Page 126 of Love ad Lib
The murmurs from the crowd abruptly stopped.
‘My name is Elizabeth Bennet, and I am delighted to welcome you all to Foxbrooke Manor.’
Her posture was regal as she continued slowly down the stairs, her gloved hand sliding down the dark wood banister.
‘I appreciate you may not associate me with the Manor, however the Gardiners, relatives on my mother’s side of the family, have a close connection with the Duke and Duchess of Somerset. Indeed, I have spent many a happy hour perambulating the estate grounds and losing myself in a book from their well-appointed library.’
Estelle’s mouth was hanging open as she stared at her.
‘As such, they have tasked me with escorting you around the house this fine morning,’ Libby continued. ‘And giving you a taste of what life was like here across the ages.’
She stopped a few steps from Estelle and swept her arm wide.
‘Let us travel back in time to Midsummer’s Day, nine hundred and seventy-eight, as the King of Wessex wakes, after a night spent celebrating the solstice.’
Estelle crept up the stairs and met him at the top. They moved a few feet down the corridor.
‘Fuck me,’ she whispered. ‘Did you know she could do this?’
Henry shrugged. ‘She’s very clever.’
‘Yeah, but it’s one thing being clever and another being able to improvise like that on the fly.’ She frowned. ‘Maybe all they do at Winterblossom Press is role play Jane Austen?’
He didn’t reply.
‘Look, I’ve got to run. I should be back by the time she finishes. Can you help her out if she needs?’
He nodded.
‘Thanks. I’ll take the servant’s stairs back down.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ he replied. ‘I need to speak to Perry about making Regency biscuits.’
Half an hour later,the first batch of biscuits was out of the oven, and Henry was retying his cravat. Thankfully the trousers had been cleaned and had no lasting stains. That wouldn’t have been a good look for the Manor’s visitors.
He followed his ears to the ballroom and peeked through the half open door in search of Libby. She was teaching some sort of dance.
‘Splendid form, ladies and gentlemen. Now, let’s ask our musicians to play for us so we may showcase our quadrille.’
She pulled her phone from a small silk reticule that hung over her shoulder. After a few seconds, music sounded. She turned the volume up and put the phone back in her bag.
‘And, let us begin!’ she cried. ‘Couple number one, bow… Now cross the circle to each other’s places—’
He watched in awe as she directed the groups. Older people dressed in anoraks and beige trousers danced with young tourists, and everyone was smiling and laughing. Libby noticed him watching through the crack in the door and winked.
As the dance finished, she led a round of applause.
‘I must say, that was a bravura performance. I’m quite certain all of you are ready to attend the ball at Pemberley next week. Now, let us perform it one more time for luck, then we’ll proceed to the library where, I believe, if we are lucky we might encounter a very famous gentleman.’
Henry stepped back from the door. This was obviously his cue. He went to the library and selected an hour of piano music on his phone. He hid the phone behind framed photos on top of the grand piano, selected a leather-backed book from one of the bookshelves and sat down, pretending to read.
A few minutes later, he heard Libby outside.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, we must be extremely quiet, because I do believe the Manor has a visitor.’
He glanced up as she opened the door and peeked in. He grinned at her and she smiled back so brightly his heart sang.
‘Now, this gentleman and I have had a difficult acquaintance so far,’ she continued from the other side of the door. ‘However, I do believe he is actually a hedgehog. His prickly exterior is merely protection for his kind and generous heart.’
