by Ruby Cruz
Stuck, I sat dutifully in my chair. Aunt Jo excused herself to use the bathroom and Darcy was left to keep me company. I began to suspect even more that Aunt Jo and Ana were colluding to make sure Darcy and I had more time alone with each other. “So, what’s on your mind, Lizzy Bennett,” Darcy asked. “You look the way you do when you want to say something but are holding your tongue.”
“I have a look for that?”
“Yes. I’ve become very familiar with it at work. So, what don’t you want to say?”
I struggled to keep from blushing. Instead of admitting what was really going on in my head, I said, “My aunt really likes it here. I know she wants to get better and would love to stay here and take advantage of all the wonderful programs you have, but a part of me can’t help but wonder, ‘What’s the catch?’ I mean, it’s just too good to be true, having all this with no strings attached. I know you said it’s because we’re…colleagues, but…”
“Lizzy, there are no buts. Look, I just want to help you in any way I can. I know I haven’t made your life easy ever since we’ve known each other and…I guess in a way this is my repentance. Like I said before, I don’t expect anything in return. Just the knowledge that your aunt will make a full recovery is good enough for me. It’s the most I can ever hope for any of my patients.”
Ana returned with the coffee pot and offered me a refill which I reluctantly declined. I was having enough trouble sleeping as it was and a second cup of coffee might just mean another fitful night. When Aunt Jo sat back down to sip her decaf, she asked, “So, where do I sign up?”
Ana shared a smile with Darcy and said, “I just have some paperwork for you to sign and we can have you start as early as tomorrow afternoon. I want you to meet with your physical therapist first and our on-site cardiologist so we can develop a personalized regimen for you.” She clapped her hands excitedly and beamed. “I’m so glad you agreed to do this. I guarantee, you won’t regret it.” She almost made it sound as if Aunt Jo were doing her the favor of becoming her client. “As much as I hate to admit, it’s getting late and you’ll have a full day tomorrow so you’d best rest up. I’ll help you to the car.” She rushed to help Aunt Jo to her feet and out of the door, again leaving me with Darcy.
I purposefully lagged behind. When he and I stepped onto the porch, I stopped to face him. “Thank you again. For everything you’ve done for Aunt Jo.”
He gazed at me. His expression was unfathomable but I thought I could detect something there, something that softened his features just a bit. “You’ll be visiting her often, I suppose.”
“As much as my schedule will allow. I do have Chloe and Jane to think of. As much as I know Aunt Jo would love to see Chloe, Jane doesn’t like her to be around hospitals or places like this, as nice as it is.”
“Understandable.” As he and I stood silently on the porch, my heart thumped nervously. There was so much unsaid, so much I wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come. My thoughts flitted to yesterday, when Darcy had touched my hair, when his fingers had whispered against my ear. Even though his hands remained resolutely in his pockets, a part of me longed to feel his touch again. Something shifted in Darcy’s eyes. Recognition? Longing? He started, “Lizzy, I….”
My phone rang. Recognizing the tone to be from Lydia, I excused myself and fished the phone out of my purse. “Lydia, what’s going on?”
“God, Lizzy, I screwed up. I don’t know what to do.” There were tears in her voice and desperation.
“What happened? What did George do to you?”
“Nothing. He’s gone. He just left. It’s…there are people here.” Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“People?”
“They want money. They say George owes them money and he needs to pay it.”
“Lydia, where are you?” Fear gripped at me as I knew the answer.
She sobbed into the phone. “Vegas. We left for Vegas yesterday. We drove to the airport and took the first flight out and just did it.”
“You married him.”
“Yes. George didn’t want to wait, said that we could do a big ceremony later, but he wanted to be with me now. God, Lizzy, I’m so scared. These people…they say that if George doesn’t show up and pay the money then they can make me pay it. I don’t know what to do. I don’t have the kind of money they’re asking for.”
“How much?”
