Second Acts in American Lives

Sirah

Jump to new as of April 28, 2003

Chapter 1

Posted on Friday, 11 April 2003, at 6:04 p.m.

"Longbourn Publishing, Elizabeth speaking, how may I help you?"

"Lizzy! We're to be at the reception in just a few hours, what are you doing working late again?" Lizzy smiled fondly at the familiar sound of her sister's concerned voice.

"Actually... I was thinking I might just skip it, Janey. I mean really, celebrating 'the launch of Netherfield Press, a new technology-focused imprint jointly founded by Longbourn Publishing and Pemberly Technology to be the leader in technical publication...' and what was it? Cutting-edge software development theory or something else equally fascinating? What did Lyddie say? 'Oh good, we get to party with nerds *and* geeks?' She might have had a point for once." Jane let her sister run out of sarcasm before responding.

"Lizzy, that's hardly kind of you. I'm sure that there will be plenty of interesting people at the reception. And you know you always enjoy yourself once you're out. Besides, Mom would never forgive you for missing a gathering that's sure to be full of single men."

Lizzy laughed. Jane's calm demeanor, persistent belief in the good of humanity, sweet smile, and soft, reassuring voice meant that most people usually never noticed her sly sense of humor or deadpan wit. They were missing out.

"I'm not sure Mom's completely forgiven me yet for being born a girl. I doubt one more disappointment would kill her."

"Elizabeth, please?" Whenever her sister used both her full name and that patient tone, Lizzy knew she might as well give up.

"All right, you win, I'll be home in half an hour. Pick me out something to wear?"

"I already have," Jane said, smiling as she hung up.

Lizzy hung up, saved the file of the manuscript she'd been editing, tossed a couple proofs in her briefcase, and logged out of her computer. She glanced at her watch, mentally trying to estimate if she had time to grab something to eat before heading back to the apartment she and Jane shared in Seattle's Capitol Hill area. If she hurried...

Precisely a half hour later, Lizzy walked in the door of her apartment, carrying a Taco Del Mar bag. She dropped her briefcase by the couch and threw her keys on the counter.

"Jane, I'm home!" Jane stepped out of the bathroom to greet her, looking simply breathtaking in a simple sheath dress of a silky royal blue fabric, her pale golden hair swept up with just a few strands framing her heart-shaped face. Lizzy put a hand to her forehead and swooned backwards on the couch, taking care not to crush her burrito.

"I am overcome by your beauty as usual, Jane. How do you do it?" Jane laughed at her sister's antics.

"Do get up, Lizzy, and eat your dinner. We don't have much time, and I have a feeling I'll need every minute of it to get you ready."

"Hey, I'm not *that* ugly," Lizzy protested, sitting up and taking a huge bite of her jumbo burrito.

"Of course not, but you have a tendency to dawdle just a bit when getting ready for social occasions, especially ones that involve our mother and younger sisters."

"Ok, you've got a point. I still don't understand why Mary, Kitty, and Lydia are all coming to this reception."

"They're employees of our family's publishing company too, Lizzy."

"Mary's a manager in accounting, but Kitty and Lydia are just junior editorial assistants for Brighton Books. And we wouldn't even have a tiny unofficially associated romance novel imprint for them to 'work' at if it wasn't for Mom. All they do is dig through the slushpiles looking for the 'juicy stuff,' as Kitty puts it, and she encourages them. I swear they giggle more than they work. Maybe even more than they breathe, if that's not a physical impossibility."

"They're just young and silly, Lizzy, and they have very healthy lungs. Perhaps they are a little young to be coming to a business reception, but I think Dad will be able to keep them more or less under control. Now come on, I've pressed your dark halter-neck dress, put it on so I can do your hair." Lizzy popped the last bite of burrito into her mouth and followed her sister into her bedroom.

"You're too good to me Janey, really you are."

"I know," Jane replied, smiling serenely as she handed Lizzy the dress.

William Darcy sipped a glass of barely tolerable white wine and stared, annoyed, at the crowd. He had been forced away from his computer for this? An awkward gathering consisting of employees he saw every day mingling with the employees of some little family publishing company? Granted, the joint sponsorship of this imprint would be a good thing for his company, but he saw no real reason for his presence at this event. In fact, he saw no real reason for this event to even occur.

