The color bled from her brother’s face as he spun around, putting his hand over his eyes and his back to his sister. “Gianna!”
“Do men faint?” Elizabeth mused aloud to no one in particular.
“Men do NOT faint.” She could hear his sneer.
“Hmmm. Then what do you call it when they lose consciousness?”
He had to have known they were smiling behind his back. While Elizabeth’s eyes rested on the breadth of his shoulders, (he truly was an attractive man) the back of his neck flushed a dark red and the top of his ears turned almost purple. He would survive the shock.
“We pass out.”
Chuckle. Snort. Eye-roll.
“Brother, you can turn around now.” Gianna had gathered a pink tank top, a white and pink striped, short-sleeved button-down trimmed in white eyelet lace, some khaki capris, and a pair of hot pink canvas loafers and walked towards the adjoining bath.
“Is it safe?” Darcy looked back and peeked between his fingers.
His sister bumped his arm on her way by as her answer.
Jane stopped Gianna before she closed the door. “Do you want me to do your hair?”
Gianna squealed in delight as both she and Jane went into the bathroom, leaving Darcy and Elizabeth alone with a pile of clothing heaped on the bed, a pair of boxers in his hand, and discarded shopping bags littering the floor.
“She is happy, isn’t she?” Darcy scooted the pile to one side and sat on the end of the bed. His hands were clasped between his knees after dropping the minions into one of the small bags. He studied his fingers as if all the secrets of the universe could be found on their surface. “I want her to be happy, Elizabeth.”
“I know you do.” Surprisingly, she recognized that his heart was in the right place with his sister. She was glad of it. Her father, whom she loved dearly, was an indifferent parent. Thinking back, Elizabeth couldn’t remember the last time he had shown an interest in promoting joy or contentment in any one of his five daughters. Not even herself, despite him claiming she was his favorite. But this man, this socially clumsy oaf who offended almost everyone he had been in contact with in Meryton left no doubt that he adored young Gianna Darcy.
What would he do for his wife? Her mind froze. Where on earth had that come from?
He still hadn’t looked up when he continued speaking. “Although I am certain you often wish the behavior of your mother and younger sisters could be moderated, you are fortunate to have a large family who are present in your life. When I marry, I hope to have enough children to fill my home.”
Elizabeth Rose Bennet stopped listening at “wish the behavior of my mother and younger sisters.” Who was he to sit as judge and jury over her family? The jerk!
She moved until she stood directly in front of him where her legs and feet invaded his personal space. He finally looked up. Elizabeth knew what he saw—steam pouring from her nostrils as they flared in anger, eyes shooting flames, and a mouth poised to blast him past Pluto.
“Do you know what a bonehead you are? Do you have any clue how rude you can be? Listen to yourself!” Throwing up her hands she slapped them down on the sides of her thighs. Then, she bent towards him so her face was inches from his. Her temper sizzled, then imploded, causing her to step back and wisely retreat to the door. Breathing through her clenched teeth, she grabbed the knob and informed him, while twisting it—hard, “I need to leave or I’ll harm you with my fists or my words—or both. You, William Darcy, are a jerk of epic proportions. While I’d love to say I hope I never see you again, I fully intend to remain a friend to your sister, so you will forever be the booger-picking creep we must put up with until you finally go back to New York where you belong and I can text Gianna without having any contact with you—you Jerk!”
Elizabeth had no idea he could move so fast. Slamming his palm on the door to keep it from opening, he hovered until his face was close enough that she could feel his breath on her cheek.
“What are you talking about? A booger-picking creep? A bonehead? A jerk?” The muscle twitched next to his mouth.
He moved an inch closer, and Elizabeth determined she would stand her ground. Any attempts at intimidation mustered her courage to amazing heights. She was not afraid of him.
He hissed loudly, his teeth clenched. “What in the world did I say that was not true? I have noted your discomfort when your mother gossips loudly, and your sisters act like immature bimbos. I assumed you would be pleased that I noticed. Apparently, I was wrong.” He stood erect and ran his free hand through his hair.
