by Ruby Cruz
Mrs. Pratchett had set the dining table with a large tureen of summer corn chowder, a basket of home-baked herbed biscuits, and a fresh garden salad. I followed Caroline’s suit and took a seat in front of one of the delicate china place settings, the guys politely waiting for us to be seated before seating themselves. My stomach growled insistently as it reminded me that I hadn’t had anything substantial to eat since I scarfed down a granola bar at the hospital. I dipped a hunk of biscuit into the chowder and nearly moaned as I chewed. “Mrs. Pratchett is a godsend, you realize,” I commented. “Her cooking is fantastic.”
Charlie grinned. “She is a wonderful cook. When my father insisted she accompany me to the East Coast, I jumped for joy that I wouldn’t have to prepare my own meals or eat cafeteria food.” He then became sheepish. “I suppose I sound very spoiled.”
“Maybe a little bit, but at least you appreciate what a treasure she is. God knows I’d love to have a Mrs. Pratchett around.”
“Do you not cook?” Darcy asked me.
“I can throw a meal together every once in a while but Jane does most of the meal preparation in our house. She’s a pretty decent chef when she’s not distracted by a certain little munchkin who seems to attract trouble at every turn.”
Caroline buttered a biscuit. “I can’t imagine how your sister does it: working the type of job she has and having the night shift no less, being a single mother with no support from the father. Please tell me she’s at least getting child support.”
“She said that if Chloe’s father didn’t want to be involved in her upbringing then there’s no reason she should be taking his money.” I was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the turn our conversation had taken.
Caroline set down her biscuit and butter knife. “Your sister is a saint. If I were her, I would’ve squeezed every penny I could out of the man. Then again, I probably would never have gotten myself into such a situation in the first place.”
I could feel my face reddening. Before I could scratch her pretty little eyes out, Charlie intervened, “Well, I say it’s his loss. Chloe is a wonderful child. Jane has done very well by her. And you, too, Lizzy. Jane’s told me how much you help out.”
“Thanks, Charlie.” I could feel the anger beginning to ebb. I cannot let pretentious, bitchy Caroline Bingley get me riled, I reminded myself. She’s not worth it. “It’s really Jane. She sets all the rules. I just follow them.”
“I don’t think you give yourself enough credit. From what I gather, you take care of Chloe at least three days a week. And today, you had no qualms about coming here and taking care of her when Jane wasn’t feeling well.”
I shrugged. “That’s what family does, right? Jane would do the same for me in a heartbeat.”
Conversation lapsed and I busied myself with eating the delicious food. I wondered vaguely how the occupants of the mansion didn’t weigh five hundred pounds. After a moment, Darcy surprised me by addressing me, “Lizzy, Charlie mentioned that you enjoy hiking.”
“I do, when I have the time, and when I do hike, it’s usually with a baby in tow so I have to take the easier trails.”
“You may already be aware but there is a spur of the Columbia trail less than a quarter mile from here. It supposedly leads down to the river.”
“I have hiked portions of the Columbia trail and especially enjoy walking along the river in the summer months. It’s a lovely walk.” In the back of my mind I was wondering what Darcy’s point was.
“Perhaps, if your sister is still feeling unwell, you may enjoy the walk after dinner with Chloe. I don’t think it is too strenuous.”
Still waiting for the catch, I replied, “Thanks, I might just do that. What about you guys? Do you like to hike?”
Caroline rolled her eyes. “The only hiking I’ve done is in the urban jungle in six inch heels. I don’t do well with the great outdoors. Charles and I are strictly city people, which is why we were shocked when he accepted a residency position in such a rural community. You must agree, William, especially having lived in the city for so long.”
“Yes, I’ve done most of my schooling in the city, but I grew up not too far from here, if you recall.”
“Ah, yes, your parents owned a horse farm, didn’t they?” My mind reeled at the information. William Darcy? On a farm? “But your family is originally from the city, correct?”
