Chapter 20

Saturday, July 21, 2001 cont.

While William was gone, Elizabeth took a few minutes to clean up. She took her hair out of its braid and brushed it till it shined. Rather than re-braid it, she left it loose and put a silver circlet around her brow. She couldn't help but grin as she recalled William's wish that her hair was down at Coronation.

William. How was it that a few minutes in his presence had done so much to ease the hurt in her heart? Things weren't perfect between them, she knew that, but for the first time, in a long, long while, she had hope.

The largest cloud on her horizon was Charles. What would happen when William talked to Claire, and he got his verification of the facts of her story. How would Charles take the news? How would Jane? She was hopeful, after all, they had been clearly deceived. It wasn't as if either Jane or Charles had betrayed the other. Elizabeth hoped for Jane, since Jane could not. She didn't want to think about what would happen if she was able to reconcile with William, and Jane wasn't able to make peace with Charles.

That thought put a clear damper on her mood. There could be no William and Elizabeth, if there was no Charles and Jane. It simply wasn't possible. This realization put a halt to her flights of fancy. No, she had to take this very, very slowly. She knew all too well the dangers that were before them. The pain that was waiting for them if either of them made a mistake.

And yet, Elizabeth wasn't going to side in the other direction towards overcaution. She knew that Jane loved Charles still, and she believed, wholeheartedly, that Charles loved Jane. She also had a strong ally in William, who needed Charles and Jane to succeed as much as she did.

Before the hour was up, Elizabeth was cleaned up and ready to go, along with her relatives. Her aunt took this opportunity to ask to her about their host. "I was talking with Michael today, Lizzy. He seemed very nice, and he had nice things to say about you."

Elizabeth didn't like the sound of that. "What did he say?"

"Oh, he told me how he met you at a garb workshop, and how kind you were to him," she said in a pleasant way that gave Lizzy notice she was being grilled for information.

"That was very nice of him."

"I was somewhat surprised that a squire would come all the way out from Boston to Meryton for a garb workshop."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She was caught. She knew it. "Aunt Maddy, Michael's knight is William,"

You mean Sir Fitzwilliam?" her aunt asked pointedly.

"Yes, Sir Fitzwilliam and his friend Sir Charles have been living in Meryton this past spring. Charles and William became friends with Jane and I. When I had the workshop on 14th & 15th century French and English garb, William asked if he could attend with some of his squires, because that is their persona's period."

Madeline Gardener realized something, "Elizabeth, do you mean that Sir Charles is Jane's Charles? The one she was so broken up over?"

Elizabeth realized she had a problem. She didn't know how much Jane had confided in their aunt. "Yes, Aunt Maddy, it's the same man, but there are extenuating circumstances." She looked to her aunt, hoping she would understand. "There was a misunderstanding, a horrible one, between Jane and Charles, and one of the reasons I'm here this weekend is to try and work it out, but it has to be done carefully, so please, don't say anything about Jane tonight." "Elizabeth," She said, her voice quiet and serious, "do you know what you are doing?"

"Yes, Aunt Maddy, I know" Elizabeth could not hide the anxiety she felt. "But both Charles and Jane were deeply hurt by what happened, so I need to proceed carefully, so no one gets hurt again."

"I will trust you, Lizzy. You have always been very sensible. But I do hope you get this resolved quickly."

"So do I, Aunt Maddy."

Elizabeth was then interrupted by the arrival of William. Looking at him, Elizabeth's jaw dropped. He was wearing the same royal blue and gold velvet houppelelande he wore the day she met him. His hair was still damp for his shower and he glowed with a regal elegance. His eyes locked on hers and he stared at her intimately.

"Lady Elizabeth," he said softly, as his kissed her hand. Elizabeth could feel the softness of the long velvet sleeve against the back of her fingers. She struggled for something to say.

"My lord, I see you are wearing my favorite outfit," she smiled.

William grinned, clearly pleased she had noticed. "Especially for you, Elizabeth, you are the guest of honor tonight." He looked at the Gardeners. "Good evening, my lord, my lady."

Maddy Gardener smiled warmly at William. The scene she had just witnessed answered all the questions she had, and she was pleased by what she saw.

After receiving the Gardener's greetings, William turned to Elizabeth. He licked his lips nervously. "Elizabeth, I would like to formally introduce you to my household, as I should have the last time." His eyes tightened slightly at the memory. "Will you allow me that honor?"

