Lunch was quite memorable, for all the wrong reasons, as Lizzie found herself monopolized by a seemingly endless stream of chatter from Louisa. Lizzie was quite thankful when the meal ended, and quickly agreed when Georgie offered to show her the stables they had on the property. Lizzie, thrilled with the idea, practically skipped with excitement. A rustic building came into view. It was surrounded by fences on all sides except one.

"My mother loved horses so having them here was a must," said Georgie, opening the large barn door into the stable. They walked through the building until the horses came into view where they grazed near the fence.

"I love horses," said Lizzie walking straight to the fence and putting her face right up on the fence.

"Do you ride?" asked Georgie.

"Only at fairs my parents took me too," said Lizzie laughing, "So, not really. I don't have real experience."

"We could go riding," said Georgie, earnestly but Lizzie shook her head.

"Thanks, but I'm okay just looking for now."

"Maybe next time," said Georgie kindly and Lizzie gave her a sideways glance. Would Lizzie even be back here again?

"Which one is yours? Or are they all just yours?"

"The white one," said Georgie pointing, "Her name is Mezzo."

"Mezzo?" asked Lizzie, confused at first, but then it dawned on her, "Wait, like Mezzo as in music?"

"Yes," admitted Georgie quietly, "She has the most amazing trot and it always reminded me of music."

"So, you named her Mezzo," said Lizzie, "It's perfect."

"Do you play any instruments?"

"Well," laughed Lizzie, "I played piano for a while but I'm no good anymore."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"No, it is," said Lizzie, "Trust me. Your aunt Katherine made me play for her and she will tell you how much I disappointed her."

"She always makes me play for her," moaned Georgie, "I'm always so terrified."

"She seems to have that effect on people."

Georgie nodded. "Would you like to feed them?" came a voice from behind them. They both turned and saw Darcy walking towards them with a bucket of carrots.

"Yes," breathed Lizzie, anxiously reaching for them, "So, which horse is yours, Darcy?"

"Why do you call him Darcy?" asked Georgie, holding out a carrot to Mezzo, who had bee-lined straight for her.

"Long story," said Lizzie, "What do you call him?"

"Will," said Georgie, "That's his name."

"Lizzie's never called me that," said Darcy to Georgie.

"Yup. And it would be weird to change it now," said Lizzie, "So, which one is yours?" she said, repeating the question to Darcy.

"The chestnut one coming over," said Darcy, reaching for a carrot.

"What's his name?"

"Flash," said Darcy, and Georgie laughed and leaned over Darcy to talk to Lizzie.

"The Flash as in the super hero, Darcy was in a phase."

"A phase," laughed Lizzie, as Darcy protested, but she talked over him, "What were you? A comic book geek?"

"Were? He still has them," said Georgie. "In fact, they're still in his room. All nicely organized in some bins in his closet.

"First off," said Darcy, raising his voice in defense, "I just haven't taken the time to do anything with them. Plus, several are actually rare and worth something," he explained, but Lizzie was shaking with laughter.

"A comic book reader," said Lizzie, overjoyed, "This is a whole new side of you, Darcy."

"Whatever," he said, "I loved comic books. That's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Loved?" said Lizzie, questioning him, "Are you sure it's not present tense?"

Georgie giggled, and Darcy rolled his eyes, ignoring Lizzie, and headed back to the stable. Both girls followed him, laughing, all the way back to the house.

By the time they got back to the house, Darcy had joined in the laughter and all three had aching sides. They found the rest of the group hanging in one of the family rooms. Caroline eyed them suspiciously and began talking in undertones to her sister.

"What were you doing?" asked Charles.

"We were teasing Darcy," said Lizzie.

"About his superhero phase," finished Georgie.

The whole group laughed, and Darcy found himself defending himself and repeating his explanations. He gave Lizzie a teasing death glare, to which Lizzie responded with a humble bow. The conversation moved on and Lizzie took some time looking at the grand piano that was in the room.

"Darcy gave it to me last year for my birthday," said Georgie, walking over.

"It's a beautiful instrument," said Lizzie, "My sister Mary would kill for this."

"You should play," said Georgie.

"Georgie," joked Lizzie, "Don't turn into your aunt."

