“That may be the saddest looking pout I’ve ever seen,” she told the girl unsympathetically. “And I’ve seen Will’s.” She shoved several pillows between her back and the headboard and settled in. “Spill.”
“What do you want to know?” Georgiana asked quietly. She wound a tendril of long dark hair around her finger and would not look up. It was an insecure stance but was accompanied by a doe-eyed glance up through thick eyelashes. Elizabeth wasn’t buying, but she acknowledged, almost begrudgingly, that Georgiana was likely posing out of habit rather than conscious manipulation. She wondered if it worked on Will. He was such a ferocious protector that it sometimes marred his good sense, and in many ways, she believed he still saw his sister as a bereft fourteen-year-old. She had no such baggage.
“It’s not complicated, Georgiana,” Elizabeth said, forcing her voice to sound easy and ignoring the posturing. “I want to know why.”
“Why what?” Georgiana asked, her exasperation flaring quickly, but subsiding just as fast.
Elizabeth tried Jane’s trick and just waited for G to speak, but when Will’s sister stubbornly remained silent, added, “Why you took a dislike to someone you’ve never met.”
She shrugged. “It’s stupid.”
“Even so,” was Elizabeth’s calm reply. Inside she was becoming increasingly impatient with the girl. She’s just a kid, Bennet. Be nice.
Georgiana sighed. “A lot of reasons. Will got so caught up in having a girlfriend that he didn’t reply to my texts and emails. I couldn’t talk to Richard about you because he’s on your side.” She frowned. “And Juraj said that because Will clearly didn’t want me around, I should go to see his mother with him. When I told him I was coming home because I wanted to see Richard, he was angry about it.” She swallowed. “I think maybe we’re through. At least, he might break up with me. And I really like him. He’s been there for me when Will hasn’t.”
Elizabeth blinked. There was a lot to untangle in that information dump. “Georgiana,” she replied carefully, “you need Will for that conversation. But I know he misses you.” Georgiana bit her lips. Before she could interrupt, Elizabeth continued. “Can you tell me what it is, exactly, that Juraj has helped you with?”
“Oh, everything,” Georgiana replied, launching into a list. “He helped me understand that I put too much pressure on myself, that I should relax and not worry so much about school, that I can be successful in life without a degree unless I want to do it for myself, you know?”
“Knowing what you want is a good thing,” Elizabeth agreed. “But you knew what you wanted when you told him you were coming home to see Richard, and he didn’t seem to like that. Maybe he only wants you to think for yourself when it’s not contrary to what he wants you to think . . .” She let the thought trail off.
“Oh, he was just angry because he wanted to spend more time with me, Elizabeth,” Georgiana replied defensively. “And he didn’t want to share me, he said.”
Red flag. “Why not?” Elizabeth asked gently.
“Well . . .” Georgiana’s brow knitted. “I’m not really sure, to be honest. It made sense when he explained it. I do know he didn’t want to have to meet you or Richard.”
Elizabeth’s brows drew together. Another flag. Does she not see them? “So his mother wasn’t ill?”
The girl shook her head. “No, he really had a family emergency in the end. He begged off because of that. But I know it wasn’t the only reason he didn’t want to come.”
Elizabeth pondered that. “Did he say what his problem was with me?”
“I really wanted him to come home with me so I wouldn’t feel so much like a third wheel.” Georgiana’s eyes were glossy with unshed tears. “He just said one new significant other was enough, you were famous, and he’d feel out of place.”
“He’s an MBA student at Stanford, and he was worried about being overshadowed?” Elizabeth asked skeptically. This third wheel business she’d need to discuss with Will.
“You can’t judge someone’s feelings, Elizabeth,” Georgiana admonished her.
“Fair enough,” Elizabeth replied, though she thought she was evaluating his actions. Still, Jane did always say she was too quick to judge. “What about Christmas?” she inquired gently. “Or has he been put off the family entirely?”
“He’s going home to Slovenia for Christmas,” Georgiana replied sadly. “I won’t see him for six whole weeks.”
