This is a story that begins in 1964. A lot of it is a tribute to the
fond memories I have of growing up in the 60's and my lifelong
fascination with the Beatles. Of course, it involves our favorite
couple, and I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoy writing it. It
is rated PG-13. (sorry about the non existing italics, it's a
real pain!) I hope to post the next chapter later this week. A
special thanks to my truly fabulous beta, Grace, who is the best!

Thanks,

Julie



Chapter 1


Rock n' roll music blasted through the school's tinny PA
system, while couples on the polished dance floor feverishly twisted
and gyrated to the rhythms of the drums and the riffs of the electric
guitars. Some of the more outlandish dancers fancied themselves
better than the rest, worthy even of "American Bandstand."
Others prided themselves on superiority based on their current level
of education and social background. Finally, there were the many
that didn't care about either of these things. They were there
to have fun and enjoy themselves on a Friday night through friendly
dancing and making new acquaintances.

Elizabeth Bennet was enjoying her first social mixer. Her older
sister, Jane, was a sophomore at Longbourn College, a small private
girls' liberal arts school. Jane had attended a few of these
socials before. She invited her sister, Elizabeth, who was almost 18
and a senior in high school, to come with her this time as a treat.
Their family lived nearby in the town of Meryton and Elizabeth was
going to spend the night with Jane on campus in her dormitory.
Mixers allowed students of the numerous small colleges in the area to
meet other college students, particularly of the opposite sex. One
of the more notable schools drafted for this particular mixer was the
nearby Ivy League school, Princeton University. Princeton was known
to be one of the most prestigious universities in the country, but
more importantly it was also known to attract the kind of rich,
smart, handsome men that the girls of Longbourn strived to meet. It
also had its share of ne'er do well playboys, who were only too
happy to meet the eager coeds.

Standing beside each other against a wall, the two sisters sipped
their Cokes and soaked up the lively atmosphere of the mixer. Jane,
a consummate beauty, was the essence of simplicity and elegance with
her long, naturally blonde hair worn in a flip style. She wore just
a hint of pink lipstick and black mascara, accentuating the color of
her sky blue eyes. Wearing a gift brought back from Bermuda by her
family's dear friends, the Gardiners, she was dressed in a plaid
skirt and matching pink cashmere sweater set. Completing the outfit,
was the pearl necklace she received as a high school graduation
present. Her sister, Elizabeth, was almost a complete opposite. Her
wavy, long chestnut colored hair was worn sweetly tied back with a
trailing white ribbon. Large, blue eyes framed with thick dark
lashes made her eyes all the more distinctive. Petite compared to
Jane, Elizabeth wore her favorite red cotton dress; its long sleeves
and Peter Pan collar were simple, but outlined her girlish figure
nicely.

Lizzy, as she was affectionately known as by her friends and family,
tended to find the humor in and about everything around her. Her
eyes traveled over the cavernous room, taking in the exuberant
dancing of the young couples on the floor, and she laughed to herself
as she thought how ridiculous some of them looked, especially the
young men. 'I wouldn't be caught dead dancing with one of
them!' she thought and then smiled inwardly. 'Unless, perhaps, he was
handsome enough to tempt me.' She laughed again to herself,
reminded of a particular passage in a book she had read recently for
her English Literature class.

On the opposite side of the room, a tall, handsome, yet sullen
looking young man was standing up against the wall, wishing he were
anywhere but here. Mixers like this were not to his liking. He felt
uncomfortable dancing with people he didn't know, and even more
awkward striking up mindless conversations with giddy schoolgirls who
were looking for their MRS degrees. MRS was a pseudonym given to the
women who wanted nothing more than to meet a man in college and marry
him quickly and have babies. Now he, Will Darcy, was stuck because
his friend, Charles Bingley, talked him into driving over here
tonight. Charles' sister, Caroline, a junior at Longbourn
College, talked her brother into coming to the mixer with his
friend. Will tried his best to avoid the unmistakable looks from the
young women who were making it obvious they wished he would ask them
to dance. 'At a mixer like this?' he thought, 'Never! Who ever
heard of this small school, anyway? I wish I were in my room back at
Princeton!' He turned his back to the dance floor, feigning
interest in the old, moldy portraits on the wall behind him. 'Most
likely the revered likenesses of many a spinster headmistress of this
worthy institution,' he thought as he rolled his eyes
sarcastically.

"Darcy, you must come and dance," said his friend Charles,
approaching him out of breath from dancing. "Isn't this
music sensational?" Charles enthused, "I love this new sound
that's come over from Britain. What's their name, the
Be– the Beats– oh, something like that."

"Bingley, you know I don't feel comfortable dancing to this
kind of music --" Darcy began to say.

"But you never try!" Charles cut him off. "How will you
ever get comfortable if you don't give it a chance? Come on,
Will, grab a girl and get out on the floor!"

"No, Bingley," Darcy began to say, "I really don't want--" but he
stopped mid-sentence when his eyes were arrested by the sight of a
lovely girl standing directly across the room from him in a simple
dark red dress with a white bow in her long dark hair. Even with the
width of the room between them he could tell she had rather large
eyes and a wide expressive mouth. Something about her sparkled,
drawing him in like a siren's song. He drew in his breath, his
heart pounding. Hypnotized, he found himself crossing the room,
making his way over to her. As he drew closer, he noticed her foot
tapping to the beat of the new song blaring from the PA system, and
the thoughtful look on her face. He had a sudden incredible urge to
dance.

Lizzy had just finished her soda and set the empty Coke bottle down
on a table behind her. She carefully made her way over to the edge
of the dance floor, trying not to bump into anyone in the crush.
Jane had been asked to dance earlier by a nice looking young man and
Lizzy tried to find her on the crowded dance floor. It wasn't
easy in the dim light, but she thought she caught a glimpse of Jane
just as the opening notes were starting on a fresh song,

One, two, three, four!

The beat was almost irresistible. 'Hmmm, this sound likes a good
song,' Lizzy thought as she started tapping her foot. She thought
wistfully how nice it would be to have a dance partner. On cue, she
looked up and one of the cutest guys she had seen in her entire life
was coming straight toward her! He was tall and lean with unruly
dark brown curls on his head. He looked aristocratic. Under a
straight nose was a chiseled chin and sensual mouth with lips that,
in Lizzy's opinion, just begged to be kissed. He was
conservatively dressed in a striped silk tie, white button down
shirt, and herringbone sports coat. It seemed as if his dark brown
eyes were boring right into hers, never leaving her face as he drew
nearer. Fighting the impulse to turn around and see if he was looking
at someone behind her, she stood her ground and waited. He stopped
before her and reached out his hand.

"Will you dance with me?" he asked softly.

He was older and more distinguished than anyone she had ever danced
with before. Yet, at the same time, he had an endearing, boyish
look on his face as he asked her. Unable to speak, she nodded and
took his hand. She felt a sudden jolt at his touch and then a
flutter in her stomach. His wide, broad smile lit up his face as he
led her to the dance floor, showing off dimples that suddenly made
her feel weak in the knees.

Darcy was not exactly sure what he was doing. All he knew was that
he was dancing with the sweet, beautiful creature in front of him.
Never in his life had he felt so free and adventurous. Euphoria
washed over him, and he found the song exhilarating as they danced to
its lively beat. Without speaking, their eyes met and never wavered
as the words of the song cried out:

Well, she was just 17,
You know what I mean,
And the way she looked
Was way beyond compare.

Lizzy couldn't help grinning at him as they danced, 'Who is
this gorgeous guy? He's so big and tall -- and those shoulders!'
She couldn't take her eyes off of him as they twisted and turned,
relishing the song.

So how could I dance with another
Oh when I saw her standing there.

Darcy just kept moving to the beat of the music, oblivious to his own
limbs. He had never danced so wildly in his life. His legs had a
mind of their own; he didn't even have to think. What kind of
power did this girl have over him?

Well, my heart went "boom,"
When I crossed that room,
And I held her hand in mine...

They danced together through the song, unaware that they had spoken
not a single word to each other after Will asked her to dance. They
seemed to be under a spell. The song made them tingle; it was
magical for both of them.

Oh we danced through the night,
And we held each other tight,
And before too long
I fell in love with her
Now I'll never dance with another
Oh, when I saw her standing there

They kept up the fast pace of the dance, each matching the
other's moves, enjoying the thrill of the moment. His eyes fixed
on the white ribbon that flew around her wildly as she swung her head
back and forth. It was coming loose, so he reached out and grabbed
it just before it fell to the floor. She looked at him
questioningly, but he simply smiled and pocketed the ribbon for safe
keeping until the end of their song. 'I hope this never ends.'
Darcy thought.

Lizzy was also hoping it would never end. She looked down at their
feet, 'I wonder what will happen when it's over? I don't
even know who he is.' Suddenly she was feeling anxious. 'Will he try
to kiss me?' That butterfly feeling in her stomach returned at the
thought. She chewed her bottom lip absentmindedly as she dared to
look up in his eyes again, hoping to see what he was thinking. The
thought of kissing him was exhilarating and scary at the same time.

At that moment the final notes of the song rang out, bringing their
dance to an end. Lizzy came out of her reverie and their dancing
slowed as the music stopped. Darcy took her hands in his and smiled
down at her, breathing heavily from the exertion of the past three
minutes.

"Would you like a drink? I'm parched." He asked.

"Yes, I'd love one." She said gratefully, glad that he
broke the silence.

He guided her over to the refreshments and grabbed a cold bottle of
Coke from a cooler of ice, "Is this OK?" She nodded and he
popped the cap off and handed it to her. "I hope you don't
mind a bottle?"

"This is fine, I don't mind." She said, suddenly feeling
shy. Darcy grabbed and opened his own bottle and they drank the cold
fiery liquid in silence.

Abruptly he asked, "What's your name?" He'd been dying to ask this
the whole time they'd been dancing.

"Elizabeth. How about you?"

"Will." He looked at her intently as he answered. He observed
little things he hadn't noticed before: how shiny her loose hair
was! The freckles on her nose! She wasn't very tall, barely
coming up to his shoulders; and the hands wrapped around her Coke
bottle were so small. All at once she seemed very young.

Lizzy began to feel uncomfortable and realized she was freely
perspiring from the vigorous dance. She wanted to go to the
ladies' room and splash some water on the back of her neck and
face.

"Would you excuse me? I just have to go powder my nose. I'll
be right back, I promise." She said with a big smile.

"Of course," her smile was reflected by his own,"I'll be waiting for
you right here."

Lizzy went off to the ladies' lounge, leaving Darcy at the
refreshment table watching her progress. She made her way inside and
splashed some water on her cheeks and neck, grabbed a paper towel and
gently blotted her face dry in front of the mirror. She brushed her
hair to make sure it was neat, and then remembered that her ribbon
had fallen out and Will had kept it for her. She was smiling at her
reflection, thinking dreamily of Will, when all of a sudden a loud,
grating voice interrupted her thoughts,

"I don't know who you think you are, missy, but I hope you
don't think anything is going to come of your dancing with Will
Darcy"

Elizabeth focused sharply behind her reflection in the mirror and saw
a tall, sharp-looking young woman looking intently at her.
Everything about her was angular. She had very black hair in a
stylish bouffant hairdo, and her eyes were huge with heavy black
eyeliner and false eyelashes. Her bright orange sleeveless dress
matched the orange bow in her hair. Her sticklike arms brought a
cigarette up to orange lips that took a deep drag. She narrowed her
eyes at Elizabeth as she inhaled and then exhaled the smoke in
Elizabeth's face.

Lizzy had never seen anyone dressed so outlandishly, nor anyone who
was so rude! Was this person talking to her? Surely there was some
mistake.

"I beg your pardon, were you talking to me?" Lizzie said,
trying to sound confident.

"Yes, I'm talking to you." The woman said, poking her in
the chest. Lizzy took a step away from her.

"What do you want?"

"If you know what's good for you, stay away from Will Darcy.
He's mine." Looking Lizzy up and down she added sneeringly,
"You're not his type, anyway."

Confused, Lizzy asked "Who is Will Darcy? I don't even know
what you're talking about."

"Just who do you think you've been dancing with?" the
woman asked.

Then Lizzy realized. 'Will. He said his name was Will.' He
must be whom this weird person in orange was talking about. Lizzy
couldn't believe that this horrid woman was the type of person
Will would go out with. She looked at her and said,

"What of it? If he's yours, then you don't have anything
to worry about."

The woman seemed a little put off by this comment, but carried
on, "Well, that's true, but sometimes, men have needs..."
She said vaguely, "There's only one thing he would want from
a girl like <I>you</I>."

Elizabeth was starting to get a little angry at this vulture
accosting her. 'What does she mean by a girl like me?'

"And just what type of girl am I?" Elizabeth said, her
courage rising, head held high.

Orange woman gave her a condescending look, raised an eyebrow and
smirked. "What does every man want? He knows I'm saving
myself for our wedding night," she said as she smugly admired her
long, polished fingernails. "Naturally he'll look elsewhere to get
his kicks before then." Elizabeth saw the look of triumph on the
woman's face as her petty dig hit home.

Elizabeth was humiliated and embarrassed. 'Was that all it was?'
She kept her anger inside, not wanting this awful woman to see
that her remarks had any effect. She had to find Jane and get out of
there. All she wanted to do was to get away from this witch and
forget all about Will's soulful brown eyes. 'He's engaged
to her?' she thought disgustedly, 'Thank God, I didn't kiss him
or anything. What a jerk!' Lizzy shook her head as she bolted from
the Ladies' Lounge. 'And he seemed so nice,' she thought
forlornly.

Her only goal was to find Jane and get out of there. She made her
way to the dance floor, looking for her sister. There was a loud,
booming song on the PA and everyone was dancing. The floor was so
crowded that it was nearly impossible to find Jane. She was scanning
the crowd when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder and a voice in
her ear,

"Hey, there you are, I was looking for you." She turned and
there was Will, smiling down at her, his eyes warm and friendly.

Elizabeth looked up at him with a disgusted air.

"What's wrong?" he said immediately, a look of concern on
his face. "What happened, Elizabeth?"

