"Excuse me," She called to the handsome man as she approached the odd-looking pair. She stopped a few paces away and glared at him, noticing his features were more chiseled and defined in the sunlight.
He stood a bit taller as if he owned the town...
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Darcy noticed as LeFou began to rush away from the bar and she roughly called his name. Upon hearing her voice, he quickly returned to stand in front of her, nervous under her harsh glare. Darcy sat with her eyes locked on LeFou, but she noticed as Olivia stood and moved toward the back of the tavern. From their behavior, she assumed that Gaston had entered, "I know you heard," She said to him in a rough whisper, growling, "Don't even think about it."
Darcy stepped away from the bar and turned toward the back entrance without looking around, sending her body crashing against another. Drink poured down the front her dress, and she refused to look up at the man holding the drinks, "I was going to offer you a drink," Luke's voice called to her, his eyes scanning over her dress as the liquid made the light material transparent.
He quickly placed the cups on the bar, taking notice to the eyes that lingered in their direction. Quickly, he pulled his coat from his shoulders and placed it over her, wrapping it around the front of her breasts, "My apologies," he called hesitantly, his eyes searching for hers as he stepped forward, mentioning, "You look lovely this morning, Darcy."
Darcy looked up at his chiseled features, but her eyes wandered around him to see the hunter moving through the crowd, "Things aren't going quite as smoothly as I had hoped," Luke began with a nervous chuckle as he adjusted the coat across her chest.
Gaston pushed forward as Luke wrapped his coat around Darcy's shoulders. The triplets were pulling at his arms, but he shoved them away, "Would you join me for my evening ride, and, perhaps, have dinner with me tonight?" He heard Luke's voice and he felt his heart fill with uncertainty, but it dropped in his chest upon hearing Darcy's response.
"I'd love to."
"Then, it's a date." Luke said with a grin, his eyes lingering down on his coat resting over her shoulders, "I apologize about your dress," He said quickly, suggesting, "You should probably return to your cottage and change."
"Why don't you join me?" Darcy's playful words scratched at Gaston's heart as he watched her walk away without noticing him.
His eyes followed her figure as she moved toward the back door, but returned to meet Luke's confident glare. His eye brows slightly raised, and he nodded to Gaston before stepping to follow Darcy's path, "What was that?" Gaston growled, knowing that LeFou had witnessed the entire scene. He turned to the bar and slammed his fists against the wood, asking the little man, "What the bloody hell happened while I was outside?"
"I'm not sure," LeFou said uneasily as Gaston's eyes pressured him.
He hated lying to Gaston, but he wasn't going to betray Darcy's trust.
-
The moments would last forever because they were attached to an emotion, one she wanted to escape. That night didn't change anything. She still needed to leave, and Gaston wasn't going to change her mind with kind words and affection.
