by Rose, Louise
“All right, guys. That’s enough.” I shake my head. I am tired already and the day has barely begun. “If you all care about me as much as you say you do, you’ll at least pretend you get on when you’re around me. I’ve got enough on my mind.”
“Sorry, Ivy.” Declan didn’t look sorry at all.
Romy says nothing.
The bell rings, signifying the start of lessons.
“Meet me for lunch, Ivy?” Milly asks, looking between us three.
I think about it for a moment. “Okay.” Milly is about the only friend I had in this place. I needed every ally I could get if I’m going to survive the next few months unscathed.
Besides, she might be able to tell me more about what is really going on with my father. Milly might come across as being all naïve and innocent, but she is a lot more astute than she lets on.
“I’ll let you two girls be alone, then,” Romy says.
“Yeah. You do that.”
Romy kisses me quickly before heading off to his economics class while I turn and walk off to Pilkington’s office.
I remember when I first saw Mr Pilkington, the headmaster, on my first day at the Academy. He’d made it clear just how powerless I was when he told me two of my subjects had already been chosen for me. Now he has the power to make me endure another year in this place if I didn’t meet up to his standards.
I knock on the door and wait to be summoned.
“Come in!”
I walk in and take a seat opposite Mr Pilkington.
“Ivy.” He smiles warmly. “It’s so good to have you back with us. I always knew you’d want to return to finish your education here.”
I didn’t exactly want to come back, but I nod as if he’d said something profound.
“Now I’m sure you’re aware that we cannot just accept you back into your classes as if you’d never been away, especially given your grades in politics and business.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“I suppose it’s too much to ask for you to have continued your studies during your absence?”
I look at him pointedly. “I wrote a few songs.”
“I see. Well, we will have to give you some assessment tests to ascertain what classes you will be returning to. We cannot risk the reputation of the school by allowing you to take an exam you are unprepared for. We pride ourselves on our academic achievements and will not risk a pupil failing to live up to their potential. Not only do you let yourself down, you let the entire Academy down.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“Good.” Mr Pilkington shuffles some papers. “I have arranged for all the instructors to assess you. You will be spending the rest of today sitting the tests and we will know by tomorrow what level you are best suited to. I hope you appreciate your teachers giving up their time to mark your papers so you can return to class without delay.”
“It’s very kind of them.” I smile sarcastically. I’d be more than happy to hear that I wasn’t going to be allowed to continue with politics or business.
“Excellent. Now I have a private room set up for you to sit your tests. I trust you will be able to cope for a day without your fiancé…”
I could feel my cheeks reddening. “News travels fast round here.”
“An Archaic and a Navarre getting married? We haven’t had such a momentous union for as long as I can remember,” Mr Pilkington says. “I for one am very happy to see it. It’s good to see old rivalries being set aside in the name of a more positive future. It isn’t so long ago that the Archaics and Navarres would kill each other on sight. It made for quite a challenging academic environment, I can tell you.” He chuckles and I politely let out a fake laugh.
“So, given your standing in the town, let’s see if we can get your studies to where they need to be to reflect your position, shall we? You’re an intelligent young woman. I’m sure with a little extra coaching we can get you to where you need to be, fill in the blanks, as it were.”
“Thank you, Mr Pilkington.”
“Right. Let’s start the assessments. If you would follow me?”
Mr Pilkington leads me to a small room down the hall from his office. The walls are lined with filing cabinets, leaving barely enough room for a small table. Mr Metcalf is already waiting for us, a bored look on his face.
“I’ll leave Ivy in your capable hands.” Mr Pilkington says when he sees my music teacher. “Please report back to me as soon as you’re done here.”He walks out, closing the door behind him.
“Sit down, Ivy.” Mr Metcalf gestures to the chair opposite him. “Now, I don’t want to waste either of our time. I have a good idea about what level I think you’re suited to, so I’ll just ask you a few questions and we’ll see where you’re at.”
He picks up an iPad that is on the table in front of him and taps to play an excerpt of Ravel’s Bolero. “What instrument takes over the tune from the clarinet?” he asks when it is done.
“The bassoon.”
“And what is the main feature of the bassoon’s melody?”
“Blue notes.”
“Moving on to Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto, how would you describe the texture of the opening passage?” He plays the piece to me so I can hear it before answering.
“Polyphonic.”
“And what is the interval between the first two notes?”
I hummed the tune to myself, counting the number of notes between the first two. “It’s a fifth.”
We went on like that for half an hour, Mr Metcalf firing questions at me and giving no indication as to whether I had given a right or wrong answer.
Finally, after getting me to analyse Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, Mr Metcalf treats me to a rare smile. “Just as I suspected, Ivy. You remain one of the best students I’ve ever had.”
“So I can come back to class?” I gasp, hardly daring to believe Mr Metcalf is complimenting me.
“Your presence has been sorely missed,” he tells me. “Quite frankly, if some of your classmates had half your passion for the subject, I’d be a happy man. Maybe if you come back, you’ll inspire the rest of them to up their game instead of mooning over Declan Dauphin.” A blush covers my cheeks. “Oh yes, I notice the way you all look at him. I might be older than you, but I’m not stupid.”
