Pride and Porters

by Charlotte Greene

  Georgiana turned to Erin, eyes pleading. “Do you? Have plans? Because if you don’t, I insist you come.”

  “Come where?” Erin asked.

  “It’s my eighteenth birthday today, and we’re having a little party. That’s why we’re here—in Aspen, I mean. Darcy sprung the whole trip on me a couple of days ago, and here we are! Isn’t she the best?”

  Georgiana turned and hugged Darcy, and Darcy gave Erin an embarrassed grin again. Erin couldn’t help but laugh. This was a side to Darcy she’d only rarely seen, and it suited her. She was clearly completely devoted to her younger sister.

  “I’d love to, Georgiana, and happy birthday. Unfortunately, I already have plans.”

  The girl’s face fell, and so did her older sister’s. Erin’s heart lifted at the sight, and she couldn’t help but feel almost as disappointed as they looked.

  “I’m here on business, actually,” Erin said. “And I have a work thing most of the evening.”

  Georgiana slapped her forehead. “Oh, that’s right! Darcy and I saw the announcement about the festival.” She glanced at Darcy and then winked at Erin. “Once I saw it, I kind of thought the festival might be part of the reason we came here this week. I’m sure she wanted to see you again.”

  Darcy’s face flushed with color, and she opened her mouth, but Georgiana cut her off. “Don’t deny it, sister of mine. I know how you operate. And I don’t mind. I love Aspen, and I wanted to meet Erin anyway.”

  “That’s not really the case, Erin,” Darcy said, meeting her eyes. “I would never presume—”

  Erin held up a hand. “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain.”

  They were all quiet for a while, Georgiana looking back and forth between them as they simply stared at each other. Erin couldn’t wrench her eyes away. All these weeks, when she’d tried to stop thinking about her, she barely stopped even for a few minutes. And now here she was, in front of her, and she was clearly here at least in part to see her. Erin finally made herself turn to Georgiana, and she was surprised to see that the girl’s expression had fallen a little in that long, awkward silence. She must have sensed the tension between them.

  “Look,” Georgiana said, shaking her head. “I know you’re busy, but maybe you could stop by? Just for a little while? I really want to get to know you better, and I’m sure Darcy would love it if you came, even if she’s too stubborn to ask.”

  Erin was about to give the girl a firm no, but as she looked into her eyes, which were, in fact, a replica of Darcy’s, her resolve drained away. After all, she didn’t have a good reason to attend the entire reception at the festival tonight. She could duck out a little earlier than last night with no problem.

  “I’ll try, Georgiana, but it will probably be kind of late, like nine or nine thirty, before I could get away. Would that be all right?”

  Georgiana let out a loud whoop and hugged her again. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You just made my day. And come as late as you want. We’re all night owls in our family. We’ll be up until at least midnight. Please promise me you’ll be there. Don’t try—just do it! That’s what our dad always says.”

  “Okay. I promise. I’ll be there by ten at the latest. Is it all right if I bring my aunt with me?”

  “Bring anyone you like! The more the merrier. And no presents! I just want to see you, and I know Darcy does, too.”

  Darcy’s face was a rosy red again, and not from the cold. She gave Erin a quick, embarrassed smile and pulled her goggles down over her eyes again. “And on that note, I guess we’ll see you later.”

  “Unless you want to ski with us?” Georgiana asked, gesturing at the trail.

  Erin shook her head. “I have to head back, actually. I have another work thing in a couple of hours.” This was only partially true, as she’d planned to keep going another half hour, but Erin refused to ski with them.

  Georgiana seemed put out, but she smiled a second later. “Okay! Well, we’ll see you tonight then.”

  “Bye,” Erin said.

  She stood there for a while, watching them ski away up the trail. Georgiana was in the lead, and Erin had a long moment in which to watch Darcy from behind before they disappeared into the trees. In her daydreams, after Darcy had told her all those months ago that she liked to ski, Erin had pictured her doing just that, but the fantasy version she’d imagined was not nearly as impressive as the reality of Darcy’s firm body moving with easy grace across the snow. It was a sight to warm anyone from the inside out.

