Most Ardently

by Susan Mesler-Evans

  “Do you… Do you like it here? At Pemberley, I mean?” Darcy asked, watching her closely.

  She smiled, nodding excitedly. “This entire place is beautiful. I can’t believe your family is the one that started it. You’re so lucky.”

  Darcy blushed. “I am,” she admitted. “What time do you need to back at the hotel?”

  Elisa’s heart dropped into the pit of her stomach as she realized she’d have to rejoin her classmates eventually. “Dinnertime—six.”

  She actually liked her professor and classmates. But she’d been having such a nice time, she didn’t want the afternoon to end. She wanted to keep hanging out with Darcy.

  Now that’s something I never thought I’d say.

  “Would you want to meet up again tomorrow?” Elisa asked.

  Darcy looked up, surprised, but nodded. “If you’re willing.”

  “I am. More than willing, actually.”

  …

  The next day, Elisa and Darcy met up—same time, same place. They had lunch at the Fitzgerald Estate again, though Gianna didn’t join them that time. After the meal was over, the two didn’t head back to Pemberley right away, but instead wandered the empty halls. Eventually, they found themselves on one of the balconies overlooking the rest of the grounds.

  “I think I can actually see the museum from up here,” Elisa said, hoisting herself up to sit on the railing. Her feet dangled several meters off the ground. Darcy hesitated before joining her.

  “I remember when we were kids, Bobby and I used to try to stand on these,” she said. “Nothing ever happened, but our parents always gave us an earful for being so stupid.”

  “How is Bobby, anyway?”

  Darcy fidgeted. “He’s…” She sighed. “He’s okay, mostly, but lonely. He misses your sister.”

  Elisa stared down at the ground. “I’m not nearly as mad anymore,” she said quietly, “but I really wish you hadn’t broken them up.”

  She ducked her head as if trying to hide her face. “Me, too,” she said. “It was… It was a really stupid thing to do. I thought I was protecting him, but…” She licked her lips. “I’ve thought about telling Bobby I was wrong, but…but I’m worried that meddling any further will only make matters worse.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I… I can understand that. After I found out you broke them up, I wondered if I should tell Julieta, but she seemed so desperate to move on.”

  “Bobby really hurt her, didn’t he?”

  “Yeah. I don’t think he’s a bad guy, but… But seriously, he’s a grown man. Why would he let his best friend just run his love life?” Elisa said, frustrated. “I understand taking your advice into account, but—he should’ve known how much Julieta loves him.”

  “Do you think it’s too late for them?” she asked quietly.

  Elisa looked at her, then. “I don’t think it’s ever too late,” she said. “But I think if things are going to get better between those two, it’ll be up to them to initiate it—not us.”

  “I… I’m so used to meddling when I think something is wrong. It’ll take some unlearning,” Darcy said, trying to laugh.

  “Well, meddling isn’t always bad. I mean, getting Wick expelled definitely counts as meddling, but it had to be done.”

  “It was either that or corner him in an alley with a baseball bat,” she said dryly. “I have a terrible swing, so I decided to just throw my money at the problem until it went away. Or, more accurately, threaten to take my money away from the problem until it went away.”

  “How long did it take them to cave?”

  “About an hour and a half of arguing, three if you count how long it took the dean of students to agree to see me.” Her face twisted into a scowl. “He tried to say that because Gianna wouldn’t press charges, it wasn’t his problem.”

  “No matter how long it took, it’s pretty impressive that you got them to listen to you.”

  “Well, it also took throwing around phrases like ‘I can buy and sell you,’ and ‘PR nightmare,’ and ‘buy out this academy and turn it into a liberal arts college.’” She let out a small, quiet laugh, but it faded quickly. Her eyes were clouded, not really looking at Elisa. “Thinking about that whole thing is… Most of it is awful. One of the worst periods of my entire life,” she said. “Even worse than when Mom and Dad died. I had my aunt and uncle and the rest of my family to lean on when that happened—as terrible as it was, I always knew that I’d survive. But if something even worse had happened to Gianna? I’m… I’m not sure I would’ve been able to survive that.”

