A Bennetgirl's Birthday in Britain

Sofie stepped off the bus, swung her pack onto her back and made her way into the terminal at Gatwick Airport. She had arrived in England the previous week and spent a few days with her aunt in Bristol. Now she was meeting Alicia's flight, and they had plans to spend the next week touring London and it's environs. When she'd decided to spend a few weeks, including her birthday, visiting her relations in England, Alicia had agreed to join her there instead of visiting her home in Vancouver as originally planned. Sofie waited outside the security check point watching the passengers from the flight from Tampa deplane and exit the terminal. Finally, she spied her friend rolling her bag behind her. Alicia waved and smiled brightly. Sofie returned the gesture.  Then she noticed another familiar face behind Alicia. Cindy was grinning at her! When they finally reached her, she embraced them both and expressed her surprise at seeing Cindy.

"She decided to come at the last minute," said Alicia.

"Yeah," added Cindy, "I wanted to surprise you."

"Well, I'm surprised," said Sofie.

"I hope you're godfather won't mind," replied Cindy. "I can sleep on the floor."

"There's plenty of room," said Sofie. "I'm sure he won't mind."

"Good. I wouldn't want to impose."

"It will be fine," replied Sofie, as they walked towards the rental car counter. "So, how was your flight?"

"Long and tiring. We didn't sleep a wink," replied Alicia.

"And the in-flight movies weren't very good," added Cindy."

"How was the bus ride?" asked Alicia.

"I didn't sleep much either, but there were no movies."

They chatted up a storm, talking about their travels and their plans for the next week until they reached the rental car counter. Sofie suggested that they get the smallest car possible, pointing out how narrow and winding the roads were compared to back home. But Alicia insisted on getting the mid-sized car she'd reserved. After all the back seat had to be comfortable. A few minutes later as they walked towards the car, Alicia said, "I don't know if I can do this."

"You'll do fine," replied Sofie optimistically.

Alicia just shook her head and opened the trunk, where they dumped their bags while referring to it as a "boot" in their best posh British accents.

With key in hand, Alicia then took a deep breath as she went to open the door on the left side of the car.

"What are you doing?" asked Sofie.

Alicia looked up and said, "What?" then looked at the car and started laughing. "Oh!"

"You do plan on driving, right?" asked Cindy.

"I was hoping one of you would do it," said Alicia as she walked to the other side of the car.

"Nah, I'm just going to sit back and relax and sleep while you chauffer me around," said Sofie.

"That's my plan," agreed Cindy, getting into the back seat.

"I think not," replied Alicia as she and Sofie slid into the front seat of the car. She handed Sofie the UK Road Atlas she'd purchased online and said, "You get to navigate."

"That I can do," said Sofie as she began paging through the atlas while Alicia started the car and backed out. "By the way," said Sofie, looking up from the book as they made their way towards the parking lot exit, "you need to be on the other side of the road."

"Right. Thanks."

About two hours later, they arrived at Sofie's godfather's house in the London suburb of Watford, relatively unscathed. Alicia was glad to stop driving for a while. She and Cindy were delighted to meet Francis, a hospitable and pleasant older man, and sign their names in his guestbook. After the introductions, they lugged their things upstairs to the guest rooms. Cindy and Alicia would share the one with two twin beds and Sofie took a separate room. They were all exhausted and agreed a nap was in order. But as soon as Sofie was in her room with the door closed, Cindy and Alicia crept quietly downstairs to get to know their host better. After a pleasant and enlightening conversation with him, they returned to their room and collapsed on the beds.

Several hours later Sofie awoke and after stretching and yawning went downstairs to visit with Francis. Alicia and Cindy awoke and joined them about half an hour later. The girls immediately agreed that they were starving and decided to check out a local pub recommended by Francis, who declined their offer to join them.

After ordering their fish and chips and onion rings at the bar of The White Lion, the ladies settled into a quiet table as far from the smokers as they could get. They chatted in their silly way, talking about their plans for the vacation, their stories and new story ideas, and their lives in general. Sofie spotted two men sitting at a nearby table and commented that they were both good looking. Cindy agreed with Sofie's assessment immediately, but Alicia had to turn in her seat to check them out and Sofie chastised her for being so obvious.

"And you didn't expect to find any good looking men in England," said Alicia, turning back to face her friends.

"I didn't say that. I said I didn't think we'd meet any hot guys. There's a difference between ‘finding’ and ‘meeting’

"Oh whatever," said Alicia, rolling her eyes. "I didn't know you were in the market."

She glanced back at the two men as Sofie replied, "I'm always in the market, don't you know?"

Alicia laughed and Cindy observed to Sofie, "I think the one by the window is looking at you."

"Right," replied Sofie. "Why would he want to look at me?"

"Why wouldn't he?" asked Alicia, turning yet again. Without waiting for an answer she added, "Cindy's right, he's definitely checking you out," and turned back to waggle her eyebrows at the other girls.

