Beginning, Section II, Next Section

Chapter 6

This chapter is dedicated to Alicia, who so kindly requested more of E&D, and I quote: "...since we missed out on any lovey dovey stuff during E&D's courtship could we maybe get a little bit more of a glimpse of their happy marriage?? Pleease??"

"I can't believe it!" Richard was saying, over and over again, as Georgie recounted that afternoon's appearance by Cousin Anne. "Bailey and Anne, an item!"

"They are not!" Georgie hotly demanded. "At least not anymore. I asked him myself, on the way home. Said she was just someone he used to escort to parties from time to time. He was very uncomfortable in her presence. How do you suppose she even knew we were at the farm? She never goes there, she hates the country."

"I've no idea, Georgie Girl."

"I'm afraid that must be my fault," Dr. Bennet said apologetically, entering the kitchen. "A woman called here earlier, asking for you, my dear, and I said you had gone to the farm for the day. She just thanked me and ended the conversation."

"You couldn't know," Georgie told him kindly. "But she is going to have to pay for this one. She sat there, on William's front porch, sipping lemonade as if she drank it every day, and asking Alex if he remembered a hundred people I have never met. Lizzie, bless her heart, kept trying to change the subject, but that dratted Anne kept talking about people only she and Alex seem to know."

"Why did Anne even call in the first place?" Richard wondered. "Did she give a reason?" he asked Dr. Bennet.

"None that I recall."

"And she gave no indication that she wanted anything of me when I was at the farm," Georgie added. "Hmmm, I wonder why she chose now to call, and why she seemed so sure of finding Alex at the farm..."

"Perhaps someone saw the two of you together and..." Richard suggested.

"Caroline Bingley! That witch! She might have seen us last night at the cocktail party! Fast worker, isn't she?"

"Knowing Caroline," Richard said dryly, "she was burning up the airwaves early this morning. What do you plan to do about Anne?"

"I'll deal with Anne," Georgie told the two men, flexing her fingers in anticipation. "I've been itching to take her down a peg or two, ever since we were kids. She always tried to steal every guy I was even remotely interested in, and once, at a party... Never mind. But I need a little bit of information, and I know just the person to provide it."

"William, I'm worried about Georgie."

"Hmmm?"

With an exasperated sigh, Lizzie put the tray of coffee down on the nightstand and reached over and plucked the medical journal out of her husband's hands. She threw it over her shoulder and smiled. He always looked so distinguished in his wire-rimmed reading glasses.

"Your sister, dear. I'm worried about your sister. You saw how Anne was this afternoon, ignoring Georgie and monopolizing Dr. Bailey. I wonder where she knows him from? I hope Georgie remembers how aggravating your cousin can be, and not let Anne's actions cloud her own feelings for the doctor. It was obvious he was uncomfortable around Anne." Lizzie, having been on the receiving end of Anne's malice herself, knew just how he and Georgie must have felt.

"Georgie's a big girl, she can handle herself. She can definitely handle Dr. Bailey. She can even handle Anne, she just doesn't know it yet. Can I have my journal back, please?"

"Not so fast, doctor." Lizzie settled herself down next to Will and draped one arm familiarly over his large frame. "What do you mean, she can handle Anne, she just doesn't know it yet?"

"I mean, I know a few things about Anne, but it wouldn't look good coming from me, so I have to tell you, and then you tell Jane, or whomever, and they run and tell Georgie and then she has some ammunition."

"William! That's gossip! And why would she believe it? Why don't you just take her out to lunch and tell her yourself?"

"Goes against the gentleman's code, my dear. If you aren't going to give me back my journal, can I have some of that coffee?"

Lizzie nodded, and poured him half a cup. "It's decaf, because I know where the on-call schedule is, and you are not on call. Otherwise, I would have Mrs. Reynolds send up the high-test."

"You are a wonderful wife, you know that?"

"I know. I also know that you do not have any patients tomorrow morning, having given yourself a half-day off. Why is that?"

"I feel like sleeping in?"

Lizzie laughed and draped herself over his chest. In return, he folded her into his arms.

"You have a unique way of 'sleeping in,' don't you?" she said, remembering those rare days when he allowed time for the two of them. "It usually involves me getting up and seeing the kids off to school and you rewarding me privately afterward for something I do anyway." She tried to sound affronted, but her knowing smile ruined it.

"Why do you think I take off the entire morning?" William's answering grin was definitely wolfish, and he pulled her up further, kissing her in a leisurely fashion. "Something as important as making love to my wife should never be hurried."

"I love your bedside manner, doctor. But what about Georgie?"

"What about her? If we're going to sleep in tomorrow, we had better go to bed now, don't you think?"

"When you're this close, I don't think, now do I?"

"Meryton Family Health Center, how may I help you?"

"Dr. Darcy, please," Georgie requested on the phone the next morning.

"I'm sorry, but Dr. Darcy will not be in until 1 o'clock today," the woman's voice replied.

"Nuts! I'll try him at home. Thank you."

With an exasperated sigh, Georgie started to dial the farm, but then blushed and hung up. There was only one reason these days Will took a morning off from work, and she really didn't want to go there. She could always page him, she thought impishly, but no, Will would not appreciate the interruption. Neither would Lizzie, for that matter.

That only left Jane.

"Bingley residence."

"Jane? It's Georgie? Whatcha doing?"

"Moping the kitchen floor, feeding Grace and trying to wrestle Aaron out of a Superman cape and into some real clothes so I can drive Maddie to preschool. How are you?"

"You're doing all that at once?" Georgie was agog at the thought.

"It's called multi-tasking, dear, and yes, I'm doing it all at once. Aaron! I said take that cape off now! Maddie, wipe the baby's face for me, honey, and try not to track too much dirt onto my clean floor. You were saying, Georgie?"

"I, um, maybe now is not a good time. I was hesitant to call Elizabeth, because Will took the morning off, but I don't know... interrupting them seems like a good idea, now."

Jane laughed. "Don't you dare!"

"But I need some advice!" Georgie wailed into the phone.

"OK, not a problem. Charles' sister, Louisa, is coming to sit with the children this afternoon so that I can have some alone time. I'll come over about 2 o'clock and we can talk about what's bothering you. But you owe me baby-sitting duties sometime next week so I can go out to dinner with my husband. Deal?"

"Deal."

"So there you were, in the barn with the kittens, and Anne shows up out of the blue? How odd. Even if she wanted to talk to you, I don't think she is the type to get in her car and drive all the way up to the farm." Jane was seated in the inn's dining room a few hours later, a tall glass of iced tea at her elbow, rehashing the previous afternoon's events.

"Exactly! I think maybe Caroline called her yesterday morning, after seeing Alex and I together Saturday night."

"Hmmm, when did she see you Saturday night?"

"At the cocktail party for Alex's company. Did you know he owned his company?"

"No! Really?" Jane seemed truly surprised.

Georgie beamed. At last, someone else besides herself who didn't know that about the man. "Uh huh. Seems Caroline is one of his stockholders. She and I... well, Alex and I got separated, and I bumped into Caroline, and we, um, had words."

"Typical. What did she say?"

Georgie recounted their conversation, and Jane laughed.

"Knowing my sister-in-law the way I do, that doesn't surprise me."

"So I figured she must have called Anne, knowing that he used to escort my cousin to functions around town. Alex said Anne works for the same law firm as his father and is acquainted with his family."

"Curiouser and curiouser...Now, listen up. I got a call from Lizzie today. Seems Will knows a few things about Anne that he is not comfortable telling you outright."

"Why?"

"Who knows? Perhaps if he doesn't tell them to you directly, he can honestly say he never told you. Works for me, especially when you hear what Lizzie told me about Anne."

