Chapter 54


There were few things William hated more than being late. As he pulled into the conservatory’s parking lot he darted a frustrated glance at his watch, its hands seeming to stare back at him in mute accusation.


His interview with the arts reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle  had run over its allotted time, and as it grew later he had considered terminating the interview and leaving for his lunch date. But the reporter had promised to give the Darcy Arts Trust and its mission prominent coverage in the piece, and she had saved that topic for the end of the interview. The muscles in his jaw were tense as he shut off the Ferrari’s engine. Long, powerful strides propelled him along the path to the conservatory’s main building.


He found Bill Collins standing in the doorway to Elizabeth’s office. William gritted his teeth, his voice gruff. “Hello, Collins.”


“Good afternoon, Mr. Darcy.” Bill’s expression resembled an eager puppy. William wanted to smack him on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper.


Elizabeth smiled at William. “Hi.”


The private greeting in her eyes dissolved William’s annoyance, and his expression warmed. “Hello. I’m sorry I’m late; I hope you got my message.”


She nodded. “I assume Mrs. Reynolds is on her way back to New York?” she asked.


William nodded. “She asked me to pass on her best regards.”


Their eyes met and held. Images of last night flooded William’s mind, their passionate interlude at the piano claiming a starring role. From the look in Elizabeth’s eyes, her thoughts were in a similar vein.


Bill Collins was babbling about something. After hearing his name, William pulled his attention away from Elizabeth sufficiently to listen. “Everything is all set in your studio, Mr. Darcy. And the piano technician is on campus today; he’s standing by to work with you whenever it’s convenient. In fact, perhaps you’d like to take care of that now?” Before William could respond, Bill fished his cell phone out of his pocket. “I’ll just call him now and he can be in your studio in a jiffy. And perhaps if you’re done in time, you’d like to join us for lunch, though I suppose it will be too late by then. I was just about to invite Elizabeth to the cafeteria for a bite to eat.”


“No, this isn’t a good time. I’d prefer to see the technician later, perhaps at three o’clock.”


“Of course, I’ll be happy to make those arrangements when I get back from lunch.” Bill turned to Elizabeth. “Shall we be off, then?”


She smiled at Bill with a warmth that William didn’t like. “Thank you for the invitation, but I’m afraid I already have plans for lunch.”


“Did you decide on a restaurant?” William asked.


Elizabeth’s eyes darted between the two men, finally resting on William. “Do you like sushi?”


“Love it.”


“There’s a great little place not far from here. Bill, would you like to join us?”


William fixed an incredulous stare on Elizabeth. Three was a crowd if Collins was the third.


Bill preened at the invitation, but then shook his head. “Oh, how I wish I could, but I need to stay on campus. Dr. de Bourgh is entertaining some visiting dignitaries—true luminaries of the arts world—and she might require my assistance with some important task at any moment. So I regret that I am restricted to the cafeteria for lunch today.”


“What a shame,” Elizabeth answered. “I can’t think of anyone who’s better qualified to fill William in on the goings-on at the conservatory. I don’t know what I would have done without your guidance when I was new here.”


Bill shifted from one foot to another, his blush extending all the way to his receding hairline. “You’re very kind, and I suppose I am exceptionally well-informed due to my close working relationship with Dr. de Bourgh.” He removed his glasses, using a small cloth from his pocket to clean them with meticulous attention. “Some other time, Elizabeth, I’d love to join you for sushi. I’ve only had it once before and I’m not particularly knowledgeable, but I’m sure you could help me navigate the menu. Dr. de Bourgh has often advised me to broaden my knowledge of the finer things in life. She said that for someone in my situation in life, it’s essential.”


William coughed to cover a snicker. “I know that your time is limited, Elizabeth,” he said, “so we’d better get going.”

“I’m ready.” Elizabeth stood up, smoothing the slim skirt of her tailored suit.


William thought it was just as well that he’d never had a teacher as alluring as Elizabeth, because he’d have been far too distracted to learn anything. He couldn’t stop his eyes from drinking in the curves accented by the form-fitting silhouette of her jacket and skirt. He glowered when he noticed Bill doing the same thing.


“You’ll set up things up with the piano tech?” William asked. Bill, still ogling Elizabeth, didn’t respond. “Collins? Did you hear me?”


Bill snapped to attention, all but saluting. “Absolutely. I’ll do it at once.”


“Thank you. Elizabeth, shall we go?”


