Chapter 12

Definitions: EK Royal The Eastern Kingdom Royalty's camp at Pennsic. Retainer A person who serves the royalty during their reign as a member of the royal entourage.

Saturday, April 28, 2001 cont.

Elizabeth laughed and thanked the Contessa. William led her into the dining room and to their table, where they found Charles and Jane waiting for them.

"Everything okay?" Charles asked. Charles had not missed the fact that William had been called out by their knight, and he suspected he knew the cause of it as well.

William nodded to his friend, then he examined the place settings at the table. "What is this?"

"I thought we could sit on one side and the girls could sit across from us." Charles smiled at Jane, who looked back at him happily.

"This is not acceptable," William said in a low firm voice, "My lady does not sit across from me," he paused to look at Elizabeth, "but at my right hand, where I may serve her the most delicious things on the table."

Elizabeth smiled warmly and moved closer, so that their bodies were touching. It seemed that once William had crossed the first hurdle of declaring Elizabeth to be his, it was now a certain fact of life for him, never to change. This told her something very important about his character.

Charles and Jane, however, were gaping like lake trout.

"My Lady," William said intimately has he sat Elizabeth at the table, and quickly rearranged the place settings. He bit his lip for a moment, then asked. "May I . . . Do I ask too much . . . Elizabeth?"

"Yes?" she was curious to see what could fluster him so.

"How would you feel about sharing a plate?" he asked timidly.

It was the last thing she was expecting. "Well, it is very period," she laughed. 'Its very intimate too,' she thought. "But I have to ask; what is your feast behavior? Do you find one thing and stick to it, or do you like to try a little bit of everything?"

"In feasting, madam," he said with mock formality, "I prefer to try a little of everything, but in all else, I find the best of something, and hold fast to it." His eyes burned into hers and Elizabeth was glad she was sitting as her breathing slowed.

'You are a dangerous man, William Darcy. I could fall for you so easily,' she thought. "Then I would be happy to share your plate, Fitzwilliam," she said, her meaning both simple and complex, "but, for cleanliness sake, I think we should have our own bowls, and water."*

William nodded, pleased to be able to share this wonderful game with her.

Isabella's apprentice Patrick soon arrived at their table, bearing a bottle of red raspberry mead. "With the best wishes of my mistress," he said. William accepted the bottle with a nod and said dismissively, "Give your mistress our thanks."

The young man made to leave, but Elizabeth stopped him. "Patrick, how are you doing my lord?"

He smiled at her, "I am well, my lady, though my mistress keeps me quite busy," he added. "Is your sister here today?"

"Which one?" Elizabeth asked, looking playfully at Jane. Elizabeth was used to this question. While many of her SCA acquaintances knew some of her sisters, very few knew all of them, and that they were all related.

"Lady Mary,"

"Yes, she's here. I saw her at court. She is with her lord."

Patrick's eyes fell in poorly disguised disappointment. "Oh, well, tell her I asked about her."

"I will," Elizabeth promised.

When he was out of ear shot, Elizabeth and Jane giggled over the young man. William watched her with a look of distinct pleasure. He was always touched by her ease and friendliness with people. She was so special; William hoped she knew how he treasured her. When she turned her face to him, he put his hand along her face and kissed her firmly. He felt her arms embrace him and he tried to let his feelings for her show in the kiss.

When they stopped, they noticed their table companions were back to being trout. "Okay," Charles said, "Who are you and where's the real Darcy?"

"Hey! That's Lizzy's line," Jane commented.

"Oh?" Charles asked.

Lizzy stared at her sister, "Should I tell him?" she teased.

"Tell me what?" Charles asked.

"Tell you how sweet, gentle Jane transforms into a crazed mutant whenever we are going somewhere to meet you."

William laughed, "So does Bingley!"

"Oh yes?" Jane retaliated. "What about the first time William kissed you, Lizzy?"

William looked at Elizabeth, who was blushing to her roots. "When was that?" Charles asked.

"When we had the workshop at the store, and Lizzy had to drive them to the airport, remember?"

"I remember!" Lizzy challenged, "I remember coming home and finding you two lip-locked on the couch."

"Oh yeah," Jane grinned, not in the least embarrassed.

"So," William asked in a low voice, "What happened after I kissed her?"

Elizabeth put her head down, unable to look at him.

Jane pounced, "She came home in a complete daze and said you were 'Wonderful'."

William beamed. "Did you really," he asked in Elizabeth's ear, his hand resting on her back. She nodded. He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "I thought you were wonderful, too."

He had not thought it possible, but Elizabeth even more deeply. She was saved from further embarrassment by the lights being turned out. The dining hall was now by lit by hundreds of candles, flickering over the tables.

The Heralds announced the arrival of Their Majesties, and as they stood, William took Elizabeth's hand, and made sure she was not still embarrassed. She squeezed his hand gratefully and basked in the affection in his eyes.

