I felt a sudden spark of hope. “Have you got the copy ofPride and Prejudice?”
He shook his head. “I tried holding on to it, but it didn’t come with me.”
“Do you have another plan to get us home, then?”
“Not currently, but I’m working on it.”
And just like that, the spark of hope was extinguished. “Why the hell did you come if you knew you might not be able to get back?”
Nick didn’t answer, the question hanging between us in the air. I was suddenly conscious of how alone we were back here, no sounds but distant music at the far end of the house. I saw Nick swallow as he stared at me, and I felt heat spread through my body. His lips were slightly parted, and for a second I found myself wondering what it would be like to kiss them: They looked so soft, like it would probably start gently with little more than a brush against mine, but then he’d put his hand in my hair and lean into me, and his mouth would—
The pantry door flew open with a bang, jolting me from my fantasy. Nick sprang around with his fists raised, as if ready to fight Darcy for my honor.HOT. But it wasn’t a fictional character standing in the doorway. Instead, it was a redheaded woman, disbelief in her eyes.
“Nicky?”
“Mum?”
They threw themselves at each other in a mass of limbs and cries, and I felt my heart lift at the sight of their joy. God, what I wouldn’t give to be reunited with my own mum like this. I smiled as I watched them step back and stare at each other in tearful wonder.
“You’re here,” Maggie gasped. “My darling, it’s really you.”
“I had no idea you were in this book,” Nick said. “I thought I’d lost you forever.”
“I’m so sorry,” Maggie said, taking Nick’s face in her hands. “I’m so sorry I left you.”
“The police thought you’d run away,” Nick said, and I could see tears tracking down his cheeks. “I suspected you’d read yourself into a book, but I had no idea which one or if you’d done it on purpose.”
“Of course it wasn’t on purpose; it was a horrible accident!” Maggiewiped his tears away with her thumb. “I can’t believe it’s really you, Nick. Are you OK? What are you doing here?”
“I came for Zoe.”
Four simple words that made my stomach do a somersault, like I was on a roller coaster. Maggie’s eyes snapped toward me and I saw her frown, as if a puzzle piece was slotting into place.
“I felt responsible for her getting stuck here,” Nick said quickly. “I put pressure on Zoe to read Darcy back, but I hadn’t briefed her well enough. I should have explained it better so this never happened.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” I said.
Maggie was still looking at me, apparently deep in thought.
“Do you know why Zoe was able to read Darcy out?” Nick asked his mum. “Is it something to do with your old copy ofPride and Prejudice?”
“I don’t think that’s it,” Maggie said slowly.
“Then how did it happen? I didn’t think anyone outside our family had the ability.”
Maggie didn’t reply; then her eyes flicked from me back to Nick. “Why Zoe could do it isn’t important right now. We have a much bigger concern, which is that Darcy remembers bits of his time with Zoe in London, and he’s so distracted by his memories that he’s no longer falling in love with Elizabeth.”
“Shit, what does that mean?” Nick asked.
“I don’t know, but it’s not good. Something has gone wrong with the plot; the characters are behaving differently and not following Jane Austen’s narrative.”
“We’ve been trying to find a way of getting out, but so far nothing has worked,” I said. “Your mum thinks that without a copy ofPride and Prejudice, we’re trapped.”
“Have you tried re-creating the text?” Nick asked his mum.
“Of course, many times,” Maggie said. “I’ve tried copying the dialogue the characters say, but the problem is that there’s so much more to Austen’s storytelling than just dialogue, and I’ve never been able to get it right.”
“If only we had access to Jane herself,” I said. “She could write us returning to London, and then you could just read us back.”