“Twenty thousand dollars. They said George owes them twenty thousand dollars and if he doesn’t pay it…” Her voice trailed off.
I closed my eyes. “Does Hal know about this?”
“I can’t tell Dad. There’s no way he and Mom could pay that.”
“And you have no idea where George went.”
“He just left tonight after dinner, said he had to go out and get something. That was three hours ago and then these guys knocked on the door.” She sobbed even more loudly. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Okay, just sit tight. I’ll call you back.”
“Lizzy, please, just hurry. I’m so scared.”
I ended the call and stood silently, gripping the phone as my mind raced. I blamed myself. After everything that had happened with Aunt Jo, I’d forgotten about Lydia, hadn’t even called Hal to get an update on what was going on. I hadn’t thought that Lydia would’ve been so stupid to elope with George but I knew better. I was tempted to throw my phone and watch it shatter but instead carefully placed it back into my purse. I jumped when I felt the hand on my arm. “Lizzy?” I’d forgotten that Darcy was there with me.
“You heard.”
He nodded. “I couldn’t help but overhear. Where are they?”
“Vegas, but George took off, who knows where he went. He owes some shady guys twenty thousand dollars and they’re holding Lydia liable for paying it if he doesn’t show up.” Tears threatened to spill. “This is all my fault.”
“Your fault? I don’t see how that’s possible.”
“I knew about Lydia and George, knew that they were together, that he’d proposed to her. I should’ve known they’d go to Vegas and elope in some shotgun wedding, it’s just the impulsive thing she’d do just to piss me off and she was pissed at me the last time I saw her. God. I could’ve stopped her, or tried to go after her, but instead I tried to tell myself that Lydia had more sense, that she wasn’t that stupid.”
“She’s a grown woman. She’s old enough to make her own choices, even bad ones.”
“She’s barely twenty-four years old. She’s got fifty thousand dollars in student loans. There’s no way she can pay these guys. And her dad’s not exactly swimming in money. Even if I sold my car, took out my savings, maybe took out a loan, there’s no way I could come up with the money to pay them off.”
“And you shouldn’t. This is George’s problem. You shouldn’t have to pay for his debts.”
“It became my problem when he married my sister. She may not be blood but she’s still my sister. I can’t just sit here and wait for them to do something horrible to her.”
Darcy gazed at me for a beat, and then said, “Okay. I know some people in Vegas. Let me make a few phone calls. They might be able to help me track down George, or at least figure out who these people are that are harassing your sister. In the meantime, you should call your stepfather and let him know what’s going on. He needs to know.”
I nodded. “What about my aunt? Hal and I weren’t going to tell her what was going on but if I have to leave suddenly…do you think she’ll be okay? I don’t want to just leave her like this. She’s still so fragile.”
“She’s stronger than you think. I’ll talk to Ana. Maybe we can talk your aunt into staying here until everything blows over. That way, she can be monitored and you’ll have peace of mind knowing she’s safe.”
I hated knowing that Darcy was giving me so much and I had nothing to give in return. “I…thank you. I don’t know how I can ever…I can’t thank you enough.”
“You’re welcom
e. You’d better go. I’ll make all the arrangements necessary to have your aunt settled here.”
I met Aunt Jo at the car and could tell by her expression that she knew something was wrong. “What’s going on? Who’s calling you this time of night?”
“It’s Lydia. She’s in trouble. I don’t have time to go into details but I have to call Hal and figure some things out. Dr. Darcy said that he can get you settled here tonight.”
Her eyes betrayed her concern but her voice was gruff. “That Lydia. She’s been a nuisance since your mom brought Hal and her home. I don’t see why you have to fix Hal’s problems for him.”
I didn’t answer, just said, “I’ll call as soon as I know anything.” Even though Aunt Jo wasn’t exactly the affectionate type, I grabbed her in an impulsive hug. “I love you. You listen to these people, don’t give them any trouble, you hear?”
