in which the roads of the clever
young ladies of Henley Hall, the
ever-charming daughter of John
Keating, and the young men of
Welton Academy converge and
change their lives forever.
Disclaimer: I only own my characters and their plotlines. The...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Margaret Keating had spent the better part of the morning on the phone with her mother. It seemed her mother didn't care about the expense of overseas calls, even though she'd be the one footing the bill, just so long as she could speak to her daughter before her first day of school.
The typical routine between them was a whole day spent together. They'd go shopping along Oxford Street and have lunch in their favorite cafe. Then they'd visit the small bakery around the corner from their house before returning home with bread and eclairs, as they were a favorite treat shared between mother and daughter. The day would end with late-night hugs and reading from their endless collection of books.
But now Margaret was with her father in their shared compartment at Welton Academy while her mother was hundreds of miles away, back in London.
"So, how is Vermont?"her mother asked.
Margaret stared out her bedroom window at the clear sky and trees which rattled in the brisk wind, "Cold, but it's lovely. There's a river outside that runs near the school. It probably would be nice to swim in once it warms up."
"I don't know how safe that would be,"her mother warned, "Especially with all those boys roaming around."
"It was just an observation. I'll just go swimming when I come back for the summer,"Margaret sighed, "Sarah always has her pool open after Memorial Day." She was just trying to answer the question but somehow her mother had managed to spin it into an almost argument. Margaret just had to shake her head thinking I just can't win, can I?
"Have you made any friends?"
"The school year hasn't technically even begun, mom. It's only registration day,"Margaret chuckled to hide her worry. Back home, she had a lot of friends to spend her time with. They were the same people she'd been going to school with since kindergarten. Yet she wasn't at her old school anymore, and she didn't know the first thing about making brand new friends.
The girl watched the cars arrive for the new student registration that she, too, would have to get ready for. Most of the students were the typical young men that inhabited the academy. But there were a few girls around her age following after them in their Sunday best. Maybe she wouldn't have to worry about making friends after all.
"Well, I'm sure you'll do just fine, just put on that pretty smile of yours and let them do the rest."
"You know, that's exactly what dad told me,"Margaret smiled, turning from her window to see her father unpacking his room. They had been lucky enough to get a suite that contained two rooms joined by a small hallway and a bathroom. It meant privacy for both of them without Margaret having to be in a hall full of hormonal teenage boys by herself.
"It is something he would say,"Margaret could envision her mother's smile fondly just through the sound of her voice, "But it's true. You're my daughter, and if they don't fall for you had first sight, just smile and they'll faint."
