by Melissa Hill
And that was it. After that, the world around me went black.
Chapter 43
Logic will get you from A to Z, but imagination will get you everywhere. Albert Einstein
‘Darcy? It’s Aidan. I’m sorry, but I’m still here on Long Island, at my house actually, and you won’t believe this, but now that I’ve seen it, things are coming back! Turns out you were wrong about my place being on the Upper West Side, but I think I have an explanation for that . . . So listen, just to say that there’s no need to meet me now. I’m fine here and I think everything’s going to be OK. Sorry again for bothering you, and I hope I haven’t put you out. Talk soon.’
Darcy had played back Aidan’s phone message about a hundred times, trying to figure out how she’d got it all so wrong.
It had come in while she’d been talking to his wife – his wife – trying to explain to the woman what had happened over the last few days and why she and her daughter Amelia – Aidan’s daughter – had been unable to contact him.
Assuring Mrs Harris that she’d have him call them as soon as she met Aidan outside the subway entrance a few minutes later, she’d ended the call and proceeded to the agreed meeting place. Only to find the missed call from him on her own phone, telling her that he wasn’t going to show.
His tone had sounded so jovial that Darcy guessed that upon reaching home, he would have immediately reconnected with his family and everything would go from there.
And they all lived happily ever after.
She could only assume as much, as that was almost forty-eight hours ago and she hadn’t heard anything from the family – or indeed Aidan – since.
She would need to return his phone and, of course, the keys to the townhouse which she’d in the meantime removed from beneath the maple tree when checking on Bailey, and that would be the end of her involvement in Aidan Harris’s life. She’d sent him a follow-up text telling him he could pick up the phone (and Will’s keys) from her at Chaucer’s whenever it was convenient for him to do so. She also assured him that she’d keep an eye on Bailey too.
But she guessed he and his family had quite a bit of catching up to do.
The Husky seemed happy to be back home, and because she knew Aidan had enough to think about just then, Darcy had topped up his feeding bowl and taken him across to the Park for walks the last couple of mornings on her way to work. She guessed his real owner would return soon, but she wasn’t going to abandon his needs in any case.
Darcy still cringed when she thought how badly wrong she’d been about Aidan, and how she’d fallen for an idea of the man – a sophisticated, charming book-geek like herself, but with an enviable, glamorous New York lifestyle – a far reality from who he actually was.
Married and with a daughter Amelia (Mel), maybe even more children for all she knew.
Yet, it wasn’t just the fantasy she’d created for him either; Darcy had genuinely fallen for his kindness, his gentle laugh, those twinkling eyes and wonderful Irish lilt in his voice as he teased her about her doggedness in helping him, and challenged her book knowledge.
And all along he was married.
Darcy wanted to kick herself for not even considering it and felt guilty afresh for allowing herself to think so fondly of another man’s wife. Yet she distinctly remembered checking for a wedding ring that first night she met him and he absolutely wasn’t wearing one, she was sure of it.
Still, she thought shrugging, as Katherine made her way to the table Darcy was sitting at now in the restaurant, there was bound to be a simple explanation for that one too; maybe the hospital had removed it for some kind of medical reason, or he’d forgotten to put it back on after a shower that morning.
She could speculate endlessly, but at the end of the day, it was no longer her business to speculate, nor was there any point.
‘Hey there, why the long face, darling?’ Katherine asked, sitting down and promptly summoning a waiter. They were at the Gramercy Tavern for their annual pre-Christmas lunch date before Katherine left for St Barts; Christmas now only two days away.
Darcy raised a smile at her aunt’s all too familiar behaviour and knew that she could always rely on Katherine to behave according to character. ‘Nothing – just daydreaming, that’s all.’
The waiter duly obliged and without consulting Darcy, her aunt ordered a bottle of some unpronounceable wine that was sure to be both expensive and delicious.
‘Well, I have something to cheer you up,’ Katherine went on. ‘Turns out I managed to get some interesting information about your gentleman friend. That library you told me about was the key.’