Elizabeth studied him. He was trying so hard, she couldn't help but be touched by it. "It is I who would be honored, my lord," she replied with a warm look.

William's eyes smiled gratefully at her, and he took her arm and led the small party to the gates of Pemberley.

One look, and she knew that William had pulled out all the stops. A row of lit touches lined the path from the gate to the common area. It was not yet dusk, so the light wasn't necessary, but it made a beautiful display. William walked her into the commons tent, where the great House of Pemberley was assembled. What she saw there took her breathe away.

Charles and Georgianna stood before them. Charles was wearing a full length white and blue cotehardie and boots. Georgianna was wearing a white gown, under a blue sideless surcoat with the arms of Pemberley appliquéd on it. Against the wall of the large tent stood the three squires, each wearing a livery coat of blue and white. Three tables had been arranged in a U-shaped fashion, laid with fine white tablecloths and set. The tables were brightly lit by a multitude of candles and a pair of lanterns hanging overhead. Never before had Elizabeth seen anything so elegant outside of a formal restaurant. She looked at William in delighted surprise.

"Do you approve?" he asked her softly.

She smiled, "Very much, sir. I suspect there are few who would not."

"But this is to honor you, so your opinion is the only one worth winning."

Elizabeth looked at him, her eyes caressing his. "I approve heartily. Thank you."

William spoke in his louder, 'Master of Pemberley' voice, as he formally introduced Elizabeth and the Gardeners to everyone there. William and Elizabeth sat at the center table, with the Gardeners on the left and Charles and Georgianna on the right. "Aren't the squires going to eat?" Elizabeth asked William softly.

"They already ate," he said in a confident voice, that told Elizabeth he had thought of every detail.

As the squires brought forth food and drink for them, Elizabeth noticed the she and William were not sharing a plate tonight. She had mixed feelings about this. They had decided to take it slow, and she knew that they needed time, but at the same time, she couldn't deny the powerful attraction she felt for William. She longed for the burning pleasure of his hands, his touch, his lips on her skin. She wished she could just slip back in time, to Coronation, when had she spent dinner blissfully in his arms. But even that night had been far from perfect. No, if Elizabeth wanted this relationship, she was going to have to have patience.

She looked up at William with a warm smile. She didn't know he had watched her studying her plate, and had wondered what her thoughts were. She didn't know how her gentle look had both reassured him, and hardened his resolve.

Dinner that night was simple, but well made and elegantly served. Chickens had been roasted on spits over the fire all afternoon until they were browned and were served with buttered noodles and an orange sauce. Elizabeth complimented William on the food, "I thought you said no one cooks in Pemberley?" she teased.

"No one cooks who was at War Camp," he corrected her. It was still hard to talk about that weekend. "Georgianna made this tonight," he said with a nod in her direction.

"This is excellent, Lady Georgianna," Maddy said.

"Thank you," she said in a low voice. "It's really nothing special."

"Georgianna, it's wonderful." Elizabeth argued sweetly. "And it's entirely period, well done!"

Georgianna flushed slightly with Elizabeth's praise. "Thank you, I did try."

Elizabeth saw that Georgianna was enjoying the attention. "I'm so impressed you got the chickens to cook all the way through. That's really hard to do over a fire. When did you start these?"

Georgianna spoke a little easier, feeling confident on her topic. "I started them around one and kept the fire going all afternoon."

William watched the exchange silently, he was very pleased by the easy way Elizabeth could draw Georgianna out.

"Wow, when did you have the time?" Elizabeth asked. She knew how much work it was to spend the day watching something over the fire.

"Oh, Gabe helped me. We took turns chicken sitting." She giggled slightly at her words, and everyone joined in.

"We will have to thank him for his help," Aunt Maddy observed.

"Elizabeth?" Georgianna began nervously. "William told me you have a household of your own."

Elizabeth wiped her mouth on her cloth napkin and nodded. "Yes, that's right." She smiled, "But it's not like this," she indicated the grandeur of Pemberley with a gesture.

"Tell me about it."

"It's called Longbourn. My sister and I started it a few years ago, when we found we needed an new group to camp with at Pennsic."

"Why was that?" William asked.

