At Home with Mr Darcy (5 page)

But it wasn’t to last.

‘ANNE!’

The voice that assaulted her ears could only belong to one person.

‘Where have you been all this time?’ The bulk of her mother’s figure hovered menacingly between her and the sunshine, instantly blocking its warmth.

Annie opened her eyes and sighed as she greeted her mother’s displeased expression.

Katherine and Robyn had left the little bench under the yew tree and were walking around the kitchen garden.

‘I hope Dan’s remembered to feed the hens,’ Robyn said, spying some huge cabbages.

‘I’m sure he has,’ Katherine said.

‘And Cassie!’

Katherine laughed. ‘He wouldn’t forget to feed his daughter, would he?’

Robyn smiled. ‘I’m sure he wouldn’t.’ A tiny frown wrinkled her brow as she pushed her corkscrew curls away from her face. ‘No! I’m
absolutely
sure he wouldn’t.’ She laughed.

‘You hate being away from him, don’t you?’ Katherine said.

Robyn nodded as she stopped to admire some ruby-bright redcurrants. ‘I can’t imagine life without him now,’ she said.

‘I know what you mean,’ Katherine said. ‘I feel that way about Warwick. Crazy, eh? I used to be convinced I was going to spend my life on my own, my head buried in my books and papers and maybe occasionally getting my hopes up and going on yet another horrendous date. Then Warwick ran over my foot with his suitcase, told me a lot of ridiculous lies about who he was and made me fall madly in love with him.’

‘I often wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t gone to Purley Hall that autumn, don’t you?’

Katherine gave a little shiver. ‘I can’t imagine,’ she said.

‘It might not have been any different for you, though,’ Robyn said. ‘I mean, you were already friends with Warwick, weren’t you?’

Katherine nodded. ‘Yes.’

‘I bet you would have met up sooner or later,’ Robyn said.

‘You’re probably right.’

They exchanged smiles and continued walking.

‘Robyn,’ Katherine said after a moment’s pause. ‘Do you mind if I ask you something?’

Robyn looked at her friend. ‘Ask away.’

Katherine cleared her throat.

‘What is it?’ Robyn prompted her. They’d climbed to the top of the garden and found a bright blue bench to sit on.

‘How did you know you were ready to start a family?’ Katherine asked at last.

Robyn blinked in surprise at the question. She really hadn’t been expecting that.

‘Well,’ she said, ‘it happened rather quickly for us. I’d just moved into Horseshoe Cottage. It kind of took us by surprise although we were both delighted. We didn’t tell anyone until after the wedding but I’m sure Pammy had guessed.’

‘But you would have got married anyway, wouldn’t you?’

‘Of course,’ Robyn said. ‘I feel as if my whole life has been leading up to this moment now – this wonderful life with Dan and Cassie and my work at Purley. I sometimes think I’m the luckiest girl in the world.’

Katherine smiled. ‘You deserve it after all you’ve been through.’

Robyn’s eyes shone brightly as she gazed down upon the garden. ‘I’ve
always
known I wanted children – with the right man, of course,’ she said.

Katherine nodded. ‘Yes, that plays a big part.’

‘And I’ll tell you a little secret,’ she said. ‘I’m absolutely ready for another child.’

‘Oh, Robyn! How lovely.’

‘Horseshoe Cottage will be getting a little cramped soon.’

‘You might have to move into Purley Hall,’ Katherine said.

‘Oh, no,’ Robyn said. ‘I wouldn’t leave our cottage for anything. We’ll manage, I’m sure.’

They got up and walked slowly through a wooded section of the grounds until they found themselves at the top of the cascade.

‘Do you think you’re ready then?’ Robyn asked. ‘I mean, to start a family.’

Katherine looked down the hill at the fabulous water feature, watching as a little boy of about seven paddled on one of the steps, his hands held tightly by his father.

‘I’m not sure,’ Katherine said. ‘Warwick is, though. He’s more than ready. I think he’d fill the whole of Hawk’s Hill in record time if he could but–’

‘But?’

‘It’s never crossed my mind before. I mean, not seriously,’ Katherine said. ‘I’m not used to being married and living with someone. I think I’ve still got this spinster career woman mindset or something.’ She gave a little laugh.