‘Katherine . . .’
‘Now, I did make some phone calls, and spoke with a gentleman at Christie’s – I think his name was George? And while some of this information is confidential, George revealed that a copy of Christopher Marlowe’s Dido was sold about eighteen months ago. It was the only one sold in New York in recent history; in fact, it seems to be one of the only copies in the United States. Although, and here is the important bit,’ she paused, smiling in satisfaction, ‘it was not sold to your friend himself but to a company called Thrill Seeker Holdings, which you did mention and which I thought at the time sounded familiar.’
‘Katherine . . .’
‘So I enquired further about Thrill Seeker Holdings, which wasn’t an easy task, believe me – holding companies are notoriously lacking in public information. I persisted, and you might even say I threw a small bribe at the records clerk – nothing serious, of course, but it did work, the man apparently is a fan of Le Cirque. And you’ll never guess what I discovered and the reason it sounded so familiar.’ She paused dramatically, waiting to make her announcement, Darcy having decided by now to just give up and let her have her say.
But at that moment the sommelier arrived with the wine, and Katherine went through her usual routine of tasting and swirling before declaring it agreeable and continuing with her story.
‘The holding company is owned by none other than Will Anderson!’ she exclaimed incredulously. ‘Will Anderson, don’t you remember him? That thriller author I introduced you to before,’ she pressed when Darcy didn’t immediately react with surprise, or indeed gratitude.
‘Yes, I know.’
‘So I was thinking that perhaps your gentleman friend is simply an employee of the company – in which case he’s not that much of a catch after all, darling. So best not to completely disregard Oliver Martin. You might think he is a little . . . different, but I saw him the other day again at a restaurant in midtown, and he asked about you. So, just know you have options. Anyway, cheers,’ she said, finally pausing for breath, but only to raise her glass.
‘Cheers,’ Darcy replied dully, her thoughts drifting to Hemingway and his belief that alcohol was the rose-coloured glass of life.
Then out of the blue she felt her eyes well up.
‘What’s the matter, dear?’ Katherine asked, looking vaguely horrified. ‘I had no idea you disliked him that much.’
‘No, that’s not it.’ Darcy gave a shaky smile. ‘It’s just – oh, I’ve been such an idiot!’
It all poured out – everything that had happened over the past few days: the crash, Bailey, her trek all over the city to try and help Aidan, then the realisation that she’d got it stupidly, horribly wrong.
Especially the notion that there might have been some kind of connection between them.
Katherine listened silently as she recounted the story.
‘It’s my own fault for spending so much of my life in make-believe worlds, so much so that I can’t seem to tell the difference between fiction and reality any more,’ Darcy said, her voice shaking. ‘I created a storybook life for Aidan, actually hampered the poor guy’s recovery because of it. And I was so taken with my version of the man I believed him to be, and the narrative I’d formed – imagining mystery and romance where there was none – that I completely failed to see that he was just an ordinary guy with a family and a whole ot
her life. Instead I imagined him as some enigmatic romantic hero – the star of this mysterious love story.’
Katherine spoke softly. ‘But I’m guessing you might have fallen for more than just the fiction where your hero is concerned?’
She sniffed. ‘Yes. And that’s the stupidest thing of all. Oh Katherine, why am I such an idiot? You’re right, you know – I do spend too much time between the pages of books instead of confronting my own reality, and look how far that’s got me.’
‘Ssh.’ Her aunt laid a comforting hand on her own – something Darcy couldn’t remember her doing in a very long time. It felt good. ‘Oh sweetheart, I know I give you grief sometimes, but you know I love you and I am so proud of you. And it’s hardly a surprise that you spend so much time in imaginary worlds when the real one let you down so badly early on in life.’
Darcy looked up, surprised. She guessed she’d never thought about it that way before, that after her parents’ death, her beloved books had been a form of solace, escapism in its truest form.
