“Hey!” I heard his voice in the background.
“Shut up Daniel, you know it’s true. Anyway, Lil, if you’re sure, then we’re all behind you and very happy for you. Just don’t lose track of your schoolwork because the two of you are busy-”
“No!” I cried. “No more of that.”
I could hear the smile in her voice when she said, “just remember your dreams, Lil. It’s okay if they change, just don’t let anyone else change them for you.”
“I won’t, Mum. Thanks.”
“All right, I’ll let you go and we’ll see you soon, okay? Don’t forget to let me know what you want to do for your birthday.”
“I won’t. Love you, bye.”
“I love you, too. And, I wouldn’t have accepted for you, my sweet Lily, anyone less worthy.”
“Thank you.” I hung up, her words of encouragement meaning more than anyone else’s, and shook my head at Anne. “God, everyone knows already.”
“Of course they do.” She held up her phone. “Even Marie has sent me a message about it. Even Marie was gushing about how exciting it was.”
I sighed. “Trust me to pick the guy who’s never had a proper girlfriend before, now it’s probably going to make the ‘Netherfield News’!”
Anne laughed. “So what? You love him right?”
I felt the blush creep up my cheeks. “Yes.”
“Yes. And he’s just told the whole school he loves you.” She shrugged. “Give it a few weeks, people will have stopped caring soon.”
“Will they?”
She nodded. “Trust me, I know this place. Hunter or Cassandra will do something bonkers and that will be all anyone can talk about.”
I laughed. “Or, Fleur will turn up in a hissy fit.”
“Or, Fleur will turn up in a hissy fit, exactly. So, stop worrying and enjoy your man!”
Chapter Sixty
It’s amazing how quickly time passes when you stop worrying about things.
And, it had been a good few months since I’d worried about anything. I hadn’t worried about what people thought of me. I hadn’t worried about Jax. I hadn’t worried about Fleur or Aunt Celia plotting my downfall. I hadn’t worried about Amanda. And, I hadn’t worried about whether Lily could ever return my feelings.
I hadn’t even worried if Lily was going to turn around and decide it was all a mistake; I was enjoying my time with her way too much for that.
The last few hours, though, I had started worrying a little about one thing. That night was Lily’s eighteenth birthday party. And, while nothing was going to stop me going, the idea of actually formally meeting her parents as the boyfriend was slightly terrifying.
“It’ll be fine. I mean, it might not be fine. Dad will be an arse, I’m sure. But, overall, it will be fine. Won’t it be fine?” Lily was saying as we walked to the restaurant.
“Sure. Our parents will be overbearing and vulgar, but that’s them, everyone expects it, it’ll be fine,” Anne agreed, hanging onto Lily’s arm.
“I’m sure they’ll be lovely,” Amanda said, on Lily’s other arm.
Both girls comically looked to Amanda as though it was going to be the most terrible night ever. Mandy looked back to me, Jax and Williams with a quizzical eyebrow raised.
I shrugged and smiled. “It will be fine. It’s Lily’s night and we’ll all enjoy it.”
“Lily!” Kate came running towards us with Gemma, Brickwell, Lucas and Gerald following behind her.
Lily met her sister with a huge hug and I was glad their tentative truce after Anders had only strengthened.
“Right, let’s get inside. No doubt, we’re late and everyone will make sure we know.” Lily sighed, tugging her coat around her.
“You look fine,” I said. She looked up at me and the stress seemed to drain from her face.
“Ugh, thank God you’re here. Not that you’ll want to be in a few minutes, but there you are,” she said quickly with a self-deprecating laugh.
The others were heading inside already and I held her back a moment. “Lily, I love you no matter what and I shall stick by your side.” It felt all too solemn considering it was just her family, but I felt like she needed it.
She took a deep breath and nodded. “I love you too,” she muttered.
I wrapped my arm around her and steered her to the door. “Come on, it’s your birthday!”
“It’s my birthday,” she said like one of Coach’s pep talks. She shook herself. “Right, let’s do this!”
