just waking up as we left. It was after 3 in the morning when one of the hospital's security guards dropped her off."
"So is she coming down later?" Bingley asked. "I'd like to hear how everything went with the reunion".
"I can hardly wait to get the full story myself", Janie smiled, "but she won't be down. She has a deadline to meet with some of her honours work, and she needed to go up to your Uni. library to tidy it up. She should email it through today if she wants one of her tutors look it over before she submits it".
"Phew, imagine doing work on your holidays! It's a bit pathetic if you ask me".
It was only on hearing this comment that Bingley completely became aware of Janie's companions.
" Chaz, I haven't introduced my friends. This is Lydia," Janie indicated the girl who had just spoken, "and this is Cathy".
Bingley now found it necessary to give part of his attention to someone other than Jane, and politely said hello to Cathy and Lydia, as he took in their appearance.
There was no denying that they were pretty girls, but only a few minutes conversation, caused him to find them a little superficial by comparison to Liz and Janie.
He particularly found Lydia disconcerting; she had no hesitation in putting herself forward and in cutting, not only Cathy, but also Janie, out of the conversation. She'd wasted no time in stripping down to a particularly minuscule (dare he say microscopic) bikini - which, combined with her overt interest in him, made him inclined to back away. Over the years he had also developed a wariness of girls that wore lots of make-up to the beach. This suggested to him that swimming was the last thing on their minds, and that their main purpose was to 'parade'. Lydia seemed to fit this mould perfectly.
He retreated from her by again addressing himself to Janie.
"Are you planning to take a dip?"
"I was going to" she answered, "when I work up enough courage to test the water. What's it like in today?"
"Surprisingly pleasant", he told her. "I'll come in with you if you like."
"That'd be nice," she smiled at him.
Lydia and Cathy exchanged glances. The years had taught them that if Janie was even a little inclined to return a man's attention, it was nigh on folly to try and get a look-in. If you added to this, the fact that Janie was going to be in a swimsuit, the girls realised that it would be downright impossible to get any positive attention from this 'Chaz'. They quickly made their excuses and moved on down the beach to fairer game.
Chaz and Janie continued to chat pleasantly, as Janie removed her beach wrap in preparation for the swim. Bingley did wonderfully well in managing not to choke mid sentence. He'd been unable to resist the urge to take in her form, and he hoped that his wearing of dark sun glasses had somewhat disguised his gaping. The fact that her swimsuit was far more discrete than either Cathy or Lydia's, detracted in no way from her sensual appeal; it rather added to it, and he moved close to sensory overload as she reached out and took his hand to lead him toward the waters edge.
Liz in the mean time, was not having the best of afternoons. Apart from acknowledging she'd rather be swimming or sleeping, she was annoyed that her task was taking longer than expected. At the rate she was going, she despaired of making it to the Beachwatch office before William finished his shift (just to let him know how things had gone with Sarah of course). She had her work all on disc, and only really needed to insert a few references and tidy up the bibliography, which didn't take long at all. Her problem however, was in actually submitting it. She'd organised to email it to one of her lecturers who had agreed to proof read it, and make any suggestions if it needed improvement, but the stupid computer kept rejecting her email.
She had then tried to email it to her Uni's office, but received an automatic reply saying that incoming mail would not be dealt with before the beginning of the academic year. From here she had tried phoning, hoping speak to a member of the academic staff, but had been unable to make it past the harpy in administration.
Never one to accept defeat easily, Liz then approached the Librarian at the desk, and quickly explained her predicament.
"I was hoping that you might possibly have a direct phone number on file, so I can try getting through to the academic staff without going through the office", she finished.
The librarian took pity on Liz and checked her computer's phone number index for other universities, but it only listed the number that Liz had already tried.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be any help", she apologised.
"Well, I knew it was a slim hope anyway", Liz smiled at her. "Thanks so much for checking for me. I really appreciated it".
"So where do you go from here?" the librarian asked.
"I don't really know, I suppose I'll have to consider catching a bus back to see about it in person", Liz replied, a little disheartened, "but I'll leave that as a last resort".
"Maybe I can help", a voice came from behind, and Liz turned to see a tall, attractive woman, probably in her early 50's, sitting at a desk not far behind her. Liz thought that something about her was familiar, but she couldn't quite place what it was.
"Thank you Professor Fitzwilliam", the librarian addressed her. "Do you have a more comprehensive list of contact numbers?"
"No", she smiled, "but I might have more luck in getting past the office manager".
"Oh, I'd be so grateful if you could try", Liz expressed with relief, and watched as the woman stepped up to the phone.
"What's the name of the person I'll be speaking with?" the professor asked.
"Mrs De Bourgh", Liz replied with a grimace. "We all call her 'the Lady', as she lords it over everyone, as though she owns the place".
Professor Fitzwilliam smiled and dialled the number. What followed was both amusing, and extremely exasperating. It was a battle between two very strong women, but unfortunately Mrs De bourgh had held all the cards, and she just refused, point blank to transfer the professor through once she learned that she was ringing on behalf of Elizabeth Bennet. By the end of the conversation Professor Fitzwilliam was fuming.
"Did I hear you call her a harpy before?" she said to Liz. "I think you were understating things!"
Despite her disappointment Liz had to laugh.
"You were wonderful for trying. Those of us who've been studying there for a while avoid her like the plague. We always hang back until she steps out, or is otherwise occupied, and wait to speak to Charlotte, a wonderfully helpful girl who also works there. I asked for her when I first rang, but she's on leave. - Thanks again Professor Fitzwilliam".
"Please call me Anne", The professor replied. "There's no-one else who works in the office we can try?"
Liz smiled gratefully at her use of the word 'we'.
"Only Bill Collins, who's 'the Lady's' toad. He hasn't had an original thought in his life, and to top it off he's sleazy. So we'd have no pleasure there, even if we could get 'the Lady' to put him on the phone", Liz said resignedly.
"What's your thesis on by the way?" asked Anne.
"It's a comparative study on the results achieved by students in different forms of education, where their family's involvement and socio-economic background are taken into account. The question being, is the divide in results actually related to the type of schooling, or to factors outside a school's control".
"What an interesting choice of topic. I wouldn't mind reading what you've done so far. Would you be happy if I went over your original submission with you?"
Liz could not believe the generosity of such an offer, and found herself almost on the edge of stupefaction.
"Oh... Anne... Thank you. It's a wonderful offer, but I couldn't impose on you like that. I'm sure you have enough on your plate without looking out for students from other universities".
"It wouldn't be an imposition at all. I love subjects like the one you've chosen. I would truly enjoy going through it with you. It's only unoriginal regurgitations that I have trouble with".
It took more assurance on Anne's part to convince Liz of the sincerity of her offer, and given the alternative of cutting her holiday short, and catching a bus back 500 miles, in order to chase up her lecturer in person, Liz finally accepted Anne's kind assistance.
~
As the afternoon moved slowly onwards, Darcy began to resign himself to the unlikely-hood of Liz dropping by the office. He resolved not to leave it there though, and on finishing work he drove up to the cabin he'd learned the girls were renting for the week. Here he had no luck either; the house was still and quiet, with no signs of life at all. All he could think to do now was go home. He'd ring Chaz later and see if he had any idea where the girls were.
So it was that, with a little discontentment, Darcy arrived home, and wandered into the kitchen to grab a snack. It was then that he was met with a most interesting sight. His mum and his sister were sitting at the kitchen table, chatting and laughing with his Elizabeth, as if they were lifelong friends.
The look of astonishment on his face on seeing her, was matched only by the look of astonishment on hers.
"Hi hon, how was your day?" Anne threw at her son.
"Ah... fine", he answered absently, a slight smile beginning to play on his lips.
"William, I'd like you to meet Liz, - Liz, this is my son Will..."
"We've met", both Liz and William said together, smiling at each other.
"You have?" asked Anne curiously.
"Yes", William told his mum. "We go back ages. I'd say at least 24 hours".
