Chapter 154


Elizabeth was glad that she already knew what Rose wanted to discuss—the wedding—or such an official-sounding request for a private conversation would have been intimidating. But she didn’t have time for a lengthy discussion right now, and she wondered how Rose would react to that news. Before she could explain, Rose introduced the topic.


“Last night, William mentioned his concerns about the wedding. He also said that you didn’t necessarily share those concerns, but that nonetheless you might prefer a different sort of event. That surprised me. We’ve discussed the wedding at length over the past few months and you’ve never mentioned any misgivings about the plans.”


Elizabeth wished William had restricted his remarks to his own issues, leaving her out of it. “I wouldn’t say that I have misgivings, exactly. I admit, it isn’t the wedding I would have designed on my own, but I never expected that it would be. In your family’s situation … well, people expect a certain style.”


Rose raised her eyebrows and nodded. “Precisely. Perhaps you can explain that to my grandson.”


Elizabeth wanted to say more, but she glanced at the grandfather clock on the opposite wall. She was almost out of time. “Unfortunately, we’ll have to talk about it later. I need to leave for a meeting with Ms. Martinez about the grant proposal; we rescheduled it from last week when … well, when everything happened.” It seemed impossible that it had been only a week since Georgiana’s unauthorized trip to Washington had turned their lives upside down.


“Ah, of course. Sonya reminded me that we needed to delay the proposal submission deadline to give the school extra time. Very well; perhaps we can have lunch together after your meeting.”


Elizabeth winced. “I’m so sorry, but I’m having lunch with my thesis advisor; I’m hoping she might have some leads for teaching jobs for the fall. And then, later this afternoon I have a meeting with two other music teachers, friends of Graciela—Ms. Martinez—about possible grant proposals for our next funding cycle … I mean, the foundation’s next funding cycle.”


Rose’s expression was as warm as Elizabeth had ever seen it. “You’re putting a great deal of energy into the foundation.”


“I hope that’s all right. I’m so excited about the chance to really make a difference in kids’ lives.”


“Of course it’s all right.” Something sparked in Rose’s eyes, and Elizabeth waited for her to respond. But then the spark died, and Rose shook her head. “I shouldn’t be keeping you from your meeting. We’ll find a time to talk later.”


“Yes, definitely.” Elizabeth rose to her feet. “I hope you have a wonderful day.”


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As it turned out, Elizabeth didn’t see Rose again for the rest of the day. She returned from her afternoon meetings to find that Rose was playing bridge at Joanna Barton’s townhouse. By the time Rose arrived home, Elizabeth, William, and Georgiana were at the Fitzwilliams’ apartment for dinner.


It had been a light-hearted event due to good news from Georgiana’s meeting with her social worker. The woman had been swayed by Victor Rossi’s lawyerly arguments, Georgiana’s heartfelt apology, and the promise of therapy and a new guardianship agreement. As a result, there would be only one change to Georgiana’s probation: an extension on her community service obligation. Instead of ending at the close of the school year, it would commence again in the fall. Elizabeth had smiled at this news, delivered by a clearly delighted Georgiana. Extending the girl’s tenure at the Washington Heights school was similar to Brer Rabbit being thrown into the briar patch.


Georgiana stayed on with the Fitzwilliams after dinner, planning to spend the night, while Elizabeth and William joined Charlotte and Richard at a jazz club that Richard and William had managed to agree on. The music was just conventional enough that, as Richard said, “It doesn’t drive me too crazy,” and the crowd was lively enough to suit Richard but not too raucous for William’s tastes.


Elizabeth and William returned to the townhouse after midnight and made their way to William’s bedroom. Elizabeth had begun to leave a few personal items there, but as they prepared for bed, she discovered that her toothbrush was upstairs. She hurried up to get it and joined him in the bathroom soon after.


“I should buy another one,” she said. “One for upstairs, and one for down here.”


“Or you could move down here, and then you wouldn’t need another one.”


“Like I’ve told you, I’m just not ready for that yet.”


