Mr. Darcy Forever (31 page)

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

‘
Then you must keep on 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 and 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 non-existent. Mia was quite sure that he’d made no effort to understand Sarah and that just wasn’t fair.

Mia had so many emotions flooding through her. Although she hadn’t spoken to Sarah for years, she still 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’s happened to you?’

‘
I got caught in the rain.’

‘
So I see!’ Gabe undid his seatbelt 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 chances.’

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, suddenly remembering that she’d left her friend hours ago 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 said, turning her head to stare out of the taxi window and biting 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 towards 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 as well 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 naïve 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-’

But he didn’t get a chance to finish what he was about to say because it was then that 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. ‘But what’s been happening? 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 and 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?’

Mia nodded. That sounded like bliss. ‘I think I’m just going to write today off 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 that. 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 – 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.

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’d 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 so 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.’