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The only thing Elizabeth could hear was the music pouring through her earbuds. But during the seconds between songs, when the music was silenced, she heard the familiar sound of her feet pounding the pavement and the steady rhythm of her breath flowing in and out of her lungs.
She’d been running for nearly an hour, keeping up a ridiculous pace. When she’d left the house it was still fairly dark, but now the sky held a faint grayish-purple hue, hinting that dawn was about to break.
Sweat poured down her face and her tank top was glued to her, but it was a welcome feeling, one she’d missed. It had been entirely too long since she’d indulged in a long, exhausting run; she needed it today, needed to feel the mind-clearing endorphins as they worked their way into her foggy brain, providing clarity. She slowed to a stop, turned off her music, and bent over, resting her hands on her thighs and taking in giant gulps of air. Straightening again, she took in her surroundings and began to walk, cooling her body.
She’d just listened to a song that spoke of regrets collecting like old friends, and she shook her head.Regret seems to be the word of the moment. Her aunt had spoken eloquently of regret just last week, and Elizabeth had defined it as something you shouldn't have done, but did.
I definitely shouldn't have done what I did Saturday night.
She’d spent nearly every waking moment since then dwelling on everything that happened and had come to at least one conclusion: she wasn't being honest with herself. Everything that ran through her head before she’d thrown herself at Will—pretending Wickham didn't exist, pretending that the past two weeks hadn't happened, and being impulsive for a change—it was all a load of crap. Yes, she’d had a few drinks, but seeing him on stage had sobered her almost immediately. And that song! As aggravated as she was, she’dlistenedto it, had hung onevery damn word. It was a beautiful song, and heknewit would get to her, even though she refused to admit it to him.He knew.
And now, she found herself in the midst of a self-imposed quandary. All the heartbreak and pain she was feeling, all the distrust and doubt, was due to him and his actions. Yet she chose to seek comfort and solace from all those feelingswithhim. What happened was something she’dwantedto happen, because she missed him and wanted to feel close to him again, feel the security of being in his arms, even if it was just for one night...or a few hours. After all, it wasn't like she went out with her friends seeking male companionship for the evening—far from it. It washim, standing in front of her in the rain, his eyes pleading with her… She’d sought comfort for herself, but if she was being honest, she wanted to bring him comfort as well.
At least she had the rest of the week here in this beautiful place to try and put things in perspective and decide what she was going to do. And then she would talk to him. She would.
And just like that, one brick at the top of the wall slowly teetered and toppled.
* * *
"Well,if it isn't my long-lost cousin."
Richard's voice carried over the phone and into Will's tired brain as he sat in his office in Boston on Monday morning. "Hey, Rich. How's it going?"
"It's going fine. How are things with you?"
"They’re okay."
"Well, I'm about to make your day. I'm coming to Boston."
"Oh."
Richard laughed. "Your excitement is flattering, Darcy, but try to contain yourself."
That made Will chuckle. "Sorry. It’ll be great to see you."
"Yeah, sure. Stephanie Hanscom and I are coming for a visit. Do you remember our conversation about that?"
Will closed his eyes and sighed. "Of course."
"We're flying into Boston on Wednesday and leaving Friday. Short trip."
"Is Lauren coming with you?"
"No. She'd like to, but in all honesty, her morning sickness—or rather, her all-day sickness—has been so horrible, she's afraid of being on a plane for six hours. That's why I'm making it a short trip."
"You don't have to come, you know. Stephanie can come by herself, and I can spend Thursday with her. I'd like to hear some of her ideas. It’ll give me a better feel for how she does things."
"Maybe that’s a good idea. You haven't had a lot of time to get to know her.”
"I've hadnotime to get to know her. Just let me know what you decide."
"I'd hate to leave Lauren alone at this point,” Richard said. “She's miserable, and all I would do is worry about her." He cleared his throat. "Um, how's everything else?"
"The same. I'm trying to figure out how to fix things."
"Not by smashing glasses against walls, I gather."
