Dreaming of Mr. Darcy (5 page)

Kay's mouth dropped open. It was the actor, Oli Wade Owen, and he was the most handsome man she'd ever laid eyes on.

If she could have taken her eyes away from him for a second, Kay would surely have done a prize-winning double take. To have a director in her house had been excitement enough; to have two famous actresses had almost caused Kay to combust with delight; but to have one of Britain's most handsome actors—the man who'd played a thousand heroes, the man who'd adorned every cover of every magazine and newspaper—was almost too much to bear. And he was walking straight towards her.

‘You must be the good lady of the house,' Oli said, extending a hand towards her. Kay held hers out, and he took it in his and shook it. It was a warm, melting sort of a moment, and Kay felt sure that her entire store of blood rushed to her face, because she felt as if her cheeks were on fire.

‘Kay,' she managed to say. ‘Welcome to Wentworth House.'

‘Very apt,' Oli said. ‘Seeing as I'm Wentworth.' He looked around at the group that had gathered on the landing, and everyone laughed. It was as if he were a king holding court.

‘Right,' he said, breaking the spell as he retrieved his hand. ‘Who's for a drink?'

‘I am,' Beth declared.

Teresa stepped in, holding up her hand. ‘One drink,' she said. ‘We've got an early start in the morning, in case you'd forgotten.'

Oli clapped his hands together. ‘The Habour Inn it is, then. For one drink,' he added.

Kay watched in bemusement as everyone bundled downstairs, and she couldn't resist following. The front door was flung open.

Oli exclaimed as he almost smashed into a young woman standing on the step, ‘Gemma! What took you so long?'

‘I was carrying all these,' she said, gesturing to the two suitcases and a bundle of carrier bags.

‘Oh, my hats!' Beth said, nodding to the bags. ‘I found this divine hat shop here in Lyme. Take them upstairs, will you, Gemma? I'm in the double at the front.'

‘I bet you are,' Kay heard Gemma say under her breath as she squeezed into the hallway.

‘I'll give you a hand,' Kay said, stepping forward and smiling at the pale-faced actress.

‘Oh, you're not coming with us?' Sophie said. ‘And Gem—you're coming, aren't you?'

‘I'm a bit tired,' Gemma said.

‘She's always tired,' Beth said. ‘Come on, Oli.'

Kay watched as they all left. ‘Hi,' she said, turning to Gemma. ‘I'm Kay.'

‘Gemma.'

‘Gemma Reilly?' Kay asked, thinking that life couldn't get much more exciting. ‘I saw that film of yours last year.'

Gemma pulled a face. ‘Sorry about that.'

‘But I liked it!'

‘Did you?' Gemma said, sounding genuinely surprised.

The two of them made slow progress up the stairs with the suitcases.

‘I did. You were great.'

‘Well, you're the only person in the country who thinks so.'

‘But it was one of those roles, wasn't it?' Kay said. ‘I mean, it probably didn't really stretch you—acting wise—the character was just a spoilt little rich girl, wasn't she? But you were so convincing.'

‘Was I?'

Kay nodded as they reached the landing. ‘And by the end, I really warmed to her, you know? I began to understand her.'

‘Thanks,' Gemma said. ‘That means a lot to me.'

Kay smiled. ‘I'm afraid you'll have to share.'

Gemma's face fell. ‘Not with Beth?'

‘No.' Kay laughed. ‘Beth grabbed a double. With Sophie. Is that okay?'

Gemma sighed with relief. ‘That's fine,' she said, and the two of them entered the room. ‘Sophie's one of those people you feel like you've known forever—in a good way, I mean.'

‘But not Beth?'

‘Beth's an acquired taste,' Gemma said with the tiniest of smiles.

‘Can I get you anything? A cup of tea?' Kay asked. ‘I was just going to make a quick bite to eat. Not much, just some soup or something. You're welcome to join me—if you're not going to the pub, that is.'

‘I won't be going to the pub,' Gemma said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. ‘I think I'll just have an early night with a book.'

‘Okay,' Kay said. ‘I'll be downstairs if you need anything.'

Gemma nodded, and Kay left the room, closing the door and returning to the living room downstairs. She saw the opened paperback of
Persuasion
on the chair where she'd left it and smiled. It was as if the characters from the book had walked out of the page and right into her bed and breakfast.