Slovenia. This really doesn’t make sense. She pondered in silence as she gathered her thoughts. Eventually, she was ready. “Georgiana,” Elizabeth said softly, “I’m going to say some things now, and I don’t want you to respond to me. I just want you to think about them, okay? If you want to talk about them later with me or Will or Richard, that’s fine.”
Georgiana crossed her arms across her chest. “If you’re going to tell me bad things about Juraj, you can forget it. He said you and Richard wouldn’t like him because he’s anti-military.”
If Juraj didn’t like the military, that was nothing new. There were plenty of people who had no problem explaining to her, in detail, how they felt about her service. But it sounded almost . . . desperate, as though Juraj hadn’t planned to meet her family and didn’t want Georgiana to see them either.
“Georgiana, he hasn’t even met us. How can he be so sure we wouldn’t like him?” Elizabeth prodded.
Georgiana didn’t answer, her finger resolutely twisting a curl into her hair.
“Did he also tell you your brother wouldn’t like him?” Elizabeth asked placidly.
“Will doesn’t like anyone I date,” was the curt response.
Elizabeth laughed out loud. “Okay, you’ve got me there.” Georgiana met her eyes and smiled a little. “But,” Elizabeth continued, “I’ll make you a bet that I can guess the next thing Juraj said.”
“No, you can’t,” replied Georgiana disdainfully, the corners of her mouth turning back down.
“Wow, you look just like Will when you do that,” Elizabeth said with a soft laugh. “What do you want to bet me?” She arched one eyebrow in challenge.
“Nothing,” Georgiana replied stoutly. “You don’t know Juraj.”
“Ha,” Elizabeth exclaimed, trying to maintain a teasing tone. “You aren’t sure you’ll win.” She closed her eyes briefly as she considered. When she had an idea, she opened them. “If I’m right, you have to tell all of this to Richard.”
Georgiana scowled. “No way.”
“I could make you talk to Will.” Elizabeth knew that if she threatened to tell the men herself, Georgiana would stop talking entirely. From what the girl was saying, Elizabeth worried it might be essential to keep that line of communication open.
“Fine,” Georgiana threw out. “If you can tell me what Juraj said, I’ll tell Richard. If you can’t, you don’t say a thing to anyone.”
As soon as she heard Georgiana agree, Elizabeth was talking over her. “He said he was the only one who understands you.” She could tell immediately that Georgiana was upset, and she nodded. “I told you I knew.”
“He is the only one who understands me,” Georgiana insisted, though she kept her voice low and her eyes on the white comforter.
Elizabeth dipped her head to scrutinize Georgiana’s face. Scowling and determined, the girl had drawn her knees up to her chest. Come on, Georgiana, she thought, aggravated. Even Lydia has more street smarts than this.
“Georgiana,” she said, trying again, “I’ve heard what you’ve told me. I’d like you to hear me now. You don’t have to defend Juraj. I just want to offer some things you should think about. I’m still happy to meet him any time. Okay?” Oh yeah, I’d love to meet this guy.
Georgiana shrugged again.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Elizabeth said, one corner of her mouth quirking up though she felt anything but cheerful. Her body ached and she was tired. She made a production of stretching her arms and crossing them behind her head while she looked up at the ceiling. “Juraj said he wou
ld come to Thanksgiving dinner.”
“Yes,” Georgiana replied cautiously.
“The whole point of you coming back for Thanksgiving dinner was your cousin’s separation from the Marines,” Elizabeth continued.
Georgiana just nodded.
“So,” Elizabeth concluded, “he knew the military would be represented when he first accepted the invitation. It can’t be that.”
Georgiana set her lips in a hard line.
“He also asked you to lie about why he chose not to come.” She saw that Georgiana was about to protest and just held up the palm of her hand. “Don’t respond, please. Just think about it.” Georgiana clamped her jaw so tightly that even out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth could see the muscle quivering. She hoped she was getting through.
“Then there’s this problem with his name.” She watched the girl’s expression transform from anger to puzzlement. “Juraj’s last name is . . .”
