His Pride & Her Prejudice (in the 21st Century)-unedited.

Chapter Sixteen

The first three weeks were relatively uneventful for Ella in tiny two-floor house where Gareth Gardiner lived with his family. She even met the guy who had asked Jane out. She had to admit, he didn't hold a candle to Braden being he was a sous chef at a fancy restaurant.

In her spare time, she volunteered at Reno Flair Gallery, where her aunt worked, learning a great deal about the masters. Slowly, the whimsical art of Picasso started to make sense and lent her a layer of subtle understanding of the artist's mindset and the era he grew up in.

One day Ella meandered licking ice cream at Tribeca when she came upon Wickham. Before she could hide, he looked up and noticed her. A smile that was genuine crossed his face.

"Ella, what are you doing here?" he enthused, approaching her.

"I am visiting my relatives," she replied coolly. There was nothing in his behaviour which gave William's story any credibility except he was charismatic.

"Yes, you mentioned an uncle here once." He nodded. "What did he do again?"

Her eyes narrowed. She had never mentioned uncle Gareth to him. If she recalled her sorry history with him, they had talked about their mutual dislike for Darcy if she were not busy showing Wickham around or making her out at her place. It occurred to her just now that he hadn't even taken her on a proper date. Cheap bastard, she thought.

"Tell me, are you here back for good?" She played the ingenue that he thought she was.

"I am here for a while. I am renting a place. Why don't you come over and chat like old times?" Wickham leaned forward and caressed her cheek. "How have you been?"

"Great!" Ella said tartly.

"I have missed us so much. I think I made a mistake by calling things off between us. You have no idea how much I have regretted it, but I was short on cash and stressed out," he murmured with hope written all over his face.

Shoring up her courage, she said, "Did you feel sorry before or after hooking up with Zora Shah?" Her acerbic tone even astonished her.

His hand dropped away to his side. "Ah! You heard the rumours. Trust me, there was nothing between us. She had broken up with her boyfriend and turned to me for comfort."

"Did you provide Zora comfort by sleeping with her?" She asked, furious.

A flush stole over his neck. He looked away. "Whatever you heard is not true. I was just a pool boy. Rich girls like her don't look at me twice. I bet the mother, Shazia, is behind all this slander against me."

Always a victim, Ella refused to believe him. How had she not noticed his snivelling flattery? Unlike William, he had stoked her ego, and she had fallen hook, line and sinker for Wickham's act. She said, "It's not that. I am just surprised that you console women so easily. Zora was dealing with a breakup and I had been snubbed by William."

"Oh, don't mention his name. It will ruin our day," Wickham said. "Everyone in Sunset Lane and your neighbourhood had a bad thing to say about him. We were right and everyone caught on."

"Actually, I may have been wrong. I met Darcy again in England and he made a different impression on me. He was quite friendly," she told him.

"Yes, he is. Remember when he said he can be friendly when he intends to," Wickham amended himself. "I am glad to hear that he is capable of seeing the error of his ways."

"Or, it was simply me, not knowing him, that well." She lifted her chin and met his gaze head-on. "I can't speak for you, though, as you know him the most. You guys did grow up together. When I meet William again, I will tell him you said hi."