Happy spring! As I write this, we’re digging out from the most snow we’ve gotten all winter, so I’m all about this “rebirth and rejuvenation” theme! (Note: I originally wrote this post in early March. The end of March has actually been quite lovely here…except today it’s snowing again!)
Because I had no idea what to write for this month’s post, and because I’m stuck in the mud (or snow) when it comes to my never-ending work-in-progress, I decided to try something different: I’m composing a short modern adaptation, just for AV, and each part will contain some reference to the month’s theme.
So, here’s the first part, which features the words “rebirth” and “rejuvenation.” Part II will come with next month’s theme, “Bloom Where You’re Planted.” (Oof! That may be a tough phrase to include, but we’ll see how it goes when the time comes!)
Hope you enjoy!
[Untitled]
To: ebennet@meryton.edu
From: fdarcy@pemberley.com
Date: 1/5/2023, 04:25
Subject: Swim Meet
Ms. Bennet,
It has come to my attention that you are requesting Georgiana Darcy’s participation in the Ramsgate Interscholastic Swim Meet next month. My sister will be unable to attend.
FD
Fitzwilliam Darcy, MD-PhD
CEO, Pemberley Pharmaceuticals
(Xxx)xxx-xxxx
—-
To: fdarcy@pemberley.com
From: ebennet@meryton.edu
Date: 1/5/2023, 20:45
Subject: Re: Swim Meet
Mr. Darcy,
I am very sorry to hear that Georgi cannot attend. When I spoke with her at practice today, she said she was looking forward to the meet. I would love for her to participate; she is a strong swimmer and a great source of support for her teammates. If you have questions or concerns, I’d be glad to speak over the phone.
Best regards,
Liz Bennet
Elizabeth Bennet, Ph.D.
English Teacher, Head Swim Coach, Faculty Resident Longbourn Dorm
Meryton Academy
(Xxx)xxx-xxxx
—-
To: ebennet@meryton.edu
From: fdarcy@pemberley.com
Date: 1/6/2023, 04:05
Subject: Re: Swim Meet
Ms. Bennet,
I have no questions or concerns. Georgiana is not attending. Period.
Dr. Darcy
Fitzwilliam Darcy, MD-PhD
CEO, Pemberley Pharmaceuticals
(Xxx)xxx-xxxx
—-
To: fdarcy@pemberley.com
From: ebennet@meryton.edu
Date: 1/6/2023, 05:39
Subject: Re: Swim Meet
Dr. Darcy,
Thank you for being so good as to remind me of your title, and please allow me, in my capacity as an English teacher, to congratulate you on the concision of your prose.
I fear, however, that you have been too concise, for I am left to wonder why Georgi is not being permitted to attend the swim meet. I spoke to her again, just after our dorm meeting last night, and she was devastated to learn of your decision. Perhaps your next email should be to your sister, not to me.
Regards,
Dr. Bennet
Elizabeth Bennet, Ph.D.
English Teacher, Head Swim Coach, Faculty Resident Longbourn Dorm
Meryton Academy
(Xxx)xxx-xxxx
—-
To: ebennet@meryton.edu
From: fdarcy@pemberley.com
Date: 1/6/2023, 06:45
Subject: Re: Swim Meet
Dr. Bennet,
No, thank you for being so good as to remind me of your title. As an English teacher, you must know how to construct a question. (I believe a question mark is generally required?) Yet I saw no question in your email—simply a demand for information that does not concern you.
I will thank you to refrain from telling me how to raise my sister.
Dr. Darcy
***
Liz took one look at Jane’s harried expression and winced.
“The good news,” she said, meekly holding out her laptop, “is that I didn’t drop it into the pool this time.”
Jane snorted, then resumed her attempt to remove a french fry from a USB port. “So what did you do to it?”
“I, uh, spilled coffee on the keyboard.”
Okay, not spilled so much as spewed. She’d made the mistake—big mistake—of opening her email before finishing her first cup of the day. Dr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, MD-PhD…pretentious jerk! Who the hell admitted to a name like that, anyway?
“Geesh, look at the poor thing!” Jane pushed aside the french fry computer and took Liz’s laptop gingerly into her hands, stroking the keyboard as if it were a half-drowned kitten instead of a ruined piece of hardware. “You’re as bad as the students! You know our policy,” she added, pointing at the sign posted on the wall: “Wanton abuse of computers will result in permanent exile.”
“Incoming!”