She scoffed. “The first night we met, you told Charlie and Caroline—within my hearing and that of everyone else in the pizza parlor—that I was only tolerable and not pretty. Do you honestly think I would care whether you noticed me? Your arrogance, your selfish criticisms of others puts your character on the same level as Caroline Bingley. You are two peas in a pod, Will Darcy, so you should have no trouble realizing that the way you feel about her is the same way I feel about you.”
Stepping back, his hands dropped to his side. After gulping, he started to speak, then stopped. Rubbing his face with both hands, he dropped them again. “And this is the way you feel about me? This is the kind of man you think I am?” Slowly shaking his head, he walked back and sat on the bed. “You are free to go. I will not stop you.” Hanging his head, he spoke to the floor. “However, I would not hamper Gi’s happiness at having you see her in her new clothes so I ask that you please stay on her account—on her account alone.”
Elizabeth turned to the door and rested her forehead on the hard wood. Closing her eyes, the image of the man suffering the sting of her words replayed over and over. He was broken and it was her fault.Righteous indignation flared in her chest only to immediately sputter out. He said “please.” The magic word.
Everything she had uttered was true. (Well, maybe not the booger-picking part.) Grinding her forehead into the paneling, she had to admit to herself that what he said was true as well. Argh! She was not mean and, deduced from the tender care he showed his sister and friend, that he was not either.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I should not have called you a booger-picker.”
“I should hope not,” he softly replied. “I should not have called you only tolerable and not pretty. That simply isn’t true.”
A turmoil of emotions churned in her chest. It shocked her that he humbled himself enough to admit his error. It pleased her that he thought she was pretty after all. She didn’t know what to think and suspected he felt the same.
“Ta-DA!” Gianna burst from the bathroom door, followed by Jane. “Don’t you just love my new clothes?”
While she was spinning with her arms flung out to the sides, Elizabeth moved back over to the bed. Sitting next to Darcy, she patted his fist with her hand where it rested on his knee. “She is the most tolerable girl on the planet Earth, don’t you think?”
His smile started small, then quickly grew. “I do believe so.” He grew serious. “I am sorry, Elizabeth. I can be an intolerable boor when I’m missing my sister and trying to avoid Caroline at the same time. I should not have spoken my thoughts on your family. As I would hope you do not judge my Gianna by my foolish words, I should not judge you based on the conduct of your siblings.”
Flipping his hand, his palm rested against hers. Gently squeezing her fingers, he exhaled forcefully. Leaning towards her he whispered, “What do we do now?”
Elizabeth knew he was talking about the two of them and the discord they had suffered through moments prior. However, she would do nothing to take away from the delight of Gianna’s day. Leaning so close she bumped her shoulder to his, she whispered back, “Pierced ears.”
FOUR
During the following days, texts bounced back and forth between Darcy’s phone and Elizabeth’s. Gianna had him take a photograph and send it each time she changed her clothes, which had to be several times a day as Elizabeth had fourteen new jpeg files saved to her iPad. Both Eli
zabeth and Jane knew the value of purchasing interchangeable fashion pieces to stretch a wardrobe. What to them had long been a necessity, was a wonderfully exciting game to Miss Gianna Darcy. They couldn’t be happier for her.
On the fourth day, when Elizabeth’s phone rang, she recognized the number. It was the first time Darcy had called.
“Hello?” Elizabeth had not seen or spoken to him since the altercation in Gianna’s bedroom. She could not help but be hesitant after their parting.
“Elizabeth, hi, this is Will.” She heard him swallow and realized he was as tentative as she was. “Now that the excitement of your last shopping expedition has slightly waned, would you be willing to return to the mall with Gianna and me to get her ears done?”
“Are you certain you don’t want this to be a brother and sister experience?” She had to ask, not wanting to get in the way of their bonding.
His reply was instantaneous. “Not at all. My sister doesn’t think she can select the proper earrings without your input, and I need your presence for moral support. I mean, what if she faints at the sight of blood? In actual fact,…she doesn’t have a problem with a little of the red stuff, but, well…I…”
Not wanting to embarrass him when she discerned the direction he was heading, she inserted, “Yes, I’ll go.”
