The CBB :: View topic - The Troubles of Jessica

#1: The Troubles of Jessica Author: leahbelle, Location: Coventry

Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:14 am

I know some of this was archived, but I can't remember where up to, so I have reposted from the part where Jessica starts as a weekly boarder. Today's update is in a different colour. Hope that makes sense!

Jessica had been told to report to the house-mistress for her dormitory, Miss Walton. Number 7 was on the second floor and, when she had run Miss Walton to earth in one of the other bedrooms, Jessica made her way to her new room. She was not impressed at what she saw. Although she had been at Redferne for many years, she had never ventured into dormitory territory, though she had gathered from the other girls that they were sparsely furnished and purely functional. The girls had not lied. Number 7 was a broad, airy room with windows down one side. Plain blue curtains hung at the windows. Six beds were arranged in two rows down either side of the room and they were decorated only with a pillow and quilt in the same blue as the curtains. Beside each bed was a tall chest of drawers and a blue rug lay on the floor. At the far end of the room was a large wardrobe which would house the girl’s coats, dresses, skirts and tunics. Everything else must be stowed away in the drawers. On top of the chest of drawers was a mirror and the girls might place mementoes from home here, too. All in all, it was a most unwelcoming room and Jessica actually felt a twinge of regret at leaving her pretty bedroom and sitting room.

The other members of the dormitory had already arrived. Rose and Jennifer, two girls with whom Jessica was quite friendly, were ornaments of the bedroom as was a new girl, Beth Hudson by name. There were two other girls as well that Jessica did not know quite so well as they had been new the previous term, Gillian and Caroline. Jessica wished that Charlotte’s parents had allowed to weekly board as she was going to miss her friend very much. However, she was bright enough to realise that this was an opportunity to make friends with girls with whom she had had little to do with in the past.

Everyone was busy unpacking. Miss Walton and one or other of the Matrons popped in from time to time to see how they were progressing, but it was not an onerous task. The girls must wear school uniform (a tunic and blouse in the case of Jessica and her friends) during school hours. Outside of school hours, they may dress as they chose so long as what they wore was deemed suitable but the lack of room in the wardrobes and drawers meant that they were limited in what they could bring. They were not encouraged to bring their own books or games as the common rooms were well furnished with everything they would need.

Jessica had emptied her trunk in half an hour and then she sat down on her bed, watching as the others (who were slower) finished with theirs. She was beginning to feel quite excited. Weekly boarding would be a whole new experience and there was bound to be the chance to have a lot of fun in the evenings. She deliberately cast thoughts of her mother, Adam and Rosamund to the back of her mind and was determined not to miss them. If they didn’t want her at home, she would jolly well show them by having a great time at school and enjoying herself to the top of her bent. So much for them not wanting her school work to suffer!

With which uncharitable thoughts, Jessica trooped downstairs with the others to find her common room.

The common rooms were everything that the dormitories were not. Jessica knew this as she had frequently used the common rooms as a day girl. This year’s room was a cosy, friendly feeling room with comfortable armchairs, some sofas and beanbags scattered across the floor. Coffee tables were littered with magazines and a bookshelf which covered one entire wall was stuffed full of books of all shapes and sizes. There was a wireless and a record player. One cupboard contained all sorts of games and another contained materials for every handcraft imaginable. The girls were left pretty much to their own devices in the evenings, unless they were in one or other of the school teams or learned music, and many of them chose to spend their evenings lazing in the common room.

Having discovered their new room, Rose and Jennifer decided to show Beth about the rest of the school. Gillian and Caroline declined to accompany them, being somewhat quiet and colourless girls, but Jessica tagged along, eager to fit in.

Dinner followed and bedtime came at 0900. Lights out was sounded at 0930 and, though the girls did not have a dormitory prefect, they were expected to obey the strict bedtimes. One or other of the matrons, or a prefect always did a dormitory round at 0945 to make sure that everyone was tucked up in bed safely.

Jessica had never shared a room before, let alone with five other girls and she was not sure that she would be able to sleep with the others moving about, snoring or talking in their sleep. In fact, she slept well for her and, though she was awake before the rising bell went, she felt rested and able to face the day.

The rising bell went at 0730 on weekdays. At the weekends, things were more lax and the girls could stay in bed until 0900 if the desire took them. They had half an hour in which to wash, dress, make their beds and tidy their areas. Baths were done on a rotation basis in the evenings. Breakfast was at 0800 and then the girls were expected to go to their form rooms to get things ready for the day ahead. Assembly and prayers took place at 0845 every morning and lessons started at 0900 prompt.

It was at Prayers that first morning that Jessica and Charlotte were reunited and they fell on each other as if they had been parted for a twelve month and not a week. Jessica introduced Charlotte to Beth to whom she had taken a fancy and they determined to sit together in class.

Miss Simmonds new form was sitting sedately awaiting her arrival at 0900. Jessica, Charlotte and Beth had managed to bag seats together in the back row though, as a new girl, Beth should have waited until last term’s girls had found a seat. Jessica had dragged her to a desk beside her and Charlotte, paying no notice to the new girl’s objections.

The first lesson was taken up with collecting books and stationery and sorting out timetables. Most of the girls followed a generic timetable as they had not yet started to specialise, but one or two who were infant wonders at music or languages had extra lessons in their own subjects. Jessica, Beth and Charlotte would all follow the generic timetable, none of them being particularly talented at any one thing, though Jessica’s maths and science could be above average when she chose.

After break, lessons proper began and the girls were expected to apply themselves to the tasks in hand. Here, Jessica had decided to rebel. The reason Emily had cited for not allowing her to continue as a day girl was that they didn’t want her work to suffer with the long journey to and from Moorlands everyday. Jessica was quite bright enough to realise that her work could suffer just as easily as a weekly boarder. This gave her a feeling of being in control of the situation in which she found herself though it was far from the best way of coping.

That evening, the Games Prefect, Rachel Butler, announced that trials for the school’s netball and hockey teams would take place the following afternoon. Jessica was delighted. She loved netball and had often played in inter-form or inter-house matches in the school. Girls under thirteen were not allowed to be in the school teams and this was the first time that Jessica had been able to try out. She knew that she had no hopes of the first team which would be made up of older girls, but she hoped that she might be able to make the second team which was generally formed of girls from the lower classes. Neither Charlotte nor Beth were to try out for the teams. Charlotte was not games minded although she enjoyed watching. Beth enjoyed hockey but was more than satisfied with the compulsory games time they had each week.

Jessica went through the next day thrilling with excitement at the thought of being able to play in a proper school match. She was told off in more than one lesson for inattention and careless work, but the mistress’ words didn’t sink in.

That evening, Charlotte (who had been granted permission to stay late at school) and Beth joined the spectators at the side of the court to watch their third try out. There was stiff competition for the second team as many of the girls who had been in it last year had already been guaranteed places. Jessica played for all she worth, and she could really shine when she put her mind to it. She was tried in two positions, goal attack and goal shooter. When the trials were over, the girls were sent off to shower and change while the Games Prefect and Games mistress, Miss Cain, deliberated.

Jessica was almost shaking as she returned from the changing rooms to take her place amongst the other contestants. The lists were read out, first team followed by second team.

“Goal attack,” the Rachel Butler read out, “Jessica Wayne.”

“Hooray!” Beth shouted from the sidelines where she and Charlotte were still watching. The Games Prefect turned a beady eye on her, but Beth was not noticeably subdued. Eyes bright and shining and grinning from ear to ear, Jessica felt like cheering herself though she made do with running across the court to her friends and hugging them thoroughly.

Her cup filled over when she discovered that the first match was to be played on the following Saturday against a grammar school ten miles away, Hobley House. It was an away match and, as a team member, Jessica might take two friends with her to cheer Redferne on. She instantly chose Charlotte and Beth and the three went off to the common room hugging each other in glee.

Jessica’s evenings would be busy for the next week or so. Rachel was determined that both first and second teams should do Redferne proud and an hour or more each evening, after prep, was earmarked for practice. The girls were also encouraged to practice in their spare time, and this was to cause trouble for Jessica.

By Wednesday, most of the girls, even the new girls, had more or less settled down into the routine at Redferne. The hard workers and the slackers had been noted by the mistresses and the mischief- and trouble makers already had watchful eyes on them in the form of the prefects and their form mistresses. Miss Simmonds was disappointed to discover that Jessica showed every likelihood of being bracketed in the latter categories.

Jessica loved games and was delighted to be included in the netball team and she made up her mind to put every ounce of effort in to the sport. This left little, or none, for lessons even if she hadn’t already decided to prove to her mother that her work could suffer regardless of whether or not she was a weekly boarder.

In class, Jessica let her mind wander. She paid little or no attention in classes such as English and History in which she had little interest anyway. The prep that she turned in for these lessons would have disgraced a kindergarten baby. When the prep was returned to her to rework, her second attempt was almost as bad as her first. She was keener on maths and chemistry and it was harder for her to do badly in these classes, but she used the bluntest possible pencil for exercises and did so much rubbing out on the pages that they were practically rubbed through. When she was pulled up for inattention or bad work, Jessica was insubordinate and uncooperative. One evening she and Beth were caught playing noughts and crosses with the result that they were no longer allowed to sit together, in prep or in class, and were separated to the farthest sides of the room. This left Charlotte sitting on her own in the middle of the back row. On another occasion, she had smuggled a novel into prep and hid it in her history reader. To all intents and purposes, she was engaged in reading about the Tudors, but in reality she was deeply into the latest Josephine M Bettany novel. She was discovered when the prefect on duty took a turn about the room and the result was that the book was confiscated until half term.

The mistresses were exercising lenience with Jessica. They knew that she had problems at home and that she was finding it extremely difficult to settle into her new family unit. They were also aware that being a weekly boarder was a bit of a culture shock to the girl, too. However, they were all thoroughly fed up with her as she made their lessons even more difficult than they usually were. The form contained the usual assortment of mischief makers, but few of them were as rude and, sometimes, downright nasty as Jessica could be.

Jessica was unhappy at the thought of going back to Moorlands on the Friday evening for the weekend. She decided that she would rather at school for the weekend. She didn’t realise that, by distancing herself from her new family she was making it more difficult to settle down in the future. She broached the issue with Miss Simmonds, who was sympathetic.

“I’ll telephone your mother and see what she says,” the mistress promised. “I think it would be best for you to stay this weekend. Too much upheaval is good for no-one. You need to take some time and get used to boarding.”

Jessica contrived to look grateful but, as she left the room, she had a huge grin on her face so pleased was she that she had got her own way. Not only did she not want to go back to Moorlands, but it would show her Mother that, if they didn’t want her at Moorlands, then she would rather be at school!

Emily reluctantly agreed to Jessica remaining at school for the weekend. She had been looking forward to Friday evening with apprehension, wondering what sort of a mood Jessica would be in given her low spirits when they had said good bye. At least Jessica seemed to be enjoying boarding and that was something. All the same, Emily was disappointed since it was natural that she should miss her daughter.

It was two days before the match against Hobley High. Jessica was working herself up into a fever pitch of excitement about the game and her whole world was concerned with netball and little else. Rachel Butler had watched her practising that morning and pulled her to one side at the end of the lesson.

“You need to concentrate more on your shooting, Jessica,” she told the girl. “You can’t just lob the ball at the net any old how. You missed most of those shots that you were set up for. See if you can find some time to practice your technique and really focus on aiming the ball.”

Jessica was upset. She had set herself up to be excellent and to be told that she needed to practice more was irritating. Nevertheless, she could see that Rachel was right and, when she got overexcited, she knew that she did just tend to throw the ball in any old direction and hope for the best. She must learn to remain calm and unruffled on the pitch.

There was little time between Thursday and Friday for practising. The team had its usual hour on both evenings, but there was no chance for private practice. Jessica decided to take matters in to her own hands.

This year, her form’s prep began at five, after tea, and went on until six thirty. Jessica had two returned lessons to work on that evening before she could start on her work proper. The prospect was not pleasing and so she decided that, instead of going to prep, she would go to the gym which would be abandoned and practice on one of the old netball stands that was there. That the girls were not meant to be in the gym without permission let alone set up equipment without supervision, Jessica pushed to the back of her mind. To her, the most important thing was to nail her shooting technique once and for all.

After tea, which was sandwiches and cakes, the bell rang for prep. Jessica pulled Beth to one side.

“Listen,” she said as the others streamed out to their form room, “I’m not going to prep. I’m going to go to the gym to practice shooting. You know Rachel told me I’m lousy. If anyone asks, you don’t know where I am, ok?”

“All right,” Beth agreed cheerfully, “but you’ll get in a fine row if you’re caught.”

“Oh, rats to that!” Jessica exclaimed. “As if I’m going to bother about prep with the match so close. You better go. You don’t want to be late.”

Beth nodded and shot off, while Jessica waited until the corridors had been cleared of the girls who were making their ways to their various form rooms. Then she went cautiously through the empty corridors to the gym. Despite her brave words to Beth, she was well aware of what would happen if she was caught and she had no plan for this to happen until she had least got some practice in. She encountered no-one, for most of the mistresses were either taking a well-earned break or were overseeing prep for the lower forms. The prefects, too, were either engaged in prep duty or were in their study doing work of their own.

Arrived in the gym safely, Jessica closed the door behind her. There was no glass in the door and she had hopes of being able to get in a good forty five minutes before anyone noticed she was there. She struggled to set up the heavy netball stand by herself but succeeded eventually, though she trapped her finger at one point and it ached badly. This was soon forgotten as Jessica gave her concentration up to shooting and within a few moments, there was nothing else in the world except the stand and the ball.

Back in the form room, the rest of class got out their books and got ready to settle down to work. The door opened, and they rose to their feet. Miss Simmonds was on duty with them that evening, but it was Rachel Butler who entered. She was carrying a pile of her own books and she went to the mistress’s desk and put them down before saying:

“Sit down, girls,” the class obeyed, noting as they did so that Rachel did not look pleased. “Miss Simmonds has gone to bed with a bad headache, so I am taking prep this evening. Please get on with your work.”

Matron had caught Rachel on her way to the prefect’s room and told her that she had sent Miss Simmonds to bed as she was quite unwell with a sick headache and could Rachel possibly take her prep? Rachel could hardly refuse and she had collected her books and departed for the form room. She was not overjoyed at the request as she had an important history essay to finish and she had wanted to give it her full attention. There were bound to be endless interruptions from the girls and it was well known amongst the prefects that, when they were on prep duty, they could expect to do previous little of their own work.

It was this preoccupation with her own work that caused Rachel to fail to realise that one member of the form was absent. Only Beth knew where Jessica was; the others assumed that she had been sent elsewhere on lawful occasions.