  Elisa, purely on instinct, reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. Darcy met her eyes, plainly surprised. The touch ignited a warmth in her, which spread from her fingertips to her chest. It was both the strangest and the most natural thing in the world.

  “You’re a good sister,” Elisa said quietly. “And a good friend. And I’m… I’m really glad we’re getting this chance to start over.”

  Darcy, to her surprise, didn’t pull her hand away or avert her gaze.

  “Me, too,” she murmured.

  Interlude: In Which Lucia Makes a Huge Mistake

  Lucia was wandering a club in Daytona Beach. Vivi always had at least three fake IDs, and she could get them made for other students—for a price. No one questioned the process—they just paid her and let her work her magic. But she’d gotten Lucia a free one for this trip. As tall as she was, the bouncer had only taken a quick glance at the ID before deciding that she was, in fact, of age.

  As promised, she’d texted her mother every time she and Vivi changed locations.

  Off the plane. Vivi’s aunt Erin is waiting for us at baggage claim. —L

  At the hotel. Gave Erin your number. —L

  Going to dinner. —L

  And it was true. They had grabbed dinner someplace. She just conveniently left out the fact that that place happened to be a dark, loud, crowded club, after the resident adult had left their hotel room and gone back to her place for the night. It was Mom’s fault if she didn’t ask, she told herself.

  She’d gotten separated from Vivi. More specifically, the two had gotten into an argument in the bathroom, and Vivi had stormed off, leaving her alone. Although she’d been annoyed when she’d been promised to stay at her friend’s side the entire trip, now that she’d left, she felt a bit more aware of all the staring, leering eyes and strange men surrounding her.

  Vivi never stays mad for long. We’ll touch base and talk this out back at the hotel.

  Lucia hadn’t seen her in about an hour and a half but had been trying to distract herself by doing what she’d come out here to do—dance and have fun. She’d been on the dance floor, song after song, in the middle of a pack of guys who said they were from the University of Georgia. One in particular, who seemed to be their leader, had taken a real liking to her. Now, exhausted, she stood at the edge of the dance floor trying to catch her breath, and found the guy had followed her.

  “You want to get out of here?” he asked, leaning in to whisper in her ear.

  Lucia froze. The guy seemed nice enough, but something in her was warning her to stay away. So she said, “Uh—I don’t think so. Not tonight.”

  “Come oooon, I’ve got a great hotel room with room service.”

  “That sounds nice and all, but I’ve got to catch up with my friend. I had a great time dancing with you, though. Have a good night.”

  She patted his chest awkwardly before starting to make her way to the exit. Or at least trying to. She was stopped when the guy grabbed her wrist.

  “What’s the rush?” he asked. “Since when are you so shy?”

  “I’m… I’m just…” She was trying to think of what she’d been taught to say in this situation, but all her words seemed to have vanished when she needed them. Her eyes began to fill with tears. “I… Let go of me.”

  The guy began to pull her closer, instead. Lucia tried to reach into her purse, fumbling around for her pepper spray, which she’d never actually
had to use before. But then, a miracle occurred.

  A second guy, tall and formidable, appeared beside her.

  “Hey, buddy, she said no,” he said. “I work as a bouncer back home. I hit harder when I’m drunk, and I’ve had three shots of tequila, so I suggest you back the hell up.”

  The guy she had been dancing with hesitated, considering his options, then dropped her wrist, muttering a four-letter word she had never been called in her life as he walked away.

  Lucia let out a shaking breath, turning toward her rescuer. “Thank you,” she said.

  “Hey, no problem,” he said, gray eyes glinting as he smiled. “I can’t stand guys like that.”

  “Do you really work as a bouncer?”

  He laughed. “Yep. I get paid to stand there, read a list, and look intimidating. Nice work if you can get it.”

  “You ever had to beat anybody up?”

  “It comes with the job.”

  She chuckled, wiping her eyes.