‘But life doesn’t always turn out the way you think it will,’ Robyn said, ‘and that can be rather wonderful.’

‘I know,’ Katherine said, ‘but I’m so used to being in charge of everything. I like organisation and planning things and I never planned for any of this to happen. It always happened to other people or to the people I read about in Jane Austen and Warwick’s Lorna books. I really never thought this would be on the agenda.’

Robyn bit her lip. ‘But there’s no rush, is there?’

‘Well, I’m not getting any younger!’

‘Oh, rubbish! You’ve got lots of child-bearing years in you,’ Robyn said with a little laugh.

Katherine’s eyes widened. ‘Now, that sounds absolutely terrifying!’

Robyn shook her head. ‘But it isn’t really,’ she said. ‘You just take it one wonderful moment at a time.’

Katherine looked at Robyn. ‘You are such a romantic,’ she said.

‘I know!’ Robyn said. ‘I can’t help it. Life is full of these amazing moments now I’ve got Dan and I sometimes have to stop – put down whatever I’m doing – and enjoy it all.’ She reached a hand out and placed it on Katherine’s arm. ‘Don’t think too much about these things,’ she said. ‘Just let them happen.’

‘I’m afraid I always think everything through
very
thoroughly,’ Katherine admitted with a sigh.

‘Well, it’s good to be organised but not everything in life
can
be organised,’ Robyn said. ‘Life with Dan and Cassie and the animals has taught me that. You’ve got to let go and respond to things as they happen sometimes. It’s often more fun that way.’

Katherine nodded as they walked down the long slope back towards the house. ‘I know you’re right,’ she said, ‘and I don’t know why I worry all the time.’

‘No, you should relax, lay back and think of Mr Darcy!’ Robyn said and they both laughed.

Dame Pamela was holding court with Melissa Berry. At least, that’s what it seemed like to the young journalist. She’d heard the great actress recount several of her most famous performances before she’d launched into what seemed like a lecture about the glories of Jane Austen.

‘You mustn’t try to rush through her prose,’ Dame Pamela was saying. ‘It should be savoured like a fine wine. Her wit, her elegance of expression, her–’

‘But I really prefer modern fiction,’ Melissa interrupted. Dame Pamela did
not
appreciate being interrupted. She twisted one of her diamond rings, cleared her throat in consternation and began again.

‘But who do you think modern writers have to thank if not Jane Austen? She was ground-breaking – the first real chick lit author and that’s a term I don’t like to use but it’s what all you young ones are familiar with, isn’t it? Well, our Jane was the first to write the modern romance – the classic boy meets girl book.’

‘I suppose,’ Melissa said, stifling a yawn.

Dame Pamela flinched. She had never
ever
– at least to her knowledge – made anybody yawn before. This young woman really was the limit.

‘Anyway,’ Dame Pamela said, getting up from her chair with a noisy, displeased scrape, ‘you would do well to persevere with Jane Austen for there is no finer literature in the English language.’

Melissa Berry opened her handbag and got her mobile out and Dame Pamela felt the spirit of Lady Catherine de Bourgh rise inside her – the scene where she is shocked and displeased by the outspoken Elizabeth Bennet. Dame Pamela was on the verge of announcing that she was "most seriously displeased" but knew that the reference would fall flat on the journalist. Instead, she levelled the sort of glare that was enough to have a grown man shaking in his shoes – all except Higgins, that was, because he was used to his mistress’ death glares. But Melissa was totally oblivious because she was busy texting.

At Horseshoe Cottage in Hampshire, Dan Harcourt had managed to crash into a side table and knock a lamp onto the floor, had become entangled with a pile of washing he’d left in the kitchen and had walloped poor Biscuit with the end of his right crutch. The little terrier had yelped and retreated to his basket by the Aga, an accusatory look on his furry little face. Life on crutches, Dan had to admit, wasn’t as easy as he’d first thought.

But he soldiered on, hobbling to the stables to check everything was running smoothly and to be there in time for Jack who was arriving for his lesson on Gemini.

‘Been in the wars?’ Jack asked as he arrived ten minutes later.

‘Don’t ask,’ Dan said. There was no way he was going to admit to Jack that his injury was inflicted by a horse – not just as his student’s confidence was building.

