by Ruby Cruz
“From where I was sitting, he looked like he was doing everything right.”
“That’s not like him. I mean, I felt like I was being…branded, like he fully well knew his aunt would see us making out in the shadows. It felt illicit and indecent and a bit dirty.”
“You sound like that’s a bad thing.”
“It is when the woman who’s held no qualms about hating you is watching you do it.”
“Are you angry at Will?”
“No. I just don’t know what’s going on. I hate feeling like I’m missing something.”
“Well, there’s no use speculating on this stuff before you talk to him. You’re just going to drive yourself crazy. So what we’re going to do is get you the drink I promised you.”
“Alcohol doesn’t solve everything.”
“No, but it’s a great anesthetic.”
“Yeah, until it wears off and you feel crappier than you did before.”
“Do you want that drink or not?”
“Yes.”
~
Ninety minutes later, Luke dropped me off at the manor. “Wow,” he commented as he drove through the gate and to the front entrance. “I take back everything bad I ever said about Dr. Catherine. Do you think she’ll let me move in here and be her pool boy? I don’t take up too much space, and I’m much prettier to look at than some of her current staff.”
I ignored him. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Wouldn’t miss the festivities.”
“I doubt it’s going to be very festive.”
“You know what I mean. And don’t sweat it about Will. I can’t say I know what’s going through his head, but he does love you.”
“I know.” I kissed his cheek. “Good night. And thanks for the drink.”
I let myself into the foyer and made my way to the grand staircase. All those stairs seemed to taunt me as exhaustion crept into my bones and my ankle throbbed. I hobbled up, one step at a time, and continued down the hallway. I needed sleep, preferably cuddled up next to Will.
When I reached the suite, he wasn’t there, at least not at first glance. Then I saw the door to the balcony open, the ocean breeze billowing the curtains. I called his name and stepped onto the balcony, his silhouette visible in the darkness. “Will?” I called again.
He turned and I could only see his profile against the moonlight. I joined him by the rail and he drew me into his arms, his chin resting against the top of my head. When I finally pulled away, I asked, “What’s going on? Is everything okay between us?”
The question seemed to take him by surprise. “Of everything, you are the only thing I am sure of.”
“Then what is it?”
He turned away from me and looked out to the ocean. “When I was a child, I loved coming here. I never understood why my parents never joined Ana and me. I mean, they made a good living and we never wanted for anything, but this…” His arm swept around us. “We never had anything like this. It wasn’t until later that I understood why my parents sheltered Ana and me from this life.”
“And why is that?”
“My parents were good people, and they liked to think the best of those around them. It’s part of the reason why they took in George and his mother even knowing Mrs. Wickham was an alcoholic. Now, I’m not trying to make excuses for the type of person he became, but with so little going for him in the beginning, it’s a wonder he didn’t devolve earlier in his life.”
I wondered where he was going with this line of thinking, but I didn’t push him, trusting he would get to his point eventually.
“Anyway, my mother saw firsthand what wealth can do to a person. As forgiving and understanding as my parents were, my grandfather had become distrustful. He didn’t like my father because he had served in a war he opposed. And he fell out with my mother because she wouldn’t let him control us, at least when we were younger. We visited yearly, but instead of moving the family to be closer to him, they opted to stay at Pemberley. By the time I reached high school, she trusted me to form my own opinions and make my own decisions about people, and by that time I’d discovered that while I loved and respected my grandfather, I didn’t like him very much.”
“That was very open-minded of her to let you come to that opinion on your own.”
“That was my mother. Like I said, she liked to think the best of people and had hoped I would be able to see through the bluster and arrogance. I like to think that Ana inherited her optimism.”
“And what about you?”
“Unfortunately, despite my mother’s concerns, I turned out more like my grandfather than she would’ve liked. Prep school jaded me. Too many people were willing to see the dollar signs and the trust fund before the person. Ed was the first person I met who didn’t care about my associations.” He blew out a breath. “He sends his regards, by the way.”
