‘What a cow,’ Holly said the minute Imogen Clarke left. ‘No wonder Lady Georgina doesn’t like her! I don’t, either.’
Lizzy nodded. ‘Did you see the way she was checking out Harry’s bum?’
‘One can hardly blame her for that,’ Emma remarked. ‘Harry does have an exceptionally nice bum.’
‘Emma!’ Lizzy exclaimed. ‘Not you, too.’
‘What’s this about my exceptional bum?’ Harry called out as he came back down the stairs. ‘Now that’s the sort of conversation I like to hear you ladies having.’
Lizzy snorted. ‘Emma’s opinion, not mine. Come on, you two. We need to get going.’
‘Thanks for coming,’ Holly told them as she clumsily turned on her crutches and made her way to the front door. ‘I wish you could all stay a bit longer…’
She broke off as the sound of angry voices from upstairs drifted down, and the others fell silent as well.
‘… warned you he was in love with your money, not you,’ Lady de Byrne said, her words icy. ‘But did you listen? No, you did not. You have a failed marriage behind you to prove it. And now you’ve landed yourself in the middle of a very public and acrimonious divorce, a divorce which will make you a spectacle and provide fodder to the tabloids for months to come.’
‘Of course Simon didn’t love me, because how could anyone possibly love me? Isn’t that what you really mean, Mother?’
‘Oh, spare me the self-pity. You’ve blamed me all of your life for your shortcomings – for your lack of ambition, for your poor choices in men, even for your disintegrating marriage – when the fault is your own, and always has been.’
‘How good it is to be home,’ Imogen deadpanned. ‘I can always count on your support.’
Emma touched Holly’s arm. ‘We’d best go,’ she murmured.
Holly nodded. ‘You’re right. We shouldn’t eavesdrop.’
‘But I love to eavesdrop,’ Lizzy protested.
‘Too bad.’ Emma took her arm and marched her towards the door. ‘We’re leaving.’
‘I’ll show you out.’ Holly moved to follow them.
‘No need,’ Harry said in a low but firm voice, and put out his hand to detain her. ‘Let’s go in the drawing room and put that foot back up.’ He turned to Emma and Lizzy. ‘You two go ahead, I’ll be along soon.’
Emma’s eyes widened. ‘You’re not coming with us? But we drove,’ she reminded him. ‘You’re not walking the entire way home, surely…?’
‘I could do with the exercise.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s a perfect day for a walk. Besides which,’ he added, and smiled over at Holly with a cheeky grin. ‘I want to make sure our patient’s safely installed back on the sofa and obeying the doctor’s orders before her fiancé arrives to take her to hospital for a checkup.’
When the Bennet sisters left, Harry accompanied Holly into the drawing room to help her settle on the loveseat she’d so recently abandoned and, setting her crutches aside, sat down across from her.
‘Is there anything else you need before Hugh gets here?’ he asked, and leaned forward. ‘More tea? Cake? A book to read, perhaps?’
She shook her head. ‘Nothing, unless there’s a nice trashy novel lying around. Or unless you can make my ankle magically heal and take me back with you to Cleremont. Other than that, there’s not a thing you can do.’
‘I might be able to dig up one of those Barbara Cartland romances,’ he said, and grinned. ‘If you like.’
‘No, thanks.’ Holly grimaced. ‘I feel as if I’m in the way now that Lady Georgina’s daughter is back home. I shouldn’t be here.’
‘I wouldn’t worry. Lady de B and Imogen have never got along, according to Hugh. At any rate,’ he added with a shrug, ‘you were here first.’ He reached over and took her hand. ‘I have to go. I’ll come and fetch you and take you to the regatta tomorrow, if you like. I can’t take on any passengers, unfortunately; but you can watch the semi-final races.’
‘I’d love that. But with this ankle…’
Harry nodded and released her hand. ‘Of course. Let’s see what the doctor says. Either way, I hope to see you tomorrow.’
‘Holly,’ Lady de Byrne announced briskly as she came downstairs and strode through the drawing room doors, ‘I wanted to let you know I’m going out to the village for a bit, to attend to a business matter…’ She stopped. ‘Oh. I didn’t realise young Mr Darcy was still here.’
Holly suppressed a smile. Young Mr Darcy? Just wait until she got a chance to tease Harry about that.
He rose quickly to his feet. ‘Sorry, Lady de Byrne. I only stayed behind to make sure Holly has everything she needs.’
‘No need for apologies. That’s very thoughtful of you.’ She eyed him for a moment and added, ‘However, I can assure you, I’ve a house full of staff ready and willing to cater to Miss James’s every whim. So you needn’t worry yourself unduly on her account.’
