Eight and a Half Months

By Judy-Lynne

Section I, Next Section

Chapter One

Posted on Tuesday, 30 August 2005

Lizzy Bennet entered a stall in the restroom and overheard a brief exchange that would have infuriated her, had she not had such a good sense of humor. Moreover, everything said by the two women was undeniably true.

"You know, life just isn't fair."

"There you go again."

"Come on! It's true! Sara Agarwal was born into a wealthy family with looks to die for, she lands a husband who's not only gorgeous but from an even wealthier family to boot! And now she gets to quit her job and stay and home and have his babies."

"What a hardship!"

"Oh, and get this; she talks her best friend into flying home for her lavish wedding and she ends up with Mr. Darcy Press, Jr.!"

"...Who's equally gorgeous and twice as wealthy as Sara's husband! Some people have all the luck." The women left the restroom and Lizzy smiled as she went to wash her hands. Yes, she had ended up with "Mr. Darcy Press, Jr.," although she preferred to refer to her fiancé by his given name, William. Both she and Sarmistha Agarwal Fitzwilliam--or Sara to her co-workers--had been extremely lucky.

Lizzy left the ladies room marveling at her luck. She had come back to New York after working abroad for a year to take a new job and to serve as maid of honor at her best friend's wedding. Within two weeks' time she managed to land the man of her dreams, a plum job, and a new home with the man she was to marry shortly. She spied the man in question waiting for her at the end of the hall. William smiled and grabbed hold of her hand, quickly placing a kiss on it.

Lizzy and William worked in different units of the Darcy Press empire and they were disinclined to flaunt their personal relationship on the premises. It was common knowledge that they were an item, but their behavior at work was always circumspect, leading George Darcy, William's father and the CEO of the corporation, to occasionally inquire whether or not they were still engaged when he encountered them together. The couple walked into the 35th floor conference room, where Sarmistha's going away party was being held.

Sarmistha was resigning her position as a senior editor to take on the role of new mother. Not that she intended to be idle for long; she was going to be working from home as a freelance editor as well as writing and editing an online newsletter for Richard Fitzwilliam's company. She was still clearing out her office as the party got underway, so Lizzy left William and wandered into her office. Sarmistha was standing on a chair to take down a painting.

"You'd better be glad it was me that came in just now instead of you know who," Lizzy said as she took the painting from Sarmistha, who smiled gratefully and sat down to rest.

"I'm trying to get all this stuff packed before 'you know who' gets here," Sarmistha replied tartly. "I'd like to do a few things by myself while I still can. Besides, I found out the hard way that he's a lousy packer."

"So is William," Lizzy chuckled.

"What is William?" he asked suspiciously as he entered the office with Richard in tow. Sarmistha and Lizzy exchanged a glance.

"Nothing she'd care to repeat, I'm sure," Richard said as he bent to kiss his wife. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, habib," she said as she caressed his cheek. Lizzy smiled as she watched the couple, as affectionate and besotted with each other as the first time she saw them together. They always struck her as terribly sweet. She glanced at William and wondered how Sarmistha would characterize their relationship. She made a mental note to ask later.

"Then why aren't you outside enjoying your party?" Everyone turned to Robert Halstead, head of the literature department and Sarmistha's supervisor for the past six years. He gestured for her to get moving. Richard helped his wife to her feet. In her seventh month of pregnancy, Sarmistha was beginning to find her burden a little unwieldy. She smiled at Richard gratefully and was escorted into the conference room.

William stood off to one side as the guest of honor at the going-away-party-cum-baby-shower opened a bewildering variety of gifts. Some were clearly personal gifts to Sarmistha, others were gifts for the couple's daughter, scheduled to make her appearance in roughly six weeks' time. Still other gifts were meant as gags, and there were a surprising number of gifts sent by authors who'd worked with Sarmistha over the years. William looked on as Richard helped Sarmistha to unwrap a large package. George Darcy walked in and stood beside his son. He'd brought a gift for Sarmistha to the party--a symbolic gesture, really, since as a member of her family, he and his wife would in all likelihood give the couple another gift after the child was born.

"I suppose I should order a limo to take them home. There's no way they're going to be able to manage all that on their own."

"They'll have Lizzy and me to help them," William reminded him. "Make it a large one," he smiled cheekily. He turned back to the couple in time to see the stroller that the staff had pitched in to buy for the baby.

"It's nice to be well-loved, isn't it?" George observed. At that moment, Lizzy--who was sitting beside Sarmistha--looked up and smiled at William.

"Yes, it is," he smiled in return.

"Where do you want us to put all this stuff?" William asked as he entered Richard and Sarmistha's apartment, his arms laden with gifts.

"Oh, would you take them to the bedroom?" Sarmistha asked. "I'll worry about them later." She went into the living room and sat down as Richard, William and Lizzy formed a small caravan and headed toward the back of the apartment. Lizzy was the first to return and she went into the kitchen to get a drink of water. She found Sarmistha cuddling her Norfolk terrier, Alpa.

"Here," she said, handing a glass to Sarmistha and taking a seat on the sofa opposite her.

"Thank you," she smiled as she put up her feet and sighed as she continued to absently scratch behind the dog's ears with one hand. "So what was it you were asking before that you didn't want William to hear?"

"It wasn't important, and the only reason I didn't explain myself in front of Will is because he'd probably laugh at the question," she admitted. Sarmistha perked up.

"What's your question?"

"How would you describe Will and me in one word?" Sarmistha bit her lip and frowned.

"You and Will ... in one word."

"Our relationship."

"And I suppose you're not looking for 'crazy.'" Lizzy rolled her eyes. "Passionate," Sarmistha declared after barely a moment's hesitation. Lizzy was pleased.

"Really?"

"Yes, passionate and devoted are the first two words that came to mind."

"'Devoted'? That's a word that better describes you two."

"I think it applies to both of us," Sarmistha said thoughtfully. "Is that how you would characterize us?"

"Actually, the word that always comes to mind when I see you and Richard together is 'sweet.'"

"Oh," Sarmistha smiled. "I like that." The men came into the living room deeply involved in a discussion as to what they should do about dinner. Richard immediately paused to lean over the back of the sofa to kiss Sarmistha's cheek and pat her belly. Lizzy smiled and mouthed the word "sweet."

"What are you two up for?" William asked as he took off his jacket and took a seat beside her.

"I'm up for a foot rub, a nice nap, a delicious dinner, a cuddle with my adored one, and something dark and chocolaty ... not necessarily in that order," Sarmistha replied with a loving look at Richard. He promptly walked around to the front of the sofa, sat on the massive coffee table and began to massage one of her feet.

"I'll bet she wanted the chocolate first," William quipped.

"I'd like to know why you looked at William the way you did when I said the words 'dark and chocolaty,' Lizzy," Sarmistha challenged. Richard raised an eyebrow and turned to Lizzy for an answer. She shrugged coolly.

"I can't imagine what you mean," she said. She glanced up at William who eyed her suspiciously. She smiled beatifically and suggested a neighborhood restaurant for dinner.

"You all can go if you want," Sarmistha said. "I'm not going anywhere further than the boundaries of this apartment."

"You shouldn't have tired yourself out with all--." Lizzy quickly shut her mouth when Sarmistha fixed her with a glare.

"Yeah, you were partying kind of hard, Sarmistha," William said helpfully. He winked at her and she smiled gratefully.

"And I bet you packed all those boxes of books in your office all by yourself," Richard said reproachfully.

"Actually, my assistant did that for me. I just packed my personal things," she said, bracing herself for the lecture to come. Richard shook his head and behind his back, William and Lizzy smiled knowingly.

"Honey, why don't you lie down while the rest of us figure out dinner," he suggested with unexpected calm. "If there's something you want in particular, just let me know and we'll get it for you." Sarmistha awkwardly leaned forward to kiss him and he met her halfway.

"I don't know about you, but I'm slightly disappointed," William said to Lizzy. She nodded in agreement.

"I was all set to hear the standard speech," she said as Richard took the dog from Sarmistha and placed it on the floor before he rose and pulled her to her feet.

"Let's get you to bed," he said. Then he turned to the couple on the other sofa. "I'll deal with you two when I get back." They exchanged a glance and smiled while Richard escorted his wife to the bedroom. William took advantage of the opportunity to pull Lizzy into his arms and kiss her.

"Hello," he said when he came up for air.

"Hello, yourself," Lizzy said as she settled into a more comfortable position. "How was your day?" She toyed with his tie a bit and then loosened it as he answered.

"Nothing terribly interesting happened at work today, but I went to a party in the afternoon and there was a really hot brunette there in a tan sweater set and a tight leather skirt. I think she was coming on to me." William licked his lips deliberately as Lizzy poked him in the ribs. "How was your day?"

"Well, I didn't see any hot brunettes," she said and ran her finger over William's lips when he pouted. "But I did get a call from mother."

"Trouble?" Lizzy sighed and William prepared himself for disturbing news.

"It's Lydia; she's postponed the wedding."

"Why?"

Lizzy shrugged.

"Mother said that she and John got into a big fight while they were looking at an apartment today and called everything off. Mom convinced them to take some time to cool off before the do anything drastic, but by the time she had a chance to talk to them, Lydia had already made calls to the country club and canceled the reception. The caterer informed another party that the date was open and it was snapped up. As you can imagine, dad is furious!"

"What on earth were you thinking, child?" Thomas Bennet shouted. He was a man who rarely raised his voice in anger, but the younger of his two daughters had a singular ability to infuriate him. This day's events were just the latest in a string of maddening stunts pulled off by Lydia of late.

After weeks of sulking at the news of Lizzy's engagement to William, she launched a campaign to find herself a rich boyfriend of her own. She caught the eye of John Corrigan at Lizzy's engagement party, a promising young attorney and former schoolmate of William and Richard. They began to date and Lydia came home one night about a month later and announced that she was moving in with John. Thomas was slightly alarmed by the news, but didn't intervene in spite of his doubts about the stability of the couple's relationship. It was apparent to him from the first that Lydia's primary motivation was to compete with her sister.

Lizzy, for her part--having found the man of her dreams and comfortably settled into his home--was in no particular rush to reach the altar. She and William talked about what sort of wedding they wanted--a large, traditional affair in late spring--and set about planning for the event in a leisurely manner, choosing a date some eighteen months in the future. Lydia seized the opportunity to steal Lizzy's thunder and announced her engagement to John and her intention to marry two months before her older sister.

Thomas and Edith were rather disturbed by the news. The couple had dated ten months before they became engaged, but theirs had not been a smooth relationship. They frequently argued and on more than one occasion Lydia had come back home, declaring the bond between John and herself to be irrevocably broken. Thomas attributed the problem to Lydia's immaturity and he tried to give her the benefit of his counsel, but she was fairly impervious to good sense and the problems of the young couple continued.

Thomas knew that money, or rather a lack of it, was the real source of the trouble. Lydia had incorrectly assumed that any man who was a friend of rich men must himself be rich. John Corrigan came from a moderately well to do family, but his family's wealth was less than her own and John's income as a staff attorney to a small company did not provide him with the standard of living Lydia was expecting to find. She initially balked when he encouraged her to get a job after she moved in with him, but eventually she succumbed to the pressure applied by John and her family and begrudgingly went to work as a management trainee in a department store.

Lydia took to her new job surprisingly well, but she still envied her sister's lot in life. . She was clearly determined to best her sister when it came to having the finer things in life. When she found out that Lizzy and William were having a wedding for 300, she made certain that her guest list exceeded that number. When she found out that they would be married at the same church where Richard and Sarmistha took their vows, she booked the country club her parents belonged to and reserved the largest hall. Thomas was not averse to giving either daughter the wedding she wanted, but he was openly disgusted with Lydia's one-upmanship. Lizzy was equally annoyed, and refused henceforth to discuss anything related to either wedding with her younger sibling.

Thomas met with and had a long talk with John. He sincerely loved Lydia but was far from blind to her faults. He dealt with her firmly and with surprising patience, to the extent that Thomas came away from the meeting somewhat reassured. Then everything fell apart.

"Lydia is obsessed," Lizzy sighed. Richard had changed into jeans and rejoined the couple as Lizzy tried to explain the situation. "She thinks that wealth is not about having money, or acquiring it or even earning it. It's about displaying it so everyone can see it. Our father is the chief of the neonatology department of a major hospital and she believes that it's her right to advertise that with a tangible display of wealth."

"What's that got to do with the current situation?" Richard asked as he took his turn at entertaining Alpa in his lap. Lizzy sighed again.

"Last year, when you two were up in Vermont the weekend before Jane and Charles's wedding, Lydia and John had a tiff. She called me because she wanted to get out of the house and go shopping or something. I suggested that she come over instead and we'd watch a movie and hang out. It was her first visit to the apartment. She walked in and immediately began to turn up her nose at everything she laid eyes on."

"Why do you live in such a dinky old building? I would have expected you to be further uptown on the east side where all the rich people live."

"All 'rich' people do not live on the east side, Lydia and this is not a 'dinky old building.' It's one of the finest pre-war buildings in the city. It was built in the 1920's."

"Yeah, and it shows. It's only got twenty floors. You call this a penthouse?"

"Yes, Lyd, we call this a penthouse," Lizzy drawled.

"It's so small."

"Small? This apartment is larger than an average size house! It's got great architectural features like ten-foot ceilings, and moldings and working fireplaces," Lizzy said. "It's a beautiful apartment!"

"But it's only got two bedrooms and a maid's room. I bet you don't even have a maid," Lydia complained. "The bathrooms are small and the fixtures are so old-fashioned. You ought to rip it all out and put in a new one with a nice Jacuzzi."

"We like our old-fashioned fixtures. People all over the country are buying up old tubs and sinks like that at premium prices to put into modern bathrooms to make them look as old as ours," Lizzy said.

"I can't imagine why. And everything in here is old-fashioned and dodgy. Look at these rugs!" Lizzy folded her arms and considered that if she thought an antique Persian rug was "old and dodgy" she'd probably turn down the Mona Lisa if someone offered it to her unless it was "cleaned up" first. She slowly counted to ten under her breath as her younger sister nitpicked everything in the living room.

"Look, why don't we just sit down and watch the movie? I rented a couple so you'd have a choice."

"You rented movies?"

"Yes, why?" Lizzy was perplexed by her reaction.

"Why didn't you just buy them?" Lydia asked as she took hold of the DVDs and examined them.

"Why should I buy movies I'm only going to see once?"

"William can afford it."

"I know he can and so can I; that's no reason to waste twenty or thirty bucks."

"So what? William's must have lots of money," Lydia reasoned. "How much does he make?"

Lizzy gritted her teeth.

"I don't know."

"You don't know? You mean he won't tell you?"

"I mean I've never asked. And even if I did, I certainly wouldn't discuss it with anyone."

"But he must be really rich. His father owns a big company."

"His father owns a company, yes. That makes his father rich. William is employed by that company and he pulls down a salary, just like everyone else."

"Yes, but his father must pay him lots of money," Lydia insisted.

"What are you getting at?" Lizzy demanded impatiently.

"Why don't you ask him to get a nicer place?"

"There's nothing wrong with this place, Lydia! It's the right size for the two of us, William and I love it here, and our best friends live next door. As far as I'm concerned, life doesn't get any better."

"Sarmistha and Richard should move, too. I can't believe you're all so happy cooped up in this dingy old place."

"She just doesn't get it." Lizzy shook her head sadly. William took hold of her hand and gave it a firm squeeze. She looked up and him gratefully. "To make matters worse, she really only covets what we have so she can show us how it's supposed to be done. She spent the whole day asking what things cost and telling me what she'd buy if she owned the apartment. My mother told me that she and John were looking to move out of their one-bedroom rental and he let Lydia scan the real estate sections of the paper and contact realtors. When John balked at the listings she'd chosen as being both beyond their income and their immediate needs, Lydia threw a tantrum and called off the wedding."

"Ouch!" Richard said. "I knew that they were going through a rough patch, but John never mentioned anything like this."

"Rough patch!" William exclaimed. "Their entire relationship has been like running naked through a field of cactus."

"Ouch," Richard repeated. "So they're history?" Lizzy shrugged.

"I doubt it. Poor John is as besotted with Lyd as you are with Sarmistha."

"That sounds very unhealthy for poor John, I'm sorry to say," Richard said with an apologetic look.

"No, I completely agree," Lizzy assured him. "I think that he'd be crazy to take her back, but I know that it's only a matter of time before he does. Poor mom has had to deal with Lydia's hissy fits all day."

"Speaking of fits, Mish will have one if I don't feed her when she gets up," Richard said rising from his seat. "She wants Thai food. Any objections?" Lizzy and William were amenable so Richard went to fetch a menu.

"Are you okay?" William asked when they were alone. She nodded and snuggled more deeply into his arms. Lizzy made a point of changing the subject when Richard returned and by the time the food arrived and Sarmistha awakened from her nap, she was in good spirits once more. But throughout the evening, Lizzy was troubled by the news about Lydia. She was concerned for her sister's happiness and frustrated by her immaturity

"I don't want us to have any secrets between us," William said later that evening, as he and Lizzy prepared for bed. "You should feel free to ask me anything you want to know. Where you're concerned, my life is an open book."

"I know that," Lizzy said reassuringly. "Why did you bring that up just now?" William took the brush from Lizzy's hand and began to brush her hair.

"You said something earlier about not asking about my salary."

"I don't need to know," Lizzy said dismissively. "Unlike Lydia, I could care less about your money." She turned and wrapped her arms around him. "In fact, I never really thought about the fact that you had any, till Lyd brought it up." William handed Lizzy the brush and reached over her to pick up a pen and notepad lying on the dresser.

"This is my salary," he said, handing her the pad. Lizzy's mouth opened in mild surprise. "And believe me, it's not what the head of the textbook division or the trade paperback division take home, either. Of course, I have a sizeable trust fund to fall back on," he noted with a wry smile. He took up the brush again and moved behind Lizzy to resume applying long, slow strokes to her hair. "My father doesn't believe that just because I'm his son I'm entitled to inherit the family business my grandfather began. I have to earn it, and he brought me into the company when I was still in high school to learn every aspect of the business. When I pitched my idea for branching out into periodicals three years ago, he gave me a limited budget, a salary commensurate with my new position and five years to make it a success. I won't get a pay increase until my division shows a profit over four consecutive business quarters. I should be there by the end of the year."

"And yet your salary is still more than double mine," Lizzy teased. William pinched her bottom and she jumped.

"You mean they pay you that much just to sit in a chair, look beautiful and talk?"

"Hey," Lizzy said temptingly, turning again and wrapping her arms around his neck, "for you I'd do it for free."

"Thanks, but right now I'm not interested in hearing you talk," William replied impishly. Lizzy stood on her toes and whispered something into his ear. William grinned from ear to ear.

"I stand corrected."

Lizzy went next door Saturday morning to help Sarmistha sort out her stuff from the office. Much of it was going to be installed in the couple's home office, which was in the tiny former maid's room at the front of the apartment.

