Hetty's Farmhouse Bakery by Cathy Bramley

Author:Cathy Bramley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Transworld
Published: 2018-03-21T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

I drove like the clappers, or at least as fast as my old car would allow. I’d let Dan know and he and I had put aside our row, both of us worried about our daughter. He couldn’t leave the vet, but I promised I’d send him news as soon as I could. The traffic was kind for once and I made it to school in twenty-five minutes.

‘Poppy Greengrass, Form Eight B. I’m her mum.’

‘Push the door.’

The school receptionist buzzed me through the first set of security doors and told me to wait on the hard little sofa while she called the nurse.

I perched on the edge of my seat, heart hammering. Poor Poppy. According to Anna, she’d hit her head on a wall outside and fainted.

‘Hetty?’ Anna stood in the doorway, holding open the door to the rest of the school. ‘Come through.’

‘How is she?’ I flew over to her. She gave me a quick hug and together we marched towards her little office-cum-sickbay.

‘Mostly wounded pride.’ She squeezed my arm and smiled. ‘She’s recovering already, she’ll be fine. Matilda is sitting with her.’

In the nurse’s room, Poppy was sitting on the bed, shoulders slumped, pressing her hand to a bandage above her left eye. Her skin was as pale as milk and her green eyes looked huge in her little face. Her friend was holding her hand, looking grave.

‘Oh, love,’ I said quietly, fighting tears. ‘Look at you.’

She raised her eyes to mine and gave me a wonky smile. ‘I hope I get a black eye. I’ve always wanted one of those.’

Anna and I exchanged looks. I sat on the bed next to Poppy and gathered her to me. Matilda edged away, awkwardly. Poppy relaxed against me and I breathed in the scent of her shampoo and school disinfectant and teenage bodies.

‘You gave me such a fright,’ I said. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Apart from my head feeling like it’s been hit with a hammer and feeling like a total idiot, yeah.’

‘You were amazing, Poppy,’ said Matilda gravely. ‘You are so cool in this school right now.’

Poppy perked up. ‘D’you think?’

Matilda nodded, wide-eyed, and Poppy snorted with laughter. I let out a breath; she was fine, panic over.

‘Can I go to the loo, Miss?’ she asked.

I smiled at Anna; I’d forgotten Poppy had to address her formally at school.

Anna nodded. ‘Go together. Matilda, you can go back to your form afterwards and Poppy, you come straight back here please.’

The two girls left and I flopped back on the bed, exhausted.

‘What a day,’ I groaned.

‘Two ticks and I’ll be back with some tea for us both,’ said Anna. She slipped my shoes off and lifted my legs on to the bed. ‘And then you can tell me all about it.’

She was back two minutes later with two mugs and a glass of water for Poppy.

‘She’ll be ages yet.’ Anna grinned. ‘For some unfathomable reason, the girls’ toilets hold great allure for our students; they can be gone for hours.’

I sat up to take my tea from her and sipped it.

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