Chapter 1
The sign to fasten the seat belts turned on, indicating the plane was close to its destination. William Darcy closed his laptop and prepared himself for the landing. He didn't like to fly, but it was inevitable in his line of work. At age 32, he was the president of the New Projects Division of D.I.D., Darcy Investments and Developments, a corporation that was founded twenty years ago by his father, and that managed such a diversity of business that was impossible to keep in mind. This was the newest project of the firm, installing a cellulose plant in Encarnación, a very small town lost in the middle of Santo Domingo, an even smaller country in South America. The project was a very ambitious one, as they were to build not only the manufacturing plant, but they would supply the trees in a 10.000 hectare extension to provide raw material to produce the pulp. This was not as big as the chemical plant William put into work in Malaysia two years ago, but equally challenging, as this cellulose plant was to be the most advanced in technology of its kind. Being under the close watch of conservationists, the corporation wanted to do everything according to regulations.
The plantation was another matter. They had acquired several properties around the premises, but one of them was special as it belonged to a man that had developed some of the best varieties of trees for forestation and paper production and the cloning technique to produce them. Thomas Bennet, deceased two years ago, was the son of an English immigrant that came to this land forgotten by God during WWII and studied and lived in this place all his life. As William was informed, one of his daughters followed his steps and was working with them in designing and operating the cloning lab and supervised the growth and health of the trees.
William Darcy closed his eyes and commended his soul to God as the plane landed. As soon as they were safety rolling on the runway, he exhaled and looked outside the window for the first time. It was a beautiful day. Charles had told him that it was summer here and the temperature was above 30 C. He had left one the coldest winters London had ever seen and was anxious for a little sun and warmth.
After crossing customs and picking up his baggage, he met Charles at the gate.
"Charles! Good to see you."
They shook hands. "Will, Welcome to Santo Domingo. How was your flight?"
William scratched the back of his head and eyed his friend from head to toe. He was wearing bermuda shorts, sandals and a white linen shirt. "Awful. You have an excellent tan, man. It seems that I am not giving you enough work."
Charles chuckled. "I was missing your good humor, William. You have a pretty color on yourself too. One week of crossing the street in Encarnación and you'll change that green hue into a more healthy color."
"Is it that bad here?"
"Some people dislike this weather, too hot, but I love it."
At that moment the doors opened and the reality of Santo Domingo's summer hit William on his face.
"Goodness, this is hot as hell."
"Yes, and it is only 9.30 in the morning." William looked at him, alarmed. "Take it easy, Will, it is not always as hot as today. Maybe we are to have a little tornado or something like that."
"Does this occur frequently?"
"Sometimes," he said calmly.
William eyed him dubiously. Charles used to be a hyperactive executive that worked himself crazy until he was assigned to this project 8 months ago. He was doing an excellent managing job and the construction and launching were ahead of schedule, but William had never seen his ex-brother in law so relaxed and happy.
Charles Bingley, only 30 years old, was the brother of Caroline Bingley, William's ex wife. He joined the corporation at the early age of 22, when William began dating his sister. His intelligence and dedication had positioned him among the most valuable employees of the New Project division, and he was now William's right hand. After William's divorce, two years ago, they maintained a very close friendship. Charles knew his sister was not the appropriate woman for William but he preferred not to interfere between the two and let them make their own mistakes. He proved to be right when, after a short marriage, the couple was divorced in a very painful trial-public, by Caroline's insistence. William, being the private man he was, suffered silently and swore himself not to be involved with a woman again in his life.
They found the car in the parking lot and began their 6 hour drive to Encarnación.
"I suppose there is not a decent hotel in that town." William put the air conditioner at high.
"Well, if you find 'La Cucaracha' an acceptable name for a hotel, you will like it."
William's Spanish was not exceptional but he certainly understood those words. 'La Cucaracha'? He raised his eyebrows. "Don't tell me we are staying in a place with a name like that."
"No." Charles laughed. "I am not so crazy as to leave you in there. I rented a very nice house three kilometers away from the village with four bedrooms, fully equipped, air conditioner and swimming pool. It's cozy, comfortable. I have a housekeeper that comes three times a week and leaves the food already cooked, so there is not much work to do there."
"You look very relaxed. I infer that you like this place."
"I love it. I love the plant, I love the village, everyone is so nice and considerate and I am in love with the most lovely girl I have ever met."
"Aha! I knew it! I knew there was something wrong with you!" William said playfully. "Who is she?"
"Jane Bennet, she is working with us in accounting."
"Oh, Charles," William shook his head, "you know it is not good to have a relationship at work. And are you sure that she is not after your money?"
"Will, I am not a kid anymore." Charles interrupted. "I know what I'm doing."
"I don't want you to make the same mistake I made." William shook his head.
"Don't worry. We are just dating now, nothing serious, but as soon as you know her you will understand." Charles knew this was his friend's sensitive spot.
"Jane Bennet? Another daughter of the old Bennet man?"
"Yes, the eldest. A real beauty, an angel. You will love her too." Charles grinned.
"We'll see, young man." He smiled.
Chapter 2
The Range Rover continued its journey across the subtropical forest and prairies. On their first stop, William changed into more comfortable clothes and relaxed in his seat. After a couple of hours of conversation about the progress of the construction, the stress of the long flight took the better of him and he fell asleep. A loud thunder awakened him with a start.
"Where are we?" He yawned.
"Very close to Encarnación. Those trees are part of the Bennet plantation. They are the finest poplars in this region." Charles pointed outside.
"God, it's raining heavily." William leaned forward to see better.
"Yes." Charles sounded a little concerned and slowed the speed as he left the main freeway to drive into a muddy road. "I hope the road is passable. It can turn very muddy under these conditions."
Charles struggled to keep the track he was following in the muddy road. Slowly the truck began to slide to the right and before he could gain control of the vehicle, they fell into the ditch.
"Well." He said calmly. "I guess that we are going to stay here for some time. There is no way we can move the Rover from here and it would be a long walk out in the rain."
William was completely astonished. He couldn't believe that they were going to stay in the middle of nowhere for the rest of the day and Charles could be so calm about it.
"We are staying here?"
"Yes, for a while. We'll go for help as soon as the rain stops."
This was incredible. Charles was serious. Mr. High Blood Pressure would stay there as if nothing had happened waiting for the rain to stop. William thought he should really stay in this place for a while and try to slow down his own life too. First he thought that Charles had gone mad, but now he realized that it was impossible for them to do anything in this weather, and no matter how crazy he became, nothing would happen, so he decided to calm down.
