Page 15 of Third Time is the Charm (Passion and Perseverance #3)

Beth walked next to Lydia, behind Jane and their mother, into the courtyard that they had left only a few hours earlier. Charles was standing at the end of the aisle talking to his three friends from law school and his father. Beth’s eyes were immediately alert.

Where was Darcy?

Her eyes darted around the space, looking for the striking face that was so painfully familiar to her; she didn’t see him.

Maybe he wasn’t here yet.

Irene’s loud exclamation on seeing Mrs. Bingley startled her, bringing her back to the moment as they were approached by Mrs. Bingley and the preacher. Beth returned Mrs. Bingley’s hug as she welcomed everyone in their group.

Where was Caro?

Again, she scanned the area looking for either of the two people responsible for her heartbreak, her eyes coming up empty just as a shiver ran down her spine.

Her senses telling her that someone was watching her, someone that she couldn’t see.

Anxious nausea rolled through her, remembering the weeks that Caro had been stalking her.

Don’t go there, Beth. She has no reason to harass you now.

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road. I’m hungry,” Mr. Bingley exclaimed with a smile on his face as he patted his stomach.

“Oh, psh,” Mrs. Bingley scolded him, rolling her eyes at her husband’s impatience.

“Of course, we can get started right away,” Jane said with a smile, trying to appease her future father-in-law. “Who are we missing?”

Charles looked around for a second. “Where did Darcy go? He was just here…”

Now everyone’s eyes scanned the courtyard, as the electricity setting Beth’s nerves on edge increased.

It was definitely Darcy who was watching her.

For some reason, her eyes shot to the glass windows of the reception hall that looked down on the ceremony space; it wasn’t ‘some reason’. It was Darcy. He was standing at the window, looking directly at her. Meeting his gaze lit her body in a familiar flame.

A split second later, Charles spotted him, raising his hand and motioning for him to come down. “Hey, we’re ready Darcy!” he yelled, even though it was unlikely that Darcy could hear him.

“Oh, Charles!” Irene exclaimed, looking around her frantically. “Where’s Caroline? We need her, too.”

Beth watched the shadows that crossed over the Bingley family’s faces.

Charles’ eyes dropped to the ground for a second.

“I don’t think she’s going to make it for the rehearsal, unfortunately.

She’ll just have to wing it tomorrow.” Jane reached down to squeeze his hand – the hurt and frustration with his sister for being so careless on such an important event for him ringing clear in his tone.

Darcy made it over to the group at that moment, the preacher taking hold of the conversation and beginning to instruct everyone how the ceremony would go.

“Ok, Charles, you will begin at the altar. Once the music begins, Mr. and Mrs. Bingley, you will start the procession in from behind the corner of this building here.” He paused to motion to the corner of the reception building, behind which the bridal party would be waiting to make their entrance.

He continued to talk, but Beth felt a familiar heat beginning to suffuse through her body shutting down input from her other senses.

Like the sun was drawn up voluntary or not, into the sky every morning, so was her gaze drawn to Darcy, pulled to him by forces greater than herself.

When she looked his way, her eyes immediately met his.

His gaze had been resting on her, waiting for her to find him.

Beth found herself lost in him and the sea of emotions rolling in his turbulent eyes.

His desire for her was unmistakable, but there was so much more conveyed than just that – so much more than she was expecting.

Like earlier in the hall, there was a distinct apprehension as though she were going to disappear any moment for good.

She felt a nudge from behind. “Beth,” Lydia whispered, breaking her and Darcy’s moment.

The group had begun to disperse, about to leave her and Darcy to be standing in an awkward staring contest in the middle of the courtyard if Lydia hadn’t intervened.

Beth turned and gave Lydia a weak smile of thanks before fixing her gaze on Jane and following the bridal party over to practice the processional.

The bright side about having to walk down the aisle with Darcy was that it meant she couldn’t look at him – unless she planned on walking sideways.

Mrs. Bennet lined everyone up along the side of the building; Irene would be first, escorted tomorrow down the aisle by Phil Gardiner, followed by Kat, Lydia, and Mary accompanied by Charles’ friends, then a break on the bridesmaid side since Caroline wasn’t there, and finally Beth and Darcy, and Jane and their father bringing up the end of the train.

