A Good Name: A Modern Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Sarah Courtney

  Elizabeth had to leave her scooter behind and take Will’s arm to walk through the caboose they had on display. Will valiantly avoided laughing at her hopping around looking at everything, but it was a close call. He did love having an excuse for having her on his arm, though. Every time she squeezed his arm to get his attention, he took in a quick breath.

  Will didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty about taking off weekends entirely. He put in almost enough hours during the week for two men. There was no reason to be on call during the weekends as well. And Elizabeth was brilliant at thinking of new adventures. He couldn’t resist spending every moment possible with her.

  With her bad ankle, zip lining, Elizabeth sadly informed Will, was out. He laughed, then laughed twice as hard when she confessed that she’d called the adventure park to ask.

  Will was having more fun than he’d had in years. He spent every week looking forward to the weekend and wondering what their latest adventure would be.

  She reminded him in a way of his childhood friend, Lizzy. He liked to imagine that his Lizzy Bennet had grown up to be something like Elizabeth Gardiner, had kept that captivating cheer and openness despite everything. Of course, he’d known that there had been trouble at home for Lizzy, and that her mom was hard on her. Perhaps she was different now.

  He’d wondered for a brief moment early on if there were any chance Elizabeth could be Lizzy. But she was Elizabeth Gardiner, not Bennet, and she’d mentioned once that she’d gone to school in North Carolina. He’d known enough Elizabeths over the years to recognize how common a name it was. Wishful thinking. But a second Elizabeth in his life who showed him how to have fun was worth going to work exhausted and sore almost every Monday.

  By the time she took him along to the 4H fair, the six weeks were finally up and she was allowed to use her leg again. “Just in time,” she told him. “I don’t think I’d want to try to steer a scooter or crutches around cow patties.”

  Will had never been to a 4H fair, so he had no idea what to expect. The horse races and demonstrations were his favorite. He liked seeing the animals as well, although he had no idea what he was looking at when they would describe what made one pig better than another.

  “Oh, Will, look! You can rent a chick!”

  Will grinned to think how differently he could have taken that sentence if it had come from Charlie. And if he hadn’t been standing in front of a display of baby chicks.

  “They’re so soft and fuzzy!” she said, gently handing him one.

  “And you can rent them? How does that work?”

  “You pay $20, and they give you a few little chicks and everything you need to take care of them for two weeks. A box, food, and even a little heating lamp! You just need a little bowl with marbles in it. And then at the end of the two weeks, you drop the chicks back off and they go to the farm where they’ll raise it!”

  “Wait, go back. What are the marbles for?”

  “To keep the chicks from falling in when they drink the water.”

  He stared at her.

  “Yeah, chicks are pretty dumb that way. They’ll drown themselves if you aren’t careful.”

  “And they expect people to keep them alive for two weeks?” Will asked, incredulous.

  Elizabeth laughed. “Well, maybe not you, then.”

  “You’re not renting any, are you?” Will asked.

  Elizabeth shook her head. “They peep constantly. Doesn’t really work when you’re a couch surfer. Although it’s hilarious to picture the expression Jane might make if I brought a few of them home!”

  “Charlie would love to do something like that,” Will said darkly. “Don’t mention it to him, or he might come here tomorrow! Actually, my sister would probably love them.”

  “You should bring her sometime,” Elizabeth said. “Let her hold one, at least.”

  “I’m sure the cats would appreciate it.”

  August 2016

  “Oh, here, Elizabeth, let me get that,” Caroline said sweetly as Elizabeth brought a basket of rolls to the table. Charlie had invited everyone to his house for another dinner and game night, with Jane and Elizabeth cooking the meal. Will raised his eyebrow at Caroline’s offer, knowing Caroline far too well to think her sincere.

  Caroline continued, “I know you’ve been on your feet all day now that you’re back to work as a waitress. It must be so exhausting, having to run back and forth at the whims of your customers. And,” she said with a giggle, “probably trying to avoid the advances of smarmy old men!”

  “Caroline!” Charlie said warningly.

