So I wanted to crawl into a hole and die when Jenny offered, “Would you like to come along, Mr. Collins? It's a party at my mother's house. Mr. Wilson's going to be joining us.”
“Then, perhaps I should,” Wyatt puffed out his chest like a self-important peacock, “Elisa should have a chaperone.”
“I don't need one,” I snarled at him, “It's just my friends and their parents.”
“And Gideon,” Wyatt corrected, “Don't worry about it being inconvenient to me. I think it'll be a good way to spend the evening. And I can keep an eye on you while we're enjoying ourselves.”
Yes, that was what I was afraid of.
“Mum's going to send a car for us all at six. They're going to pick us up at the entrance.”
Wyatt bowed his head a little to Jenny, “I'll look forward to seeing you all there.”
“So will I,” Gideon winked at me, and smirked just enough that the corner of his mouth twitched upwards. At least he understood the anguish I felt at having to spend an evening with Wyatt. He nudged me gently with his elbow and whispered, “I'll do my best to rescue you.”
The man was trying to give me a heart attack, I was certain.
Gideon took Wyatt with him when he left. The man didn't object. No doubt he was already forming a plan in his head that involved somehow endearing himself to everyone at the party, whether they wanted his company or not. So long as he didn't actually stick to me for the entire night, I could cope with that. Though I knew I'd be totally humiliated if anyone realised we had some kind of familial connection.
“So,” Jenny said when they were gone, “What did we just interrupt?”
“We interrupted something?” Meg asked, as ignorant of the atmosphere as ever.
“I knocked him over. Nothing thrilling.”
Lisa fanned herself with her hand, “Gideon is so hot, isn't he? What do you think he'll wear?”
“ Oh my God, what are we going to wear?!” Chrissy exclaimed.
“It's a party, not a wedding,” I said, “You'll find something. Come on, you brought half a department store along with you.”
Chrissy and Lisa had never quite managed to understand packing light. To them, that meant bringing things made of thin fabric. I linked arms with Jenny, and let the two idiots run ahead to our dorm room. Meg took a little longer to realise we were on the move, but soon caught up. She wasn't listening into our conversation. She was content to follow up the rear of our little procession, lost in her own thoughts.
“Did I detect a little tension between you and Mr. Wilson?” she asked.
“No.”
“You've never been that good at lying, you know? I mean, except when it comes to the teachers.”
I smiled, “True. I just think he's cute, okay? I have to have someone to look at, it's only fair. You have Charlie, Lisa and Chrissy have every other boy with a pulse, so I should get to have Gideon.”
“ I don't exactly have Charlie. We're just good friends.”
“Good friends who can't stop making eyes at each other,” I muttered.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Chapter Nine
We are not on friendly terms.
I didn't usually put much effort into my clothes.
Not to say I looked terrible all the time. I just wasn't as pampered or well preened as my peers. But I felt that Gideon was worth a little more work on my part, and that meant I was inclined to borrow a dress from Chrissy. It wasn't white, because I didn't think I could force myself that far outside of my comfort zone. A dark blue, knee length, casual evening dress was good enough for me. I was lucky that Jenny had some shoes that were a good enough match for it, although they did pinch a little because they were so narrow. She had much daintier feet than I did.
“You could actually pass for a Lady,” Lisa told me as she finished fastening her earrings, “You know, as long as you didn't open your mouth.”
“ She could always pass as a Lady,” Jenny corrected.
“You would say that.”
“Don't make me come over there. I will happily ruin my nails just to strangle you,” I warned.
“See what I mean? If you want Gideon to like you, then you shouldn't talk.”
“Who said I want Gideon to like me?”
She huffed, “You don't have to say it. It's written all over your face.”
I was going to have to keep an eye on that.
No one else could know I was interested in him, and that included Gideon himself. I didn't want to start rumours that could put his job at risk. He was in a position of trust. Regardless of our respective ages, he was still a teacher while he was in his placement. After that, if he liked me by some miracle, then I could let him know I felt that way.
It wasn't long until the end of the school year.
I could wait.
“Come on, or we'll miss the car,” Jenny said to put an end to Lisa's accusations.
Even if they were true, I still didn't like it. I steeled my nerves, and willed my emotions to behave themselves. I wasn't usually thrown so out of sorts by a guy, and I didn't want this to be the first time. I ignored the glances of the other girls in the halls as we passed them. Seeing me in a dress was as rare as seeing an Aurora Borealis lighting up the sky. If they'd had some warning I might be wearing it, they might have taken pictures to commemorate the occasion.
It definitely took Wyatt by surprise.
