"Let's go." Darcy motioned us toward the elevator. He slid a room key into the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor.

"How did you get a key?" Jane asked.

Darcy ignored her. I could tell that he was trying to control himself. When the door opened to the fourth floor, he blocked the elevator door with his arm.

"We need to do this my way. You guys stay outside and I'll get Lydia to you. Let me handle Wick."

We approached room 427 and could hear blaring music coming from inside before we even rounded the corner. The man in black leaned against the wall next to the door and folded his arms. Darcy guided me and Jane to the other side of the door.

He tapped on the door. "Room service," he called out.

There was giggling coming from inside.

Wick's voice came from the other side of the door. "Did you forget something, because you were just here...." The door swung open and Wick stopped in his tracks when he came face-to-face with Darcy. Wick's shirt was unbuttoned, his face unshaven, his hair a complete mess. His eyes were bloodshot and swollen.

Darcy pushed Wick to the side and entered the room. I instinctively followed him, even though he'd told me not to.

The room was in shambles. There was an empty champagne bottle on the coffee table and an open, nearly empty bottle of wine next to it.

"What the hell do you want, Will?" Wick stumbled as he backed into a couch.

"Lydia?" Darcy called out.

Jane ran into the room and grabbed her stomach as she took in the scene.

We heard moaning from the side of the couch. Jane ran over and found Lydia nearly passed out on the floor. It looked like she was about to be sick.

When Lydia looked up to see what the noise was about she smirked at her sister. "You're not the only one with a boyfriend." She hiccuped. "You think I'm such a child, but look at me. Fancy hotel room, hot boyfriend, champagne."

"See." Wick moved toward Lydia. "She's fine. We were just having some fun, blowing off some steam. No need to call the trust-fund police --"

It all happened so fast that I didn't even realize what was going on at first. Darcy grabbed Wick by his shirt and threw him up against the wall.

The man in black entered the room and stood at attention. I wanted him to get between the two of them. I was scared for Darcy.

"Get off me, Will." Wick tried to push Darcy off him, but he wasn't moving.

"Jane," Darcy said evenly. "Get Lydia out of here. Take her to my room."

The man in black handed Jane a key. I helped Jane pull Lydia up from the floor. Her body was limp and she smelled of alcohol. Lydia groaned and tried to push us away, but she didn't have the strength or motor skills to fight us off. "I don't want to leave. I want to party. Why do you have to ruin everything for me?"

"Shut up, Lydia!" Jane screamed at her.

Lydia, shocked from Jane raising her voice, stood up, and tried to gather herself. (Even I was a little frightened in that moment -- Jane yelling was more jarring than Darcy having Wick pinned against a wall.)

"Come on." Jane pulled Lydia from the room.

I found myself frozen. I knew I should've followed Jane, but I was too scared to leave Darcy alone with Wick.

"Typical Will, coming in and ruining my fun," Wick said, a slow smile starting to spread across his lips. "You never seem to approve of my girlfriends, do you, Will? It's just like the last time you got in the way. That one loved me almost as much as this one. What can I say? I seem to have a way with the ladies."

Darcy threw Wick on the floor. He landed with a thud.

"Don't you dare ever talk about my sister that way." Darcy was shaking. "Wick, I'd like you to meet someone. This is Mr. Meryton. He's head of security for my father's firm." He motioned toward the gentleman, who had remained silent and at attention this entire time. "He's already familiar with your work."

Wick looked up with such hatred in his eyes.

Darcy continued. "He's going to be taking you to his office to go over with you what your very limited options are. He's also going to be discussing the various restraining orders that will be issued on behalf of my family, Jane's family, and Lizzie."

Wick got up from the floor so that he and Darcy were only inches from each other.

"Typical Will, hiding behind Daddy's money." Wick sneered.

Darcy leaned in closer. "No, I made the mistake of hiding last time. Now we're doing this out in public, and you're not going to have anywhere to hide. Everybody will know what kind of person you really are."

Darcy left Wick speechless as he pulled Mr. Meryton aside and started giving him instructions.

Wick, who was a complete mess, swayed back and forth. He looked over at me, perhaps realizing for the first time that I was in the room.

"Lizzie, how could you? Will Darcy, of all people. You even said yourself that he's a spoiled snob, right?"

I froze, horrified that Darcy had heard it, and repulsed with myself for not only thinking that of him, but saying that to Wick.

Wick approached me. "He thinks he's so much better than us."

"Don't lump me in with you."

"So you finally learned what I've been trying to tell you. These people aren't really worth anything, except what you can get from them. The funny thing, Will's sister wasn't even worth it." He chuckled slightly.

Something in me snapped. I stood there and watched this horrible person make fun of taking advantage of Darcy's sister.

He grabbed my arm. "I knew it was only a matter of time before you saw things my way. Don't stand here and pretend that you're better than me. You want in on the game, too, don't you? You know that it's not enough to play the piano. You're at Longbourn because you want to play the best pianos in the best places. That's nothing to be ashamed of. But you're fooling yourself if you think that you can get by on talent alone. You need connections. Talent and connections. You've got the talent part, but do you have it in you to get those connections, no matter the cost?"

I pushed his arm away from me.

Wick leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Don't be naive. You and I are cut from the same cloth."

"Leave her alone!" Darcy came over to intervene, but before I even realized what I was doing, my fist came in direct contact with Wick's face.

Wick fell to the floor and pain surged in my right hand.

Darcy's eyes were wide as he stood over Wick's unconscious body.

"Ow!" I held my throbbing hand. Darcy quickly ran over to the kitchen area and put some ice in a towel.

I'd never hit anybody in my entire life. I'd never even really thought about it. Certainly, I felt the urge my first few weeks at Longbourn, but I never thought I would actually do it.

Darcy took my hand in his and applied ice to the place of impact.

Mr. Meryton knelt down near Wick to check the extent of his injuries. He looked up and finally spoke. "Darcy" -- he nodded toward me -- "I like this one."

Twenty-Seven

WHILE MR. MERYTON WAITED FOR WICK TO WAKE UP, Darcy took me to his suite to see Jane and Lydia.

Jane was in the bathroom making Lydia take a shower. Darcy went into the kitchen and started to brew some coffee.

"How did you get this room?" I looked around at the gorgeous hotel suite that took up nearly the entire top floor. I sat down on one of the large plush couches in the living room area that faced the floor-length windows with a magnificent view of the Empire State Building. I was thankful to have something to distract me from the throbbing pain in my hand.