Miss Eggleton swayed, suddenly, and looked as though she was about to faint. Mary caught her by the arm just in time and helped her to the bed. She looked very pale. Mary knew she wore little make-up, unlike some of the teachers – and some of the sixth-formers! But this was something different. Victoria Eggleton was worried, and Mary was determined to find out what it was that was worrying her.
‘Before you say anything, I know you’ve been meeting men in the Abbey, and that you’ve had visitors in the middle of the night!’ Mary blurted out. ‘And I think it was you that took Ros’s book yesterday!’
‘No, I didn’t, Mary. Well, it is Ros’s book, but she lent it to me about half an hour ago. I hope you believe me.’
‘I don’t know what to believe. There’s such a lot going on.’
Miss Eggleton managed a wan smile, but Mary could see she was struggling not to faint.
‘Can I get you anything? A glass of water or something?’
‘I think I need something a little stronger, Mary. There’s a kettle in the kitchen. Make some tea, will you, there’s a dear. Then I’ll tell you everything. Everything it’s safe for me to tell you.’ Mary found the kettle, filled it, and put two teabags into the pot, then put milk into two cups. But when she’d made the tea and taken it back into the sitting room, she was alarmed to find Miss Eggleton slumped across the bed in a dead faint. There was a big telephone on the window sill, twice the size of an ordinary one, and with ten black buttons for internal extensions, one of which was clearly marked “Infirmary” in Miss Eggleton’s very clear, neat handwriting.
Trembling slightly, Mary picked up the heavy handset and pressed the button. A moment later she heard matron’s voice say “hello?”
‘This is Mary Hamilton, matron,’ Mary said. ‘I’m in Miss Eggleton’s room up at the hall. She’s fainted and I’m a bit worried about her. Do you think you could come and take a look at her? It may be the virus.’
‘I’ll be there in a few minutes, Mary. Cover her with a blanket or a sheet or something and put a pillow under her head, but don’t move her. Got that?’
‘Yes, Matron.’
Within five minutes matron arrived with one of her nurses, and Mary was asked to wait outside in the corridor.
After a further five minutes, the nurse came bustling out and told Mary there was nothing else she could do and she wasn’t helping matters by waiting there.
But Mary refused to leave. ‘I prefer to stay, thank you. I’m not going anywhere until I find out what’s wrong with Miss Eggleton.’
‘I can’t tell you, I’m sorry. But if you must wait, you must not get in the way when the ambulance arrives.’
‘Ambulance? She’s really ill, then?’ The alarm on Mary’s face was unmistakable. The nurse attempted to reassure her, but as she didn’t know herself what was the matter, there was little she could say that would put Mary at her ease. Mary waited patiently while the nurse went back inside and firmly shut the door. Then at eight thirty precisely she heard the shrill bell of the ambulance and dashed to the window to see it pull up at the front door. Again she was ushered out of the way, then at just before nine o’clock the ambulancemen brought out Miss Eggleton on a kind of trolley. She looked even more pale than usual, and was breathing unevenly. Mary felt herself shivering, but tried to take control of herself as she watched them carry the poor teacher down the staircase and out the front door. At last matron emerged, along with the nurse.
‘Nothing you can do here Mary, but your prompt action has probably averted an even worse crisis.’
‘Is it serious, then? Do you know what’s the matter with her?’ Mary asked anxiously.
‘I do know, but I am not at liberty to divulge it to you. Nothing personal, Mary. I telephoned the headmistress from in there and she said that on no account was I to tell anyone what is the matter with Miss Eggleton. When the time is right she will tell you. Now why don’t you run off to bed? Miss Tibbs will appoint one of the prefects to make sure your lights are out at the proper time. Don’t worry. I’m sure Miss Eggleton will be perfectly right as rain in no time at all.’
‘Thank you, Matron. Thank you for coming so quickly.’
‘You did the right thing, Mary. You should be very proud of yourself. I will make a point of telling Miss Tibbs how promptly and sensibly you acted this evening. Now run along.’
To her immense relief the matron didn’t ask what she had been doing in Miss Eggleton’s room. Mary tore back to the dormitory to tell the others the news. In fact they were all already in bed. Gloria’s eyes were closed but she was not yet asleep. Jennifer was reading a society magazine whilst Ros was attempting to catch up with the French verbs she had missed.
