“Really? He's so sweet,” she said, and pecked my cheek, “I'll see you in a little bit, okay?”
“Okay, have fun!”
“So, what is my cousin good at?” Will asked.
“I told you, I just meant dancing! Anyway, how do I look?”
“Gorgeous, as always,” he said, “I still want to know -”
“If I kiss you, will you shut up?”
“I'll think about it.”
“Then I'm not going to do it,” I teased.
We were interrupted by a crash. Someone had tripped, and knocked over a waiter carrying glasses of champagne. Chrissy apologised profusely to him, and he assured her that it was no big deal at all. While she was trying to brush the spilt drink from herself, a young man came to her aid. Henry dabbed gently at a splash on her cheek. Their eyes met, and I had a feeling another couple had just been made. He was a little older than her, but not so much that it wouldn't work. He had seemed like a good guy. I just hoped his employers didn't mind him dancing on the job, because Chrissy quickly dragged him off to do just that.
“What is it about weddings?” Will asked.
“Huh?”
“Everyone gets it into their heads that they should pair off.”
“Romantic setting?” I asked, “Or maybe it's just a good place for people to meet.”
“I'd better not see my sister kissing your friend. I'll need therapy for the rest of my life.”
“Don't be so grouchy,” I chided, “It's sweet. Look at them! I haven't seen Lisa look that genuinely happy in forever, and Meg is actually talking to someone besides us.”
“Okay, it's cool. Just don't let them know I said that.”
“Yeah, your life would be so over if they knew you had feelings,” I joked.
“I know!” he grinned, “I meant to ask. Where are you going to live?”
“Uh, above the garage,” I said, “At my house.”
“Is there room?”
“Room for what?” Jenny had come over with Charlie, “We noticed you weren't dancing. We were going to tell you to stop being miserable. Are you actually talking about something important?”
“You guys are coming to live at our house, right?” I said, “I know your place is bigger, but we have a beach.”
“I wondered when you girls were going to start thinking about that,” Dad said, his arm around Madeleine's waist possessively.
She smiled at him, “Can I tell them, now?”
“Go ahead.”
“Mrs. Davies – uh – Harriet,” he said, upon realising that she had approached us and could hear her, “Has kindly agreed to sell us this place.”
“What, here?” I asked, “This house?”
“Seriously?” Jenny asked, “We can live near the beach?”
“I know it's smaller than our current house. But there's only the two of us in that place, and I thought it might be time to downsize. This way, Greg can still go to work, and we can all live together.”
“And we're going to get a smaller house in the town,” Mrs. Davies added, “Just in case you kids were worried that we were going to stop visiting this part of the country.”
“Is that okay, girls?” Dad asked.
Jenny hugged him tightly, “Thank you!”
“Well,” he held her tight, “Your sister won't have space for a piano in our current place, anyway.”
“What would I need a piano for?” I asked.
“ Don't be mad,” he said, “But there was a phone call for you. I took a message. You got into the Royal Academy of Music. I thought you might need a place to practice when you came home to visit.”
“ I – I what?! I got in?! Oh my God!” I hugged Will so suddenly that he almost fell over. He wrapped his arms around me, laughing as I shrieked completely unintelligible words in my excitement.
“ I guess that means we're going to see a lot of each other,” he said, “Because I got into the London Business School. So you can't get bored of me, and find someone else.”
“You're joking!”
“No, you really can't find someone else.”
“You know that's not what I meant,” I laughed, “Oh my God, this is so cool!”
Jenny pouted, “Now I wish I was in London.”
“ You're going to Oxford, it's not that far away. If I had brains like yours, I'd totally go there,” I said, “We'll see each other at weekends.”
“Maybe we should have waited to buy a house,” Dad said, “You girls are only going to enjoy it for a few weeks.”
“Or we should have a few more kids,” Madeleine suggested.
“Oh, ew,” I covered my eyes, “I didn't need that image.”
“Me either,” Jenny professed, “Charlie, let's go dance, okay?”
“Yeah, Will, I have to get away from them before I puke.”
We all but ran to join the others, and Will didn't hesitate to wrap me up in my arms.
So, there we were.
Sisters, friends, lovers, and family. Wherever I turned, I saw what was really important in my life. And things hadn't gone quite the way I'd pictured in my final year. Like, I hadn't thought I would pin the hopes for my future on music, or that I would go out with a guy I'd hated so much to begin with. But, for once in my life, I was excited about what the future might hold. It was risky, and totally unpredictable, but that was what made it fun.
“What are you smiling about?” Will asked.
“I was just thinking that,” I shrugged, “I'm proud of us.”
“Us?”
“All of us. We made it, and we're going to keep on making it.”
“Isn't pride a fault?”
“I guess it is, if it makes people prejudiced. But being proud of good things, can't be a fault.”
“Does that make me one of the good things?” he asked.
“ No,” I said, “You're one of the best things. After my sister, obviously.”
“Anything I can do to get to the top of the list?”
“How about that kiss?” I suggested.
Maybe I shouldn't have been snogging my boyfriend in the middle of my Dad's wedding, but no one was complaining, least of all me. Most young relationships didn't last all that long, and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. But I felt sure as he held me, that I wouldn't love anyone else the way I loved him.
I was proud of my friends.
I was proud of my sister.
I was proud of my parents.
I was proud of my boyfriend.
And, most of all, I was proud of myself.
So, pride really was a virtue after all, and I would never let it lead me to be prejudiced of anyone ever again.
One Word From You: A Pride and Prejudice Adaptation Page 27