Hello lovely Austenland fans! I come bearing another chapter! Sorry it took me this long to get it up, I got too busy with so many school-related things. Don't worry though. I got the whole story mapped out so the only thing I have to worry about is finding the time to write. Anyway, thank you to all the readers to favorited, followed and reviewed the story! I honestly wasn't expecting it, considering the number of Austenland fics on this site! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! Even though it's not a lot, you guys were honestly my motivation to continue, so I hope I won't disappoint with this one. To TheMagentaColor, seasidewriter1, Dan-Four-Lover, x-La vie en rose-x and guest, thank you for your kind reviews! Anyway, I won't keep you waiting. Here's the next chapter, enjoy :-)
"I still can't believe you guys talked me into this," Cath repeated, and she kept repeating it until Emma had finally had enough of her incessant ranting and looked up from her large Austenland pamphlet.
"Then don't," Emma snapped. "But you could at least shut up about it. You're ruining my good vibes."
Cath scowled at her sister and turned to look at the view outside her window. Clouds slowly rolled by, revealing the seemingly endless strip of blue beneath them. There wasn't much to look at really; it was just all cloud and sea. For Cath, however, that was enough to distract her mind from their impending destination. She only flicked through her pamphlet once, before they boarded the plane, and she had no intention of going through it again. She had decided she wasn't going to join any of the planned activities at all. She was just going to stand at the back to observe (well, ignore everyone, really). She could tolerate the stupid corsets and multiple dress changes during the day, but actually going horseback riding or playing coquet was out of the question.
"When do you think Jane and Henry will arrive?" Emma asked, slightly bouncing in her seat.
"They're supposed to arrive an hour after us, but I don't know," Cath said with an unsure look on her face. "I already have this feeling Henry won't fasten his seatbelt so the plane won't take off."
Emma threw her head back and let out a hearty laugh. "And then when they do take off, he'll just keep bugging the stewardess and ask how soon the plane will land."
"Oh, not without puking a little bit of his breakfast."
Cath and Emma just burst out laughing as a clear image of Henry hunching over a paper bag and retching his guts out formed in their minds. How Jane got Henry to ride another plane, they'll never figure out, but they were just excited Henry was coming along with them. If there's one thing Cath is looking forward to, it's seeing Mr. Nobley in his natural habitat.
Getting dirty looks from the other passengers, Cath and Emma both cleared their throats to stop them from laughing and tried to act civil again.
"I really hope you'd still be this fun at Austenland," Emma sighed, turning to her sister with a wishful look.
Cath's face fell slightly. What her sister wanted was very simple, a wish she could grant, but not easily. When Cath truly despised something, she wore her heart on her sleeve, and she wasn't afraid to do it. She had made countless enemies in high school for her bluntness, but that still didn't stop her from grimacing or making disapproving noises.
But seeing the childlike wonder and excitement in her sister's eyes, she had no choice but to at least put in a little effort to act like a pleasant young lady.
"I'll try my best," Cath assured Emma, and it took a lot in her to make sure she sounded genuine.
"Thanks," Emma smiled, engulfing her sister in a hug and going back to her pamphlet. "I still don't understand why you hate this place. You're the history enthusiast between the two of us. I would've thought you'd love this place more than me."
"I love reading about the era, but that doesn't mean I want to experience it," Cath explained coolly. "You have no idea how boring women's lives were during that time."
"Are you kidding? I would give anything to travel back in time and live in a much simpler time."
"That's because you aren't fit enough to survive our current era."
"Whatever. At least women were better respected by men during the Regency era. They practically worshipped us."
Cath snorted at this. "Yes, they worshipped us so much that we ended up stuck indoors sewing, cleaning, cooking, reading and whatever other boring activity there was. I think I'll pass on that."
"I thought you said you'd stop being cynical."
"I said I'd try."
"Fine. But the moment I see you blush because a very handsome gentleman kissed your hand, I'm going to yell I told you so."
Cath scoffed at this and leaned her head on the window. Emma could bully her into romance all she wants, but Cath was certain no one in this resort could ever make her heart flutter.
They had been waiting for at least an hour and a half.
As they set foot in the airport at London, Cath and Emma first visited the bookstore in Jane had told them about. They scanned every aisle and every shelf, both of them picking up at least one or two books. Okay, well Cath picked up four, but you never hesitate on sales. Emma couldn't help but let her big sister side poke through and scold Cath for using too much of her money (just like she always did at bookstores). Cath, on the other hand, pressed two of her books against her ears to drown out her sister's annoying, high-pitched voice as they headed to the food court for some lunch.