"Oh, we had always camped with Northpass before that. But the problem was that Northpass became too big. The last year we camped there, the camp had over 60 people, and we felt really uncomfortable not knowing, even by face, all the people we were camping with." Elizabeth took a breath and continued, "Not only that, but we had friends we wanted to camp with, who wouldn't camp with Northpass, so the answer was to set up our own house. Hence Longbourn was created."

"Why did you pick that name?" Charles asked.

"My mother has been doing genealogy. It's her new obsession. Anyway, she found that Longbourn was the name of an estate my ancestors on the Bennet side held in Hertfordshire, England. It seemed like a good enough name," she smiled. "Why Pemberley?"

William looked uncomfortable for a moment, as Charles laughed softly at his discomfort. "Tell her, Will," he teased.

"Pemberley is the name of my home."

Elizabeth opened and shut her mouth a moment. "Your house has a name? The physical dwelling in which you reside," she said carefully, wanting to understand this, "is named Pemberley?"

William nodded, flushing slightly. "It is my family's estate."

"Wow," Elizabeth said softly. It always threw her when she was reminded of William's wealth. "It is nice?" She asked lamely.

"It is very nice," he said quietly. "I'd like to show it to you, someday." The words were casual, but the meaning wasn't.

"I think I would like that," Elizabeth said softly.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, William asked, "So, who is in Longbourn," trying to restart the conversation.

"Oh, myself, Jane, my aunt & uncle," she nodded to relatives, who smiled. "Johan and Adelaide, you met them, my sister Kitty and Jacques, Charlotte, and two other families I don't think you know, Doug & Phyllis and Catalina & Tanarus, who I know through my aunt and uncle. With all the children, we have about 20 people in the camp."

Charles spoke up, "You have children in the camp?" He sounded delighted. "We have six," Maddy answered, "but we are a kid magnet. We always have extras," she smiled.

"That must be great." Charles said warmly.

"It is. It's a little chaotic," Elizabeth said, "but we have so much fun."

"Is it a problem at night?" William asked.

"No, not at all," Mrs. Gardener answered. "When the evening comes, the kids are so wiped out from playing all day, they all fall right asleep. We either have friends come and visit us at our camp by the campfire, or we take turns staying in and watching over the kids, so everyone gets to go out and have fun."

"We don't allow anyone to camp with us who isn't kid-friendly," Elizabeth explained.

Charles smiled, "That sounds perfect."

"Lizzy, I meant to speak to you about that," Mrs. Gardener added. "Your mother called me. Lydia wants to come this year."

Elizabeth sighed, "I know. What did you tell her?"

"I said I would watch after her."

Elizabeth nodded. It was a hard fact that Lydia was 18, and had been dying to come to Pennsic for years. Elizabeth knew they was no way of stopping her from coming, so it would be best that Lydia was in her camp, where they could keep an eye on her.

William asked, "What about your sister Mary? Does she camp with you?"

Elizabeth was shocked that William remembered her. "No, she camps with Scott. He's in House DeLondres."

William nodded. "Have you received your land assignment from the land office?"

"Yes, we will be on our usual spot, E01."

William stared at her. "Really?" Charles exclaimed. "Lizzy, we are on N01. We'll be right across the street from you."

Elizabeth looked at William surprised, but not at all displeased. "Neighbors?"

"We usually camp on St. Lawrence Way, facing north, but yes, we will be close."

Elizabeth smiled and looked down. It was a stroke of good fortune she hadn't expected, and she was embarrassed at how happy it made her. "So, have I met everyone in Pemberley now?" she asked as she remastered her feelings.

"I believe so," William answered. "You have met myself, Charles, Richard and Georgianna, as well as Michael, Gabe, Raf and Arial."

"Why isn't Richard here?" Elizabeth asked out of curiosity, not because she wished to see him.

"He was planning on coming," William explained, "But he got called away due to a work related emergency at the last moment."

"Richard works?" Elizabeth asked, frankly surprised.

William grinned, '"Yes, he comes off as a wealthy playboy, but Richard has a job, just like the rest of us."

"Oh Will, Rob and James will be coming to Pennsic," Charles reminded him.

William nodded, and turned back to Elizabeth. "So you haven't met everyone in Pemberley yet. Rob and James are our men at arms. They hadn't the time to commit to being squires."

"That's a small household," she commented. "I thought it was larger."

