“That’s dreadful,” Mary said, looking over with a scowl. She dropped carrot and celery pieces into a large bowl. Tales of heartbreak were not the thing she needed to hear on the outset of a possible new romance of her own.
“You have no idea,” Georgina said.
“So what will you do now?” Mrs. Bennet asked.
“I’m going to stay with William for a while. Maybe live in that big house once it’s built.” She turned to a gasping Elizabeth. “What do you think, Lizzy? We’ll be like sisters, right?”
“I, er...you know it’s really not so big.” She rose and stood next to Mary, watching her chop and avoiding Georgina’s gaze. “Definitely not Darcy standard big. It’s only six bedrooms.” And here she’d thought her only worry was the threat of her mother wanting to live there someday.
“Six? Why that’s only a Nook. Will you have a summer home as well?”
“I think it’s the perfect size for a family,” Mary said.
“I agree,” Elizabeth said, smiling at her sister.
“I suppose. Who knows if I’ll ever get married. Swearing off men as I have. You’re the smart one, Mary. There’s more to life than men.”
“What?” Mary straightened and fired a glare at Georgina.
Mrs. Bennet turned and fixed a glare on Mary to stop any comment that might fly from her mouth. “So, Georgina. Have you been enjoying your stay?”
“So far it’s been a bore. But now that I’m helping Elizabeth plan the wedding, I’ve got something to keep me busy.”
Mary’s face turned pale at that announcement, and her hand paused in her work. Elizabeth had asked her to be the maid of honor with Jane being out of the country, but she hadn’t asked her to help with anything yet. Truthfully it hadn’t crossed her mind with William forcing Olivia on her.
Voices and footsteps sounded outside the kitchen rescuing Elizabeth from the awkward conversation.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” her father said, walking in with William at his side.
Elizabeth’s cheeks perked up, and she stood to greet her fiancé. He’d changed into casual slacks and a long-sleeved charcoal shirt—a look Elizabeth had grown to favor. His suits portrayed the true Darcy, business executive, and she did find him handsome and sophisticated. But, it was when he dressed down that he became more accessible, vulnerable, and she felt most attracted to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and he ran his hands down the top of her head, kissing her forehead.
He made an exaggerated sniffing gesture. “Mmm. What have you prepared for me, good woman?”
“Ahem.” Mary cleared her throat as it appeared she was the only one left working.
William looked at her and then the other ladies. “Oh, pardon me. I see there are several good women preparing dinner this evening.”
“Dandy,” Mr. Bennet said. “I’ll be in my study until I smell smoke.”
Mr. Bennet made his exit, and William made his rounds hugging all the women and placing kisses on their cheeks. Mary lit up when it came her turn.
“I apologize for my delay,” William said, lifting a pot lid and peeking in. “The phone rang as I was trying to leave. Rather poor timing, and the man was most persistent—desperate even.”
“Sales call?” Mrs. Bennet said.
“No, actually. It was Georgina’s boyfriend...pardon, ex-boyfriend.”
“What? Jasper rang you? I didn’t give him your number.” Her surprised reaction held more amusement than anger. When she noticed the room staring at her, she pulled herself back to indifference.
“That’s correct. He said you had ignored his calls for too long, so he tracked me down. Quite industrious of the cad.”
“Gracious,” Mrs. Bennet said. “He must be mad about you, Georgina. If he’s well to do, it might be worth giving him a second chance.”
Ignoring her comment, Georgina folded her arms across her chest and turned to her brother. “What else did he say?”
“Ladies, would you please excuse my sister and me for a moment whilst I take her away to relay the begging and pleading that tortured my ear?”
Elizabeth nodded, relieved to have some time to talk to Mary about the wedding. Mrs. Bennet excused herself as well.
Mary took a few steps toward Georgina. “It doesn’t sound completely awful to have a man begging your forgiveness.”
Elizabeth touched Mary’s arm before she could follow the two out of the room. “Mary, could I speak with you?”
