Undying (5 page)

“Now, if we leave now, I can give you that tour and we should be finished in time to change for dinner.”

“Yes, that sounds like a great idea.”

We both got up and made our way out of the room. As we left, my eyes met Mr Kemp’s. He was obviously still very sour and didn’t seem to be shy about showing his feelings either.

“Now don’t mind Mr Kemp, nobody else does,” said Jules.

“What do you mean?”

“Well Mr Kemp is a very strange and suspicious man. He spends most of his evenings on our roof looking at the stars and reading into them. He gave Mr Barclay a very hard time when he first arrived at the college. He was convinced that he was causing an imbalance of some sort.”

“Imbalance! An imbalance of
what
?”

“Oh, who knows! To be perfectly honest, nobody cares. If he gives you any heartache, I will take care of him quicker than he can look to the stars for help,” Jules asserted.

Why would Mr Barclay say that Mr Kemp was a one-of-a-kind, almost complimenting him, if he gave him such a hard time?

The tour was great and I was right; there was an easier way to get to the common room. I saw my classroom and that made everything real to me. The room still had a traditional blackboard on the wall, but a new whiteboard had been placed in front of it. The desks were timber and in a semi-circular style with three aisles taking students all the way up to the elevated back seats of the room.

I always had a great passion for English literature and loved to pass that on to others. I was looking forward to coming back to the room on Tuesday morning, full of students. The rest of the grounds were amazing as well. Awe filled me wherever I looked. The Great Hall had a soaring ceiling and sandstone walls, reflecting the external architecture of the building. The stained-glass windows in nearly every room were even more vibrant from inside the building. The floors were a mix of hardwood timber and different shades of marble, with grand marble staircases leading to the upper levels. Jules gave me my schedule and a detailed map of the building and grounds. I was to sit in Professor Davidson’s class for the first two weeks and then he was leaving and I was to replace him.

“Now don’t be alarmed. By 6 o’clock tomorrow evening, this college will be crawling with the boys returning from their break. They are going to love you, literally! Well, you are very beautiful… and very young and not quite what my boys are used to. Not to worry, we’ll cross that bridge if need be. Let’s head back and get ready for dinner. Tonight’s dinner is a special one. It’s our last night on the grounds without the students, so it will be a formal event with music and champagne and maybe even dancing now that there is the two of us! I’m so excited! We only have two hours to get ready so we’d better get back to our rooms.” She wouldn’t stop talking long enough for me to get a word in.

“Jules? When you say formal what should I be wearing exactly?” I enquiry.

“A dress, a cocktail dress. You are in England now my dear and we English love to take our frocks out and whirl them around the dance floor!”

When we arrived back, Jules went straight into her room, singing. I couldn’t help but laugh. She was interesting. I went straight into my room. I was overjoyed seeing my classroom and was really looking forward to meeting Professor Davidson. I sat on the end of my bed and again thought about Mr Barclay. He makes me feel uneasy and that is something I’m not used to. I don’t think I have ever met a man before that has made me feel the way I do. These feelings are really unexpected. I spent the rest of the time I had left getting ready for dinner. Showering and blow-drying my hair took forever with my sore head. I decided to wear my emerald-green velvet dress. It was sleeveless, tight fitting to the knees and flared out at the ends. I loved this dress. It really showed off my figure and the colour matched my eyes. The low-cut front had gorgeous dark green crystal stones adorning it and my matching emerald-green high heels finished the outfit perfectly.

“Knock, knock!” Jules bellowed outside my door. She seemed to like yelling out “knock, knock” rather than actually knocking.

“Coming!” I opened the door and let her in. We were like two schoolgirls, inspecting and complimenting each other’s choice of attire.

“Let’s be off then. I want to be there early to make sure everything is perfect,” Jules said as she flicked what little hair she had and made her way out of my room.

So far, I had found Jules to be extremely entertaining. Even the way she walked was kind of funny: her body swung from side to side. I smiled and followed her.

C
HAPTER
T
HREE

The ballroom was stunning. There was a single long table in the centre of the room that was covered in white linen, lit up with countless candles in beautiful candelabras and a striking flower centrepiece. Soft ambient music was playing in the background. The lights were dimmed to give the candles maximum effect. It was spectacular. The walls were covered with an array of paintings and tapestry. All the men were dressed in tuxedos, and they all looked very proper. As I glanced around the room I couldn’t help notice that Mr Barclay had not arrived.

Where could he be
?

Jules was over by the table, speaking to one of the waiters, giving her approval I guessed. Sure, the room did look great, but I was now more interested in seeing Mr Barclay again.

“Catherine, let’s sit. I believe everyone is here now. You will sit here at the head of the table as our newest addition,” Jules announced as she gestured to a male teacher to pull out my chair for me.