"I'm working on it," William said without thinking. Then his eyes grew huge. "I mean . . . " He stopped, he knew what he meant, but he couldn't tell her. Elizabeth smiled and gave his hand a squeeze, relieving him of explaining.

Unnoticed by either of them, Georgianna and the Gardeners found the exchange highly amusing.

"Georgianna, are you going to college?" Mrs. Gardener asked conversationally.

"Yes," she said softly, but with more ease than before. "I attended Boston College this past year, and I'm transferring to Brown University in the fall."

"What are you studying?"

"Costume design," she answered with a shy smile.

"I've heard they have an excellent program, " Elizabeth said encouragingly. "You'll do so well there. What are your plans for when you graduate?"

Georgianna shrugged. "I haven't really thought about it. I'd like to work in theater, but I'm not sure yet."

"That's a hard field to get into. Have you done any part time work in it? Sometimes that will help you break in."

Georgianna blushed and ducked her head, "No" she answered.

Elizabeth was puzzled by her reaction, then she realized: Georgianna had probably never had a paying job in her life. She would never need one either. Elizabeth, who had always had at least part time work since she was 16, suddenly felt very out of place.

William picked up on Elizabeth's discomfort, but didn't understand the reason for it. "Would everyone like to move to the fire?" He asked in his role as host. The party agreed. Elizabeth stood and moved away from the table, her thoughts still troubled. Georgianna grabbed William and pulled him aside, whispering to him.

Elizabeth turned to the darkness to hide her distress. She questioned what she was doing here, having dinner with millionaires for Christ's sake! Was she making a big mistake? She had never been poor, but with 5 children, the Bennet family had always had to be careful with their spending. Elizabeth had lived at home while she attended college, because she couldn't afford the dorms, and here she was eating with a girl who could buy a dorm if she wanted.

"Lizzy?" Charles' voice interrupted her thoughts. He approached her, using his body to block them from the view of the rest of the group. "What's wrong?"

Elizabeth fell in love with Charles at that moment. Here was a man to whom just her physical presence must be causing him horrible pain, and he not only was polite to her, but clearly cared about her distress. He deserved Jane more than any other man she knew. She hoped to hell everything would work out between he and Jane.

"It's just a bit of culture shock," Elizabeth said in a low voice. "I keep forgetting that William . . . His money." She shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"Elizabeth, William is my best friend," he spoke as if he had expected this. "I know him better than almost anyone. Believe me, the money means nothing to him."

Elizabeth looked at Charles trying to understand.

"Has he ever lorded it over you? Has he ever even talked about it, willingly?"

Elizabeth shook her head. William was very circumspect with his wealth. "But I just figured that was because he was a private person."

"He is very private, I'll give you that, but it's still the truth that the money doesn't mean anything to him." He stopped and studied her, "And I hope it doesn't mean anything to you."

Elizabeth gasped. "You don't think that I could be-"

"After his money?" he finished for her. "No, I know you are not. But I do worry that you might let his wealth affect your behavior towards him, unfairly." He took her hand and spoke earnestly, "I hope you see, that if you let William's money affect how you behave towards him, or how you feel about him, then you would be acting the same way Caroline does."

Elizabeth stared at him, her mouth hanging open. 'Did he know? No, he couldn't, but. . .' Her head swam. With a start she realized he was right. Caroline had been chasing William for his money, and she had been holding back because of it.

Charles eyes warmed, "I don't mean to be harsh, or stick my nose in something that isn't my business, but William doesn't realize that you might find his status hard to handle. It's not his fault, it just never occurred to him." He smiled with a shrug, "You two are so good together, I don't want either of you to blow it."

Elizabeth realized he was right. She had been letting William's possessions affect how she felt about him as a person. She was thankful that Charles was enough of a friend to call her on it. She hugged him tightly. "Thank you," she said into his chest, "You are such a good friend."

Charles hugged her back, careful to hide the anguish he felt.

When Elizabeth released him, she turned to see William watching her. His eyes were dark and concerned, but not angry. Elizabeth walked smoothly to his side, and let him seat her next to him before the fire.

Mr. Gardener produced two bottles of peach mead that Adelaide had made and soon everyone had a glass and was relaxing by the fire light. Elizabeth noticed that Georgianna had disappeared, and hoped she had not frightened off the girl. Then William tentatively reached out and grasped Elizabeth's hand, making her forget her worries. She smiled in response.

"So, tell me something, " Elizabeth began, her voice warm and playful.

