The Schoolmistress by Maggie Sullivan

Author:Maggie Sullivan [Sullivan, Maggie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2022-09-07T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

CLAIRE

It was more difficult than the last time for Claire to say goodbye to Daniel after he had walked her back home and she stood with him for a moment in the rapidly descending twilight outside the shop, not far from where he would wait for the truck to pick him up. Each time they parted she feared it might be the last.

‘Let’s try and look on the bright side,’ Daniel said. ‘Tonight was a bonus and there could well be others. It’s hard to know which way this wretched war is going.’

Claire was aware that he was behind her when she let herself in through the back door. He stepped inside as she checked that the blackout curtains were in place before she switched on the light.

‘There’s no need to wait about in here any longer, I’ll be fine now, thanks,’ she assured him as he hovered uncertainly by the door. ‘I’m sure my aunt must be home by now, so you needn’t hang around. I’d hate you to miss your ride back to base. Thanks again for a lovely evening,’ she added with a shy smile.

Daniel put his hands on her shoulders and, pulling her close, kissed her long and hard. Her knees began to shake before he pulled away, then with a final wave he slipped outside into the twilight. She turned the light off and watched as he disappeared into the growing darkness then she stood in the silent room and shivered. She glanced up at the clock, then realised that Sylvia was still not home as she also noticed the empty peg in the hallway where her aunt normally hung her coat. Claire suddenly felt very alone. This war business is doing strange things to people, including me!

Worrying about Sylvia made her realise how much she missed her friendship with Violet. She had no one of her own age to share any of her excitement about Daniel and no one that she could really talk to concerning her anxiety about her aunt. Sylvia had been acting furtively of late, like today when she had disappeared after breakfast without a word of explanation and had been gone for the whole day. In the past they had shared confidences but recently Sylvia seemed not to be paying attention to anything Claire said. Claire had done her best to encourage her aunt to talk, but when she had asked Sylvia if things were all right, Sylvia had switched on a smile and insisted that everything was fine. Yes, Claire decided, it would be good to be able to share her concerns with Violet and to come clean about Daniel. It was time to end the stupid feud between them and she made up her mind that the next day, once the shop was closed, she would take the initiative and break the deadlock between them; she would go down to the house and call on Violet herself.

She was so deeply engrossed in her thoughts that when she

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