Christmas With Mr Darcy by Victoria Connelly Read Free Book Online Page A

conferences yourself.’
    ‘You think she’d keep them going?’
    ‘Are you kidding? Pammy adores having a house full of people. She’ll never give that up even when she reaches a hundred - which I’m sure she will.’
    Robyn smiled. ‘You’re right,’ she said. ‘Now, how do you fancy keeping an eye on Cassandra for a while?’
    ‘Sure,’ Dan said, taking the sleeping baby from his wife. ‘What are you up to?’
    ‘I’ve just got to pop back and watch the end of Emma . I can’t miss that proposal scene in the garden!’
     
    After Mr Knightley had kissed Emma Woodhouse to rapturous applause, it was time to get ready for dinner.
    Katherine had been chatting to Robyn after the showing of Emma and, realising the time, dashed up the stairs to get changed. Entering the bedroom, she saw Warwick stooped over his suitcase, hunting through the clothes and books he’d packed.
    ‘Warwick? What are you looking for?’ she asked.
    He jumped and span around. ‘Oh, you startled me!’ he said.
    ‘Have you lost something?’
    ‘No!’
    ‘You looked as if you were searching for something,’ she said, suspicion in her voice.
    ‘No, no. Not to worry,’ he said, straightening his jacket.
    Katherine nodded and then walked across to the window. It had been dark for hours but the falling snow was still visible in the light thrown out from the windows.
    ‘How on earth are we all to get home?’ she said.
    Warwick came and stood behind her, pushing her long dark hair aside and kissing her neck. ‘We’ve only just arrived!’ he said.
    ‘I know but-’
    ‘But nothing,’ he said, turning her around to face him. ‘Don’t worry about the journey home or the state of the roads or if we’ll have to dig the car out by hand and push it all the way back to Sussex.’ He kissed the tip of her nose.
    ‘I wasn’t worrying,’ she told him. ‘At least, I wasn’t worrying until you said all those things. I was merely thinking that I’ve never seen so much snow and-’
    ‘And wouldn’t it be wonderful if we got snowed in at Purley Hall and had to stay forever and ever,’ Warwick interrupted.
    ‘Well, it might be wonderful for a little while but we’ve both got to get back and write our books and I’ve got students to teach and my neighbour really can’t be expected to look after Freddie and Fitz forever,’ Katherine said.
    Warwick stopped her mouth with a kiss. ‘Your cats will be fine. Your students will be fine. But I won’t be fine if you don’t give me one hundred percent of your attention right now.’
    Katherine smiled, took a deep breath and then obliged him.
     
    The dining room looked magical. The fire was roaring and all the candelabra had been lit. The women glittered in dresses bejewelled with beads and sequins and the men looked resplendent in crisp shirts and waistcoats.
    Dinner was eaten to the sound of gentle chatter and, after the main course was finished, a great cake was wheeled into the dining room. It was three tiers high and a delicate pink and was lit with forty-one candles to mark the age of Jane Austen when she’d died.
    There was plenty for everyone to have seconds and even thirds and it was all washed down with champagne and a special toast to celebrate Jane Austen’s birthday.
    ‘Don’t drink too much, Mia,’ Sarah warned her sister. ‘We need to keep our minds sharp for the quiz this evening.’
    ‘There can’t possibly be any questions I won’t know the answer to. I’m a walking encyclopaedia when it comes to Jane Austen,’ Mia boasted.
    ‘You might be surprised,’ Sarah said. ‘I’ve heard the quiz can be surprisingly tough.’
     

Chapter 8
    ‘Into groups! Into groups!’ Dame Pamela chorused, clapping her hands together and sending a thousand sparks shooting around the library from her diamond rings.
    The guests quickly got themselves into little groups around tables that had been laid out with after dinner mints and sheets of pretty note paper and pens. Doris Norris