They parted ways with Bill and continued in silence until they exited the building. Then Elizabeth whirled on William, her eyes wide with astonishment. “I thought you wanted to be discreet! I can’t believe you flaunted the fact that we were having lunch!”


“What possessed you to invite him along?”


“He’s been asking some odd questions about you, and about us, and he’s the worst gossip on campus. I thought if I asked him to lunch he’d be less suspicious. I knew he’d have to say no; he had mentioned those ‘true luminaries of the arts world’ he has to babysit.”


William felt a little better after hearing this. “In that case, well done. I thought you actually wanted him to come with us.”


“My acting training comes in handy sometimes.” She shrugged. “Although he’s surprisingly thoughtful and kind, if you can get past his peculiarities.”


“He seems to hang around you a lot.”


“We’re friends, I guess you’d say, and he’s in the jazz group, but I don’t see why it bothers you, unless ….” She gave him a sly look. “You are  jealous, aren’t you? You denied it once before, but you are, I can tell.”


“That’s absurd.” He jutted his chin out, squaring his shoulders.


Her eyes gleaming, she darted a shrewd glance at him. “No, it’s not. That’s why you wanted him to know we were having lunch. You were marking your territory.”


Unable to construct a reasonable defense on such short notice, he trudged on beside her in silence, feeling a flush creeping up his neck.


“He’s just being friendly,” she continued. “Granted, he asked me out a few times when I first moved here, but I’ve made it clear that I’m not interested in anything but friendship.”


He snorted. “And I can see that it’s having a major effect. Haven’t you seen the way his eyes crawl all over you?”


“You mean, like yours did a few minutes ago?” She quirked an eyebrow at him.


His flush spread to his face. He hadn’t realized that she’d noticed.

She made a soft, choked sound that sounded like a suppressed laugh, only serving to deepen his embarrassment. “You can’t seriously believe that I’d rather be with him than with you.”


It was hard to explain. It went back to the weekend of the wedding. Collins had sat with Elizabeth at dinner when, as maid of honor, she should have been seated beside William. Then Collins had gleefully accompanied her on the song designed to humiliate William. That had been more than enough to awaken William’s jealousy. Of course it was irrational; he knew that. But somehow it didn’t seem to matter.


The previous day, when he had called Elizabeth after his doctor’s appointment, hearing her voicemail greeting had been a keen disappointment. Shaken by the doctor’s orders, he had yearned to hear her sweet voice, to be reminded of something good and precious in his life that hadn’t been taken from him. Instead, he had learned from the department secretary that she was at lunch … with Bill Collins.


But he didn’t know how to tell her all of that.


He searched his mind for another answer. “I just don’t like him ogling my girlfriend.” He hadn’t intended to sound like a petulant teenager, but it was too late to take it back.


She snickered. “What is it with men?” she asked, shaking her head and smiling.


“Enough about Collins,” William declared. “Let’s get some lunch.”


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The tiny sushi restaurant was teeming with activity, but they managed to grab a small table in the back. William had grown quiet, even for him. He sat with a pensive air, his arms folded on the table, and Elizabeth knew there had to be a reason. On an impulse, she reached out and touched his hand. “What’s wrong? And don’t say ‘nothing,’ because I know that’s not true.”


“I’ve been thinking about our conversation on the way to the car. When I referred to you as my girlfriend.”


“Yes?”


“I suppose it sounded stupid, like we’re teenagers. Someone needs to invent a better word.”


“I thought it sounded fine.” There were worse things in the world than being called William Darcy’s girlfriend.


A brief smile flitted across his face, vanishing almost as quickly as it had appeared. “But I don’t know if you understood what I meant.”


She raised her eyebrows, silently inviting him to continue.


“I want us to be exclusive—not to see other people.”


She paused for a moment before answering, choosing her words with care. “I think it’s too soon to be so official about it. But I’m not interested in going out with anyone else. So as far as I’m concerned, you can consider me your girlfriend.”


He gave her a small smile. “Good.”


“Not that this changes anything. As much as we’ve been together lately, the only time when either of us could have gone on a date with somebody else was … I don’t know, probably around four in the morning.”


He slid his chair closer to hers. “So I guess this means you’re my ‘steady girl’?”


Elizabeth’s eyes bubbled with laughter. “Okay, now we do sound like teenagers. Do I get to wear your class ring on a chain around my neck? Or did one of your ex-girlfriends keep it?”