And with a last, considering glance at Harry, she nodded at them both and took her leave.
***
Carefully, and as quietly as possible, Charli let go of the tree limb that afternoon and swung her legs over the windowsill and climbed back into her room. After glancing round to ensure neither Lizzy nor Emma was lurking in wait, she let out a breath of relief and flung her sunglasses and hat on the dressing table. This double life business was quite tiresome and getting more than a little difficult.
But it was worth every bit of sacrifice as well as the risk, because it meant she got to see Ciaran.
Of course, Charli thought glumly as she took off her sundress and put on a pair of cutoff shorts and a T-shirt, the unfortunate incident with her mobile phone on the set today had really pissed Ciaran off.
And she’d have nightmares for weeks reliving the moment that horrid director had screamed at her in front of everyone on set… including Cara Winslow and her swoon-worthy co-star, Henry Cavill, who played Mr Darcy. They’d all stared at her as if she were an idiot.
The whole thing was beyond cringe-worthy. So she pushed the memory out of her mind, as she did with all things unpleasant, and headed downstairs to divert her thoughts and see what her father was up to.
Charli paused with her hand on the doorknob as her mobile chirped. She’d just got a message.
Hoping against hope that it was Ciaran (and not one of her sisters), she grabbed it and opened her text messages. A delighted smile curved her lips as she read the three brief lines:
Charlotte – sorry 4 losing temper. Pls accept my deepest apologies & be my guest at regatta tomorrow. Meryton departs 8 AM.
With much groveling and sincere affection, etc.
C xx <3 <3
She laughed, and quickly typed back:
Apology accepted. Sorry as well. Λ See you 8 AM. xx
Feeling much better, Charli opened her door and all but floated down the stairs on a cloud of happiness, giving her startled father such a heartfelt hug when she saw him in the kitchen that he quite forgot to remove his scones from the oven.
***
‘Arghh! What is that awful smell?’ Lizzy complained, wrinkling her nose as she and Emma returned to Litchfield Manor a short time later.
‘Daddy’s burnt the last batch of scones,’ Charli informed them as she flapped the apron tied around her waist in an effort to dissipate the smoke. ‘He’s been baking all morning.’
‘Of course – the church fête’s tomorrow.’ Emma opened the kitchen window and looked at Lizzy in dismay. ‘We should be helping him with all of this, and instead we’ve been out gallivanting all over the countryside.’
‘We weren’t “gallivanting”,’ Lizzy said, annoyed. ‘We were visiting Holly, which is just as important as helping Daddy with his baking.’
‘And how is Miss James?’ Mr Bennet asked as he returned to the kitchen, and his scones. ‘Recovering from her fall, I hope?’
‘Her ankle’s on the mend,’ Emma said, ‘and her spirits are as well. I think our visit cheered her up considerably.’
‘Not as much as Harry’s did,’ Lizzy observed dryly. ‘They could scarcely take their eyes off each other. I think he planned to stay behind with her before we ever arrived at Rosings.’
‘What? Are you suggesting he’s developed an affection for Holly?’ Emma demanded, aghast. ‘But that’s ludicrous! She’s engaged to his brother, after all.’
‘So? People fall in and out of love all the time. Besides,’ she added as she picked up a cloth and began wiping up the flour and sugar spills from the kitchen counter, ‘I don’t think Hugh and Holly are right for each other. He’s far more serious and mature than she is.’
‘You just want Hugh for yourself, is all,’ Charli said. She picked up an apple from the bowl on the table and bit into it with a loud crunch. ‘You always have done.’
‘You’re wrong,’ Lizzy retorted. ‘I only want him to be happy. And I don’t think he ever really will be, as long as he’s with Holly.’
Charlotte raised her brow. ‘And I suppose you think you can make him happy?’
‘Yes,’ she said evenly. ‘As a matter of fact, I do.’ She glared at her younger sister and tossed the cloth down, her lips pressed together. She stalked out of the kitchen and up the stairs, and slammed her door so hard that Aunt Henrietta’s portrait fell, once again, to the floor.
It was a bitter pill to swallow, Lizzy thought, knowing she’d never have Hugh’s affections or call herself his wife. No, that honour would go instead to Holly James.
Not only that, but she’d miss all the excitement at the regatta tomorrow – the fun fair, the baked goods, the bunting, and races – and worst of all, since she’d be stuck at the church fête at St Mark’s with her father, she’d miss seeing Hugh Darcy.
And it simply wasn’t fair. Any of it.
Lizzy flung herself down on her bed and wept, and felt as if her heart might very well break at the complete and total injustice of it all.