Read Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star for Free Online Page B

helping out with the yard work was the least she could do.
    She continued to puzzle over her mysterious guest until the lawn was done. Elizabeth put the mower away in the shed, and then slipped in the back door, hoping to avoid the company until she had a chance to get cleaned up.
    As luck would have it, she walked right into her mother giving the house tour. “Lizzy!” her mother scolded, making sure that everyone saw her.
    “Excuse me,” Elizabeth said softly as she sprinted for the stairs.
    Fifteen minutes later, showered and freshly dressed, Elizabeth returned to the party. Charlotte and Alex had arrived in the meantime and greeted her warmly. Then she turned to the other guests.
    “Elizabeth?” The tall blond man smiled sincerely and offered his hand. “I don’t think we have been introduced. I’m Charles Bingley, everyone calls me Charles.” He shook Elizabeth’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
    Elizabeth was charmed. “It’s nice to meet you, Charles. I’m sorry I was busy when you arrived.”
    “Oh, don’t think about it.” He dismissed her apology with a wave of his hand. “I used to have to mow the lawn at my parents’ house. Remember, Caro?”
    Caroline Bingley joined the couple and laughed, “Oh God! Don’t remind me. I hated that!” She addressed Elizabeth. “I’m Caroline Bingley. It’s nice to meet you again, Elizabeth.” She shook her hand warmly.
    “Our father would make us do the lawn—to build character, he would say,” Charles explained.
    “And you have to realize that every other house in the neighborhood had a lawn service,” Caroline continued.
    “So we tried everything to get out of it.”
    “But it never worked. Remember that time we had to mow by flashlight?”
    Elizabeth watched in amusement as the twins jointly told their story, one picking up the other’s lead without thinking about it. She was impressed by the openness and good manners of the Bingleys. They seemed the polar opposite of Darcy, who was standing apart from everyone, studying the content of the bookshelves.
    “Where is your other band member? Richard?” Elizabeth asked as she noticed his absence.
    “Oh,” Caroline flicked a quick look at her brother, “he had a previous commitment. But you will get to meet him on Thursday.”
    “What’s Thursday?”
    “Slurry is going to watch our rehearsal on Thursday, Lizzy,” Jane volunteered as she joined the group. Elizabeth watched as Charles flashed her a bright smile and moved to allow her room beside him.
    “Actually, now that you are here, and before we eat, why don’t we all sit down, and I can brief you on the plans?” Caroline asked in a warm tone that softened her professional words.
    As the group assembled on the two couches, Elizabeth was glad to see her younger sisters had disappeared. Some snacks were sitting on the coffee table and everyone had drinks, but there were no signs of her family, besides Jane, for which Elizabeth was both relieved and grateful.
    “Okay,” Caroline said as she flipped through a leather-bound clipboard. “How has rehearsal been going?”
    “Wonderful,” Jane smiled. Elizabeth and Charlotte agreed.
    “That’s great,” she smiled, her eyes briefly meeting Darcy’s. “Let’s go over the schedule. We’ll be in to see you on Thursday, then on Friday we are leaving from Kennedy. You need to be at the airport by 9:00 a.m. Don’t be late. Then we will be flying to Austin for three shows. Now, I know you haven’t had a lot of time to prepare, but we are going to hit the ground running, and we need you all to be ready, right?”
    Elizabeth nodded. “We’re ready.”
    “Good. After Austin we will be traveling on the buses. Here is a list of the dates and locations for the next few months.” She passed over a packet several pages long. Elizabeth could feel the excitement growing inside of her as the reality that next week they would be touring settled upon her awareness. She shared a look with