Mr. Darcy Forever

by Victoria Connelly

  ‘What’s so funny?’ the woman asked.

  Mia nodded toward the window, and the woman turned to see a dark-haired man running alongside the bus.

  ‘Is he with you?’

  ‘No,’ Mia said. ‘He most certainly is not with me.’

  Chapter 32

  When the rain started, Sarah and Lloyd were just coming out of the abbey.

  ‘I love rain in cities,’ Lloyd said, getting his camera out again. ‘I love the reflections in the pavements and the jostle of umbrellas.’

  Sarah nodded, but she wasn’t really listening. ‘I’m divorced,’ she suddenly blurted.

  ‘What?’ Lloyd looked at her, a surprised expression on his face.

  She looked up at him and gave a tiny smile. ‘It seems so strange to say that. I guess I’m still getting used to it.’

  ‘Were you married long?’

  She shook her head. ‘Not long at all. It was all a terrible mistake, and I’ll never forgive myself for it.’

  ‘But surely you weren’t to know at the time.’

  ‘I should have known. Everything was pointing it out to me and yet, like a fool, I went ahead anyway. I’ve never done anything so rash in my life.’

  ‘Do you keep in touch with him?’

  Sarah gave a little laugh. ‘No,’ she said. ‘It was the man I was telling you about, the one my sister was in love with.’

  ‘Ah!’ he said. ‘I see.’

  They stood for a moment in the shelter of the abbey, wondering whether to venture out into the rain.

  ‘I still can’t believe it,’ Sarah said. ‘I used to think that I’d never ever get married—I just wasn’t that type of person. I’m far too… complicated. I didn’t think anyone would want to bother.’ She laughed. ‘But Alec did, and it took me so much by surprise that I said yes without thinking about anything else. I mean, I thought about my sister—of course I did—but I just got so swept along by the idea of somebody loving me enough to want to spend the rest of his life with me that everything else seemed unimportant.’

  ‘Does your sister know you’re divorced?’ Lloyd asked.

  Sarah shook her head. ‘We haven’t spoken for years, not since I told her I was engaged. I tried hard to reach her, but she moved house and changed jobs, and I couldn’t trace her.’ There were tears in Sarah’s eyes, and Lloyd reached out a hand and squeezed her shoulder.

  ‘You’re both Jane Austen fans, aren’t you?’

  Sarah nodded.

  ‘Then she might be here in Bath.’

  ‘I’d thought of that,’ Sarah said. ‘There’s a part of me that is praying that she’s here somewhere. I so long to talk to her, but another part of me is dreading seeing her again. I keep looking out for her. I’ve imagined seeing her a dozen times already since I’ve been here. It’s driving me mad.’

  ‘Surely we can find out if she’s here,’ Lloyd said.

  ‘How?’

  He looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘Well, where’s she likely to stay?’

  ‘I don’t know. Somewhere cheap. She never did have very much money.’

  Lloyd pursed his lips. ‘That doesn’t really narrow things down, does it? What about the events? Do you know which ones she’s likely to attend?’

  ‘She usually loves anything involving dancing,’ Sarah said.

  ‘Okay, well, let’s have a look at the program.’

  Sarah took the festival program out of her handbag and scanned the events. ‘There’s a dance demonstration tonight.’

  ‘Have you got a ticket for it?’

  ‘Yes,’ Sarah said, and then she swallowed. ‘Do you think Mia will really be there?’

  ‘If she’s in Bath, there’s a very good chance she could be, isn’t there?’

  Sarah took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. ‘I guess there is,’ she said.

  ***

  Mia knew that she couldn’t sit on the tour bus forever. For a start, she was still soaking wet and was beginning to get funny looks from the other passengers. Then there was the fact that it kept going around in circles, and Alec could leap onto it at any moment, so at the next stop, she hopped off.

  It was still raining, but she wasn’t thinking about the weather as she walked down a street she didn’t recognize. She managed to calm down a little on the bus, because the sweet woman sitting next to her had talked almost nonstop, which had helped Mia to take her mind off things for a little while.

  ‘A girl like you shouldn’t be having problems in love,’ the woman had said when Mia confessed that she’d been running away from the dark-haired man. ‘Why, you’re so young and beautiful! You should be attracting the very best of young men.’

