Foundation of Love: The Gypsy Blessing 2 (35 page)

“Men look at all women like that.” She turned her head away from his hand. “I’ve never even been out on a real date. Even tonight started out as
just friends
...”

His entire body twitched. It had never dawned on him how much Dan’s meddling had meant in her life until now. “I know what happened in high school, but what about college?”

She stepped away from him and wrapped her arms around her middle.

That
was not a good sign!

“The guys I went out with ended up only wanting...” She hesitated. “Those evenings turned into wrestling matches. The last boy started almost immediately after he picked me up. I ended up going to the library so I didn’t have to admit to the other girls how pathetic I was.” She reached out with one hand, picked a leaf off a nearby plant, and twisted it between her fingers. “I don’t consider any of them real dates. I figured I was just decent-looking enough to attract guys that only go after—what’s the saying—‘an easy home run.’ I never accepted another invitation, even to go out as friends, until you. I knew I could trust you because I didn’t think you were attracted to me at all.”

William was confused. On one hand, he was thrilled to be engaged—yes, engaged!—to a woman who had almost no experience with men. On the other hand, he was fuming mad that she had been treated so badly and made to feel inadequate.
Dan had better not come anywhere near me tonight. It’s a good thing I don’t know those guys’ names, or I’d be knocking on their doors very soon.

He knew he had to calm down before Elizabeth turned around to look at him or she might take his anger the wrong way.
She
was all that really mattered. He’d make sure she always knew just how beautiful she was and how much he cherished her.

He came up behind her, slipped his hands over her arms and around her waist, and pulled her back against his chest. When he was about to lose his temper, her presence had always calmed him before, and this time it was no different.

“I wanted you in my life, Elizabeth, even if it was only as a friend.” He chuckled. “Everyone else seemed to know how I felt about you, so I kept trying to be more careful when I was with you. I was afraid that if you felt threatened by me, I might never see you again. I guess I did too good a job.” His hands traced her arms upward, and he crossed them over her shoulders, pulling her more tightly against his chest. “I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you.” He breathed deeply a few times. “What do you say to going out on a date every night until the wedding.”

“Only if it’s with each other,” she replied in a teasing tone.

He kissed her neck once. “I don’t think I could spend a full day away from you, anyway. The couple of days I was in California nearly killed me. It’s like I’m addicted to having you nearby.”

“Me, too.”

He smiled widely. “You missed me?”

Elizabeth nodded and leaned her head back against his shoulder. “Every time I wake up, I expect to be in your arms on the couch.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I understand completely.”

“You, too?”

“Yes!” he exclaimed a little too loudly. “I’m looking forward to holding you like that every night.”

Elizabeth turned around to face him. She had that little crease between her eyebrows that she always got when she was thinking. He smoothed it away with a kiss, as he’d been longing to do for a very long time. She was smiling when he moved away.

“Didn’t you say your real first name is Fitzwilliam?”

“Yes.”

“So Elizabeth Rose Bennett is going to become Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy... again!”

“Absolutely.” William smiled widely. “And you’ll have to indulge me in a family tradition. The master of Pemberley
always
hangs a portrait in the gallery.” He smiled slyly. “I bet you didn’t know that there’s a specific order to the way the portraits are hung. By coincidence—or maybe not—ours will hang almost directly across from the one painted two hundred years ago of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy.”

“Wow, those gypsies are good!” Elizabeth declared.

He kissed her quickly. “Even before we were born, we were meant to be together, Elizabeth.”

She searched his eyes. “It does seem that way, doesn’t it?”

“Even though I hate the idea, I think we had better return to the party, or people are going to come looking for us.” He pulled her close again.
Just one more minute.
“If I had known I was going to ask you to marry me tonight, I would have brought the ring.” He hesitated. “I have one, you know.”

She smiled brightly. “When did you get it?”

“When I was in the city, I was walking past a jewelry store near my office and saw it displayed in the window. I could see it on your finger...” He swallowed hard. “I thought I should have one handy, just in case, so I stopped and got it.” He hesitated. “I checked; you can exchange it if you don’t like it. Maybe we can stop at the house when I take you home later.”

“The last time you were in the city was weeks ago!”

