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‘Do you have any other projects for next year, apart from the Jane Austen festival in the spring?’ Henry asked.
‘A couple of small parties, but that’s it. I want to focus on the festivals to make them the best they can be.’
‘Austenfest is going to be amazing!’ Libby said. ‘And I’ve had another brilliant idea!’
James caught Henry’s eye and a look of panic flashed across both their features.
‘Er, that sounds wonderful,’ Henry said, his tone conveying the opposite thought. ‘What did you have in mind?’
‘Well,’ she began, her face shining with excitement, ‘I want to build a buzz by getting people to consider whether they’re Team Darcy or Team Wickham. I was thinking of hanging two huge banners on the outside of the manor with #TeamDarcy and #TeamWickham on them.’
Estelle glanced at her brother. He was scratching his fingers into his short curls as if worried.
‘And would there be anything else on these banners?’ he asked, clearly hoping his fiancée’s answer would be ‘no’.
Libby’s cheeks pinked. ‘You dressed as Darcy will be on one, and I was hoping James would play Wickham for the other.’
‘And would that be the end of this particular thought? Or do you have any other ideas for us?’
‘Um…’
‘Who’s better? Darcy or Wickham?’ James asked her.
‘Well…’
‘Darcy,’ Estelle said.
James looked affronted. ‘So, Henry’s got a head start?’
‘It’s not a competition,’ Libby said quickly.
‘Yes, it is,’ Estelle said, a grin spreading across her face at James’s frown and her brother’s obvious discomfort.
James leaned back in his chair, manspreading to the max. ‘I’ll do it.’
‘You will?’ Libby asked, hope in her eyes.
‘Yeah, on one condition.’
‘Ye-es?’
‘We’re both wearing wet shirts.’
Estelle snorted with laughter as Henry dropped his chin to his chest with a sigh.
‘Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!’ Libby squealed. ‘This is going to be amazing!’
‘How about it, Henry?’ James asked, bringing his arms down and flexing. ‘A little bit of healthy competition for a good cause?’
Henry mirrored his stance. ‘I warn you, I’ve been working out more than normal. You might not catch me up.’
Estelle grinned at their peacocking, and the look on Libby’s face as if she was on the verge of climaxing.
James reached across the table and shook Henry’s hand. ‘Challenge accepted.’
‘You don’t mind playing the bad guy?’ Estelle asked James as they strolled away from the manor a few hours later, hand-in-hand. The night air was warm, and the leaves glowed gold under the streetlights.
He shook his head. ‘It’s my chance to rehabilitate Wickham. Anyway, people love a reformed rake, and the greater their redemption, the more they love them.’ He smiled. ‘And bad guys are also way sexier than good guys.’
