Chapter 10

I was in the Pemberley office by 8.15 am the next day, sipping the coffee I'd bought from the café downstairs. I hadn't slept well at all after Ross' surprise disclosure about Darcy's interference in Zach's relationship with Jane. I couldn't understand why he thought so little of Jane. Was he really that much of a snob that he didn't want his friends associating with anyone outside of their exalted social circle? I'd always thought Darcy was rude and haughty but I was still surprised that he would do something like this. I suppose it was because of my attraction to him … I had to admit to myself that I had hoped there was a good person underneath that stiff exterior. Even when Hal told me his story of thwarted love, I had felt that some of the fault had rested on Hal himself and that Darcy was not entirely to blame. Now, I wondered if Darcy had been out to destroy that relationship solely because Hal's family background was not good enough. Or was it that he was so possessive of his sister that he didn't want anyone else to have her affections?

My comm rang then – Ross! He must have tried my room so that we could walk here together.

"Hello!" I answered, trying to sound cheerful.

"Beth," said Ross. "Where are you? Will was worried when you wouldn't answer the door."

Darcy had gone to my room ... how glad I was that I had left early!

"I'm already at the Pemberley offices. I have to finish everything today so I thought I'd start early."

I heard Ross speaking to someone in the background.

"Ok, yeah, we should have realized. I have things to get done in the morning but I will meet you there so we can go for lunch together."

I wasn't up to speaking with Ross again so soon. And there was always the danger that Darcy would join us.

"I'm sorry, Ross. I have a lot to finish today so I was planning to pick up a sandwich from the café for lunch. We could do dinner together."

I would make some excuse later and get out of having dinner with him. Or maybe suggest dinner really early since I would probably be leaving tomorrow morning. Darcy had mentioned he had a meeting until 7pm so he wouldn't be able to join. I did want to say a proper goodbye to Ross; he was a nice person, unlike his cousin.

"Alright Beth. I will see you later."

After the call was over, I decided it wasn't too early to call Dr. Hamilton and get an update so I dialed him on the comm.

I hung up ten minutes later feeling a lot better. He would be sending me the records in a half hour. Apparently, Dad had also called and spoken to a few people there so the process had been expedited.

That would give me enough time to have everything done in order to meet with Darcy at 3 pm. I thought I would call Kel and find out his plans. I'd decided not to join him at Liberty. Instead, I would go for a two day tour to the Wallington Wildlife Sanctuary. It was around 200 miles from here but they had tours starting from the space port so I would just have to ask Darcy to arrange a ride back to the space port. I was really looking forward to the trip. I had wanted to go to the sanctuary on my last visit but hadn't been able to – now was the perfect time to go there.

Kel had just woken up when I called him. He was having a great time and although he said he was disappointed I wouldn't be coming to Liberty, he agreed that it was good time to go visit the Wallington Sanctuary; who knew when I'd next have a few days free while on Earth.

By the time I had finished chatting with Kel, I'd received the first of the reports from Dr. Hamilton. I got down to work with enthusiasm, putting thoughts of anything else out of my mind.

A couple of hours later, I was brought out of my immersion in my work when I sensed someone standing in the doorway. I looked up to see Darcy.

"Good morning," he said.

"Good morning. I should be done by 3 pm so I'll see you then," I said briskly and looked down again. I kept my eyes on the holo screen until Darcy had left. Then I looked up with a sigh. Why did I feel so bad about being rude to him? He deserved it for what he had done to Jane. And anyway, he had been uncivil to me many times.

Oh well. Just today and then I would be out of here.

I had worried that Ross would turn up at lunchtime and pester me to go for lunch, but it seemed that he really had work to do because there was no sign of him. At half past noon, I thought of going downstairs and getting a sandwich.

Just then Darcy walked in, holding a brown paper bag.

"Ms. Bennet, I wanted to make sure you ate something. You were so absorbed in your work when I came earlier, I thought it likely you wouldn't remember to have lunch."

He came over to the desk and handed me the bag.

"I got you a chicken sandwich. I hope that is ok."

"Uh .. yes… thank you," I stammered. How did he manage to make me feel like I was the one in the wrong?

He didn't wait for me to say anymore but started walking out.

