Eight and a Half Months

Eight and a Half Months, Pride and Prejudice Fanfiction

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Eight and a Half Months By Judy-Lynne

Section I,

Chapter One

Posted on Tuesday, 30 August 2005

Lizzy Bennet entered a stall in the restroom and overheard a brief exchange that would have infuriated her, had she not had such a good sense of humor. Moreover, everything said by the two women was undeniably true.

"You know, life just isn't fair."

"There you go again."

"Come on! It's true! Sara Agarwal was born into a wealthy family with looks to die for, she lands a husband who's not only gorgeous but from an even wealthier family to boot! And now she gets to quit her job and stay and home and have his babies."

"What a hardship!"

"Oh, and get this; she talks her best friend into flying home for her lavish wedding and she ends up with Mr. Darcy Press, Jr.!"

"...Who's equally gorgeous and twice as wealthy as Sara's husband! Some people have all the luck." The women left the restroom and Lizzy smiled as she went to wash her hands. Yes, she had ended up with "Mr. Darcy Press, Jr.," although she preferred to refer to her fiancé by his given name, William. Both she and Sarmistha Agarwal Fitzwilliam--or Sara to her co-workers--had been extremely lucky.

Lizzy left the ladies room marveling at her luck. She had come back to New York after working abroad for a year to take a new job and to serve as maid of honor at her best friend's wedding. Within two weeks' time she managed to land the man of her dreams, a plum job, and a new home with the man she was to marry shortly. She spied the man in question waiting for her at the end of the hall. William smiled and grabbed hold of her hand, quickly placing a kiss on it.

Lizzy and William worked in different units of the Darcy Press empire and they were disinclined to flaunt their personal relationship on the premises. It was common knowledge that they were an item, but their behavior at work was always circumspect, leading George Darcy, William's father and the CEO of the corporation, to occasionally inquire whether or not they were still engaged when he encountered them together. The couple walked into the 35th floor conference room, where Sarmistha's going away party was being held.

Sarmistha was resigning her position as a senior editor to take on the role of new mother. Not that she intended to be idle for long; she was going to be working from home as a freelance editor as well as writing and editing an online newsletter for Richard Fitzwilliam's company. She was still clearing out her office as the party got underway, so Lizzy left William and wandered into her office. Sarmistha was standing on a chair to take down a painting.

"You'd better be glad it was me that came in just now instead of you know who," Lizzy said as she took the painting from Sarmistha, who smiled gratefully and sat down to rest.

"I'm trying to get all this stuff packed before 'you know who' gets here," Sarmistha replied tartly. "I'd like to do a few things by myself while I still can. Besides, I found out the hard way that he's a lousy packer."

"So is William," Lizzy chuckled.

"What is William?" he asked suspiciously as he entered the office with Richard in tow. Sarmistha and Lizzy exchanged a glance.

"Nothing she'd care to repeat, I'm sure," Richard said as he bent to kiss his wife. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, habib," she said as she caressed his cheek. Lizzy smiled as she watched the couple, as affectionate and besotted with each other as the first time she saw them together. They always struck her as terribly sweet. She glanced at William and wondered how Sarmistha would characterize their relationship. She made a mental note to ask later.

"Then why aren't you outside enjoying your party?" Everyone turned to Robert Halstead, head of the literature department and Sarmistha's supervisor for the past six years. He gestured for her to get moving. Richard helped his wife to her feet. In her seventh month of pregnancy, Sarmistha was beginning to find her burden a little unwieldy. She smiled at Richard gratefully and was escorted into the conference room.

William stood off to one side as the guest of honor at the going-away-party-cum-baby-shower opened a bewildering variety of gifts. Some were clearly personal gifts to Sarmistha, others were gifts for the couple's daughter, scheduled to make her appearance in roughly six weeks' time. Still other gifts were meant as gags, and there were a surprising number of gifts sent by authors who'd worked with Sarmistha over the years. William looked on as Richard helped Sarmistha to unwrap a large package. George Darcy walked in and stood beside his son. He'd brought a gift for Sarmistha to the party--a symbolic gesture, really, since as a member of her family, he and his wife would in all likelihood give the couple another gift after the child was born.

"I suppose I should order a limo to take them home. There's no way they're going to be able to manage all that on their own."

"They'll have Lizzy and me to help them," William reminded him. "Make it a large one," he smiled cheekily. He turned back to the couple in time to see the stroller that the staff had pitched in to buy for the baby.

