by Ruby Cruz
“That’s Ana, Will’s sister. She goes to Princeton now. That’s why Darcy moved out your way, so he could be closer to her.”
Probably to make sure she was studying and being a good little girl, I thought a bit maliciously. I gestured to what appeared to be Ed’s West Point portrait. He didn’t look much older than the picture and still had the infectious grin and laughing eyes. “At least you learned to smile in your photos.”
“A terrible habit, I know.” His tone shifted. “I hope Dr. Catherine didn’t offend you too much at dinner. She has a way of alienating those who aren’t part of her inner circle.”
“Not at all. Believe me, I get the lectures from my mom all the time about why I don’t just marry a rich, handsome man so I don’t have to work another day in my life. I’m used to defending my choice of profession.”
“Nurse Bennett,” Dr. DeBourgh called from across the room. “Do you play the piano?”
“I took lessons through high school, but I’m sorely out of practice.”
“I do enjoy listening to the piano. I never had the time to devote to learning the craft myself. I believe if one were to play an instrument, one must devote the time to learn and practice it diligently. I am sure had I the time to learn and practice, I would have been a great proficient. Play for us, Nurse Bennett.”
The request came out as more of command. “Oh, no. My sister and I don’t own a piano so it’s been years since I’ve played anything.”
“I’m sure there is something you remember. They say the fingers of a pianist have a memory of their own. I just want to hear a little something. The piano is well-tuned and maintained, though it has been rarely played properly, not since Georgiana was last here to visit. She plays so beautifully and is always in practice.”
The challenge was there. I had a distinct feeling Dr. DeBourgh was punishing me for my comments at the dinner table, but I would have rather thrown myself off the balcony than shrink away from the challenge.
I felt all eyes on me as I sat down at the bench while the Doctor directed the butler to remove the photos and open the cover to the piano. God, why couldn’t I have just lied about knowing how to play?
At first I had no idea what to perform. It truly had been years since I’d played anything other than Christmas carols during the holidays at my mom’s house. Despite what the Doctor had asserted I couldn’t remember any of the classical pieces I’d been forced to memorize and play during my childhood. The only thing I could even remotely remember was the songbook to Les Misérables.
I was no singer but Jane had a beautiful voice and I would often accompany her while she sang songs for church and talent shows. Mom had once entertained the idea of entering Jane in American Idol and all those reality TV talent competitions but Jane was so shy she’d balked at even the mention of going in front of a television camera. Church socials were one thing, national audiences were quite another. I’d been more than happy to play for Jane since she’d been the one in the spotlight, but now, sitting in front of Dr. DeBourgh and Darcy, I felt more nervous than I had in my entire life.
The tune to “On My Own” started to sound through the room and I hated that my fingers felt stiff and clumsy on the keyboard. I was playing more slowly and mechanically than I would have liked but my performance was passable, especially without Jane’s voice to mask my mistakes. “Not bad for not having played in years,” Ed commented amiably as he stood next to the piano.
“There’s something to be said about Dr. DeBourgh’s comment about fingers having a certain memory of their own. I suppose there’s a part of the brain that dictates all that.”
“Learning to play the piano enhances neuroplasticity and spatial-temporal function,” Darcy announced. From the sound of his voice, he was standing almost directly behind me.
Ed grinned. “I have no idea what you just said, Will. English, please.”
“Okay, I’ll use smaller words so you can understand.” I detected a hint of humor in Darcy’s voice. “Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to adapt according to the stimuli it’s presented with.”
Darcy’s explanation faded to background chatter as I concentrated more closely on playing. I could hear snippets of conversation from the opposite side of the room where Dr. DeBourgh was holding court with Colin and Luke as her captive audience. The butler started making the rounds and taking requests for after-dinner drinks. My fingers stumbled once again and I made a mental note to ask for something stronger than wine.
When I stopped playing, the men in the room politely clapped while Dr. DeBourgh made no comment, only to gesture that I continue. Feeling a bit nonplussed, I started to play another Les Miz song, “I Dreamed a Dream.” I glanced up from my playing to see that Darcy had shifted so he was standing directly opposite me and watching me intently.
“I know that my playing isn’t exactly worthy of Carnegie Hall, but it takes more than a scowl to intimidate me, Dr. Darcy, even if your sister does play so beautifully.”
“I think I have known you long enough to surmise that not much intimidates you. In fact, you tend to be sarcastic when a situation is not to your liking.”
I smiled at that. “Sarcastic? Well, that’s flattering coming from someone who’s intimidated and verbally abused most of the nursing staff at the hospital.”
“Is this true? William Darcy, intimidating and verbally abusive? Say it isn’t so,” Ed exclaimed mockingly.
“Maybe I shouldn’t be critical in mixed company,” I said, with a glance at Dr. DeBourgh.
“No, by all means, continue. Do your worst,” Darcy challenged.
