Chapter 30
Since he came to Pemberley to escape from the press harassment and to rest with Jane until the baby was born, Charles Bingley wasn't giving interviews or making promotional trips for the movie he had released only a couple of months ago. He only agreed to one short trip to America -staying away for only two days time- and one single interview that his agent was able to schedule at Pemberley. Now he was focused on following the inch by inch growth of his wife's belly, taking care of her 25 hours a day and reading all the proposals that were sent to him. He had decided to give his career a different turn, leave aside the action hero and select more dramatic and complicated roles. Theatre wasn't discarded, either in drama or musical, and he was starting to prepare himself with singing and dancing lessons so he would not have problems in the auditions.
Jane, his angel, was all support and encouragement. His love for her was growing every day. But Charles was worried about her and the baby. There were still four weeks until the birth but Jane had been having pains and the doctor recommended that she stay in repose as much as possible. Everything was all right; the doctor said that there was no danger for her or the baby, that this was only a precaution, but this didn't appease his anxiety. Short walks, no stairs, no sex, strict diet, and lots of rest: that was the prescription. So his life was basically entertaining her, reading scripts, walking with her, training in the gym and spoiling her.
When his agent came up with this interview, he was going to refuse it. He didn't want to leave her, but Mike begged him to reconsider. It was only for an hour, it would be recorded in a studio in Manchester, and the producer of that show was the same one that was going to produce The Elephant Man in a London theatre and he was trying to get Charles an audition for the role. He hoped that by 2.00 PM he would be back with his wife.
Like the professional he was, Charles arrived at the studio on time. As it always happened when superstars of his importance arrived at a TV studio, everyone was fussing around him. They escorted him to the make up room and treated him like a prince. When the time came, he was called to the set.
The hostess of the show was an ex model who married a TV producer who was 20 years her senior and who had invented this show to keep her busy. The show proved to be a success, so was she, as the hostess, and it was now seen nationwide.
"Charles! What a pleasure to have you here!" his hostess greeted him.
"Dana, the pleasure is mine." The actor extended his hand to shake hers.
Dana also kissed his cheek. "I'm so glad you agreed to do this interview. Come, I'll show you where we are doing it."
Charles followed her to the set and they both sat on the chairs that were situated in front of the camera. While he talked to his hostess, the technicians made the last adjustments to the lights and sound around them.
"Mike told us that you don't need special camera angles or have special lights requirements. So you certainly made our lives easy today." She placed her hand on his knee as she spoke.
Always charming, Charles replied. "No, I don't. I usually photograph well in any angle so I won't alter your scheme."
"Any questions that you won't answer on the air?" She smiled.
"I prefer not to talk much about my personal life and my family."
"But you will answer a few questions about your wife and your upcoming fatherhood. My audience is eager to learn about that," Dana pleaded.
Charles smiled and the woman almost melted into a puddle. "I will, but nothing that would intrude on our privacy."
"Did you bring your beautiful wife with you?" She looked around. "I heard that you two are inseparable."
"I didn't. She's close to term and the doctor recommended that she not travel so much."
"Dana," one of the assistants called her. "We are ready."
"Oh, yes." She turned to the camera while nervously adjusting her blouse.
There was a rush of assistants running around them, checking hair, make-up, measuring lights, and then the countdown started. In ten seconds, they were on the air.
"Oh, hi Lizzy, William, here you are." Amanda stood when she saw the couple entering the apartment. "Look who came."
Both Darcy and Elizabeth were still frozen.
"Hello, Elizabeth." Sir John Lucas stood too. And in a voice that showed his surprise at seeing his partner there, he added. "... and William."
Darcy was able to overcome the initial shock quite quickly and replied with a relaxed, "Hi, John, how have you been?" to which the other man responded with a simple "Fine".
But Elizabeth was still in some kind of trance. She was staring at her father, mouth open, rooted to her spot.
"Come on, my sweet," Darcy murmured as he rubbed her back to help her out of her daze. "Everything is fine."
John smiled, Amanda put her hands on her chest and Darcy embraced her shoulder with his arm. It was as if mother, father and boyfriend were waiting for some kind of reaction on her part, something that would tell them that she understood what was going on.
