A Weekend with Mr. Darcy Read Free

other interests. There was her yoga class which kept her in good shape and her weekend jogging with her best friend, Chrissie. And she had lots of other friends who weren’t fictional and she was forever attending dinner parties and little get-togethers. It was just that she preferred to spend her free time with her head in a book. She wouldn’t be the respected academic she was if she hadn’t worked as hard as she had and, as far as she could see, there was no harm in that, was there? She’d made a very good career out of books, for one thing and as far as she knew, she wasn’t doing anyone any harm.
    Unlike David.
    Yes, Katherine might very well be guilty of living a life that was more fiction than reality but at least she didn’t lie to anyone. If there was one thing in the world Katherine hated more than anything else, it was a lie.

Chapter 2
    Lorna Warwick was just putting the finishing touches on a rather amusing chapter involving a very naughty duke when the phone rang.
    â€˜Hello, darling!’ a voice chimed. ‘Not a bad moment, is it?’
    â€˜No, not at all,’ Lorna said, saving the chapter and switching the computer off for the day.
    â€˜Good, good. Look, I’ve had a word with the organiser at Purley Hall and he said not to worry, it’s your call.’
    â€˜Thanks, Nadia. I appreciate that.’
    â€˜So, what are you going to do?’
    Lorna sighed. ‘I’m not sure yet but I’d like to give the writer a break for a while and just be me.’
    â€˜You sure that’s wise? You’ll be letting down a lot of fans, you know.’
    â€˜Yes but I’d be letting down a lot of fans if they knew who I really was, wouldn’t I?’
    â€˜You must be kidding! They’d go mad if they knew the truth,’ Nadia said.
    Lorna smiled. ‘Well, I don’t think I’m quite ready to face that.’
    â€˜All right, babes. It’s your decision.’
    â€˜You coming then?’
    â€˜Maybe for the Saturday evening dance.’
    â€˜Any excuse to buy a new pair of shoes,’ Lorna said.
    â€˜How well do you know your agent?’
    â€˜As well as she knows me.’
    Nadia laughed. ‘I’ll see you at Purley, babes.’
    â€˜Okay.’
    Lorna stood up and walked across the study to the window that looked out over the garden. It had needed attention for some time. Dandelions yellowed the lawn, grasses had sprouted up in the borders, and brambles tumbled over the wall from the fields beyond. The house needed attention too because Lorna had fired the cleaner two weeks ago, after she’d been caught pocketing pages of the latest manuscript. Now the desk was covered in a fine layer of dust and a potted plant was wilting quietly in the corner.
    It was always the same when a book was going well. Boring jobs such as housework and food preparation got neglected. The only thing that mattered was the flow of the story and—at the moment—the story was flowing well. Nadia was going to love this latest one, and no doubt Lorna’s editor would too. Tansy Newman of Parnaby and Fox was Lorna’s biggest fan and couldn’t wait to get her hands on the latest manuscripts. Edits were usually minimal and Lorna was in the lucky position to be consulted about everything from jacket design to publication date—hardbacks were released just before Christmas, and paperbacks in time for the summer holidays. Lorna was lucky; her advances were legendary and her royalties substantial. Not all writers were in such a good position.
    For a moment Lorna looked at the bookshelves that lined the study walls. They were filled to capacity with hardback editions, paperbacks, large print, audio books, and foreign editions that included German, Spanish, Japanese, and Russian. It was an impressive collection considering that the first novel hadn’t been received at all well in the press.
    â€˜Lorna Warwick is attempting