became perhaps the most exceptional student of Geography that Francis Hall had ever witnessed. She was a bright girl, and it didn’t take much more than a bit of extra study to excel in a subject like Geography. The hours spent in the library poring over the names of cloud formations and trying to memorise the rivers in Africa she considered to be the equivalent to equipping a suit of armour. Putting in extra hours on her homework was loading her gun.
"Mrs Ayers really has it in for you doesn’t she?" someone commented, when Susie’s latest, flawless essay was given a C.
Susie made it as difficult as possible for Mrs Ayers to give her demerits and detentions. She was always on time, her hair and clothes were immaculate beyond measure. She was a neat girl anyway so this wasn’t hard.
Despite this, Mrs Ayers continued to hand out punishments for the slightest, most spurious reason. Susie never complained. She simply used the detentions to study even harder at Geography. Her zeal mystified the others, who couldn’t see why anyone would put in so much effort for The Axe.
"It’s necessary," was all Susie said.
But Mrs Ayers alone knew that Susie had not submitted to her. So while she continued to hate and punish her, she began slightly to fear her.
Margery queried the endless detentions, but Susie just replied "give her enough rope."
* * *
Laura remained nauseous with misery and anxiety all day. It was miserable weather too, rainy with a blustering autumn wind, and the pitches got so waterlogged that matches were cancelled.
The only thing keeping everyone going was the thought of next weekend’s exeat. "Five more days," Charlotte counted. They were hanging out in the dorm because Teresa Hubert and her group had already claimed the common room. It simply wasn’t big enough for all of them.
A major task on the exeat weekend for many girls was to come back with an outfit for the half term dance. The Lower School formal was held the day before the Upper School event, but was considered no less important to those attending.
There were strict rules for outfits: skirts still below the knee, modest necklines, nothing too tight or clingy. Any girl wearing clothes considered unsuitable was required to change into her gym kit or return to her house. This was tantamount to the same thing, since no one could countenance appearing before the St Duncan’s boys in a tracksuit.
For Margery the entire affair was an ordeal as she was shy about her appearance. She also still had the wardrobe of a young girl, no one had realised that she was growing up and might need something more sophisticated. Most of the other girls planned to wear actual cocktail dresses, even off-the-shoulder. To get away with this usually required a last-minute hasty rearrangement of taffeta sleeves, once safely through the dress inspection.
Margery didn’t want to be the only girl there wearing a knee-length rah-rah skirt and baggy cardigan.
"We’ll go shopping on the exeat," Laura promised her.
Margery doubted her local village shops would have anything. Maybe she could persuade her father to drive them into the town.
Laura was looking forward to staying with Margery, but now she couldn’t think past this weekend: spending two entire days with minimal chance of seeing Mr Rydell.
Susie returned back from her scheduled hours of punishment. Fortunately it had been Mr Tyrrell rostered on to monitor the miscreants this weekend, and he barely noticed what anyone did. Which in Susie’s case was reading a forbidden novel masked with the dust jacket of a school library book.
"You’re not still going through with your plan, are you, Susie?" Margery said. She still couldn’t believe that Susie would actually dare to spend an entire weekend hidden in Darius’s and Julian’s dormitory at St Duncan’s. It was an absolutely mad scheme.
"Of course. I could hardly cancel now, they’re expecting me."
* * *
Susie and Laura eventually found some time
"Mrs Ayers really has it in for you doesn’t she?" someone commented, when Susie’s latest, flawless essay was given a C.
Susie made it as difficult as possible for Mrs Ayers to give her demerits and detentions. She was always on time, her hair and clothes were immaculate beyond measure. She was a neat girl anyway so this wasn’t hard.
Despite this, Mrs Ayers continued to hand out punishments for the slightest, most spurious reason. Susie never complained. She simply used the detentions to study even harder at Geography. Her zeal mystified the others, who couldn’t see why anyone would put in so much effort for The Axe.
"It’s necessary," was all Susie said.
But Mrs Ayers alone knew that Susie had not submitted to her. So while she continued to hate and punish her, she began slightly to fear her.
Margery queried the endless detentions, but Susie just replied "give her enough rope."
* * *
Laura remained nauseous with misery and anxiety all day. It was miserable weather too, rainy with a blustering autumn wind, and the pitches got so waterlogged that matches were cancelled.
The only thing keeping everyone going was the thought of next weekend’s exeat. "Five more days," Charlotte counted. They were hanging out in the dorm because Teresa Hubert and her group had already claimed the common room. It simply wasn’t big enough for all of them.
A major task on the exeat weekend for many girls was to come back with an outfit for the half term dance. The Lower School formal was held the day before the Upper School event, but was considered no less important to those attending.
There were strict rules for outfits: skirts still below the knee, modest necklines, nothing too tight or clingy. Any girl wearing clothes considered unsuitable was required to change into her gym kit or return to her house. This was tantamount to the same thing, since no one could countenance appearing before the St Duncan’s boys in a tracksuit.
For Margery the entire affair was an ordeal as she was shy about her appearance. She also still had the wardrobe of a young girl, no one had realised that she was growing up and might need something more sophisticated. Most of the other girls planned to wear actual cocktail dresses, even off-the-shoulder. To get away with this usually required a last-minute hasty rearrangement of taffeta sleeves, once safely through the dress inspection.
Margery didn’t want to be the only girl there wearing a knee-length rah-rah skirt and baggy cardigan.
"We’ll go shopping on the exeat," Laura promised her.
Margery doubted her local village shops would have anything. Maybe she could persuade her father to drive them into the town.
Laura was looking forward to staying with Margery, but now she couldn’t think past this weekend: spending two entire days with minimal chance of seeing Mr Rydell.
Susie returned back from her scheduled hours of punishment. Fortunately it had been Mr Tyrrell rostered on to monitor the miscreants this weekend, and he barely noticed what anyone did. Which in Susie’s case was reading a forbidden novel masked with the dust jacket of a school library book.
"You’re not still going through with your plan, are you, Susie?" Margery said. She still couldn’t believe that Susie would actually dare to spend an entire weekend hidden in Darius’s and Julian’s dormitory at St Duncan’s. It was an absolutely mad scheme.
"Of course. I could hardly cancel now, they’re expecting me."
* * *
Susie and Laura eventually found some time
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