"I'm all ears." Georgie couldn't help but grin.

"I thought you would be. Now, here is what I know..."

Dr. Alex Bailey, renowned entomologist, sat in his home office that same afternoon and stared at his new kitten, Spit, who was trying to wrestle with a ball of paper.

"Just when I was making some headway with the lady, she starts to freeze on me, and then her dratted cousin shows up. What do you think?"

"Mrrowwww."

"Exactly. I need to find out why Georgie doesn't liked to be touched in certain areas, and I need to figure out a way to get rid of Anne."

"Mow."

"You think so? I wonder who can tell me more about Georgie?"

"Murrrrrow."

"You are absolutely right!" He picked up the phone and started flipping through the phone book.

"Meryton Family Health Center..."

"Dr. Darcy, please."

"Dr. Darcy is in with a patient right now. May I take a message?"

"Yes, please. Dr. Alex Bailey..." and he gave the receptionist his telephone number. "It's not urgent, I just need to speak with him at his convenience."

With a sigh, he hung up, and watched the kitten play some more with the paper. He was surprised, when, fifteen minutes later, the phone rang, and it was Dr. Darcy. The two spoke briefly, and made arrangements to meet around 7 o'clock for a drink.

"I'll call Elizabeth and explain," Dr. Darcy said when Alex apologized for cutting into his spare time. "Anything that concerns Georgie concerns me, regardless of what my wife thinks," he told Alex cryptically.

"I'd like to know a little more about your sister from another source," Dr. Bailey said without preamble a few hours later as the men sat down in the back of a local sports bar.

"Whoa, hold on there a minute." Will frowned. "Before we discuss my little sister, I need to know what your intentions are. I don't pass out information about my family on a whim." He hoped he was stern without being too standoffish, an attitude Elizabeth suggested when he had called her earlier.

"Just cop your 'head of the family' pose, dear," she had said, "and try not to be too much of a bulldozer."

"I understand that, sir. Thank you," Dr. Bailey now told the waitress who brought them each a beer. "My intentions are purely honorable."

Will gave a little snort of disbelief, but he grinned. "Uh huh. And my name is Caroline Bingley. Let's say they are fifty percent honorable. The other half of you would like to...well, you get my drift."

Dr. Bailey blushed, and Will started in surprise. Surely men these days did not blush? "OK, my intentions are half honorable," Bailey amended. "However, I would like to see this relationship with your sister become a permanent one."

"Really..." Will pondered that for a moment, the big brother in him enjoying watching the other man sweat. "In that case, what would you like to know?"

"Did Georgie date a lot in high school?"

"Well, I'll be honest. I was working and studying a lot and she spent most of her time with our Aunt Catherine."

"Anne's mother?"

"Yes. Aunt Catherine wanted Georgie to go to Anne's private school, but Georgie would have none of it. However, Anne's friends hung out there as much as possible, and Georgie was always included in the group activities. She rarely mentioned one boy above another, even after she went to college and began dating on a regular basis. She never seemed to keep a boyfriend for long. According to Georgie, they always threw her over for Anne."

"That might explain why Anne showed up yesterday. But when I get too close to Georgie, and touch, er, certain parts of her anatomy..."

Will glared at Dr. Bailey from across the table. "Yes?" he said silkily. "Continue."

"Um, er, you see, that is..." Dr. Bailey was definitely uncomfortable, and Will enjoyed seeing him squirm. "That is," he repeated, "I touch her backside and she tends to freeze up and pull away from me."

Will relaxed. He knew what the problem might be, and although he did not wholly approve of Bailey grabbing his sister's rear, permanent commitment or not, he could see where the man might develop such a compulsion. In fact, Elizabeth's own asset came to mind...

Dr. Bailey cleared his throat, bringing Will back to the matter at hand, so to speak. "I'm going to tell you something about Georgie, but if she finds out I told you, she would skin us both alive. Understand?"

Dr. Bailey nodded.

"When Georgie first began high school, she was, as I told you before, often with Anne's group of friends. I did not always approve of these kids, but Aunt Catherine was usually there to keep them reined in. If you knew my late aunt, you would know there was not much impropriety allowed in her presence. However, one weekend she got called away on an emergency, and Anne decided to organize a party. I was in med school, myself, or I would have been there to chaperone. Georgie, however, had already been invited to spend the weekend, and she was there for the party.

"I don't know what happened," Will continued with difficulty. "But she was found the next morning curled into a fetal position, her clothes ripped. She was taken to the emergency room, and they said she hadn't been...violated...she couldn't recall...but it took months of counseling before she would even look at the boys at school. Hard to believe now," he dryly added, looking pointedly at the man across the table.

"Wow," Dr. Bailey breathed, a stunned expression on his face. "That...I never would have...Excuse me, Dr. Darcy." He rose, fumbled in his wallet for a few dollars, which he threw on the table, and left.

Will could only hope Bailey's agitation was for Georgie, and not for himself.

"Bailey residence."

Alex had returned home, deep in thought, all of his attention on Georgie's past. What had really happened, and how did he go about making her completely comfortable in his arms? He was still pondering his dilemma when the phone rang.

"Alex! You're home!"

"Hi, Mom."

"You don't sound well. What's the matter, baby?"

Alex grinned. He would be seventy, and if his mom lived that long, she would still be calling him baby. She was also a good person to talk to, but he felt as if he had talked too much already for one day. He had to keep her attention focused on something else.

"Hey, Mom, guess what? I have a cat."

"A cat? I'd rather see you with a girlfriend, baby..."

"Yeah, well, I've got one of those, too." He regretted that information as soon as he said it.

"How wonderful! When do we get to meet her? I know! Your father is having a party this weekend for an old friend. I was calling to ask you to be there, but now you can bring..."

"Georgiana."

"Oh, what a lovely name. Tell me all about her!"

"She's tall, and she's beautiful blonde, and she owns the Twin Oaks Inn next door with her cousin, Richard."

"Richard? Next door? Richard Fitzwilliam?" His mom was instantly alert.

"Yes..." he hedged, not knowing where this conversation was going.

"How wonderful! Then Georgiana is a Darcy, right? I went to school with her mother! Now you must bring her, Alex. Oh, I can't wait! She has a brother, too..."

"Dr. William Darcy."

"A doctor? Well, of course he is! His dad was one, too. Is he married?"

"Yes. Her name is Elizabeth. Are you getting all this down, Mom?"

"You know me too well, baby. Call me back tomorrow with their address.

I want to mail an invitation to the Darcys, but you will bring Miss Darcy as your date, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Oh!"

"Mom?"

"I just remembered - the Darcys are related to that awful Anne de Bourgh in your father's office, aren't they? Do you think I should invite her? I hadn't planned on it, but now I don't know. Be a dear and ask Miss Darcy if I should invite her cousin. I think I will send an invitation to Mr. Fitzwilliam, too."

"He's Colonel Fitzwilliam, and he probably has to stay at the inn if I take Georgie out for the night. But I'll have his address for you tomorrow," he added, knowing his mother would not be happy if she felt she was overlooking someone.

"You are a love. I'll be going now. I have to call your sister and tell her all about your girlfriend. You don't mind, do you, baby? You can tell me all about your cat when you call back tomorrow. Bye!"

Alex hung up the phone with a sigh. He was going to have to talk with Georgie before he took her out again, because it damned near impossible to keep his hands off her, and he didn't want her zoning out again. Only, how was he going to get her to discuss their problem without telling her he knew about the attack?

Chapter 7

Alex was on his way over to the inn about nine o'clock the next evening, intent on asking Georgie to his parents' party, when she met him halfway.

"Hi!" she said brightly. "I was just coming over to check on Spit."

