KATE was about to dismiss her class of lively eight-year-olds for half-term, when the headmaster called her outside into the hall.
Bill Vincent eyed her hopefully. âCan you do me an enormous favour, Kate?â
âOf course, if I can. Whatâs the problem?â
âCould you possibly hang on with young Abby Cartwright for a while? Her fatherâs on the phone from the hospitalââ
Kate winced. âNot the baby already?â
âWeeks early, hence the panic. Fortunately the grandparents were arriving today anyway. Abbyâs uncle is fetching them from Heathrow, and will collect her on the way back.â
âWhich means Uncleâs not likely to collect Abby any time soon, then,â she said, resigned.
âAfraid not. Iâve got a Consortium meeting, or Iâd stay myselfââ
âBetter if I do it,â said Kate promptly. âIâm her teacher, the one she knows best. Sheâs new this term, and so shy sheâs finding it hard to make friends. Iâll take her home with me.â
The Head smiled, relieved. âThanks a lot, Kate. Will you give Tim Cartwright the glad news? Iâll look after your class.â
Kate picked up the phone in the office to reassure a distraught Tim Cartwright.
âIâm on a hospital payphone, Miss Dysart, so Iâll be brief,â he told her. âJuliaâs desperately worried about Abby and wants me to go home, but I hate the thought of leaving her. Mr Vincent said youâll take care of Abby, but are you really prepared to do that until my brother-in-law arrives? He could be late.â
âNo problem at all, Mr Cartwright,â said Kate soothingly. âYou stay with your wife and tell her not to worry. Iâm taking Abby home with me. Laurel Cottage at the end of the village. But could you contact her uncle, please, and give him my phone number?â Kate waited as he made a note of it, cut short Tim Cartwrightâs fervent thanks and went back to her class to report to Bill Vincent that everything was sorted.
When the other children streamed out to join waiting parents Kate called Abby Cartwright from the window. The child turned quickly, her blue eyes anxious behind her spectacles, fine flaxen hair escaping from its bunches.
âAbby,â Kate said gently, âyour father wonât be picking you up today. Heâs just taken your mother to the hospital to have the babyââ
âBut he canât come yet, Miss Dysart, itâs too soon!â said the child in alarm.
âYou know itâs a boy, then?â Kate smiled reassuringly. âDonât worry. Baby brotherâs in a hurry, thatâs all. Your uncleâs coming to collect you on the way back from the airport.â
âThen heâs gone to fetch Grandma and Grandad,â said Abby with relief. Her face fell. âBut do I have to wait here at school until they come?â
âNo. Iâll take you home with me.â
After Kate had collected her belongings and surrendered the classroom to the caretaker who doubled as cleaner, she said goodbye to her colleagues and took Abby out to her car. Because the village school was too short of space for a car park her elderly little runabout was outside in the village street, as usual, and as Kate approached it with Abby a man emerged from a sleek foreign vehicle parked a short distance away.
Kate stared in utter amazement, convinced for a moment that she was seeing things. But Alasdair Drummond, even taller than she remembered in a formal dark suit, was too solid a figure to be an apparition.
âHello, Kate.â He strode towards her, hand outstretched, his smile familiar and self-confident.
Kate touched the hand briefly. âThis is a surprise, Alasdair. What on earth are you doing here?â
âI came to see you, Kate.â
He expected her to believe that?
When she made no response his eyes narrowed. âI realise I should have got in touch first, but Iâve been to a funeral, so on impulse I came out this way afterwards on the chance of seeing you.â
Kate turned to the child beside her. âIâll just pop you in my car, Abby, while I talk to this gentleman for a moment. Shanât be long.â
Kate fastened Abby into the passenger seat, closed the door and looked up at Alasdair Drummond, displaying none of the over-the-moon delight heâd obviously expected. At one time she would have given her soul to see him turn up out of the blue like this. But not for many a long year, and certainly not here, where they were attracting far too much attention from her departing colleagues.