Page 20 of Third Time is the Charm (Passion and Perseverance #3)

“What do you mean you asked him? You asked Darcy not to do anything? Why?” Beth asked, perplexed that she would request that of Darcy after everything that George had put her through.

“Yes, I asked Darcy,” Lydia confirmed. “I chose to leave; George shouldn’t be punished for that, as much as it has hurt me.

I know he chose to not want a relationship with me or our daughter, but part of me hopes that someday, he’ll change his mind – for her at least. He’s the father of my child, and for as immature and inconsiderate and selfish as he is, I would want her to know him, if he chooses.

Asking Darcy to ruin his life might feel great right now, but it could hurt her in the future.

” Lydia looked down again at her stomach and Beth could see that everything she’d done, all of the hurt and disappointment that she had endured, all of the dreams that she’d chosen to shatter, had all been for her child and what was best for her little girl.

“And Darcy was ok with that? He listened to you?” Beth continued, astonished that Darcy wouldn’t take the first opportunity to destroy George Wickham.

“What about you? How are you living? Where are you living?” Beth groaned; she’d asked the questions before thinking and once they were out realized how they made it sound like Lydia was completely incompetent and unable to take care of herself.

In Beth’s defense, Lydia had been a few months ago.

“He did,” Lydia said solemnly. “He did, and then he helped me. Well, I guess it started a few months ago. I decided to look for a job because being home all day was torture, especially with how things were with George; days were long and tedious and I had nothing to look forward to when he got home.” She shook her head, realizing she was getting off track from answering Beth’s question.

“So, Mr. Darcy offered me a job in one of his other, smaller companies in the city. I don’t know what I would have done without that; no one wants to hire a woman who is pregnant and is going to have to be out of the office for several months, just when she is starting to get settled in; no one except Darcy. ”

“What do you do?” Beth wondered, knowing that Lydia had left college when she moved out to Chicago with George. She didn’t even know what major her sister had originally planned on graduating with. Lydia had always been more preoccupied with parties than with schoolwork.

“Nothing crazy,” she prefaced. “I’m just an assistant to the senior editor at a small publishing house that Mr. Darcy owns.

But, I really enjoy it; I enjoy the scheduling and dealing with people, but mostly, I get to do a lot of reading.

My editor, Samantha Hall, is great and has been really considerate of my situation.

I get to read a lot of the submissions that come in and help her organize her thoughts on them, as well as give my own.

” Beth watched as Lydia’s face lit up talking about her new job.

It was the first time she’d ever seen her sister so excited about work or any type of responsibility; she really had turned over a new leaf, as painful as it was.

“That’s great, Lyd,” Beth encouraged, and her sister continued before she could get back to the part of the subject that was still unnerving her.

“Yeah, it really is. And the best part is that I’ll still be able to work from home during the last few weeks before my due date and then even after I have the baby; I don’t know where else I would have found such flexibility, much less doing something that I really enjoy.”

“Reading for a living is not a bad way to go,” Beth acknowledged wryly.

“It’s a great escape, which is something that I could really use right now…”

Beth had to agree with her sister there. “So, you got your own place then?” Beth pressed on, needing to know just what else Darcy had done for her younger sister. She knew there was more to the story, more that would only heighten her conflicting feelings for him.

“Well, sort of…” Lydia answered, chewing on her lower lip, as though trying to decide just how much she should say. “My townhome kind of came with the job,” she admitted, her eyes darting over to Beth’s awaiting her reaction.

Of course, it did.

“It’s really beautiful – big enough for me and the baby,” she continued when Beth didn’t respond, finally sighing and explaining the whole story about how Darcy had provided her not just with a job, but also with a house.

“A few months ago, when I went to see Mr. Darcy about a job, he asked me why I wanted one, that George certainly made enough money for the both of us, and that he’d never seen me as the type who really wanted to work.

” She broke on a laugh. “He was very blunt, but he wasn’t wrong.

Those first few months in Chicago with George had changed me, and he couldn’t have known that, so I don’t fault him for his assumptions.

I figured I would need to tell him at some point anyway before he found out on his own, so I told him that I was planning on leaving George, for the baby’s sake. ”

Beth continued to listen intently.

“Mr. Darcy, I think, jumped to the same conclusions you did – I can still remember the look on his face, I thought he was about to go rip George’s head off right then.

So, I told him what I just told you and then I asked him to please not punish George for my choice.

I explained that my only purpose in coming to him was that I needed a job so that I could support myself and the baby, so I could get us our own place, and being new to Chicago, I wondered if he had any suggestions.

” She paused to take a sip of water, her hand gently rubbing her stomach again.

“And then he offered me a job at the publishing house, which was more than I could have asked for. But before I could even thank him, he continued to tell me that he had a townhome that he usually uses for associates stay when they visit on business, but that he would have his assistant give me the keys and alarm codes and that it was mine to use.”

Beth sat there stunned, again, by Darcy’s attempt to go over and above to help her family; she felt her face slowly draining of color, wishing he was doing things that would make it easier for her to want to keep her distance from him.

