Ten Days with Mr Darcy (on hold)

Chapter thirteen - Rainy day

Wednesday morning dawned to sullen grey skies and weather more typical of an English June than the pleasant summer days they'd enjoyed so far that week.

Jess stirred soggy cornflakes around her bowl as she described the delicious menu available at the Green Man. When Sebastian didn't make an appearance for his usual coffee and toast, Caroline slipped into his chair and leaned towards Jess. "My dear, what on earth have you done to poor Mr. Darcy?"

"Not a thing. He was fine when I last saw him. Perhaps he overslept?"

Miss Bingley's smile twisted slightly as Mr. Flint pushed his chair away from the table and rose with a stately grace, saying, "I'll check on him."

She was grateful Trevor had offered. After her late-night conversation with Sebastian, she wasn't sure it was a good idea to put temptation in his way by knocking on his bedroom door.

When she arrived in wardrobe, Jessica was relieved that the day's dress was long sleeved. There was a damp chill in the air as the cold cotton and muslin brushed against her skin, although the two petticoats beneath her skirts would soon warm her up. Three months ago her favourite daydream had been the one where she'd woken up in the early 19th century, surrounded by the same world Jane Austen wrote about in her novels. Now she was finally getting to experience a tiny bit of that dream. The delicate dresses with their high waists were comfortable enough, but she was increasingly glad to slide back into her jeans at the end of the day.

Those taking part in the first two scenes moved through the house to the backstage corridor just before the hall officially opened to visitors. Jessica sat on one of the hard chairs, next to Mrs Gardiner, while Mr. Gardiner stood in front of his favourite seascape, pondering the stationary waves. He held his hands behind his back, rocking back and forth on his heels as they waited for the signal from Mandy that they should enter the breakfast room to begin.

On Sunday there had been a queue waiting for the house to open, so they'd had a decent sized audience for their first scene. Ten minutes before they were due to speak their opening lines, Mandy came to let them know that not one car had entered the Exley Hall's visitor car park.

Jess had seen plenty of empty theatre seats due to unexpected bad weather. One weekend a few winters ago a big blizzard had caused havoc on the roads just before Christmas, and many of the audience had decided to stay at home rather than risk an accident. But the difference between theatres and stately homes was that people pre-booked tickets for plays and pantomimes, sometimes months in advance, and made every effort to attend.

Visiting a stately home in the middle of the countryside was more of a spontaneous decision, which could be easily swayed by the presence of dark clouds on the horizon, or a less than promising weather report. Part of Exley Hall's charm was its extensive grounds and the miles of woodland walks that crossed the estate. Why would anyone choose to pay the substantial entrance fee on such a dreary day, when at least half their visit would leave them decidedly damp?

Mandy raked a flustered hand through her hair. "I never imagined there would be no visitors in June. What should we do?"

"It's still early yet," Mrs Reynolds said. "They could turn up for the second or third scene."

Mrs Gardiner sniffed. "Why should they when they could put it off by twenty-four hours and enjoy the Regency fair at no extra charge?"

Gerald rolled his eyes. "Do you realise this house has been standing for a long time. There's more history here than just the one short time period. One of the early 20th century occupants left a beautiful collection of antique fishing flies." He turned back to Mandy. "Do you want us to start as usual and play to an empty room?"