President Darcy

Elizabeth kept a straight face as the older woman glared. Abruptly, she turned to Fitz. “I believe I’d like a martini. Will you escort me to the bar?” Fitz offered his arm to his aunt and led her away, but not before winking at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth wished she could sag into the nearest chair. Her anger had ebbed, and now she worried that her rant would have consequences. What had possessed her to say such things? The president cleared his throat. Shit. Did he think she’d been taunting his aunt? What if her sarcasm cost the Red Cross its grant? I should have thought about that before shooting off my mouth. She started composing an apology in her head.

A smile played about his lips. “Salted pork on a stick?”

She shrugged helplessly. “Our family legacy is sadly neglected in the history books.”

“Along with sarcasm?” he asked dryly.

Was he angry? Well, she could hardly deny the truth. “I seem to have gotten more than my fair share of that.”

“I noticed.” He wasn’t quite smiling, but his eyes were alive—a clearer blue, with only a hint of gray.

An awkward pause followed; Elizabeth sipped her wine. Should she ask him about the grant? She had planned to buttonhole a lower-level State Department staffer on the topic. Discussing it with the president seemed a bit like bringing in a tank to kill a spider.

He cleared his throat. “You seem to be the only one in your family who’s not in the family business.”

“I love my family, but I’m very different from them. Lydia says I’m a compulsive do-gooder. What I do for a living needs to have meaning for me, or I get bored and depressed.”

“Huh,” he said slowly, “I understand that completely.”

“You do?”

“Done right, politics is all about public service. Of course, some politicians just want the power, but many want to make the world a better place.”

Elizabeth’s eyebrows climbed her forehead. Those had to be the least cynical words she had ever heard uttered by a politician. Did he truly believe them? “Is that why you do it?” she asked, aware that she was violating her vow not to engage with the man. “You certainly could have stayed home and watched your stock shares multiply.”

“I would imagine people say the same thing about you. You don’t have to dig wells in Africa when you could live a life of constant manicures and cocktail parties.”

He had been quite deft at wrestling the conversation back to her, but she would not allow it. “I seem to recall we were talking about you,” she said in a teasing voice, “and why you felt the need to serve your country.”

He stared at the ice cubes in his drink. “I could have lived like a playboy. But that lifestyle makes me…cranky, as my sister says.” He gave her a wry grin. “Although some days when all I do is pose for photographs and fight with Congress, I’m not sure what I do has any meaning at all.”

Wow, he sounded almost human. “It must be the most stressful job in the world.” Wait, am I feeling sorry for the president?

He stared into space. “It can be. Fortunately, I have a good staff. That helps a lot.” His eyes met hers, and he grinned. “Plus, there are a lot of perks. I don’t have to buy my own groceries or take my car in for repairs.”

Given his family’s wealth, Elizabeth rather doubted that he’d ever purchased his own food or darkened the door of a car garage.

He rubbed his hands together like an excited little boy. “And, hey, Air Force One is pretty cool!”

Did President Darcy just make a joke? Laughter bubbled up without her permission. “So you’re in it for the fun toys?” Damn it. This is the man who ruined George Wickham’s life, she reminded herself. Polite, but distant: that was the plan. “Amused” was not an option.

He quirked an eyebrow at her. “The presidential limo is full of neat gadgets. I’ll have to show you sometime.”

In what universe would she be hitching a ride with the president? She didn’t know why he even bothered to talk to her. Maybe he said those kinds of things to everyone, making them believe they were part of his inner circle.

During the silence that followed, the president sobered. “I thought your presentation today was very cogent,” he said finally.

There’s a word I don’t hear every day. “Thank you.” She cursed herself for blushing. “I’m glad you found it interesting.”

“I hope it didn’t cause problems for the Red Cross that I requested you to give the talk.”

The hairs on the back of Elizabeth’s neck rose. He was the one who had requested her! Why? She struggled to keep her tone even. “Not at all. They were excited about the opportunity.”

He had requested her, so she might as well ask him. Tank meet spider. “Um…we’re hoping to get a State Department grant to fund our projects in Africa. It’s pretty crucial funding for us.” His expression was blank. Well, Margot and John will be happy I mentioned it.

“When did you apply?”