I watched as the unwelcome addition entered the room, "Darcy, I didn't realize this movie was something you would be interested in."

He leaned over the back of the couch right behind Charles, "I never said I was interested in the movie." Darcy clasped Charles on the shoulder, "This man makes good popcorn."

I stared at Darcy in wonder as he walked around the couch, selected a bowl of popcorn, sprinkled seasonings on it, and then sat down in a chair. 

He raised a brow at me, and I found my voice.

"I'm sorry. Are you saying that you and Charles have bachelor movie nights?"

He looked at me derisively, "On rare occasions, it has been known to happen."

I laughed, "I can't believe this."

Charles shrugged, "It isn't on a regular schedule, in case you were wondering."

"Mhmm."

I got my popcorn, and Jane clicked play on the movie. 

Thankfully Darcy only stuck around as long as his popcorn lasted.

Good riddance to him.

When the movie finished at about eleven, Charles, Jane, and I headed up to our rooms.

I changed into my pj's and got ready for bed, but wasn't ready to sleep.

I didn't feel like reading, watching a show, scrolling through social media, doing pushups, or doing any other little light workout. Instead, I grabbed my toothbrush, typed in Guns and Ships, and started rapping the song.

Naturally, I started vibing with the song, bouncing and jumping around doing a full production.

As I was singing, "and so the balance shifts, we rendezvous with Rochambeau-" I heard a loud knock at the door, so I jumped over to open it for Jane, but, to my surprise, found Darcy standing there. "Oh, Darcy." I held up a finger for him to wait, then turned around and picked up where the song was, "but for this to succeed, there is someone else we need. HAMILTON."

He noisily cleared his throat, and I turned to glare at him, my concentration broken, even though the song was still playing.

"What?" I asked with distaste. "You don't interrupt a girl when she is singing."

"Hamilton, really?"

"I'm a history instructor, so yes. I listen to the clean version." I raised an eyebrow, "You know Hamilton?"

"My sister has listened to it when I've been around."

"It is good to know that Americans are infiltrating British society. I'll try to use that to my advantage sometime. What did you come to my room for?"

"I heard an uproar and wanted to know what the thumping was from."

"My singing is not an uproar."

I pointed my toothbrush at him, "Since you are here, do you want to sing too? Perhaps Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, or Mama Mia? You could sing for Bert or Captain Von Trapp. Or you could sing Pierce Brosnan's part in Mama Mia. Gahhlee, that man has aged well."

Darcy just raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"No? Fine. While you are here, and it is just the two of us, explain a few things to me. Why did you call me Elizabeth? Did you really shake me awake, or did you kiss me? If it was a kiss, I will smack you right now. Also, punching someone as an adult? I want to know more about that."

"One last thing," I bit my lip and looked past his shoulder instead of meeting his eyes, "I apologize for my snarky comments today directed towards you. You have a way of making them come out."

He didn't say anything until I looked him in the eyes, "Again, I forgive you. Goodnight."

Darcy inclined his head to me and started walking down the hallway to his room after not answering any of my questions.

I huffed and impulsively stepped into the wide hallway behind him, "Pourquoi êtes-vous comme vous êtes?"

He stopped but didn't turn toward me. Neither of us moved for several seconds, then I finally heard his soft reply, "It's not easy to explain."

Darcy continued to his bedroom, and I kept quiet, going back into my room and closing the door.

Why had I asked him that?

I don't want to know his reason. He is a puzzle, and I don't like puzzle pieces scattered. I like to put puzzles together.

Feeling tired of the mental intrigue of trying to figure out William Darcy, I put the toothbrush back and climbed into bed.

--------

I woke up and got ready for the day, both mentally and physically. While I put my mascara on, I prayed for strength to deal with Caroline and Darcy and for me to show them Jesus' love.

When I was ready, I went to Jane's door and knocked. Hearing no response, I softly opened it and found her still sacked out. I went downstairs and was relieved that the only person in sight was Charles.

"Morning!" we greeted each other.

"William has already eaten." He gestured to the food from his spot at the table.

"Thanks."

I grabbed what looked appealing and sat down to eat.

"What are your plans for today, Charles?"

"More calls, Zooms, figures, and sums!"

I grinned, "Nice."

"It's not for everyone, I agree." He conceded with a nod.

"Hey, I didn't say anything."

He pointed at me with his fork, "No, but your face did."

"You have discovered one of my biggest flaws. My face gives me away." I heaved a heavy sigh.

"Don't worry about it. It makes you easier to read. Jane doesn't have the same things written on her face that flash across yours."

"Ah yes, my twin doesn't let her thoughts flit across her face."

"That I have figured out."

My mind went back to Charlotte's comment, "Jane might keep a neutral face, but she likes you a lot."

