“Cease there, Miss Knight, for I do not wish to hear anymore,” Darcy said, his voice so forceful I startled. “Have I not told you that the thing I despise above all else is dishonesty? Yet for ten days, you have lied to me, not only about who I am, but in making me believe that I could not return home. For ten days I have grieved my sister, believing her lost to me forever. And yet now I discover I could have been with her this whole time had you not disguised the truth from me.”
I opened my mouth to argue but stopped. Darcy was right. I’d been selfish, lying to him—lying toeveryone—in order to keep him here with me. I deserved every bit of his anger right now.
“I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”
He stared at me through narrow eyes. “You claim that thisPride and Prejudiceis one of your favorite novels. Yet if you know it so well, you must also know that I am not someone who can easily forgive when I have been wronged. Now, goodbye, Miss Knight.”
He stood up and began to march toward the escalator.
“Darcy, wait for one second, please!” I called after him. “Before you walk away, please just hear what I have to say.”
He paused, and I could tell he was weighing whether to carry on walking or not, but eventually he turned back to face me. I took a deep breath. This was my one chance to make him understand—and whatever happened, I owed him the truth.
“You have every right to hate me for what I’ve done,” I said as I walked toward him. “I have no excuse except to say that I have loved you since the first time I readPride and Prejudiceas a young teenager with my mum. It was her favorite book, and we read it together many times, and after she died, you and that story helped me through the darkest time of my life. But more than that, you showed me that men can be honest and loyal and kind, even when the men I know consistently showed the opposite. You taught me to believe I deserve more from my life than the people who put me down or abandon me, and that I shouldn’t give up on something I love, even when it seems impossible.”
Darcy frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but I pushed on in case these were the last words I ever got to say to him.
“The thing is, Mr. Darcy, it’s not just me who loves you. There are millions of people around the world who adore you just as much as I do. And not just you either. Readers for generations have loved Elizabeth Bennet for her spirit, her wit, and her refusal to give in to the expectations of society. Your story—your and Elizabeth’s story—is one of the most popular ever written.”
Darcy’s eyes widened. “Miss Bennet’s and my story?”
I swallowed. I had no idea if I should say any of this to him, but right now, being honest seemed like the only chance I had to make him understand.
“I don’t know how much ofPride and Prejudiceyou read earlier, but the book is about a romance between you and Elizabeth.”
“A romance!” he gasped. “But I do believe she despises me.”
“At the beginning she does, but things change. You two both misunderstand each other, your judgments clouded by prejudice and pride, but eventually you come to realize your mistakes.”
Darcy frowned, rubbing his forehead with his hand. “This morning I believed myself to be a time-traveler, and now you tell me that not only am I a character from a fictional story, but that I am destined to fall in love with a woman who vexes me greatly. What about free will? I am not sure I wish to return to a novel such as this!”
“I know it’s a lot to take in, but here’s the thing. If you stay here, you’ll continue to fade, and eventually you’ll disappear completely. And when that happens, it won’t just be you that ceases to exist—it will be the entire novel and everyone in it.”
Darcy’s eyes snapped to mine. “You mean to say Georgiana—”
“Georgiana, Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth Bennet. Every character inPride and Prejudice—in your life—will disappear when you do.That’swhy it’s so important we get you back in the novel.”
“Then we have wasted too much time already,” Darcy said, turning away from me. “Take me to Baskerville Books at once.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
We took the Tube to Leicester Square, and I could tell Darcy still hated it, as he gripped the armrest the entire way, his jaw tense. He didn’t speak or even look in my direction, and although that broke my heart, I knew it was what I deserved. I had deceived him since the moment we first met, and I knew that would never be forgiven, but at least I could hopefully get him back to his loved ones and savePride and Prejudicein the process. Although how we were going to do that, I still had no idea; Nick had said something about reading Darcy back in but hadn’t given me any other details.
It was almost 10:00 p.m. by the time we walked into Cecil Court, and all the shop windows were dark and shuttered except for Baskerville Books, which still had its lights on. I pushed open the door and stepped into the cozy interior of the shop. As soon as I did, I heard a familiar, deafening voice.
“Fitz!”
Mrs. Atallah bowled across the room, barging past me to throw herarms around Darcy. I’d messaged her, Nick, and Bianca before we got on the Tube, telling them I’d found Darcy and was bringing him to the bookshop.
“I brought you some food before you go,” Mrs. Atallah said, releasing him from her hug. “I’ve got all your favorites: baba ghanoush, kofte, mujadara, and of course, my falafel.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Atallah,” Darcy said, following her to the counter, where she’d lain out a number of Tupperware boxes.
“You’re welcome, habibi. Also, there are some important things I want to tell you, so pay attention.” She lowered her voice, something I’d previously believed her incapable of, and started whispering something to Darcy as he helped himself to her cooking.
“You OK?”
I turned around to see Bianca standing behind me. I was so relieved to see my best friend that, for a moment, I thought I was going to burst into tears.