  Mia had blushed. ‘That’s very sweet of you, but I’m afraid I just seem to be attracting rogues!’

  ‘Then you must keep looking until you find the right man. Isn’t that what Jane Austen tells us?’

  ‘You’re a Jane Austen fan too?’

  ‘Of course. That’s why I’m here in Bath,’ she said, a big smile lighting up her sweet face. ‘Ah!’ she said a moment later. ‘This is my stop. I’m afraid I have to leave you. Will you be all right?’

  Mia assured her that she would be fine.

  ‘Oh, how very rude of me—I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Doris Norris,’ she said, shaking Mia’s hand. Mia smiled at the funny name.

  ‘I know,’ Doris said. ‘My name always makes people smile, but that’s nice, don’t you think?’

  Mia did, indeed, think it was nice, and she’d been sorry to lose her company.

  Now she felt horribly alone, and nothing could stop her thoughts from crowding in on her. Foremost was the fact that Alec had never really been in love with Sarah at all, or if he had, it had been so fleeting an emotion as to be almost nonexistent. Mia was quite sure that he’d made no effort to understand Sarah, and that just wasn’t fair.

  Mia had many emotions flooding through her. Although she hadn’t spoken to Sarah for years, she couldn’t help siding with her, and even though her sister had betrayed her in the worst possible way, she still felt sad that her marriage was over.

  Like Sarah herself, Mia had always found it hard to imagine her sister getting married. It wasn’t that she wasn’t lovable, only that she needed to be understood for the person that she was. It would take a loving, patient, and kind man to live with Sarah for the rest of her life, and Alec obviously wasn’t that man.

  ‘He wasn’t right for either of us,’ she whispered to herself, ‘and yet we both thought he was perfect.’ She looked up and down the street, anxious that just thinking about him would conjure him up before her.

  ‘Mia!’

  Mia stopped. Someone had called her name.

  ‘It’s not Alec,’ she told herself, but her heart was still racing as she tried to locate the owner of the voice.

  ‘Mia!’ it called again.

  ‘Gabe?’ she said, spotting him leaning out of a taxi window on the other side of the road.

  ‘Come on and get inside!’ he called.

  She crossed the road and hopped into the back of the taxi, her dress clinging around her legs and her hair plastered to her face.

  ‘What on earth happened to you?’

  ‘I got caught in the rain.’

  ‘So I see.’ Gabe unbuckled his seat belt and took off his jacket, handing it to Mia.

  ‘Oh, you don’t need to do that,’ she said.

  ‘It’s no problem. I’m not even wearing it properly,’ he said, motioning to his sling.

  ‘But it’ll get all wet,’ she said.

  ‘That’s okay, just put it on. We don’t want you getting a chill.’

  ‘Isn’t that an old wives’ tale?’

  ‘I don’t care if it is,’ Gabe said. ‘I’m not taking any risks.’

  The taxi pulled out and joined the Bath traffic.

  ‘Where were you going?’ Mia asked a moment later. ‘I mean, when you saw me.’

  ‘To find you,’ Gabe said. ‘Shelley called round. I
’ve never seen her so worried.’

  ‘Oh,’ Mia said, remembering that she’d left her friend hours before and hadn’t even bothered to ring her to tell her what was going on.

  ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘Of course I’m okay,’ Mia snapped. ‘I don’t need to be rescued. I’m not some feeble heroine.’

  ‘I know,’ Gabe said calmly. ‘So are you going to tell me what’s been happening?’

  ‘Nothing’s been happening.’

  ‘Well, something’s obviously happened. Shelley said you slapped some man in the Pump Room.’

  ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ She turned to stare out the taxi window and bit her bottom lip to stop it from trembling. She was not going to cry!

  ‘It might do you some good if you talk about it,’ Gabe said.

  ‘It won’t.’

  ‘Okay,’ Gabe said with a sigh.

  They sat in silence as the taxi drove through the wet streets before crossing the river and heading up the hill toward Shelley’s.

  ‘I’ve been reading Northanger Abbey,’ Gabe said.

  ‘You’ve got a copy already?’

  ‘I’m reading it on my Kindle,’ he said.