“Is he still overseas?”
He nodded. “He feels horrible that he couldn’t be here for Aunt Catherine. He couldn’t get the leave. She was somewhat upset he couldn’t come.”
“Your aunt certainly has a fondness for him.”
“He has that way with people. He’s one of the few friends who has been with me through every difficult time in my life.”
“That’s what good friends do.”
“Yes, it is. And that’s why I’m glad you’re here with me now. I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t by my side through all this.”
I could barely see his eyes in the darkness, but what I could see startled me. He pulled me close again. Instead of the gentleness he’d exhibited just moments before, his touch was demanding, much like the kiss he’d given me outside the funeral home. His lips found mine as one hand slid up from my waist to cup my breast.
My heart pounded both with lust and a bit of anxiety. I didn’t understand the change in him and it worried me, especially when he had avoided any explanation to me by this display of passion.
But as he ravished me with his kiss, the surf crashing behind me in rhythm with my heart, I succumbed to him and offered myself, body and soul.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Broken Hearted
The next morning was a blur, the funeral taking place at ten o’clock with interment after the service. The church was packed, and I felt distinctly uncomfortable seated at the front alongside Ana and Dr. DeBourgh, the older woman tacitly ignoring me. Darcy served as one of the pallbearers, and Chase Hammond and other choice members of the community joined him.
Once Darcy fulfilled his duty, he joined me in the pew, his hand cold as it gripped mine.
My mind barely registered the words of the minister, the music of the choir, the scent of the flowers filling the church. The service was beautiful, or seemed beautiful at the surface, but if you were to ask me to list which songs were sung or the types of flowers displayed, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. All I knew was the feel of Darcy’s cold hand, the sounds of the quiet sobs beside me, and the abject despair that seemed to fill our row of the church.
At one point during the service, at a time when the grief displayed beside me was almost too much to bear, I reached over and covered Dr. DeBourgh’s hand with mine. It was the only thing I knew to do, the act done almost through impulse, my standard for offering comfort. From her sharp intake of breath, I knew I’d shocked her and almost expected her to pull away, and she might have if Ana hadn’t laid her hand on top of mine and essentially sandwiched my hand between theirs.
We sat like that, a chain of hands, until the end of the ceremony.
By the time service ended and we entered the limo for our final procession to the cemetery, I hardly knew how to act or what to say. I felt even more like an intruder, the emotions too raw and intimate.
Oftentimes, when caring for a dying patient, I was the quiet observer, titrating pain medication, offering coffee and even a shoulder to cry on to the family members. In the hospital I knew what my role was, knew how to adapt to
the situation at hand. But here, I didn’t know what to do or how to act.
Dr. DeBourgh made her feelings clear that she viewed me as an interloper, unwanted and uninvited to her family’s grieving. In a way, I felt trapped - too close to Darcy to be able to leave, not close enough to Dr. DeBourgh to feel obligated to stay.
But I stayed, because my love for Darcy could endure the day’s unpleasantness. Despite his assertion at not being close to his grandfather, his grief as the service commenced became more palpable, his emotions raw. After the coffin was lowered into the ground and after Dr. DeBourgh threw the first white rose onto the lacquered wood, followed by her niece and nephew, Darcy made a point to hand me the next flower, almost as if to reaffirm to his aunt that I was a part of this, that I would not be shut out. The look she threw me at that moment cut me, her sharp blue eyes like shards of ice threatening to freeze me out.
But as the coffin was lowered into the ground, the ice dissolved into absolute grief and the racking sobs began anew, deep and soul-wrenching. I found myself fighting tears. No one could be immune to such emotion.
She sobbed and clung to Ana and Darcy. Marjorie and Chase Hammond were the only other funeral goers to join us at the interment, in addition to the priest from the church. All others had gone ahead to the manor house for the repast Terry had efficiently organized.