"Never," said Georgie, looking horrified, "Only play if you want to."

"I'll play some if you join me," said Lizzie, "But I warn you Miss Julliard, your skill far outweighs mine."

They both began softly fooling around, but Lizzie was quickly mesmerized by Georgie's skill. Even in fun, Georgie was exquisite in her technique and talent. They were having such a good time when Caroline joined them by the piano.

"She's amazing," she said, putting her head right in between Lizzie and Georgie, "Right, Lizzie?"

"That she is," said Lizzie scooting over, and giving Caroline's head a bit of room.

"I'll have to come visit you at Julliard, Georgie," said Caroline, and Lizzie was surprised when Georgie's face showed a mixture of annoyance and a little bit of fear, as she seemed to be desperately trying to think of an excuse. In that moment, the resemblance between Georgie and Darcy was uncanny.

"Who knows," said Lizzie, attempting to save Georgie, "College is very busy. She may not have time to receive many visitors."

"Yes," said Georgie, giving Lizzie a grateful look, "We'll have to see Caroline."

Caroline shrugged, but kept going, "Why don't we go shopping tomorrow, Georgie? Just the two of us! We could get manicures and pedicures and just have a nice girl's day."

"I don't know, I think have plans already," said Georgie not meeting Caroline's eye, "Lizzie and I may go riding," she said, with a nod at Lizzie.

"Plus, I thought you wanted to attend the conference, Caroline," added Lizzie.

Caroline's eyes narrowed at Lizzie and she stood up and walked away, finally. Letting out a deep breath, Lizzie exchanged a knowing look with Georgie.

"Lizzie," said Caroline, turning back and walking right up to the piano again with a smug and determined expression. She put her elbows on the piano and smiled sweetly at Lizzie as Georgie continued to play.

"Yes, Caroline?" said Lizzie trying to be nice even though she felt annoyance.

"How's your family?"

Surprised by the inquiry, Lizzie answered, "They're just fine, thank you."

"And how's that George Wickham of yours?" Caroline said, in a sneezy loud voice. Lizzie's insides turned to ice as Georgie abruptly stopped playing, her face turning white. Shocked, Lizzie watched Darcy slowly rise from his chair, his eyes burning.

"You're still dating him, right?" said Caroline, smiling victoriously, enjoying the effect of her words.

"No," said Lizzie, giving Georgie a sideways glance. "No, we're not."

"Shame," said Caroline, taking a drink of water. The room had grown quiet and tense, but Lizzie tried to smooth things over, hoping most people had missed the exchange.

"Why don't you play this?" Lizzie said kindly, handing music to Georgie, "I want to hear you play something that is worthy of your skill."

"Um, sure," said Georgie, clearly not sure of what to say, but she began playing the piece. It was rough at first, but after she got past the first few measures, the music was glorious.

Lizzie left the bench to give Georgie space and focused on Darcy. He didn't meet her gaze at first and Lizzie could tell he was angry. Not at her, but at Caroline. She waited until he met her gaze and she gave him a sad, sorry smile. He responded with a shrug Lizzie knew to mean not your fault.

Georgie's smile returned gradually after playing through the song, and at that time, the Gardiners announced they needed to leave because they were meeting up with some old friends. Lizzie's mood had sunk considerably. Georgie now seemed much more conscious around her. It wasn't surprising. Girls who had dated the same guy didn't necessarily get along, and this situation was far more complicated than most of those. Lizzie just wanted a chance to explain but she couldn't. She wasn't supposed to know the whole situation.

Lizzie didn't even get a real goodbye from Darcy, which irritated her as well. It wasn't her fault Caroline had opened her big mouth. She felt awful. She was sure her chances of being friends with Georgie were gone now.

As soon as Lizzie was back in her hotel room, she collapsed onto her bed with a pounding headache. She had already told the Gardiners that she would remain behind at the hotel as they went out with their friends. Not feeling particularly social, she was happier staying behind.

She grabbed some medicine from her purse and closed her eyes hoping her headache would disappear. She awoke, unable to recall having fallen asleep. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. It was past seven. She hadn't intended to sleep that long, but maybe she had needed it. At least her headache was gone.

