Breathless Read online

  When her eyes had become less puffy and red, and her skin was less splotchy, Charlotte made her way back to the group. Everyone was standing at the table, now.

  "Charlotte, you're just in time!" Lewis said with a grin. "We're just about to give Jack his birthday present!"

  "Do we need to go somewhere to get it?" Jack asked confusedly, but Charlotte could tell he was excited.

  "Not exactly," Helen said with a wink toward Charlotte. Charlotte shrugged at Jack, showing that she didn't know anything, either. Lewis insisted Jack close his eyes, and then he guided his son toward the front of the restaurant and out the doors, while the rest of the group followed excitedly.

  There, parked on the curb in front of the restaurant, was a shiny new car. Charlotte almost squealed with excitement for Jack, and covered her mouth in anticipation.

  Lewis uncovered his son's eyes and wished him a quiet, "Happy birthday". Jack's eyes grew wide and he laughed, almost in disbelief. He ran his hands through his hair as he paced up and down the curb, with the biggest grin on his face. "Are you...are you serious?" he asked his father.

  "Absolutely," Lewis smiled. He laughed. "Jack, it belongs to you, now. You can at least touch it."

  Jack grinned and ran his hands over the car's shiny black surface, over the curves and angles, admiring it fully.

  "It's a beautiful car," Charlotte whispered with a smile.

  "It's not just a beautiful," Jack told her excitedly. "This is an Aston Martin." He turned to his father, his face now clouding with concern. "Dad...I don't know how you possibly..."

  Lewis put his hands on Jack's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Don't worry," he stressed to his son. " Your mother and I wanted to do this for you. It's your 18th birthday, Jack. And I'm just so truly glad to have had you in the past 18 years of my life. I love you." He pulled Jack into an embrace.

  Jack was still grinning when he and Lewis separated. Lewis tossed him the keys to the car and Jack excitedly ran to the driver's door. Before getting into the seat, he looked over the roof of the car and called, "Charlotte, do you want to take a ride in it?"

  For a moment, Charlotte was sure he was talking to someone else. But then her eyes widened and she grinned and nodded. "Yes, if you'll let me!"

  "I asked you, didn't I?" Jack laughed. He opened the door for her and she slipped inside, running her hands over the soft red velvet interior of the car. It was just as beautiful as the outside. Jack threw himself into the driver's seat and waved goodbye to his family before taking to the busy London streets. Charlotte could feel his excitement radiating off him. She sat back into her seat with a wide smile across her face, finally feeling that she finally might have gained another brother.

  "Yes, thank you, Mr. Barry. I promise to have my trigonometry finished by tomorrow. And my Spanish and literature. I promise, Mr. Barry. Goodbye. I'll see you tomorrow!" Charlotte nearly shoved her tutor out the front door and quickly shut it behind him. She leaned back on the door with a sigh, secretly thanking God that he was gone. She was convinced she had never met a duller man in her life.

  Preceded by his whistle, Lewis came strolling down the hallway, through the parlor. Catching sight of Charlotte, he gave her a quick wave and asked, "Is Barry gone, Charlotte?"

  "Yes, Lewis," she replied. He nodded and continued to walk toward the kitchen. Lewis had been spending more and more time at home, writing in his office, and only giving himself breaks to eat lunch, dinner, and to spend time with Helen when she wasn't at the theatre. Charlotte missed seeing him around the house more often, but enjoyed sitting with him for lunch. Although Lewis wasn't very talkative during his writing sprees, she usually enjoyed his quiet company. But today, Charlotte wanted to talk.

  She followed Lewis into the kitchen where he was fixing himself a sandwich, humming quietly.

  "Lewis?" Charlotte asked quietly, sitting at the table.

  "Hm?" he replied absently. Charlotte could almost count the ideas swirling in his head.

  "Lewis, I don't want to study with Mr. Barry anymore."

  Lewis looked up from his sandwich for a moment, but then continued to work. "May I ask why, Charlotte? It was only weeks ago that you were begging for me to find you a tutor."