William turned out to be an excellent dining partner. He cut all of Elizabeth's meat for her, and they happily took turns feeding each other whatever they particularly liked. Elizabeth was impressed to learn William had researched period table service, something that Charles teased him about.

Elizabeth shrugged, "I've heard worse. I, myself, have done extensive research on Italian edible gourds in period. It's like a disease."

As William smiled in solidarity, he realized he was happier here with her, than he had been in a very long time. It was like an ache that he had lived with for so long that he had forgotten its existence and was now made noticeable by its absence. He didn't understand how this radiant being, named Elizabeth, had brought him so much joy, he only knew he didn't want it to end.

William hand fed Elizabeth the sweet strawberries from fruit platter, enjoying the way the berries darkened her lips. Elizabeth gave him a wicked look, as she would open her mouth to him and slowly bite the berries, letting her teeth gently graze his fingers.

His eyes watched her, dark with desire as Elizabeth picked up a tiny marzipan sculpture of a bird and fed the sweetened confection to him. His tongue capturing her fingers and licking them clean. Elizabeth found herself growing aroused by his closeness and longed to feel his tongue against other parts of her.

While musicians performed during the feast, William and Elizabeth shared their own private whispered conversation. They talked about nothing and everything, reveling in the intimacy of it all, being so very private in a room crowded with people. Elizabeth let herself enjoy the sensations. The flickering semi-darkness, the warmth of William's body beside her, his words flowing into her ear, sometimes followed by a light kiss on her throat, his hands touching her, his arm wrapped around her back. These all combined to produce something sensual and slightly wicked in feeling, and she drank in the pleasure of it.

Elizabeth realized that she didn't know how the evening would end. For the first time, she was willing to not be in control, and accept and follow the dark, unknown path ahead of her. She was surprised and pleased to find that she trusted William enough to let him guide her and to go with him. It was something she had never been able to do with another man.

*****

Elizabeth leaned comfortably against William, resting her head on his chest as they listened to a storyteller entertain them before the last course. His hand was unconsciously stroking her arm, up and down, and she relaxed from the simple pleasure of human contact. Not that William was just any human. He was wonderful. She had never felt so comfortable with anyone before. He was intelligent, funny, and genuine. Again Elizabeth realized how easy it would be to love him. She worried that maybe she already did.

When the storyteller ended and the last course was brought out, Lucan and Yana began traveling from table to table, greeting all their subjects. Lucan stopped at their table and William rose to shake his hand. Lucan greeted his old friend warmly. "Darcy, I want to ask you a favor."

"Certainly, your grace." He indicated Elizabeth, "Do you know my lady, Elizabeth?"

Lucan nodded at her, "My lady wife is better acquainted with her, but I do know Lady Elizabeth." He addressed her, "Elizabeth, I thought you were going to be one of our retainers?"

Elizabeth smiled and said, "Thank you, your Majesty, but not this reign."

"Come on!" He frowned mockingly, "I've never known you to be afraid of too much work."

"It's not the work, your Grace," she explained, "I just don't want to camp in EK Royal."

The King laughed and nodded his head understandingly. Then he turned back to William, "Fitzwilliam, about that favor," the King continued. "I would like you to be my General for the Central region."

"Sire?" Will was clearly not expecting this. "I would be happy to serve, but are you sure?"

"Darcy, no one is better at organizing large group fighting than you. You'll be working with Timothy in the South and Randall in the North. I want to have a little planning meeting with you all later tonight."

"That's fine, Sire, but I will be in Europe for the next two months. Will that be a problem?"

Elizabeth felt as if she had been shot in the chest. The warm, happy dream world she had been in all evening disappeared and she was in a free fall. She dimly heard Lucan ask, "You'll be back in time for the war camps?" to which William nodded, "Then no, I don't see a problem." Lucan left and William sat back down.

"Will?" She hated the way her voice sounded. "You are going away to Europe?"

If Will had missed the sound of her voice, which he didn't, the shattered look in her face would have caught his attention right away. "Yes. Elizabeth, didn't you know?" His eyes were full of concern.

"No," she said softly. Her eyes looked on blankly as she suddenly remembered everything. She remember how little she knew about him, she remembered how he hated to tell her about his life, she remembered how he never contacted her between events. Involuntarily, she pulled back into herself.

William felt as if he had been cut off from air. The warm, loving sunlight that was coming from Elizabeth's eyes had been shut off like a switch. He had no idea what she was thinking, but he had to turn it back on. He had to find out what was wrong. "Elizabeth?"

"I," she stopped and tried to figure out what to say. She wanted to bolt when she saw the confusion in his eyes. "I didn't know you were going away. When are you leaving?"

"We leave for Rome in two weeks, Elizabeth, but . . . " Oh god! He felt sick as he realized the truth. He had to leave her! "we are going back to Boston tonight. We are going to stay there until the trip. There are many things to prepare before we leave the country." His eyes filled with understanding. He had to leave and it was killing him. It was too soon. This bond they had, it was too fragile. He didn't want to go. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth," he said, his voice rough.

