Dating Mr. Darcy - Kate O'Keeffe Page 0,59
transfixed. A lump rises in my throat as an odd sensation spreads across my chest.
“Would you look at this place,” Lori exclaims. “Pemberley is gorgeous!”
“Wow, this guy is seriously loaded! I had no idea,” Reggie says as she stands up to get a better view.
“Welcome to Downton Abbey, girls,” Kennedy says to nods of agreement.
“Only much, much better,” Phoebe agrees, “because it’s real.”
We come to a stop and the doors to the bus open. Everyone rushes to get out. I sit, collecting my scrambled thoughts. Seeing Sebastian’s house—if that’s what you call a building the size of an office block—suddenly makes this all feel so much more real.
He may be playacting as Mr. Darcy, but he’s the real thing. I always knew we were from different worlds. Seeing his home makes me realize we’re from different planets. A girl like me would never fit into a place like this.
Lizzie Bennet joked with her sister Jane that she realized she was in love with Mr. Darcy the moment she laid eyes on Pemberley. For me, seeing Sebastian’s home, as stunningly fairy-tale perfect as it is, only assures me beyond a whisper of a doubt that he and I could never be together.
Any misguided feelings I have for him need to be left to wither and die.
“You coming, Em?” Kennedy asks, interrupting my train of thought.
I pull myself back to reality. “Of course.” I collect my things and make my way to the exit.
Outside the bus, the place is even more overwhelming. There’s an ornate fountain that looks like it could have been transplanted from Florence, a bunch of topiary trees and shrubs running past the house, and sitting right on top of the highest level of the house, there’s a flag pole, proudly flying the Union Jack.
As if we need a reminder that we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
We go through the process of collecting our luggage and are then grouped together in front of the house, mics attached and cameras at the ready. Although it’s summer here, the temperature has dropped about a hundred degrees from the unrelenting Texan heat we were used to, and it takes determination not to throw on a sweatshirt over my Timothy apparel.
“Mr. Darcy will be stepping out of the front door onto these steps in about thirty seconds time,” Carl, one of the crew informs us, and my belly does a flip at the prospect of seeing Sebastian again. “I want you looking super happy to see him, and excited to be here at ‘Pemberley.’ Okay?”
“We are super happy to see him and excited to be at ‘Pemberley,’” Shelby says, and a bunch of the contestants agree.
“Awesome,” he replies with more than a hint of sarcasm before he yells, “Quiet on the set!”
Right then the oversized wooden doors at the top of the stone steps swing open and Sebastian appears, looking quite the gentleman of the manor in his Mr. Darcy breeches, buttoned up jacket, and top hat.
The sight of him has my tummy doing flips, and I find myself wanting to slip behind the contestants so he doesn’t see me.
There’s a ripple of excitement that flows through the group, and every eye in the place watches as he strides through the door and out into the weak English sun.
“Ladies, welcome to Pemberley,” he says with a smile.
We all murmur our thanks, then fall silent once more.
“I trust you travelled well, and are happy to be here at ‘Pemberley.’” He shifts his weight and I wonder whether he’s uneasy giving his much-loved Martinston the fictitious name.
“I wonder where Johnathan is,” I hear Phoebe whisper behind me.
“Oh, I’m sure he’s lurking in the house somewhere,” Camille replies.
“He probably got lost. The place is huge,” Reggie comments.
“Once you are settled and changed into attire befitting a lady of Pemberley, we shall all meet for drinks on the terrace. Until then, adieu.” He smiles at us all and then turns and walks back through the large doors and into the house.
Sometime later, we are allocated our rooms up the huge staircase on the second floor. I am beyond excited to find that not only am I no longer sharing with Reggie the snorer and Lori the sleep talker, but I’ve got Kennedy, my new bestie, in a room all to ourselves. And our room is off-the-charts gorgeous. It’s massive with its own seating area and a huge four-poster bed, complete with a top canopy and curtains to make us feel like princesses. There’s a second bed near