Arabelle in the Upper School - Chapter 6
Arabella's world froze around her. Her thoughts locked on those two words. Punishment book! What did that mean? She shook her head. No! I know what they mean. But what do they signify?
She felt the tightening grip from the Head Girl's fingers. Felt the long athletic body pressed against her back. Felt a strange animal heat from the older girl.
Arabella closed her eyes momentarily, seeking a return to an old reality. A time before those fateful words. She could not allow herself to admit this was happening. She had to use all her willpower to alter the course of events.
Nancy Stewart felt the change of energy in her young charge. Remembered her own reaction the first time she understood what was about to happen to her own younger self. The shock. The fear. The disbelief. Fiennes would be feeling all this now. And trying to deny its reality. Soon, it would become all too real.
Nancy knew, from her own experience, the role the Head Girl would play in what was soon to unfold, here in the Headmistress's study. When Miss Guthrie had summoned her on the first day of the new school year and told her that she was to be Head Girl, she was proud, excited. As the Headmistress explained the scope and limits of responsibility that came with the appointment, a corner of Nancy's mind lit up with expectations of scenes such as this. And she felt that excitement in her body, too.
Now it was coming to pass.
There was a discreet knock on the door that led from the secretary's office into the Headmistress's study. All three occupants looked towards the door as it opened without waiting for a response. A diminutive woman, dressed from head to toe in shades of grey, entered silently. The only colour in this apparition came from her piercing blue eyes and the red cover of the book she carried.
Miss Brookes was of uncertain age. She had already been School Secretary for twenty five years when Miss Guthrie arrived, ten years ago, from the Glen Brophy Academy, just outside Edinburgh, to replace the late, lamented Dame Agatha Forbes-Wilson as Headmistress of Rottingdean. Miss Brookes had seen more girls' names go into the punishment book than she cared to remember. Each school year, she started a new book. She kept the full record of school discipline during her thirty five years of service lined up on a special shelf in her office, each volume neatly labelled.
Miss Brookes had been relieved that Miss Guthrie was as keen a disciplinarian as Dame Agatha had been. She had been able to continue her tradition, on days when the Headmistress had exercised her duty of chastisement, of taking one of the volumes up to her small attic apartment at the end of her working day and re-reading it over an extra glass of sherry. Enjoying the memories conjured up by the neat and detailed entries.
"Ah, Miss Brookes!"
The Headmistress seemed almost surprised by her Secretary's arrival. She reached out an arm and took the red book.
"Thank you."
She placed the book on the desk in front of her. Opened it. She was pleased to see the neat black ruled lines, the spaces for all the details she would record for each punishment during the coming year. Not for the first time, she wondered just when Miss Brookes prepared the punishment books. Was it a summer holiday activity for her? Or a hasty job in the first few days of the new school year?
Never mind, she thought. It's done and it's done well. Now I must do the same.
Miss Guthrie looked up from the open book. Stared at Arabella with the coldness of a hanging judge.
"Your attitude and behaviour are unacceptable, Fiennes. You have earned yourself a severe punishment."
Miss Guthrie started to fill in the first line of blank spaces on the punishment book.
Arabella gasped, started to protest.
"But Miss… !"
The words had barely passed her lips when Nancy grasped her even tighter, hissing urgently, directly into her ear.
"Shush, girl! You'll only make it worse!"
Miss Guthrie came to the column for the number of strokes to be administered. She looked again at Arabella for a moment. She spoke in an even tone, without emotion.
"You will receive six strokes of the cane, Fiennes."
Arabella felt her knees go weak. She leant back against Nancy, who supported her, then forced her upright again. Tears filled her eyes, began to roll down both cheeks.
Miss Guthrie turned her head towards Miss Brookes.
"Would you bring me the junior cane, please."
She looked back at Arabella.
"Remove your blazer!"
She felt the tightening grip from the Head Girl's fingers. Felt the long athletic body pressed against her back. Felt a strange animal heat from the older girl.
Arabella closed her eyes momentarily, seeking a return to an old reality. A time before those fateful words. She could not allow herself to admit this was happening. She had to use all her willpower to alter the course of events.
Nancy Stewart felt the change of energy in her young charge. Remembered her own reaction the first time she understood what was about to happen to her own younger self. The shock. The fear. The disbelief. Fiennes would be feeling all this now. And trying to deny its reality. Soon, it would become all too real.
Nancy knew, from her own experience, the role the Head Girl would play in what was soon to unfold, here in the Headmistress's study. When Miss Guthrie had summoned her on the first day of the new school year and told her that she was to be Head Girl, she was proud, excited. As the Headmistress explained the scope and limits of responsibility that came with the appointment, a corner of Nancy's mind lit up with expectations of scenes such as this. And she felt that excitement in her body, too.
Now it was coming to pass.
There was a discreet knock on the door that led from the secretary's office into the Headmistress's study. All three occupants looked towards the door as it opened without waiting for a response. A diminutive woman, dressed from head to toe in shades of grey, entered silently. The only colour in this apparition came from her piercing blue eyes and the red cover of the book she carried.
Miss Brookes was of uncertain age. She had already been School Secretary for twenty five years when Miss Guthrie arrived, ten years ago, from the Glen Brophy Academy, just outside Edinburgh, to replace the late, lamented Dame Agatha Forbes-Wilson as Headmistress of Rottingdean. Miss Brookes had seen more girls' names go into the punishment book than she cared to remember. Each school year, she started a new book. She kept the full record of school discipline during her thirty five years of service lined up on a special shelf in her office, each volume neatly labelled.
Miss Brookes had been relieved that Miss Guthrie was as keen a disciplinarian as Dame Agatha had been. She had been able to continue her tradition, on days when the Headmistress had exercised her duty of chastisement, of taking one of the volumes up to her small attic apartment at the end of her working day and re-reading it over an extra glass of sherry. Enjoying the memories conjured up by the neat and detailed entries.
"Ah, Miss Brookes!"
The Headmistress seemed almost surprised by her Secretary's arrival. She reached out an arm and took the red book.
"Thank you."
She placed the book on the desk in front of her. Opened it. She was pleased to see the neat black ruled lines, the spaces for all the details she would record for each punishment during the coming year. Not for the first time, she wondered just when Miss Brookes prepared the punishment books. Was it a summer holiday activity for her? Or a hasty job in the first few days of the new school year?
Never mind, she thought. It's done and it's done well. Now I must do the same.
Miss Guthrie looked up from the open book. Stared at Arabella with the coldness of a hanging judge.
"Your attitude and behaviour are unacceptable, Fiennes. You have earned yourself a severe punishment."
Miss Guthrie started to fill in the first line of blank spaces on the punishment book.
Arabella gasped, started to protest.
"But Miss… !"
The words had barely passed her lips when Nancy grasped her even tighter, hissing urgently, directly into her ear.
"Shush, girl! You'll only make it worse!"
Miss Guthrie came to the column for the number of strokes to be administered. She looked again at Arabella for a moment. She spoke in an even tone, without emotion.
"You will receive six strokes of the cane, Fiennes."
Arabella felt her knees go weak. She leant back against Nancy, who supported her, then forced her upright again. Tears filled her eyes, began to roll down both cheeks.
Miss Guthrie turned her head towards Miss Brookes.
"Would you bring me the junior cane, please."
She looked back at Arabella.
"Remove your blazer!"
61-69, F