"Just stay away from me!" Visibly upset, she turned and ran
off into the crowd, leaving him standing alone on the edge of the
dance floor. Dazed, his eyes followed her, and he saw her grab the
shoulders of a blonde girl as they exchanged words. Both girls
quickly left.

"What <I>happened?</I>" Will said out loud. He was amazed
and confused. He couldn't believe that everything had gone so
well and then all of a sudden, she told him to stay away from
her! 'I thought something special had happened between us.' He'd
been looking forward to getting to know her better and dancing
together for the rest of the night. He could only wonder what
he'd done to scare her off. He walked back dejectedly to the same
wall where he'd stood earlier, and tried to remember every detail of
their engaging, yet brief dance together. "Elizabeth." He said out
loud. He immediately remembered something and reaching into his
right pocket he felt the softness of her white ribbon between his
fingers. He pulled it out and held it before his eyes, studying it.

Now I'll never dance with another
Oh, when I saw her standing there
Oh, since I saw her standing there
Yeah, well since I saw her standing there*


*The Beatles, "I Saw Her Standing There" - performed by The
Beatles, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. © 1963
Northern Songs. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.

Chapter 2



"Charles, you know I don't dance." Will said to his best friend.

"Yes, except for that one time -- " Charles was cut off by his bad-
tempered friend.

"I don't want to discuss it. That subject is off limits." Charles
nodded, giving in easily to Will's dismissal. It all started last
year after "The incident," as Charles privately thought of it. He
knew something happened to his dearest friend at a mixer at his
sister's school, Longbourn College, but Will refused to discuss it.
Charles suspected it had something to do with a girl that Will liked -
-- a girl who wore a white ribbon. Charles had seen Will on numerous
occasions secretly fondle a long, satin-finished white ribbon that
looked just long enough for a girl to wear in her hair. Charles
noticed the covert way Will would take it out of his pocket when he
thought no one could see. He never let on that he knew about either
the ribbon or Will's fixation with it.

Despite Will's dislike for the activity, they found themselves at
another dance. This one was hosted by Princeton University. Ivy,
their undergraduate eating club, was hosting, and Charles and Will
were there stag; both were "unattached and liking it that way, thank
you very much". Charles had extended an invitation to his sister,
Caroline who was ecstatic, and made no bones about it. She remained
intent on linking her name with Will's someday. Charles didn't have
the heart to tell her it would never happen. He was convinced that
Will's heart was already lost -- to someone else. Just who that
person was, he didn't know, but he suspected she went to the same
school as Caroline. He knew better than to bring up the subject with
her, she would never help him find out. When it came to Will Darcy,
Caroline was a heat seeking missile, and Will was her target. He
promised Will earlier in the evening that he'd somehow try to keep
her occupied, so that she wouldn't be all over him for the duration
of the dance.

"Here she comes again." Will said through his teeth.

"I'm sorry Will. I thought I got rid of her with that Sidney chap,
you know the funny one, who's always joking and has the brother that
talks about their shore house all the time?"

"Right." Will braced himself for the onslaught.

"William!" Caroline came sauntering up to them, saying Will's name in
a sing song voice. She ignored the pointed look her brother gave her
and latched onto Will's arm.

"Will, you simply <I>must</I> dance with me!" her bony fingers
grasped his arm even tighter, as she looked up into his eyes and
batted her long, fake, eyelashes. William, repressing a shudder,
looked down at her and found himself doing a double take.
Her `eyelashes' were coming loose from one eye, precariously `waving'
at him as she blinked rapidly. "Umm, Charles…ehm…perhaps you
could…?" Will shot her brother a beseeching look, only to find
Charles looking the other way. "Charles," he called. He cleared his
throat. Still nothing. Finally he gave up trying to get Charles'
attention politely and gave him a strong nudge in the ribs with his
elbow. Charles, lost in thought, was tapping his foot to the music
and watching a pretty blonde out on the dance floor. Will's nudge
got his attention. He glanced over at them with a look of annoyance
on his face. Will motioned with his eyes towards Caroline, who was
still obliviously smiling up at him with her "rapid lashes." Charles
followed the direction of Will's eyes, and let out a derisive snort.

"Caroline," he began, while trying not to laugh, "I think, perhaps,
you should go powder your nose" She smirked and gave him a look that
said he was crazy.

"Silly Charles, since when do you care about that sort of thing?" She
turned back to Will and fluttered her eyes up at him again and then
stopped suddenly. It was obvious from the frozen look on her face
that she was now aware of the "eyelash problem." She let out a gasp
and with a look of horror quickly put her hand over her eye and
excused herself with her head bowed. An orange blur rushed off to
the ladies room. Charles couldn't help chuckling, patting Will on
the back.

"You're in luck Will! That should keep her off of your back for at
least a few minutes."

Will smiled, shaking his head. Yes, the look on Caroline's face had
been priceless.

A moment later, after making sure Will was all right on his own,
Charles made a beeline for the dance floor in search of the
attractive blonde he had been admiring. Absentmindedly he adjusted
his silk tie, squared his shoulders and scanned the floor, but didn't
find her. Next, he went over to the refreshment table. He knew that
she was wearing a pink sweater with a pearl necklace and a whitish
looking skirt -- he was appreciative of its length, which was just
short enough to show off a pair of shapely legs. Just as he was
about to give up and return to Will, he heard a quiet "Oh no!" and a
small clatter on the floor in front of him. He looked down and saw a
small compact mirror that had fallen to the floor. He bent and
picked it up. When he looked to see to whom it belonged his eyes were
directly level with a pair of well-formed legs in sheer stockings.
Moving his eyes upwards, he saw a whitish skirt and a fuzzy pink wool
sweater above the legs. A slow grin appeared on his face as he
looked up into the angelic eyes of the owner of the mirror.

"I believe this is yours?" he said charmingly as he smoothly stood
up, now face to face with his beautiful blonde quarry. He flashed
her a dazzling smile.

"Y-yes, thank you." Obviously embarrassed, she lowered her eyes as he
handed it back to her.

"I hope it's not broken." He said. She opened the compact and looked
at the mirror. It was unbroken. She quickly looked back up at him,
a big smile lighting up her face.

"No, it's fine." She was visibly relieved.

"Good, I'm glad. Someone as beautiful as you should never own a
cracked mirror." She blushed and again cast her eyes down demurely at
his blatant compliment.

"How about a dance?" he said. Not taking no for an answer, he took
her elbow and started moving her towards the dance floor. She looked
a little flustered at his boldness but nodded and let him take the
lead. A new song was starting, something slow and romantic.

Charles took the beauty in his arms and the words of the song floated
over them as they began to dance.

If I fell in love with you
Would you promise to be true?
And help me understand
`Cause I've been in love before
And I've found that love was more
Than just holding hands

They looked into each other's eyes, locked into the moment. `She is
an angel.' He thought.

Jane Bennet never expected to fall in love that night, but she did.
She smiled dreamily up at him, thinking his were the bluest eyes she
had ever seen. His wavy golden hair was a little long, but she liked
the way it looked on him, as if he should be surfing in California.
She admired the cut and softness of the navy wool sports coat that
hinted of the athletic physique beneath. <I>Very elegant.</I> He
was one of the handsomest men she had ever danced with. <I>Yes,
definitely.</I> She smiled inwardly, as he held her a little
closer. Her stomach did a flip, and she felt like giggling. He
<I>was</I> the handsomest man she had ever danced with.

If I give my heart to you
I must be sure
From the very start
That you
Will love me more than her

Charles Bingley was smitten again. He'd had his share of girlfriends
in the past. A few had broken his heart. He had probably broken a
few himself. He was forever falling in and out of love. His last
break up had been just the previous month -- a summer romance that
ended with Labor Day weekend. `Would this time be different?' He
wondered.

As they danced slowly, he paid no attention to the words of the song,
but he thought the melody was lovely. He couldn't take his eyes off
her. She had model good looks with flawless skin, a small, straight
nose, and smooth, even lips washed with a hint of pink. Her light
eyes complimented the paleness of her skin, and her blonde hair
framed her face becomingly, soft bangs brushed over her forehead,
just skimming her brows. This was special. He could feel it. He
pulled her closer to him, her head dropping to rest upon his
shoulder. He breathed in the clean scent of her hair, and spoke into
her ear.

"What's your name?" he asked.

Jane's spine tingled as his words tickled her ear.

"Jane Bennet." She pulled back to see his face, "What's your name?"

"Charles. Charles Bingley."

She giggled, "Is that like Bond, James Bond?" she asked,
provocatively raising one eyebrow.

Charles laughed back, "Anything you want, baby." He grinned down at
her, twirling her around in one big sweep, never taking his eyes off
the luminous blue eyes shining up at him. She threw her head back
and laughed aloud. Some other couples looked over in their direction
but he didn't care. It was music to his ears.

So I hope you'll see that I
Would love to love you
And that she will cry
When she learns we are two
If I fell in love with you*

After that dance, they continued dancing together for the next
several songs. Charles was captivated, unwilling to let her go, and
Jane felt that she was being swept off her feet. They immediately
clicked and found they had a lot of the same likes and dislikes.
They both liked the Beatles, and didn't really like the Rolling
Stones.

"My youngest sister, Lydia, is a Beatlemaniac." Said Jane. "She's the
<I>real</I> Beatles lover in the family. She's madly in love with
Paul McCartney."

Charles smiled in understanding. "How many are there of you?" he
asked.

"Five girls, can you believe it?" she said, smirking. "Our poor
father is hoping we all elope!" She immediately blushed, not
believing she actually said that.

"I have two sisters myself. One is married, and the other is not.
In fact, one of them is here tonight. She goes to Longbourn College."

"Really? My sister, Lizzy and I both go there too! Who is your
sister, what year is she?" Jane asked, surprised.

Charles hated to admit who his sister was; he suspected they didn't
frequent the same circles. He could just tell by looking at Jane
that she and Caroline were not the same type. Whereas Jane was
classic, beautiful in her simplicity and grace, he couldn't say the
same about his sister, Caroline. Caroline was, he feared, the three
G's: gauche, gaudy and greedy.

"Umm…" he hesitated, "Caroline Bingley, do you know her?" he said
nearly wincing.

Jane didn't hesitate, "Oh, of course! Caroline, yes I know who she
is. I don't really know her very well, but she seems very nice."
Jane appeared to think for a moment, "She's a senior, isn't she?"

"Yes." Charles smiled, genuinely pleased that Jane didn't seem to
mind that Caroline was his sister, after all. "Yes, she is supposed
to graduate this spring." She nodded encouragingly, "What about you
and your sister?" he ventured.

"I'm in my third year, and Lizzy is a freshman." She smiled, thinking
how glad she was that Lizzy decided to join her at Longbourn. "She's
here with me tonight" Jane said looking around, "somewhere." A look
of worry came over her features at the realization, "Oh my goodness!
I hope she's O.K." Jane bit her bottom lip, "I completely forgot
about her!"

Charles noticed her worry, "Do you want to look for her? I'll help
you!" she looked up at him gratefully.

"Thanks," she said with a big smile, "that would be great!" She
described her to him and they began to look around for Lizzy. They
found her right away, observing the dancers with an amused look on
her face, arms folded, tapping her foot to the music.

"Lizzy! I'm so sorry, I've completely ignored you!" Jane exclaimed
as they rushed up to her. Jane looked over at Charles and then to her
sister, "Can you forgive me?"

Lizzy looked at Jane warmly, "Of course, silly! I've been watching
the two of you quite a long time." Lizzy turned to look at
Charles. "So, are you going to introduce me to your new friend?"

"Oh of course, where are my manners!" Jane exclaimed
embarrassed, "Lizzy, this is Charles Bingley. Charles, this is my
sister, Elizabeth Bennet." And then she added fondly, "But we all
call her Lizzy."

"Very pleased to meet you, Elizabeth Bennet." Taking her hand, "May I
call you Lizzy?" asked Charles gallantly.

"Yes, of course, I'd like that." Lizzy replied. She was happy for
Jane. This new fellow she had been dancing with seemed very nice and
pleasant --- and not too bad to look at either. The threesome talked
a little while longer. Charles was asking Lizzy how she liked college
life so far when he was hit by a sudden thought.

"You know, I have a friend here that you would probably like to meet."

"Oh, who's that?" Jane asked, smiling curiously. She'd love for
Lizzy to meet someone nice. It was high time her sister got over the
boy she met last year when she visited Jane at Longbourn. Lizzy had
been so perturbed that Jane was afraid that it would dissuade Lizzy
from choosing Longbourn.

"Let me get him and bring him back." Charles eyes lit up at the
thought of finally getting Will to meet someone new. Maybe Lizzy
would be just what he needed to get him over the "ribbon girl." Jane
and Lizzy nodded in assent, and Charles left them to find Will.

Charles made his way to where he had last seen Will in a sunroom off
the back of the house, and found him talking to Collins, a newer
member of the Ivy Club. Collins was a stooped, geeky sophomore
proudly attired in the orange and black striped tie, preening in the
fact that he was a member of one of the oldest eating clubs at
Princeton. Will's demeanor said that he wished he were anywhere but
talking to Bill Collins.

Collins was droning on about the controversy regarding the "bickering
system" that was used by students to get into eating clubs at
Princeton. With no Greek system, Princeton's eating clubs were
similar to fraternities in some respects. Only underclassmen could
join a club, the main privilege being able to eat one's meals there.
Most of the club's houses were stunning mansions that lined Prospect
Avenue, a charming, tree-lined street, only one block away from
Princeton's main campus. The club's officers were the only students
actually allowed to live in these mansions. Bickering was similar to
rushing a fraternity and many underclassmen considered the practice
unfair.

Will nodded at Collins, only half listening. A President of Ivy,
William had some interest in the complaints. However, since his
graduation the previous year he was no longer a member of the club
and could only listen as an impartial judge and alumna. As Charles
approached Will breathed a sigh of relief.

"Er, Will, can you come with me? I want you to meet someone."
Charles gave Will an imperceptible wink and nod of the head
indicating he should ditch Collins.

"Sorry Collins, I've got to go." Will said quickly as he rose.
Collins pushed his glasses further up on his nose, and barely got out
a word of regret before Will was gone with Charles.

