A Weekend with Mr. Darcy (17 page)

A knock on the door startled him.

‘Hey!' he said as he opened it and saw Katherine standing there.

‘Can I come in?'

‘'Course.'

He watched her enter the room, her dark eyes glancing around. ‘I like this room,' she said.

‘I like having you in it,' he said, walking towards her and kissing her.

‘Warwick,' she said, inching away from him, her tone firm, ‘I think we need to talk. I mean, there's something I want to say.'

‘Okay,' he said. ‘Sounds serious.'

‘Well, it is, I suppose.' She sat on the stool by the dressing table, and he was glad that he'd moved his notebook. ‘I can't help thinking how quickly the time is going.'

He nodded. ‘That's because we've been having fun.'

‘I know,' she said, ‘and it's all been wonderfully unexpected.'

He watched her as she twisted her hands in her lap.

‘What is it?' he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

She looked across at him. ‘I'd like to see you again,' she said. ‘After this weekend.'

‘And I'd like to see you again too.' He watched as she let out a deep breath. ‘Did you really think I wouldn't?'

‘I wasn't sure
what
to think,' she said. ‘I thought this might just be one of those crazy holiday-type flings, you know?'

‘I don't do those,' he said.

She smiled. ‘Neither do I.'

‘Then that's settled,' he said and, although he was smiling at her, he could feel his panic rising and was only just managing to keep it in check.

Seeing the countryside from the back of a horse was a totally new experience for Robyn. After the first terrifying ten minutes, she began to settle in the saddle. Dear Poppin was the gentlest of rides and hadn't bolted or tried to throw her into a bramble bush as she feared he might.

And the views! She could see for miles across the fields and hedgerows of Hampshire and felt very close to the trees, as if she were a bird floating somewhere between the earth and the sky.

As they followed the field around, she caught a glimpse of Purley Hall across a great golden field, its rosy walls bright against the trees behind it. How beautiful it was, sitting in perfect harmony in the landscape, and how funny to think of Katherine and Warwick somewhere within its walls while she was outside with Dan. She took in a deep breath of autumn air and slowly exhaled.

It was then that she saw the curve of a river.

‘Nearly there,' Dan said. ‘You coping okay? Not too sore?'

‘I'm fine,' Robyn said. ‘Everything's fine.'

She followed as he and Perseus led the way across a grassy bank, stopping under the shade of a line of trees and watching as Dan dismounted. Okay, she thought, that was quick.

‘Your turn,' he said. ‘You can't stay up there all day.'

‘But I'm not sure how to get down.'

‘It's a piece of cake. Just take your feet out of the stirrups, keep hold of the reins and grab ahold of the front of the saddle. You want to lean forward and swing your right leg over Poppin's back and try to bounce when you hit the ground, bending your knees.'

‘That's a lot to remember,' Robyn said, biting her lip as she tried to put it all into practice.

‘There you go,' Dan said a moment later as she returned—wobbly legged—to the ground. His hands were around her waist and she turned to face him, her neck stretching back as he bent down to kiss her. Unfortunately they were still wearing their riding hats and the peaks crashed into each other, causing them both to erupt into laughter.

Dan removed his hat and unclipped Robyn's, freeing her hair and allowing for a far less dangerous embrace.

‘Shall we try that again?' he asked, and she nodded, giving in to the most perfect kiss in the world. She felt as if the whole heat of the sun was in that kiss and, when she finally opened her eyes and they parted, she thought she would swoon like a heroine and have to be scooped up from the ground.

‘I'll just sort out the horses,' he said.

Robyn nodded and walked across the riverbank, finding a warm patch of grass to lie down in. Moby and Biscuit were far too busy to sit down. Moby had found a shallow bit of bank and was lapping from the water, and Biscuit was up to his tail in a clump of grass that probably hid a multitude of watery rodents.

Dan joined her on the grass, stretching out his long legs and flinging his head back to the heavens. Robyn looked up at the sky through the leaves of an oak tree. She'd never felt so peaceful.

‘This is wonderful,' she said with a sigh. ‘I can see why you left London.'

Dan made an appreciative sound. ‘You couldn't slope off on a horse in the middle of the afternoon in the job I used to do.'

Robyn propped up on one elbow and gazed at him. He was flat back, his right arm shielding his eyes from the sun and a long blond grass sticking out of his mouth. ‘You're so at home here,' she said. ‘You seem to be made of the earth.'

Dan sat up and laughed. ‘You say the funniest things!'

