Chapter Seven: Script Kiddie

She woke up in soft, unfamiliar surroundings. Sighed contently before lazily sitting up. It came back to her then, the events of the previous night. Jane getting pissed, Darcy helping her cover it up, the excruciating evening spent in the company of Charlie's friends. She cringed just thinking about it. Fucking Darcy. She pulled the covers off slowly, standing up from the bed and stretching, letting out a deep yawn. Looked at the clock and saw that it was early, just gone 6. Hopefully, she could sneak some breakfast and slip into Jane's room before facing anybody. Pulled on yesterday's jeans to go with her tank top and snuck out of the room as quietly as a mouse. Made her way down the corridor, God this hotel suite was massive, before hearing a muffled voice. As she entered the main area, she saw Darcy's back, already dressed crisply with a phone pressed to his ear.

"No, it's no problem but I may need you in London next week is all…" he was saying. A floorboard creaked underneath her tread, and he span around to face her. His expression went from surprise to its normal mask in a matter of milliseconds. "Look, I'll speak to you later. Charlie is very keen to meet you."

He hung up, eyes still on her. She held his gaze for a moment before moving towards the table.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said, eyes seeking out food.

"No problem. A potential contact for Charlie."

"The recruiting not going so well then?" she attempted to make conversation as she helped herself to a bowl of cereal.

"It's a long process," he said, turning his back to her. "Everything has to be right, and I feel a certain responsibility to make sure he's set up properly."

"He's a big boy, Darcy," she said, moving to sit opposite him.

He surprised her by laughing softly.

"I know, I know. I'm probably being a little overbearing. It is hard to walk away from the game, but I am beginning to realise it's even harder to walk away from my friends."

Lizzy masked her shock at him talking so openly and emotionally. It was almost like he was a real and pleasant human being.

"So, why walk away then?" she asked idly, and she knew as soon as she said it that she had made a mistake. His expression turned back to icy indifference and he broke her gaze.

"That is my business," he said, opening his paper and hiding behind it.

So much for pleasant.

She finished her breakfast in silence only broken by the rustling of Darcy's newspaper. Caroline emerged after a while, nodding a greeting as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. Darcy didn't acknowledge her and she saw the way Caroline glanced at him before switching on the TV, a tension palpable. Evidently not morning people. Eventually, she made her excuses and went to check on Jane, hoping to find her sister awake and ready to get out of this nightmare. As she approached Jane's door, she heard the unmistakable sound of Charlie's laughter from behind it. Opened the door to find him sitting close to the bed and Jane sat up giggling away.

"Lizzy!" Charlie greeted her as he saw her enter. "Jane was just telling me about yours and Darcy's deception! Sickness bug indeed…"

"Sorry Lizzy, you know I'm an awful liar," Jane said, pink in the face. Lizzy bit back the retort that Jane was in fact an outstanding liar, she lied for a living for fuck sake….

"You told him?" she chuckled. "Sorry Charlie, Jane was quite embarrassed see…."

"Lizzy!" Jane admonished, hiding her head in her hands.

"Oh don't be ridiculous Jane," Charlie pulled her hands away from her face, Lizzy noticed how the contact lingered. "None of us here are in any position to judge about getting a little bit drunk! I've had many embarrassing moments, shit even Darcy has had his fair share."

"Darcy?" Lizzy said sceptically. Couldn't imagine that man ever having any form of fun.

"Oh yes," Charlie nodded amusedly. "Back in the day, Darcy was quite the wild child, before I met him though. Occasionally Richard has a few glasses of wine and tells some very surprising tales indeed. And that's not to mention the stories George used to tell…"

Charlie stopped himself, and Lizzy could tell that he'd let something slip that he shouldn't. So George and Darcy had been friends once, that much was becoming evident. And Darcy, a wild child? Before she could follow up, Charlie had engaged Jane in conversation again. She moved to sit on the other side of the bed and whiled away some time chatting to the two of them, it was either third wheel with them or talk to Darcy, it was a no-brainer. It turned out that Charlie had fallen asleep on the chair in Jane's room the night before and stayed there all night. Lizzy pointed out that that was slightly creepy and Charlie agreed with a laugh, stressing it was not his intention. He couldn't keep his eyes off Jane, even with her makeup-free face and morning hair, and it was apparent that he was quite infatuated. Lizzy smiled softly at the two of them together, before awakening from her enjoyment by the worst of all sounds.