“Mr. Darcy,” Irene’s voice rang out. “You remember my daughter, Beth?” Beth clenched her teeth, forcing her eyes not to roll at her mother’s attempt at a reintroduction.

She quickly stepped into line, following as her mother directed, to stand next to Darcy just wanting her mom to move on and not make this any worse.

When Irene just stood there, waiting, Beth felt anxiety creep over her.

Her gaze darted up to him out of the corner of her eye, trying to see if he was just as unnerved.

He captured her gaze, a cordial smile pasted onto his face.

“Miss Bennet, so nice to see you again,” he said softly. Her brow furrowed for a moment, wondering what was going on; he’d just seen her, why was he…

Oh.

“You too, Mr. Darcy,” she replied quietly.

No one knew they’d met in the hallway; he was addressing her publicly so that everyone would think that this was the first time they’d seen each other since Beth returned from Boston.

He was trying to spare her from prying questions, especially the ones from her mother who had chosen to stand and observe the interaction between her second-oldest daughter and the infamous Mr. Darcy.

Beth watched as he then turned over his shoulder to look at Jane.

“Jane, you look very lovely tonight,” Darcy said, his features warming as his smile spread a little more genuinely over his face.

Jane’s face blushed at his compliment, as she murmured a thank you.

The interaction was enough to indicate to Mrs. Bennet that the show between Beth and Darcy was over and so she returned to take her place at the front of the line.

When her mother walked away, he began to turn forward again, his gaze briefly pausing to rest on her. “You look very nice tonight, too, Beth.”

She sucked in air to her lungs. His compliment seemed mild, but the look he gave her told her that ‘nice’ was a huge understatement. The desire that burned in his eyes was just as strong and bright as it had been months ago every time he looked at her as though he needed to have her to survive.

Well, he’d have to figure out another way to survive.

The practice processional had begun to move forward, both of them forced to focus on the event going on around them.

Darcy cocked out his elbow – the last thing needed before they could walk down the aisle.

Beth stared at it as they took the last step forward, about to move out from behind the building.

With a deep breath, she placed her hand on his arm as they started to walk.

It was a mistake.

Even though she had tried to rest it on him as gently as possible and even though there were at least two layers of clothing between her hand and his skin, she could still feel the heat of him searing through her.

The intensity of it almost caused her to jerk her hand away, but her rational brain stalled her from creating a scene.

Forcing what was hopefully a small smile onto her face, she tried to walk calmly in-step with Darcy down the last fifteen feet of the aisle.

Just breathe, Beth.

She tried, but she felt like even breathing was a struggle right now.

Her senses grew fuzzy from where they were touching.

She’d forgotten how easily she was physically consumed by her own need for him.

Her dress felt tight and constricting, her breasts straining against the material.

Her nipples, noticeably sensitive against the material of her bra; it was all so familiar.

When they broke from each other at the end of the aisle, Darcy going to stand next to Charles, and Beth taking her place at the beginning of the rest of her sisters, it was only then that she felt the oxygen being dragged into her lungs.

Her senses returned to her just as Jane and their father made it up to the preacher.

At this point, the preacher motioned for everyone to gather around as he began to run through a summary of the ceremony. Beth watched his mouth move mindlessly as her thoughts were drawn elsewhere.

Or to the man on the other side of the aisle.

Most of what she was feeling, she tried to push aside – the feeling of being next to him, touching him, it was all just reminiscent of their past, she kept telling herself that she knew that.

What she did want to focus on was the nuanced changes that she’d again noticed.

Yes, he was still reserved and distant, but the old Darcy would never have reached out to Jane, or her, like that.

Jane was right – it wasn’t even in the same realm as Charles’ personality, but it definitely wasn’t like Darcy either; reserved politeness had been a stretch for him before.

The other thing that she’d noticed was the familiar dark desire brewing in his eyes caged behind a thick haze of sadness and regret.

She couldn’t understand it.