"You know, I almost regret our decision to turn this into an office," Sarmistha said. If it was available, we could have live-in help for a while when the baby came."

"You should follow Lydia's advice and go out and find a bigger place," Lizzy said sarcastically.

"Bite your tongue," Sarmistha retorted. "The day I start taking advice from Lydia is the day I have myself committed! Richard told me about what happened between her and John. I really feel bad for them. But when we were out at the house in Jersey last weekend and she and John came over she gave me roughly the same speech she gave you."

"You're kidding!"

"I wish! She said that our house was small and old and it should be expanded, and on and on. The fact that it's a sixty year-old house with warmth and character and genuine architecture and not some big, sterile, open plan McMansion that would have made us puke was totally lost on her. And she truly didn't understand John's lecture on conspicuous consumption and the environmental consequences of having a bigger house than is necessary, either. I suppose that marked the beginning of the end for them." Lizzy snorted.

"Oh, Lydia! What on earth are we going to do with her?" Lizzy sighed.

"Pray to the goddess of good taste and hope she'll intervene on Lyd's behalf?"

Lizzy smiled, but only briefly.

"I love her, I really do, but over the last few months she's been driving the whole family absolutely insane! I called mom last night and she said she called the wedding planner to tell her about the cancellation. Lydia walked in, overheard what she was saying and went ballistic. I guess she's sure enough about where she stands to cancel the reception, but not enough to fire the wedding planner. Would you explain that to me?" Sarmistha looked at Lizzy sympathetically.

"This is Lydia Bennet we're talking about. She's very young for all that she's just three years younger than you. Lydia was coddled and spoiled until she was sixteen and by the time your parents came to their senses and put their collective feet down, she had years of bad habits to overcome and little incentive to rise above them. But she has made progress over the last year and I give John most of the credit for it. She moved out of your parents' house and learned to live without a housekeeper. She now keeps an apartment like a real live adult, she's got a decent job with good potential and she actually enjoys it. She's learned a few things about responsibility and independence."

"Yeah, but she still lives in a fantasy land where money grows on trees and she's the owner of the orchard!"

Sarmistha laughed at Lizzy's conception of her sister.

"It'll take time. Believe me I've dealt with people like her at Darcy Press. Young, fresh-faced, right out of school--little more than girls, really--and all they think about is the lives they'll have when they 'make it.' They think that happiness lies in having money, that having money comes from having rich parents or marrying a rich man, or both," Sarmistha said. Lizzy smiled in memory of the conversation she overheard the previous day. "I had an assistant who was in awe of me because of my good fortune. She actually asked me how I did it! I told her I didn't choose my parents and that I fell in love with Richard because he's a wonderful man, not because his father's made a killing in real estate development. Nonetheless, she asked me where I met a man like him. I took her by the hand into the conference room and pointed to the place where I was standing the moment I first laid eyes on Richard."

"You didn't!"

"I did! It was all so idiotic, so simplistic...ultimately sad. I feel sad for Lydia. She's a good kid and I hope she gets her head straightened out before she loses John. I really think he's the best thing that's ever happened to her."

Lizzy wasn't so generous.

"Sometimes I think she's John's worst nightmare. He truly loves her and he deserves better than she's given him. And she's no kid, Sar! She's almost twenty-four years old!"

"Don't play judge and jury, Lizzy. Neither of us is privy to what really went on between them. I, for one, hope they work things out."

"You hopeless romantic, you! You want everyone to be as happy as you and Richard!"

"Is that such a bad idea? The world would be a much better place," Sarmistha said as she struggled to her feet. "I'm going to put on some water for tea." Lizzy followed her into the kitchen. "Are the two of you using the same wedding planner?"

"No, I'm using the one you recommended and Lyd has one based out in Flemington. Why?"

"I don't know; I just thought it might be awkward if you were," Sarmistha said as she gestured to Lizzy, who reached up to pull down two teacups and saucers from the cupboard.

"Oh, no way would I use the same planner as Lydia! She looked over my shoulder and copied everything we planned as it is! When we decided on swags of flowers to decorate our table and the buffet she immediately decided that she would have swags, too. And when I decided on five attendants she added a sixth to her party, plus an extra flower girl. She's driving mom nuts! Or at least she was, changing things as soon as they were finalized."

"Poor Mrs. B; poor Dr. B! I'm sure he's quite livid."

"He was apoplectic, according to mom," Lizzy said as the water grew close to a boil. "Am I making a pot?" Sarmistha nodded and Lizzy fetched the teapot and warmed it with hot water from the tap. "She said he was so angry that when he went in to talk to Lyd he gave up after one sentence, too distraught to go on. He hasn't talked to her yet."

"Oh, dear."

"Would you give me a hand, sweetness?"

Richard scrambled off the bed and went into the bathroom to help Sarmistha out of the tub. He steadied her as she stepped out, wrapped her in a bath sheet and rubbed her distended tummy.

"Thank you, habib," she said and rewarded his kindness with a kiss.

"You know, maybe we should rent one of those lift chairs they use for disabled people," he teased lightly, "especially if we decide to have a lot of children." Sarmistha poked him in the ribs.

"What happened to your idea of having just the one daughter and spoiling her rotten like her mother?" Sarmistha said tartly as she turned so Richard could dry her back.

"Oh, you're not so rotten," he said as he nuzzled her neck. "Shall I do lotion?"

"Yes, please. Richard, I don't want our little girl to be spoiled rotten. Not if she's going to turn out anything like Lydia."

"She's far more likely to turn out like you: well-adjusted, level-headed, and absolutely indulged in every way," he said. Sarmistha smiled. "Why are you suddenly worried about this?" he asked seriously.

"I'm not."

"You are; I can tell by the little frown up there," Richard said as he lightly touched her forehead.

"Well, maybe I am, a little," Sarmistha admitted. "I was talking to Lizzy earlier. She's really stressed out over Lydia. I suppose all the Bennets are."

"Yeah, Lizzy was definitely not a happy camper last night," Richard said as he slathered lotion on his wife's back and arms. "And William later told me privately that he was more than a little put out by Lydia's machinations as well, especially since they're obviously meant as put downs to Lizzy."

"Oh, I don't think they are, at least not deliberately. Lydia is only acting to please herself, not to insult Lizzy. She wants to be the superior sister and probably doesn't even think about the consequences of her actions on Lizzy."

"No matter how you rationalize it, the effect is the same. It's taking a toll on Lizzy and William is pretty mad about it." Richard slid his hands around to the front of Sarmistha's torso and began to rub lotion on her belly. Then he smoothed some along her ribs, which he knew to be very ticklish.

"Richard ... Richard! Give me the bottle. I can manage the rest on my own, thank you," she said with a scolding look. Richard pouted and went back into the bedroom. Sarmistha followed him a minute or two later, pulling on a robe as she went.

"What does any of this have to do with our baby?" Richard asked. He flopped on the bed beside her and propped his chin as she sat down and began to apply lotion to her legs.

"Nothing, directly; I guess I was just thinking about what could happen if our child ended up like Lydia." Richard snorted.

"I'd sell her to gypsies first."

Sarmistha put a dab of lotion on his nose.

"Over my dead body!"

"Mish, our baby will not end up like Lydia. She'll be our child and she'll be her own person. Seriously, love; you turned out fine in spite of yourself," Richard smiled. Sarmistha rose and went to the dresser for a clean nightgown.

"And our baby will be fine in spite of us?" She pulled on the gown, hung the robe behind the bathroom door and rejoined Richard on the bed.

"That was very generous, including yourself in that insult," he teased as he pulled Sarmistha into his arms.

"Well, our baby's view of the world will be largely shaped by us--at least at first." She peered into Richard's blue eyes. "Should we really be doing this?" He laughed at her comment and brought her closer for a kiss. "Tell me, habib; are you planning to go to bed as you are?" she asked as she began to unbutton his shirt.

"Well, there's just not much point in rushing to bed these days," Richard replied wistfully. Sarmistha pouted and pulled away from him.

"If that's how you feel about it, maybe I should sleep in the guest room until the baby is born."

Richard got up and began to undress.

"No way! That bed is too short for my legs. I'd much rather we stayed in here."

Sarmistha smiled and slid under the thick comforter. Richard joined her a few minutes later and they discussed their ideas for making sure that their daughter turned out well until Sarmistha dozed off on Richard's shoulder.

"You can't just not speak to your own child, Thomas."

"Why not? Just give me one good reason why, just for once, I shouldn't have the chance to be the stubborn, willful, self-absorbed brat, Edith! Why not?" Thomas Bennet shouted. His long-suffering wife sighed. Thomas immediately softened and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry, my blossom," he said fondly before kissing her temple. "I'm sorry, but I am simply at my wits' end. I suppose I should count myself fortunate. She's not out on the streets somewhere drinking or drugging. She's not committing crimes or giving herself to every man she meets. I should consider myself fortunate that Lydia's only flaw is that she lacks a shred of common sense. And if she's not very careful she's going to be the death of me!"

"Oh, stop being so melodramatic, Tom! We've discussed this before; she'd hardly be mistaken for a logician but she's got a decent brain in her head and she has made good progress over the last year. You even said you were proud of her."

"Hmph! I withdraw the compliment. Poof! It all went up in smoke yesterday in one incendiary ball of flame. What is the cancellation fee three weeks before the wedding--ten percent? Twenty? More? Whatever it is, it's coming out of her trust fund, mark my words. She didn't even have the sense to discuss it with us first, or better yet, take a few hours to cool off and then discuss it with John! Does he even know she canceled the wedding?"

"Calm yourself, Thomas," Edith said gently, but he was too worked up.

"What happened? Where did we go wrong? How can one child be so sensible and the other be so senseless?"

"Thomas! Well," Edith conceded, "perhaps the distribution went awry. Our firstborn got a nice healthy dose, but we subconsciously held back in case we decided to go for a third," she said archly. Thomas smiled and hugged her to his chest.

"I love both our girls, Edith. You know I do. And I want so much for them both to be happy. But this fixation of Lydia's is doing no one any good and she's hurt Lizzy with her foolishness. Something has to be done."

"Talk to her." Thomas looked into his wife's pleading eyes.

"All right ... tomorrow. Maybe."

Chapter Two

Posted on Saturday, 3 September 2005

On Sunday morning, Lizzy and William arrived next door bearing fresh bagels from the bakery and fresh ripe mangoes for Sarmistha.

"Where on earth did you find fresh mangoes in February?" she asked with an expression on her face that spoke of both delight and suspicion.

"We have our sources," William said enigmatically.

"Namely the green grocer down the block," Lizzy supplied archly. She took a seat at the table and helped herself to a cup of coffee from the large carafe at the center of the table.

"Well, thank you! I've had a craving for mangoes lately," Sarmistha said as she reached for a tray for the bagels. William handed it down for her. Richard looked up from his newspaper.

"She's had a craving for mangoes since I met her," he observed. Sarmistha sat down next to him and kissed his temple as William carried in the tray.

"Richard volunteered to make us omelets this morning," Sarmistha announced. "You can start with mine," she said as she began to slice into one of the mangoes.

"Do you want me to put that in it?" Richard teased as he rose and headed for the kitchen. Sarmistha ignored the question and continued her task. "Do the rest of you have any special requests?" Richard called from the kitchen.

"Have you got any cream cheese back there?" William asked.

"Do you know 'Melancholy Baby'?" Lizzy chimed in. William looked up and she shrugged playfully. Richard appeared with the cream cheese, which he placed in front of William before he leaned over Lizzy menacingly.

"Just cheese, please...sir," she said beseechingly.

"That's better," Richard said with a smile before he returned to the kitchen.

"You're right, Sar; he is beautiful when he's angry," Lizzy said in a stage whisper. William looked up again and saw Sarmistha's wink. Richard returned in a few minutes with an omelet for her, and within minutes he'd served up omelets for Lizzy and William as well. When he finally sat down with his own, he found a wedge of mango on his bread plate. He also noted, with amusement, that Alpa was nibbling at the chunk of mango in her bowl.

"I shared," Sarmistha explained. "And speaking of sharing, Richard and I were talking yesterday about Lydia and I had a thought." She paused to glance at her husband before proceeding. "Since I am no longer employed, at least until we have a result here," she said with a significant pat to her belly, "I might be of some assistance in helping you two with the wedding preparations." Before Richard's mouth was open, she placed a finger to his lips. "Before you say anything--at this point in the process Lizzy and William will have made the overwhelming majority of the decisions that have to be made. All I am suggesting is that I take on the task of troubleshooting--doing follow up calls to the wedding planner, the caterer and the like. It would take very little of my time and if Lizzy used some of the sources I suggested, it won't even require a call. I can track things down via the Internet." She removed her finger.

"I think that's a great idea," Richard said with a smile.

"Thank you, habib," Sarmistha smiled sweetly. Lizzy and William exchanged a glance.

"Well, I guess that takes the wind out of my sails," Lizzy sighed. She had been prepared to accede to whatever limitations Richard set for his wife. "And you have to tell me how you do that," she added with a gleam in her eye. Sarmistha shrugged insouciantly.

"Are you sure it would be no trouble?" William asked hesitantly. Richard hastily assured him that he wouldn't allow Sarmistha to over-exert herself.

"Oh, please! Until I decided to be a stay at home mom you were all for my working until the last minute. As soon as I decided to quit I suddenly became a hothouse flower," she chided Richard. Sarmistha was aware that he secretly feared that there was a hidden agenda behind her decision but he chose not to voice it aloud. He even made a point of speaking with Nishtha Agarwal, who was both Sarmistha's mother and a qualified obstetrician, to reassure himself that his wife was fine and having a perfectly normal pregnancy. Richard conceded that he was nervous, both for Sarmistha and the baby, but also about taking on the role of father.

"So sue me for caring," he pouted. William burst into laughter and Lizzy hit him, although she, too, was very tempted to laugh at Richard's expression along with the fact that his wife blithely ignored his retort.

"Why don't you bring your stuff over later, Lizzy," she continued, "and get me up to speed."

"Thanks, Sar. There are some things I want to do on my own, but I'd planned on getting some input from you on a bunch of things anyway. This will be a big help."

"My pleasure."

An hour later, the two women convened in Richard and Sarmistha's office. Lizzy brought a large accordion folder with her and pulled out a file.

"How do you feel about ranunculus in a floral arrangement?" Lizzy asked. To her astonishment, Sarmistha burst into hysterical laughter. "What on earth is so funny?" Lizzy demanded.

"I'm sorry, but that's just the kind of opening question Char used to ask us when she was working on our wedding. Richard's eyes would invariably roll back in his head and he'd grow more and more irritated as each meeting went on. That's when we hit on the idea of developing our own list of exactly what we wanted and let her just follow through on them with no deviations."

"She asked Will and me to tell her what we wanted on day one!"

"Oh, she did that with us, too, but she'd still pitch her vision of us releasing doves over Park Avenue or having a DJ or whatever whenever we saw her. I think William is more intimidating than Richard," Sarmistha said. "She thought Richard would be such a pushover. She's say things like, 'Wouldn't you love to see Sarmistha bathed in pink light as the two of you do your first dance?' And Richard would just shake his head and say no." Lizzy smiled.

"That's precisely why I'm asking you this question instead of Will," she said. "I'm sure he has no opinion on ranunculus."

"On the contrary, I like ranunculus," William said as he passed the door on his way out of the apartment. "My mother has a whole bed of them up in Connecticut every spring." He disappeared before Lizzy could speak.

"Well, you don't need my opinion anymore," Sarmistha smiled.

"That man is a constant source of wonder," Lizzy said wryly.

"Honey, all men are! I wonder what he's thinking; I wonder where his socks are; I wondered why I married him..."

"Trouble in paradise?" Lizzy asked, frankly shocked by Sarmistha's remarks.

"Oh, no! Richard and I are still deliriously happy, but whenever I listen to other women talk about their men, that's all I ever hear."

"Don't scare me like that! If you become disillusioned, I'm not getting married!"

"What?" William had returned and he was standing in the doorway with his mouth agape. Sarmistha and Lizzy had a good laugh before Lizzy explained the joke.

"Well, now that you've had your little fun at my expense," he said haughtily, "You can go and call your mother. She wants to speak with you."

"Yes, Lizzy ... yes ... all right! I'm not a baby you know!" Lydia said petulantly. "I do know how to behave."

"If you don't act like a baby, I won't treat you like one, okay? Why don't you try and get here by dinner time, okay?"

"Okay," Lydia sighed. She felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Let me speak to her a moment," Thomas said.

"Of course! Speak to Lizzy, by all means," Lydia said bitterly before stalking off to her room. Thomas rolled his eyes.

"Lizzy? I just spoke to your mother--are you two sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, daddy. William and I talked it over. We wouldn't be offering otherwise. Lydia has to go to work tomorrow and it'll be a lot easier if she's in Manhattan rather than western New Jersey."

"Did you consider that it might be better for her if she had to struggle for a few days? It might help bring her to her senses."

"I doubt it. Long experience says that the more she struggles the more she'll wallow in misery and consider herself the injured party. Plus, if she's in the city, she's more likely to go home than if she's got refuge with you guys. You two won't throw her out. I made it quite clear that if she acts up she's going to a hotel--at her own expense."

"And you think that will force her to consider going home to John instead?" Thomas said doubtfully.

"Quite frankly, if she bites the hand that feeds her this time, she's on her own." Lizzy took a slow breath to refocus. "Have you spoken with her yet?"

"I'll have a word with her before she leaves."

"Thanks, daddy. I love you." Lizzy hung up and wandered into the guest room, where William was artfully arranging pillows on the bed. Lizzy smiled at the image before her and flopped onto the bed beside him.

"Hey! I just made that!" Lizzy picked up a decorative pillow and hugged it to her chest.

"You know, if that magazine thing doesn't work out, you could have a good career in the hospitality industry."

"That's strike, two, Lizzy," William said tartly as he grabbed the pillow from her and replaced it.

"Oh, yeah? I bet I can hit it out of the park on my next swing," she propositioned with a sensuous wriggle of her hips.

"Not on this bed, you won't," William said with mock solemnity. Lizzy picked up the pillow he'd just repositioned and threw it at him before scrambling off the bed and running to the master bedroom down the hall. When William entered a minute later, she was lying on the bed with Squeaks. He leaned on the doorframe and regarded her for a moment. "So how long does it take to drive from your parents' place to the city?"

"Longer than we need," Lizzy said as she crooked a finger and beckoned him.

"We have to make dinner," William said as he pretended to hesitate.

"We can make reservations," Lizzy suggested.

"I like the way you think," William said as he approached the bed. "You," he said, pointing at Squeaks. "Out!"

"How many of these things does a baby need?" Richard asked as he and Alpa watched his wife make a list of things they needed for the baby. Sarmistha was cross-referencing it against the growing list of baby gifts she'd received from friends and family.

"What things, sweetling?"

"These--what are these things?" he asked as he held up a bright red one-piece garment. "It looks like a tiny union suit," he smiled.

