Richard took a drink. “I’ll be fine, O,” he replied calmly. “It just takes time.”
The brothers sat quietly until Oscar asked, “You still seeing Grantham?”
Richard nodded, then laid his head back against the top of the couch. “Dad’s prevention plan. Can’t have any embarrassing consequences from my service.” He sighed. “At least we’re in the same city now. No more teleconferences.” He closed his eyes. “Too bad every Marine doesn’t have the option.”
“Does it help?” Oscar pressed.
He wasn’t sure how to answer. Richard hadn’t been a teenager when he entered service. He’d known what he was getting into, and he was as prepared as possible for the inevitable issues. There were things he didn’t want to speak about and others that were classified. Still, the sessions weren’t always a waste. He’d been able to talk about De Roos from a more objective place, and that had eased the nightmares, the residual guilt he still felt over Bennet’s injuries. He hadn’t realized until he came home that her migraines, the result of the concussion, hadn’t ever completely disappeared. She’d never said anything about it to him, but of course, he thought, disgruntled, she never would. To know that the last one had been severe enough to make her ill, to send her to the ER, well, that was tough to stomach. He glanced at the white lines on his forearms and thought, not for the first time, that it wasn’t fair that he was fine. Within the year, most of his scars would be too light to be noticed.
Oscar’s question hung in the air. Does it help? “Sometimes,” Richard said.
Oscar raised his glass. “Well, here’s to the prodigal son who has reappeared bearing gifts, even if he was too dense to bring them himself.” Richard joined the toast, and as he brought the beer to his lips, Oscar gave him a genuine smile. “It’s good to have you home, brother.”
Richard nodded, and said, honestly, “It’s good to be here.”
It was nearly two when Will left the FORGE offices, paperwork for Charles’ resignation complete, job descriptions for each position on his executive team printed off. He had downloaded them all onto his laptop, too, but planned to stick the hard copies up on the wall in his home office and rethink the company’s centralization. His finance and R&D execs had been with him from the beginning, and his newest hire had worked for FORGE for over a year now, giving Will ample time to study each employee’s strengths and weaknesses. Richard’s arrival and Bingley’s departure had created an opportunity to make some changes in how those responsibilities were divided. And now that Richard was on board, he could afford to take more chances. He had realized, finally, that he trusted his cousin in a way he’d never trusted Charles. Charles wasn’t a bad guy, but he wasn’t a partner, either. His behavior ever since he’d returned from South America demonstrated that.
As he was mentally reviewing possible changes, Will thought how nice it would have been to have Elizabeth on their team as a programming and cyber-security expert. Of course, he thought, we couldn’t date if she worked at FORGE. He’d made that policy clear to his executives—no dating someone under their supervision—and everyone was under his supervision. Besides, he thought, shaking his head, Richard had been right about affording her. Last week, she’d mentioned in a backhanded sort of way a contract negotiation in which she was engaged, and the figures she was batting around made it clear her best financial position was to remain a consultant. Like a house afire, he grinned proudly. Someday she’ll make more money than me.
Thinking about Elizabeth reminded him that he still hadn’t spoken with Richard about the incident at her sisters’ school. So much had been happening that he’d let that slip. He reached for his phone to call Ed Gardiner.
Elizabeth was still in bed when Will entered the bedroom. He sat down to remove his shoes.
“Thanks for texting me you’d be late. I assume the guy showed?”
“Yes,” Will replied, dropping one shoe on the floor, “he did.”
“Good,” she responded, curling an arm around his waist. “I’d hate for you to go in today for nothing.”
He removed his second shoe and kissed her on the head before going to change. When he returned, he sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.
“I’m glad you stayed in bed,” he said. “I was worried you’d be out running.”
Elizabeth gave a little huff. “I’m stubborn, Mr. Darcy, not stupid. Are you done for the day?”
He nodded. “I have to put a call in to Richard, but after that, I’m all yours.”
“What was your meeting about?” she asked, letting her head drop softly on his chest.
Will closed his eyes. “Charles resigned.”
Elizabeth sat up straight. “What?” she asked, surprise clearly etched across her face.
“Well, I didn’t give him much of a choice,” Will admitted.
“I see,” Elizabeth said, though it was clear she did not. “And why was that?”
Will ran a hand across his eyes before he explained how he had lost his trust in Charles.
Elizabeth didn’t interrupt, even as the narrative grew lengthy. Clearly, she had another Darcy in front of her who needed to unburden himself today, and fortunately, he was willing to do so without an interrogation. She hadn’t truly disliked Bingley, but she’d never liked him either, never trusted him. Still, her heart ached for Will. Clearly, he had considered him a friend, and now something had happened to that relationship. When Richard spoke to Will about Georgiana, as Elizabeth was sure he would, Will would have to take on the additional burden of someone using his sister the way they were always using him. No wonder he was such a miserable cuss the day I met him, she told herself grimly. His sister pulled a Garbo, he was concerned about Charles, and Richard wouldn’t promise to come home.
His story began to wind down, but now he was mentioning her name. Something about the background investigation, the file.
“Slow down,” she ordered. “What’s that about my file?”