"I will see you at 3 pm," he said in parting.

I was left gaping at the bag in my hand. If he thought Jane wasn't good enough for his friend, why would he bother being nice to a plebian like me? I decided to just eat the sandwich and get back to work. There was no point trying to analyze his behavior. The workings of Darcy's mind were a mystery to me.

I went to Darcy's office at the appointed time; I'd finished all the reports to my satisfaction and made a call to confirm a booking to go for a two day tour of the Wallington Wildlife Sanctuary.

Darcy got up when he saw me.

"I shall just move a chair," he said.

"That won't be necessary," I said, as I sat down in the chair in front of his desk. "All the reports are very clear – I don't think you will need to look over them more than a few minutes before you conclude on the validity of the cost estimates that we have shown."

Darcy took the data chip after a questioning glance at me. There was silence for fifteen minutes as he went through all my reports. I kept waiting for him to ask questions but he didn't.

"Yes, you were right. The facts speak for themselves," he said finally. "I will sign off on the increased costs and you can let your father know that the repair work can proceed immediately."

"That's great!" I couldn't stop the big grin from breaking out.

Darcy mouth twitched in response and I immediately felt compelled to make my face look grim. I had to remind myself what he had done to Jane.

"So what are your plans now? Do you have to return to Titan immediately? It will take a couple of days to get approval for your departure, won't it?" he asked.

"I have to be back home in five days."

"What will you be doing the next couple of days?"

"Oh … I haven't decided," I said, deciding to be vague. "But I need a ride back to the space port tomorrow morning. I'd like to leave as early as possible."

He looked stunned. I wondered why. Did he expect me to stay here?

"Uh … I shall speak to Harry and find out if he can take you there tomorrow. But are you sure you have to leave early?"

"Yes," I answered briefly and stood up. "Thank you so much for your help. I am glad that this could be done so fast."

"Yes, yes," said Darcy, seemingly at a loss for words.

"I will be going back to the guest house. I have some calls to make."

I gave him a smile and left before he could prolong the conversation.

I gathered my things quickly and rushed to the lift; I'm not sure why I was frantic to leave. Why would Darcy try to stop me?

I had finished sending the necessary requests so that we could leave for Titan in three days and I lay down on the bed in my room at the guest house, eyes closed, trying to relax. I was feeling wound up, like something was going to happen.

There was a knock at the door. Hmm ... probably Ross. Well, Ross was fun; I could use some cheering up.

But when I opened the door, it was Darcy!

"Mr. Darcy!" I blurted out in surprise before I could stop myself. I thought he was supposed to be in a meeting – what was he doing here?

"I want… I need to speak with you," he said as he came into the room. He shut the door and then fixed his blazing blue gaze on me.

"Ms. Bennet … Beth," he said, his voice wavering slightly with intense emotion. "I've tried my best but I can't stop feeling this way about you. I've been thinking of you constantly since I met you on Titan the first time. I didn't want to like you, to want you. I told myself that you were living in Titan – long distance relationships never work out. Then I reminded myself of your family, the behavior of your mother and sister – social climbers of the worst order. I had an image to uphold … a responsibility to my family name. I managed to leave Titan without making a fool of myself over you." He paused for a couple of seconds, trying to read my expression. "But you came here and upset everything. I couldn't resist coming myself to fetch you from the space port. And when I saw you sitting there, in your flight suit, looking even more beautiful than I remembered you, I knew there was no way I could forget you. Beth …"

I stood frozen to the floor, staring at him mutely, hearing his words but unable to process them.

He looked into my eyes and seemed to read something in them that made him come closer. His arms went around me, pulling me against him, and his mouth was on mine. His lips were hot and demanding. I didn't think before I put my arms around his waist and leaned into him. Somehow, it just felt so right… like I had been waiting for this moment since we first met. I found myself responding eagerly, passionately to his kiss.

It took a few minutes for rational thought to come back. What was I doing? I broke off abruptly and pushed him back as hard as I could. He staggered slightly, and looked at me, bewildered. "Beth?"

"What do you think you are doing? You think that because you are William Darcy that every woman wants you? That you just had to snap your fingers and I would come running?" I yelled. Guilt overwhelmed me – how could I kiss the man who had made my cousin miserable? I thought of everything he had just said about my family.

