Miss Appleby's Academy by Gill Elizabeth

Author:Gill, Elizabeth [Gill, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Quercus
Published: 2013-02-14T00:00:00+00:00

11

When Emma got back to the house Mr English waved a piece of paper in her face.

‘I got a letter from the authorities. I have to go and live in my house and run the school by myself or I’m going to lose my job,’ he said.

Emma made up baskets of food and clean dry bed linen which she and the children carried and they helped Mr and Mrs English back to the house on the fell. The house smelled damp and as though out of humour the rain began to fall. George shovelled coal from the coal house and staggered in with bucketfuls and Connie, who had with pride learned how to lay a fire, sorted out paper and sticks and soon there were fires burning in the downstairs rooms. Emma decided that she would talk to Mr Castle and get him to send them some more coal.

Mr English and George moved the bed into the big kitchen and pushed the table and chairs right to the back wall. The table folded down at both sides until it was no more than a few inches across, the chairs went underneath. This, Emma thought, would be a permanent sick room for Mrs English. She sorted out the lamps too and heated food on the stove. She determined that next time she came she would bring thick curtains to go over the doors to keep out the cold this coming winter. When they left, the children and Hector ahead of her, Mr English said, ‘Thank you, Miss Appleby, nobody could have done more.’

When they got back she put the children to bed. She went into the garden with Hector and the stars came out. She heard the gate but Hector wagged his tail so she knew that it was only Mr Castle.

She told him about the Englishes and that they would need some coal and he said, ‘Do you want me to keep the whole bloody village?’ and Emma lost her temper and retorted, ‘Well, somebody has to in this godforsaken place. They have nothing.’

‘They have a lot more than most people.’

Emma was shaking with temper. She had never felt so angry. Her cheeks burned and her hands had made themselves into fists. She tried to swallow and then she said, ‘They need coal.’

‘All right.’

She would have turned away and gone back into the house, but when she half turned he got hold of her and to her astonishment brought his mouth down on hers and it was exactly right. Emma didn’t hesitate for a second. Having never been kissed before she found it was the one thing that mattered. She wanted it to go on and on.

She felt his hands on her back and drew closer. There was no part of her that reminded her who she was or what she was trying to do in her life. No respectable inkling saved her. She slid her hands up his body to his shoulders and it was the comfort as much

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