Chapter 32

Elle left her office building, and made her way down to the coffeehouse at the end of the block. These daily visits had become her morning ritual. Every morning, at roughly the same time, she would take the short walk during her 15 minute break. After sitting at a desk for a few hours, Elle cherished any opportunity to stretch her legs. As it happened, she somehow managed to discover the little coffeehouse during her first week on job.

After stepping inside, Elle quickly scanned the menu above the cash register, trying to decide which delicious coffee combination she'd try next. Eventually she decided. "I'll have the Hazelnut Mocha," she told the cashier before handing over the money.

"I'm gonna need another shot of espresso to wake me up, because this has to be a dream," she heard from behind, before turning to find George Wickham standing directly in front of her.

"George! What are you doing here!" she asked in complete shock.

George seemed surprised by her reaction, and her obvious discomfort in seeing him, but quickly recovered before flashing her a flirtatious grin. "Sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. I forgot you startled easily, but I thought that was only when you were lost in a good book."

Elle, not feeling the need to apologize to the man who had lied to her for months, repeated her question in a gentler tone. "Uh . . . what are you doing here?"

"I just had a meeting with my agent and was in the mood for a little caffeine," he said as he raised his cup to show her proof.

"And of all the thousands of coffeehouses in L. A., you just happened to choose this one? The one right next to my office?" she asked skeptically, remembering Will's prediction.

He shrugged innocently and smiled before declaring, "I didn't know you worked around here. It must be fate."

Elle raised an eyebrow in disbelief before asking, "Why would fate go to so much trouble?"

George ignored her question as he grabbed her coffee from the cashier. "Let's grab a table."

"I can't," Elle said as she attempted to retrieve her coffee. "I have to get back to work."

"You can talk for a couple of minutes. Come on . . . I've missed you. We used to be such good friends," he insisted.

Elle sat down at the table that George now occupied, and grabbed her coffee. "I wouldn't say that. We were friendly, but there were a lot of things I didn't know about you."

"Like what?" he asked with a grin.

"Well, I never knew you had a girlfriend until you got engaged," she reminded him.

George was somber for a moment before he replied, "You're right. I didn't tell you about her because I was still trying to work things out. But, ultimately, I couldn't go through with it."

"Yeah, I heard you broke up. Sorry," she added to be polite, though she doubted he was broken hearted about the situation.

"Thanks. It was hard, but it was for the best. You shouldn't marry someone when your thoughts are consumed by someone else," George said as he gazed into her eyes.

Elle didn't like the sound of that, nor did she like the way George was looking at her. "Sorry, but I really have to go."

"Wait," he said as he grabbed her hand, stopping her from getting up. She quickly pulled her hand back.

"What?" she asked, trying her best not to be rude.

"Love, or losing love, can make people do stupid things . . . act irrationally or impulsively, but in the end, there is always an opportunity to make things right," he said with an air of wisdom she knew he did not posses.

"Well, I'm glad everything worked out for you," she replied before looking at her watch.

"It's getting there. I'm sure one day soon I'll have my own happily ever after. How about you?" he asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

"What about me?" she asked as she tried to hide her annoyance.

"I couldn't help but hear, read, and see, all the changes that have happened in your life recently," he commented.

He obviously wanted, or felt he deserved, some type of explanation as to why she married his mortal enemy. She wasn't going to give him one.

"I got married," she said with smile and a light hearted shrug before taking a sip of her coffee.

"I heard," he said, hoping to detect some sign of regret. He found none.

Elle felt no need to elaborate, so George continued, "I heard you married Darcy in Vegas."

"Yup," she said with a nod as she took another sip of her coffee. She felt like getting up and leaving, but feared George would interpret that as a sign that her marriage was in trouble, or she regretted her decision.

"I didn't know the two of you were dating," he remarked.

"We weren't," she replied truthfully.

"But you married him anyway?" he asked.

Instead of stating the obvious, Elle just flashed him her wedding band before taking another sip of her coffee.

There was a moment of silence before George finally spoke. "Will always had the luxury of buying whatever he wanted. I'm surprised he didn't bother to buy you a ring with a stone."