"What gives you the right to judge others – to make comments about my sister's behavior? Is your family so perfect then?"

Darcy flinched at that and I went on, glad to have gotten a reaction out of him.

"You think your behavior is something to be praised and emulated? You've behaved rudely to me and insulted me. But what I can't believe is how you went out of the way to destroy the relationship my cousin had with Zach. Jane is a wonderful person, she's worth a million of you; and Zach definitely isn't good enough for her. She loved him though and I was happy for her. Then you interfered; you told Zach that she was a money grubbing social climber – just like you think my mother and sister are – and he dumped her without a word. And Jane, my lovely forgiving cousin, blamed herself, thought that she had done something, misunderstood Zach. She's still heart-broken – she is unable to forget him although she is trying hard to go on with life. I hate seeing her so sad. And it's all because of you – because Jane doesn't meet 'your standards'! You think that Jane wants Zach's money? Well, let me tell you that she has no need for his money. Her father has been working for a mineral exploration company for years and she has a trust fund large enough that she doesn't need to work a day in her life! But she doesn't feel the need to let everyone know that. She's never used a cent from her trust fund. In fact, I should be suspecting that Zach is a gold-digger!"

I paused and glared at him, my chest heaving. His face was pale.

"You like to play God, don't you? Hal told me all about how you separated him from Gemma. I feel sorry for your sister, poor girl has no option but to listen to everything you say. You will probably never think that anyone is good enough for her. Are you going to interfere in Ross' life as well? Is that why you didn't want me to meet him?"

I wanted to cry; I needed him to leave before I broke down.

"Get out, get out now!" I shrieked.

Darcy didn't say anything. He just walked out without a backward glance. I shut the door, leaned against it for a minute, and then slid down to sit on the floor.

Sorrow and fury battled for dominance. Sorrow at hurting him, at not being able to give him what he wanted, not having a future with him. Fury at the things he had said about my family, the way he had hurt Jane, his imperious behavior.

I wanted to leave this place immediately. I wished that I could. How could I speak with Darcy again?

I dragged myself to the bed. I wished I could speak with Jane right now but this was something I could never tell her – she wouldn't understand why I was so angry with Darcy unless she knew how he had influenced Zach to break up with her. She would only be hurt if she knew how easily Zach had given in to Darcy's persuasion. And I also found that I didn't want her to hate Darcy.

William Darcy. I repeated his name out loud, trying to decide what I felt for him. He thought I wasn't good enough for him. But he still couldn't stop himself from … from what? Lusting after me? Was that something I should feel pride in? He'd never mentioned the word 'love'. He had never suggested that he wanted a long-term relationship with me. Fury gained supremacy. He thought that I'd be happy to have a little 'fling' with him. After all, my mother and sister were 'social climbers of the worst order', so it followed that I must be too. And I had let him kiss me. I touched my swollen lips with self-loathing. Was I so starved for male companionship that I would take whatever I could get? Encourage someone who thought so little of my family?

Bitter tears rolled down my face and I wiped them angrily.

Much later, I was finally feeling calmer. I had to think about my plans for the next few days. The transport to the sanctuary would leave the space port at noon tomorrow so I needed to find a way to get there by that time. I wondered if I could get Harry's comm. id from someone at the office – perhaps the lady at the main reception might help?

I washed my face and put on some make-up in an attempt to make myself look less of a wreck. I would walk to the office and try my luck. If I happened to see Darcy, I would just walk in the opposite direction and trust that he would not try to speak to me.

My comm buzzed. I glanced at the id worriedly. Ross! Should I answer it? I decided that I needn't avoid Ross as well. He had always been friendly. It was unlikely that Darcy would have told him anything about what had happened between us.

"Hi!"

"Beth! I'm just outside your room. Please open the door."

Oh! I looked over my face in the mirror before going to the door.

Ross gave me a charming smile but his eyes were watchful.

"You promised that we would have dinner together but I was so busy I couldn't call you during the day to confirm."

"I'm a bit tired, Ross. And I'm leaving tomorrow so I need to be up early."

"That's why I'm here now!"

I checked the time and found it was just 5.45 pm.

