“Hello,” Alice-Miranda called out.
“Oh, hello,” the red-haired girl called back.
“My name is Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones and I’m new.” Alice-Miranda ran down the steps to help the girl with her rather large suitcase and enormous storage trunk. “I came yesterday.”
“Well, my name is Millicent Jane McLoughlin-McTavish-McNoughton-McGill, but you can call me Millie.”
Alice-Miranda smiled at Millie and offered to help take her bags to her room.
Millie was ten years old but very small for her age. By the time they had reached the house, Alice-Miranda felt that they had known each other for years. It turned out that they were sharing a room, a sure sign they would be very good friends indeed.
“My mother used to go to school here before me,” Millie told Alice-Miranda. “And my grandmother before that and even my great-grandmother too.”
“That’s a coincidence. My mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and even more greats and all my aunts went here as well. I wonder if any of my family knew your family.” Alice-Miranda bit her lip thoughtfully.
“I’m sure they did,” said Millie. “Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale is not that big.”
For the first time since she had arrived, Alice-Miranda’s strange feeling was almost gone. It was as though the more girls arrived, the better things felt. There was simply no room left for strange feelings.
Alice-Miranda plonked Millie’s suitcase down on the end of her bed.
“If you’re all right here to unpack, I think I might go and meet some of the other girls.”
“I’m fine,” said Millie. “Thank you for helping me with everything. My mother is always so worried I might starve to death she packs extra treats in that wretched box.” Millie shook her head and smiled.
“Well, I can guarantee that nobody will be starving tonight. Mrs. Oliver will see to that.”
“Mrs. Oliver? What happened to Cook?” asked Millie.
“She’s on holiday in America,” Alice-Miranda said, as if it were the most usual thing in the world.
“On holiday!” Millie exclaimed. “But Cook never leaves Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale. Not even to go to the shops. She’s such a crank pot and her food is disgusting!”
“Really? I can’t imagine. Mrs. Smith baked the most delicious brownies—the best I have ever tasted—and she gave me a glass of milk too.” Now it was Alice-Miranda’s turn to frown.
“She cooked what? And she gave you a glass of milk? What’s been going on around here?” Millie stopped fiddling with the zips on her suitcase and stared at Alice-Miranda.
“I’ll explain it all later.” Alice-Miranda’s feet were twitching with her eagerness to meet all the other girls. She said goodbye to Millie and left her to unpack.
Alice-Miranda ran back to the driveway. There seemed to be quite a traffic jam. She raced around to the front steps of Winchesterfield Manor to get a better view. There in the middle of the road was quite the longest and shiniest limousine she had ever seen.
“Goodness!” Alice-Miranda exclaimed to herself. “What an enormous car. I wonder whose that is.”
Behind her a tiny voice answered.
“It’s Alethea Goldsworthy’s, and if you know what’s good for you you’ll stay right out of her way.”
Alice-Miranda turned to see who was speaking but the girl had already scurried out of sight. Oh well, she thought, I should go and introduce myself. She can’t be that bad.
Alethea’s chauffeur was a hapless-looking fellow with a very large tummy and rather short legs. He was wrestling the most enormous suitcase Alice-Miranda had ever seen out of the trunk and onto a luggage cart.
Suddenly, from inside the car came a howling noise, like a wolf with a thorn in its paw.
Alice-Miranda ran to see what the matter was. She wrenched open the back door and was almost hit by a flying bottle.
“Goodness, what’s wrong?” Alice-Miranda ducked her head just in time, as another bottle of soft drink exploded onto the gravel drive behind her.
“Where’s my mineral water?” the girl screamed, as she threw bottle after bottle out of the limousine’s minibar. Alice-Miranda climbed inside the car. Luckily she had very good reflexes and managed to dodge the liquid missiles.
“Hello, can I do anything to help?” she asked. “My name is Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones and I’m very pleased to meet you. It’s Alethea, isn’t it?”
“Get out of my car,” the girl snapped, and threw a half-empty bottle of cola at Alice-Miranda’s head. Fortunately she was not a very good shot and it fell noisily to the floor.