He put his arms around her, and she laid her head against him. She wanted to ask him if he would call, but that sounded too pathetic, even to her. No, if he wanted to talk to her, he could contact her. He had her number, he knew where she lived. She took a deep breath and pulled herself together. She sat up and said the only thing she could, "I'll miss you."

William didn't know what to do. Elizabeth had pulled away and the light in her eyes was gone. He struggled not to panic. He wanted to cancel the trip. He wanted to fall to his knees and beg her to come back, right now!

But he knew that was crazy. They had shared a nice dinner, but that was all. You don't throw out a multi-million dollar trip over a dinner date with a girl you haven't even slept with, did you? Even as William thought that, he knew it was just a lame cop out. He had blown it, just like he always did.

'I'll miss you, too," he said, taking her hand. "I'll see you when I get back, right?"

She nodded, sadly. "I'd like that," she answered in a low voice. Her hand lifted up, presumably to touch his silky curls, but she forced it back down. 'No. No closer', she told herself. As it was, she knew this was gonna hurt, she couldn't open herself up to more pain.

"Liz, please . . . don't" The hurt and sadness in his voice was terrible. She wavered.

"Will, I don't want to, but . . . I'm not sure what to do. I had a wonderful evening," she smiled sadly at him. "I don't think I've ever been so . . . " Her eyes closed and her face fell. "But I don't know you. I know so little about you. Whenever I feel close, something happens and I realize how far away I am from you." Her face was searching his, begging him for something to reassure her.

He wanted to reassure her. He wanted to give her something, anything. A part of him wanted to take her with him, to his home and never let her go, but he knew he couldn't. "Liz, I don't know, either. I don't want tonight to end, but I can't stop the clock." He squeezed her hand fervently and kissed it, "I will come back, I will," he promised, "And, if you want, I'll call."

Elizabeth did touch his hair this time. She touched him, and it burned her, but she didn't have a choice. "Call," she said, her voice soft and distant.

He stood up and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, wishing he could go back in time, and return to the happiness of just half an hour ago.

Elizabeth held him until Jane quietly said, "It's time to clean up, Lizzy." Will released her and she and Jane began clearing the table, glad to have something to do. William stood back, watching her, his mask firmly in place. Charles stood beside him, knowing better than to say anything. Soon the tables were cleared, and they left the dining room to return to the main hall, which had been cleared of chairs for dancing.

Elizabeth tried to stand apart from William, but he firmly took her hand and placed it on his arm. "You are my lady," he said with a fervency that made her tremble. She focused on composing herself, walking steadily beside him, one foot in front of the other.

Together they entered the ballroom as regal as any Royalty. Only their eyes betrayed the sadness they were feeling. William kept her by his side as they greeted the friends they had missed earlier in the day.

Elizabeth watched him privately as they moved about the room. He was gone. William, the man from dinner, the man she wanted to love, was gone. In his place was a proper, somber 'respected member of the Chivalry' and she was walking beside him, his attractive, devoted lady. It felt like a lie to her. She wasn't into social games and public roles. It went against everything she was, and right at that moment, she didn't want to be there.

William looked so handsome as he walked beside her, a perfect gentleman. The fake, polite role he was playing revolted her. But Elizabeth knew under that carefully crafted mask was no gentleman. In that moment, she wanted him. She wanted to rip away his calm demeanor and find instead the hungry, savage face she knew was underneath the mask. Like a spark on oily rags, a pinpoint of desire suddenly raged almost out of her control. She wanted to bolt. To run away with him and leave this social gathering. She wanted to find a nasty dark corner under the stairs and have him pull up her skirts and take her, forcefully and hard. Teeth clenched, nails scratching as their bodies heaved.

'Great. Now who's being bi-polar?' she thought as she took a deep breath and tried to quiet her raging urges. 'Admit it, Bennet, you're as bad as he is.'

'Not that wild, animal sex would help the situation.' she reasoned. 'It's just an emotional knee-jerk reaction, right? Trying to hold on to something? William wouldn't do it anyway,' she thought, 'He made that clear on our date.' She was left feeling sad and frustrated,a combination that turned her usually cheerful personality bitchy.

The music began, and the local Barony's Dance Master announced they would begin with a Pavane. The Pavane is less of a dance, and more of a very slow procession to music. A court dance dating back hundreds of year, the Pavane was all about seeing and being seen. William turned to her, and said intensely, "My Lady, would you give me the pleasure of dancing with me."

Elizabeth smiled coolly, and let herself be led to the dance floor. She realized, as she stood beside him in a row of three couples, that they had never danced before. Well, this at least was something new.

While there are different Pavanes, they are all basically similar. Rows of three couples, ladies to the right, men to the left. The basic set, which was consistent to the dance, was left step, beat, right step, beat, left-right-left step, beat. On each beat you would bring your feet together and rise up and down on your toes. Between these basic sets, you would do something 'interesting', for example, do the same thing backwards. This was all done at about a quarter of regular walking speed, to music that would be peppy for a funeral dirge. The whole point was to look as elegant as possible as you showed off your expensive clothes.

