Darcy's POV

I watched Elizabeth out of the window of my room. She swam quite well. Perhaps my investigator/bodyguard Fitz could research if she had ever competed in swimming. That would be an interesting item to have on a list of accomplishments if she eventually holds the Darcy name and becomes a patron of organizations. 

Get ahold of yourself. You aren't marrying her, yet.

Earlier when I was trying to avoid Caroline, I had tucked myself away in one of the chairs in the farthest corner of the library. It might seem cowardly trying to avoid her, but that woman would try the patience of a saint. However, what I hadn't counted on was Elizabeth Bennet, the woman who had plagued my thoughts and dreams for years to waltz in through the door. 

Then she prayed. Elizabeth's prayer was a personal prayer, not some rehearsed one. She truly had God as her confidante, and thank Jesus we were in the same boat about Caroline Bingley.

Quit thinking about it.

Forcing myself to look back over the $60 million deal once more, I read over the main body and the fine print. The team of lawyers at DARCY thought it looked good, but a few times I had caught things that they hadn't. Some of the new lawyers thought they were hotshots for graduating and passing the bar. They were stuck-up idiots. They forgot that I had gone to Harvard and graduated in the top 2% then passed the bar with flying colors, both in the US and England.

This specific deal looked good though, I signed my name on the bottom, scanned it, and sent it to HQ. 

With that item of business completed, I clicked on a tab that had been open since the night of the charity gala in Meryton. 

Teenage pregnancy statistics. 

I felt like I had the numbers imprinted on the back of my eyelids. Would my sister be one of the ones who had complications? Would she and the baby be fine? I fumed every time I thought of the particular man involved in producing her condition. Surely I had connections that could ensure that a certain male never again reproduced. Real men do not rape girls. Simple as that. I was still considering pressing charges and locking him up. It would be bad press if the story got out, but he deserved maximum jail time.

Lord, please keep Georgianna and the baby safe. They are in your hands.

I rubbed my face my current predicament once again creeping back again. I was essentially stuck here until the paparazzi left. If circumstances got drastic, I could have my helicopter land in the backyard to take me somewhere. But then where would I go? 

Georgianna doesn't want my company right now. I know if I saw her and her morning sickness it would just strengthen my resolve to make the unnamable man's life a living hell before he went to the eternal one. 

I could go to New York, or London, or do a surprise visit to the LA homeless shelter that was supposed to be completed in about a month. Another option was to do an office checkup on the Tokyo branch. I have a quarterly meeting in London in two weeks. I could go to any of my houses and work remotely, perks of being President and CEO of DARCY.

Looking back out the window, I saw Elizabeth was once again sitting on the chair reading. Our conversation replayed in my head from earlier. She knew Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and John. 

Not bad.

Switching to a different tab on the Mac I looked at my email. Five new emails from my secretary all labeled "urgent".

Well, aren't they all?

Earlier when Caroline was standing over my shoulder, I was responding to emails from people who were thanking me for things I had done. Normally my secretary takes care of that but I didn't want Caroline to see my actual work emails. 

Now I opened the emails I traditionally dealt with and looked over some that were just stats and answered ones requiring attention. One was about our airline and suggested new routes to add. Another was about yacht sales. The third was information about an upcoming photoshoot with Vogue. 

Yippee. "But it's good publicity, Mr. Darcy," I mimicked my publicist's voice in my head. 

Another one was about oil prices and how the production of the wells had been in the past month. The fifth was a document of terms and conditions that we were sending a company in Amsterdam who we had agreed to partner with. Another was a recap of how DARCY had done that week in stocks. The seventh and most important one to me was about the village. 

I smiled reading over the comments from members of the tribe. The kids wanted their two cents put in on how one beat the other in a race and another told me about his goat. The leaders weren't quite as enthusiastic. It seemed that their crops weren't doing as well as they should have been. I frowned. I need to take care of that.

Charles texted saying that lunch was ready, and I decided now was as good of a time as any to take a break, so I saved the documents for the Amsterdam deal and closed down my laptop. Glancing out the window I saw Elizabeth was still on the chair.

Not that it mattered.