“It can’t be all that bad. I’m sure we can find some mineral water in there somewhere.” Alice-Miranda leaned over to look inside.
“Get out of my car,” the girl insisted. “I don’t want you in here and if you don’t leave this instant I will call the police.” Alethea’s eyes narrowed to angry slits.
“Well, that’s just plain nonsense,” Alice-Miranda said. “Why would you do that? I’m just trying to help. Besides, no police officer is going to waste a minute of their time on a silly old tantrum.”
“GET OUT!” Alethea screeched. At that very moment everyone on the driveway stopped. Chauffeurs were frozen to the spot, girls stood perfectly still (except for some trembling knees), parents stopped fussing.
Miss Higgins, who had been rushing about from car to car, greeting girls and helping with their things, stopped in her tracks. “Oh dear, this is going to be bad, very bad,” she whispered to herself.
In the back of the limousine Alice-Miranda was considering her options.
“Please, please, please stop yelling,” she soothed in her calmest voice. She couldn’t believe that Alethea Goldsworthy made even more noise than Jacinta Headlington-Bear.
“I WILL NOT!” Alethea threw a bottle of what looked to be very posh champagne out the door. It smashed onto the gravel, exploding into thousands of tiny bubbles.
“Alethea, that’s a terrible waste. Dom Pérignon is frightfully expensive,” Alice-Miranda sighed.
“I don’t care. I want my mineral water. Daddy said Harold would put in ten bottles and he hasn’t even put in one. I hate him.”
“Who?” asked Alice-Miranda, interrupting Alethea’s rant.
“Daddy. No, Harold. No, I hate them both. They never do what they say they will and I need my mineral water.”
“I’ve got some in my storage trunk,” Alice-Miranda offered. “You can have it if you like. It’s from Switzerland.”
“Why would I want your disgusting mineral water—from Switzerland?” Alethea mimicked Alice-Miranda.
“Well, it’s there if you’d like it. I think I might go and meet some of the other girls now.” Alice-Miranda slid across the seat toward the open door. “It’s been very nice to meet you, Alethea.”
“Where do you think you’re going?” the girl screeched.
“Well, you told me to get out of the car and so that’s what I’m going to do.” Alice-Miranda smiled.
“You can’t go until I say so.” Alethea crossed her arms and glared at the smaller girl.
“But you did say so, just a moment ago.” Alice-Miranda bit her lip. She’d never come across anyone quite so contrary.
“Well, now you have to stay.” Alethea launched herself at the door and pulled it closed. “You have to do everything I say.”
“That’s silly.” Alice-Miranda smiled again. “I think Miss Grimm will have something to say about that.”
“Why would she?” Alethea snapped. “She never comes out of her study. I run this school. I’m in charge and you have to do everything I say.”
“I spoke to Miss Grimm just yesterday and we had a lovely conversation all about holidays,” Alice-Miranda replied.
“I don’t believe you!” Alethea grabbed Alice-Miranda’s tiny arm and twisted it hard.
“Ow, that hurts,” Alice-Miranda squeaked. “Please let go.”
“You’re a l
iar. Miss Grimm doesn’t talk to anyone, especially you,” Alethea spat.
Suddenly the door flew open and Miss Higgins appeared.
“Hello, Alethea. Oh, there you are, Alice-Miranda. I’ve been looking for you.”
Alethea quickly let go of Alice-Miranda’s arm and slid back along the seat.
“Come along, you need to hop out, Alethea. There are other girls arriving and your car is blocking the whole driveway.” Miss Higgins caught sight of the bright red mark on Alice-Miranda’s forearm.
“Dear me, Alice-Miranda, what have you done to yourself?” Miss Higgins’s lips drew tightly together.
“Oh, I must have bumped it when I was helping Millie with her storage trunk.” Alice-Miranda smiled. Alethea glared.
Alice-Miranda hopped out of the car with Alethea close behind.
“If you tell anyone, you’re dead,” Alethea hissed.
“What was that, Alethea?” Miss Higgins asked.
“Nothing, Miss Higgins. I was just telling Alice-Miranda what a great school Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale is.” She gave a smile as sweet as sugar on cinnamon doughnuts.