Perhaps because the form realised that Rachel was not in the best of humours, there were no interruptions for the first twenty five minutes. Little things like pens and pencils being dropped and desks being opened and closed rather more than was necessary were too much common occurrences to count. Rachel breathed a sigh of relief as she wrote the final sentence of her essay and then closed her books with a bang. She glanced around the room. Everyone seemed to be fathoms deep in maths or French. She decided to take a wander around the room and make sure that no-one needed any help and that everyone was engaged in legitimate business. As she started to walk along the rows, Rachel noticed the empty desk that belonged to Jessica.

“Where is Jessica Wayne?” she demanded.

As Beth was the only one who knew, most of the girls didn’t even bother to look up at this and Beth remained silent.

Rachel strode to the front of the room and stood in front of the desk.

“Does anyone know where Jessica is? Has she been taken ill?”

The class looked at each other blankly and it was obvious to Rachel as she scanned the rows of faces that they knew nothing. Then she came to Beth and, as she caught that young lady’s eye, Beth blushed deeply.

“Beth!” Rachel said sternly. “Do you know where Jessica is?”

Beth shook her head, somewhat in awe of the self-possessed older girl. Rachel cocked an eyebrow at her and said in a quite sarcastic tone, “Really? If you know where she is, please tell me straight away. We don’t like liars in this school.”

“She’s in the gym, practising netball!” Beth cried, not at all liking being called a liar. She knew that she had just got her friend into trouble, but she would not be called a liar!

“Thank you,” Rachel said. She turned to the rest of the form. “Carry on with your work, girls. I am going to fetch Jessica. No talking!”

With Rachel in this mood, the girls dared do nothing else but return to their work, though they were longing to talk about Jessica’ latest. The more serious among them merely thought that Jessica was, yet again, making a sickening nuisance of herself, but those more feather headed members of the form thought she was very daring.

Rachel stalked out of the classroom and though the corridors to the gym. It was as well for Jessica that Rachel had not discovered her absence until after she had finished her essay!

In the gym, Jessica was blissfully unaware that retribution was about to fall. She was so engrossed in the task in hand, that she didn’t hear the door open or notice Rachel come in. Rachel, for her part, was impressed with what she saw. Jessica was really paying attention to where she was aiming the ball and made some quite difficult shots.

As the ball fell through the net, Jessica moved forward to catch it but missed. She touched it with the side of her hand and it went rolling towards the door. It came to a step at Rachel’s feet. Rachel bent down and picked it up as Jessica gave an audible gasp of surprise.

“Perhaps you’d like to explain,” Rachel began, “just what you are doing in here, out of hours, without permission and using equipment without supervision?”

Jessica shrugged. “You told me I should practice my shooting,” she said.

“You know perfectly well that I meant you should practice at the proper time and with proper supervision,” Rachel snapped. She threw the ball to Jessica who caught it adeptly. “Put this away in the store cupboard.”

Jessica obeyed, wondering what Rachel was going to do to her. When she came out of the store room, Rachel looked at her watch.

“You’ve missed half an hour of prep. After dinner, you will bring your books up to the prefects’ room and make up the time. Understand?”

“Yep,” Jessica said nonchalantly.

“But before you do that, you will go to Miss Cain and report yourself for using the gym out of hours and for using equipment without supervision.”

Jessica’s face fell. Miss Cain was noted for being “awfully strict”

“You know the rules, Jessica, and if you choose to break them you must take the consequences. Miss Cain might say that you are not to be trusted and forbid you to play in the match on Saturday,”

“But…but…” Jessica stammered. She had had no idea that such an awful punishment might befall her.
“Now, back to prep,” Rachel ordered. “And, don’t forget to come to the prefects’ room with your prep after dinner.”

Jessica went, but sulkily and with a very bad grace, Rachel following behind her to make sure that the girl did not decide to make a run for it.

All eyes were on Jessica as she slunk into the form room. The wilder spirits in the room sent her admiring glances, but those sensible, studious girls merely treated her to disparaging looks before they turned their attentions back to their work. Beth looked up guiltily knowing that it was partly her fault that her friend had been found out, but Jessica didn’t meet her eyes. She stomped to her desk and opened it, beginning to take out the books she needed for the rest of prep and made as much noise about it as possible.

“Quietly!” Rachel snapped as she tried to settle back down to her own work.

Jessica grimaced and sent a filthy look in Rachel’s direction before she finally arranged her books to her liking, opened one at random and looked, to all intents and purposes, that she was working hard. In actual fact, she was too busy worrying about the forthcoming interview with Miss Cain to begin to concentrate on her prep. As well, she was finding that it was difficult to keep up with the rest of the form as she had fallen so far behind. She shrugged to herself. She was already in trouble. A little bit more badly done prep wouldn’t even be noticed!

After prep, Beth grabbed Jessica before she could leave the classroom.

“I say, Jess,” she began, “I’m most awfully sorry! Rachel as good as called me a liar and I wasn’t going to stand for that, so I had to tell her where you were. You didn’t get into a terrible row, did you?”

“Well, you did warn me,” Jessica said. She linked arms with her friend. It wasn’t Beth’s fault and she knew it. “I’ve got to go up to the prefects’ room after dinner to finish my prep and I’ve got to go and report myself to Miss Cain.”

“She won’t stop you from playing in the match, will she?” Beth was aghast.

“Rachel said she might. I’m going to go to her now and get it over and done with. If she’s going to stop me playing, I want to know now!”

“Shall I come with you?”

Jessica shook her head. “It’s nearly time for dinner. You’d better go and get ready. No point in you getting into trouble, too!”

The two girls parted, Beth to wash and brush her hair before dinner, and Jessica to the less pleasant task of hunting down Miss Cain and learning her fate. She found the Games Mistress in the staff room, having just come off prep duty with one of lower forms. There was no-one else in the room and for this, Jessica was grateful. She hated apologising as we have already seen and apologising in front of an audience was even worse.

Miss Cain was tired following a tiring duty session with the first form who seemed to have gone all out to do every little thing possible to annoy her. Jessica knew she was not in a good mood from the way her brows were knitted together and her lips were set and she quivered inwardly. She had never crossed Miss Cain before.

“Well, Jessica?” Miss Cain stood up as the girl entered. “What do you want?”

“Please, Miss Cain, Rachel sent me to report myself to you for being in the gym without permission and for using equipment without permission.”

Miss Cain’s frowned deepened. “And when was this?”

“This evening,” Jessica said, “during prep.”

“Let me get this straight,” Miss Cain beckoned to Jessica to come closer and the girl took a few steps further into the room, “you were in the gym when you should have been at prep?” Jessica nodded. “What exactly were you doing there?”

“I was practising netball,” the girl said, and the words sounded very lame, even to herself.

“Practising netball during prep time?” the mistress mused. “May I ask why?”

“Rachel told me I needed to concentrate more on my shooting and said I should get some practice in before the match on Saturday.”

“So you decided that practising during prep was the most appropriate time?”

“Well,” Jessica said defiantly, “Rachel told me to practise my shooting. There wasn’t any other time and I don’t want to let the school down.”

“Indeed,” Miss Cain said and there was a nasty twist to her voice. “I imagine that you will feel that you are letting the school down if you are not allowed to play?”

Jessica gaped. She really hadn’t thought this through.

“Let me see,” Miss Cain continued, “the match is on Saturday isn’t it, at Hobley House? Do you think that you deserve to be allowed to play?”

Jessica wasn’t sure what the right answer was. If she said that she thought she ought to be allowed to play, Miss Cain might stop her for being so cocksure. If she said that she didn’t think she should play, Miss Cain would probably agree. She remained silent.

“If you spend prep time on leisure activities, then maybe spending your leisure time on prep will make you think twice about disobeying rules. Those rules aren’t there to stop you having fun, Jessica, they’re there to protect you. Gym equipment can be dangerous. Netball stands are heavy and difficult to manoeuvre by yourself, as you’ve no doubt found out. You could have injured yourself.”

“But I didn’t!” Jessica conveniently forgot about the finger she had caught in the stand. “And Rachel says I’m to go to the prefects’ room after dinner to catch up on my prep. That’s my leisure time – Beth and I were going to start a new jigsaw.”

Miss Cain bit back a smile. She thought quickly. Like the rest of the staff, she knew of the hard time that Jessica was having. How much of it was the girl’s own fault, she did not know, but she was aware that, by refusing to permit her to play in Saturday’s match, Jessica would become even more uncooperative and it may even set her on a path to self-destruction. The staff wanted to guide Jessica back onto the right path if it was at all possible.

“This time, Jessica, I will be lenient. You will play in the match, not least because it would be unfair to the school if you didn’t. Rachel tells me that you are a promising player and it would be difficult to replace you at short notice. But if you are ever caught in the gym out of hours again, I will have no hesitation in taking you out of the team. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Jessica mumbled. She kept her eyes on the ground, afraid that she was going to break into a huge grin at Miss Cain’s words. That would definitely make the mistress rethink things.

“And I will check with Rachel to make sure that you make up your prep time. If you don’t make the time up, and do your prep properly,” Miss Cain placed a lot of emphasis on the word ‘properly’, “you won’t play on Saturday, regardless of what that will do to the school’s chances of winning. All right, Jessica, you can go now, but please don’t let me have to speak to you like this again. You’re a good player and it’s a shame that you don’t apply yourself to your lessons in the same way that you apply yourself to your games.” The mistress checked her watch. “You’ve two minutes before the bell goes for dinner. Use the mistress’ cloakroom to tidy yourself up and then go straight to the dining room.”

“Yes, Miss Cain,” and Jessica managed to keep a hold on herself until she had left the room before breaking into a broad smile. She was still to play in the team! All the same, she realised that it had been a close run thing and she determined not to do anything so silly in the future. She would just die if she lost her place. She knew that Miss Cain had gone easy on her and she was grateful.

By dint of rushing and skimping on washing, Jessica was seated at the dining table just as the dinner bell rang. She grinned at Beth as that young lady took her seat and that young lady heaved a sigh of relief. Beth had been concerned that, despite what she had said, Jessica would blame her if Miss Cain dropped her from the team.

After dinner, Jessica had the dubious pleasure of an evening with the prefects. After what the games mistress had said, she did not dare to “forget”, though she had given the matter serious consideration. While Beth and the others trooped off to the common room or out on their various ploys, Jessica returned to the form room to collect her books. She made her way slowly up the stairs to the prefects’ room and knocked on the door.

“Come in!” Rachel’s voice boomed out and Jessica entered. She had expected to see the room full, as the prefects generally retired there after dinner for coffee and gossip. Jessica had had no desire to spend even half an hour with those very grown up and superior young ladies and she was surprised to find the room empty except for Rachel and Anna Holmes, the deputy games prefect. She was not to know that Rachel had asked her peers to make themselves scarce for the first half hour of the evening.

As Jessica presented herself in the doorway, Rachel told her to come and sit herself down at the far end of the table. She and Anna were doing some work on hockey strategies and they didn’t want to be interrupted. Rachel requested Jessica to work quietly, but warned her that her work would be checked at the end of the half hour and, if it was not up to standard, she would stay where she was until Rachel was satisfied.

With a groan, Jessica settled herself down to work. With both Rachel and Miss Cain’s warnings echoing in her ears, and the prospect of being dropped from the team hanging over her, she did not dare do anything but apply herself. As a result, she found that the half hour flew by and she barely noticed the two prefects talking quietly at the other end of the table. She struggled with one or two aspects of French because she had not been paying attention in class but, when she took her books to Rachel, the prefect declared herself satisfied with her work and sent Jessica off with an admonition not to skip prep again.

Jessica ran downstairs, threw her books into her desk and shot off to the common room to join Beth with gay abandon. She didn’t like the fact that, at last, those in authority had something to hold over her – her place in the team – but at least she was determined that nothing on earth would lose her that place if she had anything to say in the matter.

Saturday arrived at last. The team spent the morning in an impromptu practice and Jessica found that, even though it had got her into a row, her sneaky practice had done her shooting skills the world of good. Charlotte arrived after lunch and team and their guests trooped on to the coach that would take them to Hobley House, looking very trim and smart in their sports outfit of short blue netball skirt and cream, open-necked shirt. The coach was so full that it seemed as if some of the team had extended the invitation to more than the allotted two friends, and Beth, Charlotte and Jessica found themselves squashed together in a seat meant for two. Rachel Butler and Anna Holmes sat at the front of the bus and Miss Cain and her second-in-command, Miss Lomas, sat a bit further up to keep a check on the rising excitement of the girls. The first match of the season always caused those important people, the team members, to lose their heads slightly.

Nothing had been said to Jessica about going home to Moorlands that afternoon following the game and so she assumed that she was to stay at school for the weekend again. She was quite happy with this arrangement and thought it best not to check with anyone in authority in case they took it into their heads to decide that she ought to go home.

On arrival at Hobley House, the team and their guests had to part company. The guests were taken by some of the Hobley House mistresses to the side of the court where seats and benches had been set up and such of the Hobley girls who wanted to watch were already seated. The team were greeted by the Hobley side and their games mistress and taken off to the changing rooms where they left bags containing towels and a change of clothes before being led back to the court.

The Redferne girls were slightly concerned to note that their rivals were, in most cases, taller and stronger looking than themselves. The average age of the girls in the Hobley team was a good six months older than Redferne and Jessica felt at a distinct disadvantage.

As preparations for the start of the game were put in place, she glanced round the court. At one side, the spectators seemed to be made up of parents – not surprising, since Hobley House was a day school. Jessica scanned their faces interestedly. They all looked happy to be there and excited to be watching their daughters play in a match. She hadn’t even thought about inviting her mother to the game and so, when she came to a face that looked familiar, Jessica had to do a double take. And there, in the second row, was Adam and Emily. They had spotted Jessica and waved at her. She raised her hand half heartedly back, unsure whether or not she was pleased that they had made the effort. She wasn’t even sure that she herself had told her mother about being chosen for the team and wondered if Emily had been speaking to Mrs Burgess. They were there, anyway, and Jessica supposed that it would be nice to be cheered on by her family as well as her friends.

The game began and excitement ran high. Jessica remembered the instructions that Rachel had given her and tried to concentrate on not becoming too carried away and on taking her time to aim the ball. As a result, she scored four goals for Redferne and was cheered lustily each time. She had harboured a secret dream of shooting the winning goal, but this was not to the case. She was not disappointed, however, as the match resulted in a ten-ten draw and, considering that the Hobley girls were that little bit older and stronger, all at Redferne considered it an excellent result.