“I’m paying rent,” Lydia assured her. “Although I doubt it’s what he should be charging for the size and location of the home.

I also don’t know how much it was really used for business since it looked brand new the day that I walked in.

If he hadn’t mentioned it so readily, I would think that he went out special and bought it for me to use, but I just don’t know why he would do so much for me after everything he’s already done. ”

“I see…” Beth murmured, still trying to process this new information.

“Mom doesn’t know about any of this,” Lydia hastily exclaimed.

“And I don’t want her to for right now. She doesn’t know about George or the job; I’m just trying to find my footing on my own and I can’t do that with her hovering over and trying to pressure me.

I’m not as strong as you, Beth.” Lydia smiled at her as though she were some sort of role model.

What could be further from the truth.

George broke Lydia’s heart and she had left him. Darcy had broken Beth’s heart and here she was trying to convince herself that she wasn’t dying on the inside to be with him again.

Lydia had no idea just how weak she was.

“I don’t know what happened between the two of you, so I’m sorry if what I’ve said has upset you, but I honestly don’t know what would have happened if Mr. Darcy hadn’t done this…

any of it… for me,” Lydia choked out, the thought of the alternative – unable to find a job, being stuck with George, and suffocated in sadness – was too much for her.

“Of course. No, I’m so glad that he helped you—” Beth began, stopping short as they heart footsteps approaching. Both girls looking over their shoulder to see who was intruding on their safe space just as Kat stumbled down the hill.

“There you guys are!” she exclaimed with a huff. “I’ve been looking everywhere. Mom wants us to come to Jane’s room now because the hair and makeup people are here early.”

Beth couldn’t help the groan that escaped her.

“I need to pee anyway,” Lydia murmured, slowly standing and following Kat back towards the hotel.

“I’ll be right behind you guys,” Beth said as they retreated away from her. There were plenty of people who could get ready before she needed to be there – it was only ten-fifteen.

Her mother was crazy, she thought as she buried her head in her hands for a moment, trying to hold in the thoughts that were trying to run rampant.

First, Darcy had given Jane and Charles the venue at no charge, plus his private island for their honeymoon; now, come to find, he’d given Lydia not only a job, but a house to live in that, if she had any luck, he was probably only charging her sister like ten dollars a month in rent. She groaned again in frustration.

Who was this man going out of his way to help her family, of all people?

Last time she checked, he hated her so much for what she did that he’d run right back into the arms of his certifiably insane ex-girlfriend. Ok, maybe not the last time – because as of last night he still liked her enough to kiss her, to want to talk to her.

He didn’t know that she’d seen Caroline at his place, maybe he was trying to make up for the fact that he’d yelled at her about when she had worked for Mrs. DeBourgh, maybe Anne had told him the truth about that relationship; it was the only thing she could think of.

Last time, he’d helped Lydia out of love, this time, it must be out of guilt.

Standing with a sigh of frustration, Beth made her way back into the castle, quietly maneuvering away from any guests, up to the old part of the building where her room was.

Her heart began to beat faster as she neared the end of the empty hallway where her and Darcy’s rooms were, praying that there wouldn’t be a repeat of last night.

Clear.

She began to breathe again, hurrying to her door and putting the key into the lock, about to turn it when she heard a voice – Darcy’s voice – coming from inside of his room. Beth stepped away from her door, drawn to his, needing to hear what he was so emotionally saying.

“ I know, I know what I have to do, it’s just so fucking hard.” Beth heard him say forcefully, followed by a pause; he must be on the phone.

“ I wish you could be here and see what I’m dealing with. ”

Her gut clenched – who did he miss?

“I understand, but you are the one who knows how to make things better, when I only seem to make them worse.” Silence.

“ I will probably need to call you later.” Pause. “ I know. Fine.” Pause. “ I need to see you as soon as I get back.” The words were firm and heavy with meaning.

Beth backed away from the door; she’d heard enough.

Her hands frantically turned the key in her door as the sound of the door behind her opened.

She exhaled a gasp of relief when she stepped inside her room, shutting the door firmly behind her just as the faint sounds of her name escaped Darcy’s lips.

Leaning back against the door, her chest rose and fell in rapid fire trying to redirect oxygen to her brain.

She heard nothing from the other side of the door, yet somehow knew that he was still standing out there; she didn’t have to look through the hole to know that; a minute or two later, she heard his heavy footsteps stalking down the hall, probably to head to the Bingley’s room where Charles and his groomsmen were getting ready.

Who had he been talking to? Who did he want here? Who could make things better for him? Who was he so desperate to see?

Her heart burned. At least when she knew that he was with Caroline, it had been easy to hate her; it had been easy to deal with the hurt because the source of it had a face.

Whoever that was, was a mystery to her, and it certainly was Caro because Caro was going to be here today for the wedding – assuming she deigned to show up.

Why would he kiss her if he so desperately wished someone else was there with him instead?