She purses her lips and clears her throat. ‘Of course not. Do you know the names of these boys?’
‘No. Rosie didn’t say. I think they were older though. In the year above.’
‘Maybe we should call Rosie in and ask her.’
‘What,now?’
‘Yes. Hear what she has to say about it.’
‘To be honest, I’d rather not dredge it all up with her again. It took a lot to calm her down this morning. She didn’t even want to come in to school, and that’s never happened before.’ I realise I’m drumming my fingers on the desk quite loudly. I stop and put my hands in my lap.
‘The thing is,’ Mrs Lovatt continues, ‘without knowing actual names, it’s going to be quite tricky to do anything. I can’t reprimand anyone if I don’t know who did it.’
I take a breath and try not to snap. ‘Maybe you could say something in assembly to everyone about not making things up and spreading lies. And about not picking on others.’
‘We already do have quite a fewBe Nice to Othersassemblies. It’s a strong part of the school’s ethos.’ She glances over at the clock on the wall and I realise she wants me gone.
‘Well, it doesn’t seem to be working at the moment. Perhaps you need to word it more strongly.’
‘Hmm, well, we’ll certainly see what we can do.’
What the hell does that mean?
She gives me a nod and gets to her feet. This must be her tactic for getting rid of unwanted visitors. But I’m not taking the hint. I stay seated and fold my arms across my chest. ‘So you’ll say something to the older boys?’
‘We will.’
‘And can you tell Mr Jeffries what’s happened? And keep an eye on Rosie today at lunchtime and playtime? Make sure those boys aren’t hassling her?’
‘I’m sure Mr Jeffries has everything in hand.’
‘But you’ll tell him.’
‘I will. Please don’t worry, Mrs Perry. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m afraid I have another meeting to get to.’
I stand up, not feeling at all comforted by our chat. Maybe I’m an overprotective parent, but I don’t want a repeat of yesterday with Rosie coming home upset. I also don’t want to be the subject of nasty rumours. ‘Okay, thanks for your time.’ I grit my teeth, realising I need to stay on her good side. Rosie’s going to be at Ashridge Academy for years; I can’t afford to annoy the teaching staff. But leaving Mrs Lovatt’s office and walking back out into the sunshine, I can’t help feeling that I’ve made things worse.
Six
KELLY
‘This is so kind of you. I can’t believe you’re doing this for me.’ Sophie takes the other end of the duvet and holds it out as I ease on a fresh cover. The attic bedroom is warm and stuffy, but I’ve thrown open the Velux windows and brought up a portable fan. There’s a slight breeze coming off the lake which should make it a little more bearable up here.
‘Thinking about it, you’ll probably only need the sheet. It’s far too warm for a quilt. But at least you’ve got one in case it cools down overnight.’ I’ve offered to let Sophie stay in our attic room for a day or two. She was so grateful. I’m sure I’ve made the right decision. Once I’ve settled her into the room and she knows she has nothing to fear from me, then I’ll broach the subject of contacting the women’s shelter. She’ll be better off going somewhere where they’re equipped to deal with people in her situation – not that I actually know what her situation is. But at least they’ll know the correct procedures and safety measures, whereas I’m just offering a temporary solution. I’ll make her see that the right move is to seek proper help.
We didn’t talk that much over the cake baking earlier, but when I mentioned that I was a widow, her eyes filled with tears. She said that she was grieving too. That her dad had died a while ago and that he was the only person in the world who had ever understood her. I gave her a hug, and, for a brief moment, it felt like we had a real connection.
‘This room’s really nice.’ Sophie picks up one of my patchwork cushions from the wicker rocking chair and hugs it to her body. ‘Thanks for letting me stay. You’re so lucky living here.’
She’s right. Despite everything I’ve been through, I know how fortunate I am. ‘That’s okay. Thanks for your help with the cakes. You’ll have to help us eat some later.’
‘Won’t your kids think it’s weird that I’m staying here?’
‘Don’t worry. They’ll be fine.’ Ryan and Sonny are used to me taking in waifs and strays. I’m always the one who offers to look after other people’s kids or has people crashing in the spare room when they’re stuck for a place to stay. I guess some people might say I’m a soft touch. But I honestly don’t mind. I love getting to know new people. I would have done way more over the years, but Michael was quite a private person. He never enjoyed it when people stayed over. In fact, the only time we ever fell out was when I wanted to have a couple of foreign exchange students to stay one summer. I thought it would be good for the kids to learn about other cultures, but Michael put his foot down. Said he didn’t want to come home from work each night to a houseful of strangers.
Sophie and I do up the buttons on the duvet. She starts at one end and I start at the other, meeting in the middle. I think about what the boys will say about Sophie staying. Sonny will be fine. He’s a proper little socialite – a people person like me. It’s Ryan I’m nervous about. The truth is I’m more than slightly worried how he’s going to react. He’s been pretty moody since Michael died – which is to be expected – but I thought he would have started to heal a little by now. I don’t like to admit it, but, if anything, he’s getting worse. Maybe Sophie’s appearance will make him act a little nicer, jolt him out of his glumness and put him on his best behaviour. I can only hope.
My phone starts trilling. I draw it out of the pocket in my dress and see that it’s school calling. ‘Sorry, I’m going to have to take this.’