Frances.

"Jane dear!" she was shouting from behind the door "Jane?"

Jane looked at her in horror. Oh God, could it get any worse?

"Calm down mother!" she heard Lydia screech.

Yes. Yes it could.

Jane quickly got dressed as Lizzy and Charlie went out to meet Frances. Lizzy groaned in embarrassment as she saw Frances walking around the suite with Caroline, exclaiming at the cost of it all. It should have been comical, normally Lizzy wouldn't give a shit what some posh snobs thought of her associates, but she just felt bad for Jane. Here was Frances, crowing about how lucky her 'daughter' was in front of Charlie's friends, with no thought for tact or propriety.

"What are you doing here Frances?" Lizzy grabbed her arm to announce her presence, leading her to the sofa where Lydia was lounging like she owned the place. Did feel a slight wave of amusement at the sight of Lydia so totally uninterested in her surroundings, as if she was here every day. But the look on Darcy's and Caroline's faces was enough to quell such feelings and make her squirm.

"I came to check on darling Jane of course!" Frances sat down. "When Lydia told me she was so unwell, I just had to rush over to check on the poor dear."

Lydia shot Lizzy a smirk. That bitch. She knew exactly what she was doing. This was the problem with Lydia, everything and everybody around her was just there to amuse her. She was the centre of the universe in her mind, nothing had a consequence or ramifications. She scowled back, just causing Lydia to laugh lightly.

"Jane's fine, there was really no need. She'll be out in a minute…"

"Mr Bingley, how nice to see you again!" Frances ignored her. "Such an impressive suite. Must have cost a fortune I expect. You are doing very well for yourself indeed."

"I can't complain," Charlie replied, uneasily. His smile was still present, but it was more forced than she had seen it since his exchange with George in Covent Garden. "And lovely to see you again Mrs Bennet. You too Lydia."

"Sup Charlie boy?" Lydia saluted with a laugh. Lizzy saw Caroline roll her eyes at Darcy, who frowned back.

"Thank you so much for taking care of our Jane," Frances crowed on. "I knew she was in good hands when I heard. Who knows, maybe one day it could be a permanent arrangement…."

Fair play to Charlie, he dealt with it well, smiling and being polite as Lizzy curled up inside. It was excruciating and she kept her gaze firmly away from Caroline and Darcy. She knew she shouldn't feel embarrassed, shouldn't care what these people thought of her, but she couldn't help it. Her uneasiness was soothed when Jane came out of her room looking radiant and Charlie gave her such a blinding smile that the world seemed to stop around them. Of course, Frances was capable of ruining any moment and sprang up to embrace Jane.

"Oh Janey, I've been so worried!" she half sobbed dramatically. "Don't you do that to your poor mother again!"

Lizzy saw Frances give Jane an obvious wink as if to say well done. She was pretty sure that Darcy caught it too, judging by his slight snort.

"Sit down Mother, you'll over-excite yourself." Jane led her back down.

"You see how sweet she is Mr Bingley! Worrying about her poor mother when she has been so ill."

"I'm fine now Mother. You didn't have to come over…"

"I just had to Jane. Besides, I hope you're well enough to attend dinner tonight. Did Lizzy tell you we have a very important guest coming?"

"Yes, she did. What was his name again?"

"Billy Collins," Frances replied, looking around the room as if she was expecting them to be impressed by her calibre of connections. "He works for Catherine De Bourgh, Mr Bingley, a very important man indeed."

"I'm sure he is," Charlie replied, and Lizzy was sure he was holding back a laugh.

"Yes, recently promoted to head of security at Rosings Park no less," Frances nodded importantly. "It's in Vegas you know. He's here on some very vital business for the lady herself."

"Well, I've heard Rosings is an impressive place," Charlie made the effort to humour Frances. "I've never been myself, but Darcy here knows it well."

"Is that so Mr Darcy?" Frances looked at him for the first time, oblivious to his defensive position. It was clear he couldn't stand her. "And how do you find it?"

"It is indeed most impressive," Darcy managed to force out. "Mr Collins must be an important man, Catherine is an old family friend and I know she doesn't suffer fools…"

Everyone else missed it, but Lizzy could have sworn there was the slightest hint of a smirk on his face, and Caroline had turned away as if hiding her laughter. Any embarrassment she had felt was washed away by their rudeness. Yes, Frances was ridiculous, but she was so obviously so that they should surely make allowances.

