First (Wrong) Impressions: A Modern Pride & Prejudice (29 page)

Jane added, “I don’t want people abusing my baby sister because of her choices.”

Lydia let out a long sigh. “It’s totally unfair.”

“Focus on you and your baby,” Jane said. “You can go back afterward.”

Lizzy, who’d always had a love-hate relationship with her sister’s acting, said, “I agree with Jane. You’re sixteen. You can afford to take a year off to look after the baby. You might even be able to get some local work until you show. It might be less than a year off.”

“I guess,” Lydia sulked. “I’ll need time to lose the weight anyway. Oh! Mom! We totally need to go shopping. I need maternity clothes. They make cute baby bump clothes, right?”

And that was Lydia’s return. Untamed. Unashamed. Loud. Brash. Tactless. And Lizzy realized how much she loved her baby sister, no matter how much she disagreed with her.

Chapter 36

March 5

The four Bennet sisters sat in their childhood living room, pretending to watch a movie. Mary was the only one paying attention. Lydia was prattling on at her about the baby, George, Vancouver, and Banff. Lizzy and Jane sat next to each other, talking in low tones.

“So Charles is coming to town tomorrow,” Jane said.

Lizzy couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face. “Yeah? How’s that going?”

Jane shrugged. “I had no intentions of talking to him ever again, even after he called and apologized. But, then, that night, I couldn’t think of anyone else to find you. Afterwards, I realized I could have called Caroline or even Darcy. But maybe somehow I wanted to call Charles.”

“Do you forgive him?”

“Charles could apologize for the rest of his life, but that’s just words. He called me every night after…He didn’t beg me to take him back. He didn’t even talk about himself. He wanted to know how I was doing. He listened to me cry. He offered help.” Jane chuckled. “Charles offered to fly us all out to Vancouver. He just wanted me not to be hurt.”

“I’m so happy for you, Jane.”

Jane frowned. “It’s not like that. He’s coming up to check over the condo. So we’re just going to hang out for a few days. See how it goes.”

“Is Caroline coming?”

Jane shook her head. “It turns out that she really wasn’t my friend. She didn’t like me and Charles together. He’s not telling her he’s coming up.”

“She’s away, isn’t she?”

Jane giggled. “Yup. I think that’s why he’s doing it now.”

“Oh, that’s bad, when you’re afraid of your own sister.”

“Have you talked to Georgiana lately?”

Lizzy nodded. “She texts me. Wants me to call William, erm…”

“William, huh?”

Lizzy rolled her eyes. “Shut up, this is my favourite part of the movie.”

He’d not called her. She’d not called him. She’d been sent out of Calgary and not spoken to him since.

Why hadn’t they called each other?

George.

Right. That’s why not.

No matter how Lizzy looked at it, the result was the same; William Darcy would never get involved with a woman whose sister was attached permanently to the man who had raped G. Not going to happen.

And, really, nothing had happened between William and her. Sure, they’d got drunk together. Sure, they drank lattes. Sure, he paid for her flight to Vancouver. But that was just him getting rid of her.

“Lizzy?”

No doubt he’d scared himself at how close he’d come to getting attached to her. She should call him, though. G had said to call him. He was away right now, on work, but she could text. That would be okay. Or it might annoy him. The idea of her voice annoying William caused her eyes to well up.

“Lizzy?’ Lydia repeated. “You’re not even listening, are you?”

“Sorry, I was dozing off for a moment. What did you say?”

Lydia huffed. “I was telling Jane how I loved the sushi in Vancouver.”

“I thought pregnant women aren’t supposed to eat sushi,” Mary said, looking at her tablet. “Ha! I knew that was Tom Cruise. He’s wearing a wig. See, Lydia, told you.”

Lydia made a dismissive gesture. “So I asked if you had any sushi while you were in Vancouver.”

“No,” Lizzy said. “I was too busy worrying about you to check out the sushi joints.”

Lydia rolled her eyes. “Oh my God, you are never going to get off my case, are you? Good Lord, Darcy didn’t even nag me as much as you.”

Lizzy and Jane looked at their sister, while Mary cleared her throat.

Lydia slapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh, shit.”

Lizzy leaned forward. “What do you mean,
oh, shit
?”

“Nothing,” Mary responded.

“Nothing,” Lydia repeated.

“Nothing?” Jane asked, her tone suspicious.

