Thank heaven for fan fiction

As though in response to her semi-idle thoughts, Kam and Jamie suddenly appeared around the corner of the house, striding towards the terrace. Correction—Kam was striding rapidly, and in a fine fury if Sarah was reading the other woman’s body language right. And Jamie was trailing behind her, face caught between anger and guilt, a look that did him no favours and made him appear more sulky adolescent than brooding adult. What now?

She didn’t have to wonder long, for both parties made a beeline for their table, stopping only to help themselves to the breakfast buffet. Tellingly, neither served themselves any food, content with tea and coffee respectively. Sarah watched the pair drop into the vacant chairs at their table, unable to do any more than direct a quelling glance at John before determinedly embarking on a disquisition on the beauties of the morning and the grounds.

Kam was having none of it though, seizing the first opportunity to turn the conversation to opinionated males with a dog-in-the-manger attitude. Oh dear, Jamie really must’ve blotted his copybook, Sarah thought. It wasn’t like Kam to fly off the handle in public. And even John seemed to realise it, for he held his peace and took the first opportunity that offered to start talking about the plans for the rest of the morning. 

The next few minutes bore witness to the inability of psychology to sort out a lovers’ tiff, Jamie (or Mr. Darcy, now that he was firmly back in character) taking himself off to brood in the billiard room while Kam determinedly and unconvincingly laughed at every one of John’s awful puns. But her eyes followed Jamie’s ramrod-stiff back as he stalked out, and Sarah thought there was a mix of frustration and regret in that look. But then she visibly shook off the mood and turned back to them.

“I’m glad to have caught you without Jamie listening in. I have a message for you from that man who danced with me last night.”

“You mean…”

“The one introduced as the Marquis of Alverstoke. Yeah.”

“Kam!!! Surely he doesn’t have you ferrying messages for him without even telling you his real name?”

“He does. For some godforsaken reason, he managed to convince me that his getting in touch with John here, without being seen to do so obviously, was critical. Jamie came upon us chatting in the knot garden just as he passed a note to me. And of course you both saw the reaction. Here.”

So saying, Kam reached into the folds of the fichu filling in the front of her neckline to withdraw a folded piece of paper and pass it to John. As he settled back in his chair to unfold and read the note, Sarah found her lips twitching.

“So… our boy came upon you and TDH talking earnestly in the knot garden, then saw him pass you a note that you tucked into your fichu. Or in other words, near your heart. And you are objecting to his reaction. Does that sound about right?”