I didn't tell the others about Madame Courtenay's warning.

Things were falling into place for all of us. Jenny and Charlie were finally together, Lisa was recovering from her ordeal, and we were working through our exams steadily without the need for any distractions. All I could do was throw myself into practice, spending every waking moment at the piano or with my guitar in my hands. Many would have said that cramming right until the deadline was a waste of time, that I ought to have taken my studies more seriously all along, but I was determined to finally take charge of my destiny. The last, and perhaps only, thing that I could control in my life was my preparedness for my assessment.

I intended to give it my all.

Still, in those moments when I wasn't lost in the throes of a symphony, I thought about Will. I regretted not telling his mother to pass on a more encouraging message; one which might give him some clue as to my feelings about him. Feelings that I was still confused about. I'd realised that I'd never known what love might be, or if this was it. All I knew was that there was a chance that he was out there somewhere in the world with someone else, thinking badly of me, and wishing never to see me again. The very idea made my chest ache and brought stinging, prickling tears to my eyes.

The only person who might have understood my plight was Jenny. She'd been separated from Charlie for months and had every reason to question his feelings for her. Unfortunately, she was busy making up for lost time with her new boyfriend, stealing kisses in corridors and on the grounds after lights out. It was impossible to catch her alone anymore for a heart-to-heart chat about my romantic problems.

I couldn't blame her.

If Will had been the one to step out of that car instead of Charlie, I'd have been doing the same.

I was alone in the music room when the door creaked open. I glanced up from my sheet music to behold Meg. She lingered nervously before stepping all the way inside and crossed the room to perch beside me on the narrow piano stool.

'Are you okay?' she asked.

'Fine,' I lied. 'I think pretty soon I'll be tapping out my notes in my sleep, but other than that...'

Meg fidgeted. 'I know you're probably not even thinking about it right now, and I would understand if you said no... But, would you straighten my hair for me before prom? And help me with my make-up and everything?'

'Oh.' I didn't know what I'd been expecting. I usually helped Meg get ready for events, but it was unusual for her to approach me and ask first. 'Yeah, I can start on it earlier for you. I've got my recital in the morning, but I'll have time. Are you sure?'

'I want to look good for the last party. Lisa's always -'

'Lisa doesn't get to decide what you do with your hair,' I said. 'If you're just asking because of her, then my answer's gonna be no.'

The door slammed open and crashed into the wall behind, rattling on its hinges as the sound echoed around us. Lisa sighed and leaned back out into the corridor to yell, 'I found them!'

It looked like my practise was officially over.

'Did you chase Meg in here?' I accused. 'Lis', you need to stop telling her what to do with her hair.'

'I wasn't trying to tell her what to do with her hair. Anyway, we're going to a fitting,' Lisa said. 'And you don't need to do any hair or make-up for the prom. We're booked into a salon.'

Chrissy soon joined us, dragging Jenny and Georgia with her. 'Did you tell them?'

'Yes, the salon,' I repeated in a bored tone. 'I don't -'

'No! The fitting!' Chrissy shrieked with excitement. 'Lisa's mum has designed all our dresses and we're getting them fitting this afternoon!'

Lisa's father might have come from old money, but her mother had made her fortune in the fashion world. Her designs had been featured on the red carpet at Cannes, on guests at royal weddings, and always drew a crowd to the catwalk during international fashion weeks. The idea that we could each wear something original and tailored to our style was enough to make even me excited.

I had no intention of shrieking, though.

Not externally, anyway.

'And after the salon we'll have champagne in the limo,' Lisa said. 'It's going to be such an amazing night!'

'Aren't you forgetting something?' I asked. I smirked at Jenny. 'Someone here already has a date. She's going to want to show up with him, not a bunch of girls who are drunk off their arses on prosecco.'

'I told him I'm meeting him there,' Jenny said. 'I wouldn't miss the chance to see you forced into a dress for anything.'

I narrowed my eyes. 'Glad to see you've got your priorities in order.'

'Oh, come on,' Jenny urged. 'It's one prom and the last time that we can all strong-arm you into doing this. You can make an exception for just one night, can't you?'

'I've seen your dress already,' Chrissy added. 'It's super pretty. So's Meg's. I'm jealous.'

'It's not like we're making you wear a potato sack,' Lisa told her. 'God, you can't have every dress for yourself.'

'I know, but they're so cute and I want my own versions of them,' she complained.

Compared to going out with the girls, my exam was going to be a piece of cake.

The exam wasn't a piece of cake. All the extra practice had helped me to find my confidence in my ability, but when I was forced to perform for strangers, my nerves threatened to get the better of me. It passed by in a confusing blur, a whirlwind of music, and before I'd known what was happening, I was being thanked for my time and escorted from the auditorium. I stumbled back to my room in a daze with no idea of how I might have performed, or if there was a hope of my passing.

I just had to trust that I had done my best, and that I would soon find out if I'd made it into university.