Liz ducked as Charlie, one of the other IT techs, tossed a power cord to a student standing behind her in line. She had picked the worst time to show up at her sister’s office—approximately seventeen and a half minutes before the start of first period. Half the student body and two-thirds of the faculty seemed to be crammed into the school’s small IT office, demanding an immediate solution to their technology problems.
“I’ll get your laptop back to you as soon as I can,” called Jane as she rushed over to the office printer, where the ethics teacher was arguing with the Dean of Student Life about the best way to remove a paper jam.
If Liz had her way, Jane would keep her computer forever. Email had always been the bane of her existence. Though she’d won three different teaching awards during her half-decade tenure at Meryton Academy, she’d received just as many reprimands from the Head of School, Mrs. DeBourgh, for sending “impertinent” emails to the families of her charges. Liz’s sense of humor, which served her so well with students, rarely did her any favors with their parents (or in this case, older brothers).
This latest bout of unprofessionalism—even Liz had to acknowledge she’d been way out of bounds with that second email to Dr. Darcy—might very well be her last. Darcy was, after all, a name that everyone at the school knew only too well: the Darcy Science Labs, Darcy Equestrian Facilities, and Darcy Library were some of the most impressive structures on campus. They made Meryton look more like a well-endowed college than a boarding high school.
Except, you’d never know it was Georgiana’s family that paid for those buildings, not if you’d met the girl yourself. Waving shyly at Liz from across the quad, she wore no visible signs of wealth. Indeed, she wasn’t even wearing the school’s formal dress code; her black pants were almost certainly made of denim, and her baggy wool sweater did not qualify as a blazer.
Yet as Georgi trudged through the frozen grass, a sheaf of papers in one hand, a coffee mug in the other, Liz knew she wouldn’t give Georgi a demerit. No doubt her leniency would be one more strike against her own record, but on this snowy day, Liz had no intention of reprimanding anyone for wearing sensible apparel.
“‘In the bleak midwinter,’”* called Liz, as Georgi approached.
“‘Frosty wind made moan,’”* returned Georgi, grinning. “I still remember most of the lines, believe it or not.”
“Of course I believe it! Your recitation last month was quite good. Rossetti herself would have been proud!”
Georgi blushed. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t want Rossetti—or any other poet, for that matter—to read this.” As she held up her hand, a bitter gust of wind decided to play tug of war with the pages she clutched. Liz watched with trepidation as the papers flapped wildly, but Georgi seemed hardly to notice.
“It’s bad enough,” she continued, sighing, “that you’re going to be reading my poem.”
Liz didn’t think it was possible, but Georgi’s face grew even redder as she realized what she had just implied.
“Oh, Dr. Bennet, I didn’t mean…that is, I’m not saying I don’t respect your opinion, or that I think less of you, or that you’re not a poet, or that you’re not a good writer, or—ahh!”
The wind had won the tug of war, snatching the papers and sending them flying. In her haste to catch them, Georgi threw aside her coffee mug. The half inch of snow cushioned the mug’s fall, but it did not stop the liquid from splattering Liz’s cream-colored trousers.
“That’s what you get for wearing white after Labor Day!” she could just hear her mother saying.
Liz would have laughed, if Georgi hadn’t appeared so distraught.
“Oh my god, I spilled coffee all over you!” she exclaimed, her eyes bright with tears.
Liz knew she had two seconds, tops, to say something that would keep Georgi from racing back to her dorm room to spend the morning sobbing into her pillow.
“Well, I spilled coffee all over my computer this morning,” she replied with a gentle smile. “Since I can’t throw my laptop into the wash, I’d say I win that round of ‘Who Can Do the Most Damage with Coffee on a Frigid Friday Morning,’ wouldn’t you?”
It was not a particularly witty deflection, but Liz found that being wacky often worked just as well. If nothing else, she had forced Georgi to stop panicking just long enough to make some sense out of her zany words.
“Come on,” said Liz, before Georgi could return to her spiral of self-loathing. “I see the pages of your poem there, under the big oak.”
And without waiting for a response, Liz took off running, calling over her shoulder, “First person to find the majority of the pages has the right to read them!”
She picked up only one of the four pages, but she still won the game. Never mind that her socks were soaked with slush and the hems of her trousers were now spotted with mud, as well as coffee. By the time the two of them stood just outside the humanities building, Georgi’s shy smile had returned.
“Are you sure you don’t mind reading it?” Georgi whispered, as she handed over the remaining three pages.
As Liz slipped the poem into her messenger bag, she glanced at the top page. “How could I not want to read a poem titled ‘Rebirth’? It is the only kind of poetry I can read in the dead of winter. Forget Rossetti with her descriptions of wind and ice; I want rejuvenation!”