The teams trailed off the pitch, exhausted. They went back to the changing rooms, congratulating each other. There had been a lot of rivalry on the court between the two schools but, now the game was over, pleasantries were exchanged happily, the girls commenting on each others methods and modes of play. Jessica was tired to the bone having put every last ounce of effort she possessed in to the last ten minutes, but she had thoroughly enjoyed it and thanked her lucky stars that Miss Cain had allowed her to play. After a quick shower, the girls changed into their everyday wear and went to join their friends and family. Tea had been laid on in the dining room for the competitors and their friends while parents were directed to the school hall where a similar meal had been put on for them. Jessica saw Adam and Emily making a bee line for her and she grabbed at Charlotte and Beth in a vain attempt to follow the Hobley girls to the dining room before her mother caught up with her. In the crowds of girls and relations, this was impossible and Jessica was unable to escape.

“Congratulations, darling!” Emily cried, trying to hug Jessica. In the crowd, it was not hard for Jessica to pull away without it seeming too obvious. “You played brilliantly. You’re very first match – I’m so proud of you!”

“Thanks,” Jessica muttered. She still had her hands on Beth’s and Charlotte’s wrists and was trying desperately to pull them away but they had reach a bottleneck in the doorway and she had to give it up as a bad job.

“Well done, Jessica,” Adam added his congratulations, patting her on the shoulder.

The bottleneck was beginning to ease now.

“Hurry up and get your eats, Jess,” Emily said. “We want to get back to Moorlands before four o’clock. Mrs Childs is off out.”

“Don’t let me stop you,” Jessica growled, and Beth looked on in amazement. She knew all about Jessica’s home situation, but she would never have dared talk to her parents in the way that her new friend was.

“Don’t be silly,” Emily told her, “you’re coming back to Moorlands with us for the rest of the weekend. I thought it would be nice if we all went together rather than you going back to school first.”

Jessica stopped dead. “But I’m staying at school for the weekend.”

“No, I spoke to Miss Simmonds yesterday and she agreed that you’d come home with us after the match. Didn’t she tell you?”

“No,” Miss Simmonds had had to go to bed again yesterday with another headache and had obviously forgotten to impart this piece of important information to her pupil. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter what Miss Simmonds agreed. I’m not going to Moorlands. I’m staying at Redferne.”

“Charlotte, Beth, why don’t you go on through to the dining room and bag a place for Jess?” Emily suggested. She foresaw a scene and had no idea to conduct it in front of Jessica’s playmates. The two girls, who could feel the growing atmosphere in the air, agreed and went off. The area had cleared of traffic now, and the Seftons were alone with Jessica. Emily turned back to her daughter. “We’ve been so looking forward to having you back home, Jess. We missed you last weekend. The arrangement was never that you should stay at school full time. We want you with us.”

“So?” Jessica said rudely. “What about what I want? I want to stay at school.”

“I’ve got an outing planned for tomorrow,” Emily told her coaxingly. “Just you and me. What do you say?”

“She won’t be coming?” Jessica asked.

“Just you and me,” Emily repeated. “Adam and Rosamund have other plans.”

Seeing nothing else for it, Jessica grudgingly agreed and followed Beth and Charlotte to the dining room where they had secured a place for her at one of the long tables and loaded a plate up with sandwiches for her. Adam and Emily made their way to the school hall to partake of their food, Emily pleased that Jessica had agreed to come to Moorlands without too much fuss.

In the dining room, Jessica was silent for her as she concentrated on munching her way through the mound of sandwiches. She might have agreed to go to Moorlands for the rest of the weekend, but she was far from happy about it. Even the prospect of an outing alone with Emily was not enough to tempt her. She would much rather stay at Redferne where she knew exactly where she was with people and where her friends were. Moorlands House, even with its pretty bedroom, held no attraction for her as long as Adam and Rosamund were there.

A plan began to formulate itself in her mind.

“What’s up, Jess?” Charlotte asked in between mouthfuls.

“They want to take me to Moorlands after tea,” Jessica explained. It was interesting that she never referred to Moorlands as home. “Miss Simmonds was meant to tell me yesterday, but she must have been taken sick before she had the chance.”

“Oh, Jess, no!” Charlotte cried. “We were going to play charades tonight, and you know how much you enjoy that. I’m staying for dinner and so I can play, too. Can’t you come back to school?”

“Maybe,” Jessica mused. “There might be a way. Listen, you two,” she bent her head close to her two friends. “As soon as Miss Cain tells us to start getting on the coach, I’ll come with you. There’s such heaps of us, she’ll never notice if I crowd about in the middle. When she finds me on the bus, it’ll be too late and we’ll be halfway to Redferne!”

“Won’t your parents worry?” Beth, who possessed a modicum of common sense, asked. “They won’t know where you are.”

“Adam’s not my parent!” Jessica snapped. “And so what if they worry! They shouldn’t want to take me away when I don’t want to go. It’ll serve them right!”

With which Jessica turned back to her sandwich and the matter was closed as far as she was concerned.

When tea was over, Miss Cain and Miss Lomas rounded up their herd and shepherded them to the coach. Jessica deliberately kept herself in the centre of the throng of girls, but she needn’t have worried. Not only had Miss Simmonds not had time to tell Jessica herself about the plans for the weekend before she was taken ill, she had also not had time to tell the games mistresses that Jessica would not be coming back on the bus but would be going straight to Moorlands with her parents. As a result, Jessica got herself on to the bus and huddled down in a seat without any difficulty, although she was slightly confused as to why no-one mentioned that they appeared to be one girl over when Rachel did the head count. She congratulated herself, however, and looked forward to spending the weekend at school as she had planned.

Back at Hobley House, Adam and Emily finished their meal and got up to go to fetch Jessica. They had assumed that she would wait for them in the dining room but, when they got there, the room was empty apart from some maids who were clearing away the remains of the food.

“She must be waiting outside,” Adam said. “She’s probably found the car.”

But, of course, there was no Jessica waiting for them at the car. Emily’s heart leapt into her chest as she immediately imagined the worst, but Adam sussed things out straight away.

“She’s gone back to Redferne on the coach” he exclaimed in annoyance. “The little minx!” He unlocked the car and climbed inside, leaning over to open the passenger door. Emily climbed in beside him.

“But she knew we were taking her home!” Emily cried. “Why would she go back to school when she knew we’d be waiting on her?”

“Because she doesn’t want to come home for the weekend; she wants to stay at school.” Adam started the car and pulled away. He was not amused at Jessica’s prank. “Well, we’ll just have to drive to Redferne and pick her up from there.”

The Seftons were a good fifteen minutes behind the coach and by the time they reached Redferne, the coach was standing empty except for the driver who was standing by his door having a quick cigarette. The girls had gone straight to their dormitories to deposit their sports wear and had then headed for their common rooms. The Seftons had no idea where Jessica would be located and so their only option was to involve a mistress.

The found Miss Cain and Miss Lomas discussing the match in the lobby. Both mistresses looked surprised to see the Seftons. They had spoken to them briefly at the courtside but had not expected to see them at Redferne. Adam quickly explained the situation and both ladies looked cross.

“Jessica will be in the common room,” Miss Lomas said crisply. “I’ll fetch her. Does she need any belongings?”

“Just herself,” Emily replied. “She has everything she needs at home.”

Miss Lomas went off and her expression boded ill for the unfortunate Jessica. Miss Cain turned back to the Seftons.

“I’m so sorry this has happened,” she said. “Miss Simmonds hasn’t been well lately and she was taken ill again yesterday. She can’t have had a chance to pass the message on to us that Jessica was to return home with you. I hope you weren’t too worried.”

“No, we guessed what had happened,” Adam said.

“Jessica seems to have settled in well to boarding school life,” Miss Cain tried to reassure the Seftons.

“Perhaps a little too well?” Adam asked sardonically.

The mistress grimaced. “We have had some teething problems with her,” she admitted, “and I know that things are hard for her at home just now. We’re trying to go easy on her for the time being. No point in getting her back up to such an extent that we alienate her altogether.”

“She has seemed happier since term began,” Emily said, “but I’m worried that that’s because she doesn’t have to spend so much time at home.”

“She’ll come round,” Miss Cain assured her. “She’s at a difficult age, anyway, and she’s had a life changing experience with you remarrying. Coming to terms with having a disabled sister can’t be easy, either. She needs the stability that school can give her and I think it was wise of you to send her as a weekly boarder. How is your daughter, Mr Sefton?”

Miss Cain had met Rosamund several times at church events and had liked the girl as, indeed, almost everyone who knew her did.

“She’s doing well,” Adam said, smiling. “We’re managing to keep her clear of stress and infections and the doctor says she’s strong just now. I’ll tell her you’ve been asking for her.”

“You could bring her to watch Jessica at the next match. I’m sure Rosamund would love that, and it would be a change for her, too.”

“She would enjoy that,” Emily said, “but I’m not sure it would be the most tactful thing for Jessica. Things are very strained between them and I don’t want Jessica to feel that Rosamund is invading her school life as well as her home life.”

“You’re probably right,” Miss Cain acquiesced. “Ah, here comes Miss Lomas with Jessica.”

Jessica came stomping up the corridor, with Miss Lomas following behind. Jessica was fuming that her plans for the remainder of the weekend had been ruined and she had come with Miss Lomas only after an argument in which she had raised her voice and been abominably impudent.

“Here you are, Jessica,” Miss Cain said, sternly. “Why didn’t you wait for your parents at Hobley House? They’ve had to come all this extra way to fetch you.”

“He’s not my…” Jessica began sullenly and then stopped as Miss Cain flashed a steely look at her, which was clearly meant to remind her of how close Jessica had come to being dropped from the team. “Sorry,” she grunted.

“Come on then,” Emily held her hand out to her daughter. She knew from Jessica’s expression that the girl was aware the she had done wrong and decided to say no more about it, especially since Miss Cain had managed to get an apology, however grudging, from her. Jessica shied away from the hand but followed her mother and Adam out to the car after bidding goodbye to the two mistresses. A look passed between the adults as they climbed into the car and they mutually agreed to put the incident behind them.

Adam started the car and they drove off. He couldn’t help but wonder what sort of a weekend they were in for. It had not started well and it would very much depend on Jessica on whether or not her first weekend home was an enjoyable experience for her. He hoped that Jessica had missed Emily as much as Emily had missed her daughter, but he somehow doubted it. Emily had been looking forward to this day since last weekend when Jessica had asked to remain at school. It was Adam who had suggested that it would be a good idea for Emily and to spend time together with her daughter alone and it was he who had booked and paid for the matinee tickets to see the ballet, Swan Lake, on the Sunday afternoon. He knew from Emily how much Jessica enjoyed music and dancing, although she had no aptitude for it herself and he hoped that this little treat would help to reconcile her to things.

Jessica was quiet in the car. She felt that her weekend had been spoiled and it was something of an anticlimax to be going home after the excitement of the match. She would much rather have stayed at school and joined in the uproarious game of charades which had just been beginning when Miss Lomas had dragged her away. She supposed that there was nothing she could do about it now, but it did not endear her to Adam who had done the driving to Redferne to collect her. She felt sure that Emily would have left her at school, knowing that that was what she wanted. She was also a little bit intrigued as to what the outing Emily had planned for the morrow was.

When Adam stopped the car outside the front door of Moorlands House, it opened and Jessica was surprised to see Rosamund there, in chair, with Mrs Childs standing behind her. She knew that she had endeared herself to no-one during the holidays and had scarcely expected a welcoming committee. For her part, Rosamund had been nervous about meeting Jessica again. She knew that the other girl did not like her, though she could not understand why. She also knew that Jessica was jealous of the attention that “mum” (Rosamund’s name for Emily) was paying to her step daughter. She could do nothing about that, but she could try to make Jessica feel welcome in what was, essentially, Rosamund’s home. The Waynes had brought some furniture from their old house, as well as pictures and ornaments, but Emily had been happy to leave much of the house as it was. Rosamund guessed that Jessica must feel like a somewhat unwelcome visitor.

And this was exactly what Jessica did feel. She got out of the car and stood awkwardly on the drive. She didn’t feel it was her place to go into the house before her mother and Adam, so she waited on them and trailed up the steps behind them. Even the inside of the house smelt unfamiliar. Moorlands House was beautifully decorated, but it felt unlived in and not at all like home to Jessica. Her little suite of rooms was the only place where she felt relaxed and, after time away, she could see now that the house itself was a major part of the problem.

Jessica gave a grimace which could have passed as a smile in answer to Rosamund’s friendlier greeting. It was a shame that Jessica could not see how lonely Rosamund was and how desperate she was to be friends with her new step sister. It might have helped Jessica to settle in to have someone of her own age to talk to about things. Rosamund had seemed to take the marriage in her stride, but there were still things she would have liked to have talked over which she didn’t feel she could talk to Emily about and she was dying to hear about Jessica’s exploits at school. Her own life was so ordinary, and there was so rarely any excitement in it, that any tale Jessica told her would have been welcomed.

Jessica was still too busy thinking about the way in which her own life had changed to think about anyone else, and being dragged away from charades had done nothing to sweeten her temper. Mrs Childs had prepared tea in the sitting room and Jessica unwillingly followed her new family to partake. The kindly housekeeper had also made a chocolate cake, having remembered hearing Jessica say during the holidays that chocolate cake was her favourite. The girl was still full after the tea that had been served at Hobley House but she still managed to find a space, and forget her grievances for long enough, to eat two slices.

After the little meal, Jessica went up to her room, craving some familiarity. Emily went with her. She hadn’t spent any time alone with her daughter since they had said goodbye on the day Jessica had left for school and Jessica had not been exactly forthcoming on that occasion, so annoyed had she been about finding the photographs of Rosamund in the wedding album.

On the coffee table in her sitting, a package wrapped in bright coloured paper immediately grabbed her attention. Loving presents as much as any girl her age, Jessica’s first thought was to grab it and rip the paper off. She revealed a frame and Emily watched from the door way in some apprehension as Jessica turned the frame over to reveal the photo that had been taken of the three of them cutting the wedding cake. This, too, had been Adam’s idea. Emily had been unsure, knowing how much Jessica loved the photograph of herself and Richard on their wedding day. Adam insisted that it would be a way of making Jessica feel part of her new family and Emily, seeing the wisdom behind this, had bought a pretty silver frame and put the photo in it as a welcome home gift.

Emily watched Jessica’s face now as she looked at the photo. For a moment, she felt worried as the girl’s face was expressionless and Emily was concerned that it was going to provoke an outburst. However, Jessica put the frame down carefully on the coffee table and turned to her mother. They looked at each other for a few seconds and then Jessica said quietly, “Thank you. It’s lovely.” Emily could tell that she meant it and knew that those few words spoke volumes. It was lucky that Emily could not read the girl’s thoughts as “at least she’s not in it!” passed through Jessica’s mind.

