Jane and Austen by Stephanie Fowers

Author:Stephanie Fowers [Fowers, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: clean, Romantic Comedy, Romance, inspirational, Jane Austen, fun
ISBN: 9781500233112
Google: 1Gy9oAEACAAJ
Amazon: 1500233110
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2014-06-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

“You must really begin to harden yourself to the idea of being worth looking at.”

—Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

I tightened the laces on my sneakers and tied them into a neat little bow. Knowing I had three more hours left before I had to go to the bridal shower, I had changed into my worn jogging shirt and shorts. These clothes definitely fit my style more than the fancy dresses I had worn to Taylor’s parties. I didn’t belong in luxury cars, or mingling with elevated company while holding a slender glass and attempting to make brilliant small talk.

Closing my bedroom door silently behind me, I made my way down the hall past the Dashwood room where Eddy McFarey sat on the bedspread and worked on his laptop. The reverend’s suit was like a second skin that he never took off, though for the moment his bowtie had been tossed to the side. His wife, Elly, was hauling a bucket of ice into their room, still wearing her pajamas, the bottoms of which were rolled up to reveal a pair of black rain boots. She stopped to smile at me. “So nice to see you, Jane.”

Eddy lifted his head from his work. “Hi, Jane!”

“You’re doing wonders with my cousin’s wedding,” Elly said, touching my arm in her comforting way. “I’ve never seen such fabulous work. And believe me, I’ve been to a lot of weddings.”

Her husband’s occupation would ensure that. I was touched. I was so starved for compliments lately that Elly’s words felt like a gourmet meal. “Thank you,” I said.

“Elle,” Eddy called out to his wife. “I want your advice. Jane, you too. I’m working on my sermon for next Sunday. I want to make a bowl of cream cheese fudge on the pulpit and leave out the powdered sugar so I can compare it to our lives without charity. Would making fudge in church be too distracting?”

I imagined powdered sugar flying onto his congregation.

With a wink at me, Elly turned to her husband. “Just be careful that you don’t let me near the fudge after you put the sugar in, or I might attack it before you’re through. Now that might be distracting.”

“Hmm, you are distracting.” He studied her with a smile. “I’ll have to feed you more so that you won’t ruin my sermon.”

Despite the turmoil of my emotions that felt like someone had taken a concrete mixer to my heart, I appreciated how cute Eddy and Elly were together. I waved to them on my way down the hall. They were my proof that love could be good. It just never turned out for me, and I didn’t understand why it was so hard. I hurried down the flight of stairs to the lobby and kept a lookout for Austen. I didn’t want to run into him, and I especially didn’t want to see Dancey.

My world was falling apart. With the loss of North Abbey and Austen, I felt like I was losing treasured memories from my past.

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