Thomas turned and looked down towards the beach.
She drew back aghast threw her hands into the air and shrieked, “Dear God in heaven, what is the world coming to?”
A man stood quite still at the edge of the sea, with his back to them. A young man as brazen as you like, standing there as naked as the day he was born. His pale flesh was goose-pimpled and his buttocks were clenched tightly against the cool wind.
Suddenly the man turned around and looked up in astonishment.
Miss Thomas screeched. “Everyone back up the steps now! This instant! Miss Fanthorpe! We must ring for the police!”
Miss Fanthorpe was still staring at the agitated young man and wishing that they might borrow him for a life-drawing class. A very fine specimen of the male form he was too.
The girls of Nanskelly clattered noisily up the steps, past Miss Fanthorpe turning to get a last glimpse of the bewildered man who was scrabbling to pull on his trousers and make his escape. Miss Fanthorpe watched him steadfastly. If she judged that look on his face correctly it had not been merely an early morning skinny dip he was intent upon. Oh, no, here was a young man very at odds with the world, a very interesting young man indeed. She turned and, deep in thought, followed the hysterical girls back towards the school.
In the nursery in Killivray House Romilly Greswode ate her breakfast reluctantly. The egg was over boiled and the toast soldiers already limp and cold.
She had woken several times in the night and had a headache that was making her eyes ache.
Nanny Bea shuffled about the room, banked the fire, tidied away dirty laundry and then poured herself a cup of tea and sat down opposite Romilly at the small table near the window.
She thought that the child looked even paler than usual this morning and the dark circles beneath her eyes made her look quite ill.
She hadn’t slept well herself what with the terrible storm and then worrying about Master Jonathan driving off like that after the argument he’d had with the mistress. Presently she’d ring the house in London and check that he’d arrived safely. It was quite absurd really, the way she worried about him and still called him Master Jonathan. Lord, he was a grown man yet she still thought of him as the sensitive little fellow he’d been as a child.
That first day when he’d been sent off to school had been one of the worst days of her life. He’d been little more than a baby really, just seven years of age and he’d clung to her skirts and sobbed enough to break his poor heart.
In the end Old Master Greswode had threatened him with a whipping and dragged him into the car.
He was a cruel old thing, the old master, and that stuck-up wife of his was of no comfort to the boy at all.
“Eat up, Romilly. When I’ve finished my jobs well go downstairs and you can say your goodbyes to your mama.”
Romilly put down her spoon and looked up at Nanny Bea. “How long will Mama be away this time?”
“About six weeks your papa said.”
“But that’s ages and I don’t want her to go.”
“She has to go and, you’ll see, when she gets back she will be well again.”
“But I don’t think she is ill now, so why does she have to go?”
“All these questions, Romilly, are really very tiresome. Your mama needs a change of air and the Anglican nuns at St Mary’s will see to it that she gets the treatment she so badly needs.”
“Why is she going to St Mary’s?”
“It’s a new place your papa has found, rather more, er, secure than the others, where they will guarantee her a good rest.”
“But why can’t she rest here? There’s nothing to do here at all, she could lie down all day if she wanted to.”
“Your papa thinks a change of scenery will do her a power of good.”
“Can we go to the railway station and wave her goodbye.?”
“No, dear, it’s far too cold. And besides, we must prepare for this afternoon. It will be exciting to meet your new governess, won’t
She drew back aghast threw her hands into the air and shrieked, “Dear God in heaven, what is the world coming to?”
A man stood quite still at the edge of the sea, with his back to them. A young man as brazen as you like, standing there as naked as the day he was born. His pale flesh was goose-pimpled and his buttocks were clenched tightly against the cool wind.
Suddenly the man turned around and looked up in astonishment.
Miss Thomas screeched. “Everyone back up the steps now! This instant! Miss Fanthorpe! We must ring for the police!”
Miss Fanthorpe was still staring at the agitated young man and wishing that they might borrow him for a life-drawing class. A very fine specimen of the male form he was too.
The girls of Nanskelly clattered noisily up the steps, past Miss Fanthorpe turning to get a last glimpse of the bewildered man who was scrabbling to pull on his trousers and make his escape. Miss Fanthorpe watched him steadfastly. If she judged that look on his face correctly it had not been merely an early morning skinny dip he was intent upon. Oh, no, here was a young man very at odds with the world, a very interesting young man indeed. She turned and, deep in thought, followed the hysterical girls back towards the school.
In the nursery in Killivray House Romilly Greswode ate her breakfast reluctantly. The egg was over boiled and the toast soldiers already limp and cold.
She had woken several times in the night and had a headache that was making her eyes ache.
Nanny Bea shuffled about the room, banked the fire, tidied away dirty laundry and then poured herself a cup of tea and sat down opposite Romilly at the small table near the window.
She thought that the child looked even paler than usual this morning and the dark circles beneath her eyes made her look quite ill.
She hadn’t slept well herself what with the terrible storm and then worrying about Master Jonathan driving off like that after the argument he’d had with the mistress. Presently she’d ring the house in London and check that he’d arrived safely. It was quite absurd really, the way she worried about him and still called him Master Jonathan. Lord, he was a grown man yet she still thought of him as the sensitive little fellow he’d been as a child.
That first day when he’d been sent off to school had been one of the worst days of her life. He’d been little more than a baby really, just seven years of age and he’d clung to her skirts and sobbed enough to break his poor heart.
In the end Old Master Greswode had threatened him with a whipping and dragged him into the car.
He was a cruel old thing, the old master, and that stuck-up wife of his was of no comfort to the boy at all.
“Eat up, Romilly. When I’ve finished my jobs well go downstairs and you can say your goodbyes to your mama.”
Romilly put down her spoon and looked up at Nanny Bea. “How long will Mama be away this time?”
“About six weeks your papa said.”
“But that’s ages and I don’t want her to go.”
“She has to go and, you’ll see, when she gets back she will be well again.”
“But I don’t think she is ill now, so why does she have to go?”
“All these questions, Romilly, are really very tiresome. Your mama needs a change of air and the Anglican nuns at St Mary’s will see to it that she gets the treatment she so badly needs.”
“Why is she going to St Mary’s?”
“It’s a new place your papa has found, rather more, er, secure than the others, where they will guarantee her a good rest.”
“But why can’t she rest here? There’s nothing to do here at all, she could lie down all day if she wanted to.”
“Your papa thinks a change of scenery will do her a power of good.”
“Can we go to the railway station and wave her goodbye.?”
“No, dear, it’s far too cold. And besides, we must prepare for this afternoon. It will be exciting to meet your new governess, won’t
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