I strolled out of the academy after school Thursday afternoon, in my usual dazed state. This time, however, I was accompanied by no one. I knew that what those girls were doing was ridiculous - I mean, I lived with Faye. She had no choice but to come in contact with me.

Apparently, though, such contact was going to be delayed this afternoon, as Faye was clinging to the rest of her group, who stayed a considerable distance behind me as I neared the schoolyard gates. It had been like this all week, ever since those girls barred me from their table.

Fortunately, though, there was at least one person who deemed me well enough to be in their presence.

"Hello, Meghan." Luke said as he sauntered over to me from where he'd been waiting outside. "Fine day at school?"

"No." I replied. "But, what else is new. Tell me about your day. Maybe it was better than mine."

"My day?" he chuckled. "Could've been better. Could've been worse. But it's not over yet."

I eyed him with suspicion.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing." he said. "Just that my day isn't over yet."

But I could see little bits of a smirk that was just itching to break out across his face.

"I think there's more to it than that, isn't there, Luke?" Man, just once can someone just tell me something, instead of constantly throwing surprises in my face?

"Alright, yes, there is. As a matter of fact, I'm going to visit some friends. And you'll be accompanying me."

"Oh, will I?" I slyly retorted. "You can't make me, you know." Really, I thought I'd pretty much had my fill of people who are 'friends' with...

"I know. But I don't think I have to make you. You see, these friends I'll be visiting are the Dashwoods."

This got my attention. I looked at him.

"Clarissa not included." he added with a wink.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Just what are you up to, Lucas Brenshire?"

"Oh, nothing." he airily replied, starting off down the road with his nose in the air.

"Don't you walk off! Come back here and tell me what's -"

"I'll be at the Winthrops' in an hour." he stated simply with a grin, before running off like one of those mischeivious little English schoolboys you often see in movies, with those scrawny bare legs and black knickers.

And the schoolboy kept his word. Approximately sixty minutes later, I heard the sound of a motor running outside from my seat at the dining room table. I ran to the door, still chewing food, to find Luke standing there with an excited-slash-anxious look on his face.

"What are you doing still eating?!" he exclaimed. "Come on, they're expecting us!"

"I...expecting...what?" I stammered, while at that very moment being grabbed by the arm and dragged out by a viscount's son who seemed extremely impatient.

"Luke!" I protested. "Wait! Luke, my bag!"

He dragged me to his bike, which was still running, and nodded.

"Stay there." He sprinted back up to the door and into the house, and seconds later emerged with my bag, which had been hanging in the entryway. Thrusting the bag into my arms, he sat down on the bike and handed me a helmet.

"Let's go."

We sped off before I'd even been able to set the helmet on my head. And I found it extremely hard to hold onto Luke's shoulder while trying to buckle a helmet strap at the same time.

"Luke!" I shouted, laughing in spite of myself. "Have you gone insane?!"

"No." he answered over the noise. "Just mad."

"That's the SAME THING!"

He didn't seem to pay that any attention.

And being that I was seated precariously on a MOVING VEHICLE, I had no way of stopping him from speeding us both past the cottages, past the academy, and right through the iron gates that guarded Dashwood Manor.

Luke finally killed the motor as he parked his bike.

"Luke." I hissed as we both dismounted. "Please tell me what's going on!"

"What are you so worried about?" he asked with a grin as he unstrapped his helmet, before taking the liberty of unstrapping mine. "We're only going to visit your uncle."

"Shush!" I urged him. "And he's not my - "

"Good afternoon, Master Luke." came an uppercrust voice from the direction of the mansion's entrance.

I jumped.

"And to you, Miss Meghan." Ganes added.

"Hi."

"Good afternoon, sir." Luke responded, seeming quite sure of himself.

"Pleasure to see you again."

"And you as well."

I smiled. My boyfriend was Charles Dickens.

"Shall we go in, my love?"

Soon, I found myself in that sitting room once again. And there sat the lovely Lady Dashwood, reading another book. She immediately looked up, however, and beamed as we walked in.

"Ah, Meghan and Lucas. So glad you're here. Come, it's time for tea."

As the woman walked breezily into the hallway, I still stood there, my arm hooked with Luke's. I looked up at him.