  Elizabeth smiled. “You’re assuming I try to avoid their advances.”

  Everyone stopped and stared at her.

  “They’re perfectly sweet old men who just want somebody friendly to talk to.” Elizabeth took a roll from the basket and put the cloth back on top. “Nobody has been inappropriate so far. It’s not that kind of restaurant.”

  “Still. I can’t imagine being content with a job like that.” Caroline shook her head mournfully. “I’m just not cut out for that kind of physical labor. I do so much better with a job that stimulates me mentally.”

  “Wow, Charlie, I didn’t realize your social calendar was so challenging,” Richard said. “I mean, I knew you were a friendly guy, but to require a full-time social secretary, that’s pretty impressive. And to be mentally stimulating―what exactly are you scheduling on this calendar?”

  Charlie was bright red. “Shut it, Richard.”

  “I’m not sure I’d say I’m content, per se,” Elizabeth said. “I’m actually in the application process for a job that looks interesting in publishing. It’s a bottom-rung job, but hey, everybody needs to start somewhere, right?”

  “That’s great,” Will said and meant it. “What publishing house?”

  “McTavish. I think it would be a great fit. My résumé pretty much fits their job requirements to a T. They’re supposed to start setting up interviews within the next couple of weeks.”

  “Good luck, Lizzy,” Richard said. “Hey, you know, if it doesn’t work out, you could always see if Charlie needs a second social secretary. You know, in case Caroline gets overwhelmed with managing his calendar of dinner parties and board game nights.”

  “Don’t forget volleyball games,” Will said.

  “There, see? If I were his secretary, I’d have just double-booked him. It’s such a challenging career.”

  Caroline glared at Richard but said nothing.

  “Caroline does really keep him from getting double-booked, though,” said Jane. “Just the other day, she gave me a call to let me know that Charlie had a last-minute meeting come up at work and wouldn’t be able to make it to lunch.”

  Charlie had a frown on his face. “When was this? I thought―”

  Caroline spoke quickly. “Charlie, Jane says you’re going to have her dad over for dinner next week?”

  Charlie leaned over toward his sister and whispered something. Whatever it was, she didn’t look happy about it. He sat back up and said in a normal volume, “Yeah. I’ve met her mom, but never her dad.”

  “We haven’t seen him much since the divorce, really,” Jane explained. “Maybe Lizzy more than the rest of us, but not by much.”

  “I wanted to at least meet him before the wedding. How awkward would it be if the first time I saw him was when he walked her down the aisle? So, dinner it is.”

  Caroline whispered to Will, “And that will be an utter disaster.”

  “The wedding or the dinner?” he couldn’t resist asking.

  “Both! They’re utterly ridiculous!”

  “Aren’t you working on a new marketing campaign?” Richard asked Charlie. “Can you afford to leave early for dinner with Mr. Bennet?”

  “I’ve got it all planned out. I’ll work a bit later on the other days so that Tuesday evening is free. That’s my lightest day this week, anyway—only one meeting scheduled, and it’s first thing in the morning.”

  Will’s head wa
s reeling. “Mr. Bennet?” he asked. He hadn’t heard that name in so many years, but he’d never forget it. “Wait, I thought Jane’s last name was Gardiner?”

  Charlie looked puzzled. “It is. But her parents divorced, and her mom went back to her maiden name and changed the kids’ names as well.”

  “Except Elizabeth,” Jane said. “She was always the closest to Dad, so she refused.”

  Will looked from Elizabeth to Jane and back again. Was it really possible that Elizabeth’s last name was Bennet, had been Bennet all along? He wracked his brain. Surely her last name had come up in conversation sometime in the last months. Hadn’t it? Had he really just assumed it was Gardiner this whole time?

  Will ran his fingers through his hair, then took a deep breath. “So you’re . . . Elizabeth Bennet?”

  “What’s wrong with being a Bennet?” Elizabeth asked, her eyes challenging him.

  “I―I―Nothing. I just knew somebody with that name once.” Bennet was a common name, very common, he knew. So was Elizabeth. It might be a coincidence.