"Someone needs to," he mumbled. "Come see that little home-wrecker that other people call a kitten" he said, louder this time. "He's scratching everything in sight. I had to close off the parlor to preserve the red sofa." He offered her his arm, and they strolled back to his house.

Alex watched her as she knelt down once inside the front door and began making little psst! sounds. To his amazement, Spit came running toward her, and she lifted him up and nuzzled his little black head.

"Oh, you little darling! Now what is this I hear about you being Destructo-Kitty, hmmm?"

Alex found himself jealous of his own cat as he watched her fuss over the little hairball. The kitten purred loudly in her hands and he wished...

His stomach growled and he frowned. Food wasn't exactly high on his list of hungers at the moment. Georgie turned to him and put Spit down.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"I had a tuna sandwich about 11:30."

"This morning? You idiot!" she said affectionately and headed for the kitchen. The kitten was hot on her heels.

"But, Georgie, I can..."

"You can what?" she demanded. Washing her hands, she began rummaging in the cupboard. "Hmmm, dried mushrooms? Who in the world uses...Ahhh..." She pulled out a box of macaroni and cheese, found a saucepan and put some water on to boil. A trip to the refrigerator yielded more cheese, a handful of pepperoni slices and a half-empty jar of spaghetti sauce. She opened the lid and sniffed, made a face and set the jar in the sink.

"Yuck! I think I saw another jar...here it is."

Alex sat at the kitchen table and watched Georgie cook. Her movements were graceful and economical. She took few, if any, unnecessary steps to accomplish her tasks. She looked adorable, too, with a barbecue apron over her jeans and T-shirt, "Fire 'Em Up!" emblazoned on her ample chest. It seemed like the perfect invitation, but Alex had been serious when he told her brother he had a permanent commitment in mind. To antagonize her now, before they could discuss her past, would be a disaster.

He pondered his next course of action until he found her standing over him with a hunk of hard white cheese and a grater.

"Here," she told him. You grate the cheese into a bowl while I finish the Mickey Rooney and cheese."

"The what?"

Georgie chuckled. "Sorry, that's what Richard calls it and I guess it sorta stuck."

"Cute." But not as cute as his Georgie, who had probably spent half the day in a kitchen, but hadn't given a thought to waltzing into his and starting all over again.

"I must really like you," she told him, as if reading his thoughts. "I thought I was done for the day." She smiled, and when the phone rang, she reached for it automatically, as if she lived there. It was a dazzling thought for someone who was already thinking along those lines.

"Bailey residence. Oh, hello! Why yes, this is she. Really? How nice. Yes, ma'am."

Alex made a quick trip to the caller i.d. box and groaned. His mother. And if he knew her, she wasn't going to let Georgie off the phone until most of her curiosity was satisfied. And like an idiot, he had forgotten to call her first - earlier.

"Oh, hold on a minute, Mrs. Bailey. I have to drain the macaroni. Dinner? That's right. Here, talk to Alex while I finish up. It's your mom," she whispered as she handed him the phone.

"Mom? No, this is not my first meal of the day. No, I did not beg Georgie to cook for me. I'm perfectly capable of...no, Mom, not yet. She's been working at the inn, Mom, and just dropped by. I know I said she owns it, but she works there, too. I don't know. Let me check." With a sigh, he covered the receiver. "Mom wants to know if she may speak with you again."

"Sure!" Georgie chirped, and he stifled a groan. He was thrilled the two of them had already chatted like long-lost sisters, but there was no telling what his mother might say.

"Hello again, Mrs. Bailey. Donna? Why, thank you. Please, call me Georgie." This time, Georgie continued working, with one shoulder propping up the phone.

She mixed up the macaroni and spread it into a shallow casserole dish. Then she poured on spaghetti sauce, placed pepperoni on top and covered everything with the grated cheese. She motioned for Alex to put the dish into the oven for her, and she turned it on and set the timer.

"I forgot to preheat, but it will be OK," she whispered. "No, ma'am, I haven't had a chance. I thought we'd chat while I make him eat. He doesn't? OK, I'll keep that in mind. It was very nice talking to you, too. I hope we get to meet soon. Good night!" She hung up the phone and grinned impishly. "She says she loves you and you are to call her back when you get a chance."

"Thanks," he said dryly.

"I like the way your mom sounds on the phone." Georgie's tone was wistful, and Alex remembered it had been a long time since she had had parents of her own. It was on the tip of his tongue to offer to share his, but he didn't think she was ready to hear that yet. So he cleared his throat of the lump that had formed there and asked if he could help with supper.

"Do you have any wine?"

"In the cellar." He started for the door.

"Get one without roaches on it," she called after him.

"Cute, very cute," he called over his shoulder. And he wasn't really talking about the wine.

Georgie hummed to herself as she began to set the table. She felt comfortable in Alex's house, as if she had always lived there.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to live with Alex here in this house? That is probably a pie crust dream - easily made, easily broken...

"Georgie!" Alex yelled from the cellar, breaking into her thoughts. "Will you get this damned cat out from underneath my feet? I don't want to break my fall with these bottles!"

She went to the head of the stairs, looked down, and laughed. Alex and Spit were both glued to the spot, Alex at the bottom of the stairs, the kitten directly underneath, right between his feet.

"It's not funny," he insisted, even as he laughed along with her. "Every time I take a step, he takes one, too. I can't shake him!"

"Psst! Psst! Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!" Georgie took pity on him and called the kitten, who came willingly.

"See?" she gloated. "You just have to know what to say."

The timer went off at that point, and feeling like half off an old married couple who knew exactly what their own chores were without being asked, Georgie went to collect her macaroni and cheese pizza while Alex put the wine on the counter. He looked at Georgie.

"I think that white will be OK," she volunteered, marveling at how she knew his question even before he asked. He rummaged around for a corkscrew and she put the food on the table.

"I had forgotten to call my mother tonight," Alex told her when they finally sat down to eat.

"How could you forget something so important?" Georgie was incredulous. She wished she had a mother to call, and she said so.

"I know," he agreed. "But I was so busy at work today...this pizza thing is really good!"

"Hmpf! You'd think boiled shoe leather was good, you eat so well. I'm going to have to do something about that. In the meantime..."

She rose from the table, where she had been picking at a portion of the casserole, more to keep him company than anything, and went around to the back of his chair.

"You shouldn't work so hard, you know," she whispered, and put her hands on his shoulders. She then proceeded to give him a massage, working her hands over his neck, head, shoulders and upper arms.

"Like that?" she asked at one point.

"Hmmmmmm...where did you learn how to do that?"

"I worked in Will's practice one summer, and the physical therapist next door taught me." She sighed, partially because she enjoyed touching Alex, and partially at the memory of the physical therapist. She'd had such a crush on him, but he had been engaged at the time. At least she knew now how infatuation felt. She was so glad she knew the difference. What she felt for Alex was so much...

more.

Her hands slowed, and froze to his shoulders as she realized something important.

I'm in love with Alex.

"Georgie? Georgie..."

"Wha-? Oh! Look at the time! I hate to eat and run, Alex, but I've got a busy day tomorrow, and I'm sure you do, too, and your mom wants you to call her and Richard will be worried," she babbled as she ran out the kitchen door.

She ran blindly, across the yard, through the inn's garden and into its kitchen, as if the Hounds of Hell were on her heels.

"Whoa! Hold on there, Georgie Girl!"

Richard!

"Richard!" she squeaked, winded from her escape from Alex.

"Georgie!"

"Oh, Richard! It was horrible! It was wonderful! I'm so happy! And I'm babbling again..."

"Again? Slow down, honey, and catch your breath." Georgie felt herself being led to a chair and slowly settled onto its padded seat.

