Foundation of Love: The Gypsy Blessing 2 (18 page)

“Besides the obvious rationale, one of the reasons I didn’t think it was real when I first read that letter was because there’s a D on the stationery and not a B,” Elizabeth explained.

“If it’s 9:30 p.m. here, that means it’s 2:30 a.m. there...” he mumbled to himself as he stood and paced to the glass doors. “I’ll have to wait a few hours...”

“To do what?” Jane asked.

“I’m going to call the housekeeper at Pemberley and have her email a photo of the portrait.”

Jane suddenly stood straighter. “Oh! Our family Bible has a list of births and marriages.” Jane pulled it off the shelf and handed it to her sister.

William joined them at the desk.

“I checked it already.” Elizabeth opened the Bible to the correct page. “It begins when Emily Lashbrook marries Henry Bennett in the mid-nineteenth century.” She pointed to the first names written in the book. “The Bible was probably a wedding gift.”

William took the Bible from the desk and looked at it himself. “I have cousins with the last name Lashbrook. Wait here; I need my laptop.” William rushed from the room.

While he was gone, Elizabeth and Jane opened more of the drawings.

Elizabeth showed Jane the back of a drawing. “She numbered them, too. It must have been the order in which she received them.”

“Or it could be the order in which they came true.” Jane held up a picture of Fitzwilliam and his sister with a carriage in the background. Another lady stood behind them. “Look—here’s Georgiana Darcy!”

“Will’s parents must have named her after their ancestor, too.” She looked on the back again. “I wonder who Mrs. Younge is.” Elizabeth rubbed her arms to try to rid herself of the goose bumps. “This is all very strange, Jane.”

Jane nodded. “But it’s exciting, too.”

Elizabeth continued looking through pictures and turning them over to see the names.

William returned and placed his laptop on the desk.

Elizabeth gasped. “Wickham! This is
George Wickham
with Georgiana Darcy at Ramsgate. That’s in England, isn’t it?”

William nodded while taking the page out of her hand.

“Oh my...” Jane put a few pages behind her back.

“What are you hiding, Jane?”

“It’s too upsetting.”

“Jane, these things happened a long time ago...”

Jane handed the pages to Elizabeth. William moved behind her to look at them over her shoulder. “Poor Georgiana...” Elizabeth whispered, looking over a drawing showing Georgiana marrying Wickham, and another showing her crying.

“It looks like Wickham was just as much of a scoundrel two hundred years ago as his descendant is now,” William growled. “But I already knew that. There were several references in Fitzwilliam’s journals in the library at Pemberley to Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy taking in Wickham’s wife and son after he died.”

Elizabeth’s eyebrows rose. “So he married?”

“Yes—it seems he was married before he tried this.” He took the last drawing from Elizabeth. “He charmed the lady into marriage, then left her—pregnant and penniless. When his money ran out, it seems he forgot all about already being married and tried to do the same with Georgiana.” His nostrils flared. “His wife came looking for him at Pemberley the spring after Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam married, and they took care of them.”

Jane’s eyes were filled with tears. “Did she marry him?”

Obviously lost in his thoughts, William looked at her with confusion. “Who?”

“Georgiana Darcy.” She gestured to the drawing in his hand. “Did she marry Wickham... or
think
she married him?”

“I know for a fact that she didn’t.” He pressed a few keys on his laptop. “This is my family tree. When I became friends with Charles, I reconstructed what I could from the family Bible at Pemberley.”

Jane asked, “Why?”

“Because he’s a cousin...” He scrolled down and clicked on another button, then laughed. “In 1811, Charles Bingley married Jane Bennet at a double wedding with Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy!”

Jane paled significantly. “So, if we’re related, does that mean Charles is my
cousin?
”

William held back a smile. “There are too many generations in between to worry about it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Oh, I’m sure. Catherine de Bourgh has pounded it into my head for ages.” When he saw the ladies’ confused expressions, he clarified, “The de Bourghs are related from around that time, too—Anne is my cousin, but I can’t even fathom by how many degrees.
And
, my parents were related to the same degree... my mom’s brother is Richard’s father.” William pointed to the drawing of Fitzwilliam Darcy. “
His
mother was also a Fitzwilliam, which is where they got the first name.” He pressed a few more keys. “This is the Lashbrook line.”

