Page 60 of First Impressions (Passion and Perseverance #1)

Chapter Forty-Two

WHAT?!

“Why was Mr. Darcy there? I don’t understand,” Beth asked, shaken to her core. Did Darcy have something to do with the wedding? A million thoughts ran through her head so that she didn’t even know where to begin.

“Darling, we really need to go,” George arrived just at that moment and began to pull Lydia forcefully towards the front door as if he didn’t want her to answer.

Beth just stood there dumbly, watching her sister and her new husband leave as the remainder of her family dispersed.

Why was Darcy there? He hates George. Why would he want to be at his wedding? Why would he be helping at the wedding? Did he bribe George? He wouldn’t have; he couldn’t have. He had tried that before. George didn’t want money; he wanted a job. Oh God, his new job.

Beth ran upstairs to find her cell phone. Where did he say he was working again? Chicago. DFW? Nothing. FWD? Bingo. She began to read the Wikipedia article on the new firm that had offered George such an astonishingly good position.

‘FWD he wanted them out of the city, far away from you and his sister.

” George looked at her with an expression that made it clear he was confirming her suspicions.

He had done it for her. He’d hired that asshole, incorporated him into his business, and all for her.

“That’s why Lydia said they were leaving in a day or so and that she didn’t want a party because Darcy forced them to leave…” Beth was thinking out loud.

“It wasn’t just Darcy. He would have hired George anywhere to get him to marry Lydia, but your dad was really upset by the whole situation.

He didn’t want Lydia around to set a bad example for Kat or for George to really feel like he was part of the family,” Charles continued.

“Lydia doesn’t know that George wasn’t going to marry her.

She thinks the job was a wedding present from Darcy.

If they stayed and lived here though, she would find out because neither Darcy nor your father can stand George.

So, your father asked that Darcy gives him a job somewhere else where they could visit but where Lydia’s happiness wouldn’t be jeopardized. ”

“I see,” she said numbly, trying to process everything that Charles was saying, everything that Darcy had done and sacrificed for her.

How could they ever repay him? How could she ever thank him?

“That is incredible, Charles. So very generous and kind of Mr. Darcy. How will we ever repay him?” Jane took the words right out of her mouth.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that, sweetheart.

Darcy didn’t do it so that he could be paid back,” Charles reassured her.

“That’s why he made us swear that we wouldn’t tell you.

He didn’t want you to feel guilty or pressured that you owed him for anything.

I guess he didn’t count on how inconsiderate Lydia is. ”

“I see.” It was a lie. She didn’t see; she didn’t see why he would do such a thing for her and her family after she had treated him so poorly. “Thank you for telling me.” She gave Charles a brief smile before looking at Jane, “I think I’m going to head home for the night.”

“Well —” Charles began before Jane stayed him with a hand on his arm .

Jane walked over and gave her a hug, saying quietly to her, “I think we’re going to tell mom and dad about the engagement tomorrow morning. We want to be able to tell Lydia in person before she moves.”

“Oh, ok. I can come over th—”

“No, no. Don’t worry about it. I just wanted to let you know that we are telling them and Kat and Mary.

Don’t argue with me. You’ve had a long day and I know everything with Darcy is weighing on you.

We’ll tell them tomorrow and I’m sure mom will call you to tell you all about it; there’s no reason for you to be here,” Jane assured her wryly.

Beth slumped back into a hug with her sister, knowing that she was right. She couldn’t handle any more of her mother’s excitement right now.

“Thank you,” she said, pulling away from her sister and wiping a tear from her eye. She walked over to Charles and gave him a hug. “Congratulations, you are a very lucky man.”

“Don’t I know it,” his eyes twinkling as he looked past her to Jane.

“Thank you for everything. Welcome to the family and good luck with mom!” she joked, trying to focus on anything but crying.

Beth hugged her sister again before saying goodnight.

As she walked down the hall to the front door, she saw her dad sitting in the study by the fireplace, a glass of whiskey on the table next to him.

As much as she just wanted to go home, she felt like her dad might need someone sane to talk to tonight, so she knocked quietly on the partially open door.

Her dad turned, a smile lighting up his face when he saw who it was.

“Beth! I thought you had gone home by now. Come in. Sit.” He looked and sounded exhausted.

“I was just about to leave but I thought I would come sit with you for a few minutes.” She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek before slumping into the other chair in front of the fireplace.

“Do you want some scotch? ”

“Oh, scotch! It must have really been a trying day; I thought you were drinking Jameson,” she said with a small laugh, “I’m ok though, thanks for the offer.”

“Helluva day, huh?” her father said with a sigh.

“Yeah, I can’t even imagine what it was like for you,” she said sympathetically. “I just don’t know what was going through Lydia’s head.”

“She’s immature and selfish. Hopefully, the move and the baby will force her to grow up a little,” he replied bluntly. “I’m just glad we were able to get him to marry her; she really thinks she’s in love with him. It wasn’t looking good there for a while.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what she would have done if that had happened,” she continued quietly. “I don’t know how we can ever thank Mr. Darcy.”

Her father turned in his chair to look at her, a little stunned by her comment.

“How did you know?” he asked.

“Lydia made a comment that he was at the courthouse. It didn’t take much after that to figure out what had really happened,” she admitted, leaving Charles’ confirmation out of it.

“What’s the matter with that girl…” her father shook his head in frustration.

“Well, now that you know; yes, I don’t know how we would have accomplished it without him.

George certainly would have left her and for all her faults and flaws, she doesn’t deserve that.

Although I’m not sure that a life with George will be much better, at least she seems happy. ”

Of course; Lydia would never let on otherwise.

“I hope so, after everything she put us through.” On that note, Beth stood up and bent over to give her dad a hug and kiss goodnight. “I’m heading home. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Yes, yes. Get a good night’s sleep.”

“You too.”

Beth headed for the door when she heard her dad say her name.

“Beth.” He was still facing the fireplace as he continued, “You know he did it for you. ”

She nodded her head even though she knew he couldn’t see her; he wasn’t expecting a response. She closed the study door as she let another tear slip past her defenses.

When she finally climbed into bed, all she could think was how much she loved him.

Completely. Irrevocably. Unequivocally.

She let the tears fall, used to them by now, as she thought about what had happened.

Darcy had acquiesced to the demands of the one person he hated, all to save her sister; all for her, he had sacrificed his pride, again.

Her heart swelled so much, she thought it would burst with the love she had for him.

She knew it wasn’t gratitude because her heart had ached like this from the moment she had refused him, even more so after seeing him at his home.

Now, it only ached worse because she realized the ramifications of his actions.

True, he had saved her sister’s happiness but now, were he ever to propose to her again, how would he know that she wasn’t saying ‘yes’ out of gratitude for what he did?

How would he know that she really wanted to marry him, that she would do anything to be with him, after having so carelessly rejected him?

Now, she could never approach the subject; she could never tell him that she loved him because it would seem like she was saying it out of gratitude, that she owed him for saving Lydia.

That was her last thought as sleep and heartache overcame her: He will never know how much I truly love him.