The remainder of the weekend passed relatively peacefully and for this both Adam and Emily were grateful. Jessica loved the trip to the ballet. She had seen Swan Lake twice before and it was one of her favourites. She only wished that she had the grace and elegance and co-ordination to create something so beautiful. She was so moved by the occasion, that she even thanked Adam for buying the tickets without prompting. The ballet had been followed by a cream tea in the theatre restaurant and Jessica and Emily had spent a good hour talking about school. They had not ventured into home issues, but Emily felt that she had made a step forward in winning back Jessica’s affection.

Jessica went back to school on the Monday morning. Adam drove her in on his way to work. She was sorry to be leaving her mother, but not sorry to be saying goodbye to Rosamund and to Moorlands. She would even miss Adam a bit. She was pounced on by Beth and Charlotte almost as she climbed out of the car and they bore her off to the form room, regaling her with tales of the hysterical game of charades that had been held on Saturday evening.

The first lesson that morning was English. The previous week, Miss Coulson, the English mistress, had introduced her form to An Inspector Calls by J B Priestley and the class were looking forward to starting the dramatic reading. The play grabbed Jessica’s imagination. She was not fond of parsing, paraphrasing or even of essay writing, but she did enjoy reading and this play struck her as being something out of the ordinary. As the class came to a close, she was frustrated that they had only managed to read such a small part. At break, she expounded further upon this to a select group which consisted of Beth, Charlotte and Rose and Jennifer from her dormitory.

All the girls agreed that it was a “simply smashing” play and all wished that they could have read further during the lesson.

“It makes a change from the usual muck they make us read,” Jessica observed and the others nodded. “It’ll be Friday before we can read anymore. I say!” she remarked. “Wouldn’t it be great if we could continue reading it on our own?”

“Fantastic” Beth cried. “But how? Miss Coulson collected the books back in.”

An idea began to formulate in Jessica’s head. “Well, we know she keeps them in the store cupboard in the staff room. It’s not locked. If one of us could sneak in and take two or three copies, I bet she’d never even notice. Then we could find somewhere quiet and all take parts and get on with the reading.”

Jessica’s plan was met with acclaim.

“Where would we do the reading?” Jennifer asked. “If we’re taking the books without asking and someone finds us with them, there’s bound to be trouble.”

Jessica considered. “What about doing it after lights out in the dormitory? The prefects and seniors all sleep on the top floor, so we wouldn’t disturb them. There’d only be Wally and the matrons to worry about and if we’re quiet and use our torches instead of the main lights we’ll be fine.”

Rose and Jennifer nodded their approval, but Jessica had forgotten about something.

“What about me?” Charlotte asked.

“Yes, what about Char?” Beth demanded. “She goes home every night.”

“Bother,” Jessica said. “I’d forgotten.” She thought frantically, but couldn’t see a solution, short of Charlotte stowing herself away in the dormitory rather than going home.

“Never mind,” Charlotte herself said. “The play’s not that great and I’m not looking for extra work. You lot go ahead without me.”

“Are you sure?”

“I said so, didn’t I? What are you going to do about Gillian and Caroline? They’re in your dormy, aren’t they?”

“We’ll ask them to join in,” Jessica decided. “They’ll never be able to get to sleep if we’re talking and we don’t want them to report us.”

“Who’s going to go to the staff room to get the books?” Rose asked.

“I will,” Jessica had set herself up as ringleader. “It’ll be empty at lunch time or dinner time. I’ll slip along then and grab the books. I’ll dump them in my desk and we can take them up the dormy when we go up to change.”

“You’ll be missed at the table,” Beth pointed out.

“One of you can cover for me. Tell them… tell them I’ve gone to get a clean hanky. That’ll give me a good five or ten minutes and if I look apologetic enough, no-one will bother.”

“What about Caroline and Gillian? Who’s going to talk to them?” Beth queried.

“Let’s do it when we go up to bed,” Jessica suggested. “That way, they can’t really say no and they won’t have a chance to tell on us.”

So it was agreed and the girls trooped off to their next lesson happily, all except Charlotte who was rather put out that Jessica hadn’t suggested an alternative plan.

Jessica waited until the lunch bell had rung and the dining room had filled up before setting off on her expedition to get the books. The trip was not without its dangers. There was always the chance of meeting a stray mistress or prefect in the corridors and it was equally possible that some of the mistresses had chosen to take lunch in the staff room.

Fortune favoured Jessica and she made it safely to the room. She knocked on the door, just in case anyone should be inside, but there was no reply. She pushed the door open and went inside, shutting it safely behind her. The big store cupboard where such books as more than one class was working on was in the far corner. Jessica expected it to be open as on previous occasions when she had had cause to be in the mistress’ domain, but the door was closed. Hoping that didn’t mean the cupboard was locked, she strode across the room and yanked at the door. It didn’t budge.

“Bother,” she thought. There was no sign of a key. Where would it be? Would each mistress have her own key? It was worth a look. Jessica knew Miss Coulson’s desk and she calmly opened the top drawer and had a quick look through the contents. There was no key. She rifled through the remaining two drawers and found the key at the back of the bottom drawer on a little tray. She drew it out and unlocked the cupboard. The books she was looking for were piled at the front of the shelf and she took three. Then she locked the cupboard, replaced the key and withdrew from the staff room.

The next peril was to get back to her form room unseen. Everyone should be tucking into lunch, but you could never tell when a mistress or prefect would take it into their heads to do a surprise check on a locker or desk. Luck was with the girl and she managed to get the books stowed away in her desk without being spotted.

Jessica had had the foresight to grab a clean hanky at the end of break so that, should anyone demand to see the aforesaid item, she would have it to hand. She crept quietly into the dining room, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible but the prefect on her table, Anna Holmes, had noted her absence and her class mates’ explanation and Anna pounced as soon as Jessica sat down at her place.

“Did you ask permission to go up to the dormy to get your hanky?” she demanded. The girls were not supposed to enter the dormitory buildings during the day except in emergencies or with permission from a mistress or prefect and Jessica had forgotten about this.

“Er…no,”

“Why not? You know the rules?”

“I forgot,” Jessica excused herself lamely. Her immediate feeling was to cheek Anna as she had done to so many mistresses and prefects since term began but the knowledge of the contraband in her desk made her cautious.

“And you also forgot to inform me?” The girls were supposed to inform the prefect in charge of their table if they were going to be late for meals, unless it was unavoidable. They were not supposed to get their class mates to pass the message on for them

“Er…yes,” Jessica stared down at the plate of soup that had been passed to her.

“Please remember in future. It’s common courtesy to let me know if you’ve been delayed and the height of rudeness to pass messages on to me through your friends.” Anna said.

Jessica felt that she was making a mountain out of a mole hill, but Redferne did put a lot of stress into the importance of being courteous and polite. She replied, “Yes, Anna,” before tucking in to her soup. She managed a discreet nod to the rest of gang which told them that her mission had been successful and they grinned triumphantly at each other - all except Charlotte who was still hurt at being left out.

Jessica managed to smuggle the books up to the dormitory after tea when the girls went up to change out of their uniforms before prep. She stashed them down the back of her chest of drawers – even if Miss Walton or one of the matrons decided to do a dormitory raid they were unlikely to check there!

At bedtime, the members of number 7 trooped up to bed expectantly. Jessica had overheard Caroline and Gillian in the common room talking about “that super play we were reading with Couly” and so she had approached them about the plan to continue reading the play by themselves, after lights out. The two had jumped at the idea. They were normally quiet people who kept themselves to themselves but they were just as keen as the others to continue with the reading.

Last edited by leahbelle on Wed Apr 26, 2006 10:59 am; edited 13 times in total

#2: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:16 am

Thanks leahbelle. Hooray for drabbles being back!

#3: Author: Eilidh, Location: Macclesfield

Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:18 am

Thanks leahbelle. Why does something tell me that they're going to get caught?

#4: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 10:58 am

Oh dear - she's setting herself up for so much trouble - going into the Staff Room, taking the key, lying to the Prefect, then being causght after Lights Out.

Shakes head in sorrow.

Thanks Leahbelle - good to have this back.

#5: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:43 am

Oh Jess, how much trouble are you getting yourself into?

Thanks, Leahbelle

#6: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 4:58 am

I'm so pleased to see this back, thanks, Leahbelle. It's a fabulous story. I wish Jessica would make more effort to get on with her school work and less effort to get into trouble, though.

#7: Author: leahbelle, Location: Coventry

Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 7:45 am

After lights out, the dormitory lay awake, waiting for the prefects and matrons to go to bed. They didn’t dare start their reading while these people were still up and about. The matrons, in particular, were renowned for having ears like hawks. They were lucky in that no matron slept on their floor and the prefects were all housed on the top floor so they had hopes that no-one would ruin their fun.

It was after eleven before Jessica finally felt that it was safe to get up. She switched on her torch and shone it round the room. The curtains were firmly closed, so there was no danger of light showing outside and disturbing anyone. Similarly, the door to the dormitory was closed and was so tight fitting that it was unlikely that any of the dim light from the torches would should in the hall way. As Jessica gave the signal, the other girls fumbled under their pillows for their torches. They scrambled into their slippers and dressing gowns and joined Jessica on her bed. It was a bit crowded as it was only a single bed and not made for six! Rose eventually found it more comfortable to perch on the edge of the chest of drawers from behind which Jessica had rescued the copies of An Inspector Calls.

As ringleader, Jessica had bagged the part of Inspector Goole. Rose was Eric Birling and Jennifer was Gerald Croft. Beth plumped for Sheila Birling, while Caroline and Gillian were Mr and Mrs Birling respectively and the reading began.

Time flew and before the girls knew where they were, they had finished the first act and the clock in the hall was striking one o’clock. The girls were thrilled with the play, almost the first play they had been given to read that any of them had actually enjoyed.

“Cripes!” Jessica cried as she heard the soft chiming of the clock. “Time we were in bed! Come on you lot, give me back the books and we’ll get on with it tomorrow night.”

The girls relinquished their books back to Jessica who returned them to their unlawful resting place and then they all returned to their own beds. With the exception of Caroline and Rose, it took them a while to settle down and feel sleepy because their brains were so occupied with what they had just read. Indeed, for Jessica, it was well after two before she finally dozed off.

The result was that next morning, when the rising bell went, the six members of number 7 groaned and pulled the covers over their heads trying to drown out the noise of the bell. There was no reprieve, however, and the door opened a few minutes later to admit the prefect on duty. She got number 7 up in short order and waited until she saw them all pick up their towels and washing things before leaving. Although the girls felt dreadful, they all admitted that it had been worth it to get so far on with the play and there was no-one who was not looking forward to continuing that night.

The second act was finished that evening and, again, it was late when the girls fell asleep. One night of disturbed rest had not affected them overly much, but after the second night, more than one member of number 7 found herself in trouble in class for not paying attention. Jessica was the worst. Never a good sleeper at the best of times these days, the lack of sleep was affecting her badly. How she managed to scrape through classes without a major row was a mystery as she was hauled up time and time again for inattention and poorly presented work. She excelled herself in Maths by falling asleep at the end of the class. Fortunately, only her next door neighbour noticed and woke her up by firmly poking her in the ribs.

On the third night, they got halfway through the final act when Jessica suddenly stopped reading.

“I say!” she cried. “I’ve had a great idea!”

#8: Author: Squirrel, Location: St-Andrews or Dunfermline

Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 7:54 am

Oh dear, why don't I like the sound of that? Now, if only her idea is that they do the play in their common room during the day, that would be better than them tiring themselves out like that!

Thanks Leahbelle

#9: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 7:56 am

I get the feeling that this "great" idea may be one of those things that seem great at the time but then don't afterwards ...

#10: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 7:58 am

Are they going to start acting it out?

Thanks Leahbelle Very Happy

#11: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 8:48 am

It's not, you know! Jessica - I'm sure the English mistress would love you to put as much effort into her lessons in class, rather than just out of it!

Thanks Leahbelle - must admit, although she's being silly, it's just normal silliness - not anything that would get her into serious (read expulsion) trouble.......Yet!

#12: Author: leahbelle, Location: Coventry

Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 12:03 pm

LizB wrote:

Are they going to start acting it out?

Thanks Leahbelle Very Happy

Top of the class, Liz! That's Jess' next plan!

#13: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 8:43 pm

Oh dear! I spy even more trouble on the horizon.

Thanks leahbelle

#14: Author: arky72, Location: Cheshire

Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 3:54 pm

I'm really pleased to see this back, thanks Leahbelle!

Jessica's good ideas never seem to be trouble free...

#15: Author: JosieG, Location: Yorkshire Dales

Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 4:38 pm

Hmm...why do I think this great idea is going to end in disaster?! Thanks for reposting this leahbelle, and thanks for the updates Smile

#16: Author: Le Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham

Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 8:26 pm

Ooerrr what will the mistresses think? I think I see Jess' place on the team running off down that hill... Laughing

#17: Author: leahbelle, Location: Coventry

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 9:10 am

On the third night, they got halfway through the final act when Jessica suddenly stopped reading.

“I say!” she cried. “I’ve had a great idea!”

The others looked up from their scripts.

“We’ve nearly finished reading this,” Jessica said. “We’ll have finished it tomorrow night. What about us taking part of an act, or a scene and acting it out?”

The girls looked at each other excitedly.

“That’s a marvellous idea, Jess!” Rose cried.

Beth agreed, but added, “Won’t we make an awful lot of noise if we’re acting? We’ve managed to keep quiet the past few nights, but if we’re walking about we’re bound to make a lot more noise. And we’ll have to talk rather than whisper.”

“We can’t do it in the dormy,” Jessica decided. “Someone’s bound to hear us. We’ve been lucky so far.”

“But where can we go?” Caroline asked. She was not anxious to leave the safety of the dormitory, feeling that they were more likely to get caught if they started wandering around the building and she had no desire to get in to a row.

“What about the matrons’ sitting room on the ground floor?” Jennifer suggested. “No-one sleeps down there.”

“Oh, yes!” Jessica agreed. “And they have hot chocolate and tea and coffee and things in there. We can have a sort of picnic as well.”

“We’ll have to keep as quiet as we can though,” Beth pointed out. “Doesn’t Miss Walton sleep directly above the sitting room?”

“We’ll be ok as long as we’re careful,” Jessica said firmly. “Haven’t we got away with being up after lights out for three nights?”

The plans were laid and, next evening, instead of staying in the dormitory to finish the final act, the girls crept down to the matrons’ sitting room on the ground floor. They didn’t quite dare to help themselves to tea and biscuits as Jessica had suggested but they read the rest of the play in comfort, sprawled out on the sofas and armchairs that the room boasted.

With the final act finished, the girls declared themselves delighted with the ending. Now they had to discuss which part of the play they would like to act out. Jessica suggested starting with the scene where Inspector Goole makes his first appearance and, as she had shown herself to be somewhat of a leader in this escapade, the others agreed and the play began in earnest.