“Farkas,” Georgiana supplied.
Elizabeth gave a little grunt. “Right. That’s what I thought Richard said. And Juraj says he’s Slovenian?”
“He is Slovenian,” Georgiana insisted.
“Mmm,” Elizabeth said skeptically, “I had to memorize the countries and cultures in that part of Eastern Europe for a possible deployment. I never went, but I’m pretty sure Juraj’s a Slovak name.” She shook her head. “Entirely different country. You should confirm that with Richard,” she said, “since he’s the expert. But if I’m right, shouldn’t Juraj know which country his family is from?”
Georgiana didn’t move anything other than her eyes, which shot to the side of the room near the door.
Elizabeth realized she was looking for an exit and hurried to finish. “Another thing.” She paused until Georgiana glanced up at her, then held the girl’s gaze with an intense stare. “Your brother could not love you more than he does,” she said earnestly, with one brisk shake of her head. “It’s not possible. That’s why Juraj tried to convince you to stay with him in California instead of coming home at all. He didn’t want you to remember that.”
Georgiana’s head shot up, “Why would he want to keep me from Will? Juraj asked me to stay in California because he loves me. He would miss me.”
Elizabeth’s attempt to control her emotions hardened her tone despite her efforts to appear congenial. She held up a hand and began enumerating. “So,” she said, holding up one finger, “he lied to you about why he bailed.” She raised a second finger. “He asked you to lie to your brother and cousin about why he bailed.” A third. “He lied to you about your brother and family to try to isolate you from them.” She paused to let that sink in before she raised a fourth finger. “He is probably lying about his name.” Finally, the fifth. “Does Juraj have your passwords? Did he teach you to clear all recent calls from the phone’s records? You need to ask Will how many times he’s written or texted or called.”
Elizabeth glanced askance at Georgiana, who appeared uncomfortable, and added lightly, “Just out of curiosity, do you have any pictures with him? I’d love to see what he looks like.”
Georgiana shook her head. “He hates having his picture taken,” she said weakly.
“Maybe,” said Elizabeth seriously, “you should ask yourself why.”
Chapter Ten
Richard stood in the hallway outside his brother Oscar’s apartment. They’d arranged to meet this afternoon once the business at FORGE was finished. Richard checked the time and saw it was two o’clock, but there’d been no response to his knock. Now he pounded on the door and rang the bell. Just as he was ready to give up and head back to the elevator, he heard someone shuffling around inside.
“Oscar!” he called. “Open the door, you lazy degenerate!”
There was a muffled curse, and the door was yanked open. Oscar, clad in a black silk robe and slippers, was already making his way back to the kitchen.
Richard stepped inside and shut the door, locking the deadbolt before following his brother.
“How late did Dad’s party go?” Richard asked. “I thought ten was his bedtime.”
Oscar grunted, his sandy hair sticking up in jagged clumps, his blue eyes bloodshot. “I went out after.”
“How’s David?” Richard asked curiously, glancing around the pristine room. He knew from Oscar’s complaints that there were generally shoes shoved halfway under the sofa, a coat tossed carelessly over a chair, or a wallet left open on the coffee table.
“I hear he’s fine,” his brother replied. He reached into the cupboard and pulled down a bag of coffee.
Ouch, Richard thought. That’s recent. He opened his bag and removed a bottle of the Fou'Foune. He tapped Oscar’s shoulder with it.
“Take the edge off?”
Oscar turned, and, seeing what Richard was holding, gave his brother a little grin. “It’s hard to get these here,” he said happily, grasping the bottle and turning it to read the label. “How’d you get it through customs?”
“I didn’t,” Richard responded, confused. “You can’t get them here?”
Oscar shook his head and reached into a drawer for an opener. “I tried about a month after I got home from seeing you in Brussels last spring. You have to search for a sale, and they’re pretty random. Last one I saw was in Minnesota. Distributors usually only get a small supply. If you have to buy them resale, they’re quite expensive.” He opened the bottle and poured out two glasses. “Where’d you get them?”
