Chapter Five
“Angry people are not always wise.”
MONROE
“TONY,” I SPLUTTERED, HARDLY BELIEVING my eyes. I wished I could say my peepers were lying to me, but there, standing near the gold-plated fireplace, was my ex-fiancé. If that weren’t horrible enough, none other than Lady Winnifred Roberts, a.k.a. Lady Whiny, was walking our way across the black-and-white-checkered marble floor, her enviable wavy auburn hair bouncing like she was starring in a shampoo commercial. Her steps were even and deliberate as she zeroed in on the prize—Fitz. Fitz, who gripped my hand tighter. Fitz, who was making me feel things I wasn’t sure I should be feeling.
Winnifred’s steely amber eyes homed in on the way Fitz and I clung to each other, incredulity and outright loathing swirling inside them. Believe me, I was just as surprised as she was. I wasn’t sure what to make of Fitz’s affection either, but oddly, I got the feeling he meant it to be more than friendly. And it had me behaving oddly around him as well. On the drive here I’d allowed myself, for the first time in ages, to truly marvel at how beautiful he is. But did Fitz really want to cross the friendship line? Did I want to? Our backgrounds weren’t exactly a match made in heaven. The only noble thing I knew how to do properly was curtsy, and I knew that wasn’t enough to flourish in the kind of circles Fitz lived in. Those circles scared me.
I didn’t have time to think about it—not only was Lady Winnifred quickly closing in, but Tony wasn’t far behind her. He didn’t appear happy to see Fitz and me looking as if we were a couple either, judging by his splotchy red face, set to explode. But he also didn’t seem surprised to see us here together, as if he knew we were both coming. How could he have known that? And why did he seem upset by it? He’d broken up with me, and I hadn’t spoken to him in three months. Tony hadn’t wanted to come here when we were together, so maybe he was just upset I’d brought another man on our would-be honeymoon he’d paid for. Best parting gift ever.
“Darling,” Winnifred said breathily in her smooth-as-silk voice. “I’m so happy to see you.” She kissed Fitz’s cheeks while not so subtly trying to push me out of the way.
Fitz tightened his hold on me, which came as a surprise. I’d always figured he would end up with the daughter of the earl. She was beautiful and had all the right qualifications, none of which I possessed. Which made me think Fitz’s odd behavior was just that—odd. I didn’t really belong in his world, and although Fitz had never come out and said that, he no doubt believed it as well.
“Winnifred, what are you doing here?” Fitz snarled.
“Your mother told me you would be here, and she arranged this surprise. So, surprise!” She laughed a perfectly delicate laugh. “I’m playing the part of Caroline Bingley.”
Was this a joke? If so, I didn’t find it funny at all. This was my last big hurrah with Fitz. Well, maybe. From the way Fitz held on to me and the way he glared at Winnifred, there was a possibility he was planning more hurrahs in the future. Or maybe I was just delusional. One thing was for sure: Fitz’s mum hated me. This confirmed it loud and clear. She’d sent Winnifred here to ruin my honeymoon. Or friendmoon. Whatever you wanted to call it. Why did she care so much? And how was I supposed to enjoy Fitz talking Darcy to me with Winnifred around?
Tony swaggered in front of us, landing next to Winnifred, who sneered at him for having the audacity to stand so close to her. He looked just the same as he had three months ago when he’d called off our wedding. Tony still had his hair cut high and tight, patterned after his hero, Ryan Reynolds, and had donned his favorite fit-me-right jeans that showed off his tapered waist and a tight tee that revealed his muscular build. Apparently he was still hitting the gym at least two hours a day. While he was still gorgeous, I wasn’t the least bit attracted to him. Something had changed in his countenance. It no longer held the sweetness that once existed. The way he’d so cruelly broken up with me didn’t help.
“Hey.” Tony looked between Fitz and me, a vein popping in his neck.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, flabbergasted at this strange turn of events.