"Hi," she muttered, still paralyzed.
Again, silence. But then Amanda took control of the situation and came up with something to release some of the tension. In a merry, casual voice she said, "Tea anyone?"
Elizabeth startled on hearing her mother's voice and echoed the chorus of 'nos' when they all declined her offer.
Amanda's intention wasn't to be a good hostess, she was just trying to give her daughter a moment to come down to earth and react. "All right, coffee then. Lizzy, come and help me."
With that, Amanda grabbed her daughter by the wrist and dragged her towards the kitchen, slamming the door after them.
"Where are they going?" John asked in confusion.
Darcy joined him and replied with a smirk. "To the conference room."
John nodded, still surprised by the sudden turn of the events. He paused for a second, and asked, "And what are you doing here?"
"I'm brought Elizabeth back home," Darcy said smilingly.
The elder man couldn't help it and smiled too. Darcy looked so pleased with himself right now. "From where?"
"My flat. We spent the weekend together."
John studied his partner for a second and slapped his back, laughing aloud. "So that's why you reacted that way that night at my anniversary party, you devil; you liked her!"
Darcy laughed too. "I do."
"I suppose your intentions are honorable." John said playfully. He was more than delighted that he was seeing his daughter. He knew Darcy well enough as to know that he would never mess around with his Lizzy.
"Don't worry," he smiled, "I'll go to you when I ask for her hand in marriage."
"Wills," John pulled two cigars from inside his breast pocket, "this event deserves a celebration."
Once in the privacy of the kitchen, Elizabeth reclined on the counter for support. "Mother! He's here!"
Amanda was pacing nervously. "Oh, Lizzy! He came! Can you believe this! He came!"
"I can't believe it!" Her chest was heaving so much that she was becoming hyperventilated.
"I was about to go to the store and when I opened the door, he was there! Oh, Lizzy, my heart is still fluttering! He told me so many things. He said that he told his family about you ten years ago! Can you believe it? Ten years ago! You are even in his will!"
Elizabeth was still staring at nothing and gesticulating as she spoke. "I was coming in, I opened the door and he was there and ..."
They reached the pinnacle of their little crisis when both started speaking at the same time. Amanda was babbling incessantly about how John Lucas came in as if nothing had happened, asking how were they doing while Elizabeth told her that William was flirting with her in the corridor and that Mrs. Philips scolded them and then when she opened the door she saw her father and she almost fainted.
Elizabeth's breathing slowly returned to normal. "Did you tell him that I know about him?"
"I did, but don't worry, I told him that you were very angry when you learned the truth, but that you are over it now."
"But I don't know if I'm over it!" Elizabeth cried.
"Yes you are, Elizabeth, don't be so stubborn."
"Mom!"
"I think it's time that we both leave that behind, Lizzy. I did and you should do the same."
Elizabeth looked at her mother as if she had gone mad. She had hidden the truth from her for 28 years, told her about her father only after the most violent of arguments and now, two months later, just like that, Amanda had decided that she had dropped her resentments and that Elizabeth should do the same. Elizabeth had already overcome them, but what was making her crazy was the fact that her mother hadn't even considered her opinion on the matter.
"Lizzy," Amanda bit her lower lip and spoke with a voice full of emotion. "He is producing a movie about me. Isn't it just amazing?"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes at her mother's frivolity. A lifetime hating the man and now she was all flutters because he was making this movie about her. "I know, William is directing it. He told me yesterday. He even asked me if I wanted to work with him on it."
Now that they were both calming down, Amanda put the kettle on the stove. "We talked about so many things. He wants to rebuild his relationship with you. He said that he had been wanting to do this for years, but that he was only respecting my decision that he should stay away from us."
"You said that he told his family about me ten years ago?"
"Yes, when you turned eighteen. You don't know it, but we argued that day. Well, I argued, he listened. That's why he never came to see you again. It was my fault and maybe his too, for listening to me. I told him that you had already grown up, that we didn't need him anymore and if he wasn't going to do something about us, that he should leave us in peace. Me and my stupid pride. I should have been more tolerant. After all, during all these years, he had always been there for us. You know I was a little disturbed at the time for what Thomas did. I think I was taking revenge on John. Anyway, after he left the house, he told his family and sorted out some legal details concerning you, Lizzy, so you wouldn't be at a disadvantage with his other children in case anything happened to him. And then, he just did what I asked for: he left us alone."