Just then, the waitress arrived with their meals and after she left, they changed the subject, commenting on how different her accent was from the bartender who'd taken their orders and trying to mimic both. They dug into their meals and exclaimed at how good the food was. Especially the onion rings.

When they had finished, Alicia excused herself to go to the ladies' room. As she headed down the stairs she was surprised to see one of the gentlemen from the other table walking up them. She hadn't even noticed him leave his table. She smiled to herself as she brushed past him, and was even more surprised to hear him turn and speak to her.

"Pardon me," he said.

"Yes?"

"I don't usually do this, but my friend there," he pointed to the other gentleman sitting by the window at the top of the landing, "is a bit shy and he's rather keen on your friend, the dark haired woman, so I thought perhaps an introduction was in order."

"I think she would like that," replied Alicia.

He extended his hand and said, "Darcy, name's Darcy."

"Just Darcy? That's it?"

He just smiled. "And you would be?"

"Alicia."

"Not from around here?"

"No, actually I'm American."

"I would never have guessed," he replied with a grin.

They agreed they would introduce their friends to each other after Alicia returned from the loo.

"Interesting conversation?" asked Sofie, when Alicia got back to the table.

"Yes," replied Alicia mysteriously.

"I always knew you were a hottie," said Sofie.

"So was he hitting on you?" asked Cindy.

"Actually, Darcy stopped to tell me that his friend is interested in you!" replied Alicia to Sofie.

"Darcy? his name is Darcy?" exclaimed Cindy.

"Why in the world would his friend be interested in me?" asked Sofie.

"It must be that flesh-clinging tank top you're wearing," said Cindy, with raised brows.

"Must be," said Sofie rolling her eyes.

"She does look sexy," Alicia replied to Cindy.

After collecting their things, Alicia and Cindy urged Sofie toward the direction of the two men, who were standing awkardly nearby. Alicia introduced Sofie and Cindy to Darcy, who in turn introduced his friend to all three girls. The five of them walked out of the pub together and spent the next hour or so walking along the street talking and looking into the windows of the different establishments along the way. Darcy was more talkative than his friend, and he focused his attentions on Cindy and Alicia to try and give the two others the opportunity to get to know one another. Sofie noted that the accents of the two men were slightly different so she quizzed the men on whether they could discern any difference between her accent and the other two girls. The gentlemen admitted they could not, and would never have guessed Sofie was from Canada rather than the U.S.

The five of them had an enjoyable evening getting to know each other, but at length, Sofie said to Alicia and Cindy, "We'd better be getting back. It's pretty late and we have an early day tomorrow."

"Oh do you have plans tomorrow?" asked Darcy. "I was thinking we could all get together for dinner."

"That sounds nice," said Alicia, "but we're going out to Stonehenge tomorrow."

"We have an early morning appointment so we can get in to walk among the stones," added Cindy enthusiastically.

"Sounds like fun," replied Darcy. "Perhaps another time, before you leave Watford."

"We'd like that," said Alicia. She wrote down the number to the cell phone she'd brought along with her to use in England, then they parted ways.

As they walked back to where the car was parked, Alicia grinned, "That was fun! See we did meet some nice looking men in England. And their personalities weren't too bad either."

"And there was one for each of you. Very convenient," said Cindy.

"Yeah, well I don't know about that," said Alicia. "It was obvious 'D' was totally into Sofie, but I'm not so sure about Darcy."

"Oh please," said Sofie. "He probably made up that whole thing about his friend liking me just so he could meet you."

"I don't think so," said Cindy. "I agree with Alicia. D definitely liked you! And he was everything a gentleman ought to be."

"Absolutely," said Alicia, "intelligent, polite, good-natured, not too hard on the eyes, attentive."

"Darcy is certainly all those things," said Sofie trying to deflect attention from herself, "and he was really attentive to Alicia."

"So is his friend," said Cindy, "and he's the one who likes you. In fact, it was his interest in you that started this."

"Besides," added Alicia, "he's closer to your age and Darcy is closer to mine, so it works out well."

"So now you're trying to foist the old guy on me?"

"Foist? He liked you first. And as I recall he's younger than you."

"So he claims."

"Well, he gave his age without knowing yours."

"Yeah well what kind of name is 'D,' anyway, it's just an initial?"

"So?" said Cindy. "You used the exact same initial to refer to the hero in one of your stories."

"That was fiction. This is real life. What do you think D stands for? I'm pretty sure it doesn't stand for Darcy."

"I have to admit it is a really weird coincidence that we met two guys named Darcy and D."

"I want to know what the D stands for," said Sofie.

"I guess you'll have to get to know him better to find out," quipped Alicia.  "Maybe it's something he only shares with his most intimate friends."

Cindy laughed then asked Alicia, "And did you notice D's green eyes?"

"Yep," said Alicia, "and I didn't miss the amber flecks either."

"He seems like a pretty good catch to me."

"I definitely saw a connection. Didn't you see a connection?"

"I think they had real chemistry."

They both looked at Sofie. "All right," she said. "I admit it was nice having someone pay attention to me."