“Oh, Jules that isn’t necessary! Please! I am happy to sit beside you!” I pleaded, hoping my desperation was not too obvious.

“I won’t take no for an answer, Catherine, and I will be right next to you,” she said, ushering another male teacher to pull out her chair for her. In a matter of minutes all but two seats were full, and Mr Barclay and Mr Kemp were nowhere to be seen.

“Jules, will Mr Barclay and Mr Kemp be joining us for dinner? I noticed they both aren’t here yet.”

“Catherine, please don’t remind me. I can’t believe that Mr Barclay is missing out on this dinner because of Mr Kemp,” Jules replied with frustration.

“What do you mean? Is there something wrong?”

“The only thing wrong is that Mr Kemp is still at this college! Dr Simons was telling me that Mr Kemp was on the roof causing a fuss again, carrying on about your arrival being an imbalance in the stars. Mr Barclay has been with him now for over an hour trying to calm him down and have him join the dinner.”

Jules sighed and shook her head.

“And to make matters worse, this whole night was arranged by Mr Barclay. We are so lucky to have such a talented and caring principal. You know he doesn’t have to work? Mr Barclay is extremely wealthy but he chooses to stay and better this school, and now he’s missing out on this dinner because of such an annoying man.”

Jules stopped talking – a rare occurrence – and her disappointed look turned to joy. I looked in the direction in which she was looking and the sight of Mr Barclay coming down those stairs was such a relief! He looked amazing! He immediately went to the end of the table, opposite me.

“Please accept my apology. I was unavoidably detained,” he apologised and sat down.

He looked different from this afternoon – tired and somewhat sad. I felt his despair and I was immediately saddened. The wonderful mood I was in earlier had disappeared and I didn’t know why. I didn’t speak much – just an occasional nod to any question that was asked of me. Jules didn’t seem to notice as she and Dr Simons were utterly engrossed in conversation.

James didn’t speak much to anyone that evening and made no eye contact with me at all. I felt unimportant.

I really don’t like Mr Kemp! I wonder what he had done or said to Mr Barclay. Maybe Mr Kemp should stay outside under the stars permanently as our school’s gnome if that would make him happier?

The evening was not what I had hoped for. It was slow, quiet and boring. The fact Mr Barclay was in an off mood caused my own mood to sink. When Jules suddenly grabbed Dr Simons and tried to convince him to dance against his will, it was the only time that forced me to smile. Looking around the table, I saw that everyone else was amused by them also, even Mr Barclay, his smile immense and pure, and for a moment we caught each other’s eye. His smile immediately changed, becoming warmer. Our eyes locked for a few seconds, then he raised one eyebrow and slowly lowered his head. I think he was embarrassed! I turned away quickly and continued to watch Dr Simons attempt to get away from Jules, but he didn’t stand a chance. She was whirling herself around, and being on the heavy side she barely cleared Dr Simons’ short arms. Their dancing seemed to break the formality of the room. Some teachers left the table in little groups to smoke out on the terrace and others started to move around and change seats. I stayed put, watching Jules dance, until, in the corner of my eye, I saw Mr Barclay stand and walk towards my end of the table. I pulled back my shoulders and sat up straight.

“May I?” He asked.

“Yes, of course!”

He turned Jules’s seat slightly towards me with a slight grin and looked over his shoulder to peek at Jules and Dr Simons again.

“It seems Dr Simons has accepted defeat,” he said with a grin as he turned back.

“Smart man, there are some battles that just can’t be won!” I added with a giggle.

“Very true!” he agreed.

“Mr Kemp not joining us this evening?” I dared to ask; intrigued to know why my presence had upset him so.

“Ah, there’s another battle,” he joked as he manoeuvred his neck in a manner that seemed like he was trying to relax himself.

“I heard he was upset this evening, something about me causing an imbalance? What exactly what does that mean?” I asked.

“Mr Kemp, another battle that cannot be won,” he repeated, laughing.

I felt he was going to speak further, but Jules came back from dancing with Dr Simons and he got up immediately and gave her back her chair.

“Excuse me,” he said with a smile and headed back to his chair.

Dessert was now being served and everybody was back in their seats.

I found myself constantly looking at Mr Barclay, and I was afraid that I was going to be caught. I didn’t have an appetite for dessert, which was out of character for me; it was just too hard to not look at him or to enjoy the rest of the evening with other company. I decided to leave.

“Jules, would you think I was rude if I called it a night? It’s been such a long day and I am trying so very hard to stay awake.”

“No, no, not at all. Everyone will understand. I will walk you to your room,” she offered and turned to Dr Simons to excuse herself.

“No, please stay. I will be fine and I’m sure I can remember how to get back. And really no one needs to know that I’m leaving. I’ll go and no-one will notice.” I smiled and without waiting for her reply, I stood up. To my shock, so did the whole table of men!

So much for my inconspicuous exit!