"He had the dubious pleasure of talking me off a ledge on a cliff face yesterday", Liz explained.
"Oh......"
An understanding of who she was seemed to dawn on both Georgie and Anne. The events of the preceding evening had been the main topic of conversation at the Darcy household over breakfast.
"Nothing dubious about the pleasure at all", William said honestly. "Now how, may I ask, do you come to be sitting in my kitchen?"
"I'm here as a charity project for your wonderful mother", Liz replied, and the whole tale was then laid out before William, with his mother filling in certain details, and a rather colourful opinion on Mrs De bough.
Darcy laughed at the picture his mother painted. He didn't look surprised at all that she'd taken pity on, and brought home, Liz to give her a hand. This was typical of his mother's way with others.
"What uni are you studying at?" William asked
Liz told him.
"Small world", he commented. "I actually applied for a teaching position there a few months back, but the application obviously didn't go anywhere.
"It's probably still sitting in the office, waiting for the harpy to get around to processing it", Anne dryly commented.
"I wouldn't be at all surprised", Liz laughed. "You'll probably receive an acknowledgement of receipt in a month or two's time, but why would you want to leave a beautiful place like this?"
"Because of my parents", Darcy answered ruefully, just before his mother gave him a playful slap. "Seriously, I do love it here, but as both my parents have seats at the university, I sometimes think it might be good for me to branch out a little more on my own".
"I suppose that's understandable", Liz agreed. "You know Anne, when I first saw you, you reminded me of someone, but I couldn't put my finger on who. If you'd been Professor Darcy though, I think I would worked out your relationship with William straight away. There's certainly a family resemblance".
"I've always gone by 'Fitzwilliam' professionally", Anne explained. "For one thing, it saves a lot of confusion between me and my husband".
Just then the group was interrupted by the entrance of Bingley (who never bothered knocking) and Janie, whom he had brought along with him. The conversation turned naturally to Sarah, and Liz was made tell all about her parents and the reunion.
"...it was a relief to see they really were such lovely people", Liz finished up. "I know it's going to be a huge adjustment for them all, and overwhelmingly emotional, but I'm sure things will work out fine. Mrs Symonds has put them on to a Family and Relationships Counsellor through a church in their area, whom she swears is absolutely wonderful, so it's good to know that they won't have to work through it all alone".
It was at this point that Darcy told of how he'd seen Sarah that morning. His lawyer friend had said that there was a lot of legal rigmarole that they could go through to get Sarah's stuff, or alternately they could just turn up when Travis was likely to be out of the house, and help themselves. She had in fact, recommended the latter method, so Darcy had pledged the muscle of Beachwatch team to give Sarah a hand on the following day, when Travis was likely to be at the club.
"What are you going to call that on the daily reports", Bingley laughed. "Safety exercise? Rubbish removal?"
"Don't worry, I'll think of something that sounds technical enough", Darcy grinned. "I just think it's a shame that Travis won't be there to see us doing it".
It was at this point that Anne invited the girls to stay for dinner.(Bingley didn't require an invitation, he spent most of his free time at the Darcy's anyway). She then informed Darcy that it was his turn to cook, before leaving with Liz to go over some more of her work.
Darcy did a very credible job of satay chicken for dinner, and everyone enjoyed the good company and lively conversation. After they'd finished clearing up, Georgie suggested a game of Pictionary, and they all agreed.
As they sat down to begin, a playful argument developed among the Darcy's, with each suggesting that Bingley would make a good partner for the others. Bingley took it all with his customary good humour, insisting that there was nothing wrong with his drawing, and saying that the Darcys just suffered from a lack of perception.
The game began with the teams arranged just as you would have imagined; Anne & Georgie, Chaz & Janie, and William & Liz. Janie very soon learned why none of the Darcys had wanted Chaz for a partner; he was quite good in the guessing department, but absolutely atrocious when it came to drawing. All of the others might be certain he was sketching a tree, and it would turn out to be something like an octopus. The battle was tight between the other two teams, though. Liz and Darcy had a slight edge because Liz was quite exceptional with the pencil, but Anne and Georgie had more luck with the dice, and after a great deal of competitive banter and laughter, they ended up ultimately victorious.
Janie and Liz expressed surprise, upon examining their watches, that they had been at the Darcy's for so long.
" I suppose we'd really better be heading off. Thanks so much for a lovely dinner and the great company" Janie said.
"...and for all your help". Elizabeth added to Anne.
"You're very welcome. If you drop in for an hour or so tomorrow afternoon we should be able to finish up", Anne replied. "Were you planning anything particular tomorrow?"
"No, apart from checking in with Sarah in the morning, I hadn't planned any thing. Janie, did you have anything in mind that I should plan around?"
"No. Chaz managed to get tickets to 'The Importance of Being Earnest' tomorrow night, but that shouldn't effect anyone".
"It'll effect me", William said dryly. "Had you forgotten that you'd promised to do the overnight shift tomorrow".
"Oh, I'd completely forgotten", Bingley said, slapping his forehead. "Do you mind doing it for me?"
"That'll be fine", William said a little reluctantly. It had exasperated his plans to invite Liz out for the night.
"Are you doing the turtle watch?" asked Georgie enthusiastically. "If I wasn't spending the night at Sandra's I'd go along with you. You know, you should take Liz with you... Liz, it's a real buzz. You wait out the night on Turtle Beach, where they traditionally lay their eggs, and record any turtles that show up. This is their egg laying season".
Darcy blessed the fact that he had a younger sister.
"Would you like to come Liz?" he asked.
"If you'd like some company", Liz replied with a smile.
"I feel a bit bad putting you out", Bingley said. "I'll take the watch if you'd like me too, and if Janie doesn't mind a change of plans". It had just occurred to him that spending a night on a secluded beach with Janie, might even be preferable to taking her to the theatre. "You could use the tickets".
"Thank you for such a generous offer Chaz" Darcy said with a grin, guessing exactly what was going on in Bingley's mind, "but I wouldn't dream of taking your tickets from you".
Part 10
Liz re-checked her diary to make sure that she was about to knock on the door of the correct motel room. Just then a delighted peel of laughter, that she thought must belong to Melody, came from the room. Liz smiled and rapped lightly on the door. To say the reception she received was warm, would be a vast understatement. Kisses and hugs were exchanged with both Sarah and her mum, and had it not been that Melody's movement was somewhat restricted, she would no doubt, have received the same from her.
Melody started talking almost as soon as Liz entered the room.
"I've got a Nanna And Pa", she told Liz excitedly from her position on her grandad's knee, "and cousins!"
"That's wonderful Mel", Liz grinned at her.
"Do you want to see some pictures of them?" Melody asked. "I can tell you all their names".
Liz sat down and was treated to the family photo's, and all sorts of tit-bits of family history. The joy of all them all was quite contagious, and Liz left the motel on a bit of a high, after saying she'd definitely be back in an hour to lend some moral support to Sarah, as she retrieved her belongings from her old flat.
Liz wandered up to the shopping centre and purchased some art supplies that she wanted, before returning to the motel. Sarah's mood obviously became more tense as they walked together to the flat, and Liz tried to reassure her that everything would go fine. A small removal van had been hired, and was already there waiting, as were Bingley and Darcy, and another two of their Beachwatch team.
William wasted no time on small talk. He understood that Sarah wouldn't really be able to relax until the job was completed and they were well away. He swiftly took charge of the situation, walking Sarah through the house and listing all that she wanted to take.
Needing the job to be completed swiftly, Darcy left the removal specialists to the packing of the more awkward and breakable items, and set his young men the task of removing the larger pieces of furniture like the beds and bedroom cabinets. To save time, clothes and belongings were left in drawers where-ever possible, leaving only the items from the built in wardrobes to be packed. Sarah and Liz worked on the more personal items such as clothes, toys, photos and paperwork. Bingley set to work on the bookcases, and Darcy gave direction, pushing things along, and helping where-ever needed.