“Well, I thought it would be romantic if I showed up for our honeymoon.” That sounded like a lie. “But it looks like you’ve already replaced me. I should have known,” he scoffed. “Or should I say, I always knew there was something between you two.”
Before I could say anything, Winnifred guffawed in derision. “Are you having a laugh? Alastair and her?” She pointed at me as if I were so low on the food chain, she couldn’t even speak my name. “It’s impossible.”
That snapped something in me, and instead of telling Tony he was off his rocker and that there had never been anything romantic between Fitz and me, these words fell out of my mouth: “Oh really? For all you know, Fitz and I stopped off in Vegas and tied the knot in the prettiest little bow before coming here.” I don’t think that was actually possible, given we lived in different countries and we’d have to do a bunch of legal things to make that work, but I went with it.
A collective gasp from guests and staff rang through the marble hall. Oops. I guess I’d said that a little too loudly. I’d overlooked the fact that Fitz was widely recognized—not sure why I’d forgotten that, seeing as moments ago Lady Catherine de Bourgh had practically slobbered all over him. And she clearly shared Winnifred’s belief that I was beneath him, judging by the withering looks she’d given me as we’d arrived. Honestly, it had never bothered me before because I’d always known my place in Fitz’s life, but for the first time, I wasn’t so sure. Something had changed between us. I could feel it.
“Please, Alastair, tell me you didn’t make her”—Winnifred pointed her shaky finger at me—“the Duchess of Blackthorne.”
The Duchess of Blackthorne rang in my ears like someone had shouted it through a bullhorn. It was so jarring, it hurt. I knew what came with that title, and I’d never wanted it.
“I knew it,” Tony spewed under his breath. “Friends my a—” He got cut off by the exaggerated voice of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, a.k.a. Agatha.
“Welcome to Pride and Prejudice Park.” She did her best Dame Judi Dench impression.
I dropped Fitz’s arm and turned around to see Agatha sweeping in with a gorgeous couple trailing behind her. The woman with beautiful red hair wearing a blue dress looked around in awe at the beloved place I’d dreamed about visiting since I was a teenager and watched ... well ... the miniseries I’d been forbidden to mention, even though it had changed my life. In all the weirdness, I hadn’t had time to admire the grandeur of the opulent mansion with gleaming marble floors reflecting the light of the crystal chandeliers. Exquisite artwork adorned the walls, and there was a grand staircase, which I’m sure led to heaven. Instead, I’d made a fool of myself, per usual. This time, I hadn’t even been trying to help anyone. And this time, I felt the sting of my blunder more acutely—even more than when Tony had left me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered to Fitz. “I know you wouldn’t wish me to be your duchess. Could you imagine?” I laughed, even though I didn’t feel all that happy.
Fitz stared blankly at me, his mouth opening and closing several times as if he didn’t know what to say. I’d never seen him at a loss for words. Sure, I’d seen him use very few words, but this was different.
“Are you married?” Winnifred demanded while she seethed on the other side of Fitz.
“I am not,” Fitz breathed out so only those next to him could hear.
I couldn’t tell if he sounded relieved or if he was angry with me for having placed him in such a position.
“Very good.” Winnifred patted her heart as if telling it to calm down. All was well. She still had her shot at the title she’d been scheming with Fitz’s mum to obtain.
I stepped a pace away from Fitz, feeling as if every eye were on me. It wasn’t a good start on my Elizabeth journey. Which I supposed I’d been on for years. So far, it hadn’t turned out so well. But I was hoping here I could prove myself to be worthy of my heroine’s legacy.
Fitz surprised me when he removed the distance I’d placed between us and took my hand. Maybe it shouldn’t have shocked me. He was doing the same thing he’d done back when we were in school together. “You don’t need to protect me.”
“This isn’t protection,” he whispered in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
What in the world? Was I crazy to get shivers? Did he mean to give them to me? “What is it?” I stuttered out.
He didn’t get the chance to tell me.
“Gather round, everyone,” Agatha called out, sweeping through the hall in her extravagant purple dress.
