CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The morning of the Regency Romp Festival rolled around, and the butterflies in my tummy were having a party in there!
But as I got dressed in my grand outfit over at Brambleberry Manor, I kept telling myself that there was nothing to worry about because I knew my lines inside out, backwards and forwards. In any case, it wasn’t me who was going to have to swim across a lake in the depths of winter!
I’d have felt sorry for anyone else having to plunge into that cold water.
But I knew Wyatt couldn’t wait to do a bit of showing off in front of an appreciative crowd, and in fact, he’d been the one to suggest he do it in the first place.
So when he went off in breeches and Regency-style jacket to start greeting people at the gates, I just told him that I’d meet him later to perform our first vignette, and to break a leg.
I was using Fen’s old bedroom in which to get ready, and Kitty came into the room as Wyatt was leaving, looking worried and asking if Wyatt had really broken his leg just before the big event.
And I’d laughed and explained it was just the traditional ‘break a leg’ that you said to actors before they went on stage so that everything would go as planned . . .
A little later, I gave a final twirl in front of the mirror.
Very Jane Austen!
The outfit I’d been given actually fitted perfectly.
It was a pretty empire-line dress in a gorgeous pistachio green colour, with pink ribbon trim round the high waist and the puff sleeves.
A dusty pink Regency-style jacket and bonnet completed the look.
I’d passed on the flat ballerina-style pumps and was wearing sensible tan boots, which were rather more appropriate for a February day.
And then I was walking down the grand staircase, feeling very lady-like and sophisticated, to join Wyatt, who was waiting for me in the hall dressed like a proper Regency gentleman.
Peeking into the drawing room as we passed by, I caught a glimpse of the fabulous display of Regency costumes on loan from a local museum for the day, and the jolly music coming from the ballroom was a sure sign that the country dance classes were underway.
Outside, the festival organisers had been blessed with a sunny, much milder day than we’d been used to lately.
The recent snow had vanished and stalls had been set up around the grounds, selling traditional treats such as gingerbread, roasted nuts, toffee and barley sugar.
There was also a stall selling Bath buns and seed cake, popular in Jane Austen’s time and often mentioned in her letters.
A colourful carousel was spinning to music amongst the trees over to our left, and I also spotted (and heard) a Punch and Judy show in full swing.
Games such as ninepins, quoits and archery were being enjoyed by the visitors, most of whom had dressed for the occasion and were looking splendid, if a little chilly, in their elegant Regency costumes.
Wyatt took my hand and we walked across the lawn at the front of the house to the pop-up amphitheatre that was staging all the drama.
A large crowd had already gathered, looking forward to hearing Mr Darcy propose and to see Elizabeth Bennet telling him exactly where he could shove his offer of marriage!
Mum and my sisters had front row seats, and I waved at them as we took our places. I noticed Blaize was laughing and looking more animated than I’d seen her in a long time.
And then, to my astonishment, I spotted what I imagined was the reason why.
Was that Dillon?
Oh, my goodness, it actually was! He was sitting in the row behind, chatting away to Mum, Blaize and Kitty.
And then it was time to perform, so I had to put everything else out of my mind and become Lizzie Bennet! Well, not me – the real Lizzie Bennet. Not that Elizabeth Bennet was real. She was pure fiction. Jane Austen’s creation. I was the real Lizzie! Wasn’t I?
It was all very confusing, but I was determined to enjoy myself.
I hadn’t realised I had it in me till now, to stand up in front of a crowd. But now that it was happening, the thing I’d been secretly dreading was actually turning out to be quite good fun.
It helped a lot that the audience was already in the mood, chatting away and fluttering their fans, big smiles on their faces.
Of course, since most were dressed in costume themselves and were clearly dyed-in-the-wool ‘Austenites’, it was no surprise that the level of excited anticipation in the air was rather high!
Even if I fluffed my lines, I had a feeling it wouldn’t really have mattered. They were all just having a ball, soaking up the atmosphere, and I felt myself relax a little more . . .