"What?" William asked.

"Explain your names." At William's look, she clarified, "Fitzwilliam Darcy and Richard Fitzwilliam?"

"Oh that," William said. Charles flashed a huge grin and leaned back into his chair, ready to enjoy the story.

"When we were just starting out with Sir Siegfried, we were new and we hadn't chosen our SCA names yet. While Charles looked different enough to not have a problem, Siegfried always confused Richard and myself."

"Anyway, I didn't want a fancy SCA name, but the Duke decided that William was too common a name, so he called me Fitzwilliam. However, " he grinned, "when he was yelling at Richard-"

"Which happened a lot," Charles piped up.

"Which happened an awful lot," William agreed. "He would call him Fitzwilliam, too." he grinned. "As you might imagine, this caused some confusion, so one night we asked him about it, telling him we thought that he needed to come up with a different name. I'll never forget what he said: 'What? Fitzwilliam isn't good enough for youse?'" Elizabeth laughed at William's perfect imitation of the Knight's Brooklyn accent.

"Then he said, 'All right, here's what we're gonna do, youse be Fitzwilliam Something, and youse be Something Fitzwilliam, all right?'" William had his knight down pat, including the hand gestures. Elizabeth laughed until tears gathered in her eyes.

"So that's where Fitzwilliam came from," he shrugged slightly as the group laughed at his performance.

"That's a great story," Elizabeth said, wiping her eyes. "Will the Duke be camping with you at Pennsic?"

William shook his head. "He usually doesn't attend Pennsic, but when he does, he camps with his son."

"I didn't realize his son was still active in the SCA. Duke Siegfried doesn't have a household anymore, does he?" Elizabeth asked.

"No," William answered, "When his marriage broke up, most of his squires were sworn to his wife. He made them stick to their vows and House van Halsten went to her."

"You mean his squires had sworn their oaths of loyalty to her, and not him?"

William nodded. "They were his students, but their fealty went to her. She had charged them with keeping the Duke out of trouble."

Elizabeth shook her head. "That must have been rough in the end."

Charles shook his head in agreement, "It was really bad when the the marriage fell apart. A lot of people got hurt."

"But at the same time, while Siegfried made mistakes, he tried to hold on to his honor," William said sadly. "We were the first squires he took after the break up, and when we were knighted, he told us to start our own house. He didn't want the responsibilities of a household again."

Elizabeth nodded. "That explains a lot." She realized just how much William's offer to choose her over his household meant. William's household was his family. A family he had created to make up for the loss of his own. And he was willing to give it all up for her. It was almost too much to accept.

"Where's Georgianna?" she asked.

"She's getting desert," William answered.

"Oh, I should go help her." Elizabeth said, starting to rise. "Oh no!" William exclaimed, pulling her back down. "You are the guest of honor. No kitchen duty tonight."

"William!" Elizabeth exclaimed as everyone else laughed at her.

"He's got your number, Lizzy," her uncle joked.

Elizabeth blushed slightly. "Am I that bad?"

"No, you are wonderful," he said easily, then he caught his words and paused, "I just want a chance to treat you the way you deserve to be treated," he said earnestly, his eyes holding hers.

Elizabeth felt her pulse rise. William for his part cursed himself. He knew he had to hold back, to keep his feelings private for now, but it was so hard. Elizabeth was radiant, glowing in the firelight. He wanted nothing more than to tell her how he felt. How he had listened to her criticism and had changed, and how he was willing to do anything to make it right between them.

But the weight of his cell phone as it hung from the pouch on his belt was a constant reminder he couldn't yet. His heart was not free. He looked at Charles who sat on Elizabeth's other side. Until William had helped the man he called 'brother' he couldn't love Elizabeth the way he wanted to, openly. He had to wait. A side of his mouth curled up ruefully as he realized he was fighting against his old enemy again: time.

"Something funny?" Elizabeth asked, sotto voce.

"Nothing," he shook his head. "It's not funny at all."

Elizabeth was saved from responding to this by the arrival of Georgianna and Michael, carrying a tray. They passed out bowls containing slices of pound cake covered with sugared berries and whipped cream. "It's not period," Georgianna apologized.

Elizabeth smiled, "When it tastes this good, it doesn't have to be."