"Aren't you glad I dragged you away from that blasted machine of yours, Darcy? This is turning out to be such a lovely evening!" Charlie Bingley, Vice-President of Pemberly Technology and Darcy's best friend, had come up to him, beaming with his usual perpetual good nature. "I've met so many fascinating people from Longbourn. Publishing really is far more interesting than I'd expected, and I think some of our employees are discovering that as well."

"Charles, you astound me. I was working productively before you more or less kidnapped me. I see no purpose to this evening other than cheap wine and wilted hors d'oeuvres served free to people who could easily afford better on their own. Perhaps this is a treat for the employees of a family-owned publishing company, but it certainly isn't for me."

Charlie was too used to his best friend's occasional irritated brusqueness to pay it too much attention, especially when something far more appealing had suddenly appeared in his line of sight.

"Oh look, the rest of Mr. Bennet's family has arrived. We should go greet them, as we're the hosts tonight." Darcy glanced across the room to see that Mr. Bennet's family included a stunning blonde who was undoubtedly the cause of Bingley's sudden zeal for his role as host.

"Mr. Bennet, I'm so delighted to meet the rest of your charming family," Bingley said, shaking the older man's hand while his gaze remained fixed on Jane. "Would you do me the honor of introducing them to me and my friend Darcy here?"

"Certainly, Mr. Bingley, although whether or not you'll still consider it as an honor after the introduction remains to be seen," Mr. Bennet replied dryly. "This is my wife, Mrs. Frances Bennet, and my daughters Jane, Lizzy, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia."

William Darcy tore his horrified eyes away from the frilly, lacy, floral confection Mrs. Bennet had bedecked herself in, past the two youngest and their barely there trend-of-the-moment dresses, past Mary's severe business suit, to... something entirely different indeed. A brunette dressed simply but elegantly in a dark silky halter-neck dress that flattered her toned, long-legged figure without being trashy or revealing. At first glance, Darcy thought the dress was black, but as she shifted position the material shimmered dark green. The color highlighted an amazing pair of deep green eyes framed by a few soft chocolaty brown curls, eyes with a deeply intelligent twinkle in them...

With a start, Darcy realized that Bingley had just addressed a question to him.

"I'm sorry Charles, I'm afraid my mind had wandered back to the project I was working on earlier. What did you say?" Bingley grinned at his friend.

"You're entirely too much of a workaholic, Darce. I've convinced Ms. Jane Bennet to risk her favorite shoes on the dance floor with me, why not persuade one of her sisters to take a chance on you?"

"Oh, Mr. Bingley, how kind of you to make sure my girls are having fun, what a considerate man you are," Mrs. Bennet trilled as Mr. Bennet grimaced ever so slightly at his second oldest daughter. Darcy hesitated for a moment, torn between the desire to spend time with the owner of those remarkable green eyes and the fear of making an utter fool of himself on the dance floor. The decision was made for him, however, when he saw a familiar black-haired figure approaching the group.

"Sorry, but I... just remembered I have to make an urgent phone call. This moment. Do excuse me." And with that, he fled, leaving Bingley standing there gaping.

Lizzy blinked in surprise at Mr. Darcy's sudden departure. Tall, dark, and handsome as he was, she wasn't overly impressed with his social graces. First he stared at her, then he fled from the mere idea of dancing with her. Her musings were interrupted by a new arrival to their little group.

"Charles! Where on earth did William go? I saw him here just a minute ago!" A black-haired woman approached the group, a pout twisting her overly lipsticked mouth.

"Caroline, how nice to see you. Let me introduce you to the Bennets, who run Longbourn Publishing. Caroline is my sister, and Marketing Director of Pemberly Technology." Caroline nodded curtly in their direction, then continued her interrogation.

"I need to speak to William about something very urgent, Charles. Do you know where he went?"