As it turned out, I didn’t fluff my lines and the audience seemed to love it, applauding loudly at the end. After it died down, Wyatt announced that the grand finale was happening down by the lake in an hour and no one should miss it.
‘Let me say just one more thing.’ He projected his voice so that even the people who were walking away turned back. ‘Colin Firth!’
This was followed by a great deal of appreciative laughter and cheering from the crowd.
Before returning to the manor, I nipped over to Blaize. ‘Dillon’s back?’
She nodded excitedly. ‘I couldn’t believe it when I saw him.’
‘How long is he here for?’
‘A couple of weeks. But he has plans to return. He said he was missing the UK too much, especially me!’
‘Is he coming back permanently?’
‘Yes!’
‘Oh, my goodness. That’s so great, Blaize!’
She nodded. And then Wyatt took my hand and I had to leave her. But I was smiling to myself as we started walking back across the lawn to the house, thinking how very happy she looked.
In the middle of the lawn, Wyatt was stopped by a group of girls who wanted autographs, and of course he was more than willing to oblige them.
I stood by and watched him charming his fans. Their average age looked about eighteen, and Wyatt was thoroughly enjoying the attention. They wanted to take his photo in the dashing Mr Darcy outfit, leaning against a tree, so I smiled and nodded and called that I’d meet him back at the house.
I watched him walking away, surrounded by the gaggle of girls, then I started back across the lawn. But as I looked around at the people milling about, I suddenly spotted a tall, familiar figure walking towards me, and my heart almost leapt out of my chest.
Dan!
He was with a young woman I didn’t recognise, but I wondered if it might be his sister, Amanda. She was a huge Jane Austen fan, so of course she wouldn’t have wanted to miss the event.
Sure enough, after we’d said a rather cool hello, he introduced Amanda and we chatted for a while, she and I, about how wonderful it was to have an event like this take place right here, virtually on our doorsteps. She knew that Wyatt and I were together. Dan must have told her.
There was then a rather awkward moment when Amanda suddenly spotted someone she knew and excused herself, leaving me alone with Dan.
‘Careful, you might bump into Wyatt,’ I said caustically, and he shrugged as if he really didn’t care.
‘Don’t tell me. He’s given you some sob story, and you believe it?’
‘He got really emotional when he was telling me about Judith.’
Dan gave a bark of laughter. ‘Er, duh! Wyatt is an actor. The man couldn’t give a stuff about her!’
‘Well . . . I still can’t quite believe he’d be as cold and callous as you said he was.’
‘Have it your own way,’ Dan replied, and he walked off, leaving me staring after him.
‘Where on earth has he gone in such a mood?’ Amanda appeared, along with her friend, who was holding the hand of a little girl.
‘I think I upset him, mentioning he might bump into Wyatt?’
‘Ooh, did you? That definitely wouldn’t have gone down well.’ She leaned closer so that the little girl couldn’t hear. ‘I’m afraid Dan absolutely despises that man!’ She glanced at her friend with an uncertain smile. ‘Lizzie, this is my friend, Judith, and her daughter, Rowena.’
She looked at me, clearly wondering if I knew about Judith.
I did, of course, but I smiled politely and greeted her, and I asked Rowena if she was enjoying herself.
‘It’s a bit boring,’ she announced. ‘But I’m getting an ice-cream. One with chocolate sprinkles on top.’
Judith and Amanda laughed, and I joined in, although I found myself wondering about Rowena. She must be about seven or eight . . .
‘How about you go and get your ice cream now?’ said Judith, handing her some cash. ‘It’s just over there, so I can keep an eye on you.’
We watched as Rowena ran over to the ice-cream van, and Amanda turned to me and said, ‘Rowena has been asking to meet her daddy. Hasn’t she, Judith?’
Judith nodded. ‘She hasn’t really been curious up till now.
But she asked me about him last week. And then a few days later, I saw Wyatt’s face on an advertising poster, so I thought maybe it was meant to be.