“The first time I met Dr. Darcy, was at the hospital. One of his patients was in distress and he failed to return our pages in a timely manner, and when he did finally arrive, he insinuated that we had wasted his time. The next time we met we were at a bar. I’d arrived with my nursing colleagues and he’d come with Charles and Caroline Bingley. The entire night, he didn’t talk to anyone but Charles and Caroline. In fact, he was being downright antisocial. He even refused to let me buy him another drink.”
Ed smirked at Darcy and shook his head. “Will, did I not teach you anything? Never turn down a drink from a beautiful woman.” Ed sighed dramatically. “Go on. Let’s hear the rest.”
“The entire evening he talked with only Dr. Bingley and Caroline, and when he finally did partake in the general conversation he would let himself be interrupted by his phone or by leaving abruptly, and he wasn’t even on-call that night.”
Darcy bristled with indignation. “I still have a duty to my patients, even when I am not on-call. Are you suggesting that I abandon them so I can continue to converse with people I’d never met before?”
“It’s called socializing. Perhaps if you’d do a bit more of it you’d know how to treat your nurses as human beings rather than monkeys.”
Ed watched the interchange between Darcy and me with great interest. “This is getting good. How does Will treat the nurses as monkeys?”
“He has very little patience with nurses. He thinks that we’re trained to just follow his commands with no questions asked. One time he was so frustrated with one of my co-workers, he threw her out of the patient’s room and made her cry. HR had to become involved. You’d think that with all the schooling doctors have to go through, they would take some type of leadership or management course that teaches them how to deal with people.”
“I admit that I don’t have the talent of dealing comfortably with people I don’t know very well.”
“You’re a doctor. You work with people all the time, you tell them life-altering news every single day. Don’t tell me that by now you haven’t found a way to deal with people.”
Dr. DeBourgh chose that moment to call across the room, “William, Edward, what is it that you are talking about with Nurse Bennett? Her execution is poor enough; she does not need you two breaking her concentration.”
The Doctor approached us and watched me play
in silence until the song was over. “I had occasion to dine with Schönberg and Boublil the last time they were in the city promoting the Broadway revival of Les Misérables. Schönberg played those songs on this very piano, but with much more competency, of course.”
I was not forced to play the piano any more after that. Instead, we were regaled with detailed updates provided by Colin on the state of the clinical research being conducted, the specific numbers of enrollment at the various clinical sites and the patient feedback received thus far. Colin went so far as to cite the results of prior research studies conducted with the previous incarnations of the device. I was tempted to grab the fireplace poker and stab myself in the eye with it.
Luke, who had been sitting next to me on the couch, apologized softly and a bit drunkenly, “Lizzy, I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t have brought you here but Dr. DeBourgh insisted.”
“Probably to see who dared refuse a job offer from her and her company.”
“You’re probably right. I know this isn’t fun for you. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“That promise better include lots of alcohol and possibly a cash reward to pay for an outfit I’m never going to wear again.”
“Don’t say that. You can wear it when you visit me next time.”
“Ha, you’re assuming there will be a next time. I’m considering boycotting visits to you if I’m required to attend one of these every time I come to the city.”
“I already said I’m sorry. Don’t be mad at me again.”
I sighed. “I was never mad at you. Disappointed that you were stuck working with these people, but not mad.”
“Oh, good. I missed you, Lizzy.” Luke briefly laid his head on my shoulder before straightening and pretending to pay attention to Colin once again.
~
I was grateful when Luke and Colin finally made motions to leave. To my surprise, Ed and Darcy decided to leave as well and went so far as to offer us a ride back downtown. I had no complaint as I didn’t want to walk any more in my heels than I had to and cab fare was expensive.
Darcy’s BMW was waiting for us by the time we reached the street. Although I offered to climb into the farthest row in the back seat, anything to avoid an awkward car ride, the men insisted I take the front seat next to Darcy. Ed sat farthest back while Luke and Colin sat in the row behind us.
After a moment of silence in the truck, Ed called out, “Okay, guys, where to next?”
“I thought you were dropping us off at home,” I answered with a confused look to Colin and Luke, both of whom appeared just as confused as I was.
“You kidding? It’s Friday night in New York City and this is my first vacation in months. The night’s just beginning. Let’s go get a drink, and I mean a real drink, not those watered down things Aunt Catherine pawns off on us.”
I spared a glance at Darcy, who impassively replied, “Where do you suggest we go?”
“There’s a great club I know, just a few blocks from the apartment,” Ed said.
“Dude, are you talking about…but it’s impossible to get in,” Luke commented.
“Darcy here just happens to be a guest at the hotel, plus, I’ve got us covered,” Ed announced confidently.
A sideways glance to Darcy did not reveal any of his feelings on this development. I was tired and dealing with Dr. Catherine had left me with a bit of a headache, but I was intrigued to go to this club that had Luke bouncing in his seat like an excited little schoolboy. He grilled Ed on his connections to the club, while Colin continued to praise Dr. Catherine on any and every aspect of the night’s dinner. I was grateful for the general chatter since Darcy, as always, did not appear to be in the mood for conversation.
