Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star (10 page)

Elizabeth expected Darcy to be rude and glare at everyone, but to her surprise he was completely unlike the arrogant, brooding grouch she had seen at the studio. This was the Darcy she remembered from the grocery store. He was completely approachable. He shook hands, signed autographs, and even posed for pictures. She was surprised by this change in his demeanor but suspected it was simply a role he performed as part of the job.

While their fans distracted them, Elizabeth had a chance to observe Slurry. Darcy was dressed in his concert attire: black leather pants and black sunglasses. His long torso, broad shoulders, and long arms were completely bare. From her close position, she could see clearly the tattoo on his chest. It was a lyre, strangely enough: an instrument that would be more at home in the hands of an ancient Greek than a rock god. It was finely done; Elizabeth could even see the individual strings on the skin just to the left of his heart. He had another tattoo of a black spiral over his right shoulder and going down his arm.

Richard was simply dressed in a pair of jeans and boots. With his broad chest and powerfully built arms, he didn’t need a shirt. Elizabeth could not count all his tattoos in one sitting without being obvious. She started with his back, where a large Celtic knot was centered over his spine and spread out to his shoulder blades, the top just brushed by the tips of his long curls. For a full minute Elizabeth entertained herself by watching the tattoo move as Richard’s muscles flexed. Just above the waistband of his jeans, at the base of his spine, was a small blue-black scarab. The Fitzwilliam family crest in all its glorious color adorned his right upper arm, and a blue sun sat on his right forearm.

Charles wore tight jeans and a royal blue T-shirt. The shirt matched the color of his eyes. His blond curls flowed over his collar and rested on his shoulders.

Once the meet-and-greet was over, the girls had thirty minutes before they were to begin the show. Elizabeth thought she would burst from the excitement and nervousness burning inside her, but she kept control of her passions. She was away from the others, tuning her Taylor one last time and mentally rehearsing her song, when she realized with a start that Darcy was standing in front of her.

“Can I give you a word of advice?” he said softly.

Elizabeth nodded, her neck stretched up to look at him.

“When you get out there, don’t look at the crowd at first. It’s too much. Get on your mark and as soon as the others are on theirs,
just start playing
. Don’t look around, don’t think, just play.” He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Your music is programmed inside of you. Trust it. You know what to do; play, and it will be all right.”

Elizabeth nodded, not quite sure what to say. She was disturbed by the intimacy of his voice and the intensity of his gaze. “Thank you. I’ll try to remember that.”

“Good luck,” he said quietly and stepped away.

Charles called her over, “It’s time, ladies.” He smiled brightly. “You all look great! If you are ready, I’ll walk you out.”

Charlotte frowned. “But Alex always walks us out.”

Alex’s voice came over their earplugs. “Char, I’m right here.” They looked up to see him wave from the control station. “I’m going to be watching you on the monitors with Caro.” Caroline waved distractedly. “Let Charles walk you out tonight, okay?”

“But what about our kiss?” Elizabeth asked in a tone of amusement mixed with concern.

Alex smiled, came around the control desk, and quickly kissed the three women. Charles then led them through the dark maze of cables, curtains, and consoles until they reached the edge of the stage.

“Ready?” Charles grinned. “You will be great, don’t worry, okay?” He kissed each girl, lingering over Jane slightly, when Alex’s voice in their heads commanded them to take their positions on the stage.

The words “Long Borne Suffering” filled the hall, lights flooded the stage, and Elizabeth started her opening riff. Four bars later Charlotte and Jane joined in on their instruments and she started her song. She lost herself in the words and dance she had drilled for two weeks solid. It was only when her song was over and Jane was singing “Wanted” that Elizabeth allowed herself to look at the huge arena. It was full of thousands of faces, many of which were ignoring the band, but still more were smiling and nodding slightly with the beat. A sense of euphoria filled her as they ended the song and paused for applause.

