Foundation of Love: The Gypsy Blessing 2 (19 page)

Chapter
12

~Later that evening, at the Bennetts’...

After dinner, Elizabeth was curled up in a comfortable chair in the library. She sensed William had entered the room even before she looked up.

“Hey.”

She smiled, knowing her form of greeting was rubbing off on him. “Close the door. I have to tell you what I’ve been reading in Elizabeth’s diary. Considering the time period, the similarities to what happened here are incredible.”

He did as she asked and sat in the chair across from her.

She placed her hand on the journal in her lap. “Wickham in 1811 was just as nasty as the one here. He tried to get Georgiana to elope with him without telling Fitzwilliam. Elizabeth was forewarned by the drawings, and she helped Georgiana see that Wickham wasn’t the respectable man he pretended to be. Georgiana didn’t listen at first, but before long, she found out Elizabeth was right... firsthand.” Elizabeth’s shoulders sagged, and she stared out the window, unseeing. “I wish I had read this before everything that happened to
our
Georgiana. I would have tried harder to convince her.”

“You did what you could, Elizabeth.”

“I should have called you—”

“I understand why you didn’t. I wasn’t very...
receptive
at that time.” William stood, took a paperclip off the desk, and started fidgeting with it. “I’m sorry I was such a jerk.”

Elizabeth laughed. “
Was?
Who says you aren’t now?” she teased. When he didn’t look up, she got up from her chair. “Sometimes you take me too seriously, Will. I was only kidding...” She stood on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. He met her gaze with surprise.

She could feel some sort of tension building between them, and she interpreted it to mean that he was feeling uncomfortable with her gesture. Embarrassed, she quickly withdrew to the window. “I was so wound up with the pictures coming true that I wasn’t in a very
cooperative
state, either. I didn’t trust Wickham, period. How you were acting toward me doesn’t excuse the fact that I didn’t call you. If I had, she would have avoided what happened to her.”

She didn’t realize he had moved close behind her until she felt his hands on her shoulders and heard his voice near her ear. “It wasn’t your fault, Elizabeth—none of it. How could you have even suspected what he was? It’s
my
fault,” he growled. “I didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t want to answer questions.”

He didn’t remove his hands from her shoulders, effectively keeping her from turning around to look at him.

“What did he do to you, Will?”

She could hear him swallow hard. “We had planned a party for that night—the night I graduated—in our apartment just off campus. Charles and Wickham were living there with me. Even though Richard had already graduated, he still came to visit now and then. He was there that weekend. Later at the hospital, when Wickham disappeared, I thought he had gone to cancel the celebration. Once Georgiana was in stable condition, I felt I could leave her for a little while. Charles drove me to the apartment to...” His breath caught. “My clothes were so stained, and my hair—” his voice cracked, and he hesitated. “A male nurse stood by as I changed... the suit had to be put in a
hazmat bag
. Someone had lent me scrubs to change into, but people kept mistaking me for a doctor... and I
had
to—to take a shower...” his voice trailed off. A few seconds later, he said, “In a way, I wish I hadn’t.”

His breathing was rapid, and his hands had tightened on her arms. Tears ran down her cheeks as she crossed her arms, placing her hands on his.

He took a long, shaky breath and continued, “We heard the noise of a party as we approached, but we never thought it could be coming from
our
apartment.”

“No!” Elizabeth gasped and turned her head, trying to look up at him. He stepped closer and leaned his cheek on the top of her head so she couldn’t see him. She felt him nod.

His voice took on an angry tone. “I knew he had been stealing from my father, but Dad chose to doubt himself instead of listening to my suspicions. I knew he had spent his time at school fooling around—partying, girls, drugs, alcohol—and he never passed one class without cheating one way or another. I thought I knew what he was, but even
I
didn’t expect he would celebrate my parents’ deaths.” He laughed bitterly. “He didn’t even tell anyone about the accident. He was probably afraid that others might have a conscience and leave. Not
one
person at that party knew what had happened!”

Elizabeth leaned back against his chest, the closest thing she could manage to an embrace in this position.

“I stood there for a minute at the door in shock, and then something just snapped inside me. I searched through the crowd until I found Wickham. Then I beat the living—” He stopped abruptly and took a few deep breaths. “It took three guys to pull me off him. Once Charles explained what had happened to a couple of people, word spread fast, and the place cleared out. A couple of them dragged Wickham out—away from
me
.” He nodded. “I never thanked them... I probably would have killed him if they hadn’t taken him out of my sight, but I was too far gone for days...
weeks
to think of it. Once they were gone, I was still in a rage. I spent the next few minutes tossing some of his things out the window.” He took another deep breath. “I would have smashed the rest, but... I had to get back to the hospital.”

Elizabeth could no longer stifle a sob.

William let go and stepped away from her. He rubbed at his face. “I’ve frightened you.”

She shook her head and threw her arms around him, crying into his chest. “After what happened, for
anyone
to do something that insensitive and disrespectful... It was horrible. I’m so sorry.”

She felt his arms come up around her, and he pulled her tightly to his chest. He buried his face in her hair and breathed deeply. They stood like that until Elizabeth’s tears ended, and William’s heart and respiration had calmed.

His voice was thick when he said, “I swore Richard and Charles to secrecy. Most of the people that were at the party assumed it had all been a mistake—that Wickham didn’t know or else he would have turned them all away. I didn’t want my sister or Anne or anyone to find out what really had happened... to remember my parents as fools or pity them for trusting him, so I hid the whole thing. But I should have told Anne and Georgiana... I should have
warned
them about what he’s really like.” He took a deep, trembling breath. “What happened to Georgiana wasn’t your fault, Elizabeth—it was mine.”