We walked in to a raucous cheer of “happy birthday, Lily!”
Lily beamed at everyone and I let her go to make the rounds and headed over to Nadine.
“Good to see you’re not wet this time.” She smiled.
“No, that’s strictly a when I’m at home sort of thing.” I grinned.
She smiled, then grew serious a moment. “You make our Lily very happy you know.”
“That’s all I want.”
“Good. I knew, the moment I met you, there was more to you than Lily said.”
I smiled. “And, here I thought she was the only one who saw the real me.”
Nadine laughed and kissed my cheek. “By all accounts, it seems she found him, wherever he was hiding.”
“I think you’re right.”
She smiled, then sighed and looked over to where Lily’s Dad and Anne’s Mum were talking animatedly and loudly. I didn’t catch all the words, but Lily, me, Jax, Anne, Pemberley, and Huntsford came up numerous times. It didn’t bother me like it used to, but I knew it would annoy Lily and that frustrated me more than it otherwise would.
“I apologise for them, they never know when to keep their mouths shut,” Nadine said with a grimace.
I shrugged, waving her apology away. “It could be worse. It’s honestly not that bad. Lily and Anne will be angrier than me, and Jax will just smile at everyone and be lovely like he usually is.”
Nadine looked sceptical for a moment, then nodded. “Well, all the same, I should go and put my brother in his place. For the birthday girl, if nothing else.”
“For the birthday girl.”
She hurried away but was soon replaced by Sebastian Chambers.
Oh joy.
“Mister Cooper, it’s lovely to see you again.”
“Call me Austin, Seb.”
“Austin,” he gushed and I’m sure he bowed.
Now, Daniel Brewer and Linda Macklin, I could deal with… Sebastian Chambers was a little more grating on the nerves. Brash cluelessness was nothing compared to simpering wank.
“How are you, Seb?” I asked, scanning the crowd for Lily. I found her hugging Charlie and chatting with him and Anne.
“Oh, wonderful. My work is going well. Charles is invaluable. My only complaint is that I have been unable to see Lady Celia as often as I’d like. But, when I last saw her, she was terribly unhappy with you.”
“I can imagine she still is.” I smiled.
“You do not seem fazed by her ladyship’s displeasure.”
“I’m not fazed one bit, Seb. See, I got my girl and, for all her threats, her ladyship has done nothing to disown me. So, really, if her displeasure means I don’t have to speak to the old bat for a while, then all the better, I say.”
“Oh, I, uh…yes, of course,” Seb stuttered, bowed his odd little bow again and scampered away.
I was just about to head towards Lily, when someone else appeared at my side.
“Missus Macklin, isn’t it?” I asked politely.
She gushed, “Anne’s mum, yes. Please call me Linda, though, we’re practically family.” She leant much too close to me and batted her eyes at me.
“Linda, lovely to meet you.”
“You and Jackson look so much alike. It’s uncanny.”
“I hear it’s the way with identical twins.”
“Is that why you have the tattoos and longer hair? So people can tell you apart?”
“Actually, it’s so I can tell us apart, sometimes it’s hard to remem
ber.”
She looked confused for a moment. “Really?”
Oh, lord save me. “No, sorry, Linda, just a joke.”
“You are a very handsome young man. You and Lily are quite serious, then?”
“Uh… Yes, yes we are…” I said, taking a step back and looking frantically for some help.
Thankfully, Anne came to my rescue. “Mum, go and sit with Daniel and leave the young men alone,” she said, throwing me an apologetic look.
“That Hunter seems nice.”
“Also a young man, also off-limits. Sit down, have some water, and keep off the bubbles for a bit, yeah?”
“Annie, don’t you think…” Anne steered her mum away, shooting me another look.
I smiled at her reassuringly.
“How you holding up?” I jumped as Manda appeared by my side. “Gees, jumpy much?”
“Sorry, you surprised me.” I couldn’t help but grin at her.