The men were waiting on us at the entrance, and the cars had arrived early. Jenny's mother had taste, and she knew that a limousine would appear gaudy. She'd sent three cars to collect us so we could be comfortable. Bentley was waiting by his, his shoulders squared and his back straight. He was a nice guy, and I'd had a crush on him for a while. But he had been married for a few years, now. So I got over it. Still, his eyes widened when they fell on me. He'd been driving Jenny and I around since we were twelve, and he'd never seen me in anything more formal than my school uniform.
“Evening, Ben,” I greeted before he could say anything, “Are we going drag racing in these things?”
“Hardly, Miss. Blake,” he chuckled, “These are precision machines, as you well know. They are not to be soiled with such pursuits.”
“Too bad. You could probably do with a few dents in the Merc'.”
He put a hand on the hood of the car as if he was protecting it from my malicious intentions, “There will be no dents, if you don't mind. Shall we go? I should hate for us to be late.”
“We'll take the first car,” Jenny said, and pulled me towards Bentley.
It was an arrangement I was more than happy with. While sharing a car with Gideon would have been enjoyable, it was wiser for me to stick with her. She knew that, and that was why she pushed me through the open passenger door first. For one moment it looked like Wyatt planned on joining us. Which was why, as soon as Bentley had sat down, I hissed, “Step on it, man!”
We were in motion before he could put his hand on the door.
I leaned back in the seat, and let out a long sigh of relief.
“Miss. Blake?”
“Yeah, Ben?”
“Forgive my impertinence, but are you not looking forward to this evening?”
I blushed, “I didn't want to ride with Wyatt. It's complicated.”
“Ex-boyfriend, is he?”
“ No! God, no! He thinks he's my brother or something. I can't stand him. But someone,” I looked pointedly at Jenny, “Invited him along.”
“What was I supposed to do? I couldn't ask Gideon and not Wyatt. He'd overheard us talking about it. You can just avoid him while you're there. I'll see if we can keep him busy.”
“Not to worry, Miss. Blake. He'll be too preoccupied with the adults to concern himself with you.”
I wished that were true.
Wyatt was the clingy sort. If he had it in his head that he should be my shadow, then he wouldn't leave me for anything. I was glad then that I knew Jenny's house almost as well as my own. I could hide mysel
f away in the gallery, or sneak down to the kitchens, or even to the gazebo in her enormous garden. Anything to be free of his incessant conversation, and unwanted opinions.
Old money meant a big mansion. It had probably been owned by Jenny's family since before the French revolution, and had been passed down to each generation. One day it would all be hers. Although I had no idea what she'd do with fifty bedrooms and a billiard room. Still, it had to be nice to know that she would never have to earn enough to get a deposit on a cramped little flat like I would. I mean, my Mum would buy me a house if I asked, but I had no intention of doing that. It wouldn't be worth anything if I didn't get it myself.
The cars parked in an orderly line outside, and the drivers hurried to open the doors for their passengers. Wyatt was the first out, and fussed over Meg and Chrissy, insisting on helping them to step down from the vehicle. Gideon had no choice in helping Lisa. If she'd been any closer to him, he'd have been forced to carry her. He smiled at me with a somewhat helpless expression, and I shrugged in response. Lisa was silly enough to do that to any man. There was no reason to feel jealous about it.
Although I kind of did.
Jenny took my hand, and led me up the grand stone steps to the front door. When rich people said party, they really went all out. There were people in attendance I didn't recognise, who laughed and drank noisily as we entered. Even if the excuse for the event was Jenny's recovery, hardly any of them noticed her join them. It was just a reason to drink at someone else's expense. At least there was one friendly face.
“Jenny, darling,” Ms. Ayers hugged her daughter tightly. She beamed at me, and beckoned me closer for the same greeting. I really wished that Jenny and I were real sisters. Her mother had treated me better than my own ever had. She kissed the top of my head affectionately, “Don't you both look beautiful this evening? Ah, and you brought the rest of the rabble with you! Good evening, girls.”
“Hi, Ms. Ayers,” Lisa greeted cheerily, “This is Gideon, he's one of our new student teachers.”
“Charmed,” Gideon greeted, and shook her hand politely.
“A pleasure to meet you. And this is...?”
“Wyatt, Ma'am. Wyatt Collins,” he introduced himself, and bowed his head to her like he was in the presence of royalty. Ms. Ayers struggled to contain a smirk at the display, while I resisted the urge to slap my hand to my forehead.
“ Nice to meet you, Wyatt. Please, don't call me Ma'am. Girls, feel free to help yourselves to the buffet. But steer clear of the alcohol. The catering staff have been warned that you're not to have a drop.”
“So unfair,” Lisa complained.
Chrissy pleaded, “Can't we have just one glass of wine?”
“No, but there's an endless supply of lemonade.”
“Very sensible, too. You know, I didn't have a drop until I was twenty-one. It's all nonsense this letting children drink at eighteen,” Wyatt said in a pompous voice, “Furthermore -”
And he was off.
