From Pemberley to Manhattan [COMPLETED]

Chapter 32

Nat

"What the luck was that about, Bobby?"

"You know that sentence makes absolutely no sense when you say 'luck' instead of fu–"

"Don't you dare mock my cussing, Bobby! Why was Darcy giving towels away?" There was no way I'd let him bullsheet me! I'd seen him having what looked like a very serious conversation with Darcy. He definitely knew what the whole towel fuss had been about.

"I'm not supposed to tell, Nat." A secret? I loved those.

"I won't tell anyone", he looked at me suspiciously. "Not even Fanny. I promise." I didn't like letting Fanny out of good gossip, but I wouldn't break a promise either.

"It's a sad story, Nat. He lost someone a while ago. Pneumonia."

"Oh!" Poor Darcy! "It was his sister, wasn't it?"

There was bewilderment in his eyes for a second, but soon after the confusion vanished, and he explained, "Yes. It was a tragedy. She was in his arms when she passed away. With her last breath, she had one request for her brother: he should never let another maiden die of pneumonia again."

That was horrible. I should be feeling terrible for Darcy, but I simply couldn't shake the impression something was off about Bobby's story. And I was right: Bobby was holding back a laugh!

"You jerk! I knew you were full of sheet! You'd never call a woman a maiden! That's too Darcyish! You shouldn't joke about stuff like that, you know?" He was chuckling. Oh, but I'd rip that smile off his pretentious little face. "His sister is dead, Bobby." That made him serious on the spot.

"Thanks for the towel, Darcy darling, but I'm alright." I heard Fanny's voice. Her tone made me worry. She was using her You-can't-possibly-resist-me tone. No way; not with him.

"I'll be back", I told my brother, who became relieved. "Remember what happened when the Terminator said that, Bobby," I warned him. He shouldn't relax: that conversation wasn't over yet. Far from it. Something was going on and I'd get to the bottom of it.

"You look tense, Darcy darling," Fanny continued, standing up slowly. "I think you need a massage on your back."

"A massage?", Darcy was surprised with her suggestion, but I couldn't say if it was a good kind of surprise or a bad one.

"Sure! I've been complimented on having magical hands... And other body parts too." She then winked at him.

"Fanny!", Bobby yelled, while Anna chuckled by Fanny's side. I sure as hell wasn't laughing. Yeah, that situation called for a real cussing in my mind. Noticing Fanny was ignoring him, Bobby shouted. "I need to talk to you! NOW!"

My best-friend-who-I-now-wanted-to-kill-slowly-and-surely rolled her eyes and moved away from her almost victim. Not before telling Darcy, "If you need a massage on your shoulders..." Her eyes traveled to a lower level of his body. A dangerous level. "...or your head, I can assure you I'm your gal. I've been called a massage Goddess."

Oh. My. Goddess.

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