ONE

D evi was actually Barnaby Darcy . I still couldn’t believe it. The transformation was incredible, from the gawky kid in the photo to the gorgeous movie star. He had bulked up over time, probably a good thirty pounds heavier than his string bean days, and his skin had completely cleared up, leaving his face smooth and clean. Once his braces were removed, he was left with beautiful white teeth and with that, a gorgeous and charming smile. His black mop of curls was shorn quite short at the back with a bit more volume at the front, framing his face in a way that accentuated his strong features, like chiseled cheeks, a masculine jawline, and green eyes.

I hated to admit it, but I was star-struck!

“Ayra!” a feminine voice called as I wandered aimlessly through the manor. “Ayra!”

The clip clop of heels came toward me and as I turned to face the oncoming voice, I smiled.

“Keely!” I let out with excitement and relief.

“You finally made it! Heavens, I thought you’d lost your way.”

Exhausted and eager to find my living quarters, I gave her a weak hug.

“I’m so happy to see you,” she said, hugging me back with much more vigor than I had to offer. “Is everything all right?”

“Fine. Great,” I said. “Just a little jetlagged.”

“Oh. Of course.” She looked down at my luggage. “And you’re not even settled in yet.”

“I was detained in London a little longer than planned,” I said with a wry grin. Not wanting to relive my no-show date with Devi, I quickly changed the subject. “Do you happen to know where I’ll be staying while I’m here?”

“Absolutely,” she said. She picked up my smaller suitcase. “Follow me.”

Grabbing the handle of my larger suitcase, I guided it alongside me as we walked through the wide corridors with impossibly high ceilings. I lugged the big, heavy thing up the stairs, suddenly regretting all the shoes I’d packed.

“You’re going to love it here,” Keely said as we reached the upper level and took to the corridor. “It reeks of Jane Austen.”

Although the old-world structure was modernized with unexpected lighting fixtures straight out of the twenty-first century, modern and abstract art that seemed awkwardly out of place, and steel and iron sculptures that were virtually space aged, the bones of the place were good and sound.

“Here you go,” Keely said as she pushed open a black wooden door.

I’d fully expected something dark and dank, something heavy with blood red velvet drapes, woolen rugs of faded roses and rustic dark furniture. But the door opened to a ray of sunshine that was instantly explosive.

Painted a pale yellow, the walls rose up to twelve feet with the ceiling painted a slightly darker shade of yellow. Trimmed with white crown molding, the room was elegant and welcoming.

Three area rugs were scattered over the whitewashed wood floors: one beside the bed, another at the foot of the bed and the third under the small desk by the windows.

“You like it?” Keely said with apprehension when I said nothing.

“Like it? Keely, this is gorgeous. It is so not what I expected .”

“I knew you’d like it. I told the caretaker of the place that you were coming in from sunny California and I wanted you to feel right at home.”

I smiled as I playfully leaned into her. “I guess it’s a good thing that I happen to know the co-founder of the Jane Austen Association.”

And as the director, screenwriter and co-executive producer of the Pride and Prejudice film, I knew that Keely carried a whole lot of weight. She wasn’t the type to give up easily, and she had a way of getting what she wanted. If she told the caretaker of the manor to arrange for a bright and sunny room for me... then it was a sure thing the task would be done.

“Look,” she said as she put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Why don’t you unpack, maybe freshen up if you wish, or take a quick nap if you need to. I’ll come back in... let’s say an hour to give you the grand tour of the place. How does that sound?”

Despite my fatigue, I was eager to explore the place. “Make it twenty minutes.”

“Deal.” She turned on her heel. “Catch you later.”

As Keely closed the door behind her, I went to one of the four tall windows and pulled back the delicate white curtains to look outside. Just like so many English manors, the perfectly manicured lawn seemed to go on forever. To the far left was a large pond – more like a small lake – probably filled with fish and ducks. Beyond the pond stood tall trees that reached high to touch the sky. But above it all, was the spectacular view that seemed to go on forever. Rolling hills and a patchwork of agricultural lands were dotted with tiny villages so quaint and inviting.

