Back to Blackbrick by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald Page B

away.
    Pretty soon I only had one more night left at Blackbrick.That was the night that I found out what George Corporamore really wanted from Maggie, and why he had decided to let her stay at Blackbrick and how, the first time he’d met her in Crispin’s wing, he had interpreted her decentness in the wrong way. And the only reason I found out was because I’d forgotten a bucket and cloth near Corporamore’s study, and Kevin would need it in the morning, and so, quite late, after I’d packed my stuff back into Ted’s bag and checked for the millionth time that the key to the south gates was in my pocket, I went up to get the equipment. I was coming back down the stairs and through the main hallway, and that was when I saw Corporamore and Maggie standing together, very close, near the front door.
    I stopped in time and hung back in the shadow of the doorway. I knew they couldn’t see me. But I could see them. I was right there staring straight at them both.
    Something happened then that I really don’t ever like to think about, even though I still sometimes do.
    Corporamore’s pointy-fingered hand latched on to Maggie’s shoulder. It was dark but still I could see. And then he traced his finger along her neck and he just kept staring at her the whole time with this horrible creepy smile on his face.
    Maggie didn’t move at all. And she didn’t make a sound.
    He had a cigar in his other hand, and there was a glass of brandy sitting on a silver tray. The air was thick and blue and strong, and I thought for a terrible second that Iwas going to cough. I kept on watching. I kept on wishing I could look away. But I couldn’t.
    And then afterward he stubbed out the cigar on the tray and he picked up the brandy glass and he walked away from her. She tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, straightened her apron, stood very tall, and walked off in the opposite direction, her boots clicking on the wooden floor and her legs looking as if they were trembling slightly. I might have been wrong, but just then she seemed to wobble and her knees buckled as if she was about to fall.

    I know there are some people who might say that this was just what I needed and I probably should have been happy. If Corporamore was doing things like that, then the romantic scenario with Maggie and Kevin was obviously on the rocks. But really it was a horrible result. He was ancient and pointy, and I knew she couldn’t really like him, not in that way.
    I didn’t want anyone doing what I’d seen him do to her.
    There are lots of things I wish I had done that night. But there’s nothing I can do about any of it now. I wish I had chased after Corporamore and I wish I had pushed him so that his glass of brandy fell out of his hand and tumbled and shattered on the floor. I’d have been delighted if the brandy had spilled all over him. I wish he had been so shocked and astonished that he’d have dropped his big fat cigar. I like to think of it falling from his pointy, jagged,startled, pink hands and burning a massive hole in his trousers.
    I wish then that I had grabbed George Corporamore and shoved him up against the wall, and I wish I’d said, “Stay away from her. Don’t put your disgusting fingers anywhere near her ever again, or I’ll kill you myself with my own bare hands. I swear to God I’ll kill you.”
    There are times when I think that I did do and say all those things. I can actually see the wet stains on his clothes and the surprised look on his face, and I can see myself strong and angry and I can see Corporamore snorting and struggling with me, and I can see me holding him against the wall.
    For some reason another thing I wanted to do was take Maggie by the hand. I wanted to run down to the stables with her and jump onto the horses and gallop out of Blackbrick and away. Away from this place where someone thought it was okay to do that and where she