The attractive couple that had come in with her landed near us. Tony stood to the side, shooting daggers at Fitz and me with the deep-blue eyes I used to get lost in. I couldn’t fathom why he was here. And his excuse wasn’t sitting right with me. He wasn’t a romantic guy, and it was clear when he broke up with me that it hadn’t hurt him to do so. Who was he even playing? I’m pretty sure he still didn’t know who Jane Austen was. I bet he’d spell her last name with an I instead of an e if asked.
In all the weirdness and uncertainty, I gripped Fitz’s hand tighter, even though I had no idea what was going on between us. And I was too afraid to hope my schoolgirl fantasies could become a reality.
Agatha came to stand in front of the gold fireplace. “Greetings, honored guests.” Her eyes landed squarely on Fitz. “We look forward to making all your Pride and Prejudice dreams come true. To that end, from here on out, we invite you to leave the world behind and immerse yourselves in this glorious experience. We have done our best here to recreate Jane Austen’s world, save a few modern conveniences like bathrooms and electricity. We had an unfortunate candle event several years ago and too many complaints from guests and staff about the chamber pots and bourdaloues.”
Thank goodness for that, I thought. If they told me I had to use a chamber pot or bourdaloue, I would hightail it out of there.
“With that said, there will be no use of other technology except for the fifteen minutes you’re allowed for leisurely pursuits each night. Except for you, Your Grace.” Agatha smiled and fluttered her eyes at Fitz. “Of course, you are free to do as you please.”
Fitz stiffened and stood as regally as possible, his jaw pulsing, holding back his verbal attack.
Agatha plowed on, making Fitz’s Adam’s apple bob repeatedly as he swallowed down his tirade.
“For those of you who don’t know, His Grace the Duke of Blackthorne, Alastair Fitzroy, is joining us this week. Please, show him the proper respect he is due.”
Fitz had had enough. “I wish to be treated like any other guest.” He looked around the room, his eyes boring into every person, trying to make it clear he meant business. “I will tolerate nothing else.”
“Well,” Agatha said, taken aback. “We will respect your wishes.” She hurried on, stuttering a bit. There was nothing like Fitz taking you down a notch. I’d seen him do it to plenty of people. “As part of the experience from this moment forward, you will go by your character’s name, and you will speak in proper English accents,” Agatha trilled. “You should all have memorized your scripts and studied your character’s traits and demeanor.” She zeroed in on me. “Be sure to behave accordingly.”
I can be an Elizabeth. I can be an Elizabeth, I chanted repeatedly in my head.
“It is now time to introduce all our players for this week. I will start with Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.”
The woman next to me squealed a little bit. She was my kind of woman. And obviously a team player. I would squeal for her when they announced who she was playing.
“His Grace, I mean, you know ... um ... him.” She pointed, spluttering at Fitz. “He will play Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. And Monroe Wilde,” she spat out my name, “will play Elizabeth Bennet.” She limply shook her hand in my direction.
I waved uneasily at the rest of the guests, who all stared at me, some surely wondering how I’d won the coveted role, as some jaws dropped and lips curled. It was then I noticed the woman next to me fretting and speaking low and frantically to the man she was with. I didn’t hear everything, but it appeared she thought she was supposed to be Elizabeth Bennet.
Oh no. I felt awful, especially given that the amount you paid for the experience was based on which role you would be playing. Obviously, Elizabeth Bennet was much more expensive than the other roles—we are talking about ten grand kind of expensive. And then there was memorizing the script.
“Fitz,” I whispered in his ear. “I think the woman next to me thought she would be playing Elizabeth. We need to fix this.”
“Monroe, please let it be,” he begged.
“But—” I made to argue.
“Don’t you want me to talk Darcy to you?” he said in a sexy manner, his eyes dancing. Or at least I thought so. I mean, it sure sounded sexy to me, and I’d never seen his broody eyes light up the way they were now.
