Lizzy's POV

I shook off the odd exchange and decided to focus on enjoying the rest of the night. I didn't hold Darcy's opinion of others in high esteem since he hated almost everyone. Although I will admit, it was bizarre.

George nudged my arm, "So, what was the less-than-flattering thing William said about me?"

I tilted my head toward him, "You don't know what he said?"

"No, what language was it?"

"French."

"Ah, the language of love. Perhaps I should learn it." He said with a sly grin.

I reflected his smile, our eyes connecting again, faces lit by the bright lights all around us, "Perhaps you should."

"But seriously, what did he say?" George asked with a hint of hesitancy in his voice.

I lifted a shoulder delicately and brought a hand up to toy with my hair while I dramatically looked away and simpered, "A woman must have her secrets."

He laughed at my outrageous display, "Indeed she should."

I took a sip of my water, and George pointed to the bottle as I lowered it, "He got you the water, are the two of you a couple?"

I snorted and partially choked on the non-swallowed water, then started coughing while laughing in between, drawing the attention of my sisters. The thought was hilarious.

I gasped a few more breaths before I could respond. "No, no, and no. I'm certain Darcy's only motive for buying the water was so that if I got overheated and died, he wouldn't be held responsible in court. I have spent as much time as I care to in the presence of the great William Darcy."

"Not his biggest fan, I take it?"

"Correct. Sometimes it proves difficult for me to hold back my puke when I'm around him."

"Is that so?"

"Mhmm. He's a decent enough looking guy, but his personality most certainly detracts from that."

"Most women wouldn't say that about William."

"Then I'm not most women," I cringed at how that sounded.

"No, I don't think you are," he said with a crooked smile and a hint of something that I couldn't quite place.

I looked away, not sure why I was playing this game, but I was enjoying it.

He cleared his throat, "What about me? Am I a decent enough looking guy?"

I raised my eyebrows. That was bold, but I wasn't about to refuse such a kind offer to check him out. I twisted my lips in concentration and looked him head to toe, giving him a good once over. His hair was clean-cut, and he had piercing blue eyes with a straight nose. He was clean-shaven, showcasing the chiseled jaw I already noticed, and had strong shoulders, more than respectable arm muscles- that he flexed under his short sleeves- and thankfully, no chicken legs. His clothing choices were a good pick for the warm evening. All in all, God had done quite a good job on him, and he obviously took good care of himself.

"Well, what is the consensus?"

I tapped my chin in pretend concentration, "Passable, but I don't know about the personality."

"I guess you will just have to get to know me."

"I guess so. To start, how do you know Darcy?"

He heaved a heavy sigh and rubbed his hands together, "Starting with the heavy hitter? It's a very long story. I could tell you if you have the time?"

"Most definitely."

"Do you want me to share it over some cotton candy, or a funnel cake, or some other sort of artery-clogging food?"

I laughed, "I don't think that is a bad idea, lead the way."

He nodded, and I turned to tell Jane and Charles that I was going with him when Lydia let out a startled screech.

"Oh no, mom brought Boring Boris," Lydia grabbed George's arm, "Time to go. Good night, Jane, Charles, and Lizzy. Don't fall asleep when he talks to you."

With that, she, Katie, and George were off.

George smiled and waved to me as Lydia hauled him off. I grinned and waved back, then as soon as he turned, I desperately grabbed Jane's hand.

"Please, please tell me I don't have anything in my teeth."

She and Charles laughed, "No you don't. You're good."

I heaved a sigh of relief and looked heavenward, "Thank you, Jesus."

"Surely this Boris guy can't be that boring," Jane remarked as our mother approached, flanked by the newest character addition to my life.

I sized up the man. He was shorter than me with a slim build, but he carried himself like he was important. Maybe he was.

"Jane! Lizzy! Oh, and Charles! Y'all are just the people I wanted to see! I wanted to introduce you to Boris Collins. He is our first Airbnb guest and has most kindly asked to come along with me for the evening. Boris, these are my oldest daughters, Jane and Lizzy, and this is Charles Bingley; he is Jane's special someone."

Mom indicated to us individually, and we shook hands with him. He puffed out his chest as our hands met, and while it was a firm handshake, his hands were softer than mine.

No thanks.

"It is an immense honor to meet you all. Your kind mother acquiesced to my request to let me view her handiwork at this lovely little festival. I am highly impressed at the display such a small and quaint town can create. Where I originate from, we have a festival too, it's considerably grander than yours, but people anticipate it all year long, comparable to this."

Jane, ever the listener, encouraged him to go on, "What brings you to Merytown, Texas?"

"It is quite the lengthy tale. I don't want to take too much of your time upon first acquaintance, for I am often loquacious. I will enlighten you with the truncated narrative."

I took a swig of water as the man sucked in a breath.

