SIX

D etermined to do some shopping, I once again dressed to go into town and left my room. As I tiptoed down the hall, I hoped to avoid running into Keely. But as I reached the first step of the stairs, she once again called out to me.

With a pleasant smile on my face, I turned to her. “Keely. Aren’t you downstairs shooting a scene?”

“Not yet. You’re going into town to shop?”

“That’s right. I mean, if that’s okay with you. Do you need me here?” I offered despite my eagerness to go into town.

“That’s fine. In fact, I have a few things to add to your list.”

Oh, no.

“We’re in desperate need of Christmas decorations for the ballroom scene.”

“Okay. I’ll see what I can scrape up.”

“We’ll need a dozen wreathes. A massive Christmas trees plus two smaller ones.” She held her hand up at shoulder height. “About yay tall.”

“Got it.”

“Also ornaments... antique of course.”

“Right.”

“Lots of big red bows.”

“Gotcha.”

“No, make them gold.”

“Gold it is.”

“We’ll need at least five candelabras. The more elaborate the better.”

“I do think that I have that on my list.”

“Good. Then I think that’ll be it for now.”

“Perfect. I’m on my way out right now.”

Keely trotted down the stairs before I could even contemplate taking my first step. I slowly made my way down and once in the main entrance, came face to face with Barnaby.

“Hey,” he let out. “Where you off to?”

“Shopping now.”

“Mind if I tag along?”

I was stunned. Gaping at him, I had to remind my jaw to go back to its regular resting place. Had he just invited himself to spend the day with me? Surely, I was mistaken. I hadn’t yet confirmed anything with Devi, so I had no obligation there.

“I’ll be gone for most of the day,” I said to avoid any misunderstanding. “Don’t you have scenes to shoot?”

He shrugged, so nonchalant and adorable. “No. It’s all the Bennett family today. I have the whole day off. Besides, I have a few errands of my own to tend to.”

A silly grin spread over my face. I could just feel my cheeks turn redder and redder. My own Mr. Darcy for the day. Surely, I would be the envy of everyone who saw us together.

“Well, then come on,” I managed to say without sounding too giddy.

We headed out and he immediately turned to the right.

“My car is over here,” I said, guiding him to the left.

“No. We’ll take my car. I got a neat little sports car and I’ve been dying to take it out for a ride.”

“As much as I would love to take a ride in a sports car, I’m going to need a little more trunk space than that... a lot more, in fact.

“Well, in that case, we can take my truck.”

Shoot! You have a sports car, and a truck parked out here for whenever you need it?

I smiled. “Oh. Perfect then.”

We got into his truck and drove off.

“So,” he said after a few minutes on the road. “What did you think of my Mr. Darcy?”

“Impressive,” I said. “I was completely brought back into the book that I remember so fondly. I couldn’t imagine anyone doing a better job.”

“I’m glad you liked it. Knowing how much you love the book, your opinion matters a lot.”

It does?

My heart raced. I could hardly believe that I was sitting in a car with Mr. Darcy... oh, Barnaby. I didn’t want to gush. I didn’t want it to be so obvious that I had a wild crush on him. Therefore, I dared not speak.

“You’re rather quiet this morning,” he said after a long moment.

I had to find something to talk about... something other than my feelings for him. I quickly pulled out my shopping list. “Look at this list,” I said, feeling rather silly. “How am I ever going to find all these items? Some of these things I don’t even know what they are. I don’t even know where to begin. What sort of store sells these things.”

“Don’t worry,” he said with such soothing calm. “I know plenty of places and there are at least three magnificent antique stores in town. Surely, you’ll find most of what you need there. And even if they don’t have precisely what you need, they’re knowledgeable enough to offer you a suitable replacement.”

I smiled and let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear.” After a long pause, I added, “How do you know Derbyshire so well, Barnaby?”

He chuckled. “First of all, please do call my Barn. All my friends do.”

My smile broadened. “Oh. Okay.”

“And secondly, I lived in Derbyshire as a child... until I turned fifteen.”

“Where’d you go?”

“London.”

“It’s so beautiful out here. You must miss it terribly.”

“Indeed. I’ve yet to find a prettier place on earth.”

“Well, I’m honored to have you help me out today. Your knowledge of the area will surely be invaluable.”

