The flight back to the tour was not long enough to Will's taste. His mind was distracted. What was he to do with Lizzie ? Should he behave with her like nothing happened ? Should he not talk to her ? That would seem strange to the others, they could suspect something. He frowned. One way or another, this was going to be awkward. She had made it clear she hated him. The word still made him wince. It was a bit strong. So, she must be looking for space. He could give her that. Besides, he had nothing more to say to her. Thank God, according to the latest doctor who had examined Charles, his wrist was almost healed. And the tour was nearly over. His exposure to Lizzie was very soon going to decrease dramatically. Will just hopped Caroline had gone back to New York while he was gone. Please. The car that picked him up from the airport made a quick stop at the hotel, and then drove him to the arena were Pemberley and The Meryton Assembly were to perform that night. It was already late in the afternoon, and all the other musicians of the bands were there. Will wanted to rehearse before the gig. He needed it to change his state of mind. He couldn't take the stage in his current mood. While his heart craved to see Lizzie again, his mind rationalised that his presence would surely be a nuisance for her, and so hiding in a mouse hole for the rest of his life may be the best option. That made for an odd mixture of feelings.
Unfortunately, his prayers were unheard, for Bingley's beautiful and leggy sister was the first person he saw when he entered the arena. Had she been cooling her heels behind the doors ?
- Hi, Will ! she purred. How was your break ? How is dear Georgiana ? Is she still playing the piano ? I'm sure you were able to give her so much precious advice during the last two days.
Her arm snaked around his as she fell into step by his side. He was feeling his headache coming back. Did the universe actually have something against him ?
- Hello, Caroline, he greeted her with a sigh he hoped he retained well. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I can't play the piano, and neither can Georgiana.
For a moment, Caroline's expression was confused. She was sure the girl had something to do with music, too. Her round empty eyes pushed Darcy to enlighten her.
- She's been playing the violin since she was 4.
Caroline's mouth transformed from its previous O shape to a satisfied smile. She knew she had been right. An instrument or another, boring detail.
- Anyway, how has your trip been ? I want to hear it all !
Despite her claim, she started talking, leaving him not one second to utter a word. Not that he intended to tell Caroline anything, anyway. What could he possibly say ? « Great, I've been hating myself and the girl I can't get out of my head in turns. How about you ? Any self-loathing of your own recently ? ». Despite himself, the corner of his mouth turned up a little. No, Caroline Bingley was not prone to self-hatred. Right now, her nattering was particularly unwelcome, he needed to silence her.
- As much as I'd like to hear about your week end, I have to get ready for the concert. Excuse me.
And with that, he untangled his arm from hers, and took the first corridor on his right, no matter where it led. The small amount of self hate this behaviour brought to him only blended to the already existing quantity.
Had she been Lydia Bennet, Caroline would have stamped her feet. She had been planning this for the last two days, and he got away before she could say a thing ! She should have blurted out that Lizzie slept with Richard instead of trying to make it pop naturally in the conversation. Damn her tact. She crossed her arms on her chest. How was she going to bring the subject to his ears now ? And more importantly : when ?
Darcy had been haunting the arena for a good ten minutes in search of the room where the instruments were stored. This place was huge. He took another turn in the corridor, and finally reached the scene where a small group was gathering. Mrs Reynolds, coming out of the control room, was slowly walking towards the scene, talking with another women. Both were wearing concerned expression when they crossed path with Jane, Charles, and Lizzie.
- Mrs Gardiner ! Jane exclaimed, how lovely to see you !
The Meryton Assembly's manager smiled fondly at the singer and hugged her. She then turned to Lizzie and greeted her in the same way.
- Not really Jane, you know that if I make an appearance, it means something is wrong. How are you both doing ?
Mrs Gardiner had been the band's manager since their beginnings, when they were still rehearsing in the Lucas' garage in between classes. They had developed a strong bond. The way the corners of Mrs Reynold's mouth stretched didn't bid well. After greeting everybody and shaking the hand of the unknown lady who was apparently working with his manager, Will gestured for Mrs Reynolds to begin.
- We have a technical problem, she glanced at her clipboard and announced with some specific terms that the light and sound were screwed.
As soon as they grasped all the implications, every pair of eyes went to Darcy, awaiting for his decision. As always, he was in charge. He took a moment to think through all the aspects of the problem, his intense blue stare fixed on his manager, who didn't bat an eyelid. Years of working with him had left her unaffected by his raw stares. His body was very still, perfectly calm as he went through all the options. Yet inside, he was boiling. Fuck. He reached the one conclusion he didn't like. Fuck fuck.