In her room on the first floor, Miss Walton was tossing and turning. She was not usually a light sleeper and normally had no trouble in getting over. Her days were full and she tended to sleep the sleep of the justly weary. But that night, she had had a particularly nasty argument with one of the seniors who felt that she should be exempt from certain rules and regulations and Miss Walton found herself going over and over the argument in her mind, certain that she had handled herself badly. When her pillows and duvet both landed on the floor with respective “flumps”, Miss Walton finally gave up trying to find sleep. She decided to go down to the sitting room and make herself a mug of chocolate. There was nothing to be gained by remaining in bed and getting more and more frustrated as the night grew older.

Miss Walton got up and pulled on her slippers and dressing gown. She didn’t bother with a torch as her room was at the head of the stairs and there was a window which would provide enough light to show her the way in the dark. She made it as far as the door of the sitting room before she heard the noises coming from inside the room. Her hand on the door knob, she paused and put her ear to the door. Yes, there were definitely voices coming from inside. She could hear people moving about and some muffled giggles.

The mistress flung open the door, her wrath evident in every movement of her body. The members of number 7 dormitory stopped where they stood, in various acting stances, horror just as evident on their faces. Miss Walton took in the scene at a glance.

“Just what do you girls think you are doing in here at this time of night?” she demanded, and her tone told the miscreants that they were in for it this time.

The others looked to Jessica to answer. She saw that Miss Walton was furious and decided that she may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb.

“We’re rehearsing a play, Miss Walton,” she explained. Her tone implied that surely it was perfectly obvious!

Miss Walton was stunned. She was silent and the other girls began to look scared. With the possible exception of Beth, they did not possess Jessica’s bravado.

“Do you know what time it is?” Miss Walton asked coldly. Rightly assuming this to be a rhetorical question, no-one answered. Miss Walton looked from one girl to another, her expression boding no good for anyone. “It’s far too late to discuss this now. You girls should have been asleep hours ago. Go back up to your dormitory now. I will see you at break time tomorrow in your form room. Leave those books on the table, please, Beth.”

Beth had been frantically collecting the three books in an attempt to smuggle them back upstairs safely. She gave up and laid them on the coffee table obediently.

One after another, the girls fled from the room. Five minutes later, they were curled up in bed but they were too upset to sleep. Caroline and Gillian were close to tears as they imagined the unpleasant interview that was ahead of them. The others were not so fussed, rows of varying severity being more or less in a day’s work for them, but they did know that Miss Walton was furious and that trouble was ahead. Jessica shrugged it off. She had been in so much trouble lately that one more row would not make much difference.

#18: Author: alicat, Location: Wiltshire

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 9:49 am

Leahbelle thank you thank you for re-posting this, I have really missed it Razz

this is the first time I have heard of a midngiht adventure that involves school work!!!!! shows jessica is really a CS girl at heart...but I'm sure going through that desk is going to get her in terrible trouble. Sad

#19: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 10:16 am

Oh dear!

#20: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:57 am

Eeeeek!

Perhaps, Jessica, this row might be one that makes a difference!

Thanks, Leahbelle

#21: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 2:06 pm

Oh, this is going to be a really big row.

Thanks, Leahbelle.

#22: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:21 pm

Especially when they check those books and realise they've been taken from a Mistress's desk.....

Thanks Leahbelle.

#23: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 8:31 pm

Thanks, Leahbelle. Jessica really asks for it, doesn't she?

#24: Author: Cryst,

Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 5:06 am

Quote:

“We’re rehearsing a play, Miss Walton,” she explained. Her tone implied that surely it was perfectly obvious!

I can just see her standing there saying that!
Thank you Leahbelle.

#25: Author: leahbelle, Location: Coventry

Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 8:11 am

It was with some apprehension that number 7 dormitory remained in their form room at break next morning and awaited the arrival of Miss Walton. The house mistress got quickly to the bottom of the affair and told the six exactly what she thought of them.

“You have been underhand and dishonest,” she told them ruthlessly. “You, Jessica, have taken books that do not belong to you from a locked cupboard. In order to get the key, you freely admit going through a mistress’ drawers. How would you feel if someone went through your things without permission? The rest of you have broken the lights out rule and have abused the trust that we place in you girls to go to sleep when the bell rings. You have also used the matrons’ personal sitting room without permission.”

The girls looked from one to the other, wondering what drastic punishment was about to befall them.

“Have you anything to say for yourselves?” Miss Walton asked.

“I…I’m sorry,” Caroline said. She had been crying quietly for some time. Gillian, too, added her apologies and the others followed suit – all except Jessica who remained stubbornly silent.

“I’m pleased to hear it,” the mistress told them and then delivered her bombshell. “For the next week, you will go to bed with the juniors. A prefect will go with you and will remain in the dormitory until the lights out bell has gone and you are in bed. A prefect will come and oversee you in the mornings as well. You will remain in silence in the dormitory for the next seven days. You may only speak to the prefect if you need something. If you girls cannot behave yourselves and show yourselves worthy of the trust we place in you, you must be supervised until you learn to act your ages.”

At this horrible edict, Caroline’s sobs became louder, and Gillian, too, began to weep.

The mistress went on, “If you had asked permission to borrow the books and read the play, it would have been granted and you could have it done it during the proper hours. Next time, it would do you all good to stop and think before you act. You can go now. Not you, Jessica, I haven’t finished with you yet.”

The five got up from their desks and crawled to the door. Miss Walton had dealt them a swingeing punishment and they wished that they had never agreed to Jessica’s idea. They went to the dining room to get their break snack very subdued and very little was heard from them for the rest of the day.

Miss Walton waited until the five had departed, closing the door behind them before turning back to Jessica. The girl was still unrepentant and she sat perched on the edge of a desk in a most casual attitude.

“Stand up straight!” Miss Walton snapped. She was in none too happy a mood after her disturbed night and dealing with six silly little girls, including one who seemed to have trouble in seeing the error of her ways, was not at all what she felt like doing.

Jessica obeyed and stood up tall, her arms by her side.

“Are you going home this evening, Jessica?” the mistress asked.

“No, I’m staying at school this weekend.”

“Then you will share exactly the same punishment as the others with regards to silence and supervision in the dormitory for the next seven nights. Whose desk did you take the key from?”

“Miss Coulson’s”

“And you’re aware that all the mistresses have a key to that cupboard?”

Jessica shrugged.

“I want you to come to the staff room this afternoon after lunch. You will apologise to all this mistresses. We all have a key to the cupboard and it could have been any one of our desks that you went through. You will apologise for entering the staff room without permission, for stealing a key and invading a mistress’s personal belongings and for removing the books. What’s more, you will apologise properly – and mean it. If you don’t…” Miss Walton left the threat hanging in mid air.

Jessica was dismayed, but did not show it. She loathed apologising, and to apologise to a large group of people – including those against she had committed no crime as far as she could see – was galling. Miss Walton dismissed her and she went off to make the best of what was left of break.

Jessica dutifully presented herself in the staffroom after lunch. It seemed to her that every mistress in the school was present, including visiting mistresses and those who had their common room in another part of the building! All eyes were turned on her as she delivered a short apology which consisted of muttering “I’m sorry I took the key and the books”. Miss Coulson delivered a few scathing words of her own with regards to rummaging through other people’s property without permission and Jessica had the grace to blush. She was then dismissed.

#26: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 8:16 am

Oh Jessica, you're going the right way to make yourself as miserable at school as you are at home!

Bed with the juniors is probably just what the girls need after all those late nights.

Thanks, Leahbelle

#27: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 8:18 am

She's not making life easy for herself, is she?

#28: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 3:00 pm

Hmmm, well if she cannot see that she was in the wrong then there will be more problems ahead....

Thanks leahbelle.

#29: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 3:24 pm

Oh dear oh dear.

She's not going to be taking a good report home at the end of term.

#30: Author: leahbelle, Location: Coventry

Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:54 am

The next week was not a happy one. Starting that night, Friday, number 7 dormitory was sent to bed at the same time as the juniors, 8.15. For girls who were starting to consider themselves grown up, this was embarrassing in the extreme. A prefect accompanied them and stayed with them until lights out rang. No talking was allowed and the atmosphere in the room could have been sliced with a knife.

The one to feel the early bedtime the most was Jessica. It meant that she had to leave netball practice fifteen minutes early, and explain to Rachel Butler and Anna Holmes exactly why she was leaving early. They added their own thoughts to those of Miss Coulson and Miss Walton and Jessica was fuming by the time she curled up under the covers.

The morning was the same. A prefect presented herself in the dormitory just as the rising bell rang and oversaw the girls’ preparations for the day ahead. As the prefect had had to give up her own free time – and extra time in bed on a Saturday – she was none too pleased at having to take charge of the girls and they dared do nothing to rouse her anger. Caroline, dropping her brush on her foot and exclaiming, received short shrift and the prefect warned the girls that any further noise would result in lines being given.

But it was over at last. Miss Walton presented herself in the dormitory the following Friday morning and bade the girls take notice of her words.

“If you want to work outside of school hours in future, ask permission,” she told them. “It will be granted to you. We want to encourage you girls to enjoy your lessons and we wouldn’t forbid you to do something as harmless as reading a play. You could have used the form room and done a proper reading in comfort. Instead, you didn’t bother to think about the rules you were breaking and the people you would inconvenience as a result. Next time, stop to think and you will find that life is much easier for you.”

Miss Walton stopped there and the girls heard nothing more about their escapade. Only Jessica still fumed silently inside.

#31: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:59 am

Thanks, Leahbelle

*wondering what Jessica will get up to next*

#32: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:00 am

Sounds like more trouble's brewing.

#33: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent

Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 11:57 am

Thanks, Leahbelle. I wonder what Jessica will come up with next.

#34: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 5:38 pm

Silly little girl...

Thanks Leahbelle.

#35: Author: leahbelle, Location: Coventry

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:53 am

Half term arrived quickly and the school would be closed for a week, from the Wednesday afternoon until the Tuesday evening of the following week. Most of the girls lived close enough to the school to go home for the week and those who didn’t had been invited to go home with friends. This left the staff with a free week in which to enjoy some well-deserved relaxation.

Jessica was to go to Moorlands for the week. She had been invited to go with Beth who lived some thirty miles away from the school. Her parents owned a large Victorian manor house which they ran as a hotel and stables and Jessica had been promised a marvellous time, learning to ride. She had begged Emily to allow to her to go, but Emily refused, feeling that Jessica’s place that first half term was at Moorlands with her new family. She did not want Jessica to distance herself further from her new family by spending holidays away from home. Emily told Jessica that she might have Beth and Charlotte over to stay at Moorlands one night and they could spend the next day together and with this the girl had to be satisfied, rant though she might. Emily would not be moved.

Jessica had spent the weeks before half term concentrating on her netball and doing as little work as possible to keep her out of the worst of trouble. It was almost ironic that she had got into a row for reading a play in her own time. The second netball team was playing well and had won three out of the four games played. Jessica was improving no end and had hopes of being promoted to the first team next academic year, even though she would be below age.

However, a shock was awaiting her the day before half term. The mistresses were at their wits end with her. She continued to be rude and cheeky in class and to play the mistresses up constantly. Her work was way below standard and her average marks were below 45%. The only thing she seemed to be interested in doing well was netball, games and, occasionally, science. Miss Simmonds felt that it was time something was done about it. If the girl continued in this vain, she would find herself left in her current form at the end of the year while her classmates progressed upwards. Redferne did not like to do this, believing that girls learned best with those of their own age, but did take this step when necessary. Miss Simmonds thought that this would only make Jessica worse and determined to do something to ensure that it did not happen.

After prep, the mistress asked Jessica to remain behind and come to the front of the class. Jessica had been in a lot of rows lately and she thought that this was going to be just another lecture. She slouched at the front of the room as Miss Simmonds waited til the others had left before beginning.

“How are you, Jessica?” she asked. “How are you settling in as a weekly boarder?”

Jessica had expected the mistress to launch straight into a tirade and was taken surprised by the question.

“All right,” she said shortly.

Miss Simmonds took the marks register from her desk, opened it and regarded it. When she had finished, she looked up at Jessica.

“The form is working well this term,” she said conversationally. “Some of the girls are averaging 70% each week. What do you think your average is?”

Jessica pulled a face. She knew it would be low. “Don’t know,” she drawled, carelessly.

“43%,” Miss Simmonds voice was sharp now. “The lowest in the class.”

“Lowest?” Jessica was shocked. She had not realised that she had sunk to quite such low levels.

“It seems that the only thing you are interested in doing well is netball. I hear that you scored the winning goal at the weekend.”

Jessica nodded proudly.

“I’m sure you realise,” Miss Simmonds went on, “that playing netball in a school team is a privilege? Do you think that, with an average of 43%, you deserve to be allowed to play for the school?”

“But I’m good at netball. What difference does it make what marks I get?”

“It matters because, with marks like that, you should be concentrating on your school work, not on running about a netball pitch,” the mistress said sternly. “I’ve spoken to Miss Cain about this and she says that she has already spoken to you earlier in the term about not being allowed to play if your behaviour doesn’t warrant it.”

“Yes, but that was different. I haven’t been in the gym without permission since then.”

“There’s no difference,” Miss Simmonds said briefly. “I’m sorry to have to say this to you, Jessica, but you’re really leaving me no choice. Unless your marks improve after half term, you will not be allowed to play in the team. I want to see your marks improve to an average of 55% by the end of November. That will give you three weeks. If they don’t, then someone else will take your place in the team until your marks do reach this level.”

Jessica was appalled. How was she meant to show Emily that making her a weekly boarder would not improve her work if Miss Simmonds was laying down such an awful law? Miss Simmonds knew all about it, of course, and had even approached Emily before deciding to proceed with this course of action. Emily had given Miss Simmonds permission to do whatever she felt was necessary to get Jessica back on track.

“And,” Miss Simmonds continued, “we can’t let a girl with an average of 43% go up to upper fourth next year. Bear in mind that you will be left behind in lower fourth if there’s no improvement in your work.”

Jessica gaped. To be left behind with girls coming up from upper third was almost more of a disgrace than being dropped from the netball team.

“Will you try, Jessica? No-one wants to inflict either of these punishments on you, but we will if you leave us no option.”

“I… I’ll try,” Jessica agreed unwillingly. She had really been left with no option!

“Good,” Miss Simmonds relaxed enough to smile. “And remember, if you find that you are struggling you can always come and ask me for help. I’ll be more than happy to help you out. Understand?”

“Yes,”

“Then off you go and enjoy half term and come back ready to work.”

Jessica went, but she felt that Miss Simmonds had got the best of that interview and, if she wanted to stay in team and stay with her class mates, she had better try to pull her socks up. After half a term of slacking it would not be easy, but she was too proud to take up Miss Simmonds’ offer of help; therefore, it would mean struggling along by herself. Jessica was stubborn, though and nothing, not even her attempt to punish Emily for making her a weekly boarder, would come between her and the netball team.