She merely responded with a squeeze of her arm around me. Ana escorted her to her own car so they could presumably drive to the main building. As I climbed into the driver’s seat of my car, I could see that Darcy had stayed on the porch and was already speaking to someone on the phone. He glanced up as I started the engine and, even though I doubted he could see me against the glare of the headlights, I lifted a hand in farewell before driving away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
He Made It Right
As I threw my belongings into my duffel, I called Hal to update him on Lydia. As the conversation went on, I could hear the fight drain out of him. He sounded defeated and my stomach dropped. I’d worried that he wouldn’t care about Lydia eloping, but now he just sounded lost.
After making sure Jasper had enough food and water and a relatively clean litter box, I drove the hour to my mom’s house. Hal was there with Lydia’s mom and making final arrangements for a direct flight out of Newark. “I have enough money in my 401K. It’ll be fine,” he assured me.
Carol pressed her lips together. I knew that other than his 401K, he didn’t have anything else in savings and I suspected that this wasn’t the first time he’d drawn money from his retirement account. “Hal, let me help,” I offered. I wasn’t sure how I could help, but I hated the idea that his retirement was being wasted on an impulsive mistake by Lydia.
“Thanks, Lizzy, but this isn’t your problem to solve. You go home. You’ve helped enough with Jo and with this. I’ll call you when I get to Vegas.”
I had no other choice but to drive home. Jane and Chloe were long asleep and I envied them. Even though it was three in the morning, even though I was physically and mentally exhausted, sleep escaped me. My mind raced with guilt and frustration. It would be hours before Hal’s plane landed, hours before I’d know if Lydia was safe. When I’d tried to call her after I left Pemberley, she hadn’t answered and I feared the worst. After I called again from my mom’s house, I received a text saying she’d call in the morning.
When I finally fell asleep, my dreams were haunted by images of faceless dark-clad men. When my phone rang, I bolted upright, half-expecting to be grabbed by rough hands. I picked up my phone from the nightstand and saw that it was barely six in the morning. Hal’s plane probably hadn’t even departed yet. “Lydia?” I answered.
“Yeah, it’s me,” she greeted in a breathless voice. “I’m okay.”
“What happened? Where are you?”
“I’m still in Vegas. I’m still…they’re still here, but they got a call. They said George is bringing the money. He just had to get it together.”
“He’s there with you?”
“No, he’s just getting the money together. I just wanted to let you know.”
“Okay. Call me as soon as anything happens.”
After I disconnected the call, I lay in bed. I hadn’t expected George to come up with the money so soon. In fact, I hadn’t expected him to come up with the money at all. I’d fully expected him to disappear and leave Lydia at the mercy of those loan-sharking goons. Still, I wouldn’t believe she was well and truly safe until she was home.
The knowledge that George had the money gave me some small comfort and I was able to doze until I heard Chloe awaken in the next bedroom. Before she could wake up Jane, I went to her and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I held her tight, as much for my own comfort as for hers. I brought her into bed with me and we snuggled until the sun showed bright through my blinds and Jane shuffled into my bedroom.
“I thought I heard you come in last night.” Chloe awakened and immediately held her arms up for Mama. Jane picked her up but sat down next to me on the bed. “What happened? Is everything okay with Aunt Jo?”
“She’s fine. More than fine. It’s Lydia.”
As I explained the situation, Jane’s eyes widened in dismay. “Twenty thousand dollars? How did George get that type of money so quickly?”
“Beats me, but what matters is that he has it and now he can pay those creeps off and they’ll let Lydia go. Hal was already boarding the plane when Lydia called me, but at least he’ll be able to go there and get her away from George and bring her home.”
“What if she doesn’t want to get away from George? You said they got married there.”
“Any girl who’d want to stay married to some loser who leaves her at the mercy of homicidal loan sharks is insane. You didn’t hear how scared she was. There’s no way she’s staying with him. I’m sure they can get one of those annulments or something.”
