Page 45 of First Impressions (Passion and Perseverance #1)

Chapter Thirty-One

She hadn’t seen him again the entire week.

What the hell . At first, she had told herself that it was because Char and Jane were with her basically all the time and that’s why he had kept his distance.

However, when they left Sunday night, she had expected him to show up on her doorstep Monday morning but he never came.

The rest of the week followed the same pattern; she woke up every day hoping to see him, knowing that he had said that they needed to talk, but no actual attempt by him to do so.

She’d kept very busy during the days though, working with Anne to solidify the plans for the event, then working with the vendors as they began to arrive later in the week to start setting up.

She was also put in charge of photographing the pieces and individual gems that were going to be auctioned off throughout the night sending notices out to the major news outlets in the city as well as posting all the social media marketing herself.

Aside from the celebrities who would attend, the gems being auctioned off for charity were the next biggest attraction.

In previous years, the DeBourghs had selected a charity on their own for the money to be given to.

Beth had suggested to Anne to allow the auction winners not only to receive the piece that they bid on but to also request a preferred charity that they would like the proceeds to go to; that way Mrs. DeBourgh could still reject the choice but the donors might feel willing to bid more knowing that it could go to a non-profit of their choosing.

Anne had loved the idea and conveyed it to her mom, who begrudgingly approved.

As much as she didn’t want to give Beth the satisfaction of approving her idea, it was too good of a chance to pass up, especially if it incentivized people to bid more money.

Beth wasted no time making sure the appropriate outlets were notified that the DeBourgh White Party, already well known for the sizable contribution it would make to charity, would be letting the participants select their own preference for the donation; the press was thrilled.

In the days leading up to the event, Mrs. DeBourgh had almost double the number of interviews and requests for journalists to attend as they usually had.

Not only that, but Anne told her the following day that some of the guests who planned on attending and donating money but not bidding on items, had gotten in touch with her to change their status to participating bidders now that they knew their donation would reflect their personal interests.

The minor changes in the auction proceedings were settled by Wednesday and on Thursday Beth transitioned to working more alongside Victor as the vendors and decorations began to arrive and the space was beginning to be prepared.

Aside from having to deal with Victor’s snobbish attitude, everything had gone pretty smoothly on that end.

Even though she would say now that she and Anne were on good terms, they hadn’t really discussed Darcy again.

Beth had managed to ask her on Wednesday if he was still staying on the property, but Anne replied that she wasn’t really sure since he stayed in the guest suite in the clubhouse, which was out by the nineteenth hole so he could come and go without anyone seeing him.

As far as she knew, he was staying there until after the party but she wasn’t sure.

After their private discussion, Beth realized that she hadn’t asked Anne anything about Charles and if Darcy was the reason that he had left Jane and broken her heart.

She felt guilty and angry at herself for not thinking to bring it up the moment Anne had opened up about Darcy and she was determined to speak with Anne alone again so she could find out.

After having the night to think about it though, she didn’t know if she should bring Anne further into this whole mess.

Even though she felt like she could trust her, she wasn’t sure how much Darcy had told her about what had happened between the two of them and she didn’t want to have to suggest to his ex-girlfriend that she thought Darcy ruined her sister’s chance at happiness because he was scared of his attraction to her.

Plus, even though she and Darcy were close, Beth had a feeling that Darcy wouldn’t be discussing Charles’ romantic life with her.

Anne’s personality, too, suggested that she would have said something about Charles and Jane if she knew anything that might help or shed some light.

So, Beth worked side by side with Anne and kept her thoughts to herself, waiting for Darcy to show up and make good on his word.

Beth was grateful when it was finally Saturday, the day of the White Party, for many reasons; she was tired of being on the DeBourgh estate, for one.

Not that this house wasn’t comfortable or the whole estate wasn’t breathtaking but, aside from Anne, everyone was just about as snobby as its owner.

Throughout the week, she had noticed that Mrs. DeBourgh seemed to keep a very close eye on her and ask her very personal questions, something that she would have just brushed off if Anne hadn’t revealed that her mother had noticed Darcy’s preoccupation with her.

It was clear Mrs. DeBourgh viewed her as a threat and wanted to keep her as close as possible so she could keep an eye on her.

Besides all of that, and even more importantly, she knew for a fact, confirmed by Anne yesterday, that Darcy would be attending the party and she was tired of waiting for the answers that she was owed.

She’d run through the typical cycle of emotions that he elicited from her: hope, that gave way to disappointment when he invariably didn’t follow through, which gave way to anger and frustration that she ultimately bottled up, determined to handle it on her own.

No, this time she would be prepared. She replayed exactly what she wanted to say to him over and over again as she sat in front of the mirror doing her makeup.

What gives you the right to rip two people apart who clearly are in love with one another? You can’t just go around controlling other peoples’ lives to serve whatever purpose you need; they are people who need to make their own choices. What did Jane ever do to you or Charles that called for this?

Just thinking about it had her face flushed and her jaw clenched. She stood up and went downstairs to grab a water from the fridge before putting her dress on.

And that doesn’t even begin to cover how you could treat me the way that you do! After everything that you’ve done, I stayed; I stayed and I gave you a piece of me, let you control a part of me that no one ever has, and how do you respond? You leave. Again.

She felt the tears threatening to fall, remembering how vulnerable she had been, how crushed she had felt knowing that he had left, and then having to keep that all inside so she could be there for Jane.

God. She felt like punching something. Or skipping the party and crying all night, but that wouldn’t get her in front of the man she needed to give a piece of her mind to.

She slipped her white gown over her head and fastened the gold clasp at the back of her neck.

