One Word From You: A Pride and Prejudice Adaptation (10 page)

“
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.”

“
That's still no excuse to be a total dick,” I said, “It's not like you asked to lose your own parents. And he should have understood if his Dad died.”

“
Kids are hard to understand sometimes. His Mum let me go to school, and then paid for my university education. I got along with her, and with Amanda. That's his older sister. She's nineteen now. Amanda's a good kid.”

“
That's not really a
kid,
is it?”

“
Well... No, maybe not.”

“
William needs to get over his issue, though. I mean, how long is it since all this happened?”

“
Well, we're way more sensible than he is, obviously. William's childish, but he'll grow out of it. Still, he did go out of his way to get me thrown out of my last teaching position.”

“
What? Why?”

“
Spite, would be the
why.
The
what,
would be that he accused me of stealing.”

“
Stealing what?”

“
Money, naturally,” Gideon sighed, “I was lucky enough to get a job at his old boarding school. I was there a month before he saw fit to accuse me of stealing from the school's funds. What with his mother being who she was, they believed him. So I had to look for a new job, and William got his revenge. Believe me, when you're accused of being a thief, it's next to impossible to find an employer.”

“
Is that why my Mum had to recommend you?” I asked.

“
Yes. And I'm happy she did. If she hadn't, we wouldn't have met.”

It was the one thing my mother had ever done that I approved of.

“
I knew William was kind of – well – a git, but I didn't think he'd do anything like that. Didn't you try to fight it legally? I mean, without proof, it's unfair dismissal!”

He nodded, “Yes, it is. But his parents had done a lot for me, and I knew it would hurt his sister if I smeared their name. It was better for everyone that I just moved past it.”

“
Then you're a lot nicer than I am. I'd have been shouting about it until I had justice.”

Gideon reached out, and patted the top of my head gently. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. It didn't go ignored. Gideon commented, “You're adorable. So, it all turned out okay for me in the end. I'll never be as rich as them, but I have a good life. Of course, I have to put up with Wyatt as well. That's about the only downside.”

“
That's a pretty big downside.”

“
Which you know very well.”

I nodded, “I do. What about his sister?”

“
She was a nice girl growing up. Now she's off in a University in Switzerland. I don't hear from her any more.”

I didn't really like my mother, which I made apparent whenever we were in conversation, but I couldn't imagine being completely without her. It must have hurt Gideon to lose both his real parents, and then the people who had taken him in. I reached out to him, and then hesitated.

When he gave me a questioning look, I explained, “If you were one of the girls, I probably would have hugged you by now.”

“
I've never been more sorry not to be a girl.”

I laughed, “You'd make a terrible girl. But you're not bad as a bloke.”

“
That's the best compliment I've ever had.”

“
You can't get very many, then.”

“
Not really. And I don't get that many hugs, either. So, as long as you swear not to tell anyone, I'll have one from you.”

“
I promise,” I said before I'd really thought about what I was committing to doing.

Gideon opened his arms wide, and I nervously wrapped mine around his middle. I thought it would be a brief embrace at most. When he hugged me tightly to his chest, I almost fainted. It was definitely different from hugging a boy. I'd had male friends growing up, because I wasn't that sheltered. They didn't have the same hard pectorals, or the enticing strength someone like Gideon had in his biceps.

Swooning was so uncool, but I really had the urge to do it.

He released me just in time, because Wyatt walked out of the house. Gideon and I quickly scooted apart so there was a sensible and acceptable distance between us. If he'd already lost one job due to rumours, I didn't want to be responsible for him being out of an occupation again. Fortunately, Wyatt had never had much of a sense of direction, or any other kind of sense for that matter. He walked around the house in search of us, and ignored the gazebo completely.

“
Moron,” I muttered.

“
I heard,” Gideon said quietly, “That he's still very attached to your mother.”

“
Yeah. Creepy, isn't it?”

“
What do you know about her latest husband?”

“
That he pays for me to go to school. Not that he has much choice in the matter. I've never actually met him.”

And I didn't want to. Anyone who thought my mother was a catch was seriously disturbed. Dad got out early, but I imagined that had more to do with the fact his income wasn't enough to satisfy her. So long as she was happy, and nowhere near me, then I could deal with that.

“
From what Wyatt has told me about him – which is a lot that I didn't care to hear – he's doing quite well for himself. Though, not as well as his sister-in-law. She's William's aunt, you know? From her previous marriage.”

“
Wait – doesn't that mean I'm
related
to him?” I asked stupidly.

“
Not at all. Even less than you are to Wyatt, actually. There'd be a lot of
steps
and
in-laws
between you. She's descended from the French aristocracy. Apparently they escaped the guillotine, and more's the pity. Anyway, she's well off, and takes way too much interest in whatever goes on in William's family even though they shouldn’t be anything to do with her any more. If she had her way, William would be married off to whichever poor girl she chose in high society.”

“
I take it that means Chantelle is out of the running,” I smirked, “She'll hate that.”

