35. Quinn

35

QUINN

B etween last night and today, the plans had changed. First of all, the headmaster wanted to talk to me with my parents present while he ascertained what had happened. I'd put my foot down and said I wouldn't speak without Roman there because he was as big a part of this as I was…and more importantly, he refused to allow me to be "thrown to the wolves alone," as he put it.

So here we were. The headmaster was seated at the head of the large table, with the head of Epicurus house and my history professor on either side of him. My parents sat opposite Roman's uncle, Arlo, who'd insisted on being there in lieu of Roman's parents, who were somewhere overseas. Finally, I was seated at the other end of the table next to Roman.

He squeezed my hand briefly, before anyone noticed, and then rested his arms on the table. I noticed how perfectly pressed his uniform was and how he'd styled his hair so neatly, and warmth spread through my body. He was trying to make a good impression. I loved him for it. Honestly, I would have loved him no matter how much effort he had or hadn't made. The most important point was that he was there for me, and I was there for him, and I appreciated him being here more than I could ever put into words.

Professor Lexington cleared his throat. "Miss Farrow. I'd like to begin with addressing the allegations against you…"

My nerves got the better of me, and I tuned him out, concentrating on taking deep, even breaths as he continued to speak. The words washed over me like a wave, with the occasional sentence penetrating. "…forensic IT specialists…" and "…first thing this morning…" and "…the evidence corroborates…"

"Quinn."

I blinked, realising everyone's attention was on me, and my cheeks heated. "I'm sorry. I?—"

"I should be the one apologising." My history professor studied me over his steepled hands. "You tried to explain everything to me, and I didn't allow you to. I refused a meeting with Mr. Cavendish when he requested one, too, and perhaps if I had, we would have been able to get to the bottom of this sooner. I?—"

"You requested a meeting with my professor?" My entire focus was on Roman.

He gave me a small smile, his gaze soft. "Yeah, of course I did, as soon as I knew what was happening. We both knew you didn't plagiarise and that I'd never have sent the email in the first place. If last night hadn't worked out the way it did, I had a whole plan to show there was no way I'd ever send an email like that, and more importantly, you'd never do anything like that in the first place." His eyes hardened. "Anyone who thought you'd do that is a?—"

Arlo coughed discreetly, and Roman gritted his teeth but fell silent.

Professor Fitzgerald cleared his throat. "Your record has always been impeccable, Quinn, and it's clear that you've become an incredibly intelligent woman. I should have taken that into consideration." He sighed. "I suppose…it would never have occurred to me that a student would attempt to sabotage another's work in this manner, let alone have the means to do so."

"I expect a formal apology. Our daughter has gone through a traumatic experience. We entrusted her care to you, and you have failed her. She has been let down by your incompetence."

My brows flew up at my dad's hard tone. Next to him, my mum was nodding.

"My husband is right. I'm frankly shocked by your lax security. Allowing students access to staff systems, allowing them to tamper with voting results…" She exhaled harshly. "Don't you realise Quinn was the youngest goddess in Hatherley Hall's history before she left? There was no question she'd be a goddess again on her return. I'm surprised none of you thought to question it when her name didn't appear."

Of course that was the part my mum would focus on. Not that it mattered. The important thing was they were on my side.

"They're right." Roman cleared his throat, shooting a sideways glance at his uncle. "It should have rung alarm bells when Quinn's name didn't appear."

The headmaster nodded. "I concur. Unfortunately, we are unable to show the video, but we can address the additional allegations. I believe you've all been made aware of the content of the video?"

My parents and Roman's uncle all nodded. I'd known the word would spread like wildfire—it was the biggest scandal involving Hatherley Hall that I could remember.

"Alright. Putting that aside for now, let's move on to the main purpose of this meeting. Miss Farrow has been falsely accused of plagiarism, and that is the most serious allegation we must address here today. We will, of course, ensure that the false accusations are stricken from her record, and she will be allowed to resubmit her original paper for consideration. The other involved party has been disqualified and will be suitably punished."

"Good." My dad gave me a reassuring smile before his expression darkened. "I'm appalled that this incident could even happen in the first place, and I trust that you will ensure it won't happen again."

Arlo glanced at Roman and nodded, and then shot me a tiny wink. I straightened up in my seat, eager to hear what he had to say.

"I believe my nephew was instrumental in discovering the culprit and getting to the bottom of what happened regarding the plagiarism and rigged voting system."

The headmaster and my head of house exchanged glances, and then the headmaster nodded slowly. "That is correct, in our understanding." His gaze turned to Roman, his eyes narrowing. "We are very grateful to you for bringing this matter to our attention, Mr. Cavendish." The words were forced out through gritted teeth, but they were there, and most importantly, my parents were there to hear them.

Roman remained silent until Arlo gave another discreet cough. His words were directed at the headmaster, but his gaze was focused on my parents. "I wanted to do the right thing, and I wanted to protect Quinn."

"And you did the right thing. I'm proud of you." Arlo gave Roman a genuine smile, and Roman seemed to relax.

"Well, I suppose we should thank you, too," my mum said hesitantly. My dad pinched his brow, shaking his head, but eventually, he sighed.

"Yes… Our sincere thanks, Mr. Cavendish. It appears that maybe we have been a little too hasty to judge you. Perhaps… we've been too hasty to judge situations where we may not have been apprised of all the information."

I could see how much it cost my dad to force out those words, but the fact was, he had said them. Swallowing around the lump in my throat, I steeled myself, ready to face the questions I knew were coming. It didn't take long at all until my dad's full focus was on me.

"Quinn. Your mother and I would like to speak with you in private afterwards, but please know that you won't be punished. None of this is your fault."

My lip trembled, and I bit down on it. They were words I'd wanted and needed to hear for so long. And now…now, I was hearing them, but I knew my parents wouldn't appreciate me showing any perceived weakness in front of the school staff. Not only that, but I didn't particularly want to cry in front of them, anyway. Only with Roman, who let me fall apart and put myself together again, supporting me without judgement.

When we'd been shown into an empty classroom, I buried my face in my hands, trying to breathe. It was just me and my parents, and I had nowhere to hide.

"Quinn." My dad's voice cracked, and my gaze flew to his. Were there tears in his eyes? Surely not.

"We made a mistake," he continued, and yes, there were definite tears.

My eyes filled against my wishes.

"Oh, Quinn," my mum murmured, and then suddenly, they were both hugging me, and I didn't know what to do.

"We should have known. We should never have made you leave in the first place," my dad ground out.

"This is our fault. We're so, so sorry," my mum added, sniffing between her own tears.

My face was wet from my own tears. All I could do was let them hug me. It was healing, in a way. I was under no illusion that our relationship would be easily repaired, but maybe we'd made a start.