  "Oh, Lewis. He's so terribly dull! I can never keep my mind from wandering whenever he speaks!" Charlotte told him miserably. "I only wanted to have a tutor because I was afraid to go to a normal school. I didn't think anyone would like me especially because Jack didn't like me and he was the only person around my age that I really knew. But now Jack and I are getting along so well. I was thinking I might be able to try going to a normal school after all."

  It was true. During the weeks that had passed since Jack's birthday, the two had gotten along very well. Although their relationship was still nothing like what Charlotte had with Luc, she still enjoyed having someone to chat with over dinner or to sit and read with in front of the parlor fireplace.

  "Charlotte, it's already May," Lewis told her logically. "I'm sure the students are finishing their work for the term. It may be too late to start."

  "Oh, please, Lewis!" Charlotte cried, giving her most pitiful look. "I promise I'll do all my work and get along with the other girls and work really hard!"

  Lewis gave her one last thoughtful look before finally nodding. "All right, I'll see what I can do. But only if Helen agrees that it's the right decision."

  "She will, I know she will!" Charlotte said excitedly. She hugged Lewis. "Thank you, Lewis! I'm going to have to write to Luc and tell him! I know he'll be so excited for me!" If he even gets my letter, she thought to herself. But she pushed the negative thoughts from her mind and ran up to her room.

  As she neared her doorway, Jack was just coming out of his room. During the past few weeks, not only had Charlotte and his relationship gotten better, but he seemed to be getting along with his own family better. He was coming to dinner, offering to go to the theatre, and spending less time away from home. He even looked better Charlotte noticed that dark circles no longer ringed around his eyes, and he had more color in his cheeks, as if life had been pumped back into him. She didn't know why there had been such a change, but she was glad for it.

  "Good afternoon," she told him cheerfully as she opened her door.

  "What are you so cheery about?" Jack asked amusedly. He leaned back against his door with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

  "Lewis is permitting me to go to a real school for the rest of the year," Charlotte said with an accomplished grin. "Finally! No more Mr. Barry and his dull, dull lessons! I could cry from happiness!"

  "Really?" Jack asked. "What made you change your mind?"

  Charlotte smiled and shrugged. "I guess I've just been feeling more at home." She grinned at Jack before closing the door to her room. There was something about the look he had on his face as if he were impressed with her, for her gumption or her persistence that made her feel excited all over. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time, or perhaps she had never felt it before. But she was glad for it. And she was glad for Jack.

  The first day of school couldn't have come quick enough. Lewis had her enrolled in one of the top girls' schools in London, and Charlotte couldn't have been more excited for her first day. But as she slipped on her school jacket over the plain white blouse and straight skirt that came with her mandatory uniform, Charlotte began to feel less confident. Her modern bob and fringe clashed terribly with the classic uniform and flat, sensible shoes. She had tried to braid it to the back of her head, but pulled out the pins with disgust after deciding that it made her look like a Nordic maiden. It was too short to pull into a ponytail or pigtails. Sensing her frustration, Mrs. Gates, who had come in to give Charlotte some morning biscuits and tea, offered her a red ribbon to tie back her hair with.

  "Thank you," Charlotte said gratefully after tying the bow. She smiled at Mrs. Gates, even though her lips quivered with nervousness.

  Jack drove her to school that morning, even though it was
nowhere near where he attended school. He had insisted, probably sensing how terrified Charlotte was when she came downstairs for breakfast.

  "Aw, don't you look cute," he had commented jokingly, seeing her in her uniform for the first time. Charlotte could only give him a weak smile as she sipped her tea. "Don't be nervous," he told her. "No one at that school is any better than you. Don't let them think so."

  But his advice didn't calm her one bit. As they drove, Charlotte blurted out, "What if none of the girls like me? What if they make fun of my accent? What if they think I'm stupid or slow? And I hate sports! What if they make me play sports?"

  "Stop worrying so much, Charlotte," Jack told her. "You have nothing to worry about." He pulled up next to the entrance of the school. "Topher will be coming to get you after school, because you get out before I do. If he isn't here on time, don't wander around by yourself. Call Lewis or even Helen at the theatre, and someone will come get you. Alright?"