Half an hour later the rain subsided enough to go out for help. They were about to get out when they heard a tap on the window. A man wearing a yellow rain outfit was holding the reins of a horse and was making signs to Charles to come out.
"Anselmo!" Charles grinned as he opened the door, continuing the conversation in a very bad Spanish. "We fell into the ditch and there is no way to take the Rover out without a tractor. I suppose yours is working." Charles put his best lost-puppy face.
The man slapped Charles' back and seemed to be scolding him for his bad driving. They conversed for a while until William came out of the Rover and stepped into the mud.
He acknowledged the other man with a nod and pulled his friend a short distance away. "Charles, is there any way we can do this any faster? I am really tired and if no one in the bloody place is going to help us it would be better if you just stop chatting with one of the local savages and show me the way to the house."
"Well, you have a hell of an attitude for someone that is desperately in need of help. Allow me to remind you that you are at the mercy of the local savages now, sir." Came a woman's voice from his back, speaking in a very clear English.
William immediately turned around to see a woman riding a big horse, wearing the same rain outfit of the elder man. As she approached them, he could see a beautiful pair of brown eyes surrounded by a very pretty face.
"Liz! Our savior!" Charles grinned.
"Charles, if I would have to charge you every time I take you out of the mud I'd certainly be rich." The woman said playfully as she descended from her horse and kissed Charles' cheek. "You did it well this time." she bent over to inspect the Rover in the mud pit. "I don't think we will move this one easily."
"You are just saying that to embarrass me in front of the boss." Charles laughed. "Liz, allow me to introduce you to William Darcy, the big boss. Will, this is Dr. Elizabeth Bennet."
"Nice to meet you," she said coolly without extending her hand.
"My pleasure," William answered seriously, measuring her from head to toe.
"I am going for the tractor and I'll pull you out into a safer road."
She jumped back on her horse and galloped away. William looked at her until she disappeared from the sight. He couldn't believe she heard his comment. And now he was about to be rescued by a woman who worked for him and that he had just insulted.
Ten minutes later Elizabeth Bennet arrived, driving a tractor that she positioned it in front of the Rover.
"Darcy, do you know how to drive in mud?" she asked from behind the wheel.
"Well, I am not an expert but-"
"Good. I don't trust Charles' driving in this situation." Elizabeth shot a look at Charles.
Anselmo tied the tractor to the vehicle and she began to pull it out of the mud-pit while William controlled the wheel. In a couple of minutes they were out and safe.
"Well, it seems you are on your way now. You drive, Mr. Darcy. Charles will certainly throw this Rover into the river if he continues this way."
"You are adorable, you know." Charles laughed and blew her a kiss. "I'll see you on Monday. Thank you. Adiós Anselmo!" He waved and they drove away.
Chapter 3
After a whole night of sleep in a good bed, William's spirits were restored. He rose early, prepared some coffee and he went to the garden to admire the scenery. Everything was so green that it was overwhelming. The house where they lived was located farming area outside Encarnación, and there were no neighbors near, just a few houses spread around them, but they were all at least 200 meters away. The place was very peaceful and silent and though they could observe the immense prairies and plantations from almost every part of the property. The lack of traffic on their road gave them an enormous sense of privacy. The house had a lovely front-yard and the garden on the back was absolutely beautiful. William walked around, mug in hand, observing the most amazing and strange variety of flowers he had ever seen.
"Those are beautiful, aren't they?" Charles commented from the gallery.
"They are. I've never seen these flowers before. What are they called?"
"I don't have the slightest idea. I don't even think they have a name. They are some of Liz's hybrids. She is an expert in botanical genetics and she is always experimenting with plants and flowers to see what she obtains. Sometimes Anselmo brings them here to see if they continue to grow outside her lab."
William didn't answer, he just looked at the flowers.
"The Bennets live over there. See that house?" he pointed to a house about 300 meters away. "It was part of the 500 hectare plantation we acquired, the Bennet plantation, you know." William nodded. "They kept a small farm of about 10 hectare for themselves, with the original house and their father's lab. It's very nice."
"I'm sure you go there frequently."
Charles laughed. "Of course! And not only to see Jane. Elizabeth cooks really well. Once you taste her delicacies you will ask her to marry you."
William shook his head. "Never!"
They spent all of Sunday revising the budget, blueprints, deadlines and legal aspects. It was a beautiful and rather hot day, so after they finished, they relaxed for a couple of hours by the swimming pool, as Charles insisted that William should lose that disgusting winter-green color he had on his face.
"When is your shadow coming?" Charles asked with a sarcastic look.
"George?" William rolled his eyes. "In two weeks. I invented something for him to do so I didn't have to endure his company during the flight."
"Your father still insists that he should work here?"
"Yes, unfortunately. Dad knows he is completely useless but it's a kind of promise he made to George's father on his death bed. He can't place him in the other companies because he is sure he will be sacked immediately, and he knows that I'm not going to fire him without his OK, so I'll have to give him something to do while he is here."
"We can put him to cut trees with an axe."
"Too dangerous. He might cut himself a nail and sue us."
Charles laughed. "Administration and accounts?"
"Too close to the money."
"Stamping the envelopes?"
William smiled. "Too difficult."
With his body still working on London time, Monday found William up and around very early. He wandered about the house, made coffee, and tried to read the local paper in Spanish. Two hours later Charles appeared casually dressed in khaki pants and an informal linen shirt.
"Are you going to work dressed like this?"
"Yep." Charles eyed William dressed in an impeccable dark blue suit. "Why?"
"Well, you are the manager and as far as I remember, you only wear designers clothes."
Charles laughed at his friend's face of incredulity. "Will, relax, the office is in the middle of a construction site, it's summer, sometimes the air conditioner doesn't work. We'll have meetings with the staff during the morning and this afternoon we'll go to see the plantations. I think it would be best if you change into something more comfortable."
William smiled. "I think I'll love this place."
Chapter 4
The Rover entered the site and passed through workers and machines and soon reached the plant. After a short tour around the premises, they drove to the offices that were located on one side of the manufacturing plant. William was impressed with the progress of the construction. The plant was almost finished and they were on the final steps of setting up the machinery.
"That is the cloning lab." Charles pointed a small building beside the offices. "We'll go there later."
They entered the offices and Charles introduced William to the rest of managing team. The great majority spoke English to some degree, not very fluently, but enough to make themselves understood so that, combined with William's not-bad-at-all Spanish that was enough to make some decent conversations during the morning.