Their set was over in a shorter time than they could have imagined, and they left the stage to warm applause. A roadie led them back to the green room, where Alex was waiting.

“Wonderful!” he exploded, kissing the girls and hugging them tight. “You were perfect!”

They laughed, each a little giddy and speechless from the experience. “Oh Alex!” Jane said, remembering something. “Where can we watch Slurry from? We want to see their show.”

“Where are they anyway?” Charlotte asked.

“Right here,” Charles answered. Elizabeth turned to see all three men standing together. “We just wanted to tell you how great you were.”

“You girls rocked,” Richard grinned.

“Did you want to watch the show?” Darcy asked.

“If you don’t mind,” Jane answered. “We’ve never seen you perform,” she smiled happily.

The men shared a look, and Richard said slowly, “We prepared for this.” He grinned and pulled out what looked like a credit card. “Private skybox, number twelve,” he said, passing over the card.

“Or you could watch from the side of the stage,” Charles offered, teasing. “But we thought a box would be more comfortable.”

“And then the speakers are facing the right way,” Richard added, joking.

“Thank you,” Jane said, astonished, speaking for them all. “This is so thoughtful.”

“You’re welcome,” Darcy said softly, his eyes again masked by his shades.

“Thanks for coming on tour with us,” Charles added. “You might want to go up now. See you after the show.” The men moved off with Caroline for their final check.

Rebecca hurried up with a man beside her. The man was of average height, but with a powerful build. He wore a black T-shirt that had “Security” printed across the chest in red block letters. “Girls, this is Tommy. When you are ready, he will take you up to your box.”

Elizabeth nodded and with the help of a couple of sound techs, their microphones, receivers, and the accompanying wires were removed from their bodies. As soon as she was free, Elizabeth hurried to where the instruments were being kept and found her beloveds waiting to be cleaned.

Darcy was there, with Ronnie, the guitar tech, doing a final check on his Paul Reid Smith. He looked at her, surprised. “We’re about to start, you’re going to miss the show.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “Guitars first, show later,” she replied lightly. Carefully she put the Guild in its case and moved on to the Taylor.

“You know, Ronnie can do that,” Darcy sounded amused.

“I know,” Elizabeth said coolly, taking offense at his tone. “But these are my babies. I missed not having them last night and I need to take care of them.”

Understanding crossed his features and he crouched down beside her. “You can keep your guitars with you, if it would make you feel better.”

Elizabeth looked up into his face, feeling quite small and insignificant next to him. “Thank you,” she said softly.

Darcy nodded once and rose while Elizabeth put the acoustic guitar in its case. She didn’t see Darcy move off to go onstage as she thanked Ronnie and ran for her friends. Joining them, Tommy quickly led the three women and Alex to the elevator, which took them to a private, lush hallway. After a short walk, skybox number twelve appeared before them and Tommy directed them to stay there until the show was over, when he would come and walk them backstage.

Smiling, they entered the small room to find two surprises. The first was a small spread of food on a table along the back wall. The second was Bill Collins, standing in front of the glass wall, stuffing his face.

He turned with a start and smiled beneficently, “Oh, there you are! Just in time!” he said loftily as he licked his fingers then held out his hand to the girls. “I can’t tell you how proud of you I am. You girls put on a lovely little show. Even Ms. de Bourgh was impressed.”

Elizabeth was horrified, but by quickly getting a drink from the minibar she was able to avoid touching Collins. A silent yet urgent conversation, conducted only with looks, got Alex to sit between Collins and the girls. They just settled down into their seats when the intro tape ran out and the arena grew silent.

Darcy’s flawless guitar flooded the room. Elizabeth’s jaw dropped as first Richard’s drums and then Charles’s bass exploded with a crash of lights and pyrotechnics. The crowd roared as the lights came up and the show started. Elizabeth sang softly along with Charles, smiling at Jane and Charlotte, who were singing as well. They all knew the words so well: words about searching in the dark, trying to find answers, trying to know what one’s life path is.