"Thanks, I've been dying to get away from him for the past half
hour." Will breathed a grateful sigh of relief as they made their
getaway. "He must use an entire tube of Brylcreme on that head of
his." Will grimaced, wiping his hands with his handkerchief,
unconsciously trying to wipe away the image of Bill Collins' greasy
hair. As Will put the handkerchief away in the breast pocket of his
gray herringbone jacket, Charles laughed.

"Well, you'll thank me even more, when you see what I'm introducing
you to." The cheerful Charles spoke with an air of mystery that
activated William's antennae.

"Hold on. You're not trying to set me up with someone are you?" his
eyes narrowed as he stopped and surveyed Charles.

"Will, I met an angel!" Charles gushed. "I've been dancing with her
for the past hour; I'm in heaven <I>and</I> she has a younger
sister." his brows raised significantly as he said this, "She's
<I>very</I> pretty as well. You have to meet her!"

"Oh, no, Charles. Not this again. I have no desire to be your wing
man!" Will wouldn't budge, flatly refusing to go any farther into the
room. He adjusted the shirtsleeves under his jacket as he spoke to
Charles in his haughtiest of tones. "I refuse to spend the rest of
the evening tied down to the undoubtedly <I>giggly</I> little sister
of your <I>angel,</I> who probably has a face full of acne and an
overactive appetite." Will's sarcasm was in full throttle. "Sorry,
Charles, you're on your own this time. I wouldn't be caught dead
standing <I>next</I> to her, much less <I>talking</I> to her."

Charles's eyes widened he gulped, turning red with embarrassment.
Jane and her sister, Lizzy were standing right behind Will. They had
obviously heard the entire, shameful tirade. Jane's expression was
one of hurt and confusion, but Lizzy was absolutely furious, eyes
blazing!

Noticing Charles's discomfort, Will turned, looking over his shoulder
to see what Charles was looking at. He was hit with the shock of his
life. <I> Elizabeth!</I> A feeling of intense joy swept through his
body. <I> She's here!</I> Then, he saw the look in her eyes, and his
heart stopped. <I>And she hates me.</I>



<I>*If I Fell – performed by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and
Paul McCartney © 1964 Northern Songs. All Rights Reserved.
International Copyright Secured.</I>

Chapter 3


<I>She hates me.</I>

Will was thunderstruck. It was eight long months since he last saw
her. The girl – the memory of whom he'd unaccountably treasured. He
had whiled away countless hours daydreaming, staring at her ribbon.
He kept it with him always, the only memento of that magical dance.
He spent his nights fantasizing of the moment he would see her
again. Many a scenario he had built up in his mind of meeting his
dream girl again. Each vision always ended the same way: he held her
in his arms, gazing deeply into her fine eyes before kissing her
sweet lips. <I>Here she is!</I> Never had he imagined their reunion
to be like <I>this!</I>

To Will's horror, her lovely eyes were stormy and throwing daggers at
him. Her mouth was set in a straight line, her hands on her hips.
Her posture left no doubt that she had heard everything he said.
Overwhelmed by the unexpected surprise and confusion of seeing her,
he looked over at Charles for confirmation. <I>Was this really
happening?</I> He then followed Charles's shocked eyes and noticed
the girl at whom he was looking. <I>Her sister, Bingley's
angel.</I> William could not help but think this is <I>not</I> how
their long anticipated meeting was supposed to happen. Perspiration
forming on the back of his neck, he tried to think of something,
anything, to say. There must be a way for him to apologize, to tell
her he didn't mean it about <I>her.</I> As desperately as he wanted
to say something he couldn't, his tongue suddenly feeling too big for
his mouth. He turned to Charles, in need, but his friend was
dumbstruck as well. Will's throat went completely dry. Unable to
speak, all he could do was keep silent. <I>Better that than to choke
out some kind of indecipherable form of gibberish</I>. He wanted to
reach out to Elizabeth but her eyes said no.

Elizabeth couldn't believe her bad luck. She wanted to scream,
<I>it's him, it's<u> him!</u> </I> Here she was, finally having a
good time at Princeton. <I>Princeton!</I> It was excruciating. The
<I>crème de la crème!</I> A party, in a gorgeous setting -- a
mansion, and who does she run into? The one person she hoped to
forget and never see again, <I>Will Darcy</I>, the name ingrained in
her head since she left him at the Longbourn mixer last year.

Looking back on that night, she had wondered if she had done the
right thing by running away from him. His eyes had been so sad, so
wistful, the last time she had seen him. In hindsight, running away
had been childish. Often, when she dared to think of him, she
regretted having fled. Thinking about it only brought back her
bittersweet recollections of what had seemed to be the most perfect
moment of her life. She would then think of his deep brown eyes, his
towering height and broad shoulders…perfect smiling lips. Ever since
that dance, he had been her favorite daydream. After hearing his
spiteful assumptions she bitterly reflected on what a fantasy world
she had been living in pretending he wasn't engaged; that he really
loved her; she was the one he wanted to kiss. Foolishly she'd let her
imagination get away from her.

Hearing his prejudiced comments on younger sisters made her blood
boil. <I>He</I> is <I>a jerk</I>! She was so angry she couldn't
help herself. Doing what any other self-respecting, intelligent,
grown-up, college girl would do --- she told him off!

"How dare you! You <I>snob</I>!" she said scathingly. "Who do you
think you are with your collegiate look and expensive tie!" Jane
tried to stop Lizzy by putting her hand on her shoulder, but Lizzy
was on a roll and shrugged it off, "What makes <I>you</I> so great,
Mr. High-and-Mighty? You arrogant, presumptuous --"

"Lizzy!" Jane hissed, aware of the small scene they were creating.
Lizzy was surprised at herself that she lit into him so fiercely.
One side of her was angry, the other hurt. All the feelings and
emotions she had been holding in for the past eight months, her
secret fantasies were crashing down around her. She was devastated
that he wasn't the nice boy of her cherished memories and daydreams.

Will's eyes reflected his surprise at first. <I>My God, how could she
be so angry?</I> He was speechless, too dazed to do or say anything.
He had never been on the receiving end of this type of tirade. Then,
with a final frustrated stomp of her foot and one last look of
anguish, she turned and fled from him -- again!

<I>There she goes. She's always running away from me!</I>
Exasperated, Will ran his hand through his tousled curls and made a
move to follow her, "I've got to go after her, I can't let her think
such things about me." Charles stopped him with a calming hand on
his shoulder.

"Will, I don't think you should follow her." Warily eyeing Charles's
lightly gripping hand, Will stopped.

"But I've got to, I can't let her think ---"

"Leave her alone, let her sister -- let Jane talk to her." Charles
said, looking at Jane.

Angrily brushing the tears from her eyes, Lizzy ran down the front
walk of the large brick mansion. Making her way through the old
wrought iron gates in front, she leaned against the brick wall that
surrounded the property and waited for Jane.

Jane, silently watching the two young men, was confused. How could
this man say such cruel things about someone he didn't even know? In
Jane's opinion Lizzy was the most wonderful human being on Earth. It
shook her to think of the unkindness shown to her little sister by
this self-important friend of Charles. And, what was Lizzy's
reaction to this all about? She had never seen her sister react so
rudely before, and with such passion! <I>Did they know each other?
</I>

Charles looked uneasily at Jane, her thoughts apparent on her face.
He turned again to Will with a worried expression. Charles was torn,
he just met the most wonderful girl and she was about to walk out of
his life! As Jane made to leave, he stopped her with a cry.

"Jane, please, wait, let me come with you." She saw his eyes
imploring her to let him come with her and she acquiesced.

"All right." She hated to leave him this way. She still wanted to see
Charles again. She liked him. <I>Why did things have to go so badly
for Lizzy?</I> Walking beside her, Charles placed his hand gently on
her back, glancing back at a sorrowful Will, letting him know he'd
try to salvage what he could. When Charles and Jane entered the
center hallway before the front door, Charles stopped her.

"Jane, I'm sorry about my friend, Will. I know he didn't mean it."
He apologized, "He hasn't even met your sister, he had no idea what
she would really be like. He hasn't been himself lately, he's been
very irritable." He tried to find some understanding in her eyes, but
she prevented him by looking down at her shoes. She wasn't ready yet
to completely forgive his friend. "Believe me, he's usually a great
guy, he wants to apologize. Do you think your sister will listen to
him and let him say he's sorry?"

Jane was struck by his regretful tone and could no longer resist. She
looked into his big blue eyes and wanted to believe, but this was her
sister they were talking about. She didn't think it would be a good
idea to let Lizzy talk to Will right now. She knew what Lizzy could
be like when her feelings were hurt, and on top of that, angry?
<I>Definitely not a good idea.</I>

"I think the best thing to do is to let me talk to her." She said
finally. "I believe you, Charles." She smiled slightly. "I've got to
go now, she's waiting for me." Waiting for him to make the next move,
she didn't know where to look.

"Jane, I want to see you again." Charles said, taking her hand, not
wanting to let go. "Can I call you?"

"Yes" she said casting her eyes down again, looking at his hand
holding hers, "I'd like that." She looked up and smiled. "You can
reach me through the Longbourn switchboard."

Charles beamed. "I will, I definitely will!" He wanted to kiss her,
but wasn't sure if he should or not.

"Well…" Jane finally said. "I better go, Lizzy's probably waiting."
She turned around to open the heavy front door.

Charles found his hand on another shoulder, stopping Jane as he'd
stopped Will. Bending down he gave her a quick kiss on the
cheek. "I'm glad we met, Jane. I'll call you." He nodded, as if
needing to convince himself. "I promise." She nodded shyly, and ran
down the front walk towards the street, looking for Lizzy who was
standing just outside the front gate.

"Jane, here I am." she called out, stepping out of the darkness next
to the wall she'd been leaning up against.

"Lizzy, are you all right? That was awful!" Jane immediately put her
arm around her little sister and pulled her close for a hug.

"I'm a little better, waiting for you helped to clear my head. I
can't believe the things he said, what an arrogant ---"

Jane's remonstration cut her off, "Now Lizzy, wait a minute. Charles
explained a few things to me." Lizzy rolled her eyes. Jane always
believed the best in everyone. "His friend, Will, had no idea who you
were, he hadn't even met you yet. He couldn't possibly have meant
those things about <I>you.</I>" Lizzy privately agreed with Jane on
this point, but didn't want to admit it. "He wants to apologize." She
added, "See?" catching Lizzy's eye and smiling, "He's not that bad."

"Wrong, Jane." Lizzy said stubbornly. "He may not have meant those
things about me in particular, but they were pretty mean things to
say about anybody, whether you know them or not." She fumed when she
thought about it, "Acne? Overweight? Oh, I could kill him!"
<I>What does he know? My skin cleared up years ago! </I> She pouted
and sighed. "Besides," she said quietly, "he<I> has</I> met me
before."

"What?" Jane couldn't help but be surprised her sister had kept this
from her. "When did you meet?"

"Last year." She looked into Jane's eyes meaningfully, "Remember the
mixer at Longbourn you let me come to?"

Jane covered her mouth in horror and understanding. "The boy?"

Lizzy nodded, "Yes. Will Darcy." She closed her eyes, wishing she
could forget the look on his face just now. <I>Why did he have to be
as cute as ever?</I> His hair was a little longer, but it only made
him look even more attractive. She wasn't sure if he recognized her
or not. She thought about the way his eyes widened when he saw her.
<I>Was that alarm, or recognition? If he recognized me, why didn't
he say something?</I> Lizzy answered her own question. <I>Because
you didn't let him, stupid!</I> She realized that wasn't the only
reason and abruptly spoke up, "I bet you don't know that he's
engaged."

"He's engaged?"

"Yes." Lizzy grimaced at the memory of her encounter with the witch
in the ladies lounge at Longbourn last year. "She goes to Longbourn,
too. She's absolutely awful. Her name is Caroline Bingley, don't
you know who she is?"

Jane's eyes widened as it dawned on her. <I>Charles and Will are
close friends,<u> and</u> Will's engaged to Charles's sister? Why
didn't he mention it?</I> "That's odd." She said aloud.

"No kidding." snorted Lizzy, folding her arms in front of her, "They
deserve each other!" Lizzy hoped that if she stayed mad it wouldn't
hurt so much.

"No, I mean that I don't understand why Charles didn't mention it.
Why did he want to introduce you to Will?" Jane was puzzled, "It
doesn't make very much sense."

Lizzy was tired. "Oh, Jane, it doesn't really matter. Let's just get
out of here and go back to Longbourn. I am thoroughly sick of
Princeton University!"

Jane nodded in agreement. They walked thoughtfully, arm in arm, down
Prospect Avenue to their Volkswagen Beetle. One sister wished with
deep regret that she had never come to Princeton: her cherished
memories, lost in one heartbreaking moment. The other sister savored
the memory of a pair of twinkling blue eyes and the feeling of a soft
kiss on the cheek. <I>I hope he calls. </I>

Will was thoroughly disgusted with himself. How could he have given
in to Charles and let her run away like that? He cracked open another
beer, remembering the look on her face, angry and hurt. <I>She can't
possibly think I was really talking about her, could she?</I> He
considered what Charles said about her. <I> She's only a freshman at
Longbourn?</I> If she was a freshman now, she was still in high
school when we met last year. His first reaction was one of horror.
<I>Young. She's too young for</I> you, <I>Will.</I> He drained his
beer, trying to shake her memory. Then he thought admiringly of her
fiery eyes, her shiny long brown hair. He smiled at the thought of
her with her hands on her hips, giving it to him good. <I>Anyone who
can do</I> that<I> isn't too young.</I> He couldn't help thinking of
her admiringly and found himself beginning to warm to the idea of her
age. Charles' sister Caroline came bobbing over to them as he was
absently reaching for another beer. She had obviously had a few too
many drinks.

"Will, you've been ignoring me all night!" She giggled in what she
thought was a naughtily sexy voice. "That's not nice." Her behavior
only made Will loathe her even more. She sidled up to him, leaning
into him, speaking in a conspiratorial tone,

"What was going on with you and Charles and those `girls' before?"
she said `girls' disapprovingly.

