From Pemberley to Manhattan [COMPLETED]

Chapter 8

Bobby

It was a warm, humid evening, as expected during New York summer. I'd barely left the air-conditioned restaurant and was already feeling sweat roll over my back.

On the other hand, outside was a lot nicer; my girlfriend, Anna, looked simply irresistible, her white dress contrasting sexily with her black, satin skin. She was the perfect woman in the perfect setting.

Anna glanced at me and winked, then turned back to the group she'd been talking to. If she weren't helping Mom tonight with the guests (as we were all supposed to be doing) and I didn't have to babysit a two-hundred-and-some year old dude, we'd be having the make out of the century.

"Hello, dear. Long time no see. Why don't you visit me more often? No patience for this old lady, right?" Mrs. Trowel. She worked at the museum with my mom, restoring art or something as boring. Desperate to find a way to get rid of her, I introduced Darcy-dude to her.

Five minutes later, every woman over sixty in that party was drooling all over the guy. They were enchanted with his manners, his "I am honored to make your acquaintance, Ma'am", and his thick Brit accent. Time travel dude was funny; he pronounced each word and spoke every sentence with an air of who'd just discovered the cure of cancer. What I thought hilarious the women called "charming", though.

Since my brain couldn't process all the gossiping from the ladies, I made myself focus on Darcy, only to find him staring at something on my far left. Actually, not something. Someone. Darcy-dude was checking Nat out, examining every inch of her.

She was distracted, talking to Dick and Jane, but Fanny was looking our way, examining Darcy's low parts with hungry eyes. Huh. That would be interesting.

"Hey, Darcy! Want me to introduce that lady to you?" I used air quotes as I said "lady" referring to my sister. She'd kill me if she heard me call her that.

For a second, I could see in his features he was bothered I'd noticed, but right the next moment he was back to his serious self, chin up and brow arched, wearing his I-discovered-the-cure-of-cancer look. His eyes never left Nat, though.

"I'm in no humour to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men", he informed quickly, his accent even thicker than normal.

"Duuuude." I said it slowly, knowing it would drive him nuts. "I have no idea what you just said." Interesting how we theoretically spoke the same language, still we understood less than five percent of what the other said.

"I have been observing the lady for quite some time." Oh, really? He was so full of it. "She is very handsome, yet no man has been tempted enough to ask her to dance. Why should I?"

Well, that was a jerky remark. For the first time since meeting him, his arrogance wasn't funny, but offensive. I didn't care if he called me poor, but as sure as hell I wouldn't tolerate him calling my sis undesirable. The only men who could find Nat undesirable were Ethan, Dad and myself!

"That's my sister, dude. Her name's Nathalie."

Needless to say Mr. Perfect apologized for his rude remark. "Since the lady is my hostess, and your sister, I wish to be introduced", he finished.

"Sure." My tone was cooler, indicating I hadn't forgiven him completely yet.

A group of people Nat had been talking to moved away as we approached them. When her gaze fell onto us, Darcy began clearing his throat. Even his throat clearing was pompous.

Oh, Nat would eat this guy alive.

♥

Mr. Darcy should have been more discreet; this was not the place or the time to be distracted by a woman, no matter how handsome she might be. When questioned by her brother, he'd acted as if he were indifferent to her beauty, but, in truth, it had been quite the opposite.

The reason why no single man sought her out was by her own doing; she was doing her best to be invisible amongst the shadows. Still, she failed to hide herself from him.

She was the first person he'd considered worth a second look the moment he'd walked into the night, out into the pathetic excuse Mr. Carlos Estevez called a "garden". Her black hair looked brilliant and silky, her olive skin looked smooth, and he surprised himself by desiring to touch her, even though neither of them was wearing any gloves. It wasn't a gentlemanlike thought, but he couldn't help himself.

Mr. Darcy had then looked away, being thankfully distracted by a lady acquainted with Mr. Robert Estevez Brown. Moments later, he had the feeling he was been observed, only to discover he now had become the object of the lady's scrutiny.

She blushed as he looked in her direction, which made the green in her eyes brighter. Her lips parted a bit, and he unconsciously smiled. He smiled at a woman he'd never been introduced to! How ruder could he be?

Fortunately, something her companion said had diverted her attention, and now he was left to study her further.

Unlike most women from this party, the lady didn't seem to be suffering from lack of nurture. She had womanly curves, emphasized by her strapless blue dress. It clung to her waist and her hips in a flattering way. Mr. Darcy had been vexed by feminine fashion in the twenty-first century, but somehow that lady looked very elegant in her dress, regardless of the absurd amount of skin it exposed.

When she glanced quickly back at him, he should have known he was drawing Mr. Robert's attention. Now he was walking toward her, Nathalie, who looked every bit as nervous as he felt. Although he was quite certain his feelings were not as obvious as hers were. Until they reached Miss Estevez Brown and her friend.

Despite being advised about the basic social rules expected in the twenty-first century, Mr. Darcy went on his gentlemanlike mode and, as he was introduced, he did the last thing a man who wished to be taken seriously could have done: he bowed.

"What the flock are you doing?" Nat stared at Darcy as if he were crazy, while Fanny offered her hand for him to kiss. He pretended he didn't see it.

Attempting to smooth things out, Bobby forced out a laugh, explaining about the makeup story of Darcy, the Dude, being an actor and all. While Fanny loved the tale, Nat was suspicious, especially when Bobby mentioned Darcy was staying with them for a few weeks.

"He helped Ethan out a lot, that's what I know." Bobby offered as explanation, after his sister rudely pulled him away from the group to interrogate him about the newcomer.

"So the way Ethan pays back is by inviting a stranger to live under our roof? And he's not even coming? He's totally out of his mind!", Nat spat back.

"Technically, it's Grandma's roof. Dad's called her; she said it was ok. So that's that. You know how she has a thing for the Brits." Her brother winked, a grin on his face. Oh, Nat wished she could slap it off.

"Right, then. But he better behave!", Nat warned him.

"There you won't have a problem, my lady", Bobby answered sarcastically, making Nat roll her eyes.

"Just keep him away from my room, will you?"

"Are you sure that's what you want, Nat?", Bobby asked. A verbal answer was not required, for his sister told him what he needed to know by blushing deeply.

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