“Yes, my mother grew up in the city and met my father while in college. Anyway,” Darcy said brusquely, changing the subject, “Lizzy, if you wouldn’t mind the company, I would enjoy a walk down to the river now that the weather has cooled a bit.”
Charlie seemed torn between wanting to play host and ensuring that Jane was not left behind. He chose the latter. “I’ll stay and make sure there isn’t anything Jane needs. Caroline is right in certain respects. My enjoyment of the outdoors is somewhat limited to the beach and poolside lounging.”
Despite her earlier assertions, Caroline announced, “I think I’ll join you. After spending so much time cooped up in a car, some fresh air will be nice for a change.”
After dinner, I checked on Jane. She was sound asleep, a sign that the medicine had finally worked and she was on the way to being back to her usual, cheerful self. I collected Chloe from Mrs. Pratchett, cleaned her up, and changed her diaper, before meeting Darcy and Caroline in the front hallway. Because I wasn’t sure how rough the trail was going to be, I left the stroller in the car and opted to take the backpack carrier for Chloe. She fussed a bit as I strapped her in and I had to have Darcy help me attach it to my back, but once settled, she giggled happily as we set down the street and towards the nature preserve abutting the rear of the development.
Within five minutes, Darcy led us to the marked trail head. “It’s not a very long walk to the river,” he explained. Caroline was silent and, judging by the look on her face, quite miserable.
The walk was much cooler in the shade of the trees, but the exertion still dampened my shirt and made me wish I’d been wearing something other than my spare set of scrubs. I was glad I’d thought to grab the bug spray from my car before embarking and paused in the middle of the trail to spray myself and Chloe. Even though Caroline also paused to spray herself liberally with the repellant, she commented, “I would never have thought to pack a spare can of bug repellant in my car. You must have a veritable survival kit stashed in there. What else? WD-40, duct tape, bungee cords?” There was a bite to her tone.
I answered calmly, “I take Chloe to the park by the reservoir often. It tends to be quite buggy. I suppose you keep a spare pair of heels and makeup case in your car, for those emergency meetings with important clients.”
“Of course I do,” she answered simply. “There is credence to the expression, ‘Dress to impress.’ And I always make sure I impress.” As if to punctuate her remark, before we left Caroline had changed into a cute sports tank and matching shorts.
“I’m sure you do.”
“And what do you think, William?” she cooed. “You seem awfully quiet back there. Why don’t you join us up here on the trail?”
“I think not. To address your question, I believe impressing others depends upon your audience. If you are trying to impress with your outfit, then, Caroline, I would say you’ve succeeded quite well. If Lizzy were attempting to impress me with her manner and easy gait, then she has also succeeded. In any case, I can admire both from back here.”
I could see the admiration and jealousy warring in Caroline’s expression and a part of me couldn’t help but feel a bit triumphant at causing even a bit of jealousy in her, even if it was resulting from just a comment from Darcy.
I pointed out a squirrel to Chloe who then babbled excitedly. We followed the squirrel down the trail until it scurried up a pine tree and out of sight. She whimpered when she could no longer see the creature, at which point Darcy said, “Chloe, if you look really closely, you can see a bird in the tree.” She immediately quieted and strained to see the bi
rd he was pointing at. I had a hard time finding it as well, but when I did, I almost started. It was a hawk, about halfway up a white pine about thirty yards away. Its feathers were well-camouflaged in the shadows.
“How could you see that?” I asked, impressed.
He shrugged. “My parents used to take me on nature hikes when I was a child. We would make a game of what animals we could find on the trail.”
Suddenly, the hawk took flight and Chloe clapped at the sudden movement and pointed. “Seems like you were pretty good at that game,” I complimented.
“My parents used to tell me I had eagle eyes,” he responded with a little pride.
Caroline must have been feeling a little left out because she chimed in, “As much as you may see like a bird, you certainly don’t resemble one.”
