Chapter
Fifty-three
Darcy’s
relatives
As it happened, the Australian friends and connections
of the Donovan family were all paying court to Darcy’s relatives that week.
Even Mackenzie Bingley was in town to visit her brother.
Mackenzie now considered herself a human
rights activist. She justified her modeling as a stepping stone towards ‘showing
face’, ‘widening her profile’ and ultimately creating her own charity to help
disadvantaged women the world over. On her profile page she wrote: Mackenzie
Bingley activist, feminist, model. Her
family considered this just another of Mackenzie’s ‘fads’ and her father even
found her ‘amusing,’ which was good for Mackenzie since he bankrolled most of
her adventures.
Ryan had flown over for the fortnight
before continuing his ‘gap year’ around Europe and Asia. Mackenzie, who had
delusions of being gainfully employed as a model announced that her American
agent suggested she might have more of a ‘London Editorial Look.’ Besides, she
wanted to catch up with Blair – and Darcy.
Mackenzie had taken her new look to
extremes. Gone was the Valley girl throwback. Mackenzie had punk style and wore
extremely dark eyeliner. She looked bored all the time. She was bored all the time. Mackenzie was so
over the facile world she and her brother currently inhabited.
As they sat in the drawing room of Lady
Donovan’s Georgian mansion, at the request of Lady Donovan who had known the
Bingley’s since they were children, Ryan had to agree with her that he missed
his family and all that was familiar. At least they still had their best
friends – Darcy and Blair.
Blair was hovering by the piano. She’d
been doing an internship with a record company in London and would also be
staying for the weekend.
Blair had been unexpectedly trying to
contact her brother all morning. He still hadn’t returned her calls.
Working in the music industry was Blair’s
dream and Darcy was relieved she wouldn’t be so directionless when she finally
got back to school. Blair had her brother to thank for the internship. Darcy
had suggested it to Ryan, who had suggested Blair to his parents, who owned the
London studio.
While they all had morning tea and awaited
news of Darcy, his great-aunt, Lady Donovan, was wondering how to set Darcy up
with a future wife. Mackenzie, (who dressed in formal attire for this morning
tea and was on her best behavior) seemed like just the right sort of girl to
her. From the same part of the world – and from a ‘good’ family (the Donovan
family came from very snobbish lineage of which Lady Donovan was most proud).
Lady Donovan smiled. Darcy had always been her favorite grandchild – even if
he’d apparently forgotten the brunch he’d assured her he would attend. In any
case, Lady Donovan was keen that her husband’s bizarre eccentricities would not
hinder Darcy’s ascent to a title and one day becoming Lord of Oxfordshire.
