‘You don’t think they’re—?’ Shelley’s mouth dropped open, but then she shook her head. ‘Gabe is a gentleman. They must just be talking.’ She paced up and down the room. ‘I’ve already lost my dog to Gabe, and now it seems I’ve lost my best friend too.’ She looked up at Pie as if he might have something consoling to say to her, but he just stared at her. ‘Haven’t you got to get to work or somewhere?’
He shrugged his broad shoulders and left the room.
Shelley sighed, knowing there was nobody to blame but herself. She was the one who practically shoved Mia toward Gabe, and she couldn’t very well complain if they really were getting on.
She walked through to the kitchen and gazed up into the face of Henry Tilney, who was smiling down at her from the calendar.
‘What would you do, Henry? Do you think I should go and find out what’s happening or leave them to it? What would Emma Woodhouse do? She was always matchmaking people, wasn’t she?’ Shelley puffed out her cheeks. She had no idea what a fraught business matchmaking was.
Next door, Gabe was making more coffee. Mia had followed him through to the kitchen and was watching him. He really was rather handsome, she thought, with his warm hazel eyes, thick fair hair, and a gentle smile. And he looked as if he kept himself in shape when he wasn’t recovering from a broken arm. It seemed a shame that he was on his own. She was quite sure there were thousands of women out there who would beat a path to his door, if they knew he was available. He was too old for her, of course; she’d always dated men her own age and had never been tempted by the older man, but she was enjoying talking to Gabe. He was easy to listen to, and she felt like she’d known him for ages.
‘So, come on—tell me what happened next,’ she said, desperate to get back to the story he had been telling her about how he’d met his wife.
‘Well, I gave Andrea a call, and we agreed to meet later that week. I chose a little Italian restaurant I knew. It was one of those amazing hot summer nights, and we ate outside in the courtyard. We hadn’t talked to each other at all at the dinner party, and I was worried we had nothing to say to each other, but the problem was shutting us up,’ he said, laughing at the memory. ‘We were the last to leave the restaurant that night, and then we walked along the river, not wanting to leave each other’s company.’
‘What did you talk about?’
‘Everything, really. Our jobs, our families, our hopes for the future, and the wonderful thing about it all was that it was so natural. Nothing was forced. You know when you’re with somebody and you have no idea what to talk to them about and you have those painful silences? Well, there were none of those with Andrea.’
He handed Mia her coffee, and they returned to the living room. This time, Mia sat down on the sofa opposite him.
‘You know, it feels funny to be talking about her like this. That’s one of the things I haven’t been able to do. When she died, there was so much sorting out to do—things to arrange and people to see and, well, there wasn’t much time to just sit and talk about her. Even if there had been, I don’t think people would have let me.’
‘You mean your family?’
‘My family, Andrea’s family—nobody really wants to talk much. I think loss isolates a person. Everybody is far too nervous to ask you how you feel, in case you have a breakdown in front of them. It’s much easier not to say anything and hope the pain goes away quickly and quietly.’
‘Was there nobody you could talk to at all?’ Mia asked.
Gabe shook his head. ‘My family didn’t know what to say to me, and I didn’t want to burden them. Nothing like this had ever happened in my family.’
Mia looked at him, her eyes full of sympathy.
‘And I don’t mean to burden you now,’ he said.
‘But you aren’t. I was the one who brought up the subject, and I want to talk about it. It’s important.’
Gabe smiled at her. ‘You’re an extraordinary young lady,’ he said.
She smiled back. ‘No, I’m not. I’m just very nosy.’ She got up from the sofa and walked across the room to one of the many bookshelves that lined the walls. ‘Oh, you have a collection of poems,’ she said, pulling out an old hardback book and admiring its green and gold cover. ‘It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen such fine pages. They’re like tissue paper.’
Gabe cleared his throat. ‘As much as I’d like to take credit for owning it, that was Andrea’s.’
‘But you’ve read it?’
‘Alas, no.’
‘No?’ Mia said. ‘Not ever?’
