The Dashwood Sisters Tell All (16 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

T
he sisterly camaraderie that Mimi and I had established lasted through the remainder of the afternoon. Later, the van and the taxi ferried us from Selborne into Winchester and deposited us at our final destination, the Hotel du Vin.

I couldn't believe that the tour was almost over. We had the farewell dinner that evening, a tour of Winchester in the morning, and then Tom would drop us off at the train station.

Mimi and I agreed to settle in and then meet in the hotel's garden before we dressed for dinner. She hadn't pressed me to tell her about what had happened with Daniel, but as we sat at a table beneath a large umbrella, the musical sound of flowing water soothing us, I spilled the events of the afternoon.

Mimi's eyes widened. “Here you have the man you’ve always loved, traveling across an ocean to win you, and all you can think is that he's after the diary?”

“What else am I supposed to think?” He hadn't exactly been truthful.

Mimi gave me a stern look. “Tell me what he said. Exactly.”

“He said that Mom contacted him and asked him to come on the tour so that he could help us with returning the diary.”

“And?”

“He said that he agreed, but just as an excuse to see me again.”

“That's bad because why?”

I sighed. “What if he's the one who stole the diary?”

Mimi leaned forward. “What if he's not?” She stopped and bit her lip. “You can't afford to be wrong about this. Because if Daniel didn't take the diary, then you’re throwing away happiness with both hands.”

That kept me quiet for a long moment.

“Look, Ellen,” Mimi said, “heaven knows that I’m no expert at romance. I mean, my week hasn't exactly been a relationship success. But don't send Daniel packing because he made a mistake by tipping off Mrs. Parrot.” She paused. “Or are you still holding Melissa against him?”

“I admit it. I want to be the only woman he's ever loved.”

“So your feelings aren't exactly unconditional. Is your pride really worth giving up love?”

“You think I’m crazy to tell Daniel to leave me alone.”

“Crazy? That's debatable.” She smiled, and I felt a faint echo of a smile on my own lips. “But foolish? Yes.” She paused. “For so long, I’ve thought we were complete opposites, but we’re not. We both fell into the same trap—trying to find a love that's perfect. There's no such thing.”

I wasn't used to Mimi being the font of wisdom in our relationship. “Of course there's no such thing.”

“We know that intellectually. But Mom infected us with her Jane Austen adoration.”

I looked around at the beautiful garden. “So where does that leave us?” I asked.

“I think it leaves us right where we started.”

“On Sunday, you mean, when we arrived at Oakley Hall?”

Mimi shook her head. “No. I mean it leaves us right back at that little house in Dallas with Mom. Wondering if we’ll ever find Mr. Right.”

“No way,” I said. “No more Mr. Right talk, ever.”

“What about Mr. Maybe?”

“Not even that. If nothing else, I’ve realized that romance and I don't mix.”

“I don't think Daniel would agree.”

“I thought you said we were starting over.” Mimi could worry a subject like a dog could a bone when she put her mind to it. “Daniel is in the past.”

“I didn't say we were starting over. I said we were right back where we started. There's a big difference.”

“I don't understand.”

Mimi looked at me. Really looked at me. “We have a chance to do it right this time, Ellen. The blinders have come off. We might have worn different styles, but we both had them on. Now, I think, we can see our lives differently.”

To be honest, I wasn't sure I wanted to see my life any way but as the same comfortable old rut I’d left when I came to England.

“What if it's too late?” I said, trying not to let the panic I felt seep into my voice. “Maybe we’ve missed our chance.”

Mimi frowned. “That's the point, Ell. Maybe we get more than one chance.”

I could tell she was thinking of Tom. “And it's different for you this time?” I couldn't help the note of disbelief in my voice.

Mimi actually blushed. “Yes,” she said in a strong, clear voice. “I think it is.”

Tom Braddock was hardly the knight in shining armor that Mimi had always talked about, but he was a good man. A strong man. A man who adored my sister.

A sudden burst of loneliness washed over me.

“Give Daniel another chance,” Mimi said. “If we find out he took the diary, all bets are off. But I don't think he did.”

“You sound so sure.”

She shook her head. “I’m not sure of anything. Not anymore. But…” She grimaced. “Look, sis, I’d bet my last dollar that Daniel's not our culprit.”

“Then who is?”

“I don't know. But if I were you, I’d trust Daniel. Don't let your jealousy over Melissa ruin things between you two.”

“I’ll think about it.” An easy enough promise to keep. I’d done little but think about Daniel for the past five days. “It would just be a lot easier if I knew where that diary was.”