‘Do I?'

He nodded.

‘It's just—well, you look so tanned and—'

‘Dirty?'

‘I wasn't going to say that!'

‘I know. But I am. Look!' he said, holding out his arms for her to inspect. ‘Permanently covered in horse dust and hair.'

Robyn looked. They were the most perfect arms in the world—strong, bronzed, and intensely huggable. She felt as if she could lose herself quite comfortably in them for at least three eternities. Quickly turning away before she lost her senses completely, she gazed at the river, its clear waters flowing in a direction Robyn could only guess. In the rush of day-to-day modern life, it was easy to forget that such places existed, but they were there—it was just a case of making time to see them. Pleasures like this didn't change with the centuries. People still longed to feel the earth beneath their feet and the sun on their backs. Robyn knew that Jane Austen and her sister went walking every day in the countryside, and perhaps that was why Elizabeth Bennet was such a keen walker too.

‘“Crossing field after field at a quick pace, jumping over stiles and springing over puddles with impatient activity,”' she recited.

‘Pardon?' Dan looked across at Robyn.

‘I'm just remembering how Elizabeth Bennet loved to walk in the country.'

‘Ah, the amazing Miss Bennet.'

Robyn frowned. ‘She wouldn't have been called “Miss Bennet”—that was the title given to the eldest daughter, Jane, in
Pride and Prejudice
. Elizabeth was the second eldest.'

‘I stand corrected,' Dan said.

Robyn grinned. ‘Sorry. Didn't mean to get all boring and precise.'

‘But you can't help it?'

‘I can't,' she admitted with a laugh. ‘Not where Jane Austen's concerned. I mean, I'm not an expert but I know a thing or two and I hate it when people get things wrong. Is that awful?'

‘Not at all,' he said.

Robyn chewed her lip before her next question. She'd been dying to ask it for ages. ‘Have you read any more?'

‘I have,' he said.

She waited patiently. Was he going to say anymore or did he hate everything about the book and hate her for asking him about it?

‘Poor Elizabeth has just been proposed to by Mr Collins and Mr Darcy. Very badly,' he said.

Robyn laughed with as much relief as pleasure that he seemed to be enjoying it. ‘Aren't they the worst proposals in the world? Poor Lizzy!'

They were quiet for a moment and Robyn listened to the sounds around her. Biscuit was snuffling along the riverbank, the horses were munching the grass behind them, and the gentle flow of the river played as a constant soundtrack over it all.

‘Have you ever been proposed to?'

Robyn started from her reverie. She hadn't expected to be asked such a question. She sat up and turned around. Dan's bright eyes were fixed on her.

‘Have
you
?' she asked, keen to deflect the question away from her but equally keen to know his answer.

‘Do you mean have I been proposed to or have I done the proposing bit?'

‘Either. Both.'

Dan's clear eyes fixed on the river for a moment before he replied. ‘I'm afraid I've had a string of doomed relationships,' he said.

‘Doomed?'

He nodded. ‘I was a bit of a workaholic in London. Always had my eye on the next big client I could get on board. Didn't leave me much time for dating, I'm afraid. I'd forget I was meant to be meeting someone because I'd get so tied up at work.'

‘Oh, dear,' Robyn said.

‘Yes. It didn't go down well with the women in my life, but there was one special girl and I swear I really made an effort for her. I'd leave work only two hours late and everything.' He gave a wry grin.

‘What was her name?'

‘Holly.'

Robyn waited for him to continue, but he didn't seem to want to. ‘Did she propose to you?' she asked with a half-smile.

Dan shook his head. ‘But I nearly proposed to her. I bought the ring, booked a table for two at her favourite restaurant overlooking the Thames, left work on time for once, and then I waited.'

Robyn cocked her head to one side. ‘What happened?'

‘She never showed up,' he said with a shrug. ‘It wasn't until a month later that I found out she left town that very night with a mutual friend.'

‘Oh, Dan! That's awful!'

‘Well, it was at the time, but it's worked out for the best. I wouldn't be sitting here in the middle of a field with you if she'd shown up and said yes. I'd probably have worked myself into an early grave too, with the hours I was doing.' He sighed. ‘It probably wouldn't have worked out anyway. For a start, she's allergic to dogs and I couldn't be without a few furry companions, could I?' He picked up Biscuit, who had given up hunting for rodents and flopped by his master. Robyn watched as he placed the little dog on his lap and tickled his ears.

‘So what about you? Anyone ever popped the question to you?'