His relief was unmistakable. Arrangements were made so that two hours later the three of them walked into the jewelry store together. Forms were signed and a starter kit chosen. When Gianna, Darcy, and Elizabeth all approved the positioning of the piercing, Darcy and Elizabeth stepped back to watch it done. Gianna was almost bouncing in the seat.
“This is going to hurt her.” Darcy spoke to himself. His skin was pasty white. When Elizabeth took his hand in hers, his palms were sweaty.
She leaned into his shoulder. “You don’t need to watch, you know. In fact, why don’t you take this opportunity to choose a pair of smallish, pink earrings Gi can wear later. She will cherish them forever if you do. But be quick about it.” She shoo-ed him off. “This won’t take long.”
That was encouragement enough. Within a split second he was off, appreciatively walking away to look at a display as far away from the piercing area as possible without being outside the store. The poor man!
Each of the little details she was learning about Will Darcy intrigued her. When stacked against her initial impression of his ego-maniac attitude, Elizabeth had to admit he wasn’t nearly as vain and prideful as she had once thought him to be. He had faults. But, so did she.
Gianna’s squeal brought her attention back to the task at hand. The girl was gazing with approval at the first earring, tilting her head to watch the glint off the faux gemstone sparkle in the mirror.
“It looks like a real diamond, doesn’t it?” Gianna asked no one in particular, her tone hushed, in complete awe of her new personal decor. “Do you like the silver, Lizzy, or should I have chosen the gold?” She moved her head once more. Before Elizabeth answered, she added, “No, I like the silver better. It’s like a tiny piece of mirror on my ear.”
Elizabeth nodded, then went to where Darcy was holding two pairs of earrings, one in each hand. When he held them up for her to choose, she pointed to the ones in his right hand. Placing the other pair back on the rack, she again put her hand in his, pulling him back to his sister.
Elizabeth whispered, “Look at her joy, not her ears. You are doing a wonderful thing for her, Will.”
He smiled, tilting his face towards where she had leaned in so only he could hear. Their faces were scant inches apart. When his eyes moved from hers to her lips, her breathing stopped. Involuntarily, her gaze dropped to his lips, which suddenly parted, and a shiver of anticipation…
“Squee! They are gorgeous! Lizzy. Will. Look at my earrings. They really are gorgeous. Look!”
Jumping back as if they had inappropriately acted on their inclinations, Elizabeth shook her head. What had almost happened here? Was she crazy? Will Darcy? Really? She wanted to kiss HIM? No, that wasn’t it. She had wanted him to kiss her. She sighed and redirected her attention to Gianna. She didn’t even want to look at him. She did anyway.
He wore his embarrassment at almost giving into temptation well. Gripping her hand tightly, Darcy forged ahead to where his sister twisted her head back and forth as the world passed by her while she gaped at herself in the mirror. His respirations were uneven, and he didn’t speak when they got close to the piercing station.
Grabbing a pack of hair ties from within arm’s reach of the chair, Elizabeth moved behind Gianna and began to French braid her tresses to keep them away from her tender wounds.
“Oh, thank you, Lizzy. The better to see them with my hair pulled back.”
Elizabeth chuckled at her young friend. As difficult as it had been to let go of her brother’s hand, the task of trying to style a moving head was even more of a challenge. Finally, she had to ask Gi to look at both piercings at the same time so she could complete her braid.
By the time Darcy paid for all the items, including the hair accessories, Gianna was able to put the mirror down. She hugged Elizabeth, then her brother. It was at that moment, she learned more about the man.
As he squeezed his sister around her back, his arms pulled her into him. It was no wimpy hug for him. He was fully invested in the embrace, his shoulders relaxed, while a dopey grin adorned his handsome face. He was entirely unconcerned with anything or anyone other than his sister.
An arrogant, self-serving man would never share the limelight with someone else in a public setting. Yet, Will Darcy seemed to care only about his sibling. How refreshing!
“We need ice cream. And a movie where everyone can see my new jewelry,” Gianna started chattering before stepping away from Darcy.
