‘That ought to please Miss Lacey,’ said Amy as Violet put the finishing touches to her arrangement. ‘How disappointed she will be not to have an excuse to scold me!’
‘You know, Amy, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Miss Lacey wasn’t jealous of you,’ said Violet. ‘She always tries hard to look fashionable and elegant, yet somehow she never manages to look as nice as you do. In fact … ’ Violet gave a little giggle. ‘The way that Miss Lacey dresses rather reminds me of my mother.’
Amy laughed at this, pleased with both the compliment, and the dig at Gwendoline.
But before she could reply, the door suddenly opened and Daisy stood there. ‘I came to see if you had finished, Miss Amy,’ she said. ‘So that I can take the key back to the housekeeper.’
Then she spotted Violet, and said, ‘Miss Violet, you know that you shouldn’t be in here! This room is for the sixth formers only.’
‘Oh, Daisy, do be a sport and don’t sneak on us!’ said Amy, giving the maid a pleading look. ‘Violet wasn’t doing any harm, really she wasn’t.’
‘I really should report this to Miss Potts,’ said Daisy, looking stern. Then, looking at the two rather scared faces before her, she relented and said, ‘I’ll let you off this time – mind, it’s only because I’m scared of that Miss Potts, and I don’t like talking to her if I don’t have to. Now be off with you, Miss Violet, and don’t let me catch you in here again!’
Relieved, Violet scuttled away, while Amy said to Daisy, ‘Thanks awfully. You’re a good sport, Daisy.’
‘That’s as may be,’ said the maid with a sniff. ‘But you’re old enough to know better than to break the rules, Miss Amy. What Miss Lacey would say if she knew about all this, I don’t know.’
The snobbish Amy didn’t at all care to be scolded by a maid, but it wouldn’t do to upset Daisy, so she said meekly, ‘You are quite right. I shan’t let Violet in here again.’
Daisy seemed satisfied with this, and she and Amy left the room, Amy locking the door behind her and handing the key to the maid. Then the two of them went their separate ways, Daisy to return the key to the housekeeper, and Amy to go in search of Bonnie.
Lizzie, meanwhile, was finding her walk with Alice unexpectedly enjoyable.
‘Do you know,’ she said to Alice, ‘I have been at Malory Towers for two whole years, and yet I have never walked along the cliffs before!’
‘Well, now that you know how enjoyable it is, I hope that you will make the time to do it more often,’ said Alice.
The two of them had found a sunny spot overlooking the sea and were sitting on the grass.
‘My word, only two weeks until half-term,’ said Alice. ‘I can’t believe how the time has flown. Will your parents be coming, Lizzie?’
‘There is only Mother,’ said Lizzie. ‘For Father died when Edith was small, you know. I doubt very much that she will be able to come, because she had to take a job when Father died and she works so terribly hard all the time.’
Alice was very sorry to hear this, but she was also rather curious, as she knew that the fees at Malory Towers were expensive, and it sounded as if Lizzie’s mother was not terribly well-off. So how on earth did she manage to keep two girls at Malory Towers?
Almost as though she had guessed what Alice was thinking, Lizzie said, ‘Our Uncle Charles pays our school fees, Edith’s and mine. He is Father’s older brother, and we are very grateful to him.’
‘I should think you must be,’ said Alice. ‘It’s awfully generous of him.’
Lizzie gave a tight little smile, but said nothing, and rather an uncomfortable silence fell.
Alice broke it by saying, ‘Shall we make our way back to school now? I don’t want to be late for tea, for this fresh air has given me such an appetite!’
Lizzie agreed at once, and the two girls took the cliff path back to Malory Towers, coming out near the swimming-pool.
‘It looks as if June is still coaching the youngsters,’ said Alice, putting a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun as she watched some of the first and second formers climb out of the pool. A lone diver stood poised on the topmost diving-board.
‘I say, isn’t that your young sister up there, Lizzie?’ Alice asked. ‘I’ve heard that she’s absolutely marvellous at swimming and diving. Let’s get a closer look.’
