Read Online Christmas With Mr Darcy by Victoria Connelly - Free Book Online

can’t be any worse than me. You’ve seen the chaos I live in.’
    Sarah nodded, thinking of the little terrace in Bath she shared with Gabe and how it had been transformed from a neat bachelor pad into a toddler’s paradise since Mia had descended with little William.
    ‘Exactly my point,’ Sarah said. ‘You like chaos. Chaos suits you but it doesn’t suit me. I don’t know if I’m really cut out to be a mother.’
    ‘Sarah – you’ll be a brilliant mother!’ Mia assured her.
    She shook her head. ‘But how will I cope with all the mess? A baby is messy, isn’t it?’
    ‘Yes, but with you and Lloyd as parents, it’s bound to be born with OCD already built in. It will probably be the tidiest baby in the world.’
    ‘You think so?’
    Mia nodded. ‘It’ll be changing its own nappy and have the house all set to rights before you and Lloyd are even out of bed in the morning.’
    Sarah laughed.
    Mia rested her head upon her sister’s shoulder. ‘Do you know if it’s a boy or girl yet?’
    ‘No,’ Sarah said.
    ‘Are you going to find out?’
    ‘No. We’ve decided to wait.’
    ‘And have you got any names in mind?’
    Sarah sighed. ‘Oh, yes,’ she said.
    ‘Let me guess – Elinor for a girl and Edward for a boy.’
    ‘How did you guess?’ Sarah asked in amazement.
    Mia laughed. ‘Well, it wasn’t exactly rocket science! Does Lloyd approve?’
    ‘He’d be happy with any name, I think. I could call it Lydia or Wickham and he wouldn’t bat an eyelid.’
    ‘You’re going to be great parents,’ Mia said.
    ‘And you’re going to be a great aunt,’ Sarah said.
    Mia smiled and Sarah knew exactly what she was thinking. ‘Just like Jane Austen,’ she said and Sarah nodded.
     
    Katherine was late getting up. It made a nice change from her college timetable with her early morning starts, driving through the Oxfordshire countryside and then walking through the streets of Oxford to St Bridget’s College.
    ‘What’s it looking like out there?’ she asked from the deep, warm folds of bedding as Warwick drew the thick red and gold curtains back.
    ‘Deep and crisp and even,’ he said. ‘The perfect Christmas Eve.’
    ‘Come back to bed!’
    ‘I’ve just got to write something down.’
    Katherine sighed. Warwick was like a jack-in-the-box when he was writing the first draft of a novel. Meals were interrupted, phone calls were cut short and he’d be in and out of bed several times a night sometimes.
    She watched as he reached for a notebook and scribbled something down in his scratchy handwriting that she frequently made fun of.
    ‘You really should’ve become a doctor with your handwriting,’ she teased.
    ‘As long as I can read it,’ he said, closing the notebook a moment later. ‘Okay, what’s on the programme this morning?’
    ‘I suppose it’s too cold for the “Undressing Mr Darcy” session, isn’t it?’ Katherine said.
    Warwick grinned at her. ‘Probably but you might be in luck because I hear there’s an “Undressing Warwick Lawton” show instead.’
    ‘Oh, really?’ Katherine said with an arched eyebrow.
    ‘Yep!’ he said, slowly peeling off the jumper he’d put on for his early morning writing session. ‘Only this session is for an audience of just one.’
    ‘Let me think,’ Katherine said. ‘Can Warwick Lawton possibly compete with Mr Darcy?’
    Warwick strode across the room and leapt into bed beside Katherine. ‘You’re forgetting something very important,’ he said.
    ‘What’s that?’
    ‘Mr Darcy can’t do this to you.’ And with that, he kissed her for a very long time indeed.
     
    After breakfast, there was a demonstration on bonnet trimming in the library and everyone was given their very own bonnet - even the men. Dame Pamela had arranged the most gorgeous array of ribbons, feathers, artificial flowers and fruit including grapes, cherries, plums and apricots – just the fruits Jane Austen had once noted in a letter to her sister, Cassandra.