Mr. Darcy Forever (19 page)

‘
Was there nobody you could talk to at all?’ Mia asked.

Gabe shook his head. ‘My family didn't know what to say to me and I didn't want to burden them. Nothing like this had ever happened in my family.’

Mia looked at him, her eyes full of sympathy.

‘
And I don't mean to burden you now,’ he said.

‘
But you aren't. I was the one who brought the subject up and I want to talk about it. It's important.’

Gabe smiled at her. ‘You’re an extraordinary young lady,’ he said.

She smiled back. ‘No I’m not. I'm just very nosy.’ She got up from the sofa, and walked across the room to one of the many book shelves that lined the walls. ‘Oh, you have a collection of poems,’ she said, pulling out the old hardback book and admiring its green and gold cover. ‘It’s beautiful. I've never seen such fine pages. They're like tissue paper.’

Gabe cleared his throat. ‘As much as I'd like to take credit for owning that it was Andrea's.’

‘
But you’ve read it?’

‘
Alas, no.’

‘
No?’ Mia said. ‘Not ever?’

Gabe gave a little smile as if embarrassed. ‘Not ever. Andrea would occasionally read some out to me.’

‘
Which ones?’

Gabe frowned. ‘I – er – some of the shorter ones.’

‘
You mean you don’t know?’ Mia said.

‘
I have a bad memory,’ he said with a little smile.

‘
How can anyone get through life without reading the Romantic poets? I mean, they
are
life!’

‘
So, along with Jane Austen, I should read all the Romantic poets?’

‘
Yes!’

‘
Anything else?’ he said, his eyebrows raising.

Mia looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘Well, you shouldn’t miss out on Thomas Hardy although you rarely get a happy ending. And then there are the Bront
ë
sisters. You really shouldn’t go through life without reading
Jane Eyre
or
Wuthering Heights
.’

‘
Okay,’ he said. ‘Well that should keep me busy for a little while. Anything else I should add to the list?’

She looked at him. ‘You’re teasing me,’ she said.

‘
No, no!’ he said. ‘Well, just a little.’

‘
I didn’t mean to sound bossy. I know I usually do. It’s a terrible fault of mine.’ She bit her lip. ‘I hope you didn’t think I was-’

‘
Please – don’t worry! It’s just so nice to talk about these things. I usually don’t get out much. Shelley says I’m a workaholic and I guess she’s right and I really don’t socialise much.’ He smiled. ‘I sound like a sad old sod, don’t I?’

Mia laughed. ‘No! Well, yes. A little perhaps!’

They looked at each other for a moment and Bingley thumped his tail on the carpet as if in approval of the conversation.

‘
Was Andrea bossy?’ Mia asked.

Gabe shook his head. ‘No. Not at all. She was one of those laid-back people. She never minded if I left my clothes strewn all over the floor or left half-empty coffee cups all around the house.’

‘
That sort of thing would drive my sister crazy,’ Mia said and then she bit her lip.

‘
What is it?’

‘
Nothing. I just - I haven't talked about my sister for a while.’ Mia felt as if she were holding her breath. She hadn't meant to mention her sister. She hadn’t even meant to be thinking about her. Maybe it was being in Bath. Maybe that was bringing all the memories bubbling back to the surface.

‘
Did you want to talk about it now?’

Mia looked at Gabe’s face. It was kind and open - the sort of face that one instantly trusted.

‘
You wouldn't want to hear about all that,’ she said in a small voice.

‘
Sure I would. You've been listening to me prattling on for ages.’

‘
Yes but that was different. I kept asking all the questions.’

‘
Perhaps I could ask you some questions, then - if that would make you feel better.’

Mia smiled. Perhaps it would. Perhaps she should talk to somebody about everything. It might be what she needed and wasn’t it better to talk to a stranger? Shelley had been trying to get her to talk to her but Mia hadn’t been able to but Gabe … this felt right.

‘
You really want to hear all this?’ she said.

‘
I really do,’ he said, leaning forward.’

‘
Well, okay,’ Mia said. ‘If you’re absolutely sure.’

‘
Hello?’ a voice called through from the kitchen, startling Mia. It was Shelley. ‘Anyone there?’

‘
We’re in here,’ Gabe said.

Shelley appeared in the living room. ‘There you all are! I'd lost both my dog and my friend.’

Bingley got up from his home by Gabe’s feet and went to greet his mistress with a friendly sniff.

‘
I was getting worried about you,’ she said, turning an accusatory look towards Mia.

‘
I thought you knew where I was,’ Mia shot back.

‘
Yes but I thought you’d have been back by now. I’m afraid we've missed the walking tour of Bath today.’

‘
I’m so sorry, Shelley – it’s my fault,’ Gabe said.