Pushing through the hustle and bustle of the airport, Cath and Emma just marveled at the sound of different accents blending together to produce a melody that made them both smile like 8-year-olds. Hearing Henry's English lilt was already a big deal for them. Now that they were at heart of all things English, they had to resist bringing out their 'theatrics' and offending everyone within the vicinity.
Once at the food court, Cath and (mostly) Emma tried not to inhale every single stall they passed in search of the most appetizing lunch. There were mostly international-known fast food restaurants, but after stupidly skipping breakfast so they wouldn't miss their flight, anything was good enough for them as long as they got to fill their stomachs. With so many choices right in front of them, they had ended up giving into their McDonald's temptation and ordered the biggest burger they could handle. Once they were seated, Cath had thrown all her cares out the window and just devoured her Quarter Pounder with as much grace as a sloth. Emma was tempted to do the same, but with the presence of cute, preppy English boys sitting a few tables away from them, she tried her best to eat a Big Mac as ladylike as possible.
Halfway through her burger, Cath looked up at her sister to see the same satisfied expression she probably had, but instead, she saw a shy, smitten girl taking small bites and grinning subtly. She furrowed her eyebrows and took a huge gulp of her Coke as she tried to understand what was happening with Emma, but her chest jerk and involuntarily, she let out a loud burp. Cath and Emma blushed as everyone turned to their table with surprised (and maybe a few dirty) looks, including the table full of English boys.
"God, Catherine. Embarrass us more, why don't you?" Emma hissed quietly as she took a tiny bite of her burger and kept glancing to her left. Cath followed the direction of her gaze, and seeing the table fully of guys constantly looking at them, she smirked and rolled her eyes at her boy-crazy sister.
"Sorry," Cath smiled smugly. "I'm just a starved American trying to eat."
"Yeah, and talk and moan and sound like a complete imbecile."
"Emma, please. Don't tell me you actually care about what those English twats think about you."
Emma blushed. Wildly. "Absolutely not. I just don't want you to embarrass yourself."
"I've already embarrassed myself by getting on a plane to London, England just to visit Austenland. Of all the beautiful, wonderful places we could've gone to. I'm pretty maxed out on the whole embarrassment thing."
Emma rolled her eyes at Cath and stole a quick glance at the English boys smirking at them. Cath kept her eyes trained at her sister, narrowing them into tiny, unimpressed slits, and then followed her gaze once more just to scowl at the boys. Since they kept looking their way, Cath expected them to either snort at her or take this as a sign to leave them alone. What she didn't expect, however, was one of them to smile shyly at her, and then wink. Wink! One of them winked at her! She couldn't believe one of them was flirting with her! Yeah, he was kind of cute, if Cath was into preppy, rich boys, but clearly she wasn't.
Cath didn't know her face could contort into something even much worse than a scowl. It was like someone let out the worst smelling fart in the world in the food court, and somehow, Cath had wished that was the case instead of a guy flirting with her. She had forgotten what it felt like to be hit on, considering she never left their apartment. Now that it was actually happening, she hated that feeling even more. She hated it so much she wished all her clothes just said, "DON'T FLIRT WITH ME."
With a much fiercer scowl, Cath hoped he'd stop looking at her. She knew she had no control over that, but she hated the feeling of someone taking interest in her. When his face fell, she thought she had won this battle, but seeing his eyes staring at something right behind her, she slowly turned her head to see Henry, who had a murderous look on his face. Jane was right beside him looking rather amused, and laced her arm through his to remind him to compose himself.
"Alright, Rocky. I think this airport has seen enough of your rolling around on the ground," Jane quipped as she tried to calm Henry down.
"You promised not to bring that up," Henry said flatly. He gave the group of boys one last lingering glare before he sat down beside Emma and glared at her this time.
Emma's head jerked back a little, surprised she was getting this end of the argument. "What? I didn't do anything."
"Oh, please, Emma. I could see you batting your eyes at every boy on that table. This is exactly why you shouldn't be left alone here in London."
"Awww, you took a plane just to protect me," Emma gushed and put her arms around him.
"No, I took a plane to protect the men of England from you," Henry corrected her, but she was having none of his sass.
"Jane, I swear, you have a keeper over here," Emma said, and all three of them just tried to figure out of she was being sarcastic or not.
"Tell me about it," Jane laughed as she eased into the chair beside Cath. "So, how was your flight?"
"Meh, nothing eventful. How about yours?" Cath answered, already anticipating Henry's new embarrassing story.
