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Elizabeth nodded, as if this was something she needed to know. “Um, great. That's good.”
Anne shook her head. “Look, I know you've probably been told I have the hots for Will and that my mother is trying to push us together, but that's not the case. Actually, the part about me having the hots for Will is not the case. My mother, unfortunately, is still pretty insistent on pushing us together.”
“Thanks for the warning. I’d heard, sort of, about you. And your mother.”
“You heard about me? Oh, that's great. Fantastic.”
Elizabeth cringed, and Anne placed a hand lightly on her arm.
“Oh God, I'm really making you uncomfortable, aren't I? That wasn’t my intention. Okay, once upon a time, the idea of getting together with Will was not an altogether unattractive one. But he made it blatantly obvious he had no interest, so I let it go. That was a long time ago. We’ve always been more like family anyway, even though we’re not related by blood. It would have been weird.”
Elizabeth smiled, feeling less tongue-tied now. “So why is your mother pushing for it?”
“She wants to unite the Darcy and DeBourgh fortunes. It's as simple as that. My father was wealthy in his own right; he owned a shipping line, and made millions. My mother sees dollar signs when she looks at Will. If I were to marry him, it would be more like a merger.”
“But why would your mother want you to marry for money? It sounds like you have plenty.”
“I do. It's just the idea of it—money marrying money, creatingmoremoney. It's a power thing. She's greedy that way.” Anne laughed, despite the flatness of her tone. “Who needs love when you have cold, hard cash? Anyway, my mother is bound to corner you tonight, and she can be pretty direct. She won't have any qualms about telling you you're not good enough for Will. Just give it right back to her or let it roll off, if you can. I'll try to keep an eye on her, but she's bound to break from her leash at least once.”
They both laughed at that, and Anne spoke again. “What did you mean, you’d heard about me?”
Elizabeth's eyebrows rose. “Oh, um...Georgiana said she thought you were interested in Will at one time. And Charles's sister...she mentioned something too.”
“Caroline?”
Elizabeth nodded.
“Ugh, don't get me started onthatone. Do yourself a favor and stay away from her. If anyone is trying to snag Will, it's Caroline Bingley.”
“I know. I've already learned that lesson.”
“I hope she doesn't show up tonight.”
“For her sake, I hope she doesn't either.”
* * *
By the timedinner was over, everyone at the table was conversing comfortably. Even Georgiana was relaxed, with Matt doting on her sweetly. It was announced that the dancing would start soon, and Elizabeth glanced at Will, who was watching her with a smile. He reached under her hair to let his hand rest at the nape of her neck, softly stroking her with his thumb.
Elizabeth had felt Catherine's eyes on her throughout dinner, and when she rose from the table to head to the ladies’ room, Catherine stood as well.
“I'll join you, Miss Bennet, if you don't mind.”
“Certainly,” Elizabeth replied.
Will began to rise from his seat, obviously concerned, but Elizabeth subtly squeezed his shoulder, letting him know she would be fine. The two women walked to the restroom in silence, and when they entered, Catherine put a hand on Elizabeth's arm.
“Miss Bennet, we need to have a word about my nephew, if you please. Discreetly.” She led Elizabeth to a small sitting area in a quiet corner of the restroom.
“Your nephew? Are you referring to Will?”
Catherine sighed. “OfcourseI'm referring to Fitzwilliam. You and I don't know each other well, but I feel I should be frank. Just how long do you think this dalliance will last?”
Elizabeth’s eyebrows rose. “Dalliance?”
“Yes, yes, this dalliance. Thisaffair. Fitzwilliam needs to think about his future and that of the Darcy name. He needs to look ahead to the generations of Darcys to come. Do you truly believe you are suitable for the role as his lifelong partner? You have no connections, no strength of name, nothing to recommend you.”
Connections? Strength of name? What century is this lady from?