She sat down heavily in her chair by the window. Sophie Kerr, Beth Jenkins, Gemma Reilly, and Oli Wade Owen.

Oli Wade Owen! Kay's eyes widened at the thought. How many daydreams had Kay had over the years about Oli Wade Owen? How many boring office hours had been enlivened by thoughts of that gorgeous smile of his and the twinkle in his blue eyes? She remembered cutting out a picture of him from
Vive!
once, because she thought he would make the perfect hero to paint. Where was the painting now? she wondered, but maybe she could get on with some new ones. Maybe he would sit for her—in costume!

She picked up her copy of
Persuasion
, but she couldn't concentrate, so put it down again. She could hear Gemma moving about upstairs and wondered whether she should make her a cup of tea anyway and take it up to her, but the actress was probably exhausted and wouldn't want to be disturbed, which was a shame, because Kay would have loved to talk to her.

‘Don't rush things,' she told herself. ‘They'll all be here for a while.'

For a blissful moment, she thought about what the next few days might bring. She might end up best friends with Gemma Reilly and Sophie Kerr! They'd invite her to red carpet premieres, and Kay would get a swishy new haircut and become a media darling. ‘Confidante to the stars,' they'd call her. ‘Former B and B owner, Kay Ashton, is now a star in her own right, with her bestselling book,
The
Illustrated
Darcy
.' She'd be an overnight sensation, and Oli Wade Owen would fall desperately in love with her. Teresa Hudson would also be dazzled by her talents and insist she take up the lead role in her next film, starring opposite Oli, of course. They'd have just come back from their honeymoon, and the film would be the talk of the—

A shy voice interrupted her. ‘I've changed my mind about that cup of tea.'

Kay blinked her delicious daydream away and saw Gemma standing in the doorway.

‘Of course,' Kay said with a smile, and she thought that her daydream wasn't quite as outrageous after all and that she and Gemma were going to be friends in no time.

She led Gemma through to the kitchen.

‘You'll have to excuse the mess. I've not been here long and wanted to get the bedrooms done first.'

‘They're lovely,' Gemma said.

‘Thanks. This will be, too, when I get round to it.'

‘So you've always run a B and B?'

‘Oh, no!' Kay laughed. ‘I've only just bought this place. I've just done office work up until recently.' She filled the kettle with water and switched it on. ‘I—well, I came into some money,' she said. ‘Unexpectedly.'

‘Oh,' Gemma said, and she smiled. ‘Oh,' she added, seeing Kay's face.

Kay nodded. ‘I'm afraid a very sweet friend of mine died.' She sighed. ‘I still can't believe it. The last few months have been strange, and I sometimes can't believe that I'm here leading this new life.'

‘You mean you've not always lived here?'

‘No. I moved down from Hertfordshire, but after my mother died and then my friend, I didn't have anything keeping me there. I mean, there are a few friends and some of my work colleagues I'll miss, but I didn't feel I belonged there anymore, and I thought it was the right time to make a move.'

Gemma's face softened. ‘I'm so sorry,' she said. ‘You've been through a lot.'

The kettle boiled, and Kay got two floral mugs out of the cupboard and made the tea, noticing that Gemma liked hers with milk and one sugar—just like her.

‘It's hard, some days,' Kay said at last as they walked back through to the sitting room with their tea. ‘I can't help feeling a bit lonely. I walk around with all these thoughts in my head, like I must tell Mum this, or Peggy will laugh when I show her this, but then I remember they're not here anymore.'

‘Oh, Kay,' Gemma said, leaning forward in the chair she'd sat down in.

‘It's all right,' she said. ‘I mean, it's easier with me living here. If I were still in my old town, I'd be reminded of them everywhere I went, but it's different here. Everything's new.' She looked out the window. The sky was darkening and the lamps had come on. ‘But I still find it all impossible to believe. It's horrible to think that I can't pick up a phone and talk to them. I can't ask their opinions about things anymore. All that's been taken away from me, and I wasn't ready for it.'

Gemma put down her mug of tea and leant forward to take Kay's hand in hers.

Kay blinked her tears away and then waved her hand in front of her face. ‘I'm okay,' she said. ‘Don't worry about me. I didn't mean to be miserable. You shouldn't be sitting here, listening to me wittering on. You should be down at the pub with the others.'

Gemma shook her head. ‘I'm not into all that. They'll all be drinking too much and bitching about the business. It's not me.'