Once alone, Mary went back to her chopping, avoiding looking at her sister. Elizabeth stood next to her and touched the back of her hair. “Are you upset about what Georgina said, because I—”
“I understand completely,” Mary said, setting the knife down. “Of course you’d want someone more sophisticated with style and beauty to help you with your wedding. If you want to make her your maid of honor, I won’t blame you.”
Believing she meant her words felt like a knife to Elizabeth’s heart. “Nonsense. I chose you because that’s what I want.” Mary may have been different from her other sisters, and she may have pushed people away intentionally or unintentionally with her personality, but that didn’t mean her heart was impenetrable. She could see the yearning in her eyes and feel the sadness in her voice. “You’ll have to get used to Georgina, but trust me when I say that I did not ask her for help.”
“I see,” she said and then nodded. “William?”
“Yes...but I understand why, and I’ll just have to find a way to make it work.” She stood straighter and clasped her hands in front of her. “After all, marriage is about compromise.” She grimaced and knitted her brows, knowing Mary didn’t buy her older sister setting an example routine. “It would make everything a lot easier if I had my sister to help as well. I think I could handle Georgina better with you there.”
Mary smirked and returned to chopping. “I suppose if you need me then I can’t deny you.”
The answer was what Elizabeth expected, and it suited her fine. With Mary’s presence, she could stomach Georgina, and when it came to speaking without a filter, Georgina would find her match in Mary. Grabbing a knife from the block, Elizabeth stood by her sister and finished preparing the salad.
Dinner and all the preparations made it to the table twenty minutes later than expected, despite the food they didn’t have to cook. This worked out fine because Lydia and her husband—the last two invited—arrived twenty minutes late. Lydia and George had become known for two things: being late and securing invitations to dinners. With George’s dishonorable discharge from the military for repeated drinking and fighting, he had been unemployed for several months. This hit Mrs. Bennet harder than Lydia who had to take a job waitressing to keep from losing their home.
The sounds of light music, silverware clanking, and enthusiastic banter by all parties filled the dining room. Though William and George had their differences in the past, they each promised to get along for the sake of the sisters. William pitied the man with his current lot in life and even offered to make some calls to help him find a job, provided he shaped up. Of all his qualities, Elizabeth admired William’s integrity most and cherished her good fortune to become his wife.
At one point in the dinner, all the clatter lowered to a murmur in her ears as Elizabeth mused on her blessings. Even the presence of Georgina—whose plate could not be seen beneath the heap of food she’d collected—earned a positive light as she engaged George in a debate over the husband’s role in being a provider in a marriage. Elizabeth made no attempts to rescue her brother-in-law from that one. Turning her attention to Mary, she noticed indifference as she stared at her plate and ate. Elizabeth took it as a sign she should help her sister obtain that same joyous feeling she had at that very moment. She was determined to help Mary any way she could.
When empty plates covered the table and hands went to rest on full stomachs, Mary and Elizabeth began to clear plates; George and Lydia made their timely, and expected, exit. Elizabeth had no problem with their dep
arture as the long day had finally caught up to her. Wanting nothing more than to have some alone time with her love, she schemed for a way to make that happen as she rinsed dishes and bowls. William excused himself down the hall in search of her father. She loved how the two got along. Georgina gave them all reprieve by stepping outside to return Jasper’s call for reasons she would not share.
“I’m going to set the table for dessert,” Mary said, pulling the small plates down just before the doorbell sounded. “God, do you think they realized they didn’t get dessert and came back?”
“I hope not.” Elizabeth giggled.
The deep voices coming from the other room made that theory improbable and caused a chill to head down Elizabeth’s spine. It couldn’t be.
She dried her hands on a towel and shot Mary a look.
Mary instantly caught on and panic struck her face. “What are they doing here? I’m...I’m not prepared.” She glanced down at her outfit—simple black slacks and a plain white top that featured a brilliant green stain from the soup. “You go. I’m staying here.”
