President Darcy

Bill drew back, a horrified look on his face. “You don’t?” She might as well have confessed to murdering kittens.

Charlotte perched on the arm of the sofa and patted Bill’s shoulder soothingly. “Lizzy has always been a bit of a free spirit.”

Elizabeth didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Bill shook his head disapprovingly. “I live my life by the motto ‘What would Mrs. de Bourgh do?’ It does simplify things.”

“You should put that on a bracelet,” Kitty said.

Charlotte continued speaking as she absently stroked Bill’s hair. “Elizabeth knows that there are many other reasons not to date the president.” She gave Elizabeth a meaningful look.

Elizabeth sighed, unsure if she was more irritated at Charlotte or herself. She had known that dating Will would be difficult and likely end in heartbreak, but they hadn’t even gotten to the dating part. They’d had one night, and she was left with nothing except a bruised heart and wall-to-wall media coverage of every trip to buy shampoo.

“You need to get out of the apartment,” Jane said. “You can at least go to a coffee shop or the mall or something.”

Elizabeth slouched further into the sofa. “I went to the grocery store a couple of days ago. So many reporters followed me that the manager eventually asked me to leave.”

“No shit!” Kitty’s eyes went wide.

Jane patted Elizabeth’s hand. “I’m sure it won’t always be that way.” Kitty pulled a pint of ice cream out of the bag and peeled off the lid before handing it to Jane. “In the meantime, you need to eat,” Jane continued. “You’re losing weight.” She waved the container under Elizabeth’s nose. “I brought Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Doesn’t it smell divine?”

Elizabeth groaned. “Jane…”

Jane’s tone would have been best suited to a cheerleader. “Eat something, take a shower, and then we can go to Mom and Dad’s. At least it’ll get you out of the house.”

Elizabeth pushed the container away. “I’m not hungry, and I’m not inflicting the press on Mom and Dad again—especially now that the reporters are finally leaving them alone. I’ve caused them enough trouble.” She cringed at the memory of reporters trampling her mother’s flower beds and harassing Mary as she left for work.

Jane smiled even more broadly. “They’re doing better, Lizzy. Mom is a lot calmer; she’s resting a lot.”

“Thank God for Xanax,” Kitty interjected.

Jane glared at Kitty for a moment before continuing. “Dad’s buried himself in work. You know how he is.”

“His lawyers are trying to get the USDA to reinstitute the contract,” Kitty added. “On-a-Stick already manufactured a lot of the food. If the government doesn’t proceed with the contract, it could bankrupt us.”

Elizabeth ground her teeth. Not only had she ruined her life but also her family’s business. Maybe for an encore she could set fire to the White House.

“Kitty,” Jane whispered, “Lizzy doesn’t need to hear that now.”

“I’m being the bad cop,” Kitty explained. “You’re the good cop.”

“This isn’t an interrogation,” Jane said.

“Damn it!” Elizabeth’s exclamation cut short the debate. She pushed off the sofa and walked the length of the room, wishing she could jog or jump, anything to absorb her excess of energy. “I’m ruining everybody’s lives.” Tears threatened to return.

“It’s not your fault!” Charlotte said fiercely. “If anything, it’s Lydia’s.”

Elizabeth rubbed her face. “I guess.” Alth

ough she was hardly blameless.

Bill cleared his throat. “On the drive over here, Charlotte and I were debating the nature of Lydia’s evil…er…nature.”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened. Was Bill actually saying what she thought he was saying?

Bill continued, “Charlotte was inclined to believe it was the result of your parents’ lax oversight as Lydia matured, but I think she must be naturally bad.”

Jane’s mouth fell open while Charlotte turned bright red. “Bill,” she murmured out of the side of her mouth, “you know how we talked about keeping some things private between the two of us…?”