We patiently watched as Dr. DeBourgh sobbed and agonized over the grave, until, quite suddenly, she clutched her chest and cried out in a tone quite different from her previous ones. “Aunt Catherine?” Ana called out in alarm. “What’s wrong?”
“My heart. I…” She cried out again. “I think I’m having a heart attack.”
~
Chase immediately called 911 as Darcy examined his aunt. She certainly appeared in distress - she was sweating profusely and having difficulty catching her breath. “She’s tachycardic,” Darcy said to me as he felt her pulse. He asked his aunt, “Have you been having angina before this?”
“No,” she managed to gasp out. “Nothing. My blood pressure has been normal. I haven’t been taking any medications.”
We waited ten long minutes before the ambulance arrived, during which time the funeral director had been able to rig a stretcher from the casket transport so we could bring Dr. DeBourgh closer to the parking lot for when the ambulance would arrive. Darcy and Ana helped soothe their aunt and make her as comfortable as possible, each breath an obvious struggle. I hung back, unsure how to contribute, not even sure if my help would be welcome.
When the paramedics arrived, they loaded Dr. DeBourgh onto the ambulance. Darcy argued with them momentarily about allowing him to ride with his aunt. When they finally consented, he directed Ana to follow in the limo. “What about me?” I asked.
He hesitated slightly. “I think it’d be best if you go back to the house. We need someone there for the guests and to assure everyone she’ll be fine.”
“But we don’t know that.”
“She’ll be fine,” he repeated, as if merely saying the words would make them true. “I need you to do this for us, Lizzy. Please.” He turned to Chase and Mrs. Hammond. “If you would accompany her back to the manor, I would greatly appreciate it.”
“Of course.”
“I would like to go to the hospital with Ana,” Mrs. Hammond stated, her tone firm. “She’s my best friend.”
“Very well.” The paramedics gestured that they were about to leave and Darcy climbed into the rig. I caught one last glimpse of his grim face before the doors closed and the ambulance left, sirens blaring.
Ana and Mrs. Hammond quickly climbed into the limo to follow, while I was left staring after them with Chase.
“Do you really think she’s having a heart attack?” he asked.
“She had many of the symptoms. But it could just as well have been a panic attack - sometimes that can mimic heart attack symptoms. They won’t know until they do further testing.” Almost automatically, my mind listed all the tests they could perform: EKG, cardiac enzymes, electrolytes, chest X-ray in addition to her vital signs.
“You’re mumbling to yourself.”
“What?”
“You’re mumbling. Something about oxygen, aspirin, and morphine?”
“Sorry. Part of first line treatment for heart attack patients. They usually administer those in the field before the patient even reaches the hospital. I’ve been doing that lately…spouting out facts and figures from all the studying I’ve done.”
“Sounds like you should be in that ambulance with them.”
“No, I’d probably just get in the way, and I doubt Dr. DeBourgh wants me there. She doesn’t exactly hold me in the highest regard. Plus, Will is much more capable than me in handling this. That’s his specialty.”
“But she’s his aunt. He’s not exactly objective.”
“But he’s the best at what he does.” I blew out a breath. “We should go and return to the house. I’m sure somebody’s already called Terry, but we should be there.”
“And what are you going to say?”
“I have absolutely no idea.”
~
The drive to the manor house was quiet. We were both lost in our thoughts, not the least of which was what had happened at the cemetery. I clung anxiously to my phone, waiting to hear the chime or feel the buzz that I had a message or someone was calling. It remained silent, however.
When Chase and I arrived, the driveway was already full of cars, so we were forced to park on the street and walk. As we reached the approximate halfway point of the driveway, he joked, “I could always carry you the rest of the way if you’re too tired to continue.” He gestured to my crutches.
“I think I can manage, but thanks for the offer.”