  “Goddamn it,” Erin said.

  Chapter Sixteen

  At nine thirty that night, Erin and her aunt were slipping and sliding on the icy sidewalks of downtown Aspen. To Erin’s surprise, Darcy wasn’t staying at the hotel. This afternoon, she’d texted Erin an address a few blocks away, and rather than drive over there, Erin had decided that the walk would help give her time to center herself before what would likely be an incredibly awkward encounter.

  “Can you explain this to me again?” her aunt asked, breathing heavily. Despite the ice, they were moving quickly to get out of the cold night air. “I still don’t understand why we’re going over there. Isn’t this the same woman who helped break your sister’s heart?”

  Erin looked at her, surprised. When Erin had told her this afternoon that they were invited to Darcy’s for a party, it had taken Eddie a moment to remember who she was. As Erin had never told anyone what she’d learned about Darcy driving Charlie and Jen apart, she’d thought that as far as Eddie knew, Darcy was simply Charlie’s friend. Eddie had known Darcy was in Colorado with Charlie before they left, and that they left together, but Erin thought that was the extent of Eddie’s knowledge of her.

  Seeing her confused expression, Eddie continued: “When your sister said that Charlie left with his friend Darcy—his female friend Darcy—I assumed she had something to do with the breakup, if you catch my drift.”

  Erin kept staring at her, puzzled, and then realized what her aunt was suggesting. She laughed out loud. “No, Eddie. It’s not like that at all. Charlie and Darcy aren’t a couple.”

  Eddie raised her eyebrows. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that, Erin. I’ve seen how some women work. They buddy up to a man, get rejected by him, and then sabotage all of his relationships until they get what they want.”

  Thinking of her conversation with Darcy in the brewery last month, Erin couldn’t help but laugh again and shake her head. Her aunt still looked doubtful. Erin stopped and put her hands on her shoulders. “I can assure you, Eddie, that Darcy is not interested in Charlie that way. I promise.”

  Eddie wouldn’t let it go. “You can’t be sure about anything in this life, Erin. The whole thing seemed very suspicious to me when Jen told me about it. And it makes perfect sense.” She paused. “Even if she and Charlie aren’t together now, don’t you think she might have had something to do with the breakup?”

  Erin had no response, since it was true. As they walked the last couple of blocks, she mulled over this fact again. Darcy had helped break up Charlie and Jen. Shouldn’t she hate her for it? Shouldn’t she do everything in her power never to speak to the woman again?

  “We’re here!” Eddie said, getting her attention.

  Erin had gone a few feet beyond the set of stone steps that led up from the street, and she turned around, shaking her head to clear it. Her aunt was gaping up at the house, and Erin immediately saw why. Rather than a simple ski chalet, or even a large townhouse, the house on the hill was fantastically large. From down here on the sidewalk, it loomed above the whole street, dwarfing all nearby buildings. For a moment, Erin was confused. Darcy wasn’t staying in a hotel, so why were they having a party at one? As she stared at it, however, she realized it wasn’t a hotel. It was, in fact, a tremendously large, stone house. It had been designed to resemble an English country house, and, even beyond the size, the architecture clashed with the mainly wooden ski chalets around it.

  “Who on earth is this woman?” her aunt aske
d.

  Erin shook her head and shrugged. “I don’t even know, Eddie.”

  They climbed the long set of stone stairs up to the door, and the house seemed to grow larger and larger the closer they got. Most of the windows were blazing with light, and once they were close enough, they could hear lots of voices and music inside. Erin took a deep breath before ringing the bell, which chimed loudly inside. Someone flung the door open a moment later, and suddenly Georgiana appeared in the square of light, her face bright with happiness.

  “You came!” she said, and threw herself at Erin.

  Erin laughed and returned the hug. “Happy Birthday!”

  “Darcy said you wouldn’t be able to make it. I’m so glad you proved her wrong.”

  “Georgiana, this is my aunt, Eddie,” Erin said.

  Eddie was thunderstruck, clearly confused by the whole scene. Erin had told her they were attending a birthday party, but she’d neglected to fill in the blanks.