Elle looked at her thin, diamond encrusted wedding band, before replying, "I picked it out." After a moment, she continued, "Will is fortunate enough to afford many things in life, but he didn't buy me. Goodbye George," she said as she got up to leave.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that," George said as he grabbed her arm.

"Oh really? What did you mean?" she asked as she pulled her arm out of his grasp.

George looked around and noticed a few curious glances before motioning Elle to step outside. Once the door was firmly shut behind them he began again.

"You can't blame me for being upset. One minute you're saying how you can't stand the guy, the next you find out I'm engaged and you run off and marry him," George complained.

Elle gasped. "My marriage has nothing to do with you! I got married in April, and your engagement had been announced months ago. So don't act like I married Will as some sort of knee jerk reaction to finding out you were engaged!"

"I'm sorry. I can't help the way I feel. The guy has robbed me of everything I've ever wanted in life!" George proclaimed.

Elle shook her head in disbelief. "Will has never taken anything from you. Your godfather wanted you to have an education, and you preferred the money instead. When you didn't get what you wanted, you lied about going to school so you could get your hands on that money."

"That money was put aside for me!" George argued.

"Don't blame Will for obeying his father's wishes. Any attorney would have done the same," she insisted.

"So it's also a coincidence that he went after you?" George persisted.

"How dare you! This has nothing to do with me. If Will was really out to hurt you as you claim, wouldn't he have gone after your fiancée?" she asked.

George was quiet for a moment before he finally replied, "All it took was one look at us laughing together at that bookstore and he decided to go after you."

"Give me a break! If Will had chosen to marry someone else, you'd still find a problem with whomever he chose. You're so envious of what he has, that you'd find any excuse to claim he's wronged you, and that whatever he has should have been yours instead," she argued.

George shook his head, "You'll never understand."

"No, I think I understand perfectly," she replied.

George growled in frustration before he admitted, "This is not what I came here for."

"Why did you come?" she asked.

He shrugged as he contemplated his answer. "I just thought we should talk . . . since we'll be seeing a lot of each other this summer."

"What? Why's that?" she asked in confusion.

"Lydia's enrolled in my acting workshop at Brighton this summer, remember?" he said with a smile, trying to ease the mood.

Elle had forgotten about Lydia's previous plans for the summer, and was grateful that her father had made other arrangements. Having Lydia spend the summer under George's supervision suddenly seemed like a bad idea.

"Lydia's not going. My dad signed the twins up for an SAT preparation course instead," she informed him.

"What!" George asked in complete shock, letting the charming mask he'd had in place slip away.

Elle took in his stunned reaction, and couldn't help but think his disappointment had nothing to do with any amusement he might have found in watching Lydia's interpretation of Lady MacBeth.

"He thinks the girls need to focus on their studies if they plan to graduate with decent grades, and I happen to agree with him," she added.

"But . . . but you got to get him to change his mind," he stammered.

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Because . . . well . . . because," he stuttered, obviously at a loss for words.

Elle stared at him curiously as she tried to figure out what type of scheme he had concocted. Knowing he would just lie if she questioned him further, she decided to leave. Will's predictions had obviously been correct. George was definitely up to no good.

"I've got to get back to the office," she said as she turned and walked away.

"Wait . . . wait!" George persisted as he started walking with her.

"What do you want, George?" Elle asked, losing all her patience.

"I just wanted to say . . . there's still time," he answered.

"Time for what?" she asked as she picked up her pace.

"Time to fix things," he elaborated.

Elle stopped walking and gave him a look of total annoyance.

"People make mistakes. There's nothing that can't be undone," he continued.

"What? Are you trying to . . ." she started before George cut her off.

"You jumped into marriage thinking I was taken. You married a man you couldn't stand just a couple of months ago. Don't waste years of your life in some charade just to prove a point," he implored her.

Elle's mouth fell open in shock. Did this moron really think she'd leave Will . . . for him?

"I'm not . . ." she began, before he interrupted her again.

"We still have a chance to make things right. Just think about it," he said before turning and quickly walking away.

