“He said that our relationship right now wasn’t fair to either of us and we should both be free to live our own lives.”
“By both, did it sound like he really meant you?”
“Maybe, yes, oh, I don’t know! All I really know for sure is that he hardly gave me a chance to say a word and he sounded so determined, spoke with absolute finality.”
“Jane, I don’t know what to say. This is an absolute shock to me so I can’t even imagine how it feels for you. I was certain that you two were together forever. Look, I’m sure that this is just a knee-jerk reaction to his being separated from you and all the issues you’ve had catching one another. He probably thinks he’s being noble by setting you free or something. I doubt that it’s what he actually wants. I wouldn’t give up hope just yet.”
“I think I should though. I think it would hurt more in the long run if I hold out any hope and it turns out to be in vain. I should just throw myself into work and try to forget about him.”
“If you think that would be best, then that’s what you’ve got to do.”
“I do, I really do, although whether I’ll succeed is a different story.”
“You can succeed at anything you put your mind to and you know I’ll always be here for you, whenever you want or need me.”
“I know, and I need you now. How are we going to tell Mom?”
“Oh God, I’d forgotten about her! She’s going to be beside herself. She was so certain she had one of us married off to a rich man that she’ll probably take to her bed for a week when she hears this.”
Despite herself, Jane couldn’t help but laugh at the faces Lizzy was making as she impersonated how dramatically their mom would react. However, she knew she wasn’t kidding about Mom. This would be a real setback for her.
“Maybe we shouldn’t tell her just yet,” Lizzy said, her face thoughtful.
“You want me to lie to her?”
“No, I didn’t say that. I’m thinking like a lawyer here. If the right questions aren’t asked then there’s no need to give answers to them is there? In addition, there are no legal requirements to expand on any answer that you don’t want to expand on. You can actually answer them honestly without saying very much at all.”
“I think I see where you’re going here. More evasion than lies, but what would be the point? I’d have to tell her eventually anyway.”
“Just humor me. Don’t say anything about this to Mom and Dad unless you have absolutely no choice. If things remain the same after he’s been back a few weeks, then I’ll help you break the news and cope with the aftermath.”
“You really think this is just temporary don’t you?”
“I don’t want to raise your hopes either, not if there’s a chance he might break your heart all over again, but I really do. So do we have a deal?”
“Yes, alright, we have a deal, but only provided neither of them ask the right questions.”
“Agreed.”
“Thanks, Lizzy. You can always cheer me up.”
“Isn’t that what sisters are for?” Lizzy replied with a grin, giving her a tight squeeze.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jane wondered if it had all been a bad dream, but she knew by the puffy grittiness in her eyes and hollow emptiness in her soul that it hadn’t been. In the early hours of the morning a week ago, Charles had ended their relationship. I am not going to start crying again, she told herself firmly. Besides, she felt like a wrung out rag, no tears left to cry.
Elizabeth kept a close eye on Jane for the next two months. She seemed to be coping, throwing herself into work and her charity events just as she said she would. So far, the only questions that had been asked about Charles were ones that could be answered with a simple yes or no with no lies having to be told. It had meant that the unnecessary drama that would be less about Jane and all about Mom had been avoided so far.
Elizabeth had also managed to keep the unwelcome attention of Mr. Collins at bay, avoiding awkward encounters by asking one of the colleagues that had now become a friend to drop into her office after he’d been there for an hour or so with some urgent request or another. It avoided that uncomfortable moment of seeing him out where he always turned it personal. She knew she couldn’t keep on doing it, but she only had a few days left before summer was over and she had to return to college. She didn’t see the harm as long as he didn’t cotton on. Of course, his attraction to her had become a bit of a standing joke that she was teased about constantly, but her colleagues’ willingness to help had been worth the ridicule. Luckily, he hadn’t found any further excuses to turn up announced at her home! That one would have been more difficult to handle.
Mr. Collins’ day, as she’d come to think of it, had arrived for the last time. He had phoned her the day before to inform her that he would be bringing with him someone very high up. He added that he just wanted to give her a head’s up in case she wanted to dress in her finest for the meeting. Lizzy had a pretty good idea of who he’d be bringing.
Mr. Collins held the door for Catherine de Bourgh, who walked into the building like she owned it. Her silver-white hair of the latest short, trendy, style had just been done at the hands of the guy known to be the stylist to the stars at the most renowned salon in the city. She wore a perfectly tailored business suit on her tall frame, which Elizabeth suspected cost more than most people made in a year. And nestled atop her Italian leather Prada bag was her Maltese, complete with painted nails and a bow in her long, flowing white hair.
She stopped in the middle of the room and looked around condescendingly. Everyone had seen her picture in the society pages more times than they could count, usually at charity events or White House dinners. She was known for having the Mayor and the Governor’s ears, and often exerted her influence. A hush fell over the previously active room as each employee felt beneath the fine lady.
“Here she is now,” Mr. Collins said as Elizabeth walked towards them. “Miss Elizabeth Bennet, may I introduce you to my esteemed employer, Catherine de Bourgh.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. de Bourgh.”
