Mr. Darcy Forever (21 page)

‘
It’s all black and white!’ one of the girls shrieked. ‘Why’s it all black and white?’

‘
I thought this was the Keira Knightley version.’

‘
Well, it isn't, is it?’

‘
You mean we’ve wasted money seeing this rubbish?’

‘
I don't believe it!’

A phone suddenly beeped.

‘
Who’s that?’ her friend asked.

‘
It’s Jo. I’ll text her back and say we're stuck watching this boring film.’

Sarah could stand it no longer. ‘SHUSH!’

The two girls turned around in shock.

‘
What’s your problem?’

‘
You’re my problem! I'm trying to watch this film,’ Sarah said, surprised by the authority in her voice.

The girls went quiet for a moment but Sarah could see the little squares of blue light from their mobile phones and could no longer concentrate on the film. Then, from somewhere behind her, a nose blew very loudly and the rattle and munch of crisps was heard.

Sarah counted slowly to ten but she didn't feel any calmer once she reached the magic number.

‘
Will everyone just be quiet,
please!
’ The loudness of her voice startled her. Had she really said that out loud? She soon got her answer when a woman approached her from the aisle.

‘
I’m afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave,’ the woman said. ‘You’re disturbing everybody.’

‘
I’m
disturbing everybody? Are you mad? I'm not the one with the noisy crisps or the mobile phone or the trumpeting nose. I'm the only one who came here to watch this film
properly
!’

‘
Madam, please lower your voice and leave the cinema.’

Sarah got up. In all truth, she was glad to leave. She hadn't been enjoying the whole cinema experience and she had not been back to a cinema since. Instead, she waited for films to come out on DVD and would then watch them in the peace and quiet of her own home.

Now, watching
Sense and Sensibility
with Mia and Alec, she didn't mind the polite nibble of sausage rolls but she had to admit that she didn’t like the way Mia’s legs were stretched out in front of her and the number of buttons that were unfastened on her blouse, exposing an awful lot of bosom. She couldn't remember that many buttons being undone before Alec had arrived.

She looked at Alec’s profile in the surreal light from the television screen and couldn’t help but admire him. He was certainly handsome with his high forehead and dark hair. She could see why Mia was so attracted to him.

But she mustn't make it so obvious to him. She’s in danger of making a fool of herself.

Sarah knew that Mia wouldn't see it like that. If she felt an emotion, she had to express it. It was as simple as that. Life was too short for subterfuge, she would say, in a way that was horribly reminiscent of Marianne Dashwood. In fact, this whole situation with Alec was reminding her of the
Sense and Sensibility
story they were now watching together.
Alec - like Willoughby - had appeared out of nowhere, helping a limping Mia back to Barton Cottage. He was tall, dark and handsome and mysterious enough to be beguiling to an impressionable young romantic like Mia. And, just like Willoughby, very little of substance was known about him. They didn't know much about his job other than he helped small businesses, they didn't know anything at all about his family other than an aunt who used to live in Devon. It was all very unsettling. At the least, it was to somebody like Sarah. Mia didn't seem to mind at all. But, for the space of the evening, Sarah tried to shut off her worries.

It was wonderful to watch the film and to recognize the very cottage that they were staying in.

‘
That’s this room!’ Mia shouted. ‘And those are the stairs!’

‘
And the reed beds,’ Sarah said.

It really was rather exciting to spot and know the locations in the film.

‘
Isn’t it wonderful, Alec?’ Mia said at one point. ‘We’ve walked down that path – look!’

It was then that a strange noise was heard. Mia turned around from her place on the carpet and saw what it was. It was Alec. And he was snoring.

‘
I don't believe it! He's asleep!’ she said, horrified at the discovery. ‘We’re not even halfway through,’ Mia said. ‘He’s going to miss all the best bits unless we wake him up.’

‘
No, don't disturb him. He looks so peaceful,’ Sarah said.

‘
It’s quite a cute snore, I suppose,’ Mia said. ‘Although you’d probably get fed up of it after a while. I mean, if he was in the same bed as you and you’re trying to get to sleep.’

‘
Shush!’ Sarah said. ‘What a thing to say! What if he heard you?’

‘
He can't hear me – he’s fast asleep.’

‘
He might be pretending.’

‘
Why?’

‘
So he can listen to us talking about him,’ Sarah said.

‘
Well, then, he might hear something he doesn't want to hear like he's got very peculiar socks on and a funny bit of hair that sticks out over his right ear.’ Mia tugged the leg of one of his trousers and Alec jolted awake.

‘
What?’ he said, looking startled.

‘
You fell asleep!’ Mia said, a wounded expression on her face. ‘You fell asleep in the middle of our favourite Jane Austen adaptation.’