As they moved nearer, Edith launched herself from the diving-board, doing the most beautiful swallow dive, and entering the water with barely a splash. She really was very graceful to watch, and the spectators, who had all stood in enthralled silence as Edith dived, now burst into a round of spontaneous applause.
Edith turned red with pleasure as she climbed out of the pool, and June went across to clap the girl on the back, crying, ‘Jolly well done, Edith! My word, you will certainly shine at the gala. You really are a wonder!’
Lizzie, overhearing, felt a pang. There was such pride in June’s voice, and in her face. And Edith, thrilled, was hanging on the games captain’s every word, looking up at her in the same worshipful way that she used to look at her older sister.
Oh, it just wasn’t fair, thought Lizzie bitterly. She almost felt as if June had stolen Edith away from her, for the girl obviously looked up to her no end, while she, Lizzie, had become almost an enemy. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Alice watching her, a curious expression on her face, and Lizzie knew that the girl was wondering why she didn’t go and make a fuss of her young sister, and tell her how well she had done.
The odd thing was that as Lizzie had watched Edith glide gracefully into the water, she had felt proud of her – intensely proud. But she couldn’t bring herself to go to the girl and tell her that, for to do so would only encourage her to waste even more time on swimming and games. And, no matter how good she was, Edith would never be able to make a career out of swimming, and earn good money at it, and that was what mattered.
Just then Edith turned, and saw Lizzie watching. She smiled at her big sister, hoping that she would come across and speak to her. But Lizzie merely waved, before turning away and saying to Alice, ‘Come on, let’s go and wash our hands before the bell goes for tea.’
Edith’s shoulders slumped, some of the joy fading from her face, and several of the others noticed it.
‘Never mind about Lizzie!’ said Daffy, giving her arm a squeeze. ‘I know that she is your sister, but she really is a misery!’
June had noticed too, and she stared after Lizzie and Alice as they walked away, a hard expression on her face.
If Lizzie wasn’t very careful indeed, she thought, she was going to end up pushing her young sister away completely.
8
Daisy is very sly
There were three letters beside Gwendoline’s plate when she came down to breakfast on Monday morning, and Miss Nicholson exclaimed, ‘Heavens, someone’s very popular! Don’t tell me that it’s your birthday?’
‘Oh, no,’ said Gwen, picking up the envelopes as she sat down. ‘This one’s from Mother, and this is from Miss Winter, my old governess. I recognise their writing.’
Then she frowned as she picked up the third one. ‘The writing on this one looks vaguely familiar too, but I simply can’t think whose it is.’
Gwen read her mother’s letter without much enthusiasm as she ate her scrambled eggs. Mrs Lacey had never fully adjusted to the more simple way of life that the family had adopted since her husband’s illness and, as Gwen had expected, her letter was just a list of complaints and grumbles.
Gwen sighed as she laid it aside and opened Miss Winter’s, which was much more cheerful in tone. The young woman smiled fondly as she read it, for she had grown to appreciate Miss Winter far more in recent years than she had as a spoilt schoolgirl. The old governess really had been a tower of strength to the whole family, particularly to her mother, since Mr Lacey had been taken ill. Not that Mother would ever admit that, of course!
Gwendoline herself often felt ashamed when she thought of how, as a young girl, she had rather despise
d poor, plain Miss Winter, and taken her adoration for granted. Now, though, she understood her situation a great deal better, and felt very grateful indeed for the woman’s affection and friendship.
It took Gwen a while to read Miss Winter’s letter, for it was a long and chatty one, but at last she finished and slit open the third envelope. Then she gave a gasp.
‘Anything wrong?’ asked Miss Nicholson, looking up sharply from her plate.
‘No, not at all,’ said Gwen. ‘It’s just that this letter is from someone I haven’t heard from in simply ages. One of the girls who used to be here, at Malory Towers with me, in fact.’
The letter was actually from Darrell, for Felicity had told her sister that Gwen was now teaching at the school. Gwen was surprised at how pleased she felt to hear from Darrell, for the two of them had never been close friends. But Darrell had been kind to her when her father had been taken ill, something which Gwen had never forgotten.