Gabe gave a little smile as if embarrassed. ‘Not ever. Andrea would occasionally read some out loud to me.’
‘Which ones?’
Gabe frowned. ‘I… er… some of the shorter ones.’
‘You mean you don’t know?’ Mia said.
‘I have a bad memory,’ he said with a little smile.
‘How can anyone get through life without reading the Romantic poets? I mean, they are life!’
‘So, along with Jane Austen, I should read all the Romantic poets?’
‘Yes!’
‘Anything else?’ he said, his eyebrows rising.
Mia looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘Well, you shouldn’t miss out on Thomas Hardy, although you rarely get a happy ending. And then there are the Brontë sisters. You really shouldn’t go through life without reading Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights.’
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Well, that should keep me busy for a little while. Anything else I should add to the list?’
She looked at him. ‘You’re teasing me,’ she said.
‘No, no,’ he said. ‘Well, just a little.’
‘I didn’t mean to sound bossy. I know I usually do. It’s a terrible fault of mine.’ She bit her lip. ‘I hope you didn’t think I was—’
‘Please, don’t worry! It’s just so nice to talk about these things. I usually don’t get out much. Shelley says I’m a workaholic, and I guess she’s right. I really don’t socialize much.’ He smiled. ‘I sound like a sad old sod, don’t I?’
Mia laughed. ‘No! Well, yes. A little, perhaps.’
They looked at each other for a moment, and Bingley thumped his tail on the carpet as if in approval of the conversation.
‘Was Andrea bossy?’ Mia asked.
Gabe shook his head. ‘No. Not at all. She was one of those laid-back people. She never minded if I left my clothes strewn all over the floor or left half-empty coffee cups all around the house.’
‘That sort of thing would drive my sister crazy,’ Mia said, and then she bit her lip.
‘What is it?’
‘Nothing. I just—I haven’t talked about my sister for a while.’ Mia felt as if she were holding her breath. She hadn’t meant to mention her sister. She hadn’t even meant to be thinking about her. Maybe it was being in Bath. Maybe Bath was bringing all the memories bubbling back to the surface.
‘Did you want to talk about it now?’
Mia looked at Gabe’s face. It was kind and open, the sort of face that one instantly trusted.
‘You wouldn’t want to hear about all that,’ she said in a small voice.
‘Sure, I would. You’ve been listening to me prattling on for ages.’
‘Yes, but that was different. I kept asking all the questions.’
‘Perhaps I could ask you some questions, then, if it would make you feel better.’
Mia smiled. Perhaps it would. Perhaps she should talk to somebody about everything. It might be what she needed, and wasn’t it better to talk to a stranger? Shelley had been trying to get her to talk to her, but Mia hadn’t been able to, but Gabe—this felt right.
‘You really want to hear all this?’ she said.
‘I really do,’ he said, leaning forward.
‘Well, okay,’ Mia said. ‘If you’re absolutely sure.’
‘Hello?’ a voice called through from the kitchen, startling Mia. It was Shelley. ‘Anyone there?’
‘We’re in here,’ Gabe
said.
Shelley appeared in the living room. ‘There you all are! I’d lost both my dog and my friend.’
Bingley got up from his home by Gabe’s feet and went to greet his mistress with a friendly sniff.
‘I was getting worried about you,’ she said, turning an accusatory look toward Mia.
‘I thought you knew where I was,’ Mia shot back.
‘Yes, but I thought you’d have been back by now. I’m afraid we’ve missed the walking tour of Bath today.’
‘I’m so sorry, Shelley. It’s my fault,’ Gabe said.
‘No, it isn’t,’ Mia said. ‘I kept asking you questions and—well—I didn’t realize how late it was. So don’t blame Gabe, Shelley. Blame me.’
Shelley looked confused. ‘We can probably still make that talk this afternoon.’
‘Okay, then,’ Mia said, getting up from where she’d been sitting.
Gabe got up too. ‘It’s been a real pleasure talking to you, Mia,’ he said.
‘You too.’
‘Perhaps we can… er… finish our conversation another time?’ he said.