Georgi’s smile grew. “Thanks, Dr. Bennet. Really. But, I mean, you’ve got to tell me if you don’t like it. I don’t have to submit it to the literary magazine; I don’t even think I should. It’s just, my brother says…”
Before she could stop herself, Liz frowned. At least she managed to swallow the words on the tip of her tongue: “I don’t care what your brother says!” No, that would not do, especially not after their email exchange.
But Georgi was too perceptive by half. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing, I just—”
BONG. The large school bell, hanging in the rafters of the humanities building, pealed above them–once, twice, three times. Soon it would be eight o’clock. Soon it would be first period.
“Oh, shit!” exclaimed Georgi, just before slapping a hand across her mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to curse, it’s only, I have a math test, and you have class, and—”
Liz couldn’t help herself this time: she threw back her head and laughed, the sound of it competing with the echoing of the bell’s last chime.
“Oh, Georgi,” she said, “what a morning! Here,” she said, grabbing a binder and pen from her messenger bag. She tore out a random page and scribbled on the back: “Please excuse Georgiana Darcy for tardiness; she was meeting with me. — E. Bennet. 8:01 am, 1/6/23.”
“What about you?” Georgi asked, pocketing the note. “You’re going to be late to your class, aren’t you?”
That was just like Georgi, to be concerned for others. And it was true: Liz was going to be late for her class—a class in which none other than the Dean of Faculty was visiting for his annual teacher observation.
“On mornings such as these,” she said, “my philosophy is to make sport of life’s follies. What else can we do but laugh?”
“Cry?” suggested Georgi, but she, too, was grinning as she waved farewell.
Liz was just bounding up the stairs to the building when she heard, “Oh, wait! Dr. Bennet?”
She glanced back at Georgi, now shivering in the flurries that had begun swirling around them.
“I’m so sorry, but I’ve got to ask one more favor.”
“Go for it,” said Liz, though she hoped the favor was a quick one. As much as she liked to laugh at life, she also liked her job. The Dean of Faculty was fairly easy-going, but she doubted he’d look fondly on her starting class five minutes late.
“My brother…I, uh, well…he called me this morning, uh, about the swim meet, and…”
“It’s okay, Georgi. We’ll miss you, but I understand completely.”
“No, that’s not what I mean! I mean, yes, he doesn’t want me to go, but…can’t you talk to him? I want to go!”
For the first time that morning, Liz felt deflated. Give her spilled coffee, bad weather, even nasty emails—these she could handle. But a plea to get involved in a family dispute, especially when Georgi was bound to lose? Oh, god. She hated this part of her job.
“Georgi, if your brother thinks it’s best, then…”
No, this was the part of her job she hated most: the hardening of the eyes, the cynical turn of lips, that resigned expression every adolescent, even the most mature of them, wore when they had decided their teachers weren’t really on their side.
Of course, that wasn’t fair: sometimes—oftentimes—teachers, families, and students worked together to figure out what was best for these young people who would soon become adults themselves. But in cases such as these, when so much was being left unsaid, who knew what was right? Liz certainly did not understand the situation; she only knew there was a land mine here that she was liable to explode if she proceeded further.
“I can email him again, Georgi,” she said at last, “but if he’s made up his mind—”
“Oh, but you can talk to him in person. He said we should discuss the matter face-to-face, that texts and emails and phone calls never really work, not for important things. He’s taking me out to dinner tonight!”
Liz’s eyes widened in surprise—both at Georgi’s happy expression and at the idea that Mr.—Dr.—Darcy would be on campus.
“Doesn’t he live in Boston?”
“Cambridge,” Georgi said, as if traveling only 120 miles, rather than 124, made all the difference. “So, will you talk to him? He’ll be at swim practice.”
Of course he would be. Did she have a choice?
So she forced a smile and watched as Georgi hurried back across the quad, scooping up her fallen coffee mug before racing off toward the math and science building.
As she reached the door of her classroom, eight minutes after the bell, Liz confronted the facts of this hellish morning: her hair was tangled beneath her scarf, and she’d forgotten a rubber band; the top half of her lesson plan was missing (she’d torn that page to write the note for Georgi’s math teacher), and she couldn’t print a new one because she hadn’t the time or her laptop; and her shirt was stained with sweat, while her pants were still spotted with coffee and mud.
Well, did she believe in laughing at life’s follies — or not?