"Sarah", Liz asked. "I've noticed that you don't seem to be taking much other than personal items. Didn't you say you lived here first, before Travis moved in? Don't you own any more of the furniture or electrical items?"
Sarah didn't look up as she mumbled something about how bad she'd feel if she took everything.
"I couldn't go and leave him with nothing".
Liz held her tongue.
When she found herself alone with Darcy for a moment however, she broached the subject.
"It seems that a lot of the stuff we're leaving here is actually Sarah's. I know they mightn't look much, but they'll cost a heap to replace, especially the electrical and white goods."
"Will she need them at her parent's?"
"She'll only be there until they find a suitable apartment in their neighbourhood.".
Darcy looked thoughtful.
"The thing is Liz, She's the one that has to live with what she does today.
As odd as it seems, she obviously still feels a little guilt over leaving Travis. You and I might think it reasonable for her to take everything, but she doesn't".
"But she owes him nothing", Liz protested. "from all I can gather she's been supporting him for the whole period of their relationship... and if you could have heard some of the things that she told me the other night..."
"I know Liz, but this is a huge step she's taking now. What is important is that she gets away. Things can be replaced".
Any further discussion was put an end to by Sarah entering the room, and Liz, though intellectually acknowledging that there was a lot of merit in what Darcy said, was still angry at Travis being left with anything.
One thought however, provided her with some evil consolation. Travis, on moving in, had demanded that the lease be transferred to his name. No doubt he'd seen it as a safeguard against ever being thrown out. The result was though, that Sarah could now leave without any legal obligation to pay further rent or give notice. It amused Liz that in his quest for power, Travis had inadvertently made Sarah's escape easier, as well as having tied himself financially to the flat for the next few months.
Their work was now close to an end, and Liz intervened to stop Sarah from cleaning some of the mess that Travis had left over the last few days - only managing to convince her to leave it, on reminding her that the should get out before Travis's possible return.
They left the men to lift the final boxes and walked to the front of the unit, only to run head first, into the last person that they wanted to see.
"So you've come crawling back", Travis sneered
It might do at this point to explain to you that Travis hadn't had the best of days. The foul mood he was in over Sarah's 'disobedience', had been exacerbated by a run of very bad luck on the horses that morning, meaning that his bookie was now in possession of most of his dole cheque for that week.
"You know your going to really have to make amends for your stupid behaviour, b****!. For a start I need some more money - and you'd better tell that cow", he indicated Liz, "to leave NOW!"
Being a little drunk, and with his attention concentrated fully on the girls, Travis had not noticed that he'd acquired an audience of a number of fit, muscular men, who were looking none to pleased at his performance.
"You - GO!" he yelled at Liz, who's disdainful smile was really getting on his nerves, "and Sarah - YOU GET INSIDE!".
Sarah looked past him at the men, and a realisation that he had no real power over her, washed through her being with an immense relief. Any fear she had of Travis began to dissipate, as an understanding, that she really didn't have to take this any more, dawned.
"No Travis", she said clearly.
"YOU WILL DO AS YOU'RE TOLD!" Travis yelled, and followed up with a tirade of such profanity that even the hard bitten truck driver from the removal company, was taken aback.
To Travis's chagrin and amazement Sarah stood unmoved. Travis, feeling the need, now more than ever, to hurt Sarah, launched into a vitriolic attack on Melody, calling her for everything.
"Enough!" Darcy silenced him with the one word. Elizabeth wished she could have bottled the look of horror on Travis's face as he turned to see the group of men.
"Are we going now Sarah?", Darcy asked
"No William", Sarah answered confidently, looking Travis in the eye. "I've just remembered that I've left some things behind. The T.V., video-player, washing machine And refrigerator are also mine".
Elizabeth restrained a whoop of triumph, and with great self-control, contented herself with grinning at Travis.
"Well, just leave that with us", Darcy smiled broadly. "We'll get it loaded and you and Liz can be on your way if you like".
"Thank you", Sarah demurred. "I think we might leave now - goodbye Travis".
She turned and walked off casually, and with such dignity, that Elizabeth almost burst with pride in her. Both girls couldn't wait to get around the corner so they could let out their delight with rather less dignified squeals and hugs.
Half an hour later Darcy arrived at Sarah's motel, where the whole family was ready to leave.
"Well, the truck's on it's way now. Even the removalists didn't complain about the sudden addition of such heavy items, or having to rearrange the truck", Darcy laughed. "They said it was their absolute pleasure after hearing Travis's tirade."
It was now time for more tears, as goodbyes were said between the new friends, and promises were given to keep in touch.
"William, do you have a pen I can borrow", Liz asked, as a scramble around her seemingly bottomless bag had been unable to produce any workable writing instrument.
William handed over a quite beautiful gold pen and addresses were exchanged, then more tears, and more hugs.
In a very few minutes Darcy and Liz were left standing by themselves, looking after a car fast disappearing into the distance.
Darcy slipped his arm comfortingly around Liz as she wiped the last tears from her eyes.
"Would you like a lift up to Mum's now?", he inquired , and Liz nodded.
After the drama of the morning, it seemed wrong to talk about anything light-hearted or trivial, so they drove to the Darcy house in virtual silence.
"Are you still feeling up to coming tonight?" William asked as they pulled up outside his home. He desperately hoped that she'd say yes. "It's been a pretty emotional day".
Elizabeth was touched by his concern and assured him she was fine.
"What time should I expect you?"
"Does 8 o'clock sound okay? It's a little bit of a hike to the beach from where we park the car. We can do it in daylight if we leave by then".
"Okay, is there anything in particular that I should bring?"
"Not that I can think of. I'll take care of supplies", William answered. "Oh, you'd better bring a warm jacket, it can get quite cold down there at night - and if you get the chance to have a sleep sometime this afternoon, that'd be a good idea".
~
Although she tried, Liz managed to get little more that half an hours sleep before being woken by Cathy and Lydia's loud return to the cabin at about five in the afternoon. She heard Janie, who was reading in the sitting room, try to quieten them, but to little effect.
Liz, knowing that it would be futile to try and drop off again, joined the others.
"What time's Chaz picking you up? She asked Janie.
"About 6.30. We're going to dinner first".
Liz smiled at the flush that came to Janie's cheeks as she spoke of Chaz. It was unusual to see her let her guard down over any guy, let alone so quickly.. She only hoped that Janie wasn't building herself up for disappointment . Liz herself didn't give much hope for the long term prospects of holiday romances. Still, they could be fun while they lasted.
"What are you planning to wear tonight?"
"I'm not sure, maybe my mauve blue dress" Janie answered, still a little tentitive.
""Oh, don't wear that!" Lydia put in. "You should borrow my little red number. That would make a statement".
"I'm sure it would", Liz dryly replied, "but I'm not sure that 'I'm a tart' is the statement Janie wants to make. I'd go with you original choice Janie. I love it on you. It goes perfectly with your colouring and sets off your eyes. It's elegant without being overdone, and sexy without being sluttish".
"Fine then", Lydia threw at Liz. "She wouldn't have been able to wear mine anyway, because I'm wearing it myself tonight".
Liz just rolled her eyes.
Janie looked perfection itself when Bingley knocked on the door, and the flush of pleasure on her face as she received Chaz's compliments made her look even more beautiful. Liz was again amazed at the humility of her friend who, though being absolutely stunning, always seemed surprised and a little self conscious at being admired.
Of the fact that she was currently being admired there could be no doubt. The look on Bingley's face was priceless and the way he spoke to her was almost reverential at first, but Janie's smile and unassuming manner seemed to put him at ease before they left.
"Have a great night", Liz smiled at them.
"You too", Bingley threw back with a teasing smile. "And try not to scare the turtles - they can get pretty vicious when startled, easily take your leg off".
"Thanks, I'll remember that", Liz laughed as she watched them move off.
Liz grinned when a glance out the window a minute or so later, showed them still standing by the car, locked in a passionate embrace.