It was her turn to answer and she couldn't, not now that Dan had revealed all. Robyn shook her head. ‘No,' she said.

‘So there are no plans to marry Jace?'

Robyn sat quietly for a moment. ‘I think not,' she said at last with a strange kind of laugh. She could feel Dan's eyes on her and looked up to meet them.

‘If there's anything you want to talk about, I'm a good listener.'

‘Thanks,' she said, ‘but I don't think there's very much to say, really.'

Moby, who'd been patrolling the riverbank, came and flopped down next to Robyn. She reached out and stroked his golden head.

It was then that her phone beeped. She'd forgotten that she transferred it from her skirt pocket to the shirt she was wearing and cursed the action when she saw the text.

‘Leave it,' Dan said, but it was too late.

‘Got u a prezzy. C u tonite.'

‘Is it from Jace?' Dan asked.

Robyn nodded. ‘He's coming over tonight,' she said. ‘I wish he wouldn't.'

‘Then tell him not to.'

‘I would if I thought it would make any difference.'

‘You want to get back?'

Robyn shook her head and lay back on the grassy bank, her bare arm resting along the warm length of Moby. She wanted to stay like that for as long as possible. Tonight would come soon enough.

I've never done anything like this before,' said Katherine from underneath the soft folds of the duvet on Warwick's bed. One minute they'd been chatting about whether Purley Hall resembled any of the grand country houses in Jane Austen's novels and if that was why Dame Pamela had bought it and then, the next minute, they'd been urgently entangled on the bed together.

It was a good job that they'd both decided that they could well do without the afternoon discussion group about which Austen character you were most like because they never would have made it downstairs in time. Katherine's hair was, once again, a victim of passion and was cascading over her shoulders like beautiful brambles, and Warwick's room was something to behold, too.

‘So,' Katherine said, pushing her dark hair out of her face in a vain attempt to restore some sort of personal order, ‘we might have missed the talk, but I still want to know.'

‘Know what?'

‘Which Jane Austen character you're most like.' She could see a little smile lifting the corners of Warwick's mouth.

‘I don't think that's for me to say.'

‘What do you mean?'

‘Well, isn't it all very subjective? I mean, isn't every man going to say he's Darcy and every woman say Elizabeth?'

Katherine sat up in the bed, hugging the duvet to her. ‘I don't think so.'

‘Okay then, who are you?'

Katherine took a moment to think. ‘Well, I'm smart. I'm witty. I'm a good friend. I'm passionate about books and I love to walk.'

‘Elizabeth Bennet!' Warwick said. ‘I told you—
Every
woman thinks she's Elizabeth Bennett.'

Katherine laughed and lay back on the pillow.

‘So, who do you think I'd be?' Warwick asked, curving an arm around her body.

‘Now, that's interesting,' she said. ‘You're obviously handsome so you could be any of the heroes, really. But I can't make out much about your private life so for all I know, you could be a Willoughby or a Wickham.'

Warwick's mouth dropped open. ‘No! Really? You really think that?'

‘I'm only joking!' Katherine laughed. ‘Perhaps you're more of an Edward Ferrars, and there's something you're not telling me because you can't.'

‘What makes you think I'm not telling you everything?'

Katherine's eyes widened. ‘Because you aren't.'

‘I just don't like talking about my work, that's all.' He moved his arm away from her and sat up, swinging his legs out of the bed.

Katherine watched him and was scared that she'd upset him again. ‘I'm sorry,' she said, sitting up once more. ‘It's just I'm really interested in what you do.'

Pulling on his trousers, he turned and smiled at her. ‘You're forgiven,' he said. ‘And I will tell you more about it some time. Just not this weekend. I want this weekend to be about us.'

‘It
is
about us,' she said.

‘I know,' he said. ‘I just don't want it spoiled by anything.'

‘What could possibly spoil it, silly?'

He looked at her for a moment and then leant across the bed to claim another kiss. ‘Nothing,' he said. ‘Nothing at all.'

***

The gala dinner on Saturday evening was always a bit special. Guests at the conference weekend usually dressed up for dinner, but everyone made an extra special effort on Saturday. There was an array of beads, sequins, and glimmering jewels and—for the men—tuxedoes and bow ties. Dame Pamela was sparkling in silver, a diamond choker clasping her neck and a brooch the size of an ostrich egg blinding everyone who looked at it.