They traced it backwards and matched it up with the list in the Bennett’s Bible. Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy’s daughter, Anna, was Emily Lashbrook’s mother.

Elizabeth held up a drawing of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam walking in a rose garden, which William had told them was at Pemberley. “So you and Georgie are descended through their son, and we are descended through their daughter...” Elizabeth hesitated. “If you think about it, every single person in this house right now is related somehow to the Darcys of Derbyshire
and
the Bennets of Hertfordshire.”

Jane grinned. “It’s an extended family reunion!”

William picked up the letter written by Elizabeth Darcy
nee
Bennet. “And
this
finally explains a family mystery—a stipulation in the inheritance of Pemberley. My father had no idea why, and neither did my grandfather, but it has been mandated for many generations that a portion of the estate has had to be set aside exclusively for a band of gypsies whenever they wanted to use it. We’ve also kept to the tradition of hiring them to work the farm at harvest time. They must be the descendants of those who put the blessing on Elizabeth Bennet.”

“This is amazing,” Jane said.

Elizabeth couldn’t stifle a yawn. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m exhausted, and it’s going to be a long day tomorrow. I need to get some sleep. Maybe we could continue this tomorrow evening?” She looked at William. “It really isn’t a problem if you and Georgie want to stay on here, Will. After all, we are
family
.” She smiled widely. “Charles and Richie are leaving in the morning. Mrs. Reynolds can take one of those rooms until you get the furniture delivered. I already planned to stay in the loft for an extended sleep-over with Anne—it wasn’t difficult to talk her into staying longer. Georgie can stay with us, too, and the two of them can go into Longbourn to look for an apartment.”

“I’ll be returning to Longbourn in the morning,” said Jane. “Mrs. Reynolds is welcome to use my room.”

William ground his teeth for a few moments.
It would be nice to see Elizabeth every day, but the temptation of living in the same house is too great.

“Please, Will? I’m going to start reading Elizabeth Darcy’s journals whenever I have some free time... It would be much easier to have someone here who I can discuss all this with.” Elizabeth gestured toward the trunk.

When he hesitated further, Elizabeth displayed an exaggerated pout. It was similar to an expression he had seen Lydia use when she was threatened with not getting what she wanted, but Elizabeth’s pout affected him in a much different way than her younger sister’s had.

He tried to hold back his smile, but when she fluttered her eyelashes, he couldn’t hold it back any longer.
It
would
be good for Georgiana to stay here a few more days.
“As long as you’re sure we won’t be in the way.”

Elizabeth’s bright smile was reward enough—for almost anything, he realized.

“Perfect!” Elizabeth turned to her sister. “You’ll be visiting Dad during your lunch hour tomorrow?”

“Yes, and after work, too. Tom’s classes don’t begin until next week, so he can take Mom to the hospital in the afternoon and cover for you at the store for at least part of every day this week.”

When Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest, Jane interrupted. “You’re giving up a lot so he can finish his Master’s degree. He feels the least he can do is help when he’s home. I’ll be coming home and working your hours on Sundays—and I will
not
take no for an answer.”

“Okay.” Elizabeth hugged Jane. When they moved away from each other, she asked, “Can I ask you both to keep all this quiet for a while—about the letter and pictures... and definitely the trunk?”

William asked, “Our being related, too?”

Elizabeth nodded. “For now, anyway.”

William and Jane agreed.

Chapter
11

The next day, William and Georgiana drove to the hospital to visit with Mr. Bennett, but as Mr. Bennett was not yet allowed visitors who were not immediate family, William left Georgiana with Elizabeth in the cafeteria, promising to return after a quick meeting with Mr. Gardiner two blocks away.

“I want to slow down,” William announced to Gardiner. “I’ve decided that Lambton Village should be broken down into two phases.”

“Two? The way it’s set up now, as soon as one plan is finished, we start on the next. I thought you wanted to do the same with the construction crews. Why the drastic change?”

William flared his nostrils, unused to having his business decisions questioned, except on occasion by his cousin Richard. Gardiner and William usually agreed, or Gardiner pointed out potential problems and then went along with what he decided without questioning it. After Gardiner’s speech yesterday, William especially did not want to tell the man his reasons, although he had a feeling Gardiner already knew.

“It’s Lizzy, isn’t it? You want to make sure she has a chance to submit her plans.”