- We have to cancel tonight's show, he announced.
Mrs Reynolds nodded her approval. She had come to the same conclusion too, and had already taken some measures.
- Will everything be fixed for tomorrow night ? he roughly asked.
- We have already asked for some extra technicians to come and work on the problem. The stage should be up and running tomorrow night, Mrs R answered after looking at her papers.
- Hire as many as necessary, Will replied with a wave of the hand, we must perform tomorrow night. It should have been our last night here according to the travel plan, then we had one night free.
Mrs Reynolds nodded again. Will then turned to Charles and the girls.
- Would you be ok to play here one more night ? That means 5 gigs in a row and travel by bus during one day. It's going to be tiring.
Everybody accepted. Not a single soul would dare contradict him when he talked in that tone.
- I'm going to find Charlotte, Richard and Maria and ask them. I need everybody to agree on this.
He turned to Mrs Reynolds again.
- Add up some bonus for the crew. They are going to have extra work, they deserve good money in return. Do you want me to talk to them ? he asked his manager who shook her head while taking notes. And make sure we can extend our stay in the hotel we're staying now.
Abruptly, he turned and walked away. After a few steps, he shouted over his shoulder :
- Mrs Reynolds ! The usual, for the audience. Thank you.
- Of course, Will.
Even though she didn't like his almighty attitude, Lizzie had to admit that he was quick to take the right decisions, and thoughtful in his own way. His legitimacy and authority were unquestionable. And sexy. Stop that. The relief she had felt when she saw him appear near the stage was stronger than what she had anticipated. All day, her tension had grown until she thought he would avoid her so much as to miss a Pemberley gig. That was ridiculous of course, she was not that important. Now, she only needed to find a moment to say her piece. A good thing tonight's concert was cancelled, she may be able to steal a few minutes of his time to express her remorse.
She turned to Mrs Reynolds to stop her mind from wandering, that is, following his butt heading to the dressing rooms with the rest of his very hot person. This strange attraction really needed to be put under control.
- What did he mean by « the usual for the audience » ? she asked.
- Darcy set up a protocol for this kind of scenario. Everyone who has a ticket for tonight's show will have two options : refund or coming for another date at no extra cost. Accommodation expenses, if there are, will be fully refunded. If some are needed for the second date, it will be taken care of, the manager explained, her eyes on her paper as she was taking some notes.
She then lifted her head and smiled at Lizzie.
- They paid for something, it shouldn't cost them more because of some technical difficulties that are our problem.
- Pemberley policy, Charles summarized. The guy has a protocol for every situation, he chuckled.
- That explains Pemberley's good reputation in the industry, Mrs Gardiner said, also taking notes on her notebook. The road plan won't be affected, which is always a good thing. Things should go on smoothly from there on. Until the next problem, she winked at Mrs. Reynolds, who grinned.
Both women turned around and walked towards the control room again. Mrs Gardiner had her phone to her ear, while Mrs Reynolds was calling a technician who was walking nearby. Realization suddenly dawned on Lizzie.
- Mrs Reynolds ! she called after her.
The manager turned around.
- What can I do for you, dear ? she asked in that motherly way of hers.
- Does Pemberley also have a protocol to cover the costs of staff drinks ? she asked even though she now suspected what the answer would be. Every time I tried to pay for the drinks I took in hotel bars, the bills were already taken care of.
- That also includes food, Mrs Reynolds nodded. Darcy didn't feel it was right that the staff should spent part of their wages on that, especially since the prices in the hotels we are staying in are quite high. We are captive consumers in those places, so he wanted to assume the cost. And it's a win-win move. Darcy pays cash, it opens a lot of luxurious hotels' doors anytime he wants, she added with a smirk, proud of her musician, for both his generosity and smart thinking. Anything else ?
After Lizzie shook her head, she turned back to talking to the light technician. Lizzie watched Darcy's retreating form. His way of handling things was clever and generous. This time, she let her mind accompany him, not only his rear, but himself, trying to break the wall of prejudice she had built around him.
Once more, Darcy wondered what it would feel like to kick something out of frustration. He had never done that. He had hit his cousin when they were kids, but he had never passed his nerves on objects. The angrier he was, the calmer he looked. Maybe Richard was right, and keeping all this inside was no good. He sighed and raked his hand through his hair. That was his personality, he supposed. Charlotte and her sister were flipping through the pages of some magazines in a dressing room when Darcy found them. She was still waiting for Richard to talk to her, like Lizzie had said he needed to, the day before. An explanation on why he had been avoiding her wouldn't be a luxury. His behaviour still puzzled her, all the more so now that she knew he had not had sex with Lizzie or with that blonde girl. If he had a problem, she would have liked him to share it with her. They were close. Or so she had thought. Resentment slowly started to built.