His throat tightened. She was more interested in when he bought it than in how big the stone was or how much it cost. How could he help loving this woman? “Yes, well... it was before that.”

Her smile brightened a little more. “When?”

“Before you graduated,” he mumbled, embarrassed.

She laced her hands through his hair and pulled his head down to hers for their most intimate kiss yet.

As he moved away, he whispered, “If it’s going to earn me another kiss like that, I’ll have to show you the date on the receipt.”

Elizabeth’s laughter tinkled, echoing through the arboretum.

After that kiss, he wasn’t sure if he could trust himself any longer. “We really need to get back to the dance.”

She reached up to finger-comb his hair and straighten his tie and handkerchief. “I think I’d better duck into the ladies’ room for a minute—it’s not easy applying lipstick without a mirror.”

“Okay, but I’ll miss this thoroughly-kissed look you’ve got going on right now.”

She laughed again. “Maybe I’d be better off with just lip gloss, then?”

He nodded. “And we’ll have to do this again later to add some color.”

“Sounds perfect to me.”

He moved in for one last kiss before they returned to the real world. A few moments passed, and he felt Elizabeth stiffen and pull back. Her eyes were filled with terror. A knife was at her throat!

Moving his gaze over her head, William was met with a close up view of Wickham.

Chapter
24

Elizabeth pulled her head back, trying to keep her neck away from the blade, but the hand that held the knife adjusted. One wrong move and it would pierce her skin.

“Wickham!” William snarled. “I wondered when you’d show up again.”

Wickham laughed loudly. “I followed you two in here quite a while ago, actually, hoping to witness some action. As usual, you had to end up getting all chatty. It got pretty sickening there for a while, Darcy. ‘You’re so wonderful, so beautiful. I’ve loved you forever. Marry me, and we’ll hang our picture at Pemberley,’” he sang in a mocking tone. “Can’t you come up with anything better than that old, boring stuff?” He looked down at Elizabeth. “I wouldn’t be
talking
if I got this one alone. Maybe I’ll show her that I can put color into those lips better than you can.”

William’s nostrils flared.

Wickham’s arm wound around her waist. He pulled her back a step, then stage-whispered in her ear. “Why not, Liz? Lydia says I’m the best, and from what I hear, she’s had enough experience to make that determination. Or you can always ask Georgiana...”

William stiffened, seemingly ready to pounce.

Wickham pressed the blade more firmly against her neck, and Elizabeth felt Wickham shake his head. “You move any closer and your wonderful, beautiful Elizabeth pays.”

He was hurting her now. Elizabeth pulled her lips between her teeth and bit down so she wouldn’t cry out, but Wickham only pulled the blade tighter against her neck. She felt a trickle of blood ooze slowly down her skin. An involuntary whimper escaped from her throat, and the tension on Wickham’s blade relaxed a little.

He wanted me to cry out—to torture Will.

William stepped back, but his gaze never left Wickham’s.

Instinctively, she knew that, just as had happened in the trailer that day, William
couldn’t
look at her. It was his way of concentrating on the situation. She also understood that by watching his adversary’s eyes, he hoped to read Wickham’s thoughts more easily. If William saw how frightened she was, he’d be overwhelmed by emotion, and that would do neither of them any good.

Trying to distract herself from the situation, she concentrated on examining William’s features. If these were her last moments on earth, she was grateful for the past half-hour, and that her last earthly sight would be William’s face.

Why hadn’t they received any photos warning them of
this
?

Suddenly it hit her... maybe they had! Her cell phone was still in her purse on their table, and his was probably in his tuxedo jacket, which he had hung on the back of his chair just before their dance. When Jane was altering the gown, she should have asked her to sew in a pocket so she could carry her cell phone.

William growled out, “You’re a coward, Wickham, hiding behind a girl
and
a knife. Let her go. Fight me, man to man.”

Wickham laughed, and she felt him shake his head. “I know you’re jealous that Lizzy has my attention tonight instead of you, Darcy. Fighting you would be fun, but I’m afraid it’s not gonna happen tonight. It just doesn’t fit in with my plan.

“Our girl here interfered and kept me from what I wanted—twice, now. She has to pay for that. As a completely unexpected bonus, she’s also provided me with a way to torture you for the rest of your life. Another person you love is about to die as you stand by helplessly watching. At least you’ll have a moment with her at the end... just like you had with your parents.” Wickham laughed and looked down at Elizabeth.

