too?’ asked Luke. It came out before he could stop himself.
Sam didn’t respond.
‘Answer me! I’m not a kid any more!’ shouted Luke.
‘Aren’t you? Then act like it.’ Sam stood up. ‘I’m going for a walk before dinner.’
‘The exam?’ said Luke suddenly. ‘That’s what you mean, isn’t it? St Ilf’s?’
‘Yes,’ said Sam reluctantly. ‘Look, mate,’ he added hurriedly, ‘it’s not what you’re thinking.’
‘Did you pay someone?’
‘Of course I didn’t pay anyone. I just rang up one of the masters there, a bloke I was at school with. I mentioned you’d had a hard time, lost a lot of school when your dad was sick—’
‘You leave my dad out of it!’
‘I just said you might need some help and could they give you some idea of what you might need to study for the exam.’
‘So they sent me the exam paper to get Sam Mackenzie’s stepson into St Ilf’s?’
Sam stared. ‘You mean they sent you the whole exam paper? I just thought…I meant just a question or two, to help you along…’
‘You made me a cheat,’ said Luke hoarsely. ‘Just like you.’
‘Luke, I didn’t mean…’ began Sam.
Did Luke believe him? Had Sam arranged for him to see the whole exam paper or just a few questions?
It didn’t matter. Luke stumbled to his room.
Chapter 8
Luke
Son: What is a traitor?
Lady Macduff: Why, one that swears and lies.
( Macbeth , Act IV, Scene 2, lines 46–47)
Dinner was quiet. Luke avoided looking at Sam as he carved the roast beef, or even at Mum.
‘How many potatoes?’ asked Mum.
‘Two,’ said Luke. Did she know? Had Sam said to her, ‘Hey, don’t worry about dumb old Luke, I can get him into St Ilf’s, no worries’?
No, he thought. Mum wouldn’t have gone along with something like that. All her delight when he’d won that scholarship had been real. And if Luke told her now she’d be doubly hurt. She’d find out she had a cheat for a husband as well as for a son…
‘I was just explaining to Luke,’ said Sam heavily, ‘why I can’t put the Fishers on the show.’
‘Advertisers,’ said Mum.
Luke looked at her, shocked. ‘You knew? Why didn’t you tell me?’
Mum looked startled at the anger in his voice. ‘I thought Sam might still be able to do something.’
‘Well, I can’t,’ said Sam shortly.
Mum glanced at him, then at Luke. ‘Well, there are still lots of other things we can do,’ she said a bit too brightly. ‘Write to the paper…and the councillors. Maybe a letter to each one of them.’
Small stuff compared with what Sam could do, thought Luke. But there was no way he was going to attack Mum too.
How could she stand up for Sam like that?
‘I’ll get the chocolate mousse,’ said Mum, looking from one to the other. She was beginning to sound worried.
Luke stood up. ‘I’m not hungry. I’ve got homework to do.’
‘One of the joys of being an adult,’ said Mum, trying to stay cheerful, ‘is never having to do homework again.’
Luke didn’t reply.
The homework wasn’t just an excuse. He did have homework: he still had to try and get through Macbeth . Maybe for once he wouldn’t leave it all till Sunday night.
It was even sort of good to get away from real life into homework. To have something else to think about instead of Mum and Sam and St Ilf’s…
How would Mum feel if she knew Sam had thought that Luke was such a loser he’d never get into St Ilf’s by himself? If she knew Sam and Luke were cheats…because he was a cheat now, he realised. He’d been a cheat ever since he got the scholarship and said nothing about the exam.
Would Sam really tell people Luke had cheated if Luke spread it around that he was a fraud whowouldn’t speak out about something his sponsors were doing? It would hurt Sam too, wouldn’t it?
Or maybe he wouldn’t have to tell them right out. Maybe he’d just hint. He’d say, ‘Luke had a bit of help, you know’, with a wink and a certain look on his face, and people
Sam didn’t respond.
‘Answer me! I’m not a kid any more!’ shouted Luke.
‘Aren’t you? Then act like it.’ Sam stood up. ‘I’m going for a walk before dinner.’
‘The exam?’ said Luke suddenly. ‘That’s what you mean, isn’t it? St Ilf’s?’
‘Yes,’ said Sam reluctantly. ‘Look, mate,’ he added hurriedly, ‘it’s not what you’re thinking.’
‘Did you pay someone?’
‘Of course I didn’t pay anyone. I just rang up one of the masters there, a bloke I was at school with. I mentioned you’d had a hard time, lost a lot of school when your dad was sick—’
‘You leave my dad out of it!’
‘I just said you might need some help and could they give you some idea of what you might need to study for the exam.’
‘So they sent me the exam paper to get Sam Mackenzie’s stepson into St Ilf’s?’
Sam stared. ‘You mean they sent you the whole exam paper? I just thought…I meant just a question or two, to help you along…’
‘You made me a cheat,’ said Luke hoarsely. ‘Just like you.’
‘Luke, I didn’t mean…’ began Sam.
Did Luke believe him? Had Sam arranged for him to see the whole exam paper or just a few questions?
It didn’t matter. Luke stumbled to his room.
Chapter 8
Luke
Son: What is a traitor?
Lady Macduff: Why, one that swears and lies.
( Macbeth , Act IV, Scene 2, lines 46–47)
Dinner was quiet. Luke avoided looking at Sam as he carved the roast beef, or even at Mum.
‘How many potatoes?’ asked Mum.
‘Two,’ said Luke. Did she know? Had Sam said to her, ‘Hey, don’t worry about dumb old Luke, I can get him into St Ilf’s, no worries’?
No, he thought. Mum wouldn’t have gone along with something like that. All her delight when he’d won that scholarship had been real. And if Luke told her now she’d be doubly hurt. She’d find out she had a cheat for a husband as well as for a son…
‘I was just explaining to Luke,’ said Sam heavily, ‘why I can’t put the Fishers on the show.’
‘Advertisers,’ said Mum.
Luke looked at her, shocked. ‘You knew? Why didn’t you tell me?’
Mum looked startled at the anger in his voice. ‘I thought Sam might still be able to do something.’
‘Well, I can’t,’ said Sam shortly.
Mum glanced at him, then at Luke. ‘Well, there are still lots of other things we can do,’ she said a bit too brightly. ‘Write to the paper…and the councillors. Maybe a letter to each one of them.’
Small stuff compared with what Sam could do, thought Luke. But there was no way he was going to attack Mum too.
How could she stand up for Sam like that?
‘I’ll get the chocolate mousse,’ said Mum, looking from one to the other. She was beginning to sound worried.
Luke stood up. ‘I’m not hungry. I’ve got homework to do.’
‘One of the joys of being an adult,’ said Mum, trying to stay cheerful, ‘is never having to do homework again.’
Luke didn’t reply.
The homework wasn’t just an excuse. He did have homework: he still had to try and get through Macbeth . Maybe for once he wouldn’t leave it all till Sunday night.
It was even sort of good to get away from real life into homework. To have something else to think about instead of Mum and Sam and St Ilf’s…
How would Mum feel if she knew Sam had thought that Luke was such a loser he’d never get into St Ilf’s by himself? If she knew Sam and Luke were cheats…because he was a cheat now, he realised. He’d been a cheat ever since he got the scholarship and said nothing about the exam.
Would Sam really tell people Luke had cheated if Luke spread it around that he was a fraud whowouldn’t speak out about something his sponsors were doing? It would hurt Sam too, wouldn’t it?
Or maybe he wouldn’t have to tell them right out. Maybe he’d just hint. He’d say, ‘Luke had a bit of help, you know’, with a wink and a certain look on his face, and people
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