Her letter was packed with news, and it was obvious that Darrell was leading a full and enjoyable life, making the most of every moment, just as she had when she had been at Malory Towers. There was also news of some of the other Malory Towers girls who had been in her form – Sally, Alicia, Irene, Belinda, Mavis and Mary-Lou, and Gwen began to feel quite nostalgic as she read it. Then, at the end of the letter, Darrell had written something that brought a wide smile to Gwendoline’s face.
Oh, my goodness! thought Gwen. How marvellous! How simply splendid! I shall write back to Darrell this very evening!
Over at the sixth-form table, Felicity had also received a letter from Darrell, and she read parts of it out to the others.
‘Darrell is simply thrilled that I am to be in the swimming gala,’ she said. ‘Oh, how super, she’s promised to take me out to tea in the holidays if I do well.’
‘How marvellous!’ said June. ‘Of course, Darrell is the kind of sister who would always back you up in whatever you chose to do.’
June flicked a glance at Lizzie as she spoke, and the girl, knowing that the words were aimed at her, flushed.
‘Alicia is just the same,’ went on June. ‘Though, of course, she is my cousin, and not my sister. But she was terribly proud of me when I became games captain, and sent me such a nice, encouraging letter.’
Susan, not realising that June was getting a dig in at Lizzie, said, ‘How nice it must be to have an older sister – or cousin, in your case, June – to look up to and share good news with. I have often wished that I had one.’
‘I’m sure that you are not alone in that wish, Susan,’ said June smoothly.
Lizzie scowled at June. Since she had tackled June about dropping Edith from the swimming gala a few weeks ago, Lizzie was not in as much awe of her as she had been. But she was still a little afraid of June’s sharp tongue and sharp wits, for it was rare indeed for anyone to get the better of the girl in an argument.
So Lizzie held her tongue and said nothing, though it was really very difficult, especially when she saw June go up to her sister after breakfast and lay a friendly hand on her shoulder, while Edith looked up at her admiringly. Daffy and Katie were there too, and it was plain that they both thought that June was a most wonderful person as well. As the three first formers moved away to go to their first lesson, Lizzie called out Edith’s name, but her sister did not turn round.
Lizzie was quite convinced that Edith had heard her, though, and was simply pretending not to because she didn’t want to talk to her. Lizzie felt hurt and angry, for although she knew that she was sometimes hard on Edith, she was very fond of her younger sister, and everything she did was for the girl’s own good. What a beastly day this was turning out to be!
But someone else was having an even worse day than Lizzie. Gwen was in a good mood as she unlocked the door of her class-room that morning. The letter she had received from Darrell had cheered her up enormously, and she was pleased to see that the West Tower sixth formers had arrived early for their class and were waiting for her to unlock the door. She greeted them brightly, for they all looked keen and that boded well for the lesson.
But when Gwen unlocked the door and stepped inside, she gave a little groan, putting her hand up to her throat.
‘What is it, Miss Lacey?’ asked a plump, kindly girl called Christine.
‘See for yourself,’ said Miss Lacey in a trembling voice, standing to one side.
The West Tower girls poured inside, and a collective gasp went up. For the flowers that Violet had so carefully arranged two days ago had been taken from their vase and strewn higgledy-piggledy about the room. Some had been thrown on the chairs and sofas, others were on the floor, and still more had been thrown on to the big table. The water from the vase had been poured over Miss Lacey’s desk, ruining some papers that she had left there. And the lovely glass vase, one that Gwen had brought herself from home, had been thrown against the wall and was smashed to smithereens. The West Tower girls exclaimed in horror.
‘Who on earth could have been mean enough to do this?’
‘Could it have been meant as a joke, do you suppose?’
‘If it is a joke, it’s not very funny.’
‘This is no joke, it’s sheer spite! Anyone can see that!’
‘Well, let’s set to work and clean up,’ said Christine briskly, seeing that Miss Lacey was in a state of shock, and taking charge. ‘Vera, Joy and Nancy, you begin picking up the flowers,’ she went on. ‘Jane, can you clear the papers from Miss Lacey’s desk, and I will sweep up the broken glass.’
