Pride: an austen reimagined novel | 1

Chapter Twenty-One: Lily

Gem, Katie and I were surprisingly early. We sat at our table and waited for Claire and Dad to find us. Thankfully, it looked like Seb wasn't going to join us, although I was beginning to rethink that as I saw our parents walk in... Dad would have been much more polite if Seb was there...

As it was, Dad's face was thunderous.

I heard Kate giggle as she saw him. "Oh, you're going to get it now!"

"Shut up!" I snapped, finding myself already getting sick of her rabid nonsense.

Kate had the decency to look somewhat ashamed, but it didn't last long, so neither did my guilt.

"Lily..." Dad said as he and Claire sat down.

"Father." I gave him back as good a stare as he was giving.

"I hear you refused Sebastian's offers, Lily? Not only for work, but a future!" he said with reverence, as though this 'future' were some kind of fountain of youth. "I told him we would speak with you, but he seems to think his words were hasty. What have you got to say for yourself?"

"Only that I am neither going to work for him or date him, Dad. And, there is nothing he can do to persuade me!" I replied as forcefully as I could without drawing the attention of the whole restaurant.

"Claire, talk some sense into her!" Dad said, rounding on my stepmother. "Tell her she must have him."

Claire sighed much more obviously than she usually would and looked to me. "Seb asked you to work for him and to...be his girlfriend, yes?"

"As well as hinting I'd inherit some of your company when we were married..." I scowled and noticed her eyes widen slightly.

"And, your father insists you accept both of these offers, yes?" she turned to Dad.

"Yes, or I will never speak to her again!" Dad's voice was way too high-pitched and I was starting to wonder if Mum had my paternity all wrong.

God, I hope so...

"Right," Claire continued, "you have a choice in front of you, Lily. From this night on, you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your dad will never speak to you again if you do not accept Seb's offers. And...I will never speak to you again if you do."

I beamed at Claire, thinking at that moment that, sure, I might have lost my real mum, but here was a woman who was more than worthy of patching the hole Mum's death had left in me. I had always known Claire was the sensible one in their relationship. It was just an epic shame that her sense hadn't rubbed off on her daughters.

Claire smiled back at me as though I was the most precious thing in her world at that moment. I was interminably glad that, even though I had an airhead for a father, I was not going to be forced into any sort of relationship with Sebastian Chambers if that wasn't what I wanted.

That didn't stop Dad trying very hard to convince me to take up both offers for the rest of dinner. He even tried to get Gemma and Kate on his side, but they just laughed harder every time he brought it up.

I playfully deflected every positive or negative point Dad brought up; from how I'd never get a better offer with my attitude, to how I'd be destitute without a decent man and his money.

"Seriously, Dad. You make it sound like I'm incapable of going to university and making anything of my life on my own!" I said after he'd brought it up for the fifth time and my previous arguments were apparently not working.

Dad actually scoffed at that. "Yes, but you don't need to, Lil!"

I gaped at him, surprised he was actually advocating me just finding some rich suitor so I didn't have to go to university. What about what I wanted? What about my dreams? I looked to Claire, hoping she'd back me up. My faith in her, at least, wasn't misplaced.