"And what made him come today?" Elizabeth sat on the counter.
"He said something about having heart surgery more than a year ago and that made him want to resolve this part of his life, once and for all. But then, I called him when you lost your job and he preferred to wait a little so he wouldn't upset your feelings while you were working for him. And here he is. He wasn't sure of how to approach you, if you knew the truth or not, so he came to see me first."
Elizabeth was silent, trying to understand all this and Amanda sighed heavily.
"What, mommy?"
"He's looking so handsome."
"Mom, he's almost bald and forty pounds overweight."
"So? He's still an attractive man. He had always been very attractive ... what's that smell?" Amanda wrinkled her nose.
"William," Elizabeth sighed, "he smokes cigars."
"So does your father. He was irresistible when smoking," said her mother with a sigh full of longing. "I wonder if he ..."
"Mother, you are not thinking of ..." The daughter raised her eyebrow.
Amanda waved her off. "Oh, no, Lizzy, that was almost thirty years ago; I'm over him, so don't worry. I was just remembering those good old times."
"Yeah, right." Elizabeth pursed her lips.
"And how was your weekend with William?" Her mother smiled knowingly.
Elizabeth was amazed at her mother's bipolarity. She could go from one subject to the other just like that, even if they were discussing the arrival of the father she had not known as such for the last 28 years.
"Lovely." She beamed.
"You are telling me about that later. I want details."
"And Liddy?"
"In her bedroom. She was sleeping when John arrived and when she popped her head out to go to the bathroom and saw him she closed it again. I don't think she'll come out until he leaves." Amanda served the coffee, placing the cups on the tray together with some cookies. "Now, darling, are you ready to go out again?"
Heart racing, Elizabeth jumped down the counter and smoothed her clothes. "I am, mom."
"... and thank you so much, Charles. It's been a pleasure to have you here."
"The pleasure was mine, Dana."
Dana turned towards the camera and addressed her audience. "So this has been another episode of 'Come on, ladies!'. I'll let you ladies go on drooling at this sexy superstar that has come to visit us tonight. We'll see each other on next Monday with more gossip and interesting things to learn. Come on, ladies! I'll be waiting!"
The model's smile remained until the light of the camera turned off and she relaxed back on her seat while the assistants helped the hostess and the guest to remove the microphones.
"Charles, you are indeed a treasure. This is the best interview I've ever conducted."
"Thank you, you made me feel very comfortable." Charles smiled and rose.
"Have lunch with me." Dana stood, too. "I'd love to know more about those projects you have and that you didn't want to talk about on the air."
He shook his head. "I don't think so. I must get back."
"Mr. Bingley," one of the assistants approached him, "would you like us to remove your make up?"
Charles hesitated for a second. He didn't want to delay his return, but also, he didn't like to wear make-up for longer than necessary. "Sure."
"Use my dressing room," Dana offered quickly. "You'll be more comfortable there."
"Thank you," he said and followed the assistant to Dana's dressing room.
The task of removing Charles make-up was performed in only a couple of minutes. Dana stayed with him, trying to pull out as much information about the star as she could and when he was done, the assistant left and she closed the door and offered Charles a cigarette.
"No. Thank you, I quit smoking." Charles refused the offer.
"Of course, with your wife pregnant, you must be living a life of abstinence right now." Dana said with an obvious double meaning.
That was the quickest and most direct hint Charles had received in his life. "No, not at all." He pretended he didn't get it.
Dana sucked her cigarette and blew the smoke out in this sexy manner. "Missing the fast life? You must be certainly bored staying at that country house with just your wife. I heard that you really know how to enjoy parties."
Charles observed her coming closer to him. Dana was a very beautiful, sexy woman, very much the 'man eater' type, one that not every man would have the courage to shag. "I quit that, too."