He nodded with a proud jut of his chin. “Now, tell me... what are these mystery items you know nothing about.”

Befuddled, I simply gazed at him.

“Your list,” he said, looking down at the sheet of paper in my hand. “You said there were items you knew nothing about.”

“Oh. Yeah. Right.” I glanced down at the list. “Well, like.... let’s see here... a Canterbury rack.”

“Essentially a magazine rack... or for sheet music. Any antique store is sure to have one.”

“Oh. Okay. And what about... Delftware. Now, what in the world is that?”

He smiled. “Essentially china with that pretty blue pattern.”

“Oh, yeah. I know what you mean.” I continued to look at my list, hoping to stump him. “Here’s one. What’s a Calmette?”

He chuckled. “Ah, yes. Essentially, that is a very ornate vase.”

“You essentially know your stuff,” I said, playfully teasing his repeated use of the word.

He turned to frown, not understanding my little joke. “You can’t grow up in England without knowing those things,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Really?”

He shrugged and laughed. “I don’t know, really. But my mum just loves antiques, so I learned a few things along the way.”

“Well, either way. I’m sure you’ll be a big help.”

We came to the outskirts of town, and I spotted a equestrian shop. “Can you pull in here?”

“Riding?”

“Yes. It’s for your scene riding through the fields, remember?”

“Right you are.” He pulled up in front of the shop. “Good thing I came along with you then. I’m quite particular about the saddle I set my arse in.”

I let out a laugh as I got out of the car. Not only was he so damned good looking, but he had a sense of humor, too.

We spent over an hour in the shop sitting his ‘ arse ’ down in virtually every saddle they had before he finally found one he liked.

“A riding crop would be nice.”

“It’s not on my list.”

“I’m sure Keely will approve.”

“You do know that we’re on a tight budget.”

He looked at me with big pleading eyes.

“Okay, fine. If we don’t need it, we can always bring it back.”

We loaded the saddle and riding crop into the back of his truck and got back on the road. But we didn’t have to go far. Just around the corner was a huge antique shop.

“You’re going to love this place,” Barn said as he pulled up.

Just seeing the window display was enough to convince me that I would find everything I needed right here. Antique dressers and interesting lamps and gorgeous picture frames beckoned us in.

I pushed open the heavy door and a bell rang overhead as we entered the shop.

“Hello,” an elderly gentleman called out as he came towards us. “I’m Winston Harold, the shop owner. Are you looking for something in particular?”

I pulled out my lengthy list and handed it to him. “I certainly would appreciate your assistance, Mr. Harold.”

“Oh,” he said as he perused the list. “Now, that’s an interesting array of items.”

“We’re in the process of filming the movie version of Pride and Prejudice .”

“I see.”

“It’d be nice if we could have pieces from that time period.”

“1811 to 1812, if memory serves,” he said.

“That’s right.”

He pulled out the pencil that was tucked behind his ear, licked the point and began to cross items off my list. “Wrong period. Wrong period. Way off period. Decades off. This... hmmm. In a bind it could do.” He looked at me. “Many of these items appear twenty to thirty years after the Pride and Prejudice time frame... and these Christmas trees...” He shook his head.

“Oh,” I said, a little at a loss. “Well, truth is, if it works in the scene, we’re okay with... you know... fudging it a bit.”

“I see. Why don’t we take a look around and see what we can do. I’m certain we’ll find you plenty of worthy items for your movie.”

I followed along behind him as he meandered through the maze of settees, writing desks, pedestal tables and rocking chairs.

“I do have a limited budget,” I called out to him before he considered showing me any pricy item.

“Of course you do.” He stopped at a beautifully ornate tabletop mirror. “Now this is a gorgeous piece.”

Indeed, it was, as was virtually every item he showed me,

By the time we left the shop an hour later, I had more than my list required, but I felt certain every purchase would be appreciated.

“I thought you were the producer of this film,” Barn said as he slammed the tailgate shut. “How did you end up shopping around for movie props?”

I walked back to the passenger side door. “Cindy, the prop master, has her hands full as it is. I thought I’d give her a hand. I admit I didn’t expect such an extensive list, but... well... as it turns out, this is fun.”