Elizabeth, while knowing the Pavane, found it boring. She did, however, use it to look around at the people in the room, and her partner. Fitzwilliam, as she expected, performed the dance flawlessly. Knights were generally required to learn to dance as part of their squire training, to make them 'well rounded'. Fitzwilliam was not looking at the room, however, he was studying Elizabeth.

"So, what would you like to talk about?" she asked. William stared at her as they moved through the next set. "Or does talking throw you off?"

"No, I'm quite capable of speaking while I dance, my lady," he answered.

Elizabeth considered him. It was clear they were back to Sir Stare-a-lot. "We could talk about the feast then. I could comment on the dishes, and you could remark on the entertainment," she said archly.

"I'm not sure the feast is a safe topic at this time, my lady," he said softly.

"No, perhaps you are right." she agreed. "Well, then, let us talk about you."

William only lifted an eyebrow to this suggestion.

"If I remember correctly, you said once that you were resentful, correct?"

William gave a tiny, barely perceptible nod.

"And that once you lost your respect for a person, it was gone forever, yes?"

"My lady, why are we talking about this? If you wish to know something about myself, please ask. I will answer you freely, but I don't understand this current line of questioning."

Elizabeth tilted her head, "I'm trying to understand your character, my lord. Sadly, I have little information available to me," she said lightly.

William did not miss the bitter undertone of her voice. He regarded her frankly, "And how are you doing in your understanding?"

"I admit, not very well. I can't make you out. You are a study of conflicts."

"Perhaps, this is not the best time for either of us to attempt such a task, my lady. I fear neither of us would benefit by it." his voice was soft and neutral.

Her eyes flashed, "When else will I have a chance, my lord?" she asked in a low, angry voice.

William closed his eyes for a long moment. When he opened them again his eyes were colder. "By no means would I suspend any pleasure of yours, my lady."

Elizabeth realized that though he had conceded this battle of wills, she did not want her victory. She was content to dance silently with William until the end of the Pavane. Then he gracefully lead her off the floor.

Lucan caught William's eyes and motioned him over to join a small group he was standing with. Elizabeth mentally took attendance. Standing there beside the King was Duke Sir Timothy and Duke Randall. Both of these well known and impressive men welcomed William warmly as an old acquaintance. William introduced Elizabeth to them as his lady, and before they could begin their discussion of war strategy, Elizabeth made her apologies and asked if they would excuse her.

William turned to her briefly, saying "I will find you when this is over." The mask faded for a moment, and his eyes gave her a meaningful look. Elizabeth nodded, and felt him kiss her hand, then departed.

Elizabeth, enjoying the freedom of being on her own, looked about the room for her sisters. Jane was dancing with Charles, Mary was standing and talking with a group of dance types, and Lydia was no where to be seen. Elizabeth pursed her lips. That didn't bode well. She heard her name, and turned to see Charlotte standing with Bill Collins.

Walking over to join them, Elizabeth hugged Charlotte. "Hi! I haven't seen you all day!"

Charlotte smiled warmly. "Well, that's because you have been with such important people," she teased, looking at William.

"Oh, yes, Sir Darcy and I are so high above you!" she sniffed, then laughed. She turned to address Bill, "Have you been enjoying yourself, my lord?"

"Lady Elizabeth," he oozed, "I've had such a wonderful time. This is a very delightful assembly, and I am so privileged in my company," he looked at Charlotte in a way which Elizabeth suspected was meant to be endearing, but she just found creepy.

"Yes, well, I'm glad to hear that, my lord."

"Indeed, Lady Elizabeth, you must allow me the privilege of dancing with you," he leered.

The last thing she wanted to do was dance with this officious toad. "You do realize, my lord, that there is no instruction with these dances," she explained. "The dancers are expected to know the dance already."

Bill dismissed this lightly, "Oh, I'm sure that won't be a problem. I did learn to dance at the fighter practice, and how difficult could it be. I'm sure I would be able to pick it up as I went along," he looked at Charlotte, "I have asked Lady Charlotte for the honor of her hand, but she says she does not dance," Charlotte gave Elizabeth a weak smile at this, "But I just saw you dancing, very lovely, I might add, with that tall gentleman, so I knew I could apply to you without fear of rejection."

Elizabeth was trapped and she knew it. She couldn't refuse without being rude, and he was a friend of her parents, so she accepted as gracefully as she could.

"Yes, I would be happy to dance with you, my lord." she lied. "My lord," she indicated William, "is in an important meeting right now, so I find myself without a partner."

Charlotte's eyes lit up at this, "You and William Darcy? Good job, girlfriend!" she said much too loudly for Elizabeth's comfort.

"Charlotte," Elizabeth hissed, trying to quiet her. Elizabeth knew that gossip was the milk the SCA thrived on, and she didn't want to be the subject of it.

