Ten Days with Mr Darcy (on hold)

Chapter twenty-six - The truth is out there

Bea came home buzzing with questions. "Have you watched that advert yet?"

"I have."

"What did you think? Dreamy, isn't he? I wish I knew his name so I could send his parents a thank you card for bringing him into this world. Is he not art in human form? I hope he knows how much we appreciate his incredible...um, acting skills. Wouldn't it be amazing if you had the chance to work with the coffee guy some time? Then you could introduce us. The girls at the theatre would be so jealous. They've not stopped talking about him this week."

Jess took a breath and kept it simple. "We've already worked together. He played the part of Mr. Bingley when I was doing the Pride and Prejudice thing this summer."

Bea's eyes grew wide. "No way! You mean you spent ten days with him, and you still chose dead-beat Darcy? How could you pass over someone who looks like the coffee guy?"

Jessica had wondered the same thing more than once and still hadn't come up with an adequate explanation. "Well to start with he was fully dressed when I met him. It doesn't quite have the same impact as a naked torso."

"But surely some of that gorgeousness must have leaked through his clothes. I mean, how could he keep it contained? He oozes sex appeal!"

She cringed as she pushed her half-empty cup away. "You didn't see him, Bea. When I came face to face with him for the first time, he was wearing some God-awful sweater, and the least sexy pair of glasses you can imagine. He certainly didn't look gorgeous. I didn't give him a second glance."

"I don't believe that. When Superman swaps his super-suit for normal clothes and dorky specs, you can still see his chiselled features. Why they can't recognise him, especially that half-blind Lois Lane, I have no idea."

"Because they're acting. It's a story. They're not supposed to recognise him."

"So? My argument still stands. You can't hide a good looking guy behind a pair of glasses, no matter how dorky they're dressed. You just weren't paying attention. Too busy trying to catch Mr. Darcy, I suppose."

Truer words had never been spoken. When Gareth introduced himself all she'd thought about was how he didn't fit her mental image of Darcy, and recalled her relief when he said he was playing Bingley. Jess had been blinkered by her fixation on a character from a book.

"The bare skin and terry theme works well for him, but he must have looked sexy in his Austen gear."

In Jess's eyes, Gareth had looked more attractive wearing three layers of clothes. But then she knew something about the man inside and didn't need to rely on appearance alone to form a positive opinion.

She called up one of the photographs on her laptop and turned the screen towards her friend. In it, Gareth leaned against his cane, his head held high. The long grey overcoat hung straight, brushing against the ankles of his black boots. Beneath, she could just make out his brown morning coat and pale waistcoat. The tall hat perched upon his sandy curls completed the picture of a perfectly attired Regency gentleman.

Bea melted. "Oh Lord!" She wafted her hand like a fan. "He's bleached his hair and cut it shorter since this was taken. I like his lighter hair but the dirty blonde suits him too." She flicked a finger towards the centre of the photograph. "I understand why you fell for Darcy, even though he did turn out to be a complete loser, but you must have been blind not to notice Mr. Bingley in those breeches."

Clearly, it wasn't enough for Jess to be kicking herself. "Gareth is incredibly self-effacing, particularly for an actor. When I met him in Derbyshire, we didn't talk much. He spent a lot of time with Laura, who was playing Jane, so I didn't think about him in that way."