  “Hey, hey, don’t cry,” he said. “Can’t stand to see a pretty girl crying. Want to sit down?”

  She nodded. “Yes, please. A-and thank you, again.”

  They found a couch in a relatively quiet corner of the club and settled on it. Lucia looked her rescuer over. He was good-looking, athletically built. He also seemed oddly familiar, but Lucia couldn’t place where she’d seen him before.

  “Where are you from?” Lucia asked.

  “Steventon, Ohio. Kind of a boring city about two hours from—”

  “From Columbus,” she finished. “I know. I, um, I live there, too. I’m down here for spring break.”

  “No way. What are the odds?” he asked, smiling. “Do you sneak into bars underage there, too?”

  Lucia flushed. “Um…”

  He laughed. “I work at clubs, remember? You learn to pick out teenagers with fake IDs pretty quick.” He nudged her gently. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell. How old are you, really?”

  She glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “Fourteen,” she said.

  “Really? I thought you were sixteen, at least.”

  “It’s the height,” she shrugged. “I’m taller than my oldest sister, and she’s in her twenties. How old are you?”

  “Twenty-two. I’ve been standing guard at nightclubs for longer than I’ve actually been allowed to go into them.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “It pays the bills. Hey, you mentioned to that other guy that you were looking for your friend. Want me to go get her?”

  She shook her head, not wanting him to leave. “No, no. I mean, I am here with a friend, but, um… I’m kinda mad at her right now. I’d rather hang out with you.”

  He grinned. “You flirting with me?” he asked playfully.

  Lucia rolled her eyes to cover up the fact that she was blushing. “Shut up.”

  “You know, if you don’t want to hang around here, I was thinking of going for a walk down the beach. Want to come with?”

  She paused. “Okay,” she said.

  Just as they got to their feet, her phone went off, with a new text message from her mother.

  Location update?

  Lucia hesitated, before texting back.

  Going back to the hotel for bed. Love you. —L

  “Who was that?” the guy asked as she put her phone back into her purse.

  “Uh…nothing important. I’m Lucia Benitez, by the way,” she said, extending her hand for a shake. “What’s your name?”

  He took her hand, shaking it.

  “George Sedgwick. Call me Wick.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  In Which the World Ends

  Elisa awoke Friday morning with an odd twinge of sadness. She and the rest of her class would hit the road for Steventon the next night. She’d had one of the best spring breaks ever while she’d been at Pemberley, and she didn’t want to go back to “the real world.” She’d been having fun with Darcy—and wishing they’d been able to get along like this right from the beginning.

  On Friday afternoon, they had planned to walk around the grounds of the Fitzgerald estate, but a good, old-fashioned April rainstorm dashed that plan. So, the two stayed inside, walking aimlessly, just talking.

  Darcy was showing Elisa the extensive family library, saying, “I don’t think it’s possible for one person to read all of these, even if they read a book a day their entire life.”

  “How many have you read?” Elisa asked.

  “Most of the ones in the classic fiction section—except for the ones by Kerouac. I could never get into his style. I didn’t get far in War and Peace, either, and I’ve tried at least four times. I’ve read a lot of the poetry, about half the plays… A couple nonfiction, but not many. It’s like…we have books so we can escape from reality. Why would I want to read more about it?”

  Elisa laughed, a finger running over the spines of the antique books on the shelf labelled Collector’s. There were ladders and small stairwells leading to more and more shelves of books, and lots of tables and comfy seats for reading. Her father would go nuts in this place.

  “What are you doing over the summer break?” Darcy asked. “I know you’ll have finals and stuff to deal with after spring break ends, but maybe we could get together after finals.”

  Elisa smiled. “I’ll probably be taking a course online, but I’ll definitely be able to hang out some.”

  “If it wouldn’t give you flashbacks to your stay at Netherfield Park, you’re always welcome to visit me here. I have more than enough room, and I haven’t had guests in quite a while.” She paused, quickly adding, “A-and your family is invited as well, of course.”