She laughed. "Come on, I don't believe you." Dana put one hand on his waist and slid it up. Charles abdomen contracted instinctively. "You are a damn sexy man, Chuck."
The actor looked around, as if searching for an exit. "I'm sorry, Dana, but I must go, I ..."
He wasn't allowed to go on. Dana's mouth was kissing his and her hand was moving down to his backside. There was a moment when Charles body reacted of its own will. His mouth kissed back, his hand went to her waist and even his loins felt a rush of arousal that wasn't strong enough yet to turn into an erection but that managed to produce a disturbing tickle in his sex. But his mind was on a complete different wavelength. He didn't want this woman. He didn't want any other woman than his wife.
Charles grabbed her by the forearm and pushed her away. Fuck the play he wanted to audition for, fuck the interview, fuck her. "Dana, please, I don't want to do this. I must go now."
"But, what's wrong with it?" she cried, incredulous that she had been refused. "It's just sex!"
That was a comment that didn't deserve to be replied. She would never understand him. "Good-bye, Dana, I had a very good time during the interview. Give my regards to your husband."
Elizabeth opened the door of the kitchen and then followed her mother back into the twilight zone. To make the moment even more surreal than it already was, the men were looking utterly relaxed, smoking cigars as if nothing had happened. Darcy was on the couch, gesticulating amply as if describing something -a scene of the movie, probably- and Lucas sitting in her mom's armchair, smiling and nodding in understanding at the description. The tray was placed on the low table in front of the couch, Elizabeth sat next to Darcy and Amanda brought a chair to sit across them, close to Lucas' armchair. The cigars were immediately put out and, just like before, the awkwardness returned.
It was strange, because everyone was acting as if this were just a casual meeting between common acquaintances and not what it really was: the delayed reunion between father and daughter. They all knew what this was about but not a word was said about the subject they were all eager to talk about. For nearly half an hour, the conversation was centered on what could be called polite, salon-like topics: weather, cinema, news, etc, anything that wasn't related to feelings, family or fatherhood. Practically no words were exchanged between father and daughter, just a comment or a brief agreement to what something that the other said and mother and boyfriend were trying their best to fill in blanks and keep the spirits light and relaxed.
"Well, I should be going." Darcy realized that this was going nowhere and decided to leave. Though Elizabeth needed his support right now, this was something that she would have to work out on her own and his presence there was only making it more difficult. "I'm sure that you need to talk and I'm only intruding here."
Elizabeth placed her hand on his knee. "So early?"
"It's not early. Really, Lizzy, I must go." His tone was definitive.
She nodded.
"I'm going, too." Lucas rose. "This has been a lovely reunion but I fear that I have imposed on you for too long."
"Do you want a lift?" Darcy offered.
"No, thank you, Wills, my chauffeur is parked somewhere outside. I'll call him so he can pick me up." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.
Elizabeth was all anxiety now. Darcy was leaving, her father was leaving too and everything would turn back to what it was before when it really wasn't. In fact, everything was upside down now, in some kind of limbo where no one knew what to think or how the other felt and what to do next.
The men took their coats and walked together towards the door, followed by mother and daughter.
This time, with her parents so close, Darcy was a lot more reserved in his adieu to Elizabeth. She was visibly tense and nervous and more for her sake than his, he kept things within propriety, saying good-bye with just a soft kiss on the lips and a hug.
"I'll call you tonight." Darcy kissed her cheek as he released her, but not before giving her a quick squeeze on her butt when he knew that no one could see it.
She nodded, smiling at his impossibility to repress that conduct. "Take care, good bye."
"Lizzy," John Lucas said before leaving. "I would like to have lunch with you tomorrow before I return to Derbyshire. What do you think?"
They were all looking at her when she replied, "Sure. I'd like that."
Lucas smiled broadly. "Good. I'll send you my chauffeur to pick you up. Until tomorrow, then." He turned to Amanda. "Good-bye, Amanda. Thank you for today. It was very nice to see you again."
"Thank you, John," she replied.
The gentlemen left and the door was shut.
"Well, Lizzy," Amanda sighed as she linked her arm with her daughter. "This has been some amazing day, don't you think so?"
