Pride's Prejudice (15 page)

"I'm
sure it will.  Maybe I'll call them tomorrow."

Silence
settled over them, but it was peaceful rather than awkward.

"Beth? 
I need a favor," William said a moment later.

"I
guess I owe you for dealing with those jerks."

William
half-smiled, but then he turned serious.  "Don't go anywhere alone
with him tomorrow night."

Beth
wasn't sure who William referred to for a moment.  Then she remembered
Kara's comment about her date for the ball.  Beth sighed, too spent to
argue.  "We're meeting there," she informed him, hoping it would
be enough.

"And
after?"

She
iced a look at him.

William
affected casualty.  "Okay, that's fine.  I'll just tail you all
night."

Beth's
mouth popped into an astonished O.  "You would not."

William
arched an eyebrow, almost grinning.

Beth
folded her arms in frustration but didn't argue.  "Fine."

"Fine,
I can follow you, or fine, you won't leave with him?"

"The
last one."

William
nodded once, not seeming particularly satisfied, but leaving off.

Suddenly,
something occurred to Beth.  "How did you plan on spying on me,
anyway?  Are you going to the dance?"

"Perhaps."

"Hm. 
No date yet?"

William
grinned secretively.  "I wasn't under the impression you cared."

Did
she care?  The very notion was preposterous.  She dismissed the
thought, not wanting to look at it too closely.  If she looked long
enough, she might not like what she found there.

"Well,
I think Kara's still free, if you get desperate enough."

He
stepped closer.  "If I was a nymphomaniac, and Kara was the last
woman on earth, I
still
wouldn't be desperate enough."

Beth
couldn't help laughing.  It wasn't the analogy so much as the intensely
serious expression William wore.  "Well, my friend Leah-"

"Knock
it off," William scoffed.  "I already have a date, Beth."

"Oh,"
she said, surprise melting into a puddle of disappointment.  Leah would've
loved being asked.

William
kissed her firmly on the forehead, pushing off as he turned away.  Beth
reeled back slightly, ricocheting from the sudden absence.  He had been
holding her up, she realized.  Physically if not emotionally.  She
watched him until he faded into the dark, then turned to Longbourn, her
exhaustion not quite conquering the empty bubble that had risen inside her.

UNFORSEEN

"In vain I have
struggled…..it will not do."

~Mr. Darcy, Pride
&Prejudice

Lindy
slept away most of the next day, which was Saturday.  Beth took advantage
of her slumber, phoning the Lucases first thing in the morning and arranging
the rest of Lindy's Christmas break.  Then she showered and dried her
hair.  She woke Lindy up a few hours before the dance, informing her that
the next day she would be packing and driving straight to the Lucases until
their parents returned home.  Lindy raged as expected, screaming that she
wouldn't go, until Beth threatened to turn her into the police for underage
drinking.  "You
are
going home, Lindy.  One way or
another.  You can do this my way -
go quietly
and stay for the
ball, or go now, and have a police escort."

"I
hate you!" Lindy shouted before ripping open her suitcase and throwing her
clothes in.  That was going quietly for her.

Two
hours later, Beth sat in front of her mirror, twisting the last piece of hair
around a two-inch curling iron barrel.  She briefly considered asking
Lindy to help her with some sort of up-do, but as her sister still hadn't done
her own hair, she nixed the idea.  Instead she left her mahogany locks
cascading over her shoulders.  Stepping back from the mirror, she gave
herself a final once-over and smiled.  She had spent more time than usual
on her makeup too, but didn't feel that she had overdone it.  Barely able
to contain her excitement, she pulled her dress from its overgrown
Ziploc
bag and slipped it on.  It was the most vibrant color of green imaginable,
and the weave of the fabric made it shimmer like emeralds.  The crowning
feature of the dress was the ruched bodice and ruffle trim along the neckline
and sleeves.  An empire waist and decorative pearl buttons completed the
look.  Beth counted herself lucky to have found a website that specialized
in Regency gowns, and had a rush delivery option.

"Lind? 
Can you help me with the buttons?"

Lindy
trudged in, fulfilling Beth's request but still dishing the silent
treatment.  Beth smiled to herself, wondering if Lindy knew she quite
enjoyed the quiet.

"Aren't
you getting dressed?"  Beth asked.

Lindy
rolled her eyes.  "Don't we have like an hour still?"

"No
- we're meeting them there in fifteen minutes."

Lindy's
eyes popped.

"Where's
your dress?" Beth sighed as Lindy flew into action.

