by Ruby Cruz
She scoffed. “You would jeopardize his career, his life, just to vex me?”
“Dr. DeBourgh, with all due respect, this isn’t about you. I’m with Will because I love him.”
She made a disgusted sound. “What do you know about love? You were raised by a woman thrice married and who has a reputation for choosing men unwisely. Your elder sister seems to have fallen in her footsteps, breeding a bastard child and marrying the first man who will have her. And your step-sister…oh, yes, I know about her travesty of a marriage and about William’s role in paying off her myriad debts.”
My mind raced to comprehend what she was telling me. Did she know the whole story about George? Did she know that Ana had been involved with him?
As I considered her statements further, anger began to fill me. How dare she judge my family. I may be critical of my mother, but there was no way I would let self-important, pompous, cold-hearted Dr. Catherine DeBourgh badmouth her in any way.
“Don’t you dare talk about my family. You know nothing about them. My mother is a good woman with a good heart, and Jane is the kindest person you will ever meet and a terrific mother. And Lydia may be misguided, but she is honest and is fighting to recover from her mistakes. You may look down on us because you were born with a silver spoon, but you do not have the right to judge us for being human. You think we know nothing about love, but you should look in the mirror before you make a statement like that. We at least have people in our lives who care about us and who are willing to do anything to make sure we’re happy and cared for. You’re here because you’re afraid that if Will marries me, then there will be no one left for you.”
“Tread carefully, Miss Bennett, for you won’t be able to take back your words once spoken.”
I struggled to maintain my anger. She was right - I’d already said too much. In a more even voice, I stated, “I think we’ve both said enough for now. Will is expecting me in the city by ten o’clock and I believe that is the car service pulling into the driveway as we speak. I wouldn’t want to disappoint him by being late.”
“You think you’re so clever, with your fast words and sarcastic tongue.”
“Dr. DeBourgh, I’m sorry you feel so strongly against me, and I do wish I could change that. Perhaps we can speak more at dinner tomorrow night.”
“If you refuse to desist, then I have no other choice.” Her cold eyes glinted with blue ice. I wondered how I wasn’t frozen on the spot. “Your friend, Luke Carlos…I don’t believe we shall have a position available for him once we close the New York office. Perhaps you may be able to find a job for him back in Meryton. I’m sure he would enjoy being back here, closer to his friends and family.”
Was she threatening to fire Luke if I didn’t break up with Darcy? Could she really do that? Luke loved his job, he loved living in the city. He’d be heartbroken if he lost both because of me.
Dr. DeBourgh smirked with triumph. “Ah, I believe I finally garnered your attention.”
“Please leave Luke out of this. He’s done nothing but perform exemplarily for you. You have no just cause for firing him.”
“I never said I was firing him. By moving our office to the West Coast, his job would no longer be valid. It would be a layoff, simple as that. You may hire a lawyer to verify the legality of the decision if you like.”
I felt literally sick to my stomach and swallowed down the bile threatening to rise up my throat.
A minute passed and her smile widened. I didn’t think I’d ever seen her so happy. “Do we have an understanding, Nurse Bennett?”
“If I agree, Luke may keep his job, whether or not you move to the West Coast?”
“As you said, his performance has been exemplary. I would hate to lose such an efficient and hard-working employee.”
“And what am I supposed to tell Will?”
“You’re a clever girl. I’m sure you’ll figure something out.” She opened her purse and extracted a piece of paper. “A little compensation for your trouble.”
She handed me the paper which was in the form of a cashier’s check. I didn’t look at the amount typed on it as I attempted to hand it back to her. “I don’t want your money.”
“Oh, but you’ll need something to help you out. All those school loans and you’ll need to find a new place to live. This should more than compensate you. You might not be able to afford a house such as this, but I think you’ll find a way to manage. Women of your kind always do.”
When I refused to take the check from her, she placed it on the edge of the entrance table. “I’ll just leave this here for you to take at your leisure. I expect we won’t see each other again after tonight.” I understood her implication, that I was to break up with Darcy immediately. “I shall take my leave of you now. Have a pleasant evening, Miss Bennett.”
With a final smirk, she opened the front door and left.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Fallout
After Dr. DeBourgh left, I sat in the sitting room. Mrs. Pratchett checked on me and gently attempted to coax me out, but I didn’t want to talk. Or move. Or even think. So I sat in the darkened room.
I had no idea what to do. I loved Will, that was never the question, and I knew he wouldn't think twice about confronting his aunt about her threats, but I also didn't want to be the cause of a rift between him and his aunt, one of the last family members he had.
But being with Will, of possibly being married to him, also meant that I would be marrying into his family and his crazy aunt. The thought filled me with more dread than showing up to one of my finals and having no clue what the answers were.
Lydia came home thirty minutes later and was surprised to see me sitting there. “Lizzy? I thought you were supposed to leave for the city.”
How was I supposed to answer her? I didn’t even know what the answer was supposed to be.
