What Would Lizzy Bennet Do? (12 page)

‘It wasn’t a fight
over
Charlotte Bennet,’ he corrected her irritably, ‘it was a fight
about
her. There’s a world of difference.’

She wasn’t convinced. ‘You like her, don’t you?’

‘No! Whatever makes you say that?’

‘Well it’s obvious, isn’t it – the way you watch over her, the way you hang around together on the set watching the filming – of course you like her. And who can blame you? She’s fun, and young, and really pretty…’

‘I don’t like Charli. At least, not in the way you mean.’ Harry grimaced. ‘She’s a kid, Holly! She cried for
days
when Zayne Malik left One Direction. Besides which, she’s like a – a sister to me.’

‘Oh.’ It seemed she’d got things spectacularly wrong – again. ‘Sorry.’

‘Why aren’t you at the parish hall, then?’ he asked, changing the subject as he pulled out onto the road. ‘What are you doing wandering along Persimmon Road in tears?’

It was a reasonable question. ‘We had words. Or, as your mother put it – she “laid her cards on the table”.’

‘Ah.’ A world of understanding was contained in the single word. Harry grinned over at her. ‘I’m beginning to get the picture.’

‘She was horrible, Harry.’ Holly turned – with another wince – to face him. ‘She accused me of being after Hugh for his money. She said I’m a serial fiancée and that I don’t truly love him.’

‘And do you? Love him?’

The question took her aback. ‘What kind of thing is that to ask?’ she demanded, aghast. ‘Of course I do!’

He shrugged. ‘It’s a fair question, I think. At least it is in Mum’s eyes. I mean… you’ve barely known my brother for a year. That’s not very long. I suppose you can’t blame a mother for wanting to be sure her future daughter-in-law really loves her son.’

Holly opened her mouth to argue, to say that Lady D was being entirely unreasonable and so was he; but as his comment sank in, she realised that Harry might, perhaps, have a point.

After all, as his mother had rightfully pointed out, Hugh wasn’t the first man she’d fallen in love with. There was Alex, her first interview assignment at
BritTEEN
magazine and her first serious relationship. But his long hours and thrusting political ambitions (not to mention his close friendship with fellow Member of Parliament, Miss double-first-from-Oxford, Camilla Shawcross) put paid to their romance.

Next was Jamie Gordon, chef extraordinaire, who’d been as skilled in the kitchen as he was in the bedroom… and in the shower. And, for that matter, on the kitchen table…

But they had grown apart when Jamie opened his second restaurant in Manhattan last summer. He spent more and more time with his new sous chef, Catherine – and less and less time with her.

Then there was Ciaran.

Thank goodness she’d learned the truth about Ciaran Duncan last summer, before she made the mistake of marrying him. Her relationship with the film star, like her romance with Hugh, had developed quickly and caught her completely off guard.

Holly frowned. Was Harry right? Was her relationship with Hugh, like her previous romances, ill advised and destined to end in failure?

She hoped not.

‘I
do
love Hugh.’ She said the words firmly, leaving no question as to the depth of her feelings. ‘He’s kind, and thoughtful, and handsome…’ She wanted to add ‘and sexy’, but given the present company, refrained. ‘He’s a wonderful, perfect man. Any girl would be lucky to have him.’

‘Any girl? Or you?’

Holly glared at him. It was impossible to read Harry’s thoughts with his eyes hidden behind those dark aviator glasses and his attention focused on the road. ‘Why are you being so horrid? I thought you liked me.’

‘I do like you.’ He glanced over. ‘That’s why I don’t want to see you get hurt. You’re clever, and cute, and heaps of fun, but – forgive me – you’re not at all Hugh’s type.’

‘And what exactly is his “type”?’ she asked, with just a trace of huffiness.

‘Older, I suppose. Serious.’ He raised his brow. ‘Dull. Sorry, Holly, but you’re none of those things.’

‘And what’s
your
type? No, don’t tell me – let me guess. A girl who shops at Harvey Nicks and still calls her father “Daddy?”’

‘Absolutely.’ He grinned, unperturbed. ‘The shallower, the better.’

As they left the village and headed once again to Cleremont, Holly sank back against her seat. ‘Hugh once said I was shallow,’ she confessed. ‘Not to me directly,’ she hastened to add, ‘but to someone else. He said he’d met puddles with more depth.’

‘Ouch.’ Harry grimaced. ‘I’m sure he didn’t know you very well, or he’d never have said it.’

‘He didn’t know me at all. I don’t know what made him say such a thing. Oh, well.’ She shrugged. ‘Doesn’t matter now, at any rate. Hugh loves me, and,’ she finished pointedly, ‘I love him.’