“I’m afraid I don’t have a class ring. I’ll have to come up with something else.”


“I was just kidding. You don’t need to give me anything.”


“Oh, yes, I do,” he retorted, grinning. “I don’t want to look bad compared to your past boyfriends.”


“You have nothing to worry about on that score.” Her smile faded.


He reached out to take her hand. “What’s wrong?”


“Nothing that matters now.” She forced a smile onto her face.


William inspected her closely, and for a moment she expected him to probe further, but instead he changed the subject. “You know, regarding class rings and going steady, my teen years weren’t like that. Sometimes I feel a little cheated.”


“Did you go to your high school prom?”


“I didn’t have a prom to go to.”


“Oh, that’s right. You said you finished high school in a crash course with a tutor.”


“I missed all those quintessential teen experiences. You know, drive-in theaters, back seats of cars ….”


“Sharing an ice cream soda with two straws?”


“Exactly.”


She shook her head with a rueful laugh. “Those may have been our parents’ teen experiences, but by the time I was in high school, Susie and Bobbie weren’t hanging out at the malt shop anymore; they were drinking beer at parties when someone’s parents weren’t home. And there weren’t many drive-ins left.”


“Spoilsport,” he grumbled, a twinkle in his eye.


“I know. But maybe we can find a way to regain your lost youth. I think there’s still a drive-in theater in San Jose. We could go down there if you want the full 1950s teen experience.”


“Perfect. And we’ll get an ice cream soda afterwards. With two straws, of course.”


“It’s a deal,” she said. “Maybe we could drive down this weekend. I’ll find out what’s playing.”


“I don’t care what’s playing,” he murmured. “If I understand correctly, the point of going to a drive-in isn’t to watch the movie.” He stroked her palm with his thumb, and their eyes met in a stare of sudden heat.


A waiter arrived with their food, interrupting the moment, and Elizabeth sat back self-consciously, turning her attention to her bento box.


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Elizabeth unlocked her office door and checked the time, relieved to see that she had almost fifteen minutes before her next student would arrive. William, who had returned with her, was inspecting a small picture hanging on the wall near the door. It was a photo of herself in nun’s garb.


“Is this you as Maria von Trapp?”


She nodded. “It’s from a college production my senior year.”


“So you did get to play her eventually. I bet you were wonderful.”


“It was a good role for me. Energetic and innocent … or just naïve.” She was annoyed by the quaver in her voice. She turned away from him, ostensibly to check her voicemail. There were no messages waiting, and when she turned back she found him studying her intently.


“Naïve in what sense?”


“I’d always considered myself a good judge of character, but ….” She sighed. “Well, in college I learned otherwise, that’s all.”


He stepped closer, touching her cheek in a tender caress. “What happened to change your mind? You’ve said things like this before.”


She shook her head. She couldn’t tell him, not yet, and certainly not in the middle of her work day. “Don’t worry about it.”


His disappointment was obvious, but after a brief pause he said, “At any rate, I’m going to have to ask you to stop criticizing my girlfriend. As far as I’m concerned, she’s perfect, and I won’t have you suggesting otherwise.”


Basking in his affectionate smile, she took a step toward him. “You can be the sweetest man sometimes. I wish you’d let more people see that side of you.”


The sound of footsteps echoed in the hall and they stepped apart, exchanging rueful smiles.


“I should get ready for my afternoon students,” she said with a reluctant sigh. “I don’t want you to go, but ….”


“I understand; duty calls.”


“Thank you for lunch.”


He nodded. “We’ll make a habit of it. Now, before I go, what time shall I pick you up tonight?”


“Tonight? We don’t have plans tonight.”


“Not specifically, but a few days ago we agreed we’d do something tonight.”


“But that was when I didn’t think I was free for dinner on Monday.”


He shrugged. “So? Why can’t we go out both nights?”


“The thing is, I’m still settling into the new semester. I need tonight to get some work done. Can we postpone till tomorrow?”


He sighed, but then nodded. “Okay. I haven’t been practicing enough since I got here; I’ll plan a long session tonight. But tomorrow night we have a date, and no canceling allowed.”


“It’s a deal. Now, I really do have to kick you out.”


He pushed the door shut and approached her with an expression that unmistakably declared his intentions. “I’ll go in just a minute,” he murmured, drawing her into the circle of his arms. “But first ….”


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