The lesson went well, with Jack really beginning to look like "a hero on horseback" which had been his goal when he’d first signed up for lessons.

‘Well done, mate,’ Dan said as Jack left the stables after his lesson. ‘We’re nearly there.’

After struggling on his own to untack, groom and turn out Gemini, Dan hobbled back to Horseshoe Cottage, leaving the rest of the horses in the capable hands of the girls he employed. He had a couple of hours before Cassie was due back and he planned on doing nothing more than feeding the hens some corn and letting the dogs out in the garden whilst sitting in a deckchair with a glass of something tall and cool. But that wasn’t to be for, when he opened the front door, the sound of something exploding met his ears.

‘I’ve been looking high and low for you,’ Mrs Soames said, glaring down at her daughter. ‘Fancy storming off like that!’

‘But I didn’t storm off,’ Annie said, feeling dazed from having nodded off in the sunshine. ‘It was
you
who did the storming.’

Mrs Soames tutted. ‘Ridiculous child!’

Annie sighed as she got up. How many times had she told her mother that she wasn’t a child? She’d lost count and it didn’t matter really because she’d still be treated like one.

‘What have you been doing, anyway?’ Mrs Soames asked her daughter.

‘Just sitting,’ she said. How did her mother make everything sound like an accusation? It really was a special gift she had.

‘Come on. I want my picture taken by the fountain.’

Having just walked through Paxton’s rock garden, Katherine and Robyn were heading towards the Emperor Fountain. Katherine had rung her errant husband on his mobile and the two had arranged to meet there.

‘I want to see the shot that’s in the film,’ Robyn said. ‘You know when Elizabeth arrives in the carriage with the Gardiners?’

‘We’ll have to walk to the other end of the Canal Pond for that,’ Katherine told her as she studied the map. ‘Oh, look. There’s Warwick!’

Katherine and Robyn waved.

‘He’s found Dame Pamela,’ Robyn said. ‘I wonder how she got on with Melissa.’

They didn’t have to wait long to find out.

‘I have never ever been
so
frustrated by anyone in my life,’ Dame Pamela said, casting her eyes to the blue sky above. ‘Other than myself, of course, when I broke a leg and had to pull out of Ibsen’s
The Doll’s House
at The Old Vic.’

Robyn grinned. She loved these little glimpses into Dame Pamela’s illustrious past.

‘She’ll come round,’ Robyn said.

‘You really believe that?’ Dame Pamela said. ‘Warwick didn’t get anywhere with her either and now she’s gone flouncing off towards the greenhouses.’

‘Oh, dear,’ Robyn said. ‘Well, maybe our film evening will help sway her.’

‘If you ask me, it’s all a terrible waste of time,’ Dame Pamela said.

‘Don’t give up, Pammy!’ Robyn said, resting a hand on her shoulder and getting a handful of shoulder-pad instead.

Dame Pamela turned and gave her young sister-in-law a smile. ‘Sweet girl,’ she said.

‘Oh, my God!’ Warwick suddenly cried. ‘Poor Annie.’

They all looked in the direction Warwick was nodding in to see Mrs Soames flinging her handbag at Annie and waving her arms in the air in bossy direction.

‘Shall we go and rescue her?’ Katherine said and the four of them headed across the grass towards the Emperor Fountain where Annie was doing her best to photograph her mother.

‘Don’t stick your finger over the camera,’ Mrs Soames said.

‘I’m not going to stick my finger over the camera,’ Annie said.

‘I haven’t paid all this money to have a photo of your finger.’

Katherine, Warwick, Robyn and Dame Pamela watched as Annie took a succession of photos on the instruction of Mrs Soames.

‘Portrait, Anne,
not
landscape! And make sure you’ve got the fountain in it.’

‘Hi, Annie,’ Robyn called. ‘Would you like me to take one of you both together?’

‘No,’ Mrs Soames said. ‘Just me. Move a bit closer this time.’

The group watched as Mrs Soames manoeuvred herself a little closer to the water feature.

‘Not too close, Mother,’ Annie warned.

‘I’m not going to be silly enough to fall in,’ Mrs Soames said and she didn’t but what did catch her unawares was a freak gust of wind which caught the great spray of water from the Emperor Fountain and sent it in her direction.