‘You know, I miss your mother every day,’ Katherine continued, in a rare maudlin tone. ‘Lauren was not only my sister but also my best friend, and I miss your dad too; Steven was such a wonderful person, the kind of man I wish I could have met back then, and they loved each other so much. They loved you too.’
Darcy watched her carefully. Her aunt had never been one to dwell on emotion or regret, and it was strange for her to hear this now.
‘I remember when they asked me if I would agree to act as your guardian in case anything was to ever happen to them, and I honestly questioned their sanity. After all, Steven had sisters and brothers, married with children of their own, people who were already properly equipped for parenthood. Unlike me,’ she said sardonically, ‘a childless, husbandless New York spinster completely dedicated to her work. We both know I’m not exactly the warm and cuddly type.’ She briefly met Darcy’s gaze and the two exchanged knowing smiles. ‘But you know, your parents were wise too. They knew that if anything were to happen to them, that you and I would need each other. Your aunts and uncles and cousins could have raised you, and I know you would have been fine with any of them. But my sister, she knew I would need someone. And I feel terrible for admitting it, but it really was the best thing that ever happened to me. You were.’
Darcy couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and her eyes welled up afresh. She’d always felt that she was an inconvenience in Katherine’s life. Yes, she loved her aunt who had always done her best for her, but still Darcy always got the sense that becoming a surrogate mother overnight was the worst thing that could have happened to Katherine Armstrong, who until then, had had the world at her feet.
‘I suppose you could say that you saved me from myself,’ her aunt was saying. ‘I was becoming – had become – completely immersed in the city girl lifestyle. I was drinking too much, and yes, sometimes using drugs too,’ she admitted to a completely flabbergasted Darcy, ‘not to mention getting involved with inappropriate men for inappropriate reasons. And then you came along, twelve years old and completely lost, sending my life crashing down to earth. Yet while I know I’ve let you down in so many ways, ultimately you gave me the opportunity to get a handle on my life and concentrate on something of real worth.’
Darcy was shaking her head. ‘I truly had no idea and I always worried that I’d held you back.’
‘Only in the best possible way. Who knows where I’d have ended up by now? But clearly it was too one-sided, as I suspect I deprived you of the emotional support you needed – something I know you found in your beloved books. But Darcy, that was no bad thing, and please try not to view it that way. You have always been wonderfully imaginative, optimistic and open to the greatest possibilities life has to offer, which is a true gift. And it will certainly prevent you from going down the same path as a jaded old cynic like me.’
‘That’s so not true. You’re the most optimistic person I know. You haven’t given up on me yet,’ Darcy joked. ‘Whereas I already know I’m a lost cause.’
‘Don’t say that,’ Katherine begged. Then she paused and took a deep breath. ‘But seeing as we’re bringing things out into the open . . .’ she paused a little, ‘. . . I think now might be as good a time as any to come clean with you about something.’
Her aunt sounded so serious all of a sudden that Darcy looked up, terrified that she was going to tell her that she was ill or something just as terrible.
‘I’ve been seeing someone recently – a man,’ Katherine confessed softly, and Darcy looked up, amazed. Her aunt never, ever talked about her romantic life. ‘A very nice one and I think – hope – you’ll like him. Because it seems he’s going to be a big part of our life from now on.’ With that, she tentatively extended her left hand upon which sat a beautiful sparkling diamond.
Darcy’s mouth dropped open. ‘Oh my goodness!’
‘Do you mind?’ Katherine asked, her tone hesitant. ‘I’ve wanted to tell you about him for a while, but I wasn’t sure how you’d react.’
‘Are you crazy? How could I react with anything other than absolute delight!’ Darcy jumped up from the table and went to give her a huge hug. ‘Oh Katherine, I’m so pleased for you. Congratulations, this is wonderful news!’ But she couldn’t believe that her aunt had felt she needed to keep her relationship secret.
‘I suppose I was worried that you might feel I was abandoning you,’ Katherine said gently, answering Darcy’s unspoken question. ‘After all, it’s been just the two of us for such a long time.’