"Oh, Richard, I'm in love!"

He laughed. "Well, of course you are! I've seen it for days."

"You have?" Her hands flew to her flushed cheeks as he nodded. "But I'm scared. What if he doesn't love me?"

"If this is Dr. Bailey you are speaking of, I don't think you have too much to worry about. And whatever's going on tonight between you two, looks like he's here to continue the discussion..."

Georgie turned around in her chair and saw Alex standing just outside the back door, a look of concern on his handsome face.

"You don't think he heard all that?" she gasped.

Richard chuckled. "I don't think so, love. Why don't you invite the man in, though, and see what he wants?"

"Oh! Of course!" She jumped up and ran to the door.

"I'm sorry, Alex. I shouldn't have left like that - I don't know what happened. I'm still wearing your apron, and I'm babbling again." She took a deep breath and invited him inside.

"I can't come in. I was worried and went after you, but the phone rang, and when I went to answer it, I caught this little guy on a chair, trying to get on the kitchen table." He held Spit up for inspection and Georgie laughed.

"Then I'll come outside."

She led him into the garden and over to a wooden swing that hung from one of the oaks, took Spit from his arms and sat down.

"I'm sorry I ran off, Alex."

"That's OK. Care to tell me what's bothering you?"

"I want to, but not tonight, OK?"

"OK. That phone call was my mom, reminding me yet again that I need to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"My parents are having a party on Saturday night for an old friend of theirs. My sister and her husband are going to be there, and they all want to meet you. Will you be my date to the party? Can you get the time off from the inn?"

"Meet your parents?" was all Georgie found herself saying.

"Please. Mom says she used to go to school with your mother."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Unfortunately, there is one other thing... Mom wants to know if she should invite Anne de Bourgh."

"What do you think?"

"You already know what I think. My parents dislike her intensely, even though she works for Dad, but since she is your relative, Mom says they will be guided by you."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." In the dark, she could see the gleam of his smile. "She would like to mail an invitation to your brother and sister-in-law, too."

Georgie giggled. "Is that why your mom keeps calling?"

"Patience was never her strong suit."

"I think I'm going to like your mom. Now I can't wait to meet her. I'll work something out with Richard, and I think your mother should invite Cousin Anne. I have a few things she might be interested in hearing, and I think you deserve to witness everything. You go call your mom right now - wait! I need to clean up your kitchen. We'll go home right now and you call your mom while I do the dishes."

"But-"

"OK, then, you do the dishes. I'll call your mom. Come on, Spit. Race you to the phone!"

The kitten had fallen asleep in her arms, but he woke readily enough, and she talked baby nonsense to him all the way back to Alex's house, not even looking back to see if Alex followed. Somehow, she knew he was there. That was good enough for her. Besides, she needed to cool her flushed cheeks. Had she really just told him they were both going "home"?

"Will you quit pacing, Georgie Girl! You are going to wear a hole in the floor," Richard drawled. It was Saturday night, Georgie was nervously ready to meet Alex's parents, and he was late picking her up.

"Where can he be?"

"It takes time to get here from the farm," Richard replied.

"Very nice of him to offer Will and Lizzie a lift to the party," Dr. Bennet said kindly. "And bring the children here when he comes to collect his date."

"Yeah, yeah, he thinks of everything, doesn't he?" Georgie couldn't quite keep the sarcasm from her voice. "I'm sorry, sir," she amended, seeing the hurt expression on Dr. Bennet's face. "I'm just nervous. These could be my future in-laws," she added under her breath.

"Looks like your limo is here, Cinderella," Richard said from his lookout point at the window.

"A limo? Not again!"

"I swear, Georgie, anyone else would be swooning. It will be nice for Bailey to leave the driving to someone else while you get a chance to visit with your brother. You haven't had much of a chance of that lately," Richard pointed out.

"If you want me to feel guilty, you've succeeded," she grumbled. "And how is this extravagance of Alex's going to look to his parents?"

"Like Alex cares enough to bring you to meet them in style," Dr. Bennet replied. "If they even see it. Besides, you have more important things to deal with tonight, don't you?"

"Hmmm, Anne." A thundering on the front porch announced the arrival of Meredith and Kit, who flew in the door and into their father's arms, overnight bags and all.

"Dad! Dad! We got to ride in Alex's limo!"

"It was way cool, Dad! Come see!"

"Some other time," he laughingly replied. "Georgie needs to get going and I believe Richard said something earlier about making pizza in the kitchen."

"Hurray!" Merry shouted. She launched herself at Richard, and insisted he take them into the kitchen immediately. Kit grabbed his father by the hand and pulled him after his sister and the colonel, who were already disappearing into the nether regions of the inn."

Which left Georgie alone with Alex, who had come in quietly after the children, in the foyer.

"You look gorgeous!" he told her softly, and gave her a gentle kiss, which threatened to turn her knees to jelly. But she smiled and managed to rotate, instead, so that he might get the full effect. She was glad, now, she had allowed Jane and Lizzie to take her shopping, if the gleam of admiration in Alex's chocolate brown eyes was the result. The ladies had been lucky to find the fuschia silk sheath with thin little straps in Georgie's size. She had insisted on not buying black, and while Jane wondered if hot pink wasn't a little too out there for what she called a "meet-and-greet with the future in-laws," Georgie had stood her ground.

"My dad is going to love you," Alex told her as he escorted her to the limo. "He hates women who wear nothing but black or navy blue, like all the women in his firm. He's going to like your hair, too. I like your hair, for that matter."

Georgie was glad she had left it down around her shoulders, then, instead of piling it on top of her head.

Lizzie, she noticed when she got in the limo, was stunning in cobalt blue crepe, a brilliant diamond tennis bracelet gleaming around one wrist.

"Oooooh! Pretty! Is that new?"

"William just gave it to me," Lizzie admitted with a tiny blush.

"And she was just thanking me for it when you interrupted," Will told his sister. "Thanks a lot!"

Everyone laughed, and Alex opened a bottle of champagne. Georgie recalled their other limo date, when he had kissed her, and added a few blushes of her own when she caught Alex sending her a silent toast.

Will caught her expression and cleared his throat, and the conversation became general. Lizzie wanted to hear about Alex's kitten, and he launched into a tale of Spit's antics.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Georgie said at one point, "if those yellow kittens were fathered by Aunt Catherine's cat, Collins." She explained to Alex how Will had found the poor cat several years before in the hospital alley, and had taken it to her aunt's house to live, "because we were incredibly over-run with cats at the farm at the time, and Aunt Catherine had no one. And when she had a stroke, the cat went with Lizzie, who was her companion at the time, and then to the farm when she married Will."

Will grinned. "I can safely say those yellow kittens were not fathered by Collins. Because Aunt Catherine was incredibly neglectful of such things as over-population in the feline world..."

"She had Anne, didn't she?" Lizzie muttered.

"...I had Collins neutered as soon as possible."

Chapter 8

Georgie had to admit to herself that Alex's parents did not look anything like she had imagined. Not his mother, anyway.

She met them herself at the door of the Bailey's Manhattan apartment, a short, plump woman in silvery gray chiffon, an exact match for her eyes. Georgie had envisioned a taller, less-rounded woman, not this cute little dumpling with graying brown hair. Her hands were beautifully manicured, to be sure, but her nails were short and she kept running her hands through her crop of short curls, as if she were the one who should be nervous.

There was nothing nervous about Mrs. Bailey, though, when she spied Georgie over Alex's shoulder as he bent to give his mother a kiss.

"Georgie!" she squealed. Pushing past her son, she gave her son's date a crushing hug. "I'd know you anywhere - you look just like your dear mother! This, of course, is William - you've got a lot of Annie in you, too! And welcome to our home, Elizabeth," she added, drawing Lizzie into the apartment as she spoke.