Lydia and Cathy managed to monopolise the bathroom for the next hour, leaving Liz only half an hour to shower and prepare for her night with William.
Even though she was only going to be sitting on a beach in the dark, she found herself taking more than usual care in her preparation. She smiled at the absurdity of it, as she applied a light makeup and did a loose braid in the back of her hair. Her braids never quite managed to capture all the unruly ends, so soft curls were left to fall around her face and neck. With a light shower of a subtle body spay she finished her toilette, and pulled on a pair of stretch denims and a simple white T-shirt, just before Darcy's knock came.
As she walked to the door, she almost envied Janie's chance to dress up and show herself at her best, but these feelings faded completely upon the look of obvious approval that she received from William.
"Ready to go?"
"As much as I ever will be I suppose", Liz answered with her smile that already had the power to increase William's blood pressure and heart rate.
He watched her figure and graceful movement, as she walked back across the room to pick up her bag and jacket.
This could be a good night, he told himself, a very good night".
Part 11
They drove for about 20 minutes before parking off the road in a secluded reserve. Darcy lifted a backpack from the car and easily slung it over one shoulder. They talked about the beauty of the area as Darcy led her down a hidden pathway - she could just hear the sounds of the waves breaking on the shore as they began their short hike to the beach.
On the whole the going was easy for Elizabeth, especially as she had nothing to carry, but there were a couple of rough patches which required a bit of a scramble. Darcy reached back a hand to Liz for support, and didn't release it when support was no longer necessary. They arrived on the beach, hand in hand, just as the last strains of light lit the evening sky with a display of colour that took their breath away.
"Oh... to be able to capture this", Liz sighed.
They stood in silent contemplation for a minute or so. Liz was almost totally absorbed with the scene before her, but Darcy was more absorbed with the woman by his side.
"I wish I'd thought to bring my camera", Liz whispered as though a loud, or thoughtlessly spoken, word would somehow dispel the magic of the time and place.
Darcy smiled and spoke softly in her ear.
"I have mine. I told you I'd take care of supplies".
He swung down the pack and went straight to an internal pocket to produce the camera. Liz smiled at his orderliness. It often took her minutes to locate what she was looking for in her handbag; even large items like her purse could find places to hide in it. She sometimes thought that archaeologists could do a 'dig' in there; no doubt they'd discover many different strata levels.
Darcy handed her the camera and watched, almost in surprise, as Liz confidently checked the film speed, adjusted the shutter speed and aperture to account for the fading light, and set the lens at it's widest.
"I'll hazard a guess that you've done this before", William laughed.
"I did some photography as part of my art course at school", Liz explained. "Since then my Dad's just had to resign himself to the fact that he's never going to get his camera back".
Liz worked quickly to get the shots she wanted before the colour faded.
"Do you mind if I take the film and get it processed tomorrow?" she asked. "I should be able to give you a set of prints and the negatives by the afternoon."
Darcy had no objection. He was rather pleased that this ensured that he'd see Liz the following afternoon. Liz rewound the film and slipped it into her bag then, after a relatively short search, located a new film (she normally carried spares) and reloaded the camera before returning it to Darcy.
"So what do we do now?" she asked, "and why exactly do you need to count turtles?"
"We find a sheltered position with a good view of the beach, and wait. The idea is to record when the turtles lay their eggs so that the Department can have rangers here when they hatch, to protect them, and help as many get to the sea as possible".
"But if they know this is laying time", Liz asked a little perplexed, "they must know when it's hatching time. Wouldn't it be just as effective to have people down here during hatching season alone? What's the point of having people record that they've laid eggs, when they know they're laying eggs anyway? You end up having to pay two sets of people to hang around and watch, when one set would have done just as well."
Darcy had never really thought of that.
"I suppose the answer is that this is a government funded programme", he laughed. "I think it's illegal for governments to do things efficiently".
Liz accepted this explanation as perfectly reasonable, and followed him further up the beach to a little hollow created by the lay of the dunes. Darcy had been very efficient in his preparation for the night. He had a blanket to sit on, summer fruits & nuts for snacking, and he hadn't forgotten the all-important chocolate. It was all topped off by a steaming flask of hot coffee.
As they sat together, their talk ranged over a wide range of subjects and they were both amazed at the ease with which they could converse and understand each other. The evening moved on with no sign of any turtles, but neither of them minded. It was a few hours later that Liz began to feel a little uncomfortable, not with the circumstances, but with the increasing chill in the air.
"Oh, bother!" Liz exclaimed.
"What's up?"
"I've gone and left my jacket lying across the back seat of your car, I can't say that it was a very bright move".
Darcy grinned.
"I think it was a deliberate ploy on your part so that we'd have to cuddle together for warmth".
Liz threw him a wry smile.
"If you were a real gentleman you'd offer me your own coat, and freeze at a respectful distance".
"Not on your life", Darcy laughed. "Not when the alternative is sharing body heat with a beautiful woman such as yourself".
"Do you have any idea of how much of a line that sounds?" Liz grinned back at him.
"On the contrary, it was most honestly and sincerely meant", he said as he reached over and pulled her toward him. "My goodness you are cold".
He rubbed some warmth into her arms, and pondered the best approach to keeping her from the chill of the night.
"If we sit on my coat", he offered, "we can share the blanket for warmth."
For a moment longer, Liz teasingly protested that Darcy should really hand over his coat for the sake of chivalry, before she submitted to the rearrangements he suggested. As they sat close together she willingly accepted the blanket, and his arm, around her.
The sensations created by his nearness and touch sent a nervous thrill through her body, and she suddenly felt a little shy and unsure of what to say. William too was silent at first, as he savoured the pleasure that he received from the feel of Liz against him.
"Feeling better?" he asked in lowered tones.
"Much", came her soft answer, but her sudden self-consciousness would not allow her to look him in the eye as she answered, and she studiously watched the sea.
"I'm glad. I'm feeling much better myself", Darcy smiled, "and I wasn't even cold".
"There is just so much beauty here", Liz attempted, trying to turn the conversation to neutral ground.
She was totally unsuccessful.
"Yes, there is", Darcy replied, "and the best of it's sitting right next to me."
She did look up at that, and found his eyes fixed on her, smiling a little at her discomposure. One of his hands came up to her hair and tucked an undisciplined curl behind an ear. Her skin tingled under his soft touch. He didn't withdraw his hand, but instead slipped it behind her neck and gently drew her to him. His lips brushed teasingly against hers, before coming to rest to place a light kiss next to the unruly curl he had just subdued. She shivered at its light touch.
"Still cold?" Darcy queried, deliberately misunderstanding her reaction. " You'd better come in a little closer".
He drew her even nearer, slipping his other hand around her waist, and returning to her lips with his lips, taking hers slowly and softly to begin with, and then with increasing strength.
It was then Darcy's turn to be affected as Liz responded, leaning into his kiss and creeping her hands up to his chest. She withdrew a little, and accepted his lips as they moved up her neck to rest again on that ticklish spot behind her ear, before sliding her hand to his cheek and turning his face again to hers. She ran the tip of her tongue across his lips. He groaned claiming her lips with an increased passion, as they both lost themselves to the exquisite sensations created by the exchange.
It was quite some minutes later that Liz, laying back on the sand, appreciating the weight of his kisses and the tenderness of his touch as his fingers moved from playing with her hair to trace the line of her neck and throat, realised that she was playing with fire. They still had hours of the night left together, and if they continued in their current occupation, who knew where it could end?
Actually Liz, being neither stupid or naïve, knew exactly where it could end, and despite the pleasure of the moment, understood that she would have to pull back a little, if things weren't to progress further than she believed to be right.
"William", she whispered softly, as she withdrew slightly, "Could we go for a walk along the beach".
Walking was not exactly what William's body had in mind. His intellect, on the other hand, agreed that it might be a good idea. His emotions came to rest somewhere between frustration and respect, as he reluctantly released Liz and sat himself up.