"Actually," Jane grinned widely, "it went rather well."
Emma snorted. "And by well, you mean Henry only used up one paper bag this time?"
"He didn't use any."
Emma and Cath gasped loudly, causing Henry to cover both of their mouths with his hands. If there was one word Henry could use to describe Cath and Emma, it was definitely campy. Both them just reminded him of a leading lady's sidekick best friend in romantic comedies, and it was moments like these when they provided him the proof. Of course, he'd want to see them as leading ladies, but maybe when they stop (un)intentionally exaggerating their movements like gasping.
"I slept all throughout the flight now stop drawing attention to yourselves," Henry whispered-screamed as removed his hands off their mouths.
"You slept?" Cath asked skeptically. "You? Mr. I-Always-Have-A-Stick-Up-My-Ass was able to relax and sleep from New York to London?"
"Of course not," Jane interjected. "I slipped a sleeping pill in his water."
Henry's eyes went wide as he turned to his fiancé with a horrified look. "You snuck sleeping pills in my water? Is that why it tasted funny?"
"Man, Henry. Don't keep drinking things if they taste funny," Emma said matter-of-factly as she shook her head.
"I can't believe you snuck a sleeping pill in my drink," Henry said incredulously, the veins on his neck already showing. "I could've been allergic to that pill, you know!"
"I know. That's why I hoped to God you'd wake up when we landed earlier," Jane admitted, her face contorting into something that resembled guilt and amusement at the same time.
"Jesus Christ, remind me never to get on your bad side," Emma butted in, turning to Jane with a grimace before taking the last bite of her burger.
"You could've killed me." Henry was still in shock and already staring into a far off distance, probably contemplating what the afterlife must feel like.
Cath just sat there, staring at her companions with combined looks of terror and mortification. Her cousin may be a potential threat to her own fiancé, her sister is annoying so desperate for love and her future cousin-in-law is—well, he's actually just the strapping, fine gentleman that bagged the toned down version of the Kardashians. She honestly couldn't fathom how weird her family was, her included, but there was just no denying it. Sometimes, she found it endearing and heartwarming, but in situations like these, she just hoped no one was listening to their conversation.
While Jane tried to coax Henry out of his somewhat near death experience with numerous apologies and kisses and Emma tried to inconspicuously catch one more look at the Brits a few tables away, Cath took one last sip of her Coke and stood up to announce their departure from the food court.
"I know all of you have a lot going on right now, but I think it's time for us to wait for the car," Cath announced, slinging her carry-on on her shoulder and pointed to the direction of the exit like an usherette.
"Oh, goodie! I almost forgot why we came here in the first place!" Emma said enthusiastically as she grabbed her carry-on and dragged Cath towards the designated meeting place. "God, Henry, Jane, hurry up!"
"We'll, uh," Jane stumbled, carefully guiding Henry off his seat, "we'll catch up."
Cath prayed for her life as Emma navigated them through the throngs of people going about their own business. Emma never slowed down once, instead just hollering out a bunch of apologies to people they've shoved or stepped on. Cath was grateful she didn't have the time to see the dirty looks the people were giving them. She just hoped they'd get out of there faster than Jane can recite the first three chapters of Pride and Prejudice just for fun.
"Finally, the damn exit," Emma said, pulling Cath forward and pushing her out the automatic glass doors.
"Stop manhandling meee," Cath whined. Emma still pushed her forward anyway until they reached a short red carpet surrounded by golden ropes with a huge Austenland poster at the end. Once Cath came face-to-face with it, it just seemed like the girl in the poster stared back at her almost mockingly. She was holding hands with a guy in stiff-collared jacket and breeches, and Cath was pretty positive Emma would freak out like a little girl when she finally sees this outfit on a handsome Englishman in the flesh.
"I can't believe it's finally happening!" Emma gushed as she jumped up and down. "You have no—"
"Idea how long you've been waiting to for this moment?" Cath finished for her. "I kinda do."
"God, Catherine, stop being so pessimistic and at least enjoy the foreign air."
Emma inhaled so deeply Cath was sure all her boogers would've found their way down her throat if she had any. Her sister was right though. Cath had always wanted to visit London, see all the great historical landmarks and write in a little obscure café that sold the best tea she'd ever tasted. But no, she was now waiting for a shuttle to take her to the most moronic resort anyone could think of.
"Alright," Jane smiled as she and Henry approached. "Who's ready for Austenland?"
