Jane Actually

large banner welcoming her. She enjoyed employing the full Austen charm offensive and yet again marvelled at the effect an English accent, a Regency costume and the aura of Jane could have. More than once Jane had told her to turn it down. “I was not that charming!”
    “Yes, perhaps we should go to the room where you will give your talk,” Ms Smith finally said, and then led the way through the store.
    “Is Miss Austen actually with you?” Ms Smith suddenly asked in a whisper. Mary was surprised at this, for she had seemed to understand the etiquette of addressing an avatar.
    However, Mary replied, “No, I don’t think so. I think she was surprised by your store’s field.”
    The woman sighed. “I thought so. The disembodied always get a little lost their first time in the store.” She was leading Mary down a corridor that seemed to take her to an adjacent building. “I’ll broadcast a message to the chat rooms and see if I can find her.” They approached the meeting room. “Can I get you anything? Water, tea?”
    “Water would be appreciated. I am not used to this dry climate.”
    “Oh believe me, compared to winter it’s positively damp. And here’s where you will give your talk and sign. We think it will be a very large turnout but we can limit the signing.”
    “That shouldn’t be necessary. I …” But Mary’s reply was interrupted by her phone ringing and she knew from the ring that it was Melody.
    “Excuse me, that’s my … our … Jane’s agent.”
    Ms Smith left Mary, who answered her phone.
    “Hi Melody.”
    “Mary? Is Jane there?”
    “No, Jane’s exploring the store. I guess it has an awesome AfterNet field.”
    “Good … I wanted to talk alone. Everything’s a go for tomorrow. I heard back from the Denver chapter and they have reservations for ten so Jane …”
    “I’m back,” Mary heard Jane’s voice say in her earbuds.
    “Hold on Melody, Jane’s back. Let me tie you in.”
    Mary took her terminal from her reticule and synced it with her phone.
    “OK, we’re both here,” Mary said.
    “Yes, Mama, we are fine. We called you from the airport.” Jane said. She assumed Melody was worried that she hadn’t heard from them.
    “I was just a little worried that you hadn’t called from the hotel,” Melody said.
    “Would you have been awake had we called?” Jane asked. She knew that Melody had only just returned to New York. Her agent, after leaving England, had added a quick Los Angeles trip.
    “Tamara would have picked up.”
    “Hah!” Jane said. “You prove my point. You both needed a full night’s rest. And now Mary will look properly rested for her young man.”
    Mary’s eyes widened. She had hoped to keep her date with Stephen from Melody.
    “What young man? Do you have a date Mary?”
    “She does,” Jane said. “One of Dr Davis’s graduate students. They met in Chicago.”
    Mary winced at Jane betraying all the information about Stephen. Melody no longer held Dr Davis in much regard. Davis had written a review of
Sanditon
that praised the writing and the story but some of the remarks seemed to question Jane’s authenticity. Jane had not been bothered by the review, as she was happy with Davis’s commendations on the modernity of the style, but those same commendations Melody viewed as an accusation.
    Mary was also worried that Melody would object to her seeing Stephen because of the morals clause she had signed.
    “When is this date, Jane?” Melody asked.
    But Mary quickly spoke. “After the reading. We don’t have anything scheduled the rest of the day.”
    Mary waited for Melody, who eventually said, “Well if it’s OK with Jane.”
    She breathed a sigh of relief, with just a little irritation that she must now seek approval if she wanted to go on a date. And yet that was the agreement she had signed. During her conversation, customers began to arrive and Mary smiled pleasantly at them. She avoided the temptation to turn away. In the early days of her representation of Jane, Melody had wanted to avoid photographs of Mary, as Jane, speaking on her cell phone. But after the first photo of Jane Austen on her cell phone had become an Internet meme, Melody had not only stopped her injunction, she practically encouraged it.
    “It is all the same to me,” Jane said, “but I want pictures of your young man.”
    “A little discretion also might be a good thing,” Melody advised.
    Mary must now endure some good-natured teasing from Melody