‘That’s all that matters, then.’

He slowed the car as several sheep ambled across the road at their leisure, a sheep herder behind them urging them forward.

‘What about you?’ Holly asked suddenly. ‘Do you have a girlfriend?’

Harry kept his attention focused on the road, waiting as the last sheep cleared the tarmac before he answered. ‘I’ve had a few girlfriends,’ he said with a shrug as he negotiated the narrow, hedge-crowded lane. ‘But no one serious.’

‘Why is that?’ She glanced at him and raised her brow. ‘You’re not bad looking. For a ginger.’

He laughed. ‘Damning me with faint praise, are you? Thanks. I think.’

‘No, really,’ Holly persisted. ‘Why don’t you have a serious girlfriend?’

He considered the question. ‘Well, not to sound full of myself, but I have loads of girlfriends. The problem is,’ he added, ‘they like me for all the wrong reasons. They think I’m a challenge, someone who needs to be – for want of a better word – domesticated.’

Holly laughed. ‘Oh, dear.’

‘Exactly. Every girl I date thinks
she’ll
be the one to get my ring on her finger, that she’ll be the one to meet my mum and have my children. Plus, it’s no secret that when my father dies, I’ll inherit pots of money. It makes me wonder if all these girls are truly interested in me… or my bank balance. Which is incredibly small at the moment,’ he added, his smile rueful. ‘Cleaned it out to buy this.’ He indicated the nicely appointed interior of the vintage Jaguar.

‘Oh, surely not,’ Holly said, and lifted a brow. ‘You must be rolling in it.’

‘Actually, no.’ He shrugged. ‘I have a trust fund, but I can’t touch it until I’m twenty-six. Another year.’ He paused. ‘So in the meantime, I work. I have a job in the City, assisting in my grandfather’s law offices. I’m only here now because I took a couple of weeks off.’

‘Is that where Hugh normally works, too?’

Harry nodded. ‘Yes. At least he will do until he comes into the title. Knowing my brother, he’ll probably toil on even after he becomes the next Lord Darcy.’

As he turned the car onto the lengthy drive that led to Cleremont, Holly smiled and laid a hand lightly on his arm. ‘Just wait till you meet the right girl, Harry. You haven’t yet. But you will. And when you do – you’ll put a ring on her finger, same as your brother.’

‘Maybe.’ He shrugged. ‘But I like my life quite well as it is, and,’ he said, grinning over at her, ‘I see no reason to change it.’

Chapter 18

When Holly and Harry returned, Lady Darcy’s Aston was already in the drive and the sun cast lengthy shadows across the grass.

‘Your mum’s probably furious with me,’ Holly admitted as she climbed out of the car. ‘Storming off like I did.’

‘Probably,’ Harry agreed cheerfully as he slammed his door. ‘But she’s always wound up about something or other; it might as well be you.’

‘Holly! There you are.’

She looked up to see Hugh, his face creased with worry, striding down the front steps to meet them. ‘Yes, Harry brought me home.’

‘Where on earth have you been?’

Holly hesitated. ‘Well,’ she began, ‘as to that…’

‘Mum said you’d gone off on your own to shop and must’ve got lost coming back,’ Hugh said. ‘She looked for you but finally gave up and came back home.’

‘Yes, that’s exactly right.’ Holly eyed Lady Darcy as she joined Hugh at the top of the entrance steps, grateful that their altercation, for the moment at least, would remain private.

‘We were just about to organise a search party,’ he informed her. He leaned forward to give Holly a brief – very brief – kiss. ‘Really, darling… you should be more mindful of your surroundings in future. You might’ve really got lost.’

She bit back a sharp retort. ‘I had my mobile with me. I would’ve called had I got lost, believe me.’ She went up the steps, waiting until his mother was out of earshot just inside the hall before sliding her arm through his. ‘Now,’ she added in a low voice, ‘about that ravishment…?’

‘Don’t forget, you two,’ Lady Darcy called out, turning back to give Holly a tight smile as they followed her inside, ‘dinner’s served at half past, with drinks in the drawing room beforehand. I’ll see you shortly?’

‘Of course,’ Hugh said, and laid a quelling hand atop Holly’s as she opened her mouth to sputter out a refusal. ‘We’ll see you soon.’

‘If I didn’t know better,’ Holly fumed when Lady Darcy had retreated to the kitchen, ‘I’d say your mother’s doing everything she can to keep us apart. First it was the jumble sale, now drinks and dinner – honestly, what next? Star gazing with the family in the folly at midnight?’

‘Don’t give her any ideas,’ Harry said as he brushed past them. ‘If she could, Holly, she’d fit you for a chastity belt and throw away the key. See you lot at dinner.’

