Sybil at Sixteen (24 page)

“I do know what's good for me,” Nick replied, and he held Meg's hand.

“The police, Meg,” Clark said. “Do you really want this guy arrested?”

“No,” Meg said. “Nick, you'd better go.”

“I don't care,” he said. “I don't want to leave you.”

“I'll be fine,” she said.

“No,” he said. “I'll take you back to the party. That's the least I can do.”

Meg thought about the scene Grace was likely to make and shuddered.

“You don't have to be scared of her,” Nick said. “Come on, Daisy. Let me take you back.”

“I'll go with you,” Clark said. “Meg, you don't have to protect him. You can tell Grace the truth, that he made you leave with him.”

“I know what the truth is, Clark,” Meg said. She walked hand in hand with Nick back to the party. The band stopped playing as they approached.

“I guess they don't know the death march,” Nick whispered. Meg laughed out loud. Clark looked grimly determined to guard Meg from further contamination.

“I bring you back your niece, Miss Winslow,” Nick proclaimed as they rejoined the party. “Safe and sound.”

“Get off of my property this minute!” Aunt Grace shouted. “I've called the police to chase you away!”

“I'm leaving,” Nick said, but he seemed in no hurry to go.

“Margaret, go to your room immediately,” Grace said. “Your behavior has been shameful. We will discuss your punishment later.”

“No,” Nick said. “You won't punish her.”

“Will you shut up,” Clark whispered. “You're only making things worse.”

“It was my fault,” Nick said. “I made her go with me. She didn't want to. She begged me not to, but there were things I had to say to her, and I needed privacy. Daisy, Margaret, was a victim. You don't punish a victim.”

“Nick,” Meg said.

“I'll stay if you want me arrested,” Nick said. “If that will give you pleasure, fine. But you have to promise not to do anything to Margaret. It's her birthday. This party is for her. Isn't the embarrassment she feels punishment enough?”

“I don't know who you are, young man,” Grace said. “But I intend to find out.”

“Do you promise not to hurt Margaret?” Nick asked.

“I'll promise you nothing,” Grace said.

“There, there, Grace,” Clark's father said. “This has all been very unpleasant. Let the boy go, and let's forget the entire incident. Margaret's unharmed, no damage has been done. We don't really want to see this incident in the papers, do we?”

Grace stood still for a moment, considering the situation.

“I'm sorry, Aunt Grace,” Meg said, but the words weren't hateful, the way they usually were. She could say anything if it protected Nick. “I'll apologize to all the guests if you want.”

“Daisy,” Nick said, but Meg shook her head slightly, to force him into silence.

“Go,” Grace said to Nick. “And don't ever return here again.”

Nick held Meg's hand for one last moment. “Tomorrow,” he whispered so quietly she could barely hear him.

She nodded back as imperceptibly. Nick smiled at her again, and then turned to Aunt Grace. “Thank you for having me,” he said. “It's been a lovely evening. Good night, everybody.”

“Wait up, Sebastian,” Robert Sinclair said. “I'll go with you.”

“Fine,” Nick said. The two young men walked out of the party together. Meg waited to burst into tears at the sight of his departure, but found she was too happy to cry.

“What exactly happened?” Grace demanded, as Meg humbly but with good posture faced her.

“We needed to talk,” Meg said. “That's all. Clark blew it all out of proportion.”

“I did not,” Clark said. “Margaret was behaving very peculiarly. I felt it my duty to report it.”

“Very noble of you, my son,” Clark's father said. “I'll call the police now, Grace, tell them not to bother.” He walked back to the house, carrying his camera with him. Meg wondered how much of this amazing evening he had preserved on film.

“I suspect you have been a very bad girl,” Aunt Grace said, and Meg realized her aunt had no vocabulary for what she felt. It gave Meg a sense of power, which she tried not to show.

“I suspect I have been,” Meg replied.

“When you write your notes tomorrow, you will include an apology to every single guest,” Aunt Grace said. “You should probably apologize to each of them in person, but this party has been memorable enough without that for people to gossip about.”

“Gossip,” Meg said. It had never occurred to her that she was capable of doing anything interesting enough for people to gossip about.

“I blame this all on your mother,” Aunt Grace said. “She was a nice enough girl, but from New York, and New Yorkers have no real sense of appropriate behavior.”

“They certainly don't,” Clark said. “I bet that guy …”

“Don't say ‘guy,'” Grace said.

“That man then, whatever he says his name is, I bet he's from New York,” Clark said. “Or someplace even worse.”

Nick hadn't said where he was from, Meg thought. Not that it mattered. He knew where she was, so he could find her and be with her, and rescue her forever. Knowing all that made her feel strong and reckless.

“Come on, Clark,” she said. “If you're so determined to dance with me, let's dance.”

“That's not a very nice invitation,” Clark said, but he followed Meg onto the dance floor. She laughed silently from the pleasure of leading.

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About the Author

Susan Beth Pfeffer wrote her first novel,
Just Morgan
, during her last semester at New York University. Since then, she has written over seventy novels for children and young adults, including
Kid Power, Fantasy Summer, Starring Peter and Leigh
, and
The Friendship Pact
, as well as the series Sebastian Sisters and Make Me a Star. Pfeffer's books have won ten statewide young reader awards and the Buxtehude Bulle Award.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 1989 by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Cover design by Mimi Bark

ISBN: 978-1-4532-0224-1

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