Alec straightened up on the sofa and rubbed his eyes. ‘Goodness,’ he said. ‘That’s so rude of me. It must be the champagne and the ten-mile jog this morning.’

‘
Ten miles?’

He nodded. ‘I try and get my average up whenever I stay here because it's not always easy when I'm working in town. Of course, I go to the gym but it's not the same as being somewhere beautiful like this, is it?’

‘
No,’ Mia said. ‘It isn’t.’

Sarah's eyes narrowed in suspicion because she didn't completely believe what Alec was saying.

‘
It’s important to keep yourself in shape, isn't it?’ he said.

Mia nodded and Sarah couldn't help noticing the way that she was looking up at his body which had probably been his intention, she thought cynically.

‘
Shall we have a break from the film?’ Sarah said.

‘
Yes,’ Mia said. ‘My bottom’s getting a bit numb on the floor.’ She got up and stretched and Sarah couldn't help noticing the way that Alec was eyeing up her sister's bottom which had probably been Mia’s intention. The two of them reminded her of the scene in
Pride and Prejudice
when Mr Darcy makes the comment about Elizabeth Bennet and Miss Bingley walking around the room with the knowledge that their figures looked at their best that way.

‘
Anyone for coffee?’ Sarah asked.

‘
I’m still on the champagne,’ Mia said.

‘
Well, I need a coffee,’ Sarah said leaving the room.

It was a relief to be alone in the kitchen for a moment. She hadn’t felt comfortable in the living room with Alec and Mia flirting with each other. Oh, why had he had to be there that week and spoil things? This was meant to be
her
time with her sister. She’d been looking forward to it for so long and now this man was coming between them and ruining everything.

‘
Hello,’ Alec said, suddenly appearing in the door the kitchen. ‘You ran off.’

‘
I was getting a coffee,’ Sarah said, suddenly remembering and busying herself with the kettle.

‘
What’s wrong?’

‘
Nothing’s wrong. Why should something be wrong?’ Sarah said, a little too defensively even to her own ears.

‘
Just the way you’re acting,’ he said.

‘
I’m not acting. I'm just being me.’ She took a mug from the draining board and checked that it was perfectly clean before popping a spoonful of coffee into it.

‘
Why are you behaving like this?’ Alec asked, moving a step closer her.

Sarah glared at him. ‘What do you want, Alec?’

‘
What do you mean?’

‘
What are you doing here?’

‘
I don't understand. I thought I was invited here tonight.’

Sarah suddenly felt bad at having asked the question of him but her heart was still thudding inside her chest and she knew she had to speak her mind. ‘I don't like the way you act around my sister.’

Alec frowned. ‘I wasn't aware that I was acting in any particular kind of a way.’

‘
I’ve seen the way you look at her.’

Alec cleared his throat in the guilty kind of way someone might when he knew they'd been caught out. ‘Well, she's a very pretty girl. I can't help that, can I?’

‘
But you
can
help by not encouraging her.’

There was a pause and a strange look passed between them.

‘
I see,’ he said at last. ‘Look, you seem to have got the wrong impression of me.’

‘
Have I?’

‘
Yes,’ he said. ‘I’m not interested in your sister. At least not beyond being a friend. She’s bright and warm and attractive but – well, she’s just not my type.’

‘
But you’ve been flirting with her ever since she met you!’

‘
Have I? I thought she’d been flirting with me.’

‘
It takes two, you know.’

‘
Does it?’

He took a step towards her and Sarah took one back. He was in her personal space and she didn’t like it.

‘
What do I have to do to convince you that I’m not interested in your sister?’

Sarah felt panicky and could feel her breaths were shortening. ‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘Just – just –’

‘
Because this is very interesting to me. You think I’m interested in her. You think I’ve been flirting with her when I haven’t. You’ve got it completely wrong.’

‘
Have I?’

‘
Yes!’ he said, the word flying from his mouth like a bullet. ‘It’s you I’m interested in, Sarah!
You
!’

Their eyes locked for a silent, suspense-laden moment as the kettle boiled behind them. Alec was the first one to speak.

‘
Sarah,’ he said, whispering the name desperately.

Sarah shook her head. ‘No,’ she said. ‘Don’t do this. I won’t allow it. Mia-’

‘
Someone call my name?’

Sarah looked up and saw her sister standing in the doorway.

‘
What’s going on?’ Mia asked. ‘Is everything all right?’

‘
Yes,’ Sarah said, moving away from Alec. ‘Everything’s fine.’

After leaving Gabe’s, Mia and Shelley made it into Bath in time for a talk about food in Regency times. It wasn’t the most riveting of talks and Mia was soon wishing that they’d just gone shopping instead especially when it was time for questions from the audience and a very rude lady with a massive bosom hogged all the time available, causing the rest of the audience to tut and sigh in annoyance.