"Ready for the general meeting?" Charles knocked at William's opened door.
"Yes, I was just revising the financial reports." William stood up, reading the last pages while finishing his coffee.
"Come, hurry up, everyone must be ready by now. We have this meeting every Monday at 10:00. It is a general review of the schedule for the following week, the countdown for the launch, and it blends all the areas involved. It usually takes a couple of hours. With the operation beginning 100% in only two months it's the best way to make the final adjustments."
William smiled. "Shall I meet your lovely accountant there?"
Charles grinned as he opened the door of the meeting room. "Am I to be tortured about this for the rest of my life?"
As soon as they entered the room all eyes turned on them. There were around 20 persons there and William recognized some of the people to whom he was hastily introduced as soon as he arrived that morning. He scanned quickly the room and noticed a very pretty blond girl that he assumed could be Charles' angel and sitting by her side, he recognized the owner of the fine eyes that had rescued him from the mud pit.
Charles introduced him and after a short speech they were ready to begin with the meeting. Everyone related the progress and difficulties very efficiently, sometimes in Spanish, sometimes in Spanglish, and soon they were in time for the coffee break.
When coffee arrived, everyone stood up to mingle and William took the opportunity to converse with the managing team. He was talking to Michael Foster from financials when his attention was pulled to Elizabeth Bennet as she rose from her seat and, in a graceful movement, poured herself some coffee. Not that he had been staring at her all morning, certainly not. It had been difficult to keep his eyes from her legs and concentrate in a bilingual meeting during the first hour but he managed it decently, but now that he had the opportunity to see all of her he knew it would be impossible. She was wearing a tight sleeveless white t-shirt and a loose floral skirt with a low cut at the waist that showed a good portion of her tanned abdomen. The skirt was not so short now that she was standing up, just above her knees, but he could still admire her incredible legs without much effort.
"William," Charles called him out of his reverie, "come and meet Jane." He pulled him in the direction of the Bennet girls.
"Jane, this is William Darcy. William, this is Jane, and you know Liz". Charles said with flushed cheeks.
Charles, you are behaving like a schoolboy. "Nice to meet you, Miss Bennet." He shook her hand and nodded to Elizabeth, who nodded back.
"It's a pleasure. How do you like Encarnación so far?" Jane asked with a soft Spanish accent.
"Seems very nice, I haven't seen that much yet but it is very green and 'warm' from my brief experience." William smiled.
"You certainly arrived on the hottest day of the century!" Charles laughed.
"Yes, it's not so hot usually. Though it rains frequently this time of the year, the weather is very pleasant. You will like it," Jane continued with a sweet smile.
William managed to have some decent talk with them while trying (and failing) to avert his eyes from Elizabeth's navel all the time. Of course he had seen navels before, though never during a meeting, and never one so happily situated. He forced to keep his eyes up during the brief conversation while praying that the coffee break was over soon. For her part, Elizabeth was perfectly aware that he was staring every five seconds at her belly and, secretly, was enjoying the possibility of unsettling the big boss so easily.
Five minutes later, they all returned to their seats to finish the meeting and William remained the next hour drawing @ symbols on the balance sheet, imitating the shape of Elizabeth's navel.
Chapter 5
William's first week at Encarnación was extremely busy and stressing. He had long meetings with bankers, lawyers, main suppliers, consultants and local authorities while all the time deciding the final setup of the operation. He also went twice with Charles and Elizabeth to see the larger plantations and was satisfied that he behaved like the normal adult he was and didn't stare at her extremely well fitting jeans, perfectly shaped posterior, or at the two unfastened buttons of her shirt during those outings.
He couldn't deny that she was very pretty. Now that they were becoming better acquainted and they broke the initial tension that his rude remark provoked, he realized that she was altogether beautiful, charmingly insolent, very intelligent, and that he should get her out of his mind ASAP before he did something really stupid.
The first week came to an end and that Friday, after an hour of continuous insisting, Charles convinced William to go out for dinner as they had spent almost the whole week working more than 18 hours a day on the launch. They were tired, but they agreed that after so much stress they deserved a little distraction.
Encarnación was a small town with less than 1000 habitants but had a very active social life. They were few but decent restaurants and one of them, La Asamblea, was Charles's favorite. Food was good and the atmosphere was very pleasant. Obviously, Charles didn't tell William that the restaurant was a dancing place after midnight, because he was sure that if his friend knew about it, he wouldn't come. So, William went there, completely oblivious to that fact, in an attempt to clear his mind from budgets, navels, and paper manufacturing.
The restaurant was a little crowded when they arrived. Like every Friday night in a little town of a small country in South America, EVERYONE that was considered SOMEONE in Encarnación was there. They waited at the entrance for about ten minutes -William was on the verge of losing his patience- until a small table in a corner was available for them. The pair immediately drew everyone's attention, not only because they looked different (very European) and they were much taller than the locals, but mainly because they were recognized as the rich executives that managed Encarnación's new source of income.
As usual, Charles greeted and waved at almost everyone that crossed his line of sight. William recognized some of them as employees of the plant and simply acknowledged their presence with a stern nod.
"You should order something from the grill, Will. This country is famous for its meat."
William was scanning the menu. "What does 'provoleta' mean?"
"It's a thick slice of provolone cheese that is melted over the grill; you will like it." Then he waved enthusiastically to the door. "Look, there are the girls."
"What girls?" William's eyebrows shot up.
"Jane and Elizabeth," he said casually.
"You knew they were coming?"
"Of course I knew, I invited them." Charles grinned.
"And you omitted to tell me that detail."
"Of course, I'm sure that if I had told you they were coming you would have invented some stupid excuse to free yourself of this. And the rest of the party is coming later."
The rest of the party? William smiled as he rose to greet the ladies. "You owe me one."
"Hi girls!" Charles kissed them both on the cheeks and Jane flushed instantly.
"Hello, how have you been?" William asked politely. For a second, he thought that they were to kiss him too but as he didn't move closer they looked at him and then sat down.
William's attention immediately went to Elizabeth and he, unconsciously, eyed her up and down. She was looking very pretty with her curly brown hair loose over her shoulders and wearing a lovely and very fresh dress with an interesting (at least to William) neckline. She was wearing a little makeup that accentuated her huge brown eyes, rosy lips and floral perfume that was driving him crazy. The more he saw of her, the more he felt she had this wild, exotic air about her. She was like those strange and beautiful flowers he saw in the garden, natural and unique. He didn't know why, but his heart began to pound in his chest.