“In the dark? Sweetheart, your earrings sparkle, but I don’t think anyone can see them in the dark,” her brother reasoned.
“Then let’s go roller-skating, or I don’t know.” She desperately looked at Elizabeth. “Where can we go?”
Had she ever been that young? Elizabeth smiled at her friend. In her vision, she caught Darcy mouthing, “no roller-skating” with one hand moving back and forth at his throat. Okay, no roller-skating.
“Meryton’s main hangout is the arcade at the pizza parlor. Will that work for you? It’s late enough in the afternoon that families should be gathered for supper.” Wondering if Darcy recalled their place of meeting, she caught his steady gaze. Yes, he had.
Promising ice cream later, they arrived at the restaurant to find the parking lot filled with family automobiles. Before Darcy could bring his car to a stop, Gianna had her seatbelt off and she had scooted to the center to check her ears in the rearview mirror. Elizabeth suddenly felt every one of her twenty years.
Once inside, shyness appeared to settle on Gianna’s shoulders like a fifty-pound weight, stopping her from putting one foot in front of the other. When the pizza and drinks were ordered, she stared at the arcade area like Darcy used to stare at the people of Meryton. It was then that Elizabeth finally understood what was happening. Darcy had not been looking down at them for being inferior to him. He had wanted to join in and hadn’t a clue how to go about it. A sharp pain surged through her chest at the thought. She needed to take action.
“Come on. I’ve got a pile of quarters at the bottom of my purse. Let’s dig them out and play while we wait.” Elizabeth set her bag on the table and proceeded to rummage. Pulling out a handful of change, she quipped, “My own Fort Knox.”
“Your purse must weigh a ton,” Darcy observed as the number of coins continued to grow each time she foraged. Gianna separated the quarters into their own pile. By the time Elizabeth was done, there was enough to feed a dozen machines—certainly enough to pass the time until their food was ready.
Scooping the money outside the quarter pile back into her purse, they moved towards the arcade. Darcy chuckled when his sister chose the car racing machine first. “I haven’t played one of these in a decade or more,” he m
used.
“Then show us how it’s done, old man,” Elizabeth teased as she plunked in a few quarters.
“He’s so ancient, they should provide a seat belt,” Gianna added, surprising her brother with her wit.
“You ladies just watch me.” With confidence, Darcy gripped the steering wheel and hit the gas. Within the amount of time it took to inhale, he had hit the wall. Persistently, he started again. Again, he crashed. By the fourth time, he pulled his hands back in surrender. Darcy – 0. The arcade game – 4.
He took the loss like a man, whereas Elizabeth admitted that personally, she would have spent every cent of her change until she could make it around the track at least once. Of course, that wouldn’t have been fair to the others.
“Do you want to try?” He looked at Gianna. “I have confidence that these games are for young people, not someone ancient like me.”
She wasn’t convinced.
Elizabeth felt a presence at her side at the same time she saw Gianna’s eyes grow round and her mouth drop open. Glancing next to her, she found a tall, shaggy-haired teenage boy, with light brown hair and dark eyes wearing a t-shirt and jeans, surveying the three of them.
“I could show you how it’s done, if you want.” His voice was deep until it shot to a soprano about halfway through his sentence.
“Thank you, that would be terrific,” said Elizabeth.
“I would appreciate it,” said Darcy, who stuck his hand out for a manly shake.
Gianna’s vocal switch had, apparently, been flipped to mute. Before drool dripped from her mouth and down her chin, Elizabeth bumped into Gianna to help the young girl regain her composure.
Elizabeth pondered, had she ever been that young? Absolutely. She had had a crush on one of Jane’s boyfriends her first year in high school. Her school binder had “Elizabeth & Patrick” tucked inside a variety of hearts with “Patrick and Elizabeth Peters” scribbled in all the spare spaces. Patrick Peters ended up being a major doofus, so she had to throw the binder in the neighbor’s trash so Jane wouldn’t find it. Puppy love.
Something: Old, New, Later, True: A Pride & Prejudice Collection Page 9