The problem was she was hungry. Getting up, she walked to the folder the hotel had left in her room. She found the room service options and began to scan. She was in the mood for a simple burger, and to her luck, the hotel didn't offer any basic burgers. Just fancy fare that would not satisfy the craving she felt.

Sighing, Lizzie realized she would have to leave her room. She went into the bathroom and got rid of her raccoon-makeup eyes. Just as she was finishing brushing her hair, she heard her phone ring. Picking it up, her heart stopped when she saw the caller—Darcy.

Taking a deep breath, she answered. "Hello."

"Hey, how's it going?" He sounded cheerful. Lizzie had been expecting him to be mad.

"Umm, okay. Why?"

"Just wondering."

"Yeah," said Lizzie, feeling slightly awkward because she didn't know what to say, "I was just about to head out," she said grabbing her purse with her free hand and heading to the door.

"Good. Guess I have perfect timing."

"Why?" said Lizzie and she opened the door…to see Darcy.

"Because I was coming to see you," he said into the phone before hanging up. Lizzie followed suit with her phone and she stared at him, confused.

"I didn't like the way we left things today," he explained, "I figured you were here…so, I took the liberty of coming up."

"Wow," said Lizzie smiling at him, "Impressive, maybe slightly creepy."

"Not really, considering I just saw you today."

"Sure," said Lizzie, "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"First, where were you going?"

"Oh, just around," said Lizzie, hoping her stomach wouldn't give her away.

Darcy studied her, "Are you hungry by any chance? Want to get some food?"

"How did you know?" said Lizzie surprised.

"Took a shot in the dark," he said, shrugging.

"Fine. But only if its burgers," said Lizzie, "And I mean a good burger. Not these vegan monstrosities they have here."

"Sure thing."

When they reached his car, Lizzie had to stop herself from smiling stupidly when Darcy opened her door for her. Chivalry was alive and Lizzie was loving every minute of it.

They drove a little ways before Darcy pulled into a fast food place and Lizzie squealed with delight. "Yes! Some cheap, awesome burgers," she said fondly, "Thank you so much."

"No problem, do you mind if we go through the drive through?"

"Not at all."

They ordered, and just as Lizzie was reaching into her wallet, Darcy made her put it away. Embarrassed slightly, Lizzie felt her cheeks redden and she tried to catch her reflection in his rearview mirror without him noticing.

After they got their food, Lizzie was expecting him to go back to the resort but Darcy turned a different direction.

"Where are we going?"

"Do you mind if we make a stop? It's got a great view."

"Sure," said Lizzie happily, as her stomach soared with anticipation. She tried hard to not show it on her face while also trying to read his face. He gave no clues. He seemed as calm as rain.

Darcy drove them up a hill and the roads zig zagged back and forth until they were near the top of a small mountain. Finally, Darcy turned into a pull off and there he parked, and got out with his food. Lizzie followed suit and looked down on a beautiful view. It was already dark so the city's lights were bright, giving it a gorgeous glow.

"This is amazing," said Lizzie, "Where do we sit?"

"On the car," said Darcy as though it was obvious and he slid right onto the hood.

"Okay," said Lizzie unsure of it a little but was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable the whole thing felt.

"So," said Darcy taking a bite of his burger, "I wanted a chance to talk to you without interruptions. This seemed like a good spot."

"Yeah," said Lizzie, "I wanted to talk to you too. I didn't have a good chance at the house. I'm so sorry, Darcy."

"Sorry," said Darcy looking confused, "What do you have to be sorry about?"

"Uh, Wickham."

"That's not your fault, Lizzie."

"Yes, it is. I was warned and yet, I dated him anyways. Plus, I feel awful about Georgie. We hit it off so well, but now she must hate me," said Lizzie gloomily.

"What? Why would you say that?"

"Because of…well…I dated Wickham."

"So?"

"That makes things awkward," said Lizzie, munching on her fries.

"It did in the moment, but believe me," said Darcy taking a big drink, "Georgie doesn't hate you. In fact, she asked me to ask you to hang out tomorrow. She wants to take you horseback riding."

"Really?" said Lizzie shocked.

"Why is that surprising? You guys hit it off."