Will rolled his eyes. <I> Great. Caroline saw the whole thing.</I>
But his curiosity was piqued, "Do you know them?" he asked.

"Vaguely." She eyed Will more closely "they go to my school." She was
careful to speak in a bored tone, she didn't want that little know
nothing freshman getting her claws into <I>her</I> Will Darcy. "No
one of any consequence." She continued disparagingly, "no money, no
fashion, and certainly no breeding. Their family is nothing." Surely
<I>this</I> would make Will think twice about his little dance with
that `nobody' last year.

It was a point of pride to Caroline that she never forgot anything
when it came to Will Darcy. It was almost unheard of for Will Darcy
to dance with anyone. He just didn't do it. <I>Why, he hasn't even
danced with me yet! </I> Her eyes narrowed approvingly as she thought
of the conversation last winter with that little minx in the
bathroom, <I>Hmph, I fixed her.</I> She inwardly laughed at the
memory of Elizabeth Bennet hightailing it out of there as fast as she
could. <I>Lightweight.</I> she thought smugly.

Will looked at Caroline curiously. <I>What is going on in that
devious little mind of hers?</I> He couldn't fail to miss the self-
satisfied expression on her face. At that moment, Charles came up to
them.

"Ready to go?" he asked Will.

"Yes, shall we?" he headed for the door, wishing at that moment, he
could still go upstairs to his old Ivy Club room. Living there
reminded him of home in some ways. Now a resident student at
Princeton's Graduate College, he had to trek to the other campus
about half a mile away.

Realizing their departure was imminent Caroline snapped out of her
reverie and frantically turned to Will, tightly clutching his arm.

"Oh, William, William, please take me home with you!" she cried,
beseeching eyes looking up at him.

He pulled back involuntarily. Is she really saying what I think she
is? Charles was also taken aback and embarrassed for his sister and
his friend.

Clearing his throat, he looked at her pointedly, "Caroline, what do
you mean?"

Their faces forced her to realize how forward she had come across and
she quickly changed her story.

"Home, back to Longbourn, of course!" she looked at Charles as if he
were an idiot. "I need a ride." She sniffed. "My friends have already
left without me." She conveniently neglected to mention that she
<I>told</I> her friends to leave without her, angling as she was for
a better offer -- from Will. "I was hoping I could get a ride with
one of you." She turned to Will and smiled a little too sweetly. "You
do have your Jag, don't you?" she batted her repaired eyelashes with
an eerie catlike quality. William drove a Jaguar XKE roadster, but
tonight, he and Charles had come together, since Charles wanted to
drive his new Mustang convertible.

Visibly relieved to have a bona fide excuse, Will explained he didn't
have his car that night and Charles prepared to drive Caroline back
to her school in Meryton. As the Bingley's worked their way to
Charles's car, William called out his farewells and began walking
towards the main campus, en route to the Graduate College. Caroline
became noticeably upset.

"William, where are you going?" she cried out petulantly. "Why aren't
you coming with us? If you don't come Charles will have to drive back
all alone." Ever cunning she thought this might convince him and
perhaps she could even tempt him to sit in the back seat with her.

"That's all right, Caroline," Charles quickly stepped in, fully aware
that William would probably prefer to be alone, "unless you
<I>want</I> to come, Will."

"N-no, no, you two go on," waving them off, "I'm going to walk." He
called back as he headed down Prospect Avenue, "I'll see you later,
Charles. Good-bye Caroline." He turned and strode on, chuckling and
shaking his head -- he could hear Caroline's complaints about
Charles's new car being a "mess".

The October evening was crisp as he walked through Princeton's
campus. A twenty-minute walk back to his rooms in the brisk air and
still silence of the night helped to clear his head of the chaos that
had been circling since he saw Elizabeth again. How ironic, the one
girl that he wanted to see turned up, and he managed to make the
worst impression possible. He shook his head at the dead leaves
rustling around his feet as he waited to cross University Place.
Continuing past the gray stones of the McCarter Theatre he climbed
the final hill on which stood the Graduate College campus. The
silhouettes of the buildings were highlighted in the moonlight by the
ghostly Cleveland Tower, a tall gothic structure, overlooking the
handsome stone walls of brown and gray that made up the rest of the
Graduate College campus.

To make matters worse, the one girl he emphatically <I>didn't</I>
want to see, managed to throw herself at him every chance she got. A
nightmare in orange. <I>Why couldn't he tell Caroline to stop
bothering him once and for all?</I> His thoughts went back to
Elizabeth. <I>Why couldn't you understand? Why did you leave me
again?</I> Distracted, he passed through the quad and went upstairs
to the suite he shared with Charles. In his rooms, he threw himself
on the bed, flung his arm over his eyes, and gave in to his feelings
of despair upon seeing Elizabeth again. <I>Why? Why, did I have to
say those things?</I>

Reaching over to his bedside table, he turned on the radio, tuning in
the local New York station. He recognized the opening, rangy, guitar
chords playing. Again, the Beatles. They were all over the radio
waves these days. He had heard this one often enough, Charles played
it any number of times on his record player. He kept his eyes closed
and softly sang along with the singer,

<I>Since she's been gone I want no one to talk to me.
It's not the same but I'm to blame, it's plain to see.
So go away, leave me alone, don't bother me.

I can't believe that she would leave me on my own.
It's just not right when every night I'm all alone.
I've got no time for you right now. Don't bother me.</I>

Never before had the lyrics seemed so timely to William. It was as
if the singer had him in mind.

<I>I know I'll never be the same if I don't get her back again.
Because I know she'll always be the only girl for me.</I>

He sat up on his bed. <I>That's just how I feel.</I> The
realization hit him hard. His eyes fell on her white ribbon,
resident on his bedside table. <I>I can't get her out of my mind.
Ever since we met, I have felt that she was the only girl for me.</I>

<I>Don't come around, leave me alone
Don't bother me
Don't bother me *</I>

With newfound insight, Will grinned as he formed a plan. If he
played his cards right, there should be plenty of opportunity,
Charles would play a crucial role in helping him get back into
Elizabeth Bennet's good graces, thanks to her sister. <I>She'll have
to come around, eventually.</I> Will thought self-assuredly. <I> I
am a Darcy, after all.</I>


<small>*Don't Bother Me – performed by the Beatles, written by George
Harrison © 1963 Northern Songs. All Rights Reserved. International
Copyright Secured.</small>

"Lydia Bennet! Turn down that music this instant!" her mother called
up the stairs to her unruly fifteen-year-old daughter, "I can't even
think with all this noise around the house." She grumbled as she
headed back to the kitchen, "My poor nerves!"

Jane and Elizabeth looked at each other and rolled their eyes at
their mother's complaints. They sat at the kitchen table, helping in
the preparation of dinner by peeling potatoes and trimming green
beans. The girls traditionally came home, on the other side of
Meryton, to have dinner with their family on Sunday evenings.
Usually, they would stay and watch the <I>Ed Sullivan Show</I> before
heading back to school, but this was a long weekend – they had no
classes on Monday, so they were staying the night.

"I don't care who those <I>Beatles</I> are, or that Paul, what's-his-
name," their mother began, "what kind of name is `Beatles' anyway?
They sound like <I>insects! </I> And their hair! What they need is
a good haircut." She shook a big fork at the girls. Jane and
Elizabeth continued their work while Mrs. Bennet nodded her
approval "Whatever happened to that nice Pat Boone you girls used to
like?"

Lizzy and Jane smirked, but kept quiet. They knew better than to
disagree with their mother in one of her `moods.' Mrs. Bennet took
dinner from the oven and placed it on a cutting board to rest; the
delicious aroma of roast beef wafted throughout the house. She wiped
her hands on her apron and then busied herself making gravy.

Lizzy saw an opportunity to change the subject, "Mom, did you hear
that Jane has a new <I>boy</I> friend?" She eyed her sister teasingly
as Jane blushed and repaid her with a dirty look.

"A new boyfriend!" Mrs. Bennet gasped and turned around to look at
her eldest daughter. "Who is he? Where did you meet him? Is he
rich?" she said breathlessly.

Jane narrowed her eyes and gave Elizabeth an "I'll get you for this"
look, then, turning back to her mother she smiled. "His name is
Charles Bingley. He's a graduate student at Princeton."

"Graduate School!" Mrs. Bennet finally breathed, "Oh, Jane, how
wonderful! What is he studying?" she asked eagerly, "Medicine? Is he
going to be a doctor?"

"No, Mother," Jane said patiently, "Princeton doesn't have a medical
school. He's studying to be an architect."

"Oh, well that's good too!" Mrs. Bennet cooed, "A very fine career!"
She turned back to her gravy, still talking. "Is he handsome?"

"Is who handsome?" Mr. Bennet walked into the kitchen, making his way
over to the standing rib roast.

"Jane has a new, <I>very</I> promising boyfriend from <I>Princeton.
</I>" Said Mrs. Bennet significantly as she slapped Mr. Bennet's hand
from the roast.

"Princeton, you say?" he turned to Jane, "I hope he's bright, and not
just some rich playboy, eh?" he said poking fun at Jane good
naturedly, "I don't want to have to get my shotgun out."

"Oh, Daddy." Even knowing her father was teasing, Jane blushed as she
put the potatoes on the stove to boil.

"What about you, Lizzy?" Mr. Bennet turned to his second eldest
daughter to continue his teasing, "Any new boyfriends for you?" Lizzy
looked uncomfortable -- she didn't like thinking about boys. The
tall Will Darcy with his dark curls and broad shoulders had been on
her mind too much lately.

"Lizzy never has any boyfriends," said Lydia as she bounced into the
kitchen. "When's dinner?" she asked, opening the refrigerator door
to look for something to eat.

"Out of the refrigerator, young lady," admonished Mrs. Bennet,
pushing Lydia aside and closing the door "dinner will be served in
half an hour, and I don't want you eating anything before and
spoiling your appetite!"

Lydia rolled her eyes and grabbed a string bean to munch. "So,
Lizzy, don't forget, you said you'd drive me to Korvettes tomorrow."
She leaned against the kitchen counter. "Their big sale is tomorrow
and I want to get the Beatles' record "Something New." I don't have
that one yet, and it's got "I Want to Hold Your Hand" on it in<I>
German. </I>" Her eyes widened appreciably in anticipation of such a
treat.

Lizzy eyed Lydia, "Yes, I know, I haven't forgotten."

As the evening progressed, the Bennet family sat down to dinner
where, as usual, conversation was monopolized by Lydia, avid
Beatlemaniac, who talked incessantly about the British phenomenon
sweeping the country. Around the large rectangular kitchen table was
the entire Bennet family, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet at either end with
their five disparate daughters on either side of the table. Jane,
the eldest and Elizabeth, the second, were highly regarded by all
their friends and family. Jane, especially, had always been noticed
for her beauty and generosity. While no slouch when it came to looks,
Lizzy was more notably considered the wit of the family, taking after
their father in that regard. Mary, a studious senior in high school
and the most serious of the girls, hoped to be admitted to Bryn Mawr
College the following year. Kitty, was next in line, a year younger
than Mary and, as she ensured everyone knew, a cheerleader this year
at Meryton High School. Lydia, the baby of the family, just turned
fifteen was the most boisterous of the family, and being the
youngest, usually indulged by their mother. Mary and Kitty thought
her a spoiled brat, and never hesitated to let her know it. Jane and
Elizabeth were more circumspect in their criticism, saving it for
those times they thought it would do some good. They were more apt to
think that Lydia simply needed to do some more growing up.

As the conversation flowed around the dinner table, the subject of
Jane's new boyfriend came up. All were eager to hear about him, and
Jane told them what she could, even though she had only known him for
two weeks. Charles had kept his promise to call her and they had
been out on a few dates. Jane told her parents that he had been a
perfect gentleman -- she didn't think they needed to know that he was
a great kisser as well as a gentleman.

The next day, Lizzy, Lydia and Kitty, who decided at the last moment
that she wanted to go as well, set off in the Bennet's Rambler
station wagon for Korvette City, a local inexpensive department store
that sold everything from clothing to house wares, as well as records
and books. After they parked and headed into the store, Lydia took
off for the record department, yelling behind her, "I'll be
downstairs!" and headed for the escalators. Kitty made her way to
the teens section, always on the lookout for bargains on the latest
fashions, and Lizzy meandered about looking for a desk lamp and a
throw rug for the dorm room that she shared with her roommate,
Charlotte Lucas.

Lizzy finished her shopping, making note of the prices, but not
purchasing anything yet. She went looking for her younger sisters
and found Kitty in a dressing room trying on a matching skirt and
sweater set with a cotton blouse.

"Lizzy, what do you think?" Kitty admired her reflection in the
mirror, "This blouse will be perfect to wear with my circle pin." No
girl was seen without her gold, monogrammed circle pin worn with
matching cardigan sweater and skirts sets and this blouse had the
requisite Peter Pan collar. "It's not from Ladybug, but if I buy them
here, I can afford all three with my allowance.

Lizzy agreed "Yes, it looks very nice, Kitty. Now, hurry up and buy
it. It's getting late. Look for us downstairs in the record
department." Impatient, she left Kitty in the dressing room and went
in search of Lydia.

Lizzy noticed Lydia as soon as she entered the record department,
talking to a salesman, if the nametag on the front of his jacket was
any indication. <I>Flirting is more like it</I>. It was no small
wonder. Tall, dark and handsome, he had a terrific smile and his hair
was worn long, coming down around his ears and neck. His dark suit
had a modern look to it, with a black turtleneck and black leather
pointed boots. <I>How Beatle-esque. I guess that's one way to sell
records. </I>

Lizzy walked up to them, her eyes twinkling, "Lydia, did you find the
record you were looking for?"

George Wickham had been thumbing through the latest batch of albums
just in. His boss had told him to make sure they were filed and out
in the record racks as soon as possible for the customers, but the
boss was gone for the rest of the day and George decided that it
could wait. Today was busy and George didn't want to miss out on the
view. School holidays meant one thing: ideal-viewing opportunities
of ripe, young high school girls --- his favorite. He had an eye for
the young ones, and his job at Korvettes's record department gave him
a perfect opportunity to meet them. It was easy to chat them up,
especially lately.

