The girl's eyes grew wide. "What brand?"
I looked back toward Colin and Darcy. "It was Old Navy."
"Oh ..." The color drained from the girl's face.
"What do you mean, 'oh'?" Charles was furious. This was the first time I'd ever seen him angry. And I also realized that he was standing up for me. My bottom lip started to quiver. I was used to being attacked, not defended.
"Some girls came over a few minutes ago to get their coats and one of them said she'd lost her claim and identified the coat. And, well, I didn't think ..." The girl was embarrassed. I knew what she was going to say: When there were all these expensive designer coats in the room, who would lie about having such a nonglamorous item of clothing?
"Just forget about it." I tried to keep my voice even.
"Lizzie, I'm so sorry." Charles was aghast.
"I'm going to go...."
Colin started to take off his blazer. "Here, at least take my jacket."
Charles took out his wallet. "You have to let me pay you for it. I'm horrified that something like this happened at my party. I can't believe it."
The thing was, I could believe it. Something had to happen this evening. I couldn't attend a party without some sort of humiliation. All along, I'd assumed somebody was going to throw something at me, or trip me, or set my hair on fire. But instead, they'd stolen from me. And not because they wanted what I had. Simply because they could.
I quickly waved away Colin's and Charles's generous offers and went into the winter night unprotected. The freezing cold was a reminder that things were never going to get easier.
Thirteen
I SPENT THE NEXT DAY AT WORK REPLAYING THE EVENING IN my head. All I had left were questions. What had Wick done last night instead of being with me? Would the pranks against me ever end? Would Lydia's behavior -- or her disclosure about their father -- affect Jane and her prospects? Were people really going to be so shallow and judgmental?
Unfortunately, I already knew that answer.
I raced out of the cafe the second my shift was over ... and found an unexpected visitor waiting for me outside.
Colin.
"Elizabeth, did you find your jacket?" He motioned toward Jane's red wool coat, which I was now going to be wearing until the end of winter.
"Unfortunately, no."
"Oh, I am sorry to hear that. I once lost a jacket that I loved very much. It was corduroy. No, tweed. Brownish gray. Really, it was a fine coat. My teddy bear had a matching one. We often wore them together. But then, one day, I left it in a park. When my mother and I went back for it, it was ... gone."
"I can see you miss it," I said, looking for an escape route.
"Anyway," Colin continued, "I was wondering if I might speak with you for a moment."
"Sure." I sat down next to him on the bench.
"There are certain rites of passage that I think are a very important part of becoming an adult."
He looked at me expectedly. I was so tired, all I could do was nod.
"Prom is one of those rites." My stomach dropped. "It is a momentous occasion, especially for a Longbourn girl like yourself, and I believe that we'd make a great match to attend. Obviously, we have the dancing part down." He let out a small laugh. "And I know with your circumstances you may have some difficulty with the dress, but I would be more than willing to pay for your accoutrements if that would make you more comfortable. I ..." Colin's prim stature faltered for a moment and he seemed to be at a loss for words. No doubt this was the first time such a thing had ever happened to him. "I ... I do find you most appealing. I've never met anybody like you before. You certainly are someone that I've always found very curious." I knew that I should've probably taken this as a compliment, but the way he said it, I couldn't help but think he found me more interesting as an oddity in his rich world than someone he found attractive. "We can obviously work out all the details at a later date, but I thought it would be best to move forward with our plans."
"Oh." I looked down at my gloves. "Thank you for thinking of me."
"No problem. We'll be in touch." Colin started walking away.
"Wait!" I called out after him. "I didn't give you an answer!"
His face fell. "Well, I just assumed ..."
"Well, you shouldn't. While I'm very honored that you'd want to take me to prom, I'm going to have to decline."
Colin laughed. "Oh, I know this game. Playing hard to get, are we?"
"No, we're not."
"Oh, Elizabeth, I know how girls like you are. You want to be pursued first. Very well, I'm game. You set out your rabbit, and I'll get my hounds. It could be fun."
"No, Colin." I stood up and bent down slightly so I could look him in the eye. "Again, I'm very flattered, but I'm not playing hard to get. My response won't change. I'm sorry, but the answer is, and will always be, no."
I hated being so direct with him, but he'd left me no choice.
Colin looked thoughtful for a minute. "This is why I like you so much, Elizabeth. You're unpredictable. I know we'll have a great time."
"Apparently, you aren't hearing me."
Colin sighed. "I do hear you, but -- and please know that I do not mean any disrespect -- do you really think with your circumstances that you'll be getting other offers?"
His bluntness shocked me.
"No," I said, "I'm sure I won't. But I know that prom here is probably something that I wouldn't enjoy, and you should really go with someone who you'd have fun with."
"I have every confidence that next time I discuss this with you, your answer will be different."
"No, Colin. Please tell me if there's anything I'm doing right now to make you think that there will be another answer. Because if you let me know, I will correct it so you can ask somebody else."
"Oh, Elizabeth, you really are something else."
I stood there with my mouth wide open. Colin was one of the smartest students in his class, but apparently he was lacking in common sense. He squeezed my shoulder and walked away.
How much clearer could I have been?
Fourteen
I FOUND CHARLOTTE IN MY ROOM WHEN I GOT BACK.
"Oh, good -- you're finally here!" she exclaimed before I even had the door halfway open. "Well, I had a visitor. What's that?"
On my bed was a giant silver box with a red ribbon around it. "We don't know." Jane jumped up from her seat. "That's why we've been dying for you to come home. It was delivered an hour ago."
"But I didn't order ... What on earth?"
"Open it!" Charlotte grabbed the box and put it in my arms. "I want to see who it's from!"
Jane laughed. "And I want to know what it is."
I sat down on my bed and untied the red ribbon. Inside the silver box was white tissue. I lifted up the paper to find a beautiful gray winter coat. I looked at the tag and was shocked by the designer's name.
"Who sent this?" I asked. I took the coat out of the box and started looking for a card. Or receipt. Or even a tag that would have given me a hint where the jacket came from.