Page 87 of Desperately Seeking Mr. Darcy

Zane wrote me a lot of letters at Pride and Prejudice Park, but this one—it’s all him. The real him. And it’s perfect. It’s everything I’ve been waiting to hear, everything I’ve been wishing he’d say, even though I’ve been trying to bury those hopes since we got back. I told myself not to think about it, notto wish for something that probably wouldn’t happen. But now it has, and I need to get to him. I need to tell him that I feel the same.

I pick up my phone to check the time: 7:05 p.m. Crap. How is past seven already? How did it take me so long to find his letter? And now I’m late. I hurry and put on some shoes, running my fingers through my hair and tucking the letter in my purse before running out the door. I’ve been unpacking all day, and I probably look terrible, but I don’t have time to worry about that right now.

I run down the stairs and hop in my car, and it takes me fifteen minutes because I hit every light on the way there, but I finally make it to his parents’ house.

I’ve barely put the car in park before I open the door and race toward the back of the house.

I stop in my tracks when I see him, standing by the bench in his mom’s perfectly manicured flower garden. The glow of a small lamppost—one of those decorative ones she put in ages ago—casts a soft light over him, making the whole scene feel like something out of a fairy tale. I cover my mouth with my hand, my cheeks warming as I smile, because he’s dressed just like he was at the park: boots, breeches, a tailcoat, and a white cravat tied perfectly at his neck.

Mr. Darcy, in the flesh.MyMr. Darcy.

“Miss Bennet,” he says, giving me a small bow.

“I just found your letter,” I tell him, wanting to explain.

“I was beginning to think I wasted money on this outfit,” he says, a hand going to his cravat, a sort of sheepish-looking smile on his face.

I walk across the lawn, coming to stand in front of him, less than a foot between us.

“Oh no,” I tell him, reaching up and running my hands along the lapels of his jacket. “You’ll be keeping this one.”

“Oh,” he says, his eyebrows raising. “Does that mean—”

“Yes,” I say, pulling him toward me. I want to tell him that I loved his letter, that I feel the same, that I want to see where this goes, but I decide to just show him instead.

My lips land on his, and it’s soft and gentle for only a moment—before it’s not. His arms wrap around me, and he pulls me tightly to him, kissing me back.

I’ve found my Mr. Darcy, and I think I’m going to keep him. In fact, I’m sure of it.

MACEY

Two Years Later

A letter from Zane to Macey, Thursday, September 15, 6:45 p.m.

Miss Bennet,

I would like to request the pleasure of your company in the small garden outside Netherfield after the assembly tonight, where I hope to ruin your reputation completely—or, at the very least, kiss you thoroughly. If you are amenable to such scandalous behavior, I shall await you by the fountain, looking devastatingly handsome in breeches.

Yours in forbidden romantic pursuits,

Mr. Bingley

P.S. If you do not arrive within fifteen minutes, I shall be forced to pine dramatically in the moonlight. Please do not force me to that extreme. You know how I hate to pine.

A LITTLE CHILL RUNS DOWN my spine as I creep through the dark night toward Netherfield Hall and the little garden where I’m supposed to meet Zane.

I’m late—because the new couple playing Mr. and Mrs. Bennet apparently take their parenting duties very seriously. They checked on Amelia and me twice to make sure we were in bed, snug and proper. Honestly, I half expected them to tuck us in and kiss us goodnight.

By the time the light finally flickered out under their door and Amelia had helped me back into my dress—a pale-blue muslin gown with a matching spencer—I was already ten minutes past the time he’d asked me to meet him.

It all feels a little surreal to be back here at the resort, back reenactingPride and Prejudice, with some of the same cast as last time. Lady Catherine is here, of course—bosom on full display, just as before. So are the staff members who play the Gardiners, as well as the hottie who plays Mr. Collins.

This time around, I’m playing Jane, and Amelia is playing Elizabeth. She booked the trip after finally breaking up with her douchebag of a boyfriend, Garret, and I couldn’t let her go by herself. Well, actually, she wouldn’t accept any of my excuses.

Luckily, we’ve just wrapped up our summer programs at the center, so I could take some time off. My fancy new job title of Program Manager came with a raise—just enough to upgrade my ramen to the fancy brand, but not enough for a trip like this. It would’ve taken me a decade to save, and I refused to letanyof the Porters pay for it this time.

But about a year ago, Zane bought a house not far from their condo, so Amelia invited me to move in with her. Thanks to my ridiculously low rent (the Porters tried to make it free, but I refused), I was able to save enough to come back and play Jane.

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