After Caroline’s ridiculous comment, he became quiet again. We walked for another ten minutes, Darcy occasionally pointing out various specimens of flora and fauna, until we could hear the bubbling of the river. The air was noticeably cooler here and after the mugginess of the forest I was eager for the promise of sweeter air. I stumbled over a fallen tree branch and nearly fell with Chloe on top of me when a strong arm grabbed mine and stayed me. Darcy made sure I had my balance before releasing me. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” I answered curtly, embarrassed at nearly falling on my face after having professed to be a somewhat proficient hiker. “Thanks. That could have been disastrous.” I didn’t even want to imagine Jane’s reaction if I’d fallen and injured Chloe in some way.
“You’re welcome.”
I walked past him and carefully made my way towards the sound of the river. The bank was steep and rocky so I didn’t venture too close to the edge and risk endangering Chloe again. I did relish the breeze that wafted from the moving water and I breathed deeply. I could feel Darcy’s presence close by and asked, “Do you often take this walk, Dr. Darcy?”
“As often as I can, which, I dare say, isn’t often enough. Walking these trails helps to remind me of who I am and where I’ve been.” We stood silently until Caroline swore.
“These mosquitoes are the size of horseflies. How is it that I’m the only one getting bitten here?”
“You must have sweeter blood,” I answered just a bit ironically.
~
The walk back to the mansion seemed shorter than the walk to the river, probably because we paused less times and because Caroline had had enough of the biting insects. Chloe and I did not seem to be much affected by the mosquitoes so I wondered if Caroline was just being overly dramatic. Upon our return, Charlie was happy to report that Jane was awake and had had enough of an appetite to sip some soup. I brought Chloe with me to check on Jane, who was sitting up in bed but had her eyes closed. She opened her eyes when we entered the room and her expression brightened.
Chloe crawled over the bed covers to hug her mother. “How’s my baby girl? Did you have a good time with Aunt Lizzy? I’m sorry mama wasn’t feeling well. But Charlie said we could come back and go swimming tomorrow.”
“Really? He wants you to come back?”
“Yes, he actually did, surprisingly enough. I’m so embarrassed, Lizzy, being such an inconvenience, but he said everything was fine and that we should come back tomorrow for a rain check if I was really feeling better. He was probably just being polite.”
“I think he was probably just disappointed he couldn’t spend the time with you properly today and he’s taking the first opportunity he can to make up the time. So, are you going to come back?”
“I don’t know. I think so. I really am starting to feel better, maybe not a hundred percent, but I should be fine by tomorrow. I do have to work tomorrow night, though.”
“So you do a half day tomorrow and bring Chloe back home so both you and she can nap in the afternoon,” I said logically. “It sounds like Charlie really wants to spend the time with you and Chloe and I don’t think you should pass this up.”
I left Chloe to snuggle with Jane for a few minutes before returning downstairs. I found Darcy in the foyer where he was on the phone. His voice, though soft, was clear and his tone left no question as to his disposition. “I don’t care what she is saying, you do what I tell you. When that woman gets a license to practice medicine, that’s when you listen to her. In the meantime, I’m the attending physician and when I say to bolus with 10 and increase the drip to 20, then I expect you to do it. Understood? Good.”
Darcy disconnected the call and slammed his phone onto the table. “Idiots,” he muttered to no one in particular. He started slightly when he noticed me standing on the staircase. “Lizzy. Charlie mentioned that Jane is feeling better.”
“Much better. We’ll probably be heading home soon.”
Charlie entered the foyer and thus heard the tail end of my comment. “But you’ll be coming back tomorrow? I told Jane you were all welcome back to use the pool tomorrow.”
“I think Jane is considering bringing Chloe back but…I don’t know about myself.” As much as I would have liked to make use of the pool, I didn’t enjoy the thought of being Jane’s tag-along sister.
Charlie must have sensed my reluctance because he said, “Oh, come on. It’ll be fun. I’m going to try my hand at grilling. With so many medical personnel in the house and Mrs. Pratchett as backup, I’ll be covered if the experiment goes poorly.”
I didn’t have the heart to say no to Charlie’s eager words, so I found myself agreeing to accompany Jane and Chloe the next day.