“Yeah, well, Declan’s just my song writing partner,” I say. “I’m engaged to Romy in case you haven’t heard.”
“Oh, I heard,” Mr Metcalf tells me. “Like I said, I’m not stupid. But when you’ve been around teenagers for as long as I have, you soon learn that no matter how passionate you feel right now, tomorrow’s a new day.” He pauses and looks to the door before back at me. “This town can make you feel like there is nothing else in the world, but that isn’t true. The world is a big place and full of people that are pressured into a lot every day. If you ever need to talk or need help, come to me. You shouldn’t have to do something like get married if you don’t want to.”
For a second I think of my mother…was she forced into marriage? Was it never what she wanted?
“Romy and I are in love.” I was lying, but I don’t like the suggestion that my engagement is nothing but a passing phase and that I needed to escape.
There is no escaping King Town, not for someone like me. My hands are dirty, like everyone here, and my heart has been taken by the heirs. I can’t leave.
“I’m sure you are,” Mr Metcalf says. “And I don’t mean for that to sound patronising. But as one of my favourite students, I would caution you to be on your guard. There isn’t a single person in this Academy who doesn’t have an ulterior motive.”
“Including you?”
Mr Metcalf smiles sadly. “Touché, Ivy. Anyway, I’ve overstepped the mark. It’s not my place to get involved in your personal life and I apologise for any offence I may have caused. Suffice to say that you are very welcome back in my class and maybe you might even consider performing a duet with Declan at the fundraiser.”
“Duet? Fundraiser?”
“Maybe. I’ll have to see what Romy says.”
“Let me give you a little piece of advice, Ivy.” Mr Metcalf leans forward. “Take it from someone who knows. Never let a man tell you what you can or can’t do. If you want to work with Declan, then work with Declan. The two of you create magic together. Many of the students at the academy used to call your mother the first Queen of King Academy. Your mother never let anyone tell her what to do. Don’t you think there is a second now?”
“You knew my mum?”
He nods. “Yes, and I admired her. Like many did.”
“I’ll think about it,” I say softly. The more I learn, the more I feel like King Town is smaller than I thought. Did everyone know my mum? Is there nothing but secrets in this place?
After acing Mr Metcalf’s assessment, I am filled with optimism about my politics and business courses. But I’d never been that enthusiastic about the subjects, since my father had forced me to take them, and I hadn’t made a particularly good impression on either of the teachers, so my good mood quickly evaporated when Ms Dupree starts quizzing me on Tony Blair’s key policies, something I vaguely remembered but really couldn’t care less about.
By the time I am released from my politics assessment, I am about ready to go home, bury myself under my duvet and never come out again. But I still had to meet with my business studies teacher after lunch. As the bell rings to announce the midday break, the corridors fill with swarms of students. The noise is overwhelming, and I felt like disappearing off to one of the music practice rooms for peace and quiet. Then I remember I’d agreed to meet up with Milly. If anyone can give me an insight into what has really happened while I was away, it’s Milly.
As I walk into the cafeteria, I look around to find my friend. I don’t see Milly anywhere, but Archer is sitting on his own at a table to the side.
Looking at how long the queue for food is, I decide I can’t be bothered to stand in wait. I go over and sit opposite Archer.
“Hey. How’re you doing?”
Archer looks up and smiles a rare, genuine smile.
“Better for seeing you,” he says. “It’s not been the same without you at the Academy–even though technically we’re not supposed to talk to each other while our families are at war.”
“That’s my father’s battle.” I shrug. “He can be at war with whoever he likes. He can’t stop me talking to you if I want. Heck, if he tries, it’ll make me more likely to go out of my way to hang out with you. House politics are stupid if you ask me. I don’t see why you can’t all get along. There must be enough business for all of you. From what I understand, we’ve got complimentary businesses. If we worked together, we’d make more money. Instead, this in-fighting hurts all our bottom lines.”
“Careful now, Ivy,” Archer says. “You’ll have me thinking your dad is right to insist you take a business class.”
“I don’t need a class,” I counter. “That’s just common sense. Make love, not war. You catch more flies with honey. Insert your choice of uplifting cliché here…”
Archer laughs. “Well, much as I admire your passion, aren’t you going to have to check in with Romy before you go fraternising with the enemy?”
“You just had to go kill the mood, didn’t you?” I sigh. “Romy’s my fiancé, not my jailer.”
“From where I’m sitting it is still pretty much the same thing,” Archer says.
“It’s not like that,” I protest. “It’s--” My voice trails off. I can’t think of a good argument against what Archer is saying.
“Don’t be taken in by Romy’s pretty boy charm,” Archer warns. “He’s not what he appears. Romy’s only ever cared about himself. The only reason he gets away with being such a womaniser is because he’s charismatic with it. He gets the girls to beg him to use them. I wish I knew how he did it.”
“Why? So you could do the same?” I snort and shake my head. “It sounds like you’re jealous.”