They sat for a long time, talking quietly and sharing stories. Around midnight, the Gardener's rose and began making their farewells. "I can't thank you enough for this evening, Sir Fitzwilliam," Aunt Maddy said graciously.

"Thank you for coming," he answered sincerely. "I very much hope we will have a chance to do this again, perhaps at Pennsic."

"We'd like that," she answered. "Lizzy, are you going to stay?"

"I'd be happy to walk you back, Lady Elizabeth," William said, his eyes warm and hopeful.

"Thank you," she said to William, unmistakable pleasure in her voice.

"Well, good night, then," Mr. Gardener said as they moved off. Elizabeth stayed standing with William. "Would you mind taking a walk with me, my lord?" she asked.

William smiled warmly, "I would be delighted."

Before they left camp, William stopped and quickly got his cloak. It was dark blue, and very full. Elizabeth could tell from touch that it was made from fine wool, and she saw that William's arms were embroidered on the right shoulder. William wrapped Elizabeth in the cloak with him as they moved off slowly into the night, towards the ocean.

"Did you want to talk some more?" he asked. He was trying to control his response to her closeness. It had been easier during the day, but now, with the coolness of the night contrasting with the warmth of her body pressed close to him, he struggled not to take her mouth with his own.

Elizabeth nodded. Truthfully, she just wanted to be alone with him, but she could talk to him all night. "I noticed you don't call me 'my lady' anymore," she said softly.

William stopped and turned her to face him. His eyes were full of remorse. "That is because I do not feel I deserve that honor, after my behavior towards you."

Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise, "Oh, I was afraid it was me."

William's eyes smiled, "It could never be you. You are all that is good and lovely," he said, his fingers lightly touching her hair.

Elizabeth shook her head, "I am not!" she said firmly. "I am a shrew and a bitch and I said horrible, untrue things to you that I didn't even mean, and I don't know how you can even stand to look at me."

"Elizabeth," his eyes darkened, "I am the one who said untrue things. I didn't mean what I said that night. I am so sorry, I was angry and hurt, but that is no excuse. I should have never said those things to you."

Elizabeth looked down momentarily, then her gaze returned to his eyes. "What did you tell me once? You need no excuses with me." She bit her lips, struggling, then continued, "When I think about what I said, I am so ashamed."

"Why should you be? What you said was completely correct." His gaze turned inward, "I am egoistical, and arrogant, and very selfish, but I'm trying to change."

Elizabeth nodded. She had seen the change in him. She wanted to tell him more, but she didn't dare. Until the situation with Charles and Jane was resolved, they were under a yellow flag. The race had not ended, but they couldn't change their positions either.

"When do you think you will hear about Charles?" she asked.

William understood and shared her impatience. "I don't know. If Claire does not call back tonight, I will call her again in the morning."

Elizabeth nodded. "Then perhaps you should walk me back now."

William nodded. They had said all they could say for now. Until he heard from Claire, he was just torturing himself with Elizabeth's presence. But what sweet torture it was. Silently they walked into Longbourn, their hands intwined, William's arm around her shoulders.

When they stopped before her tent, Elizabeth looked up at him shyly. "Thank you for the dinner party. It was very special."

"Thank you," he said, his eyes drinking in her face. "Thank you for letting me have the pleasure of your company." The words were a poor covering for the feelings that accompanied them. "May I kiss you, dear lady," he said, his words soft and pleading.

Elizabeth nodded once and then, just like their first time, they kissed. Their mouths found the other's, as if drawn together by a mystical thread that linked them. But unlike their first kiss, this was not brief and innocent. This kiss was lush, and fiery. This kiss spoke of desires and needs. This kiss made promises for the future and apologies for the past. They kissed until their lips were swollen, their breath was short and their hair was mussed.

When they pulled back and looked into each other eyes, it was not without fear, because both had revealed, without meaning to, the very tenderest parts of their hearts. But the fear was overcome by courage and trust. Courage that this was right, and trust that the other would not let them fall alone.

William clutched her body tightly to his, he wasn't sure if he was trembling or if it was her. He was overcome by a feeling of gratitude. Elizabeth, sweetest, loveliest Elizabeth was here, in his arms. He had believed he would never hold her again, but she was here, kissing him freely and with just as much passion and fear in her eyes as he felt in his. She had given him permission to kiss her, and he prized that right. Never again would he ask to kiss those sweet, luscious lips. She had given him her kiss, and he would never let it go.