  “So nice to meet you,” Eddie said, holding out her hand.

  “I’m so glad to meet you!” Georgiana took her hand in both of hers and squeezed it. “I’m sure Darcy will be excited to meet you, too. Erin was about the only thing she could think about today.”

  Eddie threw Erin a surprised look just before Georgiana grabbed Erin’s hand and dragged her inside. Erin should have told her aunt a little more about what to expect, but she hadn’t been able to make herself talk about it. Her past with Darcy was a secret for a reason. She’d been afraid that if she started telling her aunt about it today, she’d get emotional, so she’d avoided bringing it up. Erin cursed her own cowardice now.

  The room was crowded and overly warm. Erin had expected a small family affair, maybe with a friend or two, but at least thirty people were here. Two servers inched through the room, one with glasses of champagne and another with hors d’oeuvres. The furniture was tasteful and modern, and expensive-looking art hung on the walls. Like the house itself, it didn’t really seem like a living room that belonged in Aspen.

  “Darcy said I could have champagne tonight,” Georgiana said, taking a glass off the tray.

  “I said you could have a glass of champagne,” Darcy said, appearing suddenly from the side.

  Georgiana pouted and turned to give her glass to Aunt Eddie. “You’re no fun at all, Darcy.”

  “I just don’t want to see my eighteen-year-old sister get drunk, birthday or no birthday.”

  Darcy was breathtaking tonight. She was dressed simply, in a dark-gray sweater that matched her eyes and slim, dark, form-fitting jeans. Her hair was down, kissing her shoulders in pale, golden waves. Her face was open and flushed a little, the corners of her mouth lifting in a loose smile. Erin’s throat caught, and she was momentarily incapable of speech.

  “I didn’t think you would make it,” Darcy said.

  “I didn’t know if I would.”

  They continued to stare at each other, and Erin felt for a moment as if the rest of the world had dropped away. Darcy’s eyes were the only thing in the room. The chill from the walk disappeared in a wave of pleasurable heat the longer she stared into those dark depths.

  Movement to their right snapped Erin back to reality, and she looked over at her aunt and Georgiana, both of whom were grinning like fools.

  Darcy shook her head as if to clear it. “I’m so sorry.” She held out her hand. “I’m Darcy. You must be Erin’s aunt?”

  Eddie was still grinning as she took Darcy’s hand in hers and shook it. “Yes, I am. You can call me Eddie.” She released Darcy’s hand and turned to Georgiana.

  “Say, honey, why don’t you show me around? I’ve never been in a big house like this before.”

  Georgiana looked like she was about to object, and then she smiled and winked at Eddie. “Oh yeah, okay. I’ll give you the tour. I’m sure these two won’t mind being left to their own devices for a while.”

  Darcy and Erin were alone a moment later, their companions giggling as they left them alone. They shared a smile.

  “Now I’ll never hear the end of it,” Darcy said.

  “Me neither. God knows what Aunt Eddie thinks now.”

  They were quiet for a while, still smiling at each other, but some of the humor gradually died out of Darcy’s eyes.

  “Can we talk?” Darcy asked.

  “Isn’t that what we’re doing now?”

  Darcy sighed. “I mean alone.” She gestured at the crowded room. “Could you come upstairs, just for a few minutes?”

  “Okay.”

  Erin followed Darcy across the room and over to a wide staircase. Heads swiveled their way as they crossed the room, and she could only imagine what everyone was thinking as they disappeared upstairs together. Following Darcy from behind was an exercise in self-control, however, as she wanted to reach out and touch her the moment they rounded the corner out of sight from the others. She balled her fists and kept them at her sides to stop herself.

  Darcy led her to a room at the end of a short hallway, and when Erin walked in, she stopped, surprised. The light from the hallway illuminated an enormous piano taking up one side of the room and a harp in the other corner.

  “Do you play?” Erin asked.

  Darcy shook her head. “My sister is the musician. She’s at Julliard, actually. I can do some simple melodies, but I never had the discipline to get very good at it.”