“Come along, Alice-Miranda, there are some other girls I would like you to meet,” Miss Higgins directed. Alethea followed closely behind.
Miss Higgins noticed Alice-Miranda’s oversized shadow and turned around.
“Alethea, what are you doing? You need to go and help your poor driver with that enormous mountain of luggage. Goodness knows what you have brought back with you,” Miss Higgins tutted.
Alethea skulked off back to her car. On the way, she turned to Alice-Miranda.
“See you later, Alice-Miranda.” Her smile was petrifying.
“It was nice to meet you, Alethea. And if you do want some mineral water, I’m happy to share mine.” Alice-Miranda smiled back.
“I’m glad that you’re all right.” Miss Higgins held Alice-Miranda’s tiny hand. “Alethea can be a little tricky and when I heard that awful screeching, well, I was afraid.”
“It’s all right, Miss Higgins. Alethea is just … I suppose you could call it complicated. Perhaps she’s sad about leaving her parents and having to come back to school? Who knows, but there’s always a reason why people behave the way they do. I’m sure that underneath it all she’s a very sweet girl.”
Miss Higgins was cross with herself. Alice-Miranda was right, of course. One shouldn’t think badly of others. Everyone deserved a chance. It was just that Alethea had earned herself a reputation for being difficult in the extreme over the past few years. But if this seven-year-old could see the good in Alethea then she should be ashamed of herself for thinking that Alethea was beyond help.
Miss Higgins squeezed Alice-Miranda’s hand and gazed down at her sweet brown eyes. In the past she had always been careful not to show favoritism to any of the girls. But there was something about Alice-Miranda that just made her want to scoop the girl up and hug her.
Alice-Miranda spent the rest of Sunday meeting lots of other girls. She was determined to remember as many names as possible and made up rhymes to help her. There was Madeline Bloom in the very next room and Susannah Dare with curly hair, Ivory Hicks who did magic tricks and Ashima Divall who was beautifully tall. Alice-Miranda asked loads of questions about the teachers and the subjects and all of the wonderful things that they would do during the term. Everyone was helpful but they all seemed to say the same thing—that the teachers were terribly strict and school wasn’t much fun.
“Hello, Millie!” Alice-Miranda exclaimed when at last she bounded back to her own room.
Millie was sprawled out on her bed reading. She looked up and placed her book on the bedside table. “Hello there. So have you met everyone?”
“I don’t think I’ve met them all, but quite a few. Everyone seemed rather happy about being back at school. Well, except for Alethea. She was having a little tantrum about some mineral water.” Alice-Miranda laughed.
“Oh good grief. Sorry about that. I meant to warn you to stay out of her way.” Millie sat up and crossed her legs.
Alice-Miranda sat on the end of her own bed, facing Millie. “It’s okay. I told her she could have my mineral water if she wanted it.”
“Oh no. You shouldn’t have done that, Alice-Miranda. She’ll make you her personal slave, like she does with all of the new girls.”
“Well, that’s plain silly. She tried to tell me that I had to do everything she said and I told her that I was sure Miss Grimm would have something to say about that,” Alice-Miranda replied.
Millie’s brows knitted together and she covered her face with her hands. “You shouldn’t have said anything to her. Now she’ll definitely want you. The best way to get on with Alethea is to avoid her completely. And stay away from her gang too. There are three of them and they will do their best to wear you down. Danika, Lizzy and Shelby—Alethea’s three marionettes and, might I add, some of the nastiest puppets you will ever meet.” Millie had lowered her voice and Alice-Miranda was leaning forward to hear her.
“Really? They can’t be as bad as all that … can they?” Alice-Miranda asked.
“That bad and worse. Last year they broke into the science lab, stole some Condy’s crystals and turned the swimming pool purple. Workers came to drain the water and then Alethea told Miss Reedy that she had heard Mr. Plumpton laughing and telling Charlie that when he was a boy, he and some friends had done the exact same thing to their local swimming pool. Miss Reedy said that whether Mr. Plumpton did it or not, it was his fault for talking about such ridiculous things in places where impressionable young girls might hear. It must have been reported to Miss Grimm. He was almost sacked, you know.”
