by Wendi Sotis
When he had whispered that he should carry her to her room, he couldn’t believe it when Mrs. Reynolds had responded with a smile, “No, William, I’m afraid that would only wake her. Rest is the best medicine for her, and she looks quite comfortable right where she is. You might as well leave her be.” The kind lady winked at him.
The last thing he remembered was looking around to gauge everyone else’s reactions. Georgiana nodded her agreement with Mrs. Reynolds’s statement, and Richard and Charles just smiled at him.
Relieved that everyone seemed to approve, he had been more than happy to take Mrs. Reynolds’s advice. He had slid downward so he could lean his head on the back of the couch and had closed his eyes. Only for a minute, he remembered thinking. But he must have fallen asleep.
Obviously, everyone else had gone to bed, but someone had seen them in this position—he and Elizabeth had a blanket draped over them.
Sleeping on a couch had never been as comfortable as this. He decided to stay just a little longer.
His heart was beating so forcefully, he was surprised she hadn’t already awakened. Elizabeth snuggled closer, moving her hand from his neck to his chest, which rose and fell rapidly with his increasing respiration. He closed his eyes again, memorizing how every inch of her body conformed perfectly to his, and concluded that he was born to hold Elizabeth.
The rhythm of her breathing changed. Eventually, he felt her stir and lift her head. Only then did he open his eyes.
How does she become more beautiful every time I look at her? He couldn’t stop from smiling. “Good morning, Elizabeth.”
She blushed thoroughly, and a pang of guilt swept through him. He should have forced himself to slip out from under her before she woke up.
“I fell asleep.” He cursed himself silently for stating the obvious.
William felt a little better when she blinked a couple of times before saying, “Me, too.”
His heart rate picked up again when Elizabeth searched his eyes for several seconds. Disappointment stung as she clumsily tried to lift herself from the couch without touching him. Her left hand slipped off the half inch of cushion that was to his right. She fell back to his chest.
She looked up at him with wide eyes. “Did I hurt you?”
He shook his head. His eyes wandered to her lips that were so very close to his own. I need to get off the couch, now, or else this isn’t going to be just sleeping anymore.
“I didn’t realize my arm was...” She paused. “It’s under...” Her blush deepened. “I think it’s numb.”
Realization hit him—he had been so mesmerized by the feel of certain other body parts pressed against him that he hadn’t realized her right arm was underneath his body.
“You’re going to have to, uh...” her voice trailed off.
“Oh!” He tried to get up, but their legs were still entwined with the blanket wrapped around them both, and he ended up on the floor instead.
Without his form in the way, she sat up quickly, rubbing her right arm and clenching her fist repeatedly to get the blood flowing again. “Are you okay?”
William thought about her question. Other than a slight ache in his head from banging it on a table as he had fallen, he was more than okay. After waking up with her in his arms—a dream come true—how could he be anything else? Although, I’ve never dreamt about sleeping with her on a couch... He quickly put a stop to that train of thought and pushed himself into a seated position with his back against the couch.
Elizabeth looked toward the window and sorrow overtook her expression. “For a minute, I forgot. It looks a lot worse in the daylight.”
She was right; the backyard was a mess. The huge oak that had held her tree house was in pieces, half in the muddy water of the pool. The fire had burned many of the trees that lined that side of the yard, but with the exception of the one that had been hit by lightning, they all still stood tall.
“If the fire didn’t get too deep into the trunks, they’ll probably come back strong next spring.” He hoped to console her, even a little.
She moved to stand.
“How’re you feeling?”
She shifted her weight to her injured limb and nodded with a surprised look on her face. “A lot better, thanks.”
She walked closer to the window and wrapped her arms around herself. He grabbed the blanket and placed it over her shoulders, his hands lingering. “The weather changed with the storm. It’s chilly in here this morning,” he whispered near her ear. She shivered.
They both jumped at the sound of Mrs. Reynolds’s bedroom door opening, and he stepped away from her.
“Oh, good morning, William, Elizabeth.” She walked over to the window. “William, do you think the barbeque is alright? I’d like to heat some water for coffee and tea. The stove is electric.”
“Why don’t you all come to my house for breakfast? Everyone can shower there, too. They’ll get your power working as soon as they can, but I’m sure it won’t be until later today, at the earliest. They’ll have to run new lines up to the house.” Elizabeth smiled. “After staying with us before, at least you all know where everything is.”
“You’re sure it won’t be an imposition, dear? Your family has already been so kind,” Mrs. Reynolds replied.
“I’m sure it’s fine, but I’ll call the house now and ask anyway. Who knows, maybe we don’t have power, either.”
Knowing all the hot spots in the house, she walked toward the kitchen to place her call. Mrs. Reynolds turned to William and asked with a smile in her eyes, “Did you sleep well, Will?”
William cleared his throat. “I hope you know nothing happened last night.”
“Of course.” Mrs. Reynolds smiled up at him. “You’re a good man, William. If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have left you two alone.” She patted his cheek and followed Elizabeth into the kitchen.
