Worst Impressions

Chapter Forty Two

Either Dad had forgotten to turn on the heating the day that I arrived home, or William's letter had chilled me so thoroughly that I felt I might never be warm again.

Whatever the reason, I felt like I needed Jenny's company to make me feel better. I was happy that Georgia had set herself free of Wyatt, but that alone wasn't enough to lift my spirits in the face of all the other revelations. Only the comfort of my best friend could reassure me I hadn't been a fool in believing in Gideon, that I was justified in turning down William, and that Charlie and Jenny's breakup hadn't been my fault. William hadn't said in his letter he blamed me. He'd been clear that he felt it was our friends who were inappropriate and unworthy of knowing. Still, he'd said that his family wouldn't approve of me, either, so I had to wonder if my behaviour had played a part in his decision to come between them.

Dad noticed the change in me, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth. I didn't want him to know how stupid I'd been. Besides, I needed to respect the privacy of William's family. I may not have liked him, but it sounded like his sister and mother had been through more than enough without me airing their dirty laundry for the world.

Returning to school and being out from under my father's worried gaze was a relief. I wasn't often happy to return to Netherfield, but the moment I saw Jenny I threw myself into a hug so forceful that we tumbled onto her bed in a tangle of limbs and declarations of having missed one another. Mercifully, we were alone, and I had the perfect opportunity to spill my guts at long last and relieve myself of the burden of being the only one to know Gideon's real nature.

Naturally, I didn't tell her that she and Charlie had been forced apart by William. It didn't feel worth bringing it up now that they were already apart. As William had said, there was no undoing what had already been done. We all needed to move on, and the best way to do that was to put the pair as far from our minds as possible.

'Jen', can we go talk about something?' I asked with urgency, aware that the others would soon be upon us and that Lisa and Chrissy were incapable of keeping secrets.

'Sure. Library?' she suggested.

No one would be there on the first day back. They'd be unpacking and greeting their friends. So long as we were quiet, we wouldn't be discovered or overheard. I didn't dare tell her what all the secrecy was about on the way. We hid in the research section, where all the enormous books only the teachers checked out were kept. Even they wouldn't be seen dead in the library so soon into the new term.

I leaned back against a shelf with my legs crossed in front of me. Jenny settled herself beside me and laid her head on my shoulder. I let out a long breath and said, 'I saw William Darcy while I was in France. He was a total dick, as usual. How was your break?'

'That's all you have to say? You could have told me that in our room.'

'No, there's more. But I want to hear how your Christmas was, first.'

She closed her eyes and lamented, 'I didn't see Charlie. I saw Chantelle, and she made it clear that she hated me. Like she was super that angry I was there. I told her it was just a coincidence, but she was sure I did it on purpose.'

'Sorry,' I said. 'I shouldn't have convinced you to go.'

'Mum and I had a good time. She said you and your father should have come along.'

'Dad on skis? He'd break every bone in his body.' I held her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. 'You guys should come to our place one year. It'll be cramped and awkward. You'll love it, I promise.'

'Maybe.'

'Okay, so there's something else that happened. And I'm only going to tell you if you think you want to hear it. Because if you don't, then it's fine. But it's about Gideon.'