"Excuse, Lady Elizabeth," the toad interrupted. "Do you say that tall gentleman over there is William Darcy?"

Elizabeth sighed, "Yes, my lord, that is his mundane name."

"Of the Boston Darcys?" Bill was getting very excited.

"Yes, I believe so," Elizabeth didn't understand what was happening.

"My goodness!" Bill exploded. "That man is the nephew of my employer, Mrs. Catherine de Bourgh. I must go greet him at once!"

"No!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Mr. Collins, now would not be a good time. My lord is in an important meeting with the King." Elizabeth was horrified.

"Nonsense," Bill replied as if she was a foolish child. "It will only take a minute, and I'm sure he will be thrilled to hear of his aunt."

Elizabeth felt a wave of nausea flow over her as this greasy, fat man in poorly fitting loaner garb sauntered over to William. "I can't watch," she said, covering her eyes.

"Mr. Darcy!" Bill proclaimed loudly, interrupting the meeting. "I just learned who you are, and I could not restrain myself for coming over immediately to tell you I saw your aunt only yesterday, and she was in the finest of health." Elizabeth uncovered her eyes to see Bill looking ridiculously pleased with himself.

The relaxed man's man of a moment prior was gone, and William transformed into a statue made of stone. "Thank you," he said coldly. "And who are you?"

"I am Dr. William Collins, your aunt's personal assistant at de Bourgh Financial Group," he puffed.

William stared at him as if he was an unusual type of bug, and dismissed him just as easily.

At that moment Elizabeth wished the ground would open up and swallow her. She was mortified as William's ice cold eyes sought and found hers.

"Charlotte, kill me now," she pleaded.

"It's okay, Liz." Charlotte argued. "He's clearly a newbie and he was only trying to be friendly."

Elizabeth stared at her friend in disbelief. She would have said more, but Bill had rejoined them. "That went very well," he bubbled.

Elizabeth couldn't deal and excused herself, after being forced to promise a dance to Bill. She moved to the doorway and into the hall, were she found Lydia. She was hanging off one of her male friends, and looked very drunk.

"What are you doing?" she snapped.

Lydia laughed and waved at Liz. "You're drunk," Elizabeth said unnecessarily. She then turned on Lydia's companion. "Carter, what the hell is this?"

Lydia was giggling and wrapped her arms around the young man's neck.

"I'm sorry, Lady Elizabeth," the young man stuttered. "She didn't have that much."

"What are you drinking?" Elizabeth grabbed the bottle. "Absolut! My god! What are you thinking? She only weights 110 pounds, you moron! All it take is two sips of this and she's bombed."

Lydia found this to be hysterical, while Carter cringed. "No more vodka! Take her outside and get her some air, and plain water," she instructed. "And lord help you if she barfs! Get me if you need any help."

Elizabeth watched Carter walk/drag Lydia out towards the doors, then spun around and found herself looking directly into William's face.

"Is that your sister?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes," said Elizabeth, trying to regain her composure.

"She's drunk," he observed.

"I know that!" Elizabeth snapped.

William stood firm in the face of her ire. He looked her carefully down and up, and said, "I'm sorry, I know how difficult that can be."

William offered Elizabeth his arm, which she took, feeling very confused. 'What did he mean by that?'

They reentered the dance room, and heard the Dance Master speaking, "The Queen has requested that the next dance will be Hole in the Wall"

Elizabeth knew this was the easiest dance of the evening and her best chance to discharge her promise to Bill. "Excuse me, my lord," she said tiredly to William, "I have to go and dance with a toad." She caught Jane's eyes and pointed to Bill. Jane, having danced with Bill at the fighter practice, immediately caught her meaning and moved closer to the edge of the dance floor.

She was approaching Bill and Charlotte, when she, and most of the hall, heard Mary exclaiming in a loud voice, "I can't believe the Queen chose Hole in the Wall! Doesn't she know how grossly out of period it is? It's an insult."

Scott tried to quiet Mary down and Elizabeth looked to see if William had heard. It was clear that he had. Elizabeth found Bill, and reminded him of her promise and led him to the floor, though really she just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. She was able to quickly explain the dance to him. The reason she choose this dance was because the steps were simple and repetitive, and luckily, they had been paired with the Baron and Baroness Lucas for the first set.

"My lord," Elizabeth said as cheerfully as possible, "you should know that this dance has stealing."

"Stealing?"

She smiled, "Yes, during the dance, another person can come and steal your place." 'And I'm going to use that to escape as soon as I can!'

"What should I do, then?" Bill asked nervously.

"Oh, well, you can either steal someone else's place, and get back into the dance, or you can retire gracefully," she said pleasantly.

The dance began and Elizabeth was amazed at how little talent this man had. He couldn't keep the beat and crashed into Baroness Lucas twice. Elizabeth saw William moving slowly up the hall with her, watching with an amused look on his face. She was never so relieved when she noticed Jane coming up behind her. She gracefully let Jane take her position in the next turn and stepped out of the dance, only to be followed by Bill, who didn't understand that Jane had 'stolen' Elizabeth place.