Jane sighed. “I hope you’re right. You and I both know that Lydia has done some insane things in her life. Getting married to George almost seems tame in comparison. What do you think Hal’s going to do?”
“Other than lock her in the basement until she turns thirty-five? I don’t know. Probably bring her home and then figure out how to deal with her then. Important thing is that she’s home.”
~
Hal and Lydia didn’t return home until the next day. Carol picked them up from the airport and brought them directly to her house so it was another day before I could talk with Lydia in person. I hadn’t spoken with her since she’d called me from Vegas to tell me that George had the money, so I had no idea what had happened since then. I was mildly curious as to where George was now, but, even more, I wanted to know how my stepsister was.
I found Lydia in her room at Carol’s house. She was lying on her bed, playing with her phone. When she saw me, she set the phone down and sat up. “Hey,” she greeted me tentatively.
“Hey.” I wasn’t sure what to say to her. She’d been through what seemed to have been a horrific experience and yet…a part of me sensed that she wasn’t the least bit remorseful for her behavior.
She spoke first. “Look, I know you’re going to tell me, ‘I told you so’ and all that, and part of that is justified. But, I have to tell you, he did come back for me.”
“Yeah, twenty-four hours later, and God knows what could’ve happened to you in that time frame. Lydia, no one who really cares about you would have just left you without any way to contact him.”
“But he came back and he brought the money. That’s gotta count for something, right?” I wasn’t sure if she was so much trying to convince me as herself.
She continued. “It started out so great. We flew to Vegas, and he hit it really big at one of the craps tables, said that I was his lucky star. We took all our winnings and got a suite at the Bellagio and imagined how things would be when we were married. And then he said to me, ‘Babe, why don’t we just get married now? Why wait?’ And so we bought me a little white dress and he got himself a jacket and we found one of those little chapels and we just did it. It was like something out of a movie, you know? So spontaneous and romantic. And then when we got back to our suite and had dinner, he said he was going to go out. I was waiting for him to come back when those guys knocked on the door.”
“How did they even know to find you there?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that when I called George to let him know what wa
s happening, he said it was no big deal and that he’d be back with the money. It took him awhile, and he did come back and they left us alone. And then Dad showed up.” Lydia sighed. “I knew you thought you were doing the right thing but you really shouldn’t have called him. I asked you not to.”
“How could I not? You called me in the middle of the night sobbing that these guys were holding you hostage over some money that George owed them and you asked for my help. What was I supposed to do? Fly to Vegas myself and beat them up?”
“I know you were just trying to help and I really appreciate it, I truly do, but everything worked out in the end, right? George came back for me.”
I sighed. How could she be so stupid about this? It sounded like she and George were actually still together. “So where is your knight in shining armor?” I hadn’t meant to come off so sarcastically but my insides were seething with the possibility that George was still in the picture.
“He flew back with us. He went back home to get some things from his apartment, then he’s moving in here with me.”
“He’s moving in with you and your mother?” I was flabbergasted. There was no way I could have predicted that.
“Just for a little while until we can find a place of our own. We’re in love, Lizzy. Yes, I know he screwed up, but he made it right in the end. I don’t know how, but somehow, he made it right and he came back for me.”
I shook my head. As much as I knew she was making a horrible mistake, as much as I hated knowing that she was now married to George Wickham, the slime, Lydia was a grown woman and was responsible for her own decisions, as stupid as they were.
After I left Lydia, I considered trying to find George Wickham and wringing his neck. That he’d somehow scammed Lydia into marriage made me feel physically nauseated and I again wondered how the hell he’d found the money to pay off his debts.
~
It was all I could do to prevent myself from throttling George the next time I encountered him at Lydia’s house. A week after they’d returned, Lydia and George had found a small apartment not far from the hospital. Hal had directed me to bring over some of Lydia’s things as he had not entirely forgiven her for the whole fiasco of her time in Vegas.