Chapter 27: lunch company
Claire’s hand was already halfway through an enthusiastic wave.
"Vivienne!"
Then...
It stopped.
Her smile slowly froze.
Amelia followed Claire’s gaze.
"...Wait."
Eleanor looked up from her teacup.
The three of them watched as Vivienne crossed the dining hall.
Walking beside her...
Was an exceptionally handsome young man dressed in a dark riding jacket.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Dark hair catching the afternoon light.
Students greeted him as he passed.
He acknowledged each greeting with an easy nod before continuing on his way as though completely accustomed to the attention.
Claire blinked.
"...Who..."
"...is that?"
Amelia leaned forward for a better look.
Then her eyes widened.
"...No way."
Eleanor watched for another quiet moment before recognition settled across her face.
"...That’s Lord Damian Blackwood."
Claire’s mouth slowly fell open.
"...The Damian Blackwood?"
Amelia let out the smallest sigh.
"I thought people were exaggerating."
"They absolutely weren’t."
Claire lowered her voice instinctively.
"...He’s even more handsome in person."
Amelia nodded in complete agreement.
"...How is someone allowed to look like that?"
Eleanor smiled into her teacup.
"I don’t believe anyone ever asked permission."
Claire looked from Damian...
Back to Vivienne...
Then to Damian again.
"...I thought Lady Beaumont was engaged to Lord Anthony Ashford."
"So did I," Amelia whispered.
"If I saw her walking beside any senior..."
"I would’ve guessed Lord Ashford."
Claire slowly shook her head.
"...Not Lord Damian Blackwood."
Before they could say another word, Vivienne reached the table.
"Sorry I’m a little late."
She smiled as she set down her tray.
Only then did she notice the identical expressions waiting for her.
"...What?"
None of them answered.
Instead...
Their eyes quietly shifted toward the young man standing beside her.
Vivienne followed their gaze.
"Oh."
She smiled politely.
"Everyone..."
"This is Lord Damian Blackwood."
Damian inclined his head with effortless courtesy.
"It’s a pleasure to meet you."
Claire recovered first.
"I-It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Lord Blackwood."
Amelia quickly followed.
"G-Good afternoon, Lord Blackwood."
Eleanor smiled gracefully.
"The pleasure is ours."
Damian returned their greetings with an easy smile.
"Just Damian is fine."
Claire, Amelia and Eleanor exchanged quick glances.
"...O-Oh."
"Thank you... Damian."
Then, almost as an afterthought, he looked toward Vivienne.
"The same goes for you."
Vivienne blinked, clearly caught off guard.
Damian found the expression quietly amusing.
He gave a small shrug.
"You always did when you were angry."
For just a moment, a scene from the novel surfaced in her mind.
A much younger Vivienne.
Cheeks puffed with indignation.
"Damian Blackwood!"
He would simply turn toward her with that same infuriatingly amused smile.
"Yes?"
She would point an accusing finger at him.
"...You..."
And somehow...
The rest of the sentence never came.
The memory disappeared as quickly as it had arrived.
Vivienne couldn’t help smiling.
"...All right."
"...Damian."
He nodded once.
"I’ll leave you to your friends."
"Thank you for keeping me company. And... for walking me here."
"My pleasure."
Damian inclined his head politely toward the three girls.
"I hope you all enjoy your lunch."
"You as well... Damian," Eleanor replied, carefully catching herself before saying his title again.
The corner of Damian’s lips lifted ever so slightly.
Then, tray in hand, he disappeared into the lunchtime crowd.
Silence settled over the table.
Vivienne looked from one friend to another.
Three pairs of eyes were still fixed on her.
Claire slowly leaned forward.
Claire slowly folded her hands together.
"...Vivienne."
"You have exactly one chance to explain yourself."
Amelia nodded solemnly.
"We’re listening."
Even Eleanor set down her teacup, giving Vivienne her full attention.
Vivienne looked from one expectant face to another before letting out a quiet laugh.
"It really isn’t as dramatic as you’re imagining."
Claire remained unconvinced.
"I sincerely doubt that."
Vivienne picked up her spoon.
"...All right."
"It started this morning."
The three girls listened attentively.
"I reported to the Polo Club like everyone else."
Claire nodded.
"So far, everything sounds perfectly normal."
"It stayed normal..."
"...for about five minutes."
Claire raised an eyebrow.
"I’m already worried."
Vivienne smiled sheepishly.
"Coach Langley asked if anyone had never ridden a horse before."
Silence.
Amelia blinked.
"...Please don’t tell me."
Vivienne lowered her eyes.
"I raised my hand."
Another silence.
This one lasted longer.
Claire slowly placed both elbows on the table.
"...Vivienne."
"You joined the Polo Club..."
"...without ever riding a horse?"
Vivienne gave an apologetic smile.
"...Yes."
Amelia covered her face.
"That’s incredibly brave."
