Hmmm, I'm not sure about the ending of this... It's a completely different scene from what I meant to put here. I screwed up the time-line when I put them at school in the last chapter. Oh well. I like this one better anyway. I'll stop rambling and let you read it.
"Not tonight," Gemma mutters, staring at her potatoes with unnecessary concentration.
"Please," begs Ann. "We haven't been to the realms in ages!" Her own plate is already empty; she looks faintly ill.
"Ann, darling," I say, taking a tiny bite of lamb. "Ann, darling, we shall have our own adventure tonight. We don't need Miss Doyle to have fun." I smile at her.
"Thank you, Fee."
"You can even wear my blue velvet cloak. We'll get our fortunes told again, by that old gypsy woman. Mother Elena."
Ann smiles and stares hopefully at my pudding.
"Miss Doyle!" I turn around in my chair and see Brigid, standing just behind me. I wonder that I did not hear her approach. "Miss Doyle," she says again. "You have a visitor, a Mr. Middleton."
Gemma drops her fork. "Simon." A faint crease appears between her eyebrows. Her legs tremble as she stands, and her eyes are on Ann and I, as if daring us to remember last night's confession. "Thank you, Brigid," she murmurs.
I watch her follow Brigid from the dining hall, and so does every other girl in the room. Tiny Minnie Hathaway whispers audibly to her neighbor, "Mr. Middleton is a very handsome gentleman," and all the first formers giggle. I take a rather violent bite of lamb.
Gemma doesn't reappear during free time. Ann reads one of her ridiculous novels, and Elizabeth and Cecily whisper boringly about Cecily's boring beau, Frederick Thomas. I stab myself repeatedly with my needlework needle and miss Pippa.
When Gemma finally comes back, it's only minutes before bedtime. Her face is a cool, composed mask. She sits in the chair across from mine, and stares at her hands. She's wearing a ring on her left hand, an opal encased in shiny gold. I don't have to ask to know it's an engagement ring from Simon. When we are dismissed to our rooms, Gemma walks between Ann and I silently. I wonder what she'll tell Ann after their door is closed.
The room I used to share with Pippa is just mine now. It's twice as big as Gemma and Ann's with a view of the forest from one window and a view of the lake from the other. The rug is thick and the mattress on my bed is soft. The draperies are deep blue silk.
By the time I close my door behind me, the tears are flowing down my face. Tears about my pricked fingers and tears about Pippa and tears about Simon. I don't bother to light a candle. I fling myself onto the bed, fully clothed.
"Miss Worthington?" The voice comes from the shadowy corner by the door.
I hardly suppress a scream. A tall figure emerges from the shadows and moves toward me. I know that shape.
"Fee," Simon whispers. He sits on the edge of my bed.
"Simon," I breathe, relieved. I sit up and hastily wipe my eyes. He moves closer to me and kisses me on the mouth, a long, slow kiss. I'm still crying, and his hands are on my face.
He pulls away first, still holding my face in his hands. I want to keep kissing him. I want to forget everything but the intoxicating taste of him. I need more. I trace his lower lip with one finger, and he sighs. "You're crying," he says softly.
"Of course I'm crying," I tell him, and suddenly I'm sobbing. My whole body heaves, and I pull myself from his grip. "Go away, Simon."
"Fee." He tries to put his arms around me, but I push him away.
"Please leave."
"I won't!"
"If you don't, I shall scream, and you will be found," I say.
He knows the truth in this; he touches my hair wordlessly and is gone.
Um, review. Please. If you hate it, tell me, but be nice about it. I didn't mean to make them fight in this chapter, it just sort of happened. Oh well. I'm really tired. I'm going to stop typing now. Really. Bye.