Elle couldn't believe it! On top of everything, he was determined not to give her a chance to respond. He obviously thought if he had the last word she might actually consider his ridiculous ideas. Elle was about to yell at his retreating figure when she noticed a couple of coworkers heading towards her. On second thought, she decided not to go after him, or to yell out what she really thought about his suggestions. The last thing she wanted was anyone misinterpreting the situation.

As she returned her coworkers' greetings, she was enormously grateful that George had left without causing a scene. She didn't want Will to hear about this incident, and she didn't want him to worry that George might try something in the future. Despite what Will might think, Elle knew she could handle George Wickham, and there was no way she'd be a victim in any of his schemes.

On the way home from work, Elle thought she had George's plan all figured out. He wanted to put doubts in her head, and hoped to convince her that Will wasn't the right man for her. He wanted her to believe that they should be together, conveniently leaving Will with a broken heart, and having to deal with a public scandal and humiliation.

In order for them to be together, there would have to be a divorce, and with that, a divorce settlement. Everyone knew about their hasty wedding, and without a doubt, George realized they never signed a prenup. Though she doubted that any court in their right mind would give her half of Will's fortune, especially considering the short duration of their marriage, she was sure that George believed she would get something. Even a small percentage of the Darcy fortune would be more money than George Wickham would ever see in a lifetime, and that was the only reason he had set his sights on her.

The revenge he had been seeking against Will for the crime of being born wealthy would be complete. She was also certain that any supposed feelings he claimed to have for her, would disappear as quickly as the money did. She couldn't help but wonder what role he had planned for Lydia in his scheme. Did he hope to use Lydia as an excuse to see her, and set his plan into motion? Or did he plan to use Lydia as a source of information, since she couldn't keep her mouth shut to save her life? Maybe he had planned to manipulate her the same way he had manipulated Georgie, believing Elle would give Lydia money if she asked?

Whatever the case, Elle was eternally grateful that her father had made other arrangements for the twins, so she would never have to find out. As Elle maneuvered the streets of L. A., all she could do was think about how fortunate she had been. At one time, she had considered Will one step above a convicted felon, and she would have believed anything George Wickham would have said. She couldn't help but shiver as she realized how wrong she had been, and wondered what life would have been like if it hadn't been for that fateful night in Vegas.

Would she still hate Will? Would she have fallen for more of George's lies? Would she ever have looked past Will's faults to see the man he really was?

It scared her to think she wouldn't have. She didn't believe in fate, or in soul mates, but she couldn't imagine anyone else making her feel the way Will did. Nor could she imagine what life would have had in store for them, if they had not married the way they had.

These thoughts continued to race through her head as she walked in the house and found Will in their bedroom. Without a word, she threw her arms around his neck and brought her lips up to his. If her actions caught him by surprise, he didn't show it. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground, savoring the kiss.

When they finally pulled apart, Will smiled and said, "Do I have to ask what brought this on?"

Elle shook her head and smiled before planting another kiss on his lips. "Just thought it was one of the perks of marrying such a kind and handsome man."

Will smiled and said, "You know another perk to marrying a smart man? I have great ideas," he grinned as he scooped her up and carried her to the bed.

"Really? Well, you married the right woman, because I love to learn, so tell me all your ideas," she smiled.

"I'd rather show you," he said as he unbuttoned the top button of her shirt and ran the tip of his nose along her collar bone, before planting a kiss on her neck.

"A demonstration . . . even better," she breathed as she felt his warm breath against her skin, and ran her fingers through his hair.

Will was absolutely elated as the two of them sat down to dinner. He never knew marriage would be like this. He never knew he could feel like this. Words could not describe how good it felt to come home from work to the woman that he loved. A woman who could take him completely by surprise, and induce him into letting his guard down.

Will had always been forced to have some type of shield in place in order to perform his role as CEO, company spokesman, boss, brother and guardian. At a young age, he learned he should always keep a straight face and shield his emotions when addressing the people he was responsible for. He was supposed to solve problems before anyone else knew they existed, and he had grown accustomed to the barriers he put between himself and others.