He would not fail her. He would make it right. All of it. He would bring Jane and Charles back together, he would love her, gently and faithfully, until her heart was whole again and she was able to give herself to him, then he would cherish her for the rest of his life. He did not deserve this second chance, but by God, he was not going to waste it!

***** Sunday, July 22, 2001

Elizabeth woke up early again. She smiled as she recalled her feelings yesterday morning and compared them to today. Yesterday, she had been terrified that William would not even speak to her, but he had. And the things he had said! She was filled with so much hope, it made her giddy.

She dressed quickly and slipped outside. There was a haze covering the camp, giving a mystical appearance to everything. No one else was up yet, and Elizabeth walked quietly to the ocean, so she would not disturb the sleepers.

The sun was up and its height caused Elizabeth to readjust her estimate of the time. It had to be closer to nine. She sat on her rock, and watched the waves coming in, listening to the soothing sounds, and remembering last night.

She toes curled as she thought about that kiss. In all her life, she had never been kissed like that. She had just wanted to curl her whole body up and into his during that kiss. It had filled her and drained her, excited her and calmed her at the same time. It had been a dream come true, but then it had been better than any dream.

William, she thought happily, She remembered the feel of his strong arms, his dark eyes, his breath on her face, his scent.

She noticed his scent and turned around quickly to find him standing behind her. She smiled wickedly, letting him know exactly what had been on her mind, "Good morning," she purred.

He had been studying her. It was a guilty pleasure, but he loved watching her. He loved the way she moved, the expressive way she would tilt her head or lift her shoulders. He loved seeing her soft, womanly curves and remembering how they felt under his hands and against his body. He was hopeless, he loved her and everything about her. Yet his heart broke and he fell in love again when she turned and smiled at him.

"Good morning," 'my love,' "Did you sleep well?"

Elizabeth smiled as she realized, "I slept better than I have in weeks." Her eyes traveled up and down his frame, "Must be you."

William's eyes smiled back, he would love to continue this provocative game of verbal tag with her, but he had something more serious to deal with. She must have seen it in his eyes, because her expression changed.

"Did you hear from Claire?" she asked, her voice low and controlled.

"Yes," he said slowly. "She admits to lying about the messages. She completely collaborates your story." He sighed, "Elizabeth, I want you to know, even if Claire hadn't backed you up, I would have told Charles today anyway. I believe you."

"Thanks," Elizabeth said. "What's next?" she asked, her eyes worried.

"You are certain that Jane still loves Charles?"

Elizabeth nodded, then said, "I am."

William nodded in a slow, distracted fashion. "Then wish me luck."

"Good luck," She said automatically. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to do what is right, and probably lose my best friend in the process." He turned away.

"Will!"

He turned back to her, his face set in a grim expression. "Whatever happens, come back to me when you are done," she told him.

He nodded once and set off again. Elizabeth settled down to wait. She hopped off her rock and returned to Longbourn, putting the water on for coffee.

****

Determinedly, William walked down the road back to his pavilion. He blamed himself. Not for Caroline's lies. No, that was all her own guilt. But he blamed himself for not listening to Elizabeth. For not talking to her. Between them, they had the information to realize what Caroline had done. If he had stopped his pathetic fantasies at War Camp for just a moment, Charles and Jane could have been reunited almost a month ago. And perhaps he and Elizabeth wouldn't have fought, and then maybe they wouldn't have such a distance between them.

He shook his head. It was useless to play 'what if'. He had to deal with the here and now. If nothing else, his experience with Elizabeth had taught him that. He hoped that Charles could forgive him, but he had to do what was right, even if Charles couldn't. Taking a deep breath, he entered the pavilion and found his friend.

****

Elizabeth didn't have long to wait. She was just pressing the plunger down on the french press when Charles' voice reached her. "Lizzy! Lizzy!" He shouted. Elizabeth hurried to the road.

Charles saw her and ran faster towards Longbourn. William followed behind him. "Lizzy!" he said, grabbing her shoulders, "Is it true? My Angel, is it true?" his eyes looked like they were going to burst out of his head.

"It's true, Charles, Jane loves you, very much," She answered him with a smile. Charles picked her up and swung her around, laughing loudly.

"Charles!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "People are still sleeping!" When her feet were back on the ground, she let the two men into the camp and took them to the kitchen tent.