When we approached Chelsea, Colin requested to be dropped off at the apartment, citing an early appointment. A part of me felt relieved since I didn’t think I could take another moment of him and his incessant veneration of the wonderful Dr. Catherine DeBourgh. After dropping Colin off, Darcy drove the few blocks to the club. A well-muscled attendant in a suit took the keys from him, no questions asked. After climbing onto the sidewalk, Ed led us through the spacious and trendily styled lobby and towards a bank of elevators.
Darcy inserted his room key into the designated slot and punched a number. We ascended quickly and when the doors opened, and Darcy and Ed were sufficiently vetted, we were ushered past the throngs of people and into the club proper.
Ed directed us into an already packed lounge. Leather couches emblazoned with the Union Jack anchored the center of the room while glass walls sported a spectacular view of the New York City skyline. “First round’s on me. What’re you having?” The question was directed at me.
I shrugged. “Cosmo,” I answered. I’d only drunk wine to this point but the choice seemed apropos.
Darcy ordered a scotch while Luke ordered his usual microbrew. We meandered through the crowd and stationed ourselves in an unoccupied banquette. As soon as I was seated, I toed off my shoes and refrained from outright massaging my feet after Luke glared at me. “You are a chic and sophisticated woman, Elizabeth Bennett, and sophisticated women do not touch their feet in public.”
I rolled my eyes at him as he seated himself next to me. All of a sudden, he leaned forward in his seat and exclaimed, “Oh my God, is that…it is! It’s Leonardo DiCaprio. Would it be tasteless of me to ask for his autograph?”
“Depends on how desperately you want it. Many people forget decorum when something they desperately want is within reach.” Darcy’s sober words were barely audible.
“Ha, look, she got one. Okay, I’m doing it. Lizzy, give me a piece of paper, anything.”
I opened my handbag and extracted my ticket stub from the train. “This is all I have,” I announced as I handed that and a pen to Luke.
“Good enough. Wish me luck.” Luke jumped off the couch.
“Sorry about that,” I apologized. “He’s been a fan of Leo’s ever since Titanic debuted when we were nine.”
“And what about you? Are you a fan as well?” So he could be heard over the din of music and conversation, Darcy sat next to me.
“Well, of course. He is Leonardo DiCaprio.”
“Don’t you want his autograph?”
“Me? Not my kind of thing. I’m content just being in the same room with him, basking in his perfection.”
Darcy and I both fell silent and, even though the noise around us was nearly unbearable, the uncomfortable silence between us was becoming even more so. Finally, I asked, “How is Charlie doing at his new position at Princeton?”
“Quite well. He has been following some interesting cases there.” Another silence.
“How is it that he came to move there so quickly? Don’t residents usually work for at least a year before transferring to a different program?”
“True, most residents have to wait until the academic year is over before starting at a different facility.” Another silence. At first I thought he was going to stop talking altogether, but then he continued, “Charles decided that he wanted to become acclimated to the culture more quickly and that he’d rather not waste another six months while at Meryton before transferring.”
“I guess I’m still trying to understand why he transferred to begin with. If he wanted to work at Princeton so badly, why didn’t he apply there in the first place?”
“He did, but he was waitlisted for a position. He did not think he would be accepted within the year so he applied at Meryton and was accepted right away. Just recently, there was an opening at Princeton and Charles took it. The timing, I know, was unfortunate.”
Even though the words sounded logical coming out of Darcy’s mouth, I still didn’t buy the story. I was just about to begin grilling Darcy about Charlie’s feelings for Jane when Luke arrived back.
“Look, here it is,” he presented breathlessly. An illegible scrawl adorned the back of my train ticket. “I got a picture, too,” he announced proudly as he whip
ped out his phone and showed us the picture of Leo and him. Leo, while not smiling, did graciously pose for the picture. “Lizzy, maybe if you come back with me, he’ll take one with you, also.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m good.”
Ed returned with our drinks. I was tempted to down my Cosmo in one gulp but thought better of it. I was grateful for the warmth from the alcohol, though, and it worked to loosen my nerves from my brief conversation with Darcy.
Ed settled himself between Darcy and me. “So, Luke, how’s living with Colin working for you? We never thought he’d find a roommate or a co-worker who would tolerate him. Oh, sorry, maybe I should’ve kept my mouth shut. Are you two…?” Ed made a gesture with his hand.
Luke nearly spit out his drink. “Me and Colin? No. He’s still way too closeted and he’s…not my type. I go for the hot and rich set,” he added easily.
“A man after my own heart, though, at the moment, I’m aiming for hot.” I caught the glance Ed directed at me and though my stomach fluttered a bit at the flattery, I didn’t feel any strong attraction to him. “Come on, Lizzy, let’s dance.” He grabbed my hand and we were up and dancing. I managed to glance back at Luke and Darcy on the banquette and saw Luke smirking at me and waving. Eventually he joined in the dancing and, after a while and much prodding, Darcy joined us, or, to be more accurate, Darcy asked me to dance.
I hadn’t been in such close contact with Darcy since the Nurses Gala and the experience was disconcerting. I could see Luke watching us and smirking. Ed watched us as well, though his face wasn’t quite so smirky. Was he jealous?
