“I saw the yellow dress, Mama. I figured things were going in that direction.”
She nods, waiting for more.
“Y’all aren’t even divorced this time!” I say next. “You were just separated. So it’s not like this is a huge deal. Right?”
But Mama’s still waiting, her face flush with hope like it always is when she and Daddy reconcile.
I sigh. “Oh, crap, Mama.” I lean over and kiss her cheek. “Congratulations.”
I exhale silently because I know better than to hold my breath. Not for any kind of reunion that will last.
“Thank you, Mace.” She takes a sip of the wine and then frowns at me. “Stop messing with your hair, baby.”
I take my finger out of the pretty twirl I’ve made with a loose wave. Even Mr. Bingley’s had enough of my mother. With a loud meow, he jumps off the counter, using Mama’s lap as a halfway point to the floor.
“Oh, Mr. Bingley, aren’t you precious.” Mama pats him fondly before he scampers off. “Mace, I have some more amazing news.” Long sip of her wine, then—“Your old mother just won the lead role in the Community Theater’s play this summer.”
“The lead?” I ask her. “That’s great.”
“I know.” Mama smiles broadly. “This is the original script that Deena wrote herself. It’s titledQueen Austen.”
“God, this town has done so many Jane Austen plays, already. I mean, how many times hasPride and Prejudicebeen redone? Like seven times at least?”
“Six. We don’t count that dreadful rock ballet disaster.” Mama nods. “But this one’s different. The main premise is a dialogue about love between Jane Austen—that’s me!—and a leper.”
“That’s certainly unique.”
“It is,” Mama gushes. “Jane’s jailed the entire time until her talk with the leper reveals that she didn’t follow her heart and lost her true love. I think that’s Jane’s real message in staying locked up so long. Whoever the heroine and hero are, they are going to have to dig deep inside themselves to know how they feel.”
“And you and the leper are the only two characters?”
“Oh, there are other characters that come in and out. But they all enhance the viewpoints of the leper and of Jane, who are of one mind, let me tell you, Mace.”
Good Lord.
“I ran into Riley on my way here,” she says. “Wink’s home for a few days. I know she loves Wink to bits, but I’m not sure about that boy. She’ll probably marry him, but he seems…what do you think, Mace?”
“Seems like a dream come true,” I say truthfully. “Football star, scholarship to UT, funny, handsome. What’s not to like?”
“I can’t quite put my finger on it. As you say, the positives are obvious. But Riley just seems kind of off.”
I swallow down the feeling of discomfort I always get whenever Mama fixates on Riley.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Mama briefly pulls her shades down to look at me more closely.
“Fine,” I say in a short tone.
“Is this about the torn page of the legend?” she asks me in low tones. “Oh, my heart just dropped into my toes when you got that scar. I had only found Vivian’s clue the year before, and then, you brave thing, jumping in to play the heroine because your sorry excuse for a father couldn’t grow up. Just like Mr. Woodhouse inEmma. I know you always argue me that Emma’s father was different because he wasn’t a drunk or a philanderer, but I can sense the similarities. I’ve always felt a common bond between your daddy and Emma’s—they both even have ‘Wood’ in their surname. Very formal and masculine, don’t you think?”
I gesture for her to wrap up her soliloquy.
“I just felt so terrible when you got hurt.”
“Mama, I know. You’ve apologized like a million times. It’s fine.”
“Nobody knows about the link to your scar and the Darcy legend, so don’t worry about that. I knew it would ruin your reputation if it got out. As I said, secrets don’t keep in this town, so I never even told your daddy.”
I give her a look until she admits, “Okay, that part may have been for me. Your daddy would kill me if he knew I’d tampered with Vivian’s diary.”