After showering the very last vestiges of hay and horse from her personage, Robyn changed into a figure-hugging dress the colour of rosé wine. She twisted her hair up and away from her shoulders and fixed it with a large rose clip that matched her dress and wore a pair of art deco-style earrings that glittered as much as Dame Pamela's diamonds but had cost a fraction of the price.

As she descended the staircase and walked across the expanse of hallway into the dining room, she felt as though she'd stepped into a film set. Everything was beautiful. Candles were ablaze everywhere, and mirrors gleamed, reflecting the rich colours of all assembled.

Everyone was chattering and cameras flashed from all directions. Robyn smiled at the scene but wished that Dan were there to share it with her. When they'd parted at the stables, she felt glum and hadn't wanted to return to the hall at all, especially not when he kissed her again.

‘I should go,' she'd said as she stood perfectly still. Immovable.

‘I guess you should,' he said.

‘Come and see me again?'

‘Of
course
!' And then it had hit her. What was she doing? She was falling in love with another man when she hadn't even finished with the other one. And what did she think was going to happen there? Even if she did manage to break up with Jace, how did she think things would work out with Dan? He was based here—in Hampshire—and she was miles away in North Yorkshire. How was that meant to work? Long-distance relationships were never a good idea.

Looking at everyone as they walked into the dining room, Robyn felt a little lonely. She knew she wasn't the only person who was attending the conference on her own, but suddenly everyone seemed to be in pairs. There were the sisters Rose and Roberta, Mrs Soames and that other awful woman who didn't seem to approve of Robyn at all, and Warwick and Katherine, of course. Still, maybe she'd sneak down to the stables after dinner and see Dan again.

The thought of another visit excited her, and she took a seat at the table with a big smile on her face that grew even further when Katherine sat next to her.

‘Hello!' she said brightly. ‘How are you? Feels an age since I saw you.'

‘I'm fine. You okay?' Robyn asked, nodding to Warwick as he took a seat to Katherine's right.

Katherine leant closer. ‘I'm afraid I skipped class this afternoon.'

‘Really?'

Katherine nodded, and a sweet blush coloured her cheeks. ‘With Warwick.'

Robyn gasped.

‘Oh, I haven't shocked you, have I?' Katherine said, grabbing Robyn's hand and squeezing it.

She shook her head. ‘No!' Robyn said. ‘It's just that—well—I kind of skipped class too.'

‘I can't say I blame you. I mean this afternoon wasn't the most riveting.'

‘With Dan.'

‘What?' It was Katherine's turn to gasp.

‘The guy who works in the stables,' Robyn said.

‘Oh,
yes
! I've seen him. Robyn, he's gorgeous!'

‘I know!'

‘So you were with him?'

She nodded. ‘He took me out riding. It was wonderful. I didn't want to come back.'

The two of them sat grinning at each other for a moment.

‘There must be something in the air here,' Katherine said.

‘I think it's the Jane Austen effect,' Robyn said.

‘Really?' Katherine said, a quizzical expression on her face.

‘We're spending the whole weekend reading about romance and handsome heroes and happy endings—it's bound to do something to our brains.'

‘You think it makes us susceptible to love?'

Robyn gave a little laugh. ‘That's certainly what's happening here, isn't it?'

Katherine took a deep breath. ‘This isn't exactly what I expected from a Jane Austen weekend, you know.'

‘Me neither.'

‘I thought it would be all books and talks.'

‘Me too!' Robyn said.

‘I never thought I'd fall in love.'

‘Me neither.'

Katherine threw a quick glance at Warwick. ‘It's rather wonderful, isn't it?'

Robyn smiled and nodded, and it was then that the dinner was served.

***

It was a perfect dinner. The starter was light and sublime, the main course sumptuous and satisfying, and dessert ravishingly chocolaty. Robyn was folding her thick linen napkin and looking forward to her cup of coffee when she heard a strange noise.

‘What on earth was that?' somebody asked from across the table.

Conversation died down as everyone's attention was drawn to what was going on beyond the dining room. Something was happening in the hallway—some sort of clattering, crashing, and shouting. Katherine turned to Robyn, and they gave each other perplexed smiles, but then Robyn's face drained of all colour when she heard a voice.

‘Goddamn door!' it yelled. ‘Go on, boy! Get through there. Giddy up!'

It was Jace, and Robyn could only guess what he was up to; however, she didn't have to wait long to find out, for the dining room door crashed open, and in charged a horse.

‘Perseus!' Robyn cried.