Smiling, she said, "Indeed it has, mom."
The ride back to Pemberley was a very thoughtful one. Charles Bingley was pleased with himself. Soon after he left the studio, many feelings took possession of him: pride, a sense of triumph over his own weakness. But as distance separated him from this unexpected test he had been submitted to, these sentiments changed into peaceful happiness. He did the right thing, no more, no less. Stopping at that moment had not been an almost impossible task as he thought it would be, it was the natural thing to do. Not for an instant he felt tempted by her offering and was never in his mindthe thought of prolonging the exchange.
Was he completely cured from his 'vice'? He didn't know it, but he was sure that this was the life he wanted, not the other one. He didn't even miss it. He was feeling strong and confident and he knew that he owed this new found strength to the unconditional love of his wife and the love he felt for her. Jane was his beloved wife and with her, he had learned the meaning of the words love, commitment and respect.
Back in Pemberley, Charles went directly to the sitting room that had been transformed into a bedroom for him and Jane so his wife wouldn't need to deal with stairs every time she wanted to retire. He found the room dark and his wife asleep.
"Charles, is that you?" she asked drowsily.
"Hi, angel." His intention was not to disturb her, but it was almost impossible not to alter Jane's light rest.
"How did the interview go?"
Charles crawled in bed next to her and kicked his shoes off. "Fine, nothing extraordinary."
"When is it coming out?" She turned to her other side, facing him. Charles helped her to perform this task and tucked a pillow under her belly to help her to support the weight.
"Tonight, I think." He spoke softly while caressing her hair.
"Is Dana as beautiful as she looks on TV?"
With playful disdain, he replied, "Pretty, but definitely not my type."
Jane smiled. Usually, when he talked in this manner, a silly compliment to her would follow. "And what would your type be?"
"You know ... I'm more attracted to the extremely lazy, Zeppelin-shaped kind of girls right now."
She giggled and he sought her lips for a kiss that quickly grew in depth and intensity. This was the woman he loved, that awakened all those sensations and feelings that no other woman could create, and that even in her confinement and knowing that he couldn't have her, was the only woman he desired. He tried to keep his body away, his caresses gentle and non-sensual but he couldn't stop that wave of ardor combined yearning from growing inside of him.
"Don't start anything you can't continue, Chuck," Jane admonished him when she sensed passion and arousal in his lips and his caresses.
"And you don't repress my desires, wife," he said smilingly. "Kissing you is all I can do so let me enjoy it the only way I can."
Jane bit her lip and cupped his cheek with her hand. "I'm sorry, it's just that I don't want to make you suffer."
"I'm not suffering," he said, "just waiting patiently. I like to think I'm being submitted to some kind of test to see how much I can resist. You are an extremely sexy woman, Jane."
"Liar. I'm huge."
"Much better." He kissed her again. "More of you for me to embrace."
That was her adored Charles, always seeing the positive side of things. "Do you know how much time of abstinence you still have ahead?" she teased him.
"A lot." He chuckled. "But is worth the sacrifice. I'll have these two beautiful girls all for myself."
Jane sighed and rolled to lie on her back. "I can't wait for this to end, I feel so heavy and useless."
"Patience, angel, just a few more weeks and it'll be over." Charles rose to his elbow and rested his hand on top of her belly. Fascinated, he observed how his child became more active and these 'mounds in motion' appeared and disappeared as his daughter-to-be moved inside her mother's body.
She remained silent for a while. "Charles, you don't regret marrying me, do you?"
This comment didn't surprise him very much. His wife's self-esteem had been quite low lately. The natural fears about the imminent child birth were taking her over, this forced inactivity was making her crazy and on top of it, she felt fat and unattractive and this made her insecure about her husband's affection. He was all reassurance, all the time, but no matter how many times he told her that he loved her, she needed to hear it constantly.
"No," he said softly. "I don't. You and this baby are the best things that have happened to me in my life. You should know that already."
"I'm sorry." Every time she asked, he answered exactly the same and every time she felt stupid for asking and doubting him. But she couldn't help it. "You are indeed patient, Chuck. I don't understand what's wrong with me."