Sitting by his side, Elizabeth was becoming a little unsettled with William's intense gaze always on her. To be honest, his presence made her nervous. She had found William Darcy very attractive since the day they'd met: tall, handsome and with a dark and mysterious air around him. Yes, even after his stupid comment she found him very interesting. And today he was looking gorgeous in those black jeans, his white shirt unbuttoned halfway down his chest and his healthy tan. He was so tall and imposing that it was impossible to talk to him without feeling somewhat lightheaded. Realizing that they were almost on their own as Jane and Charles were in very completely enraptured in each other, she cleared her throat and made some attempts of conversation.
"Are you still lost with the local time?"
"Slightly," he smiled. "I still wake up in the middle of the night, but I'm getting used to it now."
"Oh." She fidgeted with the napkin. "It must be very uncomfortable."
"Yes."
They continued to make some small talk followed by awkward periods of silence until dinner arrived and the other couple remembered they were in company and joined them in the conversation. After dining and a couple of beers, they were all relaxed and distended. Around midnight, William noticed that the tables in the center of the room were being removed or put aside against the wall.
"Why are they removing the tables?" he asked, concerned.
"Oh, the dancing starts at midnight, so as soon as they are free, they move the tables so there is more space," Jane answered casually.
"Dancing?" William immediately looked at Charles.
Charles turned his eyes to the door and waved. "Hey! There are Eduardo and the others."
Elizabeth's face lit up and stood up to greet this Eduardo and some Julian and her girlfriend Kitty, that finally ended being Eduardo's sister. William recognized Eduardo Giardino (their legal consultant, a young and handsome man of about 32, with an Eric Estrada all-around look) that, to his discomfort, kissed Elizabeth warmly on the cheek. He kissed Jane's cheek too, and almost all the girls he knew on his way to their table, but that didn't count.
All seven sat at the small table and after another row of Brahma (an exquisite Brazilian beer) they were having a very good time. Their table was very near the corner so they were one of the fortunate group of customers that had a seat when the dancing began.
To William's annoyance, he observed that this Eduardo character was a very nice and charming fellow that seemed very close to Jane and especially to Elizabeth. Charles didn't seem to mind, but he didn't know why, he became a little uncomfortable with their easy talk and their somehow intimate behavior. He knew he didn't have the right to feel that way, but he couldn't help it. Perhaps they are dating. Leaving that detail aside, the group was in very high spirits. The conversation was held in Spanglish as Julian's English was very poor, and this situation caused a series of misunderstandings that produced laughs from the whole party all through the night.
As soon as the dancing was warming up, Eduardo asked a girl from a nearby table and Charles immediately dragged Jane to the dance floor and was followed by Julian and Kitty, leaving Elizabeth and William to themselves. They were playing salsa and William was reluctant to ask her to dance as he was not very confident with this kind of music, and being watched by the locals and some employees, he preferred not to make a spectacle of himself and remained seated.
"This is a very nice place, and the music is very good." He tried to make conversation.
"Yes." Elizabeth was sitting on the edge of the chair ready to jump to the dance floor as soon as he -or anyone- asked her to dance.
"Do you come here often?" William, that was pathetic. Come on, ask her now what sign she is.
"Sometimes, to dine with Jane or some friends, but not to dance. This dancing thing only happens on Fridays and Saturdays, but we don't come frequently. Since Charles' arrival we've been here few times, but I kind of feel like a third wheel."
So, are you dating Eduardo? "Right." William smiled.
At that moment the music changed into one more sensuous and energetic and everyone in the dance floor turned wild. Eduardo appeared from nowhere, grabbed Elizabeth's hand and pulled her to the dance floor. She managed an excited 'excuse me' to William before she was swept away and began to move at the rhythm of the music. The crowd was euphoric and as soon as the couple began to move around, everyone moved away to allow them more space. Completely struck by the sight, William observed how they twirled and wiggled around as if they were professional dancers from a Ricky Martin video, and how Elizabeth turned into the sexiest creature he had ever seen. He closed his mouth and swallowed when he realized it was open.
They danced two more songs and then collapsed on the chairs, exhausted and laughing.
"Forgive me, William. I couldn't resist it. No one can dance this like her."
"No, it's all right we were j..."
"Wow! That was incredible!" Charles patted Eduardo's back as he returned to the table. "Liz! I didn't know you could dance that way! You must teach William and me."
"Liz is a fabulous dancer," Jane said. "When we were younger there was no way to keep her away from the dance floor."
Elizabeth fanned herself with a napkin. "As far as I remember, it was impossible to pull you down from the tables." Jane blushed beet red and everyone laughed.
The rest of the night was very entertaining. William even asked Elizabeth to dance twice when the music was more on his style, and by 4 a.m. they decided to leave. Though William was not someone to overflow with mirth, he had an incredible time and the contagious enthusiasm of the rest of the party livened his otherwise reserved personality. Sometime during the night, Jane and Elizabeth invited them all to an 'asado' on Sunday at their farm, and Charles immediately volunteered to go earlier and help them out. William politely offered to drive the girls home (they lived on their way anyway) but as they came with Elizabeth's pick-up they just escorted them until they were safely back.
Once in his bed, William looked at the ceiling a long time, unable to get Elizabeth's image out of his mind. It had been a years since he had looked at a woman with interest. Since his painful divorce, he had immersed himself into his work and shut himself out from social life. Now that he thought better, this night was the first social engagement he had in a long time that was not a strictly a business or a family matter. During the past years, Charles had made several attempts to introduce him to women but until now, he had succeeded in escaping before anything happened. But this time it was different. He had enjoyed the night and the company. He couldn't say that he liked Elizabeth, but he couldn't deny he was very attracted to her. But he was sure of one thing: it was not correct to have a relationship with her. Elizabeth might be beautiful and have the most enchanting personality, but she was his employee, she lived one million miles away from his home and he was not ready to let anyone into his heart.
Elizabeth was sitting by the window of her bedroom thinking about the events of the night. She didn't have so much fun in a long time. Though her conversations with William were rather awkward, she found him undeniably interesting and handsome. He seemed very serious and reserved but she somehow suspected that he was a little shy too. Most of all, she was captivated but the intensity of his eyes. There was something strange about them-they were deep and mystifying, but with an ever present sorrow. She shook her head and decided to put her fantasies aside.