She
helped Lindy into her dress - red and low cut - (she had missed the whole
regency thing "…..is that like North and South?  Patrick Swayze is
so
hot!")  Beth tamed Lindy's wild hair into an elegant low bun and brushed
some lip gloss on for her.

"Now,
where are your shoes?" Beth asked as she stepped into her own heels. 
She checked the clock on the wall.

"We
need to head, Lind.  It's seven forty-five."

Lindy
nodded morosely, and Beth gusted out a sigh.

"What
is it now?"

Beth
wasn't sure what she'd expected.  It certainly wasn't Lindy whining about
her visit being over so soon.  It was as if last night's episode had never
been.

Some
people's children,
Beth thought in disgust.  "Can you
quit moping and just try to be pleasant for one night?  You're leaving in
the morning regardless, so you might as well enjoy tonight."

"Okay,
mom," Lindy smarted.

Beth
ignored her.  "Let's take my truck."

After
a short drive they arrived at the conference center, which was packed with dance
patrons.  Drapes of gauzy white fabric criss-crossed the ceiling, and
white sparkle lights winked from every corner like fireflies.  The
lighting was low, and the music was soft.  A thrill of anticipation rushed
into Beth, and consequently leaked away when they met Denny just inside the
doors, completely alone.  He glanced appreciatively at Lindy, earning a
diminutive smile in return.  Taking Lindy's hand, he turned to Beth with
an apology on his face.

Beth
suddenly had a bowling ball in her stomach.

"Beth,
you look amazing."

Beth
inclined her head slightly, too distracted by her own self-talk to
respond. 
Maybe Jaxon's parking the car or something,
she thought
desperately.

Denny
put a brotherly arm around Beth.  "Jaxon will be here in just a
few.  He got held up at quarters."

Beth
arched an eyebrow.

"Let's
just wait here," Denny offered.

He
didn't want to leave her standing alone out front, Beth knew.  But he
probably didn't want to buy her ticket, either.

The
thought drew Beth's eyes to the ticket table several yards away, and the ball
in her stomach leadened.

~:~

 William
had been sitting behind the ticket table, sipping from a paper cup of punch
when Beth came in.  It was unfortunate that he'd worn a white button front
shirt tonight, and that they had served red punch instead of lemonade, but such
was life.  He set the now empty cup on the table in front of him with
affected calm, looking around for something to mop up his shirt front. 
Teresa, the co-ticket taker seated next to him, held a napkin out in
silence.  She appeared to be holding her smile back with great effort.

"Thanks,"
William muttered, pressing the napkin to his shirt.  He really, really
wished he wouldn't have argued with Les earlier about wearing a tie. 
William raised his eyes to Beth again, and his breath hitched.

She
wore a floor-length gown of dark green.  Her hair had been left free, and
it cascaded around her shoulders and down her back in loose curls.  Her
eyes brooded, and her pouting lips were entirely too kissable-looking.  An
image of lush fruit hanging from a forbidden tree came into William's
mind.  When he was finally able to pry his gaze from her mouth, he took in
her expression.  She looked on the verge of tears, which made no sense to
him.  Then he looked at her group again.  Beth's sister stood next to
the guy from the Malt Shop, but
he
was nowhere to be seen.

Teresa
cleared her throat.  "So, it looks like Beth Pride is waiting for her
date….."

William
didn't look at her.  "Yeah."

"Why
isn't it you?"

He did
rip his eyes from Beth now.  "You know Beth?"

"That's
a little off point, but yes.  We're in a study group together for
English."

William
nodded.

"So,
why isn't she here with you?"

"I
didn't ask her."

"Because……?"

"Someone
beat me to it."  He paused, dabbing the stain on his shirt with
renewed vigor.  "And because she hates me."

Teresa
scowled.  "Hm.  Well, there's one way to find out, I
guess."

William
questioned her with a look as she pulled him to his feet.

"Can
you guys take over for a minute?" she asked the other ticket takers one
table over.

Then
she towed him further into the conference center, onto the dance floor, snaked
her arms around his neck, and set her lips dangerously close to his ear. 
"Just go with it," she whispered, a smile in her voice.

They
turned slowly, William scowling down at her.

"She
won't buy the act if you look constipated," Teresa informed him dryly.

William
almost laughed.  "What act is she supposed to buy?"

"We're
finding out if she's as besotted with you as you are with her."

William
clucked his tongue in disdain, not bothering to deny her assumption. 
"Girl games."