"I work for Lady Catherine De Bourgh as a regional manager."

"Lady?" I questioned mildly.

"Oh, yes, indeed. She was the husband of the late Sir Lewis De Bourgh. They were friends of the late Queen Elizabeth II; God rest her soul."

"So, she is English."

"How astute you are! Lady Catherine De Bourgh is now the head of an international company headquartered in England. I am honored to be one of her countless employees. Although, if I do say so myself, I am one of her most trusted employees. I am vital to the administration of the business. I have ascended the career ladder exceptionally swiftly."

I nodded at him, completely disinterested and wondering what my father thought of him. If dad had met him, I'm sure he would have picked Boris apart and gotten a great laugh out of the man's absurdity.

Jane and Charles had begun a side conversation. Mom looked thrilled that I was still conversing with her newest guy for me. I mentally rolled my eyes.

"That is wonderful for you. Tell me, have you had the chance to meet my father?"

He vigorously nodded, "I have. He was quite interested in my life and work. He asked the most intuitive questions."

I turned to mom, "Is dad here tonight?"

She bobbed her head, "Yes, I left him with his buddies back at the food and drink tents."

I nodded, then considered the man in front of me and decided I might have him figured out, "You seem to speak with a well-educated vocabulary. Are you a reader, or do you just pick up easily on words?"

"Lizzy, how smart you are!" the man gushed.

"Ms. Bennet, please." I grimaced a grin at him.

Mom glared at me for making him use my formal title.

"I apologize most sincerely for assuming informality, Ms. Bennet. Undeniably I am a voracious reader. I believe everyone should read the classics, no matter how dull they appear. Surely, the only way to improve ourselves and our world is to understand who came before us, the stories they left, the lives they lived, and the impact they had on the world."

I agreed with the words, but since they came from Boris, they didn't sit well.

Mom clasped her hands together and beamed, "Oh, Boris! Lizzy is a history instructor at our local college! Did I tell you that?"

"Is that so?" The man regarded me with new interest, and I felt like a concept he had just found to be the most intriguing thing in the world. A more apt description for a Texan would be that I was a mouthwatering, big juicy steak he was about to cut.

"Yes, I am." I turned to Jane, who hadn't picked up on the direction of the conversation because of her much more enjoyable talk with Charles. "Jane, don't we have to go? Wasn't there a carnival activity or ride you wanted to do?"

Jane looked at me in surprise, "There was?"

"Mhmm." I gave Jane a significant look that mom couldn't see.

"Oh, yes! Now I remember." She smiled apologetically at me, then turned to mom, "I'm sorry, but we have to go. I hope you have a good night! Everything seems to be going great!"

Mom narrowed her eyes, and I realized I might have pulled this intended escape a few too many times. "Where is it exactly that you are going? Surely Boris could go with you?"

I turned my most dazzling smile to Boris, "Oh no, I'm sure Boris would rather go with you and see the rest of the festival. After all, he did come with you so he could see all of it."

Mom responded before he could. "I think I've shown him just about all of it. I'm sure Boris would enjoy getting a firsthand taste of the amusements the festival offers with people around his age."

I squeezed the water bottle in annoyance, making it crackle.

Charles hadn't caught on to my exasperation and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm fine with it. Boris, would you like to join us?"

"I would be hard-pressed to decline such a kind offer. Thank you, I would be delighted."

I grimaced, and mom raised a disapproving eyebrow.

"Goodnight, mom. Charles, lead the way," I ground out.

We went on one speedy ride, then another, the neon lights swirling together as we swung around the dubiously sturdy metal contraption. With our ride options severely limited by the collective fear of roller coasters, the next suggestion was the Ferris wheel. I adamantly refused. There was no way I would sit next to Boris on a slow, partially romantic ride.

Instead, we played another carnival game. If I had been with just Jane and Charles, I would have felt like a teenager again, wasting money on pointless things and having a blast, but that was not the case. My head was about to burst from Boris' incessant talking. My saving grace arrived when we found Charlotte walking around with her sister, Moriah.

"Charlotte!" I waved to get her attention and veered towards her, "Save me, please." I whispered in her ear as I hugged her, even though I had seen her a few hours ago.

I shut up Boris' pointless jabber to Jane and Charles about who knows what when I introduced Charlotte and Moriah. Boris didn't miss a beat after the introduction and continued to control the conversation with little regard for our body language and monosyllable responses from us. Well, mainly me. Jane and Charles were too nice and asked leading questions which he was only too happy to answer. Charlotte and Moriah didn't know what I had gotten them into.

"Who is he?" Charlotte hissed in my ear as we walked to the edge of the group.

"Mom and dad's first Airbnb guest. He's pompous, stuck up, and doesn't quit talking about himself."