Her thoughts then wandered to her last -and only- relationship and how it ended some years ago. She suffered very much at the time and she had not allowed another man near her since then. She really would like to have a boyfriend again and share her life with someone, but she had not find the right person yet. With a deep sigh she walked to her bed and as she fell into restful sleep, her dreams filled with images of a handsome face and deep brown eyes.
Chapter 6
Saturday afternoon was warm and clear. After a short nap meant to recover his sleep, William sat in the porch reading a newspaper. He had risen reasonably early that morning to go to the plant with Charles and attend some matters, so that additional rest was well needed. He wasn't there for too long before he saw Elizabeth on the road riding a black horse, on the way to the plantations. She waved her hand when he saw him and he waved back, following her with his eyes until she disappeared behind some trees. He shook his head and concentrated in the papers.
The rest of the afternoon was spent by the pool, swimming and lying lazily under the sun, with an occasional glance at the road to watch for her return.
"Isn't that Elizabeth on that horse?" Charles pointed at someone far away on the road.
"Yes. I saw her heading that way earlier," he said casually.
"She has a couple of fine horses in the farm, quarter horses, I believe. Riding is her passion."
"Aha, those are very good horses."
"You will see them tomorrow. You like to ride too, maybe you can go out with her some time. She always rides to see the nearest plantations on weekends and you might accompany her."
"Yes, maybe, sometime, if she is not busy." William tried to sound indifferent.
"Jane likes to ride too." Charles couldn't resist mentioning her. "Not as much as Elizabeth, but she rides."
"I was thinking about how long would it take you to talk about her. You like her a lot, don't you?" William smiled.
Charles' face lit up. "Yes, I do, she is an angel, isn't she?"
"Yes she is. But you are not dating her seriously, as far as I can see."
"Well, yes and no. I have asked her out a few times, but usually I invite Elizabeth along too, so we've only had two real 'dates', if you can call them that."
"And what is stopping you from seeing her more 'seriously'?"
"To begin with, she works for us." He glanced at William and saw his I-don't-believe-you expression. "Okay," he laughed, "she comes from a very old fashioned family. You know, no kissing on first dates and those kinds of things."
William shot his eyebrows up. "Charles, she is 29 years old, she is not a teenager."
"I know, and I am a grown up man. I really like her and I want to do things right. Just remember that we are in a small town in a small country. Everyone knows everyone in this place and I don't want us to be the talk of the town. Our company's presence here is enough to cause a lot of speculations."
"I think that I know what you mean."
"That every unmarried female over 16 in 200 kilometer radius around this place have fantasies about catching one of the European executives that arrived in Encarnación. If they fail with the single ones, they might try with the married staff. The marrying prospects here are farmers, the butcher's sons and workers of the plant."
"Are they so desperate?"
"You will see for yourself soon, but I believe that with that serious look you always wear you'll scare them off." Charles laughed.
"Back on that Jane issue," William looked at him pointedly, "if you like her so much you should try to go out with her and see if it works. I really don't like that she works for you, but as you said, you are a grown up man -though you conceal it pretty well- and that shouldn't be a problem. The trouble will come if things don't work out. My only advice is that you must be careful and don't mess with her unless you are sure of what you are doing."
"Thanks, dad." Charles grinned.
William threw a towel on his face.
Chapter 7
Sunday arrived and, as was agreed Friday night, William and Charles headed to the Bennets' farm. It was a splendid day, sunny, and since it was only 10 AM and it was not so hot, Charles suggested that they would walk and get some exercise. Once there, they stopped at the front gate -though it was open- and Charles clapped his hands, announcing their presence.
"It's open, why don't we just go in?" William asked.
"You'll see."
At that moment, a huge dog that seemed a cross between a mastiff and a calf appeared from somewhere around the house and blocked their entrance, barking and growling.
"Hi, Attila, good boy." Charles froze as his legs were carefully sniffed.
"Goodness, this dog may swallow you in one bite," was William's terrified whisper.
"He's a nice dog, but he will not allow us in until Elizabeth or Jane say so."
"Attila! Enough! Come here boy!" Elizabeth called the dog in Spanish and waved them from the backyard to come in.
Charles relaxed and walked in and William nervously looked at the dog as it walked around him, sniffing him up and down.
"It's OK, Will, come on, you are not afraid of the dog, are you?" Charles teased him.
"Very funny, Charlie." He walked after him.
"Hi, how are you?" Elizabeth greeted them. She was barefoot, wearing a straw hat, a bikini top and shorts, her hands were covered with dirt and her skin had a thin film of perspiration. "I was working in the garden," she kissed both men's cheeks, "I didn't expect you two until noon."
"I told you we were coming early to help you with the grill," Charles said looking around for Jane.
"Don't worry, Anselmo is here and will make the 'asado'." She smiled at Charles. "Jane is in the kitchen. Go."
Charles headed immediately into the house, leaving William and Elizabeth alone.
This is why you have such a tanned stomach. "You have a pretty big dog." William pointed to Attila, who sat between the two of them, still keeping his eye on William.
"He is my bodyguard," she said, looking at the dog. "Aren't you? Yes, my baby, come here, come with mommy." And she bent over, grabbed the dog's cheeks, kissed his snout and allowed him to lick her mouth and nose. She wiped her face with her hand and continued to talk with William. "No hangover from Friday night? It had been ages since the last time I went to bed that late."
"When I was twenty I could be up all night through and I was fine on the next day, but I must confess that I'm a little old for this."
"Yes, you are. How old are you, 35, 38?" She said with an arch look.
William eyes widened in horror. Do I look THAT old?
Elizabeth laughed. "Calm down! I know your age, Charles told me!"
"Very funny, young lady." William smiled. "Is there anything I can help you with?" He looked around and saw the large table that was set on the lawn. "It seems that you'll have many guests."
"No, thank you, Anselmo will take care of the grill and Lydia will attend the table and do the dishes, so there is not much work to do."
"Lydia?"
"Anselmo's grand daughter. She comes three times a week and helps me with the cleaning of the house. Her mother, Dońa Mirta, cleans and cooks at your house."
"I see. Charles told me you have quarter horses." He didn't know why, but he had not spoken so many words together to a woman in ages and he felt that he could talk to her endlessly.
"Yes, three. Do you want to see them?"
"Sure." He grinned.
"This way." She showed the way. "The black one is mine, the chestnut is Jane's and the bay was my father's horse. Jane doesn't ride very often so I ride them every now and then."
"Do they have names?"
"Yes. Black, Chess and Bay."
William made a face. "Very original."