“How do you do, Miss Bennet? Tell me, are we going to have our meeting standing here surrounded by cubicles or is there a private office we will be going into?”
“Oh, yes, an office of course, if you will just follow me,” Elizabeth turned and led the way to a conference room, keenly aware of the other employees’ eyes watching her and her prominent visitor.
After Mrs. de Bourgh and Mr. Collins took their seats Elizabeth asked if she could get them any refreshments.
Mr. Collins’ face brightened. “I’ll have…”
“What exactly do you mean by refreshments, Miss Bennet,” asked the lady.
“We have bottled water, sodas, or coffee of course.”
“It is too hot for coffee, I do not put death by can sodas into my body and I doubt you have the kind of water I drink. Do you have Perrier?”
“No, I’m sorry we do not.”
“I thought not, but you may want to consider having some better choices in future. However, from the look of the establishment, perhaps it does not matter after all. Your clients are likely blue collar at best. I am surprised that as my driver even you could not do better, Collins.”
Mr. Collins wiggled in his chair uncomfortably. “Well, yes, I chose this firm when I was…”
Catherine interrupted, “Even Jaqueline doesn’t drink water from plastic bottles.”
“Jaqueline?” Elizabeth inquired.
Jaqueline barked on hearing her name.
“Oh, you’re Jaqueline!” Elizabeth turned her attention to the dog with her head sticking out of Mrs. de Bourgh’s purse. “You’re a beauty, aren’t you?”
Catherine smiled proudly. “Do you have a dog, Miss Bennet?”
“No, ma’am, my father is allergic. We have a cat though, an outdoor cat. She happens to be a white ball of fluff just like Jaqueline.” Jaqueline barked in response.
“Jaqueline would n
ever lower herself to being a cat,” she said condescendingly. “What is your cat’s name?”
“Snowball.”
“How original,” she replied, looking at Mr. Collins for affirmation.
Mr. Collins giggled in reply.
“What is your age Miss Bennet?”
“I am twenty-three.”
“You are very young to be taking the lead with clients. Are there not enough attorneys to meet the need?”
Elizabeth swallowed before answering in as confident a voice as she could muster, “Indeed there are, Mrs. de Bourgh. However, their time is better spent on more complicated cases. My role with our clients is within my scope, I assure you.”
“Hmmm, you speak rather assertively for your age. I like to see that in a woman. Tell me, what is your educational background?”
“I am currently attending Columbia University,” Elizabeth answered.
“Columbia is a very good school. I have many friends who went there. And what high school did you attend?”
Here we go again, she thought. “My sisters and I were homeschooled during our high school years.”
“Homeschooled?” Catherine asked in disbelief. “Is your mother a teacher?”
Elizabeth held in a laugh but could not restrain the smile that appeared as she answered, “No, she is not. She actually never held a job outside the home.”
“Really? And how many sisters do you have, Miss Bennet?”
“I am one of five girls.”
“Five children in this day and age, and all homeschooled! Your mother must have been a slave to your educations!”
Elizabeth gave a slight laugh at the assertion. “Not at all. We did our schooling online. My younger sisters still do, in fact.”
“What a shame. Online schooling will not give you a good enough education, Miss Bennet. Whatever possessed your mother to do such a thing?”
It was always hard to explain her mother’s actions to those who didn’t know her well and love her even more. “She watched a documentary about homesteading. In that particular documentary, the children were homeschooled. My mother was so impressed by the program she jumped into every aspect of it.”
“And do you still live on a farm?”
“No, ma’am. We never in point of fact lived on a farm. My mother tried her hand at gardening in our backyard and making her own cleaning products. And soap.”
“How many years did she make a success of it?”
“Well, we got enough vegetables to make a pot of soup, and though the soap wouldn’t lather, she did make enough laundry detergent to last us a few years. After a time, the homeschooling was the only part of the experiment she continued with.”
“It is a wonder you aren’t attending a trade school, Miss Bennet.”
Feeling the need to defend herself Elizabeth added, “Really ma’am, I think what one gets from one’s education depends largely on what the individual student puts into it. I have known many whose education was from traditional schooling who are some of the most ignorant people in society. On the other hand, the same can be said of those who were less traditionally educated. And from both groups there are the ones who have a decent education as well as the ones who excel. In fact, because the number being homeschooled is growing more every year, scholarships are now targeting them directly. I, for one, made the most of the freedom homeschooling can afford, and was able to move through the required courses at a much faster rate than is usual. I was able to take advanced classes that I felt would give me an edge in my studies once in law school. I am going to Columbia on a scholarship based on my high SAT’s.”
“I think you may be one who excels, Miss Bennet. I like your outspokenness and your ability to defend what you believe in. That’s the type of women I want working for me. So, when can you start?”
Mr. Collins who had been listening with interest excitedly added, “Oh that would be beyond wonderful! We would be working together!”