Elizabeth quickly got Bill back into his space and took a step back, sighing heavily.

"You are a very thoughtful person, Elizabeth," William said quietly behind her.

"Will you please stop sneaking up on me."

William had the decency to look embarrassed. "I'm sorry, my lady. I didn't mean to startle you."

Elizabeth sighed again, "No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped." She shook her head. "It's just been a trying evening."

"Indeed," he nodded. "Would you like to go outside? The air might do you some good."

Elizabeth shook her head sadly, "No, I can't leave Jane with Bill. That would be unfair and cruel. I have to go back."

William nodded and watched her prepare to slip into Jane place.

When the switch was made, Bill was more prepared for it, and laughed loudly at Elizabeth's return. Elizabeth smiled weakly back at him and gave a thankful glance to Jane.

"Are you enjoying the dance, my lord?" she asked.

"Lady Elizabeth, I am!" he enthused.

Elizabeth noticed that at least he wasn't crashing into people, until the next turn, when William stole his place, and Bill crashed into a poor lady.

Elizabeth's eyes flared at William's smug grin. "Let him find his own lady," he said softly, "you're taken."

Elizabeth couldn't help but smile. She really hadn't wanted to dance with Bill, and William's rescue was extremely welcome. They pleasantly moved though the set, and then Elizabeth flashed William an arch smile as Jane slipped into her place. She winked at him, as he moved smoothly to his new partner, not missing a beat. Then in the next set, Charles took William's place and he happily led Elizabeth from the dance hall to the open doors.

"My lord, you are monopolizing all my time tonight. That's not very gentlemanly," she scolded playfully as they walked into the cool of the evening air.

"Oh really?" his deep, sexy voice asked.

"Oh, yes," Elizabeth nodded in accent.

"Well," he said slowly, "If I'm not being a gentleman, then I guess I can do this." He took her into his arms, and leaning her back slightly, he kissed her long and hard. Elizabeth's hands slipped around his neck and her fingers buried themselves in his soft hair. When the kiss ended, he righted her and asked "Feeling better, my lady?"

Elizabeth smiled wickedly. "Yes, thank you." Her hands were still playing in his hair as his hands rested lightly on her hips. "I have to apologize again for being so short with you in there." She frowned, "I have no excuse."

"My lady, you need no excuses with me," He said and kissed her again. Elizabeth gave herself up fully to his kisses. He was wonderful and delicious and she never wanted to stop.

"Mmmmm," she purred sensuously as he kissed the spot behind her ear. "I like it when you are not a gentleman," she breathed.

"Then I should behave roguishly towards you, my lady?" he asked before he plundered her mouth again.

"Oh, yes," she sighed as he sucked gently at the base of her neck. Elizabeth felt like she was on fire. She wanted him so badly her knees were weak. She was trying to figure out how she could suggest they move to the back of the Suburban without sounding easy, when she heard someone behind her clearing his voice loudly.

They froze in their tableau. William slowly righted himself and Elizabeth took refuge against his shoulder. "What do you want?" he said coldly.

"I'm very sorry, my lord," said a nervous voice.

Elizabeth recognized it: Carter. Turning around she said, "What?"

"It's Lydia, she's . . . she's in the ladies room and I think she needs you," he said weakly.

Elizabeth flashed William a disappointed look, than angrily marched into the building. Carter moved to follow her when William's ice cold voice froze him. "What is your name?"

"Carter, my Lord."

"Well, Carter, I will say this only once," his voice was harsh. "If you ever get Lady Lydia drunk again, you will have to answer to me. Is that clear?" His eyes burned dangerously.

"Yes sir," he answered in a low voice.

"Now find Lady Mary and tell what's going on. She should prepare to take Lydia home."

"But sir, I was-"

"Now," William barked.

Carter took off and William followed at a slower pace. It had felt good to let out some of his frustrations on that young man, but he still had to calm himself down before he could see Elizabeth again.

William walked to the ladies room door, where he found Charles waiting outside. "Jane in there too?" William asked, as nodded towards the door.

Charles nodded. "Poor Lydia got pretty messed up," Charles said sympathetically. William nodded, but couldn't sympathize as easily.

Jane opened the door, "Hi William," she smiled. "Charles, could you get us a cup? We need to get Lydia to drink some water."

Charles nodded and went on his errand. "How is she?" William asked.

Jane tilted her head, "Well, she's done throwing up, I think. She'll be all right, it's just going to take a few minutes to get her cleaned up.

Charles returned with Mary and Scott. "What did 'stupid' do this time?" Mary asked.

Jane frowned slightly, "According to Lizzy, too much vodka."

Mary sighed and shook her head. "Well, we have everything packed and ready to go."

"You're taking her home?" Jane asked.

Mary rolled her eyes, "Well I'm sure not going to let Carter do it."