Yep, he knows.
William steeled himself. “Even though she thinks she’ll be able to work on the drawings after working a full day at the store, we both know that more days than not, she’ll be too exhausted to get much done. Managing a store that size
will
take a toll. She’ll be much less productive than she was while working on drawings part-time after school. If the project is in two phases, Elizabeth can take her time and do it right. I want to choose from the best designs. I will not have Lambton Village end up being second-rate or a mash up of inconsistency.”

Gardiner stared at him for a minute before he commented. “You really
are
in love with her, aren’t you?”

William threw him a look that said he would not discuss the subject any further.

Gardiner held up both hands in defeat. “Okay, two phases it is. Let’s take a look at the specifications and figure out where you should make the break.” He hesitated a few moments. “By the way, there is something else I wanted to talk to you about. I’d like to rent a very small amount of office space somewhere close to Lambton during the project, where I can meet with Elizabeth without any interruptions. I know very well that my sister’s house will not work out for me—I’d never get anything accomplished there. I was wondering if the house you’ll be renting from my brother-in-law might have a small space? Just enough room for a drafting table and a file cabinet?”

William thought about it for a minute. “The main office will be downstairs in what used to be Mr. Bennett’s study, and the large room over the garage has a separate entrance and will be used for meetings. I’m converting it into a conference room with a couple of drafting tables so that I can spread out plans. The small room beyond that will have a foldout couch in case it’s needed, but mostly, it will be used for storage. You could put your file cabinet in a corner of that room and use one of the drafting tables in the conference room. There’s no sense in moving another one in.”

“Sounds perfect.”

~%~

A few minutes later, William entered the hospital cafeteria and approached Elizabeth.

“Hey.” Elizabeth greeted him with a smile that made his day.

What a difference from a year ago,
William thought.

“Hi, where’s Georgiana?” William sat down.

“She’s in the ladies room—we didn’t want to leave the table empty in case you came back.” She lowered her voice and leaned toward him. “I couldn’t sleep last night, so I went down to the library and started reading the journal. I ended up falling asleep on the couch.”

“It must have been very interesting to keep you awake—you were exhausted.”

Elizabeth nodded. “I’ll tell you about it later. Did you get the photo of the painting?”

William pulled out his phone, entered his code to unlock it, pushed a few icons, and handed it to her.

Elizabeth stared at the picture in wide-eyed amazement. “It’s definitely the same couple. Can you email it to me? I’d like to enlarge it on my computer later.”

“What’s your email address?”

She gave it to him, and he sent it immediately.

He offered, “When I get my printer set up, I’ll print a copy so you can keep it with the others in the trunk.”

She seemed surprised. “How’d you know I was going to print the other pictures and put them in there?”

“I meant the drawings, but that’s not a bad idea. You might not be the last Elizabeth Bennett to need them.”

Elizabeth gasped. “You think this might happen again to one of my descendants?”

William shrugged. “If it does, it’s more likely to be a descendant of your brother’s since she’ll still have the name Bennett.”

She blinked several times and tilted her head to the side. “It didn’t even occur to me, but I really don’t know the rules—or even if there are any. Maybe I should start keeping a journal, too.”

“It can’t hurt.”

“Last night I learned that Elizabeth Bennet Darcy started keeping a separate journal for the pictures to prove to herself that she wasn’t going crazy. I can understand
that
feeling.” She rolled her eyes. “She thought if she wrote down everything she saw and felt while looking at them, once it happened, she could know whether she was right.” Elizabeth sat up straighter. “Here comes Georgie. I’ll tell you more later.”

Georgiana took a seat. “You didn’t have to wait for me to come back, Lizzy.”

Elizabeth looked at her watch. “I wanted to spend a little more time with my dad before I leave. His physical therapy session should be over just about now. I’m reading him
Great Expectations,
and I was right in the middle of a chapter when the therapist kicked me out. I’ll see you both after work.” She grabbed her purse and adjusted the strap on her shoulder. “Oh, did Mrs. Reynolds arrive yet?”

William shook his head. “She isn’t expected until late this afternoon. We’re going to that furniture store you recommended before heading back to Meryton.”

“I’m sure they’ll have everything you need, and the prices are reasonable. I’ll tell Dad you stopped by. Sorry they wouldn’t let you up to see him.”

~%~

~A few hours later...