  Will was quiet for the rest of the meal, watching Elizabeth. Could she be Lizzy Bennet? She had the right color hair and eyes. And, yes, he could maybe see it in her face. Or was he just seeing what he wanted to see? Her parents had been getting a divorce, so that fit. And she had seemed closer to her father than her mother, so that fit, too.

  He’d thought once or twice that she reminded him of Lizzy. Their adventures were so much like those ones he’d loved as a child. But hadn’t she said she came from North Carolina? Had his misunderstood that somehow?

  He remembered that Lizzy had a bunch of sisters, one older and the rest younger. He didn’t remember the older sister’s name, though. But she’d been the perfect one. . . that could describe Jane, couldn’t it? The little ones had been Katie and Lydia, that he remembered. Violet and Benny.

  He had to know.

  When there was a lull in the conversation, he said, “So, I think Charlie mentioned that you are two of five sisters?”

  Charlie looked at him, surprised, but Elizabeth answered.

  “Ha. Yes. There are five of us, and I cannot believe this has never come up before. Usually it’s the first thing people know about us.”

  “Where do you fall in the order?” he asked, clenching his fist under the table where nobody could see.

  “Jane’s the oldest, then me, then Maggie, Katie, and Lydia.”

  It was her! It was his Lizzy!

  He couldn’t think of anything to say in response, so he just nodded and took a bite of his dinner. He chewed mechanically with no sense of what he was eating. Richard asked her what it was like growing up with so many sisters, and Jane and Elizabeth told some funny stories about sharing bathrooms and being forced to babysit.

  How was it that Will had been hanging out with Elizabeth for months and never thought to verify her last name, or ask about her family? And more importantly, how should he tell her? Would she remember him? What if she didn’t?

  After dinner, they moved to the living room to play Taboo. Will loved to watch Elizabeth play this game. She was clever and spoke quickly. Most importantly, she was good at talking around a word without saying it. Watching her now and knowing that she was his long-lost friend was a peculiar sensation.

  “‘Wear’ is part of “underwear,” Richard! That’s forbidden!” Elizabeth said with a laugh.

  “Hey, I didn’t actually say ‘underwear,’ did I?”

  She swatted his arm. “Still counts as cheating. Using part of the word isn’t allowed!”

  He leaned over her to grab the card, and she squealed and grabbed it back, passing it quickly to Jane. “Nuh-uh, Richard, you lost that one.”

  “If only I had somebody as smart as you on my team, Elizabeth.”

  “Flirting will get you nowhere, Richard.” But she grinned at him, a big friendly grin that made Will’s stomach clench, because it reminded him so much of those days in the park. Now those memories were interspersed with more recent ones: Elizabeth getting out of the river dripping wet, her clothes plastered to her body; Elizabeth wearing that ridiculous headband in her hair for Independence Day, Elizabeth scooting around the train museum on that knee scooter.

  “It got me somewhere,” Charlie said with a grin.

  Jane hit his shoulder. “Charlie!”

  “What? I just meant that it got me the girl. We’re getting married, after all.”

  Lizzy laughed. “Nice save, Charlie.”

  Will stayed mostly silent, talking only when he needed to for the game. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off his childhood friend. His friend, who was now a woman that he had begun to find himself very much attracted to.

  At first, he’d thought to pull her aside after dinner and tell her what he’d realized. But then he had a thought.

  Years ago, she’d saved his life. She’d brought him food when he was hungry and taught him to love books, which opened his eyes to the world around him and made his life bearable. His interest in books had then caught the eye of Mr. Darcy and led to his adoption into the best family imaginable. He didn’t even want to think about what would have happened when his mother died if he hadn’t happened to earn Mr. Darcy’s favor. He owed his family, whom he loved so much, to the opportunity Lizzy had created for him.

  Now . . . maybe he had the opportunity to return the favor. Lizzy was doing okay, working as a waitress and sleeping on Jane’s couch. But she wasn’t where she wanted to be. Maybe he could use the wealth and connections he now had to turn her life around just as she’d once done for him.