"It's nice to be well-loved, isn't it?" George observed. At that moment, Lizzy--who was sitting beside Sarmistha--looked up and smiled at William.

"Yes, it is," he smiled in return.

"Where do you want us to put all this stuff?" William asked as he entered Richard and Sarmistha's apartment, his arms laden with gifts.

"Oh, would you take them to the bedroom?" Sarmistha asked. "I'll worry about them later." She went into the living room and sat down as Richard, William and Lizzy formed a small caravan and headed toward the back of the apartment. Lizzy was the first to return and she went into the kitchen to get a drink of water. She found Sarmistha cuddling her Norfolk terrier, Alpa.

"Here," she said, handing a glass to Sarmistha and taking a seat on the sofa opposite her.

"Thank you," she smiled as she put up her feet and sighed as she continued to absently scratch behind the dog's ears with one hand. "So what was it you were asking before that you didn't want William to hear?"

"It wasn't important, and the only reason I didn't explain myself in front of Will is because he'd probably laugh at the question," she admitted. Sarmistha perked up.

"What's your question?"

"How would you describe Will and me in one word?" Sarmistha bit her lip and frowned.

"You and Will ... in one word."

"Our relationship."

"And I suppose you're not looking for 'crazy.'" Lizzy rolled her eyes. "Passionate," Sarmistha declared after barely a moment's hesitation. Lizzy was pleased.

"Really?"

"Yes, passionate and devoted are the first two words that came to mind."

"'Devoted'? That's a word that better describes you two."

"I think it applies to both of us," Sarmistha said thoughtfully. "Is that how you would characterize us?"

"Actually, the word that always comes to mind when I see you and Richard together is 'sweet.'"

"Oh," Sarmistha smiled. "I like that." The men came into the living room deeply involved in a discussion as to what they should do about dinner. Richard immediately paused to lean over the back of the sofa to kiss Sarmistha's cheek and pat her belly. Lizzy smiled and mouthed the word "sweet."

"What are you two up for?" William asked as he took off his jacket and took a seat beside her.

"I'm up for a foot rub, a nice nap, a delicious dinner, a cuddle with my adored one, and something dark and chocolaty ... not necessarily in that order," Sarmistha replied with a loving look at Richard. He promptly walked around to the front of the sofa, sat on the massive coffee table and began to massage one of her feet.

"I'll bet she wanted the chocolate first," William quipped.

"I'd like to know why you looked at William the way you did when I said the words 'dark and chocolaty,' Lizzy," Sarmistha challenged. Richard raised an eyebrow and turned to Lizzy for an answer. She shrugged coolly.

"I can't imagine what you mean," she said. She glanced up at William who eyed her suspiciously. She smiled beatifically and suggested a neighborhood restaurant for dinner.

"You all can go if you want," Sarmistha said. "I'm not going anywhere further than the boundaries of this apartment."

"You shouldn't have tired yourself out with all--." Lizzy quickly shut her mouth when Sarmistha fixed her with a glare.

"Yeah, you were partying kind of hard, Sarmistha," William said helpfully. He winked at her and she smiled gratefully.

"And I bet you packed all those boxes of books in your office all by yourself," Richard said reproachfully.

"Actually, my assistant did that for me. I just packed my personal things," she said, bracing herself for the lecture to come. Richard shook his head and behind his back, William and Lizzy smiled knowingly.

"Honey, why don't you lie down while the rest of us figure out dinner," he suggested with unexpected calm. "If there's something you want in particular, just let me know and we'll get it for you." Sarmistha awkwardly leaned forward to kiss him and he met her halfway.

"I don't know about you, but I'm slightly disappointed," William said to Lizzy. She nodded in agreement.

"I was all set to hear the standard speech," she said as Richard took the dog from Sarmistha and placed it on the floor before he rose and pulled her to her feet.

"Let's get you to bed," he said. Then he turned to the couple on the other sofa. "I'll deal with you two when I get back." They exchanged a glance and smiled while Richard escorted his wife to the bedroom. William took advantage of the opportunity to pull Lizzy into his arms and kiss her.

"Hello," he said when he came up for air.

"Hello, yourself," Lizzy said as she settled into a more comfortable position. "How was your day?" She toyed with his tie a bit and then loosened it as he answered.