William held a basket full of supplies as he stood on line at Meryton Building Supply—anxious, bored, and looking around at nothing in particular. He shook his head.
Who am I kidding
?
I haven’t stopped looking for Elizabeth since I got here.
He stood taller when he caught sight of Elizabeth speaking to two men a few aisles over, in the electrical supply department. Something inside him ached when he saw her smile and laugh at something one of the men said.
This is ridiculous—it has to stop!
She turned and looked in his direction. Her smile widened when she caught sight of him, causing warmth to spread through his chest.
I really
am
in love with her.

“Are you in line, mister?” asked the man behind him.

William looked around and realized the line had moved, but he hadn’t. “Sorry.” He turned back to look where Elizabeth had been, but she was gone. He smelled her perfume a moment before her voice came from the other direction. “Hey.”

“Hi.” He held up his basket. “We went over to the house... just picking up some things we might need.”

“You could have called me with a list. I could have brought it home with me.”

I couldn’t get through the day without seeing you. What am I going to do once I move out?
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Actually, I’ll probably invent a reason to come in more often.
“You have the place set up nicely.” He hesitated. “Found everything without a problem.”

“You’ve never been to the store before?”

“No... I have been here before.”
At least now it’s only when I’m in public with her that I sound pathetic.
The guy behind him chuckled, and William turned to see that he was looking straight at him with laughter in his eyes. William nodded slightly.
At least he agrees that I sound like a jerk.

Elizabeth laid a hand on his forearm and a tingling feeling zipped up his arm. “You’re definitely a VIP customer and shouldn’t have to wait in line. Why don’t you come over here, and I’ll ring you up?”

William’s eyes widened slightly. While he wouldn’t mind spending a few minutes relatively alone with Elizabeth, he hated bringing attention to himself. “No, no... I don’t mind waiting.”

“We can work it the same way as we do your corporate account: leave your credit card authorization with me, and when you fax a list, we’ll have your order waiting when you get here. Or we could even deliver it to the house—”

“No, really, Elizabeth. I like shopping.”

The guy in line behind William snorted.

“You
enjoy
shopping?” Elizabeth furrowed her brows. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard those words from a man in my life!”

“Well, I mean I like
this
kind of shopping.” William faltered. “Wood, nails, paint, caulking... that type of stuff.”

The corners of her lips turned up slightly. “No linens or flowery wall hangings?”

He shook his head. “I’ll leave those to Mrs. Reynolds and Georgiana.”

“And you’ll stick to tools of the trade.” She nodded. “I guess if a guy is going to have fun shopping, those are the type of things he’d like to buy.”

Her eyes twinkled with laughter, encouraging him. He smiled and took a step closer to Elizabeth, lowering his voice to say, “And power tools... I’m big into power tools.”

All out laughter sounded behind him.

“How very
manly
of you, Will.” Elizabeth wiggled her eyebrows. “I’m sure you can teach me a thing or two.”

If you keep flirting, I just might take you up on that, but it won’t have anything to do with construction materials.
The effect her words had on William was dampened when she glanced over William’s shoulder and winked at the man standing there.

“Yes,” Elizabeth continued, though her manner had stiffened. “I’ll have to pay attention to the orders coming from Darcy Construction to find out which are the best brands.”

The guy behind him peeked around William to look into the basket William was carrying. Elizabeth laughed. “Gary, have you met Will Darcy?” William turned, and the two men shook hands. “Gary Feinstein is your new neighbor, Will. He practices law a couple of houses down from where you’ll be living.” She turned to Gary. “Will is renting our old house and will be running Darcy Construction from there until his office building is built.”

Gary welcomed him to the neighborhood.

“Well, I’d better get back to work.” She laid her hand on William’s forearm again. “If you want to set up that account, let me know. Tom is taking over for me here around five, so I’ll see you at dinner.”

William closely watched the sway of Elizabeth’s hips as she strode away.
That woman can
walk
.

Gary cleared his throat, attracting William’s attention. When he returned his gaze to Gary, the man was staring at William with a questioning look on his face.

William fidgeted uncomfortably. “Elizabeth is good friends with my sister... We’re staying with the Bennetts until our furniture is delivered.”

“Uh huh.” Gary smiled knowingly.

William was relieved to hear the checkout girl call out, “Next, please.”