Ah, nowthatmade more sense than Wickham.
“So, what happened?” I asked.
Maggie sighed. “I was having a bit of a tough time: Nick had just moved to New York for his master’s and I’d broken up with the man I’d been seeing, so initially I read Elizabeth out because I needed her wisdom about what to do with my life. But the more time we spent together, the more my feelings grew. I don’t know how much Nick told you, but fictional characters retain no memories of our world when they return to a book, so as far as Elizabeth was concerned, each time we met was the first. But I came to crave her company, and I broke all my family’s rules around book magic in order to spend time with her. And then one day, when I was reading her back in, I made the mistake of wishing I could stay with Elizabeth, and here I am.”
“Bloody hell! And does Nick know where you are?” I asked, because that would definitely explain why the man hatedPride and Prejudiceso much.
“I don’t think so,” Maggie said. “I’d never told him what I was doing with Elizabeth, so my guess is he must know something went wrong and I got stuck in a book, but not which one.”
My God, the poor guy! No wonder he’d looked so heartbroken when he told me that romance novels could destroy people’s lives. HowI wished I could escape this novel and tell Nick I was sorry I’d misjudged him so badly.
“Do you and Elizabeth have a relationship in here?” I asked.
“No, she has no idea who I am. As I said, she has no memory of visiting me in our world, and given I’m not part of Jane Austen’s plot, she barely even notices me here.”
“But Darcy—”
“Darcy just recognized you?” Maggie said sharply. “I know, I saw. So you have a lot of explaining to do, starting with how on earth you ended up here.”
“I told you, I read myself in by accident,” I said.
“Buthowdid you read yourself in? I had no idea anyone apart from my family could do it.”
“I honestly don’t know. Nick thinks I might somehow have the same magic abilities as you, but personally I think it has something to do with your old copy ofPride and Prejudice.” I paused as a thought occurred to me. “Shit, maybe you being stuck inside the book is what gave your old copy ofPride and Prejudicemagic powers? And then when I found it in Baskerville Books and read it, I summoned Mr. Darcy out because of your magic?”
“So Darcy was in London with you?” Maggie said. “For how long?”
“Ten days.”
“What?” Now Maggie was the one shouting. “But that’s… How did he not disappear? How does this story even still exist?”
“He started to disappear, which is why I rushed to read him in and got it wrong. But at least I got him back and the book is fine.”
“But is it?” Maggie had started to pace up and down the alley. “Darcy clearly recognized you just now, given he used your first name, which means he must have somehow carried some memory of the realworld in here with him. What if his being in our world for so long has damaged him, and now that he’s back here, he’ll damage the fabric of the story too?”
Her voice was thick with anxiety, and I felt my heart rate start to climb. “The story seems fine to me. Look, everyone’s here in Meryton like they’re supposed to be—nothing has changed.”
But as I said this, I remembered what had happened at Netherfield a few nights ago, and how that scene had ended abruptly after I stole Elizabeth’s lines.
“What?” Maggie said. “Why do you look like you just remembered you left the stove on?”
“Nothing. It’s just… The night I first arrived here, I tried to insert myself into the scene where Elizabeth and Darcy talk about his pride. I said a couple of Elizabeth’s lines to try and make Darcy notice and remember that he knew me, but then the conversation ground to a halt early.”
“You did what?” Maggie gasped. “Zoe, you being here is enough of an issue in itself, let alone interfering with the story. But that might explain why Darcy didn’t pay enough attention to Elizabeth just now. Shit, what if everything’s messed up and he doesn’t fall in love with her like he’s supposed to?”
“Of course he will. It was only one little scene I affected.”
“Yes, but Jane Austen builds their relationship so carefully, each interaction designed to push their feelings for each other one way or another in a delicate weave. But if you’ve interfered with that, then things might not develop as they’re supposed to, and the threads of the story could unravel.”
“And then what will happen?”
Maggie stopped and looked at me, wide-eyed. “I honestly have noidea, but I don’t want to find out. You have to besocareful from now on, Zoe. Keep away from everyone, especially Darcy. He clearly feels some connection to you, so you need to make sure he doesn’t remember anything else about your time together.”
“Can I come and stay with you so I don’t risk running into him again?”
Maggie shook her head. “No, for the time being you have to stay near the location where you arrived in the story, which in your case is Netherfield. I once tried to travel to London because I was bored and curious to see what Wickham and Lydia’s wedding was like, and then Lydia nearly missed the ceremony. Thankfully, she made it just in time and the plot wasn’t affected, but I realized I couldn’t go wandering around the story without damaging it. Now I don’t stray further than a few miles from Longbourn, and I avoid the main characters if I can help it.”
“So should I just stay hidden in my room at Netherfield, then?” I asked.