"Nothing terribly interesting happened at work today, but I went to a party in the afternoon and there was a really hot brunette there in a tan sweater set and a tight leather skirt. I think she was coming on to me." William licked his lips deliberately as Lizzy poked him in the ribs. "How was your day?"

"Well, I didn't see any hot brunettes," she said and ran her finger over William's lips when he pouted. "But I did get a call from mother."

"Trouble?" Lizzy sighed and William prepared himself for disturbing news.

"It's Lydia; she's postponed the wedding."

"Why?"

Lizzy shrugged.

"Mother said that she and John got into a big fight while they were looking at an apartment today and called everything off. Mom convinced them to take some time to cool off before the do anything drastic, but by the time she had a chance to talk to them, Lydia had already made calls to the country club and canceled the reception. The caterer informed another party that the date was open and it was snapped up. As you can imagine, dad is furious!"

"What on earth were you thinking, child?" Thomas Bennet shouted. He was a man who rarely raised his voice in anger, but the younger of his two daughters had a singular ability to infuriate him. This day's events were just the latest in a string of maddening stunts pulled off by Lydia of late.

After weeks of sulking at the news of Lizzy's engagement to William, she launched a campaign to find herself a rich boyfriend of her own. She caught the eye of John Corrigan at Lizzy's engagement party, a promising young attorney and former schoolmate of William and Richard. They began to date and Lydia came home one night about a month later and announced that she was moving in with John. Thomas was slightly alarmed by the news, but didn't intervene in spite of his doubts about the stability of the couple's relationship. It was apparent to him from the first that Lydia's primary motivation was to compete with her sister.

Lizzy, for her part--having found the man of her dreams and comfortably settled into his home--was in no particular rush to reach the altar. She and William talked about what sort of wedding they wanted--a large, traditional affair in late spring--and set about planning for the event in a leisurely manner, choosing a date some eighteen months in the future. Lydia seized the opportunity to steal Lizzy's thunder and announced her engagement to John and her intention to marry two months before her older sister.

Thomas and Edith were rather disturbed by the news. The couple had dated ten months before they became engaged, but theirs had not been a smooth relationship. They frequently argued and on more than one occasion Lydia had come back home, declaring the bond between John and herself to be irrevocably broken. Thomas attributed the problem to Lydia's immaturity and he tried to give her the benefit of his counsel, but she was fairly impervious to good sense and the problems of the young couple continued.

Thomas knew that money, or rather a lack of it, was the real source of the trouble. Lydia had incorrectly assumed that any man who was a friend of rich men must himself be rich. John Corrigan came from a moderately well to do family, but his family's wealth was less than her own and John's income as a staff attorney to a small company did not provide him with the standard of living Lydia was expecting to find. She initially balked when he encouraged her to get a job after she moved in with him, but eventually she succumbed to the pressure applied by John and her family and begrudgingly went to work as a management trainee in a department store.

Lydia took to her new job surprisingly well, but she still envied her sister's lot in life. . She was clearly determined to best her sister when it came to having the finer things in life. When she found out that Lizzy and William were having a wedding for 300, she made certain that her guest list exceeded that number. When she found out that they would be married at the same church where Richard and Sarmistha took their vows, she booked the country club her parents belonged to and reserved the largest hall. Thomas was not averse to giving either daughter the wedding she wanted, but he was openly disgusted with Lydia's one-upmanship. Lizzy was equally annoyed, and refused henceforth to discuss anything related to either wedding with her younger sibling.

Thomas met with and had a long talk with John. He sincerely loved Lydia but was far from blind to her faults. He dealt with her firmly and with surprising patience, to the extent that Thomas came away from the meeting somewhat reassured. Then everything fell apart.

"Lydia is obsessed," Lizzy sighed. Richard had changed into jeans and rejoined the couple as Lizzy tried to explain the situation. "She thinks that wealth is not about having money, or acquiring it or even earning it. It's about displaying it so everyone can see it. Our father is the chief of the neonatology department of a major hospital and she believes that it's her right to advertise that with a tangible display of wealth."

"What's that got to do with the current situation?" Richard asked as he took his turn at entertaining Alpa in his lap. Lizzy sighed again.

"Last year, when you two were up in Vermont the weekend before Jane and Charles's wedding, Lydia and John had a tiff. She called me because she wanted to get out of the house and go shopping or something. I suggested that she come over instead and we'd watch a movie and hang out. It was her first visit to the apartment. She walked in and immediately began to turn up her nose at everything she laid eyes on."

