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President Darcy stepped back and glanced away self-consciously. “It doesn’t happen very often. You must have caught me on a good day.”
This abrupt shift in mood took Elizabeth off guard. Was he always so mercurial? It doesn’t matter. In the ensuing silence, she allowed her smile to melt away. She had no business enjoying this man’s company. He might be occasionally charming. He might be a good president, but he was a horrible man. And his best friend had broken her sister’s heart. Perhaps she did find him a little attractive, but Rodney the jerk who captained her high school football team had been attractive, too, and Elizabeth had no trouble resisting him.
Jane and George would be appalled at Elizabeth’s behavior. The thought was like a bucket of cold water. Whatever else Elizabeth was, she wasn’t a hypocrite.
“Thank you for investigating the grant.” She infused her voice with a note of finality. “I don’t want to take up any more of your valuable time. I’m sure you have a hundred things requiring your attention.”
His head jerked back. “Um…yes…”
She held up her empty wine glass. “And I’ll get some more of this sauvignon blanc.”
A smooth, professional mask settled over his features. Of course: the real Darcy. Funny and charismatic when he wants, but he’s still a politician. An extremely successful politician. His smile was stiff and practiced.
“I hope we have a chance to talk again before the end of the summit,” he said.
I hope we don’t. Just before she turned toward the bar, Fitz slipped up to the president, having finally escaped his aunt’s clutches. “Elizabeth, could you hold up a minute, please?”
“Okay.” She watched, baffled, as Fitz pulled the president away and murmured something in his ear. No doubt the subject was of national importance, but why should Elizabeth linger?
When President Darcy turned back to her, his eyes were stormy and his face determined. Another lock of dark hair had fallen over his forehead, but Elizabeth pointedly ignored it. I refuse to be attracted to this man. “I hear you need a lift?” he asked.
Elizabeth regarded him blankly for a moment before recalling her conversation with Fitz. “T-There’s n-no need to bother you. I have a flight on Thursday,” she stammered. Maybe Fitz thought he was doing Elizabeth a favor by bringing her dilemma to the president’s attention, but she would have preferred to avoid his scrutiny.
“You shouldn’t miss your mother’s birthday,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. When did his eyes start to twinkle?
She brushed damp hair from her forehead. Why was the room so hot and stuffy? “It’s okay. I mean, this isn’t a president-level crisis. It’s not even a cabinet-level crisis.” The president chuckled. “This is the kind of thing you would fob off on a minor aide—an intern even…if it were your problem, which it isn’t.”
“I see what you mean,” the president muttered over his shoulder at Fitz. To Elizabeth he said, “Fitz told me you’re a hard person to help.”
Elizabeth’s eyes shot daggers at Fitz. “I don’t need help.”
President Darcy stuck his hands in his jacket pockets. “Well, the thing is, I have this airplane called Air Force One—you might have heard of it—and it’s got lots of room. I don’t have many guests on this trip.”
Air Force One. Suddenly Elizabeth couldn’t breathe. He wanted to give her a ride on Air Force One… She could practically hear Lydia’s squeals of excitement. But I’m not Lydia. “I don’t need special help, sir.” Accepting the favor would definitely not help her avoid the man.
He rolled his eyes. “This is silly. You need a ride, and I have eleven empty seats on the most luxurious aircraft the U.S. government possesses. Why are we even debating it?”
Put that way, her resistance did seem rather…unnecessary. And potentially offensive to the man whose government may be giving her employer a grant. “Won’t the Secret Service object to a random civilian riding along?” she asked.
He waved away that objection. “They’ll do a quick background check on you. It’ll be fine.” His eyes were imploring her earnestly as if her acceptance were absolutely essential to him, although she couldn’t fathom why. By now, other people at the party were edging closer with the hopes of eavesdropping. The last thing Elizabeth wanted was for this to become a topic of gossip or the subject of speculation on some website. She just wanted the business concluded.
And refusing a plea from your own country’s chief executive seemed…unpatriotic or something. She sighed. “Of course, I’d be thrilled to accept a seat on Air Force One. Thank you, Mr. President.”
Chapter Ten
Elizabeth texted her parents and sisters the news right before she departed for the airport on Wednesday. Phoning with the news would have provoked a level of squealing that she wasn’t prepared to handle.
Lydia sent dozens of emojis—each more excited than the last—and demands for pictures. Her mother reminded her to keep her eyes open for rich men. Jane only asked if Bing was on the plane, and Elizabeth was happy to text back a negative answer, although she did arrange for Jane to pick her up when they landed.
The sun was setting when Fitz called her hotel room with an invitation to join him for a limo ride to the airport. Elizabeth expected they’d be sharing the limo with other White House staffers, but somehow they ended up alone in the back of the cavernous vehicle.
Fitz was good company, with easy manners and no shortage of lively discussions about the summit and their stay in Paris. Elizabeth’s ears pricked up when he mentioned her conversation with Mrs. de Bourgh.
“Do you think the president was upset that I was so sarcastic toward her?” Elizabeth finally asked the question that had been bothering her for days. “I said the first things that came into my head. I wouldn’t want him to think I enjoy being offensive to his relatives.”
“Trust me, Darcy thought it was hilarious,” Fitz drawled.
“He was barely smiling.”