  Charlotte nodded. She looked at the looming, impressive school, and butterflies flooded her stomach.

  "Don't worry," Jack told her, looking straight in her eyes. "Everything will be alright. I promise."

  Charlotte managed to give him a bit of a smile and nodded. "Thank you for driving me. I...I'll see you later."

  Jack nodded. "Of course. See you later."

  Charlotte nodded and bit her lip. But finally, she forced herself out of the car, and onto the pavement. And putting one foot before the other, she tentatively walked toward the building, not at all as confident as she had been when she talked to Lewis only a few days ago.

  Her first class was incredibly nerve-wracking. She was told to sit in the fourth row of girls, behind a girl with an enormous head of blonde curls that Charlotte could barely see the board from behind. But she didn't complain. She waited impatiently as the teacher called roll, becoming more and more nervous as the alphabet reached the M's, and hoping she wouldn't sound incredibly pitiful as she announced her presence.

  "Charlotte Martin?" the teacher finally called.

  Charlotte licked her lips and called, "Here," but her voice came out crackly and soft. To her dread, the teacher hadn't heard her.

  "Is Charlotte Martin here?" the teacher asked for a second time.

  Charlotte forced herself to raise her hand. "Here, sir. I'm Charlotte Martin." And then she was acutely aware that the thirty girls sitting around her turned to look at the new girl, who pronounced her name so differently than what the teacher had said.

  "Oh, hello Charlotte. I hadn't seen you back there. Welcome to the class," the teacher said politely. "Everyone, this is Charlotte Martin. She comes to us all the way from Paris. I hope you'll all give her a warm welcome."

  Charlotte's cheeks flushed pink as the girls gave her another final look before returning their eyes to their books, but she also noticed that one didn't look away quite soon enough. Charlotte turned to her right and noticed a pretty little redhead with bright blue eyes, brighter even than Jack's. But the girl wasn't looking at her rudely-quite the opposite. The girl looked at Charlotte with intrigue and curiosity. And then she gave her a little smile. Charlotte smiled back before giving her attention back to the teacher. And she wondered if school might not be as bad as she had expected.

  Later that afternoon, Charlotte discovered the school's library, which towered higher than both Lewis' and the library at her Parisian school. Brimming with excitement, Charlotte had immediately begun to pull books from the shelves and seated herself at a long table where she could spread out and read to her heart's extent.

  After a half-hour or so, Charlotte heard clipping little footsteps on the hard wooden floors and realized they stopped right beside her table. She looked up to see the little redhead from class standing there beside her with a smile on her face.

  "Hello. Your name is Charlotte, isn't it?" she asked, wringing her little hands. "I don't know if you saw me, but you're in my first class. It's a literature class. You're from France, aren't you? At least that's what the teacher said..." she finished with a shy smile. "I'm sorry. I'm so very awkward at introductions. "I'm Celia. Celia Hobbs. It's very nice to meet you."

  "It's very nice to meet you too, Celia. Would you like to sit down? I'm sorry, the table is crowded with books..." Charlotte said hurriedly, pushing some of the volumes aside.

  "Thank you." Celia sat down and folded her hands at the table. "I came to find you," she admitted abashedly. "I didn't know if you had met anyone at school yet and I thought you might like a friendly face, so to speak. I know how terrified I was when it was my first day at this school."

  "Did you move here, too?" Charlotte asked in surprise.

  "Yes," Celia nodded. "I'm actually from Yorkshire, which is why I have a bit of a funny accent. But my parents sent me and my brother here for school because they say it's the best place in England to go! I live in the dormitories here."

  "You don't live with your family?" Charlotte asked. She grimaced. "I know how hard that is. My family is back in Paris."

  "I can imagine how you must miss them," Celia said in regret. "But I'm sure you have it worse than I. At least my family is in the same country! And you can't even speak your own language at home! Oh, I can't imagine that. I'm doing so poorly in French right now. I can't imagine having to speak it all the time!"

  "Oh no, I'm sure it's hard on the both of us equally. You must miss your parents so much."

  Celia nodded. "I do miss them. Will you be living at the dormitories? Maybe we could have dinner together, or something like that!"