"Well. That's essentially what it is. As for numbers, everyone I've spoken to has said the same thing: you can't have too many undershirts, diapers, pajamas, bibs, and little union suits."

"And what the heck is this?" Richard held up a hot pink fleece bunting.

"Weren't you and I at the same party?" Sarmistha asked playfully. "It's a bunting. You put the baby in it to keep her warm."

"I was there; I just didn't want to embarrass myself by asking silly questions. And I've seen buntings before, but never ones that had legs."

"It's for use in the stroller, habib."

"Oh." There was a knock on the door and Richard went to get it. "Hey Will, what's up?"

"I just wanted to let you two know; Lydia's coming over. She'll probably be staying with us for a few days. Hopefully, just a few."

"Why?" Sarmistha asked.

"Lizzy and I talked about it and decided that it would be a gesture of good will."

"Does she need your good will?" Richard asked. "And do I want to know why you've got a feather in your hair?" He pulled it out and handed it to William, who colored slightly.

"Lydia has to go to work, whether or not her love life is in tatters," William replied as he absently stuffed the feather into his pocket. "We thought we'd make it easy for her to do that. The deal is we'd give her a place to stay for a week. After that she's on her own. We're hoping that by then she and John will have talked and either resolved things or decided that the split is permanent. Either way, we're not going to have any role in bringing the two of them together. It's strictly up to them what they do."

"I thought you weren't very keen on having Lydia around," Richard said.

"In truth, I'm not," William sighed. "But she's Lizzy's flesh and blood and Lizzy wanted to do this for her. I have no problem with that, so long as Lydia doesn't make trouble."

"I think it's very generous of you two to extend yourselves like this, William," Sarmistha said.

"I think you two are nuts," Richard said stubbornly.

"Ooh, nice bedding!" Lydia said as she flopped on the bed. Lizzy looked at William and smiled. He rolled his eyes and she patted his shoulder, suppressing a grin as Lydia picked up a pillow and hugged it to her chest, just as Lizzy had done earlier.

"It must be a Bennet girl thing," William muttered as he strode away. Lizzy considered closing the door and sitting down for a heart to heart with her baby sister, but decided not to press the matter just yet.

"Why don't you get settled in, Lyd. We'll be going out to dinner in a little while."

"Okay." Lizzy went into the living room, where William was sitting at the massive oak library table that served as his desk. She went around behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled when he muttered something about "one of those bed-wrinkling Bennets."

"I love you, too," she smiled. "So are Richard and Sarmistha joining us? You didn't say earlier." William shook his head.

"They were in the middle of doing a baby registry, whatever that is. Besides, Sarmistha was already cooking. Something smelled fabulous over there." Lizzy kissed William's curls.

"Want to stay here and eat with them while I brave it with the sib?"

"No, I'll brave it out with you. By the way, message from Richard: we're nuts."

"He's probably, right," Lizzy admitted, as Lydia entered the room.

"I'm starved," she said. "Let's eat."

"So, what do you guys do for fun around here?" Lydia asked shortly after the threesome returned from having dinner at a local restaurant. Lizzy tried not to mimic William's expression when he looked up from his book with an odd smile on his face.

"Well, not much, on a Sunday evening," Lizzy admitted. "We watch a little TV, read, visit next door, or--."

"Ooh, can we go next door? I want to see Sarmistha's apartment," Lydia said excitedly. Lizzy and William exchanged a wary glance.

"Okay, but only for a short while. Sar goes to bed pretty early these days."

"I know! She's as big as a house! Ugh! I'm not having kids if I have to get big and fat like that!" Lydia declared.

"What are you talking about?" William said, in spite of himself. "Sarmistha looks lovely in spite of her condition!" Lydia waved her hand dismissively.

"Yeah, she looks better than most pregnant women I've seen, but it's still so gross!"

"I guess you're not having any children, then," Lizzy said as she rose and headed for the door."

"Well, we do want kids someday...I guess John will send me to a spa to get my figure back afterwards." Lizzy paused and turned to confront her sister in the elevator lobby,

"I strongly advise against you making any disparaging remarks about Sarmistha or her figure while we're in there, okay?"

"Okay, okay! I know; Richard's very touchy about her." Lizzy laughed.

"That's an understatement." She knocked on the door and the man they were speaking of answered. "Mind if we drop in?" Lizzy asked with a slightly apologetic look.

"Not at all. Hello, Lydia," Richard said graciously.

"Hi. I wanted to get a peek at your apartment since I've never been here before."

"Sure. I'm on the phone, so why don't you give her the five-cent tour, Lizzy. I'll let Mish know that we've got company."

"Okay ... Why don't we start in here?" Lizzy said as she led Lydia into the kitchen. She wasn't terribly impressed, as Lizzy expected, but she brightened up considerably when she saw the dining room, which featured colorful sari silk draperies, table runners and seat covers.

"Wow!" She walked around the room and admired the Asian art on the wall as Sarmistha entered from the living room.

"Hello, Lydia."

"Hey, Sar! This room is really cool!"

"Thank you. We like it a lot and it's fun to entertain in."

"Are all the other rooms like this?" Sarmistha glanced at Lizzy questioningly.

"Come and see for yourself." She led Lydia into the living room, and then down the hall to the bedrooms. To Lizzy's surprise, her sister didn't have a single uncomplimentary word to say. She was relieved and pleased to see Lydia behaving so well. It had been a while since Lizzy had seen her in such a good mood. "As you can see, Richard is busy painting the second bedroom for the baby."

"And you shouldn't be in there," Richard called from somewhere behind them. Sarmistha rolled her eyes and led the others back down the hall to the living room.

"Are you excited about having a baby?" Lydia asked as she took a seat beside her and picked up the tiny dog to play with in her lap.

"We're both very excited," Sarmistha said. "I'm getting to the point where I'm ready for this to be over, though." She patted her large belly for emphasis. Lydia proceeded to ask a bunch of questions about pregnancy and Lizzy sat on the sofa opposite the pair and watched, dumbfounded. It was as though the Lydia across the hall was a different woman from the one before her.

Richard finished the phone call that kept him from joining the others earlier, and the four sat and talked for awhile, first about the baby and then about other topics. Eventually, Lydia glanced at her watch.

"Lizzy said you go to bed early these days and it's almost 9:30. We'd better go," she said, rising to her feet. Lizzy and Richard also rose as Lydia said her goodbyes. They went back to Lizzy and William's apartment and Lizzy went into the kitchen to put on some water for tea. William walked into the kitchen a few moments later.

"How was it?" he asked softly. Lizzy smiled and shook her head.

"Did you know that your cousins' apartment door is actually a portal to an alternate dimension?" William blinked.

"Come again?" Lizzy shook her head again.

"Where's Lyd?" she asked.

"She asked for something to read. I pointed her toward the bookshelves and offered her the latest issue of Persona. She took that and a book of sonnets and went to her room."

"Come again?" Lizzy echoed. William smiled. "My sister is reading Shakespeare?"

"Well, she'll probably read the magazine first," he said. "But why shouldn't she read Shakespeare? She's probably read a lot of it in school," he said as he reached for mugs.

"And she complained bitterly about it the whole time," Lizzy noted tartly.

"What happened next door?"

"Nothing happened next door, that's what happened. She was considerate, she was polite--."

"Well, you did threaten her before you left," William said pointedly.

"No, this was something else. I know how she gets when she's on her best behavior. It was as though she forget to put on her act."

"Her act?"

Lizzy shrugged and went down to Lydia's room to see if she wanted to have a cup of tea. She knocked on the open door and Lydia looked up from her reading. She declined a cup of tea and Lizzy returned to the kitchen, where William was pouring the tea.

"Well?"

"I don't know who that woman is, but she's not my sister!"

"Lizzy! What?" William asked when she kept shaking her head. She pointed down the hall. William peeked into the guest room and saw Lydia reading Shakespeare.

"Daddy, it was so strange. It was as though someone turned off the Lydia switch or something," Lizzy said. "I can't explain it any other way."

"So she was difficult all evening up to that point?" Thomas asked carefully.

"No, not really, but to tell you the truth, I figured that she was a little subdued because she was glad to get out of the house and away from all the pressure," Lizzy said a little sheepishly. "Sorry, daddy."

"No, no, you're probably right," Thomas admitted. "Heaven knows she was very upset when she came home and I certainly didn't do anything to help her."

"Daddy..."

"No, Lizzy! I was too furious, and I didn't want to speak to her in anger. We both know I'm capable of saying something I'd come to regret later."

"Daddy, that was years ago! I was young and stubborn and you were invariably right," Lizzy confessed with a smile.

"Could you repeat that? I could have sworn I just heard you admit that I was right to ground you? Where's my tape recorder?" he said. Lizzy laughed. "Maybe Lydia just needed a little time to cool off. I'm glad you took her in, in that case. Maybe now that a clearer head is emerging she'll talk to John and straighten things out."

"One way or another, yes."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know if she's really ready to get married, daddy." Lizzy said.

"Well, that's something only she and John can decide. And if they do decide to go through with it, we'll respect their decision," Thomas said firmly.

"You're right again," Lizzy acknowledged.

"Well, I'd better quit while I'm ahead. I've got a few little patients to see."

"I love you."

"I love you, too. And I'll give Lydia a call later and see how she's faring."

"Okay. Bye." Lizzy hung up the phone and turned back to her computer station. William was standing over her desk and had apparently been there for some time.

"Do I want to know who I'm sharing your love with?" he asked with a probing gaze. Lizzy smiled wickedly.

"I'd rather not say."

"Oh?"

"Well, you might ask me to give him up and, well, in truth, I've known and loved him a lot longer than I've known you.'

"So there is another man."

Lizzy nodded primly.

"I can't help it. He's a bit older than me--." William snorted. "I never expected to fall for him the way I did; I ... I just couldn't help myself," Lizzy declared dramatically.

"Has he got money? Is that it?"

"Compared to you? He's a pauper."

William sat on the edge of the desk.

"What's he got that I can't give you?" he pressed. Lizzy struggled to find something to say, but quickly gave up.

"It's just one of those things, Will. I can't explain it."

"So I take it our engagement is off," William said with a sigh. Lizzy shook her head.

"Oh, no! I have every intention of marrying you. I could never marry him."

"Why not?" William asked. He folded his arms and glared at Lizzy as she tried to hide the laughter in her eyes.

"He's already got a wife."

"So you expect me to marry you, even though you're in love with this old guy?"

"This 'old guy' with great taste in women," Lizzy corrected. "Oh and don't think I don't love you, too!"

"Why should I believe you?" Lizzy rose and went around the desk to close her door before she went to William and put her arms around his neck.

"Because I was so convincing last night...and yesterday afternoon...and yesterday morning..." She emphasized her point with several kisses.

"Well, you've got me there. But still..."

Lizzy smothered his protest with a kiss.

"He loves you, too, by the way."

"This is beginning to sound distinctly kinky." William smiled. "I'm glad to see you in such a good mood, though. I was afraid with your sister around you might be wound tighter than a violin string."

"I thought so, too. But yesterday went better than I'd hoped. Daddy said that Lydia may be behaving differently because she's under less stress at our place."

"Lydia doesn't generally get stressed; she gives it."

Lizzy sighed and ran her fingers through William's hair.

"I know. I just wish I knew how to deal with that."

"Come in, Lydia," Sarmistha said.

"Sorry to trouble you, but Lizzy and William aren't home yet and I forgot to take the key they gave me when left for work this morning," she said meekly.

"It's quite all right," Sarmistha said as she led Lydia into the dining room. "You have a choice; I can let you in with my key or you can stay here and visit for a bit. Lizzy and Will should be home any time now." Lydia smiled gratefully.

"I chose to stay and visit."

"Good. I've been here alone all day and I could use some company," Sarmistha admitted. "Would you care for some tea or coffee?"

"I'd love some tea, but let me make it," Lydia said, hopping up from the table and going into the kitchen. "You know, I'd never admit this to Lizzy, but I've become a real tea fanatic since she started sending me tea from around the world. I actually buy mine from a real fancy tea shop now. I can't drink that awful stuff you get at the supermarket." Lydia blushed, but Sarmistha quickly put her at ease.

"We don't drink that stuff from the supermarket, either," she said as she opened a cabinet and showed Lydia a row of tin canisters. "Help yourself."

"I see we have the same taste," Lydia said as she pulled out the one labeled "Darjeeling."

"Well, my mother started me on that one. She's a big tea drinker, too. You've been to tea parties at my parents' house, so you remember what a fanatic she is."

"Oh, yes! I used to love them! I felt so grown-up and fancy when I was invited to tea with all the big girls," Lydia confided. She continued to reminisce as she expertly prepared a pot of tea and brought it to the dining table. Sarmistha put some cookies on a plate and brought them into the dining room along with milk and sugar. "Our own private tea party," Lydia said with girlish delight. Sarmistha smiled.

"Had I known you were coming I would have made up a batch of Grandma Bess's scones." She observed Lydia for a moment. "Lydia, why would you never admit to Lizzy that you love tea because of her? I'm sure she'd be delighted to know that her gifts made such an impression on you." Lydia made a face.

"Oh, it's no big deal to Lizzy. I'm sure the tea was just an afterthought. You know, she sent something for mom and dad and felt she had to send me something, too. And after the first time she never had to think about what to give me. She'd just find some nice tea and pop it into the mail." Sarmistha regarded her for a moment.

"What if I told you that Lizzy always sent you tea because she knew how much it meant to you to be included in the tea parties my mother gave for me and that she remembered how much you enjoyed trying all the different teas my mother used to serve?"

"I never thought about that," Lydia said after a moment of surprised reflection. "I just thought--."

"You just assumed," Sarmistha corrected gently. "May I ask you something? I warn you, I intend to be quite frank, so stop me if you'd rather just enjoy your tea. We can talk about something else." Lydia was torn momentarily, but after a moment she looked Sarmistha in the eye.

"Go ahead."

"What do you have against Lizzy?" Lydia was stunned by the question and immediately tried to deny having any animosity toward her sister, but Sarmistha placed her hand over Lydia's and told her to just stop and think for a minute. Lydia did as she was asked. After a minute of silence, during which she fiddled with her napkin and averted her eyes from Sarmistha's intense gaze, she relented.

"I don't have anything against her, really," Lydia said. "I love her. It's just that everyone else--."

"I'm not interested in anyone else, Lydia. I'm only concerned about you, right now," Sarmistha said gently. She placed her hand over Lydia's again. "And I assure you that whatever you say will not go beyond the two of us."

"I've been unfavorably compared to Lizzy all my life. You're so lucky, being an only child. I've always had to live with the knowledge that there was someone prettier, smarter, thinner, taller, more popular and just plain superior to me around." Lydia paused, expecting Sarmistha to comment, but she merely shifted in her seat and continued to listen. "It wasn't that Lizzy lauded it over me or anything; everyone was all too happy to do it for her. I got really tired of being asked why I didn't speak Hindi like Lizzy, or if I was going to Princeton like Lizzy, or if I was interested in journalism like Lizzy. No one ever sees me for myself."

"It must be hard living in someone else's shadow," Sarmistha said. "You're right; I never had to deal with that. But then, I was too busy envying Lizzy for having a sister to share things with."

"Well, count your blessings. If you had an older sister, people would forget you existed."

"Is that what happened to you?"

"Yeah. When Lizzy came back to the states, no one had anything to say to me unless it was about her and after she got engaged it got even worse."

"Is that why you decided to get married, too?"

Lydia winced at the question.

"I love John," she cried defensively.

"I never doubted that for a minute," Sarmistha said calmly, "nor do I doubt that he loves you. But wasn't your whole impetus for dumping your old boyfriend and going after John about having what Lizzy had?"

"My old boyfriend was...well we weren't going anywhere and we both knew it," Lydia insisted. "We both wanted out."

"Well, under those circumstances, you were right to move on and try to find the relationship that was right for you."

Lydia eyed Sarmistha suspiciously.

"Look, what are you driving at?"

"I'm just trying to make you realize that you've allowed your resentment of Lizzy--a perfectly normal and natural one, I might add--to color your judgment and I don't even think you are aware of the consequences." Sarmistha paused to pour out the tea. It had steeped sufficiently and as she poured she smiled at the familiar expression on Lydia's face. "You're making your 'good tea' face."

"Huh?"

"You always made a face when we poured the tea at our parties. Lizzy and I called it your 'good tea' face. It's this look of rapture and joy that comes over you when you experience something great." Sarmistha became serious. "I've been looking forward to seeing if you made your good tea face at your wedding." Lydia frowned and looked away. "Have you spoken to John?"

"No. I thought about calling him today, but I was afraid he wouldn't speak to me."

"It's worth a try. In fact, I'd guess he's probably feeling the same thing you are about now." Lydia took a sip of tea and looked Sarmistha in the eye. The older woman could see the spark that hadn't been there earlier.

"What did you mean before when you said that my resentment of Lizzy was having consequences? You were talking about John and me, weren't you?"

"Yes; I was talking about you and your parents, you and Lizzy, but most importantly you and John."

"What do you--?" Lydia looked up when she heard the key in the lock. A moment later Richard appeared in the doorway, with Lizzy behind him.

"Hey, Lydia," Lizzy said. "The concierge said you were over here. What happened to your key?"

"I forgot it when I left this morning, but it's okay. Sar and I were just having some tea." Lizzy smiled.

"Does she still make the good tea face, Sar?"

Lydia blushed and Sarmistha smiled in satisfaction. Richard bent to kiss his wife.

"What's this 'good tea face' thing?" he asked.

"It's too late; we missed it," Lizzy said as she put down her bag and sat down at the table. "I missed it. It's been ages since we had tea together, Lyd."

"Well, that's easy enough to remedy," Richard said as he went into the kitchen. He returned with a cup and saucer for Lizzy. "Knock yourself out. I'm going to go and change." The women sat and chatted for a little while before Lizzy and Lydia went home. Lydia wasn't able to finish her conversation with Sarmistha, but she left her apartment with something to think about.

Chapter Three

Posted on Saturday, 10 September 2005

"Table for two and a half," Lizzy said to the hostess cheekily. The hostess smiled as she led Lizzy and Sarmistha to a table, even as Sarmistha grumbled about being considered one and a half people. "Sorry, but I couldn't resist," Lizzy smiled. "So how's the life of leisure so far?" she asked a few moments later.

"Leisure? I've spent the last two days filling out baby registry forms, looking for cribs and interviewing nannies," Sarmistha complained as she scanned the menu.

"Isn't it a bit early for that?" Lizzy asked.

"Not if we want to have one in place when our baby comes, it isn't. Both my mother and your father suggested we start looking earlier than we did."

"Really? I had no idea. Anyway," Lizzy said blithely, "I guess I'll have the Caesar salad with chicken, and please make sure that it's skinless?" she entreated the waiter. Sarmistha ordered the same, with the skin, and smiled politely as she refused the waiter's offer of the skin from Lizzy's chicken. "She's pregnant, not fat," Lizzy smiled. Sarmistha rolled her eyes and handed the waiter her menu.