He looked at Elizabeth with a serious expression and she erupted in laughter. "That way it will be impossible to pick the wrong one!"
He couldn't help it and laughed too, and for a second all his concentration on the horses was immediately focused in drowning in her lips.
"Yes." He said hoarsely and looked at her with such intensity that made her blush.
Elizabeth looked down, suddenly feeling self-conscious because of her state of undress. "I ... I think I must go and get changed before the others arrive. Excuse me."
She left hastily and William cursed himself for being such a beast.
Once Elizabeth disappeared into the house, William walked towards the huge grill to really see what an 'asado' was. He approached Anselmo, who was wearing his typical gaucho outfit and realized that he was barbecuing and that only the way of cutting the meat was different. He conversed (in Spanish) with him for a while and was enlightened about some of the local habits and the history of the man and the Bennet family.
Anselmo was what could be described as the typical gaucho of the South American Mesopotamia. His age was impossible to guess, though William suspected he was around 55 years old, with features clear and relaxed that reflected a happy and healthy life. His skin was wrinkled and well tanned by the sun and the wind, which contrasted deeply with his rare green eyes (something he inherited from a German great grand father, he said). He was born in one of the islands up the Paraná River. He could hardly read or write. As all gauchos, he always wore the traditional clothing, even when he went to the city, with a big knife tucked into his belt, at his back, ready to be used in case of necessity (whatever that means). Anselmo became a father at the young age of 17, when he impregnated his 16 year old girlfriend. Until she left him, they produced 6 children and now he was the grandfather of 5 grandchildren, and his eldest granddaughter was expecting her first child. Some people might call him ignorant or primitive for his lack of studies (he never went to school and was taught to read and write by his mother) but he was very wise in the ways of life, was an excellent farmer, and knew the country life like no one. He was noble and loyal and had worked with the Bennets with dedication since he was 25 years old. Needless to say that he loved Jane and Elizabeth as if they were their own daughters and would give his life for them if necessary.
Despite some difficulty in the communication due to the language, William conversed with the elder man for a long time and was amazed with the unusual (for him) aspects of such a different culture. Charles joined them later as the other guests arrived. From that spot, William quietly observed Elizabeth move around, now dressed in a lovely light blue sun dress, with her hair still wet after a shower, looking extremely pretty and refreshed. It was not long before that Eduardo character arrived with a small group and greeted her too warmly for his taste, as did the others. Then Eduardo approached him and Charles and introduced them to his two brothers and sister and, much to William's surprise, they greeted Anselmo with a kiss on the cheek (yes, even the men). He was puzzled because of this for some time until Charles explained him that it was a local habit to greet someone with a kiss (even between men) when they were close friends or relatives. This left him slightly disappointed, as he had believed that Elizabeth's welcome kiss had been a special for him.
By lunchtime there were 15 people sitting at the table. William talked a little with some of them in the best Spanish he could manage, and after they finished eating he joined Eduardo and Charles by the grill to continue their previous conversation. It was not before long when a young girl of about 17, with dark colored skin and a figure had only been seen in pictures of the Brazilian Carnival, came walking towards them with the sensuality of a cat. She was wearing a tiny white tank top (no bra) that contrasted with her dark skin, and a short skirt. In a typical (and unconscious) male reaction, all three men's eyes were immediately focused in the most perfect and firm pair of breasts they had ever seen coming, then following her sensuous advance, and finally resting them on her roundly shaped posterior as she passed through them. There was no way that they would look elsewhere, after all, they were only men.
Though there was a lot of room around them, Lydia passed between William and Charles, impertinently eyeing William in a very seductive way before leaning over the grill to pick up the remaining meat. Absolutely certain that she got their attention where she wanted it, the girl remained in this provocative semi inclined position for as long as she could while collecting the food.
"Lydia! Go and help in the kitchen!" Anselmo called her in Spanish.
She rolled her eyes and hurried to finish, and once more she passed between William and Charles, this time shamelessly rubbing her rear against William's leg (much to his surprise) and swayed her way back to the kitchen.
"Lydia!" Anselmo called again and muttered something that undoubtedly was a curse.
Eduardo, whose eyes were focused on her generous backside, laughed. "Anselmo, that girl will be your ruin."
Some time later Elizabeth served 'mate' (*) and 'chipá' (**) for everyone. Around 4:00 PM, Eduardo suggested the men to play a football (soccer) and they divided in two teams.
Now William understood why South Americans were such good football players. These guys played this sport since they were born and under any condition. After more than an hour of running and kicking that blasted ball under the sun, William and Charles were ready to spit out their lungs while the others continued to play as if they had just begun.
"Goodness," William was bent over with his hands on his knees, "these guys play like professionals."
"Well, actually some of them play for the local football team and Eduardo played professionally for an important club while he was working to earn the money to pay his university," Charles answered out of breath. "I'm trying to form a team at the plant and organize a regional championship with the neighbor villages. It improves community relations."
"Excellent idea," William panted. "Just keep a good seat for me, on the shady side."
At that moment, the opposite team made a goal and while the others celebrated, their team gesticulated and protested dramatically as professionals do when they are losing the game.
"Come here everyone!" Elizabeth called them from the table. "You will fry your brains out if you continue to play under the sun, and you will surely destroy my garden! I prepared cold lemonade for everyone."
Laughing and sweating, they all returned to the table and Eduardo kissed Elizabeth noisily on her cheek. "You are a treasure, you know."
Elizabeth pushed him away roughly. "Get out! You are all sweaty!"
Eduardo grinned and tried to embrace her and she screamed and ran away. William didn't like that at all.
Some time before the sunset everyone began to bid goodbye and it was not long before William and Charles departed home. They had had a very good time, despite their team had lost the match and William's annoyance with Elizabeth's and Eduardo's relationship.
"They are wonderful people, aren't they?" Charles said as they walked back.
"Yes," was William's brief answer.
"Eduardo is a great guy," Charles continued
"Yeah, great." William's bad humor was threatening to arise.
"He is very attached to the girls, specially to Liz."
"Aha." He was ready to strike that stupid smile from Charles' face.
"He is like an elder brother to them."
"Brother?" He is not dating Elizabeth?
"Didn't I tell you?"
No you didn't, you idiot. "Tell me what?"
"They are cousins. Almost all of the guests today were their relatives. They are all very close and Eduardo had always been like their big brother. When Mr. Bennet died he became even more protective of the girls. So did Anselmo."
William immediately felt a wave of relief. "Hrmm. Interesting."