"Why do you live in such a dinky old building? I would have expected you to be further uptown on the east side where all the rich people live."

"All 'rich' people do not live on the east side, Lydia and this is not a 'dinky old building.' It's one of the finest pre-war buildings in the city. It was built in the 1920's."

"Yeah, and it shows. It's only got twenty floors. You call this a penthouse?"

"Yes, Lyd, we call this a penthouse," Lizzy drawled.

"It's so small."

"Small? This apartment is larger than an average size house! It's got great architectural features like ten-foot ceilings, and moldings and working fireplaces," Lizzy said. "It's a beautiful apartment!"

"But it's only got two bedrooms and a maid's room. I bet you don't even have a maid," Lydia complained. "The bathrooms are small and the fixtures are so old-fashioned. You ought to rip it all out and put in a new one with a nice Jacuzzi."

"We like our old-fashioned fixtures. People all over the country are buying up old tubs and sinks like that at premium prices to put into modern bathrooms to make them look as old as ours," Lizzy said.

"I can't imagine why. And everything in here is old-fashioned and dodgy. Look at these rugs!" Lizzy folded her arms and considered that if she thought an antique Persian rug was "old and dodgy" she'd probably turn down the Mona Lisa if someone offered it to her unless it was "cleaned up" first. She slowly counted to ten under her breath as her younger sister nitpicked everything in the living room.

"Look, why don't we just sit down and watch the movie? I rented a couple so you'd have a choice."

"You rented movies?"

"Yes, why?" Lizzy was perplexed by her reaction.

"Why didn't you just buy them?" Lydia asked as she took hold of the DVDs and examined them.

"Why should I buy movies I'm only going to see once?"

"William can afford it."

"I know he can and so can I; that's no reason to waste twenty or thirty bucks."

"So what? William's must have lots of money," Lydia reasoned. "How much does he make?"

Lizzy gritted her teeth.

"I don't know."

"You don't know? You mean he won't tell you?"

"I mean I've never asked. And even if I did, I certainly wouldn't discuss it with anyone."

"But he must be really rich. His father owns a big company."

"His father owns a company, yes. That makes his father rich. William is employed by that company and he pulls down a salary, just like everyone else."

"Yes, but his father must pay him lots of money," Lydia insisted.

"What are you getting at?" Lizzy demanded impatiently.

"Why don't you ask him to get a nicer place?"

"There's nothing wrong with this place, Lydia! It's the right size for the two of us, William and I love it here, and our best friends live next door. As far as I'm concerned, life doesn't get any better."

"Sarmistha and Richard should move, too. I can't believe you're all so happy cooped up in this dingy old place."

"She just doesn't get it." Lizzy shook her head sadly. William took hold of her hand and gave it a firm squeeze. She looked up and him gratefully. "To make matters worse, she really only covets what we have so she can show us how it's supposed to be done. She spent the whole day asking what things cost and telling me what she'd buy if she owned the apartment. My mother told me that she and John were looking to move out of their one-bedroom rental and he let Lydia scan the real estate sections of the paper and contact realtors. When John balked at the listings she'd chosen as being both beyond their income and their immediate needs, Lydia threw a tantrum and called off the wedding."

"Ouch!" Richard said. "I knew that they were going through a rough patch, but John never mentioned anything like this."

"Rough patch!" William exclaimed. "Their entire relationship has been like running naked through a field of cactus."

"Ouch," Richard repeated. "So they're history?" Lizzy shrugged.

"I doubt it. Poor John is as besotted with Lyd as you are with Sarmistha."

"That sounds very unhealthy for poor John, I'm sorry to say," Richard said with an apologetic look.

"No, I completely agree," Lizzy assured him. "I think that he'd be crazy to take her back, but I know that it's only a matter of time before he does. Poor mom has had to deal with Lydia's hissy fits all day."

"Speaking of fits, Mish will have one if I don't feed her when she gets up," Richard said rising from his seat. "She wants Thai food. Any objections?" Lizzy and William were amenable so Richard went to fetch a menu.