"And?" asked Alicia.

"And I agree he was hot and seemed really nice."

"And?" asked Cindy.

"And I think it'd be great if we could see each other again and see what happens."

Alicia and Cindy exchanged satisfied smiles.

They talked of nothing else the entire way home. Cindy and Alicia were pleased to see Sofie's interest in D becoming more apparent. He really seemed to be an ideal match for her.

The next day, the trio of friends set out for Stonehenge. Sofie thought they'd left earlier than they had to, but both Alicia and Cindy insisted that they needed plenty of time as they were worried about missing their tour. "I'll navigate this time," said Cindy, sliding into the front seat and grabbing the road atlas. "You can relax, Sofie."

Sofie didn't argue. She slid into the back seat and took out the manuscript of Alicia's Nanowrimo story to read on the way. After a while she looked up and said, "Where are we? Did you two get lost? This looks like the airport."

"Yeah," said Alicia, "somehow we ended up at Heathrow. I'll pull over here and ask for directions back to the highway." She pulled up to the arriving flights terminal next to where a woman was standing.

"Oh my gosh," said Sofie, "that's Rita!"

"You made it," called Alicia, hopping out of the car to greet her friend.

"I made it," replied Rita. "And I still can't believe I'm in England! And with the three of you!"

Cindy hugged Rita as Alicia opened the trunk to put her bag in it.

"I hope your godfather doesn't mind," said Rita, to Sofie as she threw her bag in the trunk.

"But you wanted to surprise me?"

"Yep, that was the plan."

"I'm sure it will be okay, I'm alone in a room that sleeps two right now, so you can bunk with me."

"No worries," said Alicia, to Sofie's amazement, "Francis is cool with it."

"Yeah, we talked to him yesterday," added Cindy.

"Oh good. I feel much better," said Rita.

"I still can't believe you're here," Sofie said to Rita, slamming the trunk closed. "Did you have a good flight?"

"It was fine. I slept the whole time."

Alicia and Cindy exchanged glances, remembering their own tortured flight.  "Great," said Alicia, "because we have a long day ahead of us. We need to go if we're going to get to Stonehenge in time for our appointment."

"Stonehenge!" said Rita. "I am so excited. I've always wanted to go there." She climbed into the back seat.

"Oh Rita," said Cindy, "I have to tell you about last night."

"I need a navigator," Alicia reminded her.

"Sofie can do it," said Cindy, getting in the back seat with Rita.

Sofie climbed into the front and took up the atlas again as Cindy filled Rita in on the events of the previous evening.

The girls arrived at Stonehenge bright and early. Alicia gasped upon catching her first glimpse of the stones from the highway, and her enthusiasm never waned, even in spite of the brisk weather. The four women enjoyed walking all around the stones and among them. There were several other people there for the morning tour and the girls had fun speculating about their interest in the site. Sofie found a pebble and infused it with the ancient mystical power of the stones. The other girls were sure it would bring her good luck -- especially at her next meeting with D.

The friends only finally left the stones to answer the persistent call of nature. By the time they returned to the entrance area, just before it opened to the public, there was a long line of visitors awaiting entry. They passed the food counter where one visitor was asking whether he could pay with American money.

"Americans," muttered Sofie, rolling her eyes.

"Right?" agreed Alicia. "We're so arrogant."

They decided to wait around until the gift shop opened, as Alicia wanted to purchase some souvenirs. They were loitering around the gift shop entrance when they heard a quiet masculine voice saying, "Good morning, Sofie."

The girls turned towards the sound of the voice. It was D. Alicia and Cindy greeted him enthusiastically. Then Alicia turned to Sofie and whispered, "See that pebble is working its magic already!" Then she looked around for his friend while the Cindy introduced Rita to D. Sofie returned his greeting as well and asked what they were doing at Stonehenge.

"Well, after hearing you three talk about it yesterday, we realized we'd both wanted to see it and agreed it was as good a time as any. We knew you had an early tour so we figured if we arrived around opening time we'd catch you while you were still here."

Darcy approached the group and was introduced to Rita, then said he'd join the girls in the gift shop before heading to the site. Alicia, Rita, and Cindy went in with him, but Sofie said she wasn't interested in buying anything. D decided to stay outside and keep her company.

"So how did you like the stones?" asked D.

"They were amazing. It's really awesome to see something that's been here for 5000 years."

D agreed and added, "I'm glad you had such a nice time."

"We did. I took lots of pictures."

"I'd like to see them sometime."

"Well I can show them to you on my camera," said Sofie, as she pulled out her camera and pulled up the most recent photo on the LCD screen. She handed D the camera.

"That's a nice one," he said. "You have a really nice smile."

"Thanks."

"I'd really like it if you'd email those to me."

"Sure. I guess I could do that."

"I don't have anything to write on," he said, feeling in his pockets. "I can try to remember it."

"Okay, it's eifos, my first name backwards, at bennetgirls dot com."

"Bennetgirls?"

"Bennet, two n's one t, girls."

"I think I can remember that. So what kind of website is that?"

