Her father glanced down at his watch. “Who the hell is coming by at ten thirty?”
Lizzy shrugged and the two of them stood, peeking their heads over the deck to see a black Mercedes sedan parked nearby. There was a thin silhouette of a woman standing at the front door, her blond hair pulled back in a tight ponytail and a bouclé jacket hanging off her shoulders.
Crap.Birdie Carrington.
The doorbell echoed out from the house, and Lizzy could hear chaos erupt inside.
“Get the door!”
“It’s probably just Jane!” Lydia yelled back.
“Or one of your jilted lovers finally tracked you down!” Kitty cackled.
“Shut up!”
Then the bellows became a disjointed racket as Mrs. Bennet opened the door, her bathrobe barely covering her worn cotton nightgown.
“I should go,” Lizzy said, already scrambling toward the ladder.
She made it to the porch to find her mother already rambling, and Birdie’s red lips pursed.
“Oh, here she is!” her mother said, looking almost relieved. “Lizzy, this is Birdie Carrington. She just wanted to have a word with you.”
Mrs. Bennet stared at her daughter, her smile skewed by utter confusion.
“Elizabeth,” Birdie said, adjusting her fitted blazer. “Apologies for the late hour, but if you have a moment, perhaps we can talk. In private.”
Lydia, Kitty, and Mary were all in their pajamas and crowded around their mother, waiting for Lizzy to answer.
“Okay.” Lizzy looked around the yard, trying to decide how much privacy Birdie was looking for. She couldn’t see Will’s aunt climbing the ladder to the boat, and the garage—
“Why don’t we go for a ride,” Birdie said, as if reading her mind.
Lizzy nodded, following the woman past her father, who was now standing in the middle of the yard looking as confused as Lizzy felt.
With a loud chirp from her key fob, Birdie unlocked the doors to her sleek Mercedes and slid into the driver’s seat.
“Have fun!” Lydia called out as Lizzy climbed into the passenger’s side.
Lizzy shot her a look, then shut the car door, sealing them inside. The street was dark as they pulled out, the car’s headlights illuminating small gnats that flew frantically in front of the bright beams.
After a moment, Birdie spoke. “Your family seems… nice.”
Lizzy nodded. “Thanks.”
“You know, just because I didn’t grow up out here like you doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate how special it is. I love the history of this area.”
Lizzy didn’t know how to respond, so she kept her eyes locked straight ahead as Birdie pulled out onto Main Street, heading toward town.
“But change is inevitable,” Birdie continued. “We should embrace that fact, see it as an opportunity.”
“I’m sorry, Birdie, but I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”
Birdie’s lips pursed. “Yes you do.”
Lizzy waited, her eyebrows knitted together.
A sigh, like Birdie was growing impatient. “I was promised the Darcys’ Montauk house by Will’s father, John. He was my brother-in-law and he always said that when he was ready to sell it, I would be the broker.”