‘Oh, did I interrupt something?’ Shelley asked.
‘No,’ Mia assured her.
‘No,’ Gabe said.
Shelley frowned at them both. ‘Come on, then,’ she said. ‘Come on, Bingley.’ Mia and Bingley followed Shelley back through the kitchen to the garden and then through the gap in the fence.
‘What were you two talking about for so long? You were gone for ages,’ Shelley said as soon as they were out of earshot.
‘But you sent me round there to make friends,’ Mia said.
‘I thought you must have both run off to Gretna Green.’
‘Oh, don’t be silly. We were just talking.’
‘But what about? What did I interrupt?’
‘Nothing. It was nothing.’
‘Why don’t I believe you?’
‘I don’t understand you, Shelley. I thought you wanted me to get on with him, and that’s precisely what I’ve been doing.’
‘But for so long?’
‘You’re beginning to sound jealous.’
‘Ha! Why would I be jealous? If I liked Gabe myself, I wouldn’t be pushing you toward him, would I?’
‘Well, I don’t know,’ Mia said.
They reached the house, and Shelley opened the door, ushering Bingley inside before he could escape again.
‘Why are we arguing? We shouldn’t be arguing. This is crazy,’ Mia said.
Shelley stopped. ‘I’m sorry. Let’s have a cup of tea.’
‘No, thanks. I’ve just had a coffee.’
‘Well, I’m making one for me.’
Mia sat down at the kitchen table, knowing that Shelley wasn’t going to let the subject drop easily.
‘So what did you talk about all that time?’ she asked again, reaching for her favorite I Love Darcy mug and spooning an extra sugar into it.
Mia shrugged, not wanting to betray Gabe’s trust. It was funny, but although she’d known him for only a brief while, she felt very loyal toward him.
‘Oh, you know,’ she said noncommittally.
‘No, I don’t, so hurry up and tell me.’
‘Just stuff,’ Mia said vaguely.
Shelley huffed. ‘You come all this way to see me, and I can’t get a word out of you, and then you spend the entire morning talking to my neighbor.’
‘Sorry,’ Mia said.
‘So you do like him, then?’ Shelley pressed.
‘Of course I like him. He’s a very nice man.’
Shelley’s eyebrows rose suggestively.
‘Shelley, I’ve only just met him. Stop trying to matchmake me for half a minute.’
‘But he is very nice, isn’t he?’
‘I’ve already said he is. But he’s much too old for me.’
‘Isn’t that what Marianne Dashwood said about Colonel Brandon?’ Shelley asked.
‘I’m not Marianne Dashwood,’ Mia said. ‘And Gabe certainly isn’t Colonel Brandon.’
‘I didn’t say he was,’ Shelley said with a little grin.
Mia decided to ignore it. She knew she didn’t stand a chance of winning this particular battle.
Chapter 21
Sarah was eating lunch in a pizzeria but wasn’t happy with the cutlery. The knife looked mottled, and there was a bent prong on the fork, which turned her stomach, so she asked for it to be replaced. She should never have come into the place. It was an unknown quantity, and she had broken her rule of eating somewhere she didn’t know.
When her pasta dish arrived, she poked it around with her new replacement fork, making sure there weren’t any hidden horrors before she placed the food in her mouth.
As she ate, she wondered where Lloyd was. She thought of the time they’d spent together the day before and how much she enjoyed it. It was comforting to talk to somebody who knew what it was like to cope with OCD. It was as if she were being herself for the very first time in her life. They had known each other for only a day, yet she felt as if she could give her OCD free rein in his company. If she needed to examine the prongs of a fork, she could. If she needed to calm herself by counting to ten, she could. He didn’t judge her. There wouldn’t even be any light teasing, which often happened in the company of her sister.
And he’s going to stay in Bath!
Sarah tried not to get excited at the thought that he was staying in Bath because of her. He was a freelance photographer and was at liberty to make his own timetable, and it just happened that the city of Bath had thoroughly captivated him and he’d decided to stay on for a few more days after his Jane Austen Festival assignment.