"Are you okay?" William asked when they were alone. She nodded and snuggled more deeply into his arms. Lizzy made a point of changing the subject when Richard returned and by the time the food arrived and Sarmistha awakened from her nap, she was in good spirits once more. But throughout the evening, Lizzy was troubled by the news about Lydia. She was concerned for her sister's happiness and frustrated by her immaturity

"I don't want us to have any secrets between us," William said later that evening, as he and Lizzy prepared for bed. "You should feel free to ask me anything you want to know. Where you're concerned, my life is an open book."

"I know that," Lizzy said reassuringly. "Why did you bring that up just now?" William took the brush from Lizzy's hand and began to brush her hair.

"You said something earlier about not asking about my salary."

"I don't need to know," Lizzy said dismissively. "Unlike Lydia, I could care less about your money." She turned and wrapped her arms around him. "In fact, I never really thought about the fact that you had any, till Lyd brought it up." William handed Lizzy the brush and reached over her to pick up a pen and notepad lying on the dresser.

"This is my salary," he said, handing her the pad. Lizzy's mouth opened in mild surprise. "And believe me, it's not what the head of the textbook division or the trade paperback division take home, either. Of course, I have a sizeable trust fund to fall back on," he noted with a wry smile. He took up the brush again and moved behind Lizzy to resume applying long, slow strokes to her hair. "My father doesn't believe that just because I'm his son I'm entitled to inherit the family business my grandfather began. I have to earn it, and he brought me into the company when I was still in high school to learn every aspect of the business. When I pitched my idea for branching out into periodicals three years ago, he gave me a limited budget, a salary commensurate with my new position and five years to make it a success. I won't get a pay increase until my division shows a profit over four consecutive business quarters. I should be there by the end of the year."

"And yet your salary is still more than double mine," Lizzy teased. William pinched her bottom and she jumped.

"You mean they pay you that much just to sit in a chair, look beautiful and talk?"

"Hey," Lizzy said temptingly, turning again and wrapping her arms around his neck, "for you I'd do it for free."

"Thanks, but right now I'm not interested in hearing you talk," William replied impishly. Lizzy stood on her toes and whispered something into his ear. William grinned from ear to ear.

"I stand corrected."

Lizzy went next door Saturday morning to help Sarmistha sort out her stuff from the office. Much of it was going to be installed in the couple's home office, which was in the tiny former maid's room at the front of the apartment.

"You know, I almost regret our decision to turn this into an office," Sarmistha said. If it was available, we could have live-in help for a while when the baby came."

"You should follow Lydia's advice and go out and find a bigger place," Lizzy said sarcastically.

"Bite your tongue," Sarmistha retorted. "The day I start taking advice from Lydia is the day I have myself committed! Richard told me about what happened between her and John. I really feel bad for them. But when we were out at the house in Jersey last weekend and she and John came over she gave me roughly the same speech she gave you."

"You're kidding!"

"I wish! She said that our house was small and old and it should be expanded, and on and on. The fact that it's a sixty year-old house with warmth and character and genuine architecture and not some big, sterile, open plan McMansion that would have made us puke was totally lost on her. And she truly didn't understand John's lecture on conspicuous consumption and the environmental consequences of having a bigger house than is necessary, either. I suppose that marked the beginning of the end for them." Lizzy snorted.

"Oh, Lydia! What on earth are we going to do with her?" Lizzy sighed.

"Pray to the goddess of good taste and hope she'll intervene on Lyd's behalf?"

Lizzy smiled, but only briefly.

"I love her, I really do, but over the last few months she's been driving the whole family absolutely insane! I called mom last night and she said she called the wedding planner to tell her about the cancellation. Lydia walked in, overheard what she was saying and went ballistic. I guess she's sure enough about where she stands to cancel the reception, but not enough to fire the wedding planner. Would you explain that to me?" Sarmistha looked at Lizzy sympathetically.

"This is Lydia Bennet we're talking about. She's very young for all that she's just three years younger than you. Lydia was coddled and spoiled until she was sixteen and by the time your parents came to their senses and put their collective feet down, she had years of bad habits to overcome and little incentive to rise above them. But she has made progress over the last year and I give John most of the credit for it. She moved out of your parents' house and learned to live without a housekeeper. She now keeps an apartment like a real live adult, she's got a decent job with good potential and she actually enjoys it. She's learned a few things about responsibility and independence."

"Yeah, but she still lives in a fantasy land where money grows on trees and she's the owner of the orchard!"

Sarmistha laughed at Lizzy's conception of her sister.