"How's Lydia?" she asked when he was gone.

"She's pretty quiet. She talked on the phone with daddy last night. I hope she also spoke with John, but I don't think she did," Lizzy said as she toyed with the ice in her water.

"I doubt it. John called Richard last night and they spoke for a while."

"How is he holding up?"

"Well," Sarmistha sighed, "from what Richard told me, he's pretty depressed. Aside from the fact that he and Lydia aren't speaking, some members of his family have gotten on his case about the situation. One of his sisters even went so far as to track down Lydia at the store and accost her right on the selling floor!"

"Oh for--! She didn't mention anything about that to us last night!" Lizzy squealed as righteous anger welled in her breast.

"I suppose she wouldn't," Sarmistha said. "I can't begin to imagine how humiliating it must have been for her. And worse, it's the kind of thing that would make her even less inclined to reach out to John."

"Yeah; I suppose she told daddy about it. They were on the phone for a long time," Lizzy sighed empathetically. "What else did John have to say? Does he want a reconciliation with Lyd or is it over as far as he's concerned?"

"Well, he wants to talk with her, but he's been hesitant to call. Apparently, when they've had problems in the past, it's always been a matter of Lydia having a tantrum and walking out. John has made it a policy to let her cool off and call him when she's ready to talk--on the assumption that if he called her first he'd be encouraging her behavior. This may be the one time when he may want to forget that rule and make the first move, though. I think that if they want to have any hope of a future together they have to stop playing games and start communicating now," Sarmistha said firmly.

"Well, I'm still not convinced that Lydia's ready for marriage," Lizzy said.

"That's for them to decide, Lizzy," Sarmistha warned. "I think that whether they marry next month or not isn't the issue right now. The first thing they need to deal with is whether or not they still have a relationship worth saving."

"You think they do," Lizzy said. She wasn't so sure, but she kept her opinion to herself.

"I do; call me a wild-eyed romantic, but I really think that they can make it," Sarmistha smiled.

"Well, I hope for their sake that you're right. I'd really hate to think that I had a perfectly nice pair of shoes dyed emerald green for nothing."

"Lizzy!"

William was less concerned about the state of Lydia's love life than he was about his own. Lizzy had become preoccupied with her sister's problems and William decided that she needed a break. He decided to surprise her with a dinner out and made reservations for the two of them at a restaurant not far from their apartment. He thought to surprise Lizzy, but when the couple arrived at home he found Lydia making dinner. William went into the kitchen to have a word with her privately.

"I didn't realize that you planned on cooking tonight," he began.

"Well, I like to cook, and it's the least I can do, since you guys were kind enough to put me up and all," Lydia said self-effacingly.

"Well, you certainly needn't feel obligated, Lydia. You're family, after all. However..." William hesitated, momentarily torn between gracefully accepting Lydia's gesture and sticking with his plans for the evening. His conscience told him that having dinner was the right thing to do, so he excused himself and went to cancel his reservation. William walked into the bedroom, where Lizzy was changing out of her suit. She overheard William talking on the phone and put her hands on her hips and frowned.

"What was that all about?" she demanded.

"Oh," William replied sheepishly, "I had planned a little surprise for us tonight, but I had to cancel."

"Why?"

"Can't you smell the chicken cacciatore?" William said as he inhaled deeply. "Lydia's made us dinner. I thought the least we could do is stay and eat it." Lizzy smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You're too good," she said.

"I am. I was really looking forward to having you to myself tonight," William pouted. Lizzy kissed it away and looked deeply into his eyes for a moment.

"I'm sorry, William. I know that having Lydia here has been a strain on you...and on us," she admitted hesitantly. "You've been wonderful about it and I promise to make it up to you at our earliest convenience. I love you for trying to surprise me tonight. Every time you do something that shows me what a wonderful person you are I love you just a wee bit more." Lizzy pressed her forehead to William's chin as she spoke, in an effort to hide the tears that spontaneously sprang to her eyes. She felt embarrassed by her emotional outburst and sensing that, William attempted to lighten the mood.

"Could we save the waterworks for later? I'm really hungry and I tolerate melodrama better on a full stomach."

Lizzy sniffed and laughed at herself. William wiped away her tears and looked her in the eye for a moment before he declared her a mess and sent her to the bathroom to wash her face.

Lizzy went into the bathroom full of love for the man who suddenly began singing to her sister in a horrendous imitation of Louis Prima as he set the table. Lizzy washed her face, quickly repaired her appearance and headed for the dining room, where she enjoyed a splendid dinner with her sister and the man she loved.

"I realize that, Nishtha," Richard said into the telephone, "but it's too far a commute every day from western New Jersey to the city. I have a business to run! And I'm not about to leave Mish and the baby out in the suburbs on their own. I want my family to stay together." Sarmistha patted his arm and rose to answer the door.

"Hello, William," she said as she stepped back to allow him passage. "Richard's on the phone. I was about to make some tea; would you care for some?" William nodded and followed her into the kitchen, peeking into the dining room where his cousin was arguing into the phone.

"What's going on?"

"Oh, my parents are pressuring us to move to the suburbs full time after the baby is born," Sarmistha said easily.

"Again?" William smiled.

"It's the same old argument; better schools, less crime, better air...they don't give up. But it's too far to travel back and forth. Richard would have to drive three hours a day, and that's in good traffic."

"Have you considered buying a house closer to the city?"

"Yes, we've talked about that, but we haven't dared suggest it to my parents yet. They bought us the house they expect us to raise our family in, so Richard deems raising such an alternative something akin to heresy. But I think it's a fair compromise."

"I think he's a wimp," William grinned as he reached up to fetch the teapot for Sarmistha. "Have you considered relocating this?"

"I have been leaving it on the counter, but the housekeeper comes in and puts it away whenever she's here," Sarmistha said as she filled the pot with hot water to warm it. "So, to what do we owe the pleasure?" William's smile faded slightly.

"I'm a wimp, too," he admitted softly. "They put on a CD of '80's disco music and started singing 'I Will Survive' as they started to clear the dishes. I was out of there like a shot." Sarmistha was very tempted to laugh at the expression on his face.

"Why don't you pour the tea and come sit down?" she suggested. William filled the pot and carried it into the dining room. Richard looked up and smiled at his cousin as Sarmistha kissed his temple and took a seat beside him. She gently pried the phone from his ear and began speaking to her mother in Hindi. A moment later she turned off the phone.

"What did you say to her?" Richard asked.

"I told her that you had a headache and that we'd continue the discussion later. She wants us to come to dinner this weekend," Sarmistha said.

"They should come here. That way they can time the commute," Richard frowned. A second later, however, he brightened. "What's up, cuz?"

"Girl time," William said softly.

Lizzy absolutely refused to allow Lydia to wash the dishes.

"Actually, we should be making William do this," she teased.

"Why don't you guys get a dishwasher?"

"We have one. That's what you're leaning on. In fact, when I make William do the dishes that's exactly how he does it." Lydia looked at Lizzy in confusion. "I like washing dishes by hand."

"Why?" Lydia asked as she reached for a towel and began to dry the glasses. Lizzy shrugged.

"May I ask you something?"

"Go on," Lydia replied. "Everyone else is full of questions. You may as well have your turn." Lizzy bit her lip and glanced at Lydia, who was looking a bit defensive as she placed a goblet in the cabinet.

"We're just trying to help, Lyd."

"So everyone says. Go on, out with it." Lizzy turned off the water and reached for another towel with which to dry her hands. She chose her next words carefully as she picked up a plate and began to dry it.

"Lyd, I know that you were anxious to get married, but...have you given much thought to actually being married?"

"Huh?" Lydia set aside the towel and turned to regard her elder sister with suspicion.

"What I mean is, over the past few months I have watched you plan a grand wedding, but have you thought about what comes after?"

"Afterwards comes marriage."

"Yes," Lizzy said carefully as she hung up her own towel and led Lydia back to the dining table, "but have you thought about what that means?"

"Lizzy, John and I have been living together for a while now. I don't need the birds and bees lecture," Lydia smirked.

"I'm not talking about sex. I'm talking about building a lasting, committed relationship."

"Lizzy--."

"How committed are you to John?" Lizzy asked bluntly.

"I love him!" Lydia said defiantly.

"No one's questioning your love for him," Lizzy replied patiently. "I'm talking about making a commitment to making what you have together work."

"I am committed to John," Lydia insisted.

"So why did you spend this evening cooking for us instead of him?"

Lydia didn't have a ready answer for that. Lizzy gave her a minute to think as she reached for the bottle of wine William had opened at dinner and filled two glasses.

"I tried calling him last night. The phone was busy. I figure he wasn't ready to talk." Lizzy sighed at her sister's pained expression.

"Are you ready to talk?" she asked gently.

"Maybe; after you explain this 'being married' thing."

Lizzy smiled and began to sense a ray of hope for the first time.

"Well, since you've been exiled from your own home, you may as well get a few things done here," Sarmistha said as she awkwardly rose from her seat. She gestured for William to follow her to the office. "I've spoken with Char and we've finalized a few things."

"Oh, I don't know anything about this stuff," William said as he looked at the accordion folder Lizzy had left in Sarmistha's care.

"Nice try, William, but Lizzy assured me that she'd discussed everything in this folder with you."

William groaned, but sat down, trying unsuccessfully to ignore his cousin's laughter. Richard teased him unceasingly for the next twenty minutes. Sarmistha ignored her husband, but William was frequently distracted.

"I wanted beer and chips, but the wedding planner thought we needed something a bit more upscale for hors d'oeuvres," Richard said.

"Like this 'asparagus wrapped in prosciutto'?" William asked.

"William, ignore him," Sarmistha said as she cast a warning look at her husband.

"No, she actually wanted us to serve sushi. What is there, I ask you, about a wedding between a nice boy of Scottish, Irish and French descent to a gorgeous Indian girl from New Jersey that would make anyone think of sushi?"

"I happen to love sushi," Sarmistha said. Richard rolled his eyes.

"Char suggested tapas to us, if that makes you feel any better," William said.

"What, does she get some kind of kickback from the caterers for choosing from the ethnic cuisine menus?" Richard wondered aloud.

"Here, William," Sarmistha said, holding out a receipt for his review.

"I've been wondering; why didn't you two have Indian food at your wedding?" he asked as he took the slip of paper.

"Why didn't we have Scottish food?" Richard countered.

"Mmm, haggis with neeps and taters," Lizzy said as she entered the office. All heads turned toward her. "That was a joke."

"Where's Lyd?" Sarmistha asked. Lizzy smiled smugly.

"She went home."

Lizzy didn't ask any questions when Lydia let her know that she was leaving. Whether Lydia returned to the apartment she shared with John or to her parents' home in New Jersey she knew not, but Lizzy was determined to let Lydia do what she needed with no interference. That was all that Lydia asked of her parents and older sister before she went--the space and time to make her own choices.

William was hard-pressed to contain his delight at this turn of events. He sincerely wanted to see his future sister-in-law happily settled, but he was far more concerned about Lizzy's happiness and as soon as he learned of Lydia's departure, he revived his notion of giving Lizzy the special night he'd given up on earlier. He unapologetically announced his immediate departure and took Lizzy back to their apartment.

"William! Don't you think it was just a little rude to rush out of there like that?" Lizzy laughed.

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," William replied as he led Lizzy to the bedroom. "You and I haven't had any privacy for the last few days and I intend to celebrate its return."

William pulled Lizzy into his arms and kissed her, turning her body as he did so and falling onto the bed. Squeaks let out a cry and leapt off the bed when they narrowly missed falling on him. William groaned and rose to chase the cat from the room.

"I said privacy and I meant it. Out!" He closed the door behind the evicted feline.

"William, that was cruel," Lizzy pouted.

"I don't care. I'm not sharing you for the rest of the evening."

Lizzy had no objection to William's scheme--not that he gave her a chance to protest. Squeaks protested loudly outside their door periodically and Lizzy finally convinced William to relent and let him back into the bedroom.

"Now he'll demand that we lavish attention on him for the offense he suffered," William grumbled, even as he scooped up the cat and scratched its ears.

"Isn't that what you just did?" Lizzy asked archly.

"Yes, well ... Copycat!" he said to Squeaks before mollifying the feline with a kiss to the top of its silky head.

"Richard claimed he could hear the fireworks last night," Sarmistha said as she poured juice into Lizzy's glass the following morning. "He was afraid you two would set the building on fire."

"Excuse me?" Lizzy's cheeks colored as realization dawned. "Yes," she said with a smug smile. "It was rather ... incendiary."

"Good for you! Have you heard from Lydia this morning?"

Lizzy's smile faded.

"No. I was planning to call her when I got to work, but I really don't want to intrude. As it is, everyone's given her advice and I'm sure she's had enough."

"Lydia and John don't need anything but each other," Sarmistha said.

"You should really start a romance lover's webpage," Lizzy teased.

"I'm serious! They need some time together to talk and to decide whether or not they want to move forward."

"I agree," Lizzy admitted. "And I said as much last night."

"What did you say to her to make her leave?"

"I wasn't trying to make her leave. I was trying to make her think. We had a talk about commitment. And you'll be pleased to know that I used you and Richard as an example of a loving, committed couple."

"If she's been in close quarters with you and William for the better part of a week, she didn't need us as an example," Sarmistha said. "And speaking of loving couples, you ought to see what William ordered for hors d'oeuvres at your reception."

"What does our being a loving couple have to do with hors d'oeuvres?"

Sarmistha went to the office and returned with a folder, from which she produced a list. She handed it to Lizzy, who scanned it and smiled.

"He ordered 'everything Lizzy loves' and left me to figure out what that meant. It's terribly romantic, if confusing," Sarmistha said.

"It's not so much romantic as evasive," Lizzy said. "He told me last night that he couldn't decide."

"Perhaps I am too romantic," Sarmistha pouted.

"Bite your tongue!" Richard exclaimed as he entered the dining room. He bent to kiss his wife and took a seat beside her. "What brought that on?"

"William snookered her," Lizzy said.

"Oh, with the hors d'oeuvres?" Richard said. "Can't say she wasn't warned."

"Perhaps if you hadn't distracted him..."

"Who, me?"

Lizzy watched the couple tease each other and smile. She thought they were the perfect example of a loving, committed couple. William's knock on the door broke her out of her reverie and she glanced at her watch.

"I'd better get moving! Thanks for the juice. I'll see you two tonight."

Lizzy did soon hear from Lydia and was relieved to learn that she had indeed gone home to John. According to Lydia's report, the wedding was on hold until they'd worked out a number of issues, but that she and John were committed to making things work. Lizzy called William at his office and was told that he was at a meeting. She asked Jo to have him call when he returned and hung up the phone. She reached for her address book and began to flip through the pages. Finding the number she wanted, she began to punch in a phone number. A hand covered hers and Lizzy looked up as another hand took the receiver and placed it back in its cradle.

"I was just told that you were in a meeting."

"I am," William said as he closed the door and sat down. "I'm meeting with you."

"That's funny," Lizzy said teasingly. "I don't recall putting you on my schedule."

"I wonder how you survived before you met me. How did manage without someone to remind you of the important things in life?"

Lizzy smiled wistfully as William began to clear a few things off the center of her desk.

"You're right," she said. "Of course, since I met you I've never needed a reminder." William smiled smugly and reached down between his knees. Lizzy frowned and tried to peer over the edge of her desk to see what he was doing.

"William, what are you up to?"

William sat up again and shook out a linen towel, which he laid across the desk. He reached down again and came up with a bottle of sparkling cider, a bunch of grapes, an apple and a couple of sandwiches. He held up a small box from a shop that sold hand made chocolates. Lizzy smiled and reached for it.

"Uh, uh; lunch first."

She reached across the desk, anyway. But instead of making a grab for the chocolates, she took hold of William's face and kissed him.

"I do adore you."

"You still have to finish your sandwich before you can have dessert," William said firmly. Lizzy grabbed his face and kiss him again. "And I will not waver on this point, no matter how many times you try. Feel free to test me," he added gamely.

"No, I think I've worked up an appetite," Lizzy said as she reluctantly released him and picked up a sandwich. "So what are you really up to?"

"You need to eat more. I wrapped my arm around you last night and felt nothing but ribs."

"Your aim is off. You usually reach for something a bit higher."

"I'm serious, Lizzy. In the past two weeks you've barely eaten. You've been running around like a headless chicken making last minute wedding preparations. It's not healthy."

"I'm fine, William. You're right; I have been neglecting myself and I have lost two pounds this week."

"Three--I heard you."

Lizzy rolled her eyes, but she could not work up any exasperation for the man who sat opposite her. He was right--he had shown her the important thing in life. She was looking right at him.

"What's the matter?" William cried, dropping his sandwich and moving to her side of the desk. Lizzy shook her head as she tried to fight back tears.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking about how lucky I've been."

"And that makes you want to cry?"

"Tears of joy, Will--you've truly made me the happiest woman alive." Lizzy wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Oh, that again," he said playfully. He patted her bottom and returned to his seat. "Eat," he commanded.

"Sir, yes sir," Lizzy replied. "I wonder how Sar is doing."

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no; she and Richard were supposed to be going to birthing classes today."

"I didn't know they had classes for that."

"Honey, these days I think they have classes for everything except the conception, not that you and I would need those."

"That will save us valuable time, then," William quipped. "So are we still talking about three children?"

"When did we discuss three children?" Lizzy asked, her eyes wide with horror. "I remember negotiating for one, with an option for two."

"And then we talked about how dull it could be to be an only child, remember?"

"And then I said he'd have neighbors to play with, remember?" Lizzy countered.

"Richard has talked Sarmistha into having two children."

"I don't doubt for a minute that Richard could talk Sar into anything, but I'll still believe that when I see it. And what if he did? We aren't playing 'monkey see, monkey do, are we?"

"Finish your sandwich, love," William said.

They finished their sandwiches and fed each other grapes. William was sharing a dark chocolate-covered strawberry with his beloved when his phone rang and, seeing that it was Jo calling, he answered it.

"I'm afraid I've been summoned for a real meeting," he said as he reluctantly rose. Lizzy leapt from her seat.

"We'd better clean you up first," she said as she reached for a wet wipe from her desk. "I'm afraid I've smeared chocolate on you." She licked off the chocolate then washed the spot on his cheek. "There; you're perfect again."

"Thank you," William replied. He pulled Lizzy into his arms and kissed her. Then he pushed the box toward her and ordered her to finish the chocolate.

"I couldn't possibly--."

"I insist," William said. He took his leave.

"Well," Lizzy sighed. "Maybe one more before I get back to work..."

She opened the box and to her surprise, nestled next to the remaining strawberry was a small Tiffany box. Lizzy lifted it out and opened it. Inside was a bracelet of linked silver hearts, with a single gold heart at the center. Lizzy smiled and shook her head.

"William," she sighed.

"So how did the child birthing classes go?" Lizzy asked. She and William had met Richard and Sarmistha for dinner at a restaurant in their neighborhood.