#36: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:56 am

It's so easy for it all to go wrong, isn't it?

Thanks leahbelle Very Happy

#37: Author: Le Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 11:11 am

Come on Jess, you can make a difference now!! Very Happy

#38: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 12:27 pm

Let's hope she takes this chance.

#39: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:12 pm

Thanks, Leahbelle. I'm glad that Jessica has been given a chance to improve. I hope she will take the chance.

#40: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:48 pm

Silly child - she's trying to punish Emily and ending up punishing herself.

Thanks Leahbelle - think the teachers are being very patient with Jessica.

#41: Author: Michelle, Location: Near London

Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2006 1:24 pm

Poor, silly Jessica. Thank you, Leahbelle - I love the way she's so rude, yet such a likeable character at the same time.

#42: Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire

Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2006 11:03 pm

I've been reading this for a while, but haven't commented before, but I'm vastly impressed at such a believable and detailed backstory for Jessica. You've really made her come alive, leahbelle, and your own characters are great, too, I love Miss Walton worrying over a mishandled clash with a pupil. Poor Jessica, the slippery slope keeps getting steeper.

#43: Author: Becky, Location: Newport, South Wales, UK

Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 2:38 pm

I've always liked Jessica, and this backstory is great, really interesting.

Thanks leahbelle Very Happy

#44: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2006 11:54 am

I really hope Jessica manages to pull her work up so that she doesn't lose her place in the team. I'm not sure that would be the best thing to happen to her. By the way, how long is it until they send her to the Chalet School now?

#45: Author: leahbelle, Location: Coventry

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 8:10 am

Hi Fatima - Jessica's still got about a year to go until OOAOML gets her claws into her!

Jessica went home to Moorlands unwillingly next day. She was all the more aggrieved because Charlotte had been granted permission to go and stay with Beth for a few days. Jessica was wild with jealousy and, though her friends would spend a day at Moorlands towards the end of the break, she watched her two friends crowd into Mr Hudson’s car with rebellion in her heart. She herself sat in silence in the back of Adam’s car during the journey to Moorlands, with her brows drawn together and mouth set. Adam groaned inwardly, guessing that this meant that a fun time would not be had by all during the next week. He and Emily had planned some outings for Jessica, but he guessed that the girl felt that nothing could make up for being deprived of the chance to learn to horse ride.

In fact, Jessica kept herself pretty much to herself for the first few days. She presented herself for meals and so on downstairs, but otherwise kept to her bedroom or sitting room, or was to be found roaming the woods and common land in the countryside around the house. Emily took her to the pictures one afternoon, but a shopping trip to the city had to be postponed because Rosamund was ill one night.

Charlotte and Beth arrived on the Sunday afternoon, full of the fun they had had during the first part of the holiday. Neither were observant enough to see that Jessica’s jealousy remained and that she grudged them the happy time they had spent together.

Sunday afternoon proved to be a beautiful day. Autumn had begun in earnest and the leaves on the trees were beginning to turn brown. The days were cooler, too, but today the sun was shining and there was a considerable amount of warmth in its rays, as long as one kept out of the cool breeze. Jessica proposed that the three should set off to explore the woods and fields nearby which she had come to love – Moorlands at least had one redeeming feature! Beth and Charlotte agreed. They had spent a lot of time out of doors since half term began and were loathe to stay inside on such a gorgeous afternoon.

They trooped off downstairs, where the two guests got into their coats and sturdy shoes while Jessica went off in search of Emily to ask permission. She found Emily in Rosamund’s room, and it looked like Rosamund had been changed into warmer clothes. Jessica explained her purpose and Emily looked up, pleased.

“What a good idea!” she exclaimed. “I was just getting Rosamund ready to take her out for a run in her chair. It’s such a shame to be inside on a day like today, and we must make the most of the good weather while it’s here. We can all go together.”

Jessica’s face fell. “But…but we were going to go exploring in the woods and I thought I’d take Char and Beth to the top of the hill in the next field.” A cosy trip with Rosamund holding them all back was not at all what she had planned!

“You can still do that,” Emily assured her, “but it would be nice if you walked with Rosamund and me for the first part of the way. Rosamund’s been listening to you three giggling upstairs and she’d love the chance to meet Charlotte and Beth and spend some time with them.”

“But…” Jessica began again, and then gave it up. Emily had clearly made her mind up and the girl did not want to cause a scene in front of her friends. But she made up her mind that they would lose Emily and Rosamund as quickly as possible.

#46: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 8:16 am

She's being really thoughtless towards Rosamund, but it's very realistic - at that age you do want to go off with your mates and she's just not thinking. Thanks leahbelle.

#47: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 10:22 am

Thanks, Leahbelle. I'm glad that Jessica has found something to like about Moorlands.

#48: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 12:32 pm

Thanks, Leahbelle

I hope nothing happens that will be interpreted by Jess as Rosamund 'stealing' her friends Confused

#49: Author: arky72, Location: Cheshire

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 5:58 pm

I love this story so much Very Happy

I am very tempted to re-read Mary-Lou but am making myself wait until the end of this!

#50: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 6:07 pm

Yes, I've been wanting to re-read Mary-Lou, too!
Another year, Leahbelle?! Poor Jessica, it's obviously going to be a long and difficult one.
I also agree about the going off with one's mates rather than hanging around with family; but I wonder what the mates will think of Rosamund? Just imagine if they like her.
Thanks, Leahbelle, this is brilliant.

#51: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 6:24 pm

I think it's likely that they will like Rosamund - after all, once Jessica saw past her jealousy she did. Of course that's going to upset Jessica even more - silly girl.

Thanks Leahbelle.

#52: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 8:48 pm

Rosamund seems like a nice kid - I'm sure that Charlotte and Beth will take to her, it's just a pity that they won't be able to change Jessica's mind.

Thanks leahbelle

#53: Author: leahbelle, Location: Coventry

Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 7:48 am

The little party set off, with Emily pushing Rosamund’s chair and Beth, who had never known anyone in an invalid chair before, walking beside them and talking shyly to the younger girl. Charlotte and Jessica strode off ahead, with Jessica giving occasional angry glances at the group behind her, annoyed that Beth was with Rosamund.

They reached the path that led towards the thick woods that surrounded two sides of Moorlands House. Beyond the woods were the fields and common land that Jessica had already explored and, beyond those the rolling hills of the countryside. Rosamund could not go too far because the ground quickly much too rough for her chair and Jessica hoped that Emily would continue with her on the smooth path that led back to Moorlands by a circuitous route. Her step sister was thoroughly enjoying the outcome and Beth’s attention was especially welcome. She had precious little contact with the outside world.

Just as they reached the place where the path forked to either enter the woods or to continue on, Emily gave a sudden exclamation.

“The apple pie!” she cried, and the four girls turned to look at her in amazement. I’ve forgotten to put the apple pie in the oven for tea. I must just dash back and put it in, otherwise there will only be sandwiches and fruit. Would you three keep an eye on Rosamund for me? It will only take me five minutes if I run?”

“Mother…” Jessica began, but Beth butted in.

“Of course, Mrs Sefton, we’ll wait her with Rosamund.”

“Thank you, girls,” Emily smiled. “When I come back, I’ll continue on the path with Rosamund and you three can explore the woods.”

Emily shot off and the four girls were left alone. Jessica turned to Beth and said crossly, “What on earth did you have to agree for? We could be off in to the forest now, and instead we have to baby sit her.”

“Oh, but, Jess, I couldn’t do anything else. We’re guests!” Beth exclaimed.

Jessica grunted and Beth looked uncomfortable while poor Rosamund wished herself anywhere else but here. Charlotte, too, was annoyed at Beth. She knew how much Jessica resented her step sister and could understand why. Her own baby sister, Andrea, was still taking up too much of her parents’ time and she knew how annoyed she would have been if her mother had demanded that she look after Andrea and had then dashed off.

“We don’t need to stay put, Jess,” she said, “we can go off and explore on the edges. We won’t be anymore than a few seconds away from Rosamund at any time and we’ll hear your mum when she comes back.”

“Why don’t we play hide and seek while we’re waiting?” Jessica suggested. “I’ll put the brakes on the chair and Rosamund will be quite safe. She can always shout if she needs anything. Mother should be back in a few minutes, anyhow.”

“Fantastic!” Charlotte enthused. “Bags me it.”

Only Beth looked doubtful. “Shouldn’t we stay with Rosamund like your mum asked? She won’t be long and then we can have our game.”

Jessica turned a look of scorn on her friend. “Why should we lose our fun just because Mother forgot to put the apple pie in to cook and left her with us? It’ll be fine, Beth” Jessica turned coaxing. “After all,” she added cruelly, “it’s not as if Rosamund can get up and walk and lose herself, is it?”

Charlotte was champing at the bit to get on with the game and she added her bit.

“Do come on, Beth! It’ll be fun.”

Beth gave it up and agreed, but she conscientiously double checked that the brake had been put on properly and that there was no chance of Rosamund’s chair moving. Rosamund had had no say in the matter, and she watched in some trepidation as the three disappeared in amongst the trees. She was not scared at being left on her own, but it was chilly sitting still in the chair and she had hoped that the girls would keep her moving.

#54: Author: Eilidh, Location: Macclesfield

Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 7:58 am

This is a bad plan. I know this is a bad plan.

Silly Jess - can't you just wait five minutes?

#55: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:10 am

Emily will go mad if she finds out that Jessica and the others left Rosamund on her own, and it'll serve Jessica right.

#56: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:14 am

Uh-oh!

Thanks, Leahbelle

#57: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent

Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 11:01 am

Thanks, Leahbelle. I feel very sorry for Rosamund - especially when they were talking about her as if she couldn't hear them.

#58: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 12:12 pm

*Agrees with Chair*

It was as though Rosamund didn't exist -even Beth saying she was only staying because she was a guest. Rosamund must feel terrible - hope Jessica does get in trouble for this - she deserves it - and if she won't see that (and it's likely that she won't) I hope the other two do.

Thanks leahbelle.

#59: Author: Chelsea, Location: Your Imagination

Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:27 pm

Agrees that this is a VERY BAD plan!!

Also feels very sorry for Rosamund.

#60: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:15 pm

Poor Rosamund, being talked about then being left like that. Jessica does deserve to be in trouble, but she's not going to understand why, is she?
Thanks, Leahbelle.

#61: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:20 pm

Poor Rosamund! That's really awful! *hugs her*

#62: Author: Lyanne, Location: Ipswich, England

Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 6:46 pm

Charlotte is a really bad friend for Jessica!

#63: Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire

Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:47 pm

This is the worst yet, treating Rosamund as if she doesn't exist like that. It's all going to go horribly wrong, of course, but those three, even Beth, deserve severe poking!

#64: Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 6:33 am

Just caught up with all this. Thanks for re-posting it. I hope nothing horrible happens to Rosamund, eg her chair rolling away...

*wibbles*

Poor Jessica, she is making things bad for herself.

#65: Author: leahbelle, Location: Coventry

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 7:39 am

It is all going to go horribly wrong......

Emily had raced back to the house and put the apple pie into the oven to cook. She had also forgotten to put the oven on to warm up, and so she had to put it in to a cold oven and hope that it would be all right. She was on her way back out the front to rejoin the girls when a sudden burst of wind slammed the door onto the fingers of her left. Emily gasped at the pain and quickly pushed the door open. She glanced down at her poor fingers which were throbbing madly and one or two were turning purple before her eyes. Amazingly, the skin had not broken and, gently wiggling them, she knew that no bones were broken either. The pain was excruciating and Emily knew that she must get the fingers into cold water before they started to swell.

She acted quickly, racing to the kitchen and filling up the basin in the sink with icy cold water from the tap, holding the fingers beneath the water as the basin filled. The pain from the cold water was almost worse than the pain from the injury itself and Emily gritted her teeth. Eventually, the cold water started to turn her hand numb and the pain eased. She carefully dried her hand on a clean tea towel and searched amongst the items in the first aid box for a bandage which she managed to tie clumsily around her fingers.

It was not until then, when the fingers were feeling slightly more comfortable and she had taken some painkillers, that she remembered Rosamund and the girls. Glancing at the clock she saw that she had been away for over twenty minutes. Feeling slightly sick now with the pain and reaction, Emily got to her feet and shrugged her coat on. She knew that Jessica would not be happy at having Rosamund foisted on to her like this and she did not want to leave the four alone together for longer than she had to. She made her way quickly down the path, trying to hold her hand as still as possible because every sudden movement started it aching again. She rounded the bend and there was Rosamund, still sitting in her chair where the three naughty girls had left her twenty five minutes earlier.

It had grown colder in the last half hour, the sun having lost most of its warmth and the breeze growing in strength, and the girl was chilled to the bone. Emily had not meant for Rosamund to remain stationery, knowing that she had to be kept moving to keep the chill off.

“Where’s Jessica!” Emily demanded, descending on the cold girl. She felt her hands with her own good one and they were frozen. Emily was annoyed at herself for not making Rosamund put her gloves on. She tucked Rosamund’s hands inside the girl’s jacket shouting, “Jessica!” at the same time.

By this time, Jessica and her friends were a good mile away and well beyond hearing distance. They had started a gorgeous game of hide and seek which, at the start, they had been careful to keep near the edge of the woods. But, as they grew more excited, they had lost track of everything except the game and had ventured further and further into the forest until they could no longer see Jessica. They were now virtually coming out the other side of the woods..

Emily gave another shout and then decided that she could not leave Rosamund in the cold in any longer. She must get the girl home and warm and then she must redress the wound on her own hand. Pushing the chair over the slightly uneven ground was torturous and Emily had to keep herself from crying out on more than one occasion when the chair hit a stone or a rut. Getting Rosamund home was the most important thing, and Emily gritted her teeth and pushed on.

They arrived back at Moorlands some five minutes later, just as Adam pulled up in his car. He had been visiting a sick friend in town and had been glad of the excuse to escape from a houseful of women. He saw Emily’s face from the car and knew at once that something was wrong. He did not wait for explanations, but took the chair from Emily and hurried them both in to the house. Emily, who was in a lot of pain, burst into tears and Rosamund was not far off.

Adam hurried Rosamund in to the sitting room where a small fire had been set to burn in the grate. He could see that her main problem was cold and a few moments warming up would soon set her right. Emily’s problem was clearly more serious.

He returned to the hall to find her sitting on the bottom step, tying to stem the tears of pain. Adam helped her out of her coat and then gently unwrapped the bandaging. He gasped in horror when he saw the state of her fingers. The middle ones were purple and had begun to swell, in spite of the swift water treatment. The tears fell in earnest as he examined the injury which really was quite horrific. Seeing that Emily was close to fainting with the pain, he ushered her upstairs and laid her down on the bed. Her face was almost green with the pain and he decided that a doctor must be called.

