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Chapter 3. DISCLAIMER: I do not pretend to own any of the works by Jenny Austen or any other author and their characters. I am but a lowly servant.
The auditorium was filled with the buzz of cheap wine infected conversation as teachers and parents eagerly awaited the arrival of the 'celebrities'.
Eleanor, Jenny (Eleanor needed backup),Kit and Denny stood together, drinks in hands discussing ways in which to annoy the principal, juvenile maybe, but you haven't met Mr. Deary, or really. Denny and Kit were discussing ways in which to annoy him and Jenny and Eleanor listened.
The principal in question came over to them with his simply odious wife, Mrs. Deary. A short, slightly roundish lady with grey/red curls that were held in place under a hat with feathers that Eleanor couldn't look at without smiling.
"Hello Ellie," Mrs. Deary trilled as they made their way over.
"Hey Mrs. Deary," Eleanor smiled pleasantly in a way that was reserved for rather elderly relatives and neighbours.
"Now, when are you going to bring a boy to meet us eh?" Mrs. Deary winked at Denny who didn't notice as his eyes were on someone else entirely.
"Oh, I don't know," Eleanor said smiling. "Um, maybe next time hey?"
Mrs. Deary looked at her examining her, "Well, you know, times running out you know, tick tock." She openly stared at Eleanor's stomach which Eleanor then felt compelled to cover with her crossed arms.
"Thank you Mrs. Deary, very informative." She said kindly and excused herself on the basis of going to the 'powder room' dragging Jenny after her. Once there they obliged themselves in falling into fits of laughter.
"Oh My," sweet Jenny said. "You told me to watch out for her, but that…"
Eleanor smiled and nodded, "I know. That was just scary."
Jenny smiled and nodded until the door was Flung open and Kit ran in. "He's here!" was all she had to say.
They walked in the front door, Carols insisting on making a grand entrance, to complete silence. Chris looked around and smiled at the sight of the stunned teachers and parents until one teacher broke the silence but running up to him and asking her to sign her notebook, which he did and then looked around. "Don't be quiet on our account," he said laughingly. While the principal seemed to be having an argument with his wife, the others began talking loudly again, maybe not quite like before, but they talked. The principal seemed to have finished his talk with his wife and promptly walked over and joined the party at the front.
"I'm Mr. Deary, I spoke to you Mr. Darcy on the phone a while ago."
"Yes." Will said while Chris laughed.
"Don't be such a wet blanket Will," he said as the principal's wife dragged three women up to them with a young man following behind.
"Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Fitzwilliam, may I present Eleanor Bennet and her sister Jenny and Kit…well I'm not sure what Kit's last name is, she's always been my kitty kat-"
Chris smiled and asked Jenny if perhaps she could show him where to get a drink, while Will and Carols walked off to people watch…or at least Will walked off to get a drink and Carols followed him a step behind which left Laura and Ritchie to Eleanor, Kit and Denny. Mrs. Deary, upon seeing that her plan had worked (or at least she thought it had) had disappeared back to her husband.
Denny and Kit soon excused themselves and went to talk to the head of the languages department Mary Stroud, leaving Eleanor to apologise for Mrs. Deary's behaviour.
"I'd say she wasn't always like that, but that would be a lie." She told them, "She's always like that."
"Is that your mother?" Laura asked kindly as they walked around the room.
"No," Eleanor couldn't say quickly enough. "She's the principal's wife and thinks she runs this place." Laura and Ritchie smiled as several parents and teachers looked at them openly. Laura and Ritchie soon were taken away by some well meaning teachers leaving Eleanor to make polite conversation to Mrs. Deary.
Mrs. Deary was watching Jenny and Chris as Jenny tucked as small piece of hair behind her ear as she laughed at something Chris had told her. "A match well made, he has money, and she has heart."
Eleanor groaned, "Please Mrs. Deary, my sister doesn't need a matchmaker."
"Then why is she still single?"
Eleanor shrugged, "just got out of a tricky situation, she's shy."
"She should tell him how she feels now; get it over and done with."
"No, they've only just started talking, they need to get to know him a little better."
"Well, you keep your ideas and I'll keep mine."
Eleanor nodded and walked off muttering about senile old women who couldn't help but match-make other people's lives.
She walked past Ritchie and smiled as he implored to his friend Will to "be social" you need to work with these people."
Will rolled his eyes, "you and Chris have taken away the only two people worth talking to."
"What about Eleanor?" Ritchie smiled, thinking that she'd kept walking.
"She is alright, I suppose. But not tolerable for me." Ritchie rolled his eyes as Eleanor almost choked. She kept walking as Ritchie reprimanded his friend for his pride.
"Leave him alone Ritchie," Carols said walking up. "There isn't anyone worth talking to anyway. They're all kind of sad really, waiting for some celebrity to rub off on them."
Ritchie grumbled and left as Carols was standing very closely to Will talking to him about the standards of society in this county.
He made his way to his wife who was in animate conversation with Eleanor about politics, he wrapped his arms around her and told her that he'd had a dealing with the shrew. She laughed and explained to a confused Eleanor that 'The Shrew' was what they called Carols.
"Is she that bad?"
"Worse," Ritchie laughed and Eleanor turned to watch as Carols flirted with a non-interested Will. "She's fighting a loosing battle; she just doesn't know it yet."
Eleanor laughed and that night she went home and listened to Jenny go on about Chris this and Chris that and laughed, thankful that her sister had found someone to talk non-stop about.
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