He heaved a theatrical sigh. “I know, but hope springs eternal.” She watched him leave the bathroom, unbuttoning his shirt as he headed for his closet—actually, it was officially called his dressing room, as she had learned from Mrs. Reynolds. It was certainly large enough to deserve that loftier designation.


Elizabeth frowned at herself in the mirror while she brushed her teeth, wondering if what she had just told William was true. Her status in the townhouse was changing rapidly, and every day she felt more like she belonged, both in the house and in the family. Perhaps it was time to consider moving out of her guest room.


She was still pondering the question when she joined William in the bedroom. He was sitting up in bed, his chest bare. From the wolfish glint in his eye, she suspected he was unclothed under the blanket as well.


“I was hoping you’d wear one of your black nightgowns,” he said, inspecting her satin nightshirt as she joined him on the bed, his voice deep and husky.


“They’re upstairs,” she replied, running a finger down the middle of his chest. She leaned over to plant a trail of kisses on his neck.


“Yet another reason why you should move down here,” he murmured, reaching for the buttons on her nightshirt.


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The next morning, Elizabeth opened her eyes slowly. As she came to full consciousness, she was surprised that she had apparently awakened ahead of her early-morning alarm. That meant she had a few minutes left before she had to exit the luxurious warmth that surrounded her. She snuggled against William and relaxed.


Wait a minute. Why is it so light outside?


The French doors to the balcony were admitting light that illuminated the room in an unfamiliar pattern. Had she forgotten to set the alarm? She sat up abruptly.


“What’s wrong?” William muttered, his voice thick with sleep.


“My alarm didn’t go off.”


“Yes, it did,” he replied with a drowsy chuckle.


“It did?”


“You turned it off, rolled over, and rested your head on my chest.”


“I did?”


“I asked if you were going to get up and you moaned, ‘Nooooo,’.”


“And you didn’t make me get up?”


He rolled toward her, grinning, and draped an arm over her. “You can’t possibly imagine that I’d kick a gorgeous naked woman out of my bed if she didn’t want to go. And actually, I did ask you one more time, but you’d already gone back to sleep.”


“What time is it?”


He peered at the clock. “A few minutes past eight.”


She groaned. “I’ll never get up to my room without being seen.”


“Then stay and have breakfast with me; once it gets a little later, everyone will be downstairs and you can get back to your room unnoticed. I’ll call Mrs. Reynolds and order something for both of us.”


Elizabeth considered his suggestion. She was sure that Mrs. Reynolds had noticed the revised sleeping arrangements, so in that sense it wouldn’t change anything. But still ….


William was watching her closely. “A few nights ago,” he said, “we agreed that it felt like our wedding night. Shouldn’t a newlywed couple be able to enjoy breakfast together?”


“Mrs. Reynolds wouldn’t bring it in here, would she?” Elizabeth considered her options in that case. Hiding in the bathroom was a possibility.


“She’ll deliver it to my study. We can eat in there, or better yet, I’ll go get it and bring it in here.” He kissed her cheek. “Come on, wife, have breakfast with your husband.”


His cheerful expression and wheedling tone were irresistible, and being called “wife” for the first time—even though it wasn’t true yet—sent a flood of warmth through her. “Okay.”


It was too chilly for breakfast on the balcony, so they ate in bed. William celebrated the occasion by adding an omelet to his usual breakfast of a bagel and orange juice. “What are your plans for today?” he asked as he poured another cup of coffee.


“I need to talk to your grandmother about the wedding, and I also want to tell her about my meetings with the music teachers.” The proposal from Georgiana’s community service school was complete, and the two teachers she had just met were interested in submitting proposals with Elizabeth’s help. She was brimming with ideas and couldn’t wait to get started on the plans. She had breathlessly described it all to William yesterday on her arrival home, barely managing to hold in her excitement until he finished practicing.


“That reminds me,” he said. “I spoke with her yesterday while you were out. She wants to talk to both of us about the foundation.”


“I hope she isn’t having second thoughts about these programs in the schools. I know it’s a departure from most of what you’ve done.”