Jane nodded and said, "Give us a few minutes." She disappeared into the bathroom, leaving William, Charles, Mary and Scott.

Charles offered his hand, "I'm not sure we've met. I'm Charles Bingley, and this is my friend, Will Darcy."

It was not lost on anyone that Charles had used mundane names. He was letting them know that he considered them to have a relationship that went beyond the Society.

"Scott Ernest," he replied, shaking Charles' hand, and then William's. "It's nice to met you. This is my lady, Mary,"

Mary nodded. "I've heard much about you Charles. It's nice to meet you at last."

The door opened and Elizabeth and Jane walked Lydia out. "Here, let me take her," Mary said, slipping one arm under her, Scott taking the other side. Together they dragged her out of the building as they said goodbye.

"Thank you, Mary." Elizabeth said tiredly. Her dress was wet on the right side and on her sleeve.

"What happened to your gown?" William asked quietly

Elizabeth looked down at what he was referring to, "Oh," she said with a rueful look, "Lydia happened."

Charles had his arm around Jane. Both were looking uncharacteristically down. "Darcy, it's after 10. How much longer do you want to stay?" he asked.

William looked around. The dancing had ended and clean up was beginning. The event was over. He looked at Charles, "10:30 okay?"

Charles nodded, and he and Jane walked away. William gently took Elizabeth's arm and walked her to the stairwell.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I don't want to take you outside with your dress wet. I thought we could go upstairs, and . . . talk," he flushed as he said this. William Darcy was embarrassed. Elizabeth was touched by his shyness and let him lead her up the staircase.

They walked silently down the hallway until they found a large window with a sill big enough to sit on. William put his arm around her and she leaned against him. The fire she had felt before had faded and she relaxed against his body. "So, what do you want to talk about, Sir Fitzwilliam?" she asked playfully.

William placed his fingers lightly on her chin and moved her head so he could kiss her. He looked into her eyes for a long moment, then closed his and kissed her sweetly. "I'd like to talk about us," he said softly, his lips lightly brushing against hers.

"Mmmm, what about us," she purred.

William kissed her again. Kissing Elizabeth felt right. It was right. It was wonderful. But it also took every thought he had prepared and threw them out the window. When Elizabeth pulled back to look at him inquiringly, the best he could come up with was "Uh".

Elizabeth's mouth curled into a smile and she leaned back to kiss him. She refused to think, and instead enjoyed the thrilling sensations his tongue was provoking as it moved against hers.

William felt his desire rising. Elizabeth, the woman he had dreamt of so many times, was here in his arms, and he could feel he was moving close to the point when he would not be able to control himself. But she felt so good! Warm, and soft, her curves yielding to his caresses. He could stay with her all night. He wanted to stay all night, and that was the problem.

That thought was the ice water his mind needed to break away from the delightful daydream he was in. "Elizabeth," he said, pulling back.

Elizabeth looked at him, mutely, her eyes expressing dismay at the loss of his touch.

William pulled himself back from the longing in her eyes, "Elizabeth, we have to leave soon." His heart ached as he said those words, and watched the affect roll over her countenance. He saw her turn from being open and affectionate to being cold and withdrawn.

If he thought it would be easier to see her pull back a second time, he was wrong. It was much worse. He wished he could take his words back, but he feared the consequences.

"I won't see you for a couple months, will I?" she asked.

He shook he head, sadly. It was something of a comfort to Liz to see he hadn't retreated into his mask. She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder, taking comfort in his strength and solidness. "I'll miss you," she said softly.

His arms tightened around her and he bent down and kissed the top of her head. "I can't tell you how much . . . " he broke off, his voice rough.

Elizabeth wondered what he was going to say, but she understood how hard it was to speak. She didn't understand what she was feeling. She just knew she was good with William, and bad away from him.

"I'll call, if that's all right," he said.

She rubbed her face against his, "You better," she said softly. He kissed her again, long and hard, expressing feelings he didn't even know he had for her, and she responded in kind. In their kiss, they made promises to each other that neither one was aware of. Their hearts beat in recognition of something that was too powerful, and too fragile for that moment, but something that could not remain buried for long.

Then silently, moving as though they were in a dream, they stood and walked down the hallway, arm in arm. Once down the stairs, they moved like two shades, though the crowded areas, the masses of life unable to touch them. They collected their belongings and exited to the parking lot. There they found Charles and Jane embracing beside Charles' truck, tears running silently down Jane's face and Charles holding her tight and murmuring softly in her ear.

William and Elizabeth looked at each other, their eyes sympathetic for the other couple. They quietly moved to Liz's car and loaded her property, then William took her in his arms for what, he promised himself, would be the last time tonight. He pulled her close, putting his body between her and the rest of the world, "Elizabeth, I want to . . . Please don't. . . " After a few more false starts he said, "I will miss you." His eyes looked into hers and told her what he wanted to say.

Elizabeth looked at him a long time, memorizing his face, then said in a sad voice, "Kiss me again, and leave quickly." William nodded and kissed her, crushing her body to his, in a desperate attempt to not have to let go. Then he released her, kissed her once more quickly on the lips, and left.