Elle was the only one who had stripped all those layers of armor away, and was the first to see who he truly was inside. The thought of being that vulnerable had always scared him, and had made him believe he wasn't the marrying kind. He never thought he'd find a woman who he could be totally honest with. Instead, it had always been his belief that good husbands kept barriers in place to protect their wives from unnecessary stress. Good husbands were supposed to take care of their family, and make sure the burdens fell directly on their shoulders.

At the onset of their marriage, Will still believed this to be true, and had planned to keep that barrier firmly in place. After all, Elle was young, and not used to this kind of life. Of course she would need his protection against the media, and anyone else who chose to question her role as his wife. He had been ready to shield his wife from any negativity, only to find out his wife seemed perfectly capable of handling everything on her own.

Instead of getting angry at the paparazzi, she laughed off their ridiculous questions, and managed to charm some of her naysayers at the same time! She seemed to be adjusting to her new life, and all the responsibilities that came with it. As he saw her adjust to her new role, the shield that he had planned to keep firmly in place had slowly slipped away until it no longer existed. Somehow Elle had managed to get him to let go of all his defenses, and that trust they had built was what he cherished most about their marriage. The weight he carried on his shoulders had been lifted, and he no longer believed that discussing life's pitfalls with his wife was a sign of weakness.

The love and friendship they had built felt like a breath of fresh air, and he never realized his responsibilities had been suffocating him all these years. He was finally living life in pursuit of his own happiness.

"Why are you smiling?" Elle asked as she took a bite of her salad.

"Do I need a reason? I thought you'd know exactly what put the smile on my face," Will said flirtatiously.

"No . . . you just seemed lost in thought. I didn't realize you were reliving what happened earlier," she finished, as she saw Figaro saunter into the dinning room.

Will noticed the feline as well, and frowned when Figaro happily made his way over to his side of the table.

"No," Will said sternly, as the cat began his ritual begging routine.

"How was your day?" Will asked as he returned his attention to his wife.

Elle thought about it for a second, before she finally replied, "Uneventful."

Will arched his eyebrow, causing Elle to amend her statement. "Well, that is . . . until I got home."

Will nodded in satisfaction and she continued, "How was your day?"

Figaro started to rub against Will's legs while Will tried his best to ignore him. "A lot of things happened today. It started with Adam dressed up as a gorilla."

"A gorilla!" Elle sputtered as she put her drink down and dabbed her mouth with a napkin.

"Yeah. Adam had suggested that I dress up as a gorilla to hand out bananas at the children's hospital. I said it was a good idea, but I was too busy to do it, so he should take my place. In the end, we arranged for a few other surprises for the kids as well. Nothing big, but hopefully it cheered up their day a little."

"Wow. That was nice of you. How did it go?" she asked.

"Well, we had arranged for stuff we thought the younger children might enjoy. What really surprised me was the number of teenagers that were there. We weren't prepared for that. People always seem to talk about the children that are going through cancer, but no one ever seems to mention the teenagers. I felt really bad in the end because most of them just stood around and watched," Will replied.

"That's sad, but you still did a good thing," Elle said encouragingly.

Figaro, having given up on his first tactic, placed himself at Will's feet, before rolling onto his back and playfully waving his paws in the air.

Will completely ignored him as he continued, "I took a walk around and noticed they had tons of stuff for little kids, but not a lot for someone who is Georgie's age. I couldn't imagine having to cope with a sickness and not having anything there to help distract, or entertain me."

Elle regarded her husband for a moment, and realized he had something up his sleeve. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

Will gave her a surprised look, pleased that she was in tune with how his mind worked. "I went back to the office and called the only teenager I know, Georgie. She gave me a ton of great ideas, and we decided we wanted to dedicate this project to the memory of our mother."

Figaro let out a light meow as he sat next to Will's chair, and looked up at him with pleading eyes.

They both ignored him as Elle said, "That sounds wonderful."

Will nodded, "Georgie was so excited about the whole thing, that she decided to come home a few weeks early."

"Early? What about her classes?" Elle asked.

Will shook his head and said, "She had originally planned to go to the south of France for a few weeks after school was out. Now she wants to come straight home."

"Oh, so she'll be home soon?" Elle asked.

Will nodded, "Probably on the first plane she can catch after she finishes her final exams. She said the south of France will always be there, and I think she's anxious to meet you. Besides, it's probably a good idea to have a teenager here to approve of all our plans before we set them in motion."

