“How did it go?” Jane’s voice boomed, far too loud and far too cheerful.
“How about you let me settle in before calling me?” Elizabeth muttered.
“Come on, Lizzy.”
“I think agreeing to your terms for these two dates was a mistake.”
“You did agree. Which means you owe me details. How did a date with the Fitzwilliam Darcy go?”
Elizabeth winced, then took a sip of wine. “It was... decent.”
“Decent?” Jane echoed, clearly unimpressed.
“He tried to be nice. I think. But I could tell he was forcing it.”
“How so?”
“There was just something about his demeanour.”
“Since when did you become Superman? Can you hear thoughts now? See through concrete?”
Elizabeth let out a dry laugh. “I took him to this frozen yoghurt place. Neon signs, plastic chairs, toppings bar that looks like it belongs in a middle school cafeteria. Not exactly five-star.”
“Okay...”
“And I swear, I could see the judgment radiating off him. Like the whole thing was beneath him. The chairs, the yoghurt, the people. He tried to hide it, but his face isn’t that flexible.”
“Lizzy,” Jane said gently, “is it possible you wanted to see judgment, so you did?”
“That sounds like something Mary would say.”
“Well. Mary rubs off on me sometimes.”
Elizabeth sighed and let her head fall back against the couch. “And to make it worse, the automatic door jammed. Wegot locked in. Had to wait an extra hour for someone to come fix it.”
“Oh my God.”
“Yep. Trapped. With Fitzwilliam Darcy. In a yogurt shop.”
“Was it awful?”
Elizabeth paused. “No. That’s the worst part. It wasn’t. We talked. Actual conversation. He wasn’t... completely intolerable.”
“High praise,” Jane said dryly.
“Don’t get excited. I’m not beginning to like him or anything. I’m just saying, for someone I actively disliked, he managed to carry a decent conversation.”
“Like Mr. F did, when you were chatting?”
“Not exactly. But close enough. At least he didn’t lie about the things he said in the chat.”
“Hmm. Did he ask you why you joined the app?”
“He did.”
“What did you tell him?” Jane’s voice had a new edge. Wary now.
“I said I was curious.”