- Do you know where I can find Richard ? Will asked, after they agreed on the new plan.
- Nope, Charlotte answered briefly, staring hard at him.
Hum. That was strange. Although not glued together, Charlotte and Richard were usually not far from one another. Oh no, that stank. Darcy blew out a breath and left in search of his cousin. He ran his hand over the back of his neck. Great, now he was pissed and worried. Did Richard and Charlotte stop their… thing ? Was it going to turn sour ? Holly fuck, he could only hope the situation would be stable until the end of the tour. Pemberley's reputation wouldn't survive if they needed a fourth opening act. He wasn't event sure they would find one. He shook his head. He knew he should have talked to Richard, asked him to do only fans, set a « no colleague » policy, in addition to the « no tech touching » rule. But was there really a way of stopping Richard when he wanted something ? He may look nonchalant, but he was a real bulldozer when his mind was set on something. His nostrils flared. The drummer was in yet another dressing room. Just how many were there in this arena ? He was sitting on a chair, his fore-arms on his knees, head bend down, his right leg drumming on the ground. This was no good. Richard glanced up at the sound of the door closing.
- Tonight is cancelled. Technical problem. We'll play an additional date tomorrow. Is that good for you ? Darcy asked.
- Sure, Richard said in a small voice.
This was worse than Will thought. He took a seat opposite Richard.
- What's going on ? he tried, even though Richard would at best deny anything was amiss.
His cousin only shook his head slowly.
- Come on, I have no patience for this, Will hissed. Is it Charlotte ?
Richard's head jerked up.
- Did she say anything ?
So, this was the weak spot. Let's scratch.
- As it happens, no, she didn't.
Richard blew a breath, apparently relieved.
- That's what makes me wonder, Will finished. Something happened. Did the two of you fight ?
Richard's leg drummed some more on the floor, then abruptly stopped.
- No, we didn't, an uncharacteristic bitter smile appeared on his face. Don't worry about your tour, I'm a professional, everything's going to be ok.
His head turned downwards again. That was it. Will punched him on the shoulder. Richard watched him in astonishment as he massaged his limb.
- What the fuck ?
- Oh come on, it wasn't that hard, an exasperated Will barked. I don't give a shit about this tour, I care about you. If you want to stop, we stop. If you want me to fire them, just say the word.
Darcy was staring intensely at him.
- I… Richard started, still rubbing his shoulder. I can't…. no …. I mean, no don't fire them, they're good. Besides, I…
Darcy's blue eyes were still on his cousin, his concern growing. Never had he seen Richard thus. He was always the casual guy, the funny dude who took everything lightly. Richard chuckled and took his face in his hands.
- Oh fuck, Darcy could hear between his fingers, this is ridiculous.
His hands dropped and he looked Will in the eye.
- You can't fire them because I can't be without her.
Slowly, Darcy leaned against the back of his chair. This was worse than what he had expected. This was..
- A catastrophe, Richard finished his thought.
- Does she know ?
- No ! he exclaimed. No, I…
- Just walked away ? it was Darcy's turn to complete his sentence.
- What else was I suppose to do ? Richard snapped, palms up.
This was a defence and a question at once. He was absolutely lost. Will raked both hands through his hair. Shit. He made a mental note to hire only all-male bands in the future.
- I have not the slightest idea. Write a song ? he added after a pause.
Richard's eyes were throwing daggers at him, all his body was shaking with fury.
- Fuck you ! his deep voice thundered. Do you really think this is the time for jokes ?
- Yes, a deadpan Darcy replied.
They glared at each other in tensed silence for a few seconds, then, both started laughing. It felt good to release the tension, even if it didn't bring any solution to the problem at hand.
- Man, I'm completely fucked, Richard summed up, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.
- You need a bro night, Darcy said.
- What ? With Charles ? he snorted. So he can rub his happiness in my face all night long ? I don't need happily in love. I need sad, despicable and depressed.
- So, you just need me ? Darcy asked with a smirk.
Richard chuckled again.
- Exactly.
Darcy clapped him on the shoulder, and both got up and exited the dressing room.
Charles, being the good guy he was, joined them on their crusade to cheer Richard up. His only reaction, when Darcy wrapped up the situation, was a long whistle and lifting his beer to Richard before silently drowning it and screaming « Vodka ! » to the bartender. As he understood it, they were in need of something stronger than beer. The three of them were completely wasted, early the next morning, when they got back their hotel. No one provided any solution, but that wasn't the point of the night.
