was really nothing of the sort. She knew that now. It was her first experience of heartbreak over a member of the opposite sex, and it hurt like mad. But Anne’s loss of her fiancé had been a tragedy, not to be compared with her own disappointment which, seen in that context, seemed quite trivial.
‘I’m sorry…’ she said again. ‘I shouldn’t have gone on like that. But I couldn’t tell Mum all about it…’
‘No, I realise that.’ Anne smiled. ‘And I’m very honoured that you wanted to share your problem with me. Now… I have something to tell you as well.’ She decided it would be good to get Maisie thinking about something else other than her own heartache. ‘Not the same sort of thing, but there are going to be a few changes of one sort and another round here, Maisie.’
‘Oh…you’ve not decided to go back to Leeds, have you, Anne?’ Maisie looked a little crestfallen, and it was gratifying to Anne to see the girl’s reaction.
‘No, not at all. I go back from time to time to see my parents, and I always will, but my home is here now, Maisie, as yours is. And I guess it always will be. No; the big change is that Miss Foster has decided to retire at Christmas.’
‘Oh goodness! That is a surprise,’ said Maisie. Then, thinking about it more rationally, she said, ‘Although I suppose she must be…quite old by now.’
‘Yes…well, elderly at least,’ replied Anne, laughing, ‘but I don’t think she would like to be told that. Anyway, she’s decided to go…and the other news is – guess what? – that she would like me to apply for the post.’
‘Of headmistress?’
‘Yes, that’s right.’
‘Gosh!’ said Maisie. ‘And…are you going to?’
‘I think so,’ said Anne, smiling in a confidentway. ‘Yes, I’ll have a try, but if it doesn’t work out, then I will realise it was not to be. There may be a lot of applicants.’
‘But you will be as good as any of them,’ replied Maisie staunchly.
‘Thank you for the vote of confidence,’ laughed Anne, ‘but I expect it will be a tough contest… It’s not a secret, by the way, about Miss Foster’s retirement, but she might want to tell you the news herself. If she does then…well, you can’t pretend that you didn’t know, but we can say that I just mentioned it casually.’
‘OK,’ grinned Maisie. ‘I’ve got it… Now, can I help you with the tea, Anne? Setting the table or anything?’
‘Yes, thank you. You can put the cloth on and the cups and saucers and cutlery. Charity and I prepared the food earlier…’
Miss Foster joined them for the meal of afternoon tea; thinly cut boiled ham with salad and triangles of bread and butter, followed by tinned peaches and evaporated milk, and finished off with homemade fruitcake and gingerbread. The cloth was Miss Foster’s best lace-edged one, with napkins to match, and they ate and drank from delicate china patterned with wild flowers, using silver cutlery that gleamed with recent polishing. It was all what Maisie termed very posh. She felt almost like aJunior schoolgirl again, aware that she must be on her very best behaviour. But the two adults did not treat her as a child and the conversation flowed quite naturally. And as Miss Foster seemed to realise that Maisie would already know about her retirement, that little hurdle was surmounted.
Anne thought, as the girl said goodbye at five-thirty – evening service started at six-thirty and she had to get ready to sing in the choir – that she seemed to be in a more positive and cheerful frame of mind than she had on her arrival. Young love could be devastating in its effect, she pondered, but Maisie was a sensible girl and she would learn to put it behind her.
And Maisie’s thoughts, surprisingly, were no longer solely of herself, but of Anne as well. Her friend and Miss Foster were too much in one another’s pockets, she mused. Like a couple of old spinsters, except that Anne Mellodey was not old, and
‘I’m sorry…’ she said again. ‘I shouldn’t have gone on like that. But I couldn’t tell Mum all about it…’
‘No, I realise that.’ Anne smiled. ‘And I’m very honoured that you wanted to share your problem with me. Now… I have something to tell you as well.’ She decided it would be good to get Maisie thinking about something else other than her own heartache. ‘Not the same sort of thing, but there are going to be a few changes of one sort and another round here, Maisie.’
‘Oh…you’ve not decided to go back to Leeds, have you, Anne?’ Maisie looked a little crestfallen, and it was gratifying to Anne to see the girl’s reaction.
‘No, not at all. I go back from time to time to see my parents, and I always will, but my home is here now, Maisie, as yours is. And I guess it always will be. No; the big change is that Miss Foster has decided to retire at Christmas.’
‘Oh goodness! That is a surprise,’ said Maisie. Then, thinking about it more rationally, she said, ‘Although I suppose she must be…quite old by now.’
‘Yes…well, elderly at least,’ replied Anne, laughing, ‘but I don’t think she would like to be told that. Anyway, she’s decided to go…and the other news is – guess what? – that she would like me to apply for the post.’
‘Of headmistress?’
‘Yes, that’s right.’
‘Gosh!’ said Maisie. ‘And…are you going to?’
‘I think so,’ said Anne, smiling in a confidentway. ‘Yes, I’ll have a try, but if it doesn’t work out, then I will realise it was not to be. There may be a lot of applicants.’
‘But you will be as good as any of them,’ replied Maisie staunchly.
‘Thank you for the vote of confidence,’ laughed Anne, ‘but I expect it will be a tough contest… It’s not a secret, by the way, about Miss Foster’s retirement, but she might want to tell you the news herself. If she does then…well, you can’t pretend that you didn’t know, but we can say that I just mentioned it casually.’
‘OK,’ grinned Maisie. ‘I’ve got it… Now, can I help you with the tea, Anne? Setting the table or anything?’
‘Yes, thank you. You can put the cloth on and the cups and saucers and cutlery. Charity and I prepared the food earlier…’
Miss Foster joined them for the meal of afternoon tea; thinly cut boiled ham with salad and triangles of bread and butter, followed by tinned peaches and evaporated milk, and finished off with homemade fruitcake and gingerbread. The cloth was Miss Foster’s best lace-edged one, with napkins to match, and they ate and drank from delicate china patterned with wild flowers, using silver cutlery that gleamed with recent polishing. It was all what Maisie termed very posh. She felt almost like aJunior schoolgirl again, aware that she must be on her very best behaviour. But the two adults did not treat her as a child and the conversation flowed quite naturally. And as Miss Foster seemed to realise that Maisie would already know about her retirement, that little hurdle was surmounted.
Anne thought, as the girl said goodbye at five-thirty – evening service started at six-thirty and she had to get ready to sing in the choir – that she seemed to be in a more positive and cheerful frame of mind than she had on her arrival. Young love could be devastating in its effect, she pondered, but Maisie was a sensible girl and she would learn to put it behind her.
And Maisie’s thoughts, surprisingly, were no longer solely of herself, but of Anne as well. Her friend and Miss Foster were too much in one another’s pockets, she mused. Like a couple of old spinsters, except that Anne Mellodey was not old, and
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