"It's OK," he said lightly. "You are bored and tired of this inactivity and anxious about the baby. Just try to enjoy this peace while you are still able. When the baby comes you won't have time for anything else."
Jane looked at her husband and smiled. The balance and serenity he showed in front of her crisis were amazing. Charles was used to being the center of the world, but for the last month, he had given up this position and made her the center of his life.
"I love you, Charles." Jane brought her hand to touch his hair and face.
"I love you too, Jane." His smile became wide and happy. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips and said, "I know what we can do. We can go for a walk, all around the house and if you really behave, we can even step out onto the terrace and stay outside for a while. It's a beautiful sunny day."
"You made that sound like an adventure." She giggled.
"Come on, lazy." He sat up. "Let's get out of this room."
Charles helped his wife with her shoes and the couple left the room.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Amanda, it's William."
"Oh, hello, darling, how are you doing?"
"Fine, thank you. And you?"
"Excellent, I had a very good day at the store today. It's amazing that people would find time to buy flowers while doing their shopping for Christmas, but it happened. Do you want to talk to Lizzy?"
"Yes, please." He smiled.
Before calling her daughter, Amanda turned her back to the kitchen so Elizabeth wouldn't hear her and whispered, "She had lunch with her father today."
"I know." Even though Amanda seemed eager to talk about it -and he was more than eager to know- Darcy preferred not to ask.
"I can't tell you much about it because she'll hear me and she'll get angry. But I know it came out fine. She told me that she was very nervous at the beginning but that they talked some things out. She's still a little shaky, poor thing, but she's happy. She'll tell you."
"Right." He chuckled.
"Lizzy! William's on the phone!" she called.
Elizabeth came from the kitchen with pursed lips. "Did you already pass him the news?"
Her mother only waved her away and gave her the phone.
"Hi, Will."
"Hi, Lizzy."
"Are you still at the office?" It was a little early for him to be at Pemberley.
"Yes, I was about to go home, but first I wanted to know how you were." He knew the importance of this day and he wanted to give her his support without intruding on the first stages of her relationship with her father.
"Why? My mother didn't give you a complete report already?" she said loud enough for her mother to hear it.
"I prefer first hand versions." He smiled. "So you tell me how you are doing."
"I'm fine." She sighed.
"Good." That was enough for him.
Elizabeth bit her lip. "Don't you want to hear about the meeting?"
"Only if you want to tell me." He spoke softly.
She smiled. He always had the perfect answer to put her at ease about the things that troubled her. "It was different from how I imagined. I don't know how to describe it. It was fine, we talked a lot, but I'm not quite sure of how I feel about him and all this."
"It's understandable, Lizzy; it's just the first meeting. You need to get used to it, he needs to do the same and with time you'll work it out."
"Yes, you are right. Maybe I'm too anxious about everything. But we talked about many things, mostly about the present and the future so it ended being a very positive chat. We talked about you, too."
"Me?" He raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, he told me that you are a dangerous guy and that I should be careful with you." She teased him.
"I think I'll revise the terms of my contract with him." He smiled.
"No, seriously, he's happy that we are dating." Elizabeth twisted a strand of hair around her finger. "I also told him that you offered for me to work with you again."
"Job that, by the way, you didn't accept yet." Was his playful reply.
"Well, I'm officially accepting it." She declared.
Darcy's smile turned into a grin. "Great, you'll start after the holidays. There's a lot of research to do, we must contact the artists and coordinate their work so you'll be quite busy."
She allowed his enthusiasm to carry her along with him. "And Will, I talked to my mom. We are going to Pemberley for the holidays."
"Excellent." Now he was VERY happy. "I'll ready everything with my housekeeper. Do you want me to invite the Gardiners to come along for Christmas too?"
"Mom was planning to go to their house on Christmas Eve, but she'll be delighted if they could come too."
"I'll call Maddy, don't worry. You just tell your mom they are coming. I hope she doesn't object that I'm deciding your plans for the holidays."
"Don't worry." Elizabeth giggled. "Mom thinks you are the messiah. If you go on like this she'll try to adopt you."
"Well," he said smugly, "I need to have her on my side, you know, just in case you decide that you don't like me anymore."