“Lizzy, Lizzy, tsk, tsk,” Wickham clicked his tongue. “We can’t have you bleeding on that gown yet.” He reached across and slowly smeared her blood across her chest. She flinched in disgust at his unwanted touch and felt as if she were about to gag. Wickham pulled the blade tighter against her neck, squelching the urge. “You’re gonna hurry this along if you move, Lizzy, and I’ll make sure it’s a lot more painful.” He reached out and wiped his hand onto William’s sleeve. “
That
should make you feel right at home, Darcy—having your shirt stained with blood.”

William was turning a very unhealthy shade of red, but he stood perfectly still as Wickham finished cleaning his hand. Every muscle in William’s body was tensed and trembling with suppressed rage. She knew he wouldn’t respond as long as doing so would endanger her, but he was ready to act as soon as he got the chance.

And
she
had to find a way to give him that chance.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. Her self-defense instructor had told her not to panic—think! She took a deep breath and tried to assess the situation.

The puncture wound at her neck hurt, but she wasn’t going to bleed to death. Not until Wickham tried to finish the job, anyway.

That’s not helpful. Concentrate!

Wickham’s laughter sounded drawn out, and Elizabeth knew she must have received a photo on her cell phone of this moment after all. Time had slowed, but her train of thought had not.

She tried to picture Wickham behind her. One of his arms was now wrapped around her waist and the other was holding the knife to her throat.

Her own arms hung free by her sides, which was a big mistake on his part. She was told her limbs were four weapons that she should use to their full advantage. Her head could be used, as well, but with the knife at her neck, head-butting Wickham was not an option.

Her teacher had said that stiletto heels were a fabulous weapon—named after a dagger, the shoe’s heel was thin and pointy, with a metal rod down the middle. Stomping on his foot as she did with Smith might distract him long enough to get away, but this time she had a knife at her throat, and she didn’t want to risk that his reaction would be pulling back or across her neck.

Could she reach her shoe without his noticing? Probably not. If she was facing him, she could use her knee. What about a fist?

Her eyes snapped open. For one brief moment, William’s gaze flicked to meet hers.

Time sped up again.

At the sound of the door opening and Jane calling her name, Elizabeth felt Wickham turn his head in that direction, and pull the knife slightly away from her neck. This was her chance!

He had longer legs that she had thought—it was her forearm that connected between his legs. At the same moment, she pushed his arm away from her neck with her other hand and ducked her head down under his arm. As she did so, a sharp pain stabbed her in the chest. She lost her balance and toppled onto the floor, but the pain wasn’t enough to stop her from scooting away from her attacker.

Movement in her peripheral vision told her William was responding to the opportunity she’d provided. William grabbed Wickham and pulled him away from her, then shifted so he was between them.

William released his pent-up anger through his fists, hitting Wickham’s jaw and gut. Wickham barely had a chance to retaliate.

As Elizabeth raised both hands to the wound on her neck, her arm brushed up against something hard. Pain radiated through her chest. She looked down. During her escape from Wickham’s grasp, the knife must have pierced the filigree of the necklace, and the tip had penetrated her skin. The knife was stuck in the necklace, which still hung around her neck. Every time the necklace moved, the tip of the knife cut her. She reached around the back of her neck to the clasp, but her hands were shaking too hard to open it. Careful not to touch the handle of the blade and wipe away any of Wickham’s fingerprints, she grasped the pendant and held it away from her chest.

Jane and Charles came into view as William hit Wickham’s jaw one last time. Wickham fell to the floor, unconscious.

Jane to help her sister, screaming, “Lizzy’s bleeding! Someone call 9-1-1!”

William rushed toward her. “Elizabeth!”

“I’m okay. The necklace—the knife is stuck in the necklace!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “It looks worse than it is.”

William was on his knees before her. He grabbed onto the chain and started tugging at it, but Jane stopped him. “That might hurt her neck, Will. I’ll get the clasp.”

Once Jane finished and the necklace was no longer restricting her, William took her by the shoulders and looked her over. “You’re bleeding from your neck and your chest.” He took out his handkerchief and dabbed at her wounds.