"It'll take time. Believe me I've dealt with people like her at Darcy Press. Young, fresh-faced, right out of school--little more than girls, really--and all they think about is the lives they'll have when they 'make it.' They think that happiness lies in having money, that having money comes from having rich parents or marrying a rich man, or both," Sarmistha said. Lizzy smiled in memory of the conversation she overheard the previous day. "I had an assistant who was in awe of me because of my good fortune. She actually asked me how I did it! I told her I didn't choose my parents and that I fell in love with Richard because he's a wonderful man, not because his father's made a killing in real estate development. Nonetheless, she asked me where I met a man like him. I took her by the hand into the conference room and pointed to the place where I was standing the moment I first laid eyes on Richard."

"You didn't!"

"I did! It was all so idiotic, so simplistic...ultimately sad. I feel sad for Lydia. She's a good kid and I hope she gets her head straightened out before she loses John. I really think he's the best thing that's ever happened to her."

Lizzy wasn't so generous.

"Sometimes I think she's John's worst nightmare. He truly loves her and he deserves better than she's given him. And she's no kid, Sar! She's almost twenty-four years old!"

"Don't play judge and jury, Lizzy. Neither of us is privy to what really went on between them. I, for one, hope they work things out."

"You hopeless romantic, you! You want everyone to be as happy as you and Richard!"

"Is that such a bad idea? The world would be a much better place," Sarmistha said as she struggled to her feet. "I'm going to put on some water for tea." Lizzy followed her into the kitchen. "Are the two of you using the same wedding planner?"

"No, I'm using the one you recommended and Lyd has one based out in Flemington. Why?"

"I don't know; I just thought it might be awkward if you were," Sarmistha said as she gestured to Lizzy, who reached up to pull down two teacups and saucers from the cupboard.

"Oh, no way would I use the same planner as Lydia! She looked over my shoulder and copied everything we planned as it is! When we decided on swags of flowers to decorate our table and the buffet she immediately decided that she would have swags, too. And when I decided on five attendants she added a sixth to her party, plus an extra flower girl. She's driving mom nuts! Or at least she was, changing things as soon as they were finalized."

"Poor Mrs. B; poor Dr. B! I'm sure he's quite livid."

"He was apoplectic, according to mom," Lizzy said as the water grew close to a boil. "Am I making a pot?" Sarmistha nodded and Lizzy fetched the teapot and warmed it with hot water from the tap. "She said he was so angry that when he went in to talk to Lyd he gave up after one sentence, too distraught to go on. He hasn't talked to her yet."

"Oh, dear."

"Would you give me a hand, sweetness?"

Richard scrambled off the bed and went into the bathroom to help Sarmistha out of the tub. He steadied her as she stepped out, wrapped her in a bath sheet and rubbed her distended tummy.

"Thank you, habib," she said and rewarded his kindness with a kiss.

"You know, maybe we should rent one of those lift chairs they use for disabled people," he teased lightly, "especially if we decide to have a lot of children." Sarmistha poked him in the ribs.

"What happened to your idea of having just the one daughter and spoiling her rotten like her mother?" Sarmistha said tartly as she turned so Richard could dry her back.

"Oh, you're not so rotten," he said as he nuzzled her neck. "Shall I do lotion?"

"Yes, please. Richard, I don't want our little girl to be spoiled rotten. Not if she's going to turn out anything like Lydia."

"She's far more likely to turn out like you: well-adjusted, level-headed, and absolutely indulged in every way," he said. Sarmistha smiled. "Why are you suddenly worried about this?" he asked seriously.

"I'm not."

"You are; I can tell by the little frown up there," Richard said as he lightly touched her forehead.

"Well, maybe I am, a little," Sarmistha admitted. "I was talking to Lizzy earlier. She's really stressed out over Lydia. I suppose all the Bennets are."

"Yeah, Lizzy was definitely not a happy camper last night," Richard said as he slathered lotion on his wife's back and arms. "And William later told me privately that he was more than a little put out by Lydia's machinations as well, especially since they're obviously meant as put downs to Lizzy."

"Oh, I don't think they are, at least not deliberately. Lydia is only acting to please herself, not to insult Lizzy. She wants to be the superior sister and probably doesn't even think about the consequences of her actions on Lizzy."

"No matter how you rationalize it, the effect is the same. It's taking a toll on Lizzy and William is pretty mad about it." Richard slid his hands around to the front of Sarmistha's torso and began to rub lotion on her belly. T...

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