I returned to the bed and sat on the edge to run my hand over the white bedcover that was embroidered with tiny yellow flowers and delicate bright green leaves. I breathed in the air of the space, filling myself with the aura and spirit of the old manor. As the music arranger for the upcoming film, I wanted to immerse myself in that old world mindset.

I looked around the room. All the furniture was of a pale wood, perhaps bleached, with delicate porcelain drawer pulls. The area rug at my feet, though clearly not an original, replicated the delicate flower patterns of the past.

Yes, I thought. My stay in Derbyshire was going to be quite pleasant.

I kicked off my sandals, got to my feet and quickly unpacked, freshened up and was ready and waiting when Keely returned to give me the promised grand tour.

“Let’s start with the beautiful rose garden. You’re going to love this.”

Once outside, we meandered along the path that led us to a flood of roses, gorgeous dahlias and dozens of other flowers that I had never seen before.

“Leave it to you to find such a heavenly place to house everyone,” I said, as I playfully leaned into her. “And I think it will make the perfect backdrop for so many scenes.”

“That’s what I’m counting on,” Keely said. “Our budget is not quite what I would have hoped, but finding this jewel of a manor was a real stroke of good luck. The gardens, the views, the various structures. With the right camera angles, most of the movie can be filmed right here.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a creative person who was quite as pragmatic as you are. You think of everything.”

“And you’ve always been great for my ego.” Giggling as she led me to a stone bench set amid tall yellow flowers, she put her arm around my shoulders. “This is just like the old days at UCI. Walking with you, talking with you, giggling over nothing. I’m so glad you accepted this assignment.”

“Accepted? Keely, you know how I absolutely love Pride and Prejudice . I would have been devastated if you had offered it to anyone else... positively devastated!”

She chuckled as we sat down. “I truly couldn’t imagine anyone else for the job. You know, I learned a lot about you back at Graduate Film School. I saw the way you worked, how diligent and conscientious you were, not to mention your artistic flair. Remember when you worked on that project with... oh, what was her name? Charlotte, I believe. It was a short film set in a small town haunted by the memories of the unfortunate happenings of a cult set up on the outskirts of town.”

“Yeah,” I said, remembering that small but profoundly important project. “Sorcerer’s Offspring, Charlotte called it. A very strange tale.”

“That’s right,” Keely said. “The Sorcerer’s Offspring. I remember hearing other students snicker as they predicted the same old, same old type horror movie music score. But no. What you did with that was amazing. There was something haunting about it, all while being lively and upbeat. I still don’t know how you pulled it off.”

Humbled by her immense praise, I looked down at my clasped hands. “Thanks. I really appreciate that. I remember the apprehension I had facing that project. Like you said, everyone expected a typical haunted mansion melodramatic score. I think I actually surprised myself with that one. I worked really closely with the composer... I think her name was Abigail. She understood what I wanted and made it happen.”

“And I expect you to do the same here. We’ll be working with Bertrand Cousineau, a French composer. He’s young and inventive, and I’m sure you two will hit it off.”

Nodding, I looked at her. “I’m eager to get started. My head is rushing with ideas.”

She let out a light laugh. “Oh. I knew it would. I knew that you wouldn’t waste much time.” Suddenly, she shot to her feet, her gaze fixed on a distant point. “Oh! Come on. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

I hurried to follow behind her as she took a stone path that veered out of the rose garden and led to a large water fountain.

“Jai Doshi is Moon Manor’s caretaker,” she shot over her shoulder as we reached the fountain.

“Jai,” she called out to the young man kneeling at the foot of an ailing bush. “Jai. Over here. I want to introduce you to my very good friend.”

The young man stood all while slapping his dirt covered hands against his soiled jeans. Looking up from under his shock of thick brown hair, he looked at Keely then turned to me. A wide and welcoming grin split his face and I was instantly smitten.