"They went very well, except for when Richard was being naughty," Sarmistha said with a reproachful glance at her husband.

"When isn't he being naughty?" Lizzy teased.

"Good point," William agreed. "So what did he do this time?"

"Well, for one thing, he timed himself holding his breath when he was supposed to be timing my breathing," Sarmistha said.

"Hey, I was multitasking," Richard said in his own defense. "I now know that she can pant for thirty seconds and I can hold my breath for thirty seconds. I also learned that I'm very glad to be the daddy instead of the mommy."

"You were right, Lizzy," Sarmistha said. "I should have taken William with me instead; he's much better behaved."

"Hey!"

"I did warn you, but I'm sure Richard will grow up when the baby comes." Lizzy glanced at Sarmistha and then William. All three burst into laughter.

"When you're done laughing at my expense, would you pass the guacamole?" Richard said. Sarmistha passed the dish and kissed Richard's cheek to mollify him.

"So when are you due exactly?" William asked. "It must be really close if you're having birthing classes, right?"

"Bite your tongue," Lizzy cried. "They're not allowed to even think about having our goddaughter till after our wedding."

"It's still more than a month away," Sarmistha confirmed.

"Just enough time for us to forget everything we learned today," Richard said.

"That's assuming he actually learned something," William said.

"The trainer said I was going to be an excellent father."

"She said you'd be a great role model for the baby, which is not exactly the same thing, habib."

Richard dropped his tortilla chip to his plate and pouted.

"I thought this was 'nacho night,' not 'pick on Richard night,' or did I miss a memo?"

"You missed a memo," the others at the table said in unison. Richard couldn't help but laugh at that. Talk turned to other topics and during a lull in the conversation while their plates were being cleared, Sarmistha noticed Lizzy's bracelet.

"William gave it to me," Lizzy said with a loving look at her fiancé.

"Oh, aren't you sweet," Sarmistha said to William, who shrugged.

"It was part of a shameless bribe," he explained. "I want her to gain a little weight."

"You could have gotten her pregnant for a lot less," Richard said with a wink at Lizzy, who lightly hit him on the nose.

"Bite your tongue," she said.

"And I said a 'little weight,'" William said.

"Hey! Make fun of me all you want but no fair picking on Mish," Richard said.

"He's not picking on me, habib," Sarmistha replied with a soothing hand over his. "Are you William?"

"Definitely not," he said firmly.

"It's a lovely bracelet, Lizzy," Sarmistha said. "And look; I got a pin today, too." She dug into her purse and pulled out a tiny box, identical to Lizzy's. Lizzy glanced over at William with a questioning look.

"So we shopped together; sue us," he said unapologetically. Lizzy leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"I think you're both adorable," she whispered. "Let's see your loot, Sar."

"Lizzy, meet Sal," Sarmistha said as she opened the box to reveal a jeweled pin.

"Sal?" William and Lizzy said with matching frowns.

"Sal the salamander," Sarmistha said. "Friend of Duane the dragonfly. You remember him from our wedding, don't you?"

"He's very cute," Lizzy said. "What's the occasion?"

"He's an early birthday gift," Richard said. "Since Mish likely to be giving birth sometime around her birthday, I thought I ought to spoil her now."

"We had a very romantic lunch before our class this afternoon," Sarmistha explained.

"Oh really," Lizzy said with a glance at William.

"That's very sweet, Richard," William said. "Extra points for originality, too."

"Hey, we had to eat, anyway," Richard said with a shrug.

"You do realize that she's going to need even more spoiling after the baby is born," Lizzy warned.

"So, I've been informed," Richard smiled. He wrapped an arm around Sarmistha's shoulders. "I'm ready."

"Good man," Lizzy said approvingly.

"So do you two cousins consult each other on all your romantic notions?" Lizzy asked as she removed her bracelet and laid it in its box.

"No," William groused. "Richard came with me when I went to get you the bracelet and he decided to buy Sarmistha the brooch at the same time. I told him that I planned a romantic picnic for two. I never imagined that he'd steal my idea."

"According to Sar, they ate at a restaurant. She's not in any condition for roughing it."

"I'm sure Sarmistha never roughs it," William said with a laugh as he wrapped his arms around Lizzy's waist. "So you liked the bracelet?"

"I love it," Lizzy said, "and I haven't properly thanked you for it yet, have I?"

"No, but to tell you the truth, I was rather hoping for an improper thanks, if you get my meaning."

Lizzy took William by the hand and led him toward the bedroom.

"I think I know exactly what you mean."

Chapter Four

Posted on Sunday, 18 September 2005

"You know, Lizzy, your William has excellent taste," Thomas said as he examined the antique map hanging over the commodious leather sofa in William's study.

"I assume you're not talking about his choice in women," his daughter deadpanned. Thomas's eyes twinkled as he turned around.

"That goes without saying, of course. But I was referring to his latest acquisition."

"I bought him 'his latest acquisition' as a birthday present, so technically speaking I'm the one with excellent taste--in art and in men," Lizzy said smugly. Thomas sat down and patted the space beside him.

"Wherever did you find it?" he asked as she joined him on the sofa. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her hair.

"I can't take the credit; I went to Richard and pleaded for help finding William a birthday present. I figured he had a lot more experience in that area. Turns out, William had given him a list in case I asked."

"Clever boy," Thomas chuckled.

"Too clever, yes, but I managed to thwart his attempt to steer me toward the toy radio car of his dreams. As it happens, Richard knew that William loves the maps his father collects and suggested that I start a collection for him. We went to an auction. It was great fun."

"I'm sure William would rather have gotten the car," Thomas teased.

"He got the car. Sar and Richard gave it to him."

"I see. And you now know what to give William for the next twenty or so years."

"Something like that. Sar said that Richard's mother gives him antique model sailboats for the same reason."

"What does she give Richard?"

"Oh, Sar's a whiz at finding great presents. The real fun is watching Richard trying to find something for her," Lizzy said with a smile.

"So how are the wedding plans coming along?"

"Terrific; between Sar and Charlotte, everything's running so smoothly we've had whole evenings to ourselves to just relax and enjoy each other's company."

"Who's Charlotte?"

"Oh; Charlotte Lucas; she's the wedding planner. And Sar has taken on the task of making follow-up calls and finalizing details. She's been a godsend."

"That's a lot of running around for a woman halfway through her third trimester."

"Don't worry; she's doing it on the phone or by email. I think that after she has the baby she ought to consider becoming a wedding planner herself. She's brilliant at it."

"I suspect that her husband and child may have other ideas," Thomas said sagely. "But if she's anything like Nishtha--and I know she is--it's not surprising that she excels at small detail."

"Speaking of details, what's happening with Lydia's wedding plans?" Lizzy asked with mild trepidation. Thomas sighed and shook his head.

"Everything's still on hold. I spoke with Lydia on Tuesday. She and John have decided to see a counselor."

"Do you think it will help?"

"It will probably do them both some good," Thomas said.

"I don't know," Lizzy said thoughtfully. "I guess I've always felt that if two people couldn't work things out on their own, involving a third party wouldn't do much good."

"Well, what a counselor can do for them is help open the lines of communication. I doubt that they've ever sat down and really dealt with the underlying issues that have made their relationship unstable. A counselor will help them to lay all their cards on the table."

"Like Lyd wanting to find a husband and get married just because I did?" Lizzy sniped.

"Lizzy!" Thomas said reproachfully. "For what it's worth, she truly does love John and he loves her. But yes, if sibling rivalry is part of it that should be dealt with too."

"What about all the money you've got invested in the wedding?" Lizzy asked. To her surprise, Thomas snickered.

"Your mother is the most amazing creature."

"This is not news to me," Lizzy replied, "but what does that have to do with anything?"

"She calculated the cost of Lydia's cancellation to the penny: deposits for the country club, the caterer, the cake, the florist, musicians ... She wrote up the bill and sent it to Lydia with a note saying that if she and John worked things out and married within a year she'd forgive the debt. If, however, they didn't resolve their differences, she'd add the cost of the wedding dress, bridesmaid's gowns, and our gift to her, then tack on a 10% surcharge for mental cruelty and demand full restitution."

Lizzy laughed heartily at the image of her mother doing such a thing. It took a bit of work to convince her that Thomas was telling the truth.

"Oh, dear, that wedding is bringing out the worst in everybody, isn't it?"

"I'd rather talk about your wedding, Lizzy," Thomas said seriously. "Promise me you won't do anything foolish." She leaned on her father's shoulder.

"I promise, daddy. Wild horses couldn't make me postpone our wedding."

"Well, you are Lydia's sister so forgive me if I rely on William to get you to the altar," he teased. "Thank goodness I had the foresight to choose him for a son in law."

"You?"

"I pretty much picked him as your future husband the moment I saw him dip you on that dance floor. Had you fallen for one of those young bucks Bess O'Donnell was throwing at you I would have--."

"...You would have been wasting your time and so would I," Lizzy admitted. "I didn't know it then but I'd already fallen for William."

"There's a good girl," Thomas said patting her knee. The two of them had spoken at length about the matter before. Thomas recalled Lizzy's initial ambivalence about William, but he'd known all along that she was destined to succumb to his charms. "I'm happy to have one daughter happily settled."

"Well, if everything works out you'll soon be rid of both of us," Lizzy sighed.

"But you don't believe that will happen, do you?"

"I hope for Lydia's sake that it does," Lizzy said. She squinted up at her father. "She can't afford mom's terms on her salary."

"Maybe I should wait till she gets here," Richard said, checking his watch.

"So you can give her the set of instructions you already typed up, emailed twice and then read to her over the phone?" Sarmistha asked.

"So I'm thorough."

"You're obsessed! Richard, I am a grown woman perfectly capable of managing on my own for a few days. Your grandmother is also a grown woman, a mother of two, grandmother of five and great grandmother of three. She knows more about pregnancy than you ever will."

"You think so?" Richard asked with a doubtful squint. Sarmistha rolled her eyes and picked up Richard's sweater, which she draped over his shoulders.

"Go to Vermont."

"I'm going," Richard pouted. "After Grandma Bess gets here; I don't want you left alone."

"You leave me alone every morning when you go to work!"

"That's different; I'm still in the city."

"And Grandma Bess is in the city as well. And so are Lizzy, and your mother, and--."

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you over to your mom's for the weekend?"

"You know full well that Lizzy's shower is this weekend, habib."

"She can have it there! Your shower was held there and I understand it was lovely."

"You are driving me insane. Go away," Sarmistha said. Richard pouted. She pulled him into her arms, as close as her fecund belly would allow, and kissed him deeply.

"Mmm," Richard said when she finally released him.

"Now leave."

Lizzy entered the restaurant located on the basement level of the Madison Avenue department store where Lydia was employed. She spied her sister at a table toward the back of the room and smiled. Lydia began to talk even before the waiter passed out the menus.

"You're late! I told you I had a meeting at two and I have to speak with my boss before then," she said excitedly.

"Hello, Lydia," Lizzy replied calmly. "I like your suit."

"You ought to; it's yours."

"So it is. Where did you get it?"

"You left it behind when you went to Asia. I figured that you didn't want it since you didn't take it when you moved in with William."

"Was it in my closet when I was packing?" Lizzy asked archly.

"Let's order. I'm starved," Lydia said evasively.

"Excellent idea," Lizzy said with a tolerant smile. The two sisters took a moment to examine the menu and then ordered identical salads and bottled water.

"So to what do I owe the pleasure of this invitation?" Lizzy asked when the waiter was gone.

"I wanted to give you this," Lydia said, beaming. She picked up a small shopping bag and placed it on the table.

"What is it?" Lizzy asked curiously.

"Open it, silly!"

"Oh, yes, of course." Lizzy pulled a box out of the bag and brushed aside the confetti that showered onto the table before she tore off the gaily printed paper and ribbon. Inside the box she found a teapot fashioned in the shape of an antique typewriter. "Lyd, this is amazing! Wherever did you find it?"

"I have my secrets," Lydia laughed. "Do you like it? I thought that being a writer, you--."

"I love it! Thank you, Lyd," Lizzy replied. She carefully set down her prize before hugging her sister. "But what's the occasion? You've already given me a wedding gift."

"That's not a wedding gift. It's a thank you gift."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"...For putting up with me when I was such a brat," Lydia said shyly.

"You gave me a teapot for twenty-four years of suffering?"

"No, Lizzy," Lydia said earnestly, though she smirked at her sibling's tease. "This is for putting up with me for the last couple of weeks. I know I've been a royal pain to everyone, but you and William were so kind to me and I just wanted you to know that it really meant a lot."

"Did dad put you up to this?" Lizzy asked suspiciously.

"No," Lydia pouted.

"I'm sorry," Lizzy apologized. "That was downright mean of me."

"And I suppose I've given you ample reason to think I'd need prodding to say thank you," she confessed. Lizzy leaned across the table and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you for this, Lydia. I know just where I want to put it--in my office; everyone there always teases me about being both an old-fashioned girl and a teetotaler."

"Neither of which is true."

"No, but that doesn't matter. This will look perfect on my shelf with my journalism awards."

"Cool," Lydia said happily as their lunch arrived. "And don't forget to thank William for me, too."

"Oh; was I supposed to share this with him?"

"No, I got him his own teapot," Lydia announced. "His is shaped like a toaster."

"Lyd, you have to tell me where you shop."

"No way! You never told me where you got those lavender shoes."

"I tell you what, Lyd; I'll tell you where I got those shoes if you promise to do me a favor," Lizzy proposed.

"I'm not revealing my source, no matter what the enticement."

"I'm not asking you to; I want you to be in my wedding party."

"Lizzy..."

"I know it's late notice. When I initially asked you said you'd be too busy with your own wedding to take part in mine, but since yours has been postponed I thought you might find enough time to be my maid of honor."

"I thought Sarmistha was your honor attendant."

"She's willing to concede her place to someone with a higher claim to my heart," Lizzy said hopefully.

"You really want me in your wedding?"

"I wouldn't have asked otherwise, now would I?"

"Lizzy!" Lydia cried effusively as she reached out to hug her big sister. "I'll need the name of that shoe store right away," she said when she sat back, but she couldn't share Lizzy's laugh. "I owe you another apology. I should never have been too busy for you. You agreed to be in my wedding party without a moment's thought and my wedding was two months before yours. I really didn't have an excuse for refusing to be in your party, except... I didn't want to spend another day in your shadow."

"Lydia? What are you saying?" Lizzy asked, slightly alarmed by her sister's revelation.

"We're running out of single men," William said with a frown as he dropped his bag on the floor and gazed out the French doors leading to the backyard. Richard and Matt looked up and exchanged a glance.

"Come again?" Matt said.

"We only get to come up here when one of us marries. We're running out of excuses to borrow Lucas Lodge," William explained. Richard gestured with his head toward the grill, where Charles and John were starting the charcoal.

"We've got at least one more bachelor in the group," Richard observed. "After that, we'll have to break down and buy a piece of land up here."

"I don't suppose we could talk Charles into divorcing and remarrying," Matt chuckled. Richard threw his baseball cap at his older sibling while William nearly laughed himself in a coughing fit.

Lizzy crossed the hall and let herself into Richard and Sarmistha's apartment. She followed the sound of voices till she found Sarmistha sitting on her bed amid a sea of pillows. Bess sat at her left on Richard's side of the bed, turning the pages of a well-worn album.

"Ah! Here are Matt and William when they were four. And note the little stunner in William's arms," Bess said as she held the book out for Sarmistha to get a closer look.

"That's Richard?"

"That's probably the last time William was able to do that, I'll bet," Lizzy said as she climbed onto the bed to get a closer look of William holding his younger cousin in his lap.

"Actually, Richard didn't become the biggest of the lot till he hit his teens," Bess replied.

"Show Lizzy that baby picture of William," Sarmistha suggested. "You'll adore this, Lizzy."

"Ooh!" Lizzy crooned. She took the book into her lap and gushed for several moments as Sarmistha and Bess laughed.

"William would kill me if he knew I showed you that," Bess said.

"I want a copy," Lizzy said defiantly.

"But of course," Sarmistha said. "Look at this one. Isn't he adorable?"

"Richard was never that small!" Lizzy scoffed.

"That's your William, my dear. Richard wasn't a twinkle in his father's eye when that was taken."

"And get a load of the babe holding him in that shot," Bess said impishly.

"You're still a great beauty," Lizzy said as she leaned in to kiss Bess's cheek.

"I'll get you that picture tomorrow."

"Did you bring your album, Lizzy?"

"Yes, but you must promise never to let William see these," Lizzy said. Sarmistha and Bess exchanged a look.

"Clear the table," Richard commanded. "I have a special treat."

"Is there more pie?" John asked.

"Something even better," Richard said with a smile. "Mish sent along a photo album from when she was a girl."

"And that's a treat why?" Matt asked.

"Well, not for you, maybe, but every other man in our company will recognize the woman in his life in these shots."

"Oh?" Charles said, his interest piqued.

"Oh yeah, Mish, Lizzy, Lyd as a tiny imp, and Jane in some of the later pictures," Richard explained. "Matt, feel free to take a nap."

"Lizzy as a child? This should be very interesting," William said as he dusted off the table with his napkin. "She's flatly refused to show me any of her childhood pictures and has forbidden her mother from doing so as well."

"We fully expect the baby to look more like me than Richard," Sarmistha said. "What a pity. He was such an adorable child."

"He hasn't changed one bit in twenty-eight years, has he?" Bess said.

"Yes, he's still an adorable child," Lizzy said playfully. "I bet she'll look like her Uncle Matt, though, with Richard's features and dark hair."

"But she'd be so pretty with her father's blue eyes," Sarmistha pouted.

"Oh, Lizzy," William sighed wistfully. Matt and John exchanged a look.

"Are you going to be okay?" Matt asked, only half teasing. William slapped away the hand he'd placed on his shoulder.

"I'm fine, you idiot," he said gruffly. Nonetheless he rose and excused himself.

"Think he's going to cry?"

"I think he's going to call Lizzy," Richard said with a smile. "Which reminds me..."

"So have you chosen a name yet?" Bess asked as Lizzy went to the kitchen to make tea.

"Richard is fond of the name Aishwarya, but I suspect that it's because he thinks I resemble the actress by that name."

"It's a beautiful name," Bess said, "regardless of where it came from."

"It means 'prosperous' in Hindu," Lizzy volunteered. "And I agree that it's a beautiful name." She set the bag on the table and began to pull out cartons of Chinese food.

"Don't you think Aishwarya Fitzwilliam is a mouthful?" Bess asked.

"Unlike Sarmistha Agarwal Fitzwilliam, you mean?" Lizzy asked.

"Richard would like to name her Aishwarya Charu Elizabeth Fitzwilliam, in honor of his favorite grandmother," Sarmistha said with a smile for Bess. "I added 'Charu.' It means beautiful."

"Will that even fit on one birth certificate?" Lizzy asked archly. The phone rang and she stayed Sarmistha with a hand and went to fetch the phone. "Hello Richard! What a surprise to hear your voice."