"I just thought…I don't know. I thought her knowing would make things weird between us. Plus, she doesn't even know everything. I found myself wishing today that I could tell her the whole story."

"Your wish has been granted," said Darcy, "I told her everything today after you guys left."

"Everything?" questioned Lizzie, "Like everything?" Lizzie was referring mostly to their relationship, but she also wondered if Darcy had talked about their entire history.

"Everything," said Darcy, "From the moment I got to Chicago."

"That makes things easier," said Lizzie.

"Truth be told, Lizzie. Georgie is the last person to be upset with you about Wickham. In fact, she is the most sympathetic," said Darcy, "She understands more than anyone about being deceived by him."

"I guess she would."

"So, no reason to feel weird around Georgie," he said, "And you're coming tomorrow!"

"I guess so," said Lizzie, feeling a swoop in her stomach as Darcy smiled at her.

They talked for a long time and Lizzie noticed herself leaning further and further back onto the car. Darcy did so as well. Before Lizzie knew it, they were both laying back on the car looking at the stars. It was a wonderful, freeing feeling and Lizzie hadn't felt as happy in a long time.

"So," she said, nudging Darcy's arm, which was much closer to her than before, "I have a serious question I want to ask you."

"Okay."

"Why didn't you become a lawyer?"

Darcy laughed and sighed, "I grew up thinking I was going to be a lawyer. I was in high school and already applying to colleges before I changed my mind."

"What made you change it?"

Darcy was quiet for a moment. "My dad."

"Really?" Lizzie was shocked. She hadn't been expecting that.

"Yeah, one night he took me out to dinner. He began telling his life story, which I thought I knew. He talked about how his father had been a farmer, and how he didn't want to do that, but he was afraid to tell his father. Finally, one day he told him. My grandfather was thrilled my dad wanted to go to law school."

"Good parents want their kids to pursue their dreams," said Lizzie.

"Yes. My dad wanted me to know…I didn't have to be lawyer simply because everyone in my family was. I could be whatever I wanted to be. That dinner freaked me out. I had always thought I was going to be lawyer. I hadn't considered anything else."

"Really? Nothing?"

"Never," said Darcy firmly.

"So, how did you decide?"

"I was on a field trip. One of the science field trips was to visit the morgue."

"That's quite the field trip," said Lizzie, "But I guess, practical for high school."

"Anyways," said Darcy laughing slightly, "Somehow, we were granted special permission to watch a surgery for twenty minutes. I was in awe. I thought it was the most incredible thing I had ever seen. And right then and there. I decided I was going to be surgeon."

"That's so awesome! It's amazing that your dad was so supportive," said Lizzie, feeling slightly envious.

"Not everyone in my family liked it," said Darcy, "My aunt Katherine practically threw a fit when I told her."

"Why would it matter to her?" asked Lizzie, picturing Katherine De Bourg in a rage. It wasn't hard to picture.

"She and my dad had planned on me taking over the firm," explained Darcy, "When I decided to go to medical school, that plan went out the window."

"Hmm," said Lizzie, "My family was thrilled when I decided to go to college. That's an accomplishment for me when I'm compared to my cousins."

"What made you decide to be a nurse?"

Lizzie for the first time felt awkward, and she sat up. Darcy, sensing he had asked the wrong thing, sat up quickly as well. "What's wrong? What did I say?"

"Nothing," said Lizzie shaking her head, "It's just…my reason isn't amazing. I didn't have a moment like yours where I knew exactly what I wanted to do, simply because it was my dream."

"Okay," said Darcy, not understanding the problem.

"Well, I know you probably won't understand this…but I became a nurse…because it pays well," said Lizzie, embarrassed and unable to reach Darcy's eyes.

"Why is that embarrassing?"

"Well…you have money…and you did something because you had the passion for it. Instead of just doing something because it pays well."

"You have a passion for medicine," said Darcy firmly, "I've seen it."

"I do," said Lizzie, "I'm lucky. Because I ended up loving what I do, versus just doing it for the paycheck."

Darcy cleared his throat, "Can I ask a personal question?"

"Sure."

"Are you still in debt? I know you had some after college."

"No," said Lizzie, "I'm out of debt now. It didn't take me long with my job, especially with the frugal habits I had from growing up."

