Ten Days with Mr Darcy (on hold)

Chapter nineteen - An unexpected comfort

Jess staggered back into the corridor. Shock spun into distress as tears welled behind her lashes, and a strong desire to be anywhere else sent her fleeing back down the stairs. She never imagined that Sebastian's anger and frustration in the orangery would push him to strike back in such a vicious way.

Bingley and Jane met her on the half-landing. Gareth frowned as she passed them. "Hey, Jess, wait. Is everything okay?"

She pressed her lips together and continued on, not trusting herself to answer. It wasn't until she reached the ground floor that Jess realised her mistake. If she'd gone to her room, instead of down the stairs, she would've been out of sight of any curious eyes, but that was impossible now. She couldn't face revealing the sordid tale to Laura and Gareth, and the idea of walking past Sebastian's door again turned her stomach.

Instead, she retreated into the ladies toilets, hoping that some time alone would allow her to order her scattered thoughts. How could Sebastian be so cruel? If he'd had any real feelings for her, surely he would have shown some remorse or embarrassment when she caught him with another woman.

Did he ever care for her at all? Or had it been just one more performance from him? If the latter, then he surely deserved an Oscar, for she had never doubted him for one moment.

As she slumped against the wall, blowing her streaming nose and blotting her eyes, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Her face was streaked with damp tracks and her eyes were now red and blotchy. Jess mentally kicked herself. Why was she so upset over someone who had proven himself unworthy of her tears?

Because she'd really liked Sebastian, and he'd made her believe that he felt the same.

Jess had spent so long imagining her perfect Darcy that she'd mistakenly imbued Sebastian Fox with the traits of that fictional character—traits he'd neither possessed nor deserved. How could she have been so blind, so naïve, to believe she had finally found someone as wonderful as Austen's perfect creation?

A splash of cold water on her face and a few deep breaths calmed her enough to consider what she ought to do next. She couldn't stay here all evening, but neither could she face going to the green room, where too many questions would be asked. The only place she might stand a chance of being alone for a while was in the garden.

Before she had the chance to make her escape, the door opened. "Eliza, my dear!" Caroline cried, very much still in character, but one glance at Jessica's red, swollen eyes brought her to an abrupt stop. "Whatever's the matter?"

Jessica waved her away, fearing that any explanation would cause her fragile composure to crumble. She was barely holding herself together as it was. Besides, the last person she would confide in was Caroline Bingley. "Nothing's wrong...nothing. Please let me go," she begged, trying to squeeze through a doorway currently blocked by the tall woman.

"Oh no ... I knew it." Caroline's voice no longer carried its customary feigned brightness. Instead, it was warm and concerned, with a hint of an accent that Jessica hadn't noticed before. "What has he done this time?" When Jessica pursed her lips and shook her head, Caroline put a comforting arm around her shoulders as her voice softened to a whisper. "Shh. There's no need to talk about it if you'd rather not, but I can't think of leaving you alone. Not now."

Ruth's unexpected kindness broke down her defences, causing the pent-up distress inside Jessica to overflow. Fresh tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

Before Jess had time to reach for the roll of toilet paper, Ruth dug in her handbag and passed her a packet of tissues. "Come. Let's find somewhere quiet, away from here, where we can sit undisturbed. Then, when you feel ready, you can tell me all about it."