Elizabeth had greater concerns than her appearance if Granville and Patrick were in her living room with William in the house. “Don’t be silly. Let’s just go and see now.”
Leading the way, Elizabeth paced out to the living room just as the front door closed, and the two men stepped into the parlor. “It was kind of you to invite us for dessert,” Granville said, taking Mrs. Bennet’s hand.
Elizabeth didn’t have time to ponder what her mother was up to, because all eyes had turned their way; her heart pounded while she fidgeted like her knickers were riding up, debating if she should bolt. After her personal pledge to help her sister, being gracious was her only option. “Hello,” she said and then glanced to Mary to follow her lead. Her silence left Elizabeth scrambling for a moment. “What a...surprise.” She looked at Granville with her words to gauge his reaction.
“Nice to see you again, Elizabeth.” he said.
The two looked at their younger siblings simultaneously, prodding their responses. It pained her to see Patrick’s reluctance, but maybe it was merely the same shyness Mary experienced.
“Hello, Patrick,” Mary said with a thin smile.
Patrick nodded and said, “Good evening.” He handed her two pieces of paper without making eye contact. “The sheet music I mentioned last time.”
“Oh, wonderful.” Mary lit up and took a step toward him. Elizabeth said a silent prayer of thanks in her mind. “Thank you.” Mary looked over her shoulder at the piano and then back to Patrick. “Did you want to hear it...now?”
“I’d say it’s a bit premature for that, don’t you think?” Patrick said matter-of-factly as he adjusted his glasses. “You must listen to it first, so you know exactly how it is intended to be played.”
Granville recoiled and sent an apologetic look in the women’s direction. He stepped toward his brother. “Patrick, I’m sure Mary—”
“No, it’s okay,” she interrupted, smiling at Patrick. “He’s right. I should hear all the nuances before attempting this myself.” She paused for a moment, seeming to get her courage up, took a breath and grabbed Patrick’s hand. “Let’s go pull it up on the computer.”
Patrick sent a helpless glare in Granville’s direction as he was pulled away down the hall. Granville shrugged yet seemed rather pleased to Elizabeth. Her mind spun, and her pulse increased. She would have taken her mother aside to get some answers from her, but she didn’t want to be rude. For that same reason, she couldn’t go to the study for damage control before William and her father returned.
Mrs. Bennet offered Granville a drink which he kindly declined.
“We’ll have tea and coffee with berry trifle and scones as soon as they finish.”
“Perfect,” Granville said. He turned to Elizabeth. “I must tell you that my grandfather was quite taken with you.”
She smiled at the thought of the old man and his feisty personality. “I feel the same way.”
“He’d like to invite you to dinner sometime, possibly after the musical festival...”
“Oh...” Her eyes darted over her shoulder in the direction Mary had gone. William was sure to be back any moment.
“And Mary, too, of course,” he said when she hadn’t answered.
“Thank you for the invitation, but...”
“It really would mean the world to him. He’s having such a difficult time right now. Won’t you at least think about it?”
He knew exactly what to say to her with little effort it seemed. She wondered if that was how he’d become so successful in business as well. “I suppose I could, but I’m not sure—”
“Pardon me.” A strong hand slipped around her waist. “It seems our family dinner has turned into a public event,” William said.
She turned to find William’s eyes, laser sharp and pointed on Granville, a vision of alpha she’d not seen before. Her nose caught a hint of brandy, which any other time would not cause her concern. Her only option was to act as if everything were perfectly normal. “William, this is Granville Ackerman. Granville, this is my fiancé, William Darcy.”
Granville grinned and nodded. “Yes, I know. Good to see you, Darcy.” He stuck out his hand and William took it with a blank stare as if he were plotting his next move.
Her head snapped to William. “Do you know each other?” She’d remembered that he spoke of Granville as if they’d never met. William continued his intense stare. If Elizabeth hadn’t been in pursuit of answers, she might have addressed his rude behavior.
