‘You’re probably right as always on both counts. I came to do some quality control checks in my very senior capacity as CEO of the agency, but actually while I’m here, even I can’t fail to be impressed by these surroundings.’
I stare at him, disconcerted, this is no time for him to turn into a normal person.
‘Of course, I’m only thinking about it in terms of business, it would make a fantastic hotel for example, or a casino.’
I’m about to give him a blast of my opinion when I catch sight of his expression. ‘Oh, you’re joking – good job or I would have had to slap you.’ Oops, I didn’t mean to come out with that.
But he smiles wickedly. ‘What a shame, I might have enjoyed that, perhaps I should annoy you more often.’
‘I don’t think that’s humanly possible,’ I quip and we laugh and walk onwards, the ice broken.
We’ve reached the huge doors out to the park and stroll into the beautiful sunlight. I peek at him, this Darcy is totally new and unexpected.
‘So, did your grandmother like Chatsworth?’ I ask shyly.
‘Yes, she adored the place, she loved a good romance.’
‘At least someone in your family had some sense then.’ I laugh.
‘I suppose so.’ Darcy smiles. ‘She was an amazing person but I didn’t see enough of her, I was always too busy with work and she and my mother didn’t really get along, then Gran became ill.’ He broke off… ‘The Jane Austen Dating Agency was an idea she came up with and I promised her I would make it a reality. Sadly she didn’t live to see it.’
‘She must have been a pretty inspirational person – it’s such a great idea.’
‘Yes, she was. Actually, you remind me a little of her; you have the same passion for life, exuberance, sheer optimism, and she had a great sense of humour.’ He stops, flushing awkwardly. ‘So, what do you think about Chatsworth, Miss Sophie Johnson, lover of all things romantic?’
‘I think it’s perfect,’ I say dreamily. ‘Right now I can feel like I’m Elizabeth Bennet and…’
‘I could be Mr Darcy?’ he asks quizzically. ‘And yes before you ask, I do get those sort of jokes all the time. Perhaps that’s why I’ve doggedly refused to ever read the book.’
‘Why are you called Darcy? Was your mother a fan of Jane Austen too?’
He laughs. ‘Not likely, I don’t think she’s ever read it. Not really her thing. No, I think I was called after General Darcy or someone like that, or maybe my grandmother persuaded her.’
I laugh because that doesn’t surprise me.
‘What about your family?’ Darcy asks. ‘Are they all as romantic and bookish as you?’
‘Not really. My parents love books, of course, and have been married for years, but still argue about the same old things. My sister, Chloe, doesn’t get much time to read; she’s always working and trying to cope with her husband who’s an abusive philanderer. My brother, Ben, is too busy going out with the next woman he meets, whether they’re in a relationship or not.’
‘Oh, that explains it then.’
‘Explains what?’
‘Your unmitigated desire to run away from reality.’
‘Maybe.’ I colour slightly. ‘But what about you? You must have things you wish to escape from.’
‘All the time,’ he says slowly. ‘We all have our issues, Sophie. Sometimes it would be nice to switch it off and do nothing.’
‘Why don’t you then? It’s not like you need the money.’
Oops, that was a bit blunt but Darcy seems to take it on the chin. ‘Because it’s not that simple. I have to work, the business needs running. It’s just the trips involve the same people from a narrow social circle, always talking about stuff that really doesn’t matter, always networking. It’s all such a bore and there’s never a break.’
I look at him sympathetically, I’ve never seen Darcy like this before and everything suddenly becomes clear. He’s just a poor rich boy, with little or no attention from his mother, spoilt at times, ignored at others. Not enough expected from him and then too much responsibility too young.
He looks so vulnerable, I put my hand out involuntarily to touch him, but my mobile rings. ‘Sorry, I’d better check it, might be important.’ I grab the phone out of my bag. I can never answer it quickly enough, it’s one of those really annoying things that by the time I get it out, the person on the other end has gone.
‘Everything okay?’ Darcy asks politely.
‘It was my sister, Chloe,’ I reply, checking the screen, ‘but I don’t think it’s anything urgent or she’d have left a message.’
My phone bings again. It’s a voicemail from Chloe. She’s crying so it’s difficult to make out what she’s saying.
‘Soph… you there? …Need to speak to you. It’s Kian. He’s gone… don’t know where. Not like for a while… been gone… couple of days… no-one knows where.’ She stops and all I can hear is muffled sobbing. ‘Soph, can you phone me back… soon as you get this. I… don’t know what to do.’
I immediately press redial on Chloe’s number but it’s engaged. ‘Excuse me a mo. I need to make an urgent call,’ I tell Darcy.
I get Chloe on the next try. ‘Chloe, are you okay?’
‘Not really.’ She sounds terrible. ‘Kian’s gone. Left me.’
‘Okay,’ I say carefully. ‘Has he given a reason?’
‘No, that’s the thing, he’s disappeared, but hasn’t taken his stuff, no message, nothing.’
I hesitate before asking the next question, but steel myself anyway. ‘Have you tried Rosaline?’ She’s his supposedly ex-girlfriend, the one he was having an affair with.
‘Yes, I have.’ Chloe starts to cry again. ‘She saw him last week.’
Oh dear, Kian’s obviously back to his old ways. ‘Chloe, I’m so sorry.’
‘It’s my own fault,’ she sobs, ‘I shouldn’t have trusted him again, you all warned me. I’m so stupid.’
‘No, you’re just too nice,’ I say gently. ‘So, has he gone back to Rosaline then?’
‘No, that’s the thing, she said he was due to see her the night before last but didn’t turn up. She’s worried as he’s been hanging out with a dodgy crowd he met through some online gambling thing. He’d been acting very strangely with me but I ignored it, hoping it was work pressures.’
‘But, Chloe, he puts stuff in packages, it’s not exactly high up on the league table of stressful jobs, is it?’
‘No, but I was giving him the benefit of the doubt. Anyway, I was getting phone calls with no-one at the other end, the line kept going dead.’
‘Creepy. Why didn’t you go to the police?’
‘I sort of assumed it was one of his exes and stuck my head in the sand.’
‘Oh, Chloe, you’re going to have to report it now he’s gone missing, aren’t you?’
‘I know, but I don’t feel I can cope with this right now, Soph. Do you mind coming over, I know you’re probably busy but…’