“Oh.” Alice-Miranda touched her finger to her lip thoughtfully.
“Then there was an awful tragedy with Madeline Bloom’s rabbit. Someone opened the hutch door and he got out into the garden. That wouldn’t have been a problem except that Mr. Evershed from the village brought his dogs and ferrets up that day to hunt some wild rabbits near the river. You can imagine what happened when they caught sight of poor little Cadbury sitting out in the middle of the lawn just minding his own business. Alethea saw the whole thing and seemed to enjoy telling everyone the gory details. Poor Madeline had to stay in the infirmary for a week and when she finally did stop crying, Alethea sent her a note saying how sorry she was.” Millie’s face was very serious as she said this.
“Well, that was kind, wasn’t it?” Alice-Miranda asked hopefully.
“It might have been if she hadn’t written it on a card with a picture of a terrier on the front. The caption said Life gone to the dogs? Then inside the terrier had its head stuck down a rabbit hole with a cutaway view of the poor rabbits inside cowering in the corner. The message said, Cheer up, it could be worse.”
“Oh, that’s awful,” Alice-Miranda gasped. “How could she?”
“That’s what everyone said.”
“Did anyone take the card to Miss Grimm? Surely Alethea must have got into trouble?” Alice-Miranda asked.
“Why would anyone take it to Grimm? She never comes out of her study. I’ve never even seen her and I’ve been here for two years,” Millie snorted.
Alice-Miranda unfurled her legs and spread out on the bed. “When I arrived Miss Higgins told me that Miss Grimm didn’t see students but I didn’t believe her. I’ve seen Miss Grimm twice now. I was rather hoping to catch her again tomorrow.” Alice-Miranda picked up Brummel Bear and stroked the top of his fuzzy head.
“That’s outrageous!” Millie exclaimed. “What’s she like? I’ve heard that she’s got the most frightening black eyes.” Millie leaned in closer, eager for more terrible tales.
“Well, she’s very tall. The first time I saw her she was in her dressing-gown and I suppose she looked like, I don’t know, perhaps like my aunt Charlotte, really—when she’s lounging about at home with her hair not done properly. When I saw her this morning she was dressed in a very elegant suit—rather like one my mummy has. Her hair was pull
ed back into a lovely French roll.”
“I can’t believe you’ve seen her,” Millie gasped, “and in her dressing-gown too! Was she terribly scary?”
“I wouldn’t say so. I think Mummy would call her stylishly severe, but I suspect she’s actually quite pretty, really. Mummy and Daddy have some friends who are far more fearsome. Lord Gisborne is the crustiest old fellow in the world—always being cross and saying that children should be seen and not heard. Anyway, I don’t think Miss Grimm’s scary, I think she’s sad,” Alice-Miranda concluded.
“Whatever did you talk about?” The color had drained from Millie’s freckles and she looked as though she might faint.
“I told her about Mrs. Smith’s holiday to America. I know I should have asked her, but it all happened so quickly and then Mrs. Oliver came, and her food is delish, so in the end I really don’t think she was that upset at all. I asked Miss Grimm when she had last had a good holiday—I really think she needs one. Anyway, I asked her if she wanted to come for a walk in the garden later today but I think she’s rather busy. I said I would pop in again tomorrow.”
“Gosh, wait until the other girls hear that you’ve seen Grimm—not only seen her but talked to her too. That’s the stuff legends are made of, Alice-Miranda. And I can tell you now, that’s another thing Alethea will hate you for.” Millie smiled and squeezed her knees up under her chin.
Alice-Miranda changed the subject. “Well, if Miss Grimm doesn’t see anyone, then surely Madeline or one of the girls must have told a teacher about Alethea’s horrible card?”
“Madeline told Miss Reedy but she didn’t do anything. She just made an excuse, as usual. She said that perhaps Alethea was trying to cheer her up and of course she wouldn’t have sent that particular card just to upset her. It must have been a misunderstanding.” Millie grabbed the hairbrush from beside her bed and started to untangle her thick red mane.
Alice-Miranda at School Page 4
