Chapter 23 #3
What she hadn’t explained was her cover story for her living arrangements.
It was uncomfortably clear that everyone in the room except Lynette, Ted, and Barbara knew he was involved with Elizabeth.
Knowledge on the depth of involvement seemed to vary with each person, but no one save Charles and Jane knew they were living together.
Awareness of their status hadn’t stopped Caroline from attaching herself—and often her hand—to his side for most of the evening.
Elizabeth might not be ready for her father’s judgment and her mother’s opinions, but she wasn’t the one trapped by a jealous, overserved, and under-dated Bingley.
Caroline hadn’t always been the Bingley less loved.
She’d been her father’s favorite, but when he’d died three years ago, Caroline’s place in the family hierarchy had come undone.
And now she was the last unmarried child.
Lynette, who adored Charles and all his friends, failed to summon any sympathy for her daughter.
And as much as he attempted distant politeness, Darcy was exhausted and annoyed by Caroline’s efforts to earn his attention.
There was too much scrutiny from every direction.
After another quick check of his watch, Darcy excused himself and headed to the bar.
Dinner would be served in a few minutes, and Caroline’s gleeful anticipation of Sylvia’s late arrival and Elizabeth’s angry concern over the same required he keep a clear head.
He was pouring a tonic when he heard Ted’s voice. Shite.
“This is the way to go for a wedding. Have it in your living room and then spread out in the backyard.”
Darcy turned and gave the man a tight smile. “This is a family dinner, Mr. Bennet. And there is no backyard here.”
“Right, Mr. Darcy. I get that.” Ted eyed the young man next to him. “Money is no object for the likes of you, but weddings are prohibitively expensive for a working man with four daughters.”
“Good thing, then, that Charles and Jane are picking up most of the tab.”
“Well, yes.” Ted chuckled. “Odds are I won’t catch such a lucky break with any future husband of Elizabeth’s.
Mary is not a girl who’d want lace and exotic flowers, and as it seems Lydia will only cost me community college tuition, I suppose it balances out financially.
” The older man looked around the bar. “No bartender? We’re on our own? ”
Darcy looked past him and saw Elizabeth watching them. He handed Ted the ice tongs. “Yes, on your own.”
He walked toward Elizabeth, desperate to kiss her and wondering how he could get through dinner without touching her.
He wasn’t a man made for a grand dramatic statement, but he was ready to mark his territory.
Her eyes widened when she saw his expression, and she gave him a soft, inviting smile.
He took two more steps before the shrill ring of the doorbell drowned out Caroline’s announcement that dinner was served.
Elizabeth grimaced. She was closest to the front door, so she opened it and greeted Sylvia and her companion.
Never known for a quiet entrance, Sylvia was more subdued than when Darcy had last seen her at the engagement party.
The portly man accompanying her hardly seemed the reason.
They stopped every few steps on their way into the apartment, pointing at the chandelier hanging over the entryway and exclaiming over the artwork.
Both were clad head to toe in black, normal attire for a night out in New York but a bit somber for a wedding-eve celebration. Matching Statue of Liberty scarves were draped dramatically around their necks.
After a protracted series of air kisses and hugs with Charles and Jane and everyone within arms’ reach, Sylvia proceeded to introduce her friend Bernard—“just Bernard”—to the families.
She paused when she came to Darcy. “Are we family now? It’s about time we meet again.
” Turning to her companion, she drawled, “Bernard, this is the man whose mansion I saw on Jane’s videophone last spring.
” She extended her hand and squeezed Darcy’s fingers while pulling him down for an air kiss.
“I bet your house looks even better in real life too.”
Darcy gave her a brief nod and moved off to the dining room.
Elizabeth watched him walk away but not before noticing the return of the Imperious Darcy Face.
She hadn’t seen that expression, the one she’d glimpsed at the football game, in months.
She’d almost forgotten it; it hadn’t appeared since their first date when they encountered Penelope.
She followed Darcy into the dining room and found him staring at the place card next to his. Caroline. Elizabeth squeezed his hand and took the seat their hostess had reserved for herself. “Maid of honor trumps dinner hostess every time. Especially this time.” She smiled up at him.