Richard shook his head. “Bennet.” Figures. She can be incredibly stubborn once she sets her mind to something.
“Ah, the infamous Jersey Princess.” Oscar said laughingly. “I have to say, I’ve had quite a good time watching our staid cousin being splashed across the tabloids. She’s not bad-looking, either.” He took a long draught. “How’s Will doing? Still making us money?”
Richard picked up his beer. He knew Oscar wasn’t just asking about the business. He searched the living room for a seat, not an easy thing to do, as Oscar’s apartment was set up more for show than function. Ultimately, he settled for the side of the sofa that had an arm.
“She’s good for him,” he said. “You should have seen him swing into action yesterday like some hero in a rom-com. He picked her up like nothing and carried her to the car, bridal-style.” He shook his head admiringly. “Bennet’s fit, but she’s no waif.” He cleared his throat. “I might need to join his training sessions. Clearly he’s hired a miracle worker.”
Oscar chuckled. “Well, I’m glad to hear it. He refuses to use a bodyguard, so he needs to stay sharp.”
Richard huffed. “As to your other question, Will got rid of some dead wood this morning, so I think FORGE will continue to make us money.” He took a pull of his beer and closed his eyes. So much better than mimosas.
Oscar yawned. “He actually looks human in some of those pictures. Has the impressive Staff Sergeant Bennet managed to extract the stick from his ass?”
“Oscar,” Richard sighed.
His older brother laughed. “All right, all right.” He held up his tablet. “I’m guessing there’s nothing to this, either?”
Richard frowned as he took the tablet. “Woman Vet Destroys Neighborhood Bar,” he read, and watched some poor-quality video. The article said the woman had used Bennet’s name, but that the security camera had not caught her face. From the back, it might have been her—but then, it might have been a hundred other women, too. “Bennet wasn’t tearing up a bar last night, allegedly or otherwise,” he said, bewildered. “She was at the police station in Montclair until nearly midnight. Then she went home in a cab and was sick all night.”
“Sick?” Oscar raised his eyebrows. “Hungover?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, Oscar. She went to a police station, where she was served enough alcohol to get plastered.”
Oscar shrugged, unperturbed.
“No,” Richard said firmly. “Migraine, dehydration, hypotension.” Oscar was silent, watching. He remembered what Jane had said about
why it took so long. “They had to test for electrolytes—sodium and potassium levels. Something about making sure her kidneys weren’t affected. She had blood drawn, Oscar. No alcohol.”
His brother sat on the other end of the sofa. “She’s either very lucky, this Elizabeth Bennet, or she’s very good.” Oscar crossed his legs, and all humor left his voice. “Tell me what happened the night you got home.”
“Dad want to know?” Richard asked.
Oscar shook his head. “Dad and I have already discussed it. I want to know what you think, Mr. Analyst.”
Richard grimaced. Oscar would not be put off. “I don’t like it. The lights came back and the TV and surround sound are working fine, but the washer and dryer went out today. Then the fridge was off for a few hours but came back.”
Oscar grunted knowingly. “Someone has his number.”
Richard nodded. “Whoever this was got into the system like it was nothing. And you know Will’s no slouch on his security.”
“Has he changed his passwords?”
Richard nodded. “Although he says there’s probably no reason to do so.” He took another sip of his beer. “I’m not sure I believe him.”
Oscar rubbed his hands over his hair. “I have to ask. . .”
“Wasn’t her.” Richard’s words were blunt.
His brother tipped his head. “And we know this because . . .”
“Because I said it.” Richard glared at his brother before relenting. “And because she has an airtight alibi.”
Oscar peered at his brother for a minute and shrugged. “She could have put it in play at any time, you know.”
The glare he earned for that made him smile and hold up his hands. “Okay. You’ll keep on it?”
“You know I will,” Richard assured him.
The men were silent for several minutes, just enjoying the beer. Eventually, Oscar stretched and asked, “How are you?”
“Bloodied but unbowed,” Richard joked.
Oscar sniffed derisively, leaned forward to knead his lower back with a fist, and asked again, “How are you?”
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