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Uncle Thomas regarded the president for a long moment. “Do you have any beer that I could sample?”
Will frowned, but Fitz laughed and slapped his thigh. “Good man! My brother wouldn’t want to do business with someone who would sell just any beer.”
“We have plenty.” Will gestured to Fitz. “Can you find whatever we have on ice?”
Soon everyone was sampling five kinds of One Eye Jack microbrew and debating the merits of the different varieties. Fitz and Uncle Thomas were deep in a discussion of hops and yeast while Will talked to Aunt Madeline about branding and marketing strategies. Elizabeth had another dizzying moment when it felt like a bizarre dream.
Bing leaned toward Elizabeth, the only other person not involved in a conversation. “Er…how is Jane?” He finished off the beer in his glass.
Sudden dryness in her mouth caused Elizabeth to gulp her beer. She didn’t want to have this conversation with Bing. Or, indeed, any conversation with Bing. Will had made some wrongheaded and hurtful assumptions about Jane, and his opinion had no doubt influenced his friend’s, but Bing was a grown man and responsible for his own decisions. “Fine…she’s doing well,” Elizabeth muttered. Inwardly she cursed herself. Could she have sounded less convincing?
“Good…that’s good…” Bing squeezed his glass so tightly Elizabeth feared it might shatter. “I-Is she…er…seeing anyone?”
“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” Elizabeth said through gritted teeth.
Setting his glass on the coffee table, Bing leveled his gaze at her. “You’re right. It isn’t my business, but I still want to know.” His voice shook. “Is she seeing anyone?”
Perhaps now was the time to describe Jane’s torrid affair with a race car driver or international spy, but Elizabeth’s eyes were drawn to the trembling of Bing’s hands. She sighed. “Jane’s had a few dates. But I don’t know that there’s anyone special.”
Bing blew out a breath and sagged back into his chair. Maybe I shouldn’t have told him that. Would Jane be angry? Bing rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you think she’d…answer if…I called her?”
Elizabeth answered without thinking. “She deleted your number from her phone, so she probably wouldn’t know it was you.”
“Shit.” Bing winced. “You don’t pull any punches.”
“Why should I?” Elizabeth asked. “You hurt her, dumping her like that without any warning. At a party! I don’t know why she would give you a second chance. I don’t know that she should.”
Bing shot a glance at Will. “You’re giving Darcy another chance.”
What the hell? “I am?” she spluttered. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but we had an argument. I wanted to apologize. So did he. That’s the reason I’m here.” Had Will implied something else to his friend?
Bing raised one perfect blond eyebrow. “You apologized in the limo. So why did you stick around? I doubt it’s so you could score some free microbrew.”
Elizabeth’s gaze dropped down to her mostly empty glass. Why was she still at Pemberley? She’d lived her whole life without William Darcy, but then a month witho
ut him had felt interminable. It could be months until she saw him again—if ever—and some impulse she preferred not to examine too closely demanded that she soak up every moment in his presence. The feelings were deeply unsettling, which should have prompted an intense desire to leave Pemberley. Yet she felt the opposite.
How could one man be so confusing?
When Will concluded his conversation and stood, he naturally drew the eyes of everyone on the patio. “I have to say the ocean looks awfully appealing,” he said to Elizabeth with a relaxed grin. “Would you like to join me for a swim?”
Elizabeth exchanged glances with her aunt. “We don’t have swimsuits.”
Will waved a negligent hand. “I can send an agent to the Gardiners’ rental house to fetch them. You’ll need some things for tonight in any case.”
“You’re spending the night?” Uncle Thomas asked Elizabeth.
She folded her arms over her chest and glared at Will. “It’s customary to invite someone before planning on their acceptance.”
“You’re not staying the night?” Will appeared so crestfallen she almost felt guilty.
Fitz laughed. “What my socially inept cousin is trying to say is that we would love the honor of your company at dinner tonight and would be thrilled if you could stay overnight.”
“What he said.” Will pointed to his cousin. “I would like to introduce you to Georgie tomorrow.” His eyes pleaded with Elizabeth. Why in the world was it so important to him? “Of course, I’d love to have your aunt and uncle stay as well,” he added hastily.
“We have plans,” Elizabeth said quickly. Her aunt regarded her skeptically. “But we might be able to change them,” she added.
Aunt Madeline gave the group a somewhat frozen smile. “Please excuse us for a minute.”