“No, if anything it’s the opposite. She mentioned how pleased she was with the energy you’re investing in the foundation, and she seems to like the new direction you’ve proposed.”


That was a relief. But later, as Elizabeth crept upstairs—to the guest room she was now considering leaving behind—she couldn't stop wondering what Rose might want.


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Fortunately, Elizabeth didn’t have long to wait. When she came downstairs and entered the library, she found William and Rose together, drinking tea. Sunlight streamed in the windows, and out in the garden she spotted the first daffodils budding. She made a mental note to convince Georgiana to go for a walk later.


William, who was waiting for Richard to arrive for a mid-morning run in the park, looked unusually casual in a San Francisco tee shirt, gray sweatpants, and his favorite running shoes. Although the shirt was one of his favorites for running, it looked brand new and wasn’t marred by so much as a wrinkle. Had it been her shirt, it would have been festooned with ink stains.


“Ah, good morning, Elizabeth,” Rose said. “William was just telling me about your evening.”


“We had fun. Dinner was great, and we enjoyed the music.”


“Do you have time now to talk? I believe William told you I wanted to discuss the foundation.”


“Yes, of course.” Elizabeth seated herself next to William.


“As I mentioned yesterday, I’m considering taking some extended trips away from New York in the summer and winter, now that alternate arrangements are being made for Georgiana’s care.”


Elizabeth nodded, suppressing a smile at Rose’s careful choice of words.


“I’ve been thinking about my other obligations here in New York. I serve on auxiliary committees for several arts organizations, of course. But perhaps it is time to turn those responsibilities over to younger participants, as most of my friends have done. As for social obligations, there are fewer of those in the summer, and perhaps in the winter the two of you can represent the family, at least as much as William’s travel schedule permits.”


“Of course,” Elizabeth said.


“That leaves the foundation. Of course, Sonya handles the day-to-day business, and William is the executive director, but I am the chair of the board and am still quite involved in the various activities. I can continue as the chair; we can schedule board meetings when I’m in town, or I can come to town as needed, and of course I’ll be available by phone wherever I am. But I’m concerned about ensuring that other aspects of my role don’t suffer for my absence. For example, William and I typically interview grant applicants, either in person or on the telephone. And I generally participate on selection committees, and coordinate receiving evaluations of our ongoing programs.”


“I can take on more of that, Gran,” William said.


Rose shook her head. “I was about to ask Elizabeth if she would be willing to take my place.”


“Oh!” Elizabeth hadn’t expected this. “Really?”


“I’ve been impressed with your interest in the foundation, and also with your fresh approach,” Rose said. “Your ideas are taking us in a new direction that I think has real promise. And you have an advanced degree in music education, which should be quite valuable, along with your teaching experience.”


“The only thing is, if I get a teaching job, I might not have time.”


“Would you consider making the foundation your job instead?”


Elizabeth frowned. She hadn’t considered that possibility. She glanced at William, who immediately entered the conversation.


“I think that’s a fantastic idea,” he said. “If you’re interested, of course. I know how much you enjoy teaching.”


“I don’t know.” Elizabeth couldn’t quite wrap her mind around the idea. “I’d have to think about it.”


“Of course, you need time to consider it,” Rose said. “I know it’s not what you envisioned for your future. But it would make traveling with William much easier, and you’d still be very much involved with music education.”


Rose was exactly right. Elizabeth had enjoyed her meetings with the music teachers, and was looking forward to working with them. And her thesis advisor hadn’t been encouraging about job prospects for the fall. With the continual arts funding cuts in the schools, teachers with years of experience were struggling to find positions, and none of the local universities were seeking instructors at present. “That’s true,” she said. “However, there’s another issue. I’ve been living on my savings since I got here, but my funds are running low. Besides my normal expenses, I’m going to need to buy gifts for my bridesmaids, and a wedding gift for William, and … well, other things, too. I was getting ready to look for a job, any job, at least until the wedding.”