“Is it quite as terrible as Lil thought it would be?”
“No. Although, I suspect she’d think so. I’m not all that fussed by it at all.”
Manda laughed. “Oh, no? So, that’s why you look like you’re about to baulk after being accosted by Linda Macklin?”
I nudged her. “It’s fine. People have always been like that. And children should not be judged by their parents.”
“Says you,” she scoffed.
“Says me,” I replied, hugging her.
“Probably a good thing; you’d be judged a saint.”
“We all know Jax got all that.”
She chuckled. “Yes. Yes, he did.”
And if it was ever more obvious, it was now, as Jax flitted from person to person, talking and laughing amiably. He was instantly likable to every person he came across, and was immediately comfortable with them. Still, I wouldn’t have him any other way.
That was who Jax was, and I was who I was.
Though, now I got to be the Austin I wanted to be, not the perfect heir to Aunt Celia who had no fun and watched love walk out of his life.
Instead, I got to watch the harpy walk out of my life and had as much fun as I wanted.
“She’s good for you,” Amanda said softly.
“She is.”
“I like her.”
“Me too.”
“Good.”
Chapter Sixty-One
Kate, Gemma and even Marie chatted among themselves as they scoped out all the hotties. Jax and Anne whispered demurely over their text books, Hunter frowned as he worked on God knew what and drummed on the table with his pencil. I saw Cassandra with her friend Bea at another table. She kept throwing furtive glances our way, but had been pleasant enough. Brickwell, Lucas and Gerald were unusually absent. And, Austin and I were idly playing with each other’s hands while we worked on our own things.
Final exams for us were in a matter of weeks. Uni applications were in. As was a thinly veiled panic. Still, we’d all risen to the challenge and could be found here in the library most times we weren’t asleep or in class. Or, asleep in class.
Gemma, Kate and Marie had taken to keeping us company, though they distracted us more times than not. By rights, they could all graduate this year if they wanted. Unsurprisingly, Marie was going through to Year 13. Most surprisingly, so were Kate and Gemma.
I’d convinced Mum to let them stay at Netherfield, at least until I left, and she was happy with that. Likewise, Kate and Gemma had actually started behaving themselves…better. They were still awful flirts, but they wanted more than just rich husbands. When they felt compelled to remind me, they usually followed up with ‘we want husbands as rich and handsome as Anne’s getting!’
Because, yes, Jax hadn’t been able to contain his excitement and had proposed to Anne last summer at Huntsford. I’d gathered from Anne that he must have been planning it for ages, all elaborate that it was. They were going to get married after our exams, before uni started. Needless to say, Linda couldn’t stop bragging. Jax took it well, though, good-humoured puppy that he was.
Hunter had never brought up the whole liking me thing again and seemed genuinely happy for Austin and me. I had noticed a slight change in his flirting with girls, and the calibre of the girls he flirted with, but he hadn’t dated anyone yet. Still, he seemed okay and I was glad for it.
As for Austin, he was still a little aloof with the other students, and the public in general – not that I could blame him, the public can be scary – but he was very open and warm when it was just the few of us. He was constantly smiling and laughing, and we teased each other mercilessly.
I’d long since got over the stink eyes I’d get when we walked down the hall. It seems most girls at Netherfield still held out some hope they’d be the one to tame the great Austin Cooper.
Mandy reminded me constantly how glad she was that it was me. She’d taken up residence at Pemberley full-time in the last year. Austin grumbled about it all the time, but I knew he’d been at the head of convincing her to do just that. We’d spent a lot of time at Pemberley, or Huntsford, before the exam pressure started getting to us, and Amanda had become as much a sister as Kate, Gemma, Anne or Marie.
“Okay, I’m calling that a day,” Kate said, closing her book.
I looked up at her and smiled. “Really? You’re calling not doing any work and talking about boys for hours ‘a day’?”
Kate pouted at me. “I did some work.”
“Did you though?” Anne asked.
Kate sighed and opened her book back up.