‘
No it isn’t,’ Mia said. ‘I kept asking you questions and – well – I didn’t realise how late it was. So don’t blame Gabe, Shelley. Blame me.’

Shelley looked confused. ‘We can probably still make that talk this afternoon.’

‘
Okay then,’ Mia said, getting up from where she’d been sitting.

Gabe got up too. ‘It’s been a real pleasure talking to you, Mia,’ he said.

‘
You too.’

‘
Perhaps we can – er – finish our conversation another time?’ he said.

‘
Oh, did I interrupted something?’ Shelley asked.

‘
No,’ Mia assured her.

‘
No,’ Gabe said.

Shelley frowned at them both. ‘Come on, then,’ she said. ‘Come on, Bingley.’ Mia and Bingley followed Shelley back through the kitchen to the garden and then through the gap in the fence.

‘
What were you two talking about for so long? You were gone for ages!’ Shelley said as soon as they were out of earshot.

‘
But you sent me round there to make friends,’ Mia said.

‘
I thought you must have both run off to Gretna Green.’

‘
Oh, don't be silly. We were just talking.’

‘
But what about? What did I interrupt?’

‘
Nothing. It was nothing.’

‘
Why don’t I believe you?’

‘
I don't understand you, Shelley. I thought you wanted me to get on with him and that's precisely what I've been doing.’

‘
But for so long?’

‘
You’re beginning to sound jealous.’

‘
Ha! Why would I be jealous? If I liked Gabe myself, I wouldn't be pushing
you
towards him, would I?’

‘
Well, I don't know,’ Mia said.

They’d reached the house and Shelley opened the door, ushering Bingley inside before he could escape again.

‘
Why are we arguing? We shouldn't be arguing! This is crazy,’ Mia said.

Shelley stopped. ‘I’m sorry. Let’s have a cup of tea.’

‘
No thanks. I’ve just had a coffee.’

‘
Well, I’m making one for me.’

Mia sat down at the kitchen table, knowing that Shelley wasn’t going to let the subject drop that easily.

‘
So what did you talk about all that time?’ she asked again, reaching for her favourite ‘I Love Darcy’ mug and spooning an extra sugar into it.

Mia shrugged, not wanting to betray Gabe’s trust. It was funny but, although she'd only known him for a brief while, she felt very loyal towards him.

‘
Oh, you know,’ she said non-committally.

‘
No, I don’t so hurry up and tell me.’

‘
Just stuff,’ Mia said vaguely.

Shelley huffed. ‘You come all this way to see me and I can’t get a word out of you and then you spend the entire morning talking to my neighbour.’

‘
Sorry,’ Mia said.

‘
So you do like him, then?’ Shelley pressed.

‘
Of course I like him. He’s a very nice man.’

Shelley’s eyebrows rose suggestively.

‘
Shelley – I’ve only just met him. Stop trying to match-make me for half a minute.’

‘
But he
is
very nice, isn’t he?’

‘
I’ve already said he is. But he’s much too old for me.’

‘
Isn’t that what Marianne Dashwood said about Colonel Brandon?’ Shelley said.

‘
I’m
not
Marianne Dashwood,’ Mia said. ‘And Gabe certainly isn’t Colonel Brandon.’

‘
I didn’t say he was,’ Shelley said with a little grin. Mia decided to ignore it. She knew she didn’t stand a chance of winning this particular battle.

Sarah was eating lunch in a pizzeria but wasn’t too happy with the cutlery. The knife looked mottled and there was a bent prong on the fork which turned her stomach so she asked for it to be replaced. She should never have come into the place. It was an unknown quantity and she had broken her rule of eating somewhere she didn’t know.

When her pasta dish arrived, she poked it around with her new replacement fork, making sure there weren’t any hidden horrors before she placed the food in her mouth.

As she ate, she couldn’t help wondering where Lloyd was. She thought of the time they’d spent together yesterday and how much she’d enjoyed it. It was so amazingly comforting to talk to somebody else who knew what it was like to cope with OCD. It was like she was being herself for the very first time in her life. They had only known each other for a day and yet she felt as if she could give her OCD free reign in his company. If she needed to examine the prongs of a fork, she could. If she needed to calm herself down by counting to ten, she could. He didn’t judge her. There wouldn’t even be any light teasing which would often happen in the company of her sister.

And he’s going to stay in Bath!

Sarah tried not to get excited at the thought that he was staying in Bath because of her. He was a freelance photographer and was at liberty to make up his own timetable and it just so happened that the city of Bath had thoroughly captivated him and he’d decided to stay on for a few more days after his Jane Austen Festival assignment.

He’s probably only interested in the architecture
, she told herself as she paused to examine a piece of pasta that didn’t look quite as symmetrical as the other pieces.
You mustn’t assume that he is staying on because of you.