Without another word, Will tugged her hand, pulling her into the marble-clad foyer and up the stairs.
Chapter Fourteen
They didn’t leave Pemberley for more than twenty-four hours. Darcy ordered lunch delivered from his favorite neighborhood deli. Then dinner. Then breakfast. Then lunch the next day. Darcy had been with his share of women, but he didn’t think he’d ever had so much sex in such a short period of time. He was beginning to see why people bothered to get married, which was a bit frightening because he’d never had such thoughts about another woman.
When they weren’t making love, they were sleeping or watching videos on the fifty-five-inch screen that descended from the ceiling of the master bedroom. Elizabeth joked that if they moved the dining table into the room, they would never need to leave at all. Darcy knew it was a temporary paradise, but he was determined not to think beyond the end of the weekend.
By mutual agreement, they didn’t talk about work or family or much of the outside world. Darcy did learn a lot about Elizabeth’s childhood and college years, her hobbies and foibles, her dreams and fears. He shared with her the secret desires of his heart and the things that kept him awake in the middle of the night. If only they could live this way forever…pretending that the rest of the world didn’t exist.
But by dinnertime on Sunday, they had both contracted a little cabin fever. Darcy suggested dinner out and made reservations at a local restaurant. It was a small Italian place in a strip mall, the last place that anyone would seek out William Darcy, but the staff knew him and took pains to maintain his anonymity.
Elizabeth raised her eyebrow at him when she saw the shiny vinyl tablecloths and parmesan cheese shakers on the tables. Darcy was pleased to have defied her expectations.
The hostess winked at him. “Ah, Mr. D., we have your table ready.” The restaurant was
about half full as she led them to the back and seated them at a booth swathed in shadows.
Darcy slid into the seat facing the back wall, where the only people who would catch a glimpse of his face were the restaurant’s servers. When Elizabeth moved to sit on the opposite side, Darcy took her hand and gently pulled her onto the bench beside him. “That’s too far away,” he whispered in her ear. He settled into the corner of the booth and then pulled her to nestle against his chest. She collapsed against him with a sigh.
They remained ensconced together for the entire meal. As they read from a single menu, Darcy pointed out the dishes he recommended; when the food arrived, they fed each other bits of bread, chicken, and ravioli. Although the ambiance was unprepossessing, Elizabeth exclaimed over the food.
Darcy took a sip from his wineglass while his other hand stroked Elizabeth’s hair. “Unfortunately, tomorrow I must actually do some work. I have three interviews scheduled in L.A. now that the press for In the Shadows starts in earnest.”
“I know we can’t remain holed up at Pemberley forever, as nice as it is.” Elizabeth sighed. “I should return to my apartment.”
“There’s no need to leave on my account. As far as I’m concerned, you can stay as long as you like.”
She laughed. “Don’t you think it’s a bit early in the relationship to be moving in together?”
He shrugged. “I’d get to see more of you.”
“It’s a nice fantasy, but I should go home and face the music.”
Darcy grumbled. “I don’t want you to give them another opportunity to hurt you. Your parents don’t appreciate you the way they should.”
Her hand tightened on his arm; perhaps he’d gone too far. “Thank you for caring about me,” she said in a low voice. “It-It really helps.”
“I wish I could keep you safe.”
“I have to see my family sometime, but maybe I’ll give them some time to settle down. I’d at least like to make things right with Jane.” She sighed. “Now that Lydia is out of the woods, I need to look for a job, too.”
“As a PA?”
“I don’t think so. Filmmaking just doesn’t excite me. I’ll see what opportunities are available for a pre-med graduate. Maybe someone needs a lab assistant.”
Darcy gazed down at her, daring to broach a subject he’d avoided for the whole weekend. “You’re not really giving up on medical school, are you?”
“I don’t know. I can apply next year, but if I’m not working in a science-related job, it’ll look like I’m not committed to medicine.” She fell silent for a moment. “There is something, though. A friend from Stanford emailed me about an internship program at Johns Hopkins. It’s designed for people who are planning to go to medical school. The pay isn’t great, but I could survive.”
Darcy mustered a smile. “Isn’t Johns Hopkins in Baltimore?”
“Yeah. That’s not ideal, but you could come and visit me. And I could come back here on breaks.” She suddenly seemed uncertain. “That is…if you want to.”
“Oh, I want to.” His voice was low and rough. “I’m all in, Elizabeth.”
“Denise suggested I should fly out to Baltimore and meet with the people who run the program, but I don’t know. The plane ticket would be expensive, and what if I’m not cut out to be a doctor?”
“Elizabeth, you’ll make an awesome doctor. Don’t doubt that.”