Georgiana finished speaking, and Richard was silent. He knew he’d need to tread carefully. She was waiting for him to tell her Juraj was just using her so she could fight for him. He didn’t want her to dig in her heels.
“Do you love him?” he asked cautiously.
G sounded surprised. “He says he loves me.”
“He says he loves you. Okay,” Richard replied. “But you’re not sure yet?”
Georgiana was quiet. “Nooo,” she drew out the word at last. “I like him better than any boyfriend I’ve ever had, but I can’t say for sure that I’m in love. Not yet.”
A wave of relief swept over him. “G?”
“Yes?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and gave her orders to check her credit cards. “I’m coming back to the apartment soon. Wait for me. We have to talk.”
Chapter Eleven
Elizabeth handed the file back to Will. “‘Leatherneck Lovelies’?” she asked, a look of revulsion on her face. “It sounds like a 1940s senior-citizen swimsuit competition.” She shuddered dramatically. “I think Ms. Soames and I need to have a serious talk.” She moved back on the bed and sat cross-legged, facing him.
Will chuckled quietly and turned to face her. “Richard thought you’d be more concerned that you didn’t win.” He dropped the file next to his briefcase.
“Well, Richard’s an idiot.”
“He can be,” Will agreed. He reached into a pocket and handed Elizabeth a small flash drive.
“Is this the real one?” she asked.
He nodded. “You can just save it for later, if you want. I haven’t read it.”
She turned it over in the palm of her hand before closing her fingers around it. “Why not?”
Will shrugged. “Don’t need to.” He held up a hand. “I can tickle anything I need to know right out of you.”
She leaned against his shoulder. “True. I’m clearly not spy material.” She kissed his cheek. “Thanks.” She shoved the drive in her pocket.
“You’re not going
to read it?” Will asked, surprised.
“Later. When I’m alone,” she said seriously.
His face must have fallen because she laughed. “I thought you didn’t need to see it,” she joked, giving him a playful shove.
He shrugged, not in the least abashed. “Sue me. I’m curious.”
She grinned. “I think you probably know everything already, but whatever. No secrets. Eventually I’ll run one of these on you.”
Will shrugged. “Fine,” he replied. “Try not to die from the boredom. I’d miss you.”
Elizabeth dug in her pocket and extracted the drive, holding it out to Will. He retrieved his laptop, inserted the drive, and pulled up the file. They both sat against the headboard to read.
Every so often, Will would ask a question, or Elizabeth would point something out. Her credit score was listed, along with a general sense of her net worth. Her degrees from the Penn State University Global Campus were listed along with the cumulative grade point average for each. Will gave Elizabeth a sidelong look and observed a small, self-satisfied smile when she saw them. Her undergraduate scores had been quite high, but her graduate grades were perfect.
This report was far more complete than the fake had been, though her military record listed little more than her service number and her training certifications. Her cyber-warrior training appeared, but none of her work after, not until she was attached to the Embassy as a computer tech.
“Should I ask why you were being punished?” Will asked.
Elizabeth grew thoughtful. “Why do you think I was being punished?”
“It’s not rocket science, Elizabeth,” he replied, pointing at the screen. “This is a big blank set of years. You were doing things so sensitive they’re classified, then suddenly you’re back to the geek squad in Brussels.”
“Well, the military rarely makes sense,” she replied flippantly.
“Is it that you can’t tell me,” Will inquired, “or that you won’t? If it’s some big secret, I get that. I won’t press.”
“No big deal,” Elizabeth sighed. “My commanding officer, Captain Carter, turned out to be a thief. He shipped me to the IT department to keep me from tattling, I guess. Not that anyone would have cared.” She yawned. “Little did he know Brussels was a dream assignment for me.”
“If you were happy in Brussels, why did you quit?” He sounded skeptical.
Elizabeth gazed at Will. Did he always have to rake over every last coal even when the fire had gone cold? Could he not just leave things be? She shrugged, supposing it was a compliment, in an obsessive-compulsive sort of way, that he wanted to understand her. “Will,” she responded slowly. “How much do you know about what I do?”
Will set the laptop aside. “Not nearly enough, I’m guessing.”
She shifted, trying to get comfortable. “There are the things I track now—missing finances, foreign codes in business systems, everyday assignations, insurance fraud—you know, someone buying a motorcycle when he’s getting workman’s compensation for a bad back. As you can imagine, the things I tracked in the military are a bit different.” She bent her legs and wrapped her arms around them. Then she rested her head on the top of her knees and turned her face to his. “It’s an ugly world out there, Will.”
“I’m aware of that,” he said quietly.
“Finances are still a big part of it, but so are political kidnappings, rapes, assassinations, terrorist attacks,” she said stoically. “They nearly all leave some sort of digital trace, hopefully in the planning stages. You just have to catch them early enough.”
“And sometimes you can’t,” Will finished for her.
She nodded. “But even then, collecting evidence of the end is important, too,” she said. “Because if someone at home is waiting, they need to know. Not the details, necessarily,” she hastened to add, “Only that they shouldn’t wait anymore.”