‘Is this the reason you’ve been trying so hard to get me coupled off?’ Darcy laughed, as comprehension dawned as to the true purpose behind Katherine’s repeated matchmaking attempts.
Her aunt looked guilty.
‘But I’m thirty-three years old, and I thought – well, at least I hoped – that you didn’t feel responsible for me any more. I can’t even imagine what it was like for you, all those years ago, being landed out of the blue with me. Which is why I wanted to give you your life back as soon as I was able to.’
‘Oh sweetheart, any sense of responsibility that might have existed was replaced a very long time ago with affection, pure and simple. I love you, Darcy, and all I ever wanted was to make sure that you were happy. I suppose I wanted you to have someone to share your life with, someone a hell of a lot better than me.’
‘Please don’t say that – you did a wonderful job.’ Darcy’s eyes shone with fresh tears, unable to believe that her aunt was pouring out her heart to her like this.
And as Katherine told her more about Francis Cartwright, a widowed businessman she’d been friends with for many years before the relationship had recently blossomed into something more, she was amazed to discover the depths of her aunt’s actual feelings for her.
‘I’m fifty-three and way past any big white-wedding nonsense, but he was insistent on the ring,’ Katherine said airily. ‘Whether we actually bother going all the way to the altar or not doesn’t matter. I know he’s the one for me.’
‘I’m so thrilled for you, really I am, and I can’t wait to meet him,’ Darcy said. She made a face. ‘Though I’d imagine he thinks I’m a right ogre, seeing as you were afraid to introduce us before now.’
‘Absolutely not. With two daughters of his own Francis completely understands the situation, and it was my own issue, rather than anything to do with you. Though to be truthful, I am pleased to have it all out in the open now,’ she chuckled. ‘You know how terrible I am at keeping anything under wraps.’
‘So you two are going to St Barts together then?’ Darcy asked.
‘Yes, and I was wondering if you wanted to join us?’
‘Sounds wonderful, but if you don’t mind I think I’d rather stay home this year,’ Darcy said. ‘I have a few things to catch up on and I’m not sure I could take the time off work in any case.’
In truth, all she wanted to do after the drama of the last few days was curl up at home surrounded by the comfort
of the things she loved. As much as she wanted to meet her aunt’s fiancé, she just didn’t have the energy.
‘Well, if you’re sure? We can always arrange something for when we get back. Perhaps New Year’s dinner at my place? Nothing fancy, just a nice easy-going evening.’
‘Sounds perfect.’ Darcy smiled dully and her aunt reached across the table and clasped her hand.
‘Try not to fret,’ Katherine said, as if understanding yet again exactly what was on Darcy’s mind. ‘Yes, you might have come to a few unrealistic conclusions where this man of yours is concerned. But don’t let that dampen that wonderful spark of imagination you own – that belief that in this world, anything is possible. It’s one of the greatest traits a person can have, and I sorely wish I possessed even a smidgen of it.’
‘Thank you,’ Darcy said, feeling a whole lot better all of a sudden. Katherine was almost making it sound as though her imagination running away with her was a good thing, and she guessed that in certain cases it had worked to her advantage.
But not in the case of Aidan Harris. In this scenario, she thought sadly, lifting her wine glass, her imagination had been well and truly out of focus.
Chapter 44
Everything has to come to an end, sometime. L. Frank Baum
Darcy stood at the counter with Joshua in a packed Chaucer’s on Christmas Eve. She’d been on her feet all day, restocking shelves, helping customers with recommendations, but mostly ringing up holiday purchases, and she couldn’t wait for her coffee break, when she planned to indulge in one of the café’s cinnamon mochas upstairs. Heaven.
‘I wonder if you can help me,’ the next customer in line said. ‘I’m looking for a book . . .’
Darcy looked up, surprised at the familiar-sounding voice. And to see the even more familiar person standing in front of her at the countertop.
‘Aidan!’
Despite herself she felt somewhat irritated. Helluva time he’d chosen to come and pick up his phone and keys. But it seemed he’d also fancied doing some shopping while he was at it.