Georgie, no longer the older woman's focus, looked around her with interest. The Bailey apartment was spacious, and decorated in a less-sophisticated fashion than she had expected. There were large, roomy sofas and plush chairs set about, everything in green and gold, with deep accents of red. It was luxurious, certainly, and not inexpensive, but not modern by any means. It could only be described as comfortable.

Mrs. Bailey led them into another room, a den filled with a leather sectional, a huge recliner and a wall-to-wall entertainment center. In it were an older version of Alex, right down to the chocolate brown eyes, who welcomed them warmly; Alex's sister, Sarah, a pretty woman with eyes like her mother; and David Downing, her husband, a dark-haired man with bright blue eyes.

"Alex, dear, see that everyone gets a drink, please. Georgie, could I steal you for a moment?" Mrs. Bailey asked. Alex groaned. "We won't be but a moment, Alex," she admonished. Georgie stifled a laugh and followed her hostess into a bright, modern, chrome and black kitchen. It was then she noticed Mrs. Bailey was not wearing shoes.

She followed Georgie's interested stare and laughed.

"No shoes! I hate them! I had to wear them every day for the first eighteen years of my life, and I've managed to stay out of them as much as possible ever since! But look here, my dear. Here is one of my old school yearbooks. I found a picture or two of your mother I thought you might like to see. And I have to check on dinner, too."

Georgie was fascinated by the pictures of her mother, and by Mrs. Bailey and her activities. The woman lived in a plush apartment and not once had she seen a servant of any sort.

"I love to cook, and I only have a cleaning lady come twice a week," she was told, as if she had spoken out loud. "But it's not often I get to cook for a large crowd. There will be just us for dinner, of course. The rest of the guests, including Phil's old friend, are coming later."

"Is there anything I can do to help, Mrs. Bailey?"

"Oh, no, I have everything under control, my dear. And it's Donna, remember?" She gave Georgie a searching look. "You're serious?"

"Oh, yes! I enjoy being waited on, but being in the hospitality business, I am not used to it. What smells so good?"

"My husband, despite his current upscale lifestyle, is still a farm boy at heart, so I made pot roast with potatoes and carrots. I hope that will be OK with everyone?"

"It's fine with me!"

"Good. Would you mind helping me put everything on the table? The dining room is in there." She indicated a room off the other side of the kitchen.

Georgie carried platters and bowls to the large, round dining room table as directed, admiring the pretty blue-patterned English china, cheerful daisy centerpiece and sparkling silver. The Baileys had money, that much was obvious, but they didn't go overboard, and it showed in Alex's own simple tastes. He did not see anything wrong with serving pot roast when Mrs. Bailey ushered everyone in to eat.

"Smells wonderful, Mom!" he exclaimed, standing in the doorway and sniffing with delight.

"I hardly call that a compliment from someone who eats Frosted Flakes for supper," Georgie retorted, and everyone laughed, especially his mother.

"So, how are you getting along," he whispered anxiously as he seated her between his own chair and his father.

"Your mom is wonderful! She's so real!"

Alex smiled. "Most people think so."

"My Donna was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, but with good strong morals and a heart as big as Texas," Mr. Bailey told her proudly.

"I think that is lovely," Georgie agreed. Mrs. Bailey blushed and told everyone to eat before the food got cold.

Georgie divided her attention between Alex and his father at first, until the conversation became general. She found Mr. Bailey to be as charming as his son, and she was also pleased to see Will and Alex's brother-in-law, as a doctor and pharmacist, have something in common.

After the topics of medicine and the law had been covered, the men settled back and let the ladies discuss the children. Sarah had two, a boy and girl, three and five, and she and Lizzie seemed to enjoy asking advice from Mrs. Bailey. Georgie interjected an occasional funny story about the twins and the Bingley brood, and did not feel excluded at all.

She was in an excellent mood by the time Mrs. Bailey served pecan pie topped with vanilla ice cream, until she had a lowering thought. The party was to start soon, and Anne had been invited. Finding herself needing to fill the time with activity, she began piling dirty dishes together and rose to take them into the kitchen.

"No, no, no," insisted Mrs. Bailey. "I don't mind you helping set the table, dear, but you aren't helping with the dishes. Not tonight. Tonight you are an honored guest. Next time, I'll let you wash anything you want - but not tonight!"

Frustrated and flattered at the same time, Georgie tried not to fidget. Alex seemed to have sensed her unease, however, and asked if she wanted to see the apartment.

"I'd love to," she replied, oblivious to the knowing grins from the married couples still content to sit around the table and finish their coffee.

"The city is so beautiful at night," she declared later as they looked out over the bright lights. She had barely been given time to see anything, the way Alex had whisked her on a whirlwind tour, only to end up in his arms on the balcony off his parents' bedroom. A stiff breeze blew little tendrils of hair about her as Alex murmured little nothings in her ear. On the fifty-fifth floor, it was difficult to determine the origin of the shivers playing havoc with her spine, but her money was on Alex.

Her chills increased tenfold when she finally began to listen to what he was actually whispering - at one point her ears definitely heard the word she desired above all: Love.

Well, no time like the present to declare her own feelings, she decided. And if he returned her feelings, it would bolster her for what she feared would be an ordeal later with Anne. And if he didn't, anything Anne said or did could not be any worse than a rejection from Alex.

"Alex?"

"Hmmmm?"

"I love you." She felt his entire body stiffen in response, and she feared he was about to administer that rejection.

"You mean that, Georgie? You really love me?" His voice was incredulous. "I mean, I had hoped, but not this soon..."

"Alex? Does this mean what I think it means?"

"You love me!" he repeated in an awestruck tone.

"I just said I did!"

I...oh..." He kissed her fiercely and she returned the gesture with ardor.

"Georgie?" he finally asked as he came up for air.

"Hmmmm..."

"I love you, too. I have from the first moment I threw you into the dirt!"

"Oh, Alex!"

The next ten minutes were spent in a breathless embrace, broken only by someone tapping discreetly on the glass doors. Georgie was glad the curtains were drawn, and she thanked everything she believed in that she had left her hair down. If it was mussed, she could always blame it on the wind.

"Our first guests are here," Mrs. Bailey called.

"We're on our way," Alex called back. "Go on in, my love," he told Georgie with a quick kiss. "I need a few minutes to compose myself."

Georgie couldn't help but giggle, but she took pity on him and quit the balcony. Floating back into the apartment, she was led by a grinning, but non-questioning, Mrs. Bailey into the front room, where she was introduced to Mr. Cunningham, an old friend of Mr. Bailey's. But to her surprise, standing behind him was an old friend of the Darcy family, George Wickham. And, with her arm linked in his, was her cousin, Anne de Bourgh.

"Georgie!" Anne cooed. "So nice to see you again. You remember George, don't you?"

"George." She acknowledged Anne's companion with a nod.

"It has been awhile, hasn't it?" Anne asked no one in particular. "Why, you haven't seen George since William's wedding, have you? Not that you saw much of him that day... it was quite the dust-up, wasn't it? How is William, by the way? Why, I haven't seen him since..."

"...since last Sunday, when you drove all the way up to the farm," Will finished for her, strolling into the room, Lizzie in tow. "Wickham."

"Darcy."

"Will!" Anne was visibly taken aback at the appearance of her elder cousin.

"My, my, how everyone seems to know everyone else already," Mrs. Bailey interjected quickly. The doorbell rang and she seemed glad for the distraction. Georgie saw Alex enter the room from the hallway leading to the bedrooms, but she was too busy keeping one eye on George Wickham. There was something about him that she had never quite trusted, not since she was a teenager. She couldn't put her finger on exactly what made her leery of him, and had avoided him as much as possible.

