Dreaming of Mr. Darcy by Victoria Connelly

more confident about her Uppercross scenes.
    Walking across the lawn, she took some deep breaths, inhaling the sweet rain-washed air. She saw one of the technicians had set up a laptop at the back of one of the vans, and a crowd gathered around him.
    â€˜What are you watching?’ Gemma asked, daring to squeeze in next to Oli to see what was going on.
    â€˜ Killer Zombies Take Manhattan ,’ Sophie said. ‘It’s horrible blood-spurting, mind-numbing violence.’
    â€˜It’s brilliant,’ Oli said, obviously engrossed.
    Gemma looked up at him. How could he go from zombie fan to sophisticated hero in just a few minutes? He really was a great actor, wasn’t he? If only his fans could see him with his smile as wide as a child’s as he watched a zombie ripping the arm off a poor taxi driver in Times Square.
    â€˜Gross!’ Sophie shouted.
    â€˜There’s that book out, isn’t there?’ Gemma said. ‘ Pride and Prejudice and Zombies .’
    â€˜Cool!’ Oli said.
    Gemma grimaced, her romantic allusions of Oli fast disintegrating.
    ***
    Kay didn’t like to keep checking her reflection in Adam’s mirror, but she wanted to make quite sure that her hair hadn’t gone flyaway and that nothing had smudged. It was strange. She had already spent a whole night under the same roof as Oli and shared breakfast with him. Well, she served him breakfast, anyway, yet this trip to see him filming was beginning to feel more and more like a first date.
    As Adam turned into a long driveway lined with trees, the anticipation was almost too much for Kay as she unwound her window and peered out, desperate for the first glimpse of the house and the actors.
    â€˜It’s one of the loveliest houses in Dorset,’ Adam said.
    Kay nodded. She liked a beautiful house as much as the next Jane Austen fan, but she was far more interested in seeing Oli again. As the car drove around the final bend and came to a standstill alongside the actors’ minibus, she caught sight of them all across the lawn.
    Leaving Adam to lock up, she got out of the car, walked across the driveway, and stared at the group of actors. They hadn’t seen her, and she took advantage to sneak a hand into her bag and find her camera.
    It was thoughtful of Adam to bring her. She turned around to smile at him and saw that he was looking at Gemma, and Kay realised that was why he had been so keen to come out to the Uppercross shoot. He wanted to see Gemma, just as she had wanted to see Oli. They did make a lovely couple too—or rather, they would , once things were sorted out between them. The trouble was that they were both shy, and Kay doubted that either of them would dare to make the first move.
    Maybe that’s where she could help. Perhaps she could get them together. She smiled as her mind wandered over the possibilities. Gemma was staying at the B&B, and Adam was forever dropping by. Maybe she could make them a meal. The next time the cast went out to the pub, she could ask Gemma if she’d like to join her for dinner. She wouldn’t be joining Gemma, of course—Adam would, because she would invite him too.
    She’d buy some candles—pretty red ones. Flowers too. She’d transform the dining room so that it became the perfect setting for romance. It would be wonderful. She’d serve them dinner, and they’d have no choice but to talk to each other. Their shyness would fall away, and they’d discover how much they had in common and fall madly in love.
    A summer wedding wouldn’t be out of the question if they got a move on too, Kay thought. How beautiful Gemma would look in a frothy lace dress, and Adam would wear something smart and understated, his hair newly cut and not quite as tousled as normal. Kay would have to buy herself a new dress for the occasion, and how wonderful it would be to sit at the front of the church, knowing that the bride and groom were there