  ‘Oh, I don’t like those. A book should be something you can feel in your hands. You should be able to smell it and hear the pages turn.’

  ‘Yes, but there weren’t any bookshops open late last night,’ he said.

  Mia sniffed. ‘Well, I still don’t approve.’

  ‘But you should. Surely anything that makes books more accessible is a good thing.’

  ‘But a book is a physical thing. It should be held, and then it should be placed lovingly on a shelf where you can see it, not switched off like an emotionless computer.’

  ‘Well, I love books too, but I think there’s room in the world for new technology too,’ Gabe said. ‘Anyway, what I was trying to say to you was that as I was reading, I kept imagining you as Catherine Morland.’

  ‘Catherine Morland?’ Mia said in horror. ‘Me? But she’s so naive and—well—not very intelligent.’

  ‘I didn’t mean that side of her,’ Gabe said quickly. ‘I meant the liveliness of her, her love of life, and her passion for books. It reminded me of you.’

  ‘Oh,’ Mia said.

  The taxi pulled up outside Shelley’s house, and Gabe leaned forward to pay the driver before struggling to open the door and get out with his bandaged arm.

  ‘I’m not like Catherine Morland, you know,’ Mia said when she joined him on the pavement.

  ‘Okay,’ Gabe said. ‘You’re not like Catherine Morland.’

  They stood awkwardly for a moment before Mia spoke again. ‘I’m sorry I sounded so cross in the taxi. It’s been a rather unusual day.’

  ‘You don’t need to explain.’

  ‘But I do. I don’t want you thinking I’m rude. I’m not. I’m just—’

  ‘Unhappy?’ Gabe suggested.

  Mia nodded.

  ‘Listen,’ he said, ‘if you ever need anyone to talk to—’

  He didn’t get a chance to finish what he was about to say, because Shelley came bounding out of the house with Bingley tearing after her.

  ‘Mia! I was so worried about you! Where have you been all this time? Oh, you’re soaked to the skin. Just like Jane in Pride and Prejudice when Mrs Bennet made her ride over to Netherfield in the rain.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Mia said. ‘And I’m not just like Jane Bennet or Catherine Morland!’

  Shelley looked confused. ‘What happened? The last thing I saw was Alec pursuing you through the streets. Did he catch you?’

  ‘So to speak.’

  ‘Well, what did he say?’

  ‘Don’t you think you should get Mia inside, Shelley?’ Gabe said. ‘I think she could do with some dry clothes and a hot drink.’

  ‘Oh, yes, of course,’ Shelley said, ushering her friend indoors, followed by Bingley, whose nose was finding the wet folds of Mia’s dress most interesting.

  ‘I hope you thanked Gabe,’ Shelley said, once the door was closed. ‘He was in the middle of a heap of work when I interrupted him, and he dropped everything to try to find you.’

  Mia bit her lip. She hadn’t thanked him, had she? She’d been rude and ungrateful, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted nothing more to do with her.

  ‘Why didn’t you come to find me?’ Mia asked. ‘Why send Gabe?’

  Shelley looked shifty, but then replied, ‘I couldn’t leave Bingley. He was in a funny mood and looked like he might wreck something. Anyway, I thought it best if I stayed here in case you came back.’

  Mia wasn’t convinced by her argument but didn’t have time to challenge it, as Shelley bustled her up the stairs to get changed.

  ‘Why don’t you have a warm bath, and I’ll get you a cup of tea?’

  It sounded like bliss. Mia nodded. ‘I think I’m just going to write off today and curl up with a book,’ she said.

  Shelley looked horrified. ‘You can’t do that! We’ve booked to go dancing tonight. We can’t miss it.’

  ‘But just look at the state of my dress,’ Mia complained.

  ‘That’s okay. I’ve got my old one from last year. You can wear it. I put a new ribbon on it, and it looks as good as new.’

  ‘Oh, Shelley, I really don’t know if I’m in the mood for dancing.’

  She tutted. ‘You sound just like Mr Darcy at the Meryton ball. Of course you’re in the mood for dancing, or you will be once you get there. You know you will be. “There is nothing like dancing after all,”’ Shelley said with a big grin, and then she disappeared downstairs before Mia had the chance to think up another excuse.