Throwing open the door to her classroom, she grinned at the expectant faces turned in her direction. “Tell me, dear students: in Act III, when Macbeth said, ‘Let every man be master of his time,’ was he speaking with irony—or ignorance?”
Click here to read Part Two…
A/N: I quoted Christina Rossetti’s “In the bleak midwinter” at the asterisk. You can find the full poem here.
Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to share thoughts on what you think should happen next in the comments!
34 comments
10 pings
Skip to comment form
Anything written by this author is excellent so I couldn’t miss this. Modern variations of P&P are not usually my preference but I enjoyed this and am looking forward very much to the next part.
I’ve sung “In the Bleak Midwinter” at Christmas virtually every year for 70 years – it’s one of my favourite carols – and it’s the first time it’s dawned on me that it was written by Christina Rossetti- many thanks for that too!
Author
Hi, Jill! Sorry, somehow I missed seeing this comment. Thank you so much for this kind comment. Also, I love that you’ve sung “In the Bleak Midwinter.” I have to admit that I forgot it was a carol when I was having Liz and Georgi recite lines from it! So, thank you for reminding me of that!
Hope you and yours are having a lovely start to April!
I love it, Christina! Part 1 was cute (I can’t think of a better descriptor at 6:50 am—sorry) and humorous. Darcy’s rigid arrogance comes through so nicely with just a couple of emails. I’m looking forward to your next instalment! Can’t wait to see Darcy and Elizabeth meet!
(I’ve pulled the ‘It’s Dr’ (not Ms/Miss/Mrs) card on people when they were being annoying with me. Heehee. It’s fun watching their faces, especially those people who seem to think I can’t possibly be that educated…)
Lucy
Author
Thanks so much, Lucy! Cute is a very kind descriptor, and I’m grateful you enjoyed it (especially at 6:50 in the morning)!
Also, I love that you don’t hesitate to use the title Dr when the situation calls for it. You go, Dr. Lucy! 🙂
Thanks again for reading!
Thank you very much for sharing this great story! What a lovely way to start an otherwise very gray Monday.
Their professions fit their personalities perfectly. I can’t wait to read more and for them to meet in person! They are both so stubborn, it will be so much fun to read! 😊
I’m curious: Have you already planned the whole story or are you just following wherever it will lead you?
Author
So glad the story brought a little cheer to a gray Monday, Sabrina! As for your question, I’ve created a skeleton of an outline, but I don’t know all the details of the main scenes. I’ve learned that I rarely stick to my own outline, so I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where the story goes! Thanks again for reading and commenting.
Love this! Can’t wait to read more.
Author
Thanks so much, Heather! I’m so glad you enjoyed. April’s post will come in a few weeks.
Oooh, I wonder what Darcy’s problem is? I do hope he condescends to discuss the swim meet with Elizabeth and Georgiana. I also hope Elizabeth isn’t penalised for being late to her class and for not being immaculately dressed! Loving this, thank you.
Author
I’m so happy you’re enjoying the story, Glynis! I think the Dean of Faculty won’t penalize Elizabeth for the coffee on the hem of her trousers, but let’s hope she doesn’t have any students named Caroline and Louisa, who would be bound to sneer at her “petticoat, six inches deep in mud” (P&P, Chapter 8)!
This sounds like it could be fun!
Author
I hope it will be fun! Thanks for reading, Glory!
I love this! Can’s wait to read more.
Author
Thanks so much, Barbara! It’s been fun writing this. Appreciate your comment!
This is a great start! Darcy sounds like a stick-in-the-mud, and Liz sounds like a lot of fun, and I like that she and Georgi already know each other and enjoy a good relationship. I can hardly wait to see the sparks fly when Darcy shows up at swim practice (probably in a 3-piece suit, haha) !
Author
Lisa, you’ve inspired me with your three-piece suit image! I admit I don’t often think about what characters are wearing (despite, in this scene,, noting Liz and Georgi’s clothes). And I suppose I figured Darcy would show up in professional dress, but there’s something about a three-piece suit that is just perfectly precise. Also, how uncomfortable he would feel, standing in that stiff suit with his leather shoes on a humid pool deck!
Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Lisa!
Christina, many thanks for brightening my dreary Monday with this lovely gem! I’m looking forward to reading part 2. I can only imagine Darcy’s indignation when he meets Elizabeth. 🙂
Author
Oh, thank you so much for reading and commenting, Susan! Always lovely to hear from you. As for Darcy, I think his indignation may have to give way to his chagrin at finding Liz more charming in person than over email!
This was fun to read!
Author
Wendy, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!
