Page 37 of Love At First Fright
“Oh, Rosemary, how delightful, you can weigh in on our littledésaccord.Ellis, here, believes thatSense and Sensibilityis Austen’s best work, whereas I have been trying to explain to him thatNorthanger Abbeyis structurally superior, being a satire of the gothic horror genre.”
Arthur chimed in to say, “I wish I could agree with you, darling, but I’m with Ellis on this one.”
“Spousal betrayal!” Lance barked, but pressed a kiss to his husband’s cheek all the same. Rosemary couldn’t help but smile, sliding into the seat beside Lance, because they were both so flustered over…Jane Austen.
“Don’t let him talk you around to his opinion by dropping words likegothic horror,” Ellis teased, leaning forwards.
“I’m sorry, gentlemen, but I have to disagree with all of you. Her best book isPersuasion.”
“Persuasion?” Lance guffawed good-naturedly. “My dear girl, I am sorry, but how can you think that?”
Rosemary shrugged. “I guess I’m a romantic at heart. Anne spent all those years in love with Wentworth, even though she believed there was no chance of a happy ending. And when he said, ‘I am half agony, half hope’…well, let’s just say that teenage Rosemary would lie in bed dreaming about hearing someone speak to her like that.”
Ellis’s hand paused as he brought his glass to his lips, his intent gaze on hers.
Lance patted her hand. “I see, there is no hope for you, youareindeeda hopeless romantic. And although I would consider myself one, I am afraid that in this instance, I shall continue to believe thatNorthangeris the better novel since neither of you have convinced me otherwise.” He sniffed, before pivoting in his chair to answer a question from Arthur, who was now locked in conversation with Vincent.
Rosemary turned her attention to Ellis, who was looking back at her from across the table.
“So,Sense and Sensibility?” she asked.
“The best book.”
“Arguable. But try me.”
“It’s hard to explain. The first time I read it I used to think that Marianne and Willoughby had this dashing romance, and never understood Elinor and Edward. And then I hit my late twenties and I just…got it. To have someone like that, a person who can be your best friend and your confidant and your lover? That is the ideal relationship right there. A lot of people I know, straight men especially, treat their wives and girlfriends like this separate category in their lives—they’re not friends with them. I want to be with someone who, even if there happened to be nothing romantic between us, I would want to spend all my time with, does that make sense?”
Rosemary took a sip of her drink to hide her slightly shaking hands. No biggie, just the hottest man she’d ever laid eyes on telling her about his ideal romantic partnership and its basis in Jane Austen. She was entirely calm about this whole thing.
“I think I understand. Maybe I’m due a re-read.”
“Perhaps I ought to readPersuasionagain, too, see what all the fuss is about.”
“You know, I never would have taken you for a romance reader,” Rosemary said.
“I think you’ll find I’m full of surprises.”
Need flaming through her, Rosemary knocked back the rest of her drink.
“I think I need another one.”
“I’ll get it for you.”
“No, it’s okay.” She waved him off and hustled to the bar. She needed a minute to gather her thoughts because of course he couldn’t just be fucking hot, he also had to like Jane Austen. Dina and Immy were going to have a fit when she told them about this.
Rosemary waited at the bar as the bartender served someone else. She perused all the local ciders on tap but quickly decided that she would go with her preferred anti-anxiety drink: rum and Coke. She would usually order a dark and stormy, but she had learnt the hard way—and with much teasing from Dina and Immy—that you were not meant to ask for cocktails in small English pubs.
“A beautiful girl like you shouldn’t be buying your own drink.” A man appeared beside her, leaning on the bar. “God, the moment I said that I realised how clichéd it came across. Let me start again: I’m Josh, hi.”
“Hi, Josh. Your second impression is better than your first.”
Josh grinned mischievously, running a hand through his sandy-blond hair. “I bet you say that to all the guys.”
“Just the ones who are buying my next drink.”
Who was she and what had she done with regular, anxious Rosemary? She’d never been able to flirt this easily with someone, and Josh was…nice to look at. He had a sharp jaw, pretty brown eyes, and a wonky smile. What was not to like about that?
Maybe it was just easier to flirt back when you could actually tell someone was flirting with you in the first place. All the cards were on the table, and truth be told, she did need to getlaid. Maybe this would do it. Anything to wipe Ellis from her mind.