"Am I missing something, here?" I asked him.

"Yes." he said decisively. "You're missing tea. And so am I."

I rolled my eyes and let him lead me toward the little room where Jocelyn sat.

Okay, why's everyone in such a hurry?

There were four chairs around this tea table. Luke quickly shuffled over to the chair across from Jocelyn, pulling it out. He gestured at it, implying that I was to sit there. When I did so, he then slid into the seat next to her, so that he was between the two of us.

I sat there, confused, nibbling on a cookie I'd just plucked from the little multi-layer tea tray that sat in the middle, wondering where all the sense in this world had gone to.

I couldn't even see Lady Dashwood. The tea tray was in the way.

Tentatively, I moved my head to the side and peered around it. I saw Jocelyn glance at a guilded clock with Roman numerals. Turning back, she smiled at me. But she said nothing.

Also, Luke said nothing.

Oh, hello, Anxiety. Welcome back.

This ever-so-lovely silence enabled me to hear the distant footsteps down the hall as they got louder and louder.

Enter the one person who might've been just as confused as I was.

And hello to you, again.

Henry, of course, was taken aback, and not for the first time.

Mother.

But he didn't say what he was thinking. Instead, he attempted to hide his surprise with a polite smile - it didn't work too well.

"Luke. Meghan. What a clever surprise." He would be having a talk with his mother later, about alerting him when they were having company. He knew what she'd say:

"Why does it matter so much to you that you know ahead of time, when Meghan is coming for a visit?"

Well, the answer to that was rather complicated. But the fact was that it mattered, plain and simple. Being around this girl required some sort of mental preparation, be it miniscule, thrown together or otherwise, and Henry was sure that by facing this fact, things would be better and easier for everyone involved.

Or for him, at least.

"Henry, dear, come. Sit. It's time for tea with Mum."

Yes. No use fighting that. He nodded.

"Right. Of course."

Meghan, meanwhile, watched Henry as he was forced to take the only remaining seat - between her and his mother. Conveniently. Meghan was beginning to catch on. She looked at Luke...

Who was grinning to himself behind the tea tray. For two reasons, actually. One, his plan seemed to be working so far. Two, for once, someone older than he was had not called him "Lucas". But then, as he caught sight of Meghan's worried, anxious face, his expression changed. Immediately, he gazed at her, eyes brimming with compassion. He reached under the table, found her hand, and squeezed it.

It's going to be alright. Trust me.

Meghan smiled a little.

"How is your day going, Mother?"

"Very well, thank you, dear. In fact, I was just informed by Lucas of something quite wonderful. Would you care to repeat it for us, Lucas?"

Still holding Meghan's hand, Luke turned to Lady Dashwood.

"Of course. I felt that it was simply undeniable that I must immediately come to have tea with the both of you, to discuss - "

He coughed, and noticed that Meghan's eyes were positively fixated on him...

"Sorry. To discuss my sister's New Year's ball. She plans to hold it on the 3rd of January. She wants you all to attend."

Smiling, Jocelyn turned back to Henry. "See? Isn't that lovely? Of course, I would've thought as much anyhow, being that she's such a sweet girl..."

Marianne? We're here to talk about Marianne? That's all?

"Yes, I have to say, I've always found her to be a decent young woman."

"She's rather fond of you both as well. The whole...lot of you, actually."

Although that's sort of a lie, because no one really likes your future stepdaughter...

"Yes, very good, glad to hear it." Henry said.

Meghan smiled. This might be pretty easy after all.

"There's just one thing, though, that I thought I might discuss with you. And it might be rather sore for someone..." Luke stated, hesitantly.

"What might that be?" Jocelyn asked, keeping up with what seemed to be her job, of helping Luke to keep the converstaion moving.

"Well, you see, although the ball itself is a long way off, I thought this might be as good a time as ever to talk to you about...Clarissa."

Jocelyn cocked her head, while Henry studied Luke as best he could through the tiny openings in the tea tray.

"Yes...what about her?"

"Well, the thing is...she might be expecting me to escort her to the ball. But I don't plan to do that. I plan to take Meghan."

Meghan practically choked on her cookie.

"Me?!"

However, she seemed to be the the only one who was surprised. Luke quickly turned his head.

