“No, I’d like to.” His voice was soft. I melted a little bit, even though I wanted to protest a little bit more. The idea of being alone with him was making my heart stutter. As much as I wanted more time with him, what in the world would I say without Georgiana to fill in the big silent parts?
“Good, it’s settled then,” Georgiana announced before I could tell him no. “My brother will take you home, and I get to see you again. Promise?”
There was no way I could say no to that. “Of course. I’d like that very much.”
“Good.” She grinned, but the frowned. “Now, why have you been calling him ‘Mr. Darcy’ all night? I thought you two knew each other.”
“Well, the night I met your brother, I did call him William,” I told her. “He corrected me and told me to call him Mr. Darcy.”
“William!” Georgiana’s accent became much sharper as she smacked her brother on the shoulder. She glared at him before returning to face me. “I apologize for him.”
Mr. Darcy’s cheeks darkened. “I did do that, didn’t I?”
I nodded. “Among other things.”
He got up and came to stand before me, his blue eyes focused on me. I was the center of his world, and it was a heady experience. “I am sorry.”
My knees went weak, and my heart threatened to go into a-fib. I reached for the table just to keep me upright.
“Me too,” I whispered, staring into his eyes. “For everything.”
It wasn’t as much of an apology as he deserved, but it was at least the start of one. A weight lifted off my shoulders, and I knew I should have apologized a long time ago.
He smiled, lighting up those blue eyes and making my knees tremble a little more.
“You’re more than forgiven,” he said softly.
“Well that’s good,” Georgiana said, reminding us that she was still there. She held up a
strawberry. “Strawberry for the road?”
I shook my head. “No, thank you.”
She shrugged and popped one happily into her mouth. “Good. More for me then.”
I gave her a big hug. I couldn’t help but like the girl. She was still struggling with her illness, but there was no way she was letting it bring her down. She was a light in this world and reminded me a lot of my grandmother in the best possible way.
The three of us walked into the mostly deserted lobby. I couldn’t believe that I’d had such a nice time with the two Darcy siblings that I’d lost all track of time. I would never have thought it possible.
“You go on up to the room,” Mr. Darcy told Georgiana as she stifled a yawn. “I’ll take Elizabeth home.”
“Take your time,” she told him as she headed toward the elevator. She waved one last time as I went to retrieve my coat. It was easy to find because it was the last one left.
“You don’t really have to take me home,” I told Mr. Darcy as he helped me slide on my coat. “It’s not far. And a cab is really easy.”
“I want to,” he replied. “Stop arguing.”
I nodded in acquiescence. “As you wish.”
He chuckled. The sound was rich and joyful, and it made me look up in surprise. “What’s so funny?”
“Submission looks very strange on you,” he told me. “You never give in.”
“That’s a nice way of saying I’m stubborn,” I said. He just grinned at me and put his hand on the small of my back to guide me to the valet. His touch, even through my coat, made my stomach flutter and my nerves tingle. I was glad I was wearing a coat, or he would have been able to feel my heat.
The valet jumped to attention as we walked out. “Mr. Darcy, I’ll have your car up right away, sir.” He took a step and then stopped. “Which one would you like?”
“The red one, please,” Mr. Darcy replied.