Sure enough, Perseus—the chestnut stallion—was in the house and more alarmingly, Jace was on his back.

There was a collective gasp from the table. Cups and cutlery were dropped in alarm, and several guests leapt out of their seats.

‘What in heaven's name is that?' the elderly gentleman with the guinea-pig hair shouted, adjusting his glasses in an attempt to find out.

‘It's a horse!' Rose exclaimed, grabbing her napkin and wielding it as if it were some kind of shield. ‘It's a horse!'

‘Jace!' Robyn cried. What on earth was he doing on Perseus, and how did he get him into the house? She saw that Perseus was wearing his saddle and bridle so perhaps Dan had just brought him back from an evening ride.

‘Robyn!' Jace called back, almost falling forward onto Perseus's neck.

‘What are you doing, Jace?' Robyn leapt out of her chair and ran towards him.

‘I came to see you! You like a man on a horse, don't you? I know you do! And I wanted to get it right. It's got to be right, see,' he said, his words slurring together.

‘You might've broken your neck. You can't ride a horse!'

‘I'm doing all right, aren't I? I've not fallen off!'

Robyn was beside herself. The whole dining room was in disarray, with guests jostling each other in an attempt to reach the safety of the other side of the room. Only a few brave people remained seated, staring in shock at the scene before them. Robyn turned to see if somebody was going to make a helpful suggestion, but even Dame Pamela seemed immobilized.

‘Jace—'

He held up a hand before she could say anything else. ‘No, listen,' he said. ‘I've got something to tell you.'

She watched as Jace fumbled in his jacket pocket.

‘Jace—
please
get down.'

‘No way! I'm up here now. I'm gonna do this properly.'

Flustered, Robyn didn't dare look around the room at the diners. Goodness only knew what they were thinking.

‘Robyn Love,' he said. ‘I know I'm not good enough for you. I know I'm not one of your heroes from a book. I'm just a regular guy who doesn't know his Darcy from his elbow. But I love you, and I want to marry you. Will you be my wife?'

He reached down out of the saddle and handed Robyn a tiny blue box.

Oh, dear Lord, please let me be wrong, Robyn thought, dreading opening it because she knew what was in there. But what else could she do? Absolute silence filled the dining room as everybody looked at Robyn and Jace, mouths and eyes wide open, not wanting to miss a single second.

Robyn did the only thing she could do and opened the box with shaking fingers. Sure enough, sitting on a velvety cushion was a diamond ring, three bright stones that winked at her in the candlelight.

‘Well?' Jace said, grabbing hold of Perseus's mane as he swayed forward. ‘Will you marry me?'

This can't be happening to me, she thought.
Please
let me wake up.

‘Jace—I—' Robyn began, her words catching in her throat.

‘
Will you marry me
?'

The words stabbed through her. She turned to look at the guests around the table and huddled in the far corners of the room. Everyone's faces had softened. All were waiting for her to say something—for her to say ‘yes.'

‘Yes,' she said, her voice a little squeak.

As soon as the word was out, there was a deafening round of applause. Somebody gave a very fruity wolf whistle, and everyone stood, making a mad scramble towards her, patting her on the back, kissing her cheeks, and generally frightening her to death.

‘Careful of the horse!' Warwick's voice suddenly cut above the noise. Instantly everyone moved backwards, and Robyn noticed that she wasn't the only one to look anxious—Perseus was looking a little unnerved too.

‘He's going to poo!' somebody cried from behind her.

‘Get that animal out of here!' somebody else shouted, and everyone watched in horror as Perseus's tail rose an inch.

‘Oh, my God,' someone said with a gasp, and everybody watched as Perseus extended his very impressive equipment and a loud gush of urine splashed onto the carpet. Those who had dared to remain seated at the table moved as fast as was humanly possible to the other side of the room as the amber stream continued.

‘What's going on down there?' Jace asked from above. ‘He's taking a piss, isn't he?'

Robyn winced, quite sure that people shouldn't swear at a Jane Austen Conference.

Everyone was gasping and whispering, horrified and amused at the same time. What would Dame Pamela think? All eyes had turned from the young lovers to the grande dame, who was looking decidedly perplexed, her eyes two wide circles in her face.

But then she burst out laughing, her body bending forward as if it could not support itself. Everybody stared as she continued to laugh, the merry sound filling the room.

‘That,' she said, ‘is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time!' And off she went again, laughing and laughing until everyone else joined in. Everyone except Robyn. She stood, immobilized, staring at the row of diamonds before her.