| A Short Story |
| Elizabeth Bennet silently prepared for her first date in a year. After the Will Darcy fiasco, she had been shy to open her heart again. At last her sister and flatmate Jane had convinced her to accept a date; his name was Richard Fitzwilliam, a former native who had lived in New York for several years before returning about two months earlier, and he and Elizabeth worked in the same building. He seemed very nice, and was exceptionally good-looking, fortunately in a completely different way from Will. Will was tall, with dark curly hair and dark brooding eyes that reflected his intense emotions; Richard was fair, blue-eyed and much more jovial. They had chatted a few times in the elevator, and he had asked her out. Initially she demurred, fearing a potential new relationship. Jane had talked her into it though, and the next time he asked she accepted. It was now 6:30; he was picking her up at 7. Jane walked into the room and rubbed her sister's shoulders. Elizabeth deserved to be happy again after the pain she had gone through. "I don't know if I can do this Jane," Elizabeth whispered as Jane began fixing her hair. "Of course you can sweetheart. You need to go out and have fun again. I'm not asking you to marry the guy. Just enjoy yourself." She smiled sympathetically as she moved to makeup. "I'll try. But it's still so hard," Elizabeth sighed. Jane gave her a hug and finished getting her ready. When the doorbell rang, Elizabeth put on her bravest smile and opened it to see Richard with a small bouquet of wildflowers. His smile made Elizabeth feel more at ease, and as soon as the flowers were in water, they went out. To Elizabeth's surprise, she had a wonderful time. They had dinner, took a stroll around a nearby park, and he even humored her by taking her to see the latest Colin Firth movie. She felt completely at ease and relaxed, and most importantly, able to laugh. When he dropped her off, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and asked if he could call again. She agreed. "How did it go Lizzy?" Jane asked the next morning at breakfast. Her sister's smile was the only reply she needed. Over the next few weeks, Elizabeth and Richard saw each other many times; a few lunch dates, a few dinner dates, a handful of evening walks. Things were starting to get serious after about 6 weeks of dating. Jane couldn't be happier that her sister had recovered at last, and even felt comfortable enough with her emotional state to leave town on business for a week. It was the first time she had left Lizzy's side since Will. Jane left on Wednesday, and on Friday Richard picked Elizabeth up for another romantic evening. As he was walking her home, he put his arm around her shoulders, and she could not help but think that the last time she had been so comfortable had been with Will� At the door, Richard wrapped his arms around her and just looked at her for a moment. "I really like you Elizabeth," he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her. "You're amazing." They held each other tightly for several minutes before he spoke again. "Well, I should probably get going if I don't want to be driving too late." She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. "You don't have to go home tonight. You can stay here with me." His eyes searched her face. "Are you sure?" "Very sure." He smiled and followed her upstairs. * * * * * * * * * * * Richard awoke the next morning to the smell of coffee and a feeling of contentment. Elizabeth had already gotten up and made breakfast, and in perfect morning-after movie clich�, she was wearing his shirt. Smiling, he walked up and put his arms around her waist. "Good morning," he whispered as he kissed her neck. She turned and kissed him. "Have some breakfast." They had a lovely, comfortable morning, and could barely imagine anything better. Two weeks later, Richard and Elizabeth were on their way to his parents' house for the annual family picnic. He parked next to a black Lexus that seemed hauntingly familiar to Elizabeth, but she shook her head and ignored it as mere coincidence. Hand in hand, they made the round of introductions to his parents, grandparents, and siblings. Elizabeth thought more relatives couldn't possibly fit anywhere in or around the house, but Richard seemed to still be looking around for someone. He smiled when he seemed to find the person he was seeking. "One more introduction� I want you to meet my cousin. He's been abroad for several months, so this is the first time I've seen him since January. Come on!" Elizabeth followed, but began to feel ill as she saw the back of the man they were approaching. She knew that stance, the tiny bald spot, the lines of his body, almost as well as she knew herself. When Richard called out, "Will!" she turned decidedly pale. The man turned around at the sound of his cousin's voice, but the smile left his face as soon as he saw the lady beside him. "Will, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Elizabeth. Lizzy, this is my cousin Will Darcy." The two could not even look at each other. Elizabeth was blushing furiously, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "We've met," Will whispered. Richard looked confusedly from one to the other. "I have to go Richard, I'm sorry," Elizabeth choked out. "No, stay, I'll leave," Will offered. "Don't be ridiculous Will. This is your family. I'll go. Please take me home Richard, you can come back." Will nodded, a look of intense pain covering his features. "Goodbye," he said before turning around and going into the house. Richard offered Elizabeth his arm and they walked back to the car. He waited until they were on the road to speak to her. "Lizzy� please talk to me. What was that about?" Elizabeth took a deep breath to try to keep from crying. "Will and I used to date." "That wasn't the reaction of simple dating