The rest of the party sat down, and Elizabeth ignored the sensation of daggers in her neck from Caroline’s glares.
Never let it be said a Bingley didn’t have good manners, Elizabeth thought wryly.
Darcy stood and made a heartfelt toast to the couple and their love affair.
He shook his head sadly at his friend’s continued love of all things Star Wars and lauded Jane’s patience with Charles’s techno geek passions—and hopefully, her clever de-cluttering skills.
Elizabeth stood next and recalled the moment she knew her beloved sister had found true love.
The happy couple talked about their first encounter, their honeymoon plans, and the wedding planner and florist they’d nearly fired.
Lynette told amusing stories about her children, her late husband, and her excitement to be a grandmother.
Then she asked whether Jane had always been such a sweet girl.
Barbara, who’d helped raise Jane from the age of ten, paused and looked at Sylvia.
Unsurprisingly, the mother of the bride smiled and asserted her right of superior insight.
“Janey has always been eager to please and do well. Slept through the night from day one, potty trained in two days, was invited to every birthday party in town, and always had a trail of cute boys lined up at the door.”
No one said anything until Herb laughed and nodded at his wife’s protruding stomach. “We’ll take one just like that. But no boys till she’s twenty-one.”
“I’ve got a couple of barnburners to sing tomorrow,” Sylvia continued, a touch too loudly. “That Dirty Dancing song will get everyone moving. And I have a special surprise for you, Jane. Remember how you loved the Spice Girls when you were little?”
Jane’s normally pale face turned bright red. “No, Mom. No. We have all the music. I’ve told you that.”
“Oh, now, a little more music won’t hurt anyone. It’s not like you have to pay me or anything. And I’ve got my boom box with me for the backing tracks.”
“Sylvia,” Charles began. “Jane talked to you about this weeks ago. I think you need to remember—”
“The mother of the bride has some privileges, honey. I sing, so I will sing.”
“Privileges, Sylvia? I’d be happy to share the privilege of paying for tomorrow’s shindig,” Ted intoned.
Bernard laughed. Charles sent Darcy a helpless look. Mary and Lydia both wore scowls.
The serving of the main course settled things down, and the topic of perfectly done filets was thoroughly canvassed.
With Sylvia seated at the opposite end of the table, Elizabeth felt free to converse quietly with her boyfriend, Lydia, and Mary.
She knew she was being observed; a wink from Barbara made it clear she knew—or had guessed—that the couple’s familiarity extended beyond friendship.
Lydia looked back and forth at her stepsisters and their men as if trying to figure out the two couples’ dynamics.
At least, that’s all Elizabeth hoped she was speculating about.
When Lydia mentioned cosmetology school, Sylvia expressed delight that she took such an interest in the finer points of makeup and hairstyling.
Barbara pursed her lips and glanced at her husband, who seemed content to lean back in his chair and watch the byplay.
Caroline, seated next to Ted in the chair designated for Elizabeth, leaned over and whispered something to him.
Elizabeth didn’t like the peeved expression he wore when Caroline, eyes flashing, finished speaking.
Her attention was diverted when she heard Darcy comment on the world of career possibilities for a smart, socially attuned girl.
Lydia blinked and turned uncharacteristically shy when he asked whether she’d considered studying photography.
Elizabeth reached under the table to squeeze his knee as Darcy encouraged Lydia to try a class.
“Your sister showed me your work. You have a very good eye.”
Bernard announced that he, too, was a photographer and offered to take half-price professional headshots of everyone in the family, effectively ending that conversation, but not before he managed to pass around business cards featuring a glamour shot of Sylvia in studded denim and feather boas.
Caroline snickered until she caught a glare from her mother.
Herb seemed delighted. Charles and Darcy tucked away the cards without looking at them.
“I’ll stick one on your bulletin board, Lizabit.” Sylvia turned to her ex-husband. “Ted, her place is so bare, it’s like she’s never lived there.”
Jane swooped in quickly. “I moved out last month, and Lizzy packed up most of her stuff too since the lease runs out soon.”
“So what is your game plan?” her father asked, his eyes moving between his daughter and the man beside her. “You seem to be packing up all your rooms. Are you leaving us for new climes? Are you going Hollywood now that you’ve had a book published?”