First (Wrong) Impressions: A Modern Pride & Prejudice (25 page)

The.

Hell.

As the sun rose and filled the room with its orange glow, she was struck by how vulnerable it must have made him feel, to bring her to this room. When George went into her room, she was panic-stricken by the invasion of privacy. Poor Darcy was probably having panic attacks all night, thinking about her rummaging through his drawers and looking under his bed for porn magazines.

She would never have offered him her bedroom. Yet, he’d done it for her. Lizzy felt pretty ashamed of herself. He trusted her far more than she trusted him.

Lizzy used her cell phone to check her email and surf the internet. Though it was Saturday, she still had plenty of work to finish, but she wanted to take some time for herself before dragging her weary body out of bed. Plus, she wasn’t quite ready to face Darcy.

William.

The only person who called him that was Georgiana. George had once told her that since Fitzy and Darcy had the same first name, they basically decided on their own nicknames. That made sense in a way.

William.

Lizzy sent Jane and Luke each a quick text letting them know she was super busy, but she’d fill them in ASAP. She checked Lydia’s updates to see how things were going in Banff, but her activity had pretty much died off two days before. Filming could be hectic. Still, it was rather disconcerting whenever Lydia went offline.

Her phone buzzed. Jane.

“I said I’d call later,” Lizzy said defensively.

Jane did not even bother to hide the glee in her voice. “So, how did the date go?”

“How did you know it was a date?”

“Charles, obviously.”

Lizzy tried to keep her voice down, since she didn’t hear anyone else up yet. “Did you talk to him again?”

Jane sighed. “For about an hour last night.”

“And…?”

Jane sighed. “Lizzy, I’m just not sure. Don’t push.”

“I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry, Jane. I’m glad you’re talking, though.”

“So am I.” A moment later, Jane said, “So, you and Darcy?”

“Ugh. No.”

“No?”

Lizzy sputtered, before managing to say, “You know what, missy? If I can’t ask about Charles, you can’t ask about William. I mean, Darcy.

The sisters laughed and chatted for several more minutes. Once done, Lizzy groaned and dragged herself out of bed. She dashed across the hallway to the shower. She didn’t want Darcy to see Morning Lizzy.

When she stepped out of the shower, she heard Dani’s hushed voice. Lizzy froze.

“She really wigged out at the restaurant,” Danica said. “What was up with that?”

“And what was up with Caroline? She was so rude,” G said.

Darcy’s voice: “Caroline doesn’t like Lizzy all that much. She’s never said why. Charles thinks it’s because Caroline feels guilty about avoiding her poorer family members and Lizzy brings that out.”

“I think it’s because Caroline still thinks she’s going to end up my sister-in-law,” Dani said matter-of-factly.

“Oh, shut up,” Darcy said. Their voices moved off. Was it safe to make the dash back to the bedroom in her panties and cami? It had seemed like a good idea to dry off before tugging into her clothes from last night. However, now realizing she risked a corridor collision, she was less certain. Maybe she should make some noise before exiting, just in case?

Would he stare at her, or avert his eyes? Of course he’d look away. Maybe he’d stare for a moment, then look away, apologizing. That sounded more like him. Would he think she was beautiful, or just average? Lizzy shook off those thoughts. Darcy would never see her naked. She’d never see him naked. She really needed to stop thinking about those things.

Lizzy tugged on her undies and wrapped the towel around her to make the dash across the hall.

To Darcy’s bedroom. Why oh why did she agree to stay in that room? Why didn’t she insist on staying in the guest room, where, you know, guests stayed?

****

Though Lizzy’s nerves had kept her from a restful sleep, Melissa’s call that morning telling her an email had arrived late the previous night pledging them ten grand.

“That’s a lot, isn’t it?” G asked as she handed Lizzy a bowl for cereal. “I mean, people normally don’t donate that much, right?

“Thanks. Oh yes, that’s great. I’m really happy. I’ll need to head back to the house today to get my laptop so I can get information out to the donor. Then I’ll need to find somewhere with free Wi-Fi.”

Dani poured hot water into her bowl of oatmeal. “Come back here, silly.”

“I couldn’t,” Lizzy said, even though she really, really wanted to stay. The girls caught a whiff of that and it didn’t take much convincing to get her to come back to the condo.

