by Wendi Sotis
“I don’t know if you realize, Elizabeth, but because of my family name, I’ve been used so many times. I hate to say it this way, but since that stupid magazine article came out—”
Elizabeth held up two fingers. “You’ve been on the Top Ten Most Eligible Bachelors list for two years.”
William groaned. “Yes, two. Especially since those articles, but even before that, I’ve been hunted by predatory women who want to be associated with me because I’m a Darcy. It became an automatic reaction for me to come to the worst possible conclusion about people, to protect myself. Unfortunately, you’ve seen me act that way many times, so you know exactly what I’m talking about. Up until the moment I met you, most of the time that instinct was correct. It took me a while to realize—to accept—that, to you, I’m not just a wallet, a bank account, and a way to get your picture in the papers. I’m a man, which is all I’ve ever wanted to be. It’s taken a lot of effort to change the way I react, but I think I’m learning, because of you.
“By the time I was willing to admit to myself that you really were as wonderful as I had hoped you’d be and I was ready to risk my heart, your uncle recognized my feelings for you. He told me about the agreement you’d signed and brought up all the rumors you’d be branded with if we became involved. I didn’t want to risk your reputation, but I couldn’t let you go, either.”
Elizabeth searched his eyes. “Are you sure this is real for you, that you aren’t just reacting to convenience or to the many coincidences or the connections we have to each other? Are you sure it’s me that you love?” She shook her head. “I’m nobody, Will!”
He tried to keep the pain her statement caused in his heart from displaying in his expression. “You’re everything, Elizabeth.” He gently cradled her face in his hands. “I tried to tell you earlier without being too forward—those photographers took so many pictures of us because in all the years they’ve been following me, they’ve never seen me smile. When I’m with you, I’m happy.” He continued with more conviction than he’d ever felt before. “I do love your name, which should be paired with mine; it belongs with mine.” He smiled. “But I also love your mind—your intellect, wit, logic, your ability to reason even under the worst of circumstances. I love that your creativity is in sync with mine.” He pulled her into his embrace. “I love your body, which fits perfectly against mine, and I will not explain at this time how I’d like to worship every inch of it.” He moved away just enough that he could caress her lips with his thumb. “I love this mouth that I’m aching to kiss again right now. I love you, Elizabeth, and if you let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it to you.”
He took a deep breath and searched his feelings. He was excited, expectant, but not even the slightest bit nervous. This was right—it was meant to be.
“Marry me, Elizabeth?”
Elizabeth gasped. “You want to marry me?”
William nodded. “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.”
Something he couldn’t name passed over her features.
“If it’s too soon for you, you can have all the time you need to think about it—”
She cut off his words once again with a quick kiss. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Will!”
A while later, when they came up for air, William leaned his forehead against hers. “Please, Elizabeth, let’s marry right away. I doubt I could survive a long engagement.”
She pulled away slightly to look into his eyes. “I’m sure I can be persuaded.” Her gaze shifted to his lips.
He hugged her to him and almost growled into her ear, “I hope you need a lot of persuading.”
A few minutes later, he broke their kiss, and he moved to pay special attention to the curve where her shoulder met her neck—exactly the place he’d been dreaming of tasting since he’d first seen her in that gown. “There’s only one thing I can think of that would be a problem.”
“I can’t even think right now,” she answered breathily.
“That’s promising.” He smiled against her skin, and then made his way toward her ear again. Once he arrived at his destination, he whispered, “It could be a problem if you didn’t approve of what you saw in your bathroom that day...”
She made that sound again. Yes, it was a very good thing he hadn’t allowed himself any alcohol this evening.
He nibbled on her earlobe. “So you approve?”
“Hmmmm?” she hummed dreamily.
He pulled away to look at her. “I asked if you liked what you saw.”
“Will!” She blushed thoroughly.
“What? It’s an honest question.” He chuckled.
“Of course I did—you knew that right away, didn’t you? I mean, I couldn’t keep my eyes from wandering...” She looked away and then met his gaze again. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to look you in the eyes again.”
“But you did.” He smiled.
“Yes, well... I tried to forget all about it.”
“Did you?”
“Hmmm?” She was trying to appear very innocent, but it wasn’t working.
“Did you forget it?”
As her hands slid up his back, she snuggled up to his chest. He supposed she was trying to avoid his gaze.
“That would have been impossible,” Elizabeth whispered. “What about you?”
His heartbeat kicked up to a thundering pace. “If I live to be a hundred, I’ll never forget the way it felt when the most beautiful woman I could ever imagine looked at me like that.”
She stiffened.
Something had just gone very wrong. He replayed in his mind what he had said, and it didn’t make sense that she would be upset. He pulled away. He could see there were tears in her eyes, but she wouldn’t look at him. “What did I do?”
“What about when... when I...”
His mouth dropped open. “Elizabeth, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known!”
“But even tonight, you said I looked nice.”
He put one finger under her chin and waited until she finally met his gaze to speak. “At that moment, I was trying not to scoop you up and carry you away somewhere so I could take full advantage of you.” He ran one hand through his hair. “I don’t often examine people’s ceilings, Elizabeth. I was trying to distract myself. It’s as if you were born to tempt me in every way possible.”
“Really?” She smiled widely. “Are you serious, Will?”
“Don’t you own a mirror? Can’t you see how gorgeous you are, Elizabeth? Haven’t you noticed the way men look at you?” He paused, waiting for her to answer. She blushed scarlet red, but she didn’t say a word. He continued, “I certainly have seen them. In fact, there were several times tonight alone when I was ready to punch someone out.”
“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 shoul
d 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.