"Sorry, Caro, not a clue. Now if you'll excuse me, the band's starting and I have some shoes to ruin." Caroline stared at her brother as he escorted Jane to the dance floor, eagerly followed by Mrs. Bennet and somewhat more reluctantly by her husband. Mary excused herself to make a call, and Kitty and Lydia, who had spent the introductions giggling and nudging each other, scampered off to hit on the bartenders. Having been summarily abandoned by her family, Lizzy felt compelled to say something to Caroline, who was glaring around the room.

"So, Ms. Bingley, that's an... interesting dress. You don't see a lot of orange cocktail dresses in the stores, it must have been hard to find." Caroline looked down her thin, pointy nose at Lizzy.

"I suppose my position in Marketing does give me an edge in knowing what's hot at the moment. Let me enlighten you, dear: Orange is the new black." Lizzy choked back a laugh, desperately attempting to maintain a straight face.

"Uh... that's good to know. Oh, isn't that Mr. Darcy over there by the coatroom?" Caroline's head snapped around, and she took off without another word. Lizzy, finally alone, succumbed wholeheartedly to the giggles she'd been trying to hold back.

"Good to see you enjoying yourself, Lizzy," a laughing voice said from behind her. Lizzy spun around.

"Rob, Char! I'm so glad you guys made it. It's already been quite an evening." Rob, Lizzy's editorial counterpart in a different division of Longbourn and one of her favorite people, grinned at her, his blue-gray eyes twinkling.

"Any time I walk into a business reception to find one of Longbourn's top editors nearly on the floor with a fit of hysterics, I think that 'quite an evening' is implied."

"If you can stand, Lizzy," Char said, smiling, "perhaps we could head to the bar, get a drink, and you can fill us in on what you found so amusing."

"Gladly," Lizzy replied, taking Char's arm and leading the way.

William Darcy peered out cautiously through the fronds of an oversized palm tree, scanning the room for signs of orange. Thankfully, there were none. A peal of laughter coming from the bar caught his attention, and he looked over to see Lizzy Bennett laughing and talking with a sensible looking dark-haired woman and a sandy-haired man with his back to Darcy. He felt an inexplicable urge to talk to her, perhaps see those green eyes up close again... Their allure was even enough to make him run the risk of Caroline spotting him.

"No, I didn't really get to talk to our new business partner much. He'd bolted right before she showed up, but I think I understand why after spending a few moments with Ms. Bingley. I'd like to think that if a guy broke records in the hundred-yard dash every time he saw me coming I'd take the hint, but I might just be unenlightened. Maybe 'desperate avoidance' is the new 'showing interest' this season." Char laughed.

"I doubt any man in his right mind, even the famous Mr. Darcy, would run when they saw you coming, Lizzy. Especially in that dress. Have I told you how gorgeous you look yet tonight?" Rob said affectionately. Lizzy wrinkled her nose at him.

"You're horribly biased, but thank you anyways."

"Well, it looks like even Mr. Darcy can't run for long," Char said in a low voice. "He's coming this way now."

William wondered what had gotten into him. He'd shown up and been seen, he could have ducked out by now, but instead, he was actually approaching a group of strangers. A group of strangers who worked in something as frivolous as publishing, no less. Ah well, it would make Charles happy at least. He consciously avoided any thoughts about his happiness increasing with his proximity to a certain brunette as he approached the group.

"Ms. Bennet, I, er, wanted to get a chance to say hello properly, and apologize for having to cut off our introduction so abruptly, it was just, um, a matter of very urgent business." Lizzy smiled brilliantly at him, rendering him speechless.

"If the urgent business was what I imagine it was, no apologies necessary. If you'd like, my friends and I can be on 'orange alert' for you while you get a drink." Surprised at both her perceptiveness and the playful manner in which she addressed him, William could do nothing more than smile back and nod while Lizzy continued speaking. "Mr. Darcy, this is my friend Charlotte Lucas, a far more essential part of Longbourn Publishing than me and generally a much nicer person as well." Char rolled her eyes at her friend before shaking William's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Darcy."

"Likewise," William replied, picking his drink up from the bartender.

"The gentleman to my left is a fellow editor at Longbourn who claims to have excellent taste in literature but can secretly be found reading comics all the time-"

"Comics can be literature as well, Lizzy," Rob interrupted, grinning at her. "Remember the discussion we had after I loaned you Neil Gaiman's Sandman series? You said-" Lizzy cut off what William suspected was a longstanding argument between the two friends to finish the introduction.