"How long have you known him?"

"Too long."

She gave me a look that meant she wanted the complete truth.

"Met him this evening. I can't stand him."

"Lizzy, give him a chance. He might just be nervous or insecure and compensates by talking too much."

"I don't think that is the case, Ms. Psychologist. You give him a chance. I'm heading out," I muttered.

I faced the rest of the group, "I'm sorry y'all, I have a headache coming on and don't want to be poor company. I'm going to go ahead and call it a night. See y'all later."

Jane looked at me with worry, "Lizzy, are you okay? You rarely get headaches. Do I need to drive you home?"

"No, I'll be fine. I think I'm just overstimulated."

"If you're sure," Jane said hesitatingly and with a fleeting glance at Charles that said loads.

"Completely. Stay and enjoy your night."

Boris moved towards me, and I knew I was about to have one more painful encounter with him before I could leave. He shoved his hand out for me to shake it, and I did. "Ms. Bennet, it was a pleasure to meet you. I expect and look forward to many future opportunities for us to get to know each other more thoroughly. I had a delightful time with you this evening. In due course, I hope you will not object to me calling you Lizzy."

I gaped at him and managed to get out, "Goodnight," before I turned and fled, making my way through the crowds of people. My breathing came more naturally the further away I got from the presumptuous, slightly creepy, Boring Boris. I felt terrible for depositing Boris with Charlotte, but Charlotte was usually a good, patient listener.

Now to see if she can withstand Boris.

I rubbed my temples once I got inside my car. I did have a slight headache, but I was pretty sure it was all Boris induced and would shortly go away.

Sure enough, once I got to the house and sat inside on the couch for a little while, I was good as new and ready to analyze my evening.

Darcy handing me up into the carriage- completely unexpected. He must have had a muscle spasm.

Meeting George- a very nice part of the night.

Enduring Boris' chatter- awful.

I grabbed my laptop and worked on it until the headlights showed through the living room window about an hour later. Jane's text, "It's me," made me hop up, unlock the door, and turn on the porch light.

I hid behind our customary "peeking out" curtain, which offered a view of the porch with the benefit of low detection levels. It was great for seeing who was making deliveries, what neighbor was on the porch, and how a date ended.

Charles, like a gentleman, opened the car door for Jane, and they made their way up the sidewalk. They paused on the porch, and after a few words I couldn't understand and a nod from Jane, Charles took Jane's hand in his. He slowly raised the hand to his lips, kissing the back of her hand. I practically swooned for her. It was so sweet.

A few moments later, Jane was inside with the door closed. I skidded out from my hiding spot and found her with her head leaning against the door, a contented smile on her face.

"I'll tell him what ring you like, don't worry."

"Lizzy, we aren't even dating."

"Not yet, but soon." I led her by the arm to the couch and she sat.

"Spying on me, were you?"

"You know it." I grinned at her.

"Recap of the evening?"

"Yes, please."

We discussed the looks that she and Charles had exchanged and the sweet things he said to her, and Jane told me about the conversations I hadn't been privy to. After I left, she and Charles separated from Charlotte, Moriah, and Boris, and rode the Ferris wheel. She said it went fantastic. They accidentally brushed their hands three times, and most of their conversation was about childhood memories. Jane said Charles had asked permission before he kissed her hand on the porch.

The topic soon turned to Darcy.

"William bought you a water," she raised an eyebrow, "what was up with that?"

"Please, it's not like he doesn't have enough money to buy everyone in the world fresh water."

"But he bought you water."

"Jane, it's nothing. Like I told George, it was a proactive measure to ensure I didn't overheat and die. If I had, he could have been held responsible in court. Not that you would ever sue him. Mom might."

"Oh yes... George. He seemed like a nice guy. You sure seemed cozy together. What were y'all talking about?"

"Darcy."

"William? Really?"

"Mhmm. They know each other, and George isn't his biggest fan."

"Something in common, I see."

"We also flirted. George was quite the charmer, but I don't know any solid details about him except his first name and that he is an only child. We were going to get something to eat, but Lydia saw Boris and yanked him away. Hopefully, I get to see him again."

The conversation soon wrapped up, and Jane went to bed. I stayed awake until Charlotte got home to hear about her evening. She yawned as she closed the door and hung her keys up. "You were right. He does talk a lot."

"Yep. I'm glad you survived."

"He isn't that awful. Everyone has character flaws."

"True. Boris' is just noticeable on first acquaintance."

She shrugged, "It all depends on who you are and what you consider a flaw. Yes, Boris talks a ton, but at least he does so with a good vocabulary. I'm going to go to bed. Night."

"Night."

We both headed to our rooms, and when I was brushing my teeth, I realized I had forgotten to tell Jane about Darcy handing me up into the carriage.

Oh well. It's not important.