“No one. We’re going home,” I told her. “You’ll have to find fame another time.”
“No!” she shouted. People turned and looked at her. “This is supposed to be my big break!”
“No, this is supposed to be a fun party for the three of us,” I replied, keeping my voice low. “This was supposed to be a fun night out, remember?”
Lydia crossed her arms and pouted.
“Look, it’s time to go home,” I told her gently. I motioned to the bar. “They’re closing the bar.”
She looked over to see the bartender put up a small “closed” sign and walk away. The pout on her face got larger. She let out a loud hiccup.
“I don’t feel so good,” she told me. I sighed and quickly finished my martini
“Come sit over here by the door, and I’ll go get Jane and our jackets,” I said gently. She followed me on wobbly legs to the lobby of the hotel where she plopped down into an overstuffed chair looking utterly miserable.
I made sure she was going to stay in her chair before heading into the crowd to find Jane. Looking back at Lydia, she looked more likely to pass out in her chair than throw up, so I knew I had a little bit of time. I headed back to the silent auction area where I had last seen Jane.
The lobby was crowded as people prepared to leave the party, and it took me a while to navigate through it. I was almost to the ballroom where I hoped to find Jane when I got stuck behind a wealthy woman looking for her fur coat. I couldn’t find a way past, so I had to wait until she moved.
I saw Mr. Darcy and Charles walking through the lobby just ahead of me. It was hard to miss the two of them. Mr. Darcy stood out in a crowd. He was tall and incredibly handsome. His dark hair and blue eyes were just my type. It was a damn shame he was such an ass.
I laughed as I realized I called him Mr. Darcy when thinking of him. Even in my head, he was now Mr. Darcy. He was too pretentious for me to call him anything but that.
I could hear Jane’s voice in my head to give the man a second chance. Jane was all about second chances. I sighed. He did buy a bunch of items at the auction to benefit the hospital. He was helping raise funds, and I could appreciate that. I decided I could give him a second chance.
I took a step in his direction, trying to escape the crowd in front of me. I couldn’t get close enough to join the two men though, but I couldn’t help but overhear their conversation.
“I can’t believe I’m going home alone tonight,” Mr. Darcy said in his British accent. It managed to sound snooty and sad at the same time. He was definitely a James Bond villain.
“I can’t believe it either,” Charles agreed, shuffling slightly to the side to make room for the crowd. “It’s almost like you were stand-offish and rude.”
I snickered slightly.
“Actually, I can’t believe that you aren’t taking that pretty blonde home,” Mr. Darcy replied, ignoring Charles’ quip. “I think she was on your arm the entire night.”
“Jane?” Charles’ smile was evident in his voice even though I was behind them. “I want to take it slow and do it right. I think there’s a future with her.”
“Are you bloody serious?” Mr. Darcy asked, turning and looking at his friend. “You sound like a bad romance novel.”
Charles just chuckled. “Yes, I know you’re laughing at me, but I don’t care.” He shrugged. “I like her, and I’m not going to rush her into bed just because I can.”
Mr. Darcy shook his head. “That’s a mistake. You know you-”
“I know very well what I can do,” Charles cut him off. “Besides, I’m not the one striking
out and unhappy about it. I’m very happy with how my night went.”
“You’re not getting shagged either,” Mr. Darcy replied.
“I want it to be special,” Charles replied. “That’s the point. I’m not making the same mistake twice.”
I couldn’t see their faces, but Mr. Darcy just sighed. “I don’t get you sometimes. You could have any girl here, and you’re going home alone.”
“It’s not just about shagging,” Charles replied. Even though he was American, he mimicked Mr. Darcy’s accent when he said ‘shagging’. “It’s about connection.”
“You seem to think that’s important.” Mr. Darcy looked over at Charles like he was slightly insane. “I don’t need connection.”
Charles sighed.