The Cold Remedy
Elizabeth pushed herself up out of the chair to make her way to the window. The ground was blanketed with another snowfall, the third in as many days. She put her fingertips against the smooth surface of the windowpane, letting the cold seep into her skin and down her arm. Tiny goosepimples popped up beneath the fabric of her sweater. It made her shiver and she pulled her hand away, letting it fall back down to her side.
It had been a very long three days. Elizabeth had been waiting for William to return from his trip. He had gone to visit his sister, Georgiana, and her husband, Jeremy, who had just had their first child; a little girl they had named Georgia Elysabeth. The baby had been named for her mother and her uncle's best friend. Elizabeth was honored. She remembered Georgiana as a small girl in pigtails. It was strange to think that the little girl she had once known was now a wife and mother.
In fact, as Elizabeth sat reflecting on her long history with the Darcy family, it was strange to realize just how entwined in their lives she was. Georgiana and William's mother, Anne, long since a widow, called Elizabeth often to check in with her. She always asked how her son really was because, they both knew, William was not one to share his mind easily. At holidays, Anne would have Elizabeth and her father, Thom, over for family celebrations. She had been the Maid of Honor at Georgiana and Jeremy's wedding. She had watched Anne's excitement increase at the approaching birth of her first grandchild.
The doorbell rang. Startled, Elizabeth jumped. She stepped back from the window, giving the backyard one last, longing look. She had a lovely backyard. In the spring her rose garden bloomed full and fragrant. The winter brought snow that clung to empty branches of cherry and oak trees. It was large, yet inviting. It was one of her favorite places in the world.
She opened the door to find him on the stoop, grinning from ear to ear, and thrusting a bouquet of daisies in her general direction.
"Will!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms about his neck and nearly crushing the flowers. She pulled away quickly as she remembered them. "What are the flowers for?"
"For the new aunt!" He declared, cheerily.
Elizabeth laughed and pulled her friend into the house.
He stood in the foyer, looking at her. She took the daisies from him, left him to put them in a vase with water and an aspirin tablet, and returned. He was still wearing his coat.
"What?" She asked. "Do I have to remove your coat for you like you're a guest or something?"
"Put your coat on. I have a surprise for you."
"Have you forgotten the reason I haven't seen Georgia yet?"
"It was a trifling little cold. People don't die of colds, Elizabeth. Anyway, you seem better now. Come on."
Narrowing her eyes, she examined him. He didn't look any different, except for that twinkle in his eye that she assumed was pride for his new niece. His curly brown hair was ruffled from the wind outside, his cheeks had been reddened by that same wind, but other than that he was still the same William Darcy that Elizabeth had known since just before her eleventh birthday.
"Fine," she muttered, taking a quick step to the closet to retrieve her coat. He took it from her and helped her into it. When she was buttoned up, scarved, and gloved, he opened the door and let her out. She took slow, careful steps over the snow and ice to get to William's Jeep. She glanced at him once they were inside.
"Where are we going?" She asked.
"It's a surprise, Elizabeth. Be patient." He gave her another smile. His eyes were bright.
He started the Jeep and it slipped away from the curb. They passed several places that they both knew well; the movie theatre where Elizabeth had her first date, the restaurant where William had his first job. They had grown up together and knew nearly everything there was to know about one another. She was the only person on earth who knew that he'd almost dropped out of University to sail around the world with his then-girlfriend, Amanda. It had been right after his father died when he had wanted nothing more than to escape everything he knew.
Now he marveled at the way she had quietly discouraged him from going. She never directly told him not leave. Instead she had soothed him, cried with him, and told him what he wanted to hear, but, in the back of his mind, he always heard the disapproval in her voice. She would allow him to do what he thought he needed to do, but she would not have to like it. It was one of her many talents.
"Close your eyes. We're almost there." His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Will, what's going on?" She asked.
"Patience, Elizabeth."
"You haven't called me that ever, William. Why the sudden name-change?"
He chuckled and it infuriated her. She snorted in disgust.
"Close your eyes."
Elizabeth did as she was told against her better judgment. William had never done anything dishonorable in his life. She trusted him. And, though Elizabeth hated surprises and he knew it, she would play along with his game because it was important to him. Therefore, it was important to her. She felt the Jeep stop.
"Stay here."
He got out of the vehicle without a word. A few moments later her door opened, cold air flooding over her like water. She gasped. His hand covered hers and pulled her out of the Jeep. She squeezed her eyes tighter. The air seemed to have gotten colder in the few minutes since they'd left her house. Slowly, gently, William led her through the icy powder. They walked up a hill, making a slowly, steady progress as they gained purchase. Then, with a small tug, he let her know it was time to stop.
She sensed him as he leaned close to her ear. When he spoke his warm breath caressed her ear, her cheek. It sent a shiver through her body. "Open your eyes, Lizzy."