"I think that might be a wise move", he smiled down at her, as he reminded himself that their acquaintance was of less than three days.
He wondered how someone as normally circumspect as he, had allowed himself to become so captivated by this girl in so little a time. It was such a new experience to him. How many times had he counselled Bingley against his incautious approach romance, only to find himself as smitten as Bingley ever was? As he reached across to take Liz's hand to help her to her feet, he was grateful that Liz had had the sense to slow things down a little.
Less than three days, he reminded himself of what, he thought wryly, might have to become his mantra for the rest of the night. We've known each other for less than three days.
Liz gladly accepted his hand and as they slowly strolled along the shoreline, her mind was pleasantly occupied by thoughts of the man who walked beside her. She was particularly taken by his gracious acceptance of her suggestion, without any negative response, or pressure for her to continue on in the way that things were leading. If she had been beginning to think highly of him before, his reaction had moved her respect on to an even higher ground. Still, before she let herself drift away into fairy-tale dreams, she reminded herself that this could turn out to be nothing but a holiday romance, and she knew in her heart that 'happily ever after' would take more than a few days to achieve.
Darcy, understanding the need for the tension to be brought down a notch, introduced some safe topics of conversation, and concentrated on keeping things light in spite of the overwhelming awareness he was experiencing of the woman beside him. They sat down as they reached the rocks at the end of the beach, and were unable to resist the temptation of some more slow kisses, though both were now mindful of the need to be a little more conscious of their circumstances.
Eventually they made their way back to the hollow in the dunes, where Darcy placed his arms around Liz as she leaned against him and relaxed into the curve of his body. They talked softly for a time, before settling into a comfortable silence, both just relishing the closeness of the other. Given the physical and emotional demands that had been placed on Liz over the last few days, Darcy wasn't surprised at all when she fell asleep.
Darcy stayed awake however, and pondered the nature of his feelings for the lovely and fascinating woman in his arms. He did not question her physical desirability as he stroked the softness of her hair and inhaled the scent of her body, but he knew his attraction went far deeper than that. He thoroughly enjoyed her intelligent conversation, he was completely enwrapped by her positive approach life, and found her sometimes dry, sense of humour delightful. To top this off, her actions and concern over Sarah and Melody showed she had a depth in her values and principles. He thought she was probably the closest he'd ever come to his ideal of what a woman should be... but... and it was a big 'but'... in just over two days she'd be heading back to a city, 500 miles away. It seemed that this little summer diversion was not going to be quite as simple as he'd first thought.
Part 12
It was mid afternoon on the following day that Liz called around to the Darcy home to drop off the photos. She was welcomed by Anne who informed her that William was out, picking up a few things in town.
"He should be back any moment", Anne assured her. "I'd offer you a coffee, but milk was one of the things I've sent him to get. I'm completely out of it - you did take your coffee white, didn't you?"
She led Liz in to the large, friendly Kitchen that seemed to be the hub of the Darcy household, and they sat down to chat while awaiting William's return.
"So you didn't see any turtles at all last night?"
"Not one." Liz replied with a smile Just some shooting stars and fireworks
"William seemed in a rather upbeat mood today, considering that he gave up a night's sleep for a fruitless watch", Anne went on, with a light implication in her voice. "I even caught him humming to himself. Curious don't you think?"
"I really wouldn't know Anne", Liz answered casually. "I can't claim to be acquainted enough with William's ways to say whether it's curious or not".
"Hmmm..." Anne answered. "Planning on being evasive are you?"
Liz just laughed, and was saved from further scrutiny by the entrance of William, who gave her a welcoming smile before putting the bag of groceries away and flicking on the jug.
"Everyone for coffee?" he asked, and pulled out some mugs.
"You know he really is very domestic" Liz commented to Anne, as though William were not in the room.
"It's a credit to my outstanding mothering abilities", Anne replied, "...and when you consider the raw material I had to work with, I think I did a remarkable job".
"Hey... do you want this coffee or not?" Darcy threw at the women with a laugh. "The truth of the matter is Liz, that there have been many occasions when my darling mother has been so tied up with the demands of work, that the rest of us had to learn our way around the kitchen, or starve".
"Don't listen to a word he says Liz" Anne answered, grinning at her son as she accepted a steaming cup of coffee from his hands. "I've never been anything short of the perfect parent."
Darcy then sat down next to Liz, passing her one of the remaining two cups.
"Did you get a decent sleep today?" he asked.
"Reasonable, but I didn't spend all day in bed, there were some things that I wanted to get done".
"Such as?" Darcy asked.
"Put these in for developing for one thing", Liz answered, as she retrieved the photos from her bag.
"These are absolutely glorious", Anne commented as she looked through the evening shots that Liz had taken. She may have added further comment but was interrupted by the phone ringing in the room next door.
As soon as Anne left the room Darcy leaned across to give Liz a light kiss. Something about the circumstances made it seem delightfully clandestine. William paused for a moment, listening to his mother speaking in the adjacent room.
"Oh, it's my Aunt Rebecca. Mum'll be on the phone for hours now... good."
He slipped a hand behind Liz's neck and drew her to him for another, far less furtive kiss. His lips took hers slowly and sensually. The kiss deepened as Liz moved a hand up to his cheek and ran her fingers along his jaw line.
Then the sounds of voices were heard at the door, and Darcy and Liz were suddenly a foot apart, looking guiltily at each other as Georgie and her friend Sandra, entered the room talking.
"This is ridiculous", Darcy whispered. "It's not as though we're teenagers, sneaking around behind our parents' backs. Why'd we jump like that?"
If he'd been tempted to feel annoyed at the girls' intrusion, his remembrance that it was Georgie's idea to have Liz accompany him to the beach,
covered many sins, even that of her untimely interruption.
"Hi Will, hi Liz", Georgie smiled, and introduced her friend to Liz. "Did you see any turtles last night?"
"None", William replied.
"Oh no", Georgie said sympathetically. "What a bummer".
"It was a bit", William replied, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "It was a waste of time really".
"...and incredibly tedious," Liz added with an arch look in Darcy's direction. Two could play at that game.
Georgie was saved from any alarm, on Liz and William's account, as she noticed that her brother's arm had come up to lay across the back of Liz's chair, and that his fingers were playing with her hair.
"Yeah, right", she said with as smile. "I can see that."
With the two younger girls sitting across from them at the table, Liz and Darcy had no option but to revert to drinking their coffees. As soon as they were finished however, Darcy stood and pulled Liz up too.
"Can you tell Mum I won't be in for dinner tonight?"
"Aren't you going to wait 'till she's off the phone and tell her yourself?" Georgie queried.
"It's Aunt Rebecca," was all Darcy said by way of explanation.
"Oh," Georgie answered with complete understanding. "It's possible she'll still be on the phone when you get back tonight then".
~
"That was a bit presumptuous wasn't it?" Darcy said to Liz as they left the house. "I should have asked if you wanted to go out to dinner with me."
"Presume away." Liz smiled back at him. "I'd love to have dinner with you."
"Would you like to go somewhere by ourselves, or chase up Chaz and Janie?"
Liz thought to herself for a moment. As much as she'd like Darcy to herself, she was not insensible to the extreme tension that their mutual attraction created. The addition of another couple to their company, would be a definite aid in diluting this tension. Plus, she really hadn't spent much time with Janie in the last few days, so it would be nice if they spent the evening together.
"Would it be okay by you if we chased up Chaz and Janie? I feel as though I haven't seen much of her in the last couple of days."
"Fine by me. Shall we walk to Chaz's, or take my car?"
"Walking would be nice... on second thoughts, maybe we should take you car. Otherwise if we drive anywhere, we might get stuck in the back seat of that moke again."
"I dunno, I kind of liked it in there with you..." Darcy grinned at her.
~
Darcy and Liz enjoyed their evening together, quite as much as they had expected to. The company of Janie and Chaz enhanced the pleasure of the night, by adding variety, more good humour, and two very easy targets for Liz and William's good-natured teasing.