George had always known he was good looking and he was able to parlay
it to his best advantage. Getting a job was never a problem, keeping
it was an entirely different matter. George was lazy, and without a
college education, his job prospects were limited. He bounced from
job to job; fired many times due to his laziness; not that he ever
believed it was his fault. He was forever convinced that he had been
maligned and the blame always seemed to come back to the Darcy
family --- Will Darcy, in particular. William's father, Mr. Darcy,
had died three years earlier and with his death George's free ticket
to everything stopped, or so he believed. He had told the story so
many times he had nearly come to believe it himself, but it was far
from the truth.

The bane of George's life was money – or rather the lack of it. He
never seemed to be able to hold it. He had a penchant for poker,
sometimes he was a winner, but oftentimes he was not. So far he had
managed to keep himself out of trouble despite his poker debts, but
there had been several close calls. He didn't want to get in trouble
with loan sharks if he could help it. His mind was often working up
ways to make a lot of money, without having to really work hard at
it. Unfortunately for him, he never really came up with anything
very promising.

This job in the record department at Korvettes had lasted for almost
two weeks. He was hired on the spot -- as soon as he filled out the
application and opened his mouth. He had a knack for imitating
accents, and had lost no time in acquiring a slight Liverpool
accent. He couldn't believe how well it had worked. Inspired by his
success, he grew his hair longer, bought the right clothes and
<I>voilà</I>, Beatle look-a-like. The chicks ate it up, particularly
the young ones. No matter that he wasn't from England, just a trace
of an accent was enough to please these Beatlemaniacs.

Looking around the aisles of records in his department he espied a
young girl, sporting the Beatle haircut, popular with so many girls
these days. Ignoring the hair, his attention went straight for what
counted, <I>Hmm, nice chest. This one might be worth checking out.
</I> He sauntered up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, love, are you looking for something in particular?" It
was his best Paul McCartney imitation.

Lydia whirled around, speechless. She couldn't believe her ears.

"Um…uh…um…" she couldn't get the words out. She stared into his
handsome face, lost in the flash of white teeth and the sparkle of
green eyes. He dazzled her with his best smile and repeated the
question. He was frequently treated to this reaction.

She swallowed and tried again. "Wh-who are you?" Eyes were wide with
curiosity she looked up at him.

"Name's Wickham, but you can call me George, if you want. I work
here" He smiled down at her. She nearly swooned in his arms. <I>Oh,
this is too easy, George. </I> His mouth twitched as he stopped
himself from laughing.

"So, can I help you find something?" he asked again. She let out a
sigh and answered.

"Yes, I'm looking for the Beatles, "Something New" record. I don't
see it out here, do you have it?" she gazed at him dreamily.

"Yes, I believe we do, come this way." He led her to an exhibit of
Beatles records and 45's at the end of another aisle. Miming
expertise he looked over the display and found what she was looking
for. "Ah, here it is, love, is this what you were looking for?"

Lydia nodded eagerly and took the album from him as he offered it to
her. "Thank you," she said politely. She hesitated for a second and
then asked reverently, "Are you from <I>England</I>?"

George smiled at her, ready with his smooth answer, "No, but my mum
was English." Lydia accepted this unhesitatingly.

"Are you new here? I don't remember seeing you before." she found her
nerve again. "I'm sure I'd remember <I>you. </I>"

"I've been here for about two weeks." He grinned, "I would have
remembered you <I>too. </I>" He reached over her head and leaned his
hand against the record rack, effectively surrounding her. Enjoying
the attention immensely she boldly looked up at him, grinning back.

A feminine voice interrupted them, "Lydia, did you find the record
you were looking for?"

George quickly and guiltily backed away from Lydia. <I>Hmm, what do
we have here? </I> Seeing Lizzy, George quickly lost interest in
Lydia.

"Lizzy!" Lydia squealed in excitement. "I was just talking to
George, he helped me find my record." She leaned over to Lizzy and
whispered in her ear, "He looks just like Paul McCartney!"

Lizzy looked "George" up and down and voiced her disapproval, "Since
when do you call salesmen by their first names, Lydia?"

"Oh, it's okay, he said I could." Lydia said guilelessly. She turned
to George, "It's all right, George, Lizzy's my sister."

George stepped forward, forgetting to keep up his accent "I'm sorry,
miss, we were just talking about records,"

She arched one eyebrow, surveying him. <I>Too good- looking -- and
too old for Lydia. </I> Lizzy looked at his Korvette's nametag.

"So, <I>Mr. Wickham</I>, you work here in the record department."
stressing his name, Lizzy voiced this as a statement, not a question.

"Yes," he offered his most dazzling smile. This was one cutie he
wanted to know much better.

Lizzy wanted to convey disapproval, but he was so darn handsome, it
was hard to keep it up. They talked for a bit, introducing
themselves further.

"I'm at Longbourn College, here in Meryton." She answered when asked
if she was in school.

"Ah, yes." a new song played in the background as he spoke.

<I>The best things in life are free
But you can keep them for the birds and bees
Now give me money
That's what I want</I>

"I was in college myself. Princeton actually, but I had to leave,
due to a death and financial reasons." He artfully cast his eyes
down.

<I>That's what I want, yeah
That's what I want</I>

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lizzy couldn't resist asking, "what happened?"

George gave his pat story. "A very dear man to me, my godfather,
actually, was paying for my college tuition. When he died my junior
year, his son convinced the executor of the estate to stop paying my
tuition. Now I have to work my way through Forster Community College"
<I>So I'm bending the truth, sue me! </I>

Lizzy was appalled and her sympathy aroused. "How awful for you!
Wasn't there some kind of legal action you could take?"

<I>You're lovin' gives me a thrill
But you're lovin' don't pay my bills
Now give me money
That's what I want
That's what I want, yeah
That's what I want</I>

"Unfortunately, no." George replied dolefully. "Mr. Darcy didn't
actually name me as a benefactor in his will. It was understood that
I was to receive payment until my graduation but it wasn't actually
put in writing."

"Darcy?" said Lizzy, surprised, "I know that name. I know a Will
Darcy, he's at Princeton. Is he related to your Mr. Darcy?"

"William Darcy is the son I told you about." George looked at Lizzy a
little warily, "Is he a friend of yours?"

<I>Money don't get everything it's true
What it don't get, I can't use
Now give me money
That's what I want
That's what I want, yeah
That's what I want</I>

"N-no, not exactly." Lizzy faltered. She wasn't sure what to think of
Will, or how to describe him. "His best friend is dating my sister,
Jane." She paused, "I can't honestly say that he is my friend," she
said remembering his arrogance at the Ivy Club.

George was relieved. "I'm glad to hear that. Will can be ruthless,
and he'll lie to get what he wants. I've always believed he was
jealous of me, because his father loved me," he said
reflectively. "I'm convinced that's why he stopped my tuition
payments. He's also quite the womanizer. He can be quite dangerous,
if you don't watch out." George looked at her intently, "I'd hate to
think someone as lovely as you could be sucked into his lies."

<I>Money don't get everything it's true
What it don't get, I can't use</I>

Lizzy was shaken by George's words. Deep down she wanted to believe
that Will was good, that somehow she had been wrong about him. In
the past weeks, as Jane and Charles got better acquainted, she'd had
nothing but nice things to say about his friend. After listening to
George, though, Lizzy didn't know what to think about Will Darcy.

George continued, "The Darcys are a very wealthy family. William and
his sister, Georgiana are now the sole heirs to the Darcy
pharmaceutical fortune." He waited to see how this affected her.
Lizzy was stunned. She had no idea. <I>Pharmaceutical fortune?

Now give me money
That's what I want
That's what I want, yeah
That's what I want*</I>

"I guess you know he's engaged to be married?" Lizzy nodded silently,
this confirmation was the final blow. "It's been in the works since
they were children. You know how it is with rich families." This was
added a little too casually, but Lizzy was so wrapped up in her
thoughts it didn't occur to her how improper their conversation
really was. They'd just met.

At this point, Lydia was more than a little bored. Not only was she
irritated with her sister for "stealing" George from her, but she was
also monopolizing the conversation about some rich guy that she
didn't even <I>know! </I>

"Lizzy, I'm going to buy my record now." Lydia's voice stirred Lizzy
out of her thoughts of Will and Caroline.

"Oh, of course! You get in the check out line, Kitty should be here
any minute." Lydia gave George a soulful parting glance, not exactly
wanting to leave her pretty sister alone with him, and shuffled to
the check out.

"Is Kitty another sister of yours?" asked George conversationally.

"Yes." Lizzy was beginning to think twice about his intentions, and
while she believed his story about Will Darcy, she didn't know if it
was such a good idea to reveal too much about her family. After all,
she didn't even really know him.

"In fact, she should have been down here by now, I'd better go get
her." Lizzy said, glancing over towards the escalators looking for
Kitty. "Excuse me, it was very nice meeting you,"

"I enjoyed meeting <I>you. </I>" Without a qualm he let Lizzy know
he'd like to see her again, taking a step closer and looking her up
and down appreciatively, "I hope we can meet again. Why don't I call
you?"

She wasn't sure if she wanted him to call her or not, which was
reflected in her uneasy response. "Um, sure…you can reach me through
the Longbourn College switchboard."

Realizing it was getting late she looked at him apologetically and
gave him a half-smile, "Sorry. I really have to go find my sister."
She backed off toward the escalators. With a last wave she turned to
look for Kitty.

Later that evening, in her dorm room, Lizzy reviewed her conversation
with George Wickham with her roommate, Charlotte as Charlotte went
through the nightly ritual of setting her hair.

"Lizzy, if I were you, I wouldn't believe everything he said. You
don't even know this George person." Charlotte dipped her fingers
into the `Dippity Do' hair gel, and smeared it on her hair before
rolling it up with large pink curlers.

"But Char, he really seemed like he knew what he was talking about,
he even knew that Will is engaged to Caroline Bingley."

Charlotte shook her head. "I still don't believe <I>that. </I> From
what you've told me about Will Darcy, how could Caroline Bingley be
engaged to a honey like him?"

Lizzy privately agreed. She still couldn't get the image of Will out
of her mind. He was so noble looking and handsome, he couldn't
possibly be engaged to that horrible witch, Caroline Bingley. She
sighed while lowering her head to her pillow, ready for sleep.
Charlotte finished setting her hair, tucked the curlers under her
curler cap and turned off the light.

"Good night, Lizzy. Who knows, maybe it's all a big mistake."
Charlotte said, trying to reassure her friend.

Lizzy closed her eyes. She thought about George, and then thought
about Will. Comparing the two, she definitely preferred Will.
<I>But he's already taken. </I> She tried to push him out of her
mind. <I>Maybe I should think about George. </I> She punched her
pillow a few times to fluff it up and drifted off to sleep with
visions of George Wickham and Will Darcy in her head.


*Money (That's What I Want) – Performed by the Beatles. Written by
Bradford/Gordy © 1959, 1962 Jobete Music Company Incorporated, USA.
Dominion Music Limited, 127 Charing Cross Road, London WC2. All
Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.

Special thanks to Grace, my beta, for her herculean effort on this
long chapter. Again, sorry about the lack of italics. You can go to
my website to hear the songs, the address is:
http://www.geocities.com/ktleyed/ISHST/index.html.

Will Darcy was modest about his looks, never really taking them
seriously. At the same time, he'd have to be a fool not to realize
he was a good catch in the marriage market. More than just
handsome, at the age of 22, he was also independently wealthy. After
his father's death from a heart attack three years earlier, Will and
his younger sister, Georgiana, inherited his estate and business
holdings. Since they had lost their mother twelve years earlier,
brother and sister were each the only immediate family the other
had. Their closest living relatives were their mother's sister,
Catherine DeBourgh, a widow, and her daughter, Anne who lived on
their estate, Rosings Park, on the North Shore of Long Island.
Fifteen-year-old Georgiana was a student at a boarding school in
Connecticut while Will completed his education at Princeton.

Having graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a business major, Will was
continuing his education. His chosen field of study, Chemical
Engineering, was universally recognized as the most challenging
field to master, even for someone with Will's head for figures. He
intended to use his degree by taking over the reins of the company
his grandfather, Fitzwilliam Darcy, began and his father, George
Darcy, continued. His father's successful operation of the company
created a multi-million dollar pharmaceutical conglomerate known as
Darcy Pharmaceuticals.

As Charles and Jane's relationship blossomed, Will was disappointed
not to have had an opportunity to see Elizabeth again. Jane and
Charles were spending most of their time alone, in spite of the
overt hints that Will had made about foursomes with Jane's sister,
Elizabeth. It had been a frustrating month for Will since
the `debacle,' What could he do to see Elizabeth Bennet again?
Luckily, Charles had the solution.

As the weather grew chilly, Charles wanted to invite Jane to his
parent's house in Bedminster. The fall foliage was beautiful and he
knew Jane would appreciate it in its glorious splendor. Charles's
parents would not be there as they spent most of their time in
Europe. Charles's father was the United States' commercial attaché
to Norway and his parents spent the majority of their time in Oslo,
returning to summer in Bedminster. It was a short distance from
Princeton, and Charles looked forward to time alone with Jane, away
from her family and school. They had been on several dates, he had
met her parents, but he was ready for something more. As a
gentleman he had no intention of seducing her, so he asked her to
invite Elizabeth to join them. He knew very well William wanted to
see Elizabeth again, and perhaps getting them together at last would
stop William's obvious hints about double dating.

Jane was thrilled at the idea of going with Charles to his parents'
estate, and at the same time grateful that he had the sensitivity to
invite Lizzy. Jane would have turned down his offer, had he asked
her to come alone, however, Lizzy was hesitant.

" Jane, I don't know." She didn't like the idea at all, asking "Who
else will be there?" She could already guess the answer, "Is Will
Darcy invited? I really don't think it would be a good idea for the
two of us to be in the same house for a whole weekend." She made up
her mind. "I just don't think I can do it."

