The evening stretched on from there. They finished the movie they were watching and then watched another. By that time, the night was winding down. Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds had retired for the night after the first movie was over. Georgiana pleaded homework after the second one was over and escaped, and Jane, with a wide yawn, complained that it was past her bedtime. She, too, went on up to her room, leaving only Darcy and Elizabeth left.
Lizzy raised a brow at him as Jane disappeared. “Think you’re up for one more?”
“I don’t know about another chick flick, but I wouldn’t mind watching an episode of Top Gear.”
“I’m okay with that. My dad and I watch that show together all the time.”
Lizzy got up to fetch them both something to drink from the kitchen while Darcy fiddled with the television and got the show pulled up.
When she returned, he had the episode ready to go and remote in hand. She handed him the soda he had requested and settled on to the end of the couch nearest him. His heart warmed a little bit at the revelation that small act gave him.
She had chosen to be closer to him. Maybe he had made more progress than he thought.
Together they laughed as the cohosts bantered and debated the merits of one car over another. When it was over, neither of them seemed to be in any hurry to move.
The darkened room made the night seem more intimate somehow, and lent Darcy the courage to say, after a few minutes of companionable silence, “You never did tell me why you came up here unexpectedly. What happened?”
Lizzy was full of warmth and pleasantly sleepy from the late night, enough so that her defenses were lowered and she responded more honestly than she would have if he had asked her in any other situation. “The house was in an uproar. William Collins made me an offer I couldn’t accept, and then refused to listen to a word I said.”
“What offer did he make you?”
“It was two-fold, actually. He wanted me to give up my job as a general contractor, and move to Hunsford to be his secretary and his girlfriend. Ridiculous, isn’t it? When I told him that, he didn’t take it too kindly.”
“It is ridiculous. I couldn’t imagine you working as a receptionist. You love your job, and you’re excellent at it.”
“I wish he had seen things your way. He basically told me that no girlfriend of his would work at such a demanding job and that it wasn’t proper work for a woman to do. Of course, since I had no intention of becoming his girlfriend, it didn’t really matter. But it took some convincing to get him to accept the fact that I had no interest in either of his proposals.”
“How did you finally convince him? From the little of him I saw, it seemed to me like he is not the sort of man that listens to anyone but himself talk.”
She laughed at his apt description, and then blushed as she remembered. “I actually told him I was dating someone else.”
Darcy felt his heart stop in his chest. Still he managed to ask nonchalantly, “Oh? Who would that be?”
She snuck a glance at him from under her lashes. “Well, no one, really. My work keeps me pretty busy. But he jumped to conclusions, anyway.”
Darcy’s heart started beating again as a flood of relief washed through him. Now he was curious. “What conclusion did he jump to?”
She bit down on her bottom lip, worry creasing her brow as she looked at him. He wondered at that worry. Why was she looking at him like that? Like he might jump off the couch and attack her.
“Well,” she stalled, then admitted, “He accused me of dating you.”
Darcy was shell-shocked. His heart rate swung up again. “Me?” How he wished that was the case!
“Yes. And of course, my mother happened to overhear and she about had a heart attack she was so thrilled I had managed to snag such a wealthy boyfriend.” She cast him an apologetic glance. “After that, the whole household disintegrated into chaos. I had to get out of there, so I just started driving. And that’s how I ended up on your doorstep.”
She took his confusion to be consternation. “Don’t worry, I did correct everyone’s assumption that we were dating. Well, I tried to. My mother didn’t take it very well. She just kind of ignored me and pretended I didn’t say anything. William Collins, thankfully, was gone by the time I got home, so I didn’t get a chance to talk to him again, but I’m sure he’ll come to his senses eventually. It’s not like he’s going to go around spreading word of how his pursuit of me ended in failure.”
No, but he might mention it to Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine. Darcy thought that a likely possibility, since even in his brief encounter with the man William Collins had expressed an almost reverential awe of his aunt. If that happened, Darcy had a feeling the great lady would have something to say on the matter. But he wasn’t going to borrow trouble. If that problem arose, he would deal with it, but there was no sense getting worried about something that might never happen. His bigger worry was Mrs. Bennet and her friendly group of gossipy busybodies. If she refused to believe they weren’t an item, Lizzy had a bigger problem on her hands than she wanted to believe. Of course, Darcy really wouldn’t mind the entire county thinking they were really dating. He just wished it was the truth. But it did put Lizzy in a pickle.
“I know you did your best to squash the rumors,” he reassured her. “I don’t expect it to become a problem, but if it does we’ll deal with it then.”
She looked relieved. “Great.”
Darcy hesitated, and then came right out and asked the question he would most dearly like answered. “Lizzy, why did you come here?”
He held his breath as he waited for her answer. She could have gone anywhere. He knew her friend Charlotte lived in London. It would have made more sense for her to go there, or anywhere else, really. He needed to know why she had chosen Pemberley and thus him.
She bit down on her bottom lip briefly before raising her eyes to meet his gaze straight on. “Because,” she said slowly, “It was where I wanted to be.”
Chapter 11
Darcy’s world had tilted on its side at her admission, and a week later, it still hadn’t righted itself.