  “Don’t let my mother hear you say that. She’d never leave. But I’d like that. It could be a fun vacation. Less expensive than Disney.”

  She blushed. “I can’t promise it’ll be as fun as Disney, though. I’m not great at entertaining guests, I admit.”

  “You’re doing all right.”

  Darcy opened her mouth to say something else, but the ring of Elisa’s phone interrupted.

  She glanced at the caller ID. “It’s Jules,” she said. “I should probably take this.”

  “Go ahead.”

  Elisa answered. “Hello?”

  “Oh, thank God—I was worried I wouldn’t be able to reach you,” Julieta said on the other end. Her voice was high-pitched, shaking. Elisa had never heard her sound like this before. “You need to get home right away.”

  “Wait, what? What happened?” Silence. “Julieta, what happened?”

  “It’s Lucia.”

  Elisa’s stomach twisted in on itself, visions of her baby sister lying in a hospital bed flashing through her mind. “Oh God—oh God, is she hurt?”

  Darcy looked up, approaching her but saying nothing.

  Julieta was audibly fighting to hold back tears.

  “Vivian went out to get them some food this morning. When she got back to the hotel, all of Lulu’s stuff was gone, and she left a note. Don’t panic, I’m safe. George will look after me. Don’t know when or if I’ll be home. Love you.”

  “She—she ran off?” Elisa stumbled, sitting down. Her hands were shaking. “How long has she been gone?”

  “At least four hours. She’s not answering her phone, and she hasn’t posted anything on social media since early this morning. I’ve tried to call about a hundred times, but it goes straight to voicemail. She must have shut it off…”

  Julieta sniffled then went on. “Vivi called the police after she called us, but they haven’t found anything, either. And—and Vivi’s aunt says she hasn’t seen her since last night. The last people to see her were the staff at the hotel—they said she returned her room key and got into a car, but they couldn’t tell who was driving. There—there was a camera outside the hotel, of course, but the footage doesn’t show the driver’s face, and the license plate isn’t visible, either.”

  “Shit. Shit. Shit.” Elisa trembled from head to toe, trying not to b
reak down sobbing. “I’m coming home. I’m coming home right now. I’ll—I’ll, um, I’ll try to get a ride, and if I can’t—”

  “I can get you home,” Darcy said softly.

  Elisa nodded, then realized Julieta couldn’t see her. “I have a ride. I’ll text you as soon as I’m on the way. I’ll see you soon. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Julieta hung up, leaving Elisa sitting there, phone still in hand, staring straight ahead. Rain continued to pelt the roof, the only sound other than her racing heartbeat.

  “Elisa?” Darcy whispered. She sat down next to her and hesitantly offered her hand. Elisa took it without thinking, lacing their fingers together and squeezing tightly. They sat there for a moment, Elisa trying to keep her breathing steady, before Darcy tried asking again. “Elisa, what happened?”

  “Lucia’s… Lucia, um…she…” She took a shaking breath, trying to focus on the feeling of her hand in Darcy’s. “She went down to Daytona Beach with a friend, and—and this morning, she ran off from the hotel, leaving a note to say she’s with someone named George and she doesn’t know if she’s coming home, and—and…”

  Darcy frowned. “George,” she said quietly. “Not George Sedgwick?”

  Elisa looked over at her, heart freezing. “You don’t think…?”

  “It’d be one hell of a coincidence, but…given Wick’s history…”

  “Oh no, no, no…” She pulled up Twitter on her phone. “I unfollowed him, but his privacy settings let anyone see his profile. Stupid piece of shit.”

  She pulled up Wick’s profile and looked at the most recent post.

  It was geotagged from Daytona Beach.

  “Fuck.” Elisa dropped her phone into her lap, burying her face in her hands. “I could’ve prevented this, I should’ve fought harder to keep Lucia from going, I should’ve told her the full truth about Wick…”

  “And I should’ve warned more people what he is,” Darcy said gently, rubbing Elisa’s back. “There’s a lot of could’ves and should’ves. We can’t dwell on those. We’re no good to your sister like that.”