“I love having company that doesn’t expect us to put on the royal treatment,” Dani said.

“Don’t start,” G said, clearly annoyed.

Lizzy guessed, “Aunt Catherine?”

G rolled her eyes.

“Amen, sister,” Dani said. “I’m heading out to pick up a parcel at the post office. Did you want to come? I can swing by for you to get your stuff.”

“Oh, thanks, that would be great.” Giving them another out, Lizzy said, “Honestly, though, are you sure you’re both okay with me staying here?”

“You aren’t a bother at all,” G assured her. “Plus, I’m certain everyone else loves having you here.”

Lizzy knew her cheeks were flushed, but she managed to give G a dirty look, then they all broke into laughter.

****

“So, things are going…well at the Darcys?” Melissa asked, as Lizzy packed up her things.

“And you’re sure you’re not leaving because of anything we’ve done?” Kelly nervously inquired.

Lizzy looked up from her suitcase. “Kelly, honestly, no. They’re downtown, so it’s really convenient. Plus, I know them. Not Georgiana or Danica, but Charles, Caroline, Fitzy, and Darcy. It’s been nice to hang out with friends.”

“Interesting,” Melissa said.

Lizzy put her hands on her hips. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Melissa sported an innocent expression. “I meant nothing by it. I merely find it interesting that you’re staying in the house of the man you can’t stand the sight of, who did some horrible things to your sister and your ex-boyfriend.”

“First, Darcy didn’t do anything to Jane on purpose. He was wrong, and he tried to fix it once he realized. As for George. George is not my ex-boyfriend, we had an hour-long date before he ran off and banged some chick at a bar. Sorry, Kelly. I didn’t mean to be crude.”

The wail of an angry toddler interrupted them. Kelly sighed and said, “You’re very welcome to come back if it doesn’t work out.”

“Thanks, Kelly. And thank you for letting me stay. I really do appreciate it.”

Melissa waited for Kelly to leave before saying, “You can’t stand Darcy.”

“I might have been overly harsh about him.” Lizzy zipped up her suitcase. “Look, you have to understand. His sister is super sweet. The condo is quiet and downtown, so I save two hours a day commuting. It’s nice.”

“Well, good luck. Let me know if you need anything.”

****

Once back at the condo, Lizzy set herself up on the breakfast table in the kitchen. The email had come in while Lizzy was out: Pemberley Solutions had declined the donation request, which didn’t surprise her. However, the CFO called her personally — on a Saturday, no less — to say it was because of her relationship with Darcy and to ask if there was another organization they could donate to that did similar work. Lizzy gave them a few agency contacts, plus details of programs.

Lizzy would have wanted their thousands of dollars, but she was happy the money wasn’t hanging over her head. Gosh, she’d have to put out if he’d given her that money! And that was practically prostitution. Though, she supposed, maybe if she slept with Darcy, she’d get her entire operational budget covered.

“What are you laughing at?” Darcy asked, as he leaned against the fridge, a glass of green something in his hand. He was wearing khakis and a sweater that clung nicely. He was wearing frameless glasses.

A little flutter went through Lizzy. Did he still love her? She couldn’t think of any reason why a man would continue caring about a woman who’d treated him as horribly as she had. So why was he letting her stay? Why were G and Dani and bloody well everyone being so accommodating?

When he cocked an eyebrow, she flashed him a wicked grin. “Oh, just being inappropriate inside my head.”

“Do you do that a lot?”

“Constantly. Some days, I’ll stare at volunteers and daydream about all sorts of naughty things.”

A boyish grin spread over his face. “All volunteers or only some?”

“A lady never tells.”

He laughed. “I’ll let you get back to work.”

“William, wait.”

The words had escaped Lizzy before she was ready. He was staring at her, expectant, nervous, eager. Yearning. What she’d always seen as antagonism was him hiding his feelings. Now she could see who he really was. Now, he was a man she’d like to get to know better.

“What are you doing tomorrow?”

Darcy went statue-still. “No plans.”

“How about I cook supper for you? For everyone, I mean.”

He thought for a moment. “G and Dani won’t be home tomorrow.”

Her heart pounded and drowned out her thoughts. He’d given her an escape. She could gracefully back out. She should gracefully back out. “Then I’ll cook less.”