"Please Lizzy!" Jane begged, "If you don't go with me, then I can't
possibly accept, it would be unseemly." She hesitated, brushing her
long blonde hair, "I'm pretty sure William will be there, but I'm
not positive." She winced, anticipating Lizzy's reaction, "and I
think Caroline might be there too."

"Oh well, that settles it then!" Lizzy said sarcastically, "If
Caroline's going to be there, then I <I>have</i> to go!" she rolled
her eyes and looked at Jane as if she were crazy. "Jane, why in the
world would I want to spend a weekend in the country with that
witch? Especially after what she did to me last year?" she folded
her arms in front of her and stated dramatically "I refuse!"

Two days later, as he drew near the house in Bedminster, Will Darcy
ran his fingers through his unruly mop of hair in nervous
anticipation. It was a clear Saturday morning and he raced along
the back roads in his Jaguar, bracing wind in his face, keeping him
alert as he tried to plan what he was going to say to Elizabeth.
<I>I'm going to spend a whole weekend in the same house with her!
</i> He couldn't believe it when Charles told him Elizabeth would be
coming too.

Lizzy found herself riding in the back seat of Charles's red Mustang
convertible, roof down, wind in her face. She had to admit it
looked like it was going to be a gorgeous weekend, at least in
regard to the weather. The sky was a dazzling blue and the leaves
on the trees were a bright gold, with patches of deep red and orange
throughout. It was exhilarating to get out of town for a change.
She almost looked forward to it, except for the fact that Caroline
Bingley was going to be there along with her fiancé, <I>Will Darcy.
</i> Lizzy scowled at the thought of the two of them together.
Charles said Will would be coming in his own car. Apparently the
house would be crowded; Charles's other sister, Louisa, and her
husband, Ben Hurst, were also going to be there. Caroline had
arrived the night before with the Hursts. <I>This was going to be
</I>some<I> weekend. </i> Lizzy slouched in the back seat, thinking
about how interesting it would be to actually see what Caroline and
Will were like as a couple, trying to convince herself that he meant
nothing to her. <I>It just might be a real laugh. </i>

Before long, Charles's car pulled into a hidden driveway with a
small unobtrusive sign that said "Netherfield Farm". As they drove
down the long driveway, lined on either side by split rail fencing,
Lizzy noticed horses grazing in the distance. Most of the property
appeared to be open fields and farmland. Jane's eyes widened as it
dawned on her just how well to do the Bingleys must be. The thought
was disconcerting.

"Charles, you didn't say your parents' place was a farm." Lizzy
said, looking around in wonder, delighted at this discovery.

"Well, it's not exactly a real farm," he said modestly, "It's a
horse farm. We breed horses, or rather, the couple that my parents
hired to take care of the place when they're gone, breed and sell
the horses." He reached over and squeezed Jane's hand, sensing her
nervousness.

The mustang reached the house, a large fieldstone colonial, fronted
by a white pillared portico and overlooking the graveled circular
driveway. They got out of the car and stretched their arms and legs
before entering.

"Oh Charles, this is beautiful!" said Jane in awe, "I had no idea
your parents had so much property." She uneasily surveyed the view.
The foliage on the trees was at its autumnal peak, creating a
striking vista as she looked across the Bingley's land -- land that
stretched far beyond where she could see.

Charles beamed and said meaningfully, "Thank you, I'm glad you like
it. Let's all go in and get settled." He grabbed Lizzy and Jane's
small traveling cases and helped them inside the house.

Upon entering, the first person Lizzy saw was Caroline, making a
grand descent on the staircase. A lit cigarette in a holder was
held aloft in one hand and she wore a multi-colored, geometric
patterned tunic, pencil thin black pants and high heels. She stopped
on the bottom step and struck a pose.

Lizzy hid a smirk. <I>Not exactly what I would call `country.'</i>

"Charles! Here you are." Caroline called out in an affected accent.
Quickly she scanned over the group, frowning, "Where's Will? Didn't
he come with you?"

"He's coming, he just preferred to drive his own car." Charles
looked at his watch, "He should be here any minute."

Temporarily gratified, Caroline looked disdainfully at Lizzy and
Jane. In sharp contrast, Charles made a point of making Jane and
Lizzy welcome.

"Caroline, I'm sure you already know Jane Bennet and her sister,
Elizabeth? I promised we'd treat them to a fun weekend." He gave
his sister a warning glance with his words.

"Jane, of course, I'm sure we've bumped into each other on campus."
Caroline condescended before turning to Lizzy. "I do believe I've
met your sister, Eliza, as well. I seem to remember giving her
some valuable `advice' not too long ago." She gave Lizzy a pointed
look, raising an eyebrow.

Charles looked surprised, "Oh, isn't that nice." He couldn't help
but smile at the thought of his sister actually being nice to
someone.

Jane being polite said, "That's a beautiful blouse you're wearing,
Caroline, is it new?"

"Oh, this?" she said referring to her tunic, "it's just one of my
Pucci's that I threw on." Jane and Lizzy knew very well that an
Emilio Pucci original was not just something you `threw on.'
Clothing by the Italian fashion designer were the height of fashion
and very expensive.

Lizzy found it hard not to roll her eyes at Caroline, and made a
decision that it would be best to keep her distance from Caroline,
as she felt a distinct chill in the air coming from that direction.
Charles showed them each to their rooms, which shared a bathroom
between them. Everything was clean and modern, but with a relaxed,
casual feel to it that made the girls feel right at home.

Shortly after they unpacked and hung up their clothes, they heard a
rumble from outside signaling Will's arrival. Lizzy looked out the
window and saw a sleek dark green convertible in the circular drive
behind Charles's mustang. "Wow" Lizzy said aloud, "that must be
his." Her eyes were as big as saucers. Jane came over to see what
Lizzy was referring to.

"Yes, that's Will's car, isn't it nice?" Jane turned to Lizzy with a
look of understanding on her face, "I know this will be difficult
for you, but, maybe things won't be quite as bad as you think." With
a hug, she went on, "Thank you for coming with me, I really do
appreciate it." Lizzy smiled slightly at Jane's warm embrace, and
put on her brave face.

"Come on," she said, "let's go face the lions."

Jane giggled, "You mean, Tigers. Remember, they're Princeton men."

"Ha-ha, Jane." Lizzy retorted, and they left their rooms to make
their way down to the center hall.

Will's heart was in this throat as he pulled into the driveway and
butterflies flitted in his stomach as he drove up to the house. He
was disgusted with himself. "C'mon Will, get hold of yourself," he
muttered., "She's just a girl you danced with once." He still could
not understand the pull she had over him. He parked his car behind
Charles's Mustang, grabbed his leather overnight bag and leapt up
the front steps to the door. Charles answered right away, welcoming
him inside. Caroline was right behind him, looking a fright in some
crazy looking outfit, waving a smoking cigarette around as she
hovered like an annoying mosquito.

Will looked up and his heart nearly stopped beating as he saw
Elizabeth standing at the top of the stairs. He couldn't take his
eyes off her. Her dark hair was worn casually loose, and in her
faded jeans and turtleneck sweater, she took his breath away.
<I>Whoa, when did she get so sexy? </i>He stopped speaking to
Charles mid-sentence and waited for her and Jane to descend. The
greetings between Will and Lizzy were awkward, but Jane reached over
and gave him a peck on the cheek and acknowledged him pleasantly.

"It's good to see you, Will." Jane knew this was an awkward moment,
and she wanted to try and smooth things over.

"It's good to see you too, Jane." He looked over at Elizabeth and
nodded silently, unsure what to say. At that moment, Caroline, who
was taking in the whole scene, interrupted.

"Will, darling," she said as she grabbed his arm, "why don't you
come with me. I'll take you to your room and make sure you're all
settled in, hmmm?" she fluttered her eyelashes at him and began to
lead him away. He didn't want to leave the group, but he also
didn't want to be rude to his hostess, so he allowed her to show him
to his room, confident he would be have a chance to talk to Lizzy
later.

Lizzy couldn't help staring after them as they left the hallway,
musing. <I>What an odd couple.</i> She turned to Charles and asked
him abruptly, "So, when are they getting married?"

He gave her with a confused look, "When are <I>who</I> getting
married?" he asked. She motioned in the direction Will and Caroline
had just gone.

"Will and Caroline." She said, wondering whom else he could possibly
think she was talking about.

He nearly snorted in disbelief, "Will and Caroline? My <I>sister?
</i> Whatever made you think they were getting married?" he asked.

Lizzy was taken aback and confused. She and Jane both exchanged
glances wondering what to say. Neither thought it would be a good
idea to reveal to him Caroline's "advice" to Lizzy at the Longbourn
dance. Jane spoke into the breach,

"We heard that Will was engaged to Caroline," she said, "someone at
school told us." She looked to Lizzy for corroboration.

Lizzy was lost in her thoughts, barely paying attention to what Jane
was saying. <I>He's <U>not</u> engaged to her?</I> She was
surprised. <I> That little… </i> Lizzy's eyes narrowed as she
thought about what she'd like to do to Caroline. <i>Ooh… am I going
to get her for this! </i>

"I assure you," Charles began to say, but his own laughter cut him
off. "Darcy engaged to Caroline? Not in a million years. She'd
like that, but it will never happen if Will has any say." With this
last he looked straight at Lizzy. She blushed, and wondered what he
meant. Then she had another realization, <I> If he's not engaged to
Caroline, then who </i>is<I> he engaged to? </i> She wondered just
whom George was talking about when he mentioned Will's engagement,
and began to question the veracity of his story.

At that moment, Louisa and Ben Hurst came downstairs and Charles
introduced Jane and Lizzy. Louisa was the eldest in the Bingley
family, and had been married to Benjamin Hurst for five years, no
children. Ben was a big golfer, with a decent handicap, although he
probably enjoyed scotch and card playing in the men's locker room
more than actual golf. Louisa, not much of an athlete, enjoyed the
social life and status that went with their golf club. Rarely did
they venture outside their circle of acquaintances and friends from
the club, except for the requisite summers in Nantucket.

They were polite to Jane and Lizzy, but Lizzy's distinct impression
was that Louisa felt they were not worthy of her little brother.
After a few minutes of polite conversation, the Hursts excused
themselves. Louisa was in charge in their parents' absence and she
needed to go over that night's menu with the cook, and Ben was eager
to see a college football game on television.

After some coaxing by Jane and Lizzy, Charles agreed to give them a
tour of the house and grounds. As they were nearing the end of the
house tour, they bumped into Will, who had just finished changing
his clothes and was headed for the stables.

"Will, there you are, all settled in?" asked Charles.

"Yes, thank you." He looked at Charles and then at both Jane and
Elizabeth. Lizzy couldn't look at him, and pretended she was
studying a sculpture of a horse nearby.

"I was going to ask you if you wanted to go horseback riding,
Charles." He thought the fresh air would help to clear his head so
that he could decide on a strategy to win Elizabeth. "What were you
all going to do?" he asked.

"I was giving the girls a tour of the house and I was about to take
them outside to see the grounds, why don't you join us?"

Will agreed right away, thankful Caroline was nowhere in sight, and
the four of them set out together. Will wished for the opportunity
to be alone with Elizabeth, but at first he couldn't think of
anything that would achieve that goal. Finally he had an idea.

"Elizabeth, do you ride?" he asked her.

"Not really, just a little, I never took lessons or anything." She
responded, embarrassed not to know how to ride well. Obviously
William and Charles were used to the finer things in life, horseback
riding being one of them.

"I'd be glad to teach you while we're here." He offered. Lizzy
wasn't so sure she was comfortable with the idea. She could barely
look at Will now; he was devastating in his britches and riding
boots. What would several days in his company do to her
equilibrium?

"I have a good idea," said Charles with a big smile on his
face, "why doesn't Will take Lizzy to the stables, show her around
and take a ride, while I show Jane the rest of the property." He
said this last part with a knowing look at Will that didn't escape
either Lizzy or Jane.

The look of hesitation on Lizzy's face was inescapable, but Will was
all for the idea, and wouldn't take no for an answer. Ignoring her
reluctance, he motioned for her to follow him. As they walked down
the path to the stables, Lizzy took stock of the situation. <I>This
doesn't have to be so bad, really. </i> Now that she knew he wasn't
engaged to Caroline, her feelings about him were all over the place,
leaving her totally confused. One side of her was glad that he
wasn't engaged to Caroline, but the other side worried about the
ruthless Will Darcy described by George Wickham. When they got to
the stables, Darcy instructed one of the groomsmen to choose one of
the gentler horses for Lizzy's mount on a ride with him.

"I'm not really dressed properly for riding." Lizzy said, looking
down at her jeans and white tennis shoes.

Will couldn't find a single thing wrong with what she was wearing
and smiled down at her, "What you have on is fine for today."

"Well…if you say so," Intent on not giving in to his charms, she
agreed doubtfully. He was arrogant and, if George was to be
believed, dangerous. She was going to have to play it cool with
him. The groomsman brought out two horses, saddled and ready to
go. Lizzy looked at her horse a little nervously, not exactly sure
what she should do first. Will noticed her hesitation and offered
to help. He led her horse over to the mounting block and told her
to get up on it.

"Don't be nervous, the horse will sense it," he said, "Now put your
right foot in the stirrup" she did as he directed, "and hold onto
the pommel there on the front of the saddle…good…easy… now hoist
yourself up," she followed his instructions, and easily pulled
herself up and threw her other leg over the horse's back and sat up
in the saddle.

She laughed nervously, feeling like she was going to fall. "I
forgot how high up being on a horse makes you feel," she said,
looking down at Will. Will was still standing right beside her and
he noticed her uneasiness. He placed his hand gently on her knee,
trying to calm her. It did anything but.

"Don't worry, just put your other foot in the stirrup," she found
her footing in the stirrup and looked down at him, "now take the
reins in your hands." Her eyes widened.

"How?" she asked. She had completely forgotten how to hold them.
All she could think about was that Will's hand was on her leg. Will
was able to reach over and easily guide the reins into her hands.

