Chapter 3 Moving?
We arrive at Pippa and Felicity's room. Pip is sitting up in bed, her hair is curling about her shoulders. She is looking a lot better than she did in the garden. For a second, I let myself gloat in the fact that I just saved her life, but only for a second, because soon Mrs. Cross and Mrs. Nightwing come barreling into the room.They look shocked to see me there, Mrs. Nightwing more so. Mrs. Cross runs over to Pippa, who looks thoroughly annoyed to see her there. "Mother? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, honey. I came because...because..." She can't say anything. Whatever she's going to say it is going to be a lie. We all know that. Well, maybe not Mrs. Nightwing. "I care about you. I want to make sure that my only daughter is taken care of properly."
Oh, bravo. I think, mentally clapping my hands. Not an all out lie. I see the way that Mrs. Cross looks at Pippa. She looks at her as a drowning person looks at a rope to pull them to safety.
Pippa acknowledges her mother words with no more than a sigh. Felicity steps into action. I wonder at their ability to communicate without words. "Mrs. Cross, Mrs. Nightwing," she says sweetly. "I believe that Miss Cross is very tired. Would you mind too terribly if she was left alone to sleep?"
Mrs. Cross is agreeing enthusiastically to leave Pippa to rest. Mrs. Nightwing is little more skeptical, but she agrees, saying that she needs to talk to me. My stomach drops about three stories. I flash a look to Felicity and Ann that I hope sufficiently shows my terror. Fee is not looking at me, but at Pippa, making sure that she is comfortable. Ann sees my look and I know what she is thinking. Should I save my friend from certain punishment or should I risk losing my reputation?
What Ann does surprises me. She faints. Dimly, I recall Felicity saying 'Fainting is easy. All you have do is fall down, close your eyes and not talk.'' Ann has done of all this wonderfully. I kneel down beside her, and take her hand. After a few seconds, she begins to wake up. "Wha-what happened?" Ann looks around her.
"You fainted, Ann." I say, carefully controlling my voice to that of a concerned friend. All I really want to do is laugh. Ann notices this and the corners of her mouth twitch. She is trying to refrain from laughing also. "Come along. I had better take you to lay down."
We start to stand up. I feel Pippa and Felicity's eyes on us, and I know that they are trying to not laugh also. We all avoid each other's eyes or else we will collapse into fits of laughter.
Mrs. Nightwing has the grace to suggest the most obvious answer to this little problem. "Can Ann not lay down here? On Miss Worthington's bed?" She has caught Ann in a lie. Ann looks as if she has just swallowed bad eggs. I hasten to intervene. "Mrs. Nightwing, I think it would be beneficial to Ann to lay in her own bed. It would also give Pippa a chance to rest, would it not?"
Mrs. Nightwing sees my logic. "All right, Miss Doyle. You may take Miss Bradshaw to your room, but come right back here. I do need to speak with you."
"But, Mrs. Nightwing, what happens if Miss Bradshaw should need more care? What happens if she should fall ill and not get to a chamber pot in time? Miss Doyle should be there for her." Pippa pipes up from the bed. I am so full of gratitude for her right now, it almost makes me feel bad about Kartik. Almost.
"All right. You ladies win. Miss Doyle, I shall speak with you after dinner. Mrs. Cross? Would you care to join me for tea?"
I leave with Ann before I can hear Mrs. Cross' answer. As soon as we are out of earshot I let out all the laughter I had been holding in. My laughter gets Ann giggling and soon enough we are howling with laughter. We are subject to some peculiar looks from the younger students, but we do not care.
When we are in our room, I ask "Ann, when did you become such a great actress?"
She blushes very deeply. "I do not know. I think I picked up some of it from watching Pippa."
"Where ever you learned, it was magnificent." I flop onto my bed and stare at Ann. "Are going to stay in here until dinner?"
"Yes." She says, looking back at me. "You want this to be believable, do you not?"
"Of course." I sigh and stare at the ceiling. "I am going to take a nap. What are you going to do?"
"Work on school work. You should too." She says sternly, mimicking Mrs. Nightwing. I laugh so hard that I give myself a cramp.
"You are too much Ann. Too much.." I sigh and surrender myself into dreams...
I am in the garden. I see Pippa, Felicity and Ann together on the opposite side of the garden. They look like they are having fun. Not wanting to be left out, I run over to them. "Hello." I say, as I run up to them. They smile and join me in the game that they are playing. It seems like a modified version of Blind-Man's Bluff. It is my turn to be the blind man. Ann ties the blindfold around my eyes and then runs away.