Disregarding Mr. Collins’ enthusiasm but being so surprised at Mrs. de Bourgh’s words, it took her a few moments to comprehend exactly what she was being offered. “Oh my, well this is most unexpected. Thank you so much, Mrs. de Bourgh. I know most would jump at the opportunity but I’m afraid I will have to decline. You see, this is my last week as an intern and to do my courses justice, I’m afraid I prefer not to work secularly during the school year. But I am most grateful.”
“I thought perhaps you were one of those college students who needed employment during your schooling to make ends meet.”
“No, I am fortunate enough to be able to commute from home and focus entirely on my studies.”
“You thought ahead I see. Very well, but know that I am disappointed.”
“I am honored to have been asked, Mrs. de Bourgh. Now, shall we get to the business at hand? Our firm acts on Mr. Collins’ behalf in a copyright matter. My role is to keep our client, Mr. Collins, up to date on the latest status of the case. To cut to the chase, Mr. Collins, we are being stonewalled by Mr. Lennon’s estate lawyers. They have filed an injunction on behalf of the late Mr. Lennon’s estate. As your lawyer Mr. Coleman expected, they are requesting reasonable proof before they will consider the costly ramifications of going to court. Do you have anything to support your claim of your mother’s collaboration with Mr. Lennon, besides the photograph of your mother sitting at a table next to Mr. Lennon?”
Mr. Collins looked indignant. “The photograph clearly shows they are leaning over a notebook and the pencil is in my mother’s hand. But more importantly, I have my mother’s words on her deathbed! Surely there can be no greater proof than the last words of a dying woman!”
“So, no notebook, or a photo of the paper they were writing on?”
“Not to my knowledge, no.”
“Do you have any letters, or even ticket stubs placing your mother at the same location as Mr. Lennon that we might use to fix a date of their acquaintance?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Mr. Collins, have you gone through all of your mother’s personal effects?”
“No.”
“And why is that?”
“My dearly departed Mama was, well, a hoarder. It would be an impossible task.”
“A hoarder? Well, I can see how that would make the process more difficult, but surely it is not an impossible task.”
“It really is, I assure you, Elizabeth,” he scrunched up his face in a bashful smile when saying her name.
“I can get you the name of a professional service that can help with the clean-up. If you will excuse me, I will just be a minute.”
Catherine de Bourgh looked at her employee and shook her head. “I do hope you aren’t wasting your time here, Buford. Are you certain your mother was in her right mind when she told you this?”
“Mrs. de Bourgh, how can you ask such a thing? You said yourself when you were in school together my Mama was a gifted poet, though a hippie and a groupie. And later when she worked for you, she came up with the most interesting anecdotes for your speeches!”
“There, there, Buford, calm down. You’re right; Bertha didn’t have any reason to make up such a thing. And I must say, she could form a rhyme on the spot. She could entertain me like no one else ever could,” Catherine smiled fondly at the remembrance. “It is a pity you inherited your father’s wit. Now let’s wrap this up. I have a lunch engagement with my nephew.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Before Elizabeth knew it, summer was over and the last day for all the interns rolled around. It was a day of mixed emotions for Elizabeth. Although she was looking forward to being able to continue her learning and concentrate on nothing but her studies, working here had turned out to be a great experience. She knew it was far from the best firm to work for, but she’d learned a lot of practical skills as well as having had the opportunity to put some of her knowledge into use. Not only that, but she’d made some great friends and had a ball while doing so.
Nearing the end of the day, the CEO
of the firm called them all into the conference room to address them.
“I want to thank you all for the hard work and effort you’ve applied to your internships. I hope that you’ve found it a worthwhile, useful, and rewarding experience. Those of you who have made it to the end are of course, expected and welcome to return next summer without question. As far as I’m concerned, your positions here are open for as long as you want them. I have all your contact details and may invite you along to some events or functions that might be useful to you for networking and to your future prospects so don’t think this is goodbye. For now though, all that remains is to thank you once again and tell you that there’s a tab running behind the counter at The Casa De Tapas in my name that’s open for all of you so get out of here, and enjoy!”
Whoops, cheers, and applause filled the room as the CEO left them to celebrate.
“That was a bit of a surprise,” Louise said to Elizabeth. “I know that this is far from the most prestigious company, that we don’t learn as much here as we could elsewhere and that they don’t organize us very well, but we certainly can’t fault the generosity of the sendoff!”
“No we can’t,” Elizabeth replied. “Although there’s probably an ulterior motive for it.”
“You know how many people they have to interview just to get a decent number of candidates and hit their quota of interns? Lots of them get better offers, drop out, or don’t stay once they’ve seen what it’s like here. I bet they hope that this will instill a bit of a sense of loyalty in us and we’ll come back next year, even if we are offered something better.”
Louise laughed. “Elizabeth, you’re so cynical! I hadn’t thought about it that way but now that you mention it, it makes sense. Still, I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I fully intend to eat, drink, and be merry at their expense. You coming?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Elizabeth said with a grin. “Do you think we’d be permitted to invite someone else to join us if they don’t use the tab. He’s not an intern but he does work for the firm.”
Legally Darcy: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice Page 13