There stood all these men, just because I was leaving the table! It was so English.

“Please sit down. I’m going to call it a night. I can’t keep my eyes open,” I said with a nervous giggle.

I smiled to Jules, who had taken my orders to stay on. I started to walk down the length of the table. I could hear the echoing voices of every gentleman saying “goodnight” as I passed. When I got to the end of the table where Mr Barclay was seated, I waited to hear his voice saying “goodbye”, but nothing came.

I tried to hide my disappointment, when…

“Catherine, I will escort you to your room if that is alright with you?”

“Thank you,” I answered with a smile. Even though my reply was composed and assertive, my heart was beating quite fast; disappointed with my uneasy reaction I tried to concentrate on being normal and not so emotional.

He excused himself to the teachers sitting close by then turned to me and smiled – an indication he was ready to leave. As we walked up the stairs and out of the room, my emotions were confusing. I tried to find some composure in the way I was feeling.

“What do you think of your first day?” he asked with a smile.

His smile was infectious. I turned away slowly and looked forward to answer.

“Entertaining to say the least.”

I looked at him again and he still had that amazing smile, which in turn, forced me to smile even bigger.

“What was your first day like?” I asked of him.

“Also, entertaining.”

“It seems I’m not the only one Mr Kemp didn’t take to straight away?”

“Mr Kemp is a complicated man, he means well but is hard in his ways,” he said with a reassuring grin.

Again, his comments were almost defending Mr Kemp’s behaviour. Our walk was short, which was a disappointment. I have never taken to walking but tonight I would have walked to London with him.

As we got to the bottom of the stairs that led to our rooms, Mr Barclay slowed down to let me go ahead.

“We are very happy that you are here, Catherine,” he whispered with his devilish smile as he turned his face away.

Did he just flirt with me? Did I just dream that? If only I had a replay button so I could be certain…

I smiled timidly in response; words seemed to have escaped me.

“Thank you, that means a lot to me. I am sorry that I have upset Mr Kemp in any way by being here.”

“You belong here, Catherine.”

Mr Barclay lowered his head slightly. He had one arm on the beginning of the balustrade, as did I even though I stood three steps above him. I looked at him, taking in everything I could while he was looking away. When he suddenly looked up at me, our eyes met. We looked at each other for a minute. It felt like his eyes were talking to me at a hundred miles per hour. I really should get a second opinion on that hit on my head.

“Good night, Catherine.”

“Good night, Mr Barclay.”

“Please call me James,” he said as he let go of the staircase and walked around me. “You look beautiful tonight.”

He passed me, not waiting for an answer or a reaction. Just as well, because I was seconds away from saying something I might regret. I turned my head around to see him but he was already gone. I turned back. My mouth was open in shock, before a big smile formed across my face. I closed my eyes and paused for a while.

“Tell me, if you are sleeping on the staircase, could I have my room back?” A familiar voice interrupted my thoughts from the top of the staircase.

Mr Kemp again, ruining the moment. I turned around and made my way up the stairs. As I approached him, I looked down into his beady eyes and asked him straight out:

“Mr Kemp, are you going to be sneaking up on me for my entire stay?”

I didn’t wait for a reply and kept walking past him and into my room. As I closed my door, my heart was racing. I was in disbelief that I had just spoken to him that way, but I didn’t regret it. He made it obvious that he didn’t like me, and didn’t want me here. My hands were sweaty and I was feeling quite hot and flustered. I’ve never been good with confrontations. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and tried to remember the feeling I was enjoying before it was interrupted. It didn’t take long to get those thoughts back again. I quickly got out of my dress and removed my makeup, tied my hair up and got into something to sleep in. I turned off the lights and hopped into bed, leaving a side lamp on.

As soon as I closed my eyes, his face came to me.

How can anyone possibly feel this way about a total stranger?

I felt silly and laughed at myself.

I thought it might be better if I put those emotions into my story rather than my life.

I couldn’t sleep, I was on way too much of high, so I decided to pull out my laptop and continue on with
Victoria
.

As I made my way to the parlour, I tried to contain my emotions. I was troubled and unaware how to conduct myself in Mr Bates’ company. Trying to counsel myself these past weeks had been agonising and now, moments away from being next to him, I felt somewhat anxious and terrified
.

As I approached the door I could hear laughter from the parlour, what could possibly be so amusing at this hour of the day, I wondered
.

“There you are, I have almost forgotten what you looked like,” my father howled from across the room. There beside him stood the most agreeable gentleman ever seen. He stood tall, certain and unafraid, unlike myself
.

“Good day, father,” I said, rolling my eyes at his earlier remark
.

“Now Victoria, if I left you unaccompanied with Mr Bates, will you assure me that you will be pleasant?” my father added with mockery in his tone, a repayment for my behaviour these past weeks, I am sure
.