“Charles,” Caroline said, her tone uneasy, “don’t tell anyone.”
He stared into her eyes, “You mean Jane?”
Caroline looked down and nodded. “Darcy said it’s too soon, and I agree with him. We have worked too hard to keep this quiet and I don’t want this hitting the press right now, not when Dad’s about to be released.”
Charles frowned and nodded. “You’re right,” he agreed unhappily. He studied his sister. “How are you doing?”
Caroline smiled with false brightness. “I’m good. The tour is doing well, and I’m good.”
Charles’s face told her he didn’t believe her at all. “It’s hard, isn’t it?”
Caroline nodded her head, her lips pressed tightly together. She was slightly surprised that Charles had noticed. She thought nothing penetrated the Jane fog, but this was Charles, the person who knew her better than anyone else. “It’s hard,” she admitted. “I mean, I,” she paused, “I knew he didn’t care for me like that, that he never would, but at least I had the consolation of there being no one else.” She took a sip of coffee. “Now I have to watch him be completely obsessed with her, and it’s hard.”
“You know he doesn’t mean to hurt you.”
“I know. That makes it all the worse. He’s completely oblivious to it, to me.” She grinned mirthlessly. “And the sad thing is, I can’t even hate her. I tried, but she’s too nice.
Charles shared her quick smile. “What do you think is holding them back?” he asked conversationally.
“She is,” Caroline shrugged. “He is completely gonzo over her, but she doesn’t seem to be aware of it. Hell, half the time she seems downright hostile toward him.”
“When she’s not staring at him.”
“Right,” Caroline agreed with a grin.
“Do you think it could be denial?”
“Maybe,” Caroline replied tentatively. “I think a part of her is afraid to admit that she has feelings for him, because she doesn’t know where it might lead.”
Charles mulled over this. “It’s scary to fall in love, sometimes. You have to give yourself over to someone, and that takes a lot of trust.”
Caroline observed him, knowing he wasn’t talking strictly about Lizzy and Darcy.
“But what about you?” he asked, bringing the conversation around. “Are you going to be okay?”
Caroline reached out and touched his hand. “I’m fine,” she told him sincerely. “Who knows, maybe this is the best thing. Maybe now I’ll be able to get over this unrequited shit and find a man who actually knows I exist.”
Charles put his arm around her and pulled her close. He knew she was exaggerating; Darcy knew she existed, and that made it all the more painful that he couldn’t love her.
Elizabeth hadn’t seen Collins since his “proposition,” and she wondered how he would act when he saw her again. She didn’t know exactly what happened when he left the tour the week before. She never asked Darcy for the details and he didn’t volunteer them. She worried that Collins would be hostile toward her, or worse, but she didn’t have a choice, so she just hoped for the best and went ahead.
At the studio offices they were met by Nancy, the stylist who had designed their look for the tour. While Alex met with people from the marketing department, the women spent the next two hours trying on new clothes, hairstyles, and makeup.
When they emerged shortly after noon, Alex announced that he had a surprise for them. He took them to the top floor of the building and into a beautiful dining room with a breathtaking view of the city. The room was elegantly furnished, with a certain overblown quality that made Elizabeth think of the phrase “gilding the lily.”
There they saw an older woman sitting with Anne de Bourgh in a large, heavy chair at a huge, dark cherry table. Bill Collins stood nearby, as if waiting on the tiny woman, and was talking in an obsequious tone when he noticed them.
“Oh, there they are!” he smiled patronizingly. He came behind the girls and escorted them to the old woman, who observed them with silent majesty.
“This is Lizzy, Jane, and Charlotte, and of course, Alex Lucas, their manager,” Collins said grandly. “Ladies, may I have the exquisite pleasure of introducing you to Lady Catherine de Bourgh.”
Elizabeth’s face revealed none of the surprise she felt. This tiny, shriveled creature, with her carefully styled silver hair and conservative suit, this was the Gorgon that terrorized an entire industry?
She nodded to them once, then said in a crisp tone, “Elizabeth, I’d like you to sit beside me.” Her voice was surprisingly strong and lightly accented. Elizabeth began to get a hint of the power she wielded.
Elizabeth took the offered seat, which Collins had nearly fallen over himself to get to and pull out for her, and smiled politely to the woman. “It’s nice to meet you, Lady Catherine.”
She was intrigued by the careful treatment she was receiving. Lady de Bourgh was always spoken of with awe and, sometimes, flat-out fear, and yet despite Catherine’s obviously expensive tastes and imposing manner, Elizabeth had seen nothing frightening about her. Jane and Charlotte sat farther down the table, maintaining a cowed silence.
The men were seated and an elegant lunch was served. Although the tone of the conversation was deliberately kept light, Lady Catherine grilled the women about their backgrounds and their experiences on the tour, demanding to know the slightest details about their history. During this time, Collins maintained a running commentary, complimenting Lady Catherine on everything she said. His blatant sucking up disgusted Elizabeth, but Lady Catherine seemed to enjoy it, for all the marginal attention she paid to him.
When lunch was finished, Lady Catherine affected a subtle change in manner that caught Elizabeth’s attention. “Elizabeth, would you please come with me.” She rose from the table and moved slowly yet smoothly to the other side of the room and stood in front of the large window.
Elizabeth shared a look with Alex and joined her. “I have heard a great deal about you,” Catherine said directly. “You should know that I follow what is happening with the tour very closely. Not only is Slurry my most profitable act but I am also quite fond of the band.” Elizabeth was distracted for a moment with the impossible image of Richard hanging out with Lady Catherine behind the tour bus, sharing a cigarette.
“I was deeply concerned when your sister was injured.” Catherine’s eyes flicked to Jane and then back to Elizabeth. “But I was highly impressed by the way you were able to step in and take control of the set. That shows a professionalism and competency that is all too rare in this business.” She stopped and waited imperially for Elizabeth’s reaction.
“Thank you, Lady Catherine,” Elizabeth answered politely. She was pleased to be receiving this attention from the head of the studio, but she wasn’t going to fawn over the woman. “I believe there are many individuals who are merely in need of an opportunity to demonstrate their talents. I was happy for the chance to perform, but I have no doubt that Jane would have done just as well, had the situation been reversed.” She smiled politely to the old woman.
“Indeed,” Catherine observed. This was clearly not the response she was expecting. “Nevertheless, you did a great service, as the ‘hero’ of the day. Perhaps you’ve given some thought to a solo career?”
“You can’t expect me to say such a thing in front of my band mates,” Elizabeth replied, observing the similarities between Lady Catherine’s and Collins’s thoughts. “And in any case, I really don’t want a solo career. I enjoy playing with my band. They are my closest friends and my greatest source of support. Beyond that, I believe that cooperatively we are able to create more interesting and enjoyable music than I ever could by myself.”
Catherine’s faded blue eyes stared at Elizabeth’s, measuring her. “You seem quite confident, Elizabeth. That is also very rare in a young woman such as yourself.”
Elizabeth wasn’t at all certain that she had received a compliment; she looked pointedly at where Jane and Charlotte were talking to Anne and said, “Not in this room, Lady Catherine.”
Lady Catherine walked back to her chair as she studied Elizabeth, ignoring the drone of praise that was coming from Collins. It seemed that she was resolving an issue in her head. Satisfied, she said, “Well, it’s been delightful to meet you all. I hope you have a pleasant afternoon and I’m certain we’ll have an opportunity to meet again.” And with that they were dismissed.
Mr. Collins showed them to the elevator but did not get on with them; instead he returned to Lady Catherine’s side. As the doors closed, Elizabeth could see Catherine speaking into his ear, while they were both