She poured and passed William a cup of coffee while Charles babbled. "I can't believe it, my Jane, my Angel. Oh, I never believed she would leave me, my sweet Jane!"

Elizabeth politely ignored Charles as she grinned at William and poured her own cup. She was just taking her first sip when Charles announced, "I have to go!"

"Charles, where are you going?" Elizabeth asked as he started towards the gate.

"I have to go to my Jane," he face fell, "she must be very upset, she thinks I don't . . . Oh God! I have to go," he repeated, his expression was grim.

"Charles, wait!" Elizabeth said forcefully. "Come back here."

When Charles returned, she took a deep breath and said, "Charles, I can't lie, Jane is devastated." Charles' expression was becoming increasingly upset, "but you can't just run off to Meryton."

"Why not?" he demanded.

"Because she's not there, for one thing," Elizabeth shrugged with a lift of an eyebrow.

Charles' expression moved from heartbroken, to confused, to certainty in a quick rush. "Your cousins! She's watching your cousins in Boston!" He gasped, "she's so close! Lizzy, please, will you please get me her number, I need to call her."

Elizabeth's eyes flashed to William's. She didn't think Charles should call Jane like this, right out of the blue.

William nodded ever so slightly to her, and passed her his cell phone. "Charles, why doesn't Elizabeth call Jane and explain to her the situation. We can return to Boston and if the ladies are willing, we could spend the afternoon at my house, where you and Jane can have some privacy to talk."

Charles' face turned from William's to Elizabeth's, "That's a good idea," he conceded. Elizabeth watched Charles try and pull himself together, "Lizzy, if it's at all possible, I'd like to speak with Jane," he said calmly.

Elizabeth nodded, and dialed the Gardener's number. It was 9:30, she knew Jane would be up. "Hello." Jane's voice answered.

"Jane, it's me."

"Lizzy! How are you doing? Is everything all right?"

"We're fine, Jane," Elizabeth assured her as she sat down in one of the camp chairs. "In fact, I have some news for you."

"Oh?"

"Jane, William's here."

"Did you talk to him?" Jane asked, anxious for her sister.

"Yes, we talked," she smiled as her eyes fell on William. "Sweetheart, there's something else, Charles is here."

"Charles?" Jane squeaked. Elizabeth waited, but Jane didn't say anything more.

"Jane, are you there?"

"Yes," came the whispered answer.

Elizabeth sighed, "I wish I was there to tell you this. Jane, he wants to see you."

"Me?"

"Jane, there has been a mistake," Elizabeth explained as gently as she could. "Caroline lied. Charles was leaving messages for you when he was away."

Elizabeth couldn't hear anything but Jane's soft, quick breathing. "Jane?" Elizabeth ducked quickly as Charles lunged for the phone. She held out a hand to stop him, while she waited for Jane.

"Lizzy?"

"Are you okay?"

"Charles wants to see me?" her voice was trembling.

"Actually, Jane, if you are up to it, he's right here, and would like to speak to you."

Elizabeth waited a few seconds while Jane made gasping noises. "Are you sure?" came the whispered reply.

"I'm sure, Jane. He still cares for you, very much. If you would like, we want to come Boston as soon as possible and William has invited you and me to spend the afternoon at his home so you and Charles can talk." She worried she was being pushy, "If you want!"

"Lizzy!" Jane cried. "I can't believe it. Are you sure I'm not dreaming?"

"Why don't you ask Charles that?" she smiled, and handed the phone to Charles who took it with a shaking hand. William took Elizabeth's hands in his own and walked a few steps away from Charles. Not that Charles noticed.

They could both hear Charles, speaking tenderly into the phone, as if his life depended on it. Elizabeth realized that perhaps it did. Certainly his happiness did. That thought caused her to lift her eyes to William. Did her happiness depend on him?

His eyes embraced hers, and she let out the breath she wasn't aware she was holding. Somehow William's arms were around her, and hers around him, but she didn't know quite how this had happened. She just knew that she needed to hold him and be held by him in return.

They had both done something very difficult. William had confessed to his friend the worse crime he had ever committed, and Elizabeth had surrendered the care of Jane's happiness to another.

It had been very hard, very scary, but they had the comfort of each other and of knowing it was right. When Charles turned to them after hanging up, his face glowing with happiness, they knew the worst was over. The yellow flag had been lifted, and they were back to racing under the green.