  Charlotte shook her head. "I don't. I live with the Carey family in London. They were friends of my mother's. They're taking care of me during the war." She noticed Celia's face fall. "But you said that you were doing poorly in French class? Perhaps I could help you with your French?"

  Celia's face broke into a grin. "Oh, I'd love that! My parents would be so angry with me if they saw bad marks on my school reports!"

  "Would you like to come over my house after school? You could have dinner with my family and we could finish our schoolwork, if you'd like. I mean, if you have the time, of course," Charlotte added hurriedly. Of course this pretty girl with such a friendly personality might already have more important plans...

  "I'd love to!" Celia agreed, her face lighting up. "Oh, I knew it from the minute I saw you, Charlotte! I knew that we were meant to be friends!" She grinned and threw her schoolbag over her shoulder. "I must be going. I have to meet with a friend in the courtyard before class to go over some notes. But I will meet you after school? At the front entrance?"

  "Yes, of course!" Charlotte agreed, smiling. "I can't wait!"

  "No, I'm completely serious!" Celia managed between her shrieks of laughter, which were so contagious. "Master Crawley read the entire note in front of the whole class. Isis' cheeks were so red that I thought she was going to overheat! I would have been so embarrassed!"

  Charlotte laughed and asked Celia excitedly, "What else should I know about the girls? Right now they're all such blank faces to me. I'm dying to know their stories!"

  "Hm," Celia thought as she bit into another biscuit that Mrs. Gates had brought up for the pair of them. They were sitting cross-legged on Charlotte's bedroom floor, their schoolbooks cast aside as they chattered. "Well, do you know Ella Brown? She sits in front of you in class. She has big blonde hair."

  "How could I not see Ella Brown? I don't see anything but Ella Brown," Charlotte giggled.

  "Well, she used to have a twin sister who went to our school. Her name was Elizabeth. They're absolute opposites. Ella quotes the Bible and talks about Jesus all the time. And Elisabeth would talk about boys all the time. And they would certainly talk about her, as well. She ended up getting pregnant and got pulled out of school just before Christmas. We haven't seen her since, and Ella hasn't even breathed a word about it."

  Charlotte's mouth fell open in sheer shock. "You're kidding! How absolutely terrible!"

  Celia shrugged. "But you can't say
it wasn't deserved! If you believe in that sort of thing, of course!"

  Charlotte nodded and sighed. "Well, I suppose we should actually do some schoolwork before dinner. Lewis won't be happy with me if I don't finish my schoolwork on my very first day of school!"

  Celia nodded decisively. "You're right. Should we start with French, then? I need all the help I can get!"

  Charlotte laughed. "Yes, let's." She rolled onto her side to grab her schoolbag, but found only Celia's there. "Oh, drat. I've left it in the car." She got to her feet. "Come with me to Jack's room. He's bound to have some extra pencils and paper in there."

  "Is Jack your brother?" Celia asked curiously as she followed Charlotte to the door.

  "No, not at all," Charlotte replied quickly, thinking of Luc. "I suppose he's my...house brother. He's the Carey's son. He just turned eighteen, only two years older than us."

  "Same as my brother," Celia commented. She gave Charlotte a mischievous smile. "Is he handsome?"

  Charlotte grinned at her friend's question. "Yes," she replied right away. "But I don't think about him like that. And he certainly doesn't think about me like that, either. But both his parents are beautiful, so there's no reason why he wouldn't be. You can come in and meet him if you'd like." Charlotte knocked on Jack's door and called. "Jack, may I come in?" Not hearing a response, she opened the door anyway. "Jack, I left my bag in the car. Would you mind if I used some paper and pencils so we can do our schoolwork?"

  "Mhm," Jack murmured distractedly as he scribbled away at his desk with his back toward Charlotte. He grabbed a nearby notebook and a few pencils and extended his arm out to her.

  "Thanks," Charlotte said, taking them. She turned back to Celia, who gave her a look of urging. Charlotte turned back to Jack.

  "Um, Jack. This is my friend Celia Hobbs from school. I met her this afternoon."