Emma clapped her hands and chanted 'me' over and over while Henry and Cath just groaned. Cath couldn't reiterate enough how this was the worst way to spend your first and probably only trip to London. Even the look on Henry's face said so.
"Henry, you promised to pretend to be excited," Jane pouted as she laced her arm through his and intertwined their fingers together.
"Yeah, well, that was before you drugged me, so I think I get to act miserable on the first day," Henry countered back with his own pout.
Jane scrunched her nose and stared back at Henry, still hoping she'd change his mind, but he was as determined as she was. He tried to match whatever look she had on, and with some silent, doe-eyed prodding, she eventually sighed and narrowed her eyes at him.
"Fine," she said, giving him a quick peck and a smile.
Just before Cath could even make a disgusted sound at the sight of PDA, a bunch of guitar notes started playing in a distance, and based on her previous visit, she knew exactly what this song was. Unfortunately.
"Would you live in a different world with a different meaning of boy meets girl…"
Cath drowned out Emma's cheering and focused on the hideous pink van that rolled right in front of them. On the side facing them, the word 'Austenland' was painted right across it, and Cath was sure the same thing could be seen on the other side. There were speakers installed right on top of it, obnoxiously blaring out the sickeningly sweet tune of Austenland's theme song.
"Where the hell is that old, black car you rode in?" Cath tried to mutter. She was definitely certain the cringe on her face would never leave until the end of the week.
"C'mon. It's not that bad," Henry tried, but even he failed to convince himself. This was absolutely, positively the worst looking monstrosity on four wheels.
"What? Who, me? I know, I feel that way too…"
"Could they at least turn the song off?" Cath said, looking around to see if anyone was looking at them. She hoped only a few would think this was all weird, but nope, every single person just had to steal a glance at them before they went their own ways. Fantastic.
Emma, annoyed by Cath's negativity, slapped a hand over her younger sister's mouth and led her to the van. "Shh, don't ruin the moment for me."
Cath rolled her eyes and just followed Emma. As they approached the still singing pink van, Cath's heart certainly leapt when she made eye contact with the driver, because he did not look like a driver at all. It's not everyday you see a driver that looked exactly like Orlando Bloom, and Cath was definitely not going to deny the fact that she did find him handsome. Extremely handsome, to be exact. Especially when he side-smirked at her. If Cath's heart had leapt before, it was definitely doing somersaults now.
"Good afternoon, ladies," the driver smiled, revealing his painfully perfect pearly whites. "I'm—"
"Going to help these girls in? Oh, don't worry, that won't be necessary," Henry interjected, slightly shoving Emma and Cath in as he stared the driver down. "I'll do it."
"Henry," Jane scolded lowly.
"You're such a party pooper. He's just doing his job. I'm Emma, by the way," Emma grinned, sending the driver a wink before sliding into the front row.
Cath was too busy trying to calm her heart down to even comment about Emma's introduction. Was she really that smitten? Especially after showing strong disinterest in one of the English boys earlier? But then again, preppy, rich kid didn't look like Orland Bloom, or had perfect, white teeth. It was going to take more than a smile and wink to make her panties drop, and Orlando Bloom look alike may have what it takes to do just that.
"A-and I'm Cath," she said shyly, grinning for one quick second before she let her hair fall in front of her face as she got in.
"Nice to meet you, Cath," Orlando smiled back, and the fact that he didn't even mean to be flirty at all pretty much had Cath melting into a puddle in her seat.
Cath returned the smile again, but this time Henry was there to clear his throat and break up their friendly (and totally innocent) exchange. It was his turn to give the driver a curt smile, and Orlando took that as a signal to get back into the driver's seat and wait for them to get settled in.
"God, Henry," Jane grunted as she climbed in and sat in the second row. Henry climbed in after her and let out an irritated sigh. "Don't be too harsh on the guy."
"I wouldn't have had to if Ms. I'm-Too-Good-For-Love wasn't flirting with him," Henry countered, earning him a dirty look from Cath.
"I'll have you know there are so many things wrong with that sentence," Cath said.
"Oh, please do enumerate them." Henry turned to her expectantly as he pushed the door closed and plopped down beside Jane.
"Gladly. First of all, I never said I was too good for love. Ever. Second, we were not flirting. I just introduced myself to the guy."
Without warning, the van rolled out of the waiting area and drove carefully through the sea of taxis and private vehicles. Henry and Cath got distracted for a moment, both looking out the window before going back to staring each other down.
"To be honest, I don't even know why you're pulling that protective father crap on me. It's not like I winked at him." Cath's head immediately turned to Emma, who was apparently enjoying the heated conversation going on between them.
