Since then, my life has turned a one-eighty. Everything I thought my future held has gone up in smoke. I’m not going to Oxford; I’m not on the Beaufort’s board. Instead, I found the guts to turn my back on what my parents wanted for me and to follow my heart.
Ophelia has taken over the company, and she’s already making careful changes. Lydia is going to join her the moment the twins are old enough.
I’ve learned that there’s no point clinging desperately to plans, whatever they are. In September, I saw everything as some kind of countdown toward the end of my fun life, but now…now it feels like just the beginning. Even though, deep down, I’m still fighting against what happened, my perspective on life has completely changed.
I know that Wren was referring to the state of our last-ever lacrosse match, but I grin back at him over my shoulder.
“Too right there’s more to come,” I say, and I mean it with all my heart.
EPILOGUE
Three Months Later
Ruby
My life is divided into colors:
Gold—seminars
Silver—exam results
Bronze—clubs and societies
Green—deal with immediately
Turquoise—free time
Purple—family
Orange—second family
I’ve already ticked off purple(call Ember), orange(wrap christening presents for Rosie & Henry (nicely!), and bronze(go to the Freshers’ Breakfast and speak to at least one person). All I have left to do are green(unpack the last case, print Thailand photos and put them on my wall), orange(proofread James’s article), and turquoise(meet Lin to discover our new favorite coffee shop).
“How about here?” asks James.
I turn on my wobbly desk chair to look at him. He’s standing between the bed and the small wardrobe, holding a photo of thetwo of us up against the wall. It’s the first one we took in the two weeks I spent in Thailand with him. We’re in the middle of a street market, with hundreds of people thronging around us. But you wouldn’t know that from the photo. We’re both beaming into the camera, happy and carefree.
Every time I look at the photo, I feel like I’ve been transported back to the best two weeks of my life—which is exactly why I want it on the wall of my room in college.
“Yes, that’s a great spot,” I say, a little belatedly.
James nods and puts the first dots of blue-tack on the bare wall. “It’s so stupid that you’re not allowed to hang things properly.”
“Doesn’t matter. The main thing is to put the pictures up,” I reply, putting a little tick by the completed task.
“Anyway, I’ve got something else for you,” James says. I hear him come over to join me at the desk, and look up at him. He’s holding a present in his hand, wrapped in brown paper and tied with a white bow.
I take it in surprise. “What…?”
“Open it,” he says with a smile.
I slowly pull on the ribbon and unfold the paper. Now I can see a small wooden picture frame, with another photo inside it.
My heart leaps. “That’s from your bon voyage party!”
“I thought maybe you could put it on your desk. Then we can all watch you while you work.”
I can’t take my eyes off the photo. It was taken in our garden, right at the start of the holidays, the evening before James and I flew out to Thailand. My parents are right at the edge, next to Ember, Wren, Alistair, Kesh, and Lin. Lydia is smiling into the camera, and right next to her is Cyril, with baby Henry in his arms. Unlike everyone else, he’s not looking at the camera, he’swatching Henry, who has his finger in a viselike grip, with a look of loving amazement on his face. On their other side is James, holding Rosie, and I’m next to him, one arm around his hips, resting my head on his shoulder.