"Well it's ours, all of us, plus three more girls, and we write stuff and post it there."

"Really? I'd love to read what you've written."

"Well it's mostly just silly romantic drivel."

"Don't let her lie to you," said Alicia," who'd just emerged from the gift shop. "Her writing is amazing. And not all her stories are romances."

"I don't mind romances," said D with a slight smile.

"Hey, D, have you ever owned a green jag?" asked Cindy.

"Are you a schoolteacher?" asked Rita.

They had both come out of the gift shop after Alicia, with their souvenirs in tow.

"No and no," he replied with a puzzled expression. "Why do you ask?"

"Never mind them," said Sofie. "They're just silly girls."

"We are indeed," said Cindy.

The group spent several more minutes in conversation before finally parting ways. The gentlemen went to the site and the ladies piled into the car to head to their next destination. They drove to Chawton and spent the next several hours visiting the house where Jane Austen lived and did most of her writing. They walked the rooms and viewed the exhibits and chatted with the ladies who worked there about the film adaptations. Then they walked through the gardens and visited all the outbuildings. All of them found the tour delightful. Afterwards, they had a late lunch at a small cozy restaurant across the street and then visited the church in Chawton and the graves of Jane Austen's mother and sister. They returned to Watford in the early evening where Rita met Francis and signed her name in his book.

They were all sitting in the living room talking about their plans to visit Winchester on the following day, when Alicia's cell phone rang. It was Darcy. He wanted to plan for dinner the following evening, but she explained they'd be spending the day in Winchester and didn't know what time they'd return. "We're going to the Kew Gardens the next day, though, so maybe we can do something with you guys afterwards."

"That sounds like a good idea," he said. "As a matter of fact, I'd love to see the gardens, and I know D would like it too. He kind of has a green thumb. He knows the name of like every single plant. It's kind of annoying."

"I know what you mean," said Alicia smiling as she glanced at Sofie.

"By the way is Sofie around? D's right here with me and he'd like to talk to her if that's okay."

"Sure, I'll put her on."

Alicia handed the phone to Sofie, "D would like to talk to you."

Cindy and Rita looked at each other and giggled like a couple of schoolgirls.

"Hello," said Sofie, putting the phone to her ear.

"Hi," he replied. "I was just wondering if you have internet access. I sent you an email to verify I had the address right. Do you mind checking to see if you received it?"

"Sure, I can do that. I'll email you back if I got it."

"And if you didn't, I guess I can get your email address again when I see you the day after tomorrow. And this time I'll write it down."

"We're seeing each other the day after tomorrow?"

"Well, I am told I'm going to Kew Gardens that day."

"What a coincidence I think I'll be there."

"Good."

"I guess I'll see you then."

"Okay. See you then. Bye Sofie."

"Bye."

She pushed 'end' on the phone and turned back to her friends, who were trying to appear as if they weren't paying attention.

"So?" asked Rita.

"So, nothing," said Sofie, sitting at the computer.

"Did you get any emails?" asked Cindy, as Sofie typed away with one hand.

"As a matter of fact I did," replied Sofie, "Alyson wrote to ask about my vacation and she says hi to all of you! I guess she was in on the double surprise."

"Of course she was," said Alicia. "Did you get a message from anyone else?"

"D emailed me to verify that he had my address right."

"What did he say?"

"He said, 'Hi, I just wanted to make sure I got your email address right.'"

Cindy peered over Sofie's shoulder at the screen. "Aw, he sent her a virtual flower bouquet."

"He must really like you," said Rita.

"He also mentioned that he liked some of her poetry that he read at our site," added Cindy!

"Do you mind?" asked Sofie, closing the window.

"Well, if you're finished, can I check my email now?" asked Alicia.

"Be my guest," said Sofie, getting up.

"I think she's jealous," said Cindy. "She needs to check and see if she got a message from Darcy."

"I can only hope," said Alicia, taking Sofie's place in front of the computer.

"Well at least he called me," said Alicia, a few minutes later.

"Aw no email?" asked Rita.

"Not from him. But Jen did write me."

"Oh good," said Cindy, "how's she doing?"

"She says everything is going just fine."

"Good," said Rita. "I'm glad to hear it."

Everyone continued to tease Sofie about D, while all the girls took a turn checking their email. They went to bed soon after, determined to make an early start the next day.

In the morning, the four friends had breakfast with Francis and then headed towards Winchester. When they had piled into the car and started on their way Sofie asked Alicia, "Are we making any surprise stops this morning at the airport?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise!" replied Alicia.

"Well since Cindy actually let me navigate, I'm assuming we're heading straight to Winchester. At least that's where I'm guiding you."

"To Winchester!" said Alicia.

Once they entered the city, Sofie put away the map and said, "Now we need to find a car park close to the cathedral." Alicia took a sudden turn. "Where are you going? I don't think this is the right way."

"I saw a sign," explained Alicia.

A few minutes later Alicia pulled up in front of the Winchester train station.

