A Dangerous Fortune - Ken Follett [9]
In the head’s dusty drawing room Mrs. Pilaster embraced Edward and kissed the wound on his forehead where Tonio’s stone had hit him. “My poor dear child,” she said. Micky and Edward had not told anyone that Tonio had thrown a stone at Edward, for then they would have to explain why he did it. Instead they had said that Edward banged his head when he dived in to rescue Peter.
As they drank their tea, Micky saw a new side to Edward. His mother, sitting beside him on the sofa, touched him constantly and called him Teddy. Instead of being embarrassed, as most boys would, he seemed to like it, and kept giving her a winning little smile that Micky had never seen before. She’s stupid about him, Micky thought, and he loves it.
After a few minutes of small talk Mrs. Pilaster stood up abruptly, startling the men, who scrambled to their feet. “I’m sure you want to smoke, Dr. Poleson,” she said. Without waiting for a reply she went on: “Mr. Pilaster will take a turn around the garden with you. Teddy dear, go with your father. I should like to have a few quiet minutes in the chapel. Perhaps Micky would show me the way.”
“By all means, by all means, by all means,” the head stuttered, falling over himself in his eagerness to assent to this series of commands. “Off you go, Miranda.”
Micky was impressed. How effortlessly she made them all do her bidding! He held the door for her and followed her out.
In the hall he said politely: “Would you like a parasol, Mrs. Pilaster? The sun is quite strong.”
“No, thank you.”
They went outside. There were a lot of boys hanging around outside the head’s house. Micky guessed that word had got around about Pilaster’s stunning mother, and they had all come to catch a glimpse of her. Feeling pleased to be her escort, he led her through a series of courtyards and quadrangles to the school chapel. “Shall I wait outside for you?” he offered.
“Come inside. I want to talk to you.”
He began to feel nervous. His pleasure in escorting a striking mature woman around the school started to fade, and he wondered why she wanted to interview him alone.
The chapel was empty. She took a back pew and invited him to sit beside her. Looking straight into his eyes, she said: “Now tell me the truth.”
*
Augusta saw the flash of surprise and fear in the boy’s expression and knew that she was right.
However, he recovered in an instant. “I’ve already told you the truth,” he said.
She shook her head. “You have not.”
He smiled.
The smile took her by surprise. She had caught him out; she knew he was on the defensive; yet he could smile at her. Few men could resist the force of her will, but it seemed he was exceptional, despite his youth. “How old are you?” she said.
“Sixteen.”
She studied him. He was outrageously good-looking, with his curly dark-brown hair and smooth skin, although there was already a hint of decadence in the heavy-lidded eyes and full lips. He reminded her somewhat of the earl of Strang, with his poise and good looks…. She pushed that thought aside with a guilty pang. “Peter Middleton was not in difficulties when you arrived at the pool,” she said. “He was swimming around quite happily.”
“What makes you say this?” he said coolly.
He was scared, she sensed, but he maintained his composure. He was really quite remarkably mature. She found herself unwillingly showing more of her hand. “You’re forgetting that Hugh Pilaster was there,” she said. “He is my nephew. His father took his own life last week, as you probably heard, and that is why he isn’t here. But he has spoken to his mother, who is my sister-in-law.”
“What did he say?”
Augusta frowned. “He said that Edward threw Peter’s clothes into the water,” she said reluctantly. She did not really understand why Teddy would do such a thing.