I had a bad feeling about this. I just wanted to go home and take a shower.
“Do you know who I am?” the woman barked as soon as I got near. She had the same accent as Mr. Darcy,
except his sounded much suaver. Her’s sounded mean.
“You’re Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy’s COO,” I replied politely. Maybe she had a legit reason to be here. I hoped that Mr. Darcy was okay.
“Good. You’re not as stupid as you look,” the woman replied.
I bit my tongue. “How can I help you, Ms. de Bourgh?”
“Can we speak privately?” She gestured toward the gaggle of nurses trying to overhear what was going on.
“Of course. There’s a doctor consult room over here,” I told her, motioning down the hallway. We stepped into a small room with four comfortable chairs and a table. A whiteboard hung on the wall opposite of the door.
“I’m sure you know why I’m here,” Catherine announced as soon as she stepped into the room. Her small statue somehow dominated the entire thing.
“I’m afraid I don’t,” I said, shaking my head. “Is Mr. Darcy alright?”
“That’s what I’m here to see to.” She looked around the room in disapproval before coming back to me. She somehow looked less pleased as she looked me over. “Why were you in Mr. Darcy’s office yesterday?”
“I wanted to thank him,” I replied honestly. “He did something kind for me.”
“No other reason?” she pressed. “You did kiss him.”
“I did,” I confirmed. She walked around the small room as I spoke, making me feel like I was being interrogated by a caged tiger. “I kissed him in gratitude because, as I said, he did something kind for me. He is a good man.”
Catherine spun on her heel, surprising me with a sudden advance into my personal space. “Do you intend to seduce my nephew?” she asked, point blank. “Because I will not allow that.”
“Excuse me?” I asked, completely taken aback.
“He is needed by this company,” Catherine informed me, not really explaining herself. “He is the life force of this company, and you cannot distract him.” Her eyes narrowed. “Have you been sent by a competitor?”
“What? Ma’am, I have no idea what you are talking about,” I replied, taking a step back. She continued to stay in my face.
“He left a very important meeting to go to California for no reason,” Catherine told me. She kept stepping forward, making me retreat. “The buyout nearly failed because of it, and I want to know why. I flew all the way from London. You’re the only reason I can come up with.”
“Ma’am, I’m afraid I don’t have any explanation for you,” I stated, using my best customer service voice. I didn’t add on, “and even if I did, there’s no way in hell I’d tell you,” because that seemed like a worse idea than taunting a bear.
“I will not allow you to destroy everything I have worked so hard to achieve,” the small woman shrieked at me. Her tone set my teeth on edge.
“You mean what Mr. Darcy has worked so hard to achieve,” I corrected her. I was fine with her talking down to me, but not him. It was his company. Not hers.
“You are impertinent!” She took a step back, mouth open and unhappy. “You will leave William alone. You are not his equal. You are nothing but a harlot out for his money.”
My mouth opened in shock. She was furious, and I could do nothing but stand there and take it. “Ma’am-”
“I saw you in his office yesterday. I saw the way he looked at you,” she sneered. “I know what your sister is willing to do for fame. Your whole family stinks of scandal. I know it all, and I will not tolerate it!”
I couldn’t believe she was speaking to me this way. All I wanted was my shower. I took a deep breath, drawing on reserves of calm I didn’t know I had.
“Ma’am, thank you for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to make sure that I know my place,” I told her, doing my best to keep my temper in line. “Now, please excuse me. I have work to do.”
I pushed past her to get to the exit, but she slammed her hand down on the table hard enough to make me jump.
“You selfish girl!” she snarled. “Do you think that I do this for him? I do this for the company. How dare you put his company at risk for your greed and lust!”
I bit my tongue hard enough to draw blood.