Lizzy." "We were pretty serious. We dated for about 10 months. One day he went on a two-week business trip to Japan, and since it didn't really work for us to talk on the phone much, I called his answering machine at home just to hear his voice. Some woman named Caroline answered the phone; let's just say that from our conversation, I found out all I needed to know about Will Darcy. I never spoke to him again." "When was this?" "About a year ago." "Oh, I see� that's why we never met. I was still living in New York at the time. So let me get this straight� you never spoke to Will again because of Caroline Bingley?" She nodded; he sighed. If he told her what he needed to tell her, their relationship would be in serious jeopardy. But if he didn't, he couldn't live with himself. He pulled into the nearest parking lot and turned off the car. "Will never explained the situation to you?" "He tried, I suppose� he called me, came to my flat, sent me letters� I ignored them all. There wasn't much to explain in my opinion." He closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. "Elizabeth, Will and Caroline have never been, are not, and never will be an item. She is his stalker." She looked up at him in disbelief. "When Will went on that trip, she broke into his house and lived there for two weeks. She slept in his bed, wore his clothes, and answered his phone. She told anyone who called or came by that she was his fianc�e and having his baby. In reality she is a complete psychopath who became obsessed with him after meeting him at a couple of parties. He rejected her, she snapped, and started following him around. When he came back and found her in his bed, he had her arrested and got a restraining order; minimum 100 yards distance at all times." Elizabeth hung her head in her hands. "Oh my God� I can't believe this�" she whispered. He started the car again, and they drove in silence to her flat. He walked her to door and gave her a hug. "I'm guessing you have some stuff to think about. Call me when you're ready, ok?" She nodded and he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Bye. Thanks Richard." He smiled weakly; she smiled back even more weakly. He got in the car and started it. Before she went in the building, she turned and gave him one last look. He drove away, fighting the tears and the knowledge that he had lost her. * * * * * * * * * * * * A few days later, Elizabeth called and asked Richard to walk with her in a park they had never gone to before. This park had been a special place for her and Will, but Richard didn't know that. They had been walking for about twenty minutes in silence when Elizabeth stopped and turned to him. "I'm sorry Richard. I can't do this." He nodded sadly. "I understand. I can't say it wasn't wholly unexpected, considering." He smiled wanly. "Can you promise me something?" "What's that?" "It's when you tell someone you'll do something and then you do it. But that's not important." She chuckled softly at his feeble attempt to lighten the mood. "Seriously though� I want you to promise that if you're not going to be with me, you'll at least try to reconcile to some extent with Will. What happened wasn't his fault, and I think he has a right to explain things to you." Elizabeth nodded, unable to fight the tears that were imminent. "I promise. Thank you Richard� you're the best, you really are." "Damn right I am." They smiled and hugged. He leaned down and gave her one small, chaste kiss on her lips, the last he would ever give her. "Goodbye." He walked back to his car with only one last look at the first woman he had ever begun to love. Elizabeth turned away when she could no longer see Richard's car. She had liked him, that was certain, but he wasn't Will. No one would ever be Will. He had hurt her so much, but now that she knew it wasn't true, she could no longer deny to herself that she couldn't live without him. She wandered around the park for another hour, revisiting all the spots they had enjoyed. Finally she went to their favorite place, a hidden little nook away from the rest of the park. They had made love here once, almost been caught, and laughed about it for a week. It was their special spot, and she hadn't been able to bring herself to come here in over a year. When she reached it, she realized that she wasn't alone. She smiled when she recognized the shape she knew so well, but saddened when she realized that his shoulders were shaking with racking sobs. She walked over and touched his shoulder. "William," she whispered. He jumped up and turned to face her, face still streaked with tears. "Elizabeth?" was all he could say. She nodded and got closer. "How long have you been here?" "A few hours. Richard said he was going to see you today, and I felt the urge to come here. I've been here nearly everyday since� you know." "I know. Will, I was so wrong. I never let you explain. Richard told me the whole story� I have no right to expect anything from you, but I would like to ask your forgiveness. Please forgive me Will� I can't bear to think that you're alive in the world and thinking ill of me." He laughed somewhat bitterly. "I would readily forgive you now, if I hadn't already done it long ago. There's nothing to forgive anymore." They stood awkwardly apart, both yearning to hold each other. "I've never stopped loving you Will. I never could. You are the only man for me. I wish� I wish I could someday earn your love back." At this he stepped forward and took her into his arms. "I love you Elizabeth, I loved you then, I love you now, I'll love you always. I can't live without you. I just want to be with you, if you'll have me." They cried together there for who knows how long, holding each other and comforting each other. Everything fell into place and things were as they should be. The End |
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