’ She frowned. ‘Of course, he never wanted anything to do with her before today, so I’m not going to be surprised if he refuses to see her.
But I’m going to talk to him and at least find out. For Rowena’s sake.’
Amanda nodded. ‘You’ve got nothing to lose. Rowena doesn’t know her biological dad is here, so if Wyatt blanks you, then nothing is lost.’ She looked over at me. Then she saw my face, and her smile vanished. ‘Are you okay, Lizzie?’
‘Um . . . actually, no. I’m not. I . . .’
‘Oh, God, you didn’t know, did you? About Rowena being Wyatt’s daughter?’ Amanda looked horrified, thinking she’d put her foot in it. ‘I’m so sorry. I was sure Dan had told you the whole story . . .’
‘No, he did.’ I felt myself flush. ‘But I . . . well, I couldn’t believe Wyatt could behave so abominably.’ I shrugged. ‘Obviously, he could. And I was wrong.’ Tears were pricking my eyelids. ‘He said Dan stole you from him, Judith.’
‘The scumbag!’ whispered Judith, angrily. Then she glanced at Amanda, a questioning look in her eyes, and Amanda nodded her head.
Judith turned to me. ‘I think you should know the real story, Lizzie.’
I nodded, feeling dazed, as if I was watching the scene unfold before me like in a movie.
She took a deep breath and started recounting what had happened.
‘So Dan and I started working at the company at the same time, and right from the start, we got on. It was love at first sight for me and we quickly fell for each other. Wyatt was our boss and I could tell he liked me. It was like I was his favourite and I found it quite amusing how I could get away with things that he’d come down hard on the rest of the team for, including Dan.
’ She smiled sadly. ‘Dan wasn’t really bothered. In fact, we used to joke about it.’
‘So what happened?’ I whispered.
‘Well, this one night, it was a works do at the local pub, and Wyatt was buying all the drinks. At one stage, I remember I had three gins lined up in front of me. But after that, I don’t remember anything.
Next thing I knew, I was waking up in a strange bed.
Wyatt’s bed.’ She swallowed hard. ‘He acted like it was quite normal. Just any old one-night stand. But I remembered him plying me with drinks and I started to suspect he’d been buying me doubles.
It had to have been something like that because there was no way I’d ever have gone back to my boss’s flat if I hadn’t been totally out of it. ’
I gasped. ‘So he got you drunk deliberately?’
She nodded. ‘He told me Dan and a few others were staying in the pub, but seeing I was the worse for drink, he’d offered to give me a lift home.
He hadn’t been drinking and my place was on his route home.
So of course Dan happily waved us off, glad that I’d be getting home safely.
If only he’d known what Wyatt had planned, I know he’d never have let me go.
‘Five weeks later, I discovered I was pregnant, and that’s when I knew my feeling that something had happened that night had been correct. Dan and I hadn’t slept together by that stage, so I knew beyond any doubt who the baby’s father was.
‘I told Wyatt but he didn’t want to know, of course, and I pretended to Dan that I’d had a one-night stand with Wyatt.
My head was all over the place, dealing with the shock pregnancy.
I knew I’d lose my job if I challenged him over what I suspected he’d done to me and then it all came out, so I’ve just kept quiet all these years.
I knew Dan would be raging at Wyatt if he found out what had really happened, and his job would be in danger, too, so that’s why I lied to him, even though it absolutely killed me to do so. ’
Tears sprang to her eyes at the memory. ‘It broke my heart, not being able to tell Dan the truth. But I was young and na?ve, and it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I had to hold onto my job, especially if there was a baby on the way.’
Amanda, who’d had her arm around her friend as she talked, smiled sadly at me and said, ‘Judith told me everything just recently, and we thought you really should know the sort of man you’re dealing with.’
I stared at her, feeling sick to my stomach. Poor Judith looked devastated even now, talking about it all these years later.
As I’d suspected deep down, Dan had been telling the truth all along.
Which made Wyatt a liar and a total scumbag . . .