"You're not going to park here are you?" asked Sofie, looking around. Then she exclaimed, "Hey there's Jen!"

All the girls tumbled out of the car to greet their friend, but Sofie was the only one who was surprised to see her. "I had given up on any more friends joining us when we didn't go by the airport today."

"I offered to pick her up," said Alicia.

"Well Gatwick is not exactly on the way to Winchester from Watford.  I didn't mind catching the train out here," said Jen.  Then she added, "Cindy emailed me and said your godfather was okay with me staying there."

"Well she knows more about it than I do," replied Sofie. "And there is another bedroom downstairs, so I guess it's fine."

After tossing Jen's bag in the trunk they piled back into the car and looked for a car park. Alicia observed to Sofie, "It's a good thing we got a bigger car, isn't it?"

"I'll say! You're just a sly thing aren't you?"

"I try," replied Alicia with a grin.

"Well you'd better hope no more of our friends show up or they'll have to ride in the trunk."

Alicia just laughed.

They found a large car park near the city centre.  They exited the garage in the midst of an open air market. The girls were intrigued and walked along the booths inspecting all the items for sale. There was a wide variety of local fresh produce, even fresh meat and fish, as well as jewelry, toys and even dog food.

They slowly made their way to the center of town and eventually to the cathedral. From the outside, one end looked like it was about to topple over, but it was surrounded by scaffolding. The girls were all intrigued to see a building that had been standing for so long.

They entered the cathedral from a side door at the front, to the left of the main doors and all of them were overwhelmed by the beauty and grandeur of the interior. The front stained-glass window over the main door was particularly intriguing. The original windows had been destroyed during the English civil war and the design was lost. Later, the thousands of fragments of broken colored glass were gathered together and randomly reinserted into the window to form a beautiful abstract design. After admiring the window, the girls walked up the left hand side of the Cathedral towards the altar, and passed a baptismal font that was nearly a thousand years old. As they continued to walk along the aisle, they began looking at the various gravestones in the floor and within a few moments they found the tomb of Jane Austen and the stained glass window beside it that had been dedicated to her. After taking a few pictures there, they walked to the main altar and toured all the chapels throughout the cathedral. Afterwards they went upstairs and toured the library, where they were able to examine ancient illuminated texts.

After leaving the cathedral they purchased some postcards in the cathedral shop and then stopped at a pub to have lunch and write their postcards. Everyone agreed that the fish and chips and onion rings and garlic cheese bread at The Crown and Anchor pub were delicious! After lunch, they decided to walk to the house Jane Austen lived in until her death. They found the house near Winchester College and took some pictures in front of it before continuing down College Street towards the river. On the way, they passed Wolvesley Castle on the left and decided to tour the site. There was little left of the castle, but some walls still stood and the layout of the building could be determined from the ruins. It was obvious it had been a very grand place. As they walked back towards the road after touring the castle ruins, they stopped to watch a boys' cricket game and began discussing the game among themselves, comparing it to baseball. A man standing against the fence, who was also watching the game, explained to them how it was played and what role the various boys on the field had. It was an interesting lesson, especially as the young man was very easy on the eyes. At length, the girls had to leave their new friend and continued towards the river. Soon they were strolling along the Weirs Walk taking in the lovely views of foliage lining the riverbed. They also witnessed some interesting behavior by the wildlife that lived on the river. None of them had ever seen swans behave so violently! A local man explained to them that the swans were territorial. The older male swans were chasing away the younger ones to keep them from crowding the area. The ladies were intrigued and thanked the man for his explanation before continuing back towards the city centre.

They passed the City Mill and King Alfred's statue and then made their way back towards the car park. Sofie remembered seeing a post office on the way into town, so they stopped there to buy stamps and mail their postcards. Finally, they made it back to the car, and everyone piled it. As they drove back to Watford, they chatted about the wonderful day they'd had together.

Jen mentioned that she was looking forward to touring the Kew gardens the following day, and Cindy and Rita filled her in on the gentlemen the girls had met on their first evening in town. She was intrigued by the story and looked forward to meeting the man that Sofie seemed to have bewitched.

When they finally arrived back at Francis' house in Watford, Jen got to meet her host and sign her name in the guest book. She joined Rita in the upstairs bedroom and Sofie moved downstairs. It had been a long day and everyone was ready for bed. Once the other girls were ensconced in the upstairs guestrooms, Sofie decided to check her email. She couldn't help but smile to herself when she saw that D had written her back. He said he was glad he had correctly remembered her email address and looked forward to receiving her pictures. He hoped she'd had a good time visiting Winchester and asked to hear all about her day. She replied with a detailed account of her day and said she couldn't email him photos until she got back home and uploaded them from her camera. She was even so bold as to express that she was looking forward to seeing him on the following day. As she closed her email, curiosity got the best of her and she asked, "What does 'D' stand for?"

The ladies were at leisure to sleep in a little longer the following morning as there was no long drive in their agenda for the day. They had breakfast with Francis again, and then set out for Kew Gardens. Sofie had suggested taking the subway, but Alicia had researched the gardens online and knew there was parking nearby.

