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“Inside the house, probably hiding behind a book.”
“Let’s go find him.”
Elizabeth led her mother into the house, and they found her father in Charles's office. David Bennet was seated in a plush leather chair perusing a book about eastern shorebirds, and he glanced up when they entered.
“There she is, my favorite girl.” He rose to give Elizabeth a hug.
“Hi, Dad. Why are you inside? It wouldn't hurt for you to get a little Vitamin D.”
“I’ll leave the sun worshiping to the young ones—and your mother, of course.”
“Oh, David,” Mrs. Bennet said. “You'll need to eat eventually, so don't stay in here all day. Come, Lizzy, let's go meet some of the nice young men who are here. Jane says many of them are single, and they’re all lawyers and businessmen. It’s too bad Lydia couldn’t come.Shewould have no trouble meeting people, I’m sure of it.”
“I don't need help meeting people, Mom, but thanks.”
“Well, get out there and mingle, at least. Maybe Jane has a dress you can borrow.”
“I’m happy with what I’m wearing. And Jane is three inches taller than me, not to mention a little bit more…endowed.”
“For heaven's sake, leave her alone.” Mr. Bennet winked at Elizabeth. “She looks fine. Scientists don't go prancing around in fancy dresses, do they, Lizzy?”
“This scientist doesn’t.”
Mrs. Bennet sighed. “All right, fine. You don’t need to change. But get out there andmingle!”
Elizabeth happily left her parents in Charles's office and went back outside and down to the lawn. Charles had hired a band, and they were just getting into their first set. Charlotte had disappeared again, but she spotted Jane across the yard, standing with Charles, and went to join them. She and Jane began dancing, and soon enough, people were dancing all around them, enjoying the music and the sunshine.
After dancing to a few songs, Elizabeth was ready for a break and a cold beer. She and Jane went to the bar and then went to join Charles and William. They stood for a while, making small talk and sipping their drinks. After finishing her beer, Elizabeth still felt warm from dancing and looked longingly at the ocean.
“Um, would you like to go for a walk? Down by the water?” William asked.
Her eyebrows rose, and she shrugged. “Um, sure.”
He gestured for her to walk ahead of him, and they strolled across the back lawn, through the gate, and onto the sand. He took off his boat shoes and left them next to the fence, and neither said anything until they reached the water's edge, and he finally spoke.
“I really am sorry, you know, for—”
“Before you say anything else, I need to apologize to you too. It was very presumptuous of me to think it was okay to take your picture.” She paused. “I get…I get carried away sometimes, I guess, when I get behind a camera. I wish your sister had come with you today so I could apologize to her as well.”
“She's the reason I reacted that way. I’m–I'm not using her as an excuse, but she’s been through a lot lately, and when I saw the camera…” He shrugged. “I immediately assumed the worst. I have a tendency to be the overprotective big brother, I guess.”
“That’s not such a bad thing.”
They walked along in silence until he spoke again.
“What do you mean you get carried away?”
She thought for a moment. “It’s hard to explain. Sometimes something will catch my eye—it could be anything, really—and it will stir up certain emotions. I try to convey those feelings through the picture. Sometimes it works and people can pick up on it, but not always.”
She looked down at the sand as they walked, feeling as though she’d revealed entirely too much of herself.
“Why didn't you pursue photography as a career? What made you go into marine studies?”
She looked out at the expanse of blue-green water in front of them. “I didn’t really get into photography until I was in college. I studied Environmental Science, but growing up here gave me an appreciation for the ocean. It's like an old friend. I never get tired of looking at it, listening to it, smelling it… I wanted to do something with my life that would allow me to be near it and help take care of it. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.” She glanced at him and saw that he was staring at her intently. “Sorry. I have a tendency to ramble.”
“You’re not rambling. Where did you go to school?”
“I did my undergrad and graduate studies at Boston University. What about you? What do you do? When you’re not berating amateur photographers, that is.”