Lydia was clearly growing bored of all this conversation that didn't involve her, so she chose her moment to speak up.

"Tell you what Charlie, this would be a good spot for a party…" she said with more than a hint of suggestion. Lizzy couldn't help but laugh at the look of horror on Darcy's face, but it soon quelled when he brought his gaze to her. Was he always this fucking intense?

"Sorry," she muttered.

"Yeah you could have a DJ over there, a dance floor here.." Lydia was continuing.

"That's enough, Lydia," Jane said sternly causing her to scowl but fall silent. She was always more inclined to listen to Jane than anyone else.

"I'm not sure about that, but my birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks," Charlie responded good-naturedly. "We've organised a bit of a poker game here with some of our new friends in town, so you're all more than welcome to join us. There'll be another room with drinks and stuff, so yeah. All of you should come!"

"Poker's boring," Lydia pouted, before a glare from Jane caused her to swerve. "But the party bit sounds good…"

"Will you come, Jane?" Charlie asked, the hopefulness in his voice and his puppy dog eyes almost laughable.

"Of course," she blushed. "I won't be playing poker though, Lizzy here's the one who's good at it."

"I'll put your name down Lizzy!" Charlie exclaimed happily, although his eyes were still locked with Jane's. "I think your friend Charlotte is entering as well, I've heard she's quite the talent. Who knows, maybe we'll find someone who can finally beat Darcy here! The buy-in is my shout for all so no need to worry."

Those words would seem patronising coming from anyone else, but Charlie was just so fucking genuine and nice that he could get away with it. If Darcy had said that, Lizzy would have been all sorts of angry. Speaking of, he didn't look too happy with the invitations being distributed. Something he wasn't in control of, Lizzy smirked to herself.

"I'm in." Lizzy nodded, sending Darcy a challenging look. He averted his gaze quickly.

"Excellent, excellent." Charlie clapped his hands.

"Oh Mr Bingley, thank you so much for the invitation!" Frances spoke loudly, "You must all come to dinner tonight as a thank you. You can meet Mr Collins himself!"

Again, it might have been her imagination, but she swore she saw Charlie take a quick glance at Darcy who gave him the barest of shake of the head. Maybe she was being paranoid, but something seemed a little off with it. The three of them, Charlie, Caroline and Darcy seemed to have their own language of the body that they communicated with. She shook herself, she was probably imagining things. Charlie, however, did decline the invitation, saying something about an unavoidable business meeting. Lizzy knew it was time to get out of there before Frances and Lydia inflicted any more damage.

"Shall we get going then?" Lizzy asked Frances and her sisters.

"Um… I think Charlie and I were going to go out for some lunch…" Jane blushed, causing Lizzy to grin.

"Of course, you two lovebirds go and enjoy yourself!" Frances stood up quickly, ushering Lizzy and Lydia towards the door. Lizzy rolled her eyes again and caught the frown on Caroline's face.

"Thank you for your hospitality Charlie," Lizzy called back. "And for your company Caroline, Darcy. Say goodbye to Hurst and Louisa for me."

Darcy moved to open the door for them, allowing Frances and Lydia to leave. For some reason, Lizzy paused at the door and looked at him, into those enigmatic grey eyes for a moment.

"It's no problem, see you soon," Darcy said stoically and she brushed against him slightly as she exited, causing a shock to run through her at the contact. "Goodbye Elizabeth, Ms Bennet, Mrs Bennet," he said and the door was shut.

"Oh, our Jane is doing very well indeed…." Frances harped on as they made their way to the lift.

"…..So, of course, that's when I got the idea for PathSafe, it was quite the moment of genius if I say so myself. A system that covers everything, from roulette to blackjack to the slots. All under a single umbrella if you will. I thank God every day for the moment the great Lady Catherine came into my life. She saw my potential straight away, saw the talent of my programming. Of course, I was still a young man, still a little green much like your sweet, sweet daughters are now I imagine. Still with only half a mind on legitimate business, I am my father's son after all! But that's what set me apart from the others, the willingness to learn and leave the rest behind me. That's where her Ladyship did me the greatest honour. She said, look, I like your system, I think it could be a revolutionary thing, but without the right backing and attitude, you will go nowhere. She offered me a spot on the Rosings security team straight away, in exchange for my invention. A remarkably generous offer. Some snide and jealous people have said that she ripped me off, but I ask how many of them have been inducted into the golden circle as I like to call it? How many of them have had the honour of observing the most successful casino in the world and the greatest businesswoman alive on a day-to-day basis? And my nouse and patience have paid off friends! I now hold the title of head of security at Rosings, reporting directly to her Ladyship daily. She is a remarkable woman and one whose character cannot be besmirched. And of course, it has all led me to this happy occasion, meeting the man my father told so much about and his family. I hope one day that we will come to see each other as not just the greatest of friends, but also as family itself…"