“
Ah! There you are!” Wyatt called.

Damn.

“
I guess we should go back,” I conceded, “And get this over with.”

“
I'll do my best to distract him, as promised,” Gideon assured me.

I'd rather he was distracting me.

Chapter Ten

The day of the invitation.

“
Seriously?” Jenny asked as we both climbed into her enormous bed that night.

I knew I should have kept it all a secret, because Gideon had told me the story in confidence, but it was too big to keep to myself. I mean, if Jenny was going to continue spending time with Charlie, then she should know what William was really like. I didn't want him to do anything that might hurt her, or her family either.

“
It explains why William was being so rude to him before, right?”

“
True,” she reasoned, “But that's a pretty mean thing to do, even for him. I know you don't like him that much, and Gideon seems a lot nicer -”

“
He
is
nicer.”

“
You're a little biased,” she said, “Because you fancy him.”

I had to give her that.

Okay, so maybe I did think the worst of William anyway, but I hadn't thought he'd treat anyone that cruelly. It wasn't like we were talking about a harmless little prank. Gideon had been lucky to only lose his job. He could have gone to prison over something like theft or fraud. William was stupid if he didn't see how terrible that was. Or perhaps he did, and he just didn't care.

“
Either way, I believe Gideon. Charlie's great, and he's so perfect for you. But that doesn't mean that his friend is a good person. I can easily believe that William did this and then lied to Charlie about it. Like – like, Gideon couldn't just make that up. Not about a family that has that much power. And he hasn't got anything to gain from doing it.”

“
Maybe it did happen, but it was someone else who spread the rumour. Things can get lost in translation, you know? Who's to say that someone else at the school wasn't responsible?”

“
Well, whatever happened, it was pretty clear that William still has it out for him.”

Jenny reached out to hold my hand tightly in hers, “But we're not sure. So we shouldn't start spreading this around. And – and if Charlie heard that we were talking badly of William...”

“
I won't mention it to anyone, even though I want to punch William for it. I promise.”

“
So,” Jenny was eager to change the subject, “Do you think you're going to be buying anything tomorrow to impress Gideon?”

Yes.

And the morning rolled around very quickly. I was looking forward to it a great deal more than I had been. Not just because it was a chance to find a look that Gideon would like, but because it meant I was away from Wyatt. He'd been a nightmare for the entire evening. When he tried to invite himself into Jenny's home for the night to watch over me, I'd had to put my foot down. There had to be clear boundaries, and if he didn't know what those were, it was up to me to draw them. Honestly, he had no concept of social grace, or what was or wasn't acceptable behaviour. I was a total commoner, and even
I
could figure it out. He was an idiot in every possible way.

Going shopping with Ms. Ayers wasn't like shopping with the girls from school. With them, I often tried to wriggle out of it early. I just couldn't take too much of Chrissy and Lisa arguing over a pair of shoes, or of Meg getting separated from us whenever she accidentally wandered off into a book shop. Seriously, sometimes we had to put out announcements for her just so we could track her down again.

No, it was a far more amusing outing.

Determined to treat me like her own child, Ms. Ayers started out with an indulgent but healthy breakfast, and then dragged us off to a salon. Our hair would be cut, styled, and our nails painted. Oh, and obviously the beautician in charge of mine would chastise me for chewing on them. Basically, it was all more of an event than just a day out. And high street chain stores weren't good enough for Ms. Ayers. It had to be one-off boutiques, and we had to turn them into mini fashion shows.

There'd never be room in my wardrobe for all the things she forced on me.

Finally, we stopped for coffee in the afternoon. I didn't care where it was, so long as I could rest my aching feet. I didn't want to complain, not when I hadn't spent a single penny of my own money. But I was trying to figure out how I could pay her back for it all.

“
This is exactly why I wish I'd had more daughters,” Ms. Ayers said as she inspected a black dress she'd chosen for me, “It's a good excuse to try out so many new styles.”

“
Well, if you're ever interested in adopting me...”

“
I don't think your father would like that,” she said.

“
Are you kidding? He wants to trade me in with Jenny.”

Jenny giggled softly against the rim of her coffee cup, then set it daintily back in the saucer. Everything she did was with such care. I was so clumsy and crass. It was obvious which one of us had been raised to be presented to society. I wouldn't be accepted by the same circles as her when we were out of school. I'd have a good education behind me, but I would fade into obscurity. Jenny would probably wind up on television, or married to a millionaire sportsman. Not a footballer, because she was better than that. More like a tennis player, or someone who owned a lot of race horses.

I'd be lucky if I could marry the man who cleaned out their stables.

The door opened, and the boy walking through it beamed at us. He crossed the cafe quickly, and stumbled over his feet when he came to our table. Charlie smiled at Jenny stupidly for a second, and then turned to Ms. Ayers. He bowed his head just a little in greeting, “Hello, it's nice to meet you. I'm Charlie Brackenwood, I go to school with Jenny. You must be her mother.”