‘No,' Kay said, ‘it wouldn't be me either. I'd rather curl up with a good book.' She picked up her copy of
Persuasion
and showed Gemma.

‘You're reading
Persuasion
?'

‘It's one of my favourites. It's why I chose to move here.'

‘And then the whole cast descended on you!'

They sat quietly for a moment, sipping their tea.

‘Well,' Gemma said at last, ‘thanks for the tea. I think I'll go and do a bit of swatting.'

Kay looked quizzical.

‘It's what Beth calls learning your lines,' Gemma explained. ‘She's always teasing me that I'm swatting again, but I can't help it. I need things fresh in my mind.'

Kay smiled and watched as Gemma left the room. She was one of the sweetest people Kay had ever met, and she was going to make a wonderful Anne Elliot, Kay thought.

Suddenly Kay got very excited at the thought of being able to watch some of the scenes being filmed. She had a front-row view of the Cobb for a start, and she wondered if Teresa would let her get even closer whilst they were filming. Maybe she'd be asked to be an extra! Or maybe nasty Beth would twist her ankle during the scene on the Cobb steps, and Kay would stand in for her, doing such an amazing piece of acting that Teresa would be completely bowled over and recast Kay as Louisa Musgrove. During the wonderful scene where she jumps down the steps into Captain Wentworth's arms, she'd look deep into the blue eyes of Oli Wade Owen, and he'd fall madly in love with her.

It would be a small wedding with six hundred guests, Kay thought, and a few helicopters from rival magazines flying overhead trying to get a shot of Oli's bride. They'd become media darlings, their every move photographed.

She shook her head. It was so easy to get carried away and daydream. It was one of the little quirks from her childhood that had followed her into her adult life, and she knew she had to learn how to control it, because daydreams—as harmless as they might seem—had a way of disappointing the daydreamer by not coming true. Kay was just an ordinary young woman running a bed and breakfast, and Oli Wade Owen was never going to pay her the slightest bit of attention, was he?

As predicted, the cast and crew came home only after they'd been chucked out of the pub. Kay heard them from halfway down Marine Parade from her bedroom and was sure she could hear Beth Jenkins singing. Well, screeching really. It wasn't melodious enough to be called singing.

There was a banging and a scratching at the front door as somebody tried to get it open, and then it sounded as if everybody tried to get in all at once. Kay giggled as she opened her bedroom door and dared to peep over the stairs.

‘Shusssssshhhh,' Sophie was whispering.

‘You shusssshhhhh!' Beth retorted, stumbling up the first stair.

‘You always have to overdo things, Beth. That's your problem.'

‘Don't you tell me what my problem is,' Beth said. ‘My problem is you!' she said, poking a finger into Sophie's chest.

‘Yeah? Well my problem is
you
!' Sophie said in response.

‘Ladies, ladies!' Oli cut in. ‘We can't have the Musgrove sisters at war with each other now, can we?'

Kay watched as they all came tripping up the stairs. Beth's face was bright red, and she had a naughty gleam in her eye. Oli's blond hair was tousled as if somebody had been ruffling it—Beth, probably, Kay thought. Teresa's eyes were almost completely shut, as if her mind were already in bed and only her body had to catch up. Les brought up the rear with Sophie. He looked as morose as ever, his face sullen and sunken as if it had been sat on. Sophie was the only one who looked relatively normal. Her face looked a little flushed, but she was smiling and managing the stairs better than any of the others.

‘'Night,' she said when she reached the top.

Beth shoved a hand in the air by way of response and fell into her bedroom.

‘Good night, my sweet princesses,' Oli said before disappearing into his own room. The others did likewise, and Kay quietly closed her own door.

For a moment, she stood perfectly still wondering, once again, if she'd imagined the whole thing.

‘Where's my hair dryer?' a voice suddenly bellowed into the corridor. It was Beth Jenkins's voice.

No, Kay thought. She hadn't imagined it. There really were several film stars staying in her home.

‘Sophie? Have you got my hair dryer?'

‘No, I haven't got your poxy hair dryer. Keep your voice down. Gemma's trying to sleep in here.'

Beth slammed her bedroom door, and all was quiet again.

Kay giggled. This was too strange. Just a couple of doors away, Oli Wade Owen would be getting ready for bed. Kay got into her own bed. She must stop thinking about him, but it was hard to ignore somebody who had crossed her threshold with the true panache of a Jane Austen hero, and as she closed her eyes that night, Kay didn't dream about Mr Darcy but Oli Wade Owen.

