Chapter 33
THIRTY-THREE
Ah, the Hamptons—the scene of many crimes of passion, the best of which was hers!
Gazing at William standing at the arbor and canopy backdropped by the ocean and morning sun, Lizzy’s stomach fluttered with butterflies.
He looked so handsome in a gray morning suit and an ascot, waiting for the final blessing and pronouncement to kiss the bride.
He winked at her and smirked, and again, butterflies.
In the six weeks since returning home from Paris, their love had deepened beyond anything she had imagined.
It was moving and overwhelming—breathtaking, really—and filled every corner of her being.
It had awakened every sensation in her body and mind.
Their romance inspired magnificent works of art and late-night dancing in the moonlight.
Midnight chats and breakfast on their townhouse terrace became the new normal.
She knew theirs was a special kind of love that rarely happens between two people.
Their journey to forever had been a difficult road, but it was hard-won and all the more appreciated because of it, and their time apart.
But something about this day was different, as the sea’s salty fragrance mingled with the heady scent of white roses, lavender, wisteria, and vows of devotion.
She couldn’t help undressing William with her eyes and had to resist the urge to fan her neck with her hand so as not to call attention to her lusting, love-filled predicament. The man emanated sex on steroids at this very inopportune moment. The butterflies moved south.
He smiled then bit his lip, perhaps reading her mind. He was good at that. In just a few more minutes, she would kiss him and excuse themselves for a quickie in the bridal suite.
The minister raised his hands, proclaiming his final blessing. “I now pronounce you Colonel and Mrs. Richard Fitzwilliam. You may kiss the bride.”
Her eyes filled with tears when Rick scooped Carrie into his arms, planting a long, hot kiss on her with a dip.
They were such a beautiful couple, and she was honestly so happy for them.
Insta love was real; she could attest to that, and she was glad her new friend had found her heart’s desire: stable, true love. Insane wealth was a boon.
Today and always, William was the best man escorting Louisa, the matron of honor, down the aisle, but when he passed her chair, his pinky tweaked hers. Yeah. Forever. Soon.
“Darling Elizabeth!” Louisa Bingley Hurst called out, crossing the dancefloor.
Lizzy had to look twice, not recognizing the woman from two months earlier at her wedding.
Her client and friend had lost a significant amount of weight, and her skin pallor had changed from ruddy red and puffy to a glowing sun-kissed tan.
She waved, preparing for the woman’s vibrant and effusive charm, a delightful combination even if over the top and filled with drunken slurs.
She liked Carrie’s sister and appreciated all she had done to promote La Tempera.
Without Louisa’s excitable personality and busy-body nature, La Temera would not have had the opportunity to secure the broker relationship for the Seurat, which put her directly into William’s path, a two-million-dollar commission fee, and a rekindled love affair—more priceless than the painting.
Sighing, she considered how everything, even meeting her beloved’s fiancée, had been fated.
“Look at you, darling! You’re simply glowing,” Louisa exclaimed, air kissing both cheeks.
“Love will do that, right? I mean, look at you, the epitome of a woman in love. Clearly newlywed life is amazing.”
Louisa leaned in. “Hurst? Oh, that’s fine. I credit my amazing new personal trainer for my transformation. I’ve been on the wagon for six weeks and having an absolute love affair ... with my weight loss injector, I mean injectable. Darling, my hormones are finally in sync with my body!”
“Well, you look incredible, Lousia.”
“And you, Elizabeth, look more than perfection.” She whispered into her ear, “You must tell me who your plastic surgeon is. I must have his name.”
“I haven’t had plastic surgery.”
“Pshaw! Your new ta-tas are simply fabulous! What are they, double D?”
“Um. Thank you.” She didn’t comment further, just held back a chuckle, fully aware that her chiffon, floral dress accentuated her assets—for William’s appreciation, of course.
“Your surgeon used your youth to his advantage. They’re quite perky.”
She laughed. “I swear, they’re real. It’s just the cut of the dress.”
“Sooo, tell me, I heard the rumors ... is it true that you landed Manhattan’s youngest billionaire at my wedding?”
Literally. “Something like that, but yes, we’re together now.”
“Congratulations! Have you picked a date yet?”
“Thank you. Actually, we haven’t discussed a wedding date yet. It’s so new. We’re just concentrating on settling into his new townhouse, listing my brownstone and his condo, and enjoying life.”