“Lizzy, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”
“Dr. DeBourgh stopped by.”
“What? What do you mean she stopped by? Doesn’t she live in that fancy apartment in New York?”
I attempted to explain to her what had happened, and when I got to the part about her offering me money, she flipped out. “She tried to pay you off?! Please tell me you threw that bitch out on her ass.”
“I didn’t. I couldn’t. She’d fire Luke.”
“So? He’ll find another job. Nurses can work anywhere. It’s not like he has to stay in the city.”
“But he loves it there. I couldn’t do that to him.”
“So you’re willing to give up your relationship with Darcy to save Luke’s job? Lizzy, are you even listening to yourself? Darcy’s the best thing to ever happen to you. You can’t give up, not because his aunt is a bitter spinster with no soul. You have to fight for him.”
“How? She holds all the cards.”
“Just tell Darcy. He’ll never stand for this. He loves you too much. You told me yourself, he misses taking care of patients, so it’s not like he’s in love with the job he has now. He’d give that up for you, no problem.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“What are you talking about? He’s done so much as it is.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not so much what he’s done, it’s what he hasn’t.” At her questioning glance, I continued, “He’s been working with Caroline Bingley for weeks and he never told me, even after I asked him about it.”
“Wait. He lied to you?”
“Not outright, but he didn’t tell me the whole truth. He could have weeks ago, when he first started working out there. I made a joke about him working with her and he just sort of brushed it off.”
“Do you think he was cheating on you?”
“No. That’s one thing I am sure of. He’s always denied any type of romantic relationship between them, despite what she always implied.”
“Maybe he wasn’t working with her at the time.”
“But it’s not just her. It�
�s this whole situation. His aunt guilted him into helping out with the company and, fine, I get that. It’s his legacy. And aside from Ana, his aunt is the only family he has left. He took the position with the company all so he could help out his aunt and hang on to that. He chose that life over his and…and I’m afraid if I give him the choice, he’ll choose it again. I couldn’t bear it.”
“So, what? You’re making the choice for him? That’s not being fair to him.”
“And how fair was it to me that he did all this without talking to me first, that he lied to me about working with the one person I can’t stand? How fair was it that I’m always the last one to know anything? He compartmentalizes his life into little separate boxes so I never really know what’s going on with him unless I’m actually physically with him. I can’t be with him as his girlfriend or his wife or whatever unless he actually learns how to open up all the boxes and let the contents mingle. I can’t just ignore his aunt because she’s a part of his life and he wants her to remain a part of it.”
“So you’re just giving up, then?” When I didn’t answer, she grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me. “You can’t let her win. I know you’re made of stronger stuff than this! You’ve stood up for so many people - me, your patients, Jane - you have to stand up for yourself now.”
“I want to, but I don’t want to hurt people in the process.”
“I’m sorry to tell you, someone’s going to get hurt whether you like it or not. You can’t make everyone happy all the time. Life just doesn’t work that way. Unfortunately, someone in this scenario is going to get hurt. Please don’t let it be you.”
When I didn’t respond she continued. “Just talk to Darcy. You have to be honest with him and at least tell him what his aunt did. He’ll never forgive you if you don’t and you just run away.” When I continued to be silent, she added, “You have to go and see him anyway. He’s expecting you tonight. Whether it’s to tell him about his aunt or to break up with him, you need to do it in person.”
“You’re right.”
“Now go. I don’t know how these things work with rich people, but the car’s already waiting outside, and I think you said earlier the plane should be waiting at the airport. I don’t want you to miss it.”
I nodded. “Okay. I need to get my things.”
“I’ll help you.”
“Me too.” Mrs. Pratchett emerged from the kitchen area. “I couldn’t help but overhear everything that’s happened. I agree with Miss Lydia. You need to go and you need to talk with Dr. Darcy about what’s happened. You owe him that much.”
Lydia finished helping me pack while Mrs. Pratchett called the airport and Darcy and notified them of the delay. “I just told him you were held up. I didn’t say why.” She handed me a small paper bag. “I know they have these things on the plane, but I packed you some things for your flight.” The bag contained a can of ginger ale, peppermints, and saltines.
“Oh, and don’t forget your meds.” Lydia pulled out the scopolamine patch, placed it behind my ear, and reminded me to take the anti-emetics which I took with tiny sips of water.
After my bags were packed into the car, she grabbed me by the shoulders again. “Remember, you need to stand up for yourself. I want you to call me in the morning and tell me that he manned up and chose you. If you don’t do this now, if you give in, you’ll be fighting the same battle the rest of your life. You need to remind him why he chose you in the first place.”
I gave her a small smile. “How did you get to be so smart?”
“I learned from my big sister. She just needs reminding who she is sometimes.”
I hugged her. “Thank you.”
“Go. He’s waiting for you.”