  Closing her bedroom door, Mia got undressed quickly, her pretty white gown lying in a sodden heap on the carpet. She felt completely drained—physically, emotionally, and every way that it was possible to be drained. She could quite happily hide herself away under the duvet, but perhaps Shelley was right. If she stayed in, she’d only mope and dwell on things, wouldn’t she? And that never did anyone any good. Perhaps dancing would cheer her up.

  She nodded to herself, determined that she would approach dancing in the manner of Mr Bingley rather than Mr Darcy.

  Chapter 33

  The Baroque Dance Display was being performed at the Chapel Arts Centre, and the seats were filling up by the time Sarah arrived. She’d asked Lloyd if he’d accompany her, and they managed to get him one of the few remaining tickets for the event.

  ‘As long as you don’t expect me to dance,’ he said as they walked inside. ‘You’ve heard of people having two left feet? Well, I’ve got at least six, and they’re all bound to tread on yours if I take to the floor.’

  ‘I promise you won’t have to dance,’ she said. ‘I’m just grateful you’re here. I’m not sure I could’ve gone through this alone.’

  ‘Where do you want to sit?’

  Sarah pointed to a dark corner where she knew she would be hidden but would have a good vantage point of the rest of the room.

  ‘You mustn’t panic, Sarah. Mia might not even be in Bath.’

  ‘I know,’ she said, but she couldn’t stop her hands from twitching in her lap.

  ‘You mustn’t be disappointed if she’s not here,’ Lloyd went on.

  She nodded, but her gaze fixed itself to the door as more people entered. Most were wearing the very finest of Regency gowns in a rainbow riot of colors. There was a very pretty girl wearing a dress the color of summer sunshine and another in the palest pink, which reminded Sarah of the inside of a shell. They were all finished beautifully too, with pretty ribbons, beads, and bows.

  Sarah looked down at her own modest dress. She’d never been one to overdo things when it came to accessories, but she felt quite bare next to her peacock-like companions.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Lloyd asked her as she examined her simple white gown with the blue sash.

  ‘I feel…’ she paused, ‘a little plain.’

  ‘You look great,’ L
loyd told her.

  ‘You’re sure I’m not too white?’

  ‘White?’ he said quizzically. ‘You mean white like a swan? Or a perfect summer cloud? Or the first snowdrop of the year?’

  Sarah laughed. ‘Well, when you put it like that.’

  ‘White is the most desirable of colors,’ he said with a wink that made Sarah blush. He was right too. White had, indeed, been a favorite color in the time of Jane Austen. You couldn’t go wrong with white. It was the color of modesty and femininity and always looked pretty and fresh.

  She glanced toward the door again, eager not to miss a single soul. A woman with a huge bosom entered, her face stony, as if dancing were the very last thing on her mind. Sarah watched as she grabbed ahold of a woman checking the tickets and instantly recognized her from one of the talks she’d attended. Hadn’t she been disagreeable there too, complaining about something that didn’t warrant complaining about at all? How such a woman could be a Jane Austen fan beggared belief. Austen fans were usually amiable and enthusiastic, but this woman seemed to be on a permanent mission to make everybody’s lives miserable.

  Sarah looked away, determined to find somebody happier to watch.

  That’s when she saw her. Wearing a simple cream gown with a square neckline, not dissimilar to her own, Mia looked around the room.

  ‘That’s her!’ Sarah blurted, grabbing Lloyd’s arm.

  ‘Are you sure?’ he said.

  ‘Of course I’m sure!’

  ‘I mean, all these gowns make everyone look the same. Which one is she?’

  ‘The one with the dark curly hair.’ Sarah couldn’t help smiling when she saw her little sister. She hadn’t changed at all, at least not from the outside, although Sarah could see there was a certain sadness in her eyes, and she looked unsure about being there.

  ‘Right!’ Lloyd said. ‘The one who’s looking over here now?’

  ‘Oh, God! Do you think she saw me?’ Sarah asked, ducking her head.

  ‘Well, isn’t that the whole point of being here?’

  ‘But I’m not ready yet.’

  ‘No, I don’t think she saw you,’ Lloyd assured her. ‘And she’s moving away now, but what’s your plan?’