“
I am indeed. It's nice to meet you, Charlie.”

“
It's so weird, I was just thinking about how it would be great if we'd all gone out together today,” he said to us, “And here you are!”

“
Are you out by yourself?” Ms. Ayers asked.

I was dreading the answer before I heard it.

“
No, no! My sister came with me, and William,” he turned to wave them over.

Naturally, they entered with their arms linked. This made walking through the door a bit of a farce, one which William looked frustrated with. He jerked his arm from Chantelle a little more roughly than was necessary, but it made me laugh behind my hand. I'd have disguised it as a cough if I thought they deserved that kind of courtesy.

But they didn't.

“
Oh, you must be Ms. Ayers,” Chantelle simpered as she got closer, “I'm Chantelle. Jenny and I are good friends.”

“
Are you?” she asked, “I don't think she's mentioned you.”

“
I went to the hospital to visit a few times. I sent for coffee for you,” she said.

“
Oh, yes. I'm sorry, I do remember now. It's just that Beth here has been friends with my Jenny for so long, that I find it difficult to keep track of anyone else. It's nice to see you again. And this boy was with you once, if I recall. Wilbur, was it?”

I snorted into my cup.

“
William,” he corrected, “A pleasure.”

“
It must be for you. Girls, I think we ought to get going. I have to drop you back at school before it's too late.”

I had no problem with that at all. Charlie was good fun, but if I had to spend the night making small talk with William or Chantelle, I was going to start feeling suicidal. Worse, I might let slip that I knew all about the business between him and Gideon. That wasn't going to go down well, especially not after I'd promised Jenny to keep it to myself.

Despite the amount of bags we had, it didn't take long for me to gather my share. I was that desperate to get away, that I didn't care that I looked like a pack-mule under the weight of them. Jenny wasn't so inclined to hurry. I guessed that was because it wouldn't look very polite if she did. Manners were all well and good, but if they were going to keep us in that kind of company, they could hang for all I cared.

“
Wait,” Charlie said before we could escape.

I couldn't bring myself to be mean to him. It came naturally towards most people, but not him. I stopped in my tracks, and lingered beside Jenny. Ms. Ayers was almost to the door, and was forced to stand by. At least she wasn't as inclined to think the best of people like her daughter. She could see that Chantelle and William weren't really worth knowing.

Charlie rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, “Tomorrow is sort of my birthday, and my parents are having this big party for it. I'd like it if you came along.”

“
Just Jenny,” Chantelle added, “Obviously.”

“
You can come too,” Charlie said to me, “And the other girls in your dorm. I think it would be more fun with more people, don't you?”

Chantelle clearly didn't, but she wasn't about to tell her brother that. Not with William there to hear it. He looked totally disinterested in anything we had to say, and I gathered that he'd only been polite to Jenny's mother because of her connections. If she'd had as little money as me, he probably would have insulted her quite openly.

“
What time?” I asked.

No, the idea of spending the night with Chantelle looking down her nose at me wasn't my idea of fun.

The idea of infuriating her by turning up, and looking amazing while I did it?

That
was a good way to spend my Sunday.

The very next evening, we found ourselves ready to set off again. The only downside was that someone, and I was going to kill whoever they were when I found them, mentioned the event to Wyatt. He couldn't support the idea of us going out without a chaperone, and forced himself into the limousine that collected us outside of the school.

It was a nasty surprise to Chantelle and Charlie when he showed up with us at their door. I mouthed an apology to Charlie on the way inside, and was incredibly disappointed that it had been Wyatt to accompany us instead of Gideon. Then again, it was probably for the best. I didn't like to think what might happen if he and William came face to face away from the school. There, Gideon was forced to adopt a professional manner. In his own free time, he might not be so quiet about what had happened. Not that William didn't deserve to be openly put down, but it wasn't fair to do that to Charlie.

Especially not on his birthday.

We weren't the only students to be invited. Most of them were boys, all of whom had been forced to make the move to our school along with William and Charlie. They were probably happy to get away from the clamouring girls for a single night. Although, they weren't going to get much peace with Lisa there. She and Chrissy vanished pretty quickly, and went stalking around, seeking out people they might be able to dance with. I wanted to stay close to Jenny, but she was swiftly claimed by Charlie. She did look sorry to leave me. That might have had something to do with the fact that Wyatt took hold of my hand as soon as she did.

“
What are you doing?” I asked him incredulously.

“
I thought we should dance.”

I raised a brow, “Do you actually know how to dance?”

“
It can't be that hard.”

“
Well, practice with someone else. It's weird, and I'd rather talk with people my own age.”

“
Do you know anyone else here well enough to talk to?” he asked.

I was about to concede that I didn't, when I spotted a familiar face in the crowd. I didn't offer Wyatt any parting words, or apologies, and practically ran to Georgia. Trust me, it was difficult in the heels Chrissy had made me wear. But I was really happy to see her. I tottered to a halt in front of her and beamed, “I am so glad you're here!”