Elizabeth leaned against the car, her eyes closed. She heard him speak to Bingley, then a minute later Jane came. She didn't say anything, but got in the car, and Elizabeth followed. She turned on the engine and pulled away, unwilling to look back.

As she pulled onto the highway, Elizabeth let her mind replay the whole day, beginning to end. A lone tear rolled down her face when she remembered how harsh she had been with him earlier. It had been their first dance together, and all she could do was be catty to him. And William had forgiven her. He had not taken offense. He had seen her at her worst and had found only goodness.

It was much later when she realized she had a problem. By then his warmth had left her, although she could still smell his scent mingled with hers. She realized then that if she didn't love him already, she wanted too.

This knowledge chilled her to the bone. It terrified her to think she could be falling for a man whose phone number she didn't even know! A man who was leaving, no had left! Who she would not see for a very long time. A man whose home she had never seen, whose address she didn't know, whose family she had never met, a man who might not love her. Her heart stopped on the last thought. "Oh god Liz,' she asked herself, 'what have you done now?'

*****

Charles' car was equally silent on their rode home. William struggled against the feelings of loss which had engulfed him as soon as Elizabeth was out of his arms, and Charles was thinking on his Angel, and his future with her. Surprisingly, both men had silently came to the same conclusion: "No more long trips away from her."

Although his body was still, William's mind was anything but quiet. He knew what he had almost told Liz in the parking lot. He knew what he felt in his heart. But it was madness, wasn't it? One could not fall in love that quickly, could one? Then a deeper fear gripped him, what if she didn't love him? His mind forgot the warmth of her embrace, and instead remembered their dance, the hard looks she had given him, and the aching pain when she pulled away at dinner. William had been afraid of women before, but now he was terrified. He knew that Elizabeth could hurt him so badly he would be crippled for the rest of his life. What he didn't know was, could he trust her?

It was cosmically bad timing that Charles chose that moment to speak, "Will?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think about me entering Crown?"

"WHAT?"

"You heard me, I'm thinking about entering the Crown Tournament."

"Who would you fight for?" William knew, but he had to ask.

"Jane, of course," Charles answered

Imagine a bad german accent saying: "The theory of displacement, is dis familiar?" It was William's fear of his feelings for Elizabeth being unrequited that he displaced onto Jane.

"Charles, are you insane?" he lashed out. "You hardly know the girl and you want to fight for her in Crown!"

Charles' eyes flashed. "You misunderstand me, Darcy. If I fight for Jane, I will win, I will make her Queen," he said in a low voice.

William sighed, "How long have you known her, Charles. How long?" he looked at him and answered his own question, "Four months! That's all, four months. Do you really think that is long enough to know her?"

"Will, it's more than long enough. I may not know everything about Jane, but I know enough."

"But do you realize if you were to win, you would be stuck with her for a full year? Think about Karen. Do you remember Karen? Or Chrissy, Or Gina? Oh yeah, remember Gina? You wouldn't want to be stuck with any of them for a full year, would you?" his voice was hard and sarcastic. "It seems to me that once you broke up with them, you couldn't get away fast enough."

"Jane isn't like any of them." Charles said defiantly. "And for your information, I want to be 'stuck' with her for much more than one year."

"Bingley!" William exploded, "That is crazy! It's nuts! Do you realize what you are saying?"

"I know exactly what I'm saying," said Charles, "I love Jane and I plan on spending the rest of my life with her."

"Charles, how can you be in love with Jane?" What he really meant was 'how can I be in love with Elizabeth,' but Charles answered both questions.

"Darcy, how long does it take to fall in love, huh? How long, exactly? How many weeks, months, days? Tell me, how many hours and minutes does it take to fall in love, precisely?" He stopped, and then continued in a calmer voice. "I know I love Jane."

"Does she love you?" he asked very quietly.

"Yes," he wavered a moment. "I know she does," he sounded less sure of himself.

"Has she said so?" William asked softly, genuinely afraid for his friend.

"Not yet, but she doesn't need too. I know." Charles said with more confidence.

William shook his head. "I hope you know what you are doing." He brought himself back to the topic of discussion. "Ignoring Jane for a moment, it's not the best time for you to fight in Crown, Charles. You just moved, you have the new division of BP to get off the ground, not to mention we are going to be in Europe when Crown Tournament actually happens. You've got a lot on your plate right now."

"I know," sighed Charles. "I wish we didn't have to make this trip."

"We have too," he said in his decisive voice.

Charles nodded his head, "You are right. It would be a bad time to fight for Crown. Maybe in the fall, when things are more settled."

William agreed with him and they drove towards his home in silence. William's heart ached, his arms felt empty and his head swam. He longed for the comfort of Pemberley, where he could pull himself together, and examine his heart in quiet.

* During the medieval period, it was common for two people to share plates. Try it someday with your honey, it's very intimate.