Elle looked down at her plate as a thought occurred to her. "I know three other teenagers that could help."

Will looked up in surprise, "Your sisters?"

She nodded.

"Do you honestly think they'll help?" he asked, doubtfully.

"Mary would be happy to do it," she said assuredly.

"And the twins?" he asked skeptically.

"Just leave it to me. After I talk with them, they'll be fighting each other to see who gets in the door first," she said confidently.

Elle also realized this would be a great excuse to talk to her father. She knew her actions had set a bad example for her younger sisters, and this was the perfect opportunity to be a positive role model.

"Speaking of which, Charles mentioned he'd be spending the weekend up in Montecito with Jane, and asked if we wanted to join him," he announced.

Elle had not imagined meeting with her father so soon, but realized this was not a situation they could resolve over the phone.

"Sure. If that's okay with you," she answered.

Will was about to reply when Figaro let out a very loud and disgruntled meow. Will looked down at the cat and said, "What? Oh, do you want this?" he asked as he stabbed a piece of meat with his fork, and waved it an inch above Figaro's face.

Figaro was about to pounce on the juicy morsel when Will pulled the fork away and stuck it in his mouth instead.

"Cats don't eat people food," he said sternly.

"Will! Don't taunt him!" Elle chastised.

"Why? Maybe he'll learn not to beg at the table. Ow!" he screamed as Figaro stuck his nails into Will's leg.

"That's why," Elle answered.

Hi, I know it's been a long time. Several of you have emailed me to find out what was going on. For those of you who don't know, last fall three of my family members were diagnosed with cancer, all within a couple of weeks of each other. Yeah, I know, unbelievable, right?

No one is ever prepared when this happens to one person you love, let alone three. At the time, I thought about posting a message on my profile page, but I really didn't know what to say. I certainly never thought it would take me this long to update, though not for the reasons you probably think.

Yes, there has been a lot going on sense last fall: surgeries, treatments, traveling to visit family members, and sadly, a funeral. However, the reason I haven't updated is what I could only describe as my state of mind. When all this was happening, I couldn't think of anything that would make you laugh or smile. That's the only reason I wrote this story. I simply wanted to entertain you.

Just to give you an idea of my state of mind these last few months, I've outlined this huge story about how different members of a family deal with the death of a loved one. I'm a person who hates angst, and who hates to make people cry. But my thoughts have been so consumed with this subject that a whole story has developed in my head about it.

That being said, I didn't want my current state of mind to ruin this story that you all seem to love so much. Every time I've tried to write these last few months, it just seemed bland and you deserve better than that.

This story is completely outlined, and I've always known exactly what is going to happen from now until the ending. By the way, the children's hospital part was always meant to be in the story, I didn't add it because of what is happening with my family (I know that must seem hard to believe).

Anyway, when I told Debra Anne, my beta, about all this last fall she said maybe I could try to find some good in all this, and I have. I can definitely say this has brought us all closer together as a family. My family is so huge, and spread across several states, that it's easy to lose track of everyone. Since this all happened, we've all been calling each other regularly to make sure everyone is okay.

I can even find good when it comes to my uncle's funeral. Even though we were all heartbroken and shedding tears, one of the things I remember most, and try to focus on, is all the love we felt that day. All the hugs and kisses we gave each other, and all the ones we received from our friends who came to comfort us. So I want to thank all of you who sent me emails and private messages. I want to apologize to anyone who sent a review, and who was hoping for a response and didn't receive one. Some weeks were really hectic, and I felt too much time had passed to send a reply when I finally had a chance to read them.

I can't tell you how much all your messages mean to me, and I hope that person who threatened to jump off a cliff if I didn't post an update had a change of heart, LOL. I've had enough sadness these last few months, so I'm trying to do what Debra Anne said and focus on the good. I didn't tell you all this to make anyone sad or feel sorry for me.

So if you liked the chapter please let me know, and if you didn't that's okay too. I know this is probably not one of my best. Hope you all are safe, healthy and happy!

Love,

Lila

Much Thanks To Debra Anne For All Her Help