Happy Birthday, Mr Darcy by Victoria Connelly Page A

his arms and kissed her passionately.
    Dame Pamela, who had followed him, laughed. ‘Save it for the wedding night!’ she cried and the five of them went into dinner together.
    As usual, dinner at Purley was a treat and they all enjoyed a perfect summer menu of watercress soup, an asparagus risotto and the lightest of lemon sorbets for dessert.
    ‘That was absolutely delicious, Dame Pamela,’ Warwick said, dabbing his mouth with a white linen napkin once the meal was finished.
    ‘But it will be nothing compared to tomorrow’s fare,’ Dame Pamela said. ‘Your menu looks absolutely divine!’
    ‘And all Austen-inspired,’ Warwick said.
    ‘Like everything else!’ Robyn said.
    ‘Naturally,’ Dame Pamela said. ‘I really don’t see how anyone can choose anything else when it comes to a wedding. I mean, all these horrendous Disney-themed weddings or people dressing up as characters from Alice in Wonderland . It’s absolutely awful!’
    ‘Each to their own, I suppose,’ Warwick said.
    ‘Yes but nothing can top Jane Austen. She encapsulates the very essence of Englishness with the elegance of the dress, the sobriety of the language and the perfection of the manners.’
    ‘You sound like you’re reading from a script again, Pammy,’ Dan said and then his phone vibrated again. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I’ll switch it off.’ Robyn caught his eye as if to say, what’s going on but he cleared his throat and changed the subject. ‘So, will it be sunny skies tomorrow?’ he asked.
    ‘I have every faith in the weather,’ Dame Pamela said. ‘The stormy sky and rain was today and, no matter what the weathermen say, the sun will come out tomorrow. And, no, I’m not about to break into song.’
    Robyn giggled. She was quite used to Dame Pamela’s occasional bursts into song in the office. Just a couple of days ago, her boss had worked her way through a medley from Cats , Evita and Sunset Boulevard . It always made Robyn smile although she had yet to pluck up the courage to join in herself.
    ‘So,’ Dame Pamela continued, ‘what an inspired idea to have your wedding in the year when we are celebrating the two hundredth birthday of Pride and Prejudice. ’
    ‘Well, we couldn’t think of anything more romantic, could we, Katherine?’ Warwick said.
    ‘That’s right,’ she replied.
    ‘Every true Janeite will be celebrating this year and what better way to do that than by marrying your true love?’ Warwick said, his dark eyes sparkling in the candlelight.
    ‘Oh, how romantic!’ Dame Pamela said, clasping her hands to her chest.
    ‘Can you believe Pride and Prejudice is two hundred years old?’ Robyn said.
    ‘Mr Darcy is doing very well for his age,’ Dame Pamela said with a little chuckle. ‘Pleasing women for two centuries is no mean feat!’
    Everybody laughed and Warwick proposed a toast. ‘Happy Birthday, Mr Darcy!’ he said and they all echoed his sentiments, clinking their glasses with each other as they did so.
    ‘Pammy – tell them about the mad American,’ Dan said.
    Everybody fixed eager eyes on Dame Pamela.
    ‘Ah, yes!’ she said, drawing in a great breath as if she was about to give a great performance – which she probably was. ‘I had a telephone call from this American businessman. He’d heard about my first edition copy of Pride and Prejudice and wanted to make me an offer for it.’ She paused, glancing at her rapt audience around the table. ‘He offered me a million dollars.’
    Katherine gasped. ‘You didn’t sell it, did you?’
    Dame Pamela looked shocked. ‘Of course not! And I told him that I wouldn’t sell it even if he offered me ten million dollars.’
    ‘And what did he say?’ Warwick asked.
    ‘He said he wasn’t offering ten million dollars but he would go to five million.’
    Warwick’s mouth dropped open and Katherine gave a nervous sort of laugh. ‘And you still refused?’ she said.
    ‘I most certainly did and I jolly well told him to go and find