~
Less than two hours later, I was in a limo, my head leaning on Darcy’s shoulder. His arm was around me and his hand stroked my hair, a soothing gesture that didn’t quite succeed in soothing the anxiety in my stomach. At least I’m not nauseated, I thought. I felt groggy, but the adrenaline in my system helped counteract some of the sedative effects of the medications I’d taken.
“You’re very quiet,” he commented as he continued to stroke my hair. “Is everything okay?”
“We should probably wait until we get back to the hotel,” I answered.
Instead of mollifying him, my response seemed to engage his curiosity. “What is it? Does it have to do with the reason why you were late tonight?”
“Yes. But really, we should wait until we’re out of the car.”
He stopped stroking my hair and pulled away to face me. The passing streetlamps and city lights flashed onto his face and casted his angular features into deep relief. “What’s happened?”
I blew out a breath. What did it matter if it was now or ten minutes from now? I couldn’t postpone the inevitable. “I received a visit from your aunt earlier this evening.”
His brow knitted in confusion. “Aunt Catherine came to the house in New Jersey?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
I had no idea how to tell him what had happened. The news would crush him. “She said several things. First, she told me she was considering moving the New York office to San Francisco and she wants you to head the research there.”
“She told you this? But that news is confidential. Nobody outside the company is supposed to know that.”
My heart sank. That was not the response I’d been hoping for. “Then she told me that she was considering not hiring back Luke should the office move out of New York.”
“Really? Why would she do that? Luke is one of her best research nurses. This doesn’t make any sense.”
“It will when I tell you the last part. She said that she was going to fire Luke unless I agreed to stop seeing you.”
He stared at me, his eyes obsidian in the darkness. The silence stretched between us, his eyes never leaving mine. “I don’t believe it.”
“I told you she doesn’t like me, Will, but even I didn’t realize to what extent. I didn’t want to tell you, but…if we’re to have any type of future together, we can’t keep secrets from each other.”
He finally looked away from me and ran a hand through his hair, causing random tufts to stick up uncharacteristically.
When he didn’t respond, I continued, “Will, why didn’t you tell me about San Francisco? Or about the merger with Bingley Pharmaceuticals?”
He still didn’t answer me, his countenance hardening and his impassive mask settling on his face like a suit of armor.
When I spoke again, I struggled to keep my voice calm. “Your aunt told me you were working closely with Caroline Bingley. Now, I know I haven’t made it a secret that I don’t like her, but why would you not tell me about it? When you first started working out there, I remember joking with you about potentially working with her and you just brushed it off.”
“My dealings with her were strictly business related. Nothing happened with her.”
“No, but you still should have told me about it, especially because you know how I feel about her.”
“I couldn’t, not without breaking the confidentiality agreement between our companies.”
“Your aunt didn’t seem so concerned about that when she told me how closely you two were working together. Even though nothing happened, I can’t help but feel betrayed. I feel like I’m always the last to find out. Do you really trust me so little that you can’t tell me something as important as the fact that you might move across the country? That for weeks you’ve had daily dealings with Caroline Bingley, the one woman you know I despise?”
“I told you, nothing happened with her. I’m not lying about that.”
“No, but a lie of omission is still a lie. You didn’t tell me because you knew I’d freak out.”
“Just like you’re doing now.”
I chuckled wryly. “You’re right, I am freaking out because I feel like you don’t trust me enough to have an honest conv
ersation with me about us.”
“This isn’t about you, Lizzy.”
“You’re wrong. This is about me because you are a part of me. You’re not even giving me a chance here. Why am I always the one to make the first move? You know, before your aunt showed up tonight, I was going to come here tonight and tell you that I was ready to be with you, that I didn’t want to wait, that I was going to come live with you if it was in California or Timbuktu. I was going to give it all up because I wanted to be with you, wherever you were.”
“Why are you speaking in the past tense?”
“Because I want to be with you, but I don’t know if I can be with you. Not if you’re going to keep secrets and not communicate. We’ve been apart for six weeks and I don’t know anything that’s happening with you. You don’t talk to me. You talk, but you don’t say anything. I can’t be with you if you won’t even tell me the most basic things. I’m not just some girl you can keep in your pocket and play with whenever you feel like it. You can’t just keep me in one of your little life compartments and not expect me to know about your job or your friends or the rest of your family. I can’t live that way. If you want to be with me, you need to let me in.”
“So, that’s it? You came all this way to tell me you don’t want to be with me?”
“No! I came here to give you a choice. I came here to ask you to let me know you, all of you, and not just snippets here and there. I came here because I need to know if you love me enough to let me into your whole life. You can’t just stick your head in the sand and pretend your aunt doesn’t care about your relationship with me, or that you can move across the country and I won’t blink an eye. Life doesn’t work that way. If I’m going to be a part of your life, I need to know all of you.”
“I don’t do well with ultimatums, Lizzy.”
I felt like screaming, like wringing his handsome neck. “How can you be so freaking dense? I love you. I want to be with you. But not like this. Not when I’m an afterthought.”