“I’m happy to see that you’re enjoying yourself.” He got behind the wheel. “What now?”

“All I need now are some Christmas wreaths,” I said as I buckled up. “Any idea where I could find some at this time of year?”

“I may not know where you could find wreaths, but I do know a craft store that will sell you everything you need to make some.”

As he pulled out of the parking lot, I looked at him. Make them? I have no idea how to make a wreath. What was he thinking?

“I see the skepticism in your gaze,” he said, his eyes on the road. “I’ll have you know that, not only does my mother have an eye for the perfect antique, she is also the queen of wreathmaking.”

I smiled at him. “And let me guess; she taught you everything she knows.”

“That’s right.”

We arrived at the craft store that was fill with floor to ceiling joy. Anything and everything an artist or crafter could possibly need was there; paints, canvas, ribbons, beads, and... greenery for our wreaths. We bought everything we needed and returned to the movie set. We haven’t taken an item out of the back of the truck before Cindy was at our side.

“Find everything I asked for?”

“I think you’ll be very happy,” I said.

Nodding her approval, she looked at the numerous items. “Good. Yeah. This will do. We’ll paint this gold. But there are some items missing.”

“The antique expert that assisted us with our shopping said a number of items were of a later time period... far too late even if we weren’t being too precise with that sort of thing.”

Slightly offended, she simply nodded. “What about the wreaths?”

“Right here,” Barn said as he pulled a bag of greenery out from the back seat of the truck.

“What’s that?” she huffed. “Just a bag of spruce bits.”

“These ‘spruce bits’, as you call them, will be transformed into magnificent wreaths.” He turned to me. “Come on, Ayra. Let’s get to work.” He grabbed the other bag that was filled with ribbons and turned once again to me. “Ready?”

“Barn, I have no idea how to make a wreath.”

“I know. I’ll show you.”

Fireworks went off in my belly. We’d spent the larger part of the morning together, and he now wanted to go on and work on this wreath project with me.

Could he be more adorable?

As Cindy loaded up with her newly acquired props, I followed Barn around to the back of the manor.

“This could get a little messy,” he said as he walked on. “So we’ll set up back here.”

Anything you say.

We reached the greenhouse, and he set the bags down on a large table set up near it.

“We’ll just have to clear some of this stuff away...” he said, as he pushed aside the few flower pots that sat on the table and then set the bag of seeds on the ground. “There.” Satisfied that we now had enough space to work, he turned to me and waved me over.

“I’m not much of a crafty person,” I said.

“No worries,” he said with a warm smile. “I’ll guide you every step of the way. You’ll see. It’s easy once you get the hang of it.”

We got to work, and I was surprised to see what a good teacher he was. He was patient and did a great job of explaining every step.

I didn’t want the day to end. Being with him was a dream I could never have imagined would come true.

“That one is a little wonky,” he said of a wreath I’d just made. “Reminds me of one of the first I’d made with my mother.”

“Oh?”

He shot me a teasing grin. “Yes... when I was eight years of age.”

I looked at my wonky wreath, holding it up and turning it one way and another. “Well, it’s not a perfect circle but...”

“Circle? Love, an egg is more circular than that wreath.”

Despite the harsh critique, I laughed. “I imagine your mother would not be very proud of that one.”

His chuckle was filled with the obvious affection he had for his mother. “Despite her title as queen of wreathmaking, she could be quite forgiving with a pupil’s first attempts.”

“How can I fix this?” I said, looking at the green disaster.

“Here,” he said, as he reached out to take a hold of the wreath.

His hand brushed over mine and my breath caught in my throat.

“Hold it here,” he said, pinching another portion of the wreath with his thumb and index finger.

This time it was my hand that brushed over his as I set my fingers precisely where he indicated.

“All you need to do...” He took apart a section of the wreath. “... fix this here, take that one away and...” He reattached the section. “Voila!”

His hand swept over mine as he took the wreath and held it up. “Isn’t that better?”

“Much,” I said, amazed by what his capable fingers had done to my attempt... not to mention to my racing heart.

Gazing at his handiwork, he smiled. “Mum would be proud.”

Dimples and all, he was more than charming. Dare I say, even more charming than the fictional Mr. Darcy.

Damn. I was falling for him... falling hard.