Will was silent for a time, probably processing what she’d told him. He did that—he hardly ever spoke about serious things without giving serious thought to his words. Despite the distasteful subject, it made her smile a little.
“How long did you do that work?” Will finally asked.
“Almost three years,” she replied. “I was good at it.” She looked away, remembering. “But you start to become someone who can read those things or worse, watch those things, and not be affected.” She stretched her legs out one at a time. “It makes you good at the work. It’s important work. But I decided that I didn’t want to be that person.”
Will kissed her head and picked up the laptop. “All right, then,” he said in jovial voice that sounded forced. “Let’s finish this.” Elizabeth stole a cautious glance at him before sitting up, and they picked up where they’d left off. When they got to the section on family and friends, Elizabeth stiffened.
“What is it?” Will asked worriedly.
“Tom Bennet is back at Longbourn,” she said, stunned. “And he has a family.”
Her eyes scanned the entry again. Tom and Lily Bennet had been living at Longbourn for nearly four years. They had twin boys who were now almost three years old.
“Do you think anyone else knows?” Will asked her softly.
She shook her head. “Maybe. It’s not as though they’re hiding it.” She tilted her head back to rest on the headboard. Her body felt exhausted, as though it needed to shut down so she could sleep. Her mind, on the other hand, was active, sparking wildly with the unexpected news. Apparently, Tom wasn’t with the university now. He was writing novels.
She forced herself back to the main point. Of course he’d moved back in; it was his house. But so long ago? With no word to anyone? Maybe he called Uncle Ed? A new wife, new children, when his own teenage daughters were still living with his brother-in-law’s family without a word from him? No, he wouldn’t have called. Her head was reeling. I have brothers, she realized. He’s, what, fifty-five now? Lily must be much younger.
“Are you all right?” Will asked. She could barely feel his arm around her shoulders.
She nodded. “Sure. It shouldn’t be a shock, really.”
Will took both of her hands in his free one, his thumb making a light, lazy circle over her skin. “You’re kidding me, right?” he asked incredulously. “He cut you off, moved you out, and then moved back in with a new wife. That doesn’t surprise you or make you angry?”
Elizabeth was momentarily amused that Will was angry on her behalf while she felt . . . well, she was sure she felt a flicker of something. Perhaps it rose to the level of indignation. But after very little consideration, she couldn’t help thinking that the Gardiners were better parents than Tom Bennet ever had been. There was no telling how the girls would have turned out had Tom not abandoned them, especially Kit and Lydia, who’d been so young. Lydia still required a strong hand, and her father certainly wouldn’t have exerted himself to provide it.
There’d been that one, long, terrible year, but when she’d graduated, they’d all been better off. He’d provided money for the younger girls in lieu of child support, but she and Jane were old enough to fend for themselves and were better off without him, he’d written. The younger girls still had their trusts, which, in true Gardiner style, had been saved for their college tuition. Jane’s determination to be independent meant that she’d taken classes during the winter breaks and over the summers and was set to graduate in three years. Her senior tuition had already been half-paid, so she only had to take out a loan for her last semester. Then she’d been awarded a hefty scholarship for her graduate work in nursing. Apparently, the Gardiners hadn’t allowed Jane to continue paying rent, so while she had some debt, it wasn’t crippling. Elizabeth, who had been just about to start her college career, had crunched the numbers and decided she wouldn’t take on a hundred thousand dollars in debt to attend university. Even if she’d attended community college, she’d still have about sixty thousand dollars of debt by the time she finished all four years. It wasn’t worth it. She reviewed all of this w
ith a sense of resignation. Through bad luck and bad timing, she was the only Bennet girl who’d been left financially adrift, but in the end, she’d managed just fine. Tom Bennet had been right about one thing—they’d been better off without him.
Do I want to see him again? she wondered. I suppose I’d like him to explain himself. It would be nice to know why he abandoned us like that. She wondered if he was sorry he’d done it. She had to admit that she wished he’d at least made the effort. She had a right to some answers, didn’t she?
It didn’t matter, though. Whether he was sorry or not, he obviously had no intention of ever contacting her again.
“I don’t want to see him,” she said with assurance.
Will was doubtful. “You don’t even just want to tell him off?”
She lifted her shoulders and let them fall. “No. There’s no point. He’ll never change.”
“It might make you feel better, though,” he pointed out with a calm logic that irritated Elizabeth.
“Will,” she begged unexpectedly, “please tell me that’s all we have left to talk about. I don’t think I can handle any more secrets today.”
Will grimaced. “Actually . . .”
“No,” Elizabeth said firmly, holding up one hand and ducking her head. “I have to get some sleep first.”
Will cast a hopeful look at her. “Jerry’s off today.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Yes, I know. And I also know you won’t drive me home.”
He shook his head. “I’ll take you to the Gardiners’, if you insist, but you really shouldn’t be alone yet.”
“So, my choice is to stay here or risk Sarah putting peanut butter and leftover stuffing in my hair as I sleep?”
Will grinned. “Clearly I’m the better option.”
She grunted. “I could take the train,” she threw out, but she didn’t feel up to it, and Will knew it.
Adapt Page 12