Mrs Soames cried in alarm as the freezing water soaked into the material of her skirt, revealing rather more curves than anybody ever wanted to see. Warwick guffawed and immediately got an elbow in his ribs from Katherine and Dame Pamela bit her lip in an attempt not to laugh.

‘Oh, Mrs Soames! Are you all right?’ Robyn asked, running forward.

‘Do I
look
all right?’ Mrs Soames barked, pulling at her skirt.

‘Well, no,’ Robyn admitted. ‘You look rather wet.’

‘Stupid girl –
do
something!’

Robyn rooted around in the large canvas bag she was carrying full of emergency supplies like sun cream and plasters just in case any Janeites came a cropper at Chatsworth.

‘Here,’ she said a moment later, handing a long cotton scarf in shades of pink, blue and silver to Mrs Soames.

‘What am I meant to do with
that
?’ the cantankerous old woman barked.

‘Erm – how about tying it around your waist to cover your – erm – bottom,’ Robyn said hesitantly.

It was more than Warwick could bear and he burst out laughing, his eyes streaming with tears of sheer glee. Mrs Soames glared at him before covering her sopping derriere with Robyn’s rather insubstantial scarf.

‘Let’s get you to the ladies’,’ Robyn said. ‘See if we can fix things under a hand dryer.’

Again, Warwick’s laughter spilled over, causing him to receive another shove in the ribs from Katherine.

‘Warwick!’ she hissed as Mrs Soames was led away by Robyn, with Annie in reluctant attendance.

‘I can’t help it, he said.

Dame Pamela had started chuckling too and the sight of the great actress’s shoulders jigging in mirth set Katherine off. The three of them made quite a sight, standing there by the Emperor Fountain, tears rolling down their faces in torrents not dissimilar to the great plume of water.

Doris Norris felt greatly revived after a cup of tea and a slice of cake and was now making her way towards the shady part of the garden where the willow tree fountain was. Davey was with her. In fact, the two of them hadn’t stopped talking since they’d met in the sculpture gallery. It was quite extraordinary how well they got on. They both loved gardening, theatre, cooking and literature although Davey had to admit to never having read a Jane Austen novel but Doris forgave him this one little sin. Nobody was perfect, after all.

Reaching, the fountain, they stood and gazed at it in its shady setting.

‘Wonderfully cool here,’ Doris said.

‘You’re feeling better now?’ Davey asked.

‘Much, thank you.’ She was still wearing her funny little hat and had just applied some more sun cream. ‘What?’

‘You have some – erm’

‘Have some what?’

Davey smiled and took a step forward, his index finger reaching out to smooth a little blob of sun cream on the end of Doris’s nose.

‘Oh!’ she cried out. ‘How embarrassing.’

‘It looked like a little snowflake,’ Davey said, giving her another of his smiles which reminded Doris of Crispin Bonham-Carter’s Mr Bingley in the 1995 adaptation of
Pride and Prejudice
and that meant it was very cute indeed.

They walked around the willow tree fountain with Davey offering a supporting arm for Doris to link hers in as it was quite slippery but wonderfully refreshing to be so close to the water on such a hot day.

‘Isn’t it pretty?’ she said. ‘I wonder if I could fit one in my garden.

They talked again about their respective gardens. Davey was very much a lawn man – taking great care in maintaining an immaculate sward – but he was also a passionate plantsman and what he didn’t know about irises really wasn’t worth knowing at all.

‘You know, I haven’t talked to a woman like this for ages,’ Davey said and then chuckled. ‘Well, I haven’t talked like this to
anyone
, if I’m honest. You’re a very easy woman to talk to, Doris.’

‘Well, you’re very easy to listen to,’ she said as they left the willow tree fountain and walked out into the sunshine by the cascade.

He took a deep breath. ‘Can I ask you something?’

‘Of course.’

‘This isn’t being too forward I hope,’ he said.

‘What isn’t?’ Doris asked.

‘I should very much like to see you again,’ he said.

‘Oh,’ Doris said.

‘Would that be okay?’ he asked, his head cocked to one side. ‘I mean, say no if I’m boring you and you never want to clap eyes on me again.’

‘You’re not boring me,’ Doris said. ‘Quite the opposite, in fact.’