"Yes, you! Who did you think I'd be taking?"

"I dunno..."

He turned back to Jocelyn.

"Thus, this is the dilemma I am faced with..."

"Dilemma? What dilemma? Why, it's more than obvious that you should take Meghan. You love her, don't you?"

This made Luke's demeanor change almost instantly, as he immediately fell into a state of bashful nervousness.

"Well, I...I mean...er...I do love her, yes." he said, looking down and laughing nervously as he turned bright red.

And Meghan's skin quickly became the same color. Tears began to well up a little bit in the speechless girl's eyes. She looked at the boy, glowing with the warmth of what he'd just said.

"Luke..."

They caught each other's gaze for a moment, and he smiled at her. She smiled shyly back before they both immediately bent their heads again, embarrassed and overjoyed at the same time.

If not for the annoying centerpiece being in the way, Luke would've seen Henry flash him a look of approval. But the man said nothing, due to the fact that he was feeling a bit uncomfortable himself.

Thank goodness for someone else.

"Then there's really no problem, is there, Lucas?"

He lifted his head.

"No, I suppose there isn't."

"Good then. And I assume you'll be taking her to the Winter Ball as well."

"Winter Ball?"

"Why, yes! The annual Winter Ball, held jointly by Jasperstone Academy and the Morris School for Boys. Surely you must know about it!"

Winter Ball?

"Oh...oh! Yes! The Winter Ball! I'd completely forgotten about that..."

"Dear, you must be simply frazzled, and I think I know why." Jocelyn winked at Meghan around the tray. "In any case, however, you two would best start planning. Which reminds me...come, Luke, I've something to show you. Henry, why don't you and Meghan go and chat in the sitting room?"

"But, Mother, what about tea?"

"Oh, enough of tea...Lucas, this way!" Having said this, Jocelyn flew off again.

Seeing that he had no choice but to follow, Luke gave Meghan one last extra squeeze, along with a reassuring look, before parting with her and dashing out of the tea room.

Meghan Reynolds and Henry Dashwood had now both been left to their own accord. They responded to this by sitting silently for a few moments, befuddled.

"Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?" Henry finally said.

"Hmm? Oh...yes. It's not raining."

Another long pause.

"I...hope I'm not keeping you from work or anything..."

"Oh, no. No bother about work. I've been working myself sick lately, and yet have been finding it very hard to concentrate...shall we go into the sitting room?"

"Okay."

Once there, Henry suddenly found himself in possession of enough nerve to ask Meghan the following question:

"Tell me, Meghan, do you think you might fancy Lucas? I mean, the way he fancies you..."

Meghan looked at Henry with a smile.

"Yes. I fancy him very much."

He smiled a little himself, staring off into space for a second.

"And you plan to tell him that, don't you?"

"Of course!"

Meghan answered this immediately, and her answer was the truth. But she found herself thinking a little deeper about what Henry had said.

You told him you loved him, didn't you, Aunt Libby? Because I know that you DID love him...

"Good, then." he conceded. "Are you up to another game of chess?"

Meghan nodded. Yes, she was up to a game of chess. And for the moment, there wasn't anything else, really, that she'd rather do.

And with that, rhapsodyflower, anticipating flames, hides behind the closest person she can find. This person is Faye, who is morbidly depressed.

Faye: Shove off, wanker! It's YOUR fault I'm in this misery, because YOU wrote it. And if I weren't so morbidly depressed, I'd join everyone else in roasting you with the criticism you deserve!!!

rhapsodyflower: It's not MY fault you were nosy. Nor is it my fault that you were suspended. That blame belongs to you, your vengeful friends, and indirectly, Clarissa. And I think you're forgetting that I'M the one who created you. I could drop an anvil on your whiney head, if I wanted to. Or I could have you attacked by pigeons, or make you a guy, or -

Faye, unmoved, walks off, leaving rhapsodyflower alone and vulnerable.

rhapsodyflower: Fine. Whatever. Okay, here's the deal. To make this up to you, anyone who reads this is encouraged to look in my profile for a SPECIAL OFFER. Also, be here Saturday for the next two chaps. 45's already written, and 46 is well on its way. In the meantime, I'll just be sitting here...scared...really scared...

-rf-