Elizabeth nodded, tears welling in her eyes now that she didn’t need to be strong anymore. “I’ve had enough of all this excitement, Will. Can we just be boring and normal for a while, please?”

He laughed and pulled her to his chest, holding her firmly against him. “We can try for normal, but I don’t think we’ll ever be bored.” Moving back, he cupped her face in his hands. “I love you, Elizabeth.”

“I love you, too.”

Elizabeth felt Jane’s eyes on her, and she turned to look at her sister, who was now gawking at the two of them with a wide-open mouth.

Charles was binding Wickham’s hands with his tie. “I’m glad you two finally admitted it.”

“Me, too,” William said softly as he leaned forward to gift Elizabeth with a chaste kiss. A moment later, William looked at his friend. “Charles, can you find Larry and bring him here before Wickham wakes up? Even though the paparazzi are here and will have a lot of fun with this, I won’t screw this up. This time, Wickham
will
go to jail.”

“Sure, I’ll be right back.”

As soon as Charles left, Elizabeth asked, “How did you know what was going on, Jane?”

Jane looked at William, then back at Elizabeth. “You left your phones at the table. When I heard that horrible noise from both of them, and I couldn’t find either of you, I thought of what you said... that I would need to know about the pictures someday. I
knew
I had to look at the picture on Lizzy’s cell. Charles and I were in here earlier, so I recognized your location from what I could see in the photo.”

Elizabeth retrieved the necklace from the floor. “I’ve been reading Elizabeth’s journal. It happened this way two hundred years ago—the necklace saved Elizabeth Bennet from George Wickham’s knife, and now it has done it again.”

“After everything else that’s happened, I’m not surprised,” Jane replied. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

William scowled a bit. “Looks like we’ll have our picture in newspapers other than just those gossip rags. Would you mind doing me a favor, Elizabeth?”

“Of course not.”

“Wear my signet ring tonight, just until I can get your engagement ring from home.” He removed the ring from his pinky. “I’d really like
everyone
to know how I feel about you.”

Jane gasped. “You’re engaged?”

Elizabeth nodded while displaying a huge smile. “I’d be honored to wear the Darcy crest.”

The ring was much too big, but after a few tries, they found it fit on her thumb. The trio laughed.

~

Charles soon returned with Larry... and Dan.

The arm William had wrapped around Elizabeth’s waist pulled her a little closer. Elizabeth smiled up at him.

As Larry asked questions to get an idea of what had happened, Dan lingered near the doorway. Wickham began to stir about the same time two uniformed police officers came into the arboretum.

Larry took charge of Wickham. “We’ve already got a warrant for his arrest, and now he’ll be charged with this, too. Take him into custody.” The officers quickly replaced Charles’s tie with a set of handcuffs.

Elizabeth ignored Wickham’s glare as they led him away. She asked Larry, “Is the warrant for the break-in at the store?”

Larry nodded. “Smith and the others were more than happy to point the finger at Wickham. The good news is that, once he was told he was going to be charged with extortion charges and the judge denied bail this morning, Smith started giving up the names of everyone involved in the inspection and permit fraud. We arrested two others this morning. Have you noticed the new building department commissioner isn’t here this evening?”

William raised one eyebrow. “I wondered about that.”

“It seems Wickham was involved with that, too,” Larry continued. “His role was minimal, but it adds to his rap sheet.”

“Wickham is going away for a long time,” Dan’s voice joined in. Elizabeth hadn’t realized he had approached their small group. He nodded in greeting to both her and William.

“I’m going to need to take your statements,” Larry said. “I have to ask the manager of the hotel if we can find a quieter place. Excuse me.”

Elizabeth looked up at William, who was glaring at Dan.

Dan swallowed hard. “Thank you for calling when Smith and the others were arrested, Lizzy.” He glanced at William’s hand, which was now resting protectively on Elizabeth’s shoulder. His eyes flicked to William, then to Elizabeth. “What you said in your office and the trailer the other day... I’ve done a lot of thinking over the past few days. You were right.” He shook his head. “What I’ve become... well, I don’t like it. I wish there was a way to take back everything I’ve done, but the best I can do is offer an apology—especially to you, Lizzy. Thank you for the warning about where I was headed if I continued on in that way.”