The way he was tenderly looking at me had my insides stirring with, well, you know the things men can stir inside of you. Was this for real? Or was it this place making us act uncharacteristically toward each other? Surely Fitz didn’t see me as his future duchess. But not even that thought quelled the stirrings. “Uh-huh,” was all I could articulate.
“Next we have Jane Bennet, played by Macey Bennet.”
The woman next to me, who I assumed was Macey, looked drained of color, her face pale as porcelain. The man next to her was whispering furiously in her ear.
Oh dear. I really was going to have to fix this. She looked devastated.
“Maybe,” I whispered to Fitz, “there can be two Elizabeths this week.”
Fitz pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, knowing I wouldn’t let this go. But I showed some decorum and let Agatha introduce the rest of the cast members. That’s what Elizabeth would do, right? But Elizabeth also seemed to enjoy needling Lady Catherine de Bourgh. I was sure I would do a good job of that.
Charles Bingley was going to be played by the man next to Macey, although he grumbled that he’d already been working on memorizing Mr. Darcy’s lines. Something had obviously gone wrong. Maybe I really was supposed to play Jane. It was odd the park had chosen me to be Elizabeth. Honestly, who would think I would make a good Elizabeth?
Agatha introduced the rest of the Bennet sisters next. Weirdly, they all kind of looked how I imagined Mary, Kitty, and Lydia would look. Mary had a studious air about her, with her mousy brown hair tied back in a neat ponytail. She looked like she was out to prove something to herself. Kitty absentmindedly twirled a lock of her blonde hair, strands slipping through her fingers. The sound of a gentle swat echoed as the woman playing Lydia playfully smacked Kitty’s shoulder. I assumed they knew each other—at least I hoped so. Especially since Lydia laughed about it like she was so hilarious.
Winnifred’s introduction was next. She haughtily waved to the group until her gaze fell on me. Her sneer said that she planned to rewrite the story and steal Mr. Darcy for her own. To be fair, I’d always assumed Fitz would be hers. Not that Fitz had ever confessed to being in love with her, but he always spoke well of her. And since his mum was all for it, I just expected it would eventually happen. But more and more I was realizing that if Fitz married Winnifred, she would make sure to push me out of his life. The thought sickened me.
Fitz was my person. Huh. I’d never thought of Tony that way—that probably should have said something to me. Maybe it should say something to me now. Would I ever find another person in my life whom I felt so wholly connected to? My friendship with Fitz meant the world to me. Which also meant I didn’t want to screw it up. If we opened the door to romance, would our friendship survive? Assuming Fitz even shared the same desires. The way his thumb brushed across my skin certainly felt more than friendly.
I stared right back at Winnifred, letting her know she didn’t intimidate me and that I wouldn’t allow her to steal Fitz from my life.
Her tsk said, Watch me. I almost mouthed, Game on, but to my ever-loving surprise, it was announced that Tony would play Mr. Wickham.
“Normally,” Agatha pontificated, “a staff member plays George Wickham, but this week we’ve had a change of plans. Tony Baker will fulfill that role for us.” Paid staff members played some of the smaller or less attractive roles like Wickham and Mr. Collins.
Tony winked and waved. The women playing Kitty and Lydia blushed and giggled while whispering between themselves. They could have him.
Tony craned his neck, flashing a toothy grin. “Baby, I can’t wait to do our scenes together.” It seemed like he was just taunting me, not actually excited about it.
Before I could respond, he turned back around. “Who would pay to play Mr. Wickham?” I wondered out loud.
“Someone with the character of a charlatan,” Fitz replied.
“Charlatan?” I nudged Fitz with my hip, eliciting a small smile from him.
“Next we have Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, played by—”
“He looks like Idris Elba.” Macey fangirled next to me.
We were so meant to be friends. “I totally think so. Should I feel guilty for being wildly attracted to the man playing our father?” I said out of the side of my mouth.
Macey snorted out a laugh. “Probably. But then I should feel guilty too.”
Yep, we were going to be besties this week.