He was afraid to take her words at face value, as immediately after uttering them, Lizzy had flushed bright pink and fled upstairs. He had been too flabbergasted by her statement to go after her, and ever since then, Lizzy had been careful not to be alone with him.
She was still as friendly and warm as ever, she just avoided too much personal interaction between them. It was supremely frustrating, because all he really wanted to do was corner her and try to wring the truth from her lips.
His heart was hanging in the balance. Was she beginning to feel the same way about him that he felt about her? Could she possibly love him back?
He was as afraid to find out as he was eager, and the two conflicting emotions held him hostage. That was why he hadn’t yet tracked her down and demanded the truth, although it would have been easy enough for him to get her to himself if he had really wanted to. After all, he was the boss. If he requested an update on the progress of the ballroom in person, she could hardly turn him down.
He also knew, thanks to Georgiana and Mrs. Reynolds, that she had taken to slipping away to his library at all hours, claiming it was the perfect place for her to do paperwork.
He didn’t doubt that it was, especially when he remembered her fondness for Netherfield’s library. He would have let things continue on as they had, but the arrival of Mary, who was to restore the fresco on the ballroom ceiling, forced his hand. Who would have thought that Lizzy’s sister would have a degree in art history and specialize in art restoration when her day job put her behind a desk as a secretary at Longbourn Design and Construction? He certainly had not before she had pulled into his driveway.
The third Bennet sister had arrived right after breakfast, tools in hand, and was currently being shown the ballroom by Jane. Unfortunately, Georgiana had already left for university for the day and Mrs. Reynolds was busy, so it fell to him to find Lizzy and let
her know Mary was there before he left for work.
Mrs. Reynolds had seen her heading toward the library after she had finished her breakfast, so that was where he started his search.
The library door was open when he gained the hallway, and he barely paused to rap on the doorframe before he went in. It would be better to press his advantage to the full, he thought, than risk Lizzy skittering away from him at the earliest opportunity.
“Hey, Lizzy,” he said, breezing in. “I’ve been looking for you.”
She glanced up from the screen of her laptop, looking a little like a deer in headlights. She obviously hadn’t been expecting any company. “You were looking for me?”
“Yes. Your sister is here, and Jane sent me to let you know.”
“Oh, okay.” She started to half-rise from her seat when an electronic ping from her laptop made her frown and look down. “Huh. That’s strange. I got an email from Lydia.”
“Is it strange to get an email from your sister?”
“Not normally, but she’s on vacation right now in Brighton. I wasn’t expecting to hear back from her until she got back. She normally doesn’t email when she’s busy having a good time. She’s too busy flirting with boys and shopping.”
“Sounds lovely.”
She glanced at him briefly with a raised brow that made him feel a little chagrined. He shifted uncomfortably as she finished reading. Her brow furrowed with worry as she scrolled down the email.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his stomach tightening as panic started to invade her expression.
She held up a hand to stall his questions so she could finish reading. She pressed a trembling hand over her mouth and glanced up to meet his eyes. He saw fear reflected there. “I can’t believe it. You won’t believe it either.”
“What is it?” he demanded. Alarm settled in the pit of his stomach. He needed to know what he could do. He had to make this better. He was powerless to help her if he didn’t know what he was up against. Silently, she turned the laptop so he could read the email.
He jerked back as Wickham’s name jumped off the screen at him, met Lizzy’s worried eyes briefly, and then grimly went back to reading. He needed to know the whole situation before he started jumping to conclusions.
When he had finished reading, he sat still for several moments, giving his mind time to settle and ideas the opportunity to form.
“He’s trying to blackmail you,” he said slowly, lining up the facts in his mind to make sense of them.
“Not just me, but my whole family!” she cried. “It doesn’t make sense. Why would he go after Lydia and our family? We don’t have the money to pay him off. What good does that do?”
He sent her an apologetic glance. “It’s not really you he’s after, I am afraid. It’s me.”
“You? Why would he go through my family to get to you? That’s preposterous.”
“No, it’s not. He knows if he hurts you, he’ll hurt me. Ultimately, I’m the one he’s after, because I’ve got the money to pay him off and the most to lose from the situation. His aim, one way or the other, is to hurt me, not your family.”
She wasn’t ready to decipher what that comment meant, although her heart gave a little leap at his statement that if Wickham hurt her it would hurt him. Darcy really was dangerous to her mental stability. It would be far too easy to fall in love with a man who felt that way about her. So, instead of pursuing his comment, she chose to ignore it.
Lizzy groaned. “How could Lydia do this to us? We’ve worked so hard to build a reputable business. We don’t need a family scandal to taint our hard work!”
“Even if the photos of her behind the wheel drunk do get out, we can still do damage control. Lydia’s email said she was only posing, right? She didn’t actually drive anywhere. So, there’s no public record, no arrests. It’s really his word against ours, and a few pictures that have probably been doctored to make things appear worse than they were, if I know Wickham. Wickham’s overestimated his own importance. Even with your connections to me, I doubt any newspaper or magazine would publish such a thing without proof.”
“I don’t think those gossip magazines care whether their stories are real. They just publish whatever sells copies. And your name on the cover would definitely sell copies.”