"Like this." he said, and nimbly maneuvered her fingers around the
leather reins and squeezed his fingers over hers. Lizzy held her
breath during this process; the feel of his hands on hers was
tantalizing. "Now, just hold them like that until I get up on my
horse." Lizzy didn't like to admit it, but she liked his take-charge
manner. He was so self-assured and masculine. <I>Plus, he smells
good. </i>

Will swung himself easily into the saddle, and guided his horse over
to Lizzy's, whose breath caught at the sight of him. <I>Oh my gosh
he looks <u>great </u>on a horse.</i> His back was erect and
straight as he sat in the saddle, and she had a momentary vision of
him in a shining suit of armor. She bit her bottom lip and tried
not to look too much at him. <I>How am I going to get through this?
</i>

"You certainly look like you've done this before." She said
casually, trying to sound like her old self.

"Well, I rode every summer growing up," he said, trying not to sound
too superior. He still remembered the sting of her words at the Ivy
Club when she called him a snob.

Will told Lizzy to follow him as they slowly exited the barn on
their horses. Will pointed towards some woods and a field and
motioned that they would head in that direction. He gave her some
pointers, and was pleasantly surprised to see that she wasn't as
lacking in skills on a horse as she claimed.

Lizzy kept reminding herself to be wary of Will, who was certainly
putting on the charm. After they had ridden for a while, they
stopped for a rest. Will helped her down from her horse, savoring
the feel of his hands on her waist as he guided her down from the
saddle, momentarily holding her at eye level. Their eyes locked for
that moment, until Lizzy said archly, "Better put me down, you know
what an overactive appetite we Freshmen have."

He shook his head and gently deposited her on the ground. He tied
the horses to a nearby tree before coming to sit down across from
her on the grass.

"Elizabeth…" he began, studying the blade of grass he had picked up
in his hands. They had been avoiding the subject that was uppermost
in their minds the entire time they'd been together. He felt he
needed to get it out in the open and hoped it would clear the air
between them.

"I'm sorry for what I said at the Ivy Club. I had no idea it was
you that Charles wanted to introduce me to. I didn't mean it." He
looked up at her meaningfully. "If I had known –"

"Oh, it makes it <I>better</i> that you didn't mean it? Heaven help
me if I hadn't been me!" she said derisively. "There's really no
need to apologize, Will. I already know." Lizzy said, her cool
demeanor in place.

"If there's no need to apologize, why you are still so distant with
me, what's the matter?" he asked, puzzled at her reserve. Most of
the girls he knew would be eager to make up with him, had they ever
been angry with him in the first place.

Lizzy didn't know how to answer him. She didn't know herself. When
he touched her, she wanted to fall in his arms. Physically, yes, he
was forgiven, it was her mind telling her something else. <I>He's
out of your league, Lizzy, you'll never last with him.</i> That
thought scared her, deeply. She didn't want to lose her heart to
him, and then have it broken when she was left behind.

She decided to change the subject. "I met someone the other day, who
knows you."

Will's interest was piqued, "Oh? Who was that?"

"George Wickham," she answered, waiting expectantly for his
reaction.

Will's demeanor changed, he scowled when he heard the name.

"Where did you meet him?" he ground his teeth at the thought of
Wickham anywhere near Elizabeth.

Lizzy responded dismissing his question. "That doesn't matter, but
he told me some very interesting things."

"I'm sure he did, lies most likely. I wouldn't trust him,
Elizabeth, if you know what's good for you." He spoke with callous
disregard for Wickham's remarks.

"Funny, that's what he said about you." She returned.

"Elizabeth, I'm not at liberty to go into detail, but he's
dangerous. Please, believe me when I say stay away from him." Will
was determined.

That determination merely served to raise Lizzy's hackles. "Who do
you think you are?" she said hotly. "You can't tell me who I can and
cannot associate with -- especially with a cryptic remark like
<I>that!</i>"

Will considered trying to drive his point home, but thought better
of continuing to argue with her and stood up. "I think it would be
best if we headed back to the stables," he said coldly, brushing
fallen leaves from his pants, "it's getting late."

Lizzy was frustrated. She had been itching to get to the truth
about George Wickham, and he effectively silenced her with his
haughty reserve and authoritative commands! Scowling, she agreed
and let him give her a leg up to her horse without speaking a word.
Their silence continued all the way back to the stables and into the
house. Lizzy went her way, Will went his, and they didn't see one
another again until dinner.

***

After a delightfully private time of meandering around Netherfield's
grounds, Jane and Charles found themselves, lying side-by-side, upon
a small embankment that overlooked a private pond. As the late
afternoon sun warmed them, they lay on the soft grass amidst fallen
leaves. The ubiquitous autumnal scent of burning leaves wafted
their way from the distance. Charles was exactly where he had hoped
and wanted to be with Jane. His feelings for her had skyrocketed
over the weeks they'd been dating. He couldn't explain it, but he
instinctively knew he was a lost man when it came to Jane Bennet.
With his head resting in his hands, Charles looked at her, in awe of
her beauty. He studied her golden hair, glistening in the sunlight
and how her dark lashes formed delicate crescents in contrast to the
paleness of her skin. His eyes moved downwards and rested on her
lips as she kept her eyes closed.

They had been seeing each other regularly ever since they met.
They'd been to football games, movies, and had even studied together
at the library. But Charles was getting tired of dropping her off
outside her dormitory, always careful to deliver her before curfew.
Once they were five minutes past her curfew of eleven o'clock, and
as a result Jane had accumulated five "late minutes." He sent her a
rose for every late minute the next day. Late minutes were no small
matter at Longbourn, once a student accrued 15 late minutes, she was
grounded for the whole next weekend.

He wanted to kiss her. Not a little kiss, like the ones he'd given
her furtively at the front door of her dorm after their dates. He
<I>really</i> wanted to kiss her. It was time. He rolled toward
her, pushing himself up on his forearm, as he leaned forward and
lightly placed a kiss on her lips. She smiled, keeping her eyes
closed, licking her lips once before he kissed her again, with a
little more pressure. He felt her response as she returned his
kiss, putting her arms around his neck. Parting her lips, he was
allowed entry and his tongue dared to explore her dewy sweetness.
He released a deep breath as he gave in to the ardor he'd been
keeping in check -- up to this point. Running his hands through her
silky hair, he kissed her thoroughly. He now lay atop her and her
hands ran down his back, tiny moans of pleasure issued from her as
their movements grew more and more fevered. Both wanted to give in
to the passion that had been bubbling between them ever since they
met and danced together.

Without thinking, Charles ran his hand under her sweater, stroking
the downy softness of her stomach, edging upwards. Jane's breath
hitched, as she delighted in the sensations going through her. A
little voice inside her was telling her to stop, but it felt so
<I>good.</i> His lips on her neck were wreaking havoc with her
senses. She had never felt this way with anyone before.

"Jane…Jane," he said between kisses, "you are so lovely…I've wanted
to…"

"Oh, Charles, Charles… we can't…we have to stop." She barely
whispered as he continued his passionate assault. Pulling aside the
fabric of her neckline, he rained kissed along her shoulder and
neck, inching further and further downwards. Beneath her sweater
his other hand was almost upon her breast. The little voice in
Jane's head was getting louder.

"Charles!" she said loudly this time, "Stop!" she cried out, forcing
him off of her, and sitting up. He stopped as soon as she
cried `stop' and, breathing heavily, he apologized through his
hitched breathing.

"Jane, I'm sorry, I'm such a beast. I should have known better."

She looked at him ruefully, smiling fondly. "It wasn't your fault,
Charles. I think we both got kind of carried away,"

Their eyes met as he took her hand in his, entwining his fingers
with hers. Looking down at their hands, he said, "Jane, I think I'm
falling in love with you."

Although her eyes were shining as all she could say in a tremulous
voice was, "Me too."

They looked into each other's eyes, until they both realized how
absurd they would seem to outsiders, and they started to laugh the
happy, heartfelt, delightful laugh of new love. They held each
other for a few moments more. They decided they'd better make their
way home before it got too late when they noticed the sun beginning
to set. Hand in hand they walked back to the house, relishing the
moment of newfound love.

Later that evening, relaxing after dinner in the rec room, some
members of the party noticed a difference between Jane and Charles.
There was a warmth, an intimacy between them now that hadn't been
there before. Lizzy noticed it right away, and couldn't help but
wonder what had happened while Jane and Charles were alone earlier.
She tried questioning Jane while they changed their clothes for
dinner, but Jane was too preoccupied with getting ready -- she
wanted to look her best for Charles.

Will also noticed the change in his friend. He recognized the look
of love on Charles' face; he'd seen it there before. Will had seen
Charles fall in and out of love many times. His privately held
hopes were that if and when he and Jane broke up, it wouldn't ruin
his own likelihood of success with Elizabeth -- Will remained
optimistic about his chances with her.

While they all listened to music on Charles's hi-fi, Lizzy studied
her sister again. She noticed a new glow, the contented smile upon
her face as she gazed up at Charles.

As soon as the opening strains of the harmonica came through the
speakers, Charles pulled Jane up from her seat and they began an
impromptu dance.

"I should have known better with a girl like you
That I would love everything that you do
And I do, hey hey hey, and I do"

Caroline and the Hursts seemed oblivious to the spell that was being
cast in the room. Ben sipped his after dinner cognac as he, Louisa
and Caroline played a game of Hearts at the card table set up in the
corner.

"Whoa, whoa, I
Never realized what a kiss could be
This could only happen to me
Can't you see, can't you see"

Will glanced at Elizabeth, wishing he could ask her to dance as
well. She had been frosty, to say the least, throughout dinner.

"That when I tell you that I love you, oh
You're gonna say you love me too, oh
And when I ask you to be mine
You're gonna say you love me too"

Jane and Charles were in another world as they danced. Looking into
each other's eyes with dreamy smiles upon their faces, they were
miles away.

"So, I never realized what a kiss could be
This could only happen to me
Can't you see, can't you see"

Trying to make up his mind, Will kept throwing glances at Lizzy.
<I>That does it, I'm going to ask her to dance.</i> He got up,
walked across the room to where Elizabeth was sitting, and stopped
in front of her.

"That when I tell you that I love you, oh
You're gonna say you love me too, oh"

Lizzy followed his movements with her eyes, wondering what he was
doing. As he came up to her he stopped, looking down at her.

"And when I ask you to be mine
You're gonna say you love me too"

"Elizabeth, doesn't this music make you want to dance?" he asked
with all the self-assurance he could muster at this crucial moment.
Lizzy was stunned that he had come to her. Speechless, she didn't
know how to answer. <I>Is he asking me to dance with him? </i>

Will looked down at her, watching her lips, waiting for her answer.

"Whoa whoa I never realized what a kiss could be
This could only happen to me
Can't you see, can't you see"

When no response was given the first time, he repeated
himself, "Doesn't this music make you feel like dancing?"

Lizzy licked her lips and thought about what to say; she wasn't sure
how to respond.

"That when I tell you that I love you, oh
You're gonna say you love me too, oh"

After a pause, she said, "Oh, I heard you the first time," looking
up at him impudently, "but no, I've not the least intention of
dancing right now, I much prefer watching Jane and Charles."
Glancing in their direction, she continued, "They look very happy
together." she looked at them, smiling. "Besides, I think the song
is almost over, anyway." she added.

"And when I ask you to be mine
You're gonna say you love me too
You love me too
You love me too"*

Will looked wistfully at Charles and Jane as the song ended,
regretting that he had lost his chance to dance with Elizabeth.

At this point, Caroline, who had been listening to their
conversation, decided that she wasn't about to let it go any
further. She pointedly came to Will, hoping to make it clear to
Elizabeth that he was hers. She wasn't about to let that hussy
steal him away from her.

"Will, darling, let's go for a walk, it's a beautiful night out,"
she said, giving him her most beguiling smile while tugging at his
arm.

Will resisted Caroline's efforts, trying not to grimace. He glanced
at Lizzy, anxious over her reaction to Caroline's antics. He was
surprised, and not a little disappointed, to see she didn't seem to
mind in the least bit.

Lizzy knew only too well what Caroline was trying to do, and she
could barely hide a smirk, seizing upon the perfect revenge for what
Caroline did to her the year before. She was determined to kill her
with kindness. She looked over at the two of them, intending to let
Caroline go on with her charade. She could see that Will wasn't
interested in Caroline, it was obvious now, but she enjoyed watching
him squirm, anyway.

With her eyes dancing, she smiled at him impishly "Yes, I'm sure you
two would like to be <I>alone.</i>"

She pretended not to see the beseeching look he threw her way.
Feigning a yawn, she grabbed the book that she had been reading
earlier, and said her good nights to everyone, announcing that she
was sleepy and going up to bed. Giving Will a cheeky look as she
passed by him, she couldn't miss the self-satisfied expression on
Caroline's face, nor the look of distress on Will's as she turned
and went off to bed.

*I Should Have Known Better – performed by The Beatles, written by
John Lennon and Paul McCartney © 1964 Northern Songs. All Rights
Reserved. International Copyright Secured.


As Christmas approached, so too did the <i>Holly Hop</i>,
Longbourn's annual holiday semi-formal dance held just before the
school break. Every girl at Longbourn was encouraged to ask a date
to the dance. The main topic of conversation all across campus
was `What are you going to wear?' `How are you going to wear your
hair?' and, most importantly of all, `Who are you going to invite?'

It was a foregone conclusion Jane would invite Charles to the
dance. That they were deliriously in love was no secret, judging by
the blissful looks and dreamy glances they exchanged. As a favor
to some of her dateless girlfriends, Jane asked Charles to drum up a
few of his acquaintances to be much needed blind dates. Jane's
first thought being Will, she offered to find Lizzy a date, but
Caroline beat her to the punch, and unexpectedly, Will had accepted
her invitation. Lizzy thanked Jane for her concern, but assured her
she was planning something on her own.

At first Lizzy didn't know whom she was going to ask. There just
didn't seem to be anyone out there that thrilled her – a veritable
dearth of `dream dates.' <i>Why couldn't Lydia's "Mystery Date"
board game be real?</i> she mused. Unconsciously or not, Lizzy
avoided one obvious person, one who made it clear he was eager to be
her man. George Wickham. He had called a few times, asking Lizzy
for dates. She couldn't make up her mind about him, and each time
he asked, Lizzy found an excuse to say no. He was certainly
handsome, but there was something about him she couldn't quite
pinpoint. He seemed a little `dangerous' to her. However, with the
<i>Holly Hop</i> fast approaching and Lizzy still dateless, a
feeling of desperation enveloped her. George Wickham was looking
better and better. He'd certainly cut quite a figure in tie and
jacket, and she couldn't help feeling a slight nervous thrill at the
prospect of going with him. <I>He does kind of look like a Beatle,
</I> she thought reflectively. She finally decided to ask George,
and give him a chance for that date he kept asking for.