The room was soon filled with people, and, drink in hand, Georgie allowed Alex to lead her from one group to the next. She was happy to meet so many nice strangers, until they ended up near a group of people clustered around Anne.

"Ah, here is my little cousin Georgiana," Anne called, bringing her group's attention to dwell on Georgie. "Georgie is a working drudge playing Cinderella tonight. She cleans toilets and serves meals at an inn in Connecticut."

Georgie blushed, but one petite blonde put a kind hand on her arm.

"Georgie Darcy, right? Twin Oaks Inn? Michael, come say hi to Georgie!" she called to a man in the next group. "Remember that darling B&B we stayed at last year? This is Georgie! She owns the place!" she told the rest of the group. "You must stay at her inn sometime! Fabulous, just fabulous! We already have reservations with you for the fall, and I've recommended it to all my friends! Scrub toilets, indeed!" She gave Anne a freezing look and flounced off, taking half the group with her.

"Actually, I do scrub toilets," Georgie admitted to Alex, who had his arm around her waist. He gave her an encouraging squeeze.

"Just the kind of life one is prepared to endure when one attends a less than exclusive school," Anne told Alex. "Not like you and I, and George here, of course." She indicated Wickham, who was hovering at her elbow like a mosquito. "I did my best to introduce Georgie to the right sort of people when we were younger, but she never took my advice. I spent most of my time attracting unsuitable young men away from her, and see, now she is finally surrounding herself with the type of people her mother expected her to associate with. However..." Anne advanced on Alex and slipped an arm through his free one, drawing him away from her cousin. "...there are some of the correct sort who are still more suited to me than you... I would love to see the view from the balcony, Alex... George! Stay with Georgiana and see that she stays out of trouble!"

"Let me get you something else to drink," Wickham said smoothly, but instead of leading her to the bar, he steered her toward a quiet corner of the room. "Now that we've gotten rid of those two, let's become reacquainted, you and I."

"I'm sure there's no need for that," Georgie insisted, but Wickham just kept moving in closer and closer, his blue eyes boring into hers. "No!" she said urgently, her voice little higher than a whisper. There was something about the way he looked at her...

Then Wickham made the mistake of putting his arms around her and grabbing her rear. Quicker than a wink, Georgie snapped, suddenly remembering Anne's long-ago party, where this same man had made the same move, right before he had tried to force her into something she hadn't wanted to do then, and definitely didn't want to do now. A voice in her head said there was no way, legally, she could make him pay for that past injustice, but there was something she could do now to prevent him from approaching her ever again.

From the other side of the room, where Anne de Bourgh had him cornered, Alex watched in horror as George Wickham advanced on Georgie. He wanted to cry out, to warn her of the man's obvious intent, but it was too late. Wickham had done the unthinkable and had placed his hands on her backside.

Alex blinked in surprise, a second later, when he saw Georgie neatly flip the much larger man onto his back. She watched, patiently, while he picked himself up, and then she kneed him in the groin. By this time, the crowd had gone quiet, watching in disbelief as Georgie kicked him in the face, flattening him back out on the floor. She then brought her spiky heel back down into his groin area and he howled in pain.

Alex was so proud of her when she finally looked up at the group, flipped her hair nonchalantly and dusted her hands together.

"No, thank you, I would not like another drink," she told Wickham calmly before walking over his prostrate body to where Alex stood. "Could I go somewhere quiet for a moment?" she asked in a shaking voice.

Mrs. Bailey came to collect her as soon as she reached Alex, shooed her son away and led her off to a bedroom down the hall. Georgie had only been given a glimpse of this room earlier, by an impatient Alex, but now that she was in it proper, she realized it had been his room as a young man. Mrs. Bailey sat her down on the bed.

"Are you OK, my dear? What happened?"

"I'm so sorry!" Georgie wailed, tears starting to fall. "I just ruined your party!"

"Nonsense! A good brawl, especially when a known womanizer is finally hurt somewhere he'll remember, is always good for one's social reputation. I'll be the talk of the building by morning!" But Georgie was past listening, and she cried even harder.

Alarmed, Mrs. Bailey went out into the hall, where Alex, Will and Lizzie were impatiently waiting to see Georgie. "Elizabeth, you first, I think," was all she said. Lizzie rushed inside.

"Georgie?"

"Oh, Lizzie, I ruined the party!"

"Is that what this is all about? Not the fact that you just took out George Wickham and probably ruined his chance of ever fathering children again? About time, I say. You know what he did to my stepsister. Not that Lydia was complaining at the time... See, I made you smile, didn't I?"

Georgie hiccuped, but she gave Lizzie a teary little grin. "He said he loves me," she told her sister-in-law.

"Wickham?" Lizzie's jaw dropped to her chest.

"No, silly. Alex."

"Well, of course he does! We've all seen it for days! Now, do you want to talk about what just happened - or why?"

"Alex, I need to talk to Alex. Is Will out there?"

"Hovering in his best big-brother manner."

"Take him back to the party and get him a drink. Tell him I'm OK now. Tell him I'm more than OK."

Lizzie's puzzled expression made her laugh. "If you say so..."

"I say so. I need to talk to Alex."

Lizzie left, and Alex came in. Georgie held out her arms, and he rushed into them with an alacrity that made her head spin. They didn't say anything at first, only held each other tight. It felt so good to be in his arms, so right.

"I'm sorry," she finally whispered. "Your mom says her party is not ruined, but I know it is."

"Are you kidding? My family thinks you are wonderful. I think you are wonderful. Where did you learn those moves?"

Georgie chuckled. "Richard taught me. Said I couldn't run an inn without knowing a few self-defense moves. I've never had to use them before tonight. He'll be pleased to know I remembered them. I'm not very proud of myself, though. Those kicks to sensitive areas were made in anger... When I was a teenager, Anne had a party once, when Aunt Catherine was away. Someone had spiked the punch, and the next thing I know, I woke up in the hospital, my clothes in shreds, my body covered in bruises. Will said I had been attacked, but not... not sexually violated. Whomever had attacked me must have been startled at the last minute. I didn't remember. Until tonight. George Wickham had attacked me at the party, and I remembered it. I'm sorry I froze up on you the other day at the farm...it was all his fault."

"And now you have taken care of it, haven't you, my love?"

"I suppose so." She gave a wicked little giggle. "There is only one way to find out..." She took one of Alex's hands and slowly lowered it to her backside. Then she removed her hand and looked up into his dark eyes, hers trying desperately to convey her trust, his showing love and desire.

"Oh, there you are," Anne purred, having entered the room while Georgie and Alex were otherwise occupied. "Since you're not busy," she added, blithely dismissing their physical activity, "I thought you could show me that balcony now..."

"I don't think so," Georgie replied. "Go get your own man, and quit trying to steal mine!"

"Ooooh! The little girl has a temper..." Anne taunted. "Going to take me out like you did poor old George? Really, Georgie, I had hoped back when we were teenagers you would have had the good sense to get yourself raped and knocked up that night, so you would be in disgrace, and I wouldn't have to deal with you again."

"How much of that night do you know about?"

"Everything! Who do you think orchestrated that entire thing? It should have worked, but George panicked at the last moment."

"Why do you hate me so much?" Georgie whispered.

"Why? Because you could do no wrong! Will was so damned protective, and he thought you were perfect, and even my own mother preferred your company. Nobody liked me, and everyone loved you! It wasn't fair!"