***

Making breakfast for six people was a novelty for Kay, but not one she wasn't enjoying. Sophie had been the first one up, looking bright-eyed and eager to throw herself into the day ahead, even though it was only six in the morning, which was more than could be said for Beth, who entered the dining room with her eyes half closed.

‘Good morning, bright eyes,' Sophie chirped. ‘And how are you this morning?'

‘Shut up, Soph!' Beth groaned as she pulled out a chair at the dining table and sat down. ‘Oh, my head. Who bought me all those drinks?'

‘You did,' Sophie told her with a bright laugh.

‘Don't laugh. Don't say anything. It's too painful.'

‘You'd better smarten yourself up before Teresa makes an appearance,' Sophie warned her. ‘You know what she's like.'

‘Oh, God! If she tells me to wake up and shake up, I'll scream,' Beth said.

Kay placed two pots of coffee on the table. She watched as Teresa and Les walked in together.

‘Good morning,' Teresa said. ‘Good God, Beth! What happened to you?'

‘Nothing. I'm fine,' Beth lied, wincing at the sound of her own voice.

‘You look appalling. You'd better wake up and shake up before we start filming. The makeup artists can't perform miracles, you know.'

Beth glared at her tormenter, and Sophie did her best to stifle a giggle.

Les grabbed the coffee pot and started pouring. ‘Looks like it might rain,' he said in a voice that reminded Kay of a rainy grey morning.

‘Forecast isn't good,' Teresa agreed. ‘We might have to do the Uppercross scenes instead.'

Gemma, who was just walking into the room, suddenly looked startled. ‘The Uppercross scenes?'

‘Unless the rain holds off and we can shoot some of the Cobb stuff,' Teresa said.

Kay watched as Gemma pulled out a chair and sat down. She didn't look happy.

‘Good morning!' A bright voice filled the room, and Kay looked up to see Oli striding into the dining room, his smile filling his face. It was all Kay could do not to tip Sophie's juice into her lap. ‘How are we all this morning?'

‘God, Oli!' Beth said. ‘How can you be so unrelentingly joyous? And how did you escape without a hangover? I saw the amount you put away last night.'

Oli grabbed a piece of toast from the centre of the table and started spreading it thickly with yellow butter. ‘Don't know what you're talking about, my poppet,' he said, taking a big mouthful and munching happily. ‘I hardly touched a drop.'

Beth shook her head and returned to her cereal in disgust.

‘I did warn you all,' Teresa said. ‘I said one drink, didn't I?'

Kay grinned at the conversation, but her eyes hadn't left Oli's face. As she fussed around making sure everyone had what they needed, her gaze kept flicking back to him, and she recalled the films that she'd swooned over in the past. It had been the adaptation of Charles Dickens's
A
Tale
of
Two
Cities
when he first caught her eye. He played Sydney Carton, and Kay had cried her eyes out when he sacrificed his life for the woman he loved.

There followed some rather awful romantic comedies where he played vacuous heroes who always got the girl. Still, he'd been very cute, and his audience swelled. The temptation of Hollywood then beckoned, and he was cast as the wife stealer in a film called—unsurprisingly—
The
Wife
Stealer
. It had been dreadful. The only redeeming thing about it had been the near-nude scene and the press that followed. Many a still from the film had been published in the tabloids, and Kay had to admit that it brightened up a few dreary lunch hours.

Looking at him now, she tried not to think about the near-nude scene and the length of his bronzed back and his tight, firm—

‘I'll get some more toast,' she blurted, causing everyone to turn and look at her.

‘You all right, Kay?' Sophie asked. ‘You look all flushed.'

‘I'm fine,' Kay said, hurrying from the room as quickly as she could.

She must not fall in love with him. She must not fall in love with him. Handsome men were bad news. How many times had she had her heart broken? She didn't like to think about the number of handsome men who won her heart and then stepped all over it. She hadn't come to Lyme Regis just to repeat her past. She was going to throw herself into her work, make a go of her new business, and focus on her illustrations too. She did
not
need a man in her life.

But as soon as she returned to the dining room with a pot of tea and more toast, she knew it was too late, and when Oli looked up and beamed a smile at her, she knew that she was in love.