Walking down the stairs I came across Caroline near the bottom.

"I was just coming to get you!" She purred as she saddled up to me, managing to snake her arm through mine. 

                                                                           ----------------------

After finishing a mostly uneventful meal with Caroline and Charles, I put my plate in the dishwasher and looked out through the window. Elizabeth was still outside. Surely she would want to know when it was time to eat. Right?

Deciding it was my civic duty to tell her it was lunch, I strolled outside. 

As I walked under the shade of the tree, I realized she was asleep. Her eyelashes, free of mascara lay closed and her head was tilted to the side, giving me a clear view of her flawless skin, minus the scraps she had gotten from the wall earlier, and very appealing lips. Her hair apparently dried wavy. One arm was holding her place in the book and the other dangled at her side. Of course, she looked peaceful, doesn't everyone when they sleep? Elizabeth's shirt had dried semi-body-hugging, and I could see the ridges of the bikini Caroline had given her to wear, although I only scanned over it. I definitely did not need to linger.

I didn't allow myself to dwell on what I was thinking, I didn't want to know what my consensus was going to be.

"Elizabeth," I said. She didn't move. 

I laid my hand on her shoulder and shook it just a little, calling her name. She only shrugged. I leaned down, shaking her shoulder more, and said her name louder, "Elizabeth."

This time she awoke. Elizabeth opened her eyes, slightly disoriented then when she saw me, she scrambled up into a sitting position, not heeding the towel that had been wrapped around her waist. Parts of the towel fell off the chair and Elizabeth quickly snatched it back up, dropping her book in the process.

Interesting. She doesn't want to be uncovered in front of me. "Everyone" wants to be uncovered in front of "William Darcy".

I picked the book up that had fallen in her haste and handed it back to her.

"Thanks."

I nodded. "Lunch is ready."

She raised an eyebrow, her grip on the towel secure. "You came out here and woke me up because lunch is ready?"

I gave a curt nod and looked toward the house, sighing as I saw Caroline in one of the windows.

Feeling the need to explain myself I said, "Everyone else has already eaten."

"Ah. Including Jane?"

"I forgot about her. I'm sure Charles has taken something up there."

"You forgot about her? How kind of you." She shot back.

"She's not my responsibility."

"Oh, of course, you only take responsibility for matters you deem important, and Jane, obviously, isn't important."

I scowled. "I do only take responsibility for matters I deem important. I'm too busy trying to do my job to take on trivial matters."

Elizabeth cocked her head and stared back up at me from her position on the pool chair, "So serving people is trivial. I really don't remember Jesus saying or acting in that way at all. In fact," her voice lost its vehemence, "I do recall that on the night He was betrayed, he had taken on the lowest job a Jew could have and washed the feet of his disciples, serving them in the most humble way possible. Despite knowing Judas was going to betray him, Jesus still washed his feet. Serving others wasn't beneath the Son of God," the edge came back, "but it apparently is for you."

I bit my tongue to keep from spouting off something.

Of course, I knew that. Jane just wasn't on my priority list.

I stood there trying to come up with an answer.

I did serve, just taking food to Jane simply didn't cross my mind. Especially when her appealing sister was outside.

"Elizabeth" a voice called out. I turned to look at Charles who was standing in the doorway. "Come eat! And tell me what you think Jane would like!"

She gave him a grin and a thumbs-up before he disappeared back inside. Keeping a hold of her towel with one hand and the book in the other, she swung her feet to the side and stood up.

"Excuse me," she said, "It seems Charles has a mind to serve, and I for one, will help him."

With that, Elizabeth walked past me towards the house, hopping on the grass as soon as she could.

"Well I never," I whispered to myself, staring after her contemplating.

Elizabeth was quite a bit different and... I liked it. Not to mention, she apparently valued modesty which is more than I could say for quite a number of my acquaintances. She apparently knows her Bible, or at least parts of it, to know the quote from Revelation and that Jesus washed his disciple's feet on the night He was betrayed. But as of yet I still don't know her that well personally, her likes and dislikes, etc.

I shook myself out of my reverie and followed her into the house.