He’s probably only interested in the architecture, she told herself as she paused to examine a piece of pasta that didn’t look quite as symmetrical as the other pieces. You mustn’t assume that he is staying on because of you.
Sarah thought back to the time they spent together at the Jane Austen Centre. She’d watched him as he worked and liked the polite way he dealt with people and the joyous ease with which he went about his job. Each new angle he found had been a mini adventure, like discovering a new territory. It had been so much fun and, of course, a visit to the Jane Austen Centre was always a treat for an Austen fan. Sarah had promised herself that she would travel light on this trip; it was something she always prided herself on; however, the temptation in the shop was just too much, and she bought an armful of books and goodies, including a beautiful framed silhouette of Jane Austen, a Longbourn lip balm, and a marvelous Jane Austen Festival mug.
After she was quite sure she couldn’t fit anything else in her suitcase, they left the shop, and Sarah posed for Lloyd for a quick photograph on the steps outside the center with the delightful ‘meeter and greeter’ who was dressed in full Regency costume.
‘This is one extraordinary city,’ Lloyd said as they walked up Gay Street toward The Circus.
Sarah nodded. ‘It’s my favorite,’ she said. ‘I never tire of it, no matter how many years I keep returning.’
‘I wish I had longer here,’ Lloyd said.
‘You’re leaving?’ Sarah said all too quickly. She bit her lip. She had sounded far too much like Mia.
‘Well, my assignment is more or less complete.’
‘Oh,’ Sarah said, trying desperately not to look at him, for fear that he would see the disappointment in her eyes.
‘But I’ve been thinking,’ he said as they entered The Circus. ‘I don’t really have to get back. It’s easy enough to download and submit my chosen photographs from my laptop in my hotel room.’
‘Is it?’ Sarah said.
‘And my next official assignment isn’t until next week.’
‘Right,’ Sarah said, trying not to get her hopes up.
‘So I’ve been thinking of staying on in Bath.’
‘You have?’
He nodded, a little smile playing around his mouth. ‘I’d really like to get to know this city better,’ he said.
&n
bsp; Sarah nodded, trying hard not to feel hurt that he hadn’t said he wanted to get to know her better. After all, she knew that her own modest beauty couldn’t possibly compare to that of Bath’s.
‘Well, I think that’s as good a reason as any,’ she told him. ‘And I’m sure you’ll find plenty to photograph.’
He stopped walking for a minute, and Sarah felt sure that he was about to reach into his bag for his camera, but he didn’t. Instead, he turned to face her. ‘That’s not the only reason I’m staying,’ he said.
‘No?’
‘No,’ he said. ‘I’ve just met somebody, and I’d really like to get to know her better.’
Sarah said nothing. She wanted to count to ten, because it always calmed her, but he’d be sure to see her lips moving if she did that, so she kept perfectly still and waited for him to say more.
‘And I’m wondering if she’d like to get to know me better too.’
‘Oh,’ she said at last.
‘Does she?’
‘Well, I couldn’t really say.’
‘Couldn’t you? That’s a funny sort of response. Don’t you like me at all?’
Sarah allowed herself a smile. ‘You mean me?’
‘Well, of course I mean you. Who else did you think?’
‘One never likes to assume,’ she said.
He laughed. ‘You are funny,’ he said, ‘and I really do want to get to know you better. I want to know all about you. I want to know where you come from and what’s made you the person that you are today. In short, everything. I want to know everything!’
‘Are you sure?’
He nodded. ‘I might even tell you a little bit about myself in return.’
‘Okay,’ Sarah said, ‘I think I can cope with that.’
‘So where do you want to begin?’
They stopped walking again, and Sarah looked up at the grand columns and fine sash windows of The Circus. What was she going to tell him? She liked him, she really did, and she didn’t want to start this relationship by hiding the truth from him, but nor did she want to scare him off, and the truth might very well do that.
‘Let’s just take it nice and slow,’ she said quietly and felt mightily relieved when he nodded in agreement.
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