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He remained silent and continued to stare, and she wondered if he was trying to decide if he could, in fact, trust her. She very calmly held his gaze, refusing to be the one to break eye contact.
After a moment, he agreed to her suggestion and they parted ways, though she could feel his eyes on her as she picked up her shoes and went up the stairs and into the inn.
What an arrogant, presumptuous jerk!
* * *
Will walkeddown the beach feeling frustrated and drained, and glanced at the crumpled piece of paper in his hand.
Elizabeth Bennet.
The name seemed vaguely familiar, but he was too angry to try and figure out why.
All he’d wanted was some time with his sister. Georgiana had been holed up in the house for most of the past four months, only venturing outside to sit on the deck or take an occasional walk around the property. She'd finally agreed to a walk on the beach, and he’d talked her into climbing along the jetty and sitting for a while. They’d talked for a bit, but not for long and not about anything important; both were comfortable with silence.
She’d rested her head on his shoulder, like she used to do when she was a little girl. To Will she wasstilla little girl, and he wondered if he would always feel an overwhelming need to protect her and take on all of her troubles as his own.
The hair had lifted on the back of his neck, and that’s when he’d seen a woman, pointing a camera in their direction. His stomach had dropped and Georgiana had visibly paled, and after assuring her he would take care of it, he’d sent her home, telling her he would be along shortly.
Now, he was kicking himself for going so easy on Elizabeth Bennet. Why hadn't he pushed her a little more to give up the roll of film? She could have been lying about the wedding. But his gut told him she was telling the truth, and now that she was gone, he was hoping his gut was right.
* * *
Elizabeth pulledup in front of the address Jane had given her. The house was immense and overlooked the beach where she’d just stood, but was down a ways from the inn. She rang the doorbell, and when the door opened, she was immediately pulled into her older sister's arms.
"You made it! I thought for sure you'd be calling me at any moment. These neighborhoods are incredibly confusing. How are you?"
Jane was stunning, her long blonde hair perfectly straight and shimmery and the exact opposite of Elizabeth's mane of dark waves. "I almost called you after I passed the same street sign three times, but I finally found my way."
"I'm glad you're here. Come in, let's find Charles. I can't wait for you to meet him."
A deep voice echoed down the hallway. "And I can't wait to meet Elizabeth."
Elizabeth forced a smile, still a little rattled from her encounter on the beach. A tall, handsome blond man strode into the foyer and held out his hand. His eyes were impossibly blue and crinkled at the corners when he smiled.
“Hi, I'm Charles. Jane has told me so much about you. I'm happy to finally meet you."
"Likewise," Elizabeth answered, shaking his hand. "You have a beautiful home. Thanks for inviting me for dinner."
"Our pleasure. I hope you’re not too hungry. I have a friend joining us, but he's running a little late. Let's get you something to drink and go out to the deck."
"Sounds great." Elizabeth turned to Jane. "Would you mind if I changed? I'd like to get into something more comfortable."
Jane showed her to the bathroom, where Elizabeth changed from her skirt and blouse into jeans and a long-sleeved cotton shirt and then let her hair down from its ponytail. She strolled barefoot down the hall and went into the kitchen, where Charles was pouring them each a glass of wine. He led them through the living room and out the sliding doors to a deck with a spectacular view of the ocean.
"If you ladies will excuse me, I have some meal prep to do,” he said. Jane offered her assistance, which he refused. "Will can help me when he gets here. You sit and catch up with Elizabeth."
He gave Jane a kiss on the top of her head and disappeared inside, and Elizabeth noted her sister’s glow. "I'm so glad you're here for the week. Hopefully we can get together a couple of times so I can get to know him a little better. How is everything? You look very content."
Jane sighed. "I am. He's wonderful."
"I'm happy for you."
“Thanks. How was the wedding?"
“Oh, it was beautiful. The brides were gorgeous. But I have to tell you what happened after. It was the craziest thing…"
When she finished the story of Mr. Arrogant, Jane looked at her curiously.