Darcy nodded and he laid back down on the car, "I'm spoiled. I've never had to worry about money."

An awkward silence followed. Lizzie truly didn't know what to say to that. She would never know what that was like. Having so much money that you never had to worry again. She couldn't even wrap her mind around that.

Suddenly Darcy let out an annoyed sound, and Lizzie turned to him confused.

"What's wrong?"

"I hate money." There was silence for a moment before Lizzie burst into uncontrollable laughter. Darcy watched her, confused, but Lizzie literally couldn't stop laughing as she laid back down on the car.

"I'm sorry," she said in-between her laughs, "It's just…that was the last thing I expected you to say."

Darcy grinned and within seconds, he was laughing right alongside her. After they finished laughing, Lizzie asked him, "Why do you hate money?"

"I guess I don't hate money, I just hate talking about money. People always feel weird around me. And I can tell you were weirded out the minute I was honest that I've never had to worry about it," he said, looking slightly dejected, "There seems to only be two responses when it comes to people knowing about my money. One-they love me for the money. Two, they hate me because of it."

"I don't hate you," said Lizzie quickly, "I don't."

He turned to her, looking surprised, and Lizzie realized what she had just said out loud. She didn't hate him. She used to…but now she didn't. In fact, she was pretty sure that her feelings were…quite different.

Darcy was watching her closely, and suddenly, he reached for her hand. Lizzie jumped slightly.

"Do you mind?" he asked looking at the stars.

"No," said Lizzie quickly. She hoped her hand wasn't too sweaty or dry. Thank goodness she had put lotion on.

Darcy didn't say anything else. He was just staring up at the stars. Lizzie was in turmoil.

He was holding her hand! Why was he holding her hand? What did this mean? Why wasn't he saying anything?

Lizzie looked down at his hand. It was warm and firm. And despite her questions raising through her brain, Lizzie knew one thing. She liked it. She loved the feeling of his skin on hers.

He was holding her hand! She liked it! What did this mean? What was he thinking?

Darcy's phone rang breaking up the silence and Lizzie was actually thankful for the interruption. As soon as Darcy released her hand, she wiped it on her shirt hoping he didn't notice. She realized quickly it was Charles on the other end and he was asking if Darcy could help him with something. Darcy agreed and hung up, and another awkward moment came.

"Um," he began, "So I need to head back."

"Yeah," said Lizzie, getting up and off the car quickly, avoiding his gaze, "No problem. I should probably be getting back as well."

They rode back in silence but Lizzie's brain was anything but silent. She liked him. There was no denying that. All too soon, Darcy pulled up to her resort and when he stopped, Lizzie was at a complete loss as to what to do. They had had a moment back there or…was it her imagination?

Not wanting to make things weird she said, "I should get going," and she opened her door to get out. Right before she stood up, she felt him grab her arm.

Turning back to him and closing the door, she gulped, "Yeah?"

"Lizzie?" he said, looking nervous and he leaned over. Lizzie's breath vanished as she felt his lips meet hers.

Gone were any questions. Gone was any doubt as to how she felt about him. This kiss. This kiss was unlike anything she had ever felt. She had kissed other guys, but no kiss had ever felt this genuine and loving. Lizzie's whole body was warmed with his touch.

He pulled away after a moment and Lizzie met his eyes. His questioning eyes. He was still unsure. Lizzie decided she would erase that doubt for him as well. Closing her eyes, Lizzie kissed him.

This kiss was slightly more adventures than the last one, and Darcy's hand ended up in her hair somehow. They continued like this for a moment before a car honked behind them, splitting them apart. They were in the entrance unloading after all.

Slightly out of breath, Lizzie looked at Darcy who looked embarrassed as well.

"I should go," said Lizzie, once again opening her door.

"Lizzie," he said laughing, "Wait."

"Yeah?"

"I'll be here tomorrow morning at 8 to pick you up, if that's okay?" he asked, smiling and rubbing her hand. She looked deep into his eyes and she knew, she would never sleep tonight. She would be up all night. Waiting. Waiting for him to pick her up.

"I'll be waiting," she whispered. Then, she got up and left the car.