“Wonderful. You make a handsome couple. William is a much finer specimen than that low-life braggart you were engaged to.” Louisa took a sip of ... apple juice? “The gall at how he mocked La Tempera!”
“Indeed.” She glanced over to where her lover stood talking with Charlie and his brunette date. “I’m glad to see Charlie brought a plus one. She’s very nice and they seem quite compatible.”
“They better be! She’s a partner in his firm.” Louisa whispered, “He’s playing it safe, sworn off dating for a while until he recovers from the last one, the blonde he brought to my wedding. She was a real doozy.”
“Oh yes, I heard something about that.” She internally grimaced, knowing full well to whom she referred. Perhaps Louisa had been too drunk at her wedding to remember they were sisters.
“You don’t know the half of it. Now, don’t tell him you know, but between you and me, the woman did a real hatchet job on him after he broke it off.
I have never seen my brother so bamboozled, but that’s what happens when you meet a stranger working in a coffee shop.
A man of his stature shouldn’t be messing with the help from some podunk town. ”
That stung a bit, but Louisa would never be unkind to someone she liked and didn’t know she was from that same podunk town. “What happened?”
“After trying to blackmail him, the desperate psycho called the New York State Bar Association, claiming he sexually assaulted her. Can you imagine my dear, sweet, foolishly na?ve Charlie doing such a thing? It was a legalistic nightmare.”
She gasped. “That’s terrible,” and completely in line with Jane’s modus operandi.
“Oh, that isn’t all. She stalked him for weeks, like the lunatic from the movie Fatal Attraction. You know the one where Glenn Close boils the kiddo’s rabbit?”
“Oh my God! What did he do?”
“He had plenty of receipts—texts, emails, and video evidence to fight her claims. But then, one day, she was simply gone. Poof! Like magic.”
“What happened?”
“Apparently, your Prince Charming interceded when he got back from Paris. The dear guy even put a security team on Charlie. Thank goodness the girl disappeared. No one has seen hide nor hair since, but my brother isn’t taking any chances and has his own bodyguard now—who just so happens to be my personal trainer. ”
“William certainly has a way of looking out for those he loves. He’s fiercely loyal,” she smiled brightly, but her mind drifted to her residual heartache.
Part of her still felt sad and riddled with guilt and grief over the loss of two primal relationships from her family of origin, but radical acceptance never promised to be an easy road.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she reminded herself that Jane was back in Wyoming, fighting with their mother and driving their father crazy.
Last she heard via text from Big Tom was that Jane got the job at the diner, and their cousin was coming to dinner to check out the ‘scarlet woman’ situation.
There was nothing Lizzy should or could do about her family’s incompatible personalities, soiled reputations, or circumstances of their own making. She had her own burgeoning family and absolute happiness to concentrate on now. Those in the Darcy family orbit were now her primary family.
“Well, enough of that, we’re here to celebrate true love, bright futures, and if you give me your plastic surgeon’s name—Double Ds.” Louisa raised her filled flute.
“Take my word for it, they’re natural, Louisa.”
“Oh, please! Honey, they weren’t this impressive at my wedding. I make it a study as part of my research for the best surgeon.” She leaned over again, whispering. “I love my sister, but her new ta-tas are abysmal. Yours are simply perfect.”
She laughed. “Like I said, it must be the dress.”
“So, what do you think about Carrie’s dreamy new husband? I always wanted a ginger man!” Louisa pivoted.
They both glanced out at the bride and groom swaying on the dance floor. “I am so happy for them. They make a beautiful couple and seem so in love.”
“Ha, of course you’re happy her materialistic hooks are firmly dug into someone other than William’s billions.”
“It’s not like that. I’ve only ever wanted his happiness, and if Carrie had been the one he thought he could spend forever with, then so be it. Personally, I never cared about William’s money, but I can see how others may be a little fixated on it.”
“You don’t mean that, do you?”
“Of course. I owe your sister a great deal for helping to secure the happiness we all sought. I hope she will become a good friend of mine because selfless people are rare. You know, I’m overjoyed that William has such dear friends as those in the Bingley family.”
“And now you do, too! It does my heart good to hear Carrie took the high road. At her core she’s a good person.”
Exiting the dance floor, William’s lovely sister smiled and waved as she gracefully approached them, as though on pointe shoes.