Part 17 (1/2)
”Catching up on homework? All work and no play,” she said.
This stung. Margery might have been fertile soil for Teresa's scheming, but the idle remark triggered Margery's bristles. Someone else had jokingly called Margery a swot that week and it had made her sensitive about her studies versus her social life.
”She's an interesting girl, Susie Clarke, isn't she?” Teresa began.
Given Teresa had frequently referred to Susie as a slag and a tart, Margery knew something nasty was up.
”Of course I realise she's from a different background to us, but I'm not sure that her parents would like her going visiting men late at night, do you?”
Margery said nothing. Had Teresa found out about the midnight feast? Had she spotted Susie with Darius somewhere?
”That's if it was Susie. I know it was one of you, because who else would borrow Charlotte's coat. Perhaps it was you, Margie?”
”What are you talking about?” Margery finally rose to the bait. She was genuinely in the dark about what Teresa was digging at.
”Whichever of you visited the groundsman's cottages late on Friday night before the exeat, for an interestingly long time.”
Margery was silent. All her life she would remember this moment: the stillness, the smell of the room and the books and the floorboards covered with a worn rug, the scent of the threat.
”It wasn't Charlotte, because I saw her leave. So it must have been Susie, you or Laura. But you're not that kind of girl are you are Margie? We're not cheap like that, are we?” Teresa tried a final lunge to get Margery on side.
”I have no idea what you're going on about,” Margery said.
”Well then it must have been one of the other two. Perhaps Gi-Gi will be able to work out whom. I'll have to tell her of course, because it's not right is it? Pupils fraternising with teachers. I'm sure your father would agree.”
Margery thought that she had never loathed anyone quite so much as she loathed Teresa Hubert at that moment. Or feared, perhaps. But she had enough sense and courage not to react.
Teresa left with one of her unpleasant smiles.
There wasn't much time to lose. Margery knew that Grace Grant wasn't currently in Michaelmas House which might at least buy them some time. Teresa likely wouldn't go straight to her anyway. She would probably wait a little while to see if Margery would crack, or approach the others. After all Teresa clearly didn't yet know the full extent of what she wanted to know.
Charlotte was currently at hockey practice. Laura was somewhere over in the main school rehearsing for Miss Wingrove's recital. Margery raced to the dorm where she was gladder to find Susie than she would have ever thought possible. It was only four flights of stairs but she was completely out of breath.
”Teresa. Knows.”
”What's wrong?” asked Susie, alarmed.
”It's Teresa. Saw. Going to tell.”
Susie managed to get Margery to sit down and get her breath back. Gradually Margery calmed down and Susie managed to unravel the story.
Susie had the kind of mind that worked like lightning under pressure. She immediately recognised that the game would be up and the fallout catastrophic if the truth came out.
”You wait here, Margie. I'll deal with this. You just continue to know nothing. It'll all be ok.”
Margery was crying. ”It will ruin Laura's life! I knew this was a mistake, I told you all so. She'll be expelled and her future will be ruined!”
”Get a grip. Just stay up here, out of Teresa Hubert's way. Read a book or something. You did really well not to let her pump you. I promise you I'll fix this. There is always a way.”
She already knew what the way was going to be, but coordinating the others would be the biggest challenge. Let alone convincing them.
Susie had staked out Grace Grant's study for the past hour. Fortunately there was no sign of Teresa Hubert. Susie hoped she hadn't gone to try and confront Laura, whom she didn't trust not to cave.
Finally the housemistress arrived, and Susie took her chance.
”I need to see you urgently Miss Grant.” They always called her Miss Grant to her face even though she was a widow.
”Come in then, Susie.”
Grace Grant's study was a tranquil room on the side of the House. The windows looked onto a small garden backed by bushes outside, rather than the wide expanse of the hockey pitches. The garden was dull and flowerless at this time of year but there was still plenty of foliage.
Susie began. ”I've done something really stupid. I've been feeling bad about it for days but I was too embarra.s.sed to say anything.”
”If you're here in one piece it can't be the end of the world,” the housemistress said.
”It's very bad and I expect I'll have to be expelled,” Susie said. She was hedging her bets that her story wouldn't merit expulsion and that to follow this with an anticlimax would soften it further.
”Go on.”
Susie had been wondering how to play this. A lot depended on Grace Grant's perception of her. Would she be more convinced if Susie was contrite but a little brazen, or contrite and collapsing in sobs? She decided the former. The housemistress wasn't that stupid, though Susie antic.i.p.ated that tears might be needed further along.
”I had this thing in my head about an older man, you know. So I sort of had this crush. And I know it's really foolish and inappropriate but I got carried away. So I went and sort of flung myself at him.”
”Was this something that happened at half-term, Susie?” Grace Grant asked.
”No, it was here in school.” She saw the housemistress's eyebrows raised. ”And it was a huge mistake and I really regret it but one of the other girls has been having a go at me about it so I thought I should come clean.”
”What exactly happened?”
”I sort of... tried to proposition Mr Rydell.” Susie had worked herself into her part so well that she actually managed to blush at this point. Meanwhile her brain was working furiously to visualise how he might genuinely have reacted in such a situation.
Grace Grant had experienced many things in her years of teaching but this threw her. Susie wasn't even in the Upper School yet. She knew the girl was precocious but this was bizarre behaviour.
”I imagine he didn't respond how you intended.” She hoped against hope that the German teacher hadn't responded how Susie intended.
”No he was very shocked and embarra.s.sed. I think he was quite angry but he tried to be kind. He made me feel such a moron.” Susie was getting into the swing of this now. In her own mind it had practically happened for real. ”He made me a cup of tea because I was in a state and then told me to go back to the House.” She knew the tea thing was pus.h.i.+ng it but she had to account for the length of time that Teresa claimed to have observed.
It was time for Grace Grant to pa.s.s judgement.
”This was a very serious and silly thing to do Susie. I realise you might like to think of yourself as sophisticated, but you are only a schoolgirl and you have your whole life ahead of you to experience boys and relations.h.i.+ps. This kind of foolishness could not only ruin your own life but could have ruined Mr Rydell's reputation and career as well. I appreciate that you regret what you have done, but you must realise how badly it could compromise him.”