"Hi Lizzy; is my beautiful wife available?"

"Of course," she replied. "Say, whatever happened to your ringlets?"

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind--here's your wife."

"Hello, habib," Sarmistha said sweetly.

"Ringlets?"

"Your hair; they were lovely," Sarmistha sighed. "So you arrived safely at the lodge."

"Yeah, we made good time. And your photo album was a huge hit."

"I imagined it would be. Did William like it?"

"He took the album to look at again later. I'd say he was very moved by the pictures of Lizzy. Don't know why, though; you were obviously the cutest kid in the book."

"Richard, you must allow for the fact that William is very much in love with Lizzy. It's only natural that he would be pleased to get a glimpse of her childhood."

"If you say so..."

"Richard..."

"What?" Lizzy squealed. Sarmistha gasped and covered her mouth. "What 'glimpse' of my childhood?"

"I must go, my love. I'll call you later."

"What's wrong?" Richard demanded.

"Sarmistha Rupali Agarwal Fitzwilliam, what have you done?"

"Is that Lizzy threatening you?"

"I'll be perfectly safe, I think."

"Think again," Lizzy spat.

"Grandma Bess will protect me. Bye, bye, my love."

"Mish!"

Sarmistha reluctantly set down the phone, cutting Richard off mid-shout as she turned to face her accuser.

"What did you do?"

"I did nothing," Sarmistha said cagily. "Richard asked for something to read while he was away. I must have accidentally given him one of my photo albums."

"Accidentally."

"Yes. Oh, Lizzy, what is the harm in allowing William to see you as a child?" Sarmistha reasoned as she went to sit down. She reached for the pot and poured herself some tea..

"I was fat and plain and I wore glasses!"

"You were as pretty then as you are now, Lizzy. Yes, you wore glasses, but William has seen you in glasses plenty of times. And you were not fat!"

"You were very cute," Bess agreed. "Mish showed me the album last night."

"Who hasn't she shown it to?" Lizzy pouted. "You know, I was hoping to retain something of my dignity."

"I don't think any less of you for having seen you at the age of eleven. I doubt William will, either," Bess said reassuringly. The phone rang. "That's probably Richard wanting to know if you've scratched Mish's eyes out. You'd better get it." Lizzy glared at Sarmistha and picked up the phone.

"She's still alive," she said dully.

"Who's still alive?" William replied.

"William!" Lizzy sputtered.

"You remember me! I'm so pleased. I've always wondered whether or not you thought of me when I was gone," he deadpanned.

"Don't be ridiculous! Of course I think of you," Lizzy cooed.

"Speaking of ridiculous notions, why didn't you want me to see your childhood pictures? You were a lovely child."

"Lovely? Is that the word they taught you at prep school to use when someone was pudgy, knock-kneed and--."

"I love your knees!" William declared, shocking Lizzy out of her rant. "I love every inch of you--even that spot where those hideous glasses once sat on your nose."

"They were hideous, weren't they?" Lizzy laughed.

"Do you still have them?"

"No, of course not. Why?"

"Just wondering... Halloween will be here before you know it, you know."

"Did you call to tease me about my glasses?" Lizzy said, her earlier fears forgotten as William worked his charm.

"I called to tell you how very glad I am to have you in my life," William said.

"I'm glad to have you, too, William."

"I'm also glad you discovered contact lenses."

"So you did call to tease me," Lizzy pouted.

"I called to find out why you were so vehemently opposed to my seeing you as a child."

"I was rather plain."

"And you thought I would hold it against you?"

"The last time I showed a boyfriend my childhood pictures he asked if I'd had corrective surgery."

"The lout didn't deserve you. Anyone with eyes can see that you're a natural beauty."

"I love you, William."

"I should hope so. Your father is spending a small fortune to marry you off to me. The man's a fool; I would have taken you for free. In fact, I might have paid for the privilege."

"Let's keep that as our little secret, shall we?" Lizzy laughed. "Besides, the wedding is my way of showing you off to all my friends."

"You could simply have taken out a full page ad in the Times, honey," William teased. "Of course, I show to my best advantage in a tux..."

"I know that well enough. Sarmistha threatened to have a bib made to match my wedding gown so I wouldn't drool all over the altar."

"Such a friend," William chuckled. "I suppose I should let Richard speak with his wife. What did you do to her, by the way?"

"Nothing that she could prove in a court of law," Lizzy replied.

"I'll call you later tonight."

"Promise?" After extracting a pledge out of him she handed Sarmistha the phone.

"Hello?" Sarmistha said.

"Hello, Sarmistha," William replied. "Before I let you speak to your husband I want to thank you for sending along that album."

"I have several more," she said with a defiant look at her best friend.

"I'll be home on Sunday; have them ready. Here's Richard."

"Mish? Are you okay, honey?"

"I'm fine, pumpkin. Lizzy and I were merely having a little disagreement over my decision to let William see those pictures."

"Tell Lizzy she's in for a spanking when I get back. Uh, tell Lizzy that if she promises to play nicely with you William will spank her when he gets back. What?"

Sarmistha laughed so hard that her sides began to ache and she had to sit down. She did so quietly so as not to alarm her nervous husband. When she hung up the phone a few minutes later she went to fetch more of her photo albums and together with Lizzy, she regaled Bess with stories about her childhood in New Jersey.

An hour later, Lizzy crossed the hall to her apartment and changed into one of William's tee shirts. She did her evening ritual and then settled into the massive canopy bed with Squeaks and the latest copy of Persona. The phone rang and she reached across the slumbering cat to answer it.

"Hello, beautiful," William said in a low seductive voice that sent shivers down Lizzy's spine.

"Hmmm..."

"Hmmm? Is that all the answer I'm to expect?"

"I already said hello, William," Lizzy replied reasonably.

"So you did. Did you have a pleasant evening with the ladies?"

"As pleasant as one could have without you in the tri-state area, yes."

"Oh," William said. Lizzy could hear the pout in his voice and smiled.

"How are things in Vermont?"

"Lonely."

"We'll be together again on Sunday. And after the 18th, we won't have silly things like bachelor retreats and ladies' luncheons to keep us apart."

"Thank goodness. I'm looking forward to the 'happily ever after' part of this deal."

"Me, too," Lizzy sighed.

"So how was your day? Did Lydia agree to be your maid of honor?" William asked.

"My day was hectic, and yes, Lyd agreed to be my maid of honor. I'm afraid my invitation opened a huge can of worms, though."

"Oh? What happened?"

"I found out that she rejected my previous offer because she didn't want to be upstaged!"

"At your wedding?"

"That's what she said, Will. I was as shocked as you. But since starting counseling, Lydia's begun to come to terms with her feelings. She confessed that she's always felt as though she lived in my shadow. It was so painful, Will. We sat there for twenty minutes while the poor thing poured her heart out. I had no idea she felt that way. I always thought Lyd was just being Lyd, you know? I thought she was a brat. It turns out that I was completely wrong. The monster Lydia has been the last few months is entirely my own fault."

"Wait a moment, Lizzy! That's not true and you know it!" William protested.

"But it is! Everything she's done has been a reaction to a lifetime of playing second fiddle to me."

"And that's not your doing. Lydia is twenty-four years old and it's high time she took responsibility for her actions. If she's spent her life in your shadow it's because she's never bothered to move out of it. She was perfectly capable of launching a career after college, or finding a husband, or doing any number of things she did only when she decided to try to draw attention away from you. That was her choice, Lizzy, not yours."

"She's taking responsibility now, William. That's why she wanted to talk today. She's been harboring resentment of me for years and needed to get it off her chest."

"...By dumping a guilt trip on you?" William said fiercely. "I'd hardly consider that taking responsibility."

"No, no, William," Lizzy said soothingly. "Lyd told me what she's been doing in therapy. She's learned that her behavior has not only been an obstacle in our relationship but it threatened her relationship with John as well. So she's been learning to deal with it for both our sakes."

"I'm glad to hear that Lydia is growing up and getting help. But she hurt you, Lizzy, and that I cannot condone."

"She didn't hurt me--."

"She did," William said firmly. "I can hear it in your voice. And I wasn't there to hold you."

"It was very upsetting," Lizzy admitted. "I had a long talk about it with Sar when I got home. She had Lyd figured out long ago; wish she'd spoken to me about this earlier."

"I'm sorry, love."

"Lyd and I made our peace and have agreed to move on, but promise me you'll be home Sunday and make me forget about all of this."

"I promise to do my best," William said soothingly.

"That should do it," Lizzy said tartly. She laid back and relaxed as William's soothing words warmed her. Like a balm to her soul, they worked their magic and in only a few minutes Lizzy felt better than she had all day.

Chapter Five

Posted on Sunday, 25 September 2005

"William was very angry when I told him," Lizzy told her father as she drizzled honey into her tea.

"I don't blame him! It was very wrong of Lydia to tell you those things," Thomas said.

"Why am I the only person who can see things from her side?" Lizzy said defensively. "She was only trying to be honest with me about her feelings, probably for the first time in her life!"

"And what did she accomplish by it? She did nothing but cause you pain you should have been spared, especially now. It was simply another case of Lydia putting her own needs first."

"I don't think that's fair," Lizzy protested.

"You don't think it's fair for me to be honest, but Lydia should feel free to run rampant over your feelings at will?" Thomas shouted incredulously. "How can you defend her, Lizzy?"

"You weren't there, daddy. You didn't hear what I heard. She was genuinely contrite."

"Perhaps she was, but that doesn't alter the fact that she abused her privilege. She had a golden opportunity to take a positive step and begin to look past the injustices she felt she'd suffered in the past. Instead, she couldn't resist the opportunity to sucker punch you and exact a measure of revenge on her path to maturity."

"Daddy!"

"Just because you're willing to ignore it, doesn't mean that William and I are. It was badly done, Lizzy."

"Well, if it gets Lyd where she needs to be I'd go through it again."

"She cut deep, didn't she?" Thomas said more gently.

"Her wounds were deeper," Lizzy said sadly. She listened stoically as Thomas continued to lecture her in a calmer tone. When he was done, Lizzy hung up the phone and sighed. Glancing down at her watch, she noticed the time just as someone knocked on her door.

"Are you ready? Whoa; who died?" Bess asked when Lizzy opened it with a glum expression.

"No one," Lizzy said with another sigh. "I'll be over in a second. Would you give me a minute?" Bess regarded her worriedly. "I'm fine, I promise," Lizzy assured her.
Bess nodded doubtfully and crossed the hall.

"Is Lizzy ready?" Sarmistha asked as she struggled to fasten the strap of her sandal. It was getting increasingly difficult to see her feet, much less reach them.

"She looks unwell," Bess confided. Sarmistha looked up sharply.

"Has something happened?"

"I don't know."

"Perhaps I should go--."

"She asked for a few minutes," Bess said as Lizzy opened the door and entered. Sarmistha rose and went to her.

"Are you all right? Bess said you didn't look well," she said as she pulled Lizzy into a hug. Lizzy gratefully hugged her back. Sarmistha caught sight of her reddened eyes and clucked at her. "What's wrong?"

"I told daddy about Lydia," Lizzy replied as she flopped onto the sofa. Sarmistha sat down beside her and took hold of her hand. Bess joined them and gave her free hand a squeeze.

"What about Lydia?" Bess asked. But Lizzy just shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I really don't feel up to going into it again," she said tearfully. "I..."

"You're emotional," Bess said with a compassionate smile. "Brides are almost as bad as mothers-to-be just before the wedding." She winked at Sarmistha. "This little minx cried her eyes out this morning over a commercial."

"You promised not to tell anyone!" Sarmistha pouted.

"I promised not to tell your Richard," Bess corrected. "And that's only because he'd jump in his car and drive straight home if he knew." Lizzy laughed in spite of herself.

"He most certainly would and you've got plans for this afternoon. So let's get out of here before he watches those spycam tapes he's undoubtedly making."

"Richard didn't set up spycams," Sarmistha said as she nonetheless scanned the room with a frown. "At least not to my knowledge..."

"Come on," Lizzy said, her spirits renewed. She gently tugged Sarmistha out of her seat and pulled her toward the door.

"My purse!"

"Heavens, yes!" Bess cried. "Can't leave the house without your phone; if Richard was out of touch with her for more than an hour the poor boy would freak."

"This is lovely, Anne," Lizzy said as she surveyed the dining room table that was decked out for her luncheon. "And thank you again for hosting. With everything going on it would have been impossible at our place and I really didn't want to have my bridesmaid's luncheon at a restaurant."

"I'm happy to have you all here," Anne Darcy replied. "Ladies, do sit down. Sarmistha, why don't you sit in one of the chairs with arms? You'll be more comfortable."

"Thank you," Sarmistha replied gracefully. It was a particularly hot day and the heat, which normally never bothered her, seemed to sap her energy. As she sat down, the phone in her purse rang. "You know, maybe I should have left this thing at home."

"If you had, Richard would have a fit," Lizzy said. "Everyone get ready."

"Hello, my darling," Sarmistha said. Lizzy raised her hand.

"Hello, Richard," everyone said in chorus.

"I have no idea who that was," Sarmistha said with a wink at Lizzy. "I'm fine."

Bess sighed and took the phone from her.

"Richard, you spoke to the poor child an hour ago. Since then she's combed her hair, put on a pair of sandals, fed the dog and come over to the townhouse. If you give her another hour, she might eat something and spend a little time chatting with her friends instead of her husband."

"Who is this?" Richard asked impertinently.

"You know, grandchildren never get too old to spank, dear."

"Oh, it's you."

"Two minutes," Bess said, "and if you call again before five o'clock I will confiscate this phone." She handed the phone back to Sarmistha.

"Habib?"

"I hope she's being nicer to you than she was to me," Richard said with a pout.

"You've interrupted our luncheon, my love."

"Sorry; I just wanted to make sure you got to Aunt Anne's okay."

"I'm fine. Your grandmother and Lizzy brought me just as they said they would. Are you having a nice time with the boys?"

"Oh, it's just lovely," Richard said sarcastically.

"Good. Give them all my love. I'll call you when I get home, all right?"

"All right," Richard said petulantly. Sarmistha said "I love you" in Hindi and ended the call.

"She's going to be an excellent mother," Lizzy teased.

"Well, she's had nearly two years of practice," Kathleen Fitzwilliam said of her daughter in law.

"He's miserable," Sarmistha pouted. "Perhaps I shouldn't have insisted that he go to Vermont for the weekend."

"He's William's best man," Lizzy said. "Of course he had to go."

"He may be there physically, but his heart is here in New York with Sarmistha," Anne said. "I think it's sweet."

"There's sweet and there's cloying," Bess said. "Richard crossed the line into treacle hours ago."

"I'm jealous," Lizzy said. "William hasn't called me since he left yesterday."

"You spoke to him yesterday afternoon. And I thought he called you last night," Sarmistha reminded her.

"Oh, that first call was to tease me about those photos and last night was just a call to tuck me in. I meant the 'honey, I miss you' call."

Alva and Jane laughed when Sarmistha pulled her phone from her bag once more and handed it to Lizzy.

"Here, take a few of mine," she said. "Anyone else need one?"

"I think it's very sweet that he worries so much about you, Sar," Jane said. "But if Charles called me that often, I'd throttle him."

"Oh, I never tire of hearing Richard's voice. I'm just tired of answering the phone," she winked. "Now if we're to eat and exchange gifts before he calls again, we'd better get to it."

Lizzy absently handed the phone back to Sarmistha. Her eyes were on the doorway, where Lydia stood.

"Hello everyone," she said pleasantly. Everyone answered at once, except for Lizzy and Sarmistha, who took hold of her best friend's hand and squeezed it.

"Hello Lydia," she said.

"Hi, Lyd," Lizzy said evenly.

"Hello. Sorry I'm late. I had to try to find shoes for the wedding. Have you started without me?"

"No," Anne said smoothly. "We just sat down. Come; Mrs. Reynolds has lunch on the table and everyone else is waiting."

"Lizzy, you're at the head of the table, naturally. I'm here next to Mish. I promised your husband I wouldn't let you out of my sight," Bess said teasingly. "Lydia, you're there next to Alva."

"I'm so far from Lizzy," Lydia pouted.

"You should have been on time," Bess said with a reproachful glare. Jane made to rise from her seat, but another look stopped her before she could offer Lydia her place next to Lizzy. "We assumed you weren't coming and began seating the others. It's too late to rearrange things now." Chastised and silenced, Lydia nodded and quietly took her place as Sarmistha and Lizzy exchanged a glance.

The women in Lizzy's wedding party--Alva, Lydia, and Jane--sat down to lunch with Sarmistha, Anne, Kathleen, her daughter in law Maura, and Bess. A fifth member of the party would be arriving from the west coast just a day before the wedding. Her absence was questioned.

"Maya's just begun a residency in Denver," Lizzy explained. "She could only get three days off, so she'll come the day before the wedding and leave the day after."

"Oh, she's a doctor," Anne said approvingly. "What's her field?"

"Down girl," Bess said. "You've already caught William a wife."

"I'm just making conversation, mother," Anne replied defensively.

"Yes, of course you are. By the way, have you ever thanked me for finding Lizzy for you?"

"If anyone can claim credit for Lizzy and William's current happiness it should be me, Grandma Bess," Sarmistha said. "I'm the one who introduced them."

"Wait a moment. I think I managed to make a pretty strong impression on William long before then," Lizzy said with a wink. The room was silent for a moment. Those who were aware of Lizzy's initial impression of William smiled.

"I still think I should get credit," Sarmistha insisted. "If I hadn't fallen hopelessly in love with Richard and married him, you would never have had a reason to meet William Darcy face to face."

"In that case, I believe you actually have Richard to thank, Lizzy," Jane said. Sarmistha sighed dramatically.

"Thank goodness he's not around to hear that."

"Have I mentioned what a lucky man I am?"

"Endlessly, Will; give it a rest," Charles said.

"Why should I? You waxed poetic about Jane incessantly last time we were here."

"And now I realize how annoying I must have sounded. I'm just trying to spare you the pain of becoming the object of our ridicule."

"I for one was looking forward to that bit," Richard volunteered.

"Me, too," Matt said.

"I don't remember you being so annoying, Charles," John said.

"Thank you," Charles said, "but trust me; William will certainly be extremely so."

The Fitzwilliam brothers had a hearty laugh at their cousin's expense. William eyed them calmly.

"At least I don't call Lizzy on an hourly basis," he said.

"Lizzy isn't eight month's pregnant with your firstborn," Richard said.

"Sarmistha can take care of herself, Fitz," William sighed.

"Sarmistha doesn't have to take care of herself. She has me."

"Not this weekend; she's got Grandma Bess pinch hitting for you," Matt reminded him. "So relax."

"Wait till Maura's pregnant," Richard grumbled.

"Maura is pregnant," Matt declared. The others sat up and stared. Matt smiled smugly. "We found out a few weeks ago."