"I thought you didn't want to drive in the city," said Sofie.

"I don't, but this won't be so bad. It's not really in the city. It's more on the outskirts. The walk to the tube station is long and if we get home late in the evening we'll have to walk back through that park in the dark.  Besides, the Watford station is closed for the weekend, which means we'd have to take the bus to the next station over then get on the subway and then change trains like three times to get to the gardens."

"Actually I think it's only twice."

"It's just easier if we drive."

"Oh are we planning another surprise stop today?" asked Sofie, wondering at the real reason Alicia wanted to drive.

"Well, you know the gardens are right near Heathrow Airport."

"Stop teasing me!"

Alicia laughed as they started on their way to the gardens in the mid-size rental car that seemed packed to capacity. Sofie appeared a bit disappointed when Alicia pulled into the car park at the Kew Gardens Tube Station. The five girls walked through the station where once again, they were greeted by a familar face. "Alyson!" cried Sofie, embracing her friend. "I can't believe you're here. How in the world did you manage it?"

"I have my ways," said Alyson. All the other girls said hi to the newest addition to the group and everyone walked back to the car together to dump Alyson's bag into the trunk. "I flew into Heathrow this morning. Alicia offered to pick me up but it was just as easy for me to hop on the subway and meet you all here. And I thought you'd be more surprised this way."

"I'm definitely surprised," said Sofie. "This has been my most surprising vacation yet. Now I know why Alicia insisted on bringing the car."

"Well I didn't want Alyson to have to worry about carrying her bag around all day, since none of the transit stations in this country have lockers."

"Let me guess," added Sofie, "Francis already knows you're coming and is cool with it."

"I hope so," said Alyson.

"All taken care of," said Cindy.

The six ladies headed back out of the tube station and walked up Lichfield Road towards the Victoria Gate entrance to the gardens. As they walked, everyone explained to Alyson about the two men who were supposed to meet them to tour the gardens. They passed several quaint shops on the road towards the gardens, as well as some lovely houses. When they arrived at the gate, they noticed two handsome men standing near the entrance. They were leaning against one of the stone pillars holding up the black wrought iron gate.

Once all the greetings and introductions were done with, the group proceeded into the gardens. Darcy smiled at Alicia and said, "Every time I see you, your group of friends is larger."

"I told you we'd have some additions last time you called," she replied.

He just smiled.

They entered the gardens and turned left to walk towards the pagoda, as Alicia was very eager to see it -- having included it in one of her stories. They spent the next several hours touring the lovely grounds and glass houses at the gardens. All the girls gave Sofie and D as much privacy as possible. And though Alicia may not have realized it, her friends were also giving her and Darcy every opportunity to get to know one another better. After viewing the pagoda, the group made their way towards the Japanese garden. Then they stopped at a pond that had the cutest little birdhouse nearby and saw a couple of peacocks strolling about. They hoped the male would fan out his tail, but they had no such luck.

They took a quick bathroom break and then walked towards the lake. After crossing over the bridge that spanned it, they toured the Japanese Minka house and then walked towards the Rhododendron Dell. The Rhododendrons were still in bloom, and the entire vista was filled with their colorful flowers. Sofie and D walked harmoniously together, talking quietly, while the others kept their distance. They spoke about the different plants and flowers they'd encountered. D was impressed by Sofie's botanical knowledge and she explained to him that she worked seasonally in her sister's greenhouses. He, in turn, explained that he was a landscape architect and had submitted several articles to gardening journals.

"So you're a writer too?"

"Yes, in a way I guess I am."

"Except you’re published."

"Sure. They have a couple of my gardening books on sale at the gift shop here."

"Really? Are they published under your full name?"

He smiled. "I guess you'll have to check them out for yourself."

From the Rhododendron Dell they walked through the Azalea Garden and on towards the Orangery, which -- having proved a dismal failure at growing citrus trees -- was now used as a restaurant. When they reached it they were greeted with a spectacular view of various flowers in an array of colors all across the front of the Orangery. To their left was the Queen's Cottage and they decided to check out the garden behind it. They were not dissappointed. There was such a wide variety of flowering plants, such an array of color. The entire garden was enchanting. They walked beneath an arched trellis with yellow Wysteria hanging down from the top, they took photos in front of daisies and irises and poppies.

Afterwards, they walked back past the Orangery, and towards Victoria Gate. They passed the rose garden where the scent of the flowers filled the air. Alicia and Rita could not help reminiscing about the rose garden they'd visited together in Rochester. Right behind it, they entered the water lilly house which was home to some of the most amazing and vibrant flowers and certainly the largest lily pads any of them had seen. Next, the group entered the palm house, where it was so warm and humid, it reminded the Floridians in the group of home. There, they saw what was believed to be the oldest potted plant in the world, which was brought to Kew in 1775. The palm house was their last stop before they visited the gift shop on their way out of the gardens. Sofie immediately began perusing the bookshelves. She found a gardening handbook by a D. Fitzwilliam and when she opened the book jacket she saw a photograph of the man standing a few feet away from her.

