“How did she manage that? There’s no way that was a random event,” Jane said. She shook her head and sat back in her chair.
“I think Mr. Darcy might have had something to do with it,” I said after a moment. Guilt pulled at me.
“No, no way,” Jane replied. “Not after what he’s done to you.”
“I may have been wrong about him.” I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. “I actually don’t think he’s quite as much of a jerk as I first thought.”
Jane raised her eyebrows and looked sternly at me. “You were wrong?”
“Maybe.” I shrugged uncomfortably. I hated admitting I was wrong.
Jane nodded once. “Right.” She looked over at Lydia’s door and then back to me. “And on that strange note, I’m going to go to work now. Have fun with Lydia and trying to get her to accept any form of responsibility.”
I snorted. “Right. Because that’s gonna happen this century.”
“Have fun,” Jane told me, standing up and grabbing her bag by the front door. She waved one last time before heading out.
I sat in the now empty kitchen letting relief wash over me. My little sister was safe and was now in a much better position. She wasn’t going to get scammed and tricked by trying to follow her dreams. It meant I didn’t have to be afraid for her.
And there was only one person that could have made that happen.
I had to see him.
Chapter 20
I stared up at the tall building just outside of Central Park that Mr. Darcy worked at. I’d verified that it was the right one on the walk over and I even knew which office was his. I hoped that I could see him and thank him for what he’d just done for my family. I just had to get past security and his secretaries.
The lobby was full of windows and bright, modern architecture. There were two sets of elevators, but to get to them, I had to get past security. I squared my shoulders and walked up.
“Hello, I’m here to see Mr. Darcy,” I announced. My voice squeaked a little.
“Name?” The big guard asked.
“Elizabeth Bennet,” I replied. “I just need to see him for a minute. I’m sure if you tell him I’m here he’ll let me come up, and I just really need to see him.”
The security guard waited until I stopped babbling. “Ma’am, you’re already on the approved list. Take the second elevator to the top. Have a nice day.”
“Oh.”
I nodded and walked past him to the elevator and got on. Mr. Darcy had me on his list. There was no way that he could have known that I would ever come here, but yet I was allowed to. He wanted me to.
I love you...
The memory of him telling me that in the rain came back like a whisper. My cheeks flushed, and guilt pulled at my stomach. I was a fool.
The top floor matched the lobby. It was all clean lines and modern furniture in the blue and white of Oceania Airlines. A painter stood off in one of the corners slowly adding green accents.
“Excuse me,” I said, walking up to a large desk with a woman wearing a headset. “I’d like to see Mr. Darcy. I’m Elizabeth Bennet.”
The woman looked up. “Of course,” she said with a smile as she checked her schedule and list of approved contacts. Her eyes widened slightly before she looked at me again. “Please have a seat. He’s finishing a meeting, but once he’s done, you may see him.”
“Thank you,” I told her.
I found a seat in the white lobby and looked out the window. I could see Central Park from here. The leaves were gone from the trees leaving stark gray lines across the gray grass. The sky sparkled with wispy white clouds across the sea of blue. The color of the sky reminded me of Mr. Darcy’s eyes when he smiled.
“Ms. Bennet?” The secretary stood next to me. “Mr. Darcy will see you now.”
“Oh, thank you,” I replied. I had been so lost in the blue sky that I didn’t see her leave her desk. She brought me to a glass door and held it open as I walked in.