‘Well, what did she have to say for herself?’ Ros asked.
‘I’m afraid I didn’t get the chance to ask her,’ Mary explained. ‘She was taken away in an ambulance a few minutes ago.’
‘Gosh, what’s wrong with her?’
‘I’m not sure. They wouldn’t tell me, but she was very pale, as though she’d lost a lot of blood or something.’
‘Anaemic,’ Jennifer said, without looking up from her magazine.
‘Or pregnant,’ Gloria said. ‘Can we please talk about this in the morning? I’m absolutely whacked.’
Mary smiled and changed into her pyjamas, then cleaned her teeth and climbed into bed. She was too tired to read, so she switched off her bedside lamp just as Justine Chambers knocked on the door and said “Lights out, you lot.”
But it was not too long before she was wide awake again. It was a dark, misty night, with no moon and a blanket of dark clouds. But away in the distance, a light flashed. Then again. Mary scrambled out of bed immediately, rubbing her eyes. She desperately wanted to wake the others, but all they would do is to suggest that they wake Miss Tibbs and call the police. She pulled the curtain to one side and glanced quickly at her watch, and saw that it was half-past midnight.
Three or four minutes passed, and then she saw the light again, and then a second time, in quick succession. Now she knew what it was. She hurriedly pulled on a sweater and some slacks over her pyjamas, pushed her feet into her plimsolls and quietly let herself out of the bedroom and made her way down to the back door.
Out across the lawn she sprinted, keeping an eye on where the light had come from. At last she reached the first low wall of the Abbey, and ran straight into the arms of the man holding the torch. ‘Hello,’ the man said. ‘Who on Earth are you?’
‘You were expecting Miss Eggleton, weren’t you? She’s been taken ill. Very ill. They took her away in an ambulance earlier this evening!’ Mary blurted out. She didn’t even give a second thought to the chance that the man might be carrying a gun.
‘How did you know I was here?’ the man asked.
‘I saw you on the very first night of term. Miss Eggleton met you right here. Then I saw you again, in the early hours of the morning, and a car came, and……’
‘All right!’ the man hissed. ‘Did Tory tell you about me? Anything? Quickly, young lady?’
‘Tory? Oh, you mean Victoria. No, she was going to tell me all about you, then she was taken ill. I was there when she collapsed. Aren’t you worried about her at all?’
The man had started pacing about behind the wall. ‘Of course I’m worried about her!’ he snapped. Then he relented. ‘I’m sorry. Yes, as a matter of fact I’m very worried about her. She’s my sister.’
‘Your sister?’
‘That’s right. Look, you’ll have to run an errand for me, tomorrow. Can you do that?’
Mary frowned. ‘You’re not the man with the gun, are you?’ she asked suspiciously.
‘Gun? What gun? What man?’
‘There’s supposed to be an armed man on the loose. We were warned to be on the lookout for him.’
‘The head should have told you that man was caught yesterday. She didn’t tell you?’
‘No, she didn’t. Why should I believe you?’
‘You think I’m the armed man?’
‘I should tell Miss Tibbs. She will call the police. I don’t see why I should trust you.’
‘I’ll tell you why you should trust me – what’s your name?’
‘Mary. Mary Hamilton,’ Mary told him, then mentally kicked herself for giving him information to which he had no right.
‘Mary. Right, Mary. This is why you should trust me. I am the police.’
Mary frowned. ‘Why should I believe you? I bet you don’t have any identification.’
‘Not with me, no. Listen, you trusted my sister, didn’t you? Otherwise the bobbies would be swarming all over the place by now. I’m right, aren’t I?’ When Mary didn’t reply, he went on. ‘If you really want to help my sister, you’ll do as I ask. Please?’
‘It depends on what you want me to do.’
‘Simple. Go into Haleton and tell the sergeant at the police station that there has been a change of plan. That’s all. He’ll know what to do then. Would you do that for me?’
‘Only if you tell me what’s going on,’ Mary said firmly. ‘Miss Eggleton was about to tell me when she was taken ill.’
‘Do you know what’s wrong with her?’
‘No, they wouldn’t tell me. But I know where they’ve taken her. I could find out.’
‘I must go and see her. The trouble is, I don’t want to leave the Abbey. Not just yet.’
‘Why? What’s going on?’
‘You’d better come inside, in the warm. I’ll tell you everything. We owe you that much.’