As we approached, I could see the grounds were near overflowing with white flowers, wreaths, and arrangements so splendid and spectacular I thought we’d made a wrong turn and had arrived at someone’s ostentatious wedding. The way well-dressed guests milled about made this seem much less like a funeral and more like an elegant cocktail party.
When we finally reached the house, Terry met us at the front door. “Ana phoned ahead and told me what happened. So far they’re running tests, but nothing conclusive has been found.”
“There’s a lot of people here,” I commented, observing the guests milling about.
“They’ll want to know what’s going on and why the family isn’t here.”
“Should I make an announcement? Explain to them what happened?”
She shook her head. “She specifically did not want that. She doesn’t want to give any indication to the board that she’s not fit to serve as CEO. Since we don’t have any conclusive results as to what’s wrong, it’s best we keep things quiet for now.”
“But people are bound to ask questions.”
“I’ve been telling people that she’s chosen to mourn in private. It makes sense given how emotional she’s been the past few days. Even the board can’t fault her for taking one day to mourn.”
“But what about tomorrow? They’ve been working nearly nonstop with all those meetings and conference calls.”
She shrugged, though she looked worried. “I don’t know. We’ll have to worry about surviving today and then we’ll worry about tomorrow.” She looked over our shoulders and fixed a smile on her face. “Senator Kelly, I’m so pleased you and your wife could make it!”
Chase and I turned to see a white-haired gentleman with a handsomely lined face smile and greet Terry warmly. I was just about to make myself scarce when Terry grabbed my arm. “This is Miss Elizabeth Bennett, a close friend of Dr. DeBourgh’s nephew, William.” I noted how I was introduced as a friend and not girlfriend and wondered if that had been under her employer’s instruction.
“It’s a great loss, Walter’s death,” he stated.
“I’ve heard he was a great man,” I said.
“The best. So I take it you’ve never met him.”
&n
bsp; “No, I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure. My acquaintance with the family is relatively recent.”
“Pity.” He greeted Chase with a clap on the shoulder and a warm handshake. “Chase, my boy. I haven’t seen you around the golf circuit lately.”
“After that shoulder injury last spring, my swing hasn’t been the same since so I’ve only been playing sporadically. Plus, I’ve received more commissions than I know how to handle from the summer crowd. It’s definitely keeping me busy.”
They chatted amiably while I made small talk with the senator’s wife. Eventually, the absence of the family was noted. “Poor Catherine,” Mrs. Kelly said. “She must have taken Walter’s death very hard indeed for her to not greet her guests today.”
“The past few days have taken their toll on her,” I admitted. “I’m sure it’ll just be a matter of time before she resumes her work.”
The next hour was spent similarly - making small talk with guests, assuring them Dr. DeBourgh was just taking time to grieve in private. Finally, I received a text from Ana that her aunt was being brought to the catheterization lab to see if she had any blockages in her coronary arteries. As suspected, Darcy was going to be present in the procedure room, though just as an observer.
Luke caught me checking my messages. “So, tell me the scoop. Where is the family really?”
I shook my head. “Cliff Notes version: Dr. Catherine might have had a heart attack.” My voice was barely audible and he had to lean closer to me to decipher the words.
“Say what?”
“She’s at the hospital now getting a cath done. Ana’s been texting me with updates.”
“The guests will flip if they hear this, not to mention the board.”
“No kidding. That’s why we haven’t said anything.”
“You’re lucky the press hasn’t gotten wind of it. They’ve been everywhere.”
“They can’t know. Who knows what this type of news will do to their stock?”
I’d forgotten about the press. A memory flashed from one of the first functions I’d ever attended as Will’s girlfriend. It had been at the Met gala, and some photographer had taken a picture of Will and me and published it in the society pages of the Post, captioning it, “Country girl snags New York royalty.” When Luke had forwarded me the photo and the accompanying article, I’d been appalled, but Darcy had merely commented, with a shrug, “Being my girlfriend carries certain obligations.”