(*) mate: typical beverage from Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Infusion that it is served in a hard gourd (the mate). The 'mate' herb (similar to tea) is placed inside the gourd, you pour hot water inside and drink it with a metal straw. It is very common to see people with a 'mate' in hand and a thermos bottle drinking it during the whole day, and in some places is a substitute of tea or coffee. Pronounced: mah-teh
(**) chipá: absolutely delicious small breads or rolls made of manioc, cheese and butter that are served warm. Pronounced: Chee-pah (accent in -pah)
Chapter 8
That Monday William's body was aching as if he had run a marathon.
I am completely out of shape. He looked at the image on the mirror of the bathroom and observed his reddened nose and cheeks. And I should have used sunscreen. He shook his head. God! I'm talking like my father! At that moment he resolved to return to the jogging routine he had left one month before his trip because of the excess of work and improve his physical condition, that wasn't bad at all, but somehow his vanity was aroused by the need to impress a certain lady.
The second week was even more stressful than the first one. Now fully involved in the operation and with the opening coming closer, William worked with Charles until late hours and didn't have the opportunity to talk to Elizabeth during the whole week. He had only seen her twice from his office's window when she arrived in the morning.
"Do you remember that George is arriving tomorrow?" Charles entered his office.
"I would have preferred to forget it and leave him to rot at the airport." William didn't lift his eyes from his computer.
"I guess that I should send a driver to pick him up."
"Isn't there a bus or something that goes to the city twice a week? Maybe he can take it, that way he wouldn't arrive here until Sunday. But then that way he will ruin my day off."
Charles laughed. "I can't wait to live with you two under the same roof. That might be an amazing experience."
"I'm being dense, am I?"
"Slightly." Charles shrugged.
"Right. Send someone to pick him up, no air conditioning." He paused and exhaled in exasperation at Charles amused expression. "Okay, with air conditioning, I can't do that to the poor bastard that is going for him."
It was past eight when William left the office that night and met Elizabeth at the parking lot.
"Hi, William, how are you?"
"Hi, I'm fine, and you?" He smiled and began to search for topics of conversation but none came to his mind.
"Great. I saw you jogging the other day. Do you run frequently?"
He was relieved that she found one for him. "I used to run back home and I'm just taking it up again." William grinned and looked at his shoes.
"Good for you." Look at those dimples! Elizabeth looked around and shifted her weight from one foot to another. "Charles told me you like to ride, on horseback, I mean."
"Yes, I do, very much."
"Would you like to accompany me to see the plantations on Saturday afternoon? That is, if you aren't busy and it doesn't rain." She smiled.
"I'd love to go." William's smile would melt an iceberg.
"Great." Elizabeth's grin melted William's heart.
Chapter 9
Thursday. That was not a pleasant day for Fitzwilliam Darcy (yes that is his name, though anyone who dared to call him that would consider himself a dead person).
Why? George Wickham arrived that day and was to live with him, in the same house, for the next three months. He knew he was being melodramatic and intolerant but he could not help it.
But, what had George done to him that he hated him so much? Nothing serious.
George wasn't brilliant and wasn't stupid. But he acted stupid. He was carefree, never committed to his obligations, and was lazy, incredibly lazy. And William detested laziness. The biggest contradiction was that George was ambitious, very ambitious and LOVED money. Being the son of his father's private secretary and confidant, he had shared many of the privileges that rich people had, just because they are rich. Wrong: he didn't share them, George abused them. When old Mr. Wickham passed away, Mr. Darcy promised to take care of the old man's only son. He employed him at DID, giving him some extraordinary opportunities with very interesting jobs, but George had dismissed them or failed on purpose. He was abusing the position of being Mr. Darcy's protegee and William hated him for that. All that, combined with the fact that George stole one of William's school girlfriends, was enough to irritate him beyond reason.
William went to the house as late as possible, trying to avoid George's company as much as he could. As soon as he arrived, he was confronted with the disgusting image of George seating in front of the TV, beer in hand, doing absolutely nothing as was his habit.
The guy just arrived from a 15 hours flight. Give him a break.
George turned in his seat when he heard him come in. "William, good to see you." He rose and shook his hand. "Nice tan, though you are peeling a little, you should use sunscreen."
"George. Did you have a good flight?"
"Long, uncomfortable. They booked me in tourist class by mistake so I had to endure the small seats and bad service. And the local airport is awful, so tiny, unfashionable. Is there good fun in this place?" George continued with his rambling without waiting for William to reply (he wasn't going to answer, anyway). "You go to work dressed like that?" He eyed William's casual outfit. "Great! And loved the pool, man."
"Excuse me. I want to freshen up." And he left before he strangled him.
William was uncommonly silent (and incredibly tense) during dinner, leaving to Charles the unpleasant mission of talking -or listening- to George. He babbled about London's society news and other equally substantial matters and repeated some filthy gossip about the main office that no one was interested in hearing.
Much to William's annoyance, George continued to talk during the finals of Mercosur Football Cup which he was very interested in watching, so after 40 minutes of fighting the urge of committing murder, he decided to go to bed only to avoid listening to his stupidities any longer.
The next day at the office Charles introduced George to his duties in the personnel department. It wasn't easy to find him something to do as his Spanish was very limited -non-existent to say the truth- so he invented some things to keep him entertained. As no one in that section spoke English, at least he could stay there doing as little as possible without interrupting his work mates' work.
"Hi, Jane." Elizabeth addressed her sister in Spanish. " Are you ready for lunch?"
"Just let me finish this and I'm coming."
"Wow!" George came out of the office on the corner as soon as he heard a new female voice. "Say you are single and that you love me, because I love you." He put his hands over his heart.
Elizabeth continued to talk to Jane in Spanish. "Where did this clown come from?"
George walked to her and to her astonishment, took her hand. "It's fabulous that you don't speak English. That way we can spare a lot of words and get into action immediately. Oh, my!" He eyed her from head to toe. "You have the greatest body I've seen."
She raised and amused eyebrow and Jane continued, "Don't worry, this idiot made the same speech on me not two hours ago."
George was oblivious to -and obviously didn't understand- their interaction. "Had I known that this little place could gather such adorable creatures I would have come sooner."
Elizabeth bestowed him her brightest smile and talked to him in Spanish. "I didn't know that the circus arrived into town. You are positively one of the clowns, or the monkeys. Yes, monkey. When did you escape from your cage?"
Much to her amusement, George kissed the hand that he was still holding. "I'm George, charmed to meet you."