“We had some business, what, about seven years back, Darcy? Let’s just say things didn’t work out, but that’s water under the bridge, right mate?”
William’s lips pulled to a fine line. “Right.” His eyes darted to Elizabeth with caution and then back to Granville. “And how’s your grandfather doing?” Without giving him a chance to answer William plowed on. “I hear you’re taking full advantage of his health problems. The integrity of that old man was the only thing holding your company together.”
“William!” It took everything in her not to scold him like an insolent child.
“Don’t be too hard on the man, Elizabeth. I can see Darcy’s still a right chaffed by our business...disagreement.” Granville’s eyes shimmered as he appeared to contain a smile. “Unless of course he doesn’t approve of our friendship. I’d be protective if you were my fiancée as well.”
After an uncontrollable and momentary blush, her pulse went into panicky overdrive. Things could get out of hand quickly; instinctively she looked around for her father.
“Friendship?” William said, attempting to regain her attention.
Instead of retreating, Elizabeth stood her ground. He’d warned her to stay away from Granville and now he was acting like an absolute caveman. “I’m sorry, Granville, will you excuse us for a moment?”
He nodded, his condescending gaze falling on William; his victory grin another mystery to ponder.
Elizabeth walked toward the kitchen, not bothering to check if her William was in tow. Once inside, she turned and folded her arms. “We are going to get a few things straight right now, Mr. Darcy.”
Chapter 9
Pushing a hand through his dark, wavy hair, William paced over to the sink, turned, and leaned against it. “Why the bloody hell would you invite him here?” he said straining against a whisper. His face reddened, and his pursed lips moved again even though Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak. “The man’s a snake, Lizzy.” He threw an arm in the air, gesturing to the other room. “And it’s obvious to me he’s got his sights on you.”
His jealousy almost appealed to her, but she didn’t dare crack a smile during his rant. She was confident she could make him understand if only she could get a word in.
“Clearly, you didn’t take my warning seriously.” He drew in a breath and rasped so low she almost didn’t hear him, “Between you and Georgina...I just...”
That statement caused an u
ptick in her pulse and her mind to spin. Threatening her independence was not a smart move on his part. “Are you quite through, Mr. Darcy?”
He folded his arms and clicked his head to the side. “That depends.”
“On what?”
He pushed away from the sink, commanding his full height. “On what you have to say for yourself.”
Elizabeth coughed out a laugh. She’d become adept at disarming his high socialite attitude and his often archaic outlook on relationships, but this time he stepped too far over the line. She took a step in his direction, never breaking eye contact. “Now I will have my say.” She glared for effect, and he stayed silent. “First, I did not invite Mr. Ackerman over tonight. That was my mother’s doing. She’s after Patrick, and it appears he’s not up to the challenge of courting Mary on his own. Second, I don’t care if he’s Count Dracula; I’m not a damsel in distress who needs rescuing.” Elizabeth caught the stunned and defeated expression on his face. But he needed to hear her words. “The way you acted out there, William. That’s not a side of you I’d like to see again.” The potential ultimatum had her heart pounding. Hurting him was not her intention.
“Are you quite, through,” he said with a mocking tone.
She returned a copy of his reply. “That depends.”
“On what?” he asked, his face turning more red by the minute.
“On what you have to say for yourself. You could have told me you knew Granville. What is this business you two had?”
William pulled his lips under his teeth and appeared to be collecting his thoughts. Taking her hand, he shook his head. His demeanor softened. “Lizzy, the past is not what’s important here. I’d like you to trust me on this. He’s not someone you—”
She delivered a glare powerful enough to halt his words. “I see. You’d like me to trust you and yet you didn’t tell me you knew Granville. So yes, I do believe it is important. I’d like an answer, please.”
He touched her face gently. “It’s complicated, Lizzy,” he said in a sweet voice.
A Rival for Mr. Darcy Page 7