Darcy had anticipated that he'd find Bingley had fallen hard for Janie, but even he was surprised at how hard. It was obvious that Bingley was totally absorbed by the beauty and unassuming gentleness of the woman beside him. The only hint of misgiving that Darcy had all evening, was that his friend might be letting his feelings get ahead of himself. It crossed his mind that Chaz could be setting himself up for a big disappointment. He wished, once again, that Bingley would take things a little slower when it came to relationships.
The irony of his thoughts suddenly hit Darcy. Who was he to judge Chaz, when he had himself had become so involved - no 'involved' wasn't really the word - 'entranced' maybe - by a woman he'd only just met himself?
It was here that Darcy's pragmatism set in, and he acknowledged that there was a big difference between him and his friend. Bingley was no doubt already living in a hope of a shared future with Janie, but Darcy knew that Liz's departure in a couple of days, would probably spell the end to what they had shared. Darcy didn't really want to address this thought. He pushed to the back of his mind and instead concentrated on enjoying his time with Liz while it lasted.
After dinner the couples went there separate ways, with Chaz driving Janie back to her cabin, and Liz accompanying William back to the Darcy house for coffee. Georgie had retired earlier, after having had very little sleep at Sandra's the night before, but Anne was still up and she joined them with her intelligent and comfortable conversation. Neither of them felt her presence as an intrusion; Elizabeth particularly was pleased with a third party, as she didn't quite trust the nature and the speed of the feelings she was developing for Darcy. Although her mind kept reminding her that this was a holiday romance, her emotions were trying to suggest that it could be otherwise. It was hard to stay objective with him right at her side, him arm comfortably around her shoulders and his smile directed at her.
The conversation fell to that of Liz's paper, and Anne reiterated how impressed she was with Liz's approach and concept.
"I was going to broach this this afternoon," Anne told Liz, "but then Rebecca rang. I was wondering if you'd consider transferring your honours here? I know it's a little late to do this through the normal channels, but I'm sure I could arrange it if you wanted to."
Darcy suddenly felt constricted. What was his mother doing? It was though she was changing the rules half way through the game. Sure he was very attracted to Liz, but he'd played this game knowing and understanding that they'd only have a short time together. What would Liz expect of him if she stayed? He would have spent more time thinking through the implications of a relationship if he'd thought she'd be hanging around. He certainly wouldn't have let things move so quickly. He'd have taken his time to cultivate a real friendship first, and then though hard about whether romance fitted into his life at that time. He now felt like he had lost control of the situation, like he'd been somehow trapped... then he began to comprehend that Liz was answering his mother.
"Thanks for the offer Anne, but I'll have to say thanks... and no thanks. I might have a beef with the administration at my university, but I've no quarrels at all with the academic staff. I'd feel like I was somehow betraying them if I jumped ship. They've always been wonderfully helpful and encouraging."
Given his reaction to his mothers offer, Darcy should have expected his response to Liz's refusal, to be an enormous sense of relief - but it wasn't. He only felt let down and hollow. He couldn't understand what was going on with him. He had never in his life been this confused over his feelings for a woman.
He exerted himself however, to pull himself back into the conversation, and by the time he left to drive Liz home he was on the way to recovery. As he walked her to the door, and took her in his arms to her kiss goodnight, his confusion was temporarily forgotten. He had no room in his mind for anything but the softness of her body as he felt it next to his, and the sweetness of her lips as he tasted them. He pulled her even closer as he separated her lips with his own, and lost himself in a world where his troubled thoughts couldn't touch him.
Part 13
The two couples spent the following afternoon and evening together. The enjoyment of those in the company was occasionally dampened by the realisation that the girls were leaving next the day. Chaz and Janie more openly acknowledged their situation, and much of their time was spent in soft conversation, which dwelt on regrets at their fast approaching parting, and plans and promises for the continuation of their relationship.
William and Elizabeth however, seemed to have formed an unspoken agreement not to mention that this would be their last day together. They we're at the beach, and the fact that Liz was right there beside him, in a bathing suit, meant that that it was relatively easy for William to keep his mind on what was immediately before him, rather than dwell on tomorrow.
Where Chaz and Janie were thoughtful and subdued, Liz and William were openly enjoying their time together. William found the light-hearted rapport he could share with Liz terribly refreshing, and he appreciated that there were no heavy overtones attached to this time together, she wasn't demanding or clingy... just oh so attractive...
At one point in the afternoon though, he found she had become a little distracted, and he correctly discerned the root of her distance, in concern for Janie.
"She'll find it hard to leave," said William, cutting into her thoughts.
"Yes, I'm afraid she will. It's taken me a little by surprise. They seem to have become so involved, so quickly."
"I'm not particularly surprised. When Chaz falls, it's always in a big way."
Liz didn't find the "always" at all comforting.
"but Janie doesn't - she takes relationships very seriously. She's normally a little withdrawn when it comes to men. I suppose she has to be. You can imagine how many offers she gets."
Darcy was caught out a little by Liz's reference to Janie's desirability. Of course he'd noticed Janie's beauty at first, but any impression she'd made had quickly faded by comparison to Elizabeth's lively and intelligent attractiveness. He shook himself from these thoughts and turned back to the conversation.
"Oh, don't imagine because of what I said, that Chaz doesn't take things seriously. He most certainly does. Chaz's problem, if you can really call it that, is that he always assumes the best in people - and sometimes bases his hopes on his illusions of who people are, as opposed to the reality. It's led to more than a few disappointments."
Liz smiled at William's description of his friend. It certainly put Chaz in a far better light than his earlier statement had.
"So he doesn't change women as often as he changes his socks? - as you earlier implied."
"I implied no such thing," Darcy protested. "No, he's as faithful as they come, just not particularly discerning when it comes to women."
"So now you've stopped picking on your friend, and decided to pick on mine," Liz teased. "So you question his discernment in choosing Janie."
William could have said that he'd question the discernment of anyone who'd choose Janie over Liz, but he contented himself with a diplomatic answer instead.
"From what I've seen of Janie, his taste seems to definitely be improving."
Liz gave him a grin.
"You know, she really is as good as she appears. There's not a nasty or manipulative bone in her body. She's just a wonderful person."
"I'm truly glad," William smiled, "because I think that Chaz is even further gone than usual."
The day wore on to evening, and the girls spent the final night of their holidays, again at the Darcy home. The addition if Anne and Georgie to their circle added variety and took away some of the heaviness that might have been experienced otherwise. The goodbyes were touching though, and Liz was made to promise to keep in contact with both Anne and Georgie. Janie and Chaz had left earlier, looking for that little bit more time together, and rather than drive Liz home William decided, in consultation with Liz of course, to walk her back to her cabin.
It was a beautiful moonlit night and they walked hand in hand, mostly in a companionable silence that was occasionally broken by soft observations on the beauty of the evening. Somehow the reality of their parting had eased the extreme physical tension that they'd both been experiencing over the last few days. It was a though there had been a mutual pulling back, so as to make the goodbye easier for them both. Still, their best efforts couldn't avert the poignancy when it actually came to the crunch. William fought the urge to ask for, and to make promises about the future. The closest he came to putting his inner conflict into words, was an expression of regret that they hadn't had more time to get to know each other.
The kisses that they shared were more tender than passionate; and Elizabeth, moved to a greater degree than she wanted to admit, even to herself, soon made her excuses to William.
"Well, if I'm going to stay awake while I'm driving my shift tomorrow, I'd better get some sleep. Is it okay if I drop in to your office in the morning to say goodbye."
"I'd love to see you again before you go," Darcy answered honestly.
Liz was thankful that the final goodbyes would be left to a public place and during the day. They were proving a little too hard to say in private and under such a beautiful night sky. The setting was far too moving and romantic. Liz knew that the objectivity she needed in regard to her relationship with William, would be impossible to find there, so after one more lingering kiss, she went inside.