I didn't think it mattered to him that no one was really listening. Once he got started on a subject, there was no stopping him. I inched away slowly, until I was at a safe enough distance that I could slip into the crowd unnoticed. I took Jenny with me, but the others were too far away to rescue. I trusted Gideon to look after them for the time being. But poor Ms. Ayers was stuck with Wyatt. At least until someone managed to distract him.
Or knock him unconscious.
Either would be good.
“I'll apologise to your Mum later,” I vowed to Jenny.
She giggled, “It's fine. She's better at dealing with people like him. Oh, I meant to ask. Do you want to stay over tonight? Mum said it was okay, and she'll take us out into the city tomorrow.”
“I didn't bring anything with me.”
“You can borrow things. It's fine! And she wants to treat you, because you visited me so much. She likes spoiling us, you know that.”
“Yeah, but I don't like taking her money. It's as if I'm using you.”
Jenny pouted, “Are you really going to make me go shopping on my own? I need you to share the pain.”
That was one thing we had in common.
The idea of trawling around bustling stores, with no set idea of what we were doing there, was one neither of us could bear. We liked to go out with a purpose, and get it over with quickly. Lisa and Chrissy were both more inclined to waste hours browsing things they had no intention of buying. I hadn't ever seen the appeal. I preferred to have a few beloved outfits that I wore until they weren't fit to be seen in.
And even then I still wouldn't throw them away.
I held Jenny's hands in mine, “All right, I'll do it. But only for your sake. It's nothing to do with the fact I am in desperate need of new socks.”
“New socks are always a necessity,” Gideon said from behind me.
I jumped, and span so sharply on my heel that he had to grip my shoulders to stop me from falling. I hadn't seen him come after us, and was surprised that he'd shaken off Lisa. She must have found someone more appealing to trail after. I didn't think there was anyone at the party more attractive than Gideon, but that was down to personal taste.
“You know,” Jenny said, with a tone as mischievous as the one I'd used when I pushed her into Charlie, “I need to go and greet people. Mr. Wilson, would you escort Beth? If she's not supervised, she'll go into hiding.”
It was funny how she was totally okay with talking to men she perceived to be teachers, but couldn't form a sentence properly in front of boys our own age. She'd been raised in the sort of environment that demanded social gatherings on a regular basis. So she probably associated older men with the kinds of people who were friends with her mother. I didn't think I could do that with Gideon, and proved as much when she hurried away. I blushed hotly, and suddenly felt exceptionally naked in my dress.
I started to smooth it out, but Gideon took my hand. He kissed the back of it and assured me, “You look beautiful. I hardly recognised you.”
“Thanks, I think,” I said, realising that meant he usually didn't consider me attractive. Well, it wasn't like I actually tried.
He chuckled, “How about we go somewhere to talk? We got interrupted earlier, after all.”
Yeah, and I wanted to know if William's attitude had been soured because I was there, or because of Gideon. I nodded, and we weaved our way through the inebriated adults. Gideon kept a firm grip of my fingers, and I hoped they weren't getting too sweaty in his grip. It was strange that he could make me feel so self-conscious. I'd never cared about that sort of thing before. Crushes were bizarre, and I didn't know if I liked it. I mean, it was fun to think about someone I liked, but I knew that it couldn't happen. That definitely made for a disappointing weight in the pit of my stomach.
Gideon wasn't as familiar with the house as I was, and once we were in the hall, he was at something of a loss. The garden would be quiet, what with October bringing colder nights. We walked to the little wooden gazebo which was happily situated in the midst of the neatly kept flowering shrubs. I perched upon the rail, and Gideon came to rest beside me.
“What did you want to talk about?” I asked, not wanting to bore him with anything that might be on my mind.
Which was very little, as it happened.
“I thought I saw you – that is – I wondered if you were friends with the boys we saw earlier.”
“William and Charlie? I like Charlie, but William's annoying. I mean, he's so up himself, you know? He's looked down on me since the moment we met, and if it wasn't for Jenny and Charlie, I wouldn't so much as look at him. Why?”
Gideon smiled. He looked relieved, in a way. I didn't quite get why until he said, “I've known Will for years.”
“Seriously? But he glared at you before.”
“Yeah, we don't get on. My parents worked for his, and we had a house on their estate. When my parents died in a car accident, his Dad let me live in the house, and gave me a good education. He's a good guy.”
>
“He sounds it. Does that mean William's adopted? Because I really can't see him doing that for anyone.”
He laughed, “No, unfortunately he's a biological child. I think he was just a bit jealous. He was used to being the man about the house after his father, and then I moved in. His father died not long afterwards, so another kid taking the affection of his only remaining parent was tough to deal with.”
One Word From You: A Pride and Prejudice Adaptation Page 7