Lizzy felt nervous phoning him, it went against the grain for her.
She was taught to wait for the boy to call you. She could hear her
mother's litany of dos and don'ts in the back of her mind. "Boys
<>never</i> go with girls that call them! Wait for <I>them</i> to
call you." Tapping her fingers fretfully on the receiver, she waited
for him to answer the phone, nearly hanging up after the fourth
ring. When he answered, it seemed sudden.

"Hello?"

"Hello, George? This is Elizabeth Bennet, I hope…um… you aren't
busy or anything," she said nervously.

Today was payday and George had been about to leave his flat en
route to a poker game with four co-workers from Korvettes, a pimply
crew of green rubes he was certain to take for all they had.

"Elizabeth," he lied smoothly, "I'm never too busy for you."

If she hadn't been so desperate – yes, she had to admit it – she was
desperate for a date, Lizzy would have rolled her eyes at the
absurdity of his obvious lines. <I>Is he for real? </I> Although
she was gratified he sounded interested, he also sounded much too
smooth for her own taste. With no choice but to forge ahead she got
to the point. "I'm glad to hear that. I wanted to ask you
something…"

"Ye-es?" he said, leadingly.

Heart beating wildly, she asked all in a rush, "We're having a dance
Saturday night, it's a semi-formal, and I was wondering if you
wanted to come with me as my date?" She held her breath waiting for
his answer.

"Next Saturday?" George had to think quickly – was there a poker
game that night? It didn't matter. He'd been trying to snag the
delectable Elizabeth Bennet ever since he met her, but so far his
efforts had been unsuccessful. <I>Maybe this is just the opening I
need.</i>

"I'd be honored to go with you." With his answer, she closed her
eyes as relief spread over her. <I>Yes! I have a date!</i>

"Thank you!" Enthused by her success, she proceeded to give him the
details of the dance and when it began.

"It sounds wonderful, Elizabeth, I'm really looking forward to it."
George said as he eyed the clock. "But, as much as I relish the
sound of your voice on the phone, I must go now, I was just on my
way out."

"Oh, that's all right." She was still too excited and relieved to
notice his smarmy tone. "I'm sorry to keep you," she said
apologetically. "I'll see you next week."

"Yes, thanks for inviting me." He put on the charm. "I'll be
thinking of you, until then." His voice dropped. "Good night,
Elizabeth." Later, when she had time to review their conversation,
it struck her as artificial. A tiny feeling of doubt crept into her
brain, but she pushed it away, convinced it was her overactive
imagination playing tricks on her.

"Good night, George, thanks again!" She hung up the phone, thrilled
that she got a date all on her own for the <i>Holly Hop</i>. She ran
down the hall to tell Charlotte and Jane her happy news.

<center>***</center>

With so little time before the dance, Lizzy nearly gave up finding
just the right dress to wear. Fortunately, with Jane as her
advisor, she found what she was looking for in time: a shimmering
deep red dress, perfect for the holiday season, with a low round
front neckline, close fitting bodice, and plunging back. A delicate
overlay with tiny iridescent beads cascaded over the very full skirt
with tucking at her sides beneath the waistline, which gave the
shimmering skirt a draping effect. The color set off her dark hair
and pale skin beautifully. Jane planned to do Lizzy's hair, piling
it on top allowing a few curls to escape, creating a romantic and
seductive picture.

Jane's dress, elegant in its simplicity, was a silver-blue silk
chiffon, a gown fit for a princess. Filmy and strapless, cut close
in the bodice, it accentuated Jane's trim waist. Flaring out at the
hips, it appeared to float over layers of crinoline. Her pearl
necklace and matching earrings would complete the graceful look she
hoped would please Charles.

<center>***</center>

George Wickham was pleased with what he saw before him. He ticked
off the attributes mentally, <I>Attractive, stylish - check. Good
build. Teeth. Straight. Hair. Perfect.</i> Satisfied, he adjusted
the lapels on his jacket and glanced at his reflection in the store
front window one last time before entering the formal shop.

"No! No, that won't do at all!" A loud, grating voice came from the
rear of the store. "It has to be just right." The voice continued
snootily, "Will Darcy expects nothing less than perfection. It has
to be taken in more!"

George's ears perked up at the mention of his nemesis. Curious to
hear more, he casually strolled toward the back of the store, nearer
to the voice that captured his attention.

"Yes, ma'am," was the obedient reply from behind the dressing room
door.

"Watch it with those pins!" screeched the voice. George raised his
eyebrows with a smirk. <I>Whoever she is, Darcy deserves her!</i>

He took his time perusing menswear until a tall, heavily made-up,
self-important looking young woman exited the dressing room in too
much of a hurry. She gave George a fleeting glance on her way to
the sales counter. George turned his back to her, feigning interest
in the dinner jackets on display.

"This <i>has</i> to be ready by Saturday." The woman told the sales
clerk in no uncertain terms. "I have a very important event to
attend that evening. I must look my best. My date for the <i>Holly
Hop</i> is Will Darcy," adding importantly, "the heir to Darcy
Pharmaceuticals."

George stole another look at her, sizing her up. Her manner said
she had money, but no style or grace. He was incredulous. <I>What
was Will thinking?</i> George found it hard to believe Will's
standards could drop so considerably as to let him be seen with such
a person. The Darcy family was one of quiet dignity, never flashy
or obvious, like this minx before him. He looked at her back
critically.

He bided his time, waiting for the young woman to leave the store
before leaving himself, without a purchase. In light of what he had
just learned, he made a decision. There would be no need for formal
wear.

<center>***</center>

Finally, the day of the dance arrived. Jane, Lizzy, Charlotte and
nearly every girl at Longbourn primped and prepared all day for the
big night. Lizzy and Charlotte were both nervous. Lizzy was edgy,
thinking of an entire evening with the attractive and dangerously
thrilling George Wickham as her date. Charlotte was jumpy for a
different reason. She was anxious about her blind date, one of
Charles's friends from Princeton. While not the most attractive
girl at Longbourn, Charlotte tried her best to make the most of her
looks. Practical, she admitted freely to herself and her closest
friends that all she wanted in life was to get married and have a
family as soon as she graduated, if not earlier.

At about three o'clock, when the girls were just about to begin
their preparations, Lizzy heard her name called from down the hall;
a phone call for her. Surprised, Lizzy looked at the clock.<I> Who
could be calling now?</I>

"Hello?" she said cautiously.

"Elizabeth?" said the muffled voice. "This is George." Between
coughs he croaked, "I'm afraid I have some bad news." Lizzy nearly
gasped when she recognized George's voice and the words he said
registered.

"George?" she said worriedly, a sinking feeling growing in her
stomach. "Are you okay?"

"I've been sick as a dog -- a stomach thing. I won't be able to go
to the dance tonight." As she heard the words all the air went out
of Lizzy's lungs.

"Oh!" was all she could manage to say at first. "I'm so sorry."

"I hate to do this to you, but it came over me so suddenly." He
apologized, "I would have let you know earlier, if possible. I hate
to think what a spot this must put you in."

"I understand." She was numb, but wished for him to feel better,
even though all she wanted to do was hang up the phone. "I better
let you go." She could barely muster any compassion for George at
that moment; she felt miserable and overcome by disappointment. "You
better get back into bed, George, don't worry about me."

On the other end, George hung up the receiver and turned to his
companions. "All set. I'm back in the game."

Lizzy trudged back to her room, where Jane and Charlotte were
waiting.

"Who was that on the phone?" Charlotte asked, noticing the
crestfallen look on her roommate's face.

"That was George. He can't come tonight. He's sick with a stomach
flu."

"No!" Jane and Charlotte said in unison. Jane put her arm around
Lizzy's shoulders, comforting her. "Don't worry, Lizzy, you'll
still be able to go tonight. I'm certain Charles will find you a
date."

"Who?" Lizzy asked glumly. She didn't want a blind date. She had
been looking forward to going with George – and, deep down – she
wanted to see Will Darcy's reaction.

"I'm not sure, but I'm certain he'll be very nice," Jane reassured
Lizzy. Lizzy didn't like the idea, but having no choice she went
along.

<center>***</center>

"Oh, Lizzy!" Jane said breathlessly. "You look absolutely
gorgeous!" She was delighted with the way Lizzy turned out; her date
would flip when he saw her – whoever he was. Lizzy had to admit she
was very pleased with how well she looked. The reflection in the
mirror didn't even feel like her. <I>I hope he likes it…whoever he
is</I>. Will Darcy's face flashed before her for a fleeting moment.
Briefly, she wished he were her date. Then she remembered with
distaste he was going with Caroline. There was no love lost between
them -- ever since the weekend at Netherfield, she and Caroline
ignored one another whenever they crossed paths on campus. To
Lizzy's amusement, Caroline pretended Lizzy didn't exist. A senior
like Caroline Bingley would never give the time of day to a lowly
freshman, especially if that lowly freshman was in the dubious
position of being at the top of Caroline's hit list.

The dance began at seven o'clock, and as the girls finished their
last minute preparations of lipstick and perfume, the phone rang.
It was the desk downstairs telling them the men were there.
Apprehensive, Lizzy grabbed her wrap and purse and made her way
downstairs with Jane and Charlotte.

The dormitory lobby was already crowded with young men, corsages in
hand, waiting for their dates. Amidst the sea of dinner jackets and
evening attire, four particular gentlemen stood in front of the rest
at the foot of the grand stairway. As each group of elaborately
dressed girls came down the staircase with chatter and laughter, all
of the young men looked up in anticipation. A collective sigh would
emit from below at the wondrous site before them as the girls
appeared in their finest gowns.

When Lizzy saw Will standing at the foot of the stairway, she felt a
sudden lurch in her stomach as she was instantly reminded – again --
that he was <I>not</I> her date. Her stomach refused to cease its
somersaults when she saw the shy smile on his face and the noble
expression in his dark eyes. She couldn't miss the look of
admiration he gave her. She couldn't help but return it, as she
noted how handsome he looked in his silk tie and dark suit. His
hair was neatly combed for the evening, not the unruly mop of curls
Lizzy was accustomed to seeing. In his hand, he held a box with a
corsage in it. The sight of that corsage hit her, bursting their
little cocoon of intimacy. <I>It's not for me. It's for
<u>Caroline.</u></i> Determined not to let him spoil her evening,
she reminded herself of his haughtiness and arrogance. <I>He and
Caroline deserve each other.</i>

Although William thought he was prepared for the moment when he
would first set eyes on Elizabeth again, he was overcome by the
sight of her. Completely unaware of Jane or Charlotte, Elizabeth
had his undivided attention as the threesome came down the stairs.
His eyes were only for his Elizabeth, forgetting the minor detail
that she was not his that evening -- nor any other evening for that
matter. He caught his breath at the sight of her, slowly exhaling
in awe of the beauty before him. His eyes widened as he noticed the
pleasing display of cleavage her dress afforded. She was alluring
in her brilliant red gown. It accentuated the smallness of her waist
and curves of her body, and she appeared taller with her glossy,
dark hair worn up. He unwaveringly smiled up at her, taking in
every inch of her as she continued her descent.

Lizzy gave him an arch look as she walked past him to approach
Charles and the two other men beside him. Charles immediately
greeted Jane, complimenting her appearance before he introduced
Lizzy and Charlotte to their dates. Charlotte's date was Maxwell
Saunderson, a shy looking young man who was a little short in the
height department. He seemed somewhat tongue-tied, but anxious to
please.

Lizzy's date was not exactly what she'd hoped for. Bill Collins was
an awkward, lanky young man, who was a definite devotee of
the "greasy look." Pushing up his thick black tortoise-shell
glasses, he stepped forward and bowed clumsily before her.

"It is an honor, Miss Bennet, or may I call you…Lizzy?" he asked,
bowing. With him bent before her, Lizzy fought the urge to gag as
she stared at his hair in horror. He stood up, grinning, then
realized he was forgetting to give her the corsage he was holding,
and held it out to her.

"Is this for me?" she asked, still incredulous that <i>this</i> was
her date.

He was a bit nonplussed, but remained polite. "Yes. I hope you like
it."

"Oh, yes, thank you." It took every ounce of self control for her
not to turn around and run away screaming. Out of the corner of her
eye she saw from Jane's face that she felt terrible about Lizzy's
lackluster date. Dumbly, Lizzy pinned the painfully garish
evergreen corsage onto her dress. <I>A Christmas tree corsage?
Happy thought, indeed.</i> She made a note to herself to `misplace'
the thing as soon she could manage it. As she finished arranging it
so it wasn't too noticeable, she realized someone silently
approached and was standing beside her. She looked up and saw Will
gazing down at her, with kindness in his dark eyes, as if he knew
what she was thinking.

"You look very lovely tonight, Elizabeth," he said quietly. Lizzy
hated herself for blushing at his compliment.

"Thank you," she said, determined to keep her head high.

A hush came over the group as Caroline began her grand entrance down
the staircase.

Lizzy looked up scornfully, half-expecting Caroline to say, `I'm
ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille.' Caroline outdid even herself.
Rumor was that her dress had been made especially for her at one of
the chicest couturiers in New York. <i>No doubt started by the
woman herself.</i> Lizzy thought. <i>Who else would create such a
ridiculous story?</i> The dress was a stunning black and white
satin strapless evening gown that Caroline wore with long black
opera gloves; her hair coifed to perfection. At her ears were
glittering diamond earrings which matched her diamond necklace. Her
eyes looked especially large. <I>Probably those fake eyelashes.
</i> Lizzy smirked. Caroline regally advanced on the group.

"Will, darling!" Holding out her hand, she waited for him to take
it. He noticeably gulped and pulled at his colla