Mimi stood up. “Come on. We need to get ready for the farewell dinner.” She took off across the garden, almost as if she were running from something. I glanced around, thinking that I might see Ethan lurking somewhere, but there was no sign of him.

No doubt it was simply her frustration with me. I’d watched her throw away a good thing often enough to know how difficult a spectator sport that could be.

Mimi loaned me a dress for the farewell dinner. The Mediterranean-blue chiffon had a deep V-neck, left my shoulders bare, and fell to the floor in soft pleats. I hoped it wasn't too dressy, but Mimi convinced me to go for it.

Mimi's advice to me in the garden was having an effect. She was right, of course. No matter how much I’d tried not to be contaminated by my mother's Austen obsession, I hadn't avoided absorbing the idea of the perfect man being out there somewhere, if I could just find him. Or manage not to lose him. Daniel had shown himself to be imperfect, and that had scared me far more than the idea that he might have taken the diary.

Was I willing to take a chance on an imperfect man? Or would I rather revel in my righteous indignation over his failure to live up to my inflated expectations?

We returned to Chawton Great House for the final dinner. Tom had said it would be the perfect venue for our last meal together, and he was right. The dark-paneled dining room was virtually unchanged from Austen's day. The long table and chairs had actually belonged to Jane's brother Edward. Now it was fully set with beautiful china, sparkling crystal, shining silver, and centerpieces of enormous roses from the garden.

“Jane herself would have eaten off this table,” Tom said with a grin, and all of us made appreciative noises. We all laughed, too, when several of the ladies took turns sitting in various chairs to see if they could “sense” her presence.

The staff offered us small glasses of sherry before dinner, and I felt both glamorous and apprehensive. Daniel had been eyeing me since the ride over from Winchester, but he hadn't approached me yet. Tom and Mimi seemed as standoffish with each other as Daniel and I did, but I was determined not to interfere. There was no sign of Ethan, and I felt relieved on Mimi's behalf.

I moved to a window that overlooked the front drive. The village church sat just at the gate to the house, its spire peeping out above the trees.

Daniel came up to stand beside me. “Are there any views in England that you couldn't put on a postcard?” he said with a nod toward the church.

“I think it's a legal requirement,” I said with a smile. I didn't really think he had stolen the diary. I didn't think it was Mrs. Parrot now, either. Which left me with no idea whatsoever as to whom the culprit might be.

“Ellen, I wanted to apologize again for violating your trust.”

“I should apologize too.” I couldn't quite look him in the eye. “I was…hurt.”

“I should have told you I wanted to talk to Mrs. Parrot.”

I held up a hand. “You don't have to explain. I think I understand. Or at least I’m beginning to.”

“I’d always wondered, if I saw you again—”

“Don’t.”

He grimaced. “Don't apologize? Don't talk to you? Which is it?”

“The first. As to the second, I think we actually have quite a lot of talking to do.”

“We do?” He breathed a literal sigh of relief. “I’m glad to hear it.”

I glanced around the room. “Not here though. Let's sneak out for a few minutes.”

He glanced at his watch. “Dinner won't be for a little while yet. Come on.”

I saw Tom notice our departure, but he didn't stop us. We slipped out of the house and headed around the side toward the rose garden we’d seen two days before. Neither of us said anything until we came to a stop on the terrace just outside the garden.

Daniel took my hand in his, and my pulse raced. “I have a confession to make,” he said.

“Another one?” His words did nothing to slow my heart rate.

“Back in college, I knew that you were in love with me.”

I started to pull away, but he kept a gentle grip on my hand. “Daniel—”

“I think that I was in love with you too. But I was just a kid. I didn't know how to handle it.”

“You don't have to—”

“Shh.” He leaned toward me, and his lips brushed mine. “We’ll figure all that out later. Right now, let's just concentrate on this.”

I should have argued, but I didn’t. We still had the diary's mysterious disappearance to solve, but for the moment, this was enough. Daniel's lips on mine and the scent of roses and hope heavy in the evening air.

I had hoped that Ethan would turn up for the farewell dinner, but Tom said he was still in London, as far as anyone knew. I’d known as Ellen and I sat in the hotel garden that afternoon that I had to figure out a way to get the diary back. Because of my misplaced trust in Ethan—not to mention my romantic desperation—I had made a major error in judgment. Now it was up to me to rectify it.

After we returned to the hotel from the farewell dinner, Ellen said that she was ready for bed and headed upstairs to her room. But from the starry look in her eyes, I expected she would spend more time mooning over Daniel than actually sleeping.