Becoming Jane

Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen  

With March came Kitty and Will’s birthdays, the beginning of spring and the melting of the final snow flurry. The trees became green again and the flowers blossomed, letting off a lovely perfume should anyone wander past a flower bed.

Harrison had made it a habit to meet Little J at the carriage and they would go on little outings together until it came time for her to be escorted home by her ‘cousin’ John. James had introduced himself to Harrison as ‘John’ one week after Little J and Harrison’s first outing. Little J was sure she might’ve died on the spot when James appeared next to her but James was a natural charmer – after all, he’d managed to con that many debutantes into lifting their skirts.

Later that evening James had told her that he wanted to meet Harrison, and if not as himself then with an alias. His reasons were honourable. He was being a protective elder brother.

But a month had passed.

Little J and Harrison were not courting per se, they were merely friends. They discussed all sorts of topics – from family to politics. Harrison was completely surprised at the fact that she and her siblings were raised without nurses or nannies. Little J was sure he had changed his opinion on the families in the ton forever.

Harrison had not asked her again to court him       after she’d rebuffed him, regardless of her apology. She was grateful. She didn’t want to get her hopes up. In this moment in time, they were friends. Friends who harboured secret affections for one another.

She knew she was digging her own grave with this relationship, but it was like forbidden fruit. She just couldn’t resist.

In class, under her guise, she behaved completely different. She didn’t want to give Harrison the opportunity to recognise her. She didn’t want him to realise that his new friend had been deceiving him. She felt awful about it but she was now three months from finishing. She could not jeopardise Doctor Jane Alcott’s future. She figured once she was a graduate that nobody could take the degree from her hands. It would be then that she would reveal herself and apologise profusely to everyone for lying.

“You’re all so close,” Harrison concluded his lecture on a Friday afternoon. “Which is why you must make these last weeks of class count. When it comes time to sit your examinations, we can’t do anything further for you. It is up to you whether you pass or fail. You all have the aptitude to make wonderful physicians. I hope you utilise your time well and revise.”

With that, Harrison dismissed the class and each of the men began collecting their notes together.

Carefully sitting her notes in her bag next to the clothes she would change into, Little J rose from her chair and attempted to make her way out of the classroom as quickly as possible.

“Mr Alcott,” called Harrison, catching her before she made it to the door.

She was met with a few sniggers and subtle comments from her classmates. They all presumed, or rather hoped, that she would be receiving news that she had failed something. They were jealous, Little J had concluded that long ago.