Elizabeth sighed and lay down on her side next to her. “No, you wouldn’t, because you wouldn’t know him.”
Jane nodded. “You’re right. Oh Lizzy, I wish I hadn’t kissed him! What must he think of me?”
“What are you going to do?” Elizabeth asked.
“I don’t know!” Jane fretted. “If I go to his room, I’ll look easy, and I don’t know what will happen, but if I don’t go, he might think I’m playing with him or he might be angry. I just don’t know.” She looked at her sister. “What do you think I should do?”
Elizabeth was interrupted by a knock on the door. Thinking it was only Charlotte, she sat up and called out, “Come in.”
The door opened and Charles walked inside. “Hi,” he said awkwardly. “Charlotte told me you were in here.” He eyed the two sisters on the bed with embarrassment. “Am I interrupting something?”
Jane closed her mouth, sat up, and smiled nervously. “No, we were just having a talk.”
“Oh.” Charles eyes widened. “Girl talk, right, sorry; I’ll leave.”
“No,” Jane exclaimed. “I mean, please don’t leave. I just wasn’t expecting you.” She got up and moved closer to him.
“Uh,” he said uneasily. “I thought about what I said before, and I realized I might’ve given you the wrong impression, asking you to come to my room like that.” He looked away a moment. “I was wondering if instead we could hang out here, with your friends.”
Jane’s lips pressed tightly together as she realized what he was saying. Then she smiled and nodded. “I’d like that very much.” She took a step closer to him. “Would you like to sit in the living room?” she asked politely, suddenly at ease again.
“Sure,” he smiled back.
“Charles,” Elizabeth called out before they left. “Do you know if the pool is still open?”
“I know it is,” he said, looking back. “Are you going for a swim?”
“Yeah, it helps me to unwind.”
Charles nodded and closed the door behind him as he left. Elizabeth quickly changed into her suit and threw a pair of running pants over it and her shoes.
When she exited the suite Charles and Jane were curled up on either ends of the couch, talking and laughing softly while Charlotte was watching TV. She passed through with a friendly wave and went to the elevator. Riding it down alone, she took a moment to reflect on the ground she had covered in one day. Austin was such a long way from Meryton, where she had slept the night before.
Even further was the distance she had traveled in her career. Years of practicing, dreaming, and rehearsing had paid off. All those rejections she had suffered through were finally answered. She had done it. She had successfully performed in front of a larger crowd than she had ever done before. A milestone had been reached, a challenge completed. It was with a small smile of self-satisfaction on her face that she entered the pool.
The area around it was empty, but she could hear someone in the pool itself. Looking closely, she saw a lone swimmer doing laps. With a single glance she knew who it was, the black spiral on his shoulder a dead giveaway.
Fitzwilliam Darcy was in the pool. For a heartbeat, she considered turning around, but then she thought, to hell with it, draped her towel over a chair, and took off her pants and shoes. She watched Darcy as she approached the side. His long, lithe body stretched out on the surface of the water, his long powerful arms were pulling him forward, and his feet were kicking a foamy trail behind him.
He must have been spotting for his turn when he looked up and saw her. Their eyes met and he stopped, his chest surging out of the water as he stood. “Do you mind?” Elizabeth asked, not sure of what else to say. He just shook his head in response, his eyes watching her. Elizabeth dived off the side and started her lap, ignoring the way he was studying her body. She knew her figure wasn’t perfect. She would never be gorgeous like Jane, but Elizabeth was strong and in shape. She didn’t feel ashamed, despite the critique she saw in his eyes.
Darcy’s eyes were still burning from the sight that had greeted him when he looked for the wall. She wore a plain racing suit, he noticed. Irrationally it pleased him that she chose something designed for speed, not attractiveness. Nevertheless, the suit fit her body in a way that left little doubt what was underneath it. It was a revelation he enjoyed.
The suit and her shape suggested to him what her dive confirmed: Elizabeth Bennet was a swimmer. Like him, she had the signs of someone who had trained and swum competitively. He suspected that it had been in school, because while she was good, she wasn’t particularly fast.
Suddenly, he realized he had been staring at her for an unforgivably long time and began a new lap.
Elizabeth finished her twentieth lap. Her arms and lungs were burning. As she looked up for the wall, she saw Darcy still there, waiting for her on the side. Why wouldn’t he leave? she snapped in annoyance to herself. She realized that he was not going to leave without her and that the embarrassing encounter she was hoping to avoid was inevitable. Giving up her attempt to outwait him, she came out of the pool, forcing herself not to reveal how tired she was.
He handed her a towel, which she accepted with a polite smile. “Did you race in college?” he asked quietly.
Elizabeth stared at him a long moment, stunned by his perception, then answered, “No, just in high school. But I worked as a lifeguard and taught during college.” She dried herself off as she walked away. Deciding that a little payback was in order, she asked, “What about you?”
“High school and university,” he answered. “But I was never really serious. It was mostly a way to work out.”
Elizabeth nodded in understanding. She sat down on her chair and started pulling on her pants. “So you swim every night?”
Darcy shook his head. “No, most nights I’m on the bus. But I swim when I can.” Elizabeth saw that he already had a T-shirt and shoes on. He was wearing plain swim trunks at least; she hated men wearing Speedos outside of competition. “If you want to swim with me, it would be nice to have the company,” he said quietly.
“Thanks,” Elizabeth said noncommittally.
“What did you think of the show?” Darcy asked as they exited the pool area.
Elizabeth repressed her initial reaction. “It was very impressive. You’re excellent performers. I really enjoyed it.”
“And the box?”
“Oh yes!” She remembered his kindness with a flash of embarrassment for her coolness toward him. “Thank you, and thanks for the refreshments. That was great.”
He acknowledged her thanks with a nod as they waited for the elevator. “You were good too. I watched you on the monitors.” He looked at her, his eyes observing her closely.
“Thanks,” Elizabeth said sincerely. She didn’t understand his look, but she was determined not to let him fluster her again. “This is a big step forward for us. It’s a challenge. Considering Slurry’s track record, there’s no guarantee we’ll make it through the tour.”
“I believe you will,” he said sincerely. “I think our bands work well together.”
“That’s good to know,” she said cheekily, not quite able to look at him. “You signed a pretty big contract to have us here.”
He looked at her meaningfully. “Contracts are just about money, Elizabeth. I can assure you, if you weren’t good enough, you would not be on my tour.”
Elizabeth’s jaw dropped as the doors to the elevator opened. She could not believe he had just said that. With an ice-cold “good night” she moved off to her suite, rigid with anger.
When she got through the door, she found Jane sitting alone on the couch, staring at nothing and smiling to herself. Elizabeth stood stock-still, clenching her fists, and counted to ten.
“What did he do this time?” Jane asked easily.
Elizabeth took a deep breath and released it noisily. Then she looked at her sister. “How did you know?”