Her brown eyes fluttered open to take in a world that should have only belonged inside a glass globe with tiny tinkering music. Snow had begun to fall again, but what she was looking at was the accumulation of three days that had been untouched. It was a forgotten workpit where they had shared adventures as youngsters. But now it wasn't a place of clay and sand piles and scarred earth.
The snow had made it new and shiny and bright. The sand piles had become gentle, rolling hills that dotted the landscape like towers of ivory. The pits where clay had been dug were dimples of powdery ice that begged to be sled in. The entire place looked as though it was untouched by man.
"Beautiful," she whispered.
"Like you," he replied.
Elizabeth gave him a strange look then a grin spread over her face. She plopped down into the snow and promptly rolled down the small hill. Snow flew up in protest of her violent descent, but allowed her to make way. She landed in a heap at the bottom. Her laughter floated up to him like shining, slivery music.
"Are you chicken, Darcy?" The challenge pricked at his pride. He responded with an immediate dive roll and landed next to her a while later no worse for wear.
She was waiting, armed with a snowball, which was nothing more that a handful of snow. This snow wasn't wet enough to be good snowball material. Before he could retaliate, Elizabeth was on her feet and barreling toward an icy hill.
"I'm Queen of the Hill!" She called.
He chased after her, but she was smaller and quicker and made it to the top before he could get a decent foothold. She gloated from her perch above and was shocked when he appeared in an attempt to dethrone her. In her surprise, they both lost their footing and went tumbling down the gentle slope.
"Thanks for breaking my fall, Will. That could have really hurt if your knee hadn't hit my stomach when it did," she deadpanned, using his chest to push her body up.
He caught her hand before she could stand. He sat up, staring at her. They sat on the covered ground with the new snow falling around them. She broke the gaze between them to take in their surroundings again.
"I feel like I'm in a snowglobe," she whispered.
"I feel like I'm in love," he said just as quietly.
Even through the murmur of the snowflakes brushing the ground, Elizabeth heard him. She looked at him quickly.
"What did you say?"
"Oh, Lizzy," he muttered. "I just told you I love you and you have to act shocked."
Elizabeth looked down sheepishly. She bit her lip, trying to contain a smile. She knew in her heart that this moment had been bound to happen. There was a reason why neither of them dated anybody for very long and a reason why she always had a bitter taste in her mouth when she saw him with another woman. She knew there it was more than friendship that had made her so desperate for him to come back today.
"I'm not shocked. There's always been a part of me that has known," she added. "So you shouldn't be surprised that I love you."
He grinned, his dark eyes lit by something inside him that had suddenly flared to life knowing that she was his. He reached into his pocket and produced a red velvet box.
"Will-"
He cut her off with a kiss. A kiss much different than the one they had shared at twelve years old. They had shared the experience of their first kiss; awkward and bad. But it was obvious to both now that somewhere, somehow they had had practice. Their lips pressed together firmly, generating enough heat to melt Elizabeth in her coat.
"Lizzy," he began when he pulled away. "I have been in love with you since I can remember. There hasn't been a moment in my life where my heart hasn't ached for you, where my arms haven't wanted to hold you, where I haven't dreaded parting from you. No person on this earth, Lizzy, knows me the way you do. No woman has made me feel what you make me feel. Do you know what you do to me when you laugh, when you cry, when you look at me sternly like you're doing right now? You make me love you more.
"We've both avoided this because we didn't want to ruin our friendship, but we both know that is an awful excuse. This love was born of friendship and it can only get stronger."
Her cheeks colored a brilliant red. A single tear trailed over her cheek.
"I have known for years that you were the only woman I would ever want to marry. Mother and Georgie finally told me to shit or get off the pot during this last visit. Mother told me that I've waited too long as it were and I would be a fool if I didn't snatch you up."
"You're a fool anyway, Will," she teased.
He opened the box. Inside was a delicate platinum band set with a princess cut garnet. It was very old.
"I found this in an antique shop. I knew was for you the moment I saw it. You aren't a diamond girl."
Elizabeth smiled, nodding her head. He was right. She hated diamonds.
"The man in the shop told me that this ring belong to a woman whose husband bought it for her as an engagement ring because he thought diamonds were cold and unfeeling. The garnet represented the passion that he felt for the woman he loved."
Her breath caught in her throat. She smiled at him.
"Marry me." It was a demand, not a question.
What could she do, but willingly oblige. "Who am I to argue with that?"
He scoffed. "I thought that was what you lived to do."
"Forget about that now! In a case such as this, a good memory is unpardonable."
"Then you'll have me?"
"Yes. For the rest of my life. Yes."
They sealed the bargain with another kiss while the snow gave its hushed congratulations all around them.