"So you don't write using your full name."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Well, it's an unusual name."

She decided not to push the issue. Everyone made their selections in the gift shop and the group was soon back on Lichfield Road walking towards the tube station. There was an ice cream cart stopped across the street from the Victoria Gate and the two gentlemen asked all the girls to make their choices. The cart even offered something suitable for Alyson's vegan diet. They resumed walking and chatting while eating their frozen treats. When they were close to the tube station, Darcy said, "It's still early, why don't we all take the tube downtown?"

They all agreed it was a good idea and boarded the next train towards the center of London. When they were all seated, Jen asked, "So what do you all want to do? Where should we get off the subway?"

"I think we should get off at the Westminster stop," said D, "We happen to have eight tickets for a flight on the London Eye booked for just about an hour from now."

The girls became very excited and all of them thanked the gentleman while telling them they really shouldn't have been quite so generous. When they exited the underground at Westminster Station, they immediately saw the eye standing tall on the bank of the River Thames. There was a long line of guests waiting to ride, but the cue moved pretty quickly and they were able to board only a half hour past the time indicated on their tickets. The giant ferris wheel type ride offered a stunning view of the city, especially the river, the houses of parliament and Big Ben, and the business district. At the end of the ride, everyone agreed it had been a once in a lifetime experience. They all got back on the tube and took it down to Piccadilly Circus where they had dinner together. Then they rode the tube back to the Kew Gardens station, where the ladies and gentlemen parted ways.

The girls piled into the car. Luckily, all six of them fit into the mid-sized sedan. The drive back to Watford was filled with chatting and laughter. The girls talked of the gardens and the London Eye and speculated shamelessly about Sofie's blooming friendship with D.

"D is sweet on Sofie!" Alicia sang from the front seat.

"Sofie has a boyfriend!" Jen chimed in.

Sofie shook her head, although her cheeks were rosy. "He is a very nice man and he and I have a few things in common," was all she would admit.

"Like gardening, and the fact that they can’t seem to take their eyes off each other for a second!" Rita said with a laugh. She and Cindy snickered, earning them a big-sisterly glare.

"I think it is very sweet," Alyson said.  "He seems like a terrific man."

"I wonder what that D stands for?" This was from Alicia.

"Why don’t you ask Darcy?" Jen asked archly. It was Alicia’s turn to blush. "As they are such great friends?"

"He and Alicia have too many other things to talk about," was the general consensus concerning Alicia and her new beau. The speculation only ended when they reached Francis’ house, where Alyson met her host, signed the guest book and moved in with Sofie.

The next day, the girls toured London. This time, they used the Underground from Watford. They visited Hyde Park and saw the Marble Arch, they walked along Park Lane and speculated about the interiors of the posh townhouses that lined the street, they found Grosvenor Square, they walked from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace, they visited the market at Covent Garden, and they located Gracechurch Street. Darcy called Alicia's cell phone wondering when they could all get together again. She explained that they were all driving up to Kenilworth the next day to visit Stoneleigh Abbey, and when she shared their plans for the following day, he and D were eager to be involved.

The drive to Stoneleigh Abbey was crowded, but the girls managed to keep most of their complaints to themselves. It was a long way, so they stopped for several bathroom and snack breaks along the road. Alicia was relieved to be on the highway. She wouldn't admit it to Sofie, but she'd been uncomfortable driving in the city from Watford to Kew, even if it was just on the outskirts of town.

At last they made it to the estate. The drive to the house from the entrance of the property seemed interminable. Even after most of the estate grounds had been sold off there seemed to be a lot of land remaining. They parked the car near the stables and walked to the front and into the small gatehouse that served as an entrance and gift shop. Sofie immediately recognized Sarah and rushed to embrace her. The other girls were all thrilled to finally meet their eMama. Sofie admitted she'd been surprised yet again by the appearance of another friend. "You shouldn't be surprised to find me here, after all, we're in Shakespeare Country!" replied Sarah.

Sofie smiled, "That's true. But how did you get here, to Stoneleigh?"

"I flew into Birmingham this morning and rented a car at the airport there then drove down. One or two of you can ride back to Bristol with me so your car will be less crowded."

The plan was welcomed by everyone. They bought their tickets for the next tour and were allowed into the estate grounds on the other side of the gatehouse. They were told they could walk around the grounds until it was time for their tour to begin. They got their first site of the Georgian Mansion house when they exited the gatehouse, which was actually an even older, Elizabethan building. The man who'd sold them the tickets explained that the older buildings that had been an abbey before the Georgian house was built, as well as the top two floors of the Georgian house were rented out as private residences. The income from those rents helped sustain the rest of the house and grounds for tours by visitors.