"I don't think that will happen in the immediate future." She teased him.
His voice was all that was smooth and seductive when he replied. "Then we'll have to speak a little about the long term future."
Elizabeth was all fluttering right now and almost choked in her own nervousness. "Yes, maybe."
Having obtained the desired impact, he decided to give her a break and turn the conversation towards less overwhelming subjects. "When do you want me to come for you?"
"Will, that's not necessary. We can go by train."
"No way. Christmas is in only four days time so everything is crazy out there. I'll come for you. What do you think of tomorrow afternoon?"
"Fine for me." She grinned.
"I'll tell Jane that you are coming, she'll be delighted to have you here."
"Just Jane?" She asked teasingly.
"I'm sure that Georgiana will be very happy, too."
"You can turn quite silly when you want. Did you know that?" Elizabeth laughed.
"I'll take that as a compliment. Now, about Lydia, I thought ..." a huff on the receiver interrupted him.
"Don't worry too much about her, William, she's been acting like a complete arse lately."
He chuckled at her irritated tone. "What happened now?"
"She was hoping that my mother would rescind her punishment and be allowed to go out with her friends during the break but as she didn't, Liddy make this huge scene about it. And when she learned that we were going to Derbyshire for the holidays, well, that made it worse."
Darcy sighed. "Try to understand her. We'll find her something to do so she isn't bored. I'll ask Sam. He has a daughter about Lydia's age. Maybe they can even go out together."
"She's grounded, William."
"Right, then we'll lock her in the tower and allow her to come out to clean the floors."
"Yeah, that would be a good thing to do."
"We finally agreed on something, Miss Bennet," he said smilingly. "Have to go. I'll see you tomorrow."
"All right." She smiled sweetly. "See you."
Darcy hung up the phone and sat back in his chair, absolutely happy with how things were coming out. "Margaret!"
His secretary was there in one instant. "Yes?"
With one move of his hand, he told her to sit down and spoke while swinging his chair from side to side. "I have a few things to inform you so I'll ask you to pay attention without interruptions or questioning: first, I won't come into the office from tomorrow until after New Year."
"Right."
Satisfied with her reaction, he proceeded. "Second, you can take that time free too, but only after doing some research for me."
"What do you need?"
"I need a list of recitals, shows and all sort of activities for young people in the area."
"You're not planning to tour Elizabeth all around the country, are you?" She frowned.
"I believe I said no questionings. But as you are so eager to know about her, I'll go directly to point three: I'm officially informing you that I'm dating her, you are officially forbidden to complain about it and you are allowed to spread the news to the rest of the staff."
"Since when are you so interested that your private life is known at the office?"
"Since Elizabeth will come to work with us after New Year. I don't want any kind of stupid gossip about us dancing around so I want to make this clear to everyone, from the beginning. We are dating, she and her family will be my guests for the holidays and God willing -and this is just between the two of us- it'll get more serious than that. So this time, Meg, I won't tolerate objections or comments about my sentimental choices, do you understand?" He used his 'despotic director' voice.
"Nice try, sweetheart." Margaret smiled and patted his hand across the desk. "You know that I already approved of her, so all I can do is wish you all the happiness in the world."
"Thank you." His smile broadened.
"As for the rest, they already know her. She was part of the team once, everyone liked her, so there's nothing to worry about. I think it's much better if everything is clear from the beginning so there aren't speculations or misunderstandings."
"I don't give a fuck to what they might think, Meg, I just don't want her to feel uncomfortable."
"She won't, I'll take care of that. Where are you going to place her?"
"Close to Sam. She'll work with him. But you don't worry about that, I'll talk to him directly."
"Right." Margaret sighed. "I think I'll be going home. Anything else that you need?"
Smiling broadly, he said. "No, Merry Christmas, Margaret, go home and enjoy this time with your family. E-mail me that list to Pemberley when you have it."
She rose and he did the same. "Merry Christmas, darling," Margaret hugged him with tears in her eyes. "I'm very happy for you."
"Thank you, Meg." He returned the hug with affection.
His secretary left his office and he was left alone. This would be indeed a very Merry Christmas.