~%~
Elizabeth examined herself in the bathroom mirror. The way William looked at her this morning when she first opened her eyes had made her feel like she was the most beautiful woman in the world, but she had to have been mistaken. Her hair resembled a rat’s nest. After all the crying she had done yesterday, she was surprised there was any mascara left, but there it was, smeared under her eyes. She closed her eyes and blew out a long breath. She couldn’t believe she had appeared this way in front of William!
Without a brush, the best thing she could manage was to finger comb her hair and put it up in the ponytail holder she always kept stashed in her pocket. The ice-cold water on her face did her some good as she washed it. They were leaving soon to regroup at her house—she might as well leave on the clothes she had used as pajamas since her own clothes had blood all over them.
She took a deep breath. After spending the night in William’s arms, Elizabeth could still smell his cologne mixed with something that was uniquely William, and it was driving her to distraction. Although she could ask Georgiana for another shirt, part of her didn’t want to rid herself of his scent.
Why had he been looking at her that way as she lay in his arms? She often thought she saw something more than friendship in his eyes but had always dismissed it as wishful thinking.
For years she had thought men found her unattractive, but after discovering that Dan had chased the other boys away as she was growing up, it had occurred to her that maybe, just maybe, whenever William looked at her in a way that sent her heart racing... maybe she had reason to hope, to dream. She looked into her own eyes in the mirror’s reflection. Could William and she ever be more than friends?
Three times within the past twenty-four hours, she had thought so: when they danced, when he met her at the bottom of the stairs after he had just received the photo, and when she woke up in his arms. Even from across the football field yesterday, after Dan had proposed, hadn’t she thought she saw something like heartbreak in his expression? Didn’t he seem more than a little relieved after she joined his team, trying to prove to everyone that she wasn’t going t
o accept Dan? Hadn’t the way he treated her after she was injured made her feel loved?
Loved? I’m reading too much into this!
She shook her head at her foolishness. A man like William could never care about her.
She jumped when her phone made that tone. She opened the photo, and her mouth dropped open. Almost as if in answer to her thoughts, she stood staring at a picture of William and her, kissing. She tried to make out what was in the background but couldn’t recall ever being in a place like that. It almost looked as if they were in a tropical jungle.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts away. There wasn’t time to think this through now. They all had to get over to her house, shower, and get to work.
She opened the bathroom door and stepped into the hall near the garage, almost directly into William.
“Did you receive another photo?”
“Why?” Her eyes opened wide. “Did you?”
He shook his head. “I thought I heard that tone.” When Elizabeth made a gesture that was completely non-committal, he continued. “I’ve only received the one, as far as I know. I shut it off last night after that one.” He shuddered. “I don’t ever want to look at that picture again.”
“The phone being off wouldn’t make a difference—it powers on when one of those pictures comes in.”
His eyebrows rose. “Really?”
“It’s probably the same as when the drawings followed Elizabeth Darcy no matter where she went. She felt she was meant to see them at certain times, and somehow they were forwarded to her, even when she was half-way across England. You aren’t permitted not to look at them, Will—believe me, I’ve tried! If you refuse to look when they are received, the new photos are displayed on the phone instead of anything else, like the menu options or caller ID when you get a call, and it continues to make that loud noise intermittently.”
He chuckled. “I guess it makes as much sense as the rest of it does, but my phone hasn’t made any more sounds like that. The one I heard a minute ago wasn’t loud enough to be mine.” He looked at her seriously. “Are you sure you didn’t get one?”
She blushed. “Well, I did, but...” She certainly didn’t want to show him that picture.
Georgiana came down the stairs, and Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief that their conversation had ended. Maybe he’d forget.
“Are you able to drive, Lizzy?”
“Yes, I think so, Georgie. Mrs. Reynolds’s ice packs really helped last night.”
Elizabeth felt herself blush again when he looked at her over Georgiana’s head with a curious expression. “Are you sure? Mrs. Reynolds can drive my car again...”
“She’ll need her own to come back later, Will, and you’ll need yours. I’m feeling a lot better—I have to go to work later, too.”
He gestured toward the garage, indicating Georgiana should precede him. Elizabeth could see him steel himself as he pulled out his phone and looked, she assumed to make sure he hadn’t received any more pictures predicting something might happen to her if she drove. She was surprised to see him smile.
“Thank God, it changed.”
“To what?”
He just smiled in response.
~%~
~Later that day
Trying not to limp, Elizabeth made her way across the floor of the showroom toward the office. She really needed to elevate her foot for a while. As she passed through the plumbing department, Elizabeth saw Dan walking toward her. She had to concentrate to avoid taking off in the opposite direction.
“Lizzy, we need to talk.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Dan, but talking isn’t going to change anything.”
“I’m here on official business.”
She searched his features and could see he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “Okay, let’s go to my father’s office.”
He followed her through the main office area, passing Mrs. Hill, Lydia, who briefly flirted with him, and her mother, who had been giving her the silent treatment all day but suddenly seemed very happy to see her... most likely because she was with Dan. Dan stopped to say a quick hello and soon followed Elizabeth into her father’s office. She closed the door and sat behind the desk.
