Page 42 of All For You

“We wandered through their lavender gardens, and after, we had all these unusual holistic treatments, and then! Then they took lovely photos of us in Bibury—you know, standing on that romantic stone bridge. I thought I’d hate having my photo taken like that again, but we were laughing the whole time, doing these stupid posey poses. Lizzy, it feels like we’ve known each other for years. It was so fun, and the conversation never stopped.”

I sighed dreamily. I’d scrapped the traveling minstrels idea for my novel, but hearing Jane’s gushing reaction to the afternoon had me buzzing and bursting to write. “Fun and romance. And you had so much to talk about. That’s wonderful, Jane.”

“I can’t believe it. I’m excited, but also, with him, I feel like I’m home.”

Poppy smiled at me in the mirror as she prepped my skin. “Sounds like your sister has found the real deal.”

A little ribbon of envy dragged through me, and I chased it away. But images of Darcy came to mind, sending shocks zipping across my skin. Why had I thought of him? “Wills is a great guy.”

“What did the rest of the group get up to?” Jane asked. “Relax? Did you get any writing done?”

Emma choked out a laugh.

“No, the opposite,” I said. “We were commandeered to help with the hay baling for the next-door farmer, and we were so hot and dirty after that, we jumped in the water holein our clothes. Nothing as glamorous as you guys.”

“Oh no. They made you work?”

“It wasfine. It was fun,” I said lightly, slightly noncommittal.

I didn’t want to spark her interest in any way. Prompt questions about our afternoon, even though it was Jane and usually I confided in her. I wasn’t ready to share about Darcy yet. Whatever this was between us, it was too soon to put my thoughts into words. I wanted to clutch my feelings to myself like a secret music box and savor those rare moments in my own room.

“Itwasactually fun,” Emma chimed in. “Great to be outside and do kids’ stuff at the water hole.”

She didn’t venture more with her typical unfiltered storytelling. Hmm. Unusual for her.

“Kids’ stuff. Wait. Darcy was there, right? He joined in?” Jane asked.

Emma tapped her lips. “Yeah. Yes, he did. Knightley, of course, was being a total show-off, doing all these flips and stuff. Makes me want to practice. And next time, I’ll be like, oh yeah. Don’t try this at home, boyo.”

I smiled. Did Emma know I didn’t want to get into a blow-by-blow of the afternoon? A lot of people mistakenly assumed our cousin was superficial and oblivious, but she was often surprisingly attuned to others’ moods and needs.

“I’ll practice with you,” I said.

She winked.

Hmm. Or maybe she knew I needed to figure out what I thought about Darcy, and this afternoon, before I wanted to confide about him.

Talking lightly, Jane and Emma did their own makeup, deft and sure, using many different brushes with skill.

By the time my makeup was done, I was shiny and glam, with swooping eyeliner and a glossy red lip, and diamanté clips holding my hair. My silk dress was a slip, the high heels out of my comfort zone, and I suddenly felt a little self-conscious.

But then there was Emma in a huge pair of trousers and a tiny sequin top, and Jane opted for a smoking jacket dress for a change, as she never had any place to dress glam anymore. I took a swig of champagne, which calmed my nerves that I had no reason to feel. We were only attending a small kitchen dance and dinner after all. Yes, with a camera, but I’d already noticed the cameraman was much more interested in Emma’s outspoken confidence and Jane’s quiet photogenic elegance. No one was going to look at me with those two fabulous beauties on my arms.

Laughing and with arms linked, we clattered down the stairs in our finery and high heels and entered the kitchen.

William immediately swept up to us.

“You look beautiful,” William said. He’d addressed all of us, but his eyes rested firmly on Jane.

She moved to his side, and they held hands and chatted about the afternoon.

Darcy was faced away, leaning against the kitchen counter talking to Trystan. From this angle, I could enjoy his shiny blue-black hair pushed back off his face, his skin gleaming with a close shave. He was dressed in a dark-blue velvet jacket and pants with an open-necked white shirt, which made him look…devastating.

He glanced at me and did a double take, his bottom lip dropping as he openly stared. I walked toward him and Trystan, trying to keep my balance.

“You look great, darl,” Trystan said. “That whole seventies look is perfect on you. My special margarita with limes from the old orchard?”

I nodded with a quiet, “Yes, please,” and paced closer, trying to hold my shoulders back to stay upright. I rested a hand on the kitchen island. “Hello,” I said shyly to Darcy.