"I was going to say incredibly reckless," Claire replied.
"I was trying to be kind."
Eleanor laughed softly into her teacup.
"I think both descriptions apply."
Vivienne couldn’t argue with that.
"In hindsight..."
"...it probably wasn’t my brightest idea."
Claire nodded emphatically.
"I’ll agree with that."
"But what happened?"
"Coach Langley explained that everyone joining the Polo Club was expected to already know the basics."
"So..."
"He transferred me to the Equestrian Club."
Amelia nodded.
"That actually makes sense."
"You learn to ride first."
"Exactly," Eleanor agreed.
Claire waved a hand.
"Fine."
"I understand that part."
She leaned forward again.
"Now explain this."
She pointed toward the direction Damian had disappeared.
"How did you go from being transferred out of the Polo Club..."
"...to walking into the cafeteria beside Damian Blackwood?"
Vivienne smiled faintly.
"Coach Langley asked one of the senior members to escort me to the Equestrian Club."
"And?"
"And..."
"...it happened to be Damian."
Claire blinked.
"...Of course it did."
Vivienne continued.
"He showed me where the Equestrian Club was."
She hesitated briefly before adding,
"...Our families have known each other for years."
"We’ve known each other since we were children."
"It had simply been a long time since we’d actually spoken."
Claire nodded slowly.
"...That explains it."
"I was wondering why the two of you seemed so comfortable talking to each other."
Amelia nodded in agreement.
"So you already knew each other."
"A little," Vivienne admitted with a small smile.
"We weren’t particularly close."
"We just happened to see each other from time to time growing up."
Claire accepted the explanation with another nod.
"...All right."
"That explains how he ended up escorting you to the Equestrian Club."
She leaned forward again.
"But..."
"That still doesn’t explain how Damian Blackwood walked you all the way to the cafeteria."
Vivienne stirred her soup absentmindedly.
"After the orientation ended..."
"...I noticed the Polo Club was finishing around the same time."
Claire’s eyes narrowed just slightly.
"...Go on."
"Our clubs are next to each other."
"They are," Eleanor acknowledged.
"So..."
"I thought I’d wait a little."
Claire tilted her head.
"...For Anthony?"
Vivienne felt warmth immediately creep into her cheeks.
"...Maybe."
Claire pointed triumphantly.
"I knew it."
Amelia laughed into her drink.
"I had a feeling."
Vivienne sighed.
"I didn’t think it would take that long."
"How long?" Claire asked.
Vivienne thought about it.
"...Around twenty minutes or so?"
Claire stared.
"...Vivienne."
"Twenty minutes or so, isn’t ’a little.’"
Amelia nodded in complete agreement.
"That’s almost an entire lunch break."
"When you put it that way..."
"...it does sound rather long."
Claire couldn’t help smiling.
"So what happened?"
"Anthony never came out."
The words were simple.
Matter-of-fact.
Yet the tiny flicker of disappointment that crossed Vivienne’s face didn’t escape any of them.
It vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.
Instead, she smiled.
"And then Damian found me."
Claire leaned forward again.
"He teased me for waiting."
"I walked into it rather spectacularly."
Amelia laughed.
"I can actually picture that."
"So can I," Eleanor admitted with a smile.
Vivienne laughed softly.
"After that..."
"He noticed it was almost noon."
"He said we’d miss lunch if we stayed any longer."
"So we walked back together."
Silence settled over the table once more.
Claire rested her chin on one hand.
"...You know..."
"That’s actually a surprisingly ordinary story."
Vivienne looked relieved.
"Exactly."
"That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you."
Amelia smiled.
"The story itself is ordinary."
She glanced toward the crowded dining hall.
"But walking into the cafeteria with Damian Blackwood..."
"...isn’t."
Vivienne blinked.
"...Is it really that unusual?"
Claire looked at Amelia.
Amelia looked at Eleanor.
Then, almost in perfect unison—
"Yes."
Vivienne sighed.
"I was afraid you’d say that."
Claire laughed.
"You have no idea."
"Half the first-year girls have probably heard his name already."
"And after today..."
She gestured around the bustling cafeteria.
"They’re all going to be wondering why he walked in here with you."
Vivienne lowered her gaze to her soup.
"...It really wasn’t like that."
Claire’s smile softened.
"We know."
She reached over and lightly nudged Vivienne’s arm.
"But that doesn’t mean the rest of the university won’t speculate."
Vivienne could already imagine the rumors.
She let out another quiet sigh.
"...Somehow..."
"I don’t think this is how I imagined my first week ending."
Amelia laughed.
"I don’t think any of us did."
The four girls smiled.
Outside the tall cafeteria windows, students continued crossing the university courtyard beneath the warm midday sun.
For the first time that week...
The conversation drifted away from lectures, homework, and unfamiliar professors.
Instead, it settled comfortably into the kind of easy laughter that only came from spending time with new friends.