I drove the three of us home, and then got Chloe ready for bed so that Jane could rest more. I had to admit that the day had exhausted me. I lingered in the hot shower longer than usual, and then tried to do some light reading.
Memories of the day distracted me, though, and I found myself thinking about Caroline’s rude comments. She obviously felt threatened by me in some respect, though I wasn’t sure why. By her own admission, I wasn’t very pretty, dressed poorly, and was in the reviled profession of nursing. There was no reason she should view me as a rival for Darcy’s attention.
~
I seriously considered begging off the next day. Jane was feeling herself again and was looking forward to a do-over at the Bingleys, while all I wanted to do was veg at home, or maybe take a hike by the reservoir. Thoughts of hiking led to memories of the hike the day before and I thought of Darcy’s comment about admiring my easy gait. I hadn’t really thought about how I walked. I just did it, but now I was forever going to be self-conscious about it. Damn it.
The thought of spending another day in the company of Darcy and Caroline was not a pleasant one, but I’d promised Charlie I would come, and we needed to pick up Jane’s car anyway, so I found myself packing a bag with poolside essentials. We arrived at the mansion late in the morning and Mrs. Pratchett eagerly greeted us at the door. “It’s so lovely to see you again, girls. Charles Junior and the others are already at the poolside. I’ll show you back.”
The day had already warmed considerably so the air in the pool house was hot and humid. Someone had opened the vents in the glass housing and ceiling fans turned lazily to offer a stingy breeze. Jane slathered Chloe with sunscreen while Charlie emerged from what seemed to be a utility closet with a toddler swim ring. Chloe was delighted with the water, splashing and enjoying the cool wetness. Charlie taught her how to blow bubbles in the water, a skill which she mastered in minutes and happily repeated without provocation. Caroline, in the meantime, decided to sun herself, while Darcy worked on his laptop.
After about a half hour of playing in the pool with Chloe, Charlie decided he would begin his attempt at the grill. Taking my cue, I offered to watch my niece so Jane could assist him. I floated around the pool with her, pretended to motor her around like a tug boat, and sang the “Slippery Fish” song during which she cutely mimicked my hand movements. After I finished the song, I heard the slow clap from the poolside. Darcy regarded me sardonically. Despite myself, I blushed.
“I didn’t realize entertainment would be provided this morning and that was quite entertaining.”
I felt my blush deepen as I pulled Chloe along in her float. “I’d like to see you try to keep an eighteen-month old happily occupied without breaking into song at least once,” I bit out.
“That’s quite all right,” he replied to the challenge. “You seem to be doing fine all on your own.”
I was floating around with Chloe in tow when I felt and heard movement in the water. I opened my eyes to see Caroline climbing into the pool. Without my asking, she said, “The sun is getting so hot and the water seemed so inviting.” She dunked her head under water and immediately jumped up, back arched and head tilted back, like she was posing for a centerfold spread. She sighed, “Ah, that’s better. Doesn’t the water feel nice after being in the sun for so long?”
Without waiting for a reply, she began to swim laps, tracing the path I’d taken only moments before with Chloe. Because I felt awkward and because I wasn’t ready to get out of the pool just yet, I restricted my paddling to one corner of the pool so as not to interfere with Caroline’s swim. After a dozen or so laps, she stopped at the poolside and called out, “Hey, William, why don’t you put your computer down and come in and join us?”
Darcy glanced up at us, his expression ever impassive. “I think not.”
“Why not?” She seemed genuinely confused.
“Because I find I much prefer the view from the poolside,” he answered with a straight face.
Caroline seemed pleased with herself. “Naughty boy.”
I couldn’t quite hide the smirk from my face. “Something funny?” he asked.
“Just your comment, just now.”
“You find my comment, which was intended as a compliment, funny?”
I swam to the side of the pool and bounced Chloe in her float. “Don’t mind me. I tend to find amusement in many things that others don’t.” At Darcy’s dark look, I gave a small sigh. “Now I’ve offended you. I should have realized you don’t like to be laughed at.”