“Maybe so,” he allowed. “But that doesn’t mean we’re without resources. Let me talk to my lawyer and see what I can do. If Wickham is trying to drag me into this through our connection, then I am pretty sure I would have legal recourse.”
At his words, she felt the weight of her burden transfer from her shoulders to his. He smiled at her. “Try not to worry, Lizzy. I’ll take care of this.”
Her answering smile was weak, but welcome nonetheless. “Thank you, Darcy. I cannot tell you what it means to me to have you help me with this.”
“It’s not a problem, Lizzy. I could not stand by and do nothing if I tried. Your problems are my problems, too.” He gave a self-conscious shrug, the tips of his ears going hot.
Her eyes softened at his statement, and she couldn’t stop herself from reaching across the desk to take his hand with hers. “You’re a good man, Darcy.”
Darcy stared at their joined hands, unable to speak, his heart pumping wildly.
Embarrassed by his silence, Lizzy pulled away, clearing her throat. She stood up and came around to Darcy’s side of the desk. “I guess I should find my sisters. Where did you say they had gone?”
He clambered to his feet. “They were on their way to the ballroom.” He hesitated, and Lizzy waited for him to speak. When he didn’t, she turned to go, unaccountably disappointed.
He caught her arm before she could take more than half a step away from him. “Lizzy-” he said.
“Yes?” she answered breathlessly. Her skin hummed at his touch and her brain went from firing on all cylinders to smoldering on bare fumes.
She couldn’t think. She couldn’t act. All she could do was feel. Emotions overpowered logic. She swayed a little toward him.
He reached to steady her, pulling her closer to him in the process. They stood face to face, eye to eye, heart to heart.
“Lizzy,” he murmured, without taking his eyes off her face. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
“Oh, I think I have some idea,” she whispered back.
A smile formed on his lips and he tugged her fully into his embrace, wrapping strong arms around her waist. She didn’t protest. She hardly dared to breathe.
She was mesmerized by the tenderness in his eyes as he gazed down at her. He dipped his head, his gaze questioning, tentative, giving her time to pull away, to stop whatever was happening between them.
She didn’t. Instead, she lifted up on her toes and met him half way.
The first brush of their lips was tentative, hesitant. It sent a shiver of longing down her spine. An instant later, he deepened the kiss and wrapped his arms more fully around her.
So, this was what it felt like to be in love, mused Lizzy. A delicious warmth spread from the center of her chest, wrapping her limbs in languid lethargy.
She never wanted the kiss to end, but eventually, albeit reluctantly, it did. Darcy pulled far enough away to lean his forehead against hers. Neither of them spoke for several long seconds.
Finally, Darcy broke the silence. “I think we need to talk.”
His words ruptured their tenuous connection. Lizzy stepped back, out of his arms, and wrapped her own arms around her middle, instantly missing his comforting touch. In Darcy’s arms, she had forgotten all her worries. Now they returned with a vengeance. On top of that, she was overwhelmed by her response to Darcy’s kiss. “You’re probably right.”
Lizzy looked so desolate, standing there with her arms around herself, Darcy couldn’t stand it. He reached out and tugged her back into the circle of his arms, and was surprised when she came willingly. “We don’t have to talk about it right now.”
“Okay,” she mumbled against his shirt. “Aren’t you goin
g to be late for work?”
He glanced at his watch. “Probably. But I don’t want to leave until I know you’re alright.”
“I’m okay. As long as you keep your end of the bargain and deal with Wickham.” She leaned back to give him a watery smile.
“I can do that,” he promised her.
She sniffed. “I guess I should go find Jane and Mary.” But she didn’t move.
“Yes,” he said, equally immobile.
“Lizzy,” he said, tentatively, “I need to ask you something.”
“M’kay.” She sounded perfectly content, and that made him smile, even though his question was an entirely serious one.
“Not so long ago, you told me in no uncertain terms that you did not have a very high regard for me. I need to know…” He paused, cleared his throat, and pressed on. “I need to know if that has changed at all.”
“Oh, Darcy, how can you even ask me that?” she cried, leaning back so she could see his face. “You must know…You cannot be…” She must have seen the uncertain look on his face because she trailed off. “Oh.” She rallied, squaring her shoulders. He had the courage to say the words to her when she had been the least receptive. She could say it, too, even if she’d just realized the truth of it herself. “Darcy, I love you.”
The sharp intake of his breath was her reward. His arms tightened around her. His mouth swooped back down to cover her lips. There was no hesitation this time. She was swept right along in his elation, in the upward lilt of his lips as they slanted over hers.
He loved her, too. He had already given her the words, but now he gave her his heart and received hers in return. There was no holding back in his kiss, no hiding of his feelings, no masking his joy. This was Darcy in his element, the man he hid in polite company.
This was the man she had fallen in love with.
They were almost giddy with relief, with joy, with the impossible becoming possible.
Only the incessant buzzing of Darcy’s phone in his pocket could break them apart. Annoyed by the interruption, he put Lizzy away from him and answered the phone, barking, “Darcy speaking. What is it?”
Pride and Precipice Page 17
