Elizabeth nodded. “Right. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“’Night, Lizzy,” Jane said softly as she left the room.
Elizabeth crawled into her bed. She forced herself to stop worrying about last-minute things she might have forgotten to pack, resolving that whatever she had left behind, she would either get new on the road or have sent to her.
To distract her mind, she thought about her performance. In her mind, she went over the songs she had drilled over and over again for the last two weeks. But her thoughts betrayed her attempts to settle them, quickly giving way to the tall man who had been watching her today. Even his intensely good looks were not enough to soften her feelings about him. He rankled her, like an itch she couldn’t reach to scratch, mostly because she couldn’t figure him out. Elizabeth had always prided herself on her ability to read people, but Darcy simply confused her. He was nothing like his reputation for a wild man. In fact, she was certain she had never met a more uptight, arrogant man in her life. If there was going to be any trouble on the tour, it would be coming from him.
Chapter 4
It was the plane that did it. Getting up early, saying good-bye to her parents and sisters, even the limo ride to the airport all had a vague, hazy, surreal sensation. But when Elizabeth saw the large jet sitting alone on the tarmac bearing the name De Bourgh on its side, she knew it was real. She was really doing it. A desire, an ambition she had held for longer than she could remember was coming true. She smiled at everyone in the car and squeezed Jane’s hand.
The black limo pulled up beside the plane and stopped. As Elizabeth exited the car and walked around to the trunk to get her bags, another limo pulled up beside her own.
Like a warrior, Darcy strode out of the car, his black sunglasses shielding his eyes from the early morning light, his long coat protecting him from the chill. Without acknowledging anyone, he walked purposefully to Rebecca, waiting at the bottom of the ramp.
“Good morning, Darcy,” she said, her eyes making only the briefest contact before returning to their constant scanning.
“Are we ready to go?” he asked, his face turning to the others, who were moving toward the ramp.
“Almost.”
Darcy turned his head and stared at Rebecca, his expression displeased.
“Charles and Caroline aren’t here yet,” Rebecca said by way of explanation.
In a flash Darcy snapped open his cell phone. He punched a button and held it to his ear. “Caro, where are you?” he demanded.
“Five minutes, Darcy,” her voice replied apologetically.
“Caro!”
“Seriously, Darcy, we will be there in five minutes.”
“You know, Caroline, generally it is the job of the tour manager to call the artist, not the other way around,” he snarled.
“I’m sorry,” she repeated, sighing.
He looked up. “Damn!” he swore softly but emphatically.
“What? What’s wrong?”
Darcy’s eyes swept over a third limo, just pulling up along his. “The bitch is here.”
“Who? Which bitch?”
“The one who owns the plane,” he growled, “and her stooge.” As he watched, Anne de Bourgh exited the limo and walked toward Darcy and Rebecca. He snapped the phone shut and put it away.
“Darcy,” Anne said coldly as she passed by him and climbed up the ramp. Darcy nodded once in acknowledgement.
“Mr. Darcy,” ogled Bill Collins, his hand extended. “It is such a pleasure to really meet you at last.”
Darcy ignored the bubbling fat man and addressed Rebecca. “Is everyone else here?”
She nodded. “As soon as the Bingleys arrive, we can go.”
Elizabeth watched the interaction as she gathered her bags. She wasn’t really eavesdropping, because Darcy had made no attempt to hide what he was doing. She stumbled slightly as she climbed the steps of the ramp, unbalanced by her bag. She was relieved to feel a strong hand on her shoulder steadying her.
“Easy there. You okay?” Richard Fitzwilliam asked.
“Yeah, thanks,” she smiled embarrassedly and made her way into the plane.
It was a large jet with a custom interior. Instead of the normally cramped seating, larger seats were installed. Halfway into the cabin were four tables with chairs around them, clearly designed for workspaces. The front of the plane contained more seats and another smaller work area just behind the cockpit.
Elizabeth was surprised at how crowded the plane was. The seats in the rear were filled almost entirely with people Elizabeth had never seen before, despite her time at the studio. She stopped to look for a seat when Richard again came to her aid.
“This is where the crew sits. Our seats are up in the front,” he said kindly from behind her.
“Oh, thank you,” Elizabeth said softly and moved forward.
There were empty seats in the front of the plane, just as Richard had said. Elizabeth sat down with Charlotte, Jane taking a seat in the row in front of them, and Alex across the aisle. As she settled in, Elizabeth watched Anne de Bourgh stride to the front of the plane and sit down. Darcy followed her a minute later, taking the other front seat across the aisle from her, stretching out his long legs. Collins ignored Long Borne Suffering and instead followed Ms. de Bourgh and took the seat directly behind her. Rachel took her seat behind Darcy. Elizabeth could see that clearly the battle lines were drawn.
Five minutes later, running feet were heard and Charles, Caroline, and Rebecca entered the plane. Darcy, his sunglasses removed, gave Caroline a black look as Rebecca moved to the cockpit and spoke to the pilots before sitting down beside Caro.
Charles, for his part, took the seat next to Jane, and attempted to begin a conversation as the plane taxied forward. “Good morning,” he grinned. “I hope you weren’t waiting too long. We can never seem to get out on time, you know?”
He waited a moment for a response, then receiving none, tried again. “How was your trip down?”
Silence was his only answer. He leaned forward to see Jane’s face very pale and her eyes looking large and nervous. Her hands were tightly clenched together in her lap as she bit down hard on her lips.
“Jane?” Charles asked, concerned. “Jane? What’s wrong?” He touched her arm lightly and felt her trembling. “Jane? Are you okay?”
When she felt his touch on her arm, Jane looked at him. Her beautiful blue eyes were anxious and desperate. “Jane,” Charles asked worriedly, “are you afraid?”
Jane could only shut her eyes and nod nervously.
Charles’s heart immediately went out to her. She was plainly terrified. He ran his hand along her arm and spoke softly to her. “It’s okay, Jane. It’s okay.” She opened her eyes to look at him weakly. “Can I help?” he asked, his eyes full of concern.
His kindness broke through the thin barrier she had created to hold in her feelings and she started crying softly.
In a flash he lifted the armrest between them. He moved closer to her, taking her ice-cold hand and holding it firmly. “Jane, can you look at me?” he said in a low, calm voice. When she turned slightly, he continued. “That’s good. Now listen to me carefully, we are going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you, Jane. I promise. The plane is perfectly safe.”
He could see the panic rising in her eyes as she thought of a hundred things that could go wrong. “No, no, shhhh, Jane,” he said soothingly as he rested his forehead against hers. “Jane, trust me.”
“What if something happens?” she said in a tiny voice.
“Nothing is going to happen. Rebecca has been here for hours. She oversaw the inspection of the plane herself and triple-checked the pilots.”
“Are you certain?” she asked in an even softer voice.