She recognized the way he held himself; he was in his “Courtroom Dan” persona. Maybe this really is business? He started pacing the small room, then came to a stop in front of the desk.
“What I’m about to tell you is confidential. I know I can trust you not to speak of this to anyone else.” He lifted both eyebrows and waited.
A little miffed that he wanted an answer confirming his stating she could be trusted, her voice reflected her annoyance. “Of course.”
“For the past few weeks, the District Attorney’s office has been receiving complaints. It seems someone in the building department is hustling people, and we’re trying to figure out how far up in the county government the corruption goes.” He paced slowly before the desk, as if she were in a jury box.
“A few homeowners and commercial property owners have been told that if they want a Certificate of Occupancy for improvements to their homes or establishments, they’ll have to pay a hefty fee. Those who don’t accept the deal end up going through a ton of red tape, and in the end, their applications are rejected and the county fines them. We’ve checked out the work—they should have passed inspection. When they reapply for the C.O., they are approached again for another bribe. It’s all done on the phone, using an untraceable number.”
He stopped and turned to look at her, letting that sink in. “We’ve also had one commercial property owner who paid the ‘fee’ but then became suspicious that it was really a bribe and contacted us. After the fee was paid, the owner of the business received a C.O. within a couple of weeks even though not one inspector had showed up to look at the extensive work that had been done. The money is paid through an online vendor, and we’re working on tracing the account it’s going into. Unfortunately, it’s out of state, so that’s making things more difficult.”
Elizabeth was dumbfounded. After a few moments, she recovered her voice. “This could end up being disastrous, Dan. Anybody can do the work—it could end in fires, building collapses, or worse. People can lose their lives.”
He nodded and sat down across from her, looking as though he was making himself comfortable, but Elizabeth knew it was one of his ploys. She could see him winding up to get to the main point of his visit. “Lizzy, you can see that whoever is demanding these ‘fees’ would make a mint off a huge project such as Lambton Village.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“We’ve been investigating everyone involved in Lambton—everyone.” He paused again, searching her eyes. “If they haven’t already started shaking down someone associated with Lambton, they will, and soon. Since these people seem to have been fairly successful with C.O.s, it won’t be long until they move on to building permits. We’re keeping our eyes open, but I have my suspicions.”
“Are you accusing my uncle of paying off county officials?”
“Your uncle has been ruled out.” He stood up and leaned toward her. “I came to warn you that Darcy, however, is one of our lead suspects.”
“You think Will is involved?”
He looked away. “I just thought you should know that he’s under investigation. If he is your boyfriend when he’s charged, your name is going to be dragged through the mud with his.”
“He’s not my boyfriend, Dan—he’s my friend—but if he were accused, I’d stand by him. Will wouldn’t do anything like this.”
“You’ve only known him a short time.” His tone was almost threatening. “Do you really trust this guy?”
She stood and looked him straight in the eye. “Yes, I do. I’d trust him with my life, if necessary.” She enunciated every word carefully when she said, “Will Darcy would not do this, Dan.”
The two stood glaring at each other for at least a minute before Dan looked away. “If you see anything suspicious,
give me a call.” He casually flipped a business card onto the desk.
She picked it up and held it out to him. “You know I have all your numbers.”
He took it and started walking toward the door. “Then I’ll give it to your mother just in case you decide to wipe them off your phone after today.”
She said softly, “Dan, please, don’t try to ruin Will just because you know I care about him.”
He turned back to her and growled, “You’ve known me your whole life. Now this guy comes along and, all of a sudden, you don’t trust me anymore? What has he done to poison your mind against me?”
Her heart pounded, but she didn’t back down. “Will has never said a word against you, Dan—you are the only one who’s proved that I can’t trust you. I’m not sure the man—the friend—I thought I knew ever existed. Which boys I dated should have been my choice, not yours. But yesterday I found out that you’ve spent years bullying every male I knew so they would stay away from me. In essence, you went out and had your fun with almost any girl who looked your way, but were ‘saving’ me for yourself. What gave you that right, Dan?”
He simply glared at her in response.
“Then you tried that same bully tactic on Will yesterday. He surprised you, didn’t he? It didn’t work on him. Now, since Will isn’t afraid of you, you’re inventing reasons for me to stay away from him.
“Please explain it to me, Dan, because I just don’t understand your reasoning here. Why should I trust you? Tell me why I should think you wouldn’t do it again, but on a much larger scale.”
Again, he didn’t answer, but there was a touch of confusion shining in his eyes.
Elizabeth shook her head. “What else have you done to get what you want, exactly the way you wanted it? Where does it end? Someday, will you end up rigging trials so they come out the way that’s best for you, too?” She took a moment to catch her breath and continued in a more subdued tone of voice. “You’ve hurt yourself as much, or maybe even more, than you’ve hurt others by doing these things. Stop this now, before you end up ruining your life.”
She paused again, her tone becoming more sympathetic than angry.