Ellie and Darcy, and other bad first impressions

chapter 21: the day i couldn't hide

Two days later my aunt and uncle Gardiner and I headed off on put road trip. We planned on taking time in both the city and the country. They also didn't like to do the typical touristy things but find their own hidden gems.

On our first full day in town we were eating at a local Cafe Planning our trip
"Well why don't we go for a spin and we can go on that tour of fancy homes" my uncle said taking another bite of his sandwich

"Oh yeah that sounds nice. I want to see Lancaster and Pemberly for sure." my aunt said nodding

My aunt and uncle were pretty much the best people ever. My uncle was really strong and he was a total family man. He also gave me a lot of dirt on my dad. My aunt on the other hand was very spirited. She had long brown hair always put up with a clip when she went on an adventure. They were also high class people but that didn't prevent them from getting their hands dirty.

"Can you really go through people's houses like that?" I questioned resting my head in my hand

"Oh, well yes, a lot of businessmen are out of town this time of year and since I just so happen to be who I am, I can pull a few strings" my uncle winked. He was really proud of his job and his position....so proud he talked about it...quite a bit

"Pemberly you say, Marge, well I'll have to check to see if Mr. Darcy is home, excuse me" he got up and went outside to talk on the phone.

"Do we really need to go to Pemberly?" I asked my aunt while looking at my hands. I didn't want to, but i did at the same time. Crap.

"Why yes the grounds are beautiful. Besides your parents told us that you and your sisters knew him. However they said they weren't fond of him and they said you particularly didn't like him" she took a sip of her iced tea

"Yeah I guess you could say that" I said pushing my glasses up on my face.

"Don't worry Ellie, usually homes are not open if the owner is home" she said patting my hand. I gave a slight grin

"Well good news" my uncle said retaking his seat "he's in St. Louis for a business trip, but the housekeeper said she would be more than happy to give me, and my family, a tour of the property"

"Great" my aunt beamed

"Yeah" I sighed

We drove 40 minutes across town and into the country. It was rolling hills and open Fields but not at all what it was like in my home. I'm from the south. Here they had more open grass rather than forests. Every now and then you could see a mansion sitting against a picturesque blue sky backdrop

The whole ride I worried. I don't know why. Maybe because we had a big blowout that no one knows about then he apologized and I ignored it. Usually I'm pretty happy in my little shell and don't open up but this was killing me. What if he's there. What if when he sees me, what if he doesn't like it, what if he turns the other way and I can't hide it..what happens then

(Ok y'all right now put on "when he sees me" from waitress..kinda the inspiration..plus it's a bop and a half😂😂)

After a while we got caught in a small section of treed and their branches covered the road like a bridge. We kept driving and soon I saw a huge house.

It was a huge farmhouse, not at all like the dark, stone mansions we passed earlier. This one had charm, a story. It was lovely. Out past the house I could see a lake a hundred times bigger than my pond and there were sections of trees here and there..it was exquisite.

Soon we pulled up and got out. I felt underdressed in my sweater and jeans. I'm the least fancy person I know. We walked up a small flight of stairs to two huge oak doors. My uncle rang the doorbell and a lady that was curvy with a happy face answered the door.

"Hello, chairman we're so happy you've come. Come right this way and we can begin"

She took is through most of the house. Obviously not all of it, that's a little much. Everything was modern but not sleek. It was literally a dream house. After about an hour and a half of touring the house and grounds and visiting we ended up back at the main living area, so fancy.

It had couches everywhere with exposed beams o the ceiling and a huge window that overlooked the "lake" in the backyard.

In the center of one wall was a tall stone fireplace and above it was a picture of a happy couple. The mother had light golden hair and the father had a Carmel color that resembled Jane's. The mother was sitting, holding a little girl who looked to be about two or three, and was giggling. You could tell it was making her little blonde curls bounce. Next to the father stood a boy who looked about eleven or twelve with the same blonde hair. He looked so happy and I would've known those blue eyes anywhere.

I couldn't help but walk over to the fireplace

"Beautiful family isn't it?" Said the housekeeper, her name was Mrs. Rainer

"Oh yes my aunt replied and walked up behind me.

I looked to my left and saw a teenage Darcy and Jack. They had their arms around each other just like brothers. On the right however was a recent picture.
       Probably not taken that long ago. It was of Darcy and who I presumed to be Georgie. He was twirling her. They were walking down a lane in some woods. The warm colors of the leaves made a perfect background. Georgie's hair was flowing and you could tell she was laughing. Darcy had his hand up in the air holding hers and he too was laughing. It was almost as if I could see them moving. Georgie however did not have bright blue eyes, instead she had a dark hazel. I looked back at the family picture and saw the mother had the bright eyes and the father had the dark hazel ones. It was a lovely picture. I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard

"Oh you know Will?" Mrs. Rainer said

"Yes" I answered quietly

"He's always been handsome" Mrs Rainer said

"Don't you agree?" My aunt asked

I looked at the picture of the siblings once again and could only concentrate on one of the people. Without even thinking I said

"Yes, he's very handsome indeed"

All of the sudden I felt like I got hit by a train. I was so confused. Without excusing myself I walked out the front door abruptly. I leaned against the big doors and let out the breath I didn't know I was holding

Just then I saw a gray Audi pull up in the driveway across the house. I tried to pull open the heavy door quickly but before I could I heard

"Ellie"

I sighed. I turned around and he was right below me. I was on the top step and he was on the bottom one. He looked the same, and I was glad....that he didn't look depressed you know because that would be bad ....I'm not defensive!

"It's been a while" he muttered

Ahhh hey y'all. Sorry for the interruption earlier but I thought it was interesting I guess? Idrk. Anyways holy cow they meet again (duh) but get ready plenty of cute moments ahead. But seriously listen to that song when you get a little into the chapter I think it fits well. I hope you enjoy Bai 💜💛💜😬💜 -eli