Pride: an austen reimagined novel | 1

Chapter Three: Lily

My first week at Netherfield was as disastrous as I'd expected it to be.

For starters, I had one uniform to last me the whole week. Secondly, Gemma and Kate were a right royal pain in my arse, not helped by the fact that Dad had called me on Wednesday as I hurried from one class to another. I'd answered my phone as I pushed through the throng of students in the hallway, rolling my eyes when I saw the caller ID.

"Look, now is not a good time," I said, looking for any signs to point me in the right direction.

"Is that any way to greet your father?" His voice was stern.

"Do you not own a clock, Dad?" I snapped, my frustration rising, "I'm between classes and have no idea where I'm going. So, if it's not urgent, I'll call you back later."

"Don't take that tone with me, Liliana Brewer. I only wanted to check you're taking care of your sisters. Lord knows they need some guidance."

"Jesus, Dad. Best I can, yes. Although, it is an awful lot easier now I'm on the same side of the world as them. You're their father -- as much as that's worth -- shouldn't you be providing the guidance?"

I could almost hear his jaw clenching and see his face flush. "You're testing my patience, Lily. I'm your father and I deserve more respect--"

"And what about Mum, huh?" I asked, feeling a lump forming in my throat. "Didn't she deserve more respect? Look, I have to go." I hung up on him and stood in the middle of the hallway, blinking back tears.

I'd barely had any time to think about Mum in the last few days. She'd died of cancer so it wasn't unexpected, I just still hadn't quite been ready to say that final goodbye. Knowing her departure meant I'd have to live with my father only made it worse, especially after all he'd put us through over the years. But then I'd been shipped off to boarding school instead and I'd felt a small sense of relief, much to my enormous guilt.

The hallways were clearing as students found their classrooms. But I didn't have the energy to move.

Dad had always been an epic wanker. Though Gemma and Kate seemed not to notice, my stepmum Claire did. Why Dad and Claire were still together was beyond me. I'd watched him break Mum's heart when he left her for Claire's money. I assumed as long as he had it he didn't care what their relationship was like. Maybe there was some redeeming feature in Dad I didn't know about. Claire, though, I did like. She was sensible and kind, and loved the three of us equally.

"Lil! There you are!" I heard Anne call and saw her hurry towards me. "Next time, I'm not even letting you go to the bathroom alone. So much for your map reading skills."

I choked out a laugh amidst the threatening tears. "Sorry, I got totally disoriented. The kids are like a current."

She looked at me as though she realised I was about to burst into tears at any moment, but she said nothing. She just smiled. "Yeah, you'll get totally swept up if you're not careful. Come on, this way."

She took my elbow and led me through the labyrinthine corridors for a most exciting English lesson. Seriously. It was thrilling, I tell you.

****

There was a common room in the Longbourn dorm wing, and Anne told me that was where everyone hung out after lessons and before dinner. So that was what we did. I seemed to have accumulated a small group of people to sit with. Along with Anne was her sister Marie and her friend Charlie, and of course Gemma and Kate.

Marie was an odd sort, hidden behind lumpy woollen jumpers and tome-sized books, her thick glasses sliding down her nose. She was a plain girl, nothing like her older sister, with nondescript brown hair and eyes. When she talked, she seemed to constantly lecture about the most boring things, but her heart seemed in the right place.