And with a grin, he made his way up the stairs.

***

The next day dawned bright and unseasonably warm. Holly pulled on a pair of capris and a fitted pink polo shirt in readiness for her second round of jumping practice with Lizzy and thrust her feet into a pair of riding boots.

‘Good morning, darling,’ Hugh said as he met her at the top of the main staircase. ‘You look like a proper horsewoman,’ he approved, and kissed her. ‘Ready for our ride?’

‘I’m looking forward to it. Every muscle in my body’s aching, but it was so much fun I’m ready to do it again.’

Hugh nodded. ‘I’m glad. Horseback riding is one of the best workouts you can get.’

‘I can think of another excellent workout,’ Harry called out behind them. ‘More fun, too. And no need for liniment afterwards.’

Holly giggled. ‘Unless you’re very old, perhaps.’

‘Or very athletic,’ he agreed.

‘What are your plans today, Harry?’ Hugh asked as they went downstairs. ‘You’re welcome to come riding with us.’

‘No, thanks. I think I’ll go down to the
Pemberley
and speak to the captain to make sure everything’s in order for the race on Saturday. Ciaran’s entered the
Meryton
and I’m determined to best him.’

‘How long does the race last?’ Holly wondered. ‘Only one day?’

Harry shook his head. ‘The semi-finals for the Challenge Cup start Saturday,’ Harry said. ‘But the finals won’t happen for two weeks. In the meantime there’ll be fun fairs, 10k races, even fireworks and a ball on the day of the Challenge Cup race.’

‘It sounds amazing.’

‘It’s brilliant. Now,’ Harry added, ‘I’d best be on my way to the marina, before those thunderstorms they’re calling for blow in.’

‘As long as you’re back by early afternoon, you should be all right,’ Hugh told him. He glanced at Holly. ‘That goes for us, as well.’

‘Well, it’s barely eight o’clock. I’m sure we’ll be back in plenty of time,’ Holly assured him. ‘Now, let’s go and get some breakfast. I can’t possibly ride without lots of toast and coffee first.’

***

‘Where are you off to this morning, Lizzy?’ Mr Bennet enquired, deftly catching two pieces of toast as they popped up from the toaster. ‘Going riding again?’

She nodded and took the plate he held out to her. ‘Jumping practice with Holly for an hour or so, then she and Hugh and I are going for a hack to Rosings and back.’

‘Rosings?’ He lifted a brow. ‘So far? The forecast is predicting thunderstorms later today.’

‘Oh, don’t worry,’ she reassured him as she took a bite of toast liberally spread with jam, ‘we’ll be back before the first rumble of thunder, I promise.’

‘Will you stop and see Hugh’s godmother while you’re there?’

‘That old gargoyle?’ Lizzy gave a mock shudder. ‘I’d sooner run naked through Leicester Square or brave the Boxing Day crowds at Whistles than make small talk with that awful woman.’

‘She’s not that bad, surely. Lady de Byrne may be a bit intimidating, but she is, after all, Hugh’s godmother. I suspect she’s merely a lonely widow with too much time on her hands and no one to talk to.’

‘And far too much of her nose stuck in other peoples’ business,’ Lizzy said sharply. ‘Besides which, she makes no secret of the fact that she doesn’t approve of me, or my fondness for Hugh, and she never has.’

Mr Bennet buttered his second piece of toast with a generous hand and observed, ‘I’m sure you exaggerate, my dear. At the end of the day, Georgina de Byrne is nothing more than a lonely woman in need of a friend.’

‘Then I wish her well, truly,’ Lizzy replied. ‘But I’ve no interest in being her friend or providing a salve to ease her loneliness. I’ve problems enough of my own.’

With that she rose and brushed the crumbs briskly from her hands, and after kissing the top of her father’s head, left to go and meet Holly and Hugh.

***

‘Kick on and sit back,’ Lizzy called out an hour later. She looked on as Holly and her mount went around the ring for a final run of practice jumps. ‘Trust your horse. He knows what he’s doing.’

Holly nodded and tensed her thighs, leaning back slightly in the saddle as she urged the bay hunter from a canter to a gallop, focusing as they approached the first of the jumps. She kept a close but relaxed grip on the reins as Thor gathered his muscles and sailed effortlessly over first one, then the next jump.

‘Excellent form,’ Lizzy approved. ‘You’re much improved since yesterday. Are you ready to tackle those hedges and stone walls now?’

Holly nodded and reined the horse in. ‘I think so, yes. My training’s coming back to me. Let me change my mount and you can have Thor. I’ll ride Lady.’