They walked towards the River Avon and along its bank away from the house to explore the "prettyish kind of little wilderness on one side of the lawn." They found a bridge that crossed the river and from the center of it, there was a lovely view of the conservatory on the side of the house. They walked all over the grounds until it was time to return to the gatehouse for their tour. The tour guide showed them several rooms inside the house. The decor, particularly the decorated plaster ceilings, was breathtaking. They visited what was now the library, but had been the bedroom Jane Austen stayed in when she visited the house, and were disappointed to learn their tour guide had not read one Jane Austen novel. They visited the chapel and the ballroom and the staircase and even walked through a part of the old abbey. Last, they visited the room which had been used to host Queen Victoria in the house for a short visit. The tour ended with a view of the "bathroom" which had been made for the queen's visit.

Afterwards they got into the two cars and headed south towards Bristol. Sofie expressed her concern to Alicia about showing up at her Aunt Hebe's house with seven people when she was only expecting two. Alicia told Sofie not to worry that they had actually booked two rooms at a bed and breakfast close to her aunt's home. After everyone but Sofie checked in at the B&B they all drove to Aunt Hebe's house to drop Sofie off. Everyone was pleased to meet Sofie's aunt as well as her mother and sisters, who were visiting. The girls remained at Hebe's house conversing with Sofie's family late into the evening. Hebe told stories about her past travel experiences as a young woman, which really showed how airline travel had changed since then. At last the girls returned to their hotel with plans to pick up Sofie bright and early the next morning for their day in Bath.

When the girls arrived to pick up Sofie, everyone was eager to get to Bath and see the sites there that interested them all. Sofie seemed a little disappointed when her friends came to pick her up, but she didn't say anything. The drive to Bath took about half an hour and they found a public car park near the center of town where they could leave the two cars. They headed straight to the Jane Austen Centre and went on the tour together.  The best part was the short film narrated by the actress who'd played Ann Elliot in Persuasion.


They all took pictures with the mannequin dressed like one of Jane Austen's brothers who'd been in the Navy, and pretended he was Frederick Wentworth. Afterwards they had lunch in the tea room at the Jane Austen Center, which served the most delicious scones imaginable along with dishes such as Cousin Collins' Crumpets and Willoughby's Chocolate Fudge Cake and Chocolate Persuasion. Once they'd had their fill, they headed to the Pump Rooms, which were now used as a restaurant, and on to the Roman Baths.  Everyone was surprised to encounter two familiar gentlemen upon entering the Roman Baths gift shop.

D was in line waiting to pay for something and Darcy was browsing some of the shelves while waiting for his friend. When he saw Alicia he said, "Hi there. Fancy meeting you here."

"I know," she replied. "We weren't supposed to meet up until later."

As soon as D caught sight of them he waved and gestured for Sofie to walk over to him. She did so and stood there in quiet conversation with him while he paid. Afterwards they walked together over to where Darcy and Alicia were talking (the other girls had scattered around the shop) and Alicia thought Sofie had an odd expression on her face. She wondered if something had happened between her and D. After a brief conversation the gentlemen left the store, promising to meet later as originally planned.

The girls gathered together again and walked through the back of the gift shop into the rear of the Roman Baths. There, through a window they were able to see the portion of the baths used to film the water scene in that hideous Northanger Abbey adaptation.

Soon after, the girls embarked on their walking tour of the city. They strolled along the streets looking for as many landmarks from the novels of Jane Austen as they could find and expressing their wonder that the city was still so much as it had been during that time period.

As they walked Alicia took a moment to ask Sofie if anything was wrong after her meeting with D.

"It's nothing," she said.

"I'm not buying it. Something's been bothering you since you saw him in the shop."

"I just don't know if this whole friendship with him is such a great idea. I mean, I barely know him."

"Wait a minute, up until now you've seemed to really enjoy his company. Where are these sudden doubts coming from?"

"I don't know."

"Well, he seems like a really good guy. He's handsome, intelligent, not exactly broke. What more could you want?"

"Well, for one thing he lives here and I live in Canada."

"So what? I'm not trying to get you married. Just spend time with him while you're here. If you like each other you can keep in touch. Who knows where it might go?"

"All right," said Sofie, sighing. "The thing is . . . I saw his driver's license. He had to show it to use his credit card. I saw his name."

"Really? So what does the D stand for?"

"Alicia, his name is Doofus."

"Doofus? Are you kidding me?"

"Definitely not."

"Well so, maybe it's foreign. Didn't he say he had a foreign name?"

"I don't think so. But who could blame him? I wouldn't broadcast that if it was my name."

"Well I admit it's a bit . . . strange, but you shouldn't let that stop you from building on this friendship."

"Come on, do you think I want to date someone called Doofus? Can you imagine intimate moments? 'Oh Doofus.'"

Alicia laughed out loud. "Well, I am inclined to think that by the time you get to that point, you'll have come up with a nickname for him."

"I just can't imagine why he wouldn't have changed it by now."

"Well, maybe Brits don't have the same association with the word as we do."

"I finally meet a decent guy and his name is Doofus. Just my luck."

"Well, he seems perfect in every other way. You can't have it all, you know."

"I know, but is a normal name too much to ask for?"