"Have you told the folks?" Richard asked.

"We're planning to tell them when I get back to town," Matt said. He smiled shyly as he collected congratulations from his closest friends. Richard caught a glimpse of John's wistful expression. He waited till the others were engaged in conversation before wandering over to him and claiming a seat at his side.

"How are things with you and Lydia, John?" he asked gently. "Lizzy said you two have made some progress."

"We've started seeing a marriage counselor," John admitted. "I was dead set against the idea. My folks did that and ended up divorcing anyway. But Lydia was willing to give it a try so I went along with it."

"And is it helping?"

"Yeah," John replied, surprise evident in his expression. "There are lots of things we've never talked about. We both knew they were there but we never brought them up directly, you know?"

"I think I know what you mean," Richard said. "Before my wedding my dad sat me down for something he referred to as 'Husband 101.' He told me that I should never hold back from discussing anything--even the little things--that might come between us. He said that they're like little grains of sand in your shoe. One or two don't bother you but if you get enough of them..."

"Yeah," John chuckled. "And Lydia and I had a lot of sand in our shoes. We always argued when things came to a head rather than dealing with the small stuff that we could probably have resolved more easily. The counselor made us sit down and make lists of the things that bugged us about each other."

"That must have been an eye opener. Long lists?"

John shook his head.

"Not as long as I thought. We were told to be as specific as possible, but when I really thought about it, I was able to narrow down my list to just two things: Lydia's spoiled and stubborn."

"How long was her list for you?"

"My list was short, too; I'm a stubborn tightwad, in her estimation."

"Ouch."

"Fortunately, the doc also asked us for lists of things we liked about one another."

"Long lists?" Richard asked again. This time, John smiled broadly.

"Yeah; really long lists."

"You know what I love about William?" Lizzy said dreamily as she smiled at the picture of him sitting on the piano in the Darcy's living room.

"Why don't you just tell us what you don't love about him?" Sarmistha suggested. "It'll save us hours."

"There's nothing I don't love about him," Lizzy pouted.

"There you go," Sarmistha replied with a wink.

"It is a beautiful picture," Alva said as she studied the image of her friend's fiancé.

"Yeah, great photography," Jane teased.

"And what a frame," Alva added.

"Heathens," Lizzy said as she went to sit beside Sarmistha. "How are you holding up?"

"Did Richard also deputize you in his absence?"

"I think he deputized everyone in the city to look after you," Lizzy replied with a smile. "But I was asking of my own volition, honest. You look a little tired."

"I am a little tired," Sarmistha admitted. "I've gotten used to taking a nap in the afternoon."

"Well, by all means, go ahead and lie down. We can put off opening my loot till you get back."

"I don't want to--."

"Go, or I'll hit the speed dial," Lizzy threatened.

"He's really got you trained, hasn't he?"

"Oh, he's really good."

"Home again, home again," Bess said absently as she closed the door behind Lizzy and Sarmistha. "Want to make a bet that Richard calls before we reach the living room?"

"Don't bother, I promised to call him," Sarmistha said as she pulled out her phone and hit a button. "Hello, dear heart," she said as she sank into the couch.

"There they go," Bess said. "You may as well go on across the hall, Lizzy. She'll be like this for a while. I saw it last night."

"Oh, I've seen this many times," Lizzy replied. "It's kind of fun to watch. They make cute faces when they talk to each other on the phone," she explained at Bess's quizzical look.

"Really? I must have missed that bit when my ears began to bleed."

Sarmistha stuck out her tongue.

"See? Want something to drink?" Lizzy asked as she headed for the kitchen. "I'm making a pot of tea."

"What kind?" Bess asked.

"Raspberry for Sar and whatever else you want; Richard's orders."

"Lizzy?" Sarmistha called. "William sends his love." Lizzy poked her head out of the kitchen.

"Why doesn't he call me himself?" she pouted. "Wait!" she cried. "Don't repeat that!" But by the time she reached Sarmistha the damage had been done.

"Richard said that he planned to call you later, when he could speak to you without fear of interruption."

"Who would interrupt?" Lizzy asked.

"I can't imagine," Bess deadpanned. "Obviously no one interrupts Richard and Mish's calls." Lizzy rolled her eyes and returned to the kitchen. When she returned with the tea Sarmistha was rubbing her distended belly.

"So how is the big lug?"

"Are you speaking of my child?" she said, aghast.

"No; not that one, anyway," Lizzy said with a wink.

"You make fun of him but you follow his instructions to the letter," Sarmistha accused.

"Hey, just because he's an obsessive nut job where you're concerned doesn't mean he isn't right," Bess said. "I think you deserve to be pampered and spoiled in every way in your condition."

"Especially by Richard, since he got you into that condition," Lizzy added.

"Wait till you become pregnant, Lizzy," Sarmistha said. "Your William will reveal his true colors." She huffed and returned her attention to her caller.

Several hours later, Lizzy poured herself a glass of wine and climbed into the bed with Squeaks and a good book for company. She got comfortable and Squeaks draped himself over her lap so that Lizzy could scratch his head absently as she read. The phone rang and the cat protested when she abandoned her ministrations to answer it.

"Hello."

William's rich, mellifluous voice filled Lizzy's ears and she smiled as she set aside the book and rolled over onto her side. Squeaks protested at this second insult and took himself off to the foot of the bed to sulk.

"William."

"Is that all you're going to say?" he asked. "From what Richard told me, you were quite anxious to talk this afternoon."

"Actually, I was just anxious to hear the sound of your voice," she replied.

"Oh, in that case I'm done here. Good; I wanted to get to bed early since we're fishing in the morning." William could see Lizzy's pout in his mind's eye.

"You're a terrible tease."

"On the contrary, I'm an excellent tease," William said in a low drawl. "You're hot and bothered, aren't you?"

"So far I'm merely bothered."

"I must be losing my touch."

"It's so difficult to tell from this distance. I wish you were here."

"If I were there this conversation would be completely unnecessary."

"Perhaps not..."

"Now who's the tease?"

"I've learned a thing or two from you over the past year and a half."

"Now I'm torn," William said thoughtfully. "Do I stay and fish in the morning or jump into a car and come home to give you a pop quiz?"

"You have a choice of cold fish or hot me and you're still in Vermont?"

"I've got four guests to think about."

"Oh, so four guests and countless cold fish, or hot me..."

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking..."

"Wrong answer, Mr. Darcy!"

"I'll give you the right answer tomorrow."

"A day late and a dime short..."

"...But so worth the wait..."

"You seem very confident of that," Lizzy challenged.

"I'll let you be the judge," William said smugly. "I'll even let you give me an oral exam."

"Okay," Lizzy said. "Study up on the species of fish native to Vermont."

"Excuse me?"

"...For your exam tomorrow."

"You're very cruel, Ms. Bennet."

"I could make the same claim, I think, Mr. Darcy--withholding yourself from me in my hours of need. And you call yourself a gentleman."

"Hours?"

"My passion for you is not the work of a moment, William; you know that."

"I'm sure you'll remind me tomorrow."

"Come this hour tomorrow you may no longer be worthy of my affections."

"Oh, I sincerely doubt that," William chuckled. His deep, throaty laugh sent a thrill through Lizzy's body.

"I doubt it, too, but it makes an excellent threat."

"Do you think so? I'd rather you refuse to ever let me out of your sight again."

"And I should tend to your desires when you'd rather fish than be here with us?"

"Us? You're entertaining company?"

"Yes; Squeaks is keeping me company tonight. You know, I should have let him take me to dinner that first night. He's never abandoned me. And he never complains about my cold feet, either."

"If he saw the fish in this lake he'd high tail it up here, too," William said. He drank in the sound of Lizzy's laughter and shifted on his bed to lie on his back. "So how was your ladies' day?"

"Oh, it was really nice," Lizzy replied. "Your mother went all out; Grandma Bess said that they used every piece of her mother's china because it perfectly matched my wedding colors."

"I've never even seen my great grandmother's china," William said. "She's never taken it out for one of my parties."

"Well, it's lovely. And the menu was perfect, the flowers beautiful--every detail was meticulously attended to. I was treated like royalty."

"Are you sure it was my mother's house you were in?"

"William!"

"Did Lydia make an appearance?"

"Yes; she arrived a little late, which didn't please your mother or Grandma Bess."

"If Lydia wants to become a social butterfly she'd better learn that 'fashionably late' doesn't apply to sit-down meals, ticketed events, or any event hosted by someone over the age of fifty."

"Is that a fact?"

"Yes; well, I actually made up the last part, but there's definitely a time and place for everything."

"Perhaps she was just caught in traffic," Lizzy said.

"Lizzy, don't make excuses for her."

"And don't you assume that Lyd was late for no legitimate reason."

"I didn't!" William shot back. "Well, yes, I did. But you have to admit that I have good reason."

"When has she ever been late for something with us before?" Lizzy asked, but she didn't wait for an answer. "Everyone is so eager to assume the worst where Lyd is concerned."

"And you're very quick to defend her all of a sudden, aren't you?"

"Well, both you and daddy always seem ready to assume the worst of Lydia."

"Lizzy, you're losing your objectivity," William said gently.

"My objectivity? She's my sister, William!"

"Yes; she's the sister who has been making your life a living hell these last few months. Look, I don't want to argue with you, Lizzy. I just want you to--."

"No, I should apologize. You're right; I do feel unaccountably defensive about Lydia. It's as though--."

"You feel responsible. Lizzy, it's not your fault. Blame your parents for indulging her. Blame Lydia, for heaven's sake, for being such a brat. But don't blame yourself for being beautiful, and accomplished, and poised, and confident, and successful, because she could have easily been all those things, too. It's not as though your parents stinted on her upbringing for your sake. She had every advantage you had and one you didn't. Unlike you, she had someone to be the scapegoat for her failures."

"William!" Lizzy sputtered for a moment, overwhelmed by righteous anger. Then she took a deep breath and sighed. "You're right, of course."

"Of course," William said.

"Is Grandma Bess taking good care of you?"

"Of course she is," Sarmistha replied, barely restraining herself from reminding her worried husband that she was perfectly capable of spending the weekend alone. Bess had been good company, however, and Sarmistha had learned a great deal more about Richard during her stay. "She's been delightful company. In fact, if you wanted to stay on in Vermont for a few more days..."

"Mish!"

"Just kidding, my sweet," she laughed. "Your daughter and I want you home as soon as possible."

"That's better," Richard sighed.

"I do miss you, my love," William said soothingly. "I do wish I was there with you; I'd erase all thoughts of Lydia from your mind."

"You'd erase all thoughts from my mind, period," Lizzy admitted with a crooked smile.

"Would I? Have I done that before?"

"Frequently."

"That would explain a great deal," William mused. "It's little wonder you're no help with the Sunday Times crossword."

"Consider yourself fortunate that I can recall my name when I'm with you," Lizzy purred. "Of course, that's only because you say it so often."

"Do I?" William asked amusedly.

"Maybe your memory slips when we're together, too."

"We're a pair, aren't we? Do you think we'll be able to manage after we're wed?"

"We've got Richard and Sar next door. They always function very well in spite of their mutual adoration," Lizzy assured him.

"Maybe we'll settle into something resembling sentience after marriage," William suggested.

"Do you think so? I'm inclined to believe that I'll always respond to you that way."

"If by 'that way' you mean a loss of short term memory, I do hope marriage is the cure."

"I agree," Lizzy said, rolling over and stretching languidly. "Marriage is the cure for what ails me. I miss you terribly."

"I miss you, too, darling."

"After this, we're out of unmarried friends, aren't we?"

"Except for John; he'll be our last."

"Do me a favor, then."

"Anything you ask."

"Tomorrow when you're out fishing? Dump him in the lake and refuse to let him out unless he promises to hold his bachelor party here in the city."

William laughed in the dark long after he hung up the phone.

Chapter Six

Posted on Tuesday, 11 October 2005

"That's exactly what you're implying, William. Don't bother trying to deny it," Lizzy said as she opened the door and entered the apartment. William followed, pausing to shut and lock the door before responding to the accusation.

"I've no need to deny it, Lizzy. You said yourself that--."

The couple froze when they saw the expressions on Richard and Sarmistha's faces. For a few seconds no one spoke. Then Sarmistha averted her eyes and Richard sighed dramatically.

"Cousin," he said firmly as he rose and strode from the room. William shook his head and followed him to the office, where Richard pounced as soon as he closed the door. "So help me, William, if you make her cry again I'll throttle you."

"Why on earth would I make Sarmistha cry?" William frowned.

"I wasn't talking about Mish," Richard replied angrily. "I'm talking about Lizzy, you idiot!"

"Lizzy?" William was stunned. "Wait; what do you mean again? When has she been crying?"

"You don't know? What the hell is going on between you two?"

"I don't know," William said, absently running a hand through his hair. "Things are fine one minute and the next we're at each other's throats. I don't understand it," he continued resignedly. "We're madly in love with each other. We're deeply committed to our future. There's no doubt in our minds about any of that, but--."

"...But you're in the middle of planning a huge wedding and the big day is less than two weeks away and your nerves are frayed and Lizzy's under a great deal of stress, too. Welcome to the real world," Richard said exasperatedly. "You're taking it out on each other. Stop it."

"How? Every little thing seems to set us off. I mean it's not as though we're really fighting, it's just a constant undercurrent of little--. What's this?" William asked when Richard handed him a card.

"Call, make a reservation. Go. Don't take a phone. Don't tell anyone where you've gone. Just be together for a few days." Richard finally smiled. "You can thank me for it later."

William returned the smile.

"I'll thank you now," he said as he went to the desk and picked up the phone. He started to punch in the number, but Richard placed a hand over his and shook his head.

"Consult with Lizzy first."

"Right," William said withdrawing his hand. "You know, Richard, I don't know which is scarier--you as the lunatic father-to-be or you as the mature adult." Richard smiled tolerantly and turned to the door.

"I'll get her for you," he said as he left the room. A moment later, Lizzy appeared.

"How would you like to get away for a few days?" William asked. "Just the two of us, no phones, no interruptions, no wedding planners... It'd be the perfect antidote for what ails us."

"When? We can't possibly get away any time before the wedding," Lizzy said immediately. "I've got a million things to do for the weeding and work to finish up before the honeymoon--. Where?" she asked when she saw William's pout.

"It's a little place in the Berkshires. Richard gave me this card." He handed Lizzy the business card for the tiny bed and breakfast Richard had recommended. She looked at it and smiled.

"I heard that place was very romantic. Rumor has it that Aishwarya was conceived there."

"Who's--who?"

"Aishwarya Charu Elizabeth Fitzwilliam," Lizzy said calmly. "You haven't met her yet." William returned her smile.

"I thought they were planning to name her 'Bump,'" William said, recalling Richard's teasing nickname for his unborn daughter. He drew a bit closer to Lizzy and pulled her into his arms.

"Really, William," she said, as she smuggled into the warmth of his body, "I can't possibly take any time off now."

"Two days."

"William--."

"I'll clear it with your office."

"No!"

William sighed and braced himself for yet another disagreement.

"I'll negotiate it myself."

"What are those two up to in there?" Sarmistha asked when Richard rejoined her in the living room.

"They're making reservations, I hope," he replied as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. He knew that Lizzy's stress was upsetting to his wife, so he lightly stroked her hair as he held her to his heart. That always had a calming effect.

"What reservations?" she protested looking up. "I made dinner."

"They're making reservations for that little inn up in the Berkshires," Richard said, pausing to kiss away her pout. "They could use a little time away, I think."

"I agree," Sarmistha said somewhat mollified. "But they'd better not leave here with empty stomachs. I've been cooking all afternoon."

"Let them go," Richard chuckled. "I love your chicken tagine. It'll all be eaten."

"No way!" Lizzy said as she and William returned. "We aren't leaving till the morning and I intend to eat my fair share...and some of William's," she added with a wink. "I love Moroccan food." She leaned over the back of the sofa and kissed Richard's cheek. "Thank you," she said softly. Richard smiled and winked at his wife.

"You two be careful up there. Richard took me to the Berkshires for a weekend of antique hunting and look what happened," Sarmistha said, rubbing her ample belly.

"Oh, I think I'll be perfectly safe," William said with a grin. Lizzy poked his ribs with her elbow.

"Why don't you two sit down?" Richard asked the couple. Lizzy and William stood at the edge of the sofa and he frowned at them curiously. "What's up?"

"We'd really rather sit down in the dining room," Lizzy replied. "I'm starving."

"Ditto," William said. Sarmistha smiled and he reached out to help her to her feet.

"Follow me," she said as she led the way to the dining room. Lizzy did just that, but William grabbed Richard as he headed for the door.

"I want to thank you, too," he said.

"No need," Richard said. "I admit my motives were somewhat selfish."

"I know," William said, knowing exactly what he meant. "But I appreciate it nonetheless. I think a couple of days away is precisely what we need. Say, is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Was your child conceived up there?"

Richard shrugged and headed for the kitchen.

"Who knows? I won't argue with Mish on that point, but I couldn't honestly say. Why, are you worried?" he said with a grin as he handed William a tray of mezze.

"No, just curious." William carried the tray of appetizers into the dining room and placed it on the table. Lizzy looked up at him with a glowing smile. He felt better already.

Richard arrived home the following evening and found his wife speaking on the phone. She was speaking in Hindi, and so rapidly that Richard could only make out a few words. He had learned a good deal of the language since becoming involved with Sarmistha, although he was still too shy to speak it in front of anyone but his wife, her cousins Sharni and David, or Lizzy. But his understanding of the language had grown considerably over the past two years, so he knew that Sarmistha was speaking to her mother and trying to reassure her about Lizzy. He frowned and leaned against the doorframe to blatantly eavesdrop on the conversation.

Sarmistha turned and smiled warmly, rolling her eyes and gesturing for him to approach, even as she continued to speak. Richard kissed the top of her head as she drew him into a hug.

"I must go; Richard is home," Sarmistha said in Hindi, looking up with loving eyes. Richard kissed the tip of her nose. "Yes, I'll speak with you soon. Give daddy a kiss for me." She hung up the phone and turned her full attention to her husband. "Hello."

"Hello, beautiful," Richard said, bending slightly to reach her mouth. "What's going on? Why is your mother looking for Lizzy?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Apparently Dr. Bennet has been trying to reach her all day. When he began to worry, he mentioned it to my mother--."

"And Nishtha called you--got it," Richard nodded.

"I didn't think they'd take us so literally when we suggested they not tell anyone where they were going."

"We never suggested that they not tell anyone they were leaving town," Richard said. "William always gets carried away."

"I think this was Lizzy's doing. She's never gone anywhere before without letting her parents know, even if she didn't tell them exactly where she'd be," Sarmistha said.

"Those two ought to be spanked," Richard huffed.

"Were we supposed to be doing something else today?" Lizzy asked as she languidly ran her fingers over William's forearm.

"Let's see," William said, closing his eyes and trying not to be distracted by her teasing touch. "We drove up here, checked in... Did we eat?"

