Page 11 of Stuck

I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something off in the way she behaved towards him. He was with me every time I saw her on Tuesday, and not once did she so much as glance his way. At first, I assumed it was deliberate because they’d argued. I had no idea what about, and I wasn’t going to risk a further falling out with Bingley by asking, but her inattention was, at best, strange. Bingley simply didn’t seem to be on her radar. Professionalism was one thing, but to not even glance at the man she was sleeping with when he walked past was taking good acting to another level.

Bingley left for Scotland on Wednesday and, apart from two meetings, I remained at my desk for most of the day, buried in paperwork. I still glimpsed Elizabeth six times around the office, and the fact that I knew it was exactly six irritated me even more.

Thursday morning found me in Hydro Crops’s reception area, yet again failing to avoid her, yet again feeling that niggling distrust. I’d been showing Robert Forster and his team out after a follow-up meeting when she crossed the lobby. Forster had spotted her straight away, and who could blame him? So had I. But I’d also noticed the way her eyes widened in panic when he called her over and her gaze had darted about to see who was present before she complied.

“How lovely to see you again,” he said when she reached us.

“And you, Mr Forster. How are you?”

“Oh, can’t complain.” Forster’s face folded into a frown. “Are you here to see Bingley?” Looking at me, he asked, “I thought you said he was out of town? If he didn’t want to meet me, I’d rather he’d been up front about it.”

“Not at all,” I said calmly. “Bingley is in Edinburgh. Miss Bennet is here in a professional capacity. She’s a contractor from Lucas GreenTech.”

Forster turned back to her with an assessing look. “You work here? Why didn’t you say so on Monday night?”

Elizabeth adopted a look of innocent confusion. “I thought I had. I’m sorry, I must have said it to someone else. There were a lot of new faces that evening.”

It was an elegant lie that only further entrenched my distrust.

Forster bought it hook, line, and sinker, relaxing into a vaguely patronising nod. “These events can be overwhelming if you’re not used to the world of networking. I’m sure Bingley looked after you though, eh? Good fellow, that one. I was impressed to hear about his work with the Junipers. Does that take up a lot of his time?”

Elizabeth stilled. Her eyes flicked to me, then back to Forster, her throat bobbing with a swallow, and I felt a lick of anger. Didn’t she know? Before she could give an answer, Forster decided he didn’t need one.

“Daft question—of course it does. You tell him from me never to give it up! That’s precisely the sort of spirit we want to see at Tetbury Group.”

Elizabeth assured him she would pass on his words before excusing herself and walking away. I didn’t watch her go, instead turning to escort Forster and his colleagues out of Hydro Crops to the public lobby to summon a lift down.

“It was a good discussion, Darcy,” he said as we waited for the doors to open. “I think, with those last few queries ironed out, we could make this happen.”

“I hope so,” I replied, though I remained unconvinced. Tetbury Group weren’t one of our preferred options for investment, just a useful backup, and his team hadn’t said much this morning to persuade me otherwise.

I swallowed a groan when I returned to find Elizabeth still at the front desk, talking to Debbie, the receptionist. I couldn’t seem to catch a break from the woman, nor refrain from noticing the way her pose—curled around Debbie’s computer to look at something on the screen—accentuated the curve of her backside. With a sharp sigh, I set out to walk straight past her, only to stop when I caught a whisper of her conversation.

“So… you see Mr Bingley outside of work, do you?” Debbie was saying. “Is there something going on between you?”

Elizabeth scoffed. Actually scoffed. “Not likely. You’re imagining things.”

Debbie cocked her head expressively. “Mr Forster seemed to think there was.”

“Don’t read into things that aren’t there, Debbie. That’s how rumours start.”

“Would it be so bad? He’s ever so sweet. And you’re both very good-looking. You’d make a lovely couple.”

Elizabeth shook her head. Firmly. “You watch too many rom-coms.”

“That’s how I know what I’m talking about. You two—” Debbie stopped speaking when she realised I was watching them. Her cheeks reddened. “Apologies, Mr Darcy. We were… um… Anyway, Elizabeth, I ought to get on. Can’t sit about chatting all day!”

Elizabeth turned around. I expected her to look uncomfortable after what I’d overheard, but she surprised me by rolling her eyes. As though she were amused, perhaps a little exasperated, that she’d been caught out. As though I hadn’t just heard her sneer at the very suggestion that she might be in a relationship with Bingley.

I raised an eyebrow at her, but she only smiled and gave me an airy “Hi, Darcy” before saying goodbye to Debbie and walking away. Except “away” was the same direction I was going in, and we reached the double doors to the R&D office at the same time. I gripped the door handle but didn’t pull it open, forcing her to meet my gaze.

All the inconvenience was mine, because I was instantly snared by the intelligence in her dark eyes as she skewered me with a challenging look. Damn, she was pretty. It was easy to see how Bingley might’ve been fooled.

“Imagining things?” I asked.

“We’re trying to keep it quiet,” she said in a low voice. Her smile had an edge to it when she added, “Wouldn’t want anyone thinking I was sleeping my way to the top.”

I baulked. Had Bingley told her I said that? “Didn’t Bingley tell you about his work with the Junipers?” I asked, deflecting.