The Master of Highbridge Manor. Susanne James

waters and she bit her lip. She hoped that if she was asked to contribute to the meeting she’d be able to find her voice and say something sensible.

      It proved to be a routine affair and at seven o’clock Jasper concluded the meeting. Ria stood up, relieved that nothing had been asked of her. But then, suddenly, he called across and she turned to look back at him.

      ‘Ria, would you mind staying for a few moments, please?’ he said—and it was not exactly a request.

      She paused uncertainly, fiddling with the clasp of her bag and wondering why she was being singled out. Presently, after the chairs had been stacked neatly away again and everyone else had left, he gestured for her to come and sit opposite him once more.

      ‘Now,’ he said, looking directly at her, ‘I want to know how everything’s going for you. I didn’t think for a minute that you’d want to air any problems in public. So fire away.’

      Although his expression was serious, the voice was warm enough and Ria felt herself relaxing. She smiled, shrugging slightly.

      ‘Well, actually, so far there haven’t been any problems—none that I’m aware of,’ she added. ‘Lessons have been uncomplicated, and I think I’ve got their interest—most of the time.’ She smiled again. ‘I haven’t had to wake anyone up so far, anyway.’

      He nodded slowly, remembering the other time she’d sat in that chair and how wonderful she’d looked then. And today was no exception, he acknowledged, her black narrow-leg trousers and crisp white shirt giving her a brisk, efficient air. And her glorious hair, just slightly out of place today, with a few fronds escaping to fall towards the curve of her cheeks only added to her appeal. He picked up a pen, trying not to keep looking at her.

      ‘Tim has already told me that he’s never known class three to be so well-behaved, or to show such concentration.’ He paused for a moment, remembering Tim’s enthusiastic opinion about Ria. ‘ So…’ he looked up and smiled, his teeth white against his tanned skin ‘…well done,’ he murmured. ‘You seem to have fitted in very well—as I anticipated,’ he added.

      Ria was genuinely thrilled to be told that. She couldn’t remember anyone bothering to compliment her on her work before, and it was true that she’d felt a special empathy with the class she’d been entrusted with.

      ‘Well, thank you,’ she said simply. ‘I’m enjoying teaching these children more than any I’ve come across so far. I hope I can keep it up,’ she added.

      There was silence for a few moments, then, ‘Actually, there is a small point which is bothering me…’ she said slowly, and Jasper raised his eyebrows. ‘It concerns Josh…’ she began, and he interrupted.

      ‘Joshua Mills? Our new boy?’

      Ria hesitated before going on. She didn’t want to make a minor problem worse by saying too much about it. ‘I think he’s rather…unhappy…at the moment,’ she said.

      Jasper nodded. ‘I’m not really surprised,’ he said. ‘Of course, it’s very unusual for us to take any new student at this point of the year, but his parents are having severe personal problems at the moment, which are apparently not helped by their son being at home and getting under their feet. Joshua was not due here until September,’ he added.

      Suddenly the rugged features were dark with distaste as he went on. ‘In my view, vulnerable children are not things, to be put in convenient boxes at given times.’ He paused and leaned back in his chair. ‘But, after thinking long and hard about it, I decided that being here was perhaps the kindest option for him—and Matron and his House Mistress are well aware of his particular problem.’

      ‘Well, that probably does explain quite a lot,’ Ria said. She paused. ‘And it doesn’t help that he is so much smaller than the rest of his year.’ She didn’t want to confess that seeing Josh, with his brown eyes looking at her pensively through rather large thick-framed spectacles, had made her want to gather him up in her arms.

      ‘None of the others have been getting at him, have they?’ Jasper said suddenly. ‘No bullying, I hope?’

      ‘Not that I’ve seen,’ Ria said, hesitating for a moment before going on. ‘Though there is something that’s really bothering him.’ She paused. ‘It’s about the tennis tournament.’

      ‘What about it?’

      ‘A couple of boys have told him that anyone refusing to take part will be severely punished.’

      ‘Rubbish,’ Jasper said flatly. ‘It’s certainly true that we encourage everyone to participate because it creates team spirit, with House against House, and as a school we believe that competition exposes talent and breeds excellence.’ His mouth twisted slightly as he recalled the battles, masquerading as games of tennis, which he and Carl had fought in their youth, matching each other, shot for shot, each deadly serious and determined to win. He glanced across at Ria. ‘But punishing those who really do not want to take part is a fiction,’ he said.

      Ria was relieved. ‘I didn’t believe it,’ she said, ‘but Josh does. So I’ll be able to put his mind at rest about that, at least.’

      Jasper looked across at her thoughtfully. ‘You’ve obviously gained his confidence very quickly, Ria,’ he said.

      ‘Well, he does stay behind for a few moments after class, and we have a little chat,’ Ria admitted. ‘He told me that he’s never enjoyed anything to do with sport—to the annoyance and regret of his father, apparently.’

      Jasper tilted his head to one side briefly. ‘Joshua is certainly a very academic child,’ he said. ‘His grasp of mathematics is awesome, I believe—so he probably prefers to grapple with complex theorems rather than hitting balls over nets, or anywhere else, for that matter.’

      ‘He told me he was often expected to play tennis for hours on end, and hated every minute of it,’ Ria went on. ‘Couldn’t see the point of it at all. Consequently, he was always rubbish at it—his words.’ She smiled, pausing. ‘The thing is—he’s afraid of looking a wimp in front of all the others when he misses the shots all the time or, worse, if he asks to be given dispensation.’

      Jasper’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully, then, after a moment, ‘Um…well…I think we can fix that easily enough,’ he said. He leaned forward to scribble something down on the pad in front of him. ‘Joshua can be one of the umpires,’ he said. ‘At least in the early heats. He obviously knows the game through and through, so there’ll be no question of him getting the scoring wrong.’ He smiled suddenly. ‘It’ll make him feel very superior to be sitting up there above everyone else—a job usually given to the older students, but that’s not an unbreakable rule. Joshua can take his turn at doing the honours as well this time.’