All eyes followed Will as he walked to the coffeemaker, took two mugs off the shelf, and poured a cup for Lizzy and the other for himself. Then he leaned a hip against the counter as he took a sip. “Good morning.”
“What… is…happening,” Mrs. Bennet croaked.
Lizzy opened her mouth to reply, her cheeks so flushed it was almost comical, but no words came out. She looked up at Will for a lifeline.
He gave her one. “I’m in love with your daughter.”
For a half second it looked like Mrs. Bennet was about to pass out. The girls at the table let out a collective gasp. And Lizzy… she was still looking up at him, but the apprehension was gone. Her dark eyes were clear and large, locked on him.
“What?” Mrs. Bennet whispered.
“He’s in love with Lizzy,” Mr. Bennet announced, entering the room. He walked to the pancakes and flipped them over. “Who wants pancakes?”
And just like that, the chaos started all over again—Mrs. Bennet berating her husband, the girls firing questions at Lizzy, who tried to wave them off while Will threw his arm over her shoulder, bringing her close as he took a sip of his coffee.
Then his phone pinged with a message, followed quickly by another. He set his mug down on the counter and pulled his phone from his back pocket to look at the illuminated screen.
GEORGE KNIGHTLEY
Hey, did you see this?
The second message was a link to an article from theNew York Times. Will clicked on it and froze.
A picture of Tristan Cole filled his screen. But it wasn’t the same cocky man he had seen in the city just a few days ago. This Tristan was in gray sweatpants and an ill-fitting T-shirt, like he had just been pulled out of bed by the two men in suits at his side. His hands were behind his back, and even with the black eye, Will could tell that he was crying.
LONG ISLAND PROMOTER ARRESTED ON 3 COUNTS OF WIRE FRAUD
What the fuck?
Lizzy must have felt him start, because she looked up from where she was wedged at his side, concern on her face. “You okay?”
He turned his phone so she could see the screen.
Her eyes slowly widened as she read. “Oh my God.”
“What?” Mrs. Bennet asked, looking at her daughter with a mixture of excitement and despair. “Are you pregnant?”
Lizzy ignored her. “Tristan Cole was arrested this morning.”
Mrs. Bennet’s mouth fell open in shock, while Mary let out a laugh.
“Finally,” Lydia murmured. Then she leaned forward and gave Kitty a fist bump.
“Wait,” Lizzy said, pointing between them. “What did you two do?”
“What do you mean?” Kitty asked. It almost sounded convincing, except she didn’t look confused. In fact, she and Lydia seemed to share a moment, looking at each other with smug satisfaction.
Will picked up on it, too. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Kitty and Lydia replied in unison.
Mrs. Bennet let out an impatient sigh. “I swear to God, if another one of you ends up in jail…”
“No one is going to jail,” Lydia said, about to put a forkful of pancakes in her mouth. Then she paused. “Well, except for Tristan.”
“I just helped Lydia with a… project,” Kitty said carefully.
“What project?” Will asked.
