Bride and Prejudice doesn't belong to me.

Just a scene, or something like it that, I would have liked to have seen in the film.

Ordinary Days

Lalita finally found her way to the beach, it'd been quite confusing but since she had insisted that she would find her way there instead of waiting until the next afternoon when Kholi would be free to take she'd had to find it.

She found a seat and flopped onto it and looked out at the water. This place was breathtaking, the sand, the water and the people. She sat back and did one of the things that she found most interesting, she watched the people, making stories about them in her head.

"Hi."

Lalita opened her eyes; she'd closed them briefly so that she could feel the sun on her face. Georgie Darcy was smiling down at her.

"Hi." Lalita sat up and smiled at the younger girl.

"I hope you don't mind," Georgie said, "but I called Kholi's place and I was told that I could find you here."

"No, I don't mind."

"I thought you might like a guide to show you LA."

"I certainly wouldn't mind," Lalita replied smiling at her.

"Great," Georgie replied enthusiastically, she'd thought Lalita would think she was intruding. Georgie had heard so much about Lalita from her brother and she wanted to get to know her better. She'd never heard Will talk like that about a girl before, so she knew that Lalita must special. She intended to find out, anyway.

"I thought we might have lunch first," Georgie said, "and then I'd take you to my favourite places in the city."

Lalita agreed, spending time with Georgie would help her get to know Darcy better. She had such conflicting views about him; on one hand how he'd been in India – so rude and overbearing and how he'd behaved on the plane and the afternoon before when he'd introduced them to his mother and Georgie. Lalita couldn't deny that she was really interested in getting to know Will Darcy much better.

XXX

Darcy was sitting in the board listening to one of the managers, Browers, make a presentation. He was the head of the European hotels and he was talking about ways to improve of the new services that the Darcy hotels were offering to their clients in France.

Darcy couldn't concentrate he kept daydreaming about Lalita. He remembered how surprised and happy he'd been when he'd found her and her family at the airport. His plan of getting to sit next to her during the flight, had worked. He hadn't thought Lalita would allow it but she'd slept peacefully next to him for hours, he knew it was quite creepy but he couldn't resist watching her sleep. They'd talked but he knew that he was still a long way from getting her to think better of him. This was his chance, she was in his city; he decided that he'd call her after work and invite her for dinner or something, he'd show her that he wasn't the insensitive and arrogant person she'd met in India.

Finally Brower's presentation came to an end and they broke off for lunch. After lunch he had more meetings and this time his mother was attending. What joy!

Darcy's phone vibrated.

Taking Lalita to lunch and some sightseeing. See you in the evening. G

Darcy read the message twice. Georgie hadn't mentioned that she was going to meet Lalita, to him, this morning. He smiled to himself; he knew where Georgie would be taking Lalita for lunch. He decided to join them.

"Harriet, please tell my mother and that board that I won't be able to make the meeting after lunch," he said to his secretary. "Something has come up."

Harriet nodded and picked up the phone to relay the message. Something very serious must have come up, Mr. Darcy wasn't one to miss meetings, she thought to herself.

XXX

Darcy walked into the restaurant, greeted the maitre'd and was led to the table; the girls were just finishing up their meal.

Georgie smiled widely at her brother while Lalita's smile was more uncertain.

"I heard that my sister wanted to show you around the town," Darcy said smiling at Lalita, "and I decided that you didn't deserve such a fate, so I've come to rescue you."

"I'll have you know that your sister has been very good company," Lalita replied, "better than you."

"Really?" Darcy asked, "Then I'll have to redeem myself."

"Too late," Georgie told him, "Lalita has told me all about your misadventures in India."

"Has she really?"

"Yes," Georgie replied, "how you refused to dance with her. How could you?"

"But you know I never dance." Darcy protested.

"How you said that Indian girls are traditional."

"Come on," Darcy said, "are you going to repeat everything I said?"

Georgie and Lalita laughed at his discomfort.

"Enough about me," Darcy said, "what are the plans for this afternoon?"

"I thought you were in meetings all day," Georgie told him.

"Well, not anymore."

"Well I've been to the beach," Lalita told them.

"So we'll go the Paul Getty museum first," Georgie said, "Will told me you're interested in art. And then we'll go to the Observatory, Madame Tussauds, and the other museums. There's so much to do and see here."

"Georgie," Darcy said, "now you sound like a guide book."

"I suppose you have a better plan?"

"First, we'll take her home," Darcy said, "no tour of LA is complete without a visit to the Darcy home and we'll take it from there."

Brother and sister smiled at each other, Georgie knew then that Will really liked Lalita. He never invited girls home lest they got the wrong idea.

"Let's go then," Georgie said, pulling Lalita to her feet, "I can't wait to show you around the grounds, they're amazing if I say so myself. Will designed them, you know."

Darcy smiled at Lalita and she smiled back, the three of them walked out of the restaurant.

Tomorrow, Darcy thought to himself, tomorrow, he'd get her to spend time with him alone.

XXX