"I like her too. What are you going to do to occupy your time today?"

"FYI, I recognized that you changed the subject. While I could poke at you for it, I won't. I'm going to stick to my room and work from there. The planning for the party here at Netherfield is coming along well."

"Sounds good. Let me know if you need anything. I will do my best to assist and accommodate you."

"Do you know if we are still on schedule for Jane and me to leave tonight?"

"I believe so."

"Fantastic. When the restaurant opens, I'll call in a reservation for the three of you for this evening after dark."

After finishing our meal, I went back upstairs, checked on Jane, who was up and getting ready, then went to my room and shut the door. It simply wouldn't do for Darcy or Caroline to drop in on me.

When The Bella opened, I called to reserve a table for three.

"What is the name of the reservation?"

"William Darcy."

"Alight, oh. The William Darcy?"

I grinned at the name recognition. 

Perfect.

"Yes, that is correct. Although it might be Charles Bingley or Caroline Bingley that claims the party, so you might want to put the reservation under Darcy Bingley."

"Of course, ma'am. Are there any special requests?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. They would like to be seated at the table in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows."

"Yes, ma'am, we can most certainly accommodate. Is there anything else?"

"If you could arrange the tables where only the three guests are directly visible would be great."

"Indeed, is it preferred for the restaurant to be closed to other guests so it is just Mr. Darcy and the Bingley siblings?"

"No, no, that isn't necessary. They wish for the small-town experience but don't want to feel crowded. Please have at least a 15-foot gap between them and the other patrons. The restaurant comes highly recommended to them. It would be a shame if they were to arrive but find only a few people there."

"Oh, of course. Anything else?"

"No, that is all."

I confirmed the time again and hung up. Instantly I texted Charles to let him know I created the reservation.

After the call, I spent the day between my room and Jane's, reading, talking with Jane, preparing another lecture, grading essays, looking at various furniture pieces online for the Knightley house, and finally packing all my stuff into a backpack. Blessedly, I did not have to encounter Darcy or Caroline.

When the evening came and the time for the reservation drew closer, we all met downstairs and headed into the connected garage. We piled into an SUV with tinted windows parked next to Jane's car. Jane and I sat in the back seat on either side of Charles. Darcy drove, and Caroline sat shotgun.

We pulled out of the gates, and only two vehicles followed us.

Apparently, the rest thought it was just a hoax.

I gave Darcy instructions on how to get to The Bella and Charlotte texted me she was in position.

Please, Lord, let this work.

As we cruised down the lamp-lit roads of Merytown, we passed houses with porch lights on and lights strung in the backyard with families grilling their supper. To my surprise, I realized Darcy drove well. He was from England. They drive on the wrong side of the road over there.

"Darcy, how are you driving so well? To your British self, the righthand side is the wrong side of the road."

He looked back in the mirror at me. "Is that a compliment?"

"You wish."

"I have spent a considerable amount of time in the US. My mother was from the States, so we visited growing up, and I went to Harvard with Charles."

"Ah."

"Why?"

I shrugged, "I wanted to know why you haven't crashed us."

Caroline decided to add her two cents to the conversation, and I cut her off with more directions.

Jane and Charles softly talked to each other, and I didn't want to get in on that. The other three of us were quiet except for me giving Darcy directions which he smoothly carried out.

To my satisfaction, the parking lot was packed. Darcy found a spot in-between two dually pickups and pulled into it, forcing the paparazzi to park elsewhere.

While the two paparazzi vehicles drove around to find a parking spot, we all got out of the car. Darcy and Caroline stepped out quickly to try to block light hitting Jane and me scrambling out. The two of us dashed behind one of the trucks, and the trio with the reservation nonchalantly went inside. Only Darcy turned back to lock the SUV.

Jane and I waited until people got out of both paparazzi cars and went up to the windows to take pictures then we began to move. We snuck around the backs of vehicles until we were at the edge of the parking lot on the sidewalk and pretended to be college students with our backpacks.

"Jane!" I hissed, "Slow down. You can't run. It draws attention."

With my reprimand, Jane followed my normal pace for the rest of the walk. We turned a corner and to our great relief, found Charlotte right where she was supposed to be in front of one of the shops. I jumped in the front seat and gave Charlotte a huge hug. Jane climbed in the back seat and immediately texted Charles we had escaped.

l breathed a sigh of relief, "Take us home, Charlotte, please. I don't ever want to be in their company again."

"Wait, Lizzy, you like Charles, right?"

I turned to Jane, "Of course I do, he's great. It was Darcy and Caroline I was talking about."

Charlotte eased into the empty two-lane street, "Tell me everything."

We did. Jane and I traded off telling the story of our experiences at Netherfield until Charlotte had all the details. Except, I didn't mention either of my night encounters with Darcy. There was no need.