It was a simple halter sheath with a v-neck and a low-cut, cowl back.

She’d bought the dress years ago for an event but then didn’t end up wearing it; she wasn’t a big fan of how she looked in white, but since this was a white party what better opportunity to dust it off and put it to good use.

Staring at herself in the mirror she looked elegant and pristine, the complete opposite of how she felt.

Inside she felt fragile and used - all the broken pieces of her precariously held together by a glass shell that could shatter at any moment.

That’s what she saw in the mirror: the chaos contained in the coolly composed exterior.

She threw her hair up in a simple French twist and waited for Anne to arrive with the golf cart to pick her up.

Anne arrived looking like a moon goddess.

The tall blonde was wearing a very modest, loose white gown; the sleeves came all the way to her wrists, the high neckline touching her neck.

The material was thin and even sheer in some areas, giving her an ethereal quality that, if she hadn’t reassured Beth herself that there was nothing between her and Darcy, Beth would have been concerned.

“Beth! You look great!” Anne greeted her with a hug.

“Thanks, but I feel like I’m a mess. You look amazing though,” Beth responded self-consciously.

Anne gave her a sympathetic stare. “It’s all going to be ok. Everything it looking great up at the house. You and Victor did an amazing job!”

“Have any of the guests arrived yet?” Beth asked even though she was only concerned with one guest in particular .

“No, Darcy isn’t here yet,” Anne responded knowingly. “But we should get going because people should be starting to arrive soon and I know the photographer wants to get a couple of photos in front of the house before it’s overwhelmed with people.”

The mansion was really a sight as you came up the main drive.

A white carpet-way led from where cars would pull up to the opened front door.

The doorway was decorated with vibrant green foliage interspersed with white roses, hydrangeas, and lilies that rose up the sides of the doorway; small twinkle lights were embedded in the flowers giving the entrance a glittering appearance.

There were already about fifteen reporters, photographers, etc.

lining either side of the walkway chatting among themselves, waiting for the guests to arrive.

Anne parked the cart off to the side of the roundabout.

Before the press got the wrong idea about who she was, she introduced herself to them and began to check their passes off the list of all the reporters invited.

Meanwhile, Anne posed in the doorway for a few photos before ducking inside the house, waiting for Beth to follow.

The great oval room was the first stop for guests upon arrival.

The columns at the entryway to the room were covered in ivy and twinkle lights.

A bar was set up immediately to the left inside the room and a center table that had place cards for those participating in the auction.

Large white drapes covered the three window panels on either side of the center doorway that led out onto the terrace.

From here, guests could make their way outside to stroll through the gardens or sit at one of the tables set up under the tent on the lawn.

The auction stand was set up off to the right side on the patio and the band was off to the left.

There wasn’t really room for dancing until the auction was completed and all of the corresponding furniture and cases could be cleared.

An army of waiters stood ready to offer guests a selection of over thirty finger sandwiches, hors d’oeuvres, and desserts.

Mrs. DeBourgh made it downstairs just as the first guests were starting to arrive. She and Anne stepped outside to greet the guests and pose for photos while Beth remained inside the house, guiding everyone into the oval room and making sure they were taken care of.

Beth felt like the smile plastered on her face would take weeks to wipe off. Celebrities, millionaires, billionaires, rolled in one after another, but none of it phased her; she was looking for one person only.

After a half an hour had passed, Anne finally came back inside saying that almost all of the guests had arrived.

“How many are left?” Beth asked, her shell about to break.

“He will be here,” Anne whispered, making sure her mom was still outside.

“He knows this place. He can come and go as he likes but he’s on the list as a bidder so he will be here or he’s going to have to answer to me!

” She joked, giving Beth’s shoulder a comforting squeeze, “In the meantime, most of our work is done and I think it’s time we have a celebratory drink.

” Guiding them into the oval room, she grabbed two glasses of white wine from the bar.

The next forty-five minutes felt like the longest of Beth’s life.

She stayed inside the oval room so she could keep an eye on the door, waiting for Darcy to arrive.

Finally, when she heard Victor come over the microphone, asking everyone to take their seats so that the bidding could begin, she picked up Darcy’s seat card from the table, threw it in the trash can, and desolately made her way outside.

She sat down off to the side of the front row, the seat next to her saved for Anne, who was up on the patio with her mother, as Mrs. DeBourgh welcomed all the guests and thanked them for participating.

She highlighted a few of the more select pieces that they would be offering tonight and then turned the microphone over to the auctioneer.

“And for our first item, a pair of one-carat diamond, teardrop earrings. We will start the bidding at ten thousand dollars, do I hear ten-thousand…” In her head, the auctioneer’s voice began to trail off and blur as he spoke too fast for her to want to try and focus.

She was staring right through him as he went through one piece after another.

He moved onto the select, high dollar items; the first of which was a large diamond ring, the center stone was a 3-carat diamond su rrounded by a halo of rubies, bidding starting at one million dollars.

The bids droned on, driving up the price to almost three million dollars, while Beth continued to stare vacantly at the podium.

“Five million dollars,” said a deep, rich voice from right behind her.

The noise shattered the haze in her mind, her whole body tingling as the smooth, warm tone of Darcy’s voice melted over her.

Don’t turn around. The crowd turned in her direction, agape, whispering amongst themselves as the auctioneer awarded the item to him.

Thankfully, she knew they were all looking right through her at him, all but Mrs. DeBourgh, whose eyes had narrowed speculatively.

The auctioneer cleared his throat, after momentarily being stunned by the winning sum, and proceeded to the next item, the audience following his lead as the bidding continued.