William tried to form several words before he finally forced out, “I’d like that.”

“Good,” she said and then barked out a little laugh. “All right, then.” She looked at her laptop. “Well, I better answer these thousand emails.”

“Will you need me to help? With the dinner, I mean.”

“I can cook spaghetti on my own. How about you pick up some wine? Nothing expensive, though.”

Darcy quirked a smile at her. “What do you consider expensive?”

“Anything over $15.”

“That’s paint thinner. You cook what you want and I’ll bring the wine I want.”

Lizzy agreed with a roll of her eyes. Then she said, her voice growing serious, “So it’s a date.”

A small smile formed on his mouth. “Agreed.”

Chapter 30

February 21

Lizzy knew the internet was a marvelous place. It allowed her to connect with donors through her blog and status updates. She could access news from all over the world at a moment’s notice. She could research names, dates, and facts at will. The internet was a miraculous step forward in the development of the planet and the equalization of knowledge.

But the internet also had an unexpected side effect: it made lying harder.

Lizzy returned to an empty condo. Dani and G apparently were off celebrating their anniversary.

Darcy had left a note saying Fanny needed him to drop by the office to prep for an important meeting on Monday, but that he’d be back in time for supper.

Lizzy enjoyed the solitude. She put her grocery bags on the kitchen island and got to work chopping onions, celery, and peppers. She broke up the hamburger meat and opened cans of tomato sauce, then cut up the fresh tomatoes she’d bought. She opened the cheap bottle of Chianti she’d bought and poured about a quarter of it into the sauce with the cooked meat and veggies. She dumped in sundried tomatoes, olives, and roasted red peppers. She added a little sugar, salt, and pepper, along with dried herbs.

With the sauce left to simmer for an hour, Lizzy idled away some time on the internet. So she was online to see Darcy’s web of lies fall apart.

@anabean: Kicked out of the condo, so checked into the Hilton.

@fitXzy: What happened? @anabean

@anabean: My brother lied to a certain someone, so now we have to play along. @fitXzy

@ArtsyDan: Something better happen between those two tonight or there’ll be hell to pay. @anabean @fitXzy

@fitXzy: $50 says she slaps him in a non-kinky way. @anabean @ArtsyDan

@anabean: You’re on, mister. @fitXzy

Well, that couldn’t go unpunished.

@LizzyB1: *clears throat* Hi guys. @anabean @fitXzy @ArtsyDan

…and silence.

Mission accomplished.

A moment later her cell phone buzzed:

Georgiana: Busted. Please don’t be mad at him.

Lizzy: I’m amused not mad. And I promise not to slap him so Fitzy has to pay you $50.

Georgiana: Ha. Good luck with that.

Lizzy chuckled and turned off her cell phone. It would be a while before Darcy arrived; he’d texted earlier to say he would be back around six. That gave her a couple of hours. So she took a long bath, scrubbed her face and hair, and tried not to get nervous, all the while getting more nervous.

She brushed her teeth before realizing she needed a snack, so went back and had a glass of wine and a peanut butter sandwich, before brushing her teeth again. She changed her clothes four times before deciding on jeans and a nice blue blouse. The blouse failed the sniff test, however, so into the wash it went. She pulled on a T-shirt. She didn’t do anything different with her hair, deciding to let it dry naturally like it always did. Lizzy did opt to put on a bit more makeup than usual, and wore her red bra.

Not because she was planning to show it off, but it made her feel sexy.

It was just supper, anyway. It wasn’t a Big Deal. It was just a couple hours hanging out with Darcy.

William.

Her brain had started randomly inserting his first name into things. It had always been Darcy. The snobby jackass. William, on the other hand, was a different man. He was friendly, kind, funny, handsome, intelligent, and very, very off-limits. She would never, not in a million years, get involved with a rich man; that was a disaster waiting to happen.

She would enjoy tonight for what it was: two people hanging out. Nothing more.

Still, Lizzy ran through the topics she’d have to avoid for the peace of the nation. They included:

Politics: Definitely out. Darcy was clearly a Conservative.

Religion: Lizzy had…challenges with organized religion and, if Catherine’s God’s Refuge was any indication, he was in the pro-religion camp.

Abortion: Ha! Lizzy once drove a client to the women’s clinic.