Jane Bites Back_ A Novel - Michael Thomas Ford [93]
—Jane Austen, Constance, manuscript
JANE WAS RELIEVED WHEN THE PLANE TOUCHED DOWN. SHE WAS even more relieved when she saw Lucy waiting for her at the baggage claim.
“If it isn’t Jane the vampire killer,” Lucy said, hugging her.
“That’s not funny,” said Jane.
She looked around for the oversize baggage area and saw Jasper’s kennel. “I was convinced he would freeze in the hold,” she told Lucy as she dragged her over to where the dog waited. When he saw Jane, Jasper pawed at the cage door and whined. Jane let him out, and he jumped up on Lucy.
“Hello, handsome,” said Lucy. Jasper licked her nose. “I think I’m in love,” Lucy said to Jane.
“It’s your fault he’s here,” Jane replied. “If you hadn’t insisted I go back for him—”
“If you hadn’t—you know—then you wouldn’t have had to go look for him,” Lucy interrupted.
Jane ignored her. “I wonder where my bags are,” she said, scanning the conveyor belt filled with arriving luggage.
“I already got them,” said Lucy. “See?” She pointed to two bags that had Jane’s name tags tied to the handles. “I noticed them in the unclaimed luggage area, and assumed they’d come on an earlier flight.”
Jane growled. “Those are the original bags I checked in on my way to Chicago,” she said angrily. “They must never have put them on the plane in the first place.”
Lucy laughed. “Well, now you have more clothes,” she said.
Jane left Lucy with the two bags and went in search of her other ones. She felt a sense of déjà vu as she watched the belt circling and all of the other bags were picked up. Once again she heard the grinding of gears as the belt stopped.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” she said to Lucy. “What did I do to anger the luggage gods?”
“Vampire slayer,” Lucy whispered.
“Stop that!” Jane insisted.
“Sorry,” said Lucy. “Let’s go get in line.”
Jane shook her head. “I’m calling it a wash,” she said, taking her two original bags in hand. “Besides, there was nothing in there I want.”
As they headed toward the exit, Lucy walking Jasper and rolling his kennel behind her, Lucy said thoughtfully, “Just think. Some baggage handler could be fingering Jane Austen’s panties right about now.”
“Keep it up,” Jane said, “and I will bite you.”
They made their way to the parking garage, where they loaded everything into Lucy’s car. Jasper, sitting in the back, whined until Lucy rolled down the window for him. He immediately stuck his head out.
“I wonder what it was like being Charlotte Brontë’s dog,” Lucy said as she pulled out.
“Can we not mention that name again?” Jane asked.
“You’re in a foul temper,” said Lucy. “What happened at that conference, anyway? Besides setting Char—”
“Byron is what happened,” Jane told her.
“Byron?”
“It’s a long story,” said Jane. “Suffice it to say we made up.”
Lucy looked at her, eyes wide. “You didn’t sleep with him?” she said.
“No!” Jane said. “We just had dinner. Then he walked me home. I hate to admit it, but he was a perfect gentleman. It makes me think he’s up to something.”
“But why was he there at all?” Lucy asked.
Jane told her the whole story.
“Penelope Wentz?” Lucy said when Jane was finished. “Her books are awful.”
Hearing it gave Jane some satisfaction, for which she immediately felt guilty. “She’s apparently very popular,” she said by way of apology to Byron.
“Sure she is,” Lucy said. “We sell a ton of her books. His books,” she corrected. “Haven’t you noticed?”
“I confess I don’t always pay attention to what people are buying,” said Jane. “And since you’ve been doing most of the ordering for the past year or so, I’m not entirely up on what people are reading. Frankly, I’m a little tired of the whole thing.”
“I never get tired of books,” Lucy said as they exited the airport and drove onto the Thruway. “Anyway, tell me more about Byron.”
“I feel sorry for him,” said Jane. “I know how that sounds, but you should have seen his face when he talked about his friend.”
“His friend?” said