  Darcy closed the door behind them, and the room plunged into darkness. The only light was ambient from the outside streetlights. Erin could see silhouettes, however, and when Darcy moved across the room to stand in front of the large windows, she followed a moment later. She stood close enough that she could feel the warmth from Darcy’s shoulder. It was also lighter by the window. Streetlights reflecting on the snow outside cast both of their faces in pale light, and the longer they stood there, the clearer details became as her eyes adjusted.

  They continued to stare outside, not at each other, for a long, quiet pause. This was better. Erin lost her train of thought any time she looked at Darcy’s face, so maybe in this dark, quiet room, they could say what they needed to and be done with this. She started to shake with nerves and took a long breath before speaking.

  “It’s a beautiful house.”

  Darcy laughed. “You think so? I disagree. It’s ostentatious, and it sticks out like a sore thumb here. It’s my aunt’s.”

  Oh, Erin thought. That explained things much better.

  “She keeps a music room here? For your sister?”

  Darcy nodded. “She’s devoted to her. I think she likes Georgiana almost as much as her own daughter. She’s easy to love.”

  Erin could sense the unspoken follow-up—that Darcy was not. Her heart started pounding, and she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. It was time to start the real conversation they needed to have.

  “What did you want to talk to me about?”

  During another long pause, Erin could hear Darcy breathing quickly. She finally cleared her throat and said, “First of all, I wanted to apologize.”

  Erin’s breath hitched. “For what?”

  “For lots of things. First, for my presumption. I know that…well, my feelings are my own. I should never have assumed that you shared them.”

  Erin looked over at her. “Darcy, I—”

  “Please let me finish.”

  Erin turned to look out the window again and waited. Darcy was clearly nervous, and Erin wanted to let her have her say.

  “Second, I need to apologize about Charlie. And your sister.”

  Darcy finally turned, and Erin turned with her, both of them reaching out wordlessly and taking each other’s hands. Erin could feel Darcy trembling now, though she might simply be feeling her own hands shaking.

  “I drove them apart, and I regret it very much. You accused me of doing it because of money, and I denied it. At the time, I thought I was telling you the truth. And on the surface, it wasn’t because of the money. I was afraid she was playing him. She didn’t seem to
actually love him, and I wanted him to break it off before things got too serious.” She paused, swallowing. “But then I saw her. After the breakup, I mean.”

  Erin was surprised. “You did? Jen never mentioned it.”

  “She didn’t see me. It was right before Christmas. My family was already up in Aspen, but I stayed in Boulder a little longer. I told them I still needed to do some shopping, but I couldn’t make myself go up there without seeing you again. We’d had our…conversation at your brewery a couple of days before that.”

  Erin laughed. “That’s a nice way of putting it. Argument is probably more accurate.”

  “Right. Well, anyway, I couldn’t let it go. I needed to talk to you again, or at least see you, so I drove up to Loveland. I parked in front of the brewery, and then I saw Jen outside, waiting for something or someone. You, maybe.”

  Darcy was quiet again for a long moment, her eyes troubled and inward-looking. “When I saw her, she looked absolutely wrecked. She was so forlorn and empty. I knew exactly what she was feeling and that I’d done that to her. I knew then that I’d been wrong. She loves Charlie just as much as he loves her. I’ve never felt worse about anything in my entire life. I was so guilty, I immediately left without talking to you or to her.”

  Darcy paused, wetting her lips. “But that’s not the worst part. I’ve been thinking about what you said, about the money, just about every minute since I saw you in the brewery. And I think you’re right about that, too. I was afraid Jen was planning to use him for his money. She told us several times that your brewery was in trouble, and I think part of me—maybe even a big part—thought she was angling for a loan.”

  Erin’s heart wrenched, and Darcy squeezed her hands.

  “But I was wrong, Erin. I can admit that now. I know better. I was arrogant and I was wrong. They loved each other, and I drove them apart.”

  They were quiet as Erin absorbed this confession. Darcy’s admission didn’t necessarily make what she’d done any better—it certainly wouldn’t erase Jen’s pain—but it did make Erin feel a little better.