She moved away enough to see his tortured expression. “It was Wickham’s fault, Will, not yours. He’s a disgusting excuse for a human being. Even if you had told Georgiana, he would have found a different way to take his twisted revenge out on you both for being Darcys when he wasn’t.”

“Revenge?”

“Don’t you remember? I told you Wickham called me the morning after I helped Georgiana. I got an earful.”

He released her and started pacing the room.

“Let’s go for a walk and burn off some of this energy,” Elizabeth suggested. After he nodded, she unlocked the sliding door and passed through, waiting for him to join her. They left the deck and walked toward the lake.

It was a few minutes before William spoke again, “You say that it wasn’t my fault, but I’ve put Georgiana in danger again. Remember that phone call I got saying he wasn’t where he was supposed to be?”

“Of course.”

“Do you know about the press hounding me and Georgie after the accident?”

She nodded.

“Wickham called me the day after what happened with Georgiana on campus, too, and threatened to go to the gossip magazines with pictures and a juicy story about him and Georgiana. Instead of going to the police, I’ve been paying him off.” He punched at some leaves hanging off a tree branch. “I thought I was so smart, paying him in installments at irregular intervals with only a three-hour warning. I felt I was guaranteeing he’d stay clear across the country in California to receive his payments, but he wasn’t there when my man went to deliver the last one, and he hasn’t been back. Instead of saving her from the paparazzi, I’ve given him money to live on, making his escape possible, and now I have no idea where he is.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” He stopped at the lake’s shoreline. “I have to stop relying on my gut feelings when it comes to Wickham.”

Elizabeth gestured that they should continue to walk along the shore. She took a few minutes to think about her answer. “Your intentions were good, Will, no matter how misguided. Feeling guilty isn’t going to help the situation. We have to concentrate on keeping Georgie safe from him.”

“The alarm system is being installed tomorrow, and I’m keeping her close. I’ve taken her out of the summer session at school, and she’ll be staying with me, but I can’t watch her all the time. She can stay with Mrs. Reynolds...” his voice trailed off.

“There are too many people in and out of our store during the day to keep her safe when I’m there.” She hesitated. “Isn’t Georgiana part-owner of Darcy Construction?”

“Yes.”

“Has she ever worked with you?”

“Once in a while after school, at the main office in the city.”

“Then maybe it’s time she became more involved in the family business. Can’t she work in the trailers on the jobsites? She’d never be alone, and she’d have you, Charles, or Richie on site, as well as a whole lot of Darcy employees. If Georgie so much as sneezed, half the jobsite would know about it.”

William nodded. “That’s not a bad idea.”

“Of course it’s not a bad idea—it’s
my
idea.” Elizabeth chuckled.

He displayed the first smile she had seen since dinner. “I should remember to consult with you more often, Elizabeth Rose Bennett.”

~%~

Elizabeth tried not to awaken Anne and Georgiana with her tossing and turning. Her mind, still lingering on the sensations associated with being held in William’s arms, would not allow her any rest. Even though it was a given that, from William’s point of view, their hug had been utterly platonic in nature, Elizabeth could no longer deny to herself that she was head over heels in love with William Darcy.

Because William was such a private man, his confiding in her about such a painful memory had meant a great deal to her. She smiled, still amazed that a year ago, she never would have believed that they could ever be friends. Now, they were each other’s confidants.

Since Elizabeth had first met Anne, she, on occasion, had brought home gossip magazines, but only when someone she knew was mentioned in them. Even though Elizabeth now knew William hated large social occasions, he had attended several events, usually benefiting a worthy charity, and photos of him would invariably appear in one or more of these publications the following day. At times, he had been with Anne, and those pictures were always fun to see, but there were several events to which he had escorted other women. Those women were always perfect in every way—and the exact opposite of herself: lanky, blonde, rich, famous, and well-connected in elite society. Most importantly, those ladies were all absolutely gorgeous.

No matter what Elizabeth wished for, she had to accept that her short frame and dark hair were not his
type.
She could never compete with the women he usually spent time with. Since “Most Eligible Bachelor” Will Darcy could never be attracted to her, the position of friend and confidante would have to do.

~%~

~A couple of days later...

William entered the new house to see how his ladies were coming along and ask whether they needed his assistance. He had opted for the furniture company’s rush delivery of the items they had chosen that did not have to be specially made, and the bulk of what he had ordered had been delivered the previous day. They
should
be ready to move in either later today or tomorrow.

“Georgie? Mrs. Reynolds?”

“I’m upstairs, Mr. Darcy.”

He smiled at her formal use of his name whenever she was unsure whether or not he was alone. Upon entering his bedroom, he saw Mrs. Reynolds was making the bed. He moved to help.

“Don’t bother, William. You have better things to do with your time than make beds. I can do it myself.”

“It’s not a bother. I worry that you’re working too hard setting up the house. Maybe we should get you some help.”

“Georgiana has been a big help, and so has Anne. I think your sister is enjoying herself, setting up a house for the first time.”

“Where is she now?”

“She went out with Anne.”

He straightened. His brow furrowed with worry. “Out?”

“Don’t worry yourself so.” Mrs. Reynolds smiled. “I know exactly where they went—to the grocery store.”

William ran his hand over the sheets to smooth out the wrinkles. “These sheets are so soft, I might never want to get out of bed.”

Mrs. Reynolds chuckled. “That’s exactly what Lizzy said. You’ve been—”