"I didn't have lunch and I'm starving," Ross went on. "Darcy had to postpone his meeting so it will be over only by 8 pm and I can't wait until then. If you don't come with me, then I will have to dine all alone! Just imagine, me – Ross Fitzwilliam, the great aviator – reduced to taking a hurried meal with no company … no, Beth, you have to come with me."

I had to laugh. "What about your aunt? She will probably be glad to have dinner with you," I asked.

"Beth! I admit the real reason I am eating early is because I want to avoid Aunt Catherine, and her slimy assistant. She never dines before seven in the evening. Come on, please say you will have dinner with me."

I gave in and agreed to accompany him. Darcy was occupied and there was no chance he would walk in while we were there.

As we made our way to the restaurant, Ross continued to make light conversation that distracted me from my morose thoughts.

Ned wasn't there at the restaurant today; a timid looking girl was the server. She seemed to know Ross and blushed as he greeted her.

As we ate our spaghetti bolognaise, Ross asked me about my plans before I left for home. I explained about the tour I was going on.

"Hey, that's fantastic. I've never been to the sanctuary either. You should have told me earlier; I would have made some changes to my schedule so that we could have gone together."

I smiled at that but was glad I hadn't mentioned it to him before. Ross was a fun friend but his presence would have constantly reminded me of Darcy.

"By the way, Will asked me to let you know that Harry will wait for you below the guest house at 8 am tomorrow. He said he was so busy he wasn't able to call you."

I was glad that Darcy seemed as determined to avoid me as I was to prevent any interaction with him.

"That's great! Tell him that I said thank you."

"Oh, you can tell him yourself. You will be seeing him to say goodbye before you leave, won't you?"

I blinked at Ross, unsure how to answer.

"I knew it! Something happened with the two of you. After Will gave me the third degree about how I felt about you, I realized that he was interested. And I stayed out of the way like a gentleman so that he wouldn't have any reason to be jealous of me taking up your time. But now he's gone and done something to mess things up. Tell me what he did."

"Ross, I don't want to talk about him. And there is nothing between us."

Ross looked as if he wanted to continue questioning me. But then he saw the unshed tears glistening in my eyes as I looked at him pleadingly, and he relented. We spoke about other things the rest of the evening.

After walking me back to my room, he gave me a big hug as he said goodbye.

"Beth, remember that I'm your friend. Please do call me if you need anything."

"Thank you, Ross," I said as I returned his hug.

"I won't wake up early enough to say goodbye to you tomorrow morning, so this is farewell for now. I might be at the space port in a few days and will check if you are around there as well."

"Please do. I'd love to introduce you to Kel, my co-pilot."

Ross gone, I was left alone with my thoughts again.

I had expected that I wouldn't sleep at all. But strangely enough, I slept like a baby and woke up only by seven in the morning. I guess it was because I was so emotionally drained. Unfortunately, Darcy was the first thought in my mind.

I went down with my bag at 8 am and found Harry leaning against the hovercar, waiting for me.

"Beth! Good morning!" he said as he came to take the bag from me.

I was glad to have Harry chattering away as we drove to the space port. He told me about everything he had been doing the last few days and filled me in on the latest gossip around the office. When he found out that I was visiting the sanctuary, he was excited, and insisted on telling me all about his last trip there as a ten year old, along with his two brothers. Harry and his brothers had got into a lot of trouble while there and he kept me laughing as he recounted their antics.

When we were near the space port, the road was busy and Harry was quiet as he focused on getting through the traffic. I found myself thinking about my relationship with my sister. We had never been close. From the beginning, I'd been Daddy's girl; following him around as a toddler and then later doing whatever I could to achieve my ambition of being a pilot. Lydia, on the other hand, had always clung to our mother. This had meant that we never developed a close bond. At least I had Jane. Thoughts of Jane brought forth an image of Darcy. My cheeks flushed red at the memory of his passionate kiss. Oh! I didn't want to think of him.

I was still struggling with banishing all thoughts of Darcy when we reached the space port. After bidding Harry goodbye, I made my way to the dining area of the space port. I had almost two hours before the tour transport got here so I had decided to get coffee and something to eat before making my way to the pick-up point.