Page 60 of First Impressions
His look made her think that she had something to do with his decision to allow only certain companies - hers being one of them, into his home. Her gaze rested on him, waiting for him to look her way again when her phone began to buzz with an incoming call.Jane, again.She silenced the call butwhen she opened her phone to put it on ‘Do Not Disturb,’ she saw that Jane had tried to call her seven times in the past ten minutes and had sent her one text message.
It’s an emergency.
What?Her heart began to race as she set her napkin on the table.
“I’m s-sorry. I just need to make a phone call, if you will excuse me,” she stuttered as she stood up from the table, meeting Darcy’s concerned gaze for a brief second before she walked out of the room and back out onto the patio.
Her hands shook as she tapped the screen to call Jane back, hoping that Darcy couldn’t see her out of the dining room windows.
“Beth, thank God,” Jane answered, her voice distraught and unsteady.
“Jane, what’s going on? Is everyone ok?”
“No, no.” Beth could hear that her sister was crying now, but trying to keep her voice calm so she could still relay the information to her. “It’s Lydia. She’s gone. She ran away.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“What?!What do you mean she ran away? Why? Where did she go?” She demanded, completely confused as to how such a thing could happen.
“It’s not just that she ran away. She’s pregnant, Beth; and George is the father.”
“Oh my God, not George.”That fucking asshole.Beth felt the blood rush from her head as she grabbed ahold of the banister to steady herself, lowering herself to the ground to sit against the patio railing. “Does mom know? Where is she going?”
“I don’t know where she is going. She sent me an email fifteen minutes ago, telling me that she is pregnant and going to either convince George to marry her or she is going to run away. I think Kat and I are the only ones who know.”
“God, Lydia. How did this happen?”
“I’m not completely sure.” Beth heard her sister pause to blow her nose; she’d never heard Jane so upset. “M-mom is going to be devastated. I called Kat to see if she knew anything; all she could tell me is that Lydia has been sneaking out at night a lot lately to see George and then coming back home before dawn. How could she do this, Beth?”
“Because she doesn’t think about anyone but herself. Is George going to marry her?”Dumb question.Beth already knew the answer to that, even if Jane didn’t, “I can’t see that happening. She knows nothing about him or what he’s done.”
There was no way George would marry Lydia; she had no way of getting him the job or career that he was after.
“Kat said she’s known she was pregnant for several days now and has been basically trying to convince George to marry her because she thought that’s what he wanted, but he kept putting her off. So, now she’s gone to see him and basically threaten him that either he marries her or she will run away and he will be blamed for it.”
He won’t give a shit what she does, as long as it doesn’t interfere with his plans - which having a baby definitely would.
“Beth, how are we going to tell mom? I don’t know how she’ll survive if Lydia runs away.” Jane was sobbing now and Beth couldn’t wipe her tears away fast enough.
“I’ll think of something, just don’t say anything. I-I’m going to head home now and we’ll figure something out ok?” She tried to sound reassuring but knew that it wasn’t much use.
Jane agreed and hung up. As soon as she set the phone down, a sob involuntarily broke free of her lips as she tried to stifle her cries with her arm.You need to pull yourself together and get home.Even though the tears kept falling she wiped off her face just in time to see Darcy’s jean-clad legs in front of her before his strong arms were hauling her up against him and holding her to him.
“Beth. What’s wrong?” He held her as she tried to calm herself down, explaining in disjointed phrases what had happened.
“Lydia is pregnant.”Sob.“It’s George.”Sob.“W-won’t m-marry her.”Sob.“My m-mom...”Sob.
He got the gist of the situation and she felt his muscles clench at the mention of George’s name. He held her, supported her, for a minute as she forced her tears at bay. His presence, his strength, and decisiveness,God, how she could use that now.
“I-I need t-to go h-home. N-now.” She pulled herself back from his embrace as much as he would let her.Be strong. You have to do this on your own; he’s not yours to use.
His arms finally released her to wipe the remaining tears from her eyes; eyes that looked up at him guiltily.
“If only…” she began, shaking and ducking her head before she began to cry again.
If only I had listened to you at the Ball, none of this would have happened to Lydia.
“This is not your fault. Do you hear me? George is a low-life, piece of shit. Nothing you did caused this.” She felt his fingers underneath her chin, lifting her gaze to his. His hardstare was unwavering as it bore into her, destroying the guilt that had started to consume her.
