Page 48 of A Searing Acquaintance
“Fitzwilliam Darcy.”
“Fitzwilliam?” Aunt Maddie’s eyes widened. “As in Catherine and Anne Fitzwilliam?”
Elizabeth swallowed. “His mother was Anne.”
“Well, how about that. Wow.”
A small shiver shot through Elizabeth’s consciousness. “Who was she? Why do you know her?”
“When I was a little girl, Anne Fitzwilliam was the hottest girl in New York City—at every club and every opening. She was only eighteen or nineteen, but her photo was everywhere. She was the ‘It Girl.’”
Really?
“Then she disappeared. And a few years later, there she was in London, marrying a lord or something. Mr. Darcy, apparently.”
“That’s so unexpected,” Elizabeth mumbled. “Paparazzi fodder?”
“No. She wasn’t trashy like these reality show people today. Far, far from it. She was old money and glamorous.”
“Was she a model?”
“Beautiful as she was, no. She was just a popular and visible member of society. I don’t remember anything about her sister. Catherine was older and not in the papers as much.” Maddie sighed. “Anne died in a car accident, I believe. Fitzwilliam must have been just a boy.”
Yes, a sixteen-year-old boy behind the wheel.Just thinking of it made Elizabeth’s eyes sting. As they neared the steps to the deck, she felt lightheaded. She sat down on the first stair, slipped on her sandals,and stared out at the water. Maddie went ahead to corral her children.
“Ew! I hate fish!” cried Alex.
“Good thing we have hot dogs, then.” Jane arranged a basket of buns.
“Do we have chips?” Ava asked.
“Always.”
Maddie smiled. “I’ll get my salads out of the fridge. We’re eating outside, right?” she asked Jane while nodding toward her two small, sandy beachcombers.
Darcy, his hair damp and wearing a clean polo shirt and khaki shorts, emerged from the house. “There’s an outdoor shower right around the corner where they can rinse their hands and feet. I’ll show you.” He reached down to a wooden box, lifted the lid, and pulled out two towels. He turned to find Maddie and the children gaping at him. “Oh, excuse me. I’m Fitzwilliam Darcy.”
Maddie’s eyes widened. “Oh, you’re here. This is your house. I didn’t realize you’d be here. I apologize if we’ve left a sandy trail inside or made a mess.”
“Everything is fine,” he said, smiling. “It’s a beach house. It’s meant to get messy.”
“We’ll do our best to avoid that. I’m Madeline Gardiner, Jane and Lizzy’s aunt. Those two urchins are Ava and Alex. And my husband, Joe, is around here somewhere.”
“A pleasure to meet you all. I hope Charles has made you comfortable?”
“Of course I have, you big dope,” Charles said, reaching for another beer and waving his spatula in the air.
Maddie quickly rounded up the children and went off with their host toward the shower. Elizabeth slowly stood up from the steps, mouth agape.
“Lizzy, dear, there are flies about. Shut your mouth and help me pour the lemonade,” Jane said sweetly. “Did you hear about Fitzwilliam’s flat tire? He cleaned up nicely, didn’t he?”
Indeed he did, Elizabeth thought, half-miserably. “Be right back,” she called out, walking inside in search of a place to wash her hands. When they’d arrived an hour earlier, she hadn’t gone past the front door, and now she stood, head turning and eyes wide, taking in all the stunning, glorious square footage. Past the foyer, there was a huge kitchen, notable for its vintage white cabinetry and gleaming copperpots hanging over a vast island, but made warm and cozy by the fireplace beside the breakfast nook. She kept walking and found herself in a long, window-filled room with deeply cushioned chairs scattered about on colorful rugs, knotty pine bookcases bulging with books, and incredible views of the ocean. Forging on, she entered a powder room and took a moment to collect herself. She washed her face and hands, took a deep breath, and wandered back toward the front door to collect her bag. It was gone. Taken. She swallowed.To my room in his house.
Elizabeth had never seen her normally calm, staid aunt gush as much as she did around Fitzwilliam Darcy. Apparently, Elizabeth was not the only woman who found the man and his name a bit overwhelming.
“Your mother was a lovely girl, a beautiful woman. I remember seeing her picture in theTimes’Style section, always on her way to something that mattered.” Maddie laughed. “Or to a Yankees game.”
“She was a big fan.”