In the light of day Liz found it far easier to be rational. She put Darcy aside in her mind, and instead concentrated on everything she had to get done that morning. The girls were running a lot later than they had planned. Janie was behind in her schedule, as she'd been down to the beach with Chaz for most of the morning, and Lydia and Cathy had arrived back so late that they slept until almost mid-day. Liz, having completed all she needed to do for the pack-up, slipped off into town and then to the Beachwatch office to see Darcy.
He looked up with pleasure upon her entering the office.
"I was beginning to wonder if you were going to make it," he said "Weren't you planning to have left hours ago."
"I doubt that there's an instance in history when four women have ever managed to be ready on time... not without pressing circumstances anyway," Liz smiled. "Two of us have only just woken up. I suppose we'll get away about four hours later than planned."
William had come around the counter to take her hand and, asking a young guy to keep an eye on things, he led her outside to a bench under a tree.
"How much time have you got?" he asked.
"I should get the car back so they can pack their stuff into it,' Liz replied. "About 20 minutes I suppose."
"Well, we've little time to waste then", he said with a cheeky grin as he pulled her closer to him for a kiss.
When they finally parted Liz found herself a little breathless, but she recovered enough to speak in a reasonably casual manner.
"You know William. I've really enjoyed your company over the last few days. I didn't expect this holiday to turn out nearly as pleasant and diverting as it has been. Thanks for all your time."
"It's an absolute pleasure," William answered with a smile. "It's been delightful getting to know you. I fear this place is going to seem rather flat for a while after your gone."
Liz didn't quite know what to say, but just as the silence threatened to become a little awkward, she seemed to recall herself.
"William, can I ask a favour?"
"Certainly."
"I did some painting for your mum, to say thanks for all her help."
"What, a room or something?"
"Don't be silly William, a picture. I dabble in water colours, and I wanted to give her something personal for being so lovely as to rescue me when I was in such a fix."
"I thought I was the one who rescued you," Darcy teased. "Where's my painting?"
"You had your reward otherwise," Liz smiled back.
"Well, I'm not going to complain about that. Given the choice between a painting, and some of your kisses, I know what I'd choose every time... and don't take any implication from that that I doubt your artistic abilities. I'm sure your watercolours are wonderful."
"Maybe you should save your judgement until you see one," Liz laughed, "but thanks for the compliment regardless. Anyway, I finished it off this morning, and have taken it into a framers. I'm sure he thinks I'm mad because I dropped it into him still damp. It will be ready on Thursday, and I was hoping that you'd be okay to pick it up, and give it to your mum with this card." She handed him a card and a receipt and address for the framers.
"That will be no problem at all. I'm sure mum will be really moved."
"Well, I hope she's moved in the right way." Liz laughed "Thanks for doing that for me..."
Anything else she might have said was cut off as his lips sought hers, and very little was said during their last 10 minutes together before Liz had to reluctantly take her leave.
As Darcy watched the car drive off he tried to suppress the beginnings of regret, and the twinge of emptiness, that were settling on the edge of his consciousness.
Part 14
Being the final week of the summer break, traffic was heavy on the road. Liz took the first shift as driver. Lydia and Cathy, after a big night on the town, were soon asleep in the back seat, and Janie, in the front was unusually quiet. Liz noticed a tear run down her cheek.
"You okay Janie?"
"I'm fine Liz, really. I'm just being a bit over emotional. I'm already really missing him. I'd probably handle it better if I weren't pre-menstrual."
"Ah..." Liz laughed. "...the joys of womanhood".
"I'm sorry," Janie said "I've been a little self-absorbed. I haven't even asked how you're feeling."
"Fine," Liz smiled. "My period isn't due for weeks."
"Lizzy!" Janie cautioned, trying not to smile. "Stop being so flippant. You know what I'm talking about. How are you going to manage things, being 500 miles from William."
"The same way I've always managed Janie. I'm just going to get on with life."
"I'm glad you can be so cool about it. Long distance relationships are hard to maintain."
"Janie," Liz explained, tossing up whether to break it to her gently, or just be brutally honest. "We haven't said we'd try to maintain it."
The Look on Janie's face almost caused her to laugh.
"Oh, Lizzy, I'm sorry. I didn't know - what happened."
"Nothing 'happened' Janie - the subject just never came up."
"You seem awfully calm about it. I thought that you really liked him." Janie sounded confused.
"I do Janie, but I've only known him a few days. Maybe the reason that I like him so much is that I haven't had the time to discover the things about him that I don't like. He might be a homicidal, axe wielding, maniac every other weekend, or worse still - a Brittany Spears Fan!"
"Oh Liz, do be serious," Janie charged.
"I am Janie, in my own way. To be honest I don't think I've ever met a man that I liked more, but five days could never be enough for me to base long term plans on."
"Liz, I'm not suggesting that you should marry him, but would keeping in contact with the guy have proved too difficult?"
"Don't get me wrong Janie. I'll be absolutely thrilled if he keeps in contact. There's no reason we can't - just no promises."
"You're actually pleased with the way things are!" Janie accused.
"...No... not pleased exactly, but I have to admit to being a little relieved. You know how I tend to react if a guy gets too serious too soon..."
Janie laughed.
"If a guy gets serious - full-stop! You can't seem to run the other way fast enough."
"Well..." Liz smiled.
Janie was shaking her head as she began to comprehend that William's caution had made him even more attractive to Liz.
"But what if you don't hear from him again?"
"I hope I will, but if I don't I'll survive. It'll take more than the end of a five day distraction to break my heart."
"You know Liz, you could always contact him yourself."
"What! and appear needy! I don't think so."
"Well Liz, let's just hope that he's not thinking exactly the same thing."
"Oh, that would be a dilemma, wouldn't it?" Liz replied, her voice making her sound more light-hearted at the thought than she actually was. "Janie... If I have to err, I'd rather it be on the side of caution."
"Lizzy, I have to tell you something now before I lose courage, and I really hope it doesn't make you think less of me." Janie's voice had an anxious edge to it. "I've decided to apply for jobs up here so I can be closer to Chaz."
"Oh Janie, I didn't mean to imply for a moment that only I'm acting rationally, or that you're in any way silly for wanting to continue with Chaz. From all that I've seen of him he seems like a wonderful guy. Can I urge you though, to give yourself more time to get to know each other properly before jumping into full-on commitment."
"Liz, you're a wonderful friend. Can I assure you that I'm not about to do anything thoughtless or stupid. I just really like Chaz, and I don't want to pass up the opportunity of finding out if we can love each other. He seems to be so close to what I've always hoped for in a man."
Liz listened as Janie went on to talk about the many qualities that she saw in Chaz, his humour, his gentleness, his opinions and his genuineness.
"I promise Liz that I won't try and rush things," she finished. "Rest assured I will take care to give this all the time and thought it needs."
Liz now felt a little embarrassed over her warning to Janie.
"Janie, I'm sorry if it seems that I didn't have enough faith in you... I should have known better than to assume you were letting your heart run away with your head."
"Please don't apologise Liz. I'm grateful that you love me enough to tell me when you're concerned. I must admit that I'm a little bit concerned about my actions myself," she laughed. "You and I are taking widely differing approaches to the same dilemma aren't we. I suppose only time will show which of us has taken the sublime route, and which the ridiculous."
"Time will probably show us taking equal parts of each," Liz laughed.
They sat in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts... until Elizabeth finally spoke hers aloud.
"As much as I might envy the understanding that you and Chaz have, I could never go there myself. Call me chicken, or over-cautious, or cynical... but I just couldn't make a move like that based on only a few days together. I'm not criticising you at all, I'm just saying that I don't have it in me... Did I ever tell you that when I broke things off with John last year he told me that I had problems, that I couldn't deal with a serious relationship and I was just too scared to commit..."
"He was just angry that you wouldn't sleep with him," Janie assured her. "There's rarely much truth spoken in anger."