Adam rushed back downstairs to the telephone where he put through a call to Dr Catterick, the doctor who took care of Rosamund, and he promised to come immediately. Adam went back upstairs where he soothed Emily and told her not to worry, the doctor would be with her soon. She managed to tell him that Jessica and friends had gone out, but not that they had abandoned Rosamund. Adam left her lying quietly on the coverlet and he went back downstairs to put Rosamund to rights.

She was cold, but otherwise fine and she, too, said nothing about having been abandoned by Jessica and her friends. Adam got her a cup of tea and she was soon feeling warmer.

Dr Catterick arrived twenty minutes later. He examined Emily’s fingers gravely, but pronounced that there were no broken bones, though the fingers were badly bruised and would take a week or so to heal. He bandaged them up securely and gave Emily a mild sedative and painkiller to help her sleep. She was really quite shocked by the whole event.

#66: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 7:53 am

Poor Emily and poor Rosamund. I hope Jessica gets the rollicking she deserves when she gets home - although that'll set her against them even more.

#67: Author: Eilidh, Location: Macclesfield

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 7:54 am

What Alison said. She deserves it this time!

#68: Author: alicat, Location: Wiltshire

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 9:25 am

But surely Jessica's reaction is going to be that it wasn't HER fault EMILY forgot the apple pie, or that the wind blew the door on her hand - so why should she be to blame for an accident?
And she didn't MEAN to leave Rosamond alone for so long, it was EMILY'S fault for being away that long.
And when Rosamond gets a chill and is ill that won't be her fault either, how COULD she know the weather would turn colder? (sorry, just pretending I was my daughter there for a moment)

The only thing they might manage to get through the her is how mean she is to talk about Rosamond as if she was a guinea pig not a person, and of course they won't know as poor Rosamond will be too ashamed to tell them...if she hasn't had much to do with other girls it may be the first time this has happened to her, and it must be an awful feeling, to realise you are thought of as so insignificant

leahbelle please keep up the good work on this it is terrific

#69: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 10:20 am

I think Emily's going to cover up for Jessica....I don't know why I just have that feeling.

Shocked

What happens when Jessica goes back to where they left Rosamund and finds her gone?

Thanks leahbelle

#70: Author: leahbelle, Location: Coventry

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 10:46 am

I was just thinking how great it is that everyone sees the same drabble from a slightly different point of view and how everyone sees the outcome of situation that little bit differently! I'm beginning to wish I'd waited until I'd seen all your comments before continuing - some of the ideas are much better than what I've come up with.

Really glad you're still enjoying this, and there's still oodles more to post, including parts with ideas suggested by kind CBBers!

Here's an update, because I'm on holiday tomorrow and won't be able to post because this drabble is on my PC at work. Enjoy!

Meanwhile, the three girls were having a fabulous time in the forest and it was not until they sank down, breathless, on to a log after a thrilling game of hide and seek that any of them became aware of the time. They looked at each other in horror. Almost an hour and a half had passed.

“Mother will kill me!” Jessica cried, getting to her feet. “Come on you lot! We’ve got to get back!”

The girls raced through the woods until they cam e to the place where they had left Rosamund. They had not really expected her still to be there but Jessica knew that she would be in deep trouble from Emily. They ran all the way back to Moorlands and burst in through the front door, almost falling over themselves in their eagerness to get inside. By this time, Emily had dozed off into an uneasy sleep.

Adam looked grim as the three friends tumbled in to the sitting room. He knew that something must have happened, but had been unable to question Emily and Rosamund was not inclined to be forthcoming. Emily would have not gone out with Rosamund with her hand in the state it was in. Something had gone on – and he had no doubt that Jessica was involved somewhere. He was determined to get to the bottom of it.

Not wanting to embarrass Jessica in front of Charlotte and Beth, Adam had rescued the apple pie from the oven and put together sandwiches, fruit and a pot of tea and this was waiting for the girls in the sitting room. They tucked in hungrily, and it was not til the three were munching on ham sandwiches that Jessica noticed Emily was missing.

“Where’s Mother?” she demanded of Adam.

“She’s had an accident,” Adam said, seriously, and he looked closely at the girl as he broke the news. The look of shock on her face informed him that she knew nothing about the accident and he hastened to reassure her. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing too serious. She caught her fingers in the door and has bruised them badly. The doctor’s been and he says nothing is broken, though her hand is badly bruised and will take a week or so to heal. She’s having a rest just now.”

“Can I see her?” Jessica asked, instantly concerned.

Adam shook his head. “Wait until she wakes up,” he advised. “You can take some tea up to her later.”

Jessica nodded and exchanged surreptitious glances with Beth and Charlotte. Emily had obviously not told Adam about their crime, and it was equally clear that Rosamund was not going to say anything. Were they going to get away with it?

Jessica, however, grew quieter as the meal progressed. It was not her fault that the door had blown closed on her mother’s hand, but had it happened before or after she had collected Rosamund from the path? If it had happened before, she must have been in considerable pain pushing the chair across the rougher parts of the ground. Had this made the injury worse? A little niggle of guilt began to develop in Jessica’s chest. What if she was partly to blame for her mother’s pain?

Adam sent several questioning glances in his step-daughter’s direction as the meal came to a close and Jessica realised that he was aware that something had happened. She decided that her best option was to come clean. She didn’t want to be blamed for her mother’s accident, but she wanted to exonerate herself from the guilt that was beginning to bubble up inside her.

#71: Author: Eilidh, Location: Macclesfield

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 10:53 am

I don't think Adam's going to take at all kindly to this admission. And will Jessica try and make it sound better than it was? Can't wait for Monday to see what happens!

#72: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 11:07 am

At least she realises that she was in the wrong and she's feeling guilty about it - she's thoughtless/naughty rather than being "bad" (is that a really CS thing to say?!).

Have a nice day off Very Happy

#73: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 11:14 am

Thanks Leahbelle.

#74: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 11:49 am

Jessica really does love her mother, so maybe the fact that her actions made Emily's pain worse will hit home in a way that being told off for her behaviour wouldn't.

Thanks, Leahbelle - enjoy your holiday Very Happy

#75: Author: Michelle, Location: Near London

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 12:45 pm

Well - good for Jessica if she decides to be honest. Of course, it shouldn't have happened, and she should be honest anyway, but owing up, particularly without having it forced out of her, is going to take a lot of courage. And I'm sure Adam will appreciate her honesty and her concern for Emily, even if he can't really show approval at the moment. But poor Emily! Thank you, Leahbelle.

Michelle

#76: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 1:12 pm

She knows she's wrong, but won't accept it, not from anyone else. That's Jessica for us. Adam would do well to let her alone, to allow her guilty feelings to tell her how wrong she's been.

#77: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 1:13 pm

I wish that Jessica might be impressed by Rosamund's silence on the subject; she had a golden opportunity to get Jessica into piles of trouble, but she didn't take it. Emily will be furious, though, even if Jessica does own up before Adam finds out, and rightly so. Poor Rosamund, left all that time on her own.
Thanks, Leahbelle. Enjoy your day off!

#78: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 6:29 pm

I wonder if Jessica will actually start to realise that - that Rosamund had a perfect chance to repay Jessica for all the slights, insults and bad behaviour - and for talking as though she wasn't there.

Even though it won't cure the problem, once Jessica appreciates it there should be a little kernal of gratitude there.

Thanks Leahbelle.

#79: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:09 pm

Thanks, Leahbelle. I hope you enjoy your day off tomorrow. It's good that Jessica felt some guilt about what happened.

#80: Author: Le Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:50 pm

I hope Jess realises just how much she has done wrong, but a whole year before she goes to the CS? This is not going to be a smooth ride!!!
Thanks Leahbelle- this just gets more and more interesting!! Very Happy

#81: Author: Cryst,

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 9:35 pm

Thank you Leahbelle, just caught up - I still feel so sorry for all of them. I hope Adam is going to handle this carefully, but somehow I don't think he will...

#82: Author: leahbelle, Location: Coventry

Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 8:01 am

Charlotte and Beth offered to clear away the tea things and wash up the dishes. Adam took Rosamund through to her bedroom to have a rest and, when he came back into the sitting room, he found Jessica waiting on him. There was obviously something she needed to get off her chest.

“What’s wrong, Jessica?” he asked.

Jessica gulped. It was not going to be a pretty story to tell however much she tried to flower it over. Adam was going to be very angry.

“We…er, we went for a walk,” she began. “All of us, I mean, not just me and Beth and Charlotte.”

“And something happened?” Adam questioned gently.

“Mother had forgotten to put the apple pie in the oven for tea, so she asked us to look after Rosamund for five minutes while she dashed home to put it on,”

“Yes?” Adam prodded.

Jessica was warming to her subject. “We…er, I didn’t want to. We were going to play hide and seek and we had to wait with Rosamund while Mother went off. We…I thought that Rosamund would be fine on her own for a minute or two and Mother had said that she wasn’t going to be long…”

“And so you three went off into the woods to play hide and seek and left Rosamund on her own?” Adam finished. He guessed now what had happened. Emily had come home and injured her hand. Not wanting to leave Rosamund with the three girls, she had gone back to fetch her step-daughter (and thank goodness she had, Adam thought, otherwise Rosamund could have been out there for hours). Finding Rosamund alone, Emily had had to push her back with her injured hand.

Jessica nodded. Her eyes were cast down and she didn’t want to meet Adam’s gaze. She knew that he would despise her for what she had done.

“Well, Jessica,” he said briskly, determined that he would not spare her feelings, “that was a very thoughtless, selfish thing to do. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Jessica blushed. She was ashamed of herself, not for leaving Rosamund on her own, but by being the inadvertent cause of making Emily’s injury worse.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know Mother was hurt. Of course I’d have helped if I’d known.”

“I think you’re missing the point. You deliberately disobeyed your mother. Anything could have happened to Rosamund during the time she was alone. The brake could have failed on the chair or she could have toppled over. Rosamund must never be left on her own outside. Emily knows that and that’s why she trusted you to look after Rosamund while she went back to thee house. I won’t say anything about the extra pain and worry you’ve caused your mother. I can see by your face that you know you’ve done wrong.”

Jessica was conscience stricken. “She…she’s going to be all right, isn’t she?” the girl faltered.

Adam relented. “She’s going to be fine, but her hand will be very sore for the next week or so. I’m not blaming you for the accident, Jessica. That’s exactly what it was – an accident. But you have made things worse by your actions. I hope you’ll take some time to think about what you did and I hope that you’ll never disobey an order like that again. Something much worse could have happened.”

“I’d like to tell Mother I’m sorry,” Jessica said. “When can I see her?”

“Emily will be very glad to hear that,” Adam said. “I’ll let you know when she wakes up and then you can take her up some tea. She’s missed out on that lovely apple pie, but I’m sure we’ll be able to find something tasty for her to enjoy.”

“I…I’m sorry to you, too,” she said quietly. It took a lot of effort to say that and, though it was not entirely true – Jessica was not at all penitent at the way she had treated Rosamund – she was sorry that she had given Adam extra worry about his wife.

“Then we’ll say no more about it,” Adam said generously. “Why don’t you go and help Beth and Charlotte in the kitchen? I’ll give you a call when your mother wakes up.”

Jessica nodded and went off, a feeling of relief replacing the guilt in her tummy. Beth and Charlotte had been feeling guilty, too. Beth, especially, had not been happy at leaving Rosamund alone, but she had been too caught up in the game to give the other girl more than a fleeting thought. She knew that they were all to blame and hoped that Jessica hadn’t “caught it in the neck”.

Jessica briefly told the two about her mother’s accident and they made sympathetic noises. They both liked Emily. Charlotte suggested that they put together a tray for Jessica to take up when she awoke as a way of saying that they were sorry for leaving Rosamund alone. Jessica jumped at the idea and they set to work. Jessica cut some fresh sandwiches, while Beth laid the tray with a dainty cloth and cup, plate and saucer from the best tea set. Charlotte boiled the kettle and hunted out some of Mrs Childs’ best biscuits. The tray looked very pretty when they had finished and the three felt they had done something to make amends.

Adam called on Jessica some twenty minutes later to say that Emily was awake and had asked to see her. The girl climbed the stairs with the tray in her hands in a degree of trepidation. Emily was bound to be furious with her. She didn’t care about getting in to trouble for leaving Rosamund, but she was genuinely contrite that she had made things worse for her mother.

She needn’t have worried. Adam had spent a few moments with Emily explaining Jessica’s side of the story and hearing from his wife. He asked Emily not to be too hard on Jessica. His own words to her had been quite cutting and he felt that was enough. Emily did not have the energy to have a row with the girl and was happy to let Adam have his way.

Jessica entered the room and laid down the tray on the table by the bed. She looked at her mother nervously.

“Come here,” Emily said, patting the side of the bed and Jessica obediently sat down beside her. “We’ll say no more about it, Jess,” Emily told her. “All right?”

Jessica nodded in relief and allowed her mother to hug her. “I am sorry,” she whispered.

Both Emily and Adam took Jessica’s apology to refer to her treatment of Rosamund as well as her thoughtlessness and it was as well that they did not probe too deeply.

Emily dozed off again when she had finished her tea and did not rouse til the next morning when she felt a lot better, though her hand still ached. It was bandaged so thickly that there was little she could do and she was glad for Adam’s thoughtfulness in asking Miss Winter to come round and help with Rosamund.

Mrs Hudson, Beth’s mother, arrived shortly after lunch to pick up her daughter. She would also take Charlotte back to her home in town, dropping her off on the way. She was horrified when she heard about Emily’s accident and declared it would be best all round if Jessica came back with Beth for the last few days of the holiday. Adam was unsure knowing that Emily had wanted Jessica at home for the whole of the break. Mrs Hudson was firm, however, and had a chat with Emily which ended with that young lady relinquishing responsibility for her daughter for the next couple of days and doing so quite gladly. And so Jessica got her riding lessons after all.

#83: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 8:06 am

I think she got off quite lightly there, but I also think Adam handled it well.

Thanks leahbelle Very Happy

#84: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 1:13 pm

Well, good for Adam. He's fabulous. I do think she got off lightly there, though, for it was very bad to leave Rosamund like that.

Thanks, Leahbelle.

#85: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 4:03 pm

I thinbk she was exceptionally l;ucky there - and it's a pity that her sorrow and penitence were solely that Emily was hurt, not for the way she treated Rosamund. She really is a very nasty little girl.

Thanks leahbelle - excellent characters.