“Nothing.” Lydia confirmed.

Lizzy crossed her arms. “Spill.”

“But…”

“Lydia Bennet, spill.
Now
.”

Lydia glanced at Mary, who shrugged and said, “I warned him.”

“It slipped out!” Lydia protested.

“Oh my fucking God, Lydia! What is going on?”

“Elizabeth Winifred Bennet, I heard that,” Mom called from downstairs. “Watch your language.”

“Sorry,” Lizzy called. She gave Lydia a significant look, and in a lower voice said, “Tell me everything.”

Mary took a deep breath. “After you left Calgary for Vancouver, Darcy called me at the store. He said he wanted to help, but he didn’t want anyone to know, especially you. He asked what we needed, and asked if he could hire a private investigator to search for Lydia.”

Lizzy stared. “You talked to him and didn’t tell me?”

“He didn’t want you to know. He said you’d get really angry at him, and me, and let’s face it, you can’t stand the man. You’d have lost it.”

Lizzy didn’t have a reply to that.

“I told him yes, because we sure couldn’t afford a PI ourselves. He didn’t want anything in return or for us to pay it back. He just wanted to help.”

Lizzy turned to Lydia. “So, how did you know?”

“Dude, seriously? G’Anna does her big press event and George goes freaking nuts. He’s all panicky and says he knows who G’s talking about. He left me in the apartment alone, even though I’d been puking my guts up for days by then. A couple hours later, a guy shows up at the house with Darcy.”

“The police told me some old friend of George’s found you and brought you to the hospital.”

“Yeah,
Darcy
. He asked if I was okay and said everyone was looking for me. By that point, the puking was so bad I was glad to see someone I knew. He asked what I wanted and I said a hospital. So, he drove me.”

“Why?”

Lydia and Mary shared a look before Mary offered, “All he said was that it was his and G’s fault that George was able to do this to Lydia.”

“Oh, fuck that shit,” Lydia snarled.

“I heard that!” Mom shouted.

“Sorry,” Lydia shouted back.

“Look, Darcy is in love with you and didn’t want you to feel like you had to like him back or some shit. Seriously, Lizzy. You can be really stupid sometimes.”

****

“Um, hi William. It’s me, um, Lizzy. Um, I know you’re busy, so you don’t need to call back. I’m sorry about not calling before. It’s been really busy with Lydia and all that. So, um, Lydia and Mary told me, ah, just now, ah what you did. Don’t be angry. Lydia slipped and I forced them to, um, just tell me everything, you know? I get why you didn’t tell me yourself. My temper can be pretty unpredictable, huh?”

Lizzy gave a nervous giggle and berated herself.

“So, um, I just wanted to thank you. I’m sorry that I’ve behaved so badly towards you. See, I never wanted you to think I liked you because of the money. I’m sorry that you had to go behind my back to my sisters.”

She took a deep breath and hurried to finish. “So anyway, I just wanted to say, thanks and um, I had a lot of fun that night and, um, if you are ever in town, you’re welcome to come over. And, um, erm, um, you can totally call me or tweet me or whatever you want. Um, okay, well, I should go. Bye.”

Lizzy ended the call and stared at the phone. “That was the lamest thing I’ve ever done.”

“That was really pathetic,” Lydia said. “Like, pathetic even for you.”

“Lydia, don’t be rude,” Jane chided.

“It’s totally true.”

“I think it was…honest,” Mary said. “Though he probably thinks you’re a stalker now.”

“Seriously, you are the worst sisters ever.”

“Yeah, that’s kinda true,” Lydia mused. “You really gotta work on your game, Lizzy, or you’re never going to get a man.”

“Great. Boy advice from the sixteen-year-old. Where did I go wrong?”

“He’ll call back, Lizzy,” Jane said. “Darcy’s a good man. He won’t think less of you for…for…”

“Depressed dialing?” Lydia offered.

Jane cringed. “He won’t think less of you for…”

“Depressed. Dialing,” Lydia repeated.

“Is that a thing?” Mary asked.

Lizzy blew her nose. “Seriously, you guys are awful.”

Jane put her arm around Lizzy. “We’re here for the big stuff.”

“Stalking Darcy is the big stuff?”

“It’s rather sweet that you called him William in your voice mail,” Mary observed.

“Don’t you start,” Lizzy said.

Lydia offered a high five to Mary, who begrudgingly took it.