“No. It’s not like that,” Archer says. “The only thing I’m jealous of is-- Actually, you know what? Never mind. It’s not important.”
“I think it is, and I’d appreciate it if you told me what you were about to say.”
“Fine.” Archer ran a hand over his shaven head. “I’m jealous he gets to be with you, okay? After everything, I thought we were starting something special. You know?”
“I do know,” I say softly. “I felt the same way.”
“Right. So having you come back and find that Romy’s manipulated you so he’s got you exactly where he wants you is a real kick in the teeth.”
“I haven’t been manipulated,” I say.
“So you want to spend the rest of your life with Romy?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Right now, Archer, I’m focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Romy isn’t my biggest problem. My father is. I have to figure out a way to get him off my back once and for all. If marrying Romy sets me free from Solomon Archaic, that’s what I’ll do. I can worry about the next step after that. Maybe I’ll stay married to Romy. Maybe I won’t. But that can’t be what I think about right now. There are more important things at stake here.”
“What if I told you I could get you free?” Archer says.
“I’d say keep talking.”
“One of the reasons why your father arranged for me to work for him is so he could set me up to give him an excuse to declare war on the Knights,” Archer told me. “He claimed I stole some documents from his safe. Of course I didn’t, but it’s not like your father needed any evidence to back up his claims. The accusation is enough to put the next stage of his plan in action. However, what he doesn’t know is that I saw a lot more than he realised when I was working for him. I know more about his business than he would ever want his enemies to know. I don’t know what I’m going to do with that information yet, but I reckon we could come up with a plan together that would bring him down for good.”
“Interesting.” I nod slowly. “What about these trips to Italy? Do you know what’s going on there?”
“No.” Archer frowns. “And it worries me. The last time he did a lot of travelling like this he was gearing up for a major assault on the Dauphins. He did an incredible amount of damage to their business and they’re only now getting back on an even keel. If he attacks my family, we’ll be forced to retaliate and although I would never do anything to hurt you, I can’t say that all the Knights share my attitude. Your engagement to Romy won’t be enough to protect you if someone gets it into their head that hurting you would hurt your father, and even after you’re married, you’ll still be the only heir to House Archaic.”
He takes my hands and gazes earnestly into my eyes.“Ivy, you’re in more danger than you realise. The fact you aren’t aware of that tells you everything you need to know about Romy’s true intentions. If he genuinely cared about you, he’d make sure you knew everything that is going on in this town. Knowledge is power. How can you protect yourself if you don’t know what you’re up against?”
“This is nuts,” I mutter under my breath. I stand up abruptly, desperately needing some space.
“Ivy, I’m sorry, but I thought you deserved to know the truth,” Archer says.
“Or maybe, just maybe, you thought you could break up my engagement in any way possible,” I snap.
“It’s not like that, Ivy. Ivy!”
I turn and storm out of the cafeteria. As I stomp through the doors, I run into Milly coming the other way.
“Ivy! I’m so sorry I’m late. I got stuck in my history class.”
“It’s fine. I just need to go.”
I push past Milly, not caring about the hurt expression on her face. I have had enough of people for now. I just need
to be alone where the heirs can’t find me and my mother’s past isn’t haunting me.
But in King Town? Is that even possible?
Chapter Forty
Sitting at the piano, I stare at the keys like they might hold all the answers as silent tears fall down my cheeks. It’s all too much. Jealous boys, manipulative fiancés, devious fathers… It seems that all the men in my life want to take something from me and I have nothing left to give. Music is the one solace left to me, but right now, I feel too emotionally wrung out to even sing.
Look on the bright side, Ivy. All this misery will give you plenty of inspiration when you’re ready to write again.
Oh yeah. I am going to have enough songs to last a lifetime at this rate.
I hear the door opening, but I don’t look up.
“Oh. Sorry. I didn’t know this room was in use.”
I sniff and turn my head away so whoever it is won’t see my tears. “That’s okay.”
“Ivy? What’s wrong?”Declan comes over and sits beside me on the piano stool. He puts his arm around me, a simple act of kindness which makes me cry even harder.
“Shh. It’s okay.” Declan pulls me closer to him. “Whatever it is, we’ll sort it out.”
“I don’t think anyone can clean up the mess that is my life,” I sob. “I thought things sucked when I was in foster care, but I’d give anything to go back to being a poor nobody. At least I didn’t have to worry about what people wanted from me. I’m scared that whatever I choose, someone is going to be hurt. And what if my father just decides he has had enough of me and tries to kill me?”
“You were never a nobody,” Declan tells me, gently stroking my hair. “Someone like you shines wherever you are. You walk in and you light up the room.” He pauses. “As for your father…he won’t touch you. I will never let that happen. Neither will Romy nor Archer.”
“You’re only saying that because I’m an Archaic,” I say.
“Nope.” Declan firmly shakes his head. “It wouldn’t matter who you were. I’d think you were beautiful… and talented… and funny… and smart…”With every compliment, he drops a kiss on top of my head. At the last one, I move so that he kisses me on the lips.