"You
can thank me later.  You'll know she's jealous if she gets snippy with
you."

William
smiled down at Teresa.  She really was a nice girl.  She was probably
pretty too, but he couldn't tell.  For months now, he'd only had eyes for
one person.

William
looked back toward Beth as another revolution faced him in her direction. 
Their eyes met briefly, and then Beth looked away.  Jaxon still hadn't
shown.  William didn't know whether to be elated for his own sake or angry
for Beth's.

The
song ended and Teresa drew William's face down to hers.  "This is
purely theatrical," she warned, and then kissed him full on the mouth.

"That
should do it," she announced joyfully, drawing back.  "Now let's
go see if it worked."

They
took their places at the table again, and William overheard the last bit of
Beth's conversation with Lindy's date.

"Seriously,
Denny, I'll be fine.  You guys go ahead.  You're going to miss the
whole thing."

"I
can dance with both of you!  Those are
great
odds, after all."

Beth's
smile was clearly forced.  She leaned forward to whisper something in
Denny's ear, and he glanced reflexively at Lindy.  Beth nodded in Lindy's
direction, gently propelling him toward her.  Denny gave Beth a long,
empathetic look before buying his tickets and leading Lindy onto the dance
floor.  Beth watched them go, and then her eyes met William's once
again.  She pivoted and walked briskly out of the conference center.

"That
was your cue," Teresa stage-whispered to William.

~:~

Beth
pulled in two lungfuls of fresh, cold air.  She was surprised, once
outside, to see a dusting of snow on the grass.  It must have started
coming down after they arrived.

She
cast her eyes around for a snow-free place to sit and laughed darkly to
herself.  There were at least a dozen covered picnic tables dotting the
lawn, and the striped umbrellas made her feel like she was floating in a sea of
cocktail drinks.  She prided herself on finding humor in almost any situation.

Making
her way to the nearest umbrella and stepping onto the bench, she scooted onto
the dry table top.  She leaned forward, cupping her face in her hands and
resting her elbows on her knees, idly fingering one of her curls.  What a
waste of effort.

What
are you doing here?
She chided herself.  She had much better
go home, change into some old sweats, and watch the most pathetic DVD in her
collection. 
Titanic, definitely,
she thought.  Then she could
top it off by consuming an entire half-gallon of ice cream by herself.

As she
waded through her viscous pity party, something fell over her shoulders. 
Something that smelled of the forest and
him
. 
Of course. 
Who
else?

Snow
had fallen into William's tousled spikes.  His eyes were dark chocolate
kisses, his face illuminated by the eerie glow of street lamps.  The first
two buttons of his white shirt were undone, the fabric bloodied by a suspicious
red stain.  Hands in his pockets, he looked at her with an odd
expression.  Pity?  Triumph?  Affected empathy to cover his
satisfaction?

He
probably came to gloat about the fact that Jaxon stood me up,
Beth
thought violently.

"You're
going to run out of jackets and blankets one of these days," Beth taunted
dryly, pulling the jacket snugly around her.  She had her pride, but she
was also freezing.

"I
was a Boy Scout - I'm always prepared.  You never know when you'll come
across a damsel in distress."  He brushed the snow off the
seat-made-footstool and plopped down next to her.

"I'm
not distressed, I'm just pissed off," she corrected flatly.

William
laced his fingers together, resting his elbows on his knees as he faced Beth.

For a
moment, she couldn't meet his eyes.

"What? 
No
'I told you so
?'"

William
looked back at her quietly, his face carefully blank.

Beth
sat in marble silence, trying to burn him with her eyes.  She wanted to
yell, or throw a punch, or
something
.  Instead, mutinous tears
brimmed out of her eyes.  William stood, taking her face in his hands.

"Don't
cry, Beth."  His expression was pained.  "I
hate
it
when girls cry."

"Go
back to your date, William," she commanded shakily, trying to free her
face as she stepped onto solid ground.

He
stood in front of her, blocking her path.  "Where are you
going?"

"Home. 
I think I just need to be alone."

"Why? 
So you can go drown yourself in some chick flick and eat a bunch of junk
food?"

Beth
looked at him incredulously.  "
Titanic
happens to be a
historical film."

"Please,"
William scoffed.  "'Jack, I'll never let go….I'll never let go...'
then she pries his dead, frozen fingers off hers and swims away. 
Typical."

Choked
laughter escaped Beth.  It might have also been a sob.

"Go
back to your date," she repeated, not quite so sharply.