"Mr. Darcy, Rob Wickham."

William nearly choked on a swallow of scotch at her words. Wickham! It couldn't be...

Chapter 2

Posted on Monday, 28 April 2003, at 5:51 p.m.

"Are you all right, Mr. Darcy?" William swallowed a few times before nodding at Ms. Lucas. It had to be merely a coincidence, there was obviously more than one Wickham in the whole country.

"Perhaps Mr. Darcy wasn't aware that scotch is alcoholic?" Lizzy suggested, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly upwards. William smiled at her in spite of himself.

"I assure you, Ms. Bennet, I have had scotch before. Usually of a somewhat higher quality, however," he said, looking at his glass disapprovingly.

"Oh, that must have been the problem. Your aristocratic palate simply couldn't handle the inferior scotch they have here." William blinked. There was no doubt about it, he was being mocked. He found it impossible to take offense at a pair of dancing green eyes like hers, though.

"You are undoubtedly correct in your assessment, Ms. Bennet. I should have stayed with the complimentary white wine, which I believe can also be obtained in boxes at the local supermarket."

"Mr. Darcy, if there was one thing I learned in college, it was this: Don't knock the free stuff." Lizzy arched an eyebrow at Mr. Darcy, happy to have found a worthy opponent for a battle of wits.

"Well, Ms. Bennet, based on that alone, I would say that you got your money's worth out of your college education. I only wish I had been so lucky as to get my money's worth out of the wine." She laughed delightedly at this, a sound which sent an unexpected thrill down William's spine.

"Please, call me Lizzy."

"Very well, but on two conditions: you must call me William, and you must join me for a dance." Lizzy considered this for a moment, then nodded.

"It's a deal, William. But only if I lead." She smiled at him again, set her drink down on the bar, and held out a hand. William took a quick gulp of scotch before taking her hand, astounded at what he'd said and done. Could this girl really have had such an effect on him? He must be a little more careful and reserved around her, else she might think he had some serious design on her. Yes, he'd change his behavior immediately... after this dance.

As soon as the couple had made it out of earshot, Char grinned widely and poked Rob.

"I don't know about you, but I think we're lucky not to have caught fire from any of the sparks flying around that little exchange."

"Huh? Oh, yeah..." Rob replied, his mind clearly elsewhere. Charlotte frowned.

"What's on your mind, Rob?"

"I'm trying to remember where I know that name from, that's all. Darcy... it's irritatingly familiar."

"Well, these days you can't escape it. Pemberly Technology has really taken off since Darcy patented his amazing speech recognition technology three years back, he's been all over the tech magazines, People's Most Eligible Bachelor list, and -" Char broke off her recital as Rob's face darkened. "What is it?"

"I just remembered how I know that name."

"From the look on your face, I'm guessing it's not in a good way."

"No," Rob replied curtly, "it's not." He stared out at the dance floor. "Well, he'd better not treat Lizzy like - ... He'd just better treat her well, that's all."

"Okay..." Char said, bewildered but not willing to press Rob for explanations. She rarely ever saw him even mildly put out, this thunderous expression on his face was completely new to her.

"Char, I'm going to get out of here. Tell Lizzy I had some work to catch up on or something, and watch her with that guy." Char nodded, completely puzzled, as Rob threw some money on the bar and headed for the coatroom.

Alone with her drink, Char leaned back against the bar and looked around, finding plenty going on to keep her occupied. Out on the dance floor, Mr. Bennet had managed to put a stop to Mrs. Bennet's efforts to "accidentally" hipcheck Jane even farther into Bingley's arms. Luckily, Bingley hadn't noticed. Char wondered if he noticed anything at all other than Jane's eyes and smile. At least he was managing to blink occasionally. Lizzy and Mr. Darcy seemed to be having an interesting conversation, judging from the look on his face. Char smirked, figuring it probably wasn't just the conversation he was interested in.

"So, William, do you not talk by rule when you're dancing, or is this silence just because you're concentrating that hard on not stepping on my feet?" William tore his mind away from the unfamiliar sensations the woman in his arms was causing. A Darcy shouldn't tingle anyway. He would focus on conversation instead, and not on her soft skin and the elusive scent that seemed to hang about her hair... right. Conversation.

