30. Lizzy #2
He kept pace with me, and once we were in the grand entrance, he turned to me. His clothing clung to all the ridges and bumps of his pecs and abs, the water from his hair still dripping down his face. The sight of him facing me in this stunning high-ceilinged room was quite dizzying.
“Wait here,” he said with a slight touch of my elbow. Then he bounded up the wide white marble staircase.
What? Wait here? Yes, this man was used to giving orders, but this time, it wasn’t with any arrogance. Still, he did expect me to wait. Not happening.
Once he’d disappeared, I raced back to the library, but the room was empty. I then ran around the other rooms. Eventually, I found Tabitha in the dining room with her color chips.
“He’s home,” I gasped out, puffing from the running.
“Darcy’s home early, and I saw him swimming and I tried to hide and couldn’t and then I climbed a tree and then I fell on him, and God, I want to die!
” I put my fists up to my face and screamed inside my mouth.
“What must he think of me. I should get a taxi back to the B&B right now. How long will it take to come? Maybe I should sprint back to the village?”
“Oh, there you are.” A deep voice, friendly and familiar, made me jump.
Darcy strode into the room dressed in a pair of light, worn jeans hugging low on his lean hips, his shoulders wide and muscular in a cream knit sweater that seemed as soft as cashmere. He looked, if it was possible, even more relaxed and friendly than before.
Shit, had he heard me ranting to Tabitha? I searched his face. His expression remained pleasant and calm.
“Hello, Tabitha,” he said. “Did you hear I met Lizzy down by the lake? Pleasant surprise.”
“Hi, Darcy. I wasn’t expecting you. I hope you don’t mind I brought her here. I should have run it past you.”
“Not at all. We’re all friends. She’s, of course, very welcome.”
He and I weren’t friends, nothing like, but something about his answer was dignified and generous. He didn’t want to embarrass Tabitha or me.
I should have heaved a sigh of relief, but my heart was still pumping from running around and wondering if next came his real reaction.
“Why don’t I take her out for a tour around the grounds while you get some work done?” Darcy asked.
I turned the back of my head to him so he couldn’t see my expression, and I widened my eyes at her and mouthed, No.
“That does sound like a good plan,” Tabitha said. Did her lips quirk a little?
I turned back to Darcy. “Ah, that would have been a brilliant plan, thank you, but I’ve had a tour from your housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds. I was about to head back to the B&B. I’ve got some writing and calls and all sorts of authory stuff to do.”
Authory stuff? Good lord, woman. Why couldn’t I think of credible things authors did that involved being ensconced in my B&B rooms?
“Where are you staying?” he asked mildly, not taking offense and not addressing my turning down his offer.
“At Mrs. Rosey Crown’s.”
He gave me a friendly smile. “That’s a very nice place, but you are both most welcome to stay here.”
What? No. Every nerve zinged through my body, putting me on high alert. No way was I staying here. I looked to Tabs, panicked she was going to accept.
Also, I was confused and needed to process his unsettling presence. He was being so nice, such a good host, and so kind, considering what we’d fought about last time. And I’d landed on him—literally landed on top of him—without warning.
“I know, and you’ve offered before, which I appreciate,” Tabitha said. “But we’re all set up there now.”
He bit his lip, like he was trying to think of other options, and then he turned to me. “Lizzy, I know you’ve seen inside, but may I show you around outside while Tabitha works?” he asked.
Yes, but what about all the authory stuff I was supposed to be doing?
I was squealing and squirming inside, still embarrassed he’d found me at his home. Still frustrated with him for influencing his brother against my sister. But it would seem churlish now to refuse.
“But you must be busy,” I argued.
What about his huge staff? Didn’t he have meetings with his estate manager?
Didn’t he need to go through the accounts at his old mahogany desk upstairs, scribbling notes on the figures with his feather quill?
Activities I’d mentioned many times in my novels.
But now, I realized I’d never quite nailed down the details of said meetings and said mysterious accountancy.
And what about his property development, West City, in London?
No calls to make concerning the workings of that behemoth?
He shrugged. “I suppose I am busy. There’s always something for me to be doing. But I’d like to show you around, if you want that?”
What I wanted was to get away, but then he looked as though he did want to show me around. And now, I was intrigued. I wanted to know more about this man who had the face of the Darcy I’d originally met but seemed like a totally different person.
The author in me loved nothing more than a good character arc.
“I’d like that, thank you.”
He led me down the hallway toward the front entry. I could barely focus, nervous and embarrassed about being here, intrigued by this new Darcy and wondering when I should bring up our argument. Then I spotted a multicolored creature headed toward us.
She stopped in her tracks, her one non-floppy ear alert, her huge eyes bulging, her big-dog tail slapping from side to side against her sausage-shaped body.
Was it? It was! In all her misshapen glory!
“Topaz LeStar?” I cried out.
Unhurried, Topaz sashayed down the red-carpeted, chandeliered hallway as though she owned it.
“Topaz!” I cried out again and clapped my hands.
I crouched down and slapped the floor, and, her showgirl demeanor gone, she scurried to me with a squeal. I caught her up and cuddled her. But within seconds, she was squirming out of my arms and running to Darcy. I missed Oodles so much my heart ached.
“I couldn’t leave her at home,” Darcy gave a rueful smile. “Max was okay to stay with the housekeeper and Wills needs him when he returns, but Topaz begged me to take her.”
How did she arrive? I must have shown my confusion.
“Alfred, our driver, fetched her with the luggage,” he said. “No way could she have run back with me.”
Wills needed Max. Because Wills was unhappy. My stomach twisted into nervous knots. Darcy handed Topaz off to the butler at the entry.
On the outside steps, I breathed deeply, trying to get my thoughts together, trying to control my panic about being here. I could barely concentrate on the stunning view of the lake, the house mirrored in the deep blue water, and to the side was a romantically crumbling folly.
“Your home is beautiful,” I said, still scared to properly turn my head and look him in the eye.
He turned to me. “It’s all thanks to my staff.”
I kept facing forward to the view. “And your staff seem so happy here.”
He laughed good-naturedly. “Mrs. Reynolds loves this place. She practically grew up here, as she was the daughter of the head groundskeeper, and she lives only a mile away. Many of our team feel a deep sense of loyalty and ownership and pride in this place. As they should—they’re the ones who have made this place what it is. I hope they are happy.”
I pressed the palm of my hand to my forehead in shame. “Darcy, I can’t imagine what you think of me turning up like this.”
“Really? But you have such a good imagination.”
I peeked up at him to see his lips quirking.
“Let’s see the walled garden,” he said, gesturing to the back. “I think you’ll like it.”