Gwen, who hadn’t moved or spoken since she had seen the damage done to her lovely class-room, sank down into an armchair, looking very pale, and Christine said, ‘Tessie, can you fetch Miss Lacey a glass of water, please?’
‘Of course,’ said Tessie, hurrying from the room.
Miss Potts, who happened to be walking down the corridor, spotted her, and called out, ‘Where are you off to in such a hurry, Tessie? Shouldn’t you be in Miss Lacey’s lesson?’
‘Yes, Miss Potts,’ said Tessie. ‘But something terrible has happened, and I am just going to get some water for Miss Lacey. She really does look as if she might faint, you know.’
Heavens, what on earth can have happened? thought Miss Potts, frowning, as Tessie continued on her errand. I had better go and investigate.
The mistress walked into Miss Lacey’s class-room, her lips pursing as she took in the scene before her. Girls bustled about, clearing up the mess, while Miss Lacey sat huddled in an armchair, looking – as Tessie had said – as if she might faint at any moment.
The girls stopped what they were doing when Miss Potts entered, standing politely to attention, and the mistress said, ‘Carry on, girls.’
Then she sat down next to Miss Lacey, and said in a low tone, ‘What has happened here?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Gwen in a tremulous tone. ‘The room was like this when I unlocked the door this morning. I simply can’t think who could have done this, or why.’
‘The door was locked, you say?’ said Miss Potts.
‘Yes, it is always kept locked when it is not in use,’ said Gwen. ‘Only myself and the housekeeper have keys.’
‘Well, I hardly think that the housekeeper would have done such a thing,’ said Miss Potts, looking very puzzled indeed. ‘I wonder if anyone else could have got hold of her key?’
Suddenly Gwen remembered something, and gave a gasp. ‘Amy had the key on Saturday! It was her turn to do the flowers for the room, and she was going to get the key from the housekeeper.’
‘Then we had better speak to Amy,’ said Miss Potts, looking rather grim as she stood up. ‘I shall tell her to come to my room at break-time.’
Amy was puzzled, and a little alarmed, to receive a message saying that Miss Potts wanted to see her at break-time. Oh dear, what if Daisy had broken her word and told the mistress that Violet had been in Miss Lacey’s room on Saturday? Not only would she be in trouble with Miss Potts and Miss Lacey, but the rest of the form would be a
ngry with her too.
When the bell went for break, she made her way to the study that Miss Potts shared with Mam’zelle Dupont. Mam’zelle was not there, but Miss Lacey was seated next to Miss Potts, looking very upset.
‘Sit down, Amy,’ said Miss Potts, sounding very stern. Then she went on to tell Amy of the damage that had been done to Miss Lacey’s classroom.
‘I am not accusing you of anything, Amy,’ she finished. ‘I am simply giving you an opportunity to own up if you do know anything.’
‘Miss Potts, the room was in perfect order when I left it,’ said Amy, looking the mistress straight in the eye, and sounding rather dignified. ‘That is the truth. Why, I would never dream of doing such a thing.’
Miss Potts believed the girl at once. Amy could be spiteful at times, but her spite usually took the form of making cutting remarks about the others. She had never been one for playing mean tricks on people. Miss Lacey, however, was not so convinced, and she said, ‘Is there anyone who can confirm that?’
Amy hesitated for a moment. Violet could confirm it, of course, but Amy couldn’t possibly tell the two mistresses that she had allowed the first former into the classroom, for then both of them would be in trouble. Then she remembered that someone else had been there.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Daisy, the maid, came along just as I was finishing off. We left the room together, then I locked the door and handed her the key, to give to the housekeeper. She will be able to tell you that I left the room as I found it.’
‘Good,’ said Miss Potts, sounding relieved. It didn’t solve the mystery, but at least Amy’s name would be cleared. ‘I shall send someone to fetch Daisy.’
‘I can go and find her, Miss Potts,’ said Amy, for a thought had just occurred to her. Daisy had given her word that she would not sneak, but she had not known then that she would have to face the stern Miss Potts. It would be as well to have a quick word with the maid before she was questioned, decided Amy, to make absolutely sure that she didn’t give the game away.