‘Now, George, you will look after her, won’t you?’ Tarquin insisted. ‘You know what she’s like – she’ll get some harebrained scheme into her head and get herself into all sorts of trouble. I’m counting on you to take care of her.’
Much as Emma bristled at being talked about as if she were an irresponsible adolescent, she didn’t argue. She knew she was a free-thinking, independent woman of the new millennium. But she could see no harm in being gracious enough to let George take care of her for while.
‘Come on, we should go,’ George urged, glancing at the departure board.
Emma hugged Lucy, Adam, the Knightleys and her father, tears trickling down her cheek. ‘I’ll email,’ she said. ‘And phone. You too, right?’
‘And George, don’t you forget you’re supposed to be researching eco-friendly hotels as well as bumming about the Outback, right?’ Max reminded him.
‘Too right,’ Emma’s father added. ‘If I’m going to plough money into keeping Donwell open, it’s going to be the greenest hotel in England – and the Aussies are good at that sort of thing.’
‘I know, you told us.’ George took Emma’s hand firmly in his. ‘We’re going – now!’ he ordered.
She was about to plead for one minute more but changed her mind. It was a well-known fact, as all her psychology books pointed out, that guys needed to exercise their macho tendencies in order to develop into well-rounded individuals.
And suddenly, Emma realised that for once, it might be fun not being the one in charge.
How would the Dashwood girls, in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, fare without the restraints of nineteenth-century England?
Will Ellie’s ever-sensible attitude towards life prevent her from snogging the gorgeous, but somewhat reticent, Blake?
Is Abby’s devil-may-care outlook destined to land her in big trouble with Hunter, who specialises in being up himself?
And what about the baby of the family, Georgie? She’s a tomboy, with more male friends than anyone, and so strong-willed she’ll never take no for an answer!
‘This sharp, laugh-packed take on Austen’s classic story will have you grinning from ear to ear at the romantic scrapes of the three Dashwood sisters.’ MIZZ
‘Blends timeless truths about human nature while tackling modern teenage problems.’ Bookfest
What would happen if the traumas of teenage life and love from Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey surfaced in the twenty-first century?
Caitlin Morland has always craved excitement. So when she wins an art scholarship to Mulberry Court school, she’s delighted to be befriended by the glamorous Izzy Thorpe and intriguing Summer Tilney.
As Caitlin finds herself swept up in their exotic lives, she becomes determined to uncover the secrets surrounding Summer. An invitation to join the Tilneys in Italy shows her that things are very rarely all they seem . . .
‘This is a fabulous read ...Full of glamour, secrets and intrigue, this sharp yet humorous novel will take you on a rollercoaster ride of all manner of emotions. Rosie Rushton is one of the best at tackling teenage problems, writing about them and providing answers for them.’ Lovereading
Secret Schemes and Daring Dreams Page 18