"I don't know Janie... are my expectations unreasonably high? It's just that I've promised myself not to compromise. Having my parents has taught me a great deal about how important it is to find the right partner in life. I don't want to make the same mistakes that they made. Believe me, it hurts far too many people. I will not let passion dictate my life."
"No one's asking you to let it Liz. I just think that writing William a letter hardly constitutes an act of thoughtless passion."
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William spent the next few days trying to convince himself that he'd been right to let Liz go. He knew he'd been sensible. He lectured himself about infatuation, he told himself that 500 miles was just too great a distance, he reminded himself of the demands of work and study, chastised himself for getting too involved too quickly, and repeated again and again that he had only known her for a few days. So why was he having so much difficulty in getting her out of his mind?
His distraction actually effected his attention to detail, and he was finding his preparation for the academic year ahead heavy going. Sometimes when his mind drifted to Liz, he felt a nagging that he'd forgotten something, and it was late on the Friday afternoon that he recalled his promise about the painting. Annoyed at himself for his inefficiency he straight away grabbed his keys and headed into town, making it to the framers with only 10 minutes to spare. The framer was a taciturn man, who seemed to feel it an imposition to have a customer appear at this time on a Friday afternoon. He grudgingly asked Darcy if he wanted it properly packaged, but William, curious to see the painting himself, accepted it with only a light wrapping of brown paper, and walked to his car. He seated himself and laid his trust on the seat next to him, before tearing aside the paper.
His curiosity had in no way prepared him for what he saw. The scene was unmistakable, and his mind immediately flew back to when he'd experienced it in real life. The vibrant hues of the sunset at Turtle Beach were before him. The subtlety and translucence of the painting caught him, and he wondered how the simplicity of the wash of colours he beheld, could evoke such a strong sense reality and emotion in him. He could almost feel her touch and catch the scent of her hair. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes... he was going to have to conquer this...
Even his father's return on Sunday, from his lecture tour abroad, didn't completely dispel the pall over Darcy's feelings. His mood hadn't been helped by his mother receiving an email from Liz the preceding day, in response to Anne's own in thanks for Liz's gift. Darcy had read the email, written in a disarming and light-hearted manner that was so like Liz, it has modestly dismissed Anne's gratitude, and focused on how much Anne's help had meant to her. She'd gone on with a little news of their trip home, and with a description of her lecturer's angry reaction to Mrs De bourgh's interference in not passing on Liz's work for her to review. She then talked a little more about the direction of her honours work, before she signed off with a request for Anne to say hi to William and Georgie, and a message to Georgie that she would write soon.
Why this email unsettled him so much he couldn't say. He would not give any credence to the voice at the back of his mind that told him he was jealous of his mother and sister. I mean, weren't things exactly as he wanted them? He'd had a delightful few days with Liz, but he himself had chosen not to continue the relationship, hadn't he? If he didn't want to go on with the relationship, why did it upset him so much that Elizabeth seemed happy with his decision, and appeared to be coping so well with their separation? Why did the fact that she so easily dismissed his mother's offer to transfer universities, gall him so much, and why did being reduced to a simple 'say hi to William' in the email, give him any grief?
That night over dinner, George Darcy commented on the fact that William seemed a little out of sorts.
"Women trouble," Anne simply replied.
"Oh, you're not being stalked by some desperate female again are you?" George grinned at his son, knowing how much he disliked the unwanted attentions he often received.
"Huh! He wishes!" Georgie exclaimed, at the same time as Anne muttered something about being unable to imagine this girl ever being desperate.
George wisely let the subject rest in front of the women, only broaching it again when he found his son alone in the study later that evening.
"So the girls think that you let a live one get away, do they?"
"I get that impression," William answered his dad candidly. "I mean... she is a rather remarkable girl... but she was only here for a few days..."
"and you didn't have enough time to make any moves?" his father questioned.
William laughed at this.
"No Dad, I made moves a plenty, and spent an extremely agreeable couple of days in her company. It just seemed silly to make any promises based on a few days romance, particularly considering all my commitments, and that she's studying 500 miles from here."
"That was probably a wise decision," George reflected, "but if you're suffering from regrets that even I, a mere male of the species, can detect, maybe you should make an attempt to keep in contact with her."
"No... I think my choice was for the best, besides, she seems quite happy with the way things are. I don't want to make a fool of myself by intruding where I'm not wanted."
"Well, if that's what you've decided Will, good luck in your efforts to get her out of your mind." George could see his son was discomforted by this subject, and made an attempt to move to more a neutral ground. "Oh, where'd that new painting come from? It's quite beautiful..."
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Liz threw herself into her work to try and overcome the persistent feelings of yearning and loss that had begun to plague her. A couple of times she was on the edge of taking Janie's advice and writing to William, but a sense of pride got in the way. She the fact that she'd received no messages from William, either through Anne or Georgie, indicated to her that he was obviously happy with the way things stood. Just occasionally she could hear Janie's voice nagging her as she replayed a little of the conversation that they'd had on the way home.
"You know Liz, you could always contact him yourself."
"What! and appear needy! I don't think so."
"Well Liz, let's just hope that he's not thinking exactly the same thing."
Almost three weeks had passed since the summer vacation and though neither was particularly settled, they had both accepted the reality of their situation.
Liz was thinking about William far less (which is not to say that she wasn't still thinking of him very often) and her good spirits were generally on the rise. Right at this moment however, she was feeling out of sorts. She'd lost her student concession card, and had been through her purse three times with out being able to locate it. She was annoyed that, despite the fact that he was picking her up at the university, and she was obviously a student, an officious little bus driver had refused to let her ride at the student rate, as she'd been unable to produce the card.
There was nothing for it now. Liz was forced to upend her handbag to continue the search, and looked in horror at the junk she now had to sort through. The sparkle of gold beneath some screwed up tissues caught her eye, and she was curious as it revealed a beautiful gold pen hiding beneath the refuse. She couldn't recall where it had come from, but a closer inspection soon revealed the name William Darcy engraved on the side. A twinge of guilt hit her as she realised that he mustn't have returned it on the day of Sarah's departure. She smiled as she thought that she'd now have to write to William, and remedy her oversight immediately.
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William grabbed the mail as he walked in from work, a glimpse at a package had shown him Liz's handwriting, which he recognised immediately. He'd almost overcome the displeasure he experienced on his family receiving correspondence from Liz, and not him. As he sat himself down with a coffee he, flicked through the post to see who'd have the pleasure of hearing from Liz this time, his mum or his sister. His heart gave a little jolt as he saw his own name on the missive, and it was with the beginnings of smile on his face that he opened the package, to find the pen and an attached letter.
"Dear William,
A thousand apologies, I seem to have stolen your pen. You lent it too me on the day Sarah left, and I must have put it in my handbag. I can only plead that the whole parting was very emotional, and that I wasn't paying enough attention to my actions. If I was, I would have seen the pen was engraved, so I'd be unable to get much for it at the pawnshop.
No really, I'm sorry I pinched it. I hope it hasn't caused you any concern. Is it sentimental as well as valuable?
Now that everything's back in swing again it feels like the holiday was an eternity ago. I still have a little trouble comprehending all we managed to fit into those few days. I must admit that life here seems a little flat by comparison.
William smiled at that. He was glad he wasn't the only one finding life a little flat.
I must say again how much I enjoyed getting to know your family... and you of course. Thanks again for the time that you took to help Sarah, and to keep me so satisfactorily occupied while I was there. William laughed at her turn of phrase.
She went on to talk of how she'd heard from Sarah, and to fill him in on the details of how she and Melody were going.
Then she told of her new flat mates, and of how things were setting down at uni, in such a natural and amusing way that he could hear her voice and imagine her manner in all that she wrote. The letter ended all too soon, but it was the goodbye that pleased him most. It simply said 'Love Liz', and was followed by a single kiss.
William sighed. I had been a long time since he'd felt this good.