Oh, it’s so good to read something from you again, and a modern story to boot! I’m eager for more. Thanks for sharing!
Author
Marie, it’s so wonderful to hear from you! I hope you and yours are doing well. Many thanks for taking the time to read and comment!
This is brilliant! I don’t know what will happen next, but I look forward to finding out!
Author
Oh, thank you, Brenda! That is very kind. And while I know generally what will happen next, I’ve been having fun finding out the details as I write. Thanks again for reading!
Such a fun beginning! I can’t wait for dinner. Of course Liz has to make it through her class first. Sounds like a fun campus. Oh, to be a student again. Wait no! That means I would have to take tests instead of giving them in my online classes. See you next time.
Author
Hello, Jennifer! So great to hear from you! I do hope life and writing are going well for you!
As for giving rather than taking tests, yes, I know exactly what you mean! I’ve been challenging myself, these past few years, to complete most of the assignments I give to my students — and it’s really helped remind me of what it means to be a student.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Loving your story! I cannot wait to read the next part!
Author
Shelley, It makes me so happy to know you’ve been enjoying the story. Thank you for stopping by to read and comment!
Confession…I have read this portion of your story-in-the works three times and the email exchange possibly ten times…I’ve lost count! The emails are perfect at showing the main characters’ personalities and setting the tone for their interactions. I’m wondering if “Dr.” Darcy has trouble sleeping…his second email was sent at 4 a.m.! I do hope there are more snarky emails and perhaps even some snarky texts in upcoming portions.
Author
Wow, what a compliment! Thank you, Heather, for taking the time not only to read once but to reread! And yes, good catch about the 4 am emails! Is it weird that I often check to see what time emails were sent to me? 😉 (Then again, with scheduled sending now, who knows when the author of the email actually wrote it.)
Ohh, snarky texts. That I hadn’t considered, to be honest, because I’m not much of a texter myself. But I’ll definitely have to keep that in mind! Thank you so much for stopping by, Heather!
Thank you! This is lovely, funny, nostalgia provoking (despite my never attending a prep school), and I must confess, intriguing leading to the despair of having to wait for the next installment. We binge readers do not brook disappointment well. Please hurry the next installment!?!
Author
Adelle, thank you so much for reading and commenting, and as soon as I finish this comment, I am off to work on the story for 45 minutes before I have to return to my work as a teacher! Thanks for the inspiration!
How on earth did I miss this?
(I feel cheated. I hope Part II is not somewhere out there…)
I loved the first part of this story.
I loved the emails ( I’m deeply jealous of the economy in creating the mood, the tone while stirring the reader’s imagination.)
I was deeply saddened by the spilled coffee all over the computer. Having lost a perfectly good laptop to villainous coffee I want Jane in my life!
I want her again now that my “new” laptop is misbehaving. She’d be my best friend (and probably block me after a while.)
Then Georgiana’s character was portrayed in full adolescent, true-to-Austen-character mode.
Still, I’m SO looking forward to “The Meeting”.
(Devilish smile.)
What can I say?
Happy Easter to everyone celebrating it!
Author
And how on Earth did I miss you! So sorry for not replying to this comment earlier, Alexandra. I’m also sorry for making you relive the challenges of a misbehaving laptop! Thank you for all your kind and witty words. I wish I could reply more thoughtfully to them, but my brain is mush after grading papers, so I can only say it was definitely a delight to discover your comment here! Thank you!
[…] Today I’m posting the second part of a short story I started in March. As I mentioned in the last post, I began this story as a way to accomplish two goals: 1.) I wanted […]
[…] most recent novel A Year in Between. Later this month (hopefully June 26), I’ll continue my modern Elizabeth/Darcy short story. Since I’ve promised to include the monthly theme somewhere in the text of each installment, […]
[…] of the story! If you’d like to start from the beginning, here’s where you can find Part 1 and Part 2. The only real challenge I set for myself was to use Austen Variation’s monthly […]
[…] here are the links for part one, part two, and part […]
[…] new to this story and are brave enough to read the previous installments, here are parts one, two, three, and […]
[…] can find earlier parts of this short story here: part one, part two, part three, part four, and part […]
[…] you’re looking for earlier parts of this modern P&P story, you can find them here: part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, and part […]
[…] give it a try! If you would like to read earlier parts of the story, you can find them here: part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six, and part […]
[…] epilogue! If you’re new to the story, you can find the first part on Austen Variations here, and then at the bottom of each installment, you’ll find a link to the next […]
[…] you’re new to my story or would like a refresher, here are all of the previous parts: part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven ,and part […]