While grasping my destiny and taking chances had inspired me, I'd applied for a course at the Royal Academy of Music. It was a whim I regretted deeply. They were an exclusive and prestigious establishment, and there was little chance of someone like me getting in. I'd be lucky to get on the wait list. It was too late to take it back, though.

The damage was done, and the application was in their system.

Like every other teenager on the cusp of their university years, all I could do was wait for the inevitable decision when the time came.

My return to the dorm ought to have been a return to peace, quiet, and the time that I desperately needed to calm my rattled nerves. Ought to have been but wasn't. My friends had been waiting on me to finish my audition. Almost as soon as I opened the door, I was being turned around and forced back out of it with admonishments of how late I was in returning, that we would never make it on time, and that I was doing this on purpose so that I wouldn't have to wear a dress.

While the girls squawked and jeered and giggled in the limo, I rested my head against the window and closed my eyes. It had been a long day - a long year - and it was finally ending. Part of me was excited and relieved; I didn't know if I had the mental or emotional strength to go through another like it for the rest of my life. Another part of me was miserable and frightened; I didn't know how long it would be until we were all together again like this, if I would ever see Will again, or what the future held for any of us. It was strange to think they regarded us as children until we stepped into university, at which point we became adults with the rising of the sun on that first fateful day and were expected to be entirely independent.

To know what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives.

To grow up.

The looming summer between prom and my arrival at my university campus would be a drawn-out twilight, during which I was expected to make peace with my final chapter at Netherfield, and to begin another elsewhere. I would do it alone. Without friends, without family, and with none of the reassurance of the support network I'd often taken for granted during my school days. As I opened my eyes and took in the joyous expressions on my friend's faces I felt a pain lance my heart.

How could I bear being so far away from them when I loved them all so much?

'Beth,' Jenny placed her hand over mine, 'are you doing okay?'

'Yeah.' I smiled. 'Just tired. I could probably do with some pampering.'

'You heard her!' Lisa announced, pointing at me openly. 'She's agreed to it!'

Oh God.

'I agreed to what?' I groaned.

'Oh,' she said with a wicked smile, 'you'll see.'

Pampered was an understatement.

I didn't know how Lisa expected us to have time for everything her mother had lined up for us before prom started. I wondered if we'd make it before morning. Massages, saunas, facials, manicures, and pedicures were first and foremost. Relaxing though it was, I wouldn't have minded one last night of us fighting the other girls on our floor for the showers or hearing the shrieks of girls who found out at the last minute that their dresses were the wrong shade or had broken zips and they desperately needed safety pins.

The insanity was all part of the prom experience.

But, no, Lisa was determined that we didn't argue over lip gloss and shoes for once. We needed to let the professionals tug us this way and that as they painted our faces and sculpted our hair into works of art. I was so exhausted by the time it came to put on our dresses; I was almost asleep in my chair.

'Hey!' Chrissy snapped her fingers under my nose to rouse me. 'You're next, come on!'

A garment bag was pushed against my chest and I was steered in the general direction of a changing room. The other girls were done already, standing around like models waiting to be called onto the runway. I'd have given anything to have Lisa's confidence, Georgia's elegance, Chrissy's complexion, Meg's curves, or Jenny's legs, which seemed to go on forever. Even as I slipped into the gown, which had been expertly tailored to perfectly compliment my body type, I felt like a potato in an old sack compared to them.

I took a deep breath to steady my nerves before I stepped out swathed in the white dress which draped elegantly over one shoulder. It had been embroidered with black flowers and swirls, all embellished with crystals which glittered when they caught the light. The matching heels with their floral decoration were entirely hidden beneath the skirt, which tickled my bare toes. I felt like I was headed to a wedding rather than a prom.

'Holy -' Chrissy began.

'I know, right?' Lisa hurried over to zip me up at the back. 'Perfect in white, which you said you'd never be seen dead in.'

'I don't feel like myself,' I said as I turned side to side in front of the mirror. 'Like, at all.'

It was a shame that I should be all dressed up for a party without a date. Even a male friend who could lead me out onto the dancefloor and make the most of the yards of fabric swaying around my legs would have been nice. Perhaps Jenny would be willing to share Charlie if it was only the one dance. Then again, if he agreed then he would set a dangerous precedent and would be asked to lead out the others, too.

I missed Will.

'Are we all ready?' Jenny asked.

'Mum wants a picture.' Lisa ushered us out toward the reception area where her mother was waiting with a camera in hand.

I didn't feel so conspicuous while we were all stood together. I already felt a little more like I belonged with my friends, but for once I looked the part. In years to come, should anyone ever look at the pictures of our prom night, no one could pick me out as the poor girl in a group of heiresses. They'd just see six laughing girls who were all trying desperately not to stumble over their hems in their ridiculous heels, all about to have one of the best nights of their lives.

The night could only get better from there.

I might even find someone to dance with.