"I find modern dancing does not really require much concentration, Mi- Lizzy."

"Ah, so you'd prefer it if we were all waltzing or fox-trotting or one of those?"

"Well, something that required at least a bit of effort might be nice for a change, as opposed to swaying in time to the music. Any savage could dance like this. Don't you think so?"

"You think every pastime should require effort before it becomes enjoyable, then?" William blinked, unused to getting a question instead of instant agreement with his opinion.

"I think... that anything one does should be done to the very best of one's ability, and that there is no excuse for not striving to improve oneself at every opportunity." Lizzy laughed.

"I bet you were one of those kids who did all their homework and then asked the teacher for extra assignments. You must be a fun boss. And I don't think I've heard anyone use one as a pronoun in casual conversation in a loooong time. Nice." William stared at her, unsure of how to respond. This woman was absolutely bewildering. Was she making fun of him, flirting, or honestly disapproving? The sparkle in her eyes seemed to eliminate the last choice, at least. She was speaking again...

"I see I've failed to interest you in a grammatical discussion, surprisingly enough. So what would you like to talk about?" William's mind raced.

"Um, books?" He ventured. Oh smooth, Darcy. She's an editor, she talks about books all day!

"I'm sure we rarely read the same books, as I have no technological expertise whatsoever. What's the last fiction book you read?" William thought back... and further back... When had he last read something other than annual reports, software manuals, patent applications...

"I think it was the Great Gatsby, in college."

"You haven't read a novel since college?!" Lizzy was stunned. Even with her job, she read all the time outside work.

"Well, I've been busy." William said defensively.

"So I hear. At least the last one you read was quality. I love F. Scott Fitzgerald." Over William's shoulder, Lizzy caught a sudden glimpse of Lydia downing shots in the corner with a rather sketchy looking waiter. Damn.

"I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I agree with the importance Fitzgerald puts on the pursuit of love. It ruined Gatsby, whereas if he'd put all that effort and ambition towards proper goals, he could - " William broke off, as the music came to an end and he realized he no longer had Lizzy's attention. She was staring at one corner of the room and frowning.

"I'm sorry William, it looks like something of a family emergency has come up. One of my younger sisters - well, it was fun dancing with you. Have a good night." She turned, but William put a hand on her arm.

"Wait, Lizzy. I'd like to finish our conversation sometime, maybe over coffee or maybe, um, dinner?" William couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. Was he actually asking her out? What if she said no? Wait, why would she say no? He was William Darcy, after all.

"Sure, that'd be great." She pulled a card out of her purse and handed it to him. "Here's my info, give me a call at the office." And with that she was gone. William stared down at the card. Elizabeth Bennet, Editor, Longbourn Publishing. Lizzy. A voice behind him suddenly made him jump.

"I can guess what you're thinking, William." Caroline drawled, sliding an orange-braceleted arm down his sleeve. "You're thinking how terribly tedious it would be to have to mingle with these people often, aren't you? I quite agree."

"You're mistaken, Caroline. I was much more agreeably entertained in realizing how much pleasure a pair of fine eyes in the face of a beautiful woman can give." Caroline laid her head on his shoulder, gazing upwards at him through heavily mascara'd lashes.

"Might I ask whose eyes inspired these reflections?" she asked, the smug smile curving her lips clearly indicating that she already thought she knew his answer.

"Ms. Elizabeth Bennet's," William replied. Caroline's mouth fell open, and she closed it quickly.

"Oh. I see. Well, don't let me disturb you," she snapped.

"I won't," William answered, and promptly returned to the much more enjoyable occupation of watching Lizzy walk away. Caroline's eyes narrowed. Something definitely had to be done about this...fine-eyed Ms. Bennet.

Lizzy marched straight over to Lydia, her heels clicking impatiently on the floor. Couldn't her youngest sister, just once, behave herself in public? At this moment, she was precariously perched on a stool, displaying as much cleavage as she could, and giggling madly, not that the waiter seemed to mind.

