affection, she was still troubled by it. She struggled to find meaning for his behavior. He clearly wasn’t rejecting her, and in that she found great comfort. She wondered if perhaps he had wanted to see her face-to-face before he reacted to it. But he still had said nothing about it. Maybe he was so startled by her sudden appearance that he didn’t know how to respond to it. But when she looked at him, he didn’t show any signs of hesitancy or questioning.
Elizabeth felt like a dog chasing its own tail. She didn’t know what was going on, and she hated that, but clearly she wasn’t going to divine the answer on her own.
She was surprised to find the concert was over. With amused embarrassment, she realized she hadn’t heard any of the last half of it, she was so lost in her thoughts.
“Elizabeth?” he said as they rose from their seats. “Are you okay? You seem a little distracted.”
Elizabeth blushed slightly. “Sorry,” she mumbled. Together they went outside to wait for Mary. “Do you have tickets for the main concert?” Elizabeth struggled to find something to talk about when all she wanted was to be alone with him.
“Yes, do you?”
“Yes, Mary got us some.”
Just then Georgiana’s cell phone rang and she stepped away to talk, as Darcy and Elizabeth compared their tickets.
“How did Mary get you better seats than us?” Darcy asked, puzzled.
Elizabeth laughed. “You don’t know Mary.”
“Will,” Georgiana said, her phone pressed to her chest. “Kimberley is here for just this weekend. Do you think we could skip the concert so I could visit her?”
Mary tilted her head, “You know, this evening is the all-Sibelius program. I would not mind missing it at all.”
“Oh,” Elizabeth looked to Darcy, surprised to find her wish so quickly granted. “Well, then I’m fine with going to your place.”
Darcy nodded, his confusion quickly turning to pleasure.
Neither of the lovers noticed Mary and Georgiana exchanging a silent high-five.
It was quickly decided that Georgiana would ride with Elizabeth to direct her to Pemberley. “I’m glad you and Will are such good friends,” the girl said. “He gets so lonely, especially when he’s on tour.”
“He does?”
Georgiana nodded. “I know it seems strange, because he’s with his best friends, but he puts himself under so much responsibility, he has trouble getting close to anyone, even his friends.”
Elizabeth had seen that side of his personality. But Mr. Control Freak seemed like a completely different person from the man she had spent the day with. Elizabeth was so puzzled by this that she almost missed Georgiana’s next comment.
“I almost wish music wasn’t his profession,” she said feelingly.
“Why is that?” Elizabeth asked, astonished.
“Because Will’s music is the only place where he can fully express himself, and now his music is tied to his work.” She sighed. “He is so afraid of making mistakes that he drives himself too hard. I worry about him.”
Elizabeth smiled distractedly as her head swam. Knowing what she did about Georgiana’s past, she understood now why Darcy was so careful to never screw up, but she could also see that his manic drive was powered by fear. He had lost so many people who were dear to him that he was terrified of making a mistake and losing another, as he almost had with Georgiana.
No wonder he’s strung up tighter than a bank vault, Elizabeth thought as she drove. Suddenly everything about Darcy made much more sense. She cast her mind back to that morning in the loft and realized that he was simply trying to not lose her as well. If Georgiana was correct, and Darcy didn’t open up to anyone easily, then she could suddenly understand his emphatic attempts to hold on to her. She had seen for herself that he never let anyone close to him on the tour.
But why her? She found herself pondering. What made her so special that Darcy, who could have almost any woman on the planet, should want her, who had been at best polite and at worst flat-out bitchy to him?
“Will told me he really admires you as a musician.”
Elizabeth was slightly surprised that he would talk about her to Georgiana, not by her news. Darcy had told her before that she was talented, almost from the start. “Really?” she replied, somewhat indifferently.
“Yes, I was surprised because I almost never hear him say that, and especially not about another guitarist.”
Elizabeth looked over with wonder then. She examined Georgiana’s face but found nothing other than complete sincerity. “Really?” she said in a much different tone.
“It’s true,” Georgiana assured her. “I think he feels like you are a peer to him. Someone who isn’t always looking up to him, but an equal.”
“Oh,” Elizabeth had breathed, before sinking into her thoughts. She never even noticed the tiny smile curling the corners of Georgiana’s lips.
Suddenly Georgiana pointed. “Look.”
Elizabeth looked and gasped. Before her was a beautiful building made of glass and stone. It was well lit and Elizabeth could see through the huge windows, which made up most of the front walls, to a great room that glowed with the softness of light-colored wood.
Elizabeth was stunned. She had expected it would be nice and rich, but nothing like this. This was a house out of her dreams. It was large and clean looking, with no wasted space or false ornamentation. The gardens around the front porch were lit and Elizabeth was struck by the beautiful display of flowers, which seemed perfectly balanced for the house. In her mind, Elizabeth could see the house in all the seasons, and she was pleased by how well suited it seemed for its surroundings.
As she parked, she saw Darcy waiting for her. He opened her door and offered his hand to help her out of the truck. “Welcome to Pemberley,” he told her, his eyes full of warmth.
She turned to him and said with complete sincerity, “This is the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen.”
Darcy smiled blindingly at her. “I’m very pleased you like it.” He led her through the entrance and into the great room. The room lived up to its name in every way. It was large, with a vaulted ceiling and a massive stone fireplace along one wall. Fine art mixed liberally with photographs on the walls in a way that was both random and pleasing. A pair of leather sofas sat facing each other in one part of the room, but the rest of it was left mostly empty to enhance the feeling of open spaciousness.
“Will,” Georgiana said softly, “I’m going to grab my stuff and go to Kimberley’s. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye, Lizzy,” she waved as she left the room.
Once they were alone, Darcy took her into his arms. She opened herself to his hungry kisses. The privacy of an empty room was something she had been longing for all day. Her fingers tangled in his hair as she felt his hands pulling her closer to his hard body.
His mouth broke away from her only long enough to plead, “Please stay here tonight,” before he fell back down to hers. Elizabeth kissed him back, trying to get as close to him as she could.
“Yes,” she gulped, in between kisses, as he lightly sucked her lower lip between his. “I missed you,” she cried. “Missed you so much.”
“Lizzy,” he moaned as he buried his face in her soft hair. “Lizzy, I haven’t been able to think of anything but you. I’m so sorry.”
“No sorries,” she insisted, “just kiss me again.”
He took her softly parted lips and brushed them with his thumb, caressing them gently. “Lizzy, listen, please, I have to tell you.” Her eyes drifted shut with an expression of exquisite pleasure. “Oh God,” he cried distractedly before kissing her again.
The pained tone in his voice pulled Lizzy out of her haze. Gently she turned her face away and buried it in his shoulder, as he caressed her hair, their chests rising and falling together. Elizabeth felt the pressure of her desire fade slightly. “What did you want to say?” she asked.
Darcy led them out of the great room and up a short flight of stairs to a door. Behind it was a huge, lavish bedroom. As Elizabeth stared, Darcy wrapped his arms around her waist and started kissing her neck. “I hope you