#86: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent

Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 6:25 pm

Thanks, Leahbelle. It's nice that she got her riding lessons after all but I'm sorry that Jessica isn't sorry about what happened with Rosamund.

#87: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 8:10 pm

Jessica didn't deserve those riding lessons at all, but Emily needed the rest.

Hope Jessica will do better when she gets back to school as a result.

#88: Author: Le Petite Em, Location: Cheltenham

Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 8:19 pm

I'm glad Jess was partly sorry, but she wasn't sorry enough!!!
Thanks Leahbelle Very Happy

#89: Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire

Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 11:07 pm

Jess's major redeeming feature at the moment is that she does care about her mother - which is how all the trouble started, I suppose. Her attitude to Rosamund is certainly set in stone, though, isn't it.
Thanks, Leahbelle, very interesting.

#90: Author: leahbelle, Location: Coventry

Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 7:52 am

Jessica went back to school after the break with mixed feelings. She had taken what Miss Simmonds had said before half term to heart and she had made up her mind that she would not give the mistress an excuse to take her place in the netball team from her. Jessica knew that she was going to have to work hard to achieve the 55% average that Miss Simmonds had stipulated by the end of November and it was not long before she realised exactly how hard she would need to work.

By the end of the first day back, Jessica had discovered that you cannot spend the best part of half a term playing the fool and then expect to fall back into working easily. She had missed a lot of ground work and she found that she would need to make that up before she could begin to hope to raise her averages. This was disheartening at first and, on more than one occasion, Jessica felt like saying “stuff it” and going back to her bad ways. The memory of that coveted place on the team always rose to the surface and she plodded on.

She worked hard during lessons and found that she had to apply herself equally during prep. On occasion, she had to take her books into the common room with her after prep and put in an extra twenty minutes or so.

By the end of the second week, Jessica could see the results and her average had risen to 48%. On the Friday of the third week, she waited with baited breath as the form averages were read out. Her disappointment on hearing that she had only reached 54% was almost palpable. All that hard work and now she was going to lose her place on the team anyway! Jessica could hardly bare to think about it.

Miss Simmonds kept her behind after class and Jessica guessed that she was in for another row. She stuck her chin out and her nose up. She didn’t care. If she was going to lose her place, nothing else mattered and they could shout at her til kingdom come if they chose. She was pleasantly surprised by Miss Simmonds’ opening words.

“Well done, Jessica, you’ve worked very hard these past three weeks.”

“But…. But I didn’t make the average,” Jessica stammered.

“No,” Miss Simmonds agreed, “but you’re nearly there. I’ve had good reports about you from every mistress. They’re all pleased with the way you’re progressing. If you keep this up, you should manage 50% next week with no problems.”

“So, I’m not to lose my place in the team?” Jessica sounded incredulous.

Miss Simmonds smiled. “No, Jessica, you’ll keep your place. As I say, you’ve worked hard and have shown that you are a capable girl who can be a pleasure to teach when you put your mind to it. Keep you mind at it, Jessica, and you’ll deserve to stay in the team.”

“Thank you!” Jessica cried. She had gone from the depths of despair to ecstasy in a matter of seconds. Nothing in the world mattered to her as much as playing in the team and she determined that she would make that average the next week.

#91: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 9:05 am

I think Adam is lovely. I wonder if Jessica will keep up the work or let it slip again?

Thanks Leahbelle

#92: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent

Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 9:52 am

Thanks, Leahbelle. I'm glad that Jessica was still allowed to stay on the team.

#93: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 10:46 am

Well she has put the work in so no-one can say she didn't deserve it. Now I hope she'll be able to keep it up. She might even find that she enjoys working!

Thank you leahbelle

#94: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:50 pm

Glad things are going better.

#95: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 1:18 pm

Glad Miss Simmonds was able to bend the rules slightly - Jessica deserved to keep her place - hope she won't slide now...

Thanks Leahbelle

#96: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 1:24 pm

Yes, Jessica did deserve to keep her place in the team after all that effort, but I hope she keeps up the work, and doesn't think they are soft to let her keep her place in the team even though she didn't meet the criteria. Thanks, Leahbelle.

#97: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 3:23 pm

Thanks, Leahbelle

Hope Jess continues to work hard.

#98: Author: leahbelle, Location: Coventry

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 7:43 am

It was Rosamund’s birthday at the end of November. She was to turn thirteen, the same age as Jessica, and the Seftons had planned a tea party for her on the Saturday as a treat. Peter and Rebecca were coming down from Manchester for the weekend, and the other guests would include Miss Winter, the minister and his family and the choir master and his wife. Jessica’s attendance was also demanded.

The party had been planned since half term and Jessica knew that she was expected to be at home for the weekend. There had been no netball match planned and so she was resigned to going to Moorlands on the Friday evening after prep. But, on the Thursday, disaster struck. A match planned for the following Wednesday evening was brought forward as two of the key players (twins) from the opposing side had been summoned to go home on the Monday for a funeral. The match was rearranged for the Saturday afternoon, the afternoon of the party.

During a very heated telephone call, Jessica pleaded in vain with Emily to be allowed to stay at school to play in the match but her mother was firm. She would come to Rosamund’s tea party. Jessica was furious and hung up on her mother, crying “I hate you!” The fact that the sub for the team chosen to play in her place was a promising player and likely to bring laurels to the school in later years was no consolation.

Jessica departed for Moorlands on the Friday evening in a very black mood indeed. She went straight up to her bedroom, ignoring everyone, and slammed the door behind her. Adam and Emily looked at each other in desperation. On reflection, it would probably have been better to allow Jessica to play in the match but it was too late now.

Jessica had been told to buy Rosamund a present and Emily had presented her with some money to do so as Redferne girls were allowed only a minimum of pocket money. At a loss as to what to buy her step sister, though she had been tempted by the thought of the look on Rosamund’s face if she was presented with a skipping rope, Jessica had finally settled on a jigsaw. She gave this to Rosamund on the Saturday morning when the girl was opening the rest of her presents and she declared herself delighted with it.

The guests began to arrive at three o’clock on Saturday afternoon. Peter and Rebecca were already there. The minister and his family (wife and two young daughters) arrived first, followed by the choir master and his wife, Mr and Mrs Philips. Miss Winter arrived last, carrying an enormous cake tin which contained one of her special birthday sponges.

The party was a great success and Rosamund had a lovely time. She adored the minister’s two daughters, aged seven and eight, and spent a lot of time with them. After tea, the whole group played some paper games. Jessica, predictably, refused to join in, and sat in the corner to all intents and purposes fathoms deep in Bleak House. In reality, she was watching the jolly company out of the corner of her eye, intensely jealous of the fun they were having, but too stubborn to bite the bullet and join in.

The party wound up with a sing song suggested by Mr Philips. He took his place at the piano and everyone joined in the songs. Rosamund, as birthday girl, was in demand for solos and she sang beautifully. As she grew older, her voice was also maturing and it was beginning to hold the promise of becoming strong and pure when she grew up. At this point, Jessica could take no more. She threw down her book on the floor and rushed from the room. Everyone knew how much she longed to be able to sing - why did Rosamund have to shove her perfect voice in Jessica’s face? Jessica shut herself in her room.

#99: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 7:50 am

Why does that sort of thing always happen? - the party clashing with the match. I know it's a story but it's Sod's law that it always works out like that, and now Jessica's really fed up when she could've been happy. Glad she didn't buy the skipping rope Rolling Eyes

.

Sad about Rosamund's voice promising to be so good "when she grew up" when we know she doesn't Crying or Very sad

.

Thanks leahbelle.

#100: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 10:56 am

Thanks, Leahbelle. I'm glad that she chose to buy the jigsaw instead. I'm sorry that she had to miss the match.

#101: Author: leahbelle, Location: Coventry

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 10:58 am

Another update, cos I'm going to be away for a while and I think the board will be down when I get back. Warning - some of you may find this next post upsetting!!

She heard the guests leaving shortly afterwards. She knew she had behaved childishly and was embarrassed, but nothing on earth would convince her to listen to Rosamund sing. Jessica did not go back downstairs until dinner time. Adam and Emily had left her alone, knowing all about it, and they refrained from scolding her for her rudeness to their guests.

Dinner over, and Jessica curled up on a chair in the sitting room, having rescued Bleak House from where she had thrown it on the floor. Fortunately, it was not damaged. Rosamund was seated by the fire, a table across her invalid chair, and she was making great inroads to the jigsaw Jessica had given her as a present. It was not a difficult jigsaw, having only five hundred pieces and Rosamund was going at it great guns.

The two girls ignored each other, Rosamund having learnt that there was no point at all in trying to talk to Jessica when she had such a black chip on her shoulder. A short time later, Rosamund gave an impatient exclamation and Jessica looked up to see that she had knocked several pieces of the jigsaw onto the floor, well out of her reach. They were corner pieces that Rosamund had already set in place. Jessica gave a little grin to herself and turned back to her book, pretending to be completely absorbed. She could see Rosamund twisting and turning in her chair to try to reach pieces, but it was futile.

“Jessica!” the younger girl said tentatively.

Jessica ignored her, turning over a page in her book and turning slightly away.

“Jessica!” Rosamund said again, slightly more forcefully this time.

Again, there was no response from Jessica except what could have been a slightly contemptuous sniff.

“I say, Jess!”

This did make Jessica look up. She allowed no-one other than her mother and her friends to call her Jess. What did Rosamund think she was doing using that name!

“What?” she snapped. “And my name’s Jessica.”

Rosamund ignored this. “I’ve dropped some jigsaw pieces on the floor and I can’t reach them, though I’ve tried. Could you pick them up for me?”

Jessica smiled nastily. “What’s the magic word?” she asked, having had it well drilled into her from babyhood that you should always say “please”.

“Please, Jessica,”

Jessica considered for a moment and then picked up her book again. “No,” she said. “Sorry.”

“Why do you hate me so much?” Rosamund blurted out. She had always shied away from confrontation with her step sister but Jessica’s response had forced her into it.

Jessica turned back to Rosamund. “I don’t hate you,” she said carefully. “I loathe you. There’s a difference.”

“But why?” Rosamund demanded. “What have I ever done to you? I want to be friends with you.”

Jessica looked incredulous. “If you don’t know what you’ve done to me, I’m not going to explain it. Are you thick as well as everything else?”

Rosamund was completely confused. She had no idea what Jessica was driving at. However, having started off on the collision course she decided that she may as well continue.

“Jessica, I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you or upset you,” she said. “Can’t we forget about it and be friends? I… I get really lonely and I’d love us to be friends.” Her tone was wistful but it was wasted on the other girl.

“I’d love you to go away and leave my mother alone, but we can’t all have what we want, can we?”

“Leave your mother alone?”

“Yes!” Jessica cried. She slammed her book down on the coffee table and stood up. She was tall for her age and quite well built and she towered over the smaller Rosamund intimidatingly. “She’s my mother, not yours! Why should she spend all her time looking after you when she should be looking after me!”

Rosamund gaped as Jessica advanced on her. She deliberately bumped into the table attached to the invalid chair and several more jigsaw pieces were dislodged and fell to the floor.

“You can’t even walk! You’re just a cripple. What use are you to her? At least I can help her and go out with her and have fun with her. All you can do is sit in your chair all day and sing stupid songs and do silly jigsaws!”

Jessica bumped the table again and the remaining pieces descended to the floor. In a fit of temper, Jessica stamped on them, bending some of them out of shape and rendering them useless.

“That’s my jigsaw!” Rosamund cried in dismay. “How dare you!”

“How dare I?” Jessica shouted. “How dare you come into my life and take my mother away from me? They don’t even want me at home anymore. I’ve been sent off to school so she can spend all her time with you. It’s all your fault and I hate you! You’re just a stupid, useless cripple and I wish you’d never been born!”

In her fury, Jessica had advanced on the helpless Rosamund who cowered back into her chair. There was no escape, however, from the glancing blow that Jessica dealt to the side of Rosamund’s face.

“There!” Jessica cried triumphantly. “Maybe that will show you that I don’t want you and I don’t want to be your friend!”

“JESSICA!”

Jessica swung round to find Emily standing in the doorway, a look of absolute horror on her face. Rosamund burst into tears.

“Go to your room, Jessica. NOW!” Emily was furious. To think that Jessica could talk to Rosamund in a such a fashion, not to mention hit her, made her ashamed to be in the same room as her daughter. Jessica stormed past her mother, pushing her roughly out of the way and fled upstairs. She threw the door of her bedroom closed behind her and collapsed onto the bed in a flood of sobs. She had surprised even herself with her misconduct.

#102: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 11:10 am

Poor poor Rosamund. It wasn't her fault at all, and she didn't understand what Jessica's problem was.

And poor Jessica too - although her conduct was completely out of line, that slap had been boiling and boiling for a long time, but no-one could see. But I don't feel that she's nasty, just misundertood.

#103: Author: Eilidh, Location: Macclesfield

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 11:13 am

Very believable that she would react like that, but poor Rosamund.

Thanks Leahbelle.

#104: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 11:17 am

Jessica was totally out of order, but it's understandable that she's upset - she's away at school whilst Rosamund's spending time with Emily, and then when she does come home it always seems to be at incovenient times, and Rosamund's always there.

Poor Rosamund - she's totally innocent in all this.

Thanks leahbelle - this is really interesting. Hope you have a nice week away.

#105: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 2:48 pm

Yes, to a certain extent it is understandable - but some of the things she said to Rosamund, not to mention the calculated cruelty refusing to pick up the jigsaw pieces, of wrecking her jigsaw and then hitting Rosamund. I think she had gone too far this time - no one, however misunderstood, has the right to act like that.

Thanks Leahbelle, you've created a completely realistic and very uncomfortable character.

#106: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 3:16 pm

I agree that she's gone too far, however understandable it's been. She had no right to bully Rosamund, someone smaller and younger than herself and who couldn't defend herself. It was really spiteful. But I wish Emily and Adam might deal well with her, so that she would understand what she'd done (even though she can't understand until she gets together with OOAO!).

Thanks, Leahbelle. I shall really miss this when the board is down.

#107: Author: Vikki, Location: Sitting on an iceberg, freezing to death!!!

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:46 pm

I DO feel sorry for Jessica a lot of the time, but she's stepped WAY over the line here. Poor Rosamund is innocent in all of this, and she shouldn't have to put up with being treated that way.

#108: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:52 pm

Thanks, Leahbelle. I am echoing what Lesley has said.

#109: Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 10:57 pm

Oh dear. Emily and Adam really haven't a lot of sense, forcing jessica to come home for the party when they knew it meant her missing the match - and when they knew how resentful she was. All the same, she's a real b**** to Rosamund; I can just see her sneering her 'magic word' comment - how truly unkind.

You've certainly created a complex character here, leahbelle, I'll miss her.

The CBB -> Starting again at Sarres...

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