"Lydia, here you are. Enjoying yourself?" Lizzy's ironic tone was completely lost on Lydia. She swayed towards Lizzy and grabbed her arm.

"Oh Lizzy, I'm having the besht time! I get allll my drinks for freee, caushe I'm pretty!" Lizzy eyed the waiter, who didn't even have the grace to look ashamed.

"That's great, Lyddie, but I think you've had all you need to drink. Why don't you come with me, and -

"Why take the lady away when she's having such a good time?" the waiter interrupted. "It's still early, you know." His eyes didn't move from Lydia's nearly bare breasts during his words.

"Well gee, it might not be early to us," Lizzy said, dripping ingenuousness, "but I have to get Lyddie home before her curfew. Dad says she can stay out later once she's eighteen, though." Lizzy watched in satisfaction as his face blanched. "Oh, you didn't know you were plying a minor with alcohol? Surprise." Without another word, the waiter suddenly found himself needed at the opposite end of the hotel. Lizzy turned her energies to getting Lydia quietly out of the room.

"Lizzy! Where'd he go? Where's my Freddie...or wait, was it Frank? No, John! Or maybe George, or Paul..."

"Ringo, perhaps?" Lizzy muttered under her breath. Lyddie was getting louder.

"I miss him! He was nice to me, and you're always so mean. Oh... I think I'm going to be sick." Lizzy sighed. Of course. She threw Lydia's arm over her shoulder and started dragging her to the bathroom. A few steps away from the bar, her task got much easier as someone grabbed Lydia's other arm and started pulling with her.

"Char, you're a lifesaver as usual." Lizzy said gratefully.

"No problem," Char said nonchalantly. "I caught sight of the fun and thought you could use a hand." Together they got Lydia to the bathroom before she caused too much of a scene, and even got her to a stall to throw up in relative peace. Jane joined them momentarily, having caught the floor show as well.

"How is she?" she asked softly. Lizzy shrugged.

"She's fine. She'll hurt tomorrow, but she probably won't even have half the hangover she deserves."

"Oh, that's too bad," Jane replied. "I hope she didn't interrupt anything Lizzy, Charlie and I saw you dancing with Mr. Darcy." Char and Lizzy both looked at Jane.

"Charlie?" they asked simultaneously. Jane blushed, and said no more.

"Well, it looks like both of you did rather well tonight," Char remarked smilingly. "I have to say, I'm jealous."

"I thought I saw you talking to someone as well, Char?" Jane inquired. Char rolled her eyes.

"Don't remind me. Some toady came up to me at the bar and started blabbering away about the oddest things. How DeBourgh and Associates had gotten him a ticket tonight because of the valuable services he'd performed during the start-up, how fortunate he was to have such a wonderful employer, how honored he was that his law firm had selected him to work with Pemberly Technology in the first place... I tuned out after a while. Then, out of the blue, he asked me out on the basis that, get this, he'd be able to provide me with security and a comfortable home!" Lizzy burst out laughing.

"Whoa! Moving a bit fast, isn't he?"

"Moving back in time as well, apparently." Char replied wryly. "I politely informed him that this was the 21st century and I was quite capable of providing myself with a comfortable home. He got the message, I guess, cause he finally left after that."

"What a throwback!" Lizzy exclaimed. "But wait, where was Rob during all this? I would have expected him to help you ditch the loser."

"Oh, um, he had to leave early for something," Char stammered. Luckily, a noisy heave from Lydia distracted Lizzy from asking more questions.

"I'm going to get Dad and tell him to get a cab for Lydia and Kitty and Mom," Jane said. "Shall I call one for us as well, Lizzy?"

"Sure, that'd be great. Normally I wouldn't mind the walk, but not in these shoes." Jane nodded and slipped out.

"I think I'm going to take off as well," Char said. "I'll see you at work tomorrow, and I want a full report on Mr. Darcy then, Ms. Elizabeth." Lizzy grinned.

"Deal, if you bring the donuts."

"You drive a hard bargain, but all right. See you tomorrow!" Char left, and Lizzy leaned back against the sink. Despite being cut short, it had been a very interesting evening, due to one Mr. William Darcy, CEO of Pemberly Technology. She smiled to herself. William...

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