“Lizzy, I’m happy to give you as much money as you need,” William said, sounding mildly exasperated.


“That’s not what she wants,” Rose answered in a tone that brooked no disagreement. “I understand, Elizabeth; you want to be independent—at least until the wedding. After that, I hope you won’t object to sharing the family’s resources, since you’ll be a member of the family.”


Elizabeth gaped at Rose for a moment before responding. She had never expected understanding to come from that quarter. “I’d still rather have some money of my own, but, yes, of course, that will be different. Until then, though ….” Elizabeth shrugged. “I need a job. So while I’m happy to help with the foundation, I’ll have to make sure I have time for work as well.”


“Would you allow the foundation to hire you, as a management trainee of sorts?” Rose asked.


“That’s the same as William giving me money.”


“No, it is most certainly not,” Rose replied, lifting her chin. “I promise that you will earn every penny. In addition, the foundation should already be paying you for your efforts with the school music teachers.”


“I didn’t expect to be paid for that; I wanted to do it because it’s the family’s foundation. And also, it was a great opportunity to expose more kids to music.”


“If you won’t let William give you money before the wedding, we shouldn’t allow you to volunteer your time before the wedding either.”


William had been looking back and forth at the two women during this exchange, rather like a spectator at a tennis match. At last, he spoke. “I think she’s got you there, Lizzy.”


Elizabeth nodded reluctantly. “Yes, she does.” She thought for a moment, and then turned to Rose. “Thank you; I accept. At least on a trial basis.”


“Hey, old man, where are you?” It was Richard, calling out from the vicinity of the kitchen.


Rose rolled her eyes. “I will never understand why he can’t just walk down here instead of shouting.”


Chuckling, William rose to his feet. “You know Richard,” he said. “He’ll never change.” He leaned over and kissed Elizabeth, and then kissed his grandmother’s cheek as well, to her obvious surprise. “Gran, thank you so much. This was a brilliant idea.”


Elizabeth watched him go and then turned to Rose. “I agree with William; this sounds wonderful. The only thing is, I’m reluctant to give up on teaching altogether.”


“Perhaps you could consider this a sabbatical. If you decide to teach later and find that you can’t handle both, we can hire someone to replace you. By then, perhaps your program with the city music teachers will be well enough established that you can entrust it to someone else. But if you find the work as rewarding as I think you will, you can eventually take my place on the board, and you and William can run the foundation together.”


Elizabeth recognized that this offer was, in essence, the Rose Darcy Official Seal of Approval. That the plan immersed her, as William’s fiancée and soon-to-be-wife, in charity work instead of an outside job was certainly another reason for Rose’s offer. But there was no point in resenting that possibility when it offered so many potential benefits.


“Excuse me, Mrs. Darcy?” It was Mrs. Reynolds, standing at the library door. “Can I bring either of you some more tea, or anything else?”


Rose and Elizabeth both declined with thanks, and Mrs. Reynolds replied, “In that case, I’m off to the market. I’ll be back in time to start lunch.” She headed back to the kitchen.


“I had a talk with Georgiana the night before last.” Evidently, Rose had decided it was time to change the subject.


“She told me. It sounded like things went very well.”


“I thought so. We talked about some of the recent events, but mostly we shared our experiences as teenagers.”


It was hard to envision Rose ever being a teenager, but Elizabeth nodded sagely. “That sounds like a good start. I’m sorry if I tried to force things by encouraging her to invite you to tea.”


”She told me it was your idea.” Rose seemed to be suppressing a smile. “But I know you meant well, and in the end, perhaps that experience made it possible for us to ‘really talk,’ as Georgiana said.”


“Speaking of Georgie, William and I have invited her to go to Interlochen with us this summer. We can probably arrange for her join a few of the summer camp classes if she wants—maybe even play with the orchestra—and she’ll also have time to enjoy the lakes and the beach. William found a lovely lakefront home for us to rent for a few weeks.”1


Rose nodded. “William mentioned that to me. It sounds like a splendid idea.”