Elizabeth responded in perfect English. "And I don't care, get lost."
George put his hands dramatically on his chest. "This angel speaks my language? Am I in paradise? Now that we can understand each other, darling, will you go out with me on Saturday? Just dinner, candle-lights, romance ..."
Elizabeth ignored him and turned to Jane, who was just hanging up the phone. "Are you ready to go? I really don't want to bear this imbecile any longer."
"Just a second, Wi ..."
"Well," George interrupted. "Will I see you tomorrow night? Don't break my heart."
"You don't get it, do you?"
"I love difficult women."
"Enough George." William's unfriendly voice was heard from the corridor.
"Oooops." George raised his hands defensively. "Just kidding. I'll return to work. Bye." And he walked away.
"I'm sorry for that, girls, he can be very dense sometimes, but he is harmless."
"But persistent." Elizabeth remarked.
William's expression darkened and looked in the direction where George disappeared, ready to kill him. "Did he do something to upset you?"
"No" Elizabeth smiled at his protective attitude. "He is a persistent harmless idiot."
William smiled back. "A very good description. Idiot was the best part."
The pair looked at each other with dreamy smiles until Jane cleared her throat. "Here are the financials you asked for."
William was called out of his daze. "Thank you." He took the reports with blushing cheeks. "I ... I must go. Bye." And he left hastily.
"Bye." Both girls said in unison at his retreating back.
Chapter 10
William was more nervous than he had been since he was a teenager. He looked at the mirror and shook his head at his silliness. This was the third shirt he tried.
I'm just going for a ride on horseback. I can't believe I changed three times! At last he decided himself for a pale blue shirt with short sleeves and jeans. He didn't have riding boots so he was wearing tennis shoes. With one more look at the mirror, he went to Elizabeth's house.
"Hi." He greeted her while Attila continued his careful inspection of his leg.
"Hi, William." Elizabeth smiled brightly while she was tying her hair into a ponytail. "Bay is waiting for you."
"Is he tame?"
"Tamer than Lassie on a leash."
"What?"
"Sorry, it's a local expression. You know, Lassie, the dog. Well, she was very tame, and gentle, and well, she is even harmless if she is on a leash so, ... never mind." She was completely flushed.
"I get it." He didn't want to make her more embarrassed, though her blush was very becoming. "Which direction are we going?"
"That way." Elizabeth pointed to the west. "It's not a long ride. We'll be back in a couple of hours."
William looked somehow disappointed. "Okay."
They mounted their horses and rode in that direction.
"Tomorrow I'm going to La Serena, the big plantation by the river. It's a long ride and I'm leaving soon after dawn so I can reach the place before the sun is too high. Do you want to come?"
William beamed. "I'd love to."
They continued to talk easily during the whole ride. William wasn't a great conversationalist but he was feeling so comfortable that was impossible not to be led by Elizabeth's enthusiasm. She was incredibly spirited and alive and all that passion was utterly contagious. He found himself talking about his youth in England and listening eagerly to the tales of the enchanting woman riding beside him.
After riding for about 40 minutes at a very lazy pace, they entered a Eucalyptus plantation. Elizabeth was telling something about the farm when a tree caught her attention.
"Look at that one."
William looked around, confused. There were zillions of trees surrounding him. "What?"
"Straight as a mast, no knots on the trunk. Excellent growth rate. Beautiful." She turned her horse in the direction of the tree.
"Which one?" William was still at loss.
Elizabeth stopped her horse beside the tree. "I need to get a good branch. I must clone this one."
"Elizabeth, those branches are too high. You won't reach them, even sitting on the horse." Suddenly William's voice showed his alarm. "Elizabeth! What are you doing?!? Are you crazy?"
"Shut up and don't move. Black won't let me fall." She said as she put one foot on the saddle and the other on the horse's hindquarters.
William closed his mouth, eyebrows up at her command and observed how she stood on the horse, cut the branch and dropped herself on the saddle again. With a triumphant grin she showed him her trophy.
"You are completely insane! You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Don't exaggerate." She ignored him as she tied the branch on the back of her saddle.
"Exaggerate? You can break your neck if you fall from that height. And we don't even plant Eucalyptus, so what are we doing in this bloody plantation?"
"Ah, men." She rolled her eyes. "Why is it that you always must make such a fuss?"
"You didn't answer my question, young lady."
Elizabeth looked at him under her lashes. "I like it when you call me 'young lady' with that lovely accent of yours. It sounds so British."
William was completely disoriented with her comment and couldn't help but laugh. "All right, I won't get mad at you, but don't do it again."
"No, sir."
"Anyway, you didn't tell me what we are doing here. This is not one of our plantations."
"So?" She said impertinently.
"Don't be difficult and answer me."
"Difficult?"
"Elizabeth, don't be childish. Answer me." Now he tried to sound imposing.
"What?"
"What I asked."
"I don't remember what it was, you asked so many questions." She said with a provocative smile.
William rolled his eyes but the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up. "All right. You have 5 seconds to tell me what are we doing in an Eucalyptus plantation or..."
"Or?"
"Or I ..." ... will lay you over my knees and slap that beautifully rounded ass of yours. He tried to think about something he could say aloud but nothing came to his mind. He laughed softly and shook his head at her stubbornness.
"Fine, if you don't want to tell me, don't."
"Okay." She smiled tenderly at him. "I'm a consultant at the National Institute of Technology for Forestation -or whatever the translation is- and I'm doing research about forestation for wood production. That was an excellent specimen. I'll try to clone it. This variety of Eucalyptus is particularly difficult to clone."
"Why didn't you tell me that from the beginning? I could have fetched that branch for you."
"How?" she raised her eyebrow.
"Standing on the saddle."
"On that horse? That would be suicide."
"Isn't he as tame as Lassie?"
"Yes, but when you are sitting, not when you are standing up on him."
"Anyway," William began to sound irritated. "I should have fetched that branch for you."
"Why?" She asked, challengingly.
"Because I'm taller than you and it would be safer if I did it." He said matter-of-factly.
"Because you are a man?" She pursed her lips.
He didn't like the turn of the conversation. "Yes." Now she will accuse me of being sexist.
"And men are in this world to order women and protect them from harm?" She teased him.
"And you came into this world to torture me." If you continue to look at me in that way I'll show you what I really want to do with you.
Elizabeth laughed heartily. "You are so lacking in patience, William, it's so easy to put you out."
William grinned. "You like to have things your own way, don't you." he stated.
"Look who's talking."