As Elizabeth watched, her hair swinging unconsciously back and forth to the beat, she considered that Darcy probably wrote those words as well. They seemed so doubtful and questioning, from a man who seemed so secure and in control. The enigma of it challenged her mind and she watched him, trying to reconcile all she knew about this puzzling man. Try as she might, she could come to no conclusion about Darcy. She resolved to find out more about him and allowed herself to enjoy the show.

Slurry was tight and masterful in their playing, but there was more to it. They did more than simply play music; they knew how to communicate with the crowd, to move it and control it. It was amazing. Elizabeth was impressed not only with the music but with the whole experience. She watched the thousands of people below her, laughing, singing, and dancing. It was only when the band broke for intermission that she realized that she had not been still once during the entire set.

“
Wow!
” Charlotte said as Elizabeth and Jane smiled and nodded in agreement. “Oh my God!” She laughed, giddy. “That was so intense!”

“They’re extraordinary,” Elizabeth observed, grinning in spite of herself.

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short!” Alex objected. “You girls rock too, you know.”

“Alex, thanks, but we are nothing like that,” Jane gently disagreed.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” their manager objected. “Seriously, I really think you have as much talent as them.” He nodded toward the stage. “You just need a chance.”

Elizabeth smiled gratefully. “Well, this is certainly going to be our big chance.” She looked at the crowd. “And I’m going to do everything I can to succeed.”

“I’m so pleased to hear that, Lizzy,” Collins said silkily. “That’s the kind of attitude that is going to get you places. Stay focused on your goal.”

Elizabeth nodded, but she didn’t like the way he was looking at her. As quickly as she could, she turned back to the stage, to watch the band begin the second half.

The crowd was deafening as they screamed at Slurry’s return. Charles smiled broadly and waited a moment for the crowd to quiet down, and then he spoke easily over them. “Oh man!” He laughed. “You’re all so great!” The crowd cheered back for him. “So, let me ask you something.” He paused and the crowd roiled in anticipation. “What did you think of our new act?” Screams filled the air.

Elizabeth turned to Jane and Charlotte her mouth hanging open. “Yeah, we like them too,” Charles grinned conspiratorially. “Give it up for the ladies of Long Borne Suffering, Charlotte, Liz, and Jane!”

Elizabeth cynically suspected that Charles could have told them to “give it up” for the T-shirt venders out front and the crown would have gone nuts, but that didn’t stop her from grabbing her band mates in a huge hug as they squealed and jumped up and down excitedly.

“But I know you came to see us,” Charles continued once the crowd quieted, “so let’s get back to work.” He winked and the band started the riffs for “Bound.”

As Charles sang about domination, Elizabeth found herself again watching Darcy. He seemed entirely focused on his playing, his expressive eyes hidden behind those dark glasses, but Elizabeth could see he was subtly communicating with his band, and even more fleetingly, with the audience: a nod, a glance, even a rare grin. The crowd ate it up; the tiny flashes of attention he showed them only made them long for more.

She had to admit he was startlingly handsome. His skin had a soft sheen of sweat over it at this point. His arms were pumped up, his muscles bulging. He radiated sex, danger, and talent, a combination Elizabeth found very arousing.

The concert finally ended after 10:00 p.m. As they waited for Tommy, Jane caught her eyes and grinned knowingly.

“Okay, you are right; he’s gorgeous,” Elizabeth said sotto voce, recalling their conversation from the night before.

Jane nodded happily. “I’m in love,” she sighed half-mockingly.

***

Sooner than she expected, LBS and Slurry were loaded into limos and whisked away to their hotel. Rebecca brought them straight through the lobby to the waiting elevators. Once inside, she passed out keycards to each of them. The girls would be sharing a three-bedroom suite, while the men each had their own room. Charles was, as usual, standing next to Jane, and Elizabeth saw him whisper something into Jane’s ear, which caused her smile to drop. After a moment, Jane responded with a tiny nod.