The Forget-Me-Not Sonata(90)

‘No, it’s fine. I don’t want to offend you.’

‘You won’t. Just tell me,’ said Mattie impatiently.

‘Well, no one’s going to be impressed with Hertfordshire, are they? I’ve been to Hertfordshire and it’s grey and dreary to say the least.’ Alicia had never been anywhere near Hertfordshire.

‘It is not,’ cried Mattie.

‘Merchi always says that jealousy is the greatest form of flattery. The Argentine is hot and sunny and glamorous, so I’m flattered,’ she said and spooned the porridge into her mouth. Mattie looked across at Elizabeth who just shrugged her shoulders. ‘This porridge is disgusting. It’s cold for a start. Elizabeth, do you want mine as well?’ Elizabeth shook her head, not knowing quite what to say. Alicia felt intoxicated with her success.

‘Just leave it, no one’s going to make you eat it here,’ Mattie mumbled. She watched Alicia push her bowl to one side and help herself from the basket of toast. She admired her. Not only was she beautiful but she was clever too and unafraid. ‘If you want, you can come and stay with me one weekend,’ she said, passing Alicia the butter. ‘Hertfordshire is really very pretty.’

‘I might,’ Alicia replied. ‘Now tell me, do you have a camp in Chestnut Village?’

Leonora found her sister after breakfast in Milton sitting on a bed with the round redhead she had met in the lavatory in the middle of the night and a pretty blonde. ‘Ah,’ said Alicia, grinning broadly. ‘This is my sister, Leo.’

‘Hi, Leo,’ said Elizabeth. ‘We already know each other.’

‘Oh yes, your midnight rendezvous,’ Alicia said grudgingly. She hated it when her sister trespassed on her territory.

‘Yes, it was nice to have company,’ said Elizabeth.

‘Mattie here has a really big camp in Chestnut Village and I’m going to share it with her,’ Alicia exclaimed. ‘Sorry, Leo, you can only join us if you know the password.’

‘I don’t mind,’ said Leonora good-naturedly.

‘How come you are both in the same year?’ Mattie asked, looking from one sister to the other.

‘We’re twins,’ said Leonora. Mattie’s eyes widened and her mouth opened like a fish.

‘Twins?’ she repeated slowly. Leonora nodded.

‘Hadn’t you better get ready for chapel?’ said Alicia bossily. ‘All the new girls have to be in the hall in five minutes.’

‘What about you?’

‘I’m ready,’ she replied then watched her sister expectantly. Leonora hovered a moment but the three pairs of eyes stared at her coldly. Finally, swallowing her pride she left the room, but something compelled her to linger by the door and listen. Mercedes always said that one never hears anything good about oneself if one eavesdrops, but Leonora couldn’t help herself. Alicia had dismissed her like that for a reason. She was right. As soon as she had gone Mattie exploded.

‘Twins!’ she cried in amazement. ‘I don’t believe it. You’re so pretty and she’s so plain. How did that happen?’

‘Well, I obviously gobbled up all the good qualities in Mummy’s tummy leaving the rest for Leo,’ she said ‘Poor Leo.’ They all laughed raucously.

Blinded by tears Leonora ran into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She placed her hands on the sink to steady herself then stared at her twisted face in the mirror as her body shook with unhappiness. I want Mummy, she thought miserably. I want Mummy and I want to go home. Typically, Leonora didn’t blame Alicia. She blamed the girl with the mean mouth and thin lips who had said such a hateful thing. She wiped her eyes with trembling fingers and gazed in disgust upon her now blotchy red face. She was plain. She was terribly plain. But her mother thought she was beautiful. ‘My darling, you’re one of God’s beautiful creatures,’ she had often said and she knew she meant it because her mother looked into her features with an expression of the deepest, most tender love. She recalled her gentle face and yearned for it with such longing that it hurt.

There came a knock on the door. ‘Who’s in there?’ It was the firm but kind voice of Miss Reid.

‘Leonora,’ she replied meekly and sniffed. Miss Reid opened the door and poked her head around.

‘Just the person I’m looking for,’ she said, disregarding the child’s tear-stained face. She had heard her sobbing. ‘Now, I need to ask you a favour.’

‘Oh,’ said Leonora, attempting to compose herself.

‘Come with me.’

Leonora followed the headmistress through the dorms and up the corridor to the front stairs. She hesitated at the top, aware that she wasn’t senior enough to use them. ‘Come, come, don’t dawdle,’ said Miss Reid in her clipped English accent that masked a cauldron of emotion. ‘Now, I need a very responsible, sensible girl to help me out in prayers. You see, Midge here isn’t feeling very well.’ She stroked the little dog’s head with her long, wrinkled fingers. ‘I can’t leave him and I can’t take him into chapel myself as I have to take the service. I know he likes you. So would you mind looking after him for me?’ She looked down at Leonora with the wise old eyes of a woman who had worked with and lived for children for nearly forty years. Unmarried and childless she had devoted her entire existence to them and in spite of her efforts to remain detached she was only human and some children caused her heart to yield. Leonora was one of those.