"Oh, grow up, Annie, and learn to live with what you've been dealt, huh?" Georgie came flying off the bed and put herself up in her cousin's face. "Who cares if you are not a senior partner in your firm, like you've been telling everyone within a hundred-mile radius for the last five years. Who cares if you live beyond your means and are almost bankrupt, and Will had to sign over the rest of your mother's estate just to keep your head above water? Who cares that you had an abortion when you were in college? Or that you had a child when you were seventeen and gave it up for adoption?"

Anne turned white as a sheet. "Who told you this? How do you know all this?" she hissed. "Why, I ought to..." She shrieked and dove for Georgie, but Alex, who had remained out of the conversation, threw himself between the two women, and Anne's long nails scratched his face instead of Georgie's.

"I think that is about enough," Mr. Bailey said quietly from the doorway. "Alex, take Miss Darcy into our room, please, and get her a stiff drink. Miss Darcy can tend to your wound in there. Miss de Bourgh, I believe I would like to see you Monday morning in your office, 9 a.m. sharp. Your behavior is not appropriate for someone employed at Bradley, Bailey and Shapiro. Bring plenty of boxes. You are going to need them to clean out your desk. In the meantime, here is your cousin," he indicated Will, standing behind him, "ready to escort you home. Good evening."

It had been an emotionally exhausting evening, but Alex was still surprised when Georgie fell asleep against his shoulder almost as soon as the limo began to leave Manhattan.

"She was always one to just drop off wherever she was when she was ready to go to sleep - nothing short of a nuclear explosion will rouse her, either," Will told him.

The ride home was quiet. No one seemed to care to comment on the night's events. Elizabeth, too, was sleepy, and by the time they arrived at Pemberley Farms, she was curled up on her seat with her head in her husband's lap. She roused briefly when Will told her they were home, and she bid Alex a sleepy good night.

"What are you going to do with Georgie?" her brother wanted to know.

"I'm going to put her in one of my spare rooms - no sense waking anyone at the inn." Alex was sure Will would have protested, but he only nodded and walked his sleepy wife indoors.

"Need help with the young lady?" Tom, the limo driver, asked when they reached Alex's home.

"If you would unlock the door for me, please..." Alex handed over the key and then tenderly scooted Georgie over to the end of the seat so that he could lift her in his arms and carry her inside. Once there, he gently laid her on the red sofa, where she didn't wake.

"Thanks, Tom, that will be all tonight. I appreciate you working so late. I'll send in a hefty tip," he told the driver.

Once the limo was gone, he locked the front door and went back to the parlor, standing there looking down at Georgie. Asleep. On his sofa. In his house. He wondered what she would say when she woke up. Probably something along the lines of having to sleep in that skimpy little thing she called a dress.

He would have to make her more comfortable. No hardship there. Whistling as he ran upstairs, he grabbed a pillow off a spare bed. He took that down and put it gently under her head.

But what if she got cold during the night? Back upstairs he ran, to pull the quilt off that same spare bed. Maybe it would be better to carry her upstairs?

No, he decided, because he would be more than tempted to put her in his bed, and he didn't know how she would feel waking up in a strange bed - his or a guest room.

So the parlor sofa won. At least if she woke up there, she was familiar enough not to be too concerned with her surroundings. And the red sofa was long enough to accommodate her length.

Humming to himself, he went back upstairs and rummaged in his dresser for a T-shirt and a pair of jogging shorts before running downstairs once more.

Bending over Georgie's slightly snoring body, he gingerly slipped the tiny straps off Georgie's golden-brown shoulders and unzipped the back of her dress.

And caught his breath - she wasn't wearing anything underneath the top of her gown. He pulled the dress up quickly. No need to give himself any ideas. Then he pulled the T-shirt over her head and chest, slipped his hands underneath without looking - if he looked, he would start with the ideas again - and pulled her dress down to the waist.

Whew! Halfway there... It was when he pulled her gown off the rest of the way, though, that his mouth went dry and his heart rate soared.

She wasn't wearing pantyhose, as he had surmised, but a tiny pair of white lace panties, a white-lace garter belt trimmed in fuschia pink rosebuds, and sheer stockings.

Now what?

The panties, obviously, would have to stay, more was the pity, but he thought maybe he could pull away the belt and stockings all at once. The temptation to detach the stockings and peel them off slowly was great, but he grabbed hold of the belt instead and gently slid everything down. To his great relief, it all came off at once, and he covered her with the quilt. After all that, he wasn't about to attempt putting those shorts on her.

Instead, he lay them across the arm of the sofa at her feet, so she could see them in the morning. He turned a lamp on, leaving a low light in case she awoke in the dark, wiped his sweaty palms on his tuxedo pants, and went upstairs to take a cold shower.

It's damn hard some days to be so chivalrous, he thought sleepily.

Spit, spying his favorite human curled up on his favorite scratching post - when he was allowed in the parlor - jumped up on Georgie's sleeping form and curled up on her hip for a little cat nap.

Chapter 9

Georgie woke the next morning to find herself on Alex's sofa, tucked into an old quilt, Spit curled up around her head. At least she hoped it was Spit. It was purring, at any rate.

She snuggled down further into the sofa, pulling her T-shirt down where it had ridden up on her...

T-shirt?

She patted her torso to see what else she might, or might not, be wearing. Her inspection revealed her to be wearing nothing else except for a scrap of lace she liked to call her panties. Only one person could have changed her clothes, and the thought of Alex when he came across that garter belt made her laugh out loud.

"Poor baby..."

"Mrow!"

"Oh, you're a poor baby, too," she crooned. Sitting upright, the first thing she saw were the jogging shorts on the arm of the sofa. Tears threatened.

He was so sweet.

She got up and found the downstairs bathroom, and then went to the kitchen, all as quietly as possible. She didn't want to wake Alex. Breakfast they could have at the inn, she decided, remembering the lack of real food in this house, but she needed some caffeine now.

While the coffee brewed, Georgie rummaged around the fridge for some milk, but all she found was an empty container.

"Hmpf! I'll bet he drinks right from the carton, too!"

"I'll bet he doesn't," Alex argued from the kitchen doorway.

"Alex, I - oh!" Georgie's mouth went dry and her heart rate soared. Alex stood there in a pair of dark blue pajama bottoms and nothing else. Well, she amended, maybe a smile.

"Good morning. Did you sleep comfortably?" he asked, indicating her T-shirt and shorts. Georgie nodded, at a loss for words. "By the way, the underwear was spectacular. Like its wearer."

He walked toward her slowly as he spoke, and she stared at his chest as it came closer and closer. She wanted to reach out and touch its soft brown hair, but was enfolded in a pair of strong arms and nuzzled on the neck before she could act.

"Hmmmm...what's for breakfast?" he asked. Georgie thought she had plans for that meal, but she was darned if she knew what they were. Somehow, with Alex's lips on her throat, she was finding it difficult to think, let alone breathe.

A soft ringing sound from the other room broke his concentration and Georgie ran into the parlor to answer her purse...er, cell phone.

"Hello!"

"Georgie, it's Lizzie. Guess what?"

"What?"

"Wait a minute. What?" she asked someone on her end of the line. "Oh! Gosh, I'm sorry, Georgie! I didn't know until just now that you spent the night with Alex. I'm sorry to interrupt. I'll call you back later." Lizzie sounded embarrassed and Georgie burst out laughing.

"Slug that brother of mine in the arm, will you? If he knows I'm here, he probably made sure all I did was sleep on the sofa - which I did, by the way, so tell him to stop teasing you and then tell me why you called."

"Are you sure?"

Georgie winked at Alex, who had followed her into the parlor and was sitting next to her on the sofa. He put an arm around her, and she leaned back into his solid strength. "I'm sure. What's going on?"

"You'll never guess!" Lizzie was excited about something.

"And I'm not going to try. Spill it!"