  He wouldn’t tell her who he was yet. Instead, he’d call the publishing firm. She’d said their name . . . something Scottish-sounding. McTaggart House? He’d look it up when he got home.

  Surely a Darcy’s influence would be enough to get her through the door. She’d have the job she wanted. She’d be thrilled. And then he could tell her that she’d helped him when he was in difficult times, so he’d done the same for her. It would be a great place to start.

  Disaster

  September 2016

  Will was absorbed in his yearly reread of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as he ran on the treadmill at the office gym early on a Friday morning. He had just reached Ravenclaw Tower when Charlie stepped onto the next treadmill.

  "Will!"

  Will nodded in acknowledgment and regretfully turned off his Kindle so as not to be rude, but he had already lifted weights and was too tired to chat. He was relieved that Charlie couldn't stop talking about his upcoming wedding and rarely required a response.

  “The wedding coordinator said that we absolutely had to make the final decision about flowers. I’d just as soon leave that sort of thing to Jane, but I don’t want Jane to think that I don’t care. I mean, I don’t care. But I don’t want her to think that I don’t care, or at least not to think that I don’t care about our wedding just because I don’t care about the flowers. You know what I mean?”

  Will turned his machine down a level of intensity so that he could respond to Charlie. “Uh . . . yeah, I think I know what you mean. The flowers just aren’t that important to you, but you don’t want to make Jane think that she’s not important to you.”

  “Yeah!” Charlie frowned. “How is it that you manage to say that so much more sensibly than I do? I guess that’s why you’re the boss.”

  Will shook his head. “You know I’m not particularly good with people. You would do just fine as a CEO someday, Charlie. I just hope you don’t have to take up the position quite as early as I have.” He jogged for another minute in silence, then said, “By the way, Charles, speaking of your position . . . have you and Jane gotten your pre-nup done yet? My dad’s friend Hastings writes a lot of those, if you want his contact info. Unless you already have a personal lawyer you use for this sort of thing.”

  Charlie looked at Will quickly, then turned away, blushing. “I wasn’t really planning to bother with a pre-nup.”

  “Charlie!” Will
exclaimed. “That’s idiotic, man! Why would you leave yourself unprotected like that?”

  Charlie shook his head. “It’s not like that, Will. Jane and I love each other, and we’ll never divorce. We’ve both agreed that divorce is a terrible thing, that once we’ve made a commitment to each other, it’s forever. ’Til death do us part and all that.”

  Will closed his eyes, then suddenly started to lose his balance and had to grab the handles of the treadmill so he didn’t slip.

  “Charlie, forgive me, but you can’t know that. I mean, Jane can promise all she wants, and she can intend it now, but people change. What if down the road she decides to leave you and take half of what you own? You don’t even have to have done anything wrong, with no-fault divorce.”

  “Because I know Jane!” Charlie insisted.

  “So, fine. Make a pre-nup then, one that protects both of you. If you’ll never divorce, you won’t need it anyway. What’s the big deal?”

  “I don’t know. It just seems . . . cynical.”

  Will snorted. “And you and cynicism mix like oil and water.”

  “I might have to work on that,” Charlie said, sighing. “And my backbone. Did you hear what Jane said at dinner the other night? Apparently, Caroline has been telling both of us that the other canceled lunch because they were busy. We’re getting married, and Caroline is still coming between us!”

  “Maybe it’s time to wrest back control of your life,” Will agreed. “Get Caroline out of your calendar. I have no idea why you let her do that to begin with. She’ll either have to admit to everybody that she’s just uselessly living on her trust fund, or she’ll have to actually get somebody to hire her for a job.”

  “I’d love to see her doing job interviews. Maybe Elizabeth can put in a good word for her at the restaurant.”

  Will sat up in bed, gasping for breath. The heat of the room was at first so intense that he thought everything was still on fire. His parents, Georgiana . . . he had to remind himself that they were safe. They’d survived the car crash. The plane crash that had seemed so real had only been a dream, a nightmare. He knew it, and yet he couldn’t quite catch his breath.