Part 20 (2/2)

”German?” Grace Grant was startled.

”Yes. That new young man has got another job offer. I can't say it surprises me and perhaps to some extent it's a relief,” the Headmistress said. It was always a risk, hiring a young male teacher among adolescent girls, and they all knew it.

”Nothing has happened, though?” Grace Grant asked.

”There has been some minor silliness. We had several Sixth Form girls suddenly wanting to switch to A-level German in the first couple of weeks which of course couldn't be accommodated. And the usual things like love poems fluttering out of his pigeonhole. Though he's dealt with it all very well and has the respect of the girls, not simply their admiration.”

But perhaps there had been more than ”silliness”, Grace Grant thought. She needed more time to think about this.

Miss Wingrove was heartily glad that the poetry recital was a school event only without parents invited to watch. This had been considered but was ruled out due to time and logistical constraints.

Susie Clarke's rendition of ”The Flea” was definitely not something an audience of mothers and fathers needed to hear. Even without Mr Peters' special coaching it was enough to make the Earl of Rochester blush. Miss Wingrove couldn't even bring herself to look at Mr Peters' face during Susie's performance. Surely even John Donne hadn't intended quite that amount of innuendo in his lines?

But it was Laura who took her breath away. Laura had originally been practising something by Keats but had changed her mind at the last moment. She claimed it was because Teresa Hubert was also reciting Keats, but several other poets had been chosen by multiple girls.

Instead, Laura read Sh.e.l.ley. She displayed none of the self-consciousness or nerves of many of the other reciters. She merely stood in the centre of the stage, her gaze fixed above and beyond the audience, making no apparent effort to connect with them. Her voice was still and calm.

”See the mountains kiss high heaven, ”And the waves clasp one another”

Miss Wingrove had never thought of the poem as particularly sorrowful before, but spoken by Laura it was unbearably sad.

”And the sunlight clasps the earth, ”And the moonbeams kiss the sea - ”What is all this sweet work worth ”If thou kiss not me?”

Sitting at the back of the hall with the rest of the staff, Grace Grant now felt she knew all she needed to know. Laura of a term ago would never have managed to speak these lines in the way she did now. Grace Grant did not have a background in literature and knew nothing of the context of the poem. But the poignancy, the desolation, the sensuality conveyed were those of a young woman, not a girl.

She didn't need to look at Mr Rydell - though she did look - to know that his gaze would be transfixed on Laura. The admiration in his eyes, the hunger. Everyone else was watching the stage so Grace Grant was the only one who saw how captivated he was by her. How far had this gone, the housemistress wondered. And how had it happened with no one knowing?

Despite this he was leaving the school. Or perhaps because of it.

Grace Grant had no concrete proof but nor did she want any because it might force her hand. She did however feel a duty towards Laura as her housemistress.

She summoned Laura to her office with the invitation for a ”chat and a cup of tea”.

”What does Gi-Gi want with you?” Charlotte asked.

”I have no idea. She sounded quite nice so I don't think I'm in trouble.” Laura hoped she wasn't in trouble. She couldn't see why she would be.

”She might be digging about something else,” Susie said.

Laura vowed to keep her lips sealed regarding anything that might compromise them, from the midnight feast to Susie's redirection of Mr Peters' note.

”I know you won't say anything, but she might try to catch you out.” Susie had been wary of the housemistress since her own interview about Mr Rydell.

Laura knocked and entered the housemistress's office at the appointed time. She had always really liked the room. It was a calm place.

Grace Grant ushered her to one of the arm chairs by the window. It was where she held her informal, pastoral chats. Her desk was for more serious business.

Sinking onto the green velvet cus.h.i.+ons, Laura waited for Miss Grant to speak.

”It's always a long term, the Autumn term,” Grace Grant began. ”I expect we're all looking forward to the holidays.”

It was the equivalent to commenting on the weather, Laura thought. Whatever the housemistress wanted to say was clearly a difficult topic to broach. She took a sip of the tea that she had been given.

”You've all had quite a lot of excitement this term with some of the St Duncan's boys, I believe,” Miss Grant said.

This was an odd one. Particularly as Laura hadn't really had any excitement with them at all.

”I know it must be quite exciting seeing older boys, but they do eventually go off to university where there are quite a lot of other distractions.”

”Yes, these things don't always last,” Laura said, thinking of Charlotte and Julian and wondering why Miss Grant was saying all this to her.

”I know it's all very thrilling when someone older than you shows interest. But letting such a relations.h.i.+p influence your life choices now may be something you regret in future,” the housemistress said to her. Her eyes were kind but concerned.

At some point Laura realised that Grace Grant wasn't talking about the St Duncan's boys at all.

”You girls all have so many exciting years ahead of you. It would be an enormous shame to limit your options too early,” Miss Grant said.

Laura didn't know how Miss Grant had found out. But she realised that the housemistress somehow knew about her and Mr Rydell and was worried for Laura's sake. Grace Grant saw that Laura also understood what she was really talking about.

”You also have to consider whether the older person is really being fair as well, to put you in such a position,” she continued.

”Do you mean like Lucy Martin? I don't plan for something like that to happen to me,” Laura said.

”I've always regretted what happened to Lucy,” Miss Grant said. ”I wish we could have done something more for her. I wish I had been able to prevent her from getting into her situation in the first place. But when something like that happens, a bridge is crossed.”

She put down her teacup.

”What do you do with your life outside school is up to you, Laura. Soon you will all be adults and able to make your own choices about everything. But you are such a talented girl with so much promise. It would be very disappointing if you were distracted from realising your potential.” Grace Grant looked at her directly, serious and also sad.

”Love is a wonderful thing but it doesn't always last. You have to think about what you owe to yourself. Don't close doors when you can leave them open.”

32. Farewell.

It was the last day of term. There were no lessons that afternoon just packing, clearing up, and getting ready to go home for the holidays.

The four of them were sitting on a bench outside Michaelmas House when Mr Rydell walked past. ”Come for a walk with me?” he said to Laura.

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