‘Really?’

She nodded, her pink and white checked hat flopping over her eyes. ‘And I should very much like to see you again.

Looking absolutely chuffed, Davey offered Doris his arm again and it was then that something occurred to her.

The bouquet.
I caught the bouquet at Katherine and Warwick’s wedding
, Doris thought, a tiny blush colouring her cheeks.

The day at Chatsworth drew to a close all too quickly for the Purley Hall holidaymakers and there were more than a few red shoulders and happy faces when they all met up in the car park at closing time. Mrs Soames was uncharacteristically quiet on the minibus back to the hotel in Bakewell and nobody dared to breathe a word about the whole watery business until she had shuffled off to her room and they were safely out of earshot in the hotel bar.

‘Oh, I
was
sorry to have missed the fun,’ Roberta said.

Rose tutted and Doris Norris giggled.

‘I should like to have seen it too,’ Doris admitted. ‘I could have Tweeted it with my new phone.’

‘You have a Twitter account?’ Robyn said, impressed.

Doris Norris nodded. ‘Of course,’ she said. ‘My grandson set it up for me. "At Mrs Doris Norris" I believe it is.’

Robyn grinned. Wonders would never cease, she thought.

‘Serves the old bag right!’ Roberta said.

‘Roberta!’ her sister admonished.

‘Well, she makes everyone’s lives a misery especially that poor daughter of hers.’

‘And where did you get to all day?’ Rose asked Doris.

Doris gave a mischievous little smile. ‘I met somebody,’ she said.

‘Who?’ Rose, Roberta and Robyn said in unison.

‘A man,’ Doris said with a smile before turning and leaving the bar for her room.

‘I guess we’ll have to see if she Tweets about him,’ Roberta said.

‘But you’re not on Twitter, my dear,’ Rose said.

‘Am I not? I thought I was.’

‘No, that’s Facebook,’ Rose explained patiently.

‘You two are on Facebook?’ Robyn said.

‘Of course,’ Roberta said. ‘It’s where all the cool people hang out.’

Robyn laughed. ‘Listen,’ she said, getting back into courier mode, ‘we’d better all freshen up and prepare for dinner.’

‘And it’s the Joe Wright film version tonight, isn’t it?’ Rose asked.

‘Yes,’ Robyn said. ‘We’ll be able to spot all the locations we saw today.’ She watched as the two sisters went upstairs to their rooms and then reached for her phone. She was desperate to speak to Dan.

At Horseshoe Cottage, Dan was still recovering from the incident that had occurred earlier. The washing machine door seemed to have exploded and the contents – clothes and water – had spewed out all across the utility room.

Dan had skidded upon entering and had only just retained his balance on his crutches. He was getting things sorted out when there was a knock at the front door. It was the childminder with Cassie who was crying.

‘I’m afraid she scraped her knee,’ Stacey explained as she walked Cassie into the hall. ‘I did tell her not to run after the cat but she wouldn’t listen and I couldn’t get to her in time because I was feeding baby Joe. I’m so sorry.’

‘It’s okay,’ Dan said. ‘She’s just like her mum – always wanting to pick up any old animal that crosses her path.’

‘And how’s life on the crutches?’ Stacey asked, having received a call from Dan about his accident.

‘I’m getting there,’ he said.

‘Well, I’ll pick Cassie up again tomorrow morning but do let me know if you need any help in the meantime.’

Dan thanked her and closed the front door. Leaning his crutches against the hallway wall, he scooped Cassie up in his arms.

‘What happened to you, my poppet?’

Her bright eyes, that were so like Robyn’s, looked up at him full of tears.

‘I think an early night for you as soon as you’ve had some tea.’

She shook her head. ‘Hens!’ she cried.

Dan sighed and decided to give in because he knew he wouldn’t hear the end of it if he didn’t.

‘Just a quick goodnight as I feed them their corn, then,’ he said with a chuckle. She really was
so
like her mother.

At the Wye Hotel, Robyn was wondering why Dan wasn’t answering his phone. She looked at her watch. He’d definitely be at home now, she thought. He’d need to be there for Stacey to drop Cassie off. Unless he’d gone up to the stables with their daughter. Cassie was horse mad already and Dan would often take her up in the evenings. She tried his mobile.