Oh fucking hell, he was so boring, Lizzy groaned inwardly, taking a big sip from her merlot. Billy Collins had been everything she had feared he would be. Stuck up, pompous, superior, dangerously thick she thought, maybe even socially inept. She glanced at Tommo across the table who had a glint in his eye, most amused by the man opposite him.

"You honour us, Mr Collins, with such presumptions…" he twinkled, a backward compliment if Lizzy had ever heard one, not that Collins was going to pick up on it.

"Lovely Mr Collins, just lovely!" Frances squealed, she had taken to him immediately, obviously.

"Please, please, call me Billy." Collins raised his glass. God, he actually thought he sounded like James Bond. She nudged Lydia with her thigh under the table, who smirked back.

"To Billy boy!" Lydia cried dramatically, choking on her own laughter. Frances shot her a disapproving look, but everyone raised their glass and clinked them. Even Jane was struggling to keep it together, and she could normally keep stoic through the very worst of things. Collins looked extremely pleased with himself, the sweat dripping from his receding hair. They'd had soup for a starter and Lizzy could see the remnants and stains pockmarking his shirt.

She was being harsh, she knew that. He was a bit of a prick, but a mostly harmless one. And he had undoubtedly done very well for himself, Rosings Park was one of the premier Vegas casinos. However, the next turn of conversation sent shivers through her spine.

"Oh, I hope one day to see my girls settled with such a patron as your Lady Catherine, Billy." Frances crowed.

"There are no such patrons around, Frances!" Billy exclaimed. "Her ladyship is the most giving and generous human being I know! Considering the importance of her position, it is quite a remarkable thing. However, I may be able to help in a small way. You see, with my new position has come certain perks, one of which is that I hire my own staff, and I need a new PA. Of course, it would be hard work, and undoubtedly your girls lack many of the required skills and manners being short con players and thieves, but with a bit of polish, I believe I can pull some strings. I am moved to help those unfortunate enough to still be in the game, help them to put it in the past much like I did myself, as well as repaying you, Mr Bennet, for the kindness my father always said you showed him, God rest his soul. It would be eldest first of course…"

He leered slightly at Jane, causing Lizzy to change that harmless assessment, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Frances looked uneasily between them, obviously weighing up the pros and cons. Jane was being shown attention by Charles Bingley, a more exciting and wealthy man, so her decision was a quick one.

"Well, Billy, you see, Jane is about to be set up with a certain Mr Bingley's crew, so her future is secure with him."

Lizzy could see Jane was about to argue the point, in no way did she expect to be recruited by Charlie, she wasn't in it for that anymore. Lizzy caught her eye and shook her head, it was a get-out-of-jail-free card for her, just accept Frances' ridiculousness for now. As she was doing this, Lizzy realised that she was literally leaping in front of the bullet…..

"But my Lizzy here could be a viable option! She has all the skills needed and it's high time she moved up in the world."

Lizzy winced at the words, more than ready to argue back. However, this time it was Tommo's turn to shake his head with a smile as if to again say it's not worth it. She didn't want to alienate Frances completely and she could go along with this for a bit. But she would not encourage it, she wouldn't go anywhere with this man. And PA? Are you fucking kidding? She had no intention of leaving the game behind, indeed she was only just getting started.

"Sweet Elizabeth eh?" Collins smiled. It was creepy. "Yes, yes, that could work indeed…"

"Yeah, I think you'd be well good at that Lizzy…" Lydia piped up with that smirk. Lizzy trod on her foot under the table.

"Hey!"

"Enough about work eh Billy?" Tommo raised his voice. "Plenty of time for that later. What say you tell us more about this Lady Catherine…."

And so it went on and on and on and on and on.

And on.