If I thought Mr. Bennet was attractive, he had nothing on Mr. Collins. I nudged Macey with my arm after his introduction. “Um, I’d boil potatoes for him any day,” I said for only Macey to hear. His dark, curly hair gave him a whole Adonis vibe. Not that either man held a candle to Fitz’s good looks, but that was an unfair comparison, seeing as Fitz had just been named one of the hottest, most eligible men in the UK. Truly, he should have been number one. Maybe even number one in the world.
Agatha finished out with Charlotte Lucas and a few more minor roles, like the Gardiners and Sir William Lucas, who were all played by staff members. “There you have it. Now begins your Pride and Prejudice journey. Remember, you are here to emulate the qualities that our beloved Jane Austen valued, such as love and friendship, honor and integrity. With that said, this is not the time for you to be seeking romantic pursuits outside of your characters. This is not that type of experience. Do not besmirch Ms. Austen’s good name by going off script or breaking the rules. There will be severe consequences if you do, which could include you being asked to leave.” Her eyes landed on me for the second time.
I wanted to be like, “Listen, lady, if any character was going to go off script and should go off script, it probably would have been Elizabeth.” She was the one who hadn’t been afraid to walk in the mud and get dirty. I felt like that was a great analogy for her entire life. We loved her character because she was true to her heart and not the societal confines of her day that valued her worth solely on her role as someone’s wife. She held out for love, even if it meant she might have nothing in the end. Elizabeth went off script for her day and age. But I said none of those things. Instead, I kept them in my heart and hoped I could be such a woman.
When Agatha finished staring me down, she said, “Now let us proceed upstairs for your wardrobe fittings and character briefings.”
“Come on.” I tugged on Fitz’s hand, wanting to not only get away from Tony and Winnifred, but to see if I could help Macey. I don’t know how the mix-up occurred, but it seemed so unfair. “Let’s catch Agatha, I mean Lady Catherine. I want to talk to her about maybe changing the rules a bit.”
“Monroe, I don’t think she’s someone you want to trifle with.”
“Really? I’m pretty sure Elizabeth would love to trifle with Lady Catherine.” I gave him a knowing grin.
“You are maddening,” Fitz sighed.
“I bet that’s how Darcy felt about Elizabeth.”
“Probably,” Fitz conceded with a hint of a smile. “Just promise me you won’t give up your dreams for this week.”
“Well, I feel like Tony and Winnifred kind of ruined those dreams.” I’d never said anything against Winnifred before in his presence, since I believed she would one day become his wife and I didn’t want to put any barriers between Fitz and me. But her showing up here for my honeymoon had me wanting to take the gloves off.
Fitz raised our clasped hands between us, intimately holding them against his chest. “They have certainly put a damper on things, but they don’t have to come between us.”
“Us?” I breathily questioned. “Is there something you want to tell me?” I had to know if I was crazy or if Fitz’s feelings for me ran deeper than our friendship. I knew mine could if I was brave enough to unlock the door I’d slammed shut many years ago in the name of preserving our relationship.
“Yes.” Fitz drew closer until I could see the thoughtfulness I’d always loved swirling in his eyes.
I waited with bated breath for him to answer all the questions whirling in my head and heart. I admit to fearing his response, knowing it was going to change everything. Change could be good, very good even, but sometimes it was downright awful.
“Come now, hurry,” Lady Catherine demanded.
“Let’s talk later,” Fitz said, frustrated.
I let out the breath I’d been holding. “Okay. I’ll be the woman in an empire-waist gown showing off my cleavage. Just in case you don’t recognize me,” I teased, needing a lighthearted moment.
“You could do nothing that would prevent me from recognizing you.” He kissed my hand in Regency fashion. I wondered if that was against Lady Catherine’s rules or if it was okay, since Mr. Darcy might actually kiss Elizabeth’s hand.
The touch of his warm lips on my skin had nothing on his words. Don’t get me wrong—his touch had me feeling fluttery. But no man had ever said anything so beautiful to me.
Maybe this week would bring dreams I’d long forgotten and been afraid to dream.