Page 65 of First Impressions
Charles knocked on the door, wondering if everything was ok and Jane left to share the news with him.
All Beth could do was watch as Kat and her mother began to discuss excitedly parties and weddings, letting their conversation turn into white noise behind her thoughts.
Lydia is marrying George.
What is she thinking? She probably doesn’t even know all of the things that he has done.How did they even get him to agree to it?It was a terrible thought, but knowing what she now knew about George and his situation and how he was definitely trying to escape from any commitment to Lydia, there was no way she would believe that he wanted to marry her.
Did her dad offer him a place at the firm?No, that can’t be it; it’s basically Charles’ firm now and there’s no way that Charles would agree to hire George, even ignoring the fact that he has absolutely no training in the law field.
Did he pay him off? George seemed too smart, too conniving to be bribed into doing something just for a singular monetary benefit. That’s the whole reason he was back in the US - he wanted a position to make even more money than what Darcy offered him as an allowance; there was no way he would be happy with whatever sum of money her dad could offer him.
Was it Phil?
Did Phil and her dad offer to pay him?Or worse, did Phil offer him a position at the Gardiner Group? It was the only thing that made sense. It was a very large, successful PR company and Phil was the CEO,;he could hire whomever he wanted. Maybe since Darcy obviously was unwilling to hire him, George figured a position at Gardiner would be the best that he could swindle.What a slimy piece of shit.
“Beth!”her mother practically yelled in her face as she grabbed her shoulder and shook her. “What’s wrong?”
“Sorry, I was just thinking.”
“I see. Well, you don’t look too happy for your sister,” her mother observed, “There’s no reason to be upset; I’m suresomeone will want to marry you eventually. Even though Lydia is younger than you and getting married first, there’s nothing to be ashamed of; you are very successful.” That last statement definitely sounded like an afterthought.
“Thanks, mom,” Beth said, trying so hard not to roll her eyes. “Don’t worry, I’m very happy for Lydia; I’ve just been so concerned that’s all. Did dad say how they got George to change his mind?”
“Of course not! You know how indecisive men are. I’m sure Georgewantedto marry Lydia the entire time; he probably just had some cold feet, especially with the thought of a baby on the way,” her mother reasoned, her tone indicating that she would never believe that George had to be convinced to marry her ‘darling Lydia.’
“I see,” Beth responded tightly, knowing Jane would never forgive her if she picked an argument with her mom right now. “When are they going to be back?”
“Well, they were going to finish up at the courthouse and then your father said he hoped to be back in time for a late dinner. Lydia just texted me though from his phone and said that she is dying to see everyone as a married woman; she is very excited to come home and celebrate with all of us and her new husband tonight so don’t think about leaving before she gets here,” Irene warned her lightly.
An hour and a half later,the search party, along with their quarry walked through the front door. Lydia walking arm-in-arm with George, a giant, smug smile on her face wasdying to tell her mother and sister all about their “romantic elopement.” Her father and Phil looked exhausted and grim from the stress and exertion of the day.
The first thing Beth noticed was that Lydia was in a white dress and heels; clearly, she had made them stop somewhere for her to buy clothes and change in order to make her post-wedding homecoming look more official. Beth forced herself not to roll her eyes and scoff at the ridiculousness of her younger sister - always so concerned with appearances.
“Lydia, my darling!” Irene exclaimed as she rushed to hug her daughter and her new son-in-law. “And you, George, such a handsome son-in-law I have! Just wonderful!”
“Oh, mom! Isn’t this a wonderful surprise! Do I look any different now that I’m a married woman?” Lydia semi-joked to their mom, making sure the rest of her sisters heard her. “Am I not your favorite daughter now?”
You’ve got to be kidding me.That time she did roll her eyes, not caring who saw.
“Of course you are, my darling! I’m so happy for you and George! I want to hear all about it - every detail!”
“Of course. Why don’t we sit in the living room and I’ll tell you all about the day. Then I can give my sisters a heads up on what being married feels like.” She winked at Jane with that last snide comment and Beth almost walked out of the house, unable to take her sister’s immaturity. Jane grabbed her elbow, knowing that she was on the verge of going off on their sister and guided her into the living room.
Meanwhile, George just stood there silently, refusing to meet Beth’s eyes as she took a good look at him. He looked semi-happy and semi-annoyed - probably at the prospect of being married to her obnoxious sister for the rest of his life.
“Ooo!” Mrs. Bennet squealed, grabbing ahold of Lydia’s arm as they sat down on the couch together. “I just can’t believe I have a daughter married, and just think, one of the youngest ones at that. Just wait until Mrs. Lucas hears!”
Lydia gave her a smug smile, “Yes, isn’t it just wonderful mom! Now let me share our story so you can tell everyone.”
These two are like two peas in a pod.Beth rolled her eyes. If Jane wasn’t holding her here, she would have found a reason to leave now that she knew Lydia was safe.
“So, my darlinghusbandand I have been forced to meet in secret these past few weeks. I know you were just trying to be protective, mom, but when two people are just so in love like we are, it’s impossible to keep us apart,” Lydia paused to look adoringly at George, who gave her a small smile at the clearly exaggerated state of their relationship.
“So, when we found out that we were going to have a baby, George asked me to run away with him, not wanting to upset our families that we hadn’t been married first.” That statement had George raising his eyebrows slightly at his new wife.They clearly hadn’t rehearsed their story yet.“I agreed; I would go anywhere for my dear George. And, you know that I’ve always wanted a romantic elopement!”
“No you didn’t,” Kat mumbled from the armchair, earning her a death stare from Lydia. It was ok though, they all knew it was a blatant lie; Lydia had always wanted the largest, showiest wedding possible. The only persons she was fooling were herself and their mom.
“Oh, how romantic!” Irene exclaimed, trying to diffuse the tension between the two younger girls.