"Anne has been arrested!"

"What? When?"

"This morning. And a detective showed up at the farm, too."

"No!"

"Someone saw Will take her home last night - evidently they were staking out her apartment - and tailed us home."

"But what was she arrested for?" She looked up and mouthed "Anne" to Alex, who was suddenly more alert.

"Embezzlement of client funds," Lizzie replied. "And George Wickham was arrested as an accomplice!"

"How wonderful! I hope they both rot in jail! But what about Will?"

Lizzie laughed. "You know old poker-face. He told them, honestly, of course, that she had made a scene at a party and he was making sure she didn't harass anyone else by escorting her home. His being a fine, upstanding general practitioner didn't hurt." She giggled. "Will!"

"Oops! Sounds like my cue to say goodbye. Thanks for calling. Hey, Lizzie - tell Will that Alex undressed me last night, and then watch him go ballistic."

Lizzie's chuckle was evil, but Alex was waving his free arm in protest.

"Oh, no you don't! He's bigger than I am and if he thought for a moment that I...that we..." He broke off with a blush.

"Well, he did undress me," Georgie admitted to Lizzie, "unless that was the kitten...But I'm sure he did it in a discreet manner. And if not, I hope he liked what he saw!" She and Lizzie rang off and Georgie turned back to Alex.

"Come on over to the inn and I'll feed you some breakfast."

Breakfast was finished at the inn, the dishes washed and the kitchen sparkling, and Richard and Dr. Bennet had been filled in on what had transpired over the past two days. Richard had been dumbfounded at first, and then he and Dr. Bennet fell to making jokes about George Wickham's attack.

When Georgie felt enough time had been spent gloating over their downfall, though, she suggested Richard take some needed time off while she went through the paperwork. Dr. Bennet mumbled something about his papers, and Alex said he could either keep her company or go home and work on his research.

"Which would you rather do?" Georgie asked.

"Do you even have to ask?"

"Oh! Well, go on home to your dumb old roaches then," she teased. "I have found that better than you bringing your work over here!"

"How else are we going to get to spend some time together?" he complained.

Georgie, who had gone into her minuscule office, came back out again and wrapped herself around him. "I'm afraid it's only going to get more difficult from this point on," she said with a sigh. "You have all that research, and I just can't let Richard tackle all this on his own..."

"I know." He led her back into her office, set her down at the desk and kissed her soundly. "Stay. Work. I'll come back over later and maybe we can figure out some time for us. How about dinner and a movie one night?"

Georgie smiled. "I usually have Tuesday evenings free. Hurry back!"

But scheduling time alone for the two of them proved to be a nightmare. Monday was a long day for both, and when Alex was free Tuesday, Georgie ended up having to cover for Richard, who had put his back out. She was working day and night Wednesday and Thursday, as well, and Friday, when she finally got a night free, Alex had to work late.

"It looks like it won't be until Sunday night until I am free," he told her in a tired voice on the phone that night. "I haven't even had time for a decent meal."

"As if you would know one if it hit you in the face," Georgie teased, but she resolved to alleviate some of the problem, if she could. She asked if she could go and check on Spit for him the next day, and he immediately took her up on the offer. "Come over early, about eight o'clock, and I will give you a key," he said.

Giving her a key and quick kiss was all he had time for the next morning, but as it was a weekend, Georgie had little time of her own to feel put out. Besides, she had other plans in mind for Dr. Bailey. A home-cooked meal that evening, for starters.

Richard was back on his feet, despite the pain he must have been in, and Georgie made arrangements with Dr. Bennet to oversee the dining room guests that night before she went next door, let herself in and spent a good half hour playing with the attention-starved little kitten before unloading several grocery bags full of food. Then she set about making chicken Marsala, pasta and a salad. While she warmed a loaf of Italian bread in the oven and opened a bottle of Chianti, she rearranged one of his smaller kitchen cabinets to her satisfaction and then set the table. Even if she had to wait all night, she was going to see that he ate a decent meal when he got home. She washed dishes while she cooked, not wanting to waste time later.

But eight o'clock stretched into nine, and then ten, with Georgie playing with Spit and watching TV, and just when she decided to lie down on the sofa for a few minutes, her cell phone rang. It was Richard. His back was bothering him again, he was going to the carriage house to take some pain medication, and could she come over and watch the front desk?

With a sigh, she packed up some of her utensils, put the food in the refrigerator and headed back home, grumbling under her breath as she checked on Richard. He was resting, albeit uncomfortably, and doing some grumbling of his own, because he hated taking medication for anything.

"When I was in the Army..." he began.

"...You had a sergeant who was a whizz at putting your back into place. Well, he's not here now, so guess what? Pain pills. A good chiropractor might help, too."

"I'll call around first thing Monday morning. In the meantime..."

"Don't you worry, cuz. I'll send Dr. Bennet out with an ice pack."

"I'm sorry I ruined your evening with Alex."

"What evening? He's not even home yet!" On that, she stomped out of the apartment and headed for the inn.

The next day, Richard was still in bed, and Lizzie came over to help in the kitchen while the twins and Dr. Bennet spent the day changing sheets and cleaning bathrooms, which gave Georgie time to slip next door and check on Spit. He was happy to see her, and she gave him some extra kitten chow and checked to see if Alex had eaten. A plate, fork and cup sat in the dish drainer and there was a note on the table.

Supper was delicious! I hope to see you this evening. Will you cook for me again? Love, Alex

Georgie smiled as she pocketed the note. As far as love letters went, it left to be a lot to desired, but she was determined to keep it just the same.

"It really is true," she told the kitten. "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

"Mrow!" he agreed from over the top of his food dish.

"Yeah, you, too. Now, what shall I make for supper tonight?" There was a large can of black beans and a can of tomatoes in the pantry, and she had some onions and peppers left over from the night before, so she threw it all in the slow cooker. She would come over later with some rice, and spruce up the salad. Putting the clean dishes back in the cupboard, she went back to the inn, and back to work.

That work went on for hours, because it was Sunday, and time to update the paperwork, and when she looked at her watch, it was already 10 o'clock. Without even bothering to call Alex, she settled down for the night and went to sleep. At least there would have been a home-cooked meal for him...

On Monday, Dr. Bennet drove Richard to the chiropractor, and Jane came over to help in the kitchen.

"I left the kids with Louisa," was the reply when Georgie did not see Maddy, Aaron and Grace, as she had expected. "We can get more accomplished without them underfoot." Georgie agreed, but she was sorely disappointed.

When it was time for a break, she excused herself, then, to check on Spit. If she couldn't cuddle a baby, at least there was the kitten.

But Spit did not come when she called, and she spent fifteen minutes searching every room in the house for the little hairball before finding him curled up on Alex's bed.

Alex's bed...

It was a old-fashioned double bed, set in an old iron frame and covered with a hand-made quilt. The quilt had just been thrown over the mattress in a hurried fashion, and Georgie spent a few moments making it properly.

An old walnut dresser and nightstand were the only other furniture in the room, and the walls were bare. Spartan accommodations that could use a few touches, she decided. Scouting out the spare bedrooms, of which there were three, and an old nursery up on the third floor, she came back with a nice landscape in oils that matched the colors on the quilt, an old embroidered runner for the top of the dresser, and a couple of chenille pillows for the top of the bed.

"There!" she told Spit, who had been following her about the house after being dislodged during the bed-making. "Looks a little more like a real room." A rag rug on the polished wooden floor finished her decorating for the moment and she went back downstairs, pausing for a moment in the kitchen doorway.

What in the world?

The dish drainer, which had been empty when she left the day before, now held more dishes. Two sets of dishes. Who had been here having dinner with Alex?

Continued In Next Section