“Perhaps we should stop here,” Jane said.
There would be no happy ending. Not for me and Lizzy, because I’d blown it.
“Dad’s asleep, anyway,” Kitty pointed out from the crowd. “We should move him into his room.”
“But we haven’t even gotten to the big reveal where Darcy pays for Wickham and my wedding,” Lydia said.
Everyone froze.
My fists clenched. Was that what this was leading to? A big reveal of how I’d interfered in Lydia and Wickham’s affairs? I’d specifically asked that that information never get back to Lizzy.
Wickham, who sat in the crowd, cleared his throat. “Love, perhaps a play wasn’t the best way to—”
“What did Darcy do?” Lizzy crossed her arms and looked around the room, as if daring someone not to answer her.
I’d tried so hard to keep that hidden and dreaded the thought of seeing the outrage on Lizzy’s face. She hadn’t wanted Wickham and Lydia to marry, and I didn’t know if my actions would be justifiable in her eyes. “I should go. Forgive me everyone. Have a good night.”
As I headed toward the door, I heard Lizzy’s no-nonsense voice as she addressed Lydia. “Tell meeverything, now.”
I made it outside and to my car when I heard the door to Cupid’s Confections ding open and Lizzy called, “Darcy, stop!”
I took a deep breath and released the driver’s handle, turning to face her. The air was frosty, and she was still shoving her arms into her coat as she approached. The breeze toyed with her soft brown hair.
“You paid off Wickham’s debts before you even knew it was a misunderstanding. You had them get married so they’d be safe from suspicions—why?”
“It was the only way I could think of to help. You were worried about losing your job and not being able to help with your dad’s medical bills. Forgive me if it wasn’t the most effective way to—”
“The article was going to print. About my family. About Lydia and Wickham.” She twisted her hands together the way she did when she got agitated. “They were going to print the article and fire me from the paper. Riley saw the ‘let go’ notice. But when they got married, they scrapped the article, and well, I still have my job.”
“It was that close?” I’d known that her job was on the line, but I hadn’t known she was that close to being fired.
“It was. The cost of Dad’s care has gone up since then. We almost had to move home to pay the bills, but Charles stepped in to help Jane and I pay rent. But before they got back together, if my job hadn’t kept things afloat, I really don’t know where my family and I would be.”
I pulled off the snow cap I didn’t realize I was still wearing. “I didn’t want to meddle—”
“Meddle? Darcy, without your meddling, we’d all be lost.” Her eyes filled with a soft warmth. She reached for my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you for caring enough to meddle. I—I haven’t a clue how to repay you.”
She was so beautiful with snow falling around us, little flakes landing in her hair and her face flushed from the cold. I stepped closer, wanting to warm her, wanting to simply be with her.
“It’s not necessary for you to repay me, Lizzy, I—”
“Darcy!” a female voice shouted, and a ball of blond hair came bounding toward us.
Lizzy jerked back in surprise, dropping my hand.
“We’ve arrived a day early!” Rosalie said, walking up and throwing her arms around my neck. “Isn’t that exciting? And I saw your car and thought I’d surprise you here and now.” She brushed a kiss across my cheek.
I grabbed her and untangled her arms, moving her back. “Rosalie—”
She swiveled, taking in Lizzy in a quick once-over. “Oh, hi! What’s your name? I’m Rosalie, Darcy’s girlfriend.”
My heart dropped into my stomach at the shock in Lizzy’s expression.
“His girlfriend?” she asked, her voice soft.
“Yup, aren’t we adorable together?”
Lizzy blinked a few times, her hands balling into fists. “I’d better get back to my family. Thanks for your help, Darcy. Goodnight.” She hurried away.