"Cath, I'm sure you understand by now that nothing he'll say or do will keep her away from guys," Jane said matter-of-factly, with Emma nodding her head to back her statement up.
"Unfortunately, that is true," Henry agreed reluctantly, "but you, Catherine? Breaking your ludicrous vow all because of an Orlando Bloom twin? I thought you were stronger than that."
"Oh my God, I can't wait to watch you fall in love with the rest of the servants," Emma gushed in all seriousness.
"Hey, just because I've sworn off love, doesn't mean I can't admire and appreciate the beautiful men around me," Cath protested. "And no, there is no way I'm going to fall in love with anyone. I'm way in too deep with my vow. I doubt anyone would be worthy enough to break it anyway."
"That's kind of a mean thing to say with Orlando in the car," Jane scolded jokingly, tilting her head to the direction of their driver.
Realizing they focused their attention on him, Orlando chuckled awkwardly and glanced at his rearview mirror. "It's okay. I wasn't really looking for love either. And it's Max, by the way."
"Max…" Emma said, the name just rolling off her tongue. "Interesting. Does Max have a number—"
"Emma, honestly, are you going to flirt with every single guy in this country?" Henry wailed as he threw his head back in frustration and exhaustion.
"Only the hot ones," Emma shrugged.
"Fantastic," Henry muttered sarcastically before sighing in resignation and keeping his eyes closed to probably take a nap.
"I wouldn't really worry about him. He just likes pretending to be a dad," Jane whispered, but her body jerked all of a sudden and she turned to Henry with a scowl. "I hate it when you tickle me."
"I hate it when you downplay my concern for women," Henry said, his eyes still closed but a smirk slowly forming on his lips.
"Ah, yes. Your noble duty of protecting every single female from harm like Superman. Such a turn on," Jane joked as she cuddled up to her fiancé and moaned.
Even after a relaxing flight, it was clear these two were in need of a nap. Instead of putting in their two cents, Cath and Emma both smiled knowingly at each other faced forward to give them their private little naptime. They sat in silence for the next hour of the trip, just looking out the windows and gazing at the amazing sights before them. Cath was especially careful to watch out for the little, obscure café she imagined herself writing in and promised herself that one day, she will come back, with a tattered up notebook and her MacBook in hand.
Once they were out of the city and saw nothing but lots of trees and fields, both of them leaned back and let themselves get a few minutes to sleep, too. Just to recharge the body so they'd have enough energy to keep up with the actors later. Like she always did, Emma leaned her head on Cath's shoulder and snuggled up to it, but this time, before doing just that, she grinned and leaned into Cath's ear.
"You know, he hasn't stopped looking at you through his mirror since we got here," Emma said. Cath attempted to turn her head to sneer at her sister, but she had already lain down on her shoulder and closed her eyes.
It annoyed Cath how up until now, they still didn't respect the vow she made for herself. It's not like it's permanent or anything. She had tried countless times to have normal relationships with guys, but none of them would ever make it past the second or third date. Some of them never even passed the first one. She just figured she needed more time to heal, to find herself again before this whole thing happened. If she'd ever meet the guy that would teach her how to fall in love again, she wanted to make sure she didn't feel damaged or hesitant about where their relationship is going. She wanted to make sure she was already the best version of herself, just so she couldn't find any reason to hold herself back anymore.
But that moment wasn't going to be today, or tomorrow, or two days from now. She wasn't ready to go back out there yet. Sure, she didn't mind checking guys out from time to time, but right now, she was just an ogler. She was just going to survey the existing pool of guys available to her until the time was right for her to dive back in again.
You are not going to fall in love, you are not going to fall in love, you are not going to fall in love, Cath repeated over and over in her mind as she stole a quick glance at the rearview mirror to see if Emma was lying. For a second, she made eye contact with Max, and when he looked away, Cath took this as proof her sister wasn't kidding. But she wasn't going to think about this. No. You are not going to fall in love. She kept repeating it like a mantra with as much self-assurance as any cocky bastard, only because she knew—she was certain, that falling in love was out of the cards for her.
Ta da! I hope you made it 'til the end. So what did you guys think? Sorry it's kind of a filler, but I guess I kinda got to establish where Cath is with relationships. So yes, she's not looking for love, but she's not completely opposed to staring at hot men like every other woman haha. So the next chapter will finally be in Austenland yay! You'll get to meet the new resident Mr. Darcy hehe. Hope to see you guys at the next chapter! Thanks for reading!