Chapter 37

March 6

Lizzy stared at her email in shock.

Hi Lizzy, I’m sorry I haven’t returned your voice mail. I’m in India right now, but I’ll be back in a week or so. Maybe I could call you then?

William

Her heart thudded. He wanted to talk. Oh. Oh, that would be nice. She just needed to be cool.

Hey, I’d like that. Have a safe trip.

Lizzy

She spent the next hour re-reading his email and her reply and running through every possible scenario.

****

March 8

It was good to be back at work. Melissa had hatched a plan with Kelly when they were in Calgary to merge with an inner-city agency in Vancouver, so they were consumed by activity. Kelly was staying at Melissa’s. Lizzy had offered hospitality, but Kelly said she was happy were she was.

That suited Lizzy just fine; she got to spend her time catching up on her job. She hadn’t let the paperwork slide, but she was out of touch with the everyday needs of her clients and, frankly, missed them.

Her phone rang. “The Faith-Hope-Love, Elizabeth speaking.”

“Is this Elizabeth Bennet?” The older woman’s voice was eerily familiar.

“Speaking. Can I help you?”

“You will stay away from my nephew.”

This took Lizzy by surprise, but her brain identified the voice. “Catherine?”

“This is
Ms.
de Bourgh. You will stay away from Darcy and also Georgiana. Have I made myself clear?”

“Um, what are you talking about?”

“Do not play games with me, young lady.”

“I’m not. I just don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

“I know that you’re trying to sleep your way into money with my nephew. It will not happen.”

It was a moment before Lizzy could even respond. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. You’ve been nothing but trouble. I have not spent the last decade looking after those two to have you ruin their lives. I know for a fact that your knocked up slut of a sister—”

“Shut your mouth,” Lizzy snarled. “No one, and I mean
no one,
calls any of my sisters a slut. I don’t know what your problem is, and frankly I don’t actually care. You’re no one to me. And I’m going to be friends with whoever I want, and I’ll sleep with whoever I want. Have
I
made myself clear?”

An indignant sound escaped Catherine. “Listen here. I am their closest relative now their parents are gone, and I will do everything I can to protect their interests. So you will back down.”

“Or what? It’s not as if you can do anything to me. Goodbye, and don’t call me again.”

What the hell was
that
all about? The crazy sure was contagious these days.

Chapter 38

March 10

Lizzy sat in Melissa’s office, knowing this was going to be a meeting she would regret. It had that feel to it, the kind of manager-employee vague meeting outline that seemed to scream disciplinary at the top of its lungs.

“Lizzy, thank you for meeting with me this morning,” Melissa began.

“Well, I suspect this is the type of meeting that I had no choice about.”

Melissa didn’t smile. “First, I know it’s been quite tough on you lately, with your sister.”

“Yes,” Lizzy said. “I appreciate how everyone took over my shifts and divided up my work so I could focus on my family.”

“Everyone was happy to do it. You’ve put in hundreds of overtime hours without being paid for them.” Melissa shifted in her chair. “While you were away, Kelly and I, plus her executive team, held some planning meetings so that we could plot our operational strategies.” Melissa paused, clearly waiting for Lizzy to speak.

“Go on.”

“We decided that we want to be more spiritual-based.”

A chill spread through Lizzy.

“We all know your resistance to turning The Faith back into a Christian organization.”

“Yes,” Lizzy said with a fair bit of heat. “I’ve worked very hard so that all beliefs would be respected within these walls.”

“You’ve done an excellent job of it, too. I know how important this place is to you.”

Lizzy waited. She was no longer going to speak during these pauses. She couldn’t. She put her hands on her thighs, so that only she would know how badly they were shaking.

“However, your behavior with regards to Luke and Pastor Liam alienated many of the local churches, all of whom donate to our programs.”

“They wanted me to illegally fire someone for being gay.” Lizzy said flatly. “I refused.”

“Of course. I don’t blame you for not breaking the law. However, perhaps the way you handled it wasn’t the best.”

“Melissa, cut the crap. What exactly are you trying to say?”

“I want you to resign.”

Five words. Five simple words that knocked the bottom out of Lizzy’s life. She’d been working at The Faith since she was a teenager. She’d risen from kitchen volunteer to executive member. Now she was being asked to step aside because her personal vision did not match the vision of those she allied with to help save her agency.