"No."

"That must be it, then. Richard's instructions weren't very detailed."

"He gave instructions? Why doesn't that surprise me?" Lizzy said with a roll of her eyes.

"They were pretty good, as Richard's instructions go. Specifically, he said--and I quote: 'Call, make a reservation. Go. Don't take a phone. Don't tell anyone where you've gone. Just be together for a few days.'"

"That is good. Oh, wait!" Lizzy said, sitting up abruptly. "I forgot to call daddy. If he calls and can't reach me, he'll freak." William pulled Lizzy back into his arms.

"I can't think of anyone less inclined to freak than your father. And if he was worried about you, he would probably call Sarmistha, right?"

"Right," Lizzy conceded. "Still..."

"No phone, remember?"

"Right." She worried her lip for a moment, but William drew her attention and she soon forgot about calling her parents. But after a few kisses she pulled away. "We really should eat, though."

William laughed at the notion, but promised to see to it that they ate something within the next six hours. Satisfied, Lizzy melted into his arms once more.

Richard was in his office working on some schematics he'd brought home when he heard the sound of glass breaking. Alpa barked and Richard leapt to his feet and ran into the kitchen. He found Sarmistha bent over, one hand on the counter, the other holding her belly. A glass of water had fallen to the floor and splashed on the tiny terrier, who'd taken fright and run from the room.

"Mish! Are you all right?"

"Yes," she gasped. "I just had another contraction." She straightened up and took a deep breath. "It's gone now."

"Another contraction?"

"It's all right, habib. It's just a--."

"I'll call your mother," Richard said firmly. He turned and strode from the kitchen.

"Habib?"

Richard sheepishly returned and assisted his wife. He lifted her over the broken glass and carried her to the bedroom.

"I am perfectly capable of walking, my love," Sarmistha said as she toyed with a tendril of his hair. She actually enjoyed being carried in Richard's arms, but she wasn't about to tell him that. "I only needed your help in avoiding the broken glass."

"You shouldn't walk around barefoot," he scolded.

"I shouldn't drop glasses, you mean," Sarmistha replied as she was set down. Richard reached for the phone. "And you need not call my mother. These contractions are perfectly normal."

"Let's let the doctor decide that, shall we?"

Sarmistha threw her hands up and turned to pick up the dog. Richard stopped her. Before she could protest, he lifted Alpa and placed her in Sarmistha's arms. Both dog and woman thanked him with a kiss to his cheek. Richard made a show of carefully wiping off the dog's kiss before reaching for the phone. He waited patiently while Nishtha was paged, ignoring Sarmistha's explanation about pre-labor contractions.

"Hello, Nishtha," he said a few minutes later as he sat beside his wife on the bed. "Mish is having contractions. I don't know... How many contractions have you had?"

"One today," Sarmistha said.

"One," Richard repeated with a frown. He leaned back against the pillows, apparently listening to a long explanation from Nishtha. It sounded to Sarmistha, who nestled under one of his arms, suspiciously like the one she'd just delivered. "Uh huh. Uh huh. Uh huh. Well, how can one tell the difference between a Braxton Hicks contraction and labor?" he asked with an embarrassed glance at Sarmistha. "Uh huh. Uh huh. Uh huh. Well, thanks, Nishtha. You've certainly put my mind at ease. Yeah, I do vaguely recall hearing something about them in childbirth classes... Mish? Yeah, she said something about them, but she was in too much pain to... Ouch!" He grabbed Sarmistha's hand to stop her assault. "Would you care to speak with your daughter? Oh, okay. We'll see you soon. Bye."

He hung up the phone and turned to gaze into his wife's eyes. She began to laugh and Richard sighed before he, too began to laugh. But his laughter ceased when she clutched at her belly again. It took Sarmistha several minutes to convince Richard that she was holding her abdomen because she was laughing so hard.

"So? How was the retreat?"

"It was great," William replied. "I feel really hungry though." He glanced up at the waiter. "Better make that a cheeseburger deluxe."

"I take it that you and Lizzy are back on track?"

"We're just peachy, thanks."

"And you'll behave till the wedding?"

"Till the wedding, yes; after that I intend to misbehave for as long as Lizzy allows...which could be quite some time," William said with a smile.

"And I suppose--?"

"Will you two stop with the questions? I came here to eat, not be subjected to an inquisition. And don't pout at me, Richard; that may work on your wife but I'm made of sterner stuff."

"Unfortunately, pouting doesn't work on my wife," Thomas admitted. "I suppose if I had your looks, William, I could get away with murder. And if I had your charm and looks," he said with a glance at Richard, "there's no telling what I might get up to."

Richard gave Thomas his best "who me?" expression and William rolled his eyes.

"I could tell you what he gets up to, but in truth, his wife is just as manipulative. I've never seen a more perfectly matched pair--myself and Lizzy excepted, of course."

"Yes, little Sarmistha always did manage to have everyone wrapped around her finger as a girl," Thomas said with a fond smile.

"So nothing's changed," William smirked. "What about Lizzy?"

"Oh she was even more devious. All the sad droolers who thought they could use my Lizzy to get to Sarmistha became her puppets. She had nearly every boy in the tenth grade dancing to her tune at one point," Thomas said with a chuckle. Richard glanced at William and smiled.

"So nothing's changed with her, either." Richard winked at William.

"Nope."

"Now, now; both girls have grown into proper young ladies," Thomas replied, ignoring the smug glances exchanged by the two cousins. "And if either of you have evidence to the contrary, I'm sure I don't need to hear it."

"I wasn't planning to say a thing," William said hastily. Thomas glanced up, relief evident in his face. The trio ate their lunch over an enlightening conversation about Lizzy and Sarmistha's childhood antics.

"Shall we move on to the matter at hand?" Richard suggested after their plates were cleared.

"Which is?"

"You, William, of course," Thomas said. "I asked Richard to help me choose an appropriate gift for my daughter and new son in law; he was kind enough to offer suggestions."

"Oh lord," William said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey!" Richard protested.

"Now, now, William; your Lizzy assured me that Richard has excellent taste. I've seen the present he helped Lizzy pick for you."

"Did Lizzy tell you about Richard's sense of humor?" William asked. "Oh, stop that," he said spitefully when Richard once again resorted to his "who me?" defense.

"Hey, if you don't want your present I'll be more than happy to take it off your hands," Richard replied.

"I want it, though I may insist that you open it so nothing explodes in my face," William shot back. Thomas chuckled in amusement.

"Shall we go outside and see?" he asked as he signaled for the check. He insisted on picking up the tab despite the protests of the two younger men. Richard led them out to the street and leaned against an SUV that stood at the curb.

"What are we looking at?" William asked as he put on his sunglasses. Richard gestured with his head at the vehicle. "This is my present?"

"I sincerely hope that Lizzy won't go gallivanting across Southeast Asia again, now that she's marrying, but the girl does have a strong streak of wanderlust. She promised me that she'd stay on this continent for at least a year. And since Lizzy has a thing for SUV's..." Thomas began.

"Kinky," Richard interjected.

"Get off my car," William spat, yanking him out of his way.

"Lizzy has a thing for SUV's," Thomas repeated. "So I thought this would be something the two of you might enjoy. I hope that you'll find your way out to western New Jersey every now and again between jaunts to Canada and Alaska and wherever else she'll talk you into going. I do warn you; she has a long list of places she wants to see on this continent."

"Thomas, this is beautiful," William said as he admired the sleek vehicle. He walked along its sides, examining every inch. "I've always wanted one of these."

"You're very welcome," Thomas said. "Richard has the keys."

"Want me to open it first and see if it explodes in your face?" Richard taunted as he drew the keys from his pocket. William glared and Richard grinned and dropped the keys into his hand.

An hour later, William returned to his apartment and found Lizzy in the kitchen. She was at the counter, rolling out dough into small circles.

"What are you making?" William asked as he wrapped his hands around her waist and nuzzled the back of her neck.

"Chapati; I'm using a recipe Dr. Agarwal taught me as a little girl."

"Does that mean you're making that lentil dish tonight?"

"You mean chana dal? You really like that, don't you?" Lizzy asked.

"Yes; it's rich, earthy..."

"...And full of beans?" she teased. "Sounds a bit like you."

"That's not what you said last night," William purred in her ear before releasing her with a pat on her butt. He opened the refrigerator and helped himself to a bottle of beer.

"Hey! Put that back! It's to go with dinner," Lizzy protested. "I made chicken curry."

"You'd serve Dos Equis beer with Indian food?" William said incredulously. "Sorry, love, but that just isn't done." He opened the bottle with a flourish and began to drink. Lizzy stared at his throat as he downed a third of the bottle. "We've got some Taj Mahal in the pantry. I'll throw a couple of bottles into the fridge."

Lizzy watched him walk over to the pantry with a smile on her face. Things had gone very well between them since their 48-hour vacation. Both Lizzy and William were relaxed and completely at ease and they were determined to make it last as long as possible. Nonetheless, her smile turned to a frown.

"Say, didn't you have lunch with daddy today?"

"Yep," William said from behind the refrigerator door.

"How did it go?"

"It went very well. Richard was there."

"Richard? Why?"

"Why not?" William asked as he closed the door.

"I was under the impression daddy wanted to have that father-son talk men have before a wedding," Lizzy said with a shrug.

"That's usually between a man and his own father, Lizzy. Your dad wanted to give me our wedding gift."

"Our wedding gift? Why wasn't I invited, then?"

"You'll have to ask him that for yourself," William said as he opened a pot and inhaled the rich aroma of the curry before Lizzy took the lid from him and hip-checked him out of the way. She covered the pot and turned around.

"He wanted to give you our wedding gift and invited Richard but not me," Lizzy pouted. William pulled her into his arms and kissed it away.

"You were supposed to be in Miami today."

"So?" Lizzy replied. "Why was Richard there?"

"I believe his role was to deliver the gift," William explained. "You canceled your plans to attend that conference at the last minute and didn't tell your dad, right?" Lizzy glumly conceded the point.

"He could have waited till I got back."

"This present would have been pretty hard to hide."

"Why?" Lizzy asked, her curiosity aroused. "What is it?"

"Come, I'll show you." William took Lizzy by the hand and led her to the door.

"Wait a minute!" she cried before running back to the kitchen and turning everything off. "Okay, lead on." William took her to the elevator and down to the lobby, and then across the street to the garage where they kept their cars.

"He gave us a car?" Lizzy asked.

"He gave us this," William said when he arrived at the spot where the vehicle was parked.

"He gave us an SUV?" she squealed. "Wow!" She eagerly walked around the large vehicle. "It's an ML500!" she said delightedly.

"I know," William said in a mimicking tone.

"Aren't you the least bit excited?"

"I've already done my gushing. Besides, I prefer a different brand of excitement," he said with a wink that froze Lizzy in her tracks. She blinked for a second, smiled back, and then continued to study the pewter metallic Mercedes.

"Isn't it wonderful, William?" she said as she came around the far side of the SUV and wrapped her arms around him.

"It's a wonder he had anything left to buy this after paying for our wedding," William teased. "I'm betting your mother will be wearing an old dress on the big day."

"My mother would sell the house first," Lizzy laughed. William smiled at her, taking in the glow of her cheeks.

"Your father said that SUV's got you hot. Want to mess around in the back seat?"

"My father said nothing of the kind!"

"Only because he doesn't know that for a fact?" William challenged. "And you haven't answered my question."

"My father--. William! No!" Lizzy said as her cheeks turned red. "Let's go upstairs." William nodded vigorously and took hold of her hand. He led her back into the building, where he encountered Richard and Sarmistha in the lobby.

"Hey there," William said amiably.

"Hello, William, Lizzy," Sarmistha said.

"Hi," Lizzy said. "Where are you two lovebirds off to?"

"We're having dinner with our parents," Sarmistha replied.

"All of them?" Lizzy asked.

"All of them," Richard sighed. "Plus grandparents; I think this is the 'last supper' for us."

"Last supper," William said. "What does that mean?"

"You know, the 'you're about to experience a great mystery of life' talk that tries to put a brave face on the reality of our immediate future of sleepless nights, wailing babies and whiney moms."

"Richard!" Sarmistha pouted.

"I adore you and will continue to do so no matter how much you whine, my love. I don't need to be plied with an expensive meal to extract that sort of promise out of me."

"I'm rather looking forward to an expensive meal," Sarmistha replied. "I just hope the baby lets me enjoy it."

"You look wonderful, Sar," Lizzy said.

"Yes," William agreed as he looked down at her sari. "I suppose Indian women never outgrow their clothes," he added ingenuously. Lizzy elbowed him hard.

"William!" she gasped, but Sarmistha only laughed.

"Yes, saris are very versatile," she said diplomatically. "They hide the baby very well."

"Hell, you can hide a whole litter inside that bolt of silk," Richard said with a wink at William.

"Oh, please don't bait him," Lizzy said as she squeezed her fiancé's hand and led him toward the elevators. "He's already in a very naughty frame of mind."

"Well, in that case we won't keep you," Richard said. He wrapped an arm around Sarmistha's shoulders. "Have fun, William!"

"Oh, and I shouldn't?" Lizzy complained. Richard released his wife and walked over to her so that he could speak softly.

"Of course you should. But we both know he won't have any fun unless you do." She reached up and pulled him down so she could kiss his cheek.

"Hey!" William complained from inside the elevator. She waved at Sarmistha and ran to catch it.

"Can't wait till we get upstairs," she said as the elevator made its way to the penthouse.

"Me either," William said emphatically.

"I want to call daddy and thank him. Then I'm going to give him a piece of my mind and find out why I wasn't invited to lunch," Lizzy said impishly as she watched William's face fall. "And by then dinner will be ready."

William firmly shut his mouth, refusing to acknowledge her taunt. He unlocked the door and let Lizzy precede him into the apartment, heading for the living room. Lizzy went into the kitchen to check on the food, but she soon wandered into the living room, where she made a show of picking up the phone. William pretended to be absorbed in the crossword puzzle as she sat down beside him and leaned against his arm.

"Hello, mom, how are you?" Lizzy said in a cheerful voice. "I'm fine...of course, your gorgeous son-in-law-to-be is fine as well, and as gorgeous as ever." She glanced up at William, who shifted slightly away from her and wrote in a word. She scooted over and resumed her position noting the tiny smile on his lips. She made small talk for a few minutes, lowering her voice a little when the topic of her sister came up. Then she asked for her father. William smiled openly as Lizzy scolded Thomas.

"Daddy, how could you give William our wedding gift without me? Well, even if you thought I was away you should have waited. Why? I like having beer and oysters, too...especially when William is around." William peered down at her with a raised eyebrow. "It is not an old wives' tale. Oysters make me--. Well, get over it. William and I have sex. We have sex often." Lizzy laughed and nestled even closer to William. "Yes, I'm tormenting you! You didn't invite me to lunch! Well, what good would it do to invite me to lunch tomorrow? All right, I'll stop talking about my sex life. Yes, I love you, daddy--and the ML500 rocks!"

William slid out of his seat and ignored her huff as he went into the kitchen. He turned on the stove to reheat the curry and heat up the oil to fry the chapattis. By the time Lizzy was off the phone, William had the dinner on the table.

"Whoa!" she said when she joined him in the dining room. "If I'd talked longer I might have gotten dessert, too."

"You no longer deserve dessert," William said meaningfully as he held the chair for her. Lizzy laughed heartily at his threat.

"Oh, I'm sure you don't mean that," she purred. "You love dessert and I know you don't like to have it alone," she added, leaning forward to look him in the eye. William swallowed hard. She sat back, satisfied, and unfolded her napkin.

Two hours later, Sarmistha and Richard stepped off the elevator and walked over to their door. Richard pulled a set of keys from his pocket and started to unlock it, when he turned to look toward William and Lizzy's door.

"Do you smell something?" he asked.

"I can't smell anything," Sarmistha said. "I have to urinate so badly that the rest of my senses are currently inoperable. Richard!" she shouted when he withdrew the key and knocked on their neighbors' door. "Please?"

Hearing no response, Richard unlocked the door to William and Lizzy's place. He cautiously stepped inside.

"Wait here," he said.

"The hell I will," Sarmistha said as she pushed past him and went into the nearest bathroom. Richard went into the kitchen and opened the oven. Inside, he found a badly burned pie. He pulled the pan out of the oven and turned it off, depositing the pan in the sink. He flipped on the exhaust fan in the range hood when the smoke alarm started to go off.

"What was it?" Sarmistha asked when she returned a minute later.

"A pie," Richard said. "I wonder why--."

"I do not," his wife replied. She took him by the hand and led him to the door.

"Shouldn't we check on them?"

"No," Sarmistha said firmly. She locked the door and handed Richard the keys. "May we go into our own place now?"

"Whatever," Richard said teasingly.

"Did you hear that?" Lizzy asked.

"Richard and Sarmistha or the smoke alarm?" William said, stretching languidly. "What are they doing here?"

"Oh lord! The pie!" Lizzy sat up and reached for her robe. She scrambled out of bed and raced to the kitchen, where she found Squeaks sitting on the counter sniffing at the pie pan in the sink. "My pie!" Squeaks gave her his best "don't blame me" look. William joined her in the kitchen, tying on his own robe.

"What happened?"

"I should think that's obvious," Lizzy said exasperatedly as she began to scrape out the pan. "It's ruined!"

"Well, one out of two ain't bad," William replied. He lifted the cat into his arms, scratched his throat and left the kitchen. "Coming back to bed?" Lizzy laughed and dropped the pan and spoon back into the sink. She followed William back to bed. "This is your fault, you know," he said as he pulled off his robe and slid under the covers.

"You're the one who wanted dessert," Lizzy protested.

"Who said anything about pie?"

"All comfy?"

"Yes, habib," Sarmistha replied with a gentle smile for her husband.

"Good," he said before he slipped under the covers and reached for his book.

"You know," Sarmistha said as she scooted over to lean against his shoulder. "There used to be a time when you'd never read at this hour."

"Ten o'clock?"

"You know what I mean," she replied with a poke to his ribs. Richard wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Soon, honey, soon..."

"Soon we'll have a baby and I'll be up to my neck in diapers and doing laundry and--."

"Hey, hey, it's too late to talk your way out of this," Richard chuckled. "And you do laundry about as often as I polish my toenails."

"I do laundry!" Sarmistha protested. "I wash out Alpa's things by hand, as well as some of my more delicate lingerie."

"What does Alpa wear that requires washing?" Richard asked, dodging his wife's tickles. "And your more delicate lingerie has never been on you long enough to require washing."

"Will you still love me when I become a housewife?" she asked as she snuggled in his arms.

"You've been a housewife for almost two months now and I still adore you, Mish."

"But when I have dishpan hands--."

"Has our dishwasher gone on the fritz?"

"You're being difficult."

"You're being silly. But I love you, anyway."

"Thank goodness," she said, and closed her eyes. Richard turned his head slightly to kiss her forehead.

"Goodnight, Mish."

"Goodnight, my heart."

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