"Blind man!" I call.
"Bluff!" comes from many different directions. I run after what I think is the closest one.
"Blind man!"
"Bluff!" Felicity's call is the closest so I chase her. I catch a fold of her dress and yell out "I have you, Fee!"
"Gemma, what are you talking about?" I look up and find that I have lost the blindfold and am now standing a cold stone chamber. Fee and Ann are here, but not Pippa.
"Where is Pippa?" I ask, knowing that I sound like a spoilt child.
"She is waiting for you in the church. Gemma, are you feeling all right?" Felicity puts a lace glove hand against my face. Ann's face is full of concern.
"Will you please tell me what is going on?" I say, trying to quell my rising panic. I know what's coming next, but I do not want to hear it.
"Gemma, you are getting married." Ann pushes me in front of a floor length mirror. I see a vision in white satin with unruly red hair and bright green eyes. I cannot believe it.
"Who am I marrying?"
"No time!" Felicity is practically yelling at me, while pulling me out of the room. Ann is following with the train of my dress. "You have to go down the aisle now!"
She presses my hand into father's. He smiles at me. I try to smile back, but fail miserably. "Father," I say. "I cannot do this."
"Yes, you can." He smiles and gives my hand a squeeze. I notice that he is looking better than he was at Parents Day, for which I am grateful, but I would rather not notice it as I am walking down the aisle to meet my future husband.
We are at the end and I see the back of my fiance's head. I ask in wonderment "Who are you?"
He turns around...
"GEMMA!"
"WHAT?" I am startled out my dream by Ann yelling my name. You would think that after a year of sleeping under a slanted roof that I would learn not to sit up quickly. Well, it turns out that I do not realize this and hit my head very hard on the ceiling.
"Gemma, are you all right?" Ann is very concerned. I bring my hand to my forehead, and take it away. There is a blood on it. "Here." Ann hands me a handkerchief soaked in cold water. "This will make you feel better."
"Thank you." I put the cloth gingerly to my forehead, hissing a bit at the pain. "What did you wake me up for?"
"Dinner. You think that you can make it down there fine?"
"Yes. I think so." I slide off the bed and take a few unsteady steps towards the door. Ann is behind me all the way. At length, she laughs a little bit. I, being a bit peeved, say "You think my being incapacitated is funny?"
"No." She says indignantly, but soon smiles and says, "Yes."
"Why ever are you laughing?"
"You would think that you were the one who had the fainting fit earlier today." She laughs even harder now. I do not see what is so funny, so I ignore her and concentrate on the dream I had earlier.
I was getting married. Me, married! It really annoyed me that Ann woke me up before I could find out who was my groom. Could it be Kartik? The thought is in my head before I can suppress it. Now that I mention it, I realize that the man did have dark hair...
"Miss Doyle! What happened to you?" Mrs. Nightwing notices the handkerchief soaked with blood and motions for me to sit on the bench nearest us. Somehow, Ann has guided me into the dining room, and now, because of Mrs. Nightwing's announcement, everyone is staring out me. Cecliy, Martha and Elizabeth are looking more malevolent than concerned.
"It is nothing, Mrs. Nightwing. I hit my head on the ceiling."
"After she had been lying on her bed studying." Ann smartly puts in. Bravo Ann, I think. She is really getting better at lying. I have to thank Pippa later on.
"Well, I applaud your efforts at doing better at schoolwork, but I do think that maybe you are getting a bit big for your room. After all, you are one of the tallest girls here." She says, not meaning to be unkind...I hope. "I have an idea! Miss Temple, you do not have a roommate do you?"
I see where this is going and am not the best please at it. "Oh, Mrs. Nightwing, you needn't..." I begin, but Cecily cuts me off.
"Yes, Mrs. Nightwing, I do not have a roommate." Cecily says, all sweet as sugar.
"Would you mind too terribly much if Miss Doyle roomed with you?"
"Not at all, Mrs. Nightwing. I am sure that Miss Doyle and I will be better friends for it."
"Wonderful! Tomorrow, Miss Doyle will move into Miss Temple's room." I am shocked senseless. Ann is still as a statue and Fee drops the fork she had been playing with. Martha and Elizabeth are looking bored, like they expected this to happen. "Now, everyone, please start to enjoy dinner. Miss Doyle, I would like to have another word with you after dinner." With that said she walks off to join the teachers, oblivious to the chaos she has left us with.