“No, Katie, it’s fine,” I laughed, feeling Austin’s leg bump mine under the table. “If you want to be done for today, be done.”
She looked at me in surprise but smiled as she, Gemma and Marie packed up their stuff, said goodbye and hurried out.
“Can anyone remember when they became such fast friends?” Anne sighed, watching them go.
“Not really, but I think Marie’s been a good influence on them,” I replied.
“I think that was more you than anyone else, but, I think, shockingly, they’re good for her too. She’s so much less…stuffy now.”
I smiled. “She’s more relaxed.”
Anne laughed, “That’s one way to put it.”
Jax stretched and Hunter dropped his head on the table in frustration.
“I’m calling it, too. I need more coffee before I keep this up,” Hunter groaned.
“I’m with Williams on this one.” Jax grimaced.
“All right, we’ll get coffee then come straight back, okay?” Anne said, looking at them both sternly.
They nodded and got up to leave.
“You guys aren’t coming?” Anne asked, turning back to me and Austin.
We shared a look and I knew he was happy to keep working for a bit.
“Nah, I’m right. If I have any more coffee, I’m going to vibrate out of my skin.” I smiled.
“Suit yourself.” Anne grinned. “I’d bring some back, but…”
“I know, stupid stuffy school with very lax rules decides to keep the one about no food and drink in the library,” I laughed.
Anne grinned and followed after Jax, not that he was likely to go very far without her if he didn’t have to. I smiled as I watched them go, Hunter laughing with them.
It was late and the library was nearly empty, but we figured we may as well push on. Besides, I’d had so much coffee that day, I wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon.
“I can feel you worrying,” Austin said, his finger entwining with mine on the desk.
“And, I can feel you not worrying.”
“We’ll be fine. Besides, you’re smart enough for the both of us.”
I chuckled, “Smart enough for the both of us doesn’t help us pass and get into uni next year.”
Mandy had decided to start some sort of humanitarian charity and Austin, Jax, and Hunter had all invested a fair chunk into her new company. High off their good deeds, they’d made the decision to go to business school. Still, they hadn’t seem
ed to regret it so far.
“About that…”
“Mm?” I asked, not looking at him.
“How much do you want to be Doctor Brewer?”
I sighed. This again?
Well, actually, it was the first time I’d heard it from Austin. And, I had to say I was surprised. But, Dad had been at me constantly about how I really didn’t need my PhD because Austin would support me, because Austin had bucket loads of money and would only make more as he got older, and that I’d never have to work a day of my life. But, I wanted to. If only because there was still a lingering part of myself that had to do it all on my own, that wanted to prove I could get by without a man.
“Lil-”
“Austin, you know it’s important to me. I expect this sort of thing from Dad, but not from you. I thought you supported me going through to my PhD?”
“I do. I support anything you want to do. I was merely wondering whether you desperately wanted to be Doctor Brewer…or if, perhaps, becoming Doctor Cooper was just as appealing?”
“What?” I looked at him, momentarily confused.
He was focussed on the book in front of him as though he hadn’t said anything. The only hint he was up to something was a slight curve of his mouth.
Still he said nothing.
After a minute of my staring at him like a fish, he gently slid his hand from mine, reached into his bag and slid something across the table to me, all without looking at me. I looked down at the little box, then back to him, then around the library, and back to the little box.
“What is that?” I asked, pointing at it and feeling a quite excited fluttering in my chest.
I could tell he was having a hard time keeping his face impassive. “Why don’t you open it and see.”
I glared at him as best I could while I picked up the box and opened it. Inside was a very beautiful diamond ring.
“Is this what I think it is?”
“Depends what you think it is,” he replied, still looking for all the world like he was studying.
I was starting to feel glad he wasn’t looking at me as I felt heat spread up my cheeks. “I think it’s you asking me to marry you,” I said, trying to keep the catch out of my voice.
Netherfield Prep: A Modern Reimagining of Jane Austen's 'Pride & Prejudice' Page 39