“And my Aunt Madeline in Baltimore would like to invite Georgie down to stay with them for a month or so over the summer. Georgie got friendly with their daughter Tessa when we were there last weekend, and I think it would be good for her to spend time with the family. But of course, that’s pending your approval.”


“No, it’s pending your approval now,” Rose replied tartly. “Yours and William’s.”


“We’re not officially her guardians yet, and besides, we wouldn’t want to do anything you thought was a bad idea. Aunt Maddie said she’d be happy to invite you down for a weekend, if you wanted to see their house and neighborhood before you decide.”


Rose shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. If you and William are in favor of it, I think you should talk to Georgiana.”


“Thank you.”


“If there’s nothing else about Georgiana, we should discuss the wedding. That subject has been waiting since yesterday.”


“Yes.” Elizabeth said nothing more, deciding to allow—or force—Rose to take the lead.


“As I said yesterday,” Rose began, “I was rather taken aback when William said that neither of you were in favor of the wedding plans.”


“And as I said yesterday, that’s not entirely correct. If I were marrying someone else, someone who wasn’t … well, William Darcy, I would want a more relaxed sort of wedding. And although I’d want all my friends and family there, it wouldn’t be as big an event as this. But I am  marrying William Darcy. I’ve known all along that the wedding would need to be very grand.”


“Exactly.” Rose paused. “So, then, if I understand you correctly, you and I are in favor of keeping things as they are. William will simply have to adjust his thinking.”


Elizabeth bristled at Rose’s dismissive tone. “Shouldn’t William be able to enjoy his wedding day?”


“Weddings are for the bride, really. And in any case, it would be difficult to change the arrangements less than three months before the wedding. We have the church, the ballroom, the caterer, the orchestra, the flowers ….” Rose shook her head. “No, William will be fine. And since you don’t have a problem with things as they are—”


“But I do have a problem. I’ll be unhappy if I know William is miserable.”


Rose didn’t respond at first, perhaps punishing Elizabeth for interrupting. She stared across the room at a wall of books, all neatly shelved and organized by size. When her gaze returned to Elizabeth, her expression was neutral and calm. “Now that you say it, I suppose I might feel the same way in your position. But William attends large events like this frequently, and he handles them well enough.”


“But this is different—”


“I know; he will have more attention focused on him than usual. But that happens at receptions after his concerts as well. He’s over-dramatizing the situation; he does that sometimes, as I’m sure you know.”


Elizabeth gathered her thoughts, determined to make her point. “I think he suffers more at public parties than you realize. Of course he does the best he can when you’re with him; he knows you expect a lot of him, and he’d move mountains rather than disappoint you. And at those music receptions you mentioned, it’s easier for him. People want to talk to him about music; he enjoys that, and his expertise gives him confidence. But maybe you haven’t seen him the way I have, at parties where he doesn’t feel like he fits in. He’s awkward and miserable. I don’t want to take the slightest chance of our wedding day being like that for him!”


Rose looked somewhat startled, perhaps by the length and vehemence of Elizabeth’s speech. “I had forgotten how valiantly you defend him when you feel that his welfare is threatened.”


“Did I go overboard?” Elizabeth didn’t think so, but one could never be sure with Rose.


“No. It makes you … challenging to deal with on occasion, but it’s for a good cause. I’m glad he has you in his corner.” Rose nodded slowly, as though to herself. “Very well. What do you propose that we do about it?”


“Well, as a matter of fact, I have an idea for what might be a good compromise.”


“Tell me more.” Rose leaned forward in her chair, clearly intrigued.


Here goes nothing.  Elizabeth took a deep breath and leaned forward herself.


Next chapter

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1 Interlochen Arts Academy, a fine arts boarding school in northern Michigan, has been mentioned before in the story; Elizabeth and Charlotte were roommates there as students. In addition to its high school, Interlochen has